《Azalon》 Chapter 1: Wake up Call (v.2.0) I have updated and edited this chapter to a point where I am satisfied with it, probably still change a few things here and there over time but this is pretty much the final version and how I always wanted it to be in the beginning, hope you like it! ----- Chapter 1: Wake up Call "Yes mum... no you don¡¯t need to worry... yes everything is alright... I love you too mum, alright I gotta go. Bye." Makoto''s fake smile disappeared right after he ended the call. God, what an annoying woman, could she not just leave him alone for about one week before calling him again? Mumbling curses under his breath he turned his attention back to the monitor. Surfing the net for something to catch his interest, Makoto leaned back in his chair and enjoyed a sip of cooled fizzy juice. Shortly after turning 18 he had moved into a flat of his own, paid by his parents true, but it was his own place and close to the College he went to. Naturally he did not hate his mother or both his parents in general but he had grown quite spoiled over the years, too accustomed to not having to work for the things he owned. His phone started vibrating and a quick look confirmed that it was once again his mother. She probably forgot to tell him something before but after talking with her for two full minutes earlier he really didn¡¯t feel like answering and instead decided to ignore the call. Maybe in one or two days he would call her back, maybe he wouldn''t. Listening to the fast drumming beat of music, Makoto scrolled down gaming sites and typed in other web addresses, adding new tabs to the few hundred he had already open. Remembering something he took a quick look to the bottom right corner of his screen and confirmed the time. His favorite website should be updated at this point. Typing in the address, a blog popped up and to his delight he was right as the newest post of the day was already written. Right after reading the bold title his jaw dropped in disbelief. ''FIRST VIRTUAL REALITY GAME RELEASING NEXT MONTH!!!'' Clicking "read more", one paragraph after the other popped up and Makoto glanced over the information in nearly record time. After finishing and digesting it he stared blankly at the screen for a moment before an ugly smile formed on his face. Makoto knew what his next move should be so he picked up the phone that was pushed away before and searched through his contacts. It only took a few seconds for the person on the other end to answer. "Heyo, sorry I missed your call before mum, I was on the toilet. Listen, I need to ask you a favor..." .....
Scanning for user...
New user detected...
Create new account?
"Yes"
Creating Avatar...
Please select a Race.
Bodies of all the races started to appear before Makoto where there had before only been darkness. Every single one of them had his general build and features but there were slight differences as no one was like the other. Without even thinking about it he made his choice to stick with what he knew and was used to. "Human"
Select your appearance.
After selecting the Human version of himself a whole bunch of sliders appeared beside the body in a window. Unwilling to waste any time and eager to play the game he didn''t even bother as he had no real desire to change anything to begin with, it was not confidence that brought this decision but more the lack of it. As someone who had been a loner for years now he didn''t need to worry about other people possibly recognizing him Ingame, as he had been invisible in Real Life for most anyways. "Leave as is"
Select a Name.
"...Makoto" Thinking that it didn''t matter much as he had also chosen his real appearance, he decided to stick with his own name too. Who would be stupid enough to use their real name as Ingame ID anyways...no one would find out it was his actual name...right?
Congratulations on creating your Avatar!
You are the 25, 531st player to join the game.
Great... competition...
Choose your starting area.
That was the only thing he was still unsure about as he pondered over the floating map before him. It showed the Continent, currently the only place in Azalon that you could play in as other areas of the world had yet to be explored by players. 4 small circles marked possible starting locations for the race he chose while red X''s and smaller black X''s sprinkled the whole map. Makoto''s guess was that the X''s showed cities, apparently there was hundreds of them, and the red ones probably symbolized the main capitals of each country as there were only a dozen or so present on the entire map. Still unsure of what location to pick from, Makoto took his time until he finally selected the southwest area. It was close to the ocean so he would at least be able to view the boundless sea when he ''pwned'' some ''noobs''. Eager to kill a few mobs and finally get a taste of virtual reality he confirmed his choice.
Beginner Village Salem selected!
A sudden bright light pierced through the map, dissolving it slowly while also blinding Makoto in an unpleasant way. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Once again a voice resounded in his ears and this time it was as if he could also hear the smile that followed with it.
Welcome to Azalon, Makoto.
..... Blinking away the white dots in his vision, Makoto suddenly had a feel for his body again. As he moved his hands before his eyes to block out the sunlight that was currently blinding him, he looked around and was stunned from what he saw. The starting Village was really just that, about 3 or 4 dozen wooden houses that had definitely seen better days with an old man standing at the exit of the Village accompanied by a mob of new players swarming around him, shouting to be heard by the NPC while asking for quests and monsters to kill. It looked so real that Makoto needed a good moment to take it all in, the breeze that tickled his cheek, the sunlight that blinded his eyes and the smell of ocean in the air, it was truly mesmerizing. He could sadly only enjoy this moment of awe for a short period of time as another player arrived in a ray of light next to him and nearly ran Makoto over while sprinting towards the NPC at the entrance of the village. What a bunch of losers... With a smirk he walked past the horde of new players as he exited the village straight away, not even bothering in trying to reach the poor old man that had his hands full. After thinking for a moment he said "Open Inventory" aloud and a small transparent box appeared before him, showing him that he started with a small dagger, 10 copper coins and two loaves of stale bread to regenerate health presumably. Equipping the dagger he swung it around clumsily until he got a feel for it and continued down the dirt path, away from the village. While they all swarmed one NPC and probably had to wait 30 minutes until it was their turn to even talk to him he was already outside and on his way to grind some levels by simply going hunting. The early bird gets the worm after all. Grinning about this absolutely genius idea, Makoto decided to take a detour through the forest as the sun was burning down on him. Even though it was not real it felt real enough and as a gamer he generally disliked sunlight so even Ingame it was like a natural instinct to avoid it. Oblivious to the dangers lurking all around him he went deeper and deeper into the woods. Visibility for the surrounding area had started to diminish and it was quite the challenge to see what was up ahead as Makoto tripped more than once over a hidden root or bush. The realism in this game is annoyingly incredible... After about 15 minutes of not encountering any monster or animal whatsoever, Makoto was starting to grow impatient as he was simply wasting time now and just wanted to experience combat. Luckily he could see a deep and dark opening not far away to his right as it turned out to be a cave of sorts. Without thinking about it too much and eager to fight his first enemy he went inside and accompanied by a ding in his ears, a system message floated in front of his eyes for the first time.
-You have discovered the hidden Dungeon: Green Forest Cave!- As the first player to enter this unknown cave you are rewarded for your bravery and courage. +5 Fame +100 Experience Warning! You have entered a dungeon for the first time, caution is advised as certain game mechanics work differently inside dungeons.
Happy about the unexpected gain, Makoto checked his experience bar and was delighted to see that it had already filled up nearly half way. Without any fear he went deeper into the cave, the temperature started dropping drastically after only a few steps and a slight shiver ran down his spine. He was soon enough surrounded by complete darkness, to the point that the had trouble seeing even his own hands before his eyes. After a couple more minutes of slowly progressing forward while staying close to the wall his eyes finally started to adjust, funny enough even that was implemented into the game. Turning around a corner he could see a slight shuffle before him and two blinking red dots in the darkness. That was the only warning he got before another system window appeared before him, together with a jolt of pain.
Critical hit! You have received 102 damage! You have been killed!
...wait what?! Unable to even scream or protest, Makoto collapsed lifelessly onto the floor as his already poor vision dimmed further and soon enough all he could see was a single system window.
Do you wish to revive?
Sighing mentally he selected ''Yes'' Well that¡¯s what he got for being cocky... With another ray of light Makoto revived and was about to turn towards the old man at the gate to also ask for his first quest like all the other sheep before him when he started to notice that it was still pitch black around him. He could move around again but everything was dark as if he was still... ...as if he was still stuck inside that damned cave... A cold shiver ran down his back as he quickly opened up the game menu and clicked on the ''help'' icon. "System, why did I not revive inside the starting village?"
Specify your problem please.
Grinding his teeth, Makoto complied. "I went inside an undiscovered Dungeon and was killed but didn''t revive back in the village."
If you die inside a Dungeon you will respawn inside it in an area that is generally called a ''safe'' area with no enemies. Going into a dungeon without a party is not advised as some of these ''safe'' areas can be deep inside the dungeon itself, making it nigh impossible to flee without someone else helping
Makoto started to go pale as he read the message. With slightly shaking hands he closed the Interface and looked around inside the deep and endless dark as the cold crept into his virtual bones. "Fuck..." ----- First Chapter done! Now I just need to get the rest updated too ^^. Chapter 2: Combat Struggles Chapter 2: Combat Struggles Makoto was not someone who feared the dark but being trapped in this cave together with enemies that could very well one-shot him put a lot of strain on his mind. The only thing he could really do was staying close to the wall and going alongside it while trusting his sense of touch, which was not impended in the dark. After a few minutes of quietly shuffling alongside the wall he reached a corner again, unsure if there was another way to go or not he stuck close to the wall and the sudden shine of a daggers blade made him stop dead in his tracks. This time he saw the thing that killed him even when it was only the letters above its head that marked it as something else except wall and stone.
Goblin: lvl 3
In just 3 quick stabs Makoto''s body fell, again he had been killed unable to do anything at all... Frustrated he revived and was back where he started. Trying to calm himself and go about this logically, Makoto went through what had happened. These monsters were goblins, considering it showed ''lvl 3'' they should be above his level, right? Unsure what his level or overall stats were, he opened his character tab.
Status Window
Name:MakotoLevel:1
Alignment:NeutralClass:None
Race:HumanGender:Male
Titles
None
Health:100/100Mana:100/100
Strength:10Agility:10
Vitality:10Wisdom:10
Intelligence:10Fame:5
So he started with level 1 and 10 in all his stats except fame. Pretty normal in that regard. Next he examined his weapon.
Used Dagger:
A used dagger that has been neglected by its previous owner, if one examines it carefully, little signs of rust can be found.
Damage:1-3Durability:Infinite
Requirments:None
¡­ so in other words a shitty dagger... Now the next step was to find out how to fight that goblin and to get out of this cave. Glancing at his dagger he pulled it out of its sheath and stabbed as well as slashed with it a couple of times. Still unsure and not feeling up to the task Makoto went back to the Goblin. As always the little bastard was hiding behind a corners bend so he could easier ambush unknowing players. Grinding his teeth Makoto ran around the corner and in an act of anger and frustration, kicked the little creature right in its face.
7 Damage dealt!
Grinning he stepped forward, wanting to stab the goblin but surprisingly the 3 foot tall thing was quite agile and jumped out of his reach. Before he could do anything else another window appeared and a sluggish feeling creeped into his body.
Warning! Because your enemy (Goblin lvl 3) has more than double your level, after entering combat against it the battle-effect ''oppression'' activates. Oppression: If you have double your enemies level, applies 30% stat reduction (Also works against player).
Shocked Makoto read the effect again. So because he was level 1 and the Goblin level 3, effectively having over double his own level he was burdened even more by cutting all of his stats by 3 each?! "Are you goddamn kidding me?!" Unable to hold back his rage Makoto rushed the little critter, wanting to end its life. Unfortunately he ran right into the Goblins own dagger.
You have received 45 Damage!
With a sudden pain radiating from his stomach Makoto jumped back and held his free hand against the bleeding wound. It did not hurt nearly as much as it would have in real life because pain was the only thing dulled in a players sense of realism. The reduction was quite big with only 10% of the actual pain being simulated but having been stabbed right in the lower intestines still hurt like hell even with that. Breathing heavily he tried to gauge the Goblins next move but it was difficult to even make out an arm in this darkness. With stomping sounds the Goblin ran forward and a hand shot towards Makoto. Leaning back as far as possible another box appeared above the Goblins head.
Miss!
This time it was his own turn and Makoto rammed his weapon right beneath its armpit.
Critical hit! 21 Damage dealt!
Happy about the lucky critical he checked the Goblins health, only to notice that maybe one fifth of its overall HP was missing. Horrified Makoto was unable to dodge yet another attack and the Goblins dagger was rammed right into his own throat.
Critical hit! You received 92 Damage! You have been killed!
¡­.. "Goddamnit!" Shouting angrily Makoto hit a wall after reviving yet again. The punching fit went on for a good while until he finally calmed down and went over what he learned. Because his level was not high enough he got punished in a fight. Two good hits from the Goblin would kill him at this point. He was able to dodge an attack if he put his mind to it. Generally the thing had an easy attack pattern that even someone without battle experience like Makoto could follow. His own Damage paled compared to the Goblins. A quick look at his experience bar confirmed that he had lost all the exp he had gotten from discovering this dungeon already. Sighing, Makoto sat down for a few minutes to calm his mind and form a strategy. First things first he knew he had to get used to battles inside Azalon. His inexperience in a fight and now pitted against a stronger and more experienced enemy could only work against him. He couldn¡¯t change the Goblins level or his own without gaining exp but he could gain a different kind of experience, it might be crude but dying a few times to get used to fighting against an enemy and gaining battle experience was definitely the only option here. This time Makoto took his time and practiced with his dagger for one hour. In his mind he went over the past fight over and over again and swung his dagger, imagining ways to counter attack or handle a situation differently. After that he went and fought the Goblin again, this time he was able to dodge three attacks and lower its health by half before tripping over a piece of stone and dying a fourth time. Practicing, fighting, dying, repeat. That became his mantra for the next few hours until now. Gripping his dagger tightly, Makoto ran around the corner and jumped, hitting the Goblin with both feet square in its chest.
15 Damage dealt!
While he stood up, the 3 foot tall thing was still stunned on the ground, he used that timeframe to get a good few hits in before an angry growl and a dagger swinging for his face made him back off again. Right away the message informing him about ''oppression'' appeared again and he dismissed it, not wanting to get distracted. He could feel the stat reduction in his bones, making his movements slower and attacks weaker but after fighting so many times he had gotten used to the effect. Evading a huge swing from his opponent Makoto punished it in return with ramming his own blade deep into the Goblins throat and twisting it in an ugly way while backing off again. He had learned a few nasty tricks after fighting so many times in life and death situation, only confirmed by the next system message.
Critical hit! 19 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Bleed: - 5 hp every 2 seconds for 10 seconds
Putting a hand on his blood gushing throat the Goblin stared at him with eyes squinted in hatred and roared out his anger. Again Makoto saw the attack coming from a mile away and kicked its knee, he was rewarded with another system message and a satisfying scream from the disgusting thing.
You have put a status effect on your opponent! Cripple: - 15% movement and attack speed until the fight is finished.
Smiling wickedly Makoto started his barrage of stabs and slashes on the limping Goblin, not letting up in the slightest or giving it a chance to retaliate. After nearly five minutes of fighting he lunged forward and rammed his blood soaked dagger into the Goblins heart.
Critical hit! 24 Damage dealt!
With another satisfying scream the Goblin fell on its knees, waving its arm one last time in a miserable attempt to hit Makoto. A sudden rush went through Makoto and grinning from one ear to another he watched his experience bar jump. "Not bad, not bad" He said after looking at the few copper coins that had been left behind after the Goblins body disappeared. Oddly enough the blood that his own clothes had been soaked in had not disappeared. If someone else had seen him at this moment, giving a wicked smile and a loving look to his sleeve after bathing it in the goblins blood they would have surely been creeped out and only moments away from calling the police, thankfully this all happened in a game. ..... After successfully defeating his first Goblin Makoto was careful to not let this small victory get to his head, being cocky here right now only 2 good hits away from death was definitely not smart. He had been taught the hard way that currently he was far from well equipped, without any proper gear and being only level 1 inside this frightening dungeon. Going deeper and deeper he encountered many more Goblins, most of the time they wandered the cave alone but a few times there was a group of them and after barely surviving against two he started avoided groups of three or more. Thankfully he was able to lure each one of them away from their respective group by simply throwing stones at them... Goblins must have a very poor intelligence stat... His Journey deeper into the cave was uneventful except for fighting the Goblins from time to time, surprisingly there were no other monsters or traps, even the level range did not change. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. After his 9th or so Goblin he got his first level-up with 10 stat points available and distributed 5 points each to Strength and Agility. More Damage and Speed was dearly needed right now, without any armor protecting him, being able to tank was out of the question and upping his intelligence or wisdom didn¡¯t seem like a good idea. For now at least he would focus on Strength and Agility. The next time he fought the difference was visible right away, first of all the battle effect ''oppression'' did not activate because the Goblins were only level 3 and not 4. Secondly, his own level-up made it so that his Strength and Agility stat more than doubled from one fight to another. After hitting a critical hit for nearly 40 points of damage he himself was speechless about the devastating thing he was doing to the Goblin and it took him only a minute to dispose of the creature. With newfound vigor Makoto engaged in slaughter, even daring to fight 3 or 4 Goblins at the same time. His battle sense had improved to the point that even 4 Goblins hacking away at him with their swords were unable to even leave a scratch on him. The only real reason why he was able to fight so many opponents at the same time was his increased speed and damage, making it possible to focus on one Goblin at a time while evading the others. After killing an especially nasty group of Goblins with two of them wielding spears and nearly skewing him alive a couple of times, a new system window popped up.
After dodging your opponents many times and being able to read their movements you have become a quick footed tempest in battle, able to kill without being touched even once. For evading attacks 50 times in succession you have been rewarded with a new stat. Evasiveness: For every point in Evasiveness a 0.1% chance to evade Damage even when hit is added.
Smiling, Makoto checked his stats.
Status Window
Name:MakotoLevel:2
Alignment:NeutralClass:None
Race:HumanGender:Male
Titles
None
Health:110/110Mana:100/100
Strength:15Agility:15
Vitality:10Wisdom:10
Intelligence:10Fame:5
Evasiveness:5
So he had a 0.5% Chance to neglect damage when hit. True, right now the stat was pretty pointless but later on when it was maybe 5% or even 10% that could be a big life saver, especially when fighting against bosses or other players. Happy about this randomly gained stat he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was possible to gain other stats in a different way. Considering someone had to dodge 50 times in succession against an opponent and if you got hit once the counter for it was reset, that was a pretty high requirement, on top of not knowing one would get a stat for being able to do said thing to begin with. Makoto didn¡¯t know how to get other stats or even a skill at the moment so pondering about it didn¡¯t help him either with getting out of this damn cave. ..... He fought his way passed many more Goblins until he reached another bend in the normally linear path. The light that was emanating from behind this bend was clearly visible to his strained eyes and with the hope of finally exiting this dark and goblin infested cave Makoto rushed past the bend only to find himself in a big and circular room with torches lighting the walls. Before he could examine his surroundings more or even get used to the light a sudden movement in the corner of his eye made him jump forward, evading a spear that flew passed his head. Turning around he saw two Goblins in full armor and both wielding two long spears standing left and right to the dark corridor he had just exited.
Goblin Guard: lvl 5
Luckily for Makoto the many Goblins inside the cave had allowed him to level-up again to 3 or he would have been under the effect of ''oppression'' once more. "Stinking human, why you inside our den?!" One of the creatures asked him with a lisp to his voice. This was actually the first time he saw a Goblin properly. The only thing he was able to make out before was their overall height and posture, sometimes also a glint from their eyes or a spark from their weapons but never had he seen faces or color in the dark. Simply put Goblins where small creatures, their eyes too small, noses too big and whenever they opened their mouths a row of thin and misplaced yellow teeth was visible. Even their green skin color had been unknown to Makoto but the hatred in their eyes and their postures was something that had been etched into his mind. "If you don¡¯t answer you die, filthy human!" The Goblin to his right had lost patience after Makoto stared at them for a few seconds and ran forward with his spear. Without even having to look he stepped to the side, letting the little creatures run past him screaming and kicked the Goblin into his behind, sending him sprawling on the floor. After stabbing the grounded Goblin 3 times a gust of wind made Makoto aware of the other and only after jumping to the side and rolling on the floor was he able to escape the scarily accurate penetration of his own behind. If that was planned from the Goblin or not was unclear but the thought alone spooked Makoto to the point were he heightened his concentration even more. After circling the two for a few second and letting the first Goblin Guard stand up he decided to test them a little and kicked off towards them. Right before reaching the nearest Goblin and getting his chest penetrated by a spear, Makoto let himself fall to the ground, sliding now he was able to kick the Goblins ankles away and made him fall to the ground a second time, this time with a system message following his actions.
You have put a status effect on your opponent! Cripple: - 15% movement and attack speed until the fight is finished.
After dodging the spear thrust of the nearby Goblin and exchanging a few blows he saw the other stand up slowly, favoring one leg more than the other. Smiling about the lucky status effect he was able to pull off, he started a barrage of attacks on the other armored Goblin, looking for a gap and stabbing every opening he found. It took Makoto many minutes and after receiving a glancing blow that took away 30 of his HP he was finally able to kill one of the Goblins. They possessed nearly two times the health of lesser Goblins and their armor and weapons made it difficult to get close as well as land a good blow. Panting, Makoto hacked away at the remaining one and after only 20 more seconds another body hit the floor. They left behind a few more copper coins and luckily for Makoto he finally was able to acquire a piece of equipment.
Plated Gloves:
A Pair of iron plated gloves, giving the wearer decent defense while not hindering their movement at all.
Defense:4Vitality:2
Durability:18/20
Requirements:None
Smiling happily he examined the gloves that reached to his elbows and noticed that his health had gained a good chunk after equipping them. 2 Vitality did help a lot if you only had 10 to begin with. After finally not having to worry so much about getting his head crushed by a spear thrust, Makoto had time to examine the room. To his surprise he found big metal cages on one side, holding a bunch of children and women prison. After approaching the cages one of the women noticed and called out to him. "Oh the Divines be blessed, Adventurer please help us! We are from the Village of Salem, it has been many nights since we last saw daylight and our children are starving, please safe us from this place!" A new system window appeared this time.
Rescue of many Damsels!: (Quest)
The Women and Children of Salem have been imprisoned by vile Goblins. To Goblins, humans, especially children, are a fine delicacy and all of them are doomed to be eaten alive if you don¡¯t rescue them! The men of Salem will reward you generously if you bring all of them back alive and in one piece.
Rewards:Unknown
Penalty:If Quest is refused, Alignment changes from Neutral to Evil and Villagers in the whole continent will detest you, making it impossible to gain intimacy and trade with them. On top of that the villagers of Salem will set a bounty on your head for allowing such a cruel thing to happen and will chase you till the ends of the world to avenge their loved ones.
Makoto stared at the window with a blank face for a few seconds, finally, without any emotion in his voice he replied. "Oh what great joy it brings me to be forc- I mean help you in achieving freedom Miss, what can I do to free you of this vile prison you have been put in?"
Quest accepted!
Damn right I did, what other choice do I have... The woman smiled after hearing his words and continued. "To free us you must get the key from the Goblin Chief that ordered our capture, he has it with him at all times and is an especially disgusting creature but quick witted so beware of his tricks, Adventurer." Nodding Makoto stepped a bit closer and continued the conversation. "And this Goblin Chief can be found where exactly if I ma-" "HUMAAAAN FIILLTTHHH!!!" A sudden thunderous roar echoed through the room interrupting Makoto mid-sentence. Turning around quickly to another entrance of the room, Makoto saw a six foot tall, pot bellied and fat Goblin hobble into the room with a double bladed war-axe in each hand and wearing heavy armor from head to toe.
Goblin Chief: Elite Monster lvl 7
...oh for gods sake... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
AAAAAAND Done! Man these tables are something else i tell you guys, took me a while to figure out and get them how i wanted them. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the Chapter and cya tomorrow :lahla: Chapter 3: First Weapon I Know i know, i said i would see you guys tomorrow but because of all the positive comments i decided to squeeze another Chapter out today so you better be grateful!!![th_104_.gif] Chapter 3: First Weapon Looking at this new enemy that was more than double his level and had the wonderful words ''Elite Monster'' to it, a bad premonition hit Makoto and his face paled. Sure enough a few seconds later the battle-effect ''oppression'' was applied again and his Strength and Agility where cut down to 14. The Goblin Chief was approaching with heavy steps and his tiny red eyes where fixated on Makoto. With another roar he swung his war-axe and Makoto had to jump to the side and even roll on the ground to be able to escape the enormous weapon. Without even being able to counter-attack he got chased around the whole room by the Goblin Chief, unsure how to deal with the current situation yet another system window appeared.
+1 Evasiveness!
"That is really not helping!" He couldn¡¯t help but scream while dodging another wide swing. The pattern of the Goblin Chief was completely different than its other kin. While they would attack and pause from time to time he was in a constant rush, swinging his axes from one side to the other. It took Makoto a good 5 minutes to find a gap in the pattern during which he was hit by one of the axes and a terrifying message as well as pain appeared.
You have received 92 Damage!
Surviving barely with a hurting side he evaded the next strike and finally was able to understand. Every 3 swings the Goblin Chief''s Momentum from swinging his war-axes made him lose balance and he needed a moment to adjust before he could attack again. After waiting another 3 swings he jumped close to the Goblins body and rammed his dagger twice into its side before having to back off again.
16 Damage dealt! 12 Damage dealt!
On his second hit the Goblin chief''s armor had protected him a bit so the Damage was lower but happy to finally see his opponents health take a hit, Makoto kept to his tactic while his own health slowly went up again during this long fight. After getting down the pattern it got a lot easier and he was able to get to full health again by also quickly eating some bread, while the Goblins dropped to 30% at which his pattern changed again. The name Elite was not for show it seemed. After dipping below 30% health the Goblin Chief''s skin turned fire red and a window informed Makoto that his enemy was now in an ''enraged'' state. While trying to back off and analyzing the new pattern Makoto had a few close calls during which he got grazed twice, losing nearly all of his health again. The pattern had changed from 3 to 5 swings until balance was lost but this time the duration in which the goblin Chief was open had nearly doubled, allowing Makoto to inflict a few quick stabs before having to lean and jump back. Luckily he was able to pull off one more bleed attack at the end and could watch the Goblins Health slowly decline. With a loud bang the huge and fat body fell to the floor causing a slight rumble in the room. Exhaling his relieve Makoto watched the monster''s body disappear. That was a very close fight... One look at his own health confirmed that only 12 HP remained, he was one step away from death. Sadly no loot except copper coins and a key was dropped from the Goblin Chief. It seems the appearance of the monster was a scripted event which would explain why he hadn''t shown up before Makoto accepted the Quest. After opening the prison cells, women and children swarmed around him happily, laughing and hugging him many times while expressing their gratitude. Makoto couldn¡¯t help but give a small smile even when he knew they were only programs and not real. Next on the Agenda it was time to leave this awful cave. "Stay behind me while I clear us a path, is that clear? I don¡¯t want anyone getting hurt here if possible" If they got hurt he would fail the Quest and have a mob of villagers hunt him down... The group of women and children all nodded and Makoto lead them slowly through the only other route. It was the same way the Elite Goblin Chief had entered the room and after only 2 more Goblins that put Makoto to level 4 they finally stood next to trees and beneath sunlight again. Children ran around happily while the women tried putting them back in order but the overall mood was good and with a smile on his face Makoto brought the villagers back home. ..... The sight of a player leading a big group of women and children back to Salem was something else for sure. Many other players backed off and glanced at Makoto confused. They had all gotten small quests to hunt a few stray dogs or chickens while Makoto brought a bunch of NPC''s back to the Village, it sure was a strange sight. The Village Chief that had been standing at the gate before and instructed the many players with quests couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Seeing him grasp Makoto''s hands with tears of joy flowing down his face stunned many users. "Oh what a great deed you have done young Adventurer, how can I ever thank you enough in saving our loved ones and future, you truly deserve a reward." Before Makoto could reply, the old man was already searching through the folds of his clothes, bringing forth a short-sword with its sharp blade shining beautifully in the sunlight. "Here take this, it was my own blade when I was a young fellow but it should still be in good condition. Know also this, that whenever you are in trouble and need help, the Village of Salem will always come to your aid. That is the least that we can do!"
Quest completed! Iron Short-Sword received! Intimacy with the Village of Salem has increased to maximum!
Makoto also gained enough experience to level-up yet again, bringing him to level 5 and making it so that he could finally leave Salem without worrying too much. After being thanked again by every single Villager, Makoto opened his map. It showed his surroundings and what he had explored, right now it was only showing a small portion of the sea, the Village of Salem and a tiny bit of forest where the Goblin Dungeon had been. After closing the map, unsure of where to go now, for the second time the Village Chief was standing in front of him, smiling. "I see that you are already strong enough now to leave the boundaries of Salem, young Adventurer. Your next stop in your Journey is the Marine City of Talis on the beach north of here. Farewell and may the Divines bless your step!" "I see, you have my thanks Village Chief." Makoto curtly replied, after having reached such high intimacy that the Village Chief himself informed him where to find his next destination he did not want to anger him in any way. As one could see high Intimacy paid off, now he knew where to go and a short time later after repairing his Plated gloves, with his sword in hand he left the Village of Salem. .....
Battle-hardened Short-Sword: :
An Iron Short-Sword kept in optimal condition, gifted from the Village Chief of Salem for a great deed. It has seen many battles and clashed with many foes, a sword that truly carries its own story.
Damage:9-11Durability:30/30
Special Option:+ 3 Strength
Requirements:Must be gifted willingly from the Village Chief of Salem
If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. No matter how many times he saw it, it was a really good sword. Smiling while petting his precious sword, Makoto traveled along a dirt path that lead north. He was currently going through the fields of Salem. A smell of the sea was charming his nose and every few second a gust of wind comfortably went through his hair. A house on the beach would be a nice thing. Daydreaming about swimming every day in the ocean, his gaze naturally went to his left admiring the snow white beach in the distance. After watching the waves for a few seconds, Makoto saw something odd. A middle sized rock was scuttling along the beach. And it was not the only rock. Surprised Makoto stopped walking and watched this weird spectacle of rocks running around the beach, stopping from time to time and then kicking off again. "What the hell..." Unable to withstand his curiosity he walked towards the beach until he was close enough to see letters appear above every rock that ran around the beach.
Rock crab: lvl 4
"So that is a crab? Well, makes sense I guess." Makoto sat down at one side of the beach and watched these strange creature run around, presumably looking for food. After a few minutes one of the crabs noticed him and gave off a weird clacking sound in his direction and started to slowly approach with opened pincers. "I guess you aren''t coming here to shake hands are you?" Makoto jokingly said while readying his sword. Rock crabs generally moved slow, only when they got close their pincers shot forth, trying to grab you. Makoto blocked the attempts to squeeze his arm off with his own sword and took a step forward for a sword thrust only to find his trusted blade bounce off the hard shell.
7 Damage dealt!
"Damn, such high defense." Cursing under his breath he tried different angles and sides while evading the rock crab but to no avail. All he could mostly do was inflict 10 Damage which was a lot less even when compared to a level 7 Elite Monster. The fight took quite a while and after killing the dog sized crab all he got was a broken pincer which was junk loot... Frustrated Makoto engaged into combat again and tried to kick the rock crabs legs in an attempt to maybe break it, unfortunately that backfired terribly.
You have sprained your ankle! -20% movement speed until the fight is finished!
"Fuck!" Calling the crab every known curse word in the book, Makoto hacked and slashed away at it while limping around, now unable to even dodge properly and nearly dying a few times. After waiting for his health to refill again and the status effect to disappear he decided to study the creatures a bit, he had nothing else to do anyways. As far as he could tell they had an incredibly hard shell, their joints where well protected unlike most humanoid creatures and there was no obvious weak-point for Makoto because he did not understand their anatomy well enough. After watching one crab eat a mouse an idea formed in his head. Logically speaking their hard shell was protecting a weaker inside right? With that idea in mind he got another crabs attention, luring it away from its friends and after it got close enough Makoto took a quick step forward and thrust his sword right down the crabs throat.
Critical hit! 84 Damage dealt!
Right away more than half of the Rock crabs health disappeared and with a moan it fell to the floor while Makoto twisted his sword on the way out, inflicting an additional ''bleed'' status on it. After killing the crab in seconds, he wiped the nasty goop off his sword and looked smiling to the surrounding Rock crabs that all took a fearful step back. Afterwards he discovered a few other weak-points, their shell was not completely sealed, if one was able to turn them over, generally their belly was another spot easy to Damage. He killed around 20 of them while heading north along the beach before another blinding light descended from the sky signaling a level-up. This time he put 4 points into Strength and Agility while 2 in Vitality, to finally boost his health a little more. Apparently Vitality seemed to boost his armor rating a slight bit because his defense numbers rose after putting those two points into it. One thing he had to do was check online what each individual stat actually did after logging out. He was still a long way from the Marine city of Talis, even when standing on the beach and straining his eyes, all he was able to see was the endless ocean. Makoto lost count how many crabs he actually killed but being the only player visible for miles allowed for a free farming range. After killing a crab and actually piercing its shell with his sword, a new system window popped up.
Through your continues efforts on breaking your opponents defenses, you have acquired the skill ''Penetration''!
Penetration:
Even the strongest of defenses can be broken through with effort and tenacity.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level1 (0%)
Skill Effect:+ 5% Armor Penetration
It was a simple skill but Makoto was happy, even when he had no idea how he had gotten it. "My first skill seems pretty effective when dealing with tank classes." As far as he understood it he was able to level skills up after using them for a long time and considering his ''Penetration'' skill was passive and not active its usefulness only increased. "So it pretty much means I don¡¯t have to worry too much when fighting heavily armored players or bosses, sweet!" Grinning like a little boy that had just been gifted his first bike, Makoto ran towards a group of Rock crabs, slicing apart their hard shell while laughing like a maniac. Man, this is going to be fun! -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Well, this time for real, cya guys tomorrow. Next Chapter should be out in about 12 hours so no worries boys and girls. :happy: Chapter 4: The Marine City ----- Chapter 4: The Marine City Strength: A basic stat that increases damage for melee, slightly increases health points and allows for superhuman strength ingame if pushed over a certain limit. Agility: A basic stat that increases Damage for ranged as well as accuracy, slightly increases movement speed, attack speed and critical hit chance, allows for superhuman speed if pushed beyond a certain limit. Vitality: A basic stat that increases overall health tremendously, slightly increases armor rating and overall regeneration, makes potions more effective if pushed over a certain point. Wisdom: A basic stat that increases overall mana tremendously, slightly increases mana regeneration and if pushed beyond a certain limit resistance to curses, taunts, hexes and illusions increases. Intelligence: A basic stat that increases damage for magic, slightly increases mana and if pushed beyond a certain point allows for superhuman intuition and perception. That was all Makoto was able to dig up about the stats in Azalon. Surprisingly there was no mention of the Fame stat. Truth be told what else did he expect, the game''s servers had only been online since this morning, that was a little more than 12 hours. Many players in the online forums even vowed to spend 99% of the weekend ingame so not many posts had been made yet. Sighing and rubbing his eyes he stood up from his chair and stretched. If he didn¡¯t have to get up early tomorrow morning to go on the promised shopping spree with his mum he would also not log out till Monday, but that was one of the requirements for getting the game and the Capsule in the first place. After getting a drink Makoto went back to the forums, the excitement of actually being inside Azalon didn¡¯t let go of him so he decided to maybe find a few more pieces of valuable information. His search continued for a while until he noticed a video that was posted a few minutes ago. Interested he clicked play and waited for the thing to load while putting it on full-screen. The actual footage was from a player''s own perspective, it was possible to record ingame footage and transfer the video to a computer or hard-drive, Makoto knew that much as well. The video showed a party of players storm inside a large room with sparkling stones all over the wall, in the middle of the room was a gigantic lizard, the thing must have been at least 10 feet tall when standing, right now it was supposedly asleep. Letters appeared above its head after the player from the footage got closer with his party.
Gemstone Lizard: Boss Monster lvl 10
"Oh wow.." Makoto watched as an epic battle unfolded before his eyes. Somehow one of the players in the video had already changed his class to a Mage, shooting flames from both hands again and again. Another player was showering the Giant Lizard with arrow after arrow and the rest used a common hit and run tactic as to not get under any sharp talons. The video lasted nearly 10 minutes with a few players dying but overall the party managed to slay the Lizard, with a fade away black screen, sudden letters appeared at the end of the video.
-Join now! Yggdrasil, the one guild to conquer Azalon!-
Not interested at all, Makoto closed his browser and sat back in his chair. The guild might not have piqued his interest but the fight sure did. Again his heart began racing thinking about going back inside, the urge to fight even scarier monsters than the Goblin Chief blossomed inside Makoto''s mind while he went to bed. The Urge to fight and slaughter. Smiling while thinking about blood, guts and glory, Makoto fell asleep. ..... "What do you think of this one?" His mother held in her hands a yellow dress, short in length and cut deep at the front to show cleavage. "I''m sure it would suit you well mum." Makoto said, she didn¡¯t notice the lie within what he said so with a little smile she folded the piece of clothing over her arm and went to the front to pay for it. Bored out of his mind he stared out of the display window, watching a few girls pass by and grading them in his mind, face and body both taken into account naturally. "Are you coming honey?" His Mother asked and after a short "Coming!" while keeping an especially attractive girl in the corner of his eye, he left the shop. "We haven''t done something like this in ages, I barely even see you these days, how are your studies going at the moment?" She asked looking at him with a smile, Makoto didn¡¯t say he had not touched any of the books yet, instead he lied again as to not worry her and the bigger reason behind it, to not be nagged at. "Everything is going great, we had a little test the other day and I nearly had full marks." "That¡¯s good, it would be terrible if this new game was affecting your future College work." A menacing glare from her made him swallow but he smiled reassuringly while a little sweat ran down his back. It seems his mother could still read him like an open book from time to time, even though keeping the everyday facade intact dampened it, beneath the mask, his mother was a very scary woman. Her 3 ex-husbands could only agree while having to pay her living expenses every month. "Oh look at that one, come, I have to try it on, it just screams late night party and you know how I have to attend my sisters birthday next week, this would be great for the after-party." Giggling she dragged Makoto into another shop with dresses and extremely skimpy clothes on display. Sighing deeply he pretended to look at some overpriced jeans while secretly staring outside the display window again. His city, close to the west coast had many young girls, most of them freshly burned and crispy brown from visiting tanning beds. Either that or they had a natural tan from heritage because no one could tell him that sunbathing was a thing at January, when it was freezing cold outside. "I think this one really fits me well, what do you think?" Presenting herself, his mum turned around once and then showed a beaming smile again. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Not wanting to tell his own mother she looked like a teenage girl with too much make-up, asking to be dragged into an Alley he just nodded. "Maybe a bit much if you ask me but it looks good" Makoto said in the end. He really didn¡¯t want his mother to go out like that, for her safety and his own reputation. No one wants a Sugar Mama as their mother... Feeling a shiver down his spine just thinking about it he shook his head slightly and went back to his important business, which was staring at the behind of moderately attractive girls. Ignoring his mothers antics about her current boyfriend a girl caught Makoto''s eye. Face 10/10, Body 10/10, Smile 10/10. Holy mother... A blond beauty with green eyes was walking with another girl at her side past the shop, stopping just opposite of where he was standing. He was not the only one that noticed her as many eyes followed this blond girl, the majority were men but not all of them. With a half opened mouth he watched this goddess outside the shop talk with her friend, then something funny must have been said because she broke out into a crystal clear laughter that reached his ears, it was like the angels of heaven were singing an otherworldly hymn to him. Makoto, for the first time in his life felt something strange, a sudden throb in his chest, then a warmth spreading out from it. While watching this goddess walk away, a smile, maybe the first heartfelt and honest smile in many years, appeared on his face. "She is way out of your league honey, forget about that right now before you get your little heart broken." Shaken up by these harsh words he noticed his mother, standing right in front of him and giving him a knowing look before turning around to find another outfit. Still stunned and confused a quick glance confirmed that the girl was gone. Again a throb went through his chest. ..... Back inside Azalon Makoto continued in his slaughter of rock crabs, his Penetration skill also gained 2 levels until the rate at which he gained experience for it slowed down only to completely stop after the 100th crab or so. "Maybe it has something to do with its armor being too low at this point? Hell if I know." Unsure he continued killing the big critters, his experience bar crawled at a snails pace at this point but it only took him a few seconds per crab after getting used to their pattern so it was worth it in his eyes. The sandy beach was hot under his feet after having traveled on it for many miles at this point, a sudden thirst and hunger took a hold of Makoto. Surprised about those familiar sensations he took out a loaf of bread and practically shoved it down his throat, for the thirst he couldn¡¯t really do much, drinking sea water would only dehydrate him more... or would it? Curious, Makoto went near the rolling tide and scooped a bit of water into his hands, it definitely smelled like salty water. Gulping it down slowly his thirst felt quenched for a moment until it returned even worse. "Thought so, damn." Wiping away the excessive water on his face his eyes went north, alongside the beach. Talis was still not clearly visible, only a dark spot could be seen at the horizon if one looked carefully. "Just how far away is that place..." Growling angrily and with a dry throat Makoto decided to ignore the rock crabs for now, it was time to enter the city before he dropped dead from thirst and boredom. ..... The Marine city of Talis was a metropolis of travel and commerce. A giant aquatic place with the statues and fountains all over the city producing crystal clear water, streams of said water were running down every street and extremely beautiful structures, built by some of the most talented sculptors and architects, gave the city an enchanting aura. The whole city gave the illusion of practically being built on the water, only a few strong pillars beneath enforced by magic and runes held the complicated structure afloat. A single big bridge connecting to the mainland was the traditional way of entering Talis. Merchants mostly used the docks, hiring ships to send their goods and other unusual cargo. Sometimes a few Travelers from faraway also arrived in Talis with the Merchant ships but the numbers were few. This fine and sunny day a rather peculiar sight could be seen for those who entered and left Talis using the giant stone bridge. A young man with ragged clothes, dust and sand stuck to him, like make-up to a busy whore was running on the beach as if the hounds of hell were on his heels. A few small-time Merchants that had erected their stands on the bridge to attract newcomers could only grin seeing the running and weary figure. Soon enough the man was on the stone bridge, his naked feet drumming a fast beat. Breathing heavily his eyes lit up after seeing the giant fountain and before anyone could stop or do anything he jumped right into it. "Oh man did you see that?!" "That guy is crazy I tell you." A few people exclaimed while laughing. This truly strange man was just lying inside the fountain for a while, water splashing on top of him until he stood up and greedily drank the water coming out of the statues. After a satisfied "Puh!" the man stepped out of the fountain, completely drenched head to toe but smiling from one ear to the other. "So this is Talis huh?" Makoto said, looking at the big aqueducts bringing fresh water into the city and the many statues and structures spilling the precious liquid quite literally on the streets. Grinning, the man entered the city, leaving wet footprints behind with many onlookers and their whispered words following him. -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
As Promised, the Chapter for today. Hope you enjoyed the bit of real-life, hinting at more to come and cya all tomorrow :drinkT: Don''t forget to comment or voice your opinon btw, love reading comments from you guys :D Note to self: never again use Quick edit lol, messes up spacing bad... Chapter 5: Devils Trade ----- Chapter 5: Devil''s Trade Annoyed, Makoto tried to ignore the crowd of people that followed him together with the new stares of players and NPCs. Alright in hindsight it might have not been the best idea to dive headfirst into a fountain but who didn¡¯t want to do that at least once? This was a game meant for enjoyment after all and the cold water had truly been bliss after running for half a day with a dried up throat and a red bar warning him about dehydration in the corner of his eye. While pulling up his wet pants so his sword that was at his hip would not drag behind him on the floor, Makoto examined the various stands. Many Merchants targeted one specific thing like potions, armor, weapons or general food. It only took him a minute to find a stand with a wide variety of miscellaneous items on display. Approaching the man sitting behind a makeshift counter Makoto started speaking. "Good day sir, is it possible to sell monster drops and other loot here?" The man smiled at his words and nodded. "You have come to the right place boy, come, show Dio what you got and I will tell you how much It be worth." Without hesitation Makoto opened his Inventory and dropped a good hundred or so rock crab shell pieces together with other random loot he had gotten from the Goblin Dungeon. The Merchants eyes widened seeing the pile of junk before him. "Well boy, I have to say I get enough of these damn crab shells, maybe not as many at the same time but they are useful in their own way true, and some of these bone and tooth necklaces could be enchanted so they would probably sell well... Tell you what, I will take it all from you for 50 Copper coins, that sound good for you?" Cheapskate... Makoto knew that if he sold all of his loot at that price he would practically be robbing himself so the smile froze on his lips and a fake, shocked expression appeared on his face. "Truth be told I had hoped for more... You must know good sir that I got these necklaces in a cave close to the Village of Salem where I saved many women and children that had fallen prey to the vile and disgusting Goblin Chief that ruled the area. After painstakingly freeing them and not taking their money because I saved those poor souls out of the goodness of my heart you are telling me I only get 50 Copper for my troubles and finally reaching Talis?! Oh how truly unlucky for me to only get 50 Copper for this big pile of loot. What true tragedy for my efforts to be mocked by the gods only giving me this worthless pile of over one hundred rock crab shells and many bone and tooth necklaces that can be enchanted for good stats!" Makoto had spoken louder and louder attracting the attention of the surrounding players and NPC''s, many of which after hearing his tale looked at Dio with contempt. Sweating heavily and hushing him to be quiet Dio the merchant sighed and made a new offer. "Well after hearing all the troubles you went through I can''t help but feel with you, hardships can truly leave one penniless. Alright, I will give you 1 Silver for all of this, what do you-" "Oh what a great Tragedy to only get 1 Silver for fighting over a hundred rock crabs and cracking their incredibly hard defenses, I''m sure the villagers of Salem who see me as their hero after saving their women and children will have great interest in hearing the story of how I had no money left to repair my gear after only getting 1 Silver for all the hardship-" "Ok fine! Fine! 1 Silver and 30 Copper, that is my last offer! Take it or go!" The Merchant interrupted his incredible performance of showing crocodile tears and puppy eyes while faking the most miserable of faces. Immediately a sinister smile formed on his lips, shocking Dio. "Pleasure doing business with you!" Makoto walked away, a pile of garbage lighter and over 1 Silver richer. Another System message made him pause.
For your outstanding ability to detect a scam and turning the deal in your favor you are awarded with a unique skill!
Devil''s Greed:
Money makes the world go round so why not take more than you give? NPC Merchants and Shop owners will feel an instinctive fear towards you.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level1 (0%)
Skill Effect:+0.5% increased deals in your favor for both buying and selling.
Additional Effect:Able to Bargain more effectively.
Makoto couldn¡¯t help but smile after reading that last line. This skill would be incredibly useful for big transactions that scaled into the thousands of gold, he would be able to reap extra profits and he didn¡¯t even have to barter for any of that. Well aware that any Merchant who got wind of the skill would probably take drastic measures to get it, he closed the window. An impish smile creeped onto his face just thinking about the future. ..... After visiting another shop to buy a water-skin and filling it from one of the many fountains, Makoto decided to buy more food and a few bandages for emergency healing, you never know. Next on his agenda was a quick repair and after that he headed to a small shop wedged beneath one of the aqueducts running overhead through the whole city. The sign showed a Hammer and a metal armor piece, it was obviously a shop for equipment which he dearly needed more of. Inside, Makoto saw many different types of armors on display, most were made out of different metals but a few leather or cloth pieces could be found here and there. Normally anyone would choose strong metal for protection, but those that had already reached level 10 could select a class, making certain types of armor more effective, even when considering the lower defense.
Steel Gauntlets:
Sturdy metal was used in forging these Gauntlets, making it hard for rust or harm to befall this formidable piece of equipment.
Defense:10Vitality:5
Special Option:Durability of the item degrades 5% slower.
Durability:35/35
Requirements:Level 5
Asurian Knight Helmet:
Crafted in the Image of the Royal Knights protecting the King of Asuria residing in Elisante. It shows devotion to the kingdom and at the same time a responsibility to protect it from all harm.
Defense:15Vitality:10
Special Option:+5 Honor (If stat is unlocked)
Durability:40/40
Requirements:Level 10, Must have a friendly relationship with the kingdom of Asuria.
Baneskin Leather Cuirass:
Produced from the leather of a Baneskin, a foul creature living underground and preying on wandering adventurers or miners. The skilled craftsman handling the leather was able to bring out a wondrous effect from it.
Defense:12Vitality:5
Special Option:Resistance to dark magic increases by 10%.
Durability:35/35
Requirements:Level 10
Looking at all of these lower level Armor pieces, most of them were either too expensive, above his current level or both. Finally after nearly inspecting the whole shop Makoto found a pair of greaves that matched his level and price range.
Brass Greaves:
Robust brass greaves with strips of hard and soft leather, used to adjust and fixate them to ones body.
Defense:6Vitality:5
Durability:25/25
Requirements:Level 5
The Price was 70 Copper. After looking at the number displayed on a piece of paper next to the greaves, Makoto went to the clerk in the back. "I would like to buy the greaves on display with the number 162 please." "If you just wait here for a moment please." The woman behind the counter went to get said greaves, locked behind a case of glass. After only a minute she handed him the surprisingly heavy equipment while another player to his right gave Makoto a sharp look. Putting the greaves on right away while ignoring the look he was getting, Makoto tried to exit the store but a sudden group was blocking his way. "You know, I was about to buy that nice pair you have on your legs there, how about you give it to me for 50 Copper and I will ignore the whole thing." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. A guy at the front of the group said, it was the previous player that had given him the evil eye. He was a good head taller than Makoto, had bleach blond hair and a supposedly warm smile on his face, only his dark-blue eyes told a different story. Makoto knew a look of contempt from someone who thought he was better than everyone else when he saw one. While also smiling he shook his head and the blond brat frowned. "I''m sorry but they cost me 70 Copper and even if you gave me one Silver instead of trying to rip me off I would still not sell them, I grabbed them first. Bad luck pretty boy." Shoving a girl in the group wearing a purple dress aside, Makoto left an enraged party and a concerned clerk behind. ..... The sun was starting to set when Makoto walked over the stone bridge connecting Talis to solid ground. He wanted to be able to select a class as soon as possible so his next goal was to reach level 10. Close to the beach was a few fields with new enemies that he had not encountered yet. After approaching the one of them, he was finally able to see the letters before it noticed him.
Starved Wolf: lvl 7
With ribs clearly showing beneath its fur a blood curdling growl could be heard while yellow eyes looked at Makoto with rage and greed. Instantly, before he even had time to properly ready his weapon the wolf was like a dark streak flying towards him, mouth open and ready to bite a big chunk out of his thigh. Damn this thing is fast! Evading barely to the right Makoto tried swinging his sword to slice into its side but before the motion was even complete there was no more wolf beneath his blade, instead a sharp pain jolted up his back and with a roar he punched away the teeth that had been latched into him.
You have received 36 Damage!
Pressing one hand on his back, Makoto decided to stay alert and keep the wolf in his line of sight at all times, he had to get used to its pattern first before he could start dealing actual damage to it. One big problem was also its incredible speed, it was nearly too fast for him to react. With another deep growl it bolted for him again, this time even more eager to sink its teeth into Makoto after tasting his blood. Sweeping his blade in a low arc in front of him, he was able to diverge the wolf from its initial trajectory. After slowly getting used to its speed, Makoto was able to ward off the attacks long enough to see a pattern. Confident in being able to deal some good damage he waited patiently, Makoto didn¡¯t have to wait long, in the end he wasn¡¯t the one starving here after all. Predicting the attack and performing another low sweep he guided the creature, and knowing it was finally close enough, he spun around and lashed out with his sword in another fast sweep. Wide eyed and unable to stop himself, the blade hit the wolfs jaw, chopping the lower half of its mouth clean off and leaving a stunned beast, now unable to chomp its teeth into anything anymore.
Critical hit! 78 Damage dealt!
Makoto was surprised as well, this was the first time he had actually chopped off a body part. Even when fighting the Goblins and knowing their pattern in his sleep, he was still only able to slice throats and never behead any of them. A weird gurgling howl escaped the wolfs exposed throat, continues blood ran down its neck and with bloodshot eyes of hatred nearly exploding out of its sockets a new window appeared.
Enemy (Starved Wolf) has entered a frenzy! Enemy unable to distinct between ally or foe! Enemy Damage increased by 20%! Enemy overall Defense and Resistance has dropped by 15%!
"A desperation move huh?" Smiling he waved the wolf with his free hand to step closer. Naturally the beast did not know what the gesture meant but at this rate it could not even remember its initial intention, only all consuming rage remained and without hesitation the wolf launched towards Makoto''s position. Without any worry he waited until the right moment, steadied his footing and with quick movement, his sword disappeared down the wolfs throat, piercing everything in its path and after getting a few continues messages declaring critical hit after hit the light faded from the monsters eyes. Everything that was left behind was a pelt and a tooth, he pocketed both items and continued killing until he hit level 7 after which he distributed his points and checked his status window as well as Skills for the first time in a while.
Status Window
Name:MakotoLevel:7
Alignment:NeutralClass:None
Race:HumanGender:Male
Titles
None
Health:320/320Mana:150/150
Strength:38(+3)Agility:38
Vitality:14(+7)Wisdom:10
Intelligence:10Fame:5
Evasiveness:6
Penetration:
Even the strongest of defenses can be broken through with effort and tenacity.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level3 (21%)
Skill Effect:+ 11% Armor Penetration
Devil''s Greed:
Money makes the world go round so why not take more than you give? NPC Merchants and Shop owners will feel an instinctive fear towards you
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level1 (15%)
Skill Effect:+0.5% increased deals in your favor for both buying and selling.
Additional Effect:Able to Bargain more effectively.
His health was finally in the 300''s and even though his skill list only contained two Skills for now, they would be very powerful after increasing the level and most importantly, he got them completely free of any charge. Normally even simple skills like Tanning or Sword-Fencing had to be either earned through various quests or paid for, most took the first option if possible because right now not many players could afford to pay 10 gold for one basic skill this early into the game... Wiping off the blood from his blade, Makoto eyed the surrounding wolfs and a sudden instinct made them all perk up their ears and look at him. The smile that he showed them could only be compared to one a mother would give her child, a loving smile that was happy the other was born. Because if those wolfs did not exist, how else would he be able to gain so much experience and level up? A big group of wolfs was growling at Makoto with fearful eyes, the smile those beasts could clearly see on this mans face was that of love but the air coming from him had an incredible killing intent. Confused and backed into a corner nearly all of them went into a frenzy, just by being near Makoto they had lost the little reason they had left inside of them. Attacking their brothers beside them, while sometimes a smiling Demon with love in his eyes appeared, a bloody battle royal took place on the fields not far from the stone bridge of Talis. Howling sounds could be heard until deep at night and many guards patrolling the bridge were only able to see an occasional light, scattered in the distance, possibly from a swung sword. Citizens of Talis called this event the ''Howling Moon'' and it was told again and again as one of the mysteries surrounding The Marine city. -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Here is the Chapter for today, hope you enjoyed it, i sure did writing it :D finally more Gear! As always I hope you guys comment any questions or opinons and cya tomorrow [th_101_.gif] Chapter 6: PK ----- Chapter 6: PK "Do you really think this is a good idea, Drake?" "I told you already, Melody! Whatever happens is his own fault! Now come on, we will lose him if we keep up this tempo." Shutting her mouth with mixed feelings Melody glanced at Drake who had already turned away. Before getting to know him she had been captured by his looks. He was a bit taller than average, had deep blue eyes and blond hair that always looked like bed hair, but at this point her guess was he had created his Avatar like that on purpose, fully aware of how it made him look aloof but also handsome at the same time. Frowning a bit she remembered how Drake treated everyone else. It was like he thought of them as beneath him or something. Melody couldn¡¯t understand how someone could think like that. She regretted joining this party but it was true that she wanted to be in the strongest guild possible and Yggdrasil, the currently strongest and most known guild had left a big impact on her. That was also how she met Drake, he had deep ties with a few important people, going as far as even knowing the guild master of Yggdrasil personally. Promises of getting into the guild after it had officially established itself in the capital of Asuria dragged Melody into this party. Looking ahead she saw Drake''s new target. It was a man with average height, black eyes and hair, normal looks and currently wearing nothing else for equipment except gauntlets and a pair of brass greaves. Still frowning she saw the signal from Drake and raised her staff... ..... Again a light descended down, embracing Makoto and making him aware that he had gained yet another level. "These wolfs really give a lot of experience." He couldn¡¯t help but smile while looking at the corpse of yet another starved wolf disappear in a cloud of light particles. Every wolf he killed dropped one pelt and at least one tooth, sometimes more. Rarely he also got a few copper coins but other than that the only reason he really hunted them was because of the good experience. Now that he was level 8 and the wolfs he hunted, one level below his own, made it so a game effect took action right away. If a player was the same level he would get the actual experience of the mob, if he was below he could get more than double the experience, it was dependent on how big the gap was. And finally if a player was above the monsters level he would immediately feel the difference, the monsters experience was cut in half and if it was more than one level it just kept getting worse until no experience at all was received. "Guess I have to find a new enemy, I''m tired of fighting wolfs anyways." His current location in mind, Makoto advanced through the fields. Every wolf close to him immediately tucked its tail between its legs and bolted, they had seen his malicious actions enough times in the last few hours to fear him like no other. After leaving the beach behind and getting into close proximity of the forest he was able to see a familiar sight. "Another cave... well I am level 8 now so it shouldn¡¯t be as bad." Confident in his own ability, Makoto stepped inside the cool and shadowy cave.
You have entered the Dungeon: Crystalline Cave
Instead of a dark cave the surroundings were actually very well lit. The ceiling itself was open to the sky mostly and the light illuminated the big tunnel he was walking down very well. Soon enough he found a strange new creature.
Crystal Lizard: Level 9
It was a lizard the size of an adult crocodile slowly moving around. Its scales shimmered when hit by light and beady round eyes sparkled when it noticed Makoto. Intrigued by this strange mix between an inanimate crystal and a lizard he drew his sword and waited for the thing to make the first move. Surprisingly, it just stared at him for a while and then went on its merry way again, completely ignoring Makoto. "Well if you wanna play like that, don¡¯t mind me!" He said while stabbing the flank of the lizard with his sword.
28 Damage dealt!
Because of the incredibly hard scales, Makoto was only able to penetrate a few inches before an enraged hiss and snapping sound nearly took his hand and he had to back off. This time Makoto had the things full attention and with quick steps the lizard ran towards him, its mouth open and a row of sharp, dagger sized teeth glittered under the sun. The fight itself was not too long, his damage was quite high because of his skill ''Penetration'' that made it possible to ignore a good bit of natural armor. Another reason was that the lizard, compared to a starved wolf, was incredibly slow, its short stumpy legs had no way of catching Makoto so without even getting a scratch he finished the crystal lizard and a nice shower of experience was his reward together with shining scales that were left behind after its death. Checking his skill, just as he suspected the before stagnant skill experience had increased a good bit. It really seemed like he had to find new and even better armored enemies to increase the level of ''Penetration'', well it was only logical after all. Going deeper and deeper into the Dungeon, Makoto discovered many bends and other possible directions he could go. Trying to take it slow he explored every single one, most of them were dead ends but some looped back into other or to the same cross section so he was able to finally find the right one after nearly two hours. The deeper he went the less light shone from above and his surroundings started to be illuminated by the crystals around him, they gave off a white and hard light like electronic lamps maybe would. "Doesn¡¯t this look like the exact same Dungeon that I saw in that one video with that boss? I mean it would fit well with the other lizards I have been fighting. Well I wasn¡¯t the first one to discover this Dungeon so the possibility is probably high that it is the same one." Thinking aloud he found another group of lizards and finished them off one after another. Even after increasing in number they didn¡¯t really pose any threat so he was not too worried. A sudden pain exploded on his shoulder and with it a system window surprised Makoto, while he was still engaging in a battle with two Lizards.
Player Melody has attacked you! You have received 102 Damage! Player Melody has turned Chaotic with her actions in attacking you, attacking or killing her will not change your Alignment!
"What the-" Before he could even react more pain exploded in his back and another message popped up.
Player Drake has attacked you! You have received 84 Damage! Player Drake has turned Chaotic with his actions in attacking you, attacking or killing him will not change your Alignment!
With a grunt Makoto jumped out of the way and a fireball flew over his head. Finally able to turn around he saw a face he had only seen recently. It was the same blond pretty boy that had tried to scam him in the armor shop before. This time he was holding a two handed sword while grinning towards Makoto, blood was running down Drake''s blade, his blood. "Well look who we have here, are you maybe lost? No need to worry, I will use this sword to personally ''guide'' you back to Talis!" Still grinning he ran towards Makoto while swinging wide from above. With a loud bang, Makoto was able to block the attack with his own sword but his arms nearly buckled under the swing. Looking at Drake and the letters above him, his heart slightly trembled.
Drake: Warrior lvl 11
While evading yet another swing to the right, Makoto tried to let this blond rich boy have a taste of his own medicine, but he was denied this sweet revenge by an arrow that lodged itself in his chest.
Player Dawnwind has attacked you! You have received 75 Damage! Player Dawnwind has turned Chaotic with his actions in attacking you, attacking or killing him will not change your Alignment!
Makoto grit his teeth, against Drake alone he might have had at least a possible chance but under the attack of two others his health had taken a big dive and was already close to nothing. Evading to the right and left he was able to dodge a few hits from all three until one of the lizards which he had completely forgotten about, bit his arm, slowing him down enough for yet another swing from Drake to reap his life. Stolen story; please report.
You have received 93 Damage! You have been killed by Drake!
With furry in his eyes Makoto glared at Drake that looked at him with a devilish smile. "You will regret this, asshole." That was the only thing he was able to say before darkness creeped in around him, taking his vision and again a familiar message showed itself, asking if he wanted to revive. To his surprise he did not revive inside the Dungeon but in Talis just like Drake had hinted at. Still angry but curious why he didn¡¯t revive in the Dungeon, he opened the help screen and got his answer shortly after explaining his situation.
If killed inside a Dungeon from another player the usual spawn mechanic will be used instead of the Dungeon-respawn. The reason behind it is simply to avoid spawn-camping, no one wants to be set back to level 1 just for getting killed inside a Dungeon once by a possible group of PK''ers.
Closing the Interface Makoto stormed through the streets of Talis. He had already checked his equipment, if he maybe dropped anything and unfortunately his plated gloves couldn''t be found anywhere. To make matters worse he had lost so much experience that he was now level 7 again, even if he was close to 8 the lost level and his only defensive equipment other than his new greaves now in the hands of his killers filled Makoto with so much anger that his face was a mask of rage and anybody that crossed his way couldn''t help but flinch and take a step back. Only after crossing the stone bridge, reason caught up with Makoto and he stopped. He had dropped one level and lost a piece of equipment, he was now even weaker than before, with that he wanted to fight that group of players again? That mindset alone was only asking to be killed yet again. Furious about his helplessness he pierced the sand beneath his feet with his sword and let his rage out. The roar coming from him surprised many NPC''s and players that passed by but Makoto didn¡¯t care. After picking himself up again the only emotion that resided inside him was cold rage. With his eyes looking in the direction of the cave, Makoto spoke, more to himself than anyone else. "Just you wait, Drake, Melody and Dawnwind. I will remember your names and return the favor thrice you pieces of shit!" His face was still a mask of fury but his heart had calmed down and a plan formed in his mind. First things first he had to get stronger, then and only then could he possibly kill a whole party by himself. .....
You have discovered: Odd Shell
A big question mark formed on his face staring at the red shell in his hands.
Odd Shell:
There seems to be some use to it but what could it be....
Effect:Unknown
It had been uncovered in the sand after a rock crab Makoto was fighting bumped against the hidden object. He decided to hunt these strange creatures again and to his luck the rock crabs further down the beach, north of Talis, were level 8 and not 4. It also helped train his ''Penetration'' skill again.
Penetration:
Even the strongest of defenses can be broken through with effort and tenacity.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level4 (2%)
Skill Effect:+ 14% Armor Penetration
Happy that at least something good happened today, Makoto continued fighting the crabs and amassed an incredible amount of junk in his inventory together with that odd red shell. After reaching Level 8 again he took a little break and sat down. He had no need to regenerate any health considering he never got hit but the mental strain of constantly fighting took a lot out of him so Makoto decided to watch the waves for a while. There was some players around him fighting, all of them seemed to be in a party which baffled Makoto, these crabs were incredibly slow so he couldn¡¯t believe how clumsy some of these players would have to be to need any help to begin with. Interested he watched a Mage and Warrior fight 3 crabs at the same time, their synergy was good but the warrior did not dodge any hits and the mage was the same just standing there and shooting his fireballs. It was strange for Makoto seeing this foreign way of fighting considering that most of his battles only consisted of dodging and counter-attacking when the enemy made a mistake or was caught off-guard. While watching others fight around him, Makoto gathered as much Intel as possible on how players could fight. It would help him in turn, remembering how most players reacted in different situations. To his surprise one especially weird combination of a Priest and Mage had real problems with the crabs. The rock crabs were slow but so was a Mage or Priest if they got the attention of a monster, they invested all their stats into Wisdom and Intelligence so their Agility was probably still at 10. Both the Mage and Priest where screaming while a group of rock crabs chased them. The sight was so funny seeing these two female players getting chased by a mob of stamping rock crabs that Makoto broke out into loud laughter while holding his stomach, tears blinding his sight. Both players ran past him with red faces, they knew Makoto was laughing about them and the Mage took it especially personal because she couldn¡¯t help to scream in anger at Makoto. "If you have time to laugh your ass off help us, jackass!" Still giggling from time to time Makoto stood up. Before him 5 Rock crabs paused, they had a new target now and Makoto readied his sword. While sidestepping a pincer shooting towards him Makoto returned the favor by piercing the crabs eye.
112 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Blind: -20% Accuracy until the fight is finished.
Putting both hands on his sword he swung his blade downwards, cutting deep and killing the first crab. With another step to the right he pierced the side of another exoskeleton and cut along it, new Damage windows appeared over and over again until after nearly cutting all the way through its body the second one died too. Number 3 and 4 also disappeared after only 2 or 3 attacks and for the last one Makoto tried an idea he had gotten from before after slicing his first Starved Wolf''s jaw off. Gripping his sword tight Makoto waited. The last crab was a little hesitant in engaging after seeing what happened to its brothers but in the end it only was a dumb crab after all. With its short and many legs it ran towards Makoto but he was already prepared. Waiting for the exact right moment he held his blade low before suddenly swinging upwards. He landed the attack perfectly beneath the crabs belly, his sword slicing from below through the whole body and head until finally, the metal exited through the top again, cutting the poor thing in two with only one blow.
Lethal Hit! You have dealt a lethal blow and are rewarded for your incredible feat. +1 Fame!
Surprised about the effectiveness of his attack and the window he turned around to the two girls, they had an aghast look on their faces together with an open moth. "''Is that help enough?" Makoto couldn''t stop himself asking, before breaking out into more laughter after seeing their bewildered expressions. -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Chapter of todayyyyy. Hope you enjoyed and leave comments if you have questions or want to speak your mind. Double Chapter today so i will see you all again later :drinkT: Chapter 7: Interactions ----- Chapter 7: Interactions The two girls turned out to be Lilliana the Mage and Sanja the Priestess. To be honest, Makoto never really talked much with the opposite sex before. Normally he was quite shy in real life, keeping most snide comments or possible arguments to himself. As a quiet loner he didn''t have many friends, he also never had a girlfriend before, not even a kiss from when he was still little. Now with 18, being completely unexperienced in handling girls and as a Virgin to many things, sex included, one would expect him to freeze up or stutter under the stares of two young and pretty girls both dressed in different robes showing a bit of skin. But thankfully this was not real life. Makoto did not change his appearance ingame but many others had, some only a little and others did a complete body make-over. So now seeing the short Lilliana with her bust visible through her robe and the tall Sanja with her good curves also clearly noticeable, Makoto only gave it a short glance. You could say he acted a lot different ingame than in real life, which is true. For him Azalon was a chance to let his real intentions and thoughts out without being concerned about someone judging or bullying him for it. He had decided to be himself and do whatever he wanted in Azalon, be it good or evil he would do as he pleased, if someone wanted to stop him he would simply kill them or die trying, that was his new mantra. Lilliana and Sanja looked at each other for a second and then approached Makoto, still stunned about his performance. "You need anything else?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Lilliana shook her head. "No not really, I cant believe you killed them so quickly though, what is your level anyways, Makoto was it?" "Same as theirs" he pointed at a nearby rock crab, "Yours?" Both of them looked at each other again, even more surprised now. "You are joking right? So you are level 8 while me and Sanja both are 10 and on top of that we had our class changed which boosts our power again by a good bit... how is that possible?" Lilliana asked with a confused expression, unable to comprehend the situation. "The problem lies in how you guys fight" "What do you mean by that?" This time Sanja inquired with an interested look. "Well let me give you an example, you see that Warrior and Mage couple over there? The Mage keeps attacking which is good but he is always in one spot and doesn''t move so whenever that Warrior is in front of a rock crab he stops attacking, probably to not hurt his friend but considering he could just move to the right a bit and continue shooting fireballs, it is pretty stupid if you ask me. Next up the Warrior, he tanks all the Damage instead of trying to get used to the rock crabs and evade from time to time, he only attacks and does a lot of Damage true, but at the same time they don¡¯t have a Priest in their group who can heal them so after every fight they have to nearly wait 5 Minutes before fighting another group. Even if he used Potions or bandages it would still take a while and he would be throwing money literally out the window if you take the bad drops from these crabs into account. Don¡¯t get me wrong here, I''m no expert myself but I have gotten used to their attack pattern, evading their attacks is therefore easy for me and because they are open after missing an attack my critical hit chance is also very high. At the same time I am not taking any Damage and also have a skill which makes it so I don¡¯t need to worry about the crab''s high armor too much. Simply put you guys are fighting like newborn baby''s without any clue how to put status effects on your opponent or land a good hit. Its like you are treating Azalon like any other MMO." Makoto finished, driving the nail in the figurative coffin with that last sentence and Lilliana as well as Sanja both had their heads hanging low, dejected after listening to him and noticing their own faults. "Hope you improve after listening to what I said there, well see you later ladies." While winking in their direction Makoto was about to turn and leave when Lilliana spoke up. "Wait a second! Um... do you wanna join our party maybe and show us what you mean? Just so we actually see it for ourselves on how we can improve." "What''s in it for me then? I''m guessing you both aren''t up to satisfy me with your bodies so what else could I want from you?" He asked boldly, noticing with a smile that they both turned very red and Sanja even went as far as hiding her face in her hands. Lilliana glared at him, still with a red face. "You know what, you are right we need to compensate you in some way, you can have the loot that drops and one other thing, anybody ever tell you that you are a shameless dick?" Giving Lilliana a bright smile and yet another wink, Makoto shouldered his sword and motioned them to follow. After walking in the sand for a while he found a single Rock crab and stopped, Lilliana and Sanja a good bit behind him. It seems what he previously said creeped them both out a little, that¡¯s what he at least gathered from them keeping their distance. Ignoring their actions he pointed his sword at the Rock crab while facing the two. "Right both of you listen, first of all Rock crabs, what are their strong points?" Unsure if it was alright, Sanja raised her hand and Makoto nodded in her direction. "Well, they have high defense? Maybe also good attack?" Makoto gave her a little smile and agreed. "Yes they indeed have a pretty good defense making it hard at landing a good hit on them, their weakness is that they are relatively slow and have an easy pattern. Let me demonstrate their pattern before you open your mouth again asking for it, Lilly my love." He had noticed her trying to say something and interrupted that attempt before she had the chance, ticking her off again with that last comment which made him smile for some reason. Approaching the crab while feeling a death glare at his back, Makoto readied his sword and sliced against the exoskeleton of the creature, more to grab its attention than doing Damage. "First and foremost, even if your Agility is low, after engaging into a bit of close combat with these things you should quickly get used to their pattern, its very simple as you can see." He said while dodging left and right, letting pincer after pincer fly past him without even looking most of the time. "Next up, just like us Humans these things have a few weaknesses, the first and biggest one would be their eyes, they are pretty much unprotected and will be Damaged for full, how can eyes have high armor after all. Second weakness, the belly. If you are able to attack from below or flip them around, their underside is very weak, your Damage might get reduced by 15% or so but that is it, most of it should still get through. The third obvious weakness would be their insides, if you manage to shoot a fireball for example down their throat while they angrily open it, then you will be able to do immense Damage, trust me." While explaining all of that every time he mentioned a possible way to hurt the Rock crab he demonstrated with poking its eye, flipping it around and slicing along the belly and finally ramming his sword into the monsters mouth. With the last attack the Rock crab fell to the floor, twitching a few more times and then disappearing in a cloud of light particles. Both Lilliana and Sanja where stunned at the perfect performance and Makoto continued with his explanation. "All of what I just showed you takes practice and timing, you wont be able to pull it off perfectly the first time around but it should help keeping those weaknesses in mind. The only other thing I can say about your team is that maybe Lilly should stay at the front, tanking a few hits while Sanja is healing you. It wont be pretty but after you both get used to it you can dodge attacks while shooting your magic and Sanja can just focus on attacking too." Showing them yet another smile he turned to walk away. "As I said, I hope that helps you both a bit and now come on. I will demonstrate it a few more times and then look for stronger monsters myself, you guys should too, your levels are way too high for these crabs." After disposing of 5 more crabs while Lilliana and Sanja tried their best in heeding his advice and helping out, he bid them farewell, to his surprise a new window appeared as he was about to walk away.
The Player Sanja has added you to her Friends-list
The Player Lilliana has added you to her Friends-list
Turning around surprised, Makoto saw a smiling Sanja and a frowning Lilliana. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Curiously looking at the frowning girl she started explaining. "Sanja insisted that I add you too, its true that I''m thankful for the advice but don¡¯t think you get any solo time with me just because we are friends now!" With that, the little Mage turned and stormed away with Sanja in tow. "Sorry for that and thanks again Makoto, I hope we can go into a party later maybe when you also have a class. It was nice talking to you." She gave him a curt bow and then ran after her friend. Scratching his head he watched both girls disappear down the beach and engaging into combat yet again. "Are those two really gonna be alright?" He couldn¡¯t help but wonder before shrugging and walking into the opposite direction. There was monsters to kill and players to slay. ..... Makoto decided to stay close to the beach while exploring further north. The only thing he saw for a few minutes was Starved Wolfs that ran away the moment he got near them and Rock Crabs that minded their own business. Unsure what to do he just kept going until he saw something unusual. There was a group of at least 10 Rock Crabs all running around one giant... "Is that a Rock Crab? Jesus that thing is as big as a house..." He exclaimed surprised and got closer to see its Name.
Rock Crab King: Elite Monster lvl 9
It looked just like the other stone crabs but instead of the usual rock impression it looked more like a gigantic boulder moving around and ready to crush anyone daring to come close. "Now this is what I call a challenge!" Smiling about his luck, Makoto started to attack the crabs close to their King, he had to get rid of them first otherwise he was bound to be attacked at a bad moment and die. He did not forget the Crystal Lizard that distracted him enough to actually die from it..... Slowly the number of crabs dwindled until only two remained, the exact moment Makoto engaged the last two the Rock Crab King noticed him and approached with quick steps that made the sand under his feet tremble. Makoto was able to kill one of the small crabs quickly before having to jump to the side before a pincer, bigger than his whole body, rammed into the ground blowing sand into the air similar to an explosion. With sweat running down his back Makoto did his best in just dodging for the most part but the creature was incredibly fast, its legs moved just as quickly as the smaller versions and because they where as big as Pillars supporting a Temple the crab was able to move around with an ungodly speed and force. Finally after a few seconds he was hit for the first time, it felt like getting rammed by a speeding car, all the air was knocked out of his lungs and he was sure of hearing his whole ribcage crack and snap.
You have received 178 Damage!
Rolling on the ground to get rid of the additional force behind the blow, Makoto was gasping for air and had to dodge yet again before being able to even take two seconds of reprieve. The fight quickly turned into a bloody mud-fight with Makoto trying to survive the impending doom that was the Rock Crab King. It took him a long time to find that sweet-spot of time to hit back, without being pummeled into the ground. Right after every attack he could run behind the crab and its turning speed was slow enough to allow one or two attacks before he had to dodge again. Following this simple strategy he focused on one leg, attacking it without mercy until finally when the Crab King tried to put pressure on it to attack, it snapped like a dry twig and was only hanging on by a few thin layers of flesh.
You have put a status effect on your opponent! Cripple: -10% Movement and attack speed until the battle is finished.
Right away Makoto noticed a difference and attacking became a lot easier. After snapping 3 more legs in the same manner, the Crab King was unable to lift its own body anymore and just lay there bleeding with 4 broken legs. Smiling maliciously, Makoto approached its back and continued a barrage of stabs, cutting the exoskeleton off and freely destroying the soft and exposed insides. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh, watching the Crab King struggle while turning its backside and innards into a dark and bleeding mass of cut up flesh. After one last stab the Crab King gave a miserable cry and disappeared. With a ray of light Makoto rose to level 9, distributing his stats, 3 into Strength, 5 into Agility and 2 into Vitality for now. His speed being the same as his attack power had nearly cost him his life in this fight, right now for survivability reasons he wanted more speed. To his own Surprise a new window appeared before him with another light descending around him.
After fighting many creatures with a malicious joy and further increasing their suffering you have been awarded with a Title.
Slayer:
As a natural born fighter you love nothing more than engaging into combat and making your enemies regret their choice of crossing your way. Before killing any Creature you make sure to let it suffer a slow and painful death so you can enjoy watching the last glimmers of hope dissipate in its eyes before its spirit leaves the material plane.
Effects:+5% Damage against Monsters Relationship with all Demons increases.
Additional Effects:You instill a natural fear into all Creatures with lower intelligence, Monsters that are below your level will be under the ''fear'' status effect while Monsters above your level will only have more desire to kill you, making agro pulling very easy.
Happy about this random gift of heaven he closed the window. Titles could help a lot in fighting or trading, they could also be stacked up on top of each other but getting one was no easy feat, there was a rumor that you could get some from Quests but not many had been able to get one and those that did had no intention of sharing. Makoto didn¡¯t hold it against them, 5% more Damage was a lot considering he would soon hit with Damage numbers in the hundreds, it was like having a much better sword. He also noticed that the Rock Crab King dropped an item and it was something that filled him with joy.
Hard Scale Boots:
A Pair of boots found in the stomach of the Rock Crab King, the formerly shimmering scales covering these boots have been eroded by stomach acids, never the less it has exceptionally high defense and will protect your feet even from the strongest of Attacks.
Defense:15Vitality:3
Durability:28/35
Requirements:Level 9
Grinning from one ear to the other, Makoto wiped his sword clean and equipped his first pair of shoes after running around with bare feet since the moment he entered Azalon. It was time to return to Talis for a quick stop and then maybe visit the Crystal Cave again, if he was lucky there would still be a group of players there that he had some unfinished business with. -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
AAAAND here is the second Chapter of the day. Hope you enjoyed it :D Next Chapter is called ''Fight to the Death'' so stay tuned and see you guys tomorrow! [th_113_.gif] Chapter 8: Fight to the Death Longest Chapter yet! I had a lot of fun writing this one so i hope you guys enjoy :D ----- Chapter 8: Fight to the Death After dropping all of his junk loot at Dio and selling it at double the normal price, Makoto left the trembling Merchant behind with a wicked smile on his face. A quick repair of his gear and restocking on potions as well as food later he bid farewell to the dazzling city of Talis again. The Journey to the cave was rather uneventful, he only encountered a few players and all of them were engaged in combat against different Monsters. After entering the Dungeon he was vigilant in staying on high alert. He did not want a repetition of last time when a surprise attack had taken nearly half of his health before the real fight even started. The Crystal Lizards could be considered a joke at his current level, it took him only a few seconds to dispose of them after knowing their pattern so well. Going deeper than ever before into the cave, the number of lizards steadily increased and the difficulty quickly ramped up. Soon enough he was in a Life or Death battle with about 20 Crocodile sized lizards trying to get a piece of him. While swinging his blade left and right he cut off arms, legs, tails and rarely when the creature was nearly dead, heads too. Fountain after fountain of blood exploded into the air, soaking his clothes and skin with the red liquid. Honestly it was rather refreshing for him, bathing in the blood of his enemies had something sinister to it that he quite enjoyed. Seeing his cruel and incredible actions, many lizards started running away but he could not allow his prey to escape that easily so he started chasing the poor things, their screams never to be heard again in this glittering cave. ..... Makoto was very surprised about the number of lizards and depth of this peculiar Dungeon. He wandered in these tunnels for more than 5 hours now, counting all the battles too naturally, but the actual distance he traveled was easily 10 miles. The light and amount of crystals only increased the deeper one went and after going around another bend in the tunnel he could hear faint but still audible battle noises up ahead. Not far away he could see the familiar backs of 3 players, a Warrior, a Mage and an Archer engaged into battle against 2 dozen Crystal Lizards. They all seemed to struggle terribly but Makoto could only count himself lucky. Waiting for a good moment he silently stepped closer to the one furthest in the back, it was the Mage. After letting her cast another fireball against the many lizards up front he saw her drink a small blue potion, it was a mana potion. That was the exact moment he struck, while drinking a mana potion or health potion a player was executing an action that could not be interrupted, Makoto had tested it himself and it took about 5 seconds to down one potion, that was his time window. While gripping his sword with both hands, Makoto executed an upward slash and then rotated his blade slashing down again leaving a red X on the girls back.
123 Damage dealt! 146 Damage dealt!
With a surprised look the girl turned around, unable to use any skills with the mana potion still glued to her lips but about to jump away to escape certain death. Sadly she was far too slow for Makoto, with his high Agility he only took one step to the side to adjust his strike before piercing the unfortunate Mage directly into her heart.
Critical hit! 245 Damage dealt! For killing a Chaotic player the usual penalties do not apply.
That was 1 down. Not wanting to give up the element of surprise, Makoto quickly charged further up front towards the Archer, sword ready in hand. For some odd reason the Archer noticed him before he could land his attack and blocked the blow with his bow. "Drake!" Dawnwind screamed frantically before a well placed slash slit his throat, a new splash of fresh blood soaking Makoto''s face comfortably. With another slash and stab the poor guy grew limp while the light left his eyes.
For killing a Chaotic player the usual penalties do not apply.
Finally the Warrior, Drake, turned around after hearing his teammate scream and shock was visible on his face after seeing Makoto. Soon a mindless rage was replacing the shocked expression and brandishing his two handed sword, pretty boy ran straight towards him while 3 Crystal Lizards bit and scratched his back but he did not seem to care. There was still about 10 Lizards left when Drake rushed towards Makoto but he decided to also ignore them by simply evading their attacks. Meeting the one who killed him before with a beaming smile, he proceeded in ramming his sword into the guys gut after evading his flimsy strike.
+1 Evasiveness!
Surprised about the sudden message he stopped and received a slash on his upper arm for not paying attention.
You have received 45 Damage!
Unhappy about the gash he replied by swiftly piercing the guys gut again, the feeling of his sword piercing flesh brought another wicked smile to his face.
102 Damage dealt!
Coughing up blood, Drake tried to shake him off but Makoto was like a tick, once he drew blood he was reluctant to let go of his prey. "Goddamn you, just die already!" The blond boy screamed while swinging his sword again, unable to land a proper hit which in turn helped to only infuriate him even further. After stabbing Drake in the side again while twisting his sword he also kicked the poor guy in the knee.
You have put a status effect on your opponent! Cripple: -25% movement and attack speed until the battle is finished
Howling in pain Drake went to the ground holding his knee that was bent at the wrong angle, dropping his sword in the process and losing any possibility of fighting back anymore. Smiling like a Demon ready to harvest a poor soul, Makoto decided to kill the lizards first before ending the crippled players life. 7 Minutes later he watched in amazement as a crying Drake slowly crawled away, dragging his now useless leg behind him in hopes of maybe still surviving to see another day. "Pretty boy it was a big mistake messing with me, I hope you know that now." "Fuck you! Seriously screw you, you goddamn Psycho. I''m gonna make sure that you will never join a guild after what you did today. Yggdrasil will remember this you hear me!?" "I just did the same that you did to me, well not quite because if I remember right it was 3 against 1 at that time, just this time I won." Smiling and not caring about the petty threats from this blond scumbag, Makoto rammed his sword into Drake''s throat and twisted it a couple of times with devilish joy until finally, Drake dropped dead to the ground.
For killing a Chaotic player the usual penalties do not apply.
Still a bit unsatisfied with letting them get away with only dying once Makoto was about to check them for loot when a new system message popped up.
Through your cruel and inhuman actions in dealing with your previous killers your title has changed properties.
Slayer of All:
As a beast inside a human body you show no remorse even after killing your own kind. You are a monster in human disguise, torturing your victims to death while ignoring their screams or plights.
Effects:+5% Damage against all living Creatures. Relationship with all Demons greatly increases.
Additional Effects:You instill a natural fear into all living things, everything that is below your level will be under the ''fear'' status effect while everything above your level will only have more desire to kill you, making agro pulling very easy. Guards will naturally look at you suspiciously and punishments for doing wrong or breaking the law will be more severe.
Apparently Titles can be upgraded too, interesting... Unsure if he liked the description of his character from this new title, Makoto decided to just ignore it and be happy that he would permanently do 5% more Damage against pretty much every enemy in the game now. That alone was worth all the demerits that this Title came with. Continuing what he was about to do before he was interrupted, Makoto searched the party he had ambushed and found something familiar lying on the ground. "Oh my god...can it be?!" Running quickly towards it he grabbed the pair of gloves lying on the ground and equipped them happily. "Daddy will make sure you will never leave his side again..." With a somewhat mad glint in his eyes Makoto proceeded in caressing his gloves that Drake had dropped after dying. Finding the lost piece of equipment again could only be a sign from the gods telling him that it truly was a treasure well deserved. After kissing the dearly missed equipment one last time he started to focus on the here and now again. Currently his situation was as followed, even if he hurried back he would probably run into the now severely pissed off group of Drake and his friends. It would take him about 3 hours to run to the exit if nothing had respawned yet, while they would only need about half an hour to reach the entrance from Talis, effectively blocking his path anyways. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Might as well proceed and maybe find the boss before they get here. It took them ages to get to this point anyways if even I was able to catch up." Proceeding further into the brightly illuminated cave he encountered some more Crystal Lizards before finding himself at the entrance to a gigantic room with sparkling Gems adorned all over the walls. And just as he remembered from the video, an incredibly big Lizard was sleeping on the floor.
Gemstone Lizard: Boss Monster lvl 10
Only seeing a big pile of experience and loot, Makoto walked up towards it. It was going to be a tough fight, if Elite Monsters nearly killed him in one hit he didn''t even want to think about what this boss would do to him if he got caught. Breathing, in a calm and steady rhythm, Makoto raised his sword with both hands. If this thing didn''t move until he attacked it he was going to capitalize on this opportunity as much as he could. With all his strength in this one blow he focused on the hind leg of the Gemstone Lizard, cutting where he thought the hamstring tendon would be with this thing.
82 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Cripple: -15% movement and attack speed until the battle is finished.
Glad that his plan worked he immediately jumped forward, trying to force his blade deep into the body of this thing but the shining plates protecting its flesh were tough and reduced the depth he was able to pierce by quite a bit. With a thunderous roar and unhappy of being woken up, the Gemstone Lizard tried to turn around, only to find out that one of its legs was not responding properly. Without wasting any time he deepened the piercing wound with a few slashes, twisting his blade every time he was able to cut under the protective layer of the scales, effectively shaving them off and exposing unprotected flesh and muscle beneath it. It was the same tactic he had used against the Rock Crab King with its high Defense. Now his Damage was true without the exterior Armor.
156 Damage dealt! 134 Damage dealt!
A sudden movement in the corner of his eye warned him and with barely enough time, Makoto stopped his attacks and instead jumped back, evading a ginormous tail that was aimed to knock him away from the vulnerable area. Unwilling to let go of the opportunity he had created, Makoto risked his neck multiple times trying to go near the exposed flesh. Finally the Gemstone Lizard managed to turn around to him with only 3 limbs working and it was the first time it saw its attacker properly. Another screeching roar escaped its mouth and with surprising Agility and Strength it pushed with both its front legs to propel its massive body forward, an obvious attempt to simply ram Makoto. True, getting even as much as brushed from a 15 ton heavy Monster like that was probably enough to cripple him severely so not chancing it he jumped to the left, not forgetting to evade the tail swipe that followed the passing body as well. Surprised about being unable to catch its opponent with that attack, it took the Lizard a good bit to turn around again and Makoto used this opportunity to slash and stab as much as possible at its exposed backside. It was doubly difficult to even hit him with the tail while turned away simply because the Gemstone Lizard was so big that its own body was hiding Makoto when he was behind it. After another roar, this time it tried to simply swallow the human whole but failed and ignoring another frustrated bellow the little creature went behind its back again and continued to poke and slash the exposed area. Slowly but surely the crippled effect only increased as more muscle tissue got damaged, making it nearly impossible to use both its hind legs now. After a good 65% of health had been shaved off through this tactic the Gemstone Lizard changed its approach, without stopping it started wagging its tail left and right instead of facing its opponent, making it impossible to approach its backside without getting knocked to the ground. With an annoyed "Tch" Makoto decided to abandon his little surgeon simulator game he was playing at the Lizard''s backside and instead attacked the sides. It was a little more dangerous now that he was visible to the Lizard, but still, the thing was crippled pretty much from the waist down now and its turning speed was bad, that was until only 25% health was left for it. This time without any warning the Lizard started to do a barrel roll and nearly flattened Makoto. He was able to escape by dodging beneath its head and facing the Lizard head on for the first time in this fight. Denied any other attack option he opted on attacking its eyes or legs but the front was still without harm so Makoto had to pay a great deal of attention to not get swallowed, stomped or bitten to death. ..... After fighting for nearly half an hour he approached the last few percent of health. Sweat was running down his back and the grip around his sword was getting weaker. For the first time in Azalon he experienced a fight as nerve wracking and long as this. He was tired, exhausted both mentally and physically beyond his limits but he was too close to giving up now. With a roar of his own he gripped his sword with both hands and gambled on the next strike. He could barely lift his sword at this point so this last exchange had to count or his efforts in the last hour were for naught. Evading a swipe from the equally exhausted Gemstone Lizard he jumped towards its face, piercing its only remaining eye and getting a lucky critical hit that put the thing on 1% health remaining. With an incredible amount of effort he pulled out his sword, breathing heavily, his vision growing dim he lashed out again and a sudden force hit him at the side before he could connect the blow.
You have received 302 Damage! You are crippled: -25% movement and attack speed until the battle is finished.
It was like getting hit by a truck on a highway, extremely painful and the sudden acceleration your body goes through makes you feel like you drank 20 or so bottles of Wine too much. He was flying through the air a good while before finally bouncing on the floor a couple of times and vomiting up a mouthful of blood every single time he violently hit the ground. After finally stopping, he looked at his health, only a slither was left. Right now Makoto was in the danger zone, when a player was beneath 10% health for an extended amount of time in battle, he could randomly receive status effects that could very well kill him if the battle didn''t end or he healed himself. With a weak groan Makoto tried grabbing a potion from one of his pockets but to his dismay his right arm was mangled and broken to a point that even moving as much as one finger was impossible. Breathing heavily he stared at the shimmering ceiling for a while until a spark of willpower blazed in his eyes again. "Lets see who bites the bullet first you goddamn Lizard." Unable to reach his pockets at the moment, Makoto tried to stand, it took him nearly a minute because one of his ankles was bent into a weird direction, making it hard to even stand straight. One quick look towards the blind and crippled lizard confirmed that he was not the only one struggling to get his bearings here. With a sudden feeling in his chest he decided to not reach for the potion and increase his health again, instead he went to pick up his sword. It somehow didn''t feel right to just fill his health again after having fought a hard and tough battle for such a long time. In a way Makoto respected the Gemstone Lizard, it put up an incredible fight, throwing every trick it had at him as he did the same. With his sword in hand he slowly wobbled towards the dying Lizard. If he was going to finish the fight then he would do it with the same conditions applied to himself, he was not cheap enough to just forget a good fight and give himself an advantage after fighting to the death and giving it his all. It took him 5 minutes to get back to the Lizard, he had been flung nearly 50 feet through the air, skidding and hopping a few more until he finally stopped. During this time he was fully aware that a lethal status effect could strike him any moment but he didn''t care, he did not fear death enough to win in an empty way by drinking a potion. "Well, seems like I won the fight." Makoto said while standing next to the panting Lizard that was too weak to even turn its head in his direction. With his whole body weight behind the strike he cut deep into the Gemstone Lizards skull, shaving off that last bit of health that remained and immediately he received a system message.
You have killed the Gemstone Lizard!
For being in a dangerous condition for an extended period of time during a fight you receive a status effect! Cardiac arrest: You have died!
"Oh go and suck a dick, you gotta to be kidd-" Before he could finish his angry rebuke all strength left his mangled and damaged body and Makoto hit the floor. A familiar message floated before him in the darkness.
Do you wish to revive?
-----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
And that is it! As always, comments are welcome anytime and see you all tomorrow [th_0suit.gif] Chapter 9: Beneath the Moon If there is any grammar issues please let me know in the comments! ----- Chapter 9: Beneath the Moon With a dazzling light Makoto revived yet again. The anxiety he had felt since his death dissipated after noticing that he had indeed revived inside the Crystal Cave without any problems and he actually was not too far away from the Boss room. A few new messages appeared after he revived too.
You have reached level 10 and officially have the option to choose one of the many classes in Azalon. Classes can be obtained from Instructors in any city, through Quests, gaining high enough Intimacy with certain NPCs or other various methods. There is a lot to choose from but beware, the next class changes are only possible after reaching level 50, so choose wisely!
You are the first player in Azalon to solo a boss Monster! +5 Fame For your incredible feat you are rewarded with the best possible drop from the boss you killed.
Surprised Makoto checked his status and it was true he really did gain another level from killing the Gemstone Lizard even if he lost a good bit of Experience by dying afterwards. He distributed his additional stat points and it now looked pretty decent in his eyes.
Status Window
Name:MakotoLevel:10
Alignment:NeutralClass:None
Race:HumanGender:Male
Titles
Slayer of All
Health:430/430Mana:150/150
Strength:48 (+3)Agility:52
Vitality:20 (+10)Wisdom:10
Intelligence:10Fame:11
Evasiveness:7
Special Effects:
+5% Damage against all living beings.
Excited to see what this best possible loot was going to be, Makoto went back to the Boss room where he died. At this point a slight worry was in the back of his head. He didn''t forget about Drake and his group, at the same time he could not remember seeing any other exits at the boss room so they might force his hand again to engage in another fight. Realistically speaking last time he had gotten incredibly lucky being able to pick them off 1 at a time but if there was 3 of them attacking at the same time he was a lot less confident in dealing with that rather annoying party. Unable to completely shake off these thoughts, Makoto arrived at the entrance to the boss room and quickly ran inside. He was expecting something along the lines of a Weapon or more Equipment and was rather disappointed after seeing just one book lying where the boss had previously been. Right away he picked it up and looked at the contents of this rather plain looking book.
Mysterious Tome:
A magic tome with the potential to create a new Destiny or path in life, use it with caution as changing ones Fate is something not many are willing to do.
Effect:
Evaluates your current status, battle experience and behavior to create a trial Quest to receive your own unique class. Satisfaction may vary. One time use only.
Durability:1/1Requirements:Unique Class Quest
"Create my own class?!" Slightly trembling and not hesitating at all Makoto put his hand on the Tome. "Activate Mysterious Tome!" Wind started flowing all around Makoto suddenly and the book in his hands opened, page after page flying past before finally stopping at the last one and a new system window accompanied the event.
In Blood we trust: (Quest)
A strange new Cult has spread all over Azalon, deep at night when the moon is high the howling and screams of people can be heard. Investigate the ritual taking place north-east of Talis and stop it no matter the cost.
Rewards:Crimson Warrior Class.
Penalty:None
Requirements:Unique Class Quest.
Grinning like a Demon, Makoto accepted the Class Quest and a chuckle escaped his throat. "Crimson Warrior... I like the sound of that." The tome began crumbling in his hands after accepting the Quest and only dust remained. Shrugging his shoulders he turned and examined the room. If possible he would rather not engage in another fight with that peculiar group, at least not at the moment. Maybe after getting his class... Still, at the moment he had no intention of meeting them again any time soon. The boss room and its walls were illuminated with a pristine and nearly blinding brightness, every single crystal on the walls gave off light, making it so that if you stared too long at them dark spots would appear in your vision and they only slowly went away. Shielding his eyes from the excessive light, Makoto examined every single corner and bend in this oddly shaped room. After about 10 minutes of searching his eyes finally noticed a darker spot, it was a small but narrow passage that was not illuminated at all but nearly impossible to find with the surrounding Crystals taking your vision. Happy that there was indeed another possible way, he squeezed through, his sword that was fixated on his hip scraped against the wall occasionally, creating an eerie echo. It took nearly 20 minutes of walking until the path lead into the forest, well hidden behind the stump of a massive tree that seemed to lean against the rock behind it. A quick look on his map confirmed that he was a good bit away from Talis and to his surprise a red circle also indicated an undiscovered area, presumably where the ritual would take place. Torn between the option of returning and going straight to the ritual he decided to go to the red circle in the end. First because it was by far closer and second, because he still had some supplies of water and food left. It was still in the middle of the day, enough time to arrive before dark and maybe examine the surrounding ritual sight to get a better feel for the terrain. On his Journey through the woods he encountered a few weak enemies such as Wild Boars (lvl 5), Armored Rabbits (lvl 3) and a strange breed of Lynx that was simply called, Forest Cat (lvl 6). All of the above mentioned Creatures ran, the exact moment they noticed his presence. It seems his title really did help in scaring away these little Critters. In a way it was unfortunate because he had no way of gathering junk loot that he could later sell to the ever so generous Merchant, Dio. ..... The sun was about to set when Makoto finally saw the outlines of stone ruins in the distance. Hastening his step, Makoto approached the site. There was already a group of hooded people standing in a semi circle around a stone altar that had a strangely familiar red color. Getting in position behind a few trees and bushes, he watched the group one after another kneel before the altar and scream out foreign words, only to finally cut their palms and spray blood on the already stained stone. The whole thing took a while and was repeated a many times until every inch of the Altar was stained in fresh blood with drips falling to the floor ever so often. Makoto was still unsure what to do here, the whole group consisted of nearly 30 members and not only that, the blades they used were ceremonial knives that looked in no way less sharp than his sword. Circling around the open area using trees as cover he kept an eye out for any suspicious movements from the group of people while gathering Intel about his surroundings. After the moon appeared on the already darkened sky and a few of the members started to light candles all over the ruins, Makoto knew who his first few targets were. Without making any noise he approached a man that was currently kneeling down, trying to light a candle. With him being out of sight of the others, Makoto had no problems sneaking up to him and was finally able to see letters above the hooded person.
Blood Moon Cultist: lvl 11
With a precise slash of his sword he cut the vocal cords of the Cultist, preventing any planned or unplanned screams from him to attracting attention. The stunned Cultist did not even know what was happening and after only 4 more quick stabs he fell to the ground, now silenced forever. "1 down, 30ish more to go." Grinning while wiping off the blood from his blade, Makoto searched for yet another victim. Shortly after, 3 more Cultists fell to the floor, their bodies riddled with wounds of precise slashes and stabs targeting vital areas. Makoto had gotten especially good at hitting vital areas with his sword after fighting so long, making it possible to easily stack up status effects or the occasional critical hit. He proceeded in his hunt until after the 7th or so Cultist the group that was still congregated at the altar finally noticed him. "Kill the heretic that has come to discrupt our sacred ritual!" One of the hooded Cultists bellowed while pulling out his ceremonial dagger, many followed his example and armed themselves before then storming as one big group towards Makoto. Keeping his cool he started off with a jump to the side and a wide swing with his left, injuring many that passed by him. One after another they tried to circle around him but whenever that happened he focused on just one individual while evading a few attacks and was able to narrowly escape the many blades trying to stab him to death. Makoto was hit a few times but the Damage was not too high, it was probably only their number and coordination that posed a threat to him considering his speed far outmatched them. This was the first time he was fighting humanoid opponents and he had to admit that they were tough. Not like a simple Wolf or Rock Crab their pattern could change when faced with a new situation, making predicting the next attack nearly impossible and only his high Agility and reaction time saved him from being impaled by a dozen blades on more than one occasion. Makoto noticed one particular hooded Cultist giving orders to a few others while he was fighting off the angry mob. "No! Forget about the Ritual, we have to wait till next month. Bring me the sacrifices so I can feast on their strength to crush this heretic, quick hurry!" The tall Cultist shouted and with a few quick steps 2 other Cultists disappeared into the night following his orders. Makoto had a bad feeling after hearing that exchange while fighting and not wanting to chance it he immediately ran towards the Head Cultist that had been giving orders all this time. Something like an Elite Monster or Boss appearing now would be very bad so without waiting to see what would happen Makoto decided to put an end to it. "Brothers! Sisters! Save me or this heretic has the chance to k-" Before he was able to say another word Makoto appeared before him like a bad dream, slashing against his throat and a fountain of blood flew into the night. Illuminated by the moon and the stars it was like a drawing of hell with other Cultists dead on the ground adding to the picture. With yet another clean swipe he aimed for the same place again, lopping the guy''s head clean off and the screams of other Cultists could be heard all around Makoto.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.Lethal hit!
Smiling like the Devil himself, Makoto turned around towards the dozen or so Cultists. He was drenched in blood from head to toe, not one spot was left untouched and even his hair was dripping red. Greedily licking his lips he looked at the remaining Cultists. "Who is next?!" Makoto asked while laughing. Everyone took a step back in fear and a window appeared before Makoto.
Your malicious and cruel actions have put the ''fear'' status on all enemies in the area! Fear: -10% stat reduction until the fight is finished.
Waving the Interface away he brandished his sword and with yet another laugh engaged into more fighting. It was a short battle, many of the Cultists had been injured previously and now stricken with complete horror they stood no chance. Their coordination was gone and with the current state of mind they were in, the pattern of attacks became painfully obvious to Makoto. After making short work out of them he saw the two Cultists from before that had disappeared, approach the ruins and they were not alone. They returned with a group of crying children and a few adults here and there but mostly it was young children. They all were in chains and clear signs of abuse were visible on their arms and faces. After seeing the massacre that Makoto had created both Cultists stopped dead in their tracks and instead turned around, running for their very lives as fast as possible. Makoto wanted to give chase right away but seeing this group of NPCs clearly in need of help made him stop. With a sigh he watched the two last remaining Cultists disappear between the trees and instead turned around and searched through a few bodies lying around until he found the key he was looking for. While approaching the chained group, one of the men looked up and surprise was clearly visible on his face after he noticed the over 30 Cultists, dead on the ground. Without even looking, Makoto threw the key in his direction and ran after his two last targets. A shout behind him made him smile. "May the Divines guide your blade and thank you stranger!" ..... It only took him 10 Minutes to catch up to the two stray sheep. They had decided to take a quick break behind a canopy of trees and without even trying to hide his presence, Makoto rushed the first one, killing him in seconds and finally turning around to greet the last remaining survivor. "Wait! Please I beg you! Hear me out and you will know that our cause is just and that we-" A Sword strike split the Cultists face in half, silencing the words that wanted to escape his mouth and with a dark look Makoto spat on his corpse. "Just cause my ass, since when is sacrificing children an act of justice?" With a barrage of dings one system message after the other appeared before Makoto.
For stopping the Blood Moon Ritual and freeing the innocent you have been rewarded with a title!
Dark Crusader:
Not all crusades are coupled with a church or faith in the gods, some are created with the simple desire to avenge or put things right. Leaving a trail of bodies behind you pave your way through masses of enemies, punishing evil but not forgetting about doing good whenever the opportunity arises.
Effect:+10% Damage against Chaotic players or Individuals with an Evil Alignment.
Additional Effects:+5 Strength and Vitality
Quest completed! Your class has changed to Crimson Warrior!
Crimson Warrior:
Bathing in the blood of your enemies and leaving drained corpses in your wake, many shake with fear after hearing your name. As the first of your kind your actions will decide the fate of your class.
Effects:
+30 to all stats except Fame +2 new Skills +1 new Title
Curse Blade:
Enchanting your blade with a secret curse your every strike will lacerate the enemies flesh, bringing unbearable pain and misery to your opponent.
Skill Type:activeSkill Level1 (0%)
Skill Effect:+15% more Chance to inflict the ''Bleed'' status effect.
Additional Effect:+10% more Damage and longer Duration when inflicting the ''Bleed'' status effect.
Uses:15 Mana per attack
Blood Rejuvenation:
While bathing in the blood of others you are able to find new Strength even during extended battles or skirmish.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level1 (0%)
Skill Effect:0.1% max health restored every second for every 2% missing health.
First of a Kind:
For being the first person with a unique class you are rewarded with respect from many and your name reverberates through all of Azalon.
Effect:+10 Fame
It took a while for everything to sink in but shortly afterwards, Makoto opened his Character window and what he saw made him smile.
Status Window
Name:MakotoLevel:10
Alignment:NeutralClass:Crimson Warrior
Race:HumanGender:Male
Titles
Slayer of All, Dark Crusader, First of a Kind
Health:850/850Mana:510/510
Strength:83 (+3)Agility:82
Vitality:55 (+10)Wisdom:40
Intelligence:40Fame:21
Evasiveness:37
Special Effects:
+5% Damage against all living beings. +10% Damage against Chaotic players or Individuals with an Evil Alignment.
Changing your class really did make a lot of difference. His class had some good benefits, not amazing but pretty good. Makoto was very interested about the new Skills he had gotten and especially the second one he got sounded incredibly powerful, it effectively meant the lower his health was the harder it was to kill him because his health regeneration would be off the charts. His class stat gains were not the best, he had heard of some melee profession gaining 100 extra Strength and +15 in all others so what he got with his class was not amazing but Makoto was more than satisfied. This one Quest had given him a pretty interesting class and 2 Titles on top of that so how could he not be satisfied? After looting the two Cultists he decided to backtrack a bit. After another 15 Minutes he was back at the abandoned ruins, dead bodies littered the whole area and even the ground itself was dyed red. It surprised Makoto that even now the bodies of these enemies hadn''t disappeared. The group of children and men that was supposed to be sacrificed was nowhere to be found, only a long string of chains with the occasional handcuffs were left behind on the ground. With no trail to follow, Makoto hoped releasing the group without helping them get out of the woods would not bite him back in the ass later and decided to inspect the loot left behind by these Cultists. After turning all of the bodies over a few times to make sure nothing else was hidden he had gathered nearly ten ceremonial daggers, they only did up to 5 Damage, a few cloaks that seemed usless, one Ring and finally also some Chest Armor.
Ring of the Blood Church:
An ancient cult known for ordering gruesome and cruel sacrifices at secret locations crafted this ring. Dipped in the Blood of the innocent as well as guilty it reveals the true nature of its wearer to everyone around.
Vitality:5
Special Option:Your true nature will be revealed.
Durability:20/20
Requirements:Level 10
The Ring''s effect was a little vague but 5 Vitality was a lot so he gladly equipped it even though he had no idea what else it would do for him.
Darkblood Hauberk:
Worn by unholy Warriors or followers of the Blood Moon Church, this Chain Mail was crafted with great care, allowing for excellent protection considering its light weight.
Defense:30Vitality:5
Special Option:+5 Agility
Durability:40/40
Requirements:Level 9, the stat ''Faith'' will make it impossible to wear this Item.
Donning his new gear, Makoto couldn''t help but smile. With his new Armor and class, Makoto feared absolutely nothing and no one. It was time to return to Talis and to celebrate! -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Jesus, finally i finished it. :drinkT: Huge Power spike for our MC and holy hell that was an insane amount of tables, never again... Hope you enjoyed and cya all tomorrow :D Update: I will try posting the chapters at the same time like always but that might not be possible so don''t be sad if you don''t see them until maybe in the late evening. This is the first time in 3 months I get to see my dad so this weekend the schedule of posting new chapters could be weird, still i will upload 1 chapter every day so no worries. :D Chapter 10: Wanted ----- Chapter 10: Wanted It was a few hours before dawn in Azalon. With 1 hour being 3 inside the game, 8 hours in Real Life equaled 1 whole day in Azalon. That together with the reality that inside your Capsule the body is motionless and your eyes closed, made it possible to easily pull all-nighters without too many problems. Ouroboros, the company who created Azalon warned everyone that extensive negligence of sleep could pose a serious issue for mental health but many ignored those words. All NPCs went to sleep at their respective homes at night, only players could really be seen out on the streets during the hours of the dark. The reason behind it was simple, for them it might be night but you could still trade, hunt or explore at night. Some players might relax in a bar for a few hours or an inn and then log out but those were rare, most simply didn¡¯t care if it was night or day. It was during such a night that every player in Azalon that was logged in got the same system message.
Makoto is officially the first player to find and obtain a unique class. Congratulations, and to many more who follow his example!
Immediately heated discussions were held between players. No one had ever heard of this ''Makoto'' but getting a unique class was something to be recognized for. "Hey Drake, isn''t that..." "Yes I know who it is, shut up!" Drake shouted. This was turning out to be an awful day. First we get completely annihilated by Makoto, then Melody decides to just up and leave the party and now the exact same shithead that cost me a level gets a unique class? "Bullshit!" Completely furious he rammed his fist into the face of a smiling statue. "You wait Makoto, or whatever your real name is, I will hunt you down and set you back to level 1, I swear!" Dawnwind could only watch his friend unleash a flurry of punches against the innocent statue. Shaking his head he turned to look at the moon hanging high above them. How he wished to just be up there, free from all this nonsense and able to enjoy the game how he wanted to. But alas, he was still Drake''s best friend. ..... Makoto felt a sudden shiver down his spine, as if someone had talked about or looked at him. Checking all around him he made sure that he wasn¡¯t followed and continued to sort through his inventory. A lot of loot had accumulated since he left from Talis to visit the Crystal Cave again. While putting the scales and bones he got from the Lizards aside, he discovered a red shell he had nearly forgotten about. Unsure if the information changed or not, Makoto examined this strange thing he had randomly found on the beach some time ago again.
Odd Shell:
The faint word ''Damarius'' is etched into the outside of this object...
Requirements:Level 10
Finding Damarius: (Quest)
Investigate the name ''Damarius'' in the city of Talis. What secrets could this red Shell possibly connect to?
Rewards:Unknown
Penalty:None
Requirements:Level 10
The Quest popped up without any warning just as he finished reading the description of the Odd Shell. "So I guess this was a Quest Item all along?" With a raised eyebrow he looked at the Shell again only to put it back in his Inventory. "Well that is one more reason to quickly return." With hastened steps Makoto practically ran back to the city. It took him a while simply because of the sheer distance and the vegetation that lay in his way. He really would give a lot for a mount instead of having to travel by foot all the time but that was something for the future. He had definitely seen mounts in Talis, the only question was when a player was allowed to own one, maybe later he would find his answers online. After passing the last few trees that led out of the forest he immediately found himself in a familiar field with wolfs that bolted after feeling his presence. "Its good to be back again!" Makoto said with a grin and headed into Talis. ..... It was midday currently and players were on the main street, trading, chatting and generally just enjoying a good time. Many players who had been logged in during the night told their friends about the system message they all got. It sure was the hottest topic at the moment and everyone wondered where this mysterious player was and how he got a unique class. A sudden shout went through the crowd. "Look that''s him! The guy who got the unique class, Makoto!" Surprised about this sudden outburst many heads turned. A player with an average build, black eyes and hair, donned nearly completely in Equipment, leaving only his head empty was walking in the middle of the street. Currently just getting 1 or 2 pieces of Armor was considered lucky, as drops for it were sparse and cost half a fortune in every shop. Above the players head, clearly visible for everybody to see was a system window.
Name:MakotoClass:Crimson Warrior
Titles:
Slayer of All, Dark Crusader, First of a Kind
Just seeing the information on that system message stunned every player. "No way..." "Are you serious, 3 titles? I don¡¯t even know anyone having just 1!" "Slayer of All, Dark Crusader, what the hell is with those names, its like he is a boss Monster!" "Crimson Warrior Class! Look at that, if that¡¯s not unique what else is?" Many players whispered something along those lines and formed two rows on each side of Makoto. Everyone wanted to have a glimpse at this truly strange and outrageous window above his head. Makoto was naturally unaware that a system message had been sent to every player currently ingame when he got his class, neither did he know that his Ring was displaying his name, titles and his class. Simply put, it was two unfortunate events happening at the same time, confusing him a great deal. How do they know my Class an Titles? What the hell is going on here!? The number of players around him increased more and more, after only having entered the city for a few minutes a horde of players was walking alongside him, bombarding him with questions and all of them wanting them answered at the same time. Having been a loner all his life, never bringing attention to himself, the current situation truly terrified him. Without waiting another minute Makoto started running, not expecting that, many players were left standing in the dust until they also ran after him. "Come on everybody, if we corner him he might answer us a few questions! Get him!" "What the hell is up with his speed, I''m a Rogue and even with my high Agility I nearly can''t keep up!" "Don¡¯t lose sight of him!" For some reason, the moment Makoto started running every player following him formed a mental bond with the others and their only purpose was to corner him and get some answers. This one realization frightened Makoto to the point were he further increased his speed. Leaving even the fastest runners with extremely high Agility behind. ..... Panting heavily Makoto stopped. His legs were about to give out beneath him and with his last bit of strength he decided to lean against a shop window. "Just what the hell was that..." Still breathing quite fast he put his head against the window and waited for his pulse and heart to calm down, again mesmerized by how much this game could simulate. Countless questions swirled around in his mind but he didn¡¯t know the answer to any of them. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Sighing deeply he was about to walk into a deeper part of the city when he noticed something odd in his reflection. "What the..." There was a box above his head and it moved together with it. When he looked up he saw nothing but in the shop window he could clearly see a box similar to his status screen, just a lot smaller. After a few minutes he was able to decipher most of it and knew what it was. "So that''s it...but how? Why do I suddenly have this box above my head. It wasn''t like that before so..." Sudden realization washed over him like a bucket of cold water and he looked at the Ring on his index-finger. "Your true nature will be revealed, so that¡¯s what it was. God damnit that explains it. If they saw that then naturally they would start asking questions. 90% of the players probably don¡¯t even have one Title and just a basic class... now it makes sense." The box thankfully disappeared the moment he took off his Ring. "Alright, guess I will only wear this thing when I''m alone or fighting." Letting out another sigh, Makoto decided to wear one of the Cultists cloaks that was lying around in his inventory. It didn''t have any stats whatsoever and was just a plain black cloak but it hid his face and Armor well enough so he didn''t have to be worried about getting discovered again an time soon. I mean in the end they would be looking for a guy with a system window floating above his head right? ..... First order of business was to sell his loot to Dio. The Merchant was not happy at all seeing him again but after a quick chat, Makoto was able to sell everything for 2 Silver and 50 Copper, his current overall balance was nearly 10 Silver, a big difference from when he started playing 2 days ago. "There is also something else Dio, have you heard of the name Damarius?" "Yeah sure I have, we used to be good friends until he got hired on a big and fancy Merchant ship, why you asking about that old coot anyways? Don¡¯t tell me you lent him Money because if you did you squandered it, that guy is always broke I tell ya." "No, no it was nothing like that, I just think I found something that used to belong to him, do you know where I could maybe find him?" "Well I myself don¡¯t know what he has been up to in the recent years but Betty over there running the food-stall keeps in touch with the man, she might be able to help ya. And now bugger off, every time I see you I fear for my lifesavings so piss off and leech off of someone else!" Thanking the grumpy Dio, Makoto crossed the street to get to the food stand that the merchant had pointed to. "Excuse me, Betty is it? I am looking for a man named Damarius, I was told you know him quite well, do you know where I can find him?" Betty was one of those people that have this ''homely'' look and mannerism around them. It made talking to her a lot easier and comfortable as she always seemed to have a smile on her face. "Oh my, what did he do this time? Did he ask you for money maybe?" "Haha, that is the second time that someone asked me that same question, no nothing of the sort, its just that I think I found something that belongs to him, or at least used to. Do you know where he might be?" Makoto quite liked Betty if he was honest with himself. She seemed like a generally good person, which was rare these days and a quick look with a system window confirmed that she was indeed an NPC, making it a lot more likely that she really was this kind of person. "He arrived with one of the Merchant ships down at the docks this morning if I''m right, you might still be able to find him there, just ask around and I''m sure you will find him trying to gamble away his life savings again." Laughing at the last part Betty waved him goodbye and turned around to greet a customer. ..... It took Makoto only 10 Minutes to find Damarius, he was sprawled on the street leading to the docks and apparently dead drunk. That¡¯s what Makoto at least gathered, judging from the 5 or so rum bottles all over the floor next to him. With a few gentle and then a few less gentle nudges, Makoto tried to wake Damarius. "Ugghhh... leave me alone..." "Excuse me Mister Damarius, Hello? I think I have something that belongs to you, could you look here for just a second?" "I said leave me alone kid!" Clearly annoyed the middle aged man tried turning around again and to fall back asleep but Makoto was not willing to give up just yet. "Plase just look at it for a moment and tell me if you recognize the shell or not." "I told you boy, leave me alone or I swear I wi-" Suddenly wide awake the man turned around with eyes big like wagon wheels. "What did you say?" Smiling, Makoto pulled the thing out of his inventory and held it up. "I said, do you recognize this Shell?" Damarius looked at the Shell for a few seconds until suddenly his eyes started to water. "Yes of course I do, that¡¯s the Shell my mother gave me when I was 10 years old. It was a birthday present to me, said I am just like it, a hard shell protecting a soft inside..." Reaching towards it Makoto handed the item over without hesitation and watched Damarius grasp and hold it tight, this time his tears flowed without anything holding them back but a smile oddly enough was on his face. It was an expression torn between happiness and sadness. "Thank you stranger, for searching for me and giving me back this shell that I thought lost. You must know it¡¯s the only thing that I have left of her now. Truly, you have my thanks." The man bowed deeply before him and Makoto wasn''t sure what to do exactly in a situation like this so he just decided to nod.
Quest complete!
Sadly enough there was no reward to be seen but at the moment it didn''t matter to Makoto. Even he could feel his eyes get a little wet after seeing Damarius'' react like that, with a shrug he was about to bid his farewell when Makoto was stopped again. "You know what, here take this. It¡¯s not much but because I''m currently broke it is all I can offer. If you give this letter to the Innkeeper at Shivercliff, a village far north of here, you should be compensated fairly." "Alright, thank you very much." Makoto said and left the happy Damarius. After that incident with the other players he decided that his new goal was to reach Shivercliff. He wanted to lay low for now so traveling to a remote Village seemed like the best idea and was actually a rare streak of luck. Makoto shortly later left Talis, still wrapped in his dark cloak, heading north. After about half an hour of walking he checked the time and was about to log out to go to bed when a sudden system message stopped him.
A surviving Cultist of the Ritual in the woods has returned, bringing news of a man with black eyes and hair interrupting the Ritual and killing many devoted followers. A Bounty of 500 Gold has been set on your head and the Blood Moon Church has sworn to take revenge against you. Relationship with the Blood Moon Church has turned sour. You are now wanted, bounty hunters or other players can now kill you and if they accepted the request, your body will stay behind and it is impossible to revive until either your body has been handed over for the reward or 24 hours have passed, whichever happens sooner.
"Perfect. So pretty much this means I''m hunted by players even more now and on top of that NPC bounty hunters will be after me too. Just fucking perfect..." While having a feeling akin to God himself spitting in his face, Makoto decided to log out and sleep over it, hopefully tomorrow had something better in store for him... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Chapter of today! Hope you all enjoyed and if you have any questions, just comment and i will try to answer them. :D Cya tomorrow folks! PS: It''s so boiling hot hereeeeee [th_107_.gif] PSS: One week aniversary :D First week of releasing Azalon chapters has passed, yayyyyyy :GG: Chapter 11: Veronica Important! Tell me in the Comment section if you guys like the new Cover i did for Azalon! Enjoy the read :drinkT: ----- Chapter 11: Veronica Rain. One of the most basic things in our everyday life, the liquid that keeps us all alive. Staring out of the closed window while deep in thought, Makoto didn''t notice someone entering the room until a sudden shout made him jump. "Henderson!" Confused, Makoto looked up and saw his Instructor standing right in front of him staring back. "Well then, I see that you are back in the world of the living. As I was saying, please hand me your finished assignment so I can look it over." The man expectantly held his hand out. While ignoring the people laughing all around him, Makoto opened his bag and handed over the essay he had finished before the weekend. "Thank you. Alright back to were we left off before..." As soon as the attention of everyone left Makoto, he let out a relieved sigh and his accelerated heartbeat slowly calmed down again. He hated being in the spotlight like that. It made him uneasy, scared and he couldn¡¯t stop his heart from beating at nearly 3 times the normal pace. After a few minutes his mind drifted off again and his eyes naturally went to the window beside him. Raindrops splashed against the glass, leaving trails behind whenever the ran down. Makoto liked the rain. It had something calming, reassuring. The smell, shortly after it rained was one of his favorites. He thought if at all, that must be how life itself smelled, refreshing. Most people only ever complained about rain, "Oh not again" "I didn''t even bring my umbrella" "Perfect, now I can''t go out with my friends again" phrases like that everybody seemed to spout and Makoto didn''t understand why. Was he really the only one that appreciated rain? ..... As always, after the lesson in his course was over he went to the cafeteria for lunch break. He chose a table and sat on a free seat, alone. Nobody ever approached him to spend time during lunch or other breaks, everyone just seemed to ignore him mostly. They all had their friends and ''besties'' but Makoto was alone, just like he always had been. It wasn''t that he wanted to, but he neither resented it. He had made a few attempts in the past to make friends but it always ended in him getting attention in the end, unwanted attention. The type of attention that made bullies look up and smile disgustingly. Now in College everything was a bit different, the bullies grew up and some outgrew even things like bringing others down and just enjoyed their life. Everyone has to grow up at some point and instead of bullying that weak looking kid, they focus on themselves, go to parties and have sex like rabbits. That¡¯s what college life was for them, at least as far as Makoto knew. There was always those girls and boys in every class, be it middle, high school or in College. The ''sluts'' and ''assholes'' that burned faster through relationships than cigarettes, getting a few STD''s on the way and then to calm down when they got older. Like a Firefly, burning bright during the night and unnoticeable during the day. Everything comes to an end after all. But for Makoto it was different, he never had those ''wild times'' never any ''mistakes''. He only had himself, did he masturbate? Sure, everyone does occasionally but he never had anybody in his life before, neither many friends nor others, just himself. We all want to be loved and cared for, the loneliness had been tearing at him during his middle school days but now he was used to it, embraced it. It is true that we all at some point long for another person in our life, someone we can share, talk or even fight with but it is not always that simple. The fear of getting rejected, hurt and laughed at keeps most of us at bay, at a distance. We all create these bubbles around us, leaving only enough space for a few close friends or family members and everyone else got shunned, lied to or left out. Makoto''s bubble only had himself in it, it was a small bubble, not knowing the feeling of warmth, kindness or even camaraderie. Only loneliness. Just like always he finished his meal in silence, plain bread with cheese and ham. There was many things swirling around in his mind but he didn¡¯t talk about them with anyone, sharing was something foreign to him and he generally didn''t interact with many. Sure he talked with people like everyone else did, told something funny from time to time, speaking with others so he didn¡¯t stand out too much, to keep up the fa?ade, but there always was an emptiness in the whole play. After returning to his seat, the next lesson started but something changed, a shift in the normal routine. Feeling this strange occurrence, Makoto''s eyes went to the front and beside his Instructor stood someone he knew, his heart tightened just seeing the girl. "Alright everyone listen up, this is Veronica Ashford, she just recently moved here and will be joining our Course from today on. Treat her nice everyone. You can sit down wherever you want, there is way too many seats for just our small class inside this room anyways." It was the girl from the mall, the same blond beauty with green eyes he had seen outside, Veronica. She was dressed in black and white, a contrast that seemed to only further enhance her face and body. Many boys around Makoto had a similar stunned look on their faces just like him. In the end she choose to sit next to Matt and sent a smile towards him which he responded with an even brighter one. Matt was famous in this College for having had sex with nearly half of the girls attending Courses here, he was handsome, rich and had a well toned body. Not many could resist his charm either, Veronica also seemed to be captured by him because Makoto could see her head turn quite a lot in his direction. Every time he saw her turn her head to give Matt a shy smile, his chest hurt. It felt worse every time until it was similar to a gaping hole were his heart used to be. The before euphoric feeling that he got after seeing her again quickly turned into excruciating pain, he knew at that point that he loved her. This girl had captured his heart just with her looks but he wanted more than that, he wanted to get to know her, talk to her, find out who she really was and what she liked or hated. Seeing her fall so easily right before his eyes for someone like Matt hurt him and in turn made him question his own feelings, was he not just like her in the end? Falling purely for looks and appearance? Quickly enough he stopped looking in her direction, the sight itself, how she looked at Matt, felt like getting his heart ripped out over and over again. Truth be told he was new to this, it was the first time he felt for someone like that and it hurt seeing the girl he had a crush on fall for someone that would discard her like a used toy after he was finished with her. Makoto knew Matt too well, he had been in the same classes with him since High school after all. Nearly every week another girl would show up in his class, screaming her anger and hurt out about how Matt promised her this and that, how he could be so cruel and he only smiled towards those girls, practically spitting in their face with his uncaring attitude. Seeing this scene hurt, but nothing was lost yet, she could still be warned and saved from the same fate. A strange and before foreign resolve manifested in his heart. He was going to make sure that she knew what she would get herself into before she fell to his charm. ..... With a few quick steps Makoto caught up to her. "Hey wait a second, you are Veronica right?" The girl turned around and after seeing him nodded with a smile. "What can I do for you stranger?" Gathering all of his courage he held out his hand and smiled at her with reddening cheeks. "Hi, my name is Makoto, we are in the same History Course, I sit at the back which is probably why you didn''t notice me." Even he himself doubted those words considering some people like Matt would reintroduce themselves in High school every single year towards him, they never seemed to remember his face or name even after spending months in the same room. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Oh, nice to meet you." She shook his outstretched hand and then gave him a curious look. "So what is it that you wanted?" Breathing slowly, Makoto readied himself and then looked right into her green eyes. "You remember the guy right next to you? His name is Matt and I think he has his eye on you so I wanted to give you a heads-up. He is the kind of guy who has a different girlfriend every week, and even when he is together with them spends his time with other girls...if you get what I mean with that. Basically he is a real douche and would probably only be nice to you to get into your underwear." Stunned about his last words himself, Makoto looked away, waiting for a response. Veronica''s smile grew larger after seeing him squirm beneath her stare after not saying anything for a few seconds. "I already gathered as much, which is exactly the reason I wanted to befriend him as fast as possible and told him I''m not into guys. Trust me I know that type of person far too well, they always seem to find me. I wonder why?" She said, only to giggle about her own joke afterwards. "Alright...good that you know...I just thought it wouldn¡¯t be fair if...nevermind." The more he talked the more her smile seemed to grow until he was unable to meet her eyes anymore, only staring at the floor. "If what Makoto? Hmm? Tell me." She teased him only to giggle again and then pat his shoulder. "I''m just kidding with you, still thank you for the warning. Nice to see someone actually cares about me and not only about my looks." If Makoto would have been able to look up at the moment, he would have seen her smile turn sad during the last sentence only to brighten up right away again. But he didn''t, all he was able to see was her white and black striped jeans. With his entire face slowly getting more and more red he bid Veronica farewell and then stormed off home. Embarrassed but with a warm feeling in his chest, Makoto returned to his home and to Azalon. ..... The sun was currently rising when Makoto arrived in a beam of light. Breathing the surrounding air in he could smell a whiff of sea and was unable to stop the smile that blossomed on his face. "Damn, it''s good to be back." Happy to feel his Gear and Sword on him again, Makoto started his Journey north. He went through another forest and nothing dared to even come close to him at this point anymore. Most creatures had a level far beneath his own, making hunting them a pointless thing to do, he probably wouldn''t even gain experience anymore with such a gap. The further he went north the colder the climate got. It was not much but after traveling for nearly half a day he did notice a slight drop in the surrounding temperature. It was quite boring for him, having nothing to do during his travel so he started to go further and further away from the ocean and deeper into the woods around him. Just checking his map occasionally was enough for him to make sure he was still going north, even when he couldn¡¯t see the ocean anymore and only trees around him. It only took him 2 more hours to find what he was looking for, something he could fight.
Wood Wolf: Level 11
Similar to the Starving Wolfs they had pretty much the same pattern, only that instead of being alone, these Wood Wolfs all were in a pack, numbering around 20 to 30. It was a dangerous situation but he wanted to increase his level and the only way to do that right now was to grind. "Come on Puppies, let''s see what you got!" Smiling, Makoto drew his sword and attacked the first one in his vicinity.
246 Damage dealt!
A big damage number showed up right away, confirming the boost he had gotten from changing his class. The Wolf growled and right away the rest of the pack was alarmed. A howling started to resound around him and Makoto only responded by lashing out towards yet another Wolf. It was a bloody battle and he was hit a good number of times but because of his now enormous health and good Armor the most he was ever hit for was 78 Damage. He also tried out his new active Skill and after using it only a couple of times he noticed how quickly the Wolfs health declined, together with his own mana. 15 mana per hit was a lot when you practically attack everything around you, it didn''t even take one minute for his entire mana pool to run dry but the effect was obvious. First of all nearly half of the wolfs had a bleeding status that lasted a good bit longer and drained way more health, secondly, because he got hit quite a bit his passive Skill activated, making it impossible for him to drop below half health. Whenever he was about to drop that far it took him only 10 or so seconds of not getting hit until he was back at about 60%. It was a truly amazing ability and it would activate for as long as he was missing 2% health, true it would heal less the more health he currently had but it was still better than nothing at all. "It''s like I have a Priest with me, healing me whenever I get too low. Awesome!" His overall combat prowess increased by a lot, his stats being so incredibly high now and his overall gear protecting him made it so he didn''t even have to care much about getting hit. Naturally he still tried to evade if possible, there was no need to take a hit if you could evade it after all. But generally speaking he was a lot stronger now. After disposing of the last wolf he started looting them all and continued his Journey. It took him only 1 hour of fighting pack after pack to level up to 12, that is how good the experience those Wood Wolfs gave was. After distributing his stats and his health finally hitting the one thousand mark he continued his way through the forest. Shortly after, even whole packs of Wood Wolfs avoided him or ran the moment he approached them. He also noticed that the surrounding trees started to thin out until finally, he was walking on a grassy plane. Makoto was quite overjoyed when he actually found a road that led north. Traveling on the gravel road was a lot easier and faster than through the thicket of a forest after all. When the sun slowly started to disappear behind the horizon, he was able to notice a light up ahead behind a corners bend, his vision blocked by a small mound of earth. The chatter of voices reached his ears and after turning the corner he saw a dozen or so wagons in a circle all surrounding a gigantic bonfire. "Well that is something new..." Curious, Makoto approached the bonfire and the 40 or so people sitting around it. "Could they also be on the way to Shivercliff?" Hope filled his heart, maybe now he would not have to travel alone anyomore. In the end what was keeping him from making friends or joining a party in Azalon? Makoto decided to show himself and stepped into the light of the bonfire, his dark cloak wrapped tightly around him. -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Chapter of the Dayyyyyy. Hope you guys like it and feel free to ask me anything in the comment section, even if i can''t always answer for spoiler reasons XD. Wish you all a nice Sunday and cya tomorrow! PS: If i pull it off today with writing 2 Chapters it will be Double Chapter Tomorrow so lets see if I can do it. XD Chapter 12: The Caravan I did it guys! 6000 words and many proofreads and changes later i present you the first of 2 Chapters! Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 12: The Caravan With a rustle of his cloak and the gravel beneath his boot giving off a clearly audible crunch, Makoto stepped into the light. Many heads turned and an armed Warrior grabbed his sword a bit alarmed. "Who are you and what do you want, stranger?" The man asked while keeping his hand on his sword. "My apologies for unsettling you at this late hour but I''m just a weary traveler that saw your Caravan. I wanted to ask you if it''s alright to come along, you are on the way to Shivercliff are you not?" The man nodded, still a bit unsure about Makoto. "Indeed we are, that is our next stop and after that we will travel east, straight to the capital. We can take you along until Shivercliff, if you have something of value that is." Pulling aside his cloak Makoto revealed the shimmering sheath of his sword. "Is a better rest during the night something of value to you?" He asked jokingly and the Warrior eased up, smiling. After talking with one of the others sitting beside him, Makoto was handed a scroll, it was a contract that bound him by magic to not attack or steal from anybody on the Caravan. Protection scrolls like that were the norm with hiring mercenaries or taking along foreign travelers. They made sure everything played out the right way. After he signed the scroll the Warrior patted his back smiling and Makoto was introduced to a few other players and NPCs that would be his travelling companions for a while. "This is Farabello, our Mage. Zergoon, foreigner just like you and an archer as far as I know. Last but not least we have the wonderful Ceila, also a foreigner. You will be riding together with them in Carahem''s wagon, he is the Merchant sitting next to Farabello." Makoto nodded towards the short Merchant once and then examined the others. The Mage was an apprentice NPC, short, wearing glasses and seemed to be a bit shy. Zergoon was a foreigner, a player, in the words of an NPC. Although he didn¡¯t seem to be any normal archer like the Warrior had claimed him to be, because instead of a bow he had a giant crossbow on his back. Maybe a variation, there was other classes after all. Makoto greeted them both and then turned to Ceila, immediately he was stunned. It was Veronica. She didn¡¯t seem to have changed her appearance, but why would she? I mean she already was drop dead gorgeous in real life so there was not much to change. And the chance that someone created a perfect copy of her face and body seemed too unlikely. Makoto was very sure that she was indeed the real Veronica. "Uhm...nice to meet you I guess..." Still unable to comprehend of how surreal the whole situation was, Makoto''s greeting was a little weak. Ceila didn''t seem to mind, she glanced at him for just a second and then proceeded to stare into the flames. "Don¡¯t worry about it dude, she treats everyone like that." Zergoon said with a grin. "So what can we call you then?" He asked, looking expectedly at him and it was at that moment that Makoto started cursing his own stupidity for not using a different name ingame. If he said his real name out loud now, Veronica would find out for sure. For some reason he didn¡¯t like the thought of her knowing, it was like a voice whispered into his ear that calamity would follow if he did so. Keep the two lives apart. That was what he heard and strengthening his own resolve, Makoto shoved aside his feelings for now, concentrating on the here and now and instead of the weak and shy Makoto in Real Life, to be the one he was ingame. Without even glancing at Ceila he shrugged. The only name that came to his mind was Drake for the moment, the pretty boy he killed. So with that name he changed the first two letters and had a fast response. "I don¡¯t mind, you can call me Blake by the way." Makoto said, still sweating a bit and hoping no one would find out his real ingame name later. "Alright, you should either log out or try to get some sleep until dawn. These NPCs won''t travel during the night but it still is a lot faster instead of going by foot, trust me." Zergoon said while making himself comfortable on the gravel beneath him, pulling out a blanket and putting it over his body. Unsure, Makoto decided to also just lie down on the ground for a while. This was actually the first time that he slept inside Azalon and to his own surprise it was very similar to real life. ..... The morning sun was tickling his nose and after a few seconds his vision cleared. All around him NPCs were sleeping on the floor, the bonfire had fully burned down in the night and only one guard was keeping an eye on things currently. Still a bit groggy Makoto stretched and with a yawn sat up. His mind was all jumbled up, knowing you had a pleasant dream but you can''t remember what it was about is a truly strange feeling. After the events of last night slowly sank in again, Makoto hurried to make sure that the cloak around him was still covering his face and armor. Nobody seemed to mind that he was hiding his face or appearance, well it was probably all thanks to the magic scroll he signed. It was insurance after all that no matter who he was, he would bring them no harm. Zergoon turned out to be a rather talkative fellow. He explained about Azalon and his previous experiences all morning long, Makoto decided to share some combat experiences he himself had with the guy and what he said seemed to impress the archer. "So you actually can shave off your enemies armor, man if I knew that I sure as hell would have used it against that boss I fought not long ago. Watersnake, lives in a swamp near the capital and man can I tell you it was a bitch and a half to kill that thing. We needed nearly 30 players to bring it down, exactly because its armor was so high. Thanks for the tip Blake, I will remember that." Makoto also was able to find out about a few things in the exchange between him an Zergoon. There was for example an option in the menu to actually enable internet access, so if you had a quiet place or were traveling on the road like now you could check the forums or watch videos while being inside Azalon. That was naturally something he checked right away and he decided to enable the feature. Another thing he found out was that there was indeed something like a leader-board system. It would list all players and whoever had the highest amount of exp would be at the top. In other words, whoever had the highest level would be number 1. Interested, Makoto checked his own name and surprisingly found himself in the upper 500s. Later when it was already afternoon and they had nothing much to talk about anymore, he decided to use the online option and browsed through the forum. There was a video of the currently ranked number one player, Giro, a level 17 Swordmancer. It was supposedly a rare class and he showed it off in a video were he was the first player to ever solo an Elite Boss Monster. Elite and Boss put together was a mix just one step below an Area Boss Monster. In the video, Giro was dual wielding two swords and whenever he hit the giant black scorpion he was fighting, more swords appeared out of nowhere and pierced the boss until he had a very close similarity to a hedgehog. Simply put, he was dominating the whole fight and didn¡¯t seem to even break a sweat. Makoto decided to remember the name Giro as he seemed like a strong player and closed the forum window. Somewhere while watching the video, a hidden desire had budded inside Makoto. The before foreign wish to be number 1, to fight players like Giro and come out on top, that was something that started to take hold in his mind. Back inside the actual game he needed a moment to adjust. Makoto decided to enjoy the pleasant ride after being aware of his surroundings again and looked to his left. The road they were on had unexpectedly met up with the ocean after a while so he was able to travel alongside it and watch the waves while traveling. As far as he understood it, the NPCs with them were mostly merchants going from city to city, buying and selling many things on the way. It was a type of practice not foreign in Azalon and the bigger the group, the safer they would be from bandits or monsters. With a nice breeze going through his cloak, Makoto decided to sort through his Inventory. There was some loot he simply had no need or room for so he was unsure what to do until he remembered the merchants in his group. After chatting with Carahem for a while he discovered that he could indeed trade with them and sell or buy different things. "Alright, I will give you 1 Silver and 45 Copper for all of that, deal?" Smiling, Makoto nodded and then shook his head again. "Yeah, I agree but only if you throw in another loaf of bread, would that be alright?" Canahem didn''t even think about it and stretched out his hand. "Deal!" Shaking the man''s hand the various loot inside of Makoto''s inventory disappeared and 1 Silver and 45 Copper joined the rest of his money, together with a single loaf of bread.
The skill ''Devil''s Greed'' has leveled up!
Surprised, Makoto checked the skill for the first time in a while, the experience he gained for every trade he did was so little that it had taken him until now to get it to level 2. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Devil''s Greed:
Money makes the world go round so why not take more than you give? NPC Merchants and Shop owners will feel an instinctive fear towards you
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level2 (1%)
Skill Effect:+1% increased deals in your favor for both buying and selling.
Additional Effect:Able to Bargain more effectively.
Happy that the amount he would passively gain had doubled, Makoto waved the window away. The rest of the afternoon went by peacefully. Makoto quite enjoyed this change of scenery, it was something different after fighting for all this time. Ceila never seemed to talk to anybody, she spent her time quietly and the only thing she really did was sharpen her sword from time to time. Other than that all she did the entire day was stare at the ocean with a somewhat lost expression. Even after steeling his heart and deciding to ignore her he still couldn¡¯t help a glance or two every now and then. Just watching her sit beside him filled Makoto with a strangely warm feeling. Slapping himself mentally he forced his eyes off Ceila. Now really was not the time for that. The rest of the day passed in the same quiet manner. It was only after stopping before sundown that things started to change. Makoto was currently helping Canahem and Zergoon with the bonfire when he heard a scream right behind him. Swiftly turning around while pulling his sword, he and Zergoon immediately got into a combat stance. A few other players also readied their respective weapons because the scream had not been a mistake, trouble was brewing in the distance. A horde of green skinned and armed to the teeth Goblins were approaching the Caravan, some of them had even tamed a few Wood Wolfs and rid them like a knight would his steed. "Everyone get ready! Bandit attack!" Zergoon shouted as loud as he could while aiming and shooting his gigantic crossbow. A dark blur flew through the air and impaled four Goblins, the bolt just kept going and only the fourth body was enough to stop the momentum. Makoto didn''t even have to look in that direction to know that those would all be lethal hits. Giving Zergoon a thumbs up he stepped forward. "Never underestimate a crossbow in a defensive battle like this Blake, as you can see they are pretty deadly. I can see some bloodlust under that hood of yours and its pretty freaky if you ask me so go, I will take care of Canahem!" Zergoon said with a laugh, launching another bolt, this time killing a Goblin and its wolfen steed. Makoto brandished his sword with a wicked smile and the blood in his veins started to boil again. It was true that he enjoyed the quiet and peaceful day but he dearly missed this, the sweet slaughter and carnage of battle. After getting a bit closer he was able to see the letters above each Goblin that approached the Caravan.
Goblin Marauder: lvl 14
Goblin Bandit: lvl 16
There was these two types in the horde and both had Goblins ranging from level 14 to 17, it was a pretty huge level gap for Makoto but he hoped the boost from his class would even it out again. It didn''t take long for him to cross swords with the first one and with a few quick slashes to the throat he disposed of it. A lot of players around him also helped in the defense of the Caravan. While battling two Goblins, Makoto was jumped by one of the tamed Wolfs and with a huge, matrix style lean backwards the Wolf flew over him. Gripping his sword with both hands he activated ''Curse Blade'' and sliced both Goblins at the neck.
Lethal hit!
One of the Goblins cleanly got his head chopped off while the other was holding back the fountain of blood that his throat had turned into. Smearing the fresh blood all over his arms, Makoto couldn¡¯t help but smile. The warm liquid on his skin gave him a somewhat ecstatic feeling, his pupils started to grow big and with a mad grin he kept on using ''Curse Blade''. The battle around him turned into a sea of blood, soaking the black cloak he was wearing red, more and more players stopped to watch the gruesome exchange he had with the Goblins. Surely enough after a few minutes of combat, all the Goblins around him became frantic and unwilling to come near him anymore. "Brothers! Stay away from red cloak! Demon I tell you!" One of the Goblins shouted and many others nodded in agreement, fearful expressions on their faces. Letting oud a sinister laugh Makoto took a step forward and in unison all the Goblins around him took one backwards.
Your gruesome and horrible actions during combat have put the ''fear'' status effect on all enemies around you! Fear: -15% stat reduction until the battle is finished.
Happy about the message he lifted his blood soaked sword. "Come on you little shits! No need to worry, I will just send you straight to fucking hell so step up and fight me!" Makoto bellowed with a deep voice. Even more Goblins became fearful at his words and some even looked to their leaders but before anyone could make another move, Ceila appeared out of nowhere. She swiftly used her sword and with only a few strikes 3 Goblins lay dead on the floor. Her movements had a certain elegance to them, unlike Makoto''s who purely existed to punish and do as much pain as possible to the enemy. With but a few of her movements he could tell that she must have gotten those forms from some kind of martial art, probably trained in real life. She was even faster in killing the Goblins, her every strike targeted a vital area and he could guess that every one of them was a critical hit. Mowing down Goblins by the dozen she didn''t seem to have any intention of stopping so Makoto joined her. Two Cyclones of death spread out on the grassy field and the screams of Goblins resounded under the setting sun. Soon enough a horn could be heard all around them and rows of green skinned enemies started pulling back. Having no intention of letting such a good opportunity of getting experience go, Makoto started chasing them and soon enough an army of Goblins was fleeing from but a single man dressed in a blood red cloak. After a few kilometers he stopped, short on breath as he watched the Goblins run for their lives and he couldn¡¯t help but feel a tinge of sorrow. They would have surely dropped a few good items... Dejected he returned to the Caravan. Many players and NPCs alike looked at him differently and stepped back when he got close just like those Goblins. Only Zergoon seemed to be the same like always. "Dude I watched you fight, that was fucking crazy. I have never seen so much blood in my entire life! I gotta say you looked like a frickin Monster yourself there." Laughing and patting his shoulder, Zergoon seemed to be impressed rather than fearful of Makoto''s display in battle. He also decided to distribute his new stat points, as he rose to Level 13 after the fight was over. Fighting Monsters 4 or 5 levels higher than yourself really did give a ridiculous amount of experience. Even Canahem seemed uncomfortable after Makoto sat down beside him. Unsure how to win them back over he decided in to just ignore the whole thing, what did it matter if they feared a man named Blake? In the end it was not his real name after all. A quick look at the clock showed him that it was nearly 4 in the morning. Makoto hadn''t slept the last 3 days and he knew the dangers, well aware that he would have to walk the rest of the way he said his goodbyes to Zergoon and the others and logged out. Or at least that was the plan until a thought crossed his mind but he dismissed it immediately. He had wanted to add Ceila to his friends-list but if he really did she would get a notification that ''Makoto'' added her. Not ''Blake'' but ''Makoto'', therein lay his problem. Saddened by the fact that after actually finding Veronica ingame he was unable to keep in touch with her he logged out. To maybe get at least 1 or 2 hours of real sleep, that was his next goal. -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
As always if you have any questions just write it in the comments and I will see you all later! [th_113_.gif] Chapter 13: Shivercliff Second Chapter of today! ----- Chapter 13: Shivercliff The same thing every day. Bread with cheese and ham. Makoto was currently sitting in the Cafeteria and eating his sandwich. There was one more class after lunch and then he would be able to go back home. As always he was sitting alone on one table while all around him people were laughing and enjoying their meal together with friends. He didn¡¯t really mind. Being used to it helped too but it wasn''t so bad. While taking another bite he noticed how the laughter around him turned into whispers. After that there was nearly complete silence around him, it was very disturbing when you are used to the constant background noise of people talking. Unsure what was going on, Makoto lifted his head and saw Veronica standing beside his table. "Can I sit down?" Instantly gaining a lot more color in his face, Makoto nodded and nearly forgot to swallow. What could she want from him? I mean sure he told her that about Matt yesterday but why was she suddenly sitting down at his table? A sudden realization struck him and his eyes met Veronica''s. "You know... I don¡¯t have any money to buy you food..." He said after a while, that must be it in his mind. She knew him as an acquaintance and now she wanted to borrow money. Veronica looked at him stunned for a moment and then burst out laughing. "Hahahaha, no that is not why I''m here and I had no idea you would be so stingy." "I had no idea you would be a leecher either but here we are..." Makoto said and Veronica had another laughing fit. Somehow he enjoyed hearing her laugh and a rare smile appeared on his own face. "No, I actually have my own lunch with me and thought we could eat together." She explained with a smile and pulled a wrapped sandwich from her bag. "If you are alright with me being here then sure, it¡¯s a free country after all." He said while pointing at the chair next to him. "So you would rather sit with someone else?" "That is not what I... meant." Makoto said a bit lame after noticing the smile she was giving him. The conversations all around them started up again and he was painfully aware that he was what they were talking about now. Currently the entire Cafeteria was looking in his direction, many boys gave him sharp glares, probably mad that someone like him was sitting at the same table as Veronica or something. Sighing again even though he was happy to share the same table as her, he finished his lunch. They talked about the upcoming test next Monday and Veronica told him that she was a bit unsure about the subject material. Smelling his chance to maybe spend a nice afternoon, he was about to suggest that he could help her after College when a hand hit the table, interrupting their conversation. The hand belonged to Matt who was looking at them both, a crooked smile on his face. "Hey Veronica, I''ve been looking all over for you. What are you doing here anyways?" A quick look of disgust was thrown towards Makoto before he continued. "Why don¡¯t you just come with me and we look for another table?" "No I think I''m alright here, thank you Matt." Matt was a bit stunned and then tried again, this time while putting a hand on Veronica''s shoulder. "I really don¡¯t think that''s a good idea, look he doesn''t like it. I have some friends over there that would love to get to know you better so if you just come with me then I..." With a quick movement she pushed his hand off her shoulder. "I said I''m fine Matt, you should go to your friends so you don¡¯t keep them waiting by the way." For the first time during this exchange, anger flared in Matt''s eyes. It quickly disappeared and he leaned against the table, still facing Veronica and unwilling to let her be. "Come on Veronica, I promise it will be a lot more interesting with my friends, as far as I can tell, this guy doesn''t even know what the word courtesy stands for and he still dared to talk with you so I really think it is time to leave him be. Or do you actually want to be called a loser just like him?" Matt pointed at him and Makoto couldn''t help but frown. During this whole thing he tried staying out of it since it wasn''t worth to start an argument but that last statement stung, even for someone who was used to it like him. With a screeching sound Veronica pushed her chair back and stood up. "I''ve had enough of this, if you won''t leave me be I will just go. Makoto, sorry about this but I will talk to you tomorrow then." Matt was about to say something else but an angry glare from Veronica shut him up. He really didn¡¯t know where the next sentence came from but after she left and before he could stop himself, Makoto spoke while also standing up. "See, I might be a loser Matt, but at least I''m not someone like you, jackass." Ignoring the stunned Matt and the stares of all the others that heard him, Makoto left the Cafeteria. Rage was flowing through his veins and a mad glint was visible in his eyes. Oh he couldn''t wait to get back into Azalon... ..... It only took Makoto half an hour by foot to actually reach Shivercliff. The Caravan had been surprisingly close to the entrance of the Village. Happy to see civilization after traveling for such a long time, Makoto quickened his steps and wanted to proceed through the open gates when an arrow suddenly shot past him. "The next one won''t miss! State your business or be gone stranger!" A voice from above shouted and Makoto could clearly see an arrowhead that was aimed for him. Confused by the hostility from the guard he pulled out the letter he got from Damarius. "I am just here to deliver a letter to be compensated for a task that I did. Nothing else." After a few seconds the bow was lowered and a guard ran out from one of the watchtowers beside the gate. After inspecting Makoto''s letter for a few seconds he waved and let him in. "Can I ask what is going on here, or is it normal to nearly shoot me to death just for approaching your Village?" He inquired and the guard frowned. "No it is not normal but we aren''t living in normal times now are we? Our Mayor has gone missing and before that someone else would go missing every single night. Women, children, even grown men! The Village is in an emergency situation and we believe someone is kidnapping them so you might understand why we aren''t too trusting about you stranger." Surprised by the events, Makoto offered his help but was immediately rejected. "No, I won''t allow it. I can see that you are an adventurer of considerable fame but I won''t leave this matter to an outsider. If you even dare to make any trouble here we will not hesitate to put you down and now piss off, I have a gate to watch." A little annoyed at the unfriendly attitude, Makoto wanted to say something back but decided to leave it be. After all the guard had every right to be angry if what he said was true. Contemplating if it really was such a good idea to come here, Makoto looked around the Village. It was a lot bigger than the beginner Village of Salem but just like the name suggested, it was a Village. There was one blacksmith, one Merchant and one Inn, everything else was private houses for the residents. With his letter in hand he entered the Inn and a bell above the door announced his arrival. "Welcome to the ''Barking Boar'' traveler, are you looking for a room here or just a meal?" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.A voice asked. The Innkeeper was a burly short man that looked like he could take a punch or two. He gave Makoto a warm smile and questioning look after asking. "No I am here because of this." He held up the letter and right away a surprised look was visible on the Innkeepers face. "I gave that to an old friend once, if he ever need a place to stay he should just send me this letter and I would ready a bed for him. Did he gamble it away or what?" "Just what kind of life-style does Damarius live?! And no, he gave it to me after I found a precious belonging he thought lost. I am not even sure what this letter would do to be honest and just came here hoping it would be somewhat worth it." And to escape the players as well as possible bounty hunters, but he kept quiet about that part. "Well, originally it would secure you a one week of free stay at this Inn with 3 meals a day. I could also compensate you in another way if you want that but I would suggest the former as I run a small Inn and we don¡¯t get too many Visitors. My name is Boran by the way." The Innkeeper said and shook his hand. Makoto would rather take the money and leave but because of the circumstances surrounding the village and its residents he could practically smell a Quest. "Then I will take the room and food please. Is there any work to do in these parts? I heard you had some trouble with the kidnappings but don¡¯t want outsiders interfering so is there anything else I could do?" You never know, maybe he would be able to do a few Quests and get the Villagers trust so he could look for the Mayor. "Well if you are looking for work, there is some tasks you could do, behind you next to the entrance is the Task-board, every Inn has it. On it, anybody can post different flyers for certain things that need to be done. Whenever you are looking for work just check the Task-board if there is something new on it." Until now Makoto had been unaware of this option but it only made sense, after all to actually get the word out on certain problems handout papers like that, describing a problem and the rewards would make it all a lot easier. As an Inn was mostly used from Adventurers, you could expect some competent people to take the request. So in Azalon there actually existed two types of systems for Quests. The Task-board system where normal everyday Quests would be put on, describing the usual Quests we all know and love. And then there was the personal Quests. Quests that could only be received from certain NPCs and would probably impact said NPCs or their surroundings more. You could probably think of it as repeatable Quests and story Quests, at least something along those lines. Interested, Makoto stepped closer and examined the board with a good dozen or so flyers on it.
Beasts of the Forest: (Task)
Kill 10 Forest Tigers to help secure the Village of Shivercliff.
Rewards:20 Copper, Increased Intimacy with the Villagers of Shivercliff.
Requested from:Romen, Guard Captain of Shivercliff.
Requirements:Level 12.
Beasts of the Forest: (Task)
Kill 20 Wood Wolfs to help secure the Village of Shivercliff.
Rewards:15 Copper, Increased Intimacy with the Villagers of Shivercliff.
Requested from:Seberith, Guardsman.
Requirements:Level 10.
Big hunting: (Task)
Kill 50 Forest Tigers, 100 Wood Wolfs and 75 Wild Boars around the Village of Shivercliff.
Rewards:2 Silver, greatly Increased Intimacy with the Villagers of Shivercliff.
Requested from:Andreos, Mayor of Shivercliff.
Requirements:Level 15.
"So these types of Quests are called ''Tasks''? Interesting, well they actually yield quite a good amount of money and experience." Contemplating on which request to tackle first, Makoto''s eye got caught on a separate board next to the Task-Board. "Bounties?" Interested he looked at the flyers on the other board until one of them made him stop.
Kill the Heretic! (Bounty)
The player Makoto has disrupted the Ritual of blood, as such the Blood Moon Church has issued a bounty on whoever can bring him to them, dead or alive. Because the target has a ''Neutral'' Alignment, Guards will not allow attacks inside any City or Village on said target.
Rewards:500 Gold
Requested from:Blood Moon Church.
Requirements:Level 15, Request can only be accepted with a Chaotic or Evil Alignment.
A bit shocked but at the same time interested, Makoto read through the bounty request. "So I will be safe inside any City or Village as long as my Alignment doesn¡¯t change. Also one other good thing is that you need to be Level 15 to accept the Quest, only a few dozen or so have reached it yet and I doubt many of them have a Chaotic or Evil Alignment. Pretty much, I have some leeway until I will be hunted because the requirements to accept this job are quite high. Still, I shouldn¡¯t slack off, the faster I increase my Level, the less trouble I will face in the future when fighting those types of people." Determined to make it as difficult as possible for any bounty hunters trying to take his life, Makoto accepted every task he could and went outside the Village. The thought of killing something again gave him a comfortable shiver down his spine. "I still have some pent up aggression because of that asshole Matt." With a huge smile, Makoto unsheathed his sword while his blood started to boil again and his heart rhythm increased by nearly 3 times. "Happy hunting!" -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Alright! That is it for today ladies and gentleman. Hope you all enjoyed and see you tomorrow! I will just enjoy the rest of the afternoon and rest my tired fingers. :drinkT: Chapter 14: Beasts Beware ----- Chapter 14: Beasts Beware
Forest Tiger: lvl 14
This was the 8th one he saw and again a comfortable shiver ran down his spine. The creature was asleep, curled up beneath the shadow of a nearby tree. With carefully placed steps, as to not alert it, Makoto got close enough to attack it. Executing a quick movement his sword slashed over the exposed neck.
Critical hit! 328 Damage dealt!
Letting out a roar the tiger woke with a deep gash on the back of his neck. Not wasting any time, Makoto jumped to the right and again used his blade to target the Vital area together with ''Curse Blade''.
Critical hit! 351 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Bleed: - 20 hp every 2 seconds for 12 seconds.
Attacking vital areas with this Skill did more Damage and the chance to inflict a ''Bleed'' was ridiculously high. Soon enough only a blood drained Carcass remained of the Forest Tiger. Wiping his blade clean he checked the message he had gotten during the fight.
The Skill ''Curse Blade'' has leveled up!
The Skill ''Blood Rejuvination'' has leveled up!
Checking both Skills after quite some time he was happy to see that they indeed had grown considerably.
Curse Blade:
Enchanting your blade with a secret curse your every strike will lacerate the enemies flesh, bringing unbearable pain and misery to your opponent.
Skill Type:activeSkill Level4 (3%)
Skill Effect:+45% more Chance to inflict the ''Bleed'' status effect.
Additional Effect:+25% more Damage and longer Duration when inflicting the ''Bleed'' status effect.
Uses:20 Mana per attack
Blood Rejuvenation:
While bathing in the blood of others you are able to find new Strength even during extended battles or skirmish.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level3 (1%)
Skill Effect:0.2% max health restored every second for every 2% missing health.
''Blood Rejuvenation'' had a very slow experience gain, it was to a point were he literally sometimes stood there and let himself be attacked for 10 minutes to grind the Skill. Now at level 3 the regen had increased again, double of what it originally was. His ''Curse Blade'' was also not easy to level but the reason was simple, he just didn¡¯t have the mana to sustain the Skill for too long. The cost for it had even increased at level 3, depleting his mana pool even faster now. Still, he was not willing to increase his mana just because he had 1 Skill that used it. After all the Bleed effect he got was good, but not to the point were it was a good idea to invest stat points. The Skill was versatile none the less and he used it at least once every fight. Getting back to business he picked up the loot left behind by the Forest Tiger and the counter in the corner of his eye went down by 1. After accepting all the tasks he could see different counters listing how many of which kind of Monster he had left to kill. Currently he had not even killed a meager 5% of the needed Monsters. Looking back at it, it might have been a bad idea to accept them all simultaneously but the choice was made and he could only continue his current hunting spree. Makoto had nearly cleared out the entire area surrounding Shivercliff and was now in a deeper part of the woods. The level of his prey had naturally increased again, giving him even more experience and loot. Just like this Makoto continued to fight Wild Boars ( lvl 13), Forest Tigers (lvl 14-15) and Wood Wolfs (lvl 11-15). The amount of Boars he had to hunt was the least so he concentrated on them first. A trail of blood followed him into the forest, after about 6 hours of continued hunting he reached level 14, had finished up all Wild Boars and Wood Wolfs, there was only about 20 or so Forest Tigers left. The black of his cloak had permanently changed color to a deep and dark red, as new blood splattered on it from time to time. After killing off another Forest Tiger without any problems Makoto noticed a change in his surroundings. All around him in the trees and bushes, strange milky threads went through the branches. Curious, Makoto followed the strange trail and soon enough the threads turned into cobwebs, their number so high that even walking past a tree became impossible if he didn¡¯t cut through one or two webs with his sword first. After fighting off an especially clingy web he entered an open area with cobwebs plastering the whole floor around him and a dark hole that was partially hidden by those webs. Immediately a shiver ran down his spine as he realized what this was. "Spider Dungeon... oh god..." Again a shiver accompanied the thought and he had to swallow hard. It was not like he hated spiders in particular but who really enjoyed the idea of fighting a possible swarm of them? Shaking his head he dismissed those thoughts and instead another idea came to mind. What if it has good loot in it? Licking his lips with a sudden greed, Makoto didn¡¯t hesitate to slide down inside the hole.
You discovered the hidden Dungeon: North Forest Queen Domain! As the first player to enter this Dungeon you are rewarded for your bravery and courage. +5 Fame +500 Experience.
The inside of the Dungeon was covered in Cobwebs, wall, ceiling or the floor it didn¡¯t matter, everything had thin silky threads over it coloring the surroundings in a milky white. After a few steps Makoto found himself at the top of a spiral going downwards, in the middle of this enormous spiral was just a gaping hole and the ground beneath it could not be seen. Alongside the wall Makoto could see small holes and the occasional spider egg crossing his path. Unwilling to soil his boots with possible guts he made sure not to step on them and proceeded down the spiral, shortly afterwards he encountered the first enemy in this Dungeon.
Green Carapace Spider: lvl 16
The spider had the size of a big cat and eight eyes were staring at Makoto with a pair of big fangs. Simply put it looked disgusting. Like one of those giant plastic spiders you can buy in any Halloween store just this time it was alive. His sword at the ready he watched for any sudden movements. Both Makoto and the spider had a short staring contest until he made his move. With a quick and experienced movement he did a vertical slash, missing the spider as it jumped back surprisingly quick. This time he was at the receiving end of the attack as the spider jumped, only to sink its teeth in his arm.
You have received 102 Damage! You have received a status effect! Poison: -35 hp every second for 10 seconds.
"Jesus, you gotta be kidding me!" Makoto shook the spider and was able to chop one of its legs off as it let go of him. With a terrified expression he watched his health drop to half only for his ''Blood Rejuvenation'' to kick in and heal him again. With only one bite from the spider he had received a status effect that was truly terrifying. A lot more cautious this time he focused on slowly chipping the spider to bits. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! In the process he was bitten 3 more times, luckily his regeneration was high enough after dipping below 50% health, that he was able to negate the continuous Damage he took while being poisoned. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Makoto looked at the dead spider before it disappeared in a cloud of particles. "If I didn¡¯t have my regen I would have been toast just from this one spider... this really seems like a tough dungeon." After checking for loot he was able to salvage a small sack and 8 Copper coins. "The amount of money this thing drops is pretty insane, now let''s see what this is." With a quick look he examined the sack.
Venom Sack: (ingredient)
A useful ingredient used mainly in alchemy or cooking. Can be used on a weapon, consuming the sack in the process.
Uses:When applied to a weapon, attacks have a 20% chance to poison your opponent.
"That is actually pretty good, if I use this together with ''Curse Blade''..." A devil''s smile appeared on Makoto''s face and while gently putting the venom sack back in his inventory he turned around to proceed down the spiral. After only a few steps a new spiders appeared, crawling out of one of the many holes in the wall. Makoto had another short battle, slowly he got used to the new pattern, this time he was only bit twice while also being able to land one Critical hit on it. In the same manner 5 more spiders appeared one after another, every single one of them dropped at least one poison sack so his smile got brighter every time while looting. Soon enough 2 and 3 spiders appeared at the same time, it was a clear indicator that he had gone far enough to reach a new level of difficulty, just like in the Crystal Cave before. One problem Makoto noticed with the current situation was that if he was poisoned and then bitten again during the duration, not only would he receive normal damage like always but the effect would reset and be even more damaging. Apparently it could very well stack up like that until his regen had no chance of keeping up anymore, as he got fairly close to dying because of it. As far as normal regeneration goes Makoto was able to find out that it worked like this. 100 Vitality = 1.0 hp regen per second. Mana regeneration seemed to work differently as Vitality boosted ALL regeneration abilities and wisdom also increased it, so it probably worked like this. 100 Vitality + 100 Wisdom = 2.0 mana regen per second. That was what Makoto''s guess was at least. With a desperate swing he killed the last spider and decided to sit down and rest for a while. His health was currently only at 20% and keeping the poison effect at bay. After the status effect wore off, it quickly replenished to 80% until the regeneration slowed down. "Alright note to self, if you are poisoned don¡¯t get hit all the time or the poison alone will kill you, I have no way of countering something like losing 100 health per second at the moment so I got to be more careful..." Sighing deeply he looked at his sword. He had been using it since he left the beginner Village of Salem but right now it was too weak, all the damage he was currently really dealing came from his high Strength stat and the ''Penetration'' skill. A sword like this he outgrew nearly 8 levels ago... That was one of the problems he had, he could tank a few hits normally or just evade them but his damage was not necessarily high right now, stat wise he was ok just his Weapon was lacking. At the moment he was unable to solve this problem so he had to just push forward and hope for the best. Luckily, because of the constant poison status his ''Blood'' Rejuvenation leveled up soon enough.
Blood Rejuvenation:
While bathing in the blood of others you are able to find new Strength even during extended battles or skirmish.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level4 (5%)
Skill Effect:0.25% max health restored every second for every 2% missing health.
Even though it didn''t look like much, in reality it was a big boost to his overall survivability. With new confidence he went deeper into the Dungeon, avoiding any and all eggs that covered the floor and fighting spiders whenever they appeared. Soon enough he was able to see something like a ground down below in this strangely well lit Dungeon. It still looked miles away but just knowing that the end was near made it possible for Makoto to quickly finish up new spiders. Just like that Makoto kept going until he saw a different type, bigger and even meaner looking.
Queen''s Youngling: lvl 17
"The boss'' kid? That''s a bit messed up..." Unsure, Makoto decided to observe the wolf sized spider, it did the same with him, just standing there and the only thing that moved was it''s eyes. Cautious Makoto decided to attack once and see what would happen. He readied his sword and stepped forward but before he was able to even attack the Youngling opened it''s mouth and a clear liquid splashed against his arm.
You have received a status effect! Acid burn: -70 hp every second for 30 seconds.
"No fucking way!" Enraged Makoto dodged another shot, scrambling for cover. With wide eyes he watched his health bar decline at a rapid pace, finally stopping at the 30% mark but also not increasing. "If I didn¡¯t have ''Blood Rejuvenation'', just one shot from that thing would kill me. Jesus, just what is up with this Dungeon!" Naturally Makoto''s words were true, normally a player going inside a Dungeon was suicide and only balanced parties, each with a Tank, Melee damage dealer, Ranged damage dealer and at least one Healer would try it but Makoto had forgotten about all of that after playing alone for such a long time. Generally speaking a Healer would have a simple skill that would get rid of any debuff or status effects and even make it impossible to receive them for a certain period of time, making this Dungeon very easy. That Makoto was even able to get this far alone was admirable and thanks to his unique playstyle and class. Back to the now. "Let''s see how you like a nasty status effect yourself, little shit!" Furious Makoto charged at the spider and used ''Curse Blade'' a few times after which he immediately fell back again. The ''Bleed'' status effect was applied on the Queen''s Youngling and a dark liquid poured out of multiple cuts on it''s body. Makoto also noticed something strange while dodging another Acid Spray. Even after he hit the spider it just kept shooting the same acid at him, if he got hit it would only worsen his current debuff but at the same time the Queen''s Youngling had not moved at all since the fight began. "Could this be it''s weakness? That it is pretty much stationary?" Unsure but aware that the longer he dragged this out, the more likely it was that he would die, Makoto charged forward and jumped over the spider, attacking its rear. This time the spider did move and tried turning around but it was at a speed were Makoto nearly laughed out loud. While constantly slashing the backside of the spider he had no trouble keeping up with its movements, the Queen''s Youngling was incredibly slow and was unable to face Makoto again before dying, accompanied by a miserable cry. "So in the end you only hit hard but are a slow poke, good to know. Now where can I find your brothers and sister?" He asked with an evil grin. Makoto was very much determined in letting his anger out on them but before he was able to proceed, he noticed the time. "Guess that has to wait until tomorrow, damn." A little annoyed, Makoto logged out, the memory of giant spiders and eggs all over the floor even haunted him in his dreams... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Chapter of today! Hope you all enjoy and as always, if you have any questions just ask me in the comments. :D Wish you all a good day and see you tomorrow!:goodjob: PS: I am using an older Laptop right now to post Chapters, pls tell me if it looks weird or i messed up with the spacing as i did notice a change here but I can''t see how it looks on newer PCs D: Chapter 15: A Queens Lair ----- Chapter 15: A Queen''s Lair Wednesdays. A mystery in itself. The middle of the week one could say. Too far in to complain about going to work or school again and too far away to get excited about the weekend. Truly a strange day. Makoto was currently staring at Veronica who had decided to sit next to him again during lunch, only this time her left hand was resting on his thigh. Uncomfortably close and at the same time filling him with a strange excitement. After enjoying the feeling for a few seconds he decided that it was time to address the current situation. "Veronica, I think you are a bit too close, your hand is not even resting on your own leg anymore." Trying to lighten up what he said with an awkward laugh he looked at her and she stared back at him with her big green eyes. "Do you mind?" Stunned about the question he hesitated. "W-well not really but I don¡¯t think it''s appropriate..." "Why not?" She asked, a sly smile on her face. In the end she took her hand off his leg, but the smile was still visible on her face and Makoto''s cheeks started to turn red. He was still unsure if he should slap himself for letting an opportunity like that go away or be happy that this awkward situation was dealt with. Another reason for his uneasiness was the many death glares that he got, he had apparently not been the only one who noticed the hand on his thigh... While trying to ignore the continuous death glares from the other students, Makoto finished his meal, after eating the same thing over and over again every day he was not even able to taste it anymore. But it was cheap so he bought it all the time. They started talking about a few things, one of which was the tournament that Veronica wanted to go to in Azalon. Makoto was able to dodge the question if he played the game too by asking Veronica how her studies went. For some reason he just didn''t want to tell her that he even played Azalon. "Anyways, back to what I was about to say. If you are having doubts about you passing the test I could just come over during the weekend and help you study....if that''s ok with you that is..." Makoto said, squeezing the paper his sandwich had been wrapped in into a small ball. "That would be great actually, thank you. I will be sure to repay your kindness." Veronica said with a wink and again her hand rested on his thigh. She started giggling after seeing his shocked but slightly happy face and stood up. "See you later then, Makoto." Waving him goodbye she turned around and left the Cafeteria. Immediately Matt walked towards the still sunned Makoto. "I would keep my hands off her if you know what''s good for you, just saying." Strangely enough there was no crooked smile on his face as Matt said that, he only looked at the door through which Veronica had disappeared. "Remember my words." After shoving Makoto nearly off his chair he left the table. Fucking dick. ..... Back inside Azalon, Makoto needed a moment to realize where he was. The cobwebs beneath him gave off a sticky sound after he lifted his foot and right away he stepped into one of the countless eggs on the ground. Utterly disgusted he wiped his foot on the ground and on a nearby wall and surveyed the area. Further ahead he could see 2 Queen''s Younglings, completely stationary and blocking his path down. A good bit behind him he saw that some of the mobile spiders had also respawned. Not wanting to get trapped with another Queen''s Youngling after the one he killed before would spawn again, he immediately headed down, confronting the two turrets. After getting close enough, Makoto was put under heavy fire and had to use his utmost power and flexibility to escape the barrage of acid.
+1 Evasiveness!
Happy about the random stat gain, Makoto used ''Curse Blade'' and lodged his sword into the head of the first giant spider, dislodging it again as he jumped over it and pulled as hard as he could.
Critical hit! 285 Damage dealt!
Now that he was finally behind both of them he started hacking away at the legs and soon enough he got 2 messages that he had been waiting for.
You have put a status effect on your opponent! Cripple: -15% movement and attack speed until the battle is finished.
You have put a status effect on your opponent! Cripple: -15% movement and attack speed until the battle is finished.
After immobilizing both of them even more, he quickly kept pressing his attack and before the second one could face towards him he disposed of the first spider. "Now to you." Makoto said with a smile and evaded an Acid shot. "Oh, you have been a very naughty boy, or girl... to be honest I can''t really tell." He admitted and proceeded in poking out every one of the ugly creature''s eyes. Blind and crippled the spider tried running away, but it was so slow that Makoto was able to keep up with it by simply walking. One after another, its legs got chopped off. Making it impossible to go forward anymore and with a terrified scream from the spider, Makoto opened up its underside. Guts and blood spilled on the floor and without being able to do anything, it died. Smiling as if he had just taken a pleasant bath, Makoto wiped his sword clean and sheathed it. "Ahhh, I feel a lot better now." Not forgetting to pick up the Venom Sacks that dropped from every spider, he continued down the Spiral. Whenever possible he made sure to vent his ang- I mean, dispose of the things as quickly as possible. Soon, seeing 4 or 5 Queen''s Younglings and another 5 Green Carapace Spiders all in one group was nothing unusual to Makoto. His ''Penetration'' skill even leveled up after killing 2 of those groups.
Penetration:
Even the strongest of defenses can be broken through with effort and tenacity.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level6 (13%)
Skill Effect:+ 20% Armor Penetration
At its current level he was basically able to shred through 20% of the enemies armor as if it did not exist in the first place. Truly a powerful skill but its growth had slowed down immensely. With a flick of his sword he disposed of the last spider and something new dropped for the first time in this Dungeon.
Spider Egg (special):
The egg of a giant spider, could something hatch from this?
Uses:Unknown
"Is this something like a monster egg from which you can get your own pet? Makoto asked with a furrowed brow, unsure about the actual use of the item. Shrugging his shoulders, Makoto decided to just put it in his Inventory and continue on. The spiral seemed endless and he easily lost track of the time he spent fighting more and more spiders. At some point he rose to level 15 and distributed his stats like always, 3 in Strength, 5 in Agility and 2 in Vitality. His red cloak had more and more spots of spider blood on it, streaks of black running through the blood red cloth. After a seemingly endless time of fighting and killing he reached the end, the bottom of the spiral. Breathing heavily, Makoto leaned on his sword. His hp was fine but his mental health had taken a hit in the countless hours of fighting. Wiping away spider guts from his sword, Makoto examined the bottom of this Abyss. Eggs, thousands and thousands of eggs covered the floor. In the middle of the floor was a black and hairy mound, the body twitched from time to time so it was definitely alive. Looking at the giant hill of a body, Makoto couldn¡¯t keep a smile from his face.
Queen Spider: Boss Monster lvl 18
"Well and you must be big Mama Spider. Pretty impressive I have to say." The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. His words seemed to have alerted the beast as it quickly rose to its 8 legs and towered above him, a good 20 feet off the ground. 8 blood red eyes stared at Makoto and fangs, as big as his own body were visible on the monster. "You may call me Motherfucker, as I shall fuck your day up, Queen Spider!" Grinning from ear to ear, a mad flame in his eyes, he stormed forward, his sword thirsty for new blood. With all his Strength and using ''Curse Blade'' Makoto chopped against the nearest leg that had the same thickness as an average tree. His sword only managed to go halfway through before stopping and with a mighty roar he pulled it free.
298 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Bleed: -20 hp every 2 seconds for 12 seconds. 158 Damage dealt!
Spinning around and evading another leg that had been aimed to crush him, Makoto hacked against the same spot again, this time from the other side, effectively lopping off one of the eight legs the Spider Queen possessed.
You have put a status effect on your opponent! Cripple: -5% movement and attack speed until the battle is finished.
"This is the only tactic I have for big freaks like you, just cutting your goddamn legs off!" With a roar of its own the Queen Mother voiced her displeasure about losing one of her legs and a pool of Acid flew his way. Quickly losing all color, Makoto tried to evade to the side but he wasn''t fast enough. A big splash of sizzling acid reached his chest and arms, bubbles started appearing on his skin together with smoke. Clenching his teeth as to not voice a scream, Makoto retreated a few steps.
You have received a status effect! Acid burn: -120 hp every second for 30 seconds.
"Holy shit!" Sprinting to the side and evading another leg, Makoto watched his health fall lower than it ever had before. Unable to do anything about it, he fell below 10% and it only stopped after reaching 5%. His ''Blood Rejuvenation'' was going full force, constantly replenishing the health he was losing. Only leveling it up that one time more had saved him from dying instantly there. "You do not joke around Queen Spider, I will give you that..." Waiting for the status effect to wear off he was only able to dodge and bide for time. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity his health shot up again, reaching a somewhat safe 70%. "Time for some payback!" Again he went beneath it''s body and started hacking at the hairy legs. This time whenever he saw her move her head in his direction he jumped away without even thinking. Makoto did not want to risk getting hit by the Acid again, if he got more on himself he might even die from it for real this time. Inwardly thanking the Divines or whomever gave him this class, Makoto was able to cut another leg off, increasing the ''Cripple'' effect to 10%. A shadow appeared around him and with a sudden instinct he jumped forward, narrowly escaping the body that had come crashing down. "Good thing I remembered that damn Gemstone Lizard otherwise I would have been flattened there." Makoto said while getting up again. The Queen Spider seemed to be momentarily stunned after executing that move so he capitalized on it and focused yet another leg. With a disgusting squelch he cut through the final tendon and the third massive leg was lying on the floor. This time the Queen Spider did not mess around anymore. With all her Strength and Speed she rushed forwards and Acid followed behind her like a trail. Unable to fully escape the charge, Makoto was knocked aside.
You have received 398 Damage!
Hitting the Acid filled floor hard, Makoto rolled for a good bit until the pain from getting his skin burned off made him stand up again quickly. Yet again he received the status effect but it was not as bad as before. Glaring at the now 5 legged Queen Spider, Makoto spat out a mouth full of blood and picked up his sword again. "Is that how you treat all the guests who come down here? I would say that is quite rude after I went through so much effort and trouble to let your children scream their little lungs out before ending their miserable lives." With a trail of blood running down the corner of his mouth, Makoto gave the monster a disgusting smile. The Queen Spider seemed to have gotten the gist of his words as she charged at him again, a high pitched roar accompanying the attack. Without hurry he waited until the last second and her body lowered as to not let him escape again. With a sudden dash, Makoto was right beneath the Queen Spider. Unexpectedly he had charged straight for her instead of away or to the side like before. Gripping his blade with both hands, Makoto rammed his sword upwards and pierced her stomach. The Queen Spider had charged with all her Strength and now, unable to stop herself, her own momentum cut her open from top to bottom. Window after window appeared before Makoto, telling him he landed a Critical hit more than 15 times in a row. Finally the giant body of the Spider flew over him and his sword came free. Makoto turned around and saw her body twitch intensely as if she was having a seizure. Together with an abundant amount of Organs and intestines, the sack that contained the Acid had ripped open, dipping all her inside with the deadly substance. He could see her gigantic health bar decline at a rapid rate until finally, it was empty. With a thunderous sound the Queen Spider''s body fell to the floor.
You have killed the Queen Spider in an unusual way!
An incredible amount of experience showered Makoto and he leveled up again. Distributing the stats, his eyes got caught on the body of the spider that started to disappear. Thankfully most of the Acid disappeared with it and after the last of her legs disappeared, a ''clink'' of something heavy hitting the floor could be heard. Excited, Makoto approached the object and incredible joy was visible on his face.
Queliggan''s Splinter:
Found inside one of the teeth of the Queen Spider ruling the northern Forests, this sword is more bone than metal but just as hard as any other.
Damage:54 - 67Durability:60/60
Special Effect:25% chance to put the status effect ''slowed'' on your opponent.Additional Effect:15% chance to put the status effect ''poisoned'' on your opponent.
Requirements:Level 15
Kneeling down with utter joy, Makoto couldn¡¯t believe what he was holding in his hands there. This sword was a godsend, something he had needed and longed for. Equipping his new sword, Makoto felt a difference right away. A satisfied smile appeared on his face and he looked up towards the faraway exit. He still had to kill a few Forest Tigers before being able to finish the Tasks. Unable to control his excitement he drew his sword and ran up the same spiral he had struggled down. A rush of constant happiness flowed through him, together with the desire to kill and slaughter. Both intensified to a point until his face was that of a happy father seeing his newborn child while his eyes gave off a blood red light. The Monster named Makoto was born... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Chapter of today! Attention! Shit is gonna go down next Chapter so stay tuned! We are also approaching the end of Volume 1! Hope you all enjoyed and post any questions you have in the comment section please. See you all tomorrow! :drinkT: Chapter 16: Mayor Crisis ----- Chapter 16: Mayor Crisis It didn''t take long to finish off the last few Forest Tigers until a system message appeared.
Task complete!
Wiping away the sweat that had started to accumulate on his brow, Makoto sheathed his new sword and went on his way back to Shivercliff. He was not too far away from the actual village as most Forest Tigers had respawned after being inside the Spider Dungeon for more than a day. Boran could not believe his eyes after Makoto returned, claiming the rewards for more than half of the tasks on the board. "I see you have been busy my friend. I honestly am surprised you were able to kill so many of those damn beasts in a row. Maybe you actually can help find the people who have started to disappear around here. Would you be able to look into it on my behalf?"
Many amiss! (Quest)
Many Villagers of Shivercliff have started to disappear and the last person that went missing was the Mayor himself! Investigate his disappearance and you might be able to find the others too! Search the Mayor''s house for clues.
Rewards:Unknown
Penalties:None
Requirements:High Intimacy with one of the Villagers of Shivercliff, Level 15.
"That is what I had planned to do from the beginning anyways" Makoto said with a smile and accepted the Quest. Boran nodded and Makoto was able to eat a delicious stew at the Inn before he went outside to take care of a few things. First of all he went to the Blacksmith and repaired his equipment. His cloak was practically in tatters at this point and the acid had nearly broken his gloves to pieces. Afterwards he went to the only Merchant in town and was able to sell most of the junk he had gathered for a staggering 6 Silver and 25 Copper. Happy about his current Situation he asked around until he finally reached the Mayor''s house. It was by far the biggest building in Shivercliff. Being two stories high and even having something of a little front garden it sure was something to be jealous of. The door was not locked so Makoto was able to simply enter as he pleased. Inside, he immediately noticed that a lot of furniture was knocked over and books as well as paper littered the floor, it very much looked like a fight had taken place here. Careful, as to not step on any personal belongings of the Mayor, Makoto maneuvered through the entrance and found himself in the living room where the same chaos resided. Unsure what he was even looking for, Makoto decided to first of all observe if anything seemed to be amiss here. He did notice something strange. The whole floor was littered with different things but there was not one spot that was actually empty. Sure enough it would be understandable during a fight that certain things get scattered around the floor but there would also be spots that were untouched, free of any mistreatment. These did not exist here, it was a perfect chaotic environment. In a way it looked somewhat artificial, fake you could say. After investigating the entire house and the two floors above he found the same perfect mess in every room which was more than a little suspicious. It didn''t look like whoever kidnapped the Mayor was actually after money because Makoto was able to find quite a few Silver coins left untouched on a table. "So we can cross out robbery, but why kidnap the Mayor in the first place then? Even go as far as make it look like there was either a big fight or search... what is the point?" Makoto was quite confused as there was a few things here that just didn''t make sense. The only possibility that seemed logical was that all of this was a diversion. He searched through the entire house again but could not find any clue who or why they would want to kidnap the Mayor. Makoto was about to leave the house, still confused, when he noticed the staircase leading down into the cellar. That was the only place he had yet to look into but what exactly would he even find down there? Unsure but having no other choice, Makoto headed down the wooden stairs and found himself in a dark and cold cellar. Dust had settled all over the floor and immediately he noticed two things. This was the first room where there was no clutter or personal belongings littering the ground and he could see footprints in the durst that had to be recent. "Now we are finally getting somewhere. Let''s see what the kidnappers wanted down here in this cellar." Happy to actually have a possible clue, Makoto examined his surroundings. There really wasn''t much to find down here, just the usual basement that is normally used as a storage area. There was some wooden boxes and one or two kegs lying around but other than that it was empty. Makoto decided to follow the trail of footsteps in the dust and soon enough arrived at a wall at which the prints just stopped. Right away an idea entered his mind but it couldn''t be... "A secret door? But why would the Mayor have something like that in his cellar?" Still unsure if he was right, Makoto examined the wall before him and sure enough found a loose brick that he pressed. With a rattling of chains the wall in front of him suddenly sank into the ground, revealing an unlit and dark tunnel. "Well looky here, the little Mayor had a secret entrance and exit... talk about plot twist." Having no torch at his disposal, Makoto put one hand on the wall next to him and entered the tunnel. The darkness around him reminded him about the time he spent in the Goblin cave and right away he got a shiver down his spine. One hand on the wall and one grasped tightly around the handle of his sword, Makoto delved deeper and deeper into the unknown. It felt like an eternity but finally he could see a literal light at the end of the tunnel. It was already night outside when Makoto stepped out of a secret exit in the forest. He was now quite far away from the Village of Shivercliff, a quick look at his map confirmed that. Still confused at what was really going on here he followed the dirt trail leading deeper into the woods and soon enough he could hear voices. While hiding between a few trees, Makoto was able to approach undetected and what he saw stunned him. Bodies. Dozens of bodies littered the floor, women, children and men lay dead on the ground, some already in different states of decay but all were dead. All around the bodies were stone pillars and at the center, where the most dead lay, there was a familiar blood red stone altar. Red cloaked people all around, kneeled in a semi circle in front of this altar and beside it stood a man, his face not hidden by the hood of his cloak and his arms spread wide like the smile that was on his face. A sudden system window appeared before Makoto.
The Quest ''Many Amiss!'' has changed properties!
The Blood Offering! (Quest)
A cruel and inhuman Ritual is taking place, with the villagers of Shivercliff already having paid the prize for it all. These good and honest villagers have all been deceived by the one they trusted most, the Mayor of Shivercliff himself! As the one leading this wretched Ritual the villagers souls can not find peace until you stop it and bring the Mayor to justice.
Rewards:Unknown
Penalties:Your Alignment will change from ''Neutral'' to ''Evil'' if you decline this Quest and let the Blood Moon Cultists finish their Ritual.
Requirements:Chain Quest.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. This was actually the first time Makoto had seen a Chain Quest. Logically speaking they should yield incredible rewards but getting them was a different struggle. Something else that deeply confused Makoto was seeing the Blood Moon Cultists again. He still remembered how the mysterious tome had spoken of creating a Quest for him and it involved stopping a similar Ritual. He had until now thought that the Ritual itself only existed because of the Quest that was created but it seemed he had been misled by his own judgement. These Rituals took place no matter if a player was involved or not, stopping them was hard work as the locations were all well hidden. It was an incredible coincidence that Makoto was able to find yet another Ritual site but sadly this time he was too late to save lives. The sight of children, they could not be older than 5 or 6, having their necks twisted in a disturbing angle as well as long blood crusted cuts on their arms infuriated Makoto. A literal mountain of corpses, arms bent at the wrong angles, faces filled with the horror of death. Looking into the milky white and dead eyes of these little innocent kids just wanting to live for a better tomorrow hurt, but even more than the emotional pain, he felt an inhuman rage. And all of this rage and anger was directed at the Cultists kneeling beside all of these bodies, praying to some unholy god Makoto gave not one single shit about. Without being able to hold himself back anymore, he stepped out of the shadows and with an infernal roar chopped off the arm of the nearest Cultist.
Blood Moon Cultist: lvl 16
Critical hit! 569 Damage dealt!
Before the hooded person could even scream, a blade appeared from the opened mouth and Makoto dislodged his sword while walking past the collapsing Cultist. His anger increased every single time he saw one of the villagers faces. A red mist started to appear from his eyes and seemed to trail after Makoto. The rest of the Cultists had been made aware of his existence and were momentarily stunned seeing this cloaked player giving of so much killing intent that it practically manifested. Makoto spoke and his voice was so dark and foreign to his own ears that he had some trouble recognizing it himself. "Are you proud of what you have done? Are you proud you sacrificed innocent lives for a mad belief you pieces of trash?! These villagers might have been scared when they died but after I''m finished here you will beg me on your fucking knees to kill you, that I swear!" His face was a mask of unending rage and with slow but precise steps he approached another Cultist. He could practically smell the fear surrounding the people around him but even stronger than that was their fanatic belief in their god. Not caring for his own life, a Cultist jumped towards Makoto with a dagger in both hands. With a quick movement, Makoto hit the arms holding the dagger with his sword.
Critical hit! 607 Damage dealt!
Two hands, still tightly holding a dagger flew through the air followed by a scream of pure agony. Normally overjoyed about hearing his enemies scream, Makoto''s anger only grew more and he approached yet another Cultist and also chopped both his hands off. Soon enough all the Cultists at the Ritual site crawled around with stumps instead of hands and every attempt to hurt Makoto did only minor damage and was quickly healed by his ''Blood Rejuvenation''. One after the other every Cultist except the Mayor, who was still standing beside the altar, was kneeling on the ground and howling in pain. A cacophony of anguish was audible beneath the moon and finally during this choir from hell, Makoto turned towards the pale Mayor. "Tell me, how did it feel betraying and killing your Neighbors that trusted you with their lives, dear Mayor." Makoto asked, his voice dark and cold like the night itself. The man in question gave off a nervous laughter and was struggling to find words under the unyielding glare Makoto gave him. "Y-you must understand, I had no choice in the matter. My hand was forced by the divine-" With a slap from Makoto the Mayor fell to his knees and held his cheek, stunned and unable to say anything else. "Bullshit. No one forced your hand, you chose to kill the people you swore to protect and that is it. I should stab your eyes out and let you burn alive but that is not my choice." With a quick punch against his temple, Makoto knocked the Mayor out cold and turned to the disabled Cultists that had even dared to crawl away while he was still biding his time with their leader. He took his time killing them. Some of them got their chest opened, still functioning intestines and organs dragged behind them as he made it a sport to slowly kill them. A few others had all their limbs cut off and tried to wriggle away as Makoto stabbed them again and again until they stopped moving. The last 5 or so had their tongues cut, eyes poked out, eardrums destroyed and tendons cut at every limb so they could only flop about, unable to see, speak or hear anything, only a flopping sound accompanied by a moan was audible from them. They all had a taste of his ''Curse Blade'' skill and Makoto watched them slowly bleed to death with a truly delighted face. After disposing of the last Cultist, Makoto quickly looked for loot and then shouldered the body of the unconscious Mayor. He left the disturbing Ritual site behind, not wanting to spend another minute at that cursed place. A sudden system window surprised him.
Because of your cruel and inhuman actions in dealing with evil doers, your title ''Dark Crusader'' has changed properties.
Righteous Demon:
Normally claimed to be the evil that pesters our world you are on the path of good, your actions may be questionable and cruel but you make sure to punish evil wherever it walks and avenge the lives of those who have been killed unjustly.
Effects:+15% Damage against Chaotic or Individuals with an ''Evil'' Alignment.
Additional Effects:+10 Strength and Vitality.
Grinning about his upgraded title, Makoto pushed a branch aside and decided to walk back above ground. It was still late at night, he was on his way back to Shivercliff and boy would it''s residents wake up to a surprise... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
I actually got really hyped just writing this chapter so stay tuned for more to come! Next Chapter is called ''Revelations'' it will be Chapter 17 and Chapter 19 should be the last Chapter of the first Volume! Hope you all continue to enjoy my story and see you all tomorrow! :D Chapter 17: Revelations ----- Chapter 17: Revelations With the light of a new day Makoto finally arrived at the gates of Shivercliff. Immediately the guard on duty recognized the unconscious Mayor and ran together with a few others towards Makoto. "You did it stranger! You saved the Mayor!" Smiling faces could be seen all around him but Makoto did not feel like smiling. "Bring everyone from the Village and tell them to assemble at the market place, there is something you all need to know." He said with a tired voice and walked through the gates, leaving the stunned guards behind who then did as they were told. Half an hour later every single one of the residents of Shivercliff had been woken up and stood in a big crowd around Makoto who was standing in the middle of the village, the Mayor still on his shoulder. After making sure that the last of the guardsman had arrived, Makoto dropped the man from his shoulder and slapped him a few times to wake him up. The crowd around him was horrified and started to protest but a glare from Makoto shut them up. Slowly but surely the Mayor woke up and a confused expression was visible on his face as he was looking up to the surrounding townsfolk. "Now that you are awake you human trash, we can start this whole thing." Makoto said, his voice growing louder and grabbing the attention of everyone around. "Alright listen up everybody! I will tell you this once and only once as I''m tired of dealing with this entire situation. Your dear Mayor here was the one who kidnapped all the other villagers." He casually said, dropping a bomb on all the surrounding people. A few "I-impossible!", "You liar!" And "I don''t believe it!" Could be heard all around him but he paid them no mind and continued. "Now I know this seems hard to believe but he was one of the leaders of a strange cult that plagues this land, they sacrifice innocent lives to appease their deity, whoever the fuck that is." "Who can tell us if you are actually telling the truth, outsider!?" One of the guards said and many others beside him nodded at that. "I can''t but he can." Makoto said and kicked the Mayor who was still lying on the ground. All the eyes around them looked at the man and he immediately used this chance he was given. "H-he is lying! You must believe me! This man is a mons-" Before he could continue, Makoto shoved his foot into the Mayor''s face, silencing him. The surrounding people showed their displeasure at how Makoto handled the situation and a few guards grasped for their weapons. "Alright, I see my words will not convince you so maybe logic will. One of the guards, go into the Mayor''s house. In his cellar you will find a tunnel that leads deep into the woods and to the Ritual site I just carried this lying sack of shit from. If you find the tunnel, come back here and testify that I''m telling the truth, until then we shall wait, is that ok with all of you?" Makoto asked and many reluctantly nodded. If he didn''t have such high Intimacy with the whole village because of the many tasks he did, Makoto probably would have found himself in jail already at his point. One of the guards disappeared and returned after a few minutes during which Makoto still kept his foot inside the Mayor''s mouth. "The stranger speaks the truth, there is an incredibly long tunnel in the basement of the Mayor''s house. I have no idea where it could lead but that it exists in the first place is... suspicious." The guard admitted and many people around him had a shocked expression. "Alright, now that you all have a bit of doubt, search the Mayor and see if you can find any clues indicating that I am right about him. Considering his whole house was left in a mess, my guess is that he took all the important evidence that could be used against him with him, am I right Mister human trash?" Makoto asked the man beneath his foot with a big smile and a terrified expression was visible on the gagged Mayor''s face. Two guards went on their knees and searched the Mayor''s pockets, clearly uncomfortable doing so but after only a few moments they found multiple pieces of paper, one of which was a list with all the names of the villagers on it and certain names had been crossed off it. "What the hell is this?! Ritual-list? And every single person in the village is on it... unbelievable." The evidence had been revealed and a few skeptic faces could be seen between the stunned expressions in the crowd. "The stranger could have planted those papers inside the Mayor''s pockets!" Someone in the crowd said and Makoto laughed after hearing It. "Very true but then we would have the problem with the tunnel that exists in the Mayor''s house and you can''t tell me that that is also my fault, I have been in this village for only a few days after all." His words convinced a few more and in the end Makoto decided to play his final card. "Naturally I can understand if you still don''t believe me but let me ask the victims, the families that have lost someone dear to them one thing. Whenever someone went missing, did they go anywhere particular, did they say they would meet someone? Please try to remember if you can." Many faces in the crowd showed confusion until shortly after they all started to go pale and a woman broke down, crying her pain and anguish out after realizing the truth. Finally, a middle aged man stepped forward and spoke. "I think mine was the same situation like many others here. My son went to see the Mayor... just like he always did but this time he didn''t come back... tell me stranger, what happened with them all?" He looked at Makoto with a mixed expression, both hopeful and fearful at the same time. Accompanied by a dark feeling, rage started coursing through his veins when Makoto spoke. "When I found the Mayor he was surrounded by his fanatic believers together with a mountain of corpses... I''m sorry." He said after seeing the horrified expression of the middle aged man and unable to look into his face anymore, Makoto looked towards the horizon where the morning sun started to show. "I''m sorry I was too late..." He whispered, more to himself than to the surrounding crowd as even more women and men around him broke down crying, some even going as far as screaming their pain out. After what seemed like an eternity, the Captain of the guard approached Makoto, his face a twisted mask of fury. "Thank you stranger, you might not have brought back our loved ones but you did bring back the criminal who took their lives. For that you have my gratitude." Makoto could clearly see that the Captain of the guard had also lost someone dear to him so without even needing to be asked he just nodded and lifted his foot that had until now pinned down the Mayor. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Right away a pair of guards grabbed the man beneath his armpits and escorted the struggling and protesting trash away. A little lost and dead tired, Makoto watched the crowd around him slowly dissipate until only a few others remained. The papers that had been pulled from the Mayor''s pocket were lying on the ground, discarded by the masses. With a sudden interest, Makoto picked them up. He found the list that one of the guards also had seen and a few other papers, describing how to correctly drain a corpse of its blood and similar things. All in all it was pretty disturbing reading these fanatic scribbles and the disgust inside Makoto towards the Blood Moon Church only grew. Finally reaching the last paper he was completely stunned after reading it and he couldn''t help but go over it again and again to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him.
Ritual of the North!
Our dear blood brother who governs over Shivercliff, we are in dire need to please the Blood God so our Cardinal has decided that it is your turn to show your devotion and love for our great cause. May the blood run strong as we await your return to the headquarters of the Marine City. If everything goes as planned the Chapel will be ready for the final Ritual and the fulfillment of our eternal dream!
Stunned, Makoto stood there and stared at the piece of paper in his hands, right away a system message appeared before him.
End of a Cult! (Quest)
You have found information about the secret headquarters of the Blood Moon Church, an evil cult that has brought death all over Asuria. Find the Chapel and end the lives of everyone in it, officially destroying the tumor that plagues these lands.
Rewards:Unknown
Difficulty:E
Penalties:If Quest is declined or failed, Chaos and destruction will be set free into these lands.
Requirements:Chain Quest
This was actually the first time that Makoto had received a Quest with an added difficulty to it. Some of the Quests he had done before had not been easy at all and only now it showed difficulty? "Just what kind of Quest is this..." He couldn''t help but wonder while looking at the window floating before him. It was not really a hard choice for him as Makoto detested those rituals from the bottom of his heart, without delaying any longer he accepted the Quest. Still holding the piece of paper in his hands a few things that had been unclear before, fell into place. "So that was how the Blood Moon Church issued that bounty. Because their headquarters are in Talis, whoever survived the Ritual that I stopped had to travel the same distance as me. And whoever it was just had to inform someone or be near the gate. After that I enter the town wearing the armor that is handed out and crafted exclusively from the Blood Moon Church, fit the overall description of appearance and on top of that the ring I got also displays my name... that explains a lot..." Again the ring that Makoto only wore when hunting monsters was partially responsible for the misfortune that befell him... He had a serious desire to just toss the thing from his Inventory but stopped himself in the end. It had literally been bad luck that got him into this situation, but now because of these events he had the opportunity to stop an evil and insane cult so what more could he ask for? Crumbling the paper in his hands into a ball, a dark smile appeared on Makoto''s face. ..... He decided to return to Boran, as the Quest ''The Blood Offering'' he had accepted was still not complete even when he handed over the Mayor. After entering the Inn he immediately noticed a change as the normally smiling Boran was slumped on a nearby chair with his face in his hands. Hearing him enter, the man lifted his head and a visible trail of tears that flowed down his cheeks could be seen. Distraught and lost, Boran looked into his eyes. "Is it really true what you said? Are they all dead?" The man''s voice trembled while asking but his stare was like steel, unyielding. With a frown and a slight nod, Makoto confirmed Boran''s deepest fears and again new tears gushed forth. "My daughter was one of his victims... I can''t believe that anyone would do something like this..." Unable to do anything else, Makoto listened to his words while looking at the broken man. A father no more. Just like before a cold and inhuman rage filled his very core and Makoto could feel his fingers twitch with the desire to break the neck of the one responsible. Determined, he stepped forward and put a hand on the man''s trembling shoulder. "I will make them pay Boran, trust me." His voice was as sinister as the silent promise he had just given. Without looking back, Makoto turned and left the Inn. It was time to put and end to things...
Quest complete!
-----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Chapter of todayyyyyyyy. Hope you all enjoy and the final chapter of Volume 1 will be Chapter 19! Next Chapter is called ''The Chapel'', second to last chapter of the Volume! As always if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comment section. Wish you all a great weekend and see you tomorrow :D Chapter 18: The Chapel Longest Chapter yet! ----- Chapter 18: The Chapel The Journey back was a lot longer. This time Makoto did not ride in a Caravan so he had to walk to whole stretch. But at the same time he was able to continue even after nightfall so it was not too bad. He generally decided to avoid most Monsters. The anger had still not left him even after traveling for hours and he had no intention of playing for time, as far as he knew the Quest could have a timer he just wasn''t aware of. On the road back to Talis he was attacked twice, once during the night and the other time during the day. Both times it was Goblin Bandits and Raiders. They only ranged from level 14 to 16 so he quickly disposed of them and scared the rest away. Even the excitement of battle could not quench the fire that had been burning inside of him since he saw Boran. Just thinking back again and seeing the broken man before his inner eye fueled the rage inside of him even more. During his Journey and the few times he had to fight he naturally did pick up the loot that dropped and put it in his already overflowing Inventory. In his rush to Talis, Makoto forgot to sell the Junk inside of his Inventory and to restock on supplies. He would have to do that in Talis before he went to look for the Chapel. Something he did during his travel was to check his status window, as it had been a long time since he last looked at it.
Status Window
Name:MakotoLevel:16
Alignment:NeutralClass:Crimson Warrior
Race:HumanGender:Male
Titles
Slayer of All, Righteous Demon, First of a Kind
Health:1210/1210Mana:560/560
Strength:106Agility:112 (+5)
Vitality:72 (+20)Wisdom:40
Intelligence:40Fame:26
Evasiveness:38
Special Effects:
+5% Damage against all living beings. +15% Damage against Chaotic or Individuals with an ''Evil Alignment.
It had been quite some time indeed since he had gotten his class. Just out of curiosity he checked the leader-board and was pleasantly surprised. "98th place, not bad." The experience he had gotten in the Spider Dungeon and from the Tasks in Shivercliff had been quite good indeed if he was able to jump that far in only 2 days. Giro was still at first place, his level at 21 now. He had gathered quite some fame for himself as far as Makoto could see from the forums. During his Journey back, Makoto read through the forums while walking and was able to find out quite a few things. First of all, nobody had any idea what the fame stat actually did even after all this time. There was quite a bit of speculation but no actual evidence or hard proof of what it really did. Secondly, it was possible to achieve stat gains through specific actions like Makoto had gotten for Fame and Evasiveness. You could get them for every stat but no one really knew how to and the few people who got them in Strength and Agility for example said it was not worth it as it took many hours and you only got a single stat point for all your efforts. Also you could not get it performing the same action again apparently so that complicated things even more. In the end it seemed like a neat feature for free stats but at the same time useless as it was so difficult actually acquiring them. Dismissing the idea of farming stats, Makoto opened another window and looked at the most viewed forums. There was some basic information that he already knew about but most players had been unaware of some of the simple facts. In Azalon, the realism was a big part of the game, that meant if you poked someone''s eye out in a fight you would actually give them the ''Blind'' status effect, same with ''Cripple'' or ''Bleed'' like Makoto had done so many times in the past. You could give all types of status effects but at the same time you could also receive them, making PvP even nastier than it already was. Another thing he found out was that there was an option to duel, you would die but respawn at the same place and not lose any experience. It was simply to test who was the better player. The best place to test that was in the Tournament that was held every month in Elisante, the Capital of Asuria. Makoto had heard quite a lot about this from Veronica already as she was burning with the desire to fight other players there. It also seemed to be a big thing in the forums as he could see countless comments about who was the strongest or would win if they fought. Maybe I should check it out after I finish things in Talis? It was worth a shot going to the Capital as he had no other destination right now and Makoto had already heard so much about the Labyrinth City Elisante that it had piqued his interest. But before he could think about going to a new city and fight other players for fame and glory he had to take care of something rather nasty. Something that made his fingers twitch and was very nasty indeed... The destruction of the Blood Moon Church was something he was eager to carry out... Licking his lips in an attempt to quench this bloodthirsty feeling he had, the people Makoto passed while heading towards Talis had a cold shiver run down their spine when they saw his blood red eyes. ..... Late in the evening after traveling for more than a day, he finally returned to the Marine city. Instead of feeling relieved after looking at the beautiful City with all it''s wonders and artworks, Makoto only felt an odd sensation of things to come. With heavy steps Makoto walked over the stone bridge connecting Talis to the mainland. His eyes glowed in a demonic red beneath the hood of his cloak and many avoided eye contact with him. They could feel the cruel air around him and tried to avoid his path as best as possible. NPC guards swallowed after he walked past them and a few believers of a certain church started kneeling on the ground, their hands clasped and their eyes closed, praying to whomever they believed in. Many could feel it as he passed them. The devil had come to Talis. Dressed in a blood red cloak with matching blood red eyes he wandered the streets, stalking the still unaware prey, waiting. Completely unaware of the things happening all around him, Makoto kept on walking through the streets, he had indeed changed since he was last here, for better or worse was left to dispute. After finally reaching his destination he put his hand on the shoulder of the Merchant and spoke. "Dio, it is good to see you my friend." The small man turned around and his eyes grew big after seeing Makoto. "Damn, i-is that you boy? It has only been what, a bit more than a week and I barely recognize ya. What happened to your eyes?" Dio asked with a seriously concerned look and Makoto looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean? What is wrong with my eyes?" Without saying anything else the merchant turned around and quickly handed him a mirror. In it, Makoto could see his own face but indeed many things had changed. His skin had grown pale and his face haggard with his cheek bones showing, giving his usually plain face sharp edges. His normally dark eyes glowed in a dim blood red and his stare alone seemed to be able to make a grown man cry. Utterly stunned he stared at this sinister appearance and finally looked towards Dio. "I honestly have no idea how this happened..." He finally said while handing back the handmirror. Still with a worried look, Dio nodded and pocketed the small object. "Well tell me boy, why ya visiting my little stall, please don''t tell me you finally decided on robbing me poor..." "No, I wanted to sell a few things that I got from my Journey to the north if that would be alright with you." "Show me what you got first and then we talk business." Makoto nodded and pulled forth a big bundle of Venom Sacks, many pelts and other junk he had gathered during his hunting spree. He decided to keep 100 Venom Sacks for a later date and sold the abundant rest. Dio was quite surprised seeing so many rather unique item''s and after contemplating for a while made his offer. "How bout I give ya 15 Silver for it all? We get things like this rarely and I think I could get a big profit if I play me cards right so you in or not?" The Merchant asked with an outstretched hand. Makoto had not expected this much to begin with and shook the man''s hand without even needing to think about it. "Alright, now before you give me the money, could you take away the costs for about 10 bandages, food for 2 weeks worth of travel and 5 mana potions?" Makoto asked and Dio nodded while getting to work. 5 Minutes later he was handed 9 Silver and 78 Copper together with everything he had asked for. "Pleasure doing business with you." Makoto said with a faint grin and turned to leave. He could still feel the unending rage burn inside of him, the thought crossed his mind that exactly this rage could be the reason for his outward appearance to have changed this much. "Don''t go and do anything stupid, ya hear me boy?!" Dio shouted from afar and Makoto couldn''t hide the thankful smile on his face. Even if the Merchant always complained how Makoto was robbing him poor they still had something akin to friendship between each other which he very much appreciated. It didn''t matter to Makoto anymore if Dio was an NPC or not, seeing Boran together with many others in Shivercliff taught Makoto that even those NPCs could feel loss, experience joy and cry over the death of someone close to them. They were a part of this world and they could share joy as well as pain with each other. Did it even matter at this point if they were real or not? The only thing that was tragic about this whole thing was that the NPCs that died inside Azalon would never come back. They could not revive like players. Just like in Real Life, for them there was no reset button. And again Makoto experienced a memory, the milky white eyes of a little girl, not older than 4 brutally killed and drained of her blood. The blood red light in his own eyes intensified yet again and the anger welled inside of him, ever consuming, burning at his very core. The knowledge that if he would have just been a bit faster in the Spider Dungeon or finished the Tasks right away... that he could have possible saved them... that was what truly filled him with rage. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Shaking off the visions of carnage and murder that dwelled deep inside of him, Makoto was aware of his immediate surroundings again and started talking to a few NPCs. He was asking around about a Chapel inside Talis, it was his only clue after all and a building like that could not just simply have been built in one night so someone must know something. Soon enough a guard pointed him the way. "Yeah I know the old thing, it''s abandoned now but if I remember correctly if you turn right at the docks you should be able to see it. I don''t recommend entering it as the building is quite old and it has been said that it is at risk of collapsing so tread carefully." Thanking the guardsman, Makoto turned and walked towards the docks. The smell of sea and unwashed people grew stronger the closer he got and after getting to a cross section he turned right. Soon enough he could see white marble reflect the last lights of the day. The white Chapel looked more like a temple with its many columns and ornaments decorating the structure. Something akin to decay was visible, cracks in the smooth stone, plants breaking through the foundation and a few broken slabs here and there. Someone had spanned a white cloth over the entrance so Makoto had to duck and crawl on the ground a bit to actually enter the Chapel. The inside was quite big. Wooden benches filled the gigantic room, many of them broken and full of dust. One of the Columns inside had also broken down and was effectively blocking off the left side of the room. Without making any noise, Makoto explored the room. He knew his mission was to kill everyone inside of the Chapel so there had to be at least a dozen enemies without question. Alerting them all to his presence without knowing how strong they were was a bad move, even if he was burning full of rage and desire to put things right. As far as he could tell the whole entire room was empty and abandoned. Only after circling around the Column could he see the stone slab that had been removed from the ground, revealing a hidden staircase that led downwards. Keeping the secret entrance in mind, Makoto did not go down the stairs right away. If that was the entrance to the main force of the Blood Moon Church he would make sure that he was not overlooking anyone that could still be in the actual Chapel. With careful steps, Makoto sneaked past one pillar after another until he finally arrived at the actual altar at the end of the room. He immediately recognized it as the same altar that had been prayed to in the other two rituals, even here the entire stone slab on top of it had been coated in a layer of dried blood. Disgusted, Makoto turned away and saw a small door that could possibly lead to another room inside the Chapel. Same as before he made sure not to make any noise and pressed his ear against the wood of the door. Faintly but still audible he could hear voices through the wood. They seemed to be too far away to be alerted if the door was suddenly opened so while keeping his sword at the ready, Makoto entered the room. This seemed to be the Infirmary, possibly here to treat anyone who knocked on the Chapel''s door for medical aid. Rows of beds with white sheets over them could be seen, all of them separated by a white cloth, giving each patient at least some privacy. At the end of it all he could see the back of a red hooded figure, sitting at a table, the flickering light of a candle eerily illuminating everything around it. After sneaking a bit closer, Makoto could see 2 shadows through the white cloth, outlined by the light. 3 people in total. Gripping his sword tightly, Makoto straightened himself and envisioned the faces of Boran an the others at Shivercliff again. Adding more fuel to the already brightly burning flame inside of his chest. Without hiding his steps anymore, Makoto approached the Blood Moon believers, finally able to see letters above each head.
Blood Moon Priest: lvl 18
Heads turned his way and without hurry, Makoto kept walking towards them. Scrambling to get up from their chairs the 3 Blood Moon Priests grabbed into their robes and pulled out identical daggers. "Who are you stranger? Leave this place immediately, this is sacred ground!" "Bullshit, nothing sacred about the Blood Moon Church, the only thing that is sacred to you is sacrificing the lives of innocent people, fucking fanatics." Disgusted, Makoto spit on their feet, enraging the surrounding Priests. "How dare you speak of our church like that, name yourself stranger so we may put an end to your miserable existence!" One of the hooded man shouted, waving his dagger angrily. Makoto couldn''t help but smile. "Oh, forgive me for being so rude and not introducing myself to human trash like you. My name is Makoto, Slayer of All, previously called Dark Crusader and now a Righteous Demon, here to exact vengeance for all the lives that the Blood Moon Church has taken. Basically, I''m here to fucking kill you all." After finishing his sentence he lunged forward and with a deep roar and the red light in his eyes growing stronger he rammed his sword into the nearest Priest while activating ''Curse Blade''.
328 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Bleed: -28 hp every 2 seconds for 14 seconds. You have put a status effect on your opponent! Poisoned: -20 hp every second for 15 seconds.
Luckily for him the additional effect of his sword activated and now, experiencing both status effects stacked on top of each other at the same time, the Priest''s health took a quick dive and Makoto had time to focus the other two. With an evil grin he jumped forward, evading a stab. Spinning on his heel and quickly crouching down he executed a low slash and hit all 4 knee caps of the other 2 Priests.
198 Damage dealt! 176 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Cripple: -40% movement and attack speed until the battle is finished.
154 Damage dealt! 201 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Cripple: -40% movement and attack speed until the battle is finished.
With a scream, both Priests fell to the floor and dropped their respective weapons while grasping at their damaged knees. The screams around him excited Makoto and with a gentle motion he cut along one arm of the nearest Priest, fountains of blood gushed forth into the air and Makoto could practically taste it on his lips. Without any mercy he gave one of the Priest countless cuts, letting him bleed like a pig while making the other two watch the blood drenched and screaming Priest flail about. "Demon! You goddamn Demon!" One of the Priests howled and Makoto couldn''t help but break into a mad laughing fit. "You call me a fucking Demon after doing the same thing to so many others? Goddamn Hypocrite, this is a taste of your own medicine and now shut it." Sheathing his sword, Makoto stepped closer and grabbed the upper and lower jaw of the Priest that had called him a Demon. With a roar and using all the Strength he possessed he opened the man''s mouth as far as he could until a loud crunch accompanied by a bloodcurdling scream went through the room. Tossing the lower part of the man''s jaw to the side, Makoto wiped his hands clean on his cloak. "That''s what you get for speaking up to me." He said with a smile and watched the Priest grasp for his face, trying to stop the constant flow of blood that escaped his hands. Turning towards the last Priest that was shaking like a leaf in the wind, his eyes big like cart wheels, Makoto couldn''t stop the sinister smile that appeared on his face. Seeing it, the already physically and mentally battered Priest let out a high pitched squeak and then fell on his back with the white of his eyes visible. He had literally fainted. Surprised about the turn of events, Makoto was interrupted by a sudden system message.
For your incredible actions and continued efforts in putting the fear of god into many beings you have unlocked a Skill!
Aura of the Beast:
Your presence alone shakes the hearts of many, with an air of savagery and cruelty around you even guards do not want to take actions against you, fear is your most powerful tool and the use of it comes naturally to you.
Skill Type:active/passiveSkill Level1 (23%)
Skill Effect:Everyone around you (6 feet at current level) will have their stats reduced by 1% and accuracy dropped by 5%.
Additional Effect:Your eyes have permanently changed color.
Uses:5 mana per second.
It was an incredibly interesting Skill that would be pretty useful at later levels but the drain on mana if he also used ''Curse Blade'' while having this aura activated was unreal. It generally fit his playstyle of giving his opponents constant status effects or de-buffs so he was pretty happy about acquiring it. Turning towards the 3 Blood Moon Priests, an evil smile was visible on Makoto''s face and the red of his eyes shimmered for an instant. While grabbing another Priest at his jaw a scream echoed through the Chapel followed by the sinister laugh of something that could be described as worse than the whole Blood Moon Church itself... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Attention! I realized yesterday that today is the official 2 weeks anniversary for Azalon so I decided to give you guys double chapter today! NEXT CHAPTER UP IN A FEW HOURS! But wait there''s more! Not only did i write two chapters with a word count of over 3500 words each yesterday, I also worte the whole storyline for Volume two. It was a ROUGH script which turned into over 20+ pages! I QUITE LITERALLY WROTE FOR NEARLY 12 HOURS YESTERDAY! (Toilet breaks included) I now only have stumps instead of hands... (No but without kidding I had cramps in my arms when i went to bed) Hope you enjoy and see you in a few hours for the final chapter of Volume 1! :D Chapter 19: Showdown Second Chapter of the day and last Chapter of Volume 1! Enjoy! ----- Chapter 19: Showdown Wiping his bloody hands clean, Makoto left the Infirmary feeling a lot better. As far as he could tell there was no other way to enter or exit the Chapel so without further ado, he traveled down the staircase leading underground. Torches had been placed every few feet to light up the way down. It didn''t take long until the stairs ended and he was walking down a hallway with grotesque pictures adoring the walls. Some in frames and others hammered into the stone walls themselves. The overall hallway was narrow and had a low ceiling even for Makoto who was not tall. Unsure what to expect he made sure to walk slowly and without making any noise. Soon enough he entered a room that gave off the strong impression of dark and sinister catacombs, skulls decorated the walls, stone coffins lay all around him, stacked on top of each other and forming row after row. It was not a place one would enter willingly as the air itself smelled like death. With one hand against his mouth and nose as to not breath in more than necessary, Makoto held his sword in the other and walked past the sheer endless rows of coffins. Soon enough he encountered two Priests, casually patrolling between the coffins and without too much trouble disposed of them. After that he found another hallway leading deeper, he swept the entire room once more to make sure there was no one else hiding before going deeper into the bowels of the earth. The whole entire underground crypt or whatever this was, had a very complicated structure to it with many rooms looking just like the previous ones, making differentiating near impossible and soon enough he would have been utterly lost if Makoto didn''t have his map with him. He explored an incredibly large area as the entire complex was by far bigger than the Chapel above it. From time to time he encountered Priests but the actual number of people here was shockingly small. This also didn''t seem to be a dungeon either so Makoto was confused in more than one way. After maybe killing his 20th or so Priest down here he finally leveled up to 17. The battles themselves were repetitive and Makoto occasionally used his new Skill ''Aura of the Beast'' but the previous vigor for his actions had been lost. He was still angry about what the Blood Moon Church had done but he had stopped torturing the Priests needlessly as the usual joy he got from it was absent. Instead a small doubt had started to bloom inside of him. Was he not just like them? Sure he was killing evil Cultists instead of Innocent children and women but what was the difference in his actions except his targets? Was this not just two different kinds of evil? A strange sense of loss and confusion had entered his mind, doubt creeped into his heart if what he was doing was really the right thing. His attacks did less and less damage, the blood red shine of his eyes dimmed down until only the normal black from before was visible. Soon enough he took more damage than his enemies, unable to dodge or react in time, his own mind swamped with insecurity and images of him, doing the exact same or even more cruel things to other people. His vision taken, blinded by a sea of blood. The only thing that saved him from dying from the continuous stabs of the Priests around him was his Skill ''Blood Rejuvenation''. Unable to even stand, Makoto was kneeling on the ground, his eyes empty while all around him Priests attacked him, bringing him pain again and again. For an eternity Makoto was kneeling on that stone ground, unable to react, unable to think. Slowly but surely his health bar got dangerously close to nothing. Without even recognizing his surroundings anymore, all Makoto was able to see was an endless sea of blood with blades that shot towards him, hurting him, killing him. Before his health hit rock bottom a voice reached his ears, his own voice. "I will make them pay Boran, trust me." Remembering those words, many things came rushing back to him and together with the rage inside of his heart a beaming red light returned to his eyes. With an earth shattering roar Makoto swung his blade around himself, more than 15 windows showed themselves in front of him with one explaining what he had just experienced for all this time.
You have successfully broken free of the status effect ''Illusion''!
His surroundings immediately became clear. He was inside a gigantic room, morbid chandeliers made from Human bones hung from the ceiling. All around him was a crowd of red cloaked Priests, stairs at the back of the room led up to a podium with another altar on it. This one was a lot bigger than all the others and beside it stood a man with an expensive looking red robe, all kinds of gold ornaments adorned the robe showing that he was definitely the leader and in his hands was a scepter, made entirely out of red and bleeding flesh. The letters floating above this man only confirmed Makoto''s suspicions.
Blood Moon Church Cardinal: Elite NPC lvl 20
Makoto could guess that the Illusion he had been put under was the Cardinal''s work. But before he could even look at the man properly, the many Cultists currently around him drew his attention. Desperately jumping right and left, Makoto tried to bide for a bit more time to let his dangerously low health regenerate to a moderate amount while attacking from time to time. He had no recollection of even entering this gigantic room but he also did not remember even receiving the ''Illusion'' status effect so it didn''t really surprise him that he could not remember how he got here. There was an incredible amount of hooded believers congregating all around him, a mass of bodies stabbing, clawing and biting for every inch of his body that they could reach. Unable to break free from the ring around him, Makoto started spinning on his heels while attacking everything around him but naturally these NPCs were not stupid like a horde of monsters and simply waited until he was not attacking like that anymore. Slightly dizzy he noticed that his ''Blood Rejuvenation'' was able to catch up and had brought his health back up to 40% again, he now felt a lot more save in trading blows. Blood splattered all around him as his sword was enchanted with ''Curse Blade'' from time to time. One thing that was left behind from the Illusion he had been put under was the question if he really was so different than these Cultists. Naturally he was aware again why he did what he did but he was not so sure anymore about the need to torture every enemy he met. Makoto realized that he had gone a bit too far with his actions. In the end he decided to occasionally, when he was in a bad mood for example, play with his prey but otherwise only torture the responsible ones, like the Cardinal standing beside the altar for example. Happy about having a clear conscience again, a smile could be seen on Makoto''s lips and with an exhilarating feeling coming from his hand he cut apart flesh, tendons and bones while being bathed in a warm shower of blood. One could argue that his actions led to a questionable state of mind or even morals but this all happened in a game so why would Makoto even care? Slowly but surely he was able to thin out the sheer endless rows of Priests all around him. Multiple times he was extremely close to dying but his Skills and awareness luckily saved him from such a fate. After activating his ''Aura of the Beast'' for about 10 seconds to dispose of the last few remaining Priests, Makoto turned towards the man holding the Scepter of flesh, until now he had not even moved an inch to save his fellow believers. The man had deep blue eyes and brown hair that was partially hidden in the red hood of his cloak. A look of amusement could be seen on the Cardinal''s face as he watched Makoto walk towards him. "I see you have finished off the last of my brothers. Now tell me, why have you come here Makoto? Why do you go against us even though we have never done anything to receive your wrath?" "So issuing a bounty on my head is not something I should be pissed about?" The Cardinal chuckled at Makoto''s words. "And disrupting a sacred Ritual and nearly killing every single one of the people conducting it is something that I should just dismiss? You offended the Blood Moon Church first, my question to you is simply why." "Did it ever occur to you oh great Cardinal of the Blood Moon Church that what you are doing is wrong? That there is nothing sacred about killing innocent people, no matter if they are men or women but even going as far as taking the lives of children is simply put, fucked up. Is that not enough reason?" Anger flared on the Cardinal''s face for the first time during their talk. "But attacking and killing so many of my brothers and sisters just because you think it is wrong without even knowing our cause?! I think that is the true wrong done here!" The man shouted while slamming his Scepter on the stone ground. "Let me tell you foreigner what you are so very close to destroying in your ignorance! I created this Cult because I saw the wars between the countries, the suffering of the people and my own. Then, one glorious day the divine being Ezavaris, also known as the Blood God, spoke to me. He told me that he could give me the power to stop all the fighting, end this suffering mankind and so many other races had to endure. But he himself needed Power in this realm, there was a need for human sacrifices for the greater good! How could I refuse such a promise for a better future?! I know the names of everyone who died, know the noble sacrifice they have given to this great cause! And here you come after we nearly achieved the eternal dream of peace and you try to destroy it all, the Blood God is not happy foreigner! We are doing this world a favor!" The Cardinal spat out the last few words together with a mouthful of his own saliva. A somewhat crazed look was visible in his eyes and one of his cheeks was twitching from time to time. Makoto just stared at the man for a while and then let out a long sigh. "Before I end your life you stupid son of a bitch let me ask you this, Cardinal. Did it ever occur to you that a Blood God who needs human sacrifices could only bring disaster? Or that he could have simply lied to get you to do his evil bidding?" The man seemed stunned for a few seconds, mindless rage quickly showed on his face. "How dare you question our savior the Blood God''s intentions, die you filthy heretic!" Shouting and swinging his Scepter left and right, the crazed Cardinal ran towards Makoto. "Kind of figured arguing with you would be pointless." Makoto said to himself and got ready to fight against his first Elite NPC. Wielding his sword with both hands, Makoto deflected the Scepter of flesh and stepped forward to let his blade have a taste of fresh blood but to his own surprise the Cardinal was quicker. The top of the fleshy Scepter hit Makoto on the side of his head and another swing into his gut made him buckle down.
You have received 256 Damage! You have received 341 Damage!
On top of receiving quite a good bit of Damage from these two fast hits, every time this strange Scepter hit him, it felt like a fog went through his mind, slowing down his thoughts and actions, dousing the fire of rage that burned inside of him and making him question the need to even fight back. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Rolling to the side and shaking his head a few times, Makoto was able to get rid of the creeping ''Illusion'' that tried to bend his will just like before. "Note to self, getting hit by that Scepter is bad news." Something else he noticed was that actually hitting the Cardinal was incredibly difficult, not only was the man quick on his feet but had a unique fighting style which made predicting his next move practically impossible, on top of already having high Intelligence and not relying on a fixed pattern. Makoto jumped to the side and was able to inflict some damage together with a ''Curse Blade''. After fighting the Cardinal for a good minute or so, Makoto got a bit more confident as he slowly got used to his enemy''s movements. This confidence was quickly shattered with his opponents next move. "Vile foreigner! I see that you have a strange technique that allows your health to replenish at an incredible rate, let me take that from you! Holy Light!" Makoto was wrapped in a blinding light and right away a new message appeared before him.
You have received a status effect! Blighted: -75% to all regen until the fight is finished.
With wide eyes Makoto immediately knew that this status effect alone was the Kryptonite to his entire fighting style. He normally would give his opponent a few status effects while evading or simply outhealing attacks that hit him, his class was built for a longer fight and his Skills existed to turn the tide in his favor with an extended battle. But burst Damage or this status effect removed a possibly long fight from the beginning. This was a serious issue for Makoto and worry filled him. That was the big difference between Monsters and NPCs, the former might have higher physical prowess but the later had incredible intelligence, did not rely on patterns and on top of that could use Skills, depending on the NPCs level and status. Makoto did not have to think long to know which one was the more terrifying. Swearing the entire time as if it was a chant that would save his life, Makoto tried even harder to evade any and all attacks but was therefore not able to counterattack. The Cardinal''s health had only taken a little damage, he was still over 80% while Makoto was struggling with barely 50% and a greatly reduced healing effect from being ''Blighted''. In the end Makoto decided to go all out, he had no other choice as there was just no way for him to properly dodge every single attack to begin with. With little care to how much Damage he took, Makoto pulled out all the stops, he used ''Aura of the Beast'', ''Curse Blade'' and trusted his ''Blood Rejuvenation'' to take care of the rest while letting off a barrage of attacks on the Cardinal. In the beginning of his onslaught the man still tried to hit back but the continued attacks to his vital areas while Makoto completely disregarded his own defense made the Cardinal hesitate and he blocked more and more. Without letting up one bit, Makoto kept swinging right and left, up and down. How the flesh Scepter had not been chopped in half yet was a mystery to Makoto but he did not care. He kept on attacking until his entire Mana pool ran dry and even then he still kept at it, purely with willpower he forced his tired arms for yet another slash, stab or cut. Breathing heavily and his arms feeling like lead weights, Makoto''s attack speed finally slowed enough for the Cardinal to push him away with an angry shout. Makoto had no idea how long he had actually attacked for but the man before him was in pretty bad shape. Countless cuts were visible on the Cardinal''s face and his entire robe was in tatters. One look at the health bar above his opponent made Makoto smile.
18% health left
Sadly his arms would not listen to his command, he could not even feel the hand that was holding his sword but he didn''t care. Makoto would kill the Cardinal, no matter the cost. Letting out a scream of agony and rage, Makoto strained every single muscle fiber in his arms and while twitching all over he was able to grab his sword with both hands and held it out in front of himself. If he killed this man before him, he would end all of this madness. Another roar escaped his mouth and with blazing eyes he ran forward and rammed his sword into the Cardinal''s body. Twisting and turning the blade inside the wound, window after window appeared before him but he had no intention of letting up and jumped after the retreating Cardinal that tried to dislodge the blade that was stuck inside his body himself. "You swine! Illusion strike!" The other man shouted in his ear while starting to club him over the head again and again and Makoto continued to stab and twist his blade inside the Cardinal''s body. Just like that, both men stood there, without evading at all and just mindlessly killing each other. Soon enough Makoto felt the strange effect from the Scepter again and had to muster up all of his willpower to continuously push the lethargy away. His health reached the last few percent at the same time as the Cardinal''s. Makoto could feel his hands grow weak but somewhere, deep inside of him, at the mad and bloodthirsty core of his, he found the strength to twist his blade one more time and with a disgusting gurgle, the Cardinal broke down, a surprised expression visible on his face. Breathing heavily, Makoto saw that he was only 20 or so hp away from death but now that the fight was over his ''Blood Rejuvenation'' healed him back to full in record time. With his entire body aching all over, he stepped away with trembling knees. To his own surprise he saw that he had yet again gained a level and distributed his stats. A sudden system window appeared before him after he was finished together with some music that seemed to come out of nowhere.
For destroying a Cult with an ''Evil'' Alignment singlehandedly, your own Alignment has changed from ''Neutral'' to ''Good''.
Quest complete!
For completing the Quest you have received the ''Blood Cult Gauntlets''.
Interested, Makoto opened his Inventory and inspected the new gear.
Blood Cult Gauntlets:
Crafted for the highest order of an already destroyed cult, these gauntlets are rumored to have been bathed in the blood of the Blood God himself, giving it''s wearer incredible power as well as protection.
Defense:20Vitality:10
Special Option:Once per day you can put the buff ''Nightmare Manifestation'' on yourself.
Nightmare Manifestation:
+90% chance to put the ''fear'' effect on your opponents, +30% increased ''fear'' effectiveness. Duration: 2 Minutes.
Durability:50/50
Requirements:Level 20.
This was an insanely good pair of Gauntlets. He sadly couldn''t use them yet but the option of being able to buff yourself from an Equipment seemed incredibly overpowered, even if he could only do it once per day. Well, what did he expect from a Quest that actually showed that it had a difficulty rating. Makoto naturally checked the Cardinal and all the other dead believers for loot before leaving. Luckily, the Cardinal himself had dropped a piece of equipment too but Makoto was sadly unable to use it.
Darkblood Wand:
A Magic wand, crafted and soaked in sacred blood during a secret Ritual. Although the cult that crafted this item does not exist anymore, it''s prowess is clearly visible with this formidable magic weapon.
Damage:46 - 54Durability:35/35
Special Option:Increases casting speed of spells by 5%.
Requirements:Level 15, Magic oriented class.
Putting everything of value in his inventory, Makoto could feel a bit of regret when he looked at the Cardinal. In a way this whole incident had been a kind of closure for Makoto, closure for being too late once and indirectly being responsible for the tragedy that happened in Shivercliff... The Cardinal really had not suffered enough... but sadly he was already dead. Disappointed over losing such a good opportunity to perform a few interesting ideas he h- I mean, to carry out justice, Makoto kicked the Blood Cult leaders body once more and turned to leave the underground area. A mountain of corpses was all that was left behind down here and with a bright smile plastered all over his face, Makoto made his way back up to Talis. ..... "Are you really going boy?" Dio asked and looked at Makoto one last time. He only nodded and smiled at the Merchant. "Don''t worry, I''m only going to the Capital, I won''t be gone forever. It is my duty to make sure that you don''t get too rich when I''m not here after all." Laughing while waving the grumpy Dio goodbye, Makoto walked down the main road leading straight to the stone bridge. It was time for him to see the Labyrinth City of Asuria, Elisante! With a grin on his face and his blood red eyes blazing for further battle and carnage, Makoto left the Marine City. -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
And with that the double Chapter and Volume 1 concludes! Hope you all enjoyed and sorry for it being a bit more than a few hours, fell asleep on the couch. :D Anyways, I''m gonna see if I can press out the first chapter of Volume 2 and hopefully will see you all tomorrow. Soooooooo tired but the show must go on! :goodjob:
BTW My story officially crossed the 50k word mark with this chapter, that is like half of an average fantasy novel you buy in a store done in 2 weeks! HAIL ME!!! :D Chapter 20: Crimson Memories First Chapter of Volume 2, there will be more focus on Character interaction and psychological changes in this one but the action element will still run strong so no worries! Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 20: Crimson Memories Trees. All around Makoto were trees. An endless green, his secret little hideout. Makoto was currently 5 years old. Patrick had been mean to him again, he didn''t like Patrick. Always made fun of his appearance, always called him ''slit eyed weirdo''. Makoto''s brow furrowed thinking back to Patrick and he lost focus in his work. Concentrating on what he was doing again, Makoto couldn''t help but smile. It was so fun doing this, red really was his favorite color. Daddy was probably looking for him, he liked Daddy a lot more than Mummy, he was always nice to him. Still focused on what he was doing, Makoto did not notice his Daddy approaching from the trees behind him. "There you are Makoto, I was worried. Listen you can''t just run off like tha- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" Daddy shouted and he looked towards him, smiling and turning so his father could see what he was doing, Makoto presented his work. His hands had a pretty red color, just like the ground around him and little Mister Birdy was twitching with the funny colored things spilling from its belly. Every time Makoto pulled more of those funny colored things out of Mister Birdy''s body he always flopped around funny. Makoto liked seeing Mister Birdy flop on the ground. Showing his crimson colored hands to his father, Makoto had a big smile on his face. "Look Daddy! Red!" He cheerily said and patted his own face, leaving small red handprints on his face. Makoto noticed that Daddy was not happy and he got worried. Why did Daddy look like Mummy always did? And then pain exploded on his right cheek and tears started flowing. Daddy hit him, Daddy hit him just like Mummy did when he did something wrong. Unable to comprehend and holding his hurting cheek, Makoto started crying with Mister Birdy still twitching beside him but he didn''t find it funny anymore. "NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN DO YOU HEAR ME?! NEVER!" Makoto did not even have time to react or answer as he was pulled by his arm. Pulled away from Mister Birdy and his little secret spot in the woods. Makoto couldn''t help but look back to Mister Birdy one last time while holding his hurting cheek with his free hand. There was so many funny colored soft things pulled out of its belly all around it. It looked so pretty. Pretty red. Pretty. Crimson. ..... Opening his eyes, Makoto stared at the white ceiling above him. He still remembered the dream even if some parts started to blur together. It was one of the oldest Memories he had, from a time where his parents had still been together. Looking back at it he now knew that he had practically gutted a wounded bird while it was still alive. It was not really a nice memory, maybe it was because of this that crimson red was his favorite color? Shaking his head to get the last bit of sleepiness out of it, Makoto sat up and slowly got ready for College. Today was Friday so this would be his last day before he could enjoy the weekend. After putting on clothes, brushing his teeth and making sure his fly was not open, Makoto looked at himself in the mirror. Back at him stared a skinny man, black hair, obvious Asian heritage, average build and height. The only thing that seemed off was that his eyes were not crimson colored anymore but instead he was back to his dark brown Iris. He looked more like a tourist instead of an American citizen but that was the curse of being in the minority heritage wise. Sighing deeply, Makoto picked up his bag and left his appartment. ..... He followed Veronica out of the room and soon enough they left the College building. Makoto had asked her if she wanted to hang out after the course finished and luckily for him she readily agreed. "Do you wanna go to that new Coffee shop that just opened 2 blocks away?" He tried making conversation and at the same time figuring out where they could actually go as he was pretty inexperienced with all of this stuff. "Yeah sure, wouldn''t mind some coffee, my head is killing me after that long lecture I am telling you." Veronica said while showing a bright smile and he couldn''t help but think that together with the sunlight, that single moment was worth a fortune. Nearly running into a lamppost, Makoto started to concentrate a bit more where he was walking instead of being mesmerized by Veronica''s beauty. Even though it was the end of January it had warmed up to the point where winter jackets had become unnecessary. Soon enough they entered the warm inside of the Coffee Shop and decided to sit down at the back while Makoto went to get 2 cappuccinos. "So what did you wanna talk about Makoto?" Veronica asked after sipping her coffee. "Well, I just wanted to talk with you a bit more. Is that not okay with you?" He asked with a little smile. "No its alright, I just thought you wouldn''t bring a girl to a coffee shop on the first date, maybe you should have started with your apartment first and we could have spent some time there." Veronica had a sly smile on her face as she was saying that and Makoto had to use his utmost willpower to not let his imagination get out of hand here. She was watching his inner struggle amused and after he got back his composure, they started talking about a few things, College mostly. Whenever Makoto asked her a personal question she seemed to evade them by asking him something else right away or giving a vague answer, in a way it was a bit disappointing as he practically knew nothing about her. Giving up on getting a straight answer about her background, Makoto asked what he had been meaning to ask all this time, the entire reason he had brought her here in the first place. "Oh right, I just remembered, when do you actually want to meet up so I can help you a bit with studying on the weekend?" He tried saying as casual as possible while secretly tensing up an incredible amount. "How about tomorrow at 6? Just come to my place, I live pretty close to the College, tell you what, give me your number and I will tell you tomorrow how to get there alright?" She said and pulled out her phone. Makoto was stunned for a second before also pulling out his own phone, it was an older model than hers and had a cracked screen but still worked completely fine which is why he never had gotten a new one until now. Trying not to stutter while telling Veronica his number, Makoto soon enough got a test call and now also had her number. The first other number that he actually saved in his phone except his mum''s. It felt good seeing the name Veronica in his ''Contacts'' list. Happy he smiled towards the beautiful girl sitting opposite to him and tried to keep the conversation running. After about half an hour Veronica told him she had to go and he followed her outside. Surprisingly enough she hugged him as a goodbye and his heart nearly stopped when he felt two soft mounds pressing against his chest. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Not able to hide his burning cheeks, Veronica giggled one last time seeing him flushed like that and walked away while waving. Following the now distant girl with his eyes, Makoto looked up to the blue sky above him and smiled still with red cheeks. Today was a good day. ..... With a blinding light Makoto could feel the world around him again. He was in a pretty good mood after meeting up with Veronica and still smiling, continued his Journey. Makoto was currently traveling on a road that led to the west, it was supposedly a good and fast way to reach the Capital. After logging off rather quickly last night he had only made it a few hundred feet away from the stone bridge. All around him many other players and NPC''s headed either to Talis or the same direction as him, it was a well traveled road after all. Naturally just walking all the time was quickly getting boring so he decided to look at the forums in a small window while walking and just surfed the web in general. After about an hour or so of travel a sudden system message made Makoto jump as it kicked him out of the forums like normally only entering combat would do.
Attention!: ''Yggdrasil'' has successfully been registered as the first guild in Azalon, for this incredible achievement every player currently inside the guild will receive + 5 ''Fame''! The feature ''Guild View'' has now been enabled for all players! It is now possible to access the ''Guild View'' option in the menu and look for official guilds that exist in Azalon. It is now possible to access the ''Guild View'' option in the menu and look at the ladder ranking and members of the individual Guilds. Guild vs. Guild battles have been enabled!
Interested, Makoto opened his menu and there really was a new option to select from. Right away he looked at the players who currently had a position in Yggdrasil. The Guild leader was a guy called ''Norumis'' and until now Makoto had never heard of him. Sadly he was only able to see the names of the players that were part of the guild, no pictures or further information but in a way that made sense, if everyone could view how a player looked or what class he had it would be way too easy to exploit for other guilds or possible Player Killers. One thing Makoto was taken aback by was a name he found in the upper echelons of Yggdrasil. Currently there existed a Guild Leader and below that were 5 Guild Captains, one of them was Drake. Seeing this all too familiar name again did not bring back any happy memories for Makoto so he quickly closed the Interface. "Let''s just hope that dickface doesn''t declare me the Guild Enemy Number 1..." He said, more to himself than to anyone else while deep in thought. In a way just knowing that Drake held such a high position in a supposedly prestigious guild and the first one to even exist in Azalon on top of that only made Makoto feel disgust towards the entirety of Yggdrasil. Deciding to forget the whole thing for now, Makoto continued on the road towards Elisante. One quick look on his map showed that he had only traveled a short distance so he decided to pick up the speed a little and started running. Many NPCs and Players gave him a strange look when they saw him running past with his crimson cloak fluttering after him. He was actually going quite fast thanks to his high Agility stat and soon enough the number of players around him started to thin out until he was nearly completely alone on the gravel road. After about an hour of running he was breathing quite heavily and a pain at his sides finally told him that it was time to stop. Taking a big sip out of his Waterskin, he noticed a group of players walking not that far ahead of him. With his current walking speed he soon enough caught up to them and couldn''t help but wonder as their forms got clearer. He could see a burly Warrior wearing heavy Platemail leading the group and an Archer with a longbow was currently talking with the Mage of the party while the Priest walked next to the Mage. The closer he got the more both the Mage and the Priest started to ring a bell and soon enough he was able to see the good bust and nice curves of both females. Grinning from ear to ear, Makoto walked close enough that he was in earshot and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Well I''ll be damned, I knew that ass looked familiar, good to see you again Lilly and Sanja!" Right away a furious Lilliana turned around after hearing his voice, her cheeks flushed and both hands covering her rear. Sanja on the other hand had a big smile on her face after recognizing him and stopped together with the group. "Nice to see you again Makoto, it has been a while indeed." Sanja said while Lilliana was currently trying to kill Makoto with her stare alone. Unlike the carefree Sanja, Lilliana just turned her head while crossing her arms and let out a "Hmph" sound, clearly annoyed. He only smiled seeing her attitude and stepped closer. "What''s with that rude behavior Lilly, I thought especially you would miss me. After all we did have a great time on that beach together right?" An ever growing smile was visible on his face as he noticing the discomfort of the Archer and Warrior in the party as he said something that could be misunderstood very easily, it was possible to have sex if both players wanted and agreed to it after all. With her whole face now turning red she stomped towards Makoto and tried to strangle him while having her head low as she was unable to endure looking at his smiling expression anymore. Struggling to form words, Makoto continued and nearly broke out into loud laughter during it. "Well then, look at that! She missed me so much she just can''t seem to keep her hands off me!" Unable to bear it anymore, Lilliana looked into his eyes and a clear desire to kill could be seen. "If you don''t shut up right now I will burn you to death you asshole!" She practically hissed, her face incredibly close to his own. With a gentle smile and shutting his mouth he looked at the flustered girl in front of him, her beautiful brown eyes, shoulder long black, smooth hair and full cherry red lips. She was without a doubt incredibly pretty just like Sanja. "It is really good to see you again Lilly." Makoto finally said after staring at her for a few seconds. This time she blushed with a smile appearing on her face as she avoided eye contact. This is going to be fun... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
And that is the Chapter of today! As always comment below and tell me any questions or ideas :D. Hope you enjoyed and see you all tomorrow! [th_113_.gif] Chapter 21: The Road Ahead Had to finish the Chapter this morning as I actually fell asleep yesterday on my desk and woke up at 1 in the morning again :D. Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 21: The Road Ahead Makoto decided to get a little more serious after teasing Lilliana for a good bit and turned towards Sanja. "So where are you all headed anyways?" Sure it could very well be that they were also on their way to the Capital but he wanted to at least ask before potentially tagging along for the ride. "We are currently heading East to the town Marahel, it is close to a gigantic lake that is also not too far from the Capital so if you are also heading in that direction we could just invite you to the party." Sanja said with a smile and Makoto couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow. "Are you sure your party would be ok with that?" Somehow he doubted it as both the Warrior and Archer in the party kept their distance, standing further ahead and indicating that way that they wanted to get a move on. Sanja turned around and her braided brown hair whipped after her sudden movement, again turning around very fast she showed Makoto a reassuring smile and went to Lilliana to win her over first. He could clearly see how she slowly but surely convinced the other girl as Lilliana''s posture got less and less threatening until she shot a few glances his way where she had before stoically avoided all and every acknowledgment that he even existed whenever Makoto didn''t talk to her. After a slight pat on her shoulder, Sanja walked off to the Archer and soon enough his posture and attitude changed too. The Warrior seemed to be the toughest nut to crack but somehow even he bent beneath her words and soon enough she walked back to Makoto with a smile visible on her face and a system message appearing before him.
You have been invited to a party!
Visibly impressed, Makoto confirmed the invitation and gave the tall girl a thumbs up. "Gotta say if you can convince everyone like that I don''t envy any boyfriend you have, he won''t even be able to complain as you can probably just change his mind that everything is alright anyways." The smile on Sanja''s face quickly disappeared and a pouting expression was visible. "Hey, now that''s not fair after I helped you like that, meany." A jab in his ribs later and trying to quickly evade further attempts from Sanja, the whole group started their Journey again. Rubbing his hurting side, Makoto started to make conversation again and to maybe calm the pouting Priestess. "So tell me, why are you really heading so far East if you are not going to the Capital?" Both Sanja and Lilliana looked at each other for a second until the smaller of the two answered while keeping a black strand of hair out of her eye. "We met Tanitrus and Vecolizo, the Archer and Warrior duo, on the way from Talis. Originally it was just me and Sanja that got a Quest to go there from a shop keeper in Talis telling us to help out his brother in Marahel. And no, we can''t share the Quest before you ask me." Lilliana said, noticing he had opened his mouth. Honestly it didn''t surprise Makoto that they could not share the Quest, he had never tried it himself but Quests in general could only be given from an NPC, unlike Tasks that you could accept to the dozen and find in every Inn, Quests had a lot to do with the NPC or the area, affecting both in either a minor or major way. You could do 100 Tasks and nothing would change for the people of a city as it mostly involved killing mobs that respawned, but just one Quest could spell loss or victory in even something like a war between nations, that was the big difference between a Task and Quest. Sure you would get monetary compensation for what you did with a Task and sometimes even gear but the really good Equipment you ever only got from Quests. That also explained why it was so much harder to get Quests than Tasks, the simple reason for it was that you just had to know the background or story for quite a lot of things to even be considered as a possible individual to receive said Quest from the NPC. That was what Makoto was able to conclude after dealing with both types quite a lot until now. Maybe if he just read a lot of background information on Asuria in a Library he would be able to get a bunch of Quests? Deep in thought about all of this he noticed a change around them. He had no idea how but It was like something was in the air, every hair on his body suddenly stood up, he could feel something like killing intent wash over him from the right. Without wasting any time he got into a combat position and shouted towards Lilliana and Sanja to warn them. "Ambush! Get ready for battle!" Luckily both reacted relatively fast to his words as only moments later a group of human bandits came running at them from the woods at the right. Both the Archer and Warrior in the party had been stunned at the sudden appearance of so many enemies and Makoto couldn''t help a "Tch" that escaped his mouth while running in front of them to protect both players from the brunt of the attack. Wielding his blade with both hands he successfully deflected 4 swords and a buckler that came crashing down all around him and he was able to glimpse the faint letters above them during all of that.
Bandit: lvl 15
Surprised about the rather weak group he had no trouble pushing them off and immediately started using ''Aura of the Beast'' together with ''Curse Blade'' to wreak havoc in the enemy lines. It didn''t take long for Makoto to feel the same rush he always got after splattering ounce after ounce of blood all around and on himself. Battle, that is where he felt at home, letting his enemies bleed and scream. With a mad glee visible in his eyes he started to make sure to keep his party in mind while slaughtering bandits left and right, it would be rather unfortunate if he was too absorbed in the whole thing only to find out he was responsible for killing off the Archer or Warrior for example. Both Sanja and Lilliana had their hands full with enemies for the first couple of minutes until they noticed a sudden absence of bandits. They watched with slightly opened mouths as Makoto tore through entire groups of enemies like bedsheets. Even the Warrior and Archer soon enough had no one left to fight and all 4 of them watched the typhoon that was Makoto. Breathing heavily and seeing no one else standing, he finally stopped his sword and looked around himself. Nearly 50 or so Bandits lay all around him, the earliest to die already dissipating in a cloud of white particles and leaving behind a bit of junk loot. Smiling from one ear to the other he walked to his stunned party and wiped his sword clean on the grass beneath him. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "What level are you exactly right now, Makoto?" Lilliana asked and he couldn''t help but smile. Quickly checking his server ranking he answered her. "Well, according to the leader-boards I am level 18, currently 87th place." Immediately Sanja and Lilliana looked at each other, only to check the leader-boards and verify if what he was saying was really true. "Color me surprised, and here I thought we are high leveled after hitting 16 not long ago." Sanja said with a slight smile, she was not the only one that reevaluated Makoto for this incredible achievement to actually be one of the top 100 players inside Azalon. Lilliana looked at him with narrow eyes for a few moments before speaking her mind. "Was I just imagining that or did you look like a complete maniac fighting those bandits, and what was up with all of that blood anyways? You enjoy that kind of messed up thing or something?" Makoto couldn''t help but notice the slight glare he was still getting from her so he could only imagine that Lilliana was still pissed off about how he teased her so much before. Deciding to let it slide and give her the credit for winning an argument this once, Makoto only showed a wry smile and motioned for them all to continue the Journey. There was still something in the back of his mind after all of this as they continued down the gravel road. How did he know that they would be attacked? There had been no indication that something was wrong but his instinct had suddenly rang every alarm bell inside his head. Could he really feel the killing Instinct of others? Not sure what to make of this new revelation, Makoto decided to keep it in mind and see if it maybe had something to do with one of his Skills or was really just instinct. ..... Soon enough the forest around them cleared a bit more and the road got broader. They could see the walls of a town up ahead, Marahel was finally in sight. Shortly after entering, Makoto looked around and examined the area. There was another exit further east so all in all there existed 2 gates instead of 1 like in most towns. It also was quite a bit bigger than normal, some of the houses around were even made out of stone instead of wood and he could see something like a market place with a dozen Merchants trying to sell items to travelers. The amount of players was not as big as it had been in Talis but a lot more than in Shivercliff as he had seen only 1 or 2 other players there. "Alright, Lilliana and I will go and finish our Quest, Tanitrus and Vecolizo also have something to take care of so we will all meet back in half an hour at the Inn back there." Sanja said while pointing at a building not far from their current location. Everyone nodded and the entire party split in 3 with Makoto standing still for a few seconds before heading towards the Inn. With nothing else to do he decided to already go there and maybe look at a Task or two. His goal after all was not only to simply reach Elisante but also level up a bit more. Makoto still wanted to reach level 20 and equip his new gear as quickly as possible. The inside of the Inn was rather dimly lit and unlike in Shivercliff no one came to welcome him. There was quite a number of players already inside and some of them stood before the Task-Board so he had to wait a bit to actually see which ones he could still accept. After a minute or two he could see the actual flyers but surprisingly it was the Bounty-Board he was standing before currently instead of the Task-Board. Immediately his eyes got caught on a familiar bounty, a bounty he had thought taken care of. The piece of paper describing his own capture was still hung up on the board and now there was a small window visible beneath it.
Current Hunters: 58/100
Immediately a cold shiver ran down his spine and Makoto quickly walked towards the Innkeeper. "Excuse me, Sir, could you please come with me for a moment?" He asked while practically dragging the NPC behind him. "The Cult who made this request doesn''t exist anymore so why is it still hung up here?" "Wait a minute and stop pulling on my collar for the divines sake! Now let''s see, do you mean this request? Well boy, it seems you don''t know how Bounty requests work so let me explain. First of all you can only make a Bounty request in an actual City, like the Capital for example. Then you have to have the money ready and go to the Magic Institute that only exists in bigger Settlements like a City. They will then take the money, bind it to the request that is made and whoever kills or captures the target will get the money automatically after delivering the body either to the one who requested the bounty or a Magic Institute. This option exists so that even if the one who issued the request dies, the Bounty Hunters would still get the money for their efforts." The Innkeeper finished and Makoto paled more and more after listening to him. If what he said was true then this bounty would never go away and because the initial requirements for this practically infinite request was only to reach level 15 and have a Chaotic Alignment, it would get very troublesome for him when the average level of players was over that amount. The small window did have some reassurance as only 100 people at a time could accept a Bounty request but still, 100 people that were gunning for his head was something very worrisome. "That''s a pretty messed up system if you did nothing wrong." Makoto hissed and the Innkeeper only shrugged. "That is just how it is boy, maybe it will teach you to not to offend someone lightly." Grinding his teeth, he watched the Innkeeper walk away and looked a the window beneath the Blood Cult Bounty request again.
Current Hunters: 61/100
"Fuck!" -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Chapter of today! Man I was so tired yesterday and still am... Hope you enjoyed and see you all tomorrow! Chapter 22: Back on Track ----- Chapter 22: Back on Track Dismissing the Bounty for now he decided to wait for the rest of his party. It didn''t take long for Sanja and Lilliana to show up and soon enough everyone was back together. They decided to take on 5 Tasks that involved killing the creatures that lived along the shore of the lake to the east, while they all looked at the Tasks Makoto made sure to cover the Bounty-Board as best as he could with his body, if they read his name here and now on a Bounty request with that much money on it...let''s just say he didn''t trust them when it came to an enormous sum like that. After leaving the Inn, Makoto went to one of the Merchants to sell off some of the loot they had gathered and the others followed his example. Both the Archer and Warrior started walking in the front and he followed behind. Happy to finally get back to some hunting, Makoto could feel the blood surge through his entire being. Walking a bit behind the rest he showed a vicious smile while his eyes glowed a deep red color. While he walked behind the girls he noticed how his eyes always seemed to fall back to their lower portions and steeling his will many times he tried not to stare too much. Telling himself over and over again that he was in love with Veronica, Makoto could not help the glance or two he showed for Lilliana''s full behind that slightly jiggled with every step, or Sanja''s long legs that clearly showed against the cloth of her long Priestess garb. With another red glow of his eyes he could imagine himself just walking that one step closer and putting his hands on Lilly''s behind, squeezing the live out of it, feeling every texture of her flesh. Or pushing Sanja''s legs apart, his hand traveling up her clothes, feeling those perfect legs, slowly inching closer where both connected and pressing at her groin, letting a moan escape from those luscious lips. Immediately veering his head abruptly to the right, Makoto was able to break the incredible view and get his mind back together. This was neither the time nor place to think about something like that. No matter how much he tried to keep those kind of thoughts sealed in the depth of his mind they always reappeared shortly after so with a few quick steps he now walked a short distance in front of the girls. That helped a bit but he still could feel how his head was always about to turn in their direction, to get another glance at their body or face. It was not love that guided his thoughts or actions here no, it was just pure desire, a desire to dominate those two women, to bend their wills, make them his. Slapping himself mentally he was finally able to break free of this spiral that was his own desire. Slowly taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment he was able to calm his mind and keep the beast inside of him in check. "You alright Makoto?" He could hear Lilliana''s soft voice right next to his ear, without even noticing it he had actually stopped walking. "Yeah, sorry about that. Just had to get my head back into the game. I gotta say your Avatars are very tempting girls, enough to make a man lose his mind I dare say." Giving both a wink, he started walking to the east gate again, following the Archer and Warrior that had already created a bit of a lead. Naturally Makoto did not notice how both girls blushed and the looks they gave each other after which they followed him with hurried steps. After exiting Marahel again they could see that the gravel road they traveled on lead north alongside the lake and what a lake it was. Its size was simply incredible, bigger than any lake he had ever seen in Real Life for sure. Even on the far horizon he could not see the other side of it and the same applied north and south of them. It was like looking at the ocean, a giant body of water that even had waves and a beach. The wind was also quite strong here so Makoto''s cloak fluttered around him while looking at the glistering blue water. Following the Warrior, Makoto and the rest of the group soon enough could see familiar rocks skittering on the beach. It was a kind of Rock Crab for sure but these seemed to be a lot bigger and had sharp edges of stone all over their bodies, enough to seriously injure someone by simply running into them. It was one of the creatures they had to hunt and soon enough he could see the letters above each of these big creatures.
Titan Crab: lvl 16
They didn''t have a crazy high level but if they resembled the Rock Crabs from Talis then they would have an incredible Defense. It was decided that Makoto would engage 1 Titan crab together with Lilliana while the Warrior and Archer would engage another, Sanja would keep an eye on both groups and make sure no one got too low. Taking a quick step forward he attracted the Crabs attention with a fluid stab and slice motion.
198 damage dealt! 245 Damage dealt!
His damage really was a bit lower but because of his ''Penetration'' skill he was not punished too harshly and could still dish out some decent Damage. A lance of ice shot over his shoulder and exploded on the Titan Crabs hard exterior, giving Makoto nearly a heart attack as he was not used to fighting with someone else. As far as he understood it he just had to make sure to dish out enough Damage so that the Crab would not focus Lilliana, his role in this fight was to keep aggro and because he did not have any Skills like Tanks normally have, his only option to keep the creatures attention was to deal a lot of Damage. Using every bit of knowledge he had about the Crab Anatomy and behavior of their patterns, Makoto got critical hit after hit while all over the Titan Crab''s body a huge barrage of Fire Balls and lances of Ice exploded. In a way it was reassuring to know that someone had your back and in another way because he knew Lilly''s fiery temperament he already steeled himself to potentially evade a shot that was aimed for him but in the end it was all in vain. It seemed she would not go that far just to get at him and he was thankful about that. Soon enough the Titan Crab fell to the floor and a shower of experience enveloped them. After the other fight ended too he was again showered with experience just for being in the party and Sanja walked up to him, her expression unreadable. "I know it might be rude but can I just ask you, correct me if I am wrong but do you have a Skill that rapidly regenerates your health when you are in battle?" She asked and the others around her all looked towards Makoto surprised. In a way it would have been discovered anyways but he decided to be honest and nodded. "Something along those lines, lets just say it is very hard to kill me, is that answer enough?" He didn''t mean to be rude to Sanja or the others but the more people knew about his Skill the easier it would be for them to disable it so Makoto had no intention of going into too much detail. "Concerning your Skill, yes. I still would like to know what your Class is because judging by how quickly you pretty much shred through everything it probably is not your average Warrior profession, is it now?" For some reason she gave him a sharp look and Lilliana threw a concerned look towards Sanja before looking back towards Makoto, also eager for an answer. Sighing deeply he scratched his head. "Ah fuck it, you would have probably found out anyways if you just asked around a bit about me. I''m guessing you were not online at that point but I was the first person to get a Unique Class and the game decided to give a shout out to every player online at that point, it also mentioned my name in it so you might understand that I avoided big crowds after that. My Class is called Crimson Warrior, I won''t go into too much detail as it does have it''s weaknesses and I really don''t want people to find out about it too early. I hope that is answer enough and that you can understand why I''m being secretive about it." He decided not to mention that he had a gigantic bounty on his head currently which was the main reason he didn''t want anyone to know his Skills or Class too well. If his party heard about it, even Makoto wouldn''t be surprised if they stabbed him in the back, 500 Gold was a ridiculous amount after all. Thankfully Sanja nodded and dropped to subject so he was spared from prematurely leaving the party. "Can I ask you guys what your Classes are then? Just so it''s fair I mean." He said, out of pure curiosity and because he thought he deserved to know that much after telling them his Class. Stolen novel; please report. Sanja nodded and gave him an apologetic smile. "My Class is just called Priestess right now but I have been looking for a Rare or Unique class so it probably won''t stay the same forever." Next up Lilliana took a step forward and spoke. "Currently Mage Class but I want to advance or maybe change it to Summoner, if there is something like an Elemental Summoner it would be the Class I would like to get, having Elemental Spirits attack while shooting magic myself would be awesome." The excitement was clearly visible on her face as she talked about her dream class so Makoto had no problem believing her. The Archer and Warrior both confirmed that the also had their respective classes but Makoto was not too interested, already he had forgotten their names and they also did not seem to be too interested in him so it was a win-win situation. After killing a few more Titan Crabs his ''Penetration'' Skill leveled up for the first time in quite a while.
Penetration:
Even the strongest of defenses can be broken through with effort and tenacity.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level7 (1%)
Skill Effect:+ 23% Armor Penetration
Only after fighting the Titan Crabs and encountering even tougher armor plating did he actually gain experience for the Skill again. It was a very strange and unique Skill for sure. Their Quota of killing 20 Titan Crabs was quickly met and they traveled a bit further until they met their next targets.
Shark-Hybrid: lvl 17
Squid-Hybrid: lvl 18
Just like their name said they were a Hybrid between Shark and Human or Squid and Human. But it was not just a simple Shark or Squid head put on a human body, instead it really was a Hybrid, a mix between both. The Shark-Hybrid for example had a scales instead of skin, a big fin on its back and generally looked more like a shark with limbs than the other way around. The Squid-Hybrid was even more grotesque with 4 Legs and 4 Arms, its body had a purple color and bent at very weird angles making Makoto cringe a bunch of times whenever he saw a knee cap suddenly spring the other way. Fighting them was indeed a lot tougher as they had a strange mix between intelligent behavior and the occasional pattern of a monster. Makoto had not much trouble against the Shark-Hybrids, they moved fast but clumsy so he was able to freely cut their legs until they could not walk anymore. Killing them was pretty easy together with Lilly backing him up with an occasional Fire ball. The Squid-Hybrids however could be considered easy for ranged and difficult for melee as they were generally slow but their arms and legs whipped around in an unpredictable pattern, making Makoto sprawl on the floor many times until his rage took over and he started chopping them down limb by limb while his party only watched his incredibly cruel actions with wide eyes. With visible joy on his face he ripped off the first Squid-Hybrids head with his bare hands and spat on the disappearing body. "Little fucker" Makoto hissed while running towards the next one, Lilliana reluctantly followed while giving Sanja a pleading look which the other girl decided to ignored. Soon enough his party got used to his unique and cruel ways of dealing with the Squid-Hybrids and helped him as best as they could, even though they occasionally turned their heads as to not watch some of his more extreme actions. Bathed in blood and with a refreshed smile on his face, Makoto disposed of the last Squid-Hybrid and turned to his party who all seemed to have a grim expression on their faces. "What''s wrong?" He asked them with a quizzing look and they all just shook their head frantically, a trace of fear visible in their eyes. Still looking at them with a big question mark on his face, Makoto decided to just ignore his party''s strange behavior and continued down the beach. It took quite a bit longer to kill every single Hybrid as 4 Tasks asked for them and they all stacked up on top of each other so it was quite a big number they had to kill. Only after the sun was about to go down and the entire sky was lit in a deep orange did they actually kill the last Shark-Hybrid. Mentally exhausted they decided to head back for now. The overall mood was good until a gigantic tentacle shot out of the water and hit the sand before their feet with a loud bang. Immediately switching gears and getting ready for combat they watched in awe as a gigantic Octopus slowly emerged out of the water and onto the beach. It had the size of a two story building and each and every one of its 8 arms was as thick as 4 trees. Golden letters shimmered above its head spelling certain doom.
Lake Kraken: Elite Monster lvl 19
Immediately and trying not to laugh, Makoto turned towards Lilliana and Sanja. "Girls, listen to me, you have to run away from here as fast as you can!" Both looked at him confused and he continued trying not to grin. "I have seen enough Hentai to know where this could go so run you fools before you feel the might of a gigantic Squid between your legs!" Buckling over his last words he couldn''t help the giggle that escaped his throat, both women looked at him as if he had just lost his mind. "Can you actually stay serious for once you fucking Jerk?!" Lilliana shouted while giving him an angry look and Sanja also started laughing together with Makoto, tears clearly showing in her eyes as this whole situation was just too ridiculous. Not paying attention to the gigantic Monster behind him, Makoto tried to get as serious of an expression as possible on his face while walking towards Lilliana and grabbing her hands. "But I am serious Lilly, after all I want to be the one to take your first tim-!" Unable to continue, Makoto broke out into loud laughter, went on the ground and had a laughing fit during which Lilliana was completely confused but had visibly red cheeks. Sanja soon enough joined him and started rolling on the ground while holding her stomach, her uncontrollable giggle clearly audible. "Guys, I don''t want to interrupt you from flirting, really, but we kinda have a situation here!" The Warrior shouted from further down the beach, his sword at the ready. It didn''t take long for Makoto to get his bearings together again as he joined the man at the frontlines. Sanja was still recovering, a giggle could be heard from time to time while a shiver ran down Makoto''s spine as he was well aware of Lilliana''s death glare. With a big smile on his face and having enjoyed the little banter from before, the usual red light returned to his eyes as he faced the two story tall Kraken, a monster that normally only appeared in fairy tales. It was the biggest opponent he had faced until now and excitement rushed through him. With his sword in hand he ran straight towards this mythological beast and a gigantic tentacle slammed down from above, aimed for him... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Chapter of todayyyy! Hope you enjoyed it and see you all tomorrow. Just a heads up for those who are interested, the actual Chapter count of Volume 2 might be a bit shorter but there will be a lot more going on with the relationships between the already known Characters so stay tuned! :drinkT: Chapter 23: To Protect ----- Chapter 23: To Protect Nimbly dodging to the left, Makoto was able to escape the enormous and slimy tentacle that crashed against the sand. "All ranged stay back! His reach is insane!" The Warrior screamed while evading a tentacle. The Kraken was an enemy he had never dealt with before, at least never with anything of this size for sure. Makoto''s heartbeat increased every time he narrowly dodged a sweep or strike from this beast. A mad grin was visible on his face, his eyes glowed in a deep red and incredible killing intent was seeping through his pores. Slaughter, death, destruction. That was all he could think about right now while his senses heightened to a point where he felt like he could hear Lilliana''s breath right next to his ear while in reality she was more than 20 feet behind him. A switch had been tripped inside of him and excitement rushed through him while he looked at the thing that towered over him. This giant Octopus was his prey. It was a life and death battle and just thinking about slicing its flesh made the corners of his mouth twitch. Naturally he knew that even if he died it was not really a problem but after fighting and escaping the jaws of death so many times inside the game he had somewhat become addicted to this mad rush of desire to live and kill that both rolled through him. Dodging a sideways swipe by jumping into the air, he used the tentacle beneath him to kick off even further and wielded his sword with both hands while leaving a long and nasty gash on its body.
345 Damage dealt! You have put a status affect on your opponent! Bleed: -32 hp every 2 seconds for 16 seconds.
Still in the same motion and his mind and body reaching the highest gear, Makoto decided to use his momentum to his advantage and kicked against the soft body of the Kraken with all of his strength.
121 Damage dealt!
Surprisingly enough the damage he had dealt with that kick was not bad. Spinning in mid air he had no time to even attempt to dodge the next tentacle that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
You have received 401 Damage!
The gigantic slimy arm had caught him right in the side, carrying him a good distance until his own body moved faster than the tentacle and he flew a couple of feet through the air until hitting knee deep water. "Aiding Light!" He could hear Sanja scream and immediately his health shot back up to full. It really was useful having a healer in the party for situations like this. Still feeling a phantom pain in his side, Makoto stood up and ran back to the Warrior that was now holding his ground alone. The Archer was shooting a constant rain of arrows while Lilliana mainly used ice spears to potentially slow down the Kraken. Sanja had her hands full with healing the Warrior so Makoto focused on doing the damage he could. While sprinting back he opened his inventory and smeared the inside of a ''Venom Sack'' on his blade. The more Damage or status effects he could deal, the better. Roaring as loud as he could, Makoto jumped back into the fray and sliced against one of the many tentacles. It was like hitting the bark of a tree, surprisingly the things main body was a hell of a lot softer and easier to hurt than the 8 arms it used to attack. After chipping away a good 20% of the Kraken''s health with the effort of everyone in the party, it increased the overall speed of its attacks. Looking at these 8 arms all having an overall girth equal to a normal car flying through the air at a breakneck speed was enough to make nearly everyone in the party go pale. Nearly everyone as Makoto only showed a wry smile while jumping right back into the beast''s range. Every time he was hit it was like getting hit by a speeding car and he visibly flew through the air only to come back after a few moments. Sanja and Lilliana could not believe their eyes as they watched Makoto jump back in against this Mammoth of the sea. As far as they could see from his expression or eyes there was not one single trace of fear inside this man, only a mad grin and a fire burning in his eyes was visible. While the Warrior took his distance more and more during the extended battle, Makoto on the other hand only gotten closer and closer to the Kraken. He learned its pattern while slicing against everything that he could reach while making sure not to be hit by anything otherwise he had to fight his way back to where he was right now. When only 40% health was left the only one near it was Makoto. The Warrior used a mid ranged Skill he had from time to time but otherwise kept his distance. The speed at which each tentacle whipped around had only increased during this fight, it was like standing next to a typhoon. Everyone only had one question in their mind. Just how the hell was Makoto able to approach it at this point? Even he himself probably would have been unable to answer this very intriguing question. Maybe it was his instinct that had been honed during every fight, or his high Agility and reaction time. Truth be told it was a mystery to him just like to the others. All he really cared about was that he actually could get closer, so he could hurt it, so he could kill it. From time to time he still was hit and Lilliana and Sanja could watch the body of Makoto suddenly disappear only to be flung to the right or left at and incredible speed. Watching this young man literally jump into the jaws of death over and over again only to be spat out every single time with a flight above their heads was an unbelievable sight they surely would never forget. Sanja now had her hands full in healing Makoto as every single hit catapulted him nearly 50 feet away and his health fell below half more times than she could even count. At about 15% health her mana finally ran dry, soon enough Lilliana was also only able to shoot her Ice lances every 10 seconds. The only two people who still actively fought this monster were Makoto and the Archer. Relying only on his ''Blood Rejuvenation'' now, he had to use all of his concentration and it was still not enough. The times he attacked back got less and less, and because of this precaution of attacking less to preserve his own life after a few minutes he was unable to hold aggro anymore, he noticed it a tick too late. "Look out!" Was all Makoto was able to shout before a tentacle shot past him and hit the Archer straight in his stomach. Right away he focused on attacking again but once he lost the Kraken''s attention it was incredibly difficult to actually get it back. Grinding his teeth, anger surged through him as the monster before him simply ignore his continued attacks and instead focused on attacking the rest of his party. Noticing the movement of one of the 8 arms, Makoto started to sprint back. While running past the stunned Lilliana he was able to stop at her right side and just in time too. Wielding his sword with both hands and bending his knees to stand his ground, Makoto looked towards the giant tentacle that had been heading straight for the female Mage. Roaring with every ounce of his being, Makoto pushed forward, the tentacle arm finally reaching him and immediately his feet dug deep into the sand. Pushed back by an insane amount of force he stubbornly stood his ground, blocking the fleshy appendage while a continued roar escaped his throat. It was completely insane to even attempt something like this and Makoto knew it but right when he was about to give up he felt Lilliana''s body press against him from behind as he was still getting pushed back and from out of nowhere new strength surged through him. It was something he had never before felt in his life, not the desire to kill but the desire to protect instead. The scream coming out of his throat deepened and the light in his eyes only increased. He was now buried up to his thighs in sand but still he stood his ground, unyielding, every muscle in his body screaming and he could feel tendons starting to snap, flesh being ripped from his bones as he strained this virtual body way beyond its limits. Somewhere in all of this, during his scream, while he pushed against this force of nature, he could feel her. Lilliana''s body was pressed against his back, her breath hitting his ear, he did not get excited from it, it was in no way erotic. Stolen story; please report. Her arms were wrapped around him and she also used all her strength to push together with him, during all of this she was with him and trying her hardest to help him. This was what gave him new strength. Knowing why he did what he did, to protect this small but hot headed girl. Did he really use every bit of strength he could muster? Did he really give it his all to protect this girl that depended on him? Was this all there was to him? Would he just let her die? Looking down at his hands that gripped his sword, Makoto closed his eyes and listened. He was listening to the voice deep down inside of him. Was this really all he had? ¡­ No, far from it. Like a bolt of electricity, new strength shot through his arms, upper body and legs. A blinding red light was visible when he finally opened his eyes and using this newfound strength, Makoto lowered his sword, the tentacle finally stopped moving and instead even retreated back and out of his reach. Makoto won, he had successfully blocked an attack from the Kraken. A new window appeared before him while he was still unable to comprehend what just happened.
Through your incredible actions and sheer power of will you have unlocked a new stat!
Willpower:
With the strength of your will you are able to go beyond your very limits, every point in Willpower will increase the amount and time you can go beyond your limits.
Current Willpower:5 points = 2.5% stat increase for 0.5 seconds. (Willpower can only be used once every 24 hours.)
Closing the window after looking over it once, Makoto could indeed feel something akin to excitement after getting such a unique Stat but his eyes lay on the Kraken. It was still alive, barely but it could still attack with the same strength as before. Slowly he stood up from the sand while looking into the monsters eyes. He could feel how Lilliana let go of his back. Knowing that she was save after all of this did give him a strange sense of relieve. A quick look towards her revealed that her black hair was a complete mess and a visible line of tears ran down her cheeks as she looked back into his eyes. Not knowing why he did it he put his palm on her right cheek and gave her a reassuring smile. "I will be right back." He said to her in a soft voice, foreign even to his own ears. The time they had shared together in that one moment truly had been unique because instead of a snide comment or something along those lines she only nodded once while looking deeply into his eyes. Taking his hand off her cheek, Makoto turned around towards the lake monster. Sanja, the Warrior and Archer all looked at him with stunned expressions as he slowly walked towards the Kraken, without any visible hurry. Gripping his sword tight he stopped a short distance away from it and looked into its giant black eyes. His face was a mask, no mad grin, no excitement going through him, only determination to finish what he started. "Here I come big boy." Makoto whispered as he started sprinting towards it. Jumping to the right he evaded a swipe, ducking low he escaped yet another dangerous situation and with a dash forward he covered the last bit of distance towards the Kraken''s body. Enchanting his sword with ''Curse Blade'' instead of a slash he decided to go for a straight jab into one of its eyes.
Critical hit! 632 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Bleed: -32 hp every 2 seconds for 16 seconds. Poisoned: -35 hp every second for 20 seconds. Blind: -20% accuracy until the battle is finished.
Putting these 3 status effects together with a Critical hit on the thing was a true blessing. Wrenching his sword free, Makoto saw an attack from the corner of his eye but he knew he would not be able to react fast enough. A quick look on his health bar confirmed that he only had 35% left, it would probably not be enough to survive the swipe. Still he tried his utmost but it was all in vain as he was squarely hit on his hip. Bracing himself for the surge of pain and the system window that would appear before him telling him that he died, Makoto was surprised as instead the scenery around him shifted and he stood on the other side of the tentacle. Confused at what was going on, a system window appeared before him.
Thanks to your Evasiveness you where able to neglect all the Damage you would have normally taken.
Not able to hide the smile that creeped on his face, Makoto didn''t waste even a single second and started to attack the Kraken like a madman. The last few percent soon enough disappeared and an incredible amount of experience showered him. Breathing quite heavily, Makoto fell to the floor next to the body of the monster he just killed. The sky above him seemed endless, a blue infinity that stretched all around him. Soon enough he could hear the hastened steps of his party in the sand and 4 concerned faces appeared at the edges of his vision. Lilliana''s face was the closest as she was kneeling next to him and held his hand, a worried expression visible on her face. It surprised Makoto to find his own hand suddenly grasped by this beautiful girl that before only seemed to spare angry glares for him but in a way it was nice, the warmth of her hand was something that made everything he went through worth it in the end. At the same time it was also a bit uncomfortable because he had feelings for someone else so he decided to break up this awkward situation. Staring deeply into her eyes, a smile slowly appeared on his blood drenched face. "Will you look at that, she still can''t take her hands off me." Chuckling a bit after seeing her stunned expression, Makoto wanted to continue but something else interrupted him. To his left he could feel Sanja grab for his other hand and now he really was surprised as he looked in her direction. "Do you know that you are the biggest Idiot and Jerk that I have ever seen?" The Priestess said while giving him a bright smile. "Oh I know that I am, trying to block a tentacle that big was really not my smartest move." Makoto answered feeling more and more uncomfortable. "But what else could you expect, I told her before the fight that I would be the one to take her first tim-" Lilliana quickly punched him in the stomach to stop him from talking any more and ran off to the side. Grinning like a shark, Makoto looked after the fleeing girl and Sanja let out a long sigh. "Ah, there she runs off again. You really know how to ruin a good mood don''t you? Idiot." Slapping his forehead once, Sanja also stood up and went to look what the Elite Kraken had actually dropped. Holding his hurting stomach with one hand and rubbing his forehead with the other, Makoto sat up. He looked after both girls. If he wanted to he could use moments like this to get them both, he knew that because somehow they had taken an interest in him but that was not what he wanted. For him there was only Veronica. Still, it was a nice feeling holding hands with two girls like that. Today was a good day... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Hope you enjoyed this epic battle! If you have any questions or see any mistakes in the Chapter feel free to comment them. See you all tomorrow! :D Chapter 24: Parting Ways ----- Chapter 24: Parting Ways The actual loot turned out to be 4 things in total. It was 1 item, 1 Ingredient and 1 material that dropped together with the money.
Beak Splinters: (material)
A few pieces from the beak of a deep sea creature, a rare material and usually used in crafting expensive knifes or to get high quality arrow tips.
Suspicious Flesh: (material)
This soft flesh would be great in any dish and when dried can be used to enhance the overall flavor. Its origin is the only thing that seems a bit suspicious.
Effect:+10% effectiveness to all dishes created via the cooking Skill.
Coral Staff:
This staff was found stuck inside the beak of a gigantic sea creature. Crafted out of sturdy Coral it has gained special properties.
Damage:37 - 71Durability:50/50
Special Effect:Increases all healing by 7%.Additional Effect:+ 10 Vitality.
Requirements:Level 16, Healer orientated profession.
The Money was given to the Warrior as he did the least work. In the end it was decided that the Archer would get the ''Beak Splinters'', Lilliana was handed the ''Suspicious Flesh'' and Sanja received the Staff that was a dearly needed upgrade from her old one. "Are you really ok with this Makoto? I mean you did most of the work for killing the Elite Monster, I kind of feel bad for not giving you anything..." The Priestess said while looking at her new Coral Staff with a bit of guilt. "I told you, it''s alright. I could have not killed it alone anyways, you healed me a lot and everyone played their part in that fight. I got the experience from killing it and that is more than enough for me." Not only that but he also got a new stat from the fight which was worth a lot more than one weapon he would have to practically throw away later again anyways when he out leveled it. So in the end Makoto was not upset at all for not getting ''anything'' out of the fight. "If you say so..." Sanja said and embraced her new weapon with a happy smile. It was at that point as he watched her that Makoto remembered something. Immediately he walked over to Lilliana who stared at the block of flesh in her hands, somewhat confused and unsatisfied. "Hey Lilly, I just remembered I have something for you." He said while pulling out the Darkblood Wand from his Inventory that he had completely forgotten about until now. Immediately her dark brown eyes lit up when she saw the Weapon. "You can have it, if you pay me a small amount that is." Makoto said with a smile and she looked at him suspiciously. "How about 5 Silver and it is yours?" "Only that much? For a second there I thought you would rob me blind judging from the way you looked at me. I think that is a bit too cheap, where is the catch?" Lilliana asked still a bit suspicious as to why he would sell her a weapon like that for only such a small sum. Naturally she had checked the stats on it right away and had no problem with even paying triple of the amount he asked for. "Let''s just call it a one time offer. So, do we have a deal?" Makoto asked with an outstretched hand. Without having to think about it she shook his hand and the item disappeared from his Inventory while 5 Silver got added to his wallet. "Thank you, Makoto." Lilliana said with an honest smile, her opinion of him shot up after he cut her a deal like that and for him the money itself did not play that much of a role, the important thing was that she would remember his kindness and he could potentially use it as leverage or as a favor in the future. Maybe even enough to blackmail her later on, who knows. Looking at this happy girl and her new wand made a sinister smile appear on his face, he tried to hide right away with a cough before she had any chance of noticing it naturally. Soon enough they headed back to Marahel. Even after finishing off all the Tasks, Makoto still did not reach the next level although he was very close now. Determined that he was too high leveled for this area, he shed light on his problem. "I think I will head further East to the Capital guys, I know you still have to take care of a few things and this is the best hunting ground for you all but I feel like I''m falling behind. I wish you good luck and see you another time." Waving them goodbye, Makoto turned and left the Party. It was a bit abrupt but it had to be done, he was practically wasting time here. Behind him both Lilliana and Sanja watched him until he disappeared through the east gate of the town. They looked at each other for a second and Sanja motioned in Makoto''s direction. "Why didn''t you follow him Lilly?" She asked while looking at the blushing girl. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Lilliana stubbornly said, standing her ground but not able to look into her best friend''s eyes. "I have known you for a long time now Lilly and I know that look, if you want to be with him why are you still here?" She asked while patting the smaller girl''s back and looking at her questioningly. "Shut up Saji... just... shut up..." Lilliana said while throwing another look in the direction that Makoto had disappeared to. .....
The Skill ''Penetration'' has leveled up!
Makoto wiped the sweat from his forehead while dislodging his sword from a Titan Crab''s dead body. He had started to hunt them again after parting ways to increase his Skill level as it was the only Monster that actually increased his proficiency at this point. Looking at the Skill and after that at his Status window he was quite pleased with what he saw.
Penetration:
Even the strongest of defenses can be broken through with effort and tenacity.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level8 (0%)
Skill Effect:+ 26% Armor Penetration
Status Window
Name:MakotoLevel:19
Alignment:GoodClass:Crimson Warrior
Race:HumanGender:Male
Titles
Slayer of All, Righteous Demon, First of a Kind
Health:1290/1290Mana:560/560
Strength:115Agility:127 (+5)
Vitality:78 (+20)Wisdom:40
Intelligence:40Fame:26
Evasiveness:38Willpower:35
Special Effects:
+5% Damage against all living beings. +15% Damage against Chaotic or Individuals with an ''Evil Alignment.
He had finally reached level 19 after hunting a lot more Titan Crabs to level ''Penetration'' Also, thanks to his Class that increased all stats except ''Fame'' by 30 points, his ''Willpower'' was now at 35 instead of 5. He could now use the special effect from it to increase his stats by 17.5% for 3.5 seconds. It was not a lot but now he had enough time to actually get a few good hits in until the effect went on a 24 hour cooldown. Something else that came to his mind after leveling up was to try and add some extra points to his ''Willpower'' just to try it out but a system window stopped that attempt.
You are only able to allocate stat points from gaining a level to your 5 basic stats, Strength, Agility, Vitality, Intelligence and Wisdom. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
That was the message that showed itself when he tried it so he just put 3 into Strength, 5 into Agility and 2 into Vitality like always. Something else that happened on his way to Elisante was rather displeasing. A new system message showed up and Makoto paled after reading through it.
For your poor hygiene as well as continued efforts in getting as much blood and dirt on yourself as possible, the Divine Beings have judged your Soul to be dirtied by its fleshy shell and have put a status effect on you!
Tainted: -40% in all stats until the body has been cleansed thoroughly.
Sighing deeply, Makoto looked at his ingame body and in a way could only agree. His entire attire was drenched in dried blood, every visible piece of skin was also sticky and a strange smell was now coming from his body, like rotting meat. Not hesitating in the least, Makoto ran into the lake and washed his body for the first time since he entered Azalon. It was like a layer of his skin came off after he rubbed over himself a few times. He even took his gear off and washed everything separately in the water, thankfully getting rid of stains was a hundred times easier in Azalon than in Real Life. After exiting the lake, a dark oil like sustenance was floating on the water where he had washed his body.
You have successfully broken free of the status effect ''Tainted''!
Clean for the first time in forever, Makoto continued his Journey down the beach, he was heading south as crossing the lake seemed impossible and who knew what dangers lurked in those watery depths. After a few hours of travel he started to see the other side of the lake so he knew he was at least doing something right, during all of this time he occasionally fought with a Titan crab until his Skill experience stopped again. Unable to gain any proper experience he hurried his own steps, in search of new monsters to kill and in hopes for more battle. The further he traveled south the more he was able to see trees, grassy plains and other things on the opposite side of the lake as the land seemed to come closer with every step he took. Soon enough the distance was not more than 30 feet and the calm lake had turned into a fast and loud river that headed all the way south, probably to the ocean again. Makoto stood on the beach of this rushing river, water occasionally splashed into his face as he looked towards the other side, so close but at the same time so far away. Having no other choice in the matter, he decided to risk it, took a few steps back and then dived head first into the water. It was cold, that was the first thing that came to his mind. The next thing that happened was that a sudden tug on his whole body dragged him to the right, the water was moving so fast that swimming forward seemed a nearly impossible feat. After struggling against the strong current for a long time, Makoto finally reached the other riverbank. He was kneeling at the shore for a good bit, coughing up water every now and then. After the dizziness disappeared, he dared to stand up and surveyed his surroundings. A quick look on his map confirmed that he really did cross the river, only now he was a good mile or two further south than before. Happy to have made some progress, he started heading north alongside the river again until he actually reached the other side of the lake. It really was an enormous body of water as even on his map there was a gigantic span of undiscovered nothing in the middle of the two sides of the beach. Shrugging his shoulders, Makoto started to head east again, this time he finally was really heading in the right direction. The biggest change in scenery for him was that instead of the normal forest he had been used to, there was only the occasional tree here but a lot more grassy hills and plains. Makoto didn''t have to wait long to see a new type of enemy.
Crescent Bear: lvl 20
Dire Plain Wolf: lvl 19
That was the first two bigger monsters he encountered. The Crescent Bear was a gigantic beast, easily towering 15 feet when it was standing on its hind legs with paws as big as Makoto''s entire upper body. The Dire Plain Wolfs had black, thick fur and numbered over 50 in each pack. Both mobs could be called a new challenge as he never before fought a bear and also never engaged a pack that big. Readying his sword, Makoto was about to run into combat when a sharp whistle in the air suddenly made every hair on his body stand up before something hit his left shoulder with enough force to throw him onto the ground.
You have received 312 Damage from the player ''Shakalum''!
An arrow was stuck in his back and he broke the shaft with a roll to evade the next one that had been aimed for his head this time. Finally he was able to get a quick reprieve and actually look at who was attacking him. On a nearby hill Makoto could see the silhouettes of 3 players. One of them obviously had to be the archer that shot him but it was not only that as the next attack sent a barrage of Fire balls his way, making him jump to the side yet again. Furious and already having an idea that this had to be his first encounter with actual Bounty Hunters, Makoto charged towards them. Jumping right and left he evaded shot after shot and covered a good distance until the Archer used a Skill that made a white projectile home in on Makoto and he was unable to dodge it properly as it grazed his side.
You have received a status effect! Blighted: - 35% regen to all until the battle is finished.
"Oh you gotta be kidding me here!" Unable to believe that this archer had the exact Skill that was the Nemesis of his Class, Makoto rolled on the ground again but this time something like a bright colored wave of light hit him squarely in the chest.
You have received 276 Damage from the player ''Hellios''
Already scraping close to the 50% mark and with reduced healing, Makoto knew it didn''t look good considering he still had not reached this group of 3. Again an arrow flew past him, only millimeters away from hitting his side. Facing complete despair and unable to advance any further, attack after attack destroyed his health slowly but surely until Makoto decided to retreat. Trusting his high Agility he ran off in a Zigzag pattern but then something happened that ruined it all. An arrow, seemingly following a thin thread, was able to hit at the back of his knee while he was mid-sprint.
You have received 198 Damage! You have received a status effect! Cripple: -30% movement and attack speed until the battle is finished.
Screaming out his anger and frustration, Makoto limped away as fast as he could but it did not take long for yet another fireball to hit his back.
You have received 221 Damage from the player ''Kalaros''
Falling to the ground under the constant barrage of these ranged attacks he was unable to do anything, all he could do was watch his healthbar slowly decline. Grinding his teeth and cursing the name''s of these Bounty Hunters over and over again, Makoto''s health finally reached 0.
You have been killed! Your body will stay behind for a maximum of 24 hours as you have been killed by someone who accepted the Bounty Request on your head! You are unable to respawn until either 24 hours have passed or your body has been successfully delivered to the nearest Magic Institute.
Immediately logging out and jumping out of his capsule, Makoto ran headfirst against a wall and screamed his lungs out. "Fucking bullshit!" -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
That is the Chapter for today! Hope you enjoyed and next Chapter will probably be completely Real Life based! If I made any mistakes, you have a question or just wanna write something to me, don''t be shy and just comment below :D love reading comments. See you all tomorrow! Chapter 25: True Colors ----- Chapter 25: True Colors It took Makoto a while to calm down. The thing is, his anger did not come from actually dying, or from the hatred he felt towards those Bounty Hunters, no. It stemmed from his own weakness, his inability to do anything while he slowly died. They had been more prepared than him, had more experience fighting other players and ambushed him, the stakes had been against him from the very beginning. Sure, he had killed Drake and his party but he never actually fought them head on, never was he on the receiving end of tactics and teamwork, until now. Determined to get as much information as possible while he was unable to enter Azalon, Makoto turned his PC on and surfed the forums in search for overall knowledge about the classes in Azalon. Soon enough he found what he was looking for, different Skills from the basic classes like Warrior, Mage and Archer showed themselves. First he was confused until the truth kicked him in the face like a wild horse. Every class he read about listed at least 5-6 Skills that they learned when attaining their class. They were simple Skills sure enough but that didn''t mean that they were bad, an Archer would learn the Ability ''Scattershot'' for example, it was an AoE and the Damage increased greatly with each level of the Skill. Also, another thing he noticed was that these Skills naturally corresponded with the actual Class the person had but there was at least 1 Skill that could be used in emergency situations. A Warrior only had close range so they received the Skill ''Sword-wave'' which extended their reach, enabling them to hit targets even 10 feet away. The Mage class had the Skill ''Earth shell'' which allowed them to instantly create a wall around themselves to block off any melee attackers. And finally, the Archer had not only a tracking Skill but also a short dash which made it possible to escape melee attackers, if only to attack once more. All in all, every class was well balanced, even when they specialized on range or close-combat. The demerits of Makoto''s Class became even more apparent as he only had 2 Skills from it to begin with and both of them could not be called versatile at all. Sure he had good regeneration but it would never be able to win against constant ranged attacks, and if he could not even reached his attacker what use was the chance to practically always inflict the ''bleed'' status effect. Makoto''s Class was Unique, but if that really was a good thing at this point was questionable. The Archer from those Bounty Hunters probably used his tracking Skill to find Makoto, it was not explained too well how it worked but as he understood it, the Skill was like a radar that beeped the closer you got to your target. That was probably the best way to describe it when he never used it before. He also doubted that they followed him from Marahel as they would have had to cross the river just like him and he never even noticed anyone following him. They probably came from Elisante, the tracking Skill allowed the knowledge for the general direction of a target as long as you knew the name of said target and got close enough to it. One thing that lifted his spirits again was reading another blog and finding out that after reaching level 25 you would be able to advance your class, even though he had no idea how that would work with his unique class it was good to know that he was not too far off anymore to possibly increase his overall survivability. Makoto sat before his monitor until the morning sun started to blind him. Deciding that it was time to go to bed so he would wake up in time to go over to Veronica''s, he turned off his PC. His mind was still occupied for a good bit, insecurity if he maybe lost one of his items, anger that he would be back where he started and anxiety concerning the time with Veronica, all coursed through him. ..... Makoto woke shortly after midday. He had only rested for a few hours, setting his alarm clock for 3 pm, sleep took him once again. Dreams, dreams about her. Veronica. Both mysterious and beautiful, a deadly combination. No one could really fault him for falling for her, sure enough he was shy but even he knew pretty when he smelled it. He wanted to know more about her, feel her skin, listen to her past. But all he ever got from her was lies, petty lies. Evading his questions, never answering, lying. He would need to teach her manners, the carrot and the stick, maybe a bit more of the stick. Letting her feel the pulsating end of his stick. His dream turned darker, more vicious. Instead of her beautiful face he saw her crying, begging for mercy. It excited him. Anger went through him, anger that she dared to resist, dared to lie. Burning anger. Fire that went through him, like the rage of dragons, seething hot and never ending. Together with the anger a screeching sound started to resound in his head, getting louder every second, further fueling his anger, more stick, more sound, more begging. Drenched in his own sweat, Makoto finally awoke, his alarm clock right beside his bed was incredibly loud and his ears already started hurting. After putting the annoying thing on snooze he stopped for a second, the fleeting memory of a dream escaped his mind. Unable to remember what it was he decided to forget about it, it probably wasn''t anything important anyways. There was more important things to do, like getting ready to visit Veronica for example. Taking a quick shower and putting on his best clothes, Makoto could feel a strange sensations in his stomach. Not happiness or being nervous but a mix of both. At 5 pm he was about to leave from his apartment when his phone rang and for the first time ever, Veronica called him. Picking up and holding the device against his ear, he could feel how his throat closed up. "Y-Yes?" Makoto stuttered, unable to help it. "Hey Makoto, sorry about this but I have to cancel, something came up." Surprised, he was stunned for a second. "W-what happened I mean we have planned this for a while now a-" "I know, I know, listen. I will tell you on Monday so no worries, see you until then, I have to go now." And just like that she ended the conversation. Looking at his phone, for a second he could feel anger creep in around the edges of his mind until he pushed the feeling back. Sighing deeply, Makoto decided to still go out, there was no telling when he would be able to respawn again so it was better to just wait until 24 hours passed. Stopping before his mirror, he looked at his thin and weak self in the reflection. Who could really blame her for calling it off with someone like him? Anger went through him and he could see how he automatically clenched his hands in the mirror. Again he heard the voice of Veronica in his ear, telling him she had to cancel and his rage increased. Still pissed about the actual situation, Makoto was about to turn away when something he saw in the mirror made him stop. A red glow had been inside of his eyes just for a second there. The rage inside of him disappeared, instead confusion took its place and he looked into his own eyes but they were like always, normal. After a few seconds Makoto decided that he must have imagined it and left his home. ..... It was the last day of January, a heat wave had been going through the city since Thursday and everywhere you looked, kids ran around only wearing their shirts, it was nearly 60¡ã Fahrenheit after all. There was a park not far from his home so Makoto decided to visit it, the sun was about to go down and the sky had turned orange. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. A comfortable breeze went through his clothes and he watched a group of kids play tag, the laughter of children and happy smiles of parents all around created a nice atmosphere. Looking up into the bright orange sky a sudden shout nearly made his heart stop. "Hold it! You goddamn thief!" Spinning around on the back of his feet, Makoto looked behind himself. A girl, not older than 19 was running after a man that held a suspicious pink purse, both were headed in his direction. Before the obvious thief ran past him, a sudden instinct kicked in for Makoto. Like a stranger in his own body, Makoto watched himself side step and face the running man. As if he had trained it his entire life, he quickly spun on the spot with blazing eyes and his right leg shot forward, hitting the man directly into his stomach while he was mid-sprint. A surprised "Uff!" could be heard when Makoto stopped him like that. Coughing and holding his abdomen, the thief dropped the purse and ran off. Looking after man, Makoto began to realize what he did. Staring at his own hands completely stunned, only one thought went through him. He had reacted just like he normally would in Azalon, no hesitation at all. Before he had time to think about what actually happened just now, the girl finally caught up to Makoto and stood there for a few seconds, short on breath. She was no doubt beautiful, long brown hair, petite complexity and sapphire blue eyes. Her skin tone was a good bit darker than his own and the thing that stood out most about her was the shorts she was wearing, revealing a pair of long and full legs. It was no exaggeration to call them his perfect legs, slender and thick at just the right parts. With a bit of willpower he forced his eyes away from her thighs and instead looked into those sapphire blue eyes of hers. "First of all, wow. I don''t think I saw anything like that in my entire life, that was pretty fricking awesome." Her eyes lit up with visible excitement when she talked to Makoto. "Secondly, thanks for your help. Appreciate it as no one else seemed to give two shits about my purse, been chasing the fucker for 2 blocks already but you were the only one who actually tried to stop him. Society my ass, should be called Bystandety really." Listening to her talk, he couldn''t help the smile that creeped on his face. Naturally the girl noticed his smile which stopped her rant and her cheeks got visibly red. "Anyways... sorry bout that, it''s a bad habit I know but sometimes I just go on and on about things without noticing. My name is Loren by the way." The girl said, stretching out her hand. With another smile he completed the handshake and replied. "Hi, I''m Makoto and it''s alright, after experiencing something like that I don''t blame you." Surprised of how smoothly he talked with this gorgeous girl, Makoto watched her bend down to grab her purse while getting an incredible view of her legs and behind, those shorts really didn''t hide much at all. "Do you wanna walk with me for a bit?" Loren asked, still a bit embarrassed about her earlier rant. Nodding and motioning her to lead the way they walked side by side while talking about themselves. Makoto naturally told her that he was currently in College attending a History Course and that he did not practice any martial art which surprised Loren. She didn''t seem to fully believe him, maybe she thought he was just being modest about it. They walked slowly through the park while talking and he was able to find out that she recently moved here with her family and that she was looking for work. "College didn''t really seem to be my thing so I went straight to work after High School. Worked in a Coffee shop for a bit over a year as my dad was friends with the owner until we moved. Gotta say it''s a lot more crowded here in the big city." Loren said while looking at the surrounding skyscrapers, a somewhat lost expression on her face. Unsure how to continue after a statement like that, Makoto waited for a few seconds and was about to say something when she beat him to it. "You wanna get some Ice Cream? Haven''t had it for nearly a year now." She asked while pointing to a nearby Ice Cream Van that was about to close shop. Soon enough both Makoto and Loren were sitting on a bench and licking the cold but delicious dessert. He was not sure if she was just teasing him or not but the way Loren ate her Ice Cream would have made any modest woman blush and shield her eyes. Unable to look away he watched her work the thing, her tongue and lips playing a dangerous game. Makoto was able to see the smile on her lips as she seemed to be very well aware of his stares and she continued to eat her melting Ice Cream somewhat seductively, it really didn''t help that she got Vanilla either. Loren giggled after seeing the way he looked at her during all of that and threw a smile his way. Trying his hardest not to make any comment about what he jut witnessed, Makoto decided to quickly eat his own cone and be done with it as quickly as possible. Only the image of Veronica in his mind stopped him from imagining too many wild things. Overall they talked a bit more as the sky above them slowly turned dark and he had a good time. "Alright, I gotta go now, see you around Makoto." Loren said and he was about to wave her goodbye when a sudden feeling made him freeze up. Instead of stepping away and waving while saying your goodbyes like people normally did, she had stepped closer and her lips found his own in only a heartbeat. He could feel her hot breath enter his mouth and like a jolt of electricity he quickly put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her closer while desire overwhelmed him. The softness of her lips, her tongue touching his. It all melted into a bright and warm sensation that traveled through his body until she finally stepped away. "Color me surprised, you are a lot bolder than I thought, daring to put your tongue into my mouth when I only meant to give you a quick kiss as a thank you for before. I will remember that." Showing Makoto another bright smile while her cheeks started to burn crimson red, Loren waved him once more and walked away. He stood there for more than a minute, looking at the back of this girl that just stole his first kiss. Stunned, mentally and physically, Makoto did not move from his spot for nearly half an hour, playing the still fresh memory in his mind over and over again. His heart still longed for Veronica like before but something else inched its way into his mind, it was a small image of Loren''s face, a face that burned itself into the back of his head. Unable to help it anymore a grin appeared on his face. He probably looked like a complete idiot right now but for once, Makoto couldn''t care less what people thought of him in Real Life. He was just happy. -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Chapter of today! Little late as i had to write half of it this morning, that is what I get for binche watching season 1 of Game of Thrones XD. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this little IRL Chapter. If you got any comments, advice or questions, don''t be shy and comment them below :D. Also, I just noticed that the 3 week anniversary is soon enough so I will try to squeeze out another double Chapter! Wish me luck! Chapter 26: Shadows Follow I did it! First Chapter of today! ----- Chapter 26: Shadows Follow It was Sunday, more than 24 hours had passed since Makoto died at the hands of those 3 Bounty Hunters and he would finally be able to go back inside the game. While putting on a new shirt he looked into the mirror and remembered about his eyes and the kick from yesterday. Just what was happening to him? Could it be that he had retained some kind of muscle memory from playing Azalon? But why would his eyes glow red just like in the game then? Unsure, he decided to look online if he could find anything about what he was experiencing, after kicking the thief from yesterday like that without any prior training, there was definitely something going on. His search though turned out to be fruitless, there was nothing to be found, not on the actual website nor the forums. After over an hour of searching without finding any clue, Makoto decided to keep it in mind as currently it was pointless to pursue if he had no idea what it really was. He had already tried getting angry but you could hardly fake real anger so the posing and angry faces he pulled before his mirror had also not brought up any new revelations. Still concerned if what he was doing was the right thing, Makoto entered his capsule, delving into the world of Azalon. ¡­.. Makoto returned back to Marahel where he started his journey. It was more than a bit frustrating that he would have to walk all of that distance again. One good thing was that Lilliana and Sanja were nowhere to be seen, he really didn''t want to explain to them why exactly he was back in town again. Everytime you died in Azalon there was a punishment, you would lose experience, could drop a level, ''Neutral'' and ''Good'' players had a minimal chance of dropping gear while ''Chaotic'' players had a bigger chance. Right away he checked his gear and experience bar, it didn''t surprise him that he dropped back down to level 18 even though he was still close to 19. Luckily enough, Makoto did not lose any of his equipment, that would have been a pretty big loss after already losing so much game-time and experience. Playing with the idea of maybe getting a Task to shoot back up to 19, he decided to visit the Inn. As always there was no greeting or nice words of welcome from the Innkeeper, only silence. There was no change with the Tasks, just the usual level 15-18 hunting Tasks, too low for his taste. About to leave the establishment, his eyes fell on the Bounty-Board out of an old habit and what he saw made his eyes grow large.
Kill the Heretic!: Current Bounty Hunters: 12/100.
It had been reset. His Bounty Request had actually been reset. Until now he had thought the issue would have been dealt with after dying once and making the group of 3 practically the richest players in the game but no, his bounty still counted and was reset. "You gotta be fucking joking me here!" Unable to contain his fury, Makoto practically dragged the Innkeeper to the Bounty-Board and put the man''s face against his Bounty request. "Explain!" Was all he said and the taller man clearly struggled under his unyielding grip. "It seems to me they issued the Bounty Request more than once, it is highly unusual but since you foreigners always come back, it has become more and more popular. That is all I know, if you want to get further answers you have to visit a Magic Institute and now please unhand me!" Clearly enraged, the Innkeeper wrenched himself free from Makoto''s grip and went back behind the counter he had been rudely dragged from. "Just how rich was the Blood Moon Church..." Unable to believe how unlucky he was while cursing the Cardinal many times over, Makoto left the Inn in quite the hurry. Judging by the low number of people that accepted the Bounty Request on his head a second time, Makoto''s guess was that most of the players did not expect this option on Bounty Request just like Makoto himself. The people that killed him had to drag his body all the way to the Capital as it was the nearest city with a Magic Institute, if they noticed that they could accept the same Request again then they would already be on their way to Marahel. With a bit of luck he still had some leeway until they got here and he would be able to cross the river. Going far enough east and south so he would escape their tracking Skill, that was his new objective. Sure he had the option to go north and try it that way but that was uncharted territory, he had no idea if the lake would not just stretch for half a day or if he could even cross the damn thing. If he went south he would at least know the way. Right now, in a hurry and with constant paranoia, Makoto would rather travel the same path again to cross the river and then take a detour than the other way around. Practically running and looking over his shoulder every few minutes, Makoto was able to reach the riverbank he had been at before in record time. He was looking at the rushing water and about to jump in when his instinct warned him. Twisting his whole body so he fell to the floor, an arrow lodged itself in the soft riverbed before his feet. Looking back, behind him he saw a familiar party of 3 running towards him, clearly unwilling to let him go. How they had even found him was beyond Makoto. Without thinking about it or hesitating any longer, he jumped into the river and the strong current got a hold of him in only a few moments. He was traveling a lot faster than he would ever be able to on foot, leaving the 3 players far behind him. It was extremely risky as he nearly drowned a good dozen or so times but Makoto decided to stay inside the cold water for more than an hour after which he used all the power he was able to muster to escape the deathly clutches of said river. Shivering from head to toe, Makoto dragged himself on the riverbed and needed a good moment to get his head back into the game. A quick look on his map confirmed that he was incredibly far south now. Way out of the reach of any tracking Skill hopefully. After the dizziness inside his head subsided, Makoto started his Journey East again. He was incredibly far south now but not that far from the Capital anymore, luckily for him he would have had to travel south at some point anyways to reach Elisante. Just like last time, there was no forests anywhere close, only fields with a few Dire Plain Wolfs patrolling and a bizarre green creature.
Living Carsureus Plant: lvl 18
Makoto saw the letters but he could not believe that it was actually a plant. The closer he got, the more details revealed themselves to him and he was able to see vines that forked into thick packs, resembling something like muscles. The whole thing seemed to be made out of these vines that snaked all and every direction, tangling and mangling together in the strangest of ways, creating a living and walking creature. Unsure what to expect he readied his sword. The thing noticed and looked at him, its head had two empty sockets where the eyes should have been and with a mouth gaping open wide, it lunged towards Makoto. The blow itself was not heavy and he was able to block it with his sword but it attacked fast, jabbing left and right in a rhythm too quick to follow. More than once he received a vine hand into his sides, unable to block every single hit.
You have received 102 Damage! You have received 95 Damage! You have received 79 Damage!
The hits could be called weak but the incredible attack speed made up for it by a long shot. He blocked on purpose for a good while, letting his regen kick in while observing these movements, too fast for any normal creature. After half a minute he used a clean slash and one of the thing''s arms fell to the ground, it had been a calculated and swift move. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Slightly proud he watched the creature stop and look at its own shorter arm. Only moments later vines started to form a new hand and it continued attacking, wiping the smile from Makoto''s face. Every time he attacked, the thing healed, he did little to no damage to it as the system windows only showed minuscule numbers. An idea formed in his mind and after stabbing its body a few times a sudden Critical hit confirmed his suspicion. "So you are the first ''weakness'' type, I see." He spoke more to himself than to the creature while attacking the spot around its chest where a man''s heart would normally be without mercy. Critical hit after Critical hit followed and soon enough the plant monster broke down on the ground, leaving behind a few of its vines that he put in his Inventory. The Living Carsureus Plant Monster had been a special kind, it had a regenerative body that would regrow pretty much everything, only the area around its chest was vital and could actually hurt the thing. Abilities such as extreme regeneration and the vulnerability of one specific area would normally be associated with bosses, as they generally had a bigger build, allowing for an easier area for the player to attack. In Azalon even a normal monster could have these characteristics simply because the players did not have to fight with mouse and keyboard but instead had an actual able body. It allowed for precise attacks, with precise timing. Gameplay in a Virtual Reality game could be called the one and only selling point of any game, it did not even have to be RPG based like Azalon. Right now only a limited number of people played Azalon as it was incredibly expensive but cheaper capsules and lighter equipment to enter this world would reach the market in the middle of February, allowing even the average High School student easy access. As far as Makoto knew, the current number of players only reached in the 50 thousands, with the middle of February, 50 million more would join the Server. When cities already felt crowded right now they would be bursting with players in 2 weeks. Wiping his sword clean, Makoto engaged a Dire Wolf this time. He was already used to their style of attack and had no trouble in evading left and right while cutting the beast into tiny pieces. Naturally he was now always on the lookout for potential Bounty Hunters while steadily heading East. The number of Dire Wolfs increased, packs started to form and Makoto began to have serious troubles. Only after killing a pack of 10 Dire Plain Wolfs did he reach level 19 again and not only that.
The Skill ''Blood Rejuvenation'' has leveled up!
The Skill ''Curse Blade'' has leveled up!
Blood Rejuvenation:
Bathing in the blood of others you are able to find new Strength even during extended skirmish and battle.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level6 (1%)
Skill Effect:0.35% max health restored every second for every 2% missing health.
Curse Blade:
Enchanting your blade with a secret curse your every strike will lacerate the enemies flesh, bringing unbearable pain and misery to your opponent.
Skill Type:activeSkill Level7 (2%)
Skill Effect:+65% more Chance to inflict the ''Bleed'' status effect.
Additional Effect:+40% more Damage and longer Duration when inflicting the ''Bleed'' status effect.
Extra Effect:+5% Chance to inflict a random status effect.
Uses:25 Mana per attack
His ''Curse Blade'' Skill stopped gaining a higher chance to inflict the ''Bleed'' status effect with this new level up and instead he gained the chance to inflict a random status effect on top of it. This was actually the first time he had heard of something like this. Normally Skills would increase and give you better benefits but not new ones, Makoto was unsure if it was with every Skill like that when you leveled them up enough or only with ''Curse Blade''. Never the less it pleased him, it made the Skill a lot more interesting, especially because it said ''random''. If it was random could he not also inflict deadly status effects too? The thought alone made a devilish smile appear on his lips. The regeneration from ''Blood Rejuvenation'' was no joke either at this point. Falling below half health allowed an insane amount of regeneration, just 5 seconds equaled a health potion at this point. In a way just this one Skill made it totally worth to pick his Class. Was this the reason why he only had 2 Skills, because one of them could be called too good? Remembering how one Archer had made a complete fool out of him before, he was not sure if that was really fair. Clearly there was an easy way to counter it and Makoto had a feeling that there probably was an item that would put the same effect on an enemy player, maybe it did not exist yet but if he could smear his blade with poison why not get the same only with the ''blighted'' status effect? Deep in thought he nearly did not hear the Dire Wolf until it was too late. Kicking the mutt in its ugly face, Makoto revealed a bloodthirsty grin. He needed to reach level 25 as quickly as possible to stand up to those Bounty Hunters. Wielding his sword with both hands he used a practiced feint to make the Wolf back off out of fear, only to then step in and shove his blade down its stinking throat.
Critical hit! 756 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Slowed: -15% movement speed until the battle is finished.
Thankful as always that his sword''s Special effect kicked in, Makoto pulled out his blade while the Wolf fell to the floor with a yelp. A smile on his face and no mercy visible in his eyes, he butchered the beast alive, even going as far as feeding it its own intestines just to add a little flavor to the fight. Satisfied with the result, Makoto wiped his bloody hands clean and waited for the desecrated corpse of the Dire Wolf to disappear. Wolf teeth and a piece of pelt. Picking up the loot like the good boy he was, Makoto started heading north-east. The Capital was very close now. -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Hope you all enjoyed! It has been 3 weeks now since I uploaded the first Chapter, happy anniversary, yayyyy. :D NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP IN A FEW HOURS Anyways, next Chapter is called ''The Capital'', stay tuned! If you have any questions, ideas or advice, don''t be shy and comment below. :D See you again soon! :drinkT: Chapter 27: The Capital Second Chapter of the day! It will explain a few things concerning Chaotic players so I hope you enjoy it! ----- Chapter 27: The Capital After many hours of battle and travel, Makoto encountered his most dangerous situation yet. It had turned night, more and more wolves started to come out and he had to fight for longer times, the only thing keeping him alive being his crazy regeneration. It went well until he managed to get the attention of 3 packs at once. All in all, more than 200 wolves looked at him from the darkness and immediately a cold shudder ran down his spine. Seeing so many yellow eyes appear out of thin air spooked him more than a little. Naturally he readied his sword but all around him In the grassy field he could see more yellow eyes appear. Makoto quickly lost count so he started to focus on the ones next to him, on the ones ready to jump at him any second now. They circled around him for a good while, testing the waters maybe but how should he really retaliate when he was only waiting for everything to go downhill at any moment. He knew his regeneration was good but as always, he was in no way invincible. Changing the sword in his hand to wipe his sweaty palm dry, Makoto''s eyes shot from right to left nonstop. He wanted to see the first move coming if possible, which is why he was so incredibly alert right now. Thankfully he did not have to wait long. A growl behind him was all the warning he got before his feet automatically moved to the side and a giant black streak shot passed him. Breathing slowly he examined his surroundings again and immediately the change around him was noticeable, the air was full of static electricity and tension. This time Makoto decided to land the first blow and lashed out against one of the bigger wolfves, taking out one of its eyes.
378 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Blind: -20% accuracy until the battle is finished.
Right away, 4 wolves jumped into the circle, each one trying to bite a different part of his body. Twisting his back and wielding his blade like a windmill, a few paws and ears flew through the air, cut loose from their hosts. Growls all around him told him the displeasure of the other wolves and soon enough more and more attacked him in the circle until there was no circle anymore. The only thing left on those grassy plains was bloody madness. He had no idea how long he fought for. Could have been hours, could have been minutes. But at the end of it all the grass was dyed red, intestines of all kinds littered the earth and the only one standing was Makoto. His health was nearly depleted, every part of his skin had deep gashes and bite marks. This fight allowed him to finally reach level 20, in a somewhat trance he equipped his new gauntlets and distributed his stat. Nearly all his armor was in tatters, breathless and hurting all over, Makoto walked past all of those corpses. With a mad grin on his face he poked out every single on of their eyes, opened their bellies and fed each corpse its own innards. His actions could be called completely mad and foul but he didn''t care. A deep and dark voice inside of him was telling him that these mutts should suffocate on their own flesh, even in death. They had dared to go against him. Dared to attack him. Giggling like a madman, Makoto wanted to wipe the blood from his hands but there was not one cloth on him that was clean. He was drenched in Wolf blood from head to toe. Shrugging his shoulders, Makoto put his hand in front of his mouth and started to lick the grimy blood away. Only after both of his hands were clean did he stop and realized just how messed up it was what he just did. Before he could try to piece together the fragile thing that was his mind, after fighting in a life and death battle for way too long, a system message interrupted him.
Your cruel and inhuman actions have pleased the Blood god Ezavaris and he has rewarded you with a title!
Champion of Blood:
Even after destroying his church and angering the Divine Blood God your actions speak for themselves. You have been more ruthless and cruel than all of his followers before. Your distinct instability and madness fascinate the Blood God and he has crowned you his champion on this plane. Your very presence can make grown man piss their pants when they feel your anger. All churches have branded you as a traitor to live itself and deny you any hospitality.
Effect:+10% chance to inflict ''fear'' status effect on your opponents when entering combat.
Additional Effect:+10% Chance to inflict the ''fear'' status effect on your first attack in battle.
Completely baffled at what he was reading, Makoto stared at the system window for a long time. He hated the Blood Moon Church and its God, he hated everything they stood for an now he was crowned the champion of this mad Divine Being? "Delete title ''Champion of Blood''"
Unable to delete titles!
"Fuck!" Enraged he stabbed his sword in the blood soaked ground. "Don''t fuck with me, I don''t care if you are a God or not I don''t want your title! Take it back!" He howled towards the sky. The benefits did not matter to Makoto, but knowing that he would be akin to the people that slaughtered nearly half of Shivercliff with this title... it was just too cruel of a joke... "Take it back you scum of a God!" Makoto screamed, his lungs already exhausted while the taste of blood entered his mouth. It might have been an overreaction, but every time he saw this title, he was yet again reminded of Boran and the look in the man''s eyes. The eyes of a broken man still haunted him to this day. Not being able to save those villagers from Shivercliff had been an emotional trauma he had laid to rest after destroying the Blood Moon Church, or so he thought. But alas, he was now cursed with a Title he did not want. Had he really been as cruel as the system window said? Was he lost in a mindless madness? In a way it frightened him that until now he had not noticed how his actions had been so extreme. Was this really who he was... After about half an hour, Makoto slowly stood and picked up the surrounding loot. There was no other choice but to live with what he got and what he was. In the end he decided to see it as some kind of fucked up blessing and be wary of his own actions, his self control had been rather lax the past few days... Other than that he pretended like he never received the title to begin with. ..... The Labyrinth City of Elisante. A place that had many rumors and even more tales to tell. Makoto stood on a hill and looked at the outside of this thriving metropolis. The walls surrounding the city were simply gigantic, a stone wall of a size he had never seen nor could have ever imagined, the gate alone was 150 feet tall and the walls next to it nearly doubled that size. It was deep in the hours of the night but still he could see the entire city light up the sky like a neon sign. The walls seemed to stretch endlessly to the right and left, only a slight bend was visible from his standpoint. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. It took him nearly another hour to finally reach the gate. Immediately he noticed a whole group of guards and they noticed him at the same time too. "Halt stranger! We will only allow you passage after taking a closer look at you, if you do not comply, leave immediately or we will put you behind bars!" A bit confused about the harsh treatment, Makoto stepped forward and one of the guard pointed at his new gauntlets. "Take them off." Now with a big question mark on his face, Makoto complied and put them in his Inventory for now. Two men of the guard stepped up and turned his hands around, examined them and even rubbed over his skin a couple of times. "He is clean sir." One of the men next to Makoto said and the Captain of the guard nodded, now with a smile on his face. Still confused like before, Makoto asked what that had all been about. "I see you must be new to the Capital stranger, you a foreigner? Well it doesn''t really matter, to cut things short, we checked if you were branded by the Gods of Good. I think you foreigners call it being ''Chaotic''. Whenever a man raises his hand against his neighbor, harms or hurts anyone else except himself, he will be branded by the Divine Beings we call Gods of Good. That person will receive a red mark on the back of his hand, it is impossible to remove it if you do not redeem yourself with good deeds by helping out smaller Villages or Cities for example. You can do that by helping its citizens or by accepting different hunting missions to make the lands safer, the choice is yours in that matter. People who have been branded are not allowed to enter the Capital of Asuria, rules are different everywhere but here it is an iron clad law. So if you ever get branded, know that you can piss right off if you turn up here, even if you are a Bounty Hunter, Chaotics are not welcome!" Thankful for the thorough and good explanation, Makoto put his gauntlets back on and walked through the gigantic gate of Elisante. Immediatly after going through, a crowd of people surrounded him. Even during this late hour the streets were packed with people, Players and NPCs alike. The sheer number of people around him was mind boggling, everywhere you looked there was different attractions, bars, establishments and things to see. Behind the walls there was a whole other world. The Labyrinth city of Elisante got its name because of two fundamental reasons. First of all, close to the center of the city there was an actual Labyrinth, a dungeon players and NPCs alike could travel down to and train to their hearts content without ever leaving the city walls. The other reason for its name was that inside those gigantic walls there was one layer stacked upon the other. There was the normal street, the house that stood above it, the street that ran above the house, the park that was built over the street and so on and so forth. Layer upon layer had been built, different platforms formed with a few holes letting the occasional sky in. Stairs lead up and down each layer at different vantage points and you could step off to another layer at any given time. A maze in the construction itself, that was Elisante. The reason behind it was quite simple, should the walls ever fall, this complex structure would be both a good way to defend against attackers and the perfect stronghold as only residents knew their way around without getting lost. It was a sight in itself seeing a fountain beneath a stadium with a street going over it and another house built above said street. There was shops everywhere, people everywhere, shoving and pushing in every possible direction. Makoto felt a bit unwell, the whole experience was just too much at once so he ascended the stairs, one layer at a time until the masses thinned out, until there was no one left except him. After about 20 minutes of walking he reached the final upper layer and looked at the biggest city he had ever seen. A metropolis and a Labyrinth all at once, both beautiful and beyond understanding. Makoto stood there at the upper most layer, all around him he could see those holes in the structure like the holes of a Swiss cheese, he could see people flocking in one or the other direction in those gaps, more than 50 layers were between him and the ground right now. He also noticed that the number of layers increased the further you got into the actual center of the city, like a very flat pyramid. Funny enough he was able to glimpse the center of the City at the horizon, oh so far away. From his viewpoint he could clearly see how all the layers quickly shrunk until only one thing remained, the Royal Palace of Asuria. There was an incredibly big space reserved just for this one building, no other layers seemed to be allowed to be built near it, understandably. Even from this distance he was able to admire the incredible height and width of the structure, like with everything in Elisante, size seemed to matter most here. Makoto could strain his eyes as much as he wanted, he was still not able to see the other side of the wall even while being as high up as he was right now. One other area that was free of any layers was the Colosseum to the west, he had entered the city from the south gate so he was able to see the gigantic bulding in all its glory. That was where the monthly Tournament would be held, as far as he remembered it would be tomorrow at 8pm Real Life Time. Until then he still would have to attend College as tomorrow was Monday. Something else he would do before entering the Tournament was to take a look at the Labyrinth, it was his fastest way to reach level 25 after all. Makoto stood there for a good while at the top layer, leaning against the railing while he watched the entire city live and breath. Together with this incredible view he was even able to enjoy the dawn of a new day in all its blinding glory. Unable to hide his excitement, an impish smile appeared on his face as he looked at Elisante, exploring all of the city alone would probably take a few months at least. This gigantic City would be his new playground for the time being and he loved it. Deciding that it was time to log out and get some shut eye before College, Makoto went down a few layers until he found an Inn that was squeezed beside a Spa and next to one of the gigantic holes, allowing complete view of all the layers above and below. Inside the establisment only a few players could be seen loitering around. He rented a room at the Innkeeper as that would reward him with a buff if he logged out for more than 8 hours. Giving a quick look to the Task-Board that seemed to take up half of the wall, Makoto was not too surprised. There was nearly a hundred flyers hung up and most of them had something to do with the Labyrinth. He decided to accept all the ones that he could for now and then finally logged out after a good days work. Excitement rushed through him whenever he thought about what the next day would bring him. The Labyrinth and Tournament both in one day, grinning even in his sleep, Makoto could not wait to wake up again. -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Aaaaaaand here is Chapter 27! Hope you all enjoyed and i tried to answer some of the many questions people had about Chaotic players, it will be explained even more at a later date but this should give you somewhat of a picture what you need to do to get rid of the Chaotic status. Bounty Requests shall be explained in Volume 3 as our MC has a tight schedule with the Tournament and all! Kind of surprsied that there is so many people who nitpick against Bounty reuqest and what Makoto should and should not do. Oh well, everything will be answered in time :). Hope you all enjoyed and see you tomorrow! PS: SOOOOO TIREDDDDD!!! D; Chapter 28: Wrath ----- Chapter 28: Wrath Staring at the sandwich in his hands, Makoto was unable to fully enjoy his meal. His thoughts occupied with the dream he had last night. After logging off and going to bed, his mind had been a mess but the voice he pushed in the corner of his mind, the images of him licking his bloody hands, desecrating corpses, they wouldn''t leave him alone. Dreams of blood, gore and his own mad laughter haunted him until the first light of the new day. Makoto was well aware that the beast inside of him had gotten a hold if him again after such a long time, he knew what was happening to him, the constant anger he felt. Again he would have to take his medication. The thought alone turned everything he ate sour, as if he was chewing on dog shit. Surprisingly enough his mind was so far away that he didn''t even notice Veronica as she sat down in front of him. Waving her hand before his face a few times to get his attention, Makoto''s eyes slowly focused on her figure. "Veronica, hi..." He said, a bit embarrassed that he had spaced out like that. "It''s alright, did you not sleep well or something? You seem out of it today for some reason." She asked, a concerned expression on her face while he could feel her hand caressing his thigh. Not comfortable with the sudden approach at all he shook his leg a few times until she withdrew her hand, a displeased look on her face. "Listen, I need to talk with you Veronica. Did something happen on the weekend? Is that why you canceled so suddenly?" Makoto did not want to tell her that at first he only felt anger towards her and later on he got a bit worried that something serious might have happened. "It was nothing really, why don''t you tell me how your weekend was instead?" Dodging his question, every single time. This time it was true anger that coursed through him. "You said on Saturday that you would tell me what happened so tell me what happened Veronica." Unwilling to let her slip away from this one he ignored her question. Right away he could tell that she didn''t like how her usual game had no effect. "Makoto please, I do have my privacy so if yo-" "Tell me. Now Veronica!" He cut her off, he could feel how his voice had risen at the last part and the conversations around him stopped. Seeing Veronica evade his questions for the 100th time was starting to seriously piss him off. Naturally he had intended to tell her about the incident with Loren, just because he felt a bit guilty about how he had turned a quick kiss into something else but now he rather kept that little secret to himself after seeing how she was always so very open towards him. Before playing Azalon he would have never dared to speak with anyone like that but now... his own personality seemed to change at a rapid pace. Even bringing the entire attention of the Cafeteria on himself was not enough to make him flinch anymore, anger towards Veronica was the only thing he felt right now. "Listen, I''m sorry for not telling you what happened but it is a personal matter so please let it rest. Anyways, the Tournament in Elisante is going to be held today, I can''t tell you how long I have waited for this moment!" Veronica said, seemingly unable to see the ice cold glare he was giving her. "I already applied for it and I have to say, the rules are pretty interesting. It is like a duel so if you die you don''t lose any experience, at the same time every participant gets set to level 20 so the stats are the same. It really just shows how good your build or Class really is." Listening to her go on and on about the damn Tournament started to anger him even more. If everyone got set back to level 20 during the fights, would Skills also be set back to a certain level? What about titles? Or equipment? Effort and Money could get you far when everyone''s level did not matter. Veronica did not seem to think so, neither was she taking different fighting styles or tactics into account, it was like listening to someone talking about a game from 10 years ago. Makoto was well aware that he would have a big disadvantage against all ranged Classes in the Tournament. Veronica fought very well, he had seen her fight with the Caravan after all but she was always sticking to a pattern, a series of moves. It was very predictable and he could guess that she would fair terribly at any new or unknown situations as she was not the kind of person to adjust or react quickly. "I really hope that I can get into the Finals, the Price for winning the Tournament is rumored to be nearly 100 Gold, that is enough money to potentially buy a mount when someone finds out how or when to get them, even buying equipment from the best blacksmith in town could be a possibility. I really want to get some new boots if I manage to win, my old ones really nee-" Rolling his eyes he had enough, Makoto stood up and left Veronica alone on the table, He did not even look back to see her agape mouth as he took his leave without saying a word. ..... Looking back at it, he had been incredibly rude in his rage. She probably never meant to offend him in the first place, it could have really just been a personal matter she did not want to tell him, after all they only knew each other for about 2 weeks now. When his course ended, Makoto quickly ran after Veronica an caught up to her in a crowded hallway of the College. "Veronica, please can we talk for a second?" He asked her, slightly short on breath after having to zigzag between so many people to reach her after she stormed off like that. Turning around on her heels she looked at him with cold eyes, clearly angry about what happened before at Lunch. "Well, you are here so talk." She said, folding her arms in front of her and staring down at him. A bit uncomfortable with so many others around them that had stopped to watch the show, Makoto felt a tinge of anger that she played all of this out before them but he swallowed the words he wanted to say and instead kept to what he had planned. "I wanted to apologize for walking off at Lunch, it was rude to just leave when you were still talking." Keeping his head low while saying what needed to be said he looked at her pure white hands. When he got no answer, Makoto decided to look into her eyes and all he saw was the cold of an icy tundra. Without saying another word she turned around and walked away, just like he had before, clearly mocking him with it. Wrath, burning hot like melted iron welled up inside of him, consuming any pity or excuses he had for her in his mind, planting doubt and hateful words for this woman instead. "Is it really so hard to believe that I actually wanted to know what happened instead of listening to you go on and on about this stupid Tournament for the 1 millionth time? For gods sake we have known each other for nearly two weeks and I know nothing about you except your name woman!" Makoto shouted down the hallway after Veronica, uncaring for any others that might hear his words. His face showed a dark expression when he left the building, clouded by anger and regret. Veronica''s attitude and behavior angered him but at the same time it also hurt, he really knew nothing about her except her name. The desire to know more about her and understand her better was always there but she never let him in, never cared to share even one single thing with him except that damn Tournament. ¡­.. When Makoto reappeared inside the Inn, a system window greeted him right away.
You have received the ''Well Rested'' Buff!
Well Rested: +5% max Health and Mana for 6 hours.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. It was an interesting Buff and really useful before going into a Dungeon like the Labyrinth. He had to ask around quite a bit to actually get to the entrance. Not only was there always a crowd of people, but the actual way there involved going up and down a lot of layers, navigating through crowds and also traveling quite a good bit of distance. After nearly three hours that felt like he just went around in a giant circle, Makoto finally reached a set of stairs, gigantic in their dimensions and leading straight down into the ground. Many people traveled up and down those stairs just like him. It didn''t take long to reach the bottom of these long stairs and the moment he set foot on the ground, a system message appeared before him.
You have entered the Dungeon: Eternal Labyrinth.
Makoto found himself in a wide and long hallway packed full with a high number of soldiers and right away one of them broke off from the masses and walked towards him. "Is this your first time here stranger?" The man asked and he decided to be honest, giving a quick nod. "Well, then as it is custom I will explain the Labyrinth of Elisante to you in hopes that you won''t find an early grave. First and foremost, there are 10 floors to this dungeon, each housing different creatures with different Abilties. I know that you foreigners always talk in levels so I will try to explain it that way to you. On the first floor there are monsters ranging from level 20-30, on the second floor it is 30-40 and so on and so forth until the tenth floor. Every floors layout is completely random and changes with the dawn of a new day, should you ever find yourself inside a floor while there is a change in the layout, do not be alarmed as you will be teleported back to this hallway here. The only exception to this is what we call the ''Checkpoints'' where the Dungeon does not change, it involves the hallway and stairs that are at the end of every floor. There is a teleportation gate at every Checkpoint with which you can get back to this hallway here so no backtracking is necassery. Also, should you be confident or more experienced you can use the Teleportation gates that exist here, they lead to every Checkpoint in the Labyrinth but be warned, you will die if you go to a floor that is not appropriate to your level. That should be all, good luck and may the Divines guide your sword." Makoto thanked the man and watched him walk back to his squad. It was quite ingenious in a way, this dungeon alone could serve as a real training ground for the Soldiers of Asuria and they did not even have to leave their City for it. Makoto walked past many rows of Soldiers until he saw 9 stone gates with white mist inside of them on the walls around him, the temptation for him to just go into a higher level floor was quite big but reminding himself that the second floor alone had creatures double his own level was enough to forsake such foolish thoughts. Interestingly enough, even down here there existed an Inn and one or two shops, they all naturally specialized on survival equipment for Players or NPCs who ventured down into the Labyrinth. Already having everything he would need, Makoto ignored a Merchant that was practically screaming into his ear about Health and Mana Potions and descended down another flight of stairs. Gripping his sword tightly he walked down a long hallway until reaching a cross section, he could either go to the right or left. Around him were still the same walls but he had now clearly reached the actual Labyrinth. After looking both directions he decided to go right, a quick look on his map confirmed that he was indeed able to see the way he had already traveled, which would allow him to backtrack if need be. After two more intersections, Makoto encountered his first Enemy down here. It was a humanoid, wrapped over and over in bandages that trailed behind the thing like a cloak. The Letters above its head spelled the obvious.
Undead Mummy: lvl 21
This was actually the first time he encountered an undead creature, in other games undead could play a big role, from being the menace of all creation to the usual enemy you find in every dungeon, it was a wide spectrum but everyone loved and hated them at the same time. Readying his sword, Makoto looked at the slow moving thing that was still oblivious to his presence. He decided to capitalize on this opportunity and ran towards it, giving it a quick slash over its back while having ''Curse Blade'' activated.
345 Damage dealt! Unable to inflict the ''Bleed status effect!-
Surprised about the message he took a step back and waited for the Mummy to turn around. In a way it made sense, why would an Undead Creature be concerned with losing blood when its heart did not even beat but at the same time it took away a part of his fighting style The Mummy turned around slowly but the moment it saw Makoto, the white and dead eyes in its skull turned red. Letting out a horrible scream it dashed towards Makoto with surprising speed and tried to grab him. Stepping quickly to the side he executed a low slash and destroyed one of its knees.
Critical hit! 651 Damage dealt!
The status effect ''Cripple'' was not triggered for some strange reason and Makoto could hear a disgusting crunch when the Mummy put weight on the destroyed joint but nonetheless, its actual speed had not decreased. Jumping from side to side he tried his utmost to not get grabbed by this thing, judging by how it still put so much weight on an already destroyed knee it sent a shiver down his spine trying to imagine how he would get rid of the hand that would be grasped around his own arm. After a few more slashes to the already damaged knee he was able to chop the whole thing off, finally getting the system message he had been waiting for.
298 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Cripple: -20% movement and attack speed until the battle is finished.
The difference was apparent right away as his opponent tried to put weight on a nonexistent leg and nearly fell to the floor after losing its balance. Without too many problems he was able to put the Mummy to rest in the end. He had learned his lesson in this one fight. There was indeed enemies that were immune to certain status effects so he could not trust in it just because he had leveled a Skill quite high. It was a good experience for him and showed a glimpse of what awaited him down here. Shouldering his sword, Makoto walked deeper into the Labyrinth, eager to increase is level and to fight new enemies. -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Hope you enjoyed! As always if you have any questions ask below, we are getting closer to the Tournament and also the end of Volume 2! See you all tomorrow! :goodjob: Chapter 29: Friends and Foes ----- Chapter 29: Friends and Foes Truth be told, Makoto saw a lot of strange creatures in the Labyrinth. The Undead Mummy had only been the beginning, soon enough he encountered a strange deer sized Dog with two heads.
Failed Crossbreed: lvl 23
It was quite disturbing reading its name as it was called a ''failure'' even by the game itself. Fighting the giant dog was not too hard, his ''Bleed'' had a pretty good effect on it. During all of this there was always this voice inside of him he tried to suppress, telling him to do grotesque and disturbing things but Makoto ignored it as best as he could. Banging his own head against the nearby wall, a ringing sound filled his ears, drowning out the whispers of carnage and madness. The more he fought, the louder the whispers got. Slowly but surely his actions got crueler, slicing deeper, giving the creatures more pain. After shoving his hand down into a Labyrinth Boars throat and pulling out its tongue with his bare hands the whispers subsided and disappeared. He was bathed in blood when he found himself again, holding a soft piece of flesh in his hands that he dropped to the floor, disgusted and confused. Makoto was close to level 21 now but he could only remember a few moments of the last few hours inside the Labyrinth. Real concern clouded his mind and he clenched his fists. It was frustrating going through all of this again, experiencing everything like he was a stranger in his own body. Sighing deeply, Makoto continued down the maze, one look at his map showed that he was deep inside the first floor, a zigzagging path lay behind and in front of him now. The different Tasks he accepted still had not been completed so he ran through the maze, not looking for the exit but rather for things to fight. Soon enough he encountered another new enemy.
Lizardman: lvl 24
Just like their name said they were humanoid lizards, having a short piece of cloth around them and wielding chipped stone blades. The first group he encountered numbered only 3. His incredible regeneration and reactions saved him as these lizardmen were quite quick and agile with their weapons. He really could feel the difference in the Artificial Intelligence of these Monsters as their fighting style an behavior got better with every single level. In a short time he was in a fierce battle with an especially witty lizardman. Fighting against two small daggers and quick hands with only one sword was no easy feat. After nearly 10 minutes he was able to duck under two quick stabs and rammed his sword into the things heart. Looking at the dead body disappearing before him, Makoto had some real doubts if he was even fighting a simple AI anymore. Every battle took time and a certain toll on his mind now. The Tasks he had accepted seemed to stretch endlessly as the fights got harder the deeper he went into the first floor. Soon enough the walls widened and he was fighting more and more enemies. 10 Lizardman at the same time turned out to be one of the hardest battles he ever fought, his Sword was constantly on the move, wielding it sometimes with one and to block heavier attacks with two, a hurricane of blades started to fly around him while he dodged through many deadly strikes. With his eyes close to the back of his head like he was in a trance, Makoto made precise steps in every which direction while his arms flayed around him, wielding his sword like a madman. Lizardman tails, hands and heads got chopped off one after the other while they hacked at him from every side, trapping him in a circle of steel. A wide smile was visible on his face while blood splattered on the ground. He even went as far as biting the neck of one of the lizardman and the taste of iron entered his mouth when he pulled his head away, the poor creature held its gushing neck, trying to stop the life essence from leaving it forever. With a somewhat finality it broke down on the ground, a hand still pressed on the throat and Makoto''s eyes returned to their original position. Spitting out the mouthful of blood, a confused and frightened black haired player with red eyes found himself again. It was getting worse. A lot worse, but he had to fight it. Steeling his will and piecing back his mind he looked around himself, corpses littered the floor and his whole body ached, countless wounds were healing at a rapid pace because of his ''Blood Rejuvenation'' but still, the pain remained the same. Wiping the vile blood away from the corners of his mouth, Makoto went deeper into the unknown. At some point he noticed the group that followed him. In a way he had expected to meet another player a lot sooner but instead of meeting randomly, this group shadowed him, without showing themselves even after running behind him for more than 10 minutes. After a few moments, Makoto''s eyes suddenly widened. Just like always he had equipped his ring before entering combat but he was still wearing it so if they were following him and he wore this ring... Bounty Hunters. Turning around as fast as possible he looked behind himself and pulled off the ring. It was not clear if they could kill him or not, they were inside a Dungeon but at the same time still inside the city walls so the question if combat between players was allowed could be difficult to answer. Grasping his sword with both hands and looking at the group that was hiding behind a corners bend, Makoto shouted towards them. "Show yourselves! I know that you are there so stop hiding like little thieves!" His own words echoed between the walls and soon enough, a group of 3 players came into sight. One of them Makoto recognized right away because of the gigantic crossbow on his back. "Zergoon?" A shocked look was on the mans face as he looked at him. "Well color me surprised, I guess your name is not Blake after all, Makoto was it?" Zergoon said while throwing his long ponytail behind his back. "Yeah... sorry about that I guess. I didn''t really trust anyone back then." Makoto was more than a bit embarrassed at the current situation, he had not imagined to meet the Archer here of all places but odder things have happened before so he decided to see it as good luck. "So I''m guessing you are also here on a Task? Who are your friends?" He said while pointing at Zergoon''s two companions. "Oh, right. These are Feramish and Alastasia, we party together from time to time." A male in black robes and a female in heavy platemail nodded towards Makoto and then walked off a good distance, maybe to give him and Zergoon some privacy after meeting in a place like this. "Are you also going to join the Tournament?" He decided to ask to keep the conversation running, it was a bit awkward as Zergoon was practically nailing him down with his stare alone. "No, not really interested, man can I ask what your class is? I wasn''t really able to read it when that weird box thing was floating above your head before but I am a bit curious to be honest. Seems like it''s got some kick is all." Still filled with a little guilt for lying to Zergoon, Makoto complied and told him the name of his class and a few small details about his Skills as an apology of sorts. "That has a pretty sweat ring to it, ''Crimson Warrior'' thats a lot better than my rare class, ''Bolt Thrower'' sounds stupid as hell if you ask me." Zergoon said, a little frown on his face. "''Bolt Thrower''? Is that why you can equip such a big Crossbow that it''s like you are carrying a small Ballista on your back? Well some people compensate they say." Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.Makoto jokingly said and Zergoon smacked his shoulder with a laugh. It was like the gap between them had been filled again and they talked about what they went through until now, Makoto decided to share with him about what happened with Shivercliff and the Blood Moon Cult, Zergoon listened with a grim face and put a hand on his shoulder at some point during all of that. "Listen brother, I''m gonna add you to my friends-list, you seem to be running into quite a bit of trouble all the time. If you ever need me just message me alright?" He nodded and Zergoon told him about his adventures after doing like he said. Apparently he had been on the Caravan to the Capital like before when an army of bandits raided the entire thing. Many players got captured together with the NPCs and only a few escaped. He told Makoto that he was rotting in a cell for nearly two days when all the players finally managed to overtake their jailers. After freeing everyone and killing all the bandits, they resumed their journey to the Capital, a lot more vigilant against attacks this time. When they finally arrived in Elisante, Zergoon started to go to the Labyrinth every day since while exploring the gigantic city in his free time. "Zergoon! Let''s get a move on, I still want to get back in time to see some fights at the Colosseum!" Alastasia shouted from afar and motioned Zergoon with one hand. Makoto knew it was time to say goodbye so he smiled and stretched out his arm. "See you soon friend, may the Divines guide your bolts." "You sound like one of those damned NPCs already, did you fry your brain in the sun or something? Anyways, see you soon brother." Shaking his hand with a crooked smile, Zergoon ran off to his group. Makoto opened his menu and looked at the time, he had a bit more than 3 hours to apply for the Tournament before it officially started. Deciding that it was time to leave, Makoto sheathed his sword and threw one last glance to the corner where Zergoon and his party had disappeared to. "See you soon...brother." ¡­.. After navigating through the first floor with the help of his map, Makoto finally ascended the long stairs back up to the bustling and hot city. On a whim he opened his friends-list and messaged Lilliana and Sanja, to his surprise, Lillaina replied nearly right away. -What do you want?- -Can I not just say hello?- -You write for the first time to me and all you want to say is hello, Makoto?- -Alright alright, no need to get your tits in a twist.- -My what?! Jesus you are such a pig do you know that?- -And you are a beauty with a fine ass, can we get this along now?- -...Fine...what do you want Makoto?- -I wanted to ask when you would be arriving in Elisante, I thought maybe you, me and Sanja could party up like old times and explore the Labyrinth together.- -Well if you stop being such a jerk I might consider it.- -So instead of saying rude things you want me to do rude things to you instead?- -Asshole- -Yes I have one and so do you if I remember correctly? Anyways, yes or no Lilly?- -Alright, I don''t think Sanja will mind and we would need a Warrior anyways for a Dungeon so why not, but no more comments about my private parts or I swear I will roast your fucking balls, you got me?- -Jesus, calm down and yes I got you, understood Madam. I shall only mention your fine behind then.- -...You are playing a dangerous game boy...- -And you are playing along so let me have my fun, you know I don''t mean it Lilly.- -¡­- -Anyways, do you know when you guys will be here?- -We should arrive in 5 ingame days if everything goes right, traveled a bit too far north and it is the beginning of a new week so together with calculating work we should be in Elisante in maybe 3 real days.- -Hurry up please, a whorehouse can not pleasure me forever you know.- -WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY YOU LI- Closing the chat window, Makoto couldn''t help but smile. How he loved teasing that girl from time to time. Naturally he was always careful never to go too far but for some reason the occasional joke slipped from his lips, or fingers in this case. In a way it calmed his mind, even after telling her he was only joking, the things he said were not necessarily only lies. After what happened with Loren he had started to see other options except Veronica, naturally he was only joking around with Lilly and his heart still belonged to someone else but he was aware now, awake to the world around him. The Journey to the Colosseum was surprisingly uneventful. Even from afar he could already see the enormous crowd and even longer line for applicants. Joining the back of it all, Makoto looked up and saw the massive colosseum towering high above him. It was made completely out of white marble and the sunlight itself seemed to reflect off it as if it was one big mirror. Already seeing a few white dots in his vision, he decided to focus on the people before him and slowly put one step before the other as the line got smaller. He had to wait over an hour until it was his turn. "Name?" "Makoto." "Alright, here is your number, go through that gate and wait with the rest of the lot until your number is called up." The man behind the counter said while pointing behind him. With a quick nod he followed the other people inside the colosseum until he arrived in a big hall with tables and chairs all around, an incredible amount of players was already packed inside of this spacious hall. Happy to be able to sit after standing around for such a long time, Makoto chose a chair at the back of the hall. Quite a lot of eyes followed him when he crossed the room, his equipment drew a good bit of attention. The number of players was pretty high, there was probably 5 thousand players packed inside of this one waiting room right now but it was not as many as there could have been. As far as he understood it, at the beginning there would be 16 matches held at the same time to weed out the weaker players and so the whole Tournament would not take over a week. In the Quarterfinals, 4 matches at a time would be held and in the Semi-finals only 1 match at a time, so the crowd could really enjoy a good fight. All in all the whole thing could take more than two ingame days, that was 16 hours real life time. If it took that long he would have to stay at home from College for the day. Steeling his nerves for the coming battles while checking out the competition, Makoto waited. And he waited quite a while. Boredom quickly took over while he occasionally looked at the piece of paper in his hand with the number 4635 on it to make sure he did not mishear it whenever a number was shouted from one of the NPCs. After over an hour of sitting around, a sudden shout made him nearly jump out of his chair. "Well look who we have here! An old friend!" Recognizing the voice right away, Makoto turned his head slowly towards the man in full armor who had spoken. The same old arrogant smile was on his face together with an arrogant look in the mans eyes to go along with it. Eyes he had not yet forgotten... "...Drake" -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Hope you enjoyed! Tension is rising! If you got any questions or want to say something to me, don''t be shy and write in the comment section. :D See you all tomorrow. :) Chapter 30: The Tournament Insanely long Chapter! Over 4200 words! Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 30: The Tournament "Look what the cat dragged in again." Makoto said with a smile that did not reach his eyes. Immediately Drake''s grin disappeared from his face. Makoto recognized Dawnwind standing next to him, with a set of new armor and a metal bow on his back. At the other side of Drake stood a tall and sleek man also in full platemail like him but his looked even more expensive. "As rude as ever I see. You better watch your mouth Makoto now that I am one of the Captains of Yggdrasil, wouldn''t want your Mommy to pick up the pieces when I''m finished with you do you?" The laughter of the surrounding participants echoed through the hall and Makoto only gave Drake a cold stare as his reply. Having this arrogant son of a bitch standing before him again only helped to reignite the flames of anger inside of him . His eyes must have started glowing red while looking at Drake as the laughter around him apruptly stopped when everyone felt the cold and cruel killing intent that came from Makoto. Quite a few people tensed up and Dawnwind and Drake even went as far as grasping for their weapons, concern visible on their faces. Seeing them panic so quickly after only giving off such a small amount of killing intent allowed Makoto to wear the arrogant smile on his face this time. "So, I see you traded that Mage bitch for a male this time. Can''t say I blame you for swinging towards men now after I fucked the 3 of you so very thoroughly. I mean you have to admit, your ass must have been quite sore after i killed the 3 of you alone." He said with a smirk on his face while looking at the pretty boy. Dawnwind and Drake are both enraged and a bit embarrassed at his words and fully draw their weapons, only the hand of the sleek man in full armor stops them from blindly attacking Makoto before the Tournament has even started. "Both of you, enough, don''t let his words lead your actions." The man looked at Makoto, put a hand before his chest and gave a curt bow. "My name is Norumis, Leader of the first and biggest Guild in Asuria, Yggdrasil. I have heard quite a bit about you from Drake, some good but a lot of it bad." He said while giving him a hard glare. In a way it was unwise to anger the leader of an entire guild, it was already bad enough that Drake hated him but if he angered their leader on top of that he would surely not come out of it unharmed in the long run. For some reason he could not care less about all of that. Just knowing that someone like Drake had such a high positions in a supposedly prestigious guild was enough to completely twist the image of Yggdrasil for Makoto. "Oh I am sure he has spun quite a lot of tales about me but let me reintroduce myself to you, Norumis, leader of Yggdrasil. My name is Makoto, also called Righteous Demon, Champion of Blood and Slayer of All. Happy to make your acquaintance." Immediately whispers started going around between the other participants of the Tournament like wildfire. Nomuris looked at him for a second before speaking again. "If I remember correctly a system message went through the entire server saying you were the first player to acquire a unique class, is that true?" "Yes that is true, I got it shortly after killing little Drake here for attacking and PK''ing me in a Dungeon without any reason." Quite a few players around showed a disgusted look towards Drake after hearing his words, PK''ers are normally hated by all. Norumis had a displeased expression on his face. "I have to warn you, if you have a problem with one of my Captains you have a problem with the whole of Yggdrasil." Makoto couldn''t help the audible chuckle that escaped his throat. Showing a bright smile on his face, he responded, not fearing the consequences. "Oh trust me, I am not scared of your ''first'' and ''strongest'' guild Norumis. After all, how strong and scary can you really be when I singlehandedly killed one of your Captains together with two of his friends?" Norumis was now visible offended as anger clouded his face. "Watch your mouth boy, you do not want us to declare you as a kill on sight target, trust me." He hissed and Makoto could only show a faint smile for this petty threat. A few surrounding players seemed to be rather displeased of how the situation turned out to be as they started yelling at Norumis. "So just for having a problem with one of your Captains you declare him an enemy of the entire Guild?" "Are you also going to declare us all enemies of your guild so you up your chances for winning the Tournament?!" The voices got louder and louder, Norumis was clearly not happy how things were turning out to be so after looking at Makoto once more and hissing a "I will not forget this" he stormed of with Drake and Dawnwind shortly behind him. All he really had to spare for those three and their guild was his silent contempt. Aggravated a good bit, Makoto shot an angry look at the surrounding players and wished that his number would finally be called so he could do something. After 15 more minutes he finally heard it. "Number 4635 and 1831 please come with me!" Jumping up from his seat and happy that it was impossible for your behind to fall asleep inside the game, Makoto quickly followed the guard. They traveled through the white marble hallways, turning a few times and finally he and the other player entered the Colosseum for the first time. Screams, shouts and the murmur of an incredibly large crowd welcomed him. It was like someone had suddenly turned up the Volume as cheers exploded from the benches and different balconies high above them. Looking to his right, Makoto saw that one of the matches had just ended in an intense struggle so that would explain the crowds outburst. It was still the beginning of the Tournament so instead of the whole entire colosseum ground, 16 small circles had been drawn into the sand, marking the boundaries. Whoever stepped over them would automatically be disqualified. Generally the rules were, whoever was still left standing won, killing or maiming was allowed as this counted as a Duel so no experience would be lost and a priest could easily restore lost limbs. Soon enough, Makoto was facing his first opponent, he obviously won a previous fight because a priest was currently restoring the lower part of his left arm. Done with his work, the Healer quickly ran to one of the many entrances to the ground''s and a man wearing a white robe approached Makoto and his opponent. He was clearly the referee for this match although Makoto was confused why they would even need one if killing was allowed. "Alright, both of you listen. I want a quick and fair fight, no whining, pleading or crying because it hurts, if any of you do that during the fight, I will disqualify you, understood?" Well that explained that. Pretty much, don''t be a pussy. Nodding to show he understood, Makoto drew his sword and his opponent did too. Luckily for him, the first fight seemed to be against a Warrior, not a very good one judging by the way he always switched position to ready himself. His equipment and sword seemed to be lacking too but the look in his eyes was quite fierce so Makoto decided to take it seriously, if he was not careful and was pushed even one foot outside the ring, then it did not matter if he was a better fighter or not. Heightening his concentration, excitement surged through him and the red in his eyes grew stronger. "Begin!" Like a mad dog that was released from his chain, Makoto shot forward with a howl and a frightening grin on his face, killing intent exploded forth and swamped the surrounding players. Immediately he got system window after window saying the same thing.
You have put a status effect on your opponent! Fear: -10% stat reduction until the battle is over.
He did not only inflict this status effect on his opponent but even on his referee and 5 other fights too. Looking at the guy, his sword trembling heavily in hand, Makoto couldn''t help the devilish smile that appeared on his face. Oh how he enjoyed seeing this grown up man tremble in fear to the point where he nearly pissed himself. Status effect were a scary thing inside the game as they could even cloud your actual judgement or plant anger and fear inside of you. It was quite scary thinking that the game was putting these emotions inside of you and that they were not your own. Wouldn''t it be possible to even have a mental breakdown at that point too? Not having the time to ponder about this sudden thought anymore he jumped forward and with one blow disarmed his opponent. "I-I yield! I yield!" The Warrior screamed and jumped out of the ring. Immediately the referee declared Makoto as the winner and cheers broke out above him. He could see thousands of people sitting in the crowd, most of them were NPCs but there probably was a lot of players too that just came to watch a good show. Not even having time to leave the fighting grounds, one of the referees guided him to a different ring with another Warrior waiting, this one was smaller and younger but he had a shield and a short-sword instead of a longsword like the one before. Shields could be called rare currently in Azalon as even just a good sword alone was hard to find. Later on when there was more items found from players maybe even a level 10 noob could afford a shield to go with his sword but right now shields were a scarce sight. Interested, Makoto decided to wield his sword with both hands and waited for the sign to begin. He had never before actually fought against someone with a shield so his expectations were quite high. Sadly he was unable to experience any of it as his opponent dropped both shield and sword and jumped out of the ring the moment he felt Makoto''s earth shattering killing intent. "Tsk." Slightly pissed off he frowned looking after the small Warrior that had given up so easily. Again he did not even have the time to be angry before a referee guided him to the next ring. Seeing the longbow and fierce look on his opponent, hope entered his heart. He was well aware that ranged opponents and especially archers could be called his absolute weakness but maybe he would actually have a proper fight this time around. The moment the sign to start was given, Makoto sprinted forward. With a twist of his body an arrow flew past him and nearly impaled the referee that stood next to him. Letting out all of his killing intent, Makoto was overjoyed to see that the archer still had a steady aim for him. Now this was an actual opponent. Making use of his incredibly high Agility he zigzagged inside the ring while chasing after the archer who used the Skill ''Quick Dash'' as much as he could. Changing his direction mid-step, Makoto managed to finally corner the fleeing man and with only 3 quick slashes chopped one of his arms off, officially ending the fight as an Archer was unable to draw a bow with only one hand. Satisfied with this short bout, Makoto gave a respectful bow towards the archer, an action somewhat unfit for his personality but he was in an excellent mood right now and it was a good fight after all. Finally, Makoto was able to take a quick break in the waiting room with all the other players that were left before his number was called again. Already used to the cheering crowd above him, Makoto did not even feel a slither of nervousness anymore. It was like the sound of a radio, at some point it just becomes background noise. His 4th fight was against a Mage. It turned out to be a rather boring battle as this guy only spammed one Skill without even moving. Seeing this, Makoto decided to mock him even more and approached at walking speed. Every time a fire ball flew in his direction he stepped to the side and continued walking towards the mage. He could clearly hear the laughter in the crowd above him as people realized what he was doing. Makoto was not the only one who heard the crowd because soon enough the stock still Mage actually moved for the first time and started to circle him, still only throwing fire balls at him. With a fake, big and juicy yawn, Makoto mocked the Mage even more which finally seemed to give him the courage to use different spells. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Fire, Ice and Earth was hurled his way and he dodged all of it while standing completely still, his concentration stretched to his utter limit. Feeling that it was time to finish it as he was unwilling to let a lucky hit lose him this match just because he was acting cocky, Makoto quickly ran forwards. With one quick slice he beheaded the shocked Mage and kicked the airborne head out of bounds. Right away the Mage respawned outside of the ring and threw an angry glare towards Makoto which he simply ignored. It was not his fault that the only kick he got out of this fight was the Mage''s head. Smiling over his own play of words, Makoto decided to concentrate on the here and now. The fights all around him ended but no new players entered the fighting grounds. Slowly but surely every one of the 16 fights finished and NPCs came to guide the winners back to the waiting room while preparing the stage for the quarter finals. The winners, still numbering around 500 players including Makoto, all sat on a table in the gigantic hall while servants served different dishes. It was a custom to give hospitality to whomever survived until now, serving food and drinks. At the same time it was also explained that from now on they would shout out the participants names before fighting in one of the 4 matches held inside the Colosseum. Makoto was able to enjoy some good wine with roasted pig before they started calling names and his own rang out. Standing up from his chair, Makoto walked past the remaining players until he saw her. Wrapped inside a tunic and only wearing armor at the most important places, Veronica stared at him. Naturally she was called Ceila inside the game but it was still her. Completely stunned and with an agape mouth she looked at him, still wearing the same blood red cloak like back then. Quite a few things probably fell into place for her but Makoto did not have time to discuss this with her at the moment. Showing a small smile, he walked past her and left the waiting hall. Thundering cheers and shouting was now audible even before entering the fighting grounds. The entire crowd was buzzing with excitement to see some real fights and together with the setting sun, Makoto entered the Colosseum grounds for the 5th time. The moment he saw his opponent he could feel how a stupid smile appeared on his own face but he didn''t care. Seeing Drake inside one of the 4 rings waiting for him was enough to give him butterflies inside his stomach. "Oh I''m gonna enjoy this one." He said more to himself than to the referee that gave him a disturbed look after seeing the bloodthirsty smile on his face. Makoto was practically getting a hard on just thinking about slaughtering this piece of shit. Drake on the other hand did not look happy at all, his face was an empty mask, the polar opposite to his usual self. "What''s wrong Drake, no last words?" He shouted towards his opponent, happy to see his brows furrow. Licking over the flat side of his blade, Makoto could already imagine how it would feel to cut through this bastards flesh and bone. "You know that you are goddamn freak right?" Drake asked in a calm and collected voice. "I know, I''m nearly jizzing my pants thinking about shoving this sword down your throat just like before, don''t forget to swallow this time please, no spilling." Giving the disgusted Drake a wink, Makoto grasped his sword with both hands. The jokes and taunts aside, real excitement and maybe for the first time ever, real desire to kill someone, both rushed through his veins. "Makoto and Drake, are you both ready?" They nodded at the same time and with an incredibly loud "Begin!" both jumped into action. Immediately Makoto noticed the drastically improved movements from Drake as he was running towards him and he decided to use ''Aura of the Beast'' in conjunction with ''Curse Blade''. He knew a real threat when he saw one. The former weakling who did not know how to use a sword was gone, this man in front of him was neither arrogant nor foolish. Drake''s hands were steady and the poker face he was showing gave no way of knowing what he would do next, the complete opposite to Makoto''s own fighting style that was mainly fueled by emotion. He could clearly see the effort that went into those sharp and precise movements, even before clashing swords they were incredibly apparent. With a mad howl and letting his entire killing instinct explode, Drake and Makoto both clashed swords. It felt like both his arms went numb for a moment as if he was hitting against solid rock, unyielding. Clearly impressed he nearly did not see the sweeping attack and only leaning to the far right saved Makoto from losing his own head. Ducking low in the same motion he executed a quick slash to his opponent''s left knee but Drake''s blade seemed to appear out of nowhere as he blocked this strike. "Not bad!" He couldn''t help but say while jumping away, noticing the slight smile on Drake''s face. "Don''t get cocky now pretty boy!" Makoto shouted while feinting a stab, twisting his body and kicking Drake squarely in his side. He could feel how at least one rib cracked beneath his boot and judging from Drake''s darkening facial expression it had been more than one.
231 Damage dealt!
With a quick forward step, Drake covered the distance between them and his blade shot forward while his entire arm started to rotate, following a corkscrew movement. Thanks to this rotation, the sword in his hand gained some extra torque and practically leaped the last few inches towards his chest. Unable to do anything else, Makoto leaned to the left before the sword pierced his right shoulder.
Critical hit! You have received 589 Damage! Your arm has received a status effect! Destroyed: Unable to use ''right arm'' until the battle is finished
It hurt like a motherfucker and it didn''t help that the blade was still rotating inside his shoulder from the initial momentum. Grunting deeply, Makoto used the sword in his own shoulder as leverage as he twisted his body. Drake clearly did not expect that as he was holding tight to his sword, this small window of time allowed Makoto 3 clean attacks, all aimed at Drake''s neck and infused with ''Curse Blade''. Only on the second strike did his ''Bleed'' trigger and on the third he was lucky, the status effect ''Poisoned'' from his sword was also inflicted on his opponent. Clearly shocked about both of those status effects that would easily take nearly 800 hp in the next 30 seconds, Drake started to panic. A few small damage numbers appeared before Makoto as Drake tried to dislodge his sword but he firmly twisted his own body left and right to deny him this possibility for as long as possible. Finally his opponent had enough and with a quick kick to his chest, the wretched blade left his shoulder with a disgusting sound. Growling at Drake, he held his sword in his left hand now, unable to move his right arm even an inch without experiencing excruciating pain. That this was only 10% of the actual pain he would experience with the same real injury was one scary thought. "Talk about tenacity, I gotta hand it to you, you are hard to kill." Drake said as he watched Makoto''s health regenerate at a rapid pace thanks to ''Blood Rejuvenation''. At the same time his own health started to reach rock bottom from both status effects that Makoto had put on him. "Guess I have to play my big game today, Healing Light!" Drake''s shout clearly reached Makoto''s ears but he was unable to believe what he heard and saw as a light descended from the sky and restored a big chunk of his opponent''s health. "You went and got a fucking Paladin class?! Motherfucker!" Clearly amused after hearing Makoto''s angry shout, Drake''s face became solemn again, a mask that did not reveal anything. Seeing the calm and collected Drake like that showed that he had drawn the short end of the stick in that one exchange, his health might be full again now but his right arm had become completely useless, limiting his own options quite a bit. Now that he knew that Drake was a Paladin, the entire fight took a different turn. He could hear the crowd scream and cheer behind him, clearly excited to see such an intense battle. His mind was racing, searching, trying to find a way to win. In the end the final result was an extremely risky plan but it was worth a shot. With only a few steps he shortened the distance between them. He saw the sword coming from a mile away, twisted his body rapidly to let his own useless right arm whip forward it flew exactly beneath the chopping attack from Drake.
Critical hit! You have received 651 Damage! You have lost a limb!
With a disgusting sound his right arm was practically blown off, he could see Drake''s utterly surprised expression and that was the moment he had been waiting for. With a roar he whipped his body around and stabbed Drake into the side, directly where the heart should be while activating ''Curse Blade''
Critical hit! 704 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Bleed: 30 hp every 2 seconds for 22 seconds. Stunned: Unable to execute any action or movement for 2 seconds.
The 5% chance to inflict a random status effect from Curse Blade finally triggered for the first time and there could not have been a better moment for it. Now that Drake was unable to use his healing Skill, Makoto used all of his power to execute 3 slashes in those 2 seconds, dropping his opponent''s health finally to 0. "Winner, Makoto!" The referee shouted and the crowd behind him exploded into a chant while Drake fell to the floor, still a surprised expression visible on his face. Gasping for breath he watched the man respawn next to the ring while a Priest came running to restore Makoto''s lost limb. "Good fight." Was all he was able to say to Drake while breathing as heavily as he did. They were true words, in the end, it had been a great fight. Sure, he still hated Drake''s guts and attitude but he truly enjoyed their little bout of life and death. Makoto could clearly see how Drake''s expression darkened as he looked at him for a second before turning around and leaving without saying a word. Amused by this childish attitude he couldn''t help but shout after him in the same childish manner. "You sore loser! Could at least smile when you enjoyed a good fight!" Naturally Drake did not turn around so Makoto was unable to see the grin that appeared on his face as he left the fighting grounds. Completely exhausted, both mentally and physically he was about to leave for the waiting room when he heard a referee shout for him. "Next up, Makoto against Ceila!" The crowds around them clearly showed their joy while he stood there and looked at Veronica that appeared from the tunnel leading to the waiting room. She really would be his next fight in the Tournament... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Such a long Chapter :O Hope you all enjoyed! Attention! Next Chapter is the second to last Chapter of Volume 2! It will reveal quite a bit! Stay tuned and as always write any questions you have in the comment section! See you all tomorrow! :D Chapter 31: Truths and Lies Let the roast begin! So many people will get mad at me for this but it is an important part of the story so start your rants ladies and gentleman! XD ----- Chapter 31: Truths and Lies Looking at her long golden hair flutter around her, picked up and played with by a sudden gust of wind, Makoto could feel a certain dread of things to come. He had no desire to fight her. Even if it was only a game, he did not want to see her bleeding on the ground or crippled. The grip around his sword was feeble, barely holding on and the look in Veronica''s eyes was as hard as steel. "Why didn''t you tell me Makoto?" She asked, her eyes still unyielding but her overall expression showed emotional pain. "Did you not want to be with me ingame? Was I just annoying to you in College?" Her eyes looked at him accusingly and he tried his best not to shiver, women were scary creatures for sure. "No you are misunderstanding this by a lot, I didn''t say anything because I was still weak, I wanted to be strong..." He knew the excuse was weak and would fall apart quite easily but honestly speaking, even Makoto himself had no idea why he tried to hide his ingame character from Veronica. It was just a gut feeling that had guided him back then, and now he paid the price for it. "Why would you want to look strong in front of me?" She asked, an eyebrow raised and he had to swallow hard to be able to force out his next words. "Because every man wants to look strong in front of the woman he loves." There. He finally said it. Might have not been the smoothest or best moment for it but he said it without even blushing. She didn''t seem surprised about his words and Makoto couldn''t blame her because let''s be real here, even a blind man could have seen that from the way he acted around her. Even though she was not surprised she seemed impressed that he actually said it and a small smile appeared on her face. "Not the wisest thing to say before we have to kill each other." Grinning and giving her a nod, he could only agree. Looking deep into her eyes he put both hands on his sword. "To a good fight." Not breaking eye contact, she also readied herself. "To a good fight." A few moments later, the referee shouted as loud as he could. "Begin!" Still unsure if what he was doing was the right thing, Makoto charged at her as she did the same. With a loud bang, both swords connected and sparks flew all around them. He had to be careful not to let his sword fly loose with this tough exchange. A reflection of light was all the warning he got before her blade shot forward, aimed for his head. Ducking low and slashing against her abdomen, Makoto was able to leave a shallow cut on her body before another attack from her made him jump back and out of reach. Even inflicting pain on the one he loved and seeing her bleed brought him a disturbing mix of excitement, guilt and desire to cut her more. Disgusted by his own feelings he stopped for a moment, distracted. That was enough time for Veronica to make a move.
Critical hit! You have received 576 Damage!
Her sword had cleaved into his side and with a wet sound she removed the metal from the wound. Grunting in pain, Makoto could feel how his compassion towards her quickly disappeared as anger took its place instead. Roaring deeply he jumped forward and smacked her blade out of the way while plunging headfirst towards her. His blade was able to nick her arm for a good bit of Damage, satisfied with repaying the debt he dodged another strike from her while pure killing intent started to rise inside of him. Wielding his blade with both hands, Makoto screamed out his anger while hitting her sword which she used to block the attack. He had put so much force behind the blow that Veronica lost contact with the ground for a good bit as she flew backwards and he jumped after her. Not expecting the move, he ran himself into her outstretched blade after finally reaching her and dipped below half health where his regeneration really started to kick in. Grasping her sword with his free hand he started hacking against her but she dodged every wild sweep and pain shot through his palm as she fiercely pulled her own blade back. "You fight like a crazed dog." Veronica stated, her eyes followed his every move. "And you like a trained martial artist, predictable." Bearing a wide grin he licked over his bleeding palm before it healed shut again. The taste of his own blood sufficed in further heightening his excitement and desire for battle as his eyes glowed in a crimson light. Letting out yet another roar he charged forward, losing himself in an inner struggle of madness and unwillingness to really hurt her. Multiple times his own sword was about to pierce a vital area of Veronica''s body and he hesitated, unable to fully go through with the movement. This tiny bit of resistance inside of him that prevented him from going full throttle, it weakened his attacks and took away a lot of the killing intent. He might have a beast inside of him but he was not a monster, how could he really hurt the one he loved even inside a game? The desire to win and to have a good fight were battling his love for Veronica and in the end, he was just not focused enough, too slow to react, held up by all of these concerns and inner conflicts. Makoto was about to chop against Veronica''s neck, probably taking her head off her shoulders when he looked into her eyes. Deep emerald green stared back at him and at that exact moment he stopped, unable to follow through, unable to watch her die in front of him. The pain followed quickly. While he had hesitated, Veronica did not. Her sword was rammed into his chest until it was stopped by the handle. It was a clean and perfect hit that ripped his heart out of his body, skewing it on the blade that exited his back.
Lethal Hit! You have been killed!
"Winner, Ceil!" That was the last thing he heard before his knees gave out beneath him and darkness as well as a system message followed.
Do you wish to revive?
Selecting ''Yes'', Makoto appeared outside the ring. Veronica was smiling at him while wiping his blood from her blade. "That was a good fight and I was lucky to get a hit like that on you, otherwise it probably would have turned out bad for me with that strange regeneration of yours." Straining his facial muscles quite a bit, Makoto nodded and smiled back. He was currently emotionally torn. Well aware that if he said that he had been holding back during all of the fight she would think that he was being a sore loser. There was also this personal frustration that he held back in the first place. Even if it was unintentional he had spoiled this entire fight, not even giving her the chance to see what he was really capable of and letting her win was surely not something she wished for either. At the same time, he wanted to hang on to that little bit of humanity left inside of him, that tiny bit that had not been eaten away by the beast. It both frustrated and made him happy that he had held back, so with many mixed emotions, he left the Colosseum. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. One thing he did swear to himself just because he felt that it was a pity and unfair to the crowd and himself was that he would return in one month, to once again fight for the chance to win the Tournament. In a way, he had been a fool to throw away this chance he had gotten... Makoto had no desire to watch the rest of the fights so he decided that it was time to log out and get some sleep, tomorrow he had all the time in the world to hear how it all ended from Veronica herself. ¡­.. It was during College again that it happened. Sharing his table with Veronica like always, they had a surprisingly good time. Forgotten was the fight between them, dismissed their previous behavior. Both exchanged stories from ingame, shared a few details and laughed about the other''s awkward situations. Makoto and this blond beauty were sharing a good moment together while her hand found its way to his crotch beneath the table. It both excited and confused him why her hand was pressing against that certain area or why she was being so aggressive, he was not even sure he liked it really but he let it pass and decided to enjoy the moment. What confused him was how she practically ripped her hand away from that area so suddenly and when he looked at her he noticed that she was looking at something to the right. Following her gaze, he was able to see a tall and good looking young man approach their table. He had a good build and was looking at Veronica with a big smile on his face. Completely stunned he watched the man stop before her, lean closer and kiss her right in front of him. She also seemed to be equally surprised in seeing him but responded by kissing him back and putting a hand behind his back to make sure they stayed like that for a good bit. Makoto could feel how his heart tightened to a point where it started to hurt, something he had never before felt in his entire life. "Hey babe, I decided to visit you after work and pick you up for our one week anniversary, hope you don''t mind me stealing you away even though you still have your course but I thought you could skip it for today and we go to that pizzeria you wanted to go to before?" Still dazed about the whole situation, Veronica slowly nodded before responding. "Sure enough, could you wait outside until I am finished with lunch? Me and my friend were still talking too so give me 5 minutes ok?" "Alright, I will meet you outside then, don''t leave me waiting too long with your...friend." The look that was shot Makoto''s way from him was both surprised and confused, maybe he was wondering how someone like him could be a friend to her. After making sure her boyfriend was outside the Cafeteria, Veronica turned towards Makoto and she visibly flinched after seeing his face. "Let me explain first before you ask anything plea-" Makoto interrupted her with a completely flat voice, his heart started to hurt more and more. "Tell me why. Why did you always hint at so many things and never told me you had a boyfriend?" Many people around them stopped talking and watched the scene unfold. He could see her being visibly uncomfortable beneath his gaze. "Well, alright first of all I''m sorry. I just thought your reactions where really cute, I am used to guys hitting on me all the time but you where the first one with such... pure intentions and feelings and I just felt like flirting with you a bit. I wanted you as a friend really but after seeing how you looked at me I just couldn''t... I was unable to just break your heart like that..." "Trust me, it is a lot more cruel finding out like this after hinting at so much all this time. You should have never done that to begin with." Makoto replied, his voice slightly trembled but he could not care less. This was the first time he probably saw her, really actually saw Veronica for who she was. There was this empty and dark void where his heart had been and he could see the same scene play over and over again inside his head, how she was kissing this complete stranger he had known nothing about. "Listen, I am sorry, I know it was wrong teasing you both like that bu-" Veronica''s eyes grew wide after realizing what she had said and she put a hand before her mouth but it was already too late, he had heard her. Right away a new question appeared in his mind, who was this other person, but he didn''t have to think for long. Makoto remembered something he had nearly forgotten, something he had wanted to bury deep inside of him but with that one event, everything fell into place. "I would keep my hands off her if you know what''s good for you, just saying." "Remember my words." Those were the words Matt had said to him some time ago. He had thought that they had been meant to scare him but in reality, they were meant to warn him, warn him about her. It was Matt she had been flirting with, that explained his obsession with her at the beginning. He probably realized what kind of game she was playing after seeing her sit next to Makoto and tried to warn him in his own way. Anger and disgust both started to bloom from this void inside of him, taking deep roots and finally showed themselves on his face. His anger continued to increase to a point where he could feel his hands shaking beneath the table, clenched tightly into fists. "Was it Matt?" He said in a voice a lot calmer than he really felt while staring at Veronica. At this point there was complete silence inside the Cafeteria as everyone watched this incredibly dramatic scene with the most beautiful girl and quietest guy play out. She only silently nodded and with the screeching of his chair he stood up. Not only had he been played with and made a fool, he was not even the only one she did that to. His voice had an underlying deep tone to it and was quite calm while thundering anger blossomed from the void inside of him, endlessly spilling forth like water from a dam that had broken free. "You shouldn''t keep your boyfriend waiting. If you''ll excuse me, I think I will take my leave now too before the desire to slap you gets any stronger. Wouldn''t want to get bitch on my hand now would I?" Leaving a shocked Veronica and crowd behind, Makoto left College and returned home. At this point his rage had risen to an unimaginable point where his entire body was uncontrollably shaking and not only had his eyes taken on a crimson red color but even a visible glow was emanating from them. With a shattered heart and unable to control his raging emotions, his gaze soon enough found the capsule that lead to another world. A world where he could truly let himself go on a rampage... Without taking a second to think about it and noticing a single tear run down his cheek at the corner of his awareness, Makoto stepped into the machine, bringing the wrath of a heartbroken madman inside Azalon... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Alrighty! That is the Chapter of today, next Chapter is called ''Breaking Point'' and it will be the last Chapter of Volume 2! Hope you all enjoyed and if you have any questions (or rants which I higly expect hahaha) leave them below in the comment section. See you all tomorrow! :D Chapter 32: Breaking Point Surpise Motherfucking Chapter!!! BTW holy hell, Azalon is currently 2nd place on Top weekly fictions :O wow. Anyways, this is the last Chapter of Volume 2! Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 32: Breaking Point Just what did he do wrong to deserve that kind of treatment? He was always nice to her, treated her fair and politely. Makoto had only known her for a short while but how could someone do something like that? Hurt someone in such a cruel way and for what? To get a kick out of it? Because she thought the way he responded was ''cute''? Hatred started to fester inside of him, deep and searing hatred. With a blinding light Makoto arrived inside the Inn, his hands clenched to fists while the red light from his eyes illuminated the entire room. The Innkeeper was about to say something when he saw his face and immediately shut his mouth while visibly going pale. Without even giving as much as a short glance to the man, Makoto left the Inn, his destination was the Labyrinth. He wanted to kill everyone around him, seeing a smiling kid made him want to strangle the life out of it, hearing the laughter of a woman that ran a stand made him want to burn down her home and lock her inside of it. Murderous thoughts coursed through him together with the pain of betrayal, the pain of being made a fool by the person he loved. The killing intent he was giving off had to be quite incredible because all around him people stopped dead in their tracks when he walked past them, frozen in fear. No one dared to come near him as they all felt the danger that came with it, for the first time since entering Elisante he had enough free room while walking through the busy streets to even stretch out his arms without having to worry about bumping into someone. His mind was clouded, filled with so many things at once that he did not even remember how he finally reached the Labyrinth. Before going down the stairs a new system message surprised him.
For your outstanding desire to kill everything around you and your incredible emotional struggle you have unlocked a new Skill!
Realm of Madness:
True terror is not the predictable evil but the unpredictable that will haunt you forever. Madness is a murderer''s best tool.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level1 (43%)
Skill Effect:All projectile based attacks aimed at you will be slowed by 5%.
Additional Effect:+7% Resistance to ''Fear'' and ''Illusion'' status effects.
He read through it once and dismissed the window right away. The thought if it was useful or not had no chance of even entering his mind as constant turmoil and hatred roamed free inside of him, making it impossible for him to even think about such trivial things like a new Skill. Heading down into the Labyrinth, his hands were shaking and he encountered a few players on the way, all of which took a big step to the side after seeing him. Makoto''s face was a mask of rage and hatred, the beast inside of him so very close to breaking free, biting and chewing against the bars he had put in place a long time ago. After entering the first floor and seeing a ''Labyrinth Boar'' as his first enemy, he could feel his control slipping away, his actual consciousness tumbled into a deep and dark corner of his mind as the ''Beast'' finally broke free. It felt good, losing himself in all of this hatred and rage, forgetting the pain and misery that started it all. It was easier to let himself fall for this rage than face his own pain or feelings. When he came back to his senses his hands and arms were drenched into a deep red. All around him lay bodies of different kinds of monsters, starting to disintegrate in a cloud of particles already but he could view them long enough to know just what kind of carnage he had carried out. Only a glimpse at this ''work of art'' he had created with so many monsters was enough to make him retch in disgust for the first time inside Azalon. It was too much, knowing that these mobs had to be alive while he practically turned them inside out, revealing stinking and still warm intestines... it was just too much. Emptying his normally robust stomach for the first time inside the game, Makoto dragged himself away from his current location. Every single corner and bend he turned towards showed the same pitcure as the color red stained the ground and walls. For the first time he actually started to wonder just how long he had been in this state of mind, this endless rage of his. Not surprised at all he noticed that he was now level 21, close to 22. A quick look in the menu revealed that nearly 8 hours had passed inside the game. His entire Mana pool was dry, he had blown every single Ability and cooldown he had, even the ''Willpower'' stat option which he had not used inside the Tournament as he had still been waiting for a good moment to use it was now unavailable. During these 8 hours, Makoto apparently used everything at his disposal, even a few items from his Inventory had been consumed or were missing. Just how in the world the ''Beast'' had managed to level him once and bring him close to the next level in only 8 hours was beyond him. Stopping before another dead end inside the first floor he stared at this obstacle before him. Vivid images of Veronica and the scene in the Cafeteria played out in his mind, haunting him unceasingly, unwilling to let him be and lighting the extinguished flame that was his anger inside of him again. Grinding his teeth and wielding his sword with both hands, Makoto struck the brick wall before him with a shout. "Fucking bitch!" Screaming the same thing over and over again he slammed his sword against the stone wall, chipping the sharp blade many times as its Durability drastically decreased. Running close to the wall he let his blade carve deep into the stone alongside it, leaving a disgusting gash in the solid brick wall. Continuing like this for a good bit while running back the way he came from, Makoto''s sword suddenly got repelled by something a lot harder than normal brick. Confused and a bit surprised, Makoto followed the crater inside the wall behind him with his eyes until it suddenly stopped at an inconspicuous brick. All his rage and anger forgotten for now, he stepped closer and examined this strange object. Unable to help himself, he put a hand on the tile and with a soft shove, the entire rectangle disappeared deep into the wall. With the grinding of ancient gears and solid rock sliding over stone, a part of the wall before him sank into the ground, revealing a small passage that was decorated with expensive looking ornaments and figurines. Why or how this strange place even existed was beyond Makoto but all he knew was that he had never heard about hidden walls or secret passages in the Labyrinth before, the gamer inside of him awoke, eager to follow this path to its end and possibly find great treasure. Shoving aside his grieve and anger for the time being, he decided to venture down the well lit hallway. More and more riches decorated the surrounding walls, the floor and stone around him started to show signs of gold plating all over them, statues out of bronze depicting different creatures, mostly snakes started to litter the ground, making it hard to maneuver through It. The more he saw all of these riches practically pile up all around him, the more confused he got as to why this was all even here. He tried picking up one of the many small snake statues but no matter how hard he pulled, they were firmly welded to the ground beneath them. Soon enough the path broadened, making room for bigger statues, this time seemingly out of pure Silver and reaching up to his hip. Giant snakes with human arms, wielding a spear or trident could be seen alongside the walls, statues that looked incredibly real. Before long the Silver disappeared and 10 foot tall golden humanoid creatures with a snake head, all wielding a sword in hand, towered above him, seemingly looking at Makoto with a displeased look as he passed them. After quite some time the hallway ended and Makoto found himself inside an incredibly big room, the floor was made out of gold, the walls were made out of gold and just like before humongous snake statues towered above him on the walls. In the middle of this strange room he could see a gigantic body, covered entirely with scales and coiled up in a circle. Right after he entered the room, a gate fell into place behind him with a loud bang, closing off the only exit in sight and waking the sleeping creature before him. The exact moment he saw the giant snake body uncoil and reveal itself before him together with the letters above its head, Makoto lost all strength in his arm, his sword dropped to his side as he stared at this enemy, completely shocked.
Saracesse the last Lamia: Hidden Elite NPC Boss lvl 75
...There was just no way. Immediately another system window appeared before him.
Warning! Because your enemy (Saracesse the last Lamia: lvl 75) has more than double your level, after entering combat against it the battle-effect ''oppression'' activates. Oppression: If you have double your enemies level, applies 30% stat reduction (Also works against player). This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Feeling the accursed effect right away he stared at the giant snake body as it slowly revealed its head, or in this case, body. The last Lamia was not called ''Lamia'' without reason as instead of a normal head on top of the gigantic snake it displayed the body of a naked adult woman. She had long curly red hair down to her backside, her eyes showed a sapphire blue with reptilian Pupils, two big mounds with pink tops slowly shook as her main body adjusted beneath her. Instead of being a snake from the hip down he could clearly see her private parts as the scales and snake only started at her knees. As far as he could see she was a stunning beauty and completely hairless from the eyebrows down. Milky white skin shimmered in the candle lit room as her gaze fixated itself on Makoto. With a hiss, showing two sharp teeth, her snake tail shot forward, coiling itself around his lower body and squeezing the life out of him, faster than he could even blink. There was just no way, too much of a gap, it was impossible to fight. Staring in a somewhat daze at this beautiful priestess of death, he could see how her human body revealed a long bow that had been on her back while crushing his legs and hip. Grunting in pain as one of his legs broke, Makoto kept looking at the Lamia as she nocked an arrow while her entire body slowly slithered closer to him and her own tail. "Any last words, human?" She asked him, her voice was meant to be threatening for sure but for him it only served to calm him down, making the beast inside of him purr out of comfort. Again he was reminded of Veronica when he looked at this stunning naked beauty and suddenly, something inside of him snapped. All the experiences and feelings that had been building up, everything that happened with Veronica and the Tournament and with his inner struggle, it all boiled down to one thing, the breaking point. Stress, desire, pain, awe, fear and anger all had been inside of him for all this time and finally, something broke, the line one should never cross. While his legs started to be squished into a pulp he smiled towards the woman before him, slowly stretching his hand towards her. Saracesse was clearly confused as to what he wanted to do and increased the strength with which she crushed his lower half but Makoto did not even flinch. Fully stretching his hand out, past her bow and the nocked arrow that was pointed at his face, he put it on her cheek while showing a genuine smile. "Beautiful." It was only a whisper in this gigantic room but the Lamia was close enough to hear it and she was stunned hearing it while feeling his warm hand on her own cheek. Not minding the incredible pain from his lower region, Makoto slowly caressed her cheek, his mind a blank slate. The crushing pressure around him weakened by a bit and Saracesse lowered her bow, a confused expression on her face. Not caring at all, a big smile was still visible as he carefully went over her cheek again and again. "What is your name stranger?" She finally asked while trying to get his hand off her cheek. "Makoto." Giggling after seeing her struggle so hard to get his hand off her face, he was unable to say anything else with the limited air in his lungs. With another big smile he put his left hand on her other cheek and looked deep into her blue reptilian eyes. Makoto knew that she was only an NPC, a program, a Monster meant to be killed for loot and nothing else but it felt like such a shame to kill such a beautiful creature. A creature that would never betray him like she did. With this same line resounding in his head over and over again, Makoto pulled the confused Lamia closer and put his lips on hers. He could feel her struggle beneath his grip while her soft and full lips pressed against his own. Makoto also decided to put his tongue into her mouth after which she let out a surprised squeak. It was quite a unique experience feeling her sleek snake tongue wrap around his own, tickling the inside of his mouth while exchanging saliva. In a way he was surprised that she had not just simply used more strength than he could muster, judging by her tail alone he doubted that he would be able to force himself on her like this if she didn''t let him do as he pleased in a strange and messed up way but he was thankful for it. Right now the one thing he wanted most was the warmth and comfort of someone else and this NPC allowed him to do something like this, that this program, this supposed code showed more heart than even the person he had loved, it was enough to allow tears of joy and heartache to flow down his cheeks. Breathless he removed his mouth from hers, a sound similar to a cork being popped echoed through the room. Makoto could see her eyes showing a gentle expression as she looked at him with a changed attitude. "No one has done that to me in many years stranger, are you prepared for the consequences of exciting the last Lamia there is?" She asked, her voice promising many things and he could not help but show a devilish smile. "Are you?" He asked with a giggle and pulled her closer again, Saracesse wrapped her own arms around his neck this time, unwilling to let him go. The pressure around his hip was all but gone and she pulled him into a deep embrace while her gigantic snake body formed a cocoon around them, going as far as even closing off the ceiling above them. His hands naturally found her voluptuous breasts and for the first time in his life, Makoto could feel two soft mounds give in beneath his grip. These twin mountains, heralded as the epitome of desire and sensual excitement were quite well developed on Saracesse as one hand was unable to properly fit around them. Squeezing them both hard he could hear a moan escape her lips during a kiss and even more desire surged through him, wild and untamed. Without even having to think about it he unequipped everything he wore and pressed his body against hers. Her human body alone was a lot taller than his so she wrapped her arms around his bare shoulders while he pressed his face between her breasts, relishing in the amazing and alien sensation. Forgotten was his rage, anger and heartache. A strange calm had taken possession of him as he looked at this naked beauty lying on her back before him, seductively pulling him closer between her thighs. A system message suddenly appeared before him.
Your relationship with ''Saracesse the last Lamia'' has changed to ''Lovers''
Quickly dismissing the annoying window he looked down at this absolutely gorgeous woman beneath him. Saracesse''s red hair was fanned out around her and while kissing her yet again in a hot and wild manner he interlocked fingers with her, his hip found its way between her thighs and a surprised moan escaped her throat. The desire to ravage, to conquer and make love with this woman that was half snake surged through him. For the first time since Veronica revealed her true colors the void inside of him started to close up, filled by something else. By someone else. ..... With a sudden jolt, Makoto awoke. He was lying on the ground besides Saracesse, stark naked just like her. His mind was back to how it was before and only now did he realize what he had actually done. Unlike before where he had been completely out his normal state of mind, now realization struck him like lightening that he had practically raped a monster inside the game. In his panic at waking up after having sex for the first time he forgot that this Hidden Boss beside him was many times stronger than him and could have practically torn him in half at any given time or moment. Makoto thought that he had done something terrible to this woman before him and he could feel heavy guilt inside of him, blaming himself for losing control like that. Even more than that he blamed himself for enjoying it so much. Filled with hate and contempt towards himself he opened his menu and logged out. With a blinding light, the Lamia watched him disappear before also slowly getting up. Her eyes where fixated on the spot where Makoto had disappeared from. After not returning for 5 minutes, Saracesse''s own trembling voice was clearly audible inside the gigantic room. "L-Log out!" Yet another blinding light later, the giant body of the last Lamia was gone and silence filled the now empty room... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
And this is how I end Volume 2 with a BANG! Do not despair as this was not written out of my own madness or to give you a BS ending, everything will be explained with the next Chapter, Chapter 1 of Volume 3 that will focus on POV change for the first time. For all who are intrested, Volume 3 will be a bit less about fighting and more about the relationships of the Characters, explaining certain game systems, shedding some light on politics in and outside of Asuria and generally a POV change from time to time. Naturally there will still be leveling up, fighting and a lot of bad language involved but at the same time also sex scenes, introductions to new systems and A LOT LOT MORE! Hope you all enjoyed Volume 2 and see you all tomorrow! :D Chapter 33: The Path We Choose Chapter of today! No worries, there will be more POV changes to flesh out her character so do not despair, this is only a slight insight :P. Enjoy! ----- Chapter 33: The Path We Choose Ouroboros, the company behind Azalon had one problem at the final stage of their Boss design. Their programmers had succeeded in creating some of the most advanced and unique Boss AI''s in existence, but in the end they were still code, predictable, easy to lead to a trap or to trick. Most of the time a Boss is given a special ability to counter these facts but just because you made the body strong does not mean that its mind gets faster or better. Stuck between a rock and a hard place the developers were furious, how could they bring out a game with so much realism and potential but fail to give the Bosses in Azalon their own character and personality? No matter how good they programmed an AI, certain Skills would just override these aspects, like a tanks aggro pull for example. Unwilling to make major changes to all classes just for the sake of giving some of the strongest Bosses inside Azalon a helping hand, a new idea appeared, a truly interesting concept. A player would not fall for simple tricks like pulling aggro or attacking the one closest instead of the Healer in the back, even something like waiting until he was low to use some of the more dangerous Abilities, the well known ''Phases'' of a boss did not apply to a player, so what if you gave a player control over a boss then? The idea was simple, 100 Bosses inside Azalon would be truly unique, hidden form both the world and any records inside the lore or game itself. Players would be payed to stay inside the game for at least 12 hours, 7 days of the week, no holidays included. Naturally, telling anyone that they were actually players was strictly frobidden, as it was meant to be a secret even from the real world. If they felt like it, those players could go explore the world, catch up on sleep or simply surf the web, that was the main reason why internet access inside Azalon even existed, for these 100 employees. Whenever a foreign player discovered and entered their respective ''area'' they would be teleported to their own ''Boss Room'' and had to fight there. All employees started with level 65, they had the option to level and improve their own character or to just stay lazy and stay inside for the money but not 1 of the 100 did that, after all it was the first Virtual Reality game in history and there was a whole world to explore. Every time their Avatars left the ''Boss Room'' their level would be cut in half and they would be stuck with a humanoid form. Naturally their progress was monitored and tabs were kept on all of them to make sure they really stayed inside the game for the agreed upon time. When the players were offline, the areas leading to the hidden Bosses inside the game became unavailable, making the discovery of these completely unique player Bosses even harder. Many people predicted that the first hidden Boss would not be discovered until half a year had passed but surprisingly, that was not accurate, one Player Boss could vouch for that. Sharon was not your average girl. Blessed with a beautiful body and sharp mind she soon enough discovered that she could bend people to her will, if she chose to do so. Her beauty opened her many doors put once she stepped through, many others closed behind her. It was a certain kind of power that started to scare her in middle school when she gained a stalker that sent her constant death threats in the mail, written in red ink or at least she hoped to this day that it was ink. Nearly getting sexually assaulted by the boy, the police finally took action, imprisoning him for quite some time. After that event, she stopped going to school and spent most of her days locked inside her room, save from the harm that could befall her in the outside world. During all of this she discovered her fascination with fantasy games, MMO''s especially and spent most of her time either exploring dungeons or grinding mobs. Time went by quickly and her stalker was released, only this time he came to visit Sharon right away. Not even having the courtesy to knock he straight up kicked the door in. She could still remember her screams, her pleading and begging to this day as he unzipped his pants and how he threw her on the bed. And then she got a grip on the vase and smashed it over his head. Well aware of what he would do to her if she stopped now, she grabbed one of the shards from the destroyed object and stabbed him, again and again until he stopped moving. The police naturally did not press any charges, it was an act of self defense after all but Sharon was not the same anymore, gone was her fear of the outside world even if the occasional nightmares still haunted her. She started to go outside again from time to time but her real hobby was indoors and before her computer where she broke many records in over a dozen online games. One could easily imagine her glee and excitement when Ouroboros approached her with the option of being payed to play a game. Instead of a character creation she was thrown into her new body right away and it took her quite a while to move around fluidly, it was not every day that you gained the senses of a snake body after all. Thankfully she still carried over her looks even though she was unable to wear any clothes in her Lamia form. The developers even allowed her to choose her own class so after contemplating for a while she decided to go with a ranged archetype. Her actual Class turned out be ''Huntress'' which she quite liked as it came together with a few unique Skills. Sharon spent most of her time exploring the Capital City of Elisante and then went north, crossing the border many times and seeing all kinds of wonders and mysteries that existed inside the game. After about two real life weeks she was able to increase her overall level to 75. Finishing up on a good day''s work she decided to rest in the nearby Inn to catch up on some sleep that had been missed a few days ago. She remembered closing her eyes and then suddenly woke up again to a loud bang. Confused, it took her a while to realize that she was no longer inside the Inn. Seeing herself back inside her own Boss Room and a player with crimson red eyes standing before her explained many things. She was very pissed off that she would now have to travel all the way back north so she decided to vent some of her anger on the man before her by crushing his legs and hip. Seeing him squirm beneath her grip was enough payback for being teleported back and she actually looked at the fellow for the first time. Everything about him seemed pretty average, he had a lot of gear but except that nothing really stuck out except his Asian heritage and his crimson red eyes. Nocking an arrow and asking him for any last words she expected curses, heroic words or even actions but not what he did. The smile was what really threw her off. Not the hand that caressed her face but the smile that seemed to be both happy and sad at the same time. Unable to shoot him anymore without satisfying her curiosity, she first asked his name and was about to ask him why he looked so incredibly sad when he put another hand on her cheek and just straight up kissed her. Sharon had naturally kissed before, she also had experience with sex but she could not remember for the life of her anything that ever felt as intense and incredible as this one kiss she shared with Makoto. Only with this much she still would have pushed him away, no matter how good it felt it was still something you would only do with someone you knew or loved so Sharon was very close to using her actual strength when she felt it. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The stream of Makoto''s tears and the trembling lips that pressed against her own. It reminded her of that night, how she had trembled after realizing that her former stalker had now stopped moving and all the blood that drenched hands. That was the moment she noticed the incredible emotions that coursed through the man before her. The anger she could feel as he clenched his fists so hard that they shook, the mix between sadness and despair with his trembling shoulders and lips, the desire to be with someone from the way he pressed himself against her own body. This was what stopped her from lashing out or pushing him away, seeing his bare and naked feelings and experiencing them through this kiss was enough to melt the ice that encased her own heart, enough for her to take a certain interest in him. Sharon started kissing him back, showing him again and again that she was there, that he was not alone anymore just like she wanted him to stay with her, so that she would not be alone anymore. Dragging him somewhat greedily between her thighs she could clearly feel his manhood press against her naked body, desire now overtook her too and she could not wait for him to satisfy them both. The sex was an experience that was burned into her mind as something so incredibly wild and intense that she felt like a part of her broke during the entire session, but it was a good kind of breaking... Even after exiting the game as Makoto left, she could still vividly remember his movements, the way he had kissed and bit her at multiple places... There was enough fresh memories and excitement left for Sharon that she had to change her underwear before going to bed... Putting one hand between her chest where her heart was beating quite fast, she remembered his crimson red eyes and the smile he had shown her. For the first time in years, Sharon was able to fall asleep without any bad memories or worries haunting her. ¡­.. Makoto stared through the glass window. Many machines were there, beeping and booping all the time, it was kind of funny. The only thing that made it not funny was seeing Patrick. He didn''t like Patrick normally but seeing all of those tubes going from him to those strange beeping machines was enough to make him worried. He had no idea how it happened, even now. All he remembered was that Patrick was making fun and being mean to him like always and then together with the usual anger there was this scary darkness. Then there was nothing for a while and the next thing he remembered was seeing Patrick lying on the ground with a lot of red all over him, Makoto had learned that it was called Blood a week ago and he also knew that it was dangerous to be bleeding too much for some reason. After calling Patrick by his name a few times he went to get one of the adults that took care of them. Clarissa was his favorite so he went to get her, that was a bad decision because she started screaming really loud for some reason after seeing Patrick instead of making sure that he was ok. After that, they put Makoto in a room and told him to wait there for his Mommy to come, which he did. He was a good boy after all. Mommy was not happy at all when she met with him, he could see that but for some reason she never hit him and instead went to the hospital with him. Makoto really hated hospitals, nearly as much as he hated medicine. After waiting for ages a few doctors talked with his Mommy and then a few other adults that Makoto knew as Patrick''s parents talked with her. It didn''t really interest him much, he was watching television while the adults talked like always, that was a lot more fun than listening to their boring conversations. After some more time his Mommy took his hand and allowed him to stand on a chair so he could look at Patrick like he was doing right now. Makoto was wondering if Patrick was going to be ok and maybe after he left the hospital they could finally be friends. That would be nice, he didn''t like to be called names. After losing interest in looking at the sleeping Patrick, Makoto jumped down from the chair. "Can we go now Mommy, I''m hungry." She looked at him, still unhappy he noticed but he didn''t know why. "No sweetheart, we are going to see some more doctors now." "Why would we see more of the doctors?" He asked, unable to understand why they would want to visit doctors. "To get you some medicine sweetheart." His Mommy said while pulling on his hand and he struggled quite a bit while screaming his lungs out. "But I hate medicine!" ..... Makoto woke up with a terrible headache. Whatever recollections he had of his dream quickly dispersed as he slowly stood up to get ready for College. Just remembering what happened the day before was enough to nearly make him puke. He could still feel some pain naturally but more than that he felt a deep rooted hatred for Veronica, for this biased bitch that played him like he was some kind of toy. Already in a foul mood, he went to the bathroom and opened a cabinet, pulling forth a bunch of prescribed pills that had already started to gather dust. His face twisted into an ugly expression as he swallowed them one after another with a gulp of water. He really hated medicine. Sighing deeply he put on some new clothes and his eyes fell on the capsule that stood beside his bed. Naturally he remembered clearly what happened the day before with his rather unique encounter and... actions he took. He really had quite enjoyed his first time with a somewhat humanoid woman, it was really something else but the big problem was that she was not real. He would never be able to sit with her in his real bed or spend a nice evening together because Saracesse was just a Computer program. At the same time he remembered how real women acted and all desire to go to College went down the toilet. Makoto decided to just skip for today. Feeling a bit uncomfortable in going back and encountering Saracesse again after practically fleeing the bed the day before, Makoto stood before the capsule for quite a while, hesitating. Well aware that the conversation why he left so suddenly would be rather unpleasant, he decided to man up and stepped inside the capsule to enter a world that had not abandoned him yet. The one world he truly loved, Azalon. .....
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageAbout Me
Big shout out to ''LovelyLover'' for completely seeing through what I planned with the Lamia Sharon! Reading how you practically revealed my entire plan for how and why she is a player in the comment section made me cringe pretty hard XD. Another thing! Would you guys be interested in a short Bio about me, the author? Hope you enjoyed as always and see you tomorrow, Double Chapter on Saturday like always so no worries :D About Me ------ First of all, I would like to say thank you for all the awesome support I get from all of you every day, hope you stay tuned like always :D. Alright, where to begin... My real first name is Simon, I am 19, Male and live in a country called Austria, might have heard of it as we started both World Wars :/ . I am 6 feet 3 inches tall (or 192 Centimeters) have longer hair than most girls and am of Caucasian heritage. The language spoken here is German btw for those who don''t know, one of the most annoying languages grammar wise. I was terrible with reading and writing when I was young but I always loved stories. My mum used to work in a bookstore so she was the reason I got my addiction for fantasy stories XD. When I was only 12 years old I already possessed over 300 fantasy hardcover books, all of which had at least over 400 pages and I had read even more than that. As my thirst for more knowledge and stories was unsateable I soon enough discovered the internet, where I found my love for games, anime, Manga and many other things. I still remember the day I discovered LMS, I was on sick leave for 2 weeks and bored out of my mind because I couldn''t do much except surf online when I found it. It took me nearly 3 weeks to get to Volume 17, which was the furthest translation at that point and I read nearly all day, that was probably the best time in my life when I was reading LMS for the first time. After that I started to discover other Fanfics and Light novel translation like Mushoku Tensei, Artifureta, Stellar Transformations, Coiling Dragon, Zhan Long and many others. I read so much that I thought my head would explode but always a story had to end at some point, most of them too soon or the translation was just mindboglingly slow. Even with a young age after reading so much I always wanted to write my own books and stories. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I started very early and mostly wrote short stories, my style got better, I got to a level where I was not scared to show it to people so I did but the response was practically always the same, "Well that''s pretty nice but you can''t make money with that" or "You should focus on something else". It was a bit harsh but they were right, the chance of me getting to a point where I could live off my passion was very small so I left it as a hobby and concentrated on other things. With 15 I left School, looked for work and mostly did odd jobs while finally getting a Webdesigner degree at the age of 17. After that I worked in a care home for elderly, was an Au Pair in another country (pretty much babysitter/ caretaker) and finally arrived back in Austria this year, currently I am unemployed and looking for work, which gave me the time to put quite a bit of focus on writing this story. I always wrote all my stories in German before so belief me when I say that I am very sorry for not being able to get the same kind of level in english XD I try my best but even then it is just not the same. Hope you all know a bit more about me and as always, feel free to comment below if you have any questions. There will be no Address or phone number given away so forget about that! Had enough creepy stalkers already! XD. Just kidding, love you all and see you tomorrow for another Chapter! ------
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Chapter 34: Magic Institute Chapter of today! It will explain quite a few things people have been commenting about for ages. ^^ Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 34: Magic Institute When Makoto reappeared inside Azalon he was about to explain his sudden disappearance the day before but there was no one there besides him. He was inside the Labyrinth again, instead of the golden room. Did it kick him out of the room after logging out? Certainly confused, Makoto started to search all over the surrounding walls but no matter where he shoved or which brick he pressed, the wall stayed the same. Could it all just have been a dream? Did he even meet the Lamia or was it only his own imagination? Makoto was unwilling to believe that he had imagined the whole thing but why then was he not back inside that golden room? So many questions he had no answers to. After half an hour of examining a normal brick wall, he decided that it was time to leave the Labyrinth. Real or not, if he could not find the way back right now, maybe it was a sign to take care of something else on his list before returning again. Stopping by at the Inn he normally stayed in to finish up his Tasks, his level increased to 22. "Excuse me Sir, do you know how I could get to the Magic Insitute?" The Innkeeper flinched after turning around and looking at him, it seems he still remembered the mood he had seen Makoto in yesterday. "Y-Yes, if you go to the 32nd layer and head a bit north from here you should find it without any problems, you can also just ask around as nearly everyone knows it." Evading eye contact with him while talking, the man pretended to be quite busy and wiped over the same table at least 5 times. In a way Makoto could not even blame the Inkeeper for the way he reacted towards him, it was to be expected after letting off so much killing intent yesterday. "Thank you very much." The smile he gave towards him did nothing to better the situation at all. Deciding to just ignore it and let him be, Makoto left the establishment and stepped onto the busy road where masses of people welcomed him. One thing he did notice was that there was slight differences with how people dressed and looked on each layer together with the actual structure and nature of the surrounding buildings. At the lower layers there was normally only small stalls, shops or whorehouses. The higher one climbed, the more drastic the change in overall design and size of the surrounding buildings grew. Layer 10 could be called middle class, layer 20 was a part of the richer population and above 30 was mostly government buildings, jewelry stores or noble housing. Layers 40 and above were mostly empty because not many people set up shop there, it was too inconvenient for the majority of the population to climb that high in the first place and a lot of parks or gardens that belonged to a noble took up a big part of the actual space needed to build a house. It was very interesting seeing this sort of pyramid system in actual place from peasant to noble, from lowest to highest layer inside Elisante. Naturally there also was quite a lot of guards on each layer but there seemed to be a lot more criminal activity on the lower parts, as the above 30s rarely ever had a guard except the ones that stood before specific structures or houses. All in all, Makoto had to ask twice for some directions to find the Institute. The building itself looked very much like a mix between a Cathedral and a Palace with the staggering height of nearly 70 feet and going through more than 5 layers, its entrance being on layer 32 like the Innkeeper had said. The entire thing was well guarded but they let Makoto pass through without even another look. At the foyer he could see an elderly woman sitting behind a desk, currently reading through a few documents. Clearing his throat to get her attention, Makoto started talking. "Excuse me, I would like to talk with the Head of the Magic Institute if that is possible." The woman looked at him slightly confused before responding. "May I ask why exactly? Maybe someone else can help you? You have to understand, the Head of the Magic Institute is a very busy man and without even stating your business I can not allow yo-" "I am here to inquire why the fucking bounty on my head has still not been cleared even after I died, is that reason enough?" He interrupted her threateningly and immediately all the guards inside the room drew their swords. Not happy about the current situation at all and realizing that he had gone too far he was about to apologize, but before he even had the chance to do so, the elderly woman at the reception desk decided to stand up and quickly fled the scene while the surrounding men started to slowly close in on him. Feeling like his hand was very much forced in the matter, Makoto drew his own blade. If they just straight up attacked him for being a bit rough with an old lady then he would make sure not to go down alone, because lets be honest, that is no reason to attack someone in the first place. With tension rising inside the entrance area and new guards storming inside the building after being informed by their comrades, the current situation looked very bad for Makoto. "Enough!" A thunderous shout went through the entire room and immediately the guards relaxed. Confused about who had given the command, Makoto looked around until he saw a white haired middle aged man with a big pot belly, accompanied by the elderly woman who had fled the scene. It seems she went to get help. "Forgive my guards for their rather rash actions, there has been some tension at the border to the east so we can even feel it here in the capital, why don''t you come with me to my office and we discuss your problem?" Still a bit wary of the guards that all seemed to stare at him, Makoto sheathed his sword and followed the middle aged man. Soon enough he found himself sitting in a comfortable chair, inside the most luxurious office he had ever seen. Strange objects with different golden letters beneath them explaing their origin and nature filled different shelfs all around the room while a mountain of documents was currently piling up on a nearby desk. "Now, first of all let me introduce myself, my name is Rhobos Grandel, Head of the Magic Institute and First of my House, how may I be of assistance to you?" Crossing both his arms before his chest, Rhobos was looking at him. "My name is Makoto, thank you for earlier and I wanted to ask why the Bounty on my head has not been cleared even after dying to Bounty Hunters, would you be able to explain how and why that happened?" Noticing the spark in the man''s eyes after Makoto stated his name, he expectantly waited for a satisfying answer. "Oh I do recollect reading that request, if I remember correctly the bounty on your head has not been claimed yet." Confused how that could be, Makoto motioned the man to continue. "First of all, let me explain how the Bounty system works in some more detail. You have to understand that that there is two different kinds of Bounties, capture and kill requests. Now, the capture requests are a lot more rare than kill requests as it is most of the time a lot more difficult to deliver a live target than it is to bring a dead one. Next up we have the records that are kept for when every Bounty is put out and on whom, if you put out a Bounty request on someone, you are unable to put any kind of request on that person again for a time of 6 weeks, they are pretty much safe from harm until the 6 weeks are over. The only way to go around this is to overcharge the request, it essentially means paying a lot more than the initial reward for the bounty to the Magic Institute as a certain ''handling fee''. This overcharge system is mostly used with Foreigners as not many races on the continent have the ability to revive. Now let me give you an example to make it more understandable. If you put out a Bounty of 5 Gold on somebody, there is the initial handling fee of 5 Silver for every single request, so all in all you will have to sign a contract and spend 5 Gold and 5 Silver for a simple kill or capture request. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Lets say you want the person dead a second time, maybe a possible rival or someone that has crossed you, we will charge you not double the initial reward but 10 times the reward. That means you really would have to want the person dead as the previous example of 5 Gold and 5 Silver would shoot up to 55 Gold and 5 Silver, just to kill someone twice. If you want someone dead 3 times, you will have to pay 100 times the initial reward, making it 505 Gold and 5 Silver." Makoto immediately noticed an interest fact about this unique system, it allowed the economy to stable itself out quite well as an incredible amount of money would leave the circulation by charging 10 times the reward money. Sure, the question remained if it was really worth it but just thinking about how many people just loved to see others suffer, there would always be someone willing to pay a price like that. "So if my Bounty was not claimed yet, could you tell me if it was charged twice?" Rhobos smiled and complied without any hesitation. "Yes of coruse. Your death has only been requested once but why it was not claimed is beyond me, if it really is as you say." Makoto did not need to hear it from the Head of the Magic Institute why the Bounty had not been claimed as he could imagine it quite well after remembering the words from the guards stationed at the gate of Elisante about Chaotic players. "If you ever get branded, know that you can piss right off if you turn up here, even if you are a Bounty Hunter, Chaotics are not welcome!" The group of three that had killed Makoto probably dragged his dead body all the way to Elisante, only to find out the same thing, that they were not allowed to enter the city. Having no other choice, they had to carry his body to another village and do Tasks to get rid of their Chaotic status only to not make it back to Elisante in time. Knowing that his Bounty would be reset, they probably went to an Inn, accepted it again and went to his last spawn point, just thinking logically and Marahel being the closest Village to where they had found him, it was the place to look for him. That would also explain wjy he saw them running towards him with so much panic in their stride, they probably had been playing for more than 24 hours and all they really gained from it was doing a few Tasks, everything else was just transporting his body from one place to the other. Noticing the evil smile that appeared on his face just thinking about those three getting exactly what they deserved, Makoto decided to focus his attention back on Rhobos. "So would it be possible to claim my own bounty now and get it over with?" He asked with a mischievous smile on his lips. Clearly amused, Rhobos broke out into loud laughter and needed a good moment to calm down. "No, I am afraid that is impossible. What use would Bounty Requests have if everybody could just turn themselves in to claim the reward? Even if you ask a friend I strongly advice against it as the Divine Beings are opposed of this greatly and will punish you and this acquaintance of yours accordingly." Makoto did not need a lot of convincing to abandon the idea. The term ''Divine Beings'' could very well be meant for a system that was in place to keep an eye out for actions like claiming your own reward. Just thinking logically, if you could record your own first person view, what was really stopping them to putting a system in place that kept tabs on all players to make sure no exploits happened, similarly to how the NSA kept tabs on everybody and everything. No Company liked it when players exploited the game in a way or form, that was something like a kick in the balls for the developers and they mostly lashed out by straight up banning a player and denying them the possibility to access the game. Not willing to risk that with Azalon, the first Virtual Reality game, Makoto decided to stay clear of anything of that sort. "Thank you very much Sir for taking the time to explain how everything worked, I will remember that." Giving Rhobos a curt bow, he was about to leave the room when the man behind him called out to him. "And where do you think you are going, Makoto?" Confused about the change of voice and attitude, he turned around and looked at the overweight middle aged man. "Excuse me?" "I asked where do you think you are going. Guards! To me!" Immediately after the shout, a group of armored men stormed into the room, swords drawn and at the ready. Noticing that something was not right, he started getting a very bad feeling. "See Makoto, I was the one who issued that little Bounty on you, on the request of my little brother of course." Showing him a bright smile, Rhobos walked around the table and approached him. "I don''t think I understand..." "No? Well let me put it in terms so someone as dimwitted as you may follow what I have to say. I knew of my little brothers activities and the Cult he put together, naturally I never supported the whole thing but he was my little brother so out of love I personally put an incredibly high Bounty on your head to make sure you get killed, just like he wanted it. Even more so after I heard what you did to him in Talis, I have to say it is a strange twist of fate that brought you right into the one place that you do not want to be. May I ask you, did you even know his name? No surely not otherwise you would know never to harm a Grandel, our bloodline has deep ties and I always loved my little brother." Completely stunned, Makoto was unable to respond as he looked at the man before him, seeing his before calm expression twist in ugly ways that made him look grotesque and disfigured. "How dare you kill my little brother, you are not even a commoner, just another foreigner that thinks he can do as he pleases, goddamn insect beneath my shoe!" Slapping Makoto across the face once was not enough to calm down Rhobos and he ran up and down. Unable to retort as over a dozen sword blades pointed at his heart, all he could do was stare at the man before him. "You will learn what it means to anger the house Grandel! I have to say it really is good fortune not even having to waste a single Copper on you, the Divines really must be at my side to deliver my brothers killer right to my doorstep. I will make sure to cancel your Bounty but that will not be important for you anymore. Guards! Get him to a nice Cell down below and make sure to take away all of his weapons!" Many arms grabbed his shoulders and practically dragged him out of the room. For the first time in all of this, anger exploded in Makoto after realizing what would happen to him. Turning his head around he was able to see the overweight man watch his escort with a big smile. "I will remember this Rhobos Grandel! Damn you!" Shouting and throwing himself left and right, Makoto tried his utmost to escape his current situation but there was too many guards that held his arms, muscles like iron kept him from even moving an inch. His screams could be heard in the entire Magic Institute until they slowly grew quieter and an eerie silence quickly followed... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
And there we go! Feel free to comment away and see you all tomorrow! Donation button shall appear soon! :drinkT: Chapter 35: Change of Heart Double Chapter Todayyyyyyy! Happy four week anniversary Azalon :D. Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 35: Change of Heart She couldn''t find him. When Sharon reappeared inside Azalon she was back inside her ''Boss Room'' but Makoto was nowhere to be found. Opening up her menu and going through a few tabs she finally found what she was looking for.
Lover Makoto: Online
Most players were unaware of this option but at the same time there only was a few people that currently had the ''Lovers'' relationship so it was not surprising. There was also an option to message him but she decided against it, for now he had no idea that she was a player and maybe that was for the best. First of all it had only been a one night stand to begin with and she practically knew nothing about him so how could there ever come anything good of a relationship like this. And on top of all of that she was an employee of Ouroboros, bound by contract to not tell a single soul that she was a player which made it pretty clear what to do next.
Do you really want to end your ''Lovers'' relationship with the player ''Makoto''?
Sharon''s finger was about to select ''YES'' when something let her hesitate, a string inside her heart resonated, making her rethink her choice and she decided to click ''NO'' while closing the Interface. Well aware that it would be foolish and stupid to pursue this but deciding to follow her heart instead of her head this once, Sharon left her room and entered the actual Labyrinth. Right now there was only a slight interest for the boy inside her but that was more than she had felt for another human being in a long time, if that was not a sign then what else would be? After leaving the hidden area her body gradually changed to a normal human appearance even though she was still naked. Putting on her leather equipment and checking Makoto''s status again, Sharon decided to go and find her lover. As a ''Huntress'' she naturally had a tracking Skill in her repertoire, a very useful tool in situations like this where you had to track down your one night stand. The Skill she was using was a bit unique as it was called ''Ancient Tracking'' and it worked just like the description to it said.
Ancient Tracking:
The ancient method to instinctively track down your prey. Unlike normal tracking that uses clues in the surrounding area as waypoints to guide you to your target, Ancient Tracking is based on the use of intuition and magic, allowing for rough tracking no matter the distance.
Skill Type:activeSkill Level6 (34%)
Skill Effect:Will give you instinctive knowledge of your targets location.
Uses:8.5 Mana per second.
As there was no limit to the range of the Ability, the only thing leveling it up did was to lower the mana cost as it shredded through her Mana Pool like it was nothing. Sharon was only able to use it for a few seconds at a time to get a glimpse on rough directions like ''above'' ''forwards'' and the like. As the Skill was pointing her to go above, it was very clear that Makoto had indeed left the Labyrinth which made the entire search even harder considering that Elisante itself was even more complicated than the actual maze inside the Dungeon. Asking herself for the 10th time already why she was even bothering with this, she left the Labyrinth and immediately her bright red hair color together with her stunning beauty attracted quite a bit of attention. Before she could be swarmed by players, Sharon used her Skill again and knew which way she had to go. Attracting so much attention was both annoying and scary in a way but she continued to evade most of her pursuers by climbing up and down many layers while going in the general direction of where Makoto was. She had not been inside the Capital since the launch of the game so there was no one to prepare her to the absolute masses that flooded the streets. Hastening her steps and pulling a cloak from her Inventory to hide her appearance as best as she could, Sharon zigzagged through the entire City until she found him, just as her mana pool was about to run dry. Wearing the usual equipment, Makoto entered a pretty tall building that looked like a mix between a Cathedral and a Palace. Unsure of what to do, she stayed near an Inn and kept the entrance in view to wait until he was back outside. ¡­.. Bound in chains and no matter how much he struggled, Makoto was stuck inside this cell. One could imagine his anger for Rhobos and the world for doing this to him. The system message that appeared before him shortly after arriving in this stinking hole only helped to infuriate him more.
You are in jail! For the next 24 hours (real time) you are unable to leave this cell on your own accord without being freed!
"Fucking bullshit! Let me out of here! I swear I will come back and hunt you down, all of you!" Raging on like that for a good while, Makoto screamed his anger and frustration out for the world to hear an bear witness to. After about half an hour, 4 guards went into his cell and started beating him until he finally went quiet, just to make sure, one of them decided to put a dirty old rag into his bleeding mouth to prevent any further attempts of raising a racket. Still fuming, Makoto realized that if he could not talk he could also not open his menu and log out, panic quickly filled him at this new thought but thankfully there was no need to worry. Even if he could not speak the command, the menu still opened up before him if he concentrated hard enough and repeated the words inside his own head. In a way it was quite creepy how the game could practically monitor his thoughts but it had a good side, this way he would not be stuck inside the cell for the entire 24 hours. One other thing that entered his mind was to message one of his friends so after a bit of concentrating he saw his friends-list hovering before him but to his dismay, all of them were offline. Slowly he lost all hope of leaving this cell before the 24 hours were over as many hours had passed inside the game already at this point. Seeing no other way, Makoto was about to log out when he heard the tapping sound of approaching foot steps. Lifting his head he was able to see a familiar figure looking back at him from behind the bars, how could he ever forget those blue eyes or her fire red hair together with that incredible body? Saracesse showed him a lascivious smile after staring into his eyes. "Did you miss me my love?" ..... Sharon was starting to get worried. After waiting for such a long time she naturally inquired about the nature of the building she was staring at. According to an Innkeeper, the Magic Institute was the place you went to for putting Bounty requests on people and even the students that attended the different lectures that were held there daily, did not stay the night so the answer to the question as to why her lover was still inside it remained a mystery. Makoto had been in that building for hours now and her ''Ancient Tracking'' was still guiding her towards it, even after circling around and above the entire thing it still pointed her towards the Magic Institute. Feeling that the entire situation deserved her actions, Sharon used another Skill of hers while examining the structure. As a ''Huntress'' that normally hunted in the deep and dark woods, the Skill ''Shadow Stalking'' was a natural asset. It allowed her to blend better into the surrounding darkness and shadows which also helped a great deal inside a city when doing something highly illegal like breaking and entering. Finding a sturdy wall with a few gaps in the stone to climb, Sharon activated her Skill and ascended the outside of the building, an open window above her always in sight. Slowly putting her fingers around the window frame she listened for any noises and then lifted herself up, only enough to look inside the room. Finding no one else in here except the cold night wind that had entered through the open window, she quietly followed behind. Surprised herself about actually making it this far she carefully placed one step before the other and always kept her eyes and ears peeled for any signs of someone else approaching. Most NPCs in the building were soundly asleep in their beds and only a few guards in the entrance area were awake and on duty. Well, somewhat on duty as they killed time by drinking on the job and playing cards. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "I got two pairs, pay up boys." One of them said while the others groaned and a pile of silver coins was shoved around... "So let me get this straight again, why exactly are we keeping this foreigner in the cells below instead of bringing him to the actual Prison that exists?" It was clearly audible that the one who had spoken had one or two glasses of wine too much as he slurred every word and had trouble pronouncing a few others. "I told you already Rob, for the fucking 20th time now, its because the Headmaster said so and now pay up!" Smacking the drunk guard over the head once, the others broke out into loud laughter while Sharon disappeared back into the shadows. She now had a rough idea as to what happened and soon enough found stairs that lead below. It was quite interesting how many people made the mistake of locking front and back doors but not bothering at all to lock any other doors inside the building, so once inside, she was able to even go down below to the prison cells without any lock ever stopping her path. Seeing Makoto gagged and chained in one of the many otherwise empty cells pulled on the same heartstrings she had felt before and a sorrowful smile appeared on her face. Before he looked up to her she changed it to a dirty one and tried to cheer him up with it a bit, even though the next line that escaped her mouth completely caught her off guard. "Did you miss me my love?" Surprised about the way she had instinctively addressed Makoto, she needed a good moment to sort her mind but thankfully Sharon was not alone with that. Struggling to spit the piece of rag out of his mouth, it took him a while to actually be able to respond to that. "But... is that really you Saracesse? How can that be... I mean you are a... you are a..." Seeing him clearly struggling with the situation, she couldn''t help the real smile that appeared on her face. "I am a what exactly?" "...Nevermind... how did you find me anyways?" "I followed you with an Ability of mine that allowed me to track you down and after not leaving the Magic Institute for quite some time I started getting worried that you had ended up in the bed of another woman so I went to pay you a visit, thankfully they only imprisoned and gagged you, what a relief." Clearly stunned about her explanation, Makoto needed another moment before letting out a sigh. "Well I can''t really blame you for thinking something along those lines after what happened last night..." "Oh you mean how you entered my domain and decided to just take me right then and there? I have to say I quite enjoyed that my love, why don''t you show me some more of that after I get you out of this cell?" Sharon purred, some of these words were surprisingly heartfelt as it was true that she had enjoyed their time together and that she would very much enjoy another taste of...that. Today really was a day full of surprises about herself as more and more interesting thoughts about Makoto entered her mind, pulling on a few heartstrings on the way and creating a funny feeling inside her stomach, a weird kind of flutter. Maybe there was really more to this one night stand and about her feelings than she had expected. ..... Makoto was in a daze. Seeing Saracesse appear before him as if he was in a dream and in a human form on top of that was something else for sure, the word ''stunning'' was not even able to scratch the surface of this current situation. It seemed like the system window informing him of their ''Lovers'' status was no joke as she behaved exactly as if she was crazy in love with him which was complete nonsense considering he practically forced himself on her the night before, even if she enjoyed it. Unable to think of anything else to say he watched her disappear out of sight, only to return with a bundle of keys 1 minute later. Throwing key after key to the ground and only getting the right one after many failed attempts, she immediately freed him from his chains and helped him up.
You have been freed!
Yeah, no shit Sherlock. Finally able to move around again, Makoto followed Saracesse to a different room were his equipment had been stored. While he was busy making sure he had indeed gotten everything together again, Saracesse was putting key after key back to where she found them. After asking her what the point about that was, she only showed a little smile before explaining. "If I put them back exactly like they were before, no one is going to think that someone helped you escape even if they can''t explain how you were able to flee. It at least buys us some time." "There is no need to do that, not a single soul inside this building will survive the night anyways." Makoto said, not forgotten was his rage and anger, quite the opposite actually. The time inside the cell had taught him very well how hatred could keep someone''s spirit quite high. Saracesse looked at him with big eyes after hearing his words. "You are kidding right?" Giving her a long look and feeling his anger slowly starting to overflow, he shook his head while the crimson light in his eyes increased. She stared at him for a few seconds before putting both hands against Makoto''s face and not breaking eye contact with him. "You will kill no one here, not before you explain how you got into this mess." Annoyed at the tone she was giving him, he was about to lash out but constrained his anger and slowly but surely spilled the beans about the Blood Moon Church and what happened with Rhobos Grandel. After he finished with his short story, Saracesse seemed even more resolved to stopping him. "If that is the case I really can not allow you to kill anyone here. Most of the people inside this building are innocent, I am willing to bet that no one except this Rhobos person was involved, so why kill them?" Giving off an enormous amount of killing intent he could feel how his face distorted a great deal, his desire to take revenge on the humiliation of being unable to do anything against his captors was overwhelming. "Because they stood in my way and helped him..." "So just because they are paid by him you want to kill them? And what is with me, I am standing in your way right now, are you going to kill me too? I don''t want you to do something that you will blame yourself for later, Makoto..." Seeing the saddened look on her beautiful face made the rage inside of him simmer down, ever so slowly. Looking into those sapphire blue eyes so close to his own face calmed the beast inside of him, for the first time in years. After his anger disappeared he noticed that he had been close to doing something that he would have truly regretted. Naturally he hated Rhobos and what he stood for with his brother, that he did absolutely nothing to stop the murder and pure genocide that his ''beloved'' brother invoked. But would he really honor the dead by slaughtering innocents on the way to extinguishing evil? Would Boran and so many others really want that? In this one moment together with Saracesse he was able to calm himself to the point were rational thinking had an effect on him again and he abandoned the idea of killing anyone. For now that is. Noticing the change in his attitude, a relived smile was visible on her face and he couldn''t help but respond the same way. "Sorry for nearly going on a killing spree there but being imprisoned by a scumbag like that just made me..." "Angry? Yeah I noticed that. If it ever happens again I will make sure to knock some sense into you. You don''t need to worry about Rhobos, we can take care of him in another way and now come on, let''s get out of here before one of the drunk guards above gets the great idea of actually doing his job." Dragging Makoto behind herself and holding his hand, he could feel a certain warmth fill his entire being while looking at her long red hair trailing behind her. Even if she was only an AI, she had managed what years of taking medication had not. This was the first time he was able to calm down after the ''beast'' inside of him awakened, it was also the first time he actually felt loved... Grasping her hand tightly, Makoto ran beside her with hurried steps. -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Holy shit, I just realised that I wrote like 35 Chapters in only 28 days XD. Wow... Anyways, hope you enjoyed Next Chapter will be up in a couple of hours (prob 4 to 5 sadly). Chapter 36: Answers with Promises I really enjoyed writing this Chapter, hope you will all like it too :P. Final Chapter of the day! ----- Chapter 36: Answers with Promises It had been a good idea to not attack anyone inside the Magic Institute in hindsight. They had no clue how strong the actual guards were, no idea if their Alignment would change if they attacked them, even just the knowledge of how well Rhobos Grandel was protected or if he even slept inside the Magic Institute was not something they had access to. In the end they managed to slip away through the same window that Sharon had entered from, even if Makoto''s ''leaving'' was a lot closer to falling. Holding one hand against his hurting backside from the fall, Makoto was dragged behind Saracesse in a zigzag pattern. After nearly half an hour of aimless wandering he started to lead the way as the surrounding area seemed slightly familiar, even if it was nearly impossible to say that in a city this big. Luckily enough, he actually found the Inn again where he was already a regular and booked a room for 2. Saracesse had a very dirty smile on her face the entire time he was haggling about the price to stay for a few nights. Right after closing the door behind her she practically threw him on the big double bed and mounted him but he pushed her away with all the self esteem and willpower that he could muster. "Just wait a second here please. Trust me I would love to just rip your clothes off right here and now but there is something I need to do first." Catching her interest with his words, Saracesse stopped trying to undress him but she showed no notion of leaving the mounted position she was in right now. Staring deeply into her eyes, Makoto continued. "First of all I would like to thank you. Freeing me from that cell is more than I could ever ask of you, really. Next up I wanted to know just what exactly happened to your lower half?" With a raised eyebrow she pointed at her feet and he nodded. "We Lamia''s have the Ability to take on a completely human form if we so desire." Naturally that was a lie and the actual reason for her human form was a different one but Sharon had decided to keep her real identity hidden for now and kept to it. It explained what happened to her body but not why she suddenly could leave her area and walk around in a town as a Hidden Boss like it was the most normal thing in the world. Thinking along those lines another idea shot through his mind. What if she was able to do all of this because of the ''Lovers'' relationship that somehow changed her programming? Naturally this was far fetched but it was the only thing that made remotely sense so he decided to stick with it and it was impossible to ask her why she left her area after all. An NPC was not aware that it was an NPC, it did not know that it was an advanced program inside a game. How would she be able to explain to him with what kind of reasoning she decided to leave her area when she was not even aware that she had been bound to it before by coding? This was a tricky situation but he decided to drop the subject for now and concentrated on something else. "Next up I wanted to apologize for what I did last night. I think you deserve to know this and you would be the first person I tell this to so here goes... The reason why I reacted the way I did, was because I felt... heartbroken and alone. You could say someone that was dear to me played a terribly cruel joke on me and I... I just wanted to be with somebody at that point..." Unable to look into her eyes anymore after admitting his weakness, he stared at the ceiling high above them and continued talking. "She was the first one I ever loved and my feelings got toyed with, made fun of in a pretty cruel way, just for her own amusement, my feelings equaled a temporary entertainment in her eyes... And after I saw you down in the Labyrinth, something inside of me just snapped and I stopped caring, the only thing that remained was the desire to not be alone during all of that." Finally looking into her eyes again he could see that her gaze was gentle and a soft smile was visible on her face. "I already imagined something along those lines so let me tell you that you have nothing to be ashamed of Makoto." Her head inched closer ever so slowly, the eye contact between them unwavering as she was still mounted on top of him. "I also was in a pretty nasty place and I found you in this darkness, do I look ashamed to you? Don''t be afraid my love, you are not alone anymore." Showing him a deep smile, she pressed her own lips against Makoto''s and he immediately wrapped his arms around her, thankful for this incredible moment he was able to share, happy to finally hear those words he had been longing for and grateful that this was indeed not a dream but real. All he was able to do for quite some time was simply hold her in his arms as happiness flooded every corner of his being, filling him up completely. Again he told himself that she was just an NPC and a loud voice inside of his mind objected. "That only means she will never play with your feelings." Convinced that this was indeed the case, his view for NPCs inside Azalon was beginning to undergo a drastic change. "You know that was my first time right?" He finally said with a crooked smile. Saracesse looked at him from above with a clearly stunned expression until pure bliss finally flushed her face. "That means I have something to look forward to, if that really was your fist time I can''t wait to see you when you are experienced." Giggling like a little girl she pushed him into the pillows while his hands found their natural way beneath her clothes. Letting out a surprised laugh, Saracesse was now the one pinned against the bed as Makoto started to tear her clothes off, one by one. Overwhelmed by desire, not caring anymore and no longer constrained by stupid morals he could feel something break inside of him again, one final time. ..... Waking up inside the game again, Makoto still had fresh memories and an incredibly beautiful reminder lying naked next to him. With an unusually honest smile plastered all over his face he looked at Saracesse sleeping soundly in her human form. Her bright red hair had fallen into her face so with a tender motion he pushed the strands out of the way. Letting his fingers flow through her long and soft hair was a truly interesting sensation but it was ultimately the thing that woke her up. "I like it when you play with my hair like that." She said after blinking a few times to get the last bits of sleep out of her eyes. Showing her a gentle expression, Makoto continued to caress her hair and from time to time continued down her body, letting his fingers explore every nook and cranny. With a smack on her soft behind he was able to let a moan escape from Saracesse''s lips which in turn conjured a knowing smile on his face. "Don''t be so rough with me, I still can''t feel my legs properly. It''s all your fault you know." Sniggering about her own words she leaned forward and kissed him, first gentle and then longingly until it turned into a full on make out session where he pulled her into his embrace and cuddled her into oblivion. Makoto was naturally very inexperienced in a lot of these things but his feelings alone made him do things he had before been way too shy to even think about. As long as he could bring her joy he was more than satisfied. After a few more minutes of rolling around beneath the sheets with the occasional giggle filling the room he put a little distance between them and concentrated on their current situation. "You said something about a different way to handle things before? What exactly did you mean with that?" "Well you were imprisoned by the Head of the Magic Institute for personal reasons right? As far as I know something like that is still illegal and he also gave you no chance of trial so the easiest way to handle this would be to go to the Council." This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Saracesse then started explained the overall politics in Asuria. Naturally there was the King that ruled the lands but he only ever took actions during times of war or in emergency situations. When there was peace, the Council was the actual power ruling over Asuria, it took care over the lands and it also was the best place to sue someone or prosecute a criminal as the Council was Judge, Jury and Executioner all in one. "If you really want justice for what happened, go to the Council and ask for an audience with the Member that has jurisdiction over the Magic Council. Tell that person what happened to you, together with the Blood Moon Cult, tell him everything." She kissed him on his cheek after finishing and stood up to put on some clothes. Thankful about the advice he did exactly that, put on his own clothes and promised her to be back soon enough. ..... The Council, the name alone promised incredible power and wealth. The actual place were most of the Council Members worked in was the Dome, a gigantic structure and the closest building to the enormous Palace of the King of Asuria. Makoto was told to wait in a seat when he stated that he had business concerning the Magic Institute. They made him wait for over an hour before a man in white robes asked for his name and told him to come with him. He lead him through many white marble hallways with different paths branching off in every which direction, a complex structure that seemed to be completely out of place in a building with so much space available. "Wait in here please" Pointing to a room with only two stone chairs and a table between them, the man in robes left the somewhat confused Makoto to his own devices. Unsure how long he would have to wait for again, Makoto sat down. Luckily enough another man with a buzz cut entered the room, also wearing white robes. "Thank you for your patience, I am a Servant to the Council Member that has power over the Magic institute, how may I be of assistance?" "Wait a second, I asked to meet the Council Member himself and not a Servant." Makoto said, clearly angered by this decision he had not been informed about. "I am very sorry but you might understand that he is a busy man a-" Feeling as if he had heard the same thing not long ago, he cut in-between. "Tell him that I have business concerning the entire Magic Institute or do I personally have to go to the king to inform your dear Council Member that I was imprisoned against my will after finding out that the Head of the Magic Institute has ties with a Cult that slaughters the innocent citizens of this Kingdom?" Clearly stunned and horrified by what Makoto had said, the man stood up and left the room in a hurry. Unable to hide the smug smile that appeared on his face, he had to wait for another 5 minutes before someone else entered the room. "I hear you bring very delicate news dear friend." A middle aged man in a dark blue robe said, his face was full of wrinkles but his eyes displayed an agile mind together with an overall friendly demeanor emanating from him. Sitting down before Makoto, he started to introduce himself while putting a strand of hair with a streak of white out of his face. "My name is Narkas Forrowfell, Member of the Council and responsible for the Magic Institute and its relations. Could you please sign this scroll here? Alright, thank you very much, it is a ''truth'' scroll just so I know for sure that what you are saying is not a lie. Now, tell me in more detail as to what exactly happened." Makoto repeated the same story that he had already told to Saracesse a second time while filling in some more gaps about the Bounty that had been placed on him and about his time in confinement. The Member of the Council before him nodded during certain parts of his story multiple times as if to confirm that what he was saying was really the truth. "I have to thank you Makoto, for ending that terrible Cult. I was one of a few people in the Council that actually knew of its existence and it does not surprise me that the rumors about it were sparse with someone like Rhobos having deep ties to it. He probably confined the information, making sure nothing reached the wrong ears ,it was pure luck that I was able to find out about it. Even if Rhobos Grandel was not personally involved, the fact alone that he knew what his brother was doing and in turn doing nothing to stop it is already an act of treason. Every accusation you just made naturally has to be investigated, I can tell you right now that the Grandel house has too much influence and power inside the Capital so there would never be any action against them if we brought this to the Council''s attention." Makoto immediately noticed a surge of anger flow through him and he was about to protest when Narkas interrupted him. "But, there is one way. I could personally pull some strings and get him into confinement because I believe you. Stepping on toes of others like that will naturally cost me dearly in one way or another but I am willing to do that, if you agree to owing me a favor. I expect you to pay me back someday naturally." Makoto had a very bad feeling about this ''favor'' but there was no real choice in the matter, Rhobos would find out sooner or later that he had lost a prisoner and if his house really had that much influence he would never again be safe inside the Capital. Feeling as if he was signing a contract with the devil himself after putting his name on another Magic Scroll and agreeing to owing Narkas Forrowfell a favor, he could only let out a long sigh. With a bright smile on the man''s face he escorted him back to the entrance of the Dome, promising to contact Makoto again concerning this matter. Soon enough a squadron of soldiers left the building with hurried steps and he had a hunch where they could be going so he decided to follow after them. It brought a big smile to his face seeing that he was right and they indeed stormed the entire Magic Institute in broad daylight. Many people around stopped dead in their tracks and watched the scene unfold as more and more people got dragged out of the building, escorted by at least 4 Soldiers each. It was quite the spectacle seeing the guards that had before handled Makoto so roughly now receiving the same treatment. After a few minutes the main culprit appeared, thrashing left and right and shouting things like "How dare you!" and "House Grandel will not forgive this!". It brought Makoto so much delight seeing this piece of trash being escorted down the streets and back to the Dome that he actually maneuvered through the masses. Arriving close enough to the struggling man so he would be able to hear him, Makoto decided to choose his words carefully. "Your house will burn for what you did to me Rhobos." He whispered, just loud enough so the man in question instantly paled and frantically looked to his right and left to maybe get a glimpse of Makoto and to confirm that it was really him. With a truly evil smile on his face and his crimson eyes blazing, he decided to head back to Saracesse. What Makoto had told the Head of the Magic Institute was true, it might not happen today or tomorrow but he would make sure to watch his precious house Grandel go up in flames, and he would be the one holding the torch... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
As you might have noticed this Volume will concentrate on intrigues, political influence while further expanding the world of Azalon. There will be quite a few intresting things going on IRL too so stay tuned for that! Hope you enjoyed this little twist of cruelty and see you all tomorrow for another Chapter! :D Donation button should appear soon enough when an Admin finally approves it for those who are wondering XD. Chapter 37: Awkward Situations Chapter of today! BTW, Donation Button now Up :D Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 37: Awkward Situations Makoto was happy that the whole thing concerning Rhobos had been dealt with and still with a smile on his face he returned to the Inn. Saracesse seemed have grown tired of waiting as he could see her sleeping on the bed again, why exactly she was naked was a mystery though. Unable to help it, he got onto the bed and cuddled against her warm and soft body. His hand was going along her thighs, over her hip and then reached two soft mounds after following her flat stomach. Doing this same route over and over again in a somewhat trance allowed Saracesse to finally wake up. Letting out a yawn and pulling herself closer to Makoto with half open eyes, she seemed unwilling to let him go any time soon but he sadly had no choice. "I have to go Saracesse, I will be back in..." It took Makoto a while to calculate this in his head but he managed. "In 1 and a half days or so, we foreigners always have to return to another place as you know and it is time for me to go for a bit." Seeing the sad look in her eyes nearly broke his heart but there was no choice in the matter, he already skipped all of today, tomorrow would be Thursday and he promised himself to attend classes again. Pulling him into one last tight embrace he could feel her whisper against his ear. "I will be waiting my love. Come back soon." Kissing her one last time, Makoto disappeared in a blinding light and woke up in his room again. He could feel his heart still beating a bit faster and one look at the capsule reminded him of her. It filled him with incredible happiness, knowing that she was always there. With a longing feeling in his heart he brushed his teeth and went to bed, dreams of a red haired beauty with blue eyes welcomed him. ..... It was strange, seeing her talk with other people like before but knowing her real nature. He couldn''t help it and threw a few glances Veronica''s way throughout the day. Naturally he had no more feelings of love for her but it was not something he did intentionally, every time he looked at her angelic face he could feel a sadness echo through his heart. All he really felt for her at this point was hatred, contempt and a strange sadness, not about him or about what happened between them but just knowing what kind of person she was and realizing that someone like her would never truly be loved, at least not for her personality. Sighing deeply and looking out of the window while waiting for the instructor to enter the room, Makoto wondered what Saracesse was up to right now, it surprised him that after only a few hours he already deeply missed her, this was a new kind of emotion for him too. One other thing he was grateful for was that Veronica did not even attempt another conversation with him. Right now it might be awkward for him but it would truly be unpleasant if he had to tell her that straight to her face, so in a way he was relieved about her uncaring attitude. Counting every second, he was in his starting position to return to Azalon as quickly as possible. ..... Feeling his body again and finding a smiling girl staring at him with a mischievous look on her face, he was unable to hide his grin. "Honey, I''m home!" Makoto jokingly said, it was a line he always wanted to say at least once in his life. "Took you long enough." She responded while pulling him into a hug. Currently very busy with exchanging saliva he was annoyed indeed for a system message to interrupt his kiss.
You have received a message from player ''Lilliana''
With a quick tap he opened his chat window while she was unbuttoning his shirt. -Hey, we arrived in Elisante earlier than expected, currently at the north gate and waiting for you! Hurry up!- "Oh damn..." Makoto had completely forgotten about his promise to explore the Labyrinth with Lilliana and Sanja, there really couldn''t have been a worse timing for this. "Saracesse... I just got contacted by a good friend of mine, she is in the city and I promised her that I would explore and hunt in the Labyr-" " Who exactly is she, and don''t you dare leave out any details." Swallowing the words he was about to say, Makoto curtly explained. It was surprising seeing her react this way just for mentioning another girl, shouldn''t he normally react this way considering how beautiful his lover was? After listening to his lengthy explanation about Lilliana and Sanja, a small smile appeared on her face and Makoto was just happy that he was no longer under that icy gaze of hers. "Alright, tell her that we will be on our way, I wouldn''t mind a bit of fighting anyways and I really want to meet your friends." With a bad premonition in mind and already regretting his decision of telling her about his promise, Makoto put his gear back on and went to the north gate while Saracesse was practically stuck to his right arm. It was nice feeling her full breasts nearly enveloping his arm but the attention they drew with this act was unreal, everywhere they went players stopped dead in their tracks and looked at this beauty that was hugging him. A shiver ran down his spine as he felt more and more killing intent being directed his way while navigating through the crowds. When he looked to his right, all he could see was a happy looking Saracesse but for some reason the smile on her face did not reach her eyes. Women were scary creatures... Soon enough the gigantic gate was visible before them and together with it, Makoto was able to see two familiar figures standing beside the wall next to it. "Lilly! Sanja!" Waving with his free hand and happy seeing both girls again, his smile instantly froze after seeing their stunned expressions. They naturally noticed the beautiful girl that was practically stuck to his arm and judging by their faces, it was not something that pleased them. "Hoh~, you say that you want to hunt in the Labyrinth with us and then you show up with a girl like her clinging to you, do you really like to play dangerous games that much?" Lilliana''s smile was probably the scariest thing he had seen to date and he could clearly see her fingers twitching with incredible killing intent. Even Sanja showed a change of attitude as her expression was frozen solid and her eyes looked at him with an accusing stare. Again regretting this from the bottom of his heart, Makoto motioned the two girls to follow him and they climbed a few layers leading up until the crowds around them thinned out a bit. "Alright, first of all let me introduce her. This is Saracesse my... Lover. Saracesse, the one looking like she is about to jump at my throat is called Lilliana and the one to the left with the scary glare is Sanja." Surprisingly enough, the only one who seemed to show an honest smile on her face was the girl currently clinging to his arm. "Nice to meet you both." She said, showing a winning smile to both girls while the fire in their eyes only seemed to have increased, which in turn made Makoto feel VERY uncomfortable. "So how did you two meet?" Sanja asked, her voice carrying so much frost in it that yet another shiver ran down his spine. Saracesse was the one to reply and she still had the happiest smile in the world on her face as Makoto started to go very pale, realizing what would now follow. "Well, it all started with him entering my chambers and then ravaging me every which way." Complete silence filled the area as both Lilliana''s and Sanja''s eyes nearly jumped out of their sockets. Unable to hide his terrified expression anymore, he looked at the devil that had taken possession of his right arm and was currently busy destroying his entire reputation. "After I woke up he was gone so I went to find him again." The way Saracesse explained things was very dangerous so Makoto decided to intervene. "Just wait a moment please!" He could already feel the fire ball heading for his face so he quickly explained the situation, how Saracesse was a Dungeon Boss and that she actually wasn''t a ''player''. They didn''t believe him until the person in question showed her snake tongue and changed her blue eyes to reptilian ones. "So... let me get this straight, you found her in the Labyrinth and decided to what, take her there and then?" The accusing glare from Sanja only increased as he was unable to respond to that, it was the truth after all... Immediately the attitude of both girls changed as they protectively dragged Saracesse away from him while hissing things like "Scumbag," and "He will never hurt you again," his way. Every time he tried to defend himself, Lilliana interrupted him, not even giving him the chance to make himself stand in a better light. It was clear as day that his worth as a person had tremendously dropped in their eyes. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Unable to endure the occasional death glare any longer while the three girls whispered between themselves he tried to get everything back on track. "Listen, didn''t we want to hunt in a dungeon?" He could see both Lilliana and Sanja hesitate but in the end after discussing it with Saracesse both agreed and invited him to the party, even though he was a bit hurt by their attitude he decided to just wait for it to blow over. Hearing a surprised shout behind him, one of the girls quickly explained. "Well, I completely forgot that Saracesse wasn''t a player so I invited her to the party and it actually worked." That was indeed surprising and strange but Makoto decided to put it on the ''Because of Lover relationship'' pile and lead the way to the Labyrinth, very much aware of the big gap that both girls kept from him while talking together with Saracesse. Sighing deeply and already feeling a headache coming, he could not wait to get into a good fight again. Lilliana and Sanja were clearly impressed by the actual City and its many wonders, inquiring about many things and he tried to explain to the best of his knowledge. Naturally they all accepted as many tasks as they could in a nearby Inn before descending down into the Dungeon. After arriving at the bottom of the incredibly long staircase and passing the 9 portals, he gave them a quick crash course concerning the Labyrinth while ignoring the NPC that tried to do the same. He also explained about the different creatures he had encountered on the first floor and tried to give as much insight on their weaknesses as possible, it could mean the difference between life and death after all. "Everyone ready?" Nods all around him confirmed his question and they passed the first intersection, finally entering the actual maze. Their first enemys as a group were 2 Labyrinth boars. After only a single arrow from Saracesse killed one of them, it was decided that she would attack in emergency situations as her level was so much higher than their own and they would get no experience at all if she killed the mob. From now on she was responsible for recon missions with her other skills to warn Makoto and co. from any possible dangers and inform them about the number of enemies. Naturally Lilliana and Sanja both stayed further back while casting their spells but he was happy to notice that their movements had become more fluid and that they always strived for the best possible position to deal as much damage as possible while staying on the move. The teamwork between them greatly improved and Saracesse shot one or two arrows from time to time to increase the overall speed of the hunt. Makoto felt a bit sorry for his lover to be left out like this but she seemed to understand and was more interested in group tactics or formations, as they were completely new to her. One big difference he was able to notice with himself during all of this was that there was still this craving to see his enemies bleed and scream inside of him but it was easier to control since he got together with her, the impulse to torture and go on a carnage had lessened by a great deal. They also found out that healing magic was incredibly effective against Undead creatures while everything else was only half as effective. All in all they were able to quickly explore and hunt a large area of the first floor and Makoto soon enough got a few system messages.
Your level has increased!
The Skill ''Aura of the Beast'' has leveled up!
For the first time in a while, Makoto actually looked at his status window and also checked the Skill.
Status Window
Name:MakotoLevel:23
Alignment:GoodClass:Crimson Warrior
Race:HumanGender:Male
Titles
Slayer of All, Righteous Demon, First of a Kind, Champion of Blood
Health:1470/1470Mana:560/560
Strength:127Agility:147 (+5)
Vitality:86 (+28)Wisdom:40
Intelligence:40Fame:26
Evasiveness:38Willpower:35
Special Effects:
+5% Damage against all living beings. +15% Damage against Chaotic or Individuals with an ''Evil Alignment. +10% Chance to inflict the ''fear'' status on your opponents when entering combat. +10% Chance to inflict the ''fear'' status on your first attack in battle.
Aura of the Beast:
Your presence alone shakes the hearts of many, with an air of savagery and cruelty around you even guards do not want to take actions against you, fear is your most powerful tool and the use of it comes naturally to you.
Skill Type:active/passiveSkill Level3 (1%)
Skill Effect:Everyone around you (8 feet at current level) will have their stats reduced by 3% and accuracy dropped by 11%.
Additional Effect:Your eyes have permanently changed color.
Uses:5 mana per second.
One thing he found out was that the Skill ''Aura of the Beast'' also affected allies so it could be called a double edged sword in that regard. They soon enough entered a deeper part of the first floor than he had ever been in, enemies with levels of 27 or 28 appeared on a normal basis now and even Saracesse was unable to kill them with one shot anymore. More and more Undead started to appear in bigger groups. The feeling he had been getting for a while now turned out to be true as they reached a part of the Labyrinth that was different, you could even call it a room. Only problem was that this room was occupied by nearly 50 lvl 27 to 28 Undead Soldiers with a very big Undead in the middle of it all.
Undead General: Elite Monster lvl 29
"Get ready for a party guys!" Makoto shouted to the rest of his group behind him, the crimson light in his eyes increasing yet again while a vicious smile appeared on his face... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Sorry for the delay guys! Had to write most of this Chapter today as I was just too tired yesterday, which resulted in a lot of editing on my part with this one and sloppy writing. IF ANYBODY DONATES PLEASE TELL ME IN THE COMMENT SECTION IF IT ACTUALLY WORKS, I AM NOT SURE YET! See you all tomorrow :D. Chapter 38: The Dinner I got so pumped from all the donations that I decided to give you guys an extra lengthy random bonus chapter today! :D Thank you very much Mafiapl, Forseeti, Seares and 2 Anonymous for donating! Appreciate it! Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Surprise Motherfucking Chapter! Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 38: The Dinner Battle really was the place where he truly felt at home. With a few quick steps he jumped through Undead ranks, swinging his blade left and right.
287 Damage dealt! 167 Damage dealt!
It was quite ridiculous how big of a counter Undead creatures were to his class. Not only were status effects like ''Bleed'' or ''Fear'' completely ineffective on them, the actual damage a blade did was also reduced. He would have to focus on slowing them down or disabling them while Sanja would be their Main Damage dealer this fight. Spinning on his heels he accelerated his own momentum and lashed out with his sword, effectively putting even more power behind the strike. Following a disgusting wet snap, a system message appeared before him.
301 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Cripple: -20% movement and attack speed until the battle is over.
"Blinding Light!" Sanja screamed behind him and seemingly out of nowhere 3 Undead Soldiers were bathed in a white light. All 3 of them had their health reduced by nearly 80%, that was how much damage healing magic did to undead, it was stupidly good. Arrow after arrow left Saracesse''s bow, whistling through the air and embedding themselves into skulls and bodies. Just like with a blade weapon, arrows also were a lot less effective and even with her level advantage her attacks did a lot less damage than Sanja''s. "Flame Barrage!" Following a sharp hiss, a visible snake made of pure fire erupted from Lilliana''s wand, roasting a couple of Undead Soldiers. They made sure to take care of as many small fries as they could before aggroing the Elite Undead. No one in the party had any desire to fight with a strong enemy while being attacked by over fifty other creatures. Cracking spines, knees, hips and heads, Makoto was a whirlwind of hurt, going through countless ranks of Undead without ever even being touched. At the same time Lilliana was either roasting them alive or putting Ice spears into them, Sanja just straight up smited them like a God and Saracesse could fire up to 50 arrows in one minute, it was pure chaos but they got the job done. "Only the big boy left." Sanja commented, wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead. "Everyone get ready, we have no idea how strong an Elite Undead inside the Labyrinth is, be careful." Nodding to his words, all of them got into position and after one more look Makoto stepped forward. Increasing his tempo with every step, he soon enough ran towards the giant that seemed to be made entirely out of grey and decaying flesh, the smell alone was enough to upset his stomach but he kept running forward. Interestingly enough the Elite Undead had been standing in a daze while his fellow brethren were slaughtered but after Makoto got close enough its head whipped around with a disgusting crack and dead eyes stared into a crimson pair. Letting out a deafening roar the Undead General jumped forward with surprising Agility. Unable to avoid collision at this point, all he could do was have his sword pointed forward while a gigantic grey hand swatted him to the side, like he was an especially disgusting fly.
You have received 671 Damage!
Makoto''s entire ribcage felt as if it was crooked and a mouthful of blood flew with him through the air. Immediately a blazing fire snake surrounded the Elite monster to keep it from pursuing after him. Sanja, well aware of his incredible regen focused on dealing damage and used ''Blinding Light'' together with ''Healing Hand'' every few seconds to drastically damage the creature. Saracesse showed the Skill ''Scatter Shot'' for the first time and a rain of arrows descended on the stunned giant, practically pinning him to the floor while another deafening roar filled the room. With ''Blood Rejuvenation'' Makoto was back on his feet in seconds and his health was full soon after. Shouting his anger and frustration to the disgusting Undead he ran towards it in a zigzag pattern and with a quick spin and jump sunk his blade into pulsating flesh. Black blood exploded forth, drenching his left side and with a howl of pain he jumped back and tried to wipe the vile liquid away from him, it felt like acid that burned through his skin when he was sprayed with it. Otherwise occupied, Makoto''s concentration was not on the fight for a few seconds but that was enough to receive a kick into his gut that nearly made him puke out his intestines.
You have received 751 Damage!
It was insane how much power was behind every motion of this Elite, closer to a Boss than anything else really. Wiping another trickle of blood away from the corner of his mouth, Makoto stood up again, an unwavering fire burning in his eyes while the 3 girls bombarded the creature with everything they had, decreasing its health at a rather rapid rate. This fight showed that his Class could really be called the perfect meat shield, his incredible endurance in a prolonged battle was enough for any long ranged damage dealer to have an easy time. Still wanting a bit of action except only receiving attacks, he jumped back into the fray again and exchanged blows with the giant, spitting out one mouthful of blood after the other. "Light of Heaven!" With a massive roar and engulfed into white flames the Undead Elite received divine punishment by Sanja and the last few percent of its health disappeared into nothingness. It was not the longest or hardest fight he ever had but Makoto was again made aware of the fact how incredibly difficult even a simple elite could be in the later levels. It was a clear indicator from the game telling him to only engage them in a party from now on, which made sense to begin with. The actual loot turned out be simple junk or low level equipment while the Undead General had dropped a black pointed hat for the Mage Class. Seeing the small Lilliana with this pretty big and pointed black Hat on her head was enough to crack Makoto up and she looked at him with a mix of embarrassment and hatred in her eyes. "You really look like a true witch now." He said and with an annoyed expression on her face she stomped on his foot and ran off ahead. Saracesse made a strange face and then looked between him and Lilliana a few times before also storming off without saying a word. "What did I do wrong?" Was all he could say as he looked after both girls, turning towards Sanja who was still next to him. He threw a questioning look her way and she only let out a long sigh before also going on ahead, ignoring him "Come on guys, wait up!" ¡­.. They all hunted for a good while longer and Makoto was very close to leveling up when both Sanja and Lilliana called it a day. "We have to go now, got a 12 hour shift tomorrow and so does Lilly, we will see you guys on the weekend again alright?" Both Makoto and Saracesse nodded with a smile and waved them goodbye. A short moment later, only 2 figures remained under the setting sun. "Shall we go too?" She asked and he nodded. They were on their way back to the Inn and Makoto was dragged into a few shops before convincing her that he just didn''t have the money for any of the items. Thankfully buying his lie, he was able to shield his savings from certain doom and they walked back on the busy street while holding hands. Pressing his hand, Saracesse tried to get his attention and when he looked into her eyes he could see incredible lust running wild inside of them. "Talk about impossible to satisfy, just how much do you want to do it every day?" He jokingly said and she only showed a crooked smile, not breaking eye contact. "Well then you just have to try even harder and longer." Laughing at her response they reached the Inn, only to suddenly stop. An entire squad of Soldiers was waiting for them outside the building. A man in heavy and expensive looking armor was currently talking with the Innkeeper until the man frantically pointed at Makoto and Saracesse after seeing them appear out of the masses. Turning around and showing him a threatening expression, the man approached and stopped a few feet away from them both, one hand pressed against his chest. "Council Member Forrowfell is inviting you to Dinner. He has told me to tell you that it is about a certain favor." Surprised about this early summoning, Makoto turned to his left but the Soldier interrupted him. "He said to come alone." A bit disappointed, he nodded and turned to his lover. "Sorry Saracesse, I have to go but I promise I will be back as soon as possible ok?" With a worried expression visible on her face and eyeing the squad of soldiers a few times she nodded and kissed him farewell. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. "I will wait for you my love." It hurt leaving her behind alone time after time but there just was no helping it so with a bit of guilt in his stomach he followed the man in heavy armor while the rest of the Soldiers escorted him. They ascended many layers and went north, back towards the Labyrinth. Soon enough the surrounding buildings were clearly all of noble origin, showing incredible size and luxury. Stopping shortly before a mansion, painted in the colors red and black, he was guided to the front door. This was clearly one of the more expensive buildings in the Noble district that he had ever seen. After only a short knock, a Butler with grey hair and a serious expression on his face, opened the door. "I deliver the foreigner Makoto on Council Member Forrowfell''s orders." The man reported and the Butler gave him a short nod only to then wave him away. "This way, Sir." The Butler said and somewhat unsure, Makoto followed him inside. The entire mansion was decorated with pictures, statues, vases and all kinds of artifacts. A treasure trove of riches so to speak of. After going through many rooms that all showed incredibly expensive objects, he finally met Narkas Forrowfell again, sitting at a large table and currently cutting apart a steak. "I hope you don''t mind me having started already but I haven''t eaten all day and sent for you hours ago so please excuse my rude behavior." "No it''s alright, really." Showing him a big smile, Narkas continued to devour his steak and a Maid, a beautiful woman wearing an actual maid outfit, served Makoto his own steak together with a few baked potatoes and a green salad to go with it. It tasted absolutely gorgeous, he normally wasn¡¯t a meat lover but this was probably the best thing he ever tasted in his entire life. Was this how the high class in society always ate? That just seemed so unfair. After finishing the incredible meal with a somewhat disappointment and greed for more, Narkas began speaking. "I would like to have some privacy with my guest please." Immediately all the surrounding Maids and Servants showed a deep bow and excused themselves. Looking deep into his eyes, Narkas began talking again. "Now then, where to start. Maybe I should tell you a bit about myself. Yeah, that might be a good idea. You have to understand, I was not born into a nice situation like this, no, quite the opposite actually. I was born in Khalief, the land of the Mithril dragons, a kingdom far to the east of here. To be more precise I was born in the slums of the capital, Ferasil, the Eternal city. Born with nothing but a shabby roof over my head and two parents that both struggled to even find proper work, life was not easy. It is really incredible on how little food a human being can exist, hunger was the only thing eternal for me in that city, just like with many others. One fateful day someone had the brilliant idea to rob our hut, already possessing next to nothing my parents begged the guy to leave them a few coppers so they could at least feed me. That was the last thing they ever said. He stabbed them both in the throat and disappeared into the night." Makoto had to swallow hard after seeing the incredibly dark emotions in the others eyes but continued to attentively listen to his story. "Having nothing and no one left to hold me back or take care of me, I started begging my way to the docks and was able to board a ship heading west. I worked day and night on that boat, getting nothing else except a roof over my head and one meal a day but that was more than enough for me. Arriving in Talis after many weeks on sea I started to work in the docks and saved up enough money to travel to the Capital, to come here. After walking through that gigantic gate for the first time I decided that this would be the turning point and changed my name to Narkas Forrowfell. I was a no name inside an incredibly big city, for the first few years or so I worked odd jobs until I was accepted as a Servant to one of the richer houses in the City. After years and years of loyalty and servitude, all I got was a smile as they fired me. Again on the streets and without a home I decided to use the rest of my savings to buy myself a new set of clothes, this time noble ones, and applied for an assistant position at the Council, luckily enough I was able to get the job. First it was hard for me as a foreigner, there was a lot that I didn''t know but I learned quickly. I met many people, exchanged favors for others and increased my influence over others after years of playing a dangerous game. It was important to know which people I could step on the toes and which ones I should definitely leave alone. Formerly of low birth I was able to elevate my position by black mailing, forging and breaking nearly every law in the country to get where I am right now. After the king declared me a noble I started to tidy up behind me and befriended enemies, paid back debts and corrected mistakes, it might not have been pretty but I tried my best to calm the storm I had created on my way to power, well aware that if I didn''t do that, the next thing I would wake up to would be a dagger in my heart. All of this happened 10 years ago, since then not much has changed but I noticed one thing, no matter how hard I tried to get a wife from noble birth to start my own house, all houses inside and outside the kingdom refused me, some kindly and others in quite the rude way. Even after all of these years of trying to better this country and help its people I was still not seen as one of them, I would always stay the same foreigner that stole his way to nobility in their eyes. A lowborn scum born in the slums of Ferasil. I am already past my prime now, youth has started to leave me and I can feel the years catch up to me, still with no wife or child to call my own and only having a limited amount of influence. To put it blunt, I do not have many people that I can trust." Stunned about this incredibly lengthy and detailed explanation, he needed a moment to digest it all. "So why exactly are you telling me all of this?" Makoto finally asked, unsure what the point of telling him his life story was. "The reason is simple really, I heard word about you from the Tournament after asking around a bit. Seems you made quite a name for yourself as the mad beast with crimson eyes and cloak that fought both graceful and wild. I have discovered some information. The Head of the Magic Institute was never directly involved with the Blood Moon Cult, but there was someone inside the Capital that had enough influence and power to help fund the entire thing, I was able to dig up a name Makoto. House Stimridge, a wealthy noble family that has deep ties with the Royal Families. This might explain why there was never any drastic actions against the Cult, neither from the Council nor the king, it could also be that both had been kept completely in the dark but I know for sure that house Stimridge was deeply involved. I want you to help me uncover this possible conspiracy as there is no one in this city that I trust enough and you are still owing me a favor so that is two birds with one stone." Quite interested by this request and always willing to find out what really happened behind the scenes, Makoto didn''t hesitate at all. "What do you want me to do?" "I want you to pose as a new Servant for house Stimridge as the previous one has suddenly gotten terribly sick." Narkas showed a mischievous smile on his face and continued. "Getting a house far to the north of here together with a sack of gold coins really is one of the most terrible illnesses." Right away a new system window appeared before him.
The Ones in the Dark: (Quest)
Infiltrate house Stimridge under the guise of a Servant and find out who else is behind this conspiracy and how the powerful and prestigious house Stimridge was involved with the Blood Moon Cult to begin with.
Rewards:Unknown
Penalty:If refused, Narkas Forrowfell will see you as someone who breaks his word, making it impossible to ever get on friendly terms with any of the nobles in Asuria.
Requirements:Incredibly high Intimacy with one of the Council Members (or owing a favor as insurance).
"Would it be ok if I accept the request now and carry it out in a day or two? I have some important business to take care of..." "Oh, well that would be fine too really, I forgot that you foreigners always seem to wander off for some time." Happy that he was able to log off without having to worry he accepted the Quest right away and bid Narkas farewell. "Good luck to you boy and inform me when you know who else was involved or what the house Stimridge was after." "Sure enough, until then." Waving one last time he left the incredibly luxurious mansion and returned back to his lover Saracesse with new determination in his stride. -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Hope you enjoyed this little late night extra Chapter :D. See you all tomorrow! Chapter 39: Beast Blood Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Hope you enjoy the Chapter as it is something slightly different today! ----- Chapter 39: Beast Blood Even during the deepest of nights the entire city was lit like a Christmas tree. Burning candles, oil lampposts and torches illuminated every step of the way in the noble District, allowing for rather safe travel during the night. Makoto was currently deep in thought. Naturally he had accepted the quest, he wanted to finish things with the Blood Moon Cult once and for all but there was one little problem with that. He didn''t know how long he would have to do this and there was his lover after all. It would be unfair to leave her at the Inn for days, just because he had to take care of something. If she was a player he could let her get in touch with Lilliana and Sanja and hunt in the Labyrinth but because she was an NPC that complicated things in that regard quite a bit. Unwilling to leave her without anything left to do he made up his mind and entered the Inn. Saracesse was currently sitting on a chair and staring out of the window when she heard him enter. Seeing the immediate change in her face from gloomy to happy as she jumped into his arms nearly broke his heart, as he knew there would be bad news to his arrival. After finally getting her to calm down and sitting together with her on the double bed, he started to explain. "Listen Saracesse... I have to go away for a bit because of a Quest that I got. Remember how I was able to put Rhobos Grandel in Jail? Well I think I never told you that it came with a price and that price was a favor, one that has to be repaid no matter what. To put it bluntly, I am going to expose the houses that supported the Blood Moon Cult in the shadows, not only because I was asked to do it but because I want to take care of this. I know it is not fair to ask you to wait here until I am back so I thought of something. If you were able to form a party with Lilliana you should be able to get stronger in the Labyrinth too. Your level is not appropriate for the first floor anyways so you should go hunting alone in a deeper floor of the Labyrinth till I am back, just come back occasionally to the Inn if you need to sleep. I probably won''t be back for a few days so don''t despair, I promise that I will hurry as much as I can to get back to you." She remained silent for quite a while after he finished, just staring into his eyes for many minutes until finally letting out a long sigh. "You really like to keep your girlfriend waiting don''t you?" Feeling a sting deep in his gut from her words, Makoto lowered his head in guilt. "I am sorry..." After lifting his head again he saw the smile on her face before it disappeared again. "I am guessing you also have to go now?" Nodding his head in even more guilt after confirming that he had to log out for some sleep, he could see how her mood dropped by another notch. "Well if you have to go, go. I don''t blame you and I know it''s not because you want to." Avoiding eye contact she turned away and was about to walk away when he put his arms around her from behind to pull her into a tight hug. Deep down inside, Saracesse might understand but that didn''t mean she wasn''t saddened by it so all he could respond with was this intimate but heartfelt hug. She turned towards him with a soft gaze and her head slowly inched closer to him, responding the same way he exchanged a long and intense kiss with her, exploring every nook and cranny of her mouth with his tongue before slowly stepping away. "Don''t you dare keep me waiting for too long." Saracesse whispered, her head kept low and he put a hand beneath her chin to lift it up so he could stare into her beautiful sapphire blue eyes. "Never, my love." Smiling at his words and aware that Makoto just called her ''My love'' for the first time, she put her head into his shoulder and hugged him with back breaking strength. "Mine..." Was all Saracesse said. Deeply touched by this display of affection with this one word, he also put his arms around her and kissed her head. They stayed like this for a good bit until she let go of him and he logged out, leaving her behind with gut wrenching guilt. ..... Sharon stepped out of her capsule, a little unstable on her feet after staying inside of it for such a long time but that quickly faded away. With a few quick steps she reached her drawer, picked up the phone on top of it and searched through her contacts for the right number. It only took a few seconds before her handler that monitored the ingame time she spent in Azalon picked up the phone. "Hi Sharon, what''s up?" "Hey Markus, listen, I know of a way how you can repay me that favor you always talked about." A short silence was audible on the other end of the line before the man responded again. "Go on." "Well I would need you to look into someone, more precisely, to look into someone from Azalon, I need his real name and Address." "Sharon that is illegal in more than one way, if I do this I would be lucky to just get fired without getting into jail!" "And without me you would never have been introduced to your wife and your children would never have been born so what will it be, yes or no?" Anxiously waiting for his response, Sharon crossed her fingers, hoping for the right answer. "...Alright, fine. I will contact you as soon as I know more, what is his ingame ID?" "Makoto, M-A-K-O-T-O." "Ok..." Grinning from one ear to the other while holding her phone, she tried to cheer him up a bit. "Don''t be like that Markus. It''s going to be alright. Tell my sister that I said hi and that I will visit you guys soon, I hope you make some more of that amazing pork again, it just tastes godly. Alright, talk to you later!" Ending the call, still with an incredibly bright smile on her face she looked at her capsule, her heart rate increasing right away. Sharon knew that she was deeply in love with Makoto at this point, her feelings had grown so strong that every time she logged out she had this incredibly longing feeling towards him. They had to meet in Real Life, no matter the cost. She had to see him with her own eyes. Holding one hand against her chest, her cheeks reddened just thinking about what they could be doing if everything went well with explaining that she was the real Saracesse... If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Biting her lip with her chest tightening once more she stumbled to her bed. ..... It was Friday. The last day before the weekend. Incredibly bored and only listening with one ear to what the Instructor was saying, Makoto''s mind wandered off to a distant place. He was back inside Azalon, fighting mobs, kissing Saracesse and letting his desires take over. Back in a place where he belonged. He only noticed a familiar figure standing outside of his College after many minutes. The same calm demeanor, stature and visible muscles. Veronica''s boyfriend was waiting outside, presumably for her. Seeing him standing there lit a fire in his heart again, but not the good kind. Dark emotions surged through him, hatred and disgust spinning in an endless spiral. After a minute or so something else entered that mix after staring at his back for a good while, sympathy. It extinguished his hatred and disgust and instead he only felt sorry for the guy. He was unaware of how his girlfriend behaved behind his back, how she played around with other guys, possibly even getting intimate with them while he was kind enough to wait for her outside of College, 25 minutes before the Course even ended. Just from this one simple fact that he was waiting patiently outside for his girlfriend like that, Makoto thought that he couldn''t be a bad guy, It was deep sympathy that he was feeling for this fool right now. The same fool that he had been not too long ago. A sudden determination entered his mind, with one hand raised he excused himself for a ''Toilet Break'' and took the elevator down. It just wasn''t fair to leave him like this, unaware about what was going on behind his back. Makoto would make sure that he at least knew the situation, he would tell him the truth. Maybe a simple warning could save him from the same despair and anger that he felt after discovering her real nature. With a gust of wind to welcome him, Makoto stepped outside. Immediately the waiting giant turned around, clearly surprised to seeing him standing there. "Hey, aren''t you that friend of Veronica''s?" It was good that the guy recognized him, it made everything a lot easier. "Yeah, or at least I was. My name is Makoto btw." Shaking hands with the big guy he soon enough got a response. "Steve, nice to meet you." "Likewise, listen I have to tell you that you should watch out for her, she already broke my heart by leading me on for quite some time. I don''t know why she does it, maybe it gives her some kind of kick but she flirted with me to the point where I thought for sure that she felt the same thing that I was feeling for her. You seem like a good guy so I wanted to give you a fair chance with this." Noticing that Steve''s expression changed with every word that he spoke from a friendly smile to rage, he took a step back. "Why would you even say something like to about her? Are you jealous or something? Fuck off dude, you don''t bash another man''s girl." Clearly angry, Makoto tried his best to calm the guy down so he could explain. "No you are misunderstanding this. I just wanted to give you a warning because I couldn''t believe it myself, it only seemed fair..." It was clear as day that his words fell on deaf ears, they only helped to further enrage Steve. In hindsight it had been a stupid idea, what proof did he have to convince him, how did he expect that anyone would believe him in the first place? Makoto''s actions had been driven by his emotions, more precisely, his deep sympathy towards Steve. He knew all too well how it felt to find out how a person could really be and he wished for no one to ever experience the same fate. It was na?ve, thinking that anyone would listen to him when he slandered another''s girl. Unable to keep his anger in check anymore, a straight punch soon enough found Makoto''s face. No good deed goes unpunished... That was all Makoto could think as he stumbled back, holding one hand against his bleeding nose. Steve was about to swing again when he noticed how Makoto''s eyes suddenly had a deep crimson red color, making him stop dead in his tracks. Accompanied with a visible glow, the stare alone sent cold shivers down Steve''s back. Immediately his entire attitude changed from wanting to help the poor guy in front of him to seeing him as nothing more than an insect, one that had dared to hit him on top of that. Killing intent was emanating from him and Steve quickly stepped away, noticing the acute danger. Every trace of sympathy was blown away with that one punch and with an icy voice, Makoto spoke. "You can think what you want really, I warned you. Don''t come back bawling your eyes out because you got stabbed in the back, for all I care you can drop dead in a ditch." Completely stunned about this 180¡ã twist in personality, Steve watched Makoto walk back inside, unable to even respond. He tried his best to wipe away the blood that still trickled down his nose on the way back. When he entered the room his Instructor was about to ask where exactly he had been for all this time but the words just wouldn''t leave her mouth. One quick glance from his red eyes was enough to completely shut her up as he walked back to his seat . Quite a few others noticed his changed behavior and eye color, sending more than one chill down many spines. Makoto continued to stare outside the window as if nothing had happened, creating the illusion that he never really left the room. In his own reflection he could clearly see the red glow from his eyes and a sinister smile appeared on his face as he looked outside. He was aware of the change. The Beast and his own personality had started to merge for quite some time now and he welcomed it. Every time he felt it run rampant inside of him he had no fear, no worry or sorrow. It was the only time that he truly felt free and no one would be able to take that away from him now... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
As always if you have any questions, leave them down below and see you all tomorrow :D. Chapter 40: Undercover Thank you very much Sam and The Link for donating! Really Appreciate it! Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Chapter of today! BTW today is the 19th, it now is exactly 1 month since I started and in these 31 days I have written 40 Chapters, with 110k words all in all, pretty impressive I would say :D Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 40: Undercover With a bright light, Makoto appeared inside the empty room. Saracesse wasn''t here at the moment and a bit saddened by the fact that he would probably not see her for quite some time he left the Inn somewhat reluctantly. He knew from yesterdays conversation with Narkas that house Stimridge was on the 44 layer, north of the Palace so finding the actual structure was not too hard with a bit of asking around. Before he actually got to the building, another thought crossed his mind. If he posed as a Servant, wouldn''t he also pose as an NPC then? Taking one look at his current equipment destroyed every illusion of being just an ordinary citizen. A bit heartbroken, Makoto spent nearly 5 Silver on 4 sets of fine clothing. It was necessary but it still hurt. Donning his new disguise while putting all of his armor and even his weapon in his inventory, he finally arrived at house Stimridge. It was an absolutely gigantic mansion, nearly doubling the one Narkas lived in. Just the size alone was enough to make it stick out in the surrounding area. Makoto had to walk past 8 guards stationed at the gate before being able to even knock on the front door. A white haired and frail looking man in a Servant uniform opened the door and looked at him from head to boot. "Who is it?" "Excuse me, I am supposed to start as a Servant here today and-" "Never use this entrance again." Somewhat stunned at being interrupted like that, he looked at the old man confused and he motioned Makoto to come inside while continuing to speak. "Servants never use the main entrance to enter the house, always use the back entrance from now on, understood?" Nodding a few times he followed the elderly Servant deep inside the actual building. Everywhere you could see gold and silver adorn the walls, showing complex structures and figures. It was once again more luxurious than Narkas Forrowfell''s home. Trying to memorise as much as possible, Makoto was finally lead into an area that had no decoration, only white walls and a wooden floor. It was the kitchen at the back of the building where a big group of women and men already prepared Lunch for the nobles of the house. "This is your job for now, I will get you soon enough again to show you a few other chores you will be doing every day." Leaving him with a pile of potatoes while putting a knife into his hand, Makoto was already feeling tired just looking at the big task before him. It took him nearly three hours to finish this job, after which he was lead into a small room full of clothes. "Clean these next." Staring at the dirty laundry of at least 50 people, Makoto felt as if he would faint at any moment but pure willpower helped him through it all. The water needed to be changed a lot as there was quite a few clothes with shit or pee stains, how they had received them was beyond him. Washing the 5th pair of underwear with a skid mark by hand reminded him once again how thankful he was for not having to use the bathroom as a player. Things like eating and drinking were easily possible but the creators of the game decided not to include the need to go to a toilet. At the end of it all, Makoto could feel an incredible disgust from the bottom of his heart for house Stimridge. Unable to ever smell his hands again, an older servant guided him to another room. It was the bed and playroom of one of the child nobles. Toys and all kinds of food littered the entire floor and he was told to clean it up. His hatred for the entire house grew yet again and Makoto could feel how the corners of his mouth started to hurt from fake smiling so much. "Alright, I''m on it." Was all he was able to say before the other person stormed off again, leaving him with a pig pen of a room. First of all Makoto made sure to put all the toys away while evading the half chewed pieces of meat and vegetables that filled the floor. After that he picked up soggy clumps of food and started to mop the ground. Somewhere in between all of that, the small boy who lived and played here came to stop by, dropping yet another half eaten chunk on the floor, only to then run off laughing. The 1st time this happened Makoto let it slide, he decided to believe that the little boy was mentally handicapped, why else would you do something like that? The 2nd time it started to be odd and after the 7th time he was very close to strangling the boy but again, he picked up the food and mopped over the spot. With an incredible hatred for this little shit that made his work ten times harder, he could practically feel how his eyes started to glow a dim red, which in turn finally scared the little bastard away to hide behind his mother''s dress. It was in the late afternoon that he managed to clean the entire room to an acceptable standard. Another member of staff came to pick him up and he was lead to the dining room to help serve dinner for the entire house. On the way there he was told over and over again to address everyone with either Sir or Ma''am and to lower his head while speaking to them, the Head of Stimridge held great value upon upholding this basic form of etiquette. A gigantic table filled to the brim with overdressed nobles that all chatted at the same time welcomed him, together with trays full of gorgeous meals. Makoto followed the example of the other Servants and put one plate after the other down before the nobles, always showing a deep bow which they didn''t seem to notice. All in all he was treated as if he didn''t exist in the first place even though it was his first day. It was a bit disappointing in a way that his insertion in a noble household went this smoothly. A select few shot short glances towards him but nothing more than that, they were too busy slandering other houses or talking ill about another decision of the Council to even notice the new guy. Another big topic was the coming war with the East. "I am telling you, the border to Sarachec has been complete chaos recently. There will be war!" "So what? Elisante is close to the eastern border, our soldiers are some of the most experience veterans thanks to the Labyrinth Dungeon, let them come!" "Can''t let some lowborn half humans roll all over us now can we?!" With a loud shout many men and women on the table agreed before yet again talking about "What if" scenarios in a possible war. Asuria and Sarachec were big countries that both bordered to the sea in the south. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The only difference was that Asuria also bordered to the sea in the west, to the East was Sarachec, land of the Beast-men and to the north was Farkiln, land of the Dwarfs. The Dwarfs hated any and all foreigners while the Beast-men were only on bad terms with Asuria, making this a very peculiar situation indeed. Makoto had read about Azalon History like most other people that played the game. Every Race started in a different kingdom, the interaction between each kingdom and race could be either good or bad, it heavily depended on who was King and what kind of history each aristocrat had with the neighboring country. It was described as a diverse political system that could be used or abused to bring peace or war between two nations. One of the big reasons why there was only Humans inside the Capital was that every Sarachec citizen was deeply hated by most common folk and players that wanted to cross borders would have to be in their mid 30s to even risk such a dangerous trip as there was not one single Village or City close to any of the borders, understandably. Makoto listened to the surrounding conversations with one ear while collecting empty plates from time to time, it was tedious work but it was an effective way to collect information and he made sure to stay as close as possible to the end of the table, that was where the Head of any house was sitting after all. Carl Stimridge was a serious man. He had built this former low nobility house into one of the strongest and most influential houses of the Capital. A deed worthy of respect. The man never spoke much during Dinner but after the entire family had finished their meal and the children were sent to bed while the adults opened bottle after bottle of wine in the lounge, that was a different story. Makoto helped pour the liquor that was probably worth thousands of gold like it was the cheapest beer. All of them seemed to be incredible alcoholics as they drank like a bottomless pit, emptying a good 200 bottles while the actual number of adults could not be more than 30. Watching this incredible display of wealth while remembering how he himself was grubby about every single Copper that he got from selling junk loot made the difference between nobility and common folk even more clear. They talked about this and that but not about the things he was interested to hear, not about things that mattered. Makoto slept in a 2 foot wide bed that was incredibly uncomfortable and stood up again with the first light of dawn. The next day was just like the one before, incredibly dull and tiring. During dinner and in the lounge he kept his eyes and ears open for any noteworthy information about his Quest but he had no luck. On the third day of peeling a mountain of potatoes, washing shit stained underwear and cleaning countless rooms his patience was starting to grow weary. With dearly needed hope in this sheer endless physical labor, Makoto could not wait for Dinner to start again. During the entire meal there seemed to be a strange silence, no one really laughed or talked too loud and there was the occasional glance to the First of the house, Carl. It was suspicious enough that he started to get his hopes up again. After a very quiet meal the adults turned up in the lounge again, drinking away their mind and memories. Finally Makoto heard what he had been waiting for. "How should we deal with Rhobos now that he is imprisoned and being questioned?" One of the younger nobles asked, his gaze directed towards his father. Carl Stimridge only laughed it off. "There is no need to worry, Rhobos doesn''t know that we have secretly funded the little Cult his brother started. And even if he did, he would still not know that we did it to upset the common folk while trouble is brewing at the border. It really is a damn shame that the Cult was annihilated before a major disturbance was caused. If our house had destroyed this evil Cult then, the King would have probably elevated us to a royal family, securing our survival while even having a possible go at the throne. Truly an unfortunate turn of events." Sighing deeply, the middle aged man drank another bottle of wine empty and waved a servant to bring some more. "But father, what should we tell house Durthin and Sharow when they come to us, asking for the land we promised them for helping us finance the Cult?" Immediately Carl''s face visibly changed and he threw a glass full of wine at the man who had dared to open his mouth. "That is what you get for ruining my good mood, now go to your bed!" "But father I am not a child anymo-" "I said go you little shit or I swear by the Divines that I will throw you out of this house, do you hear me?!" The young man quickly scrambled to his feet and fled the room while a deep silence fell all around them after this sudden outburst from the Head of the House. With a gloomy look on his face, Carl quickly emptied yet another bottle and asked for more. Makoto played the good little Servant till everyone was in their bed, tucked beneath their covers and soundly asleep. With a feeling similar to his entire spine being pressed into place again, he stood up in complete darkness from this insanely uncomfortable wooden board of a bed. Making sure to tread carefully and without creating any noise, he maneuvered his way through the dark, unwilling to light even one little match as to not wake anyone inside the mansion. After about 20 minutes of falling over his own feet he finally reached the back entrance of the mansion. The key to open the door was thankfully still stuck inside the lock so all he really had to do was slowly turn it, open the door and lock it again behind him while putting the little object in his pocket. He had no idea if he would even come back here again but why not keep something like a key to an incredibly rich household? It would be like shooting himself in the foot if he didn''t accept this divine guidance to potentially fill his pockets with riches. The next problem he faced was to leave the outer bounds without getting noticed by one of the guards, thankfully there was a hidden gate at the back that opened with the same key he currently had in possession, that was two signs of divine guidance right there. With hurried steps, Makoto made the long trip back to Narkas Forrowfell to tell him how house Stimridge, house Durthin and house Sharow had been involved with the Blood Moon Cult... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
If you have any questions comment below! I know it''s a lot sooner than I said but we are reaching the end of Volume 3 people, stay tuned! :D Chapter 41: Rise and Fall Thank you very much mrdaemonsadi for donating! Really Appreciate it! Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Second to last Chapter of Volume 3, Very long Chapter just for you guys! :D Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 41: Rise and Fall Narkas stared at the glass of wine in his hand for a few seconds after Makoto had finished his report. Pursing his lips and still deep in thought he started talking. "I will look into what I can find about house Durthin and Sharow, maybe I can dig up some dirt that we can use to keep them in check. Now what to do with good old Carl... Honestly speaking, I don''t care what you do to him, as long as no one sees you it doesn''t matter. The only important thing is that you make him and his house pay for trying to use the tension at the border to their advantage." Immediately after Narkas finished talking, a system message appeared before Makoto.
Your Alignment will not change no matter what while persecuting the Criminal (Carl Stimridge).
Unable to hide his sinister smile he looked towards the other man, only to see the same dark joy on his face. Both men looked at each other with pure evil visible on their faces and the Head Butler decided to speak his mind in this rather strange situation. "I have to say, if you always smile like that it does not surprise me in the least that no noble woman wants to be your wife, Master Narkas." Completely stunned, the man in question looked towards his loyal servant, unable to comprehend the rude comment that had just dropped. Watching this scene unfold, Makoto couldn''t help the laugh that escaped his throat while Narkas turned away sulking. "I would advice you to watch your tone next time Baltas." "Understood Sir." Giving a deep bow to the ticked off Narkas, Head Butler Baltas turned around and left the dining room while the only player inside the mansion was still rolling on the floor and holding his stomach. "Alright that¡¯s enough, it wasn''t that funny..." "Sorry, I just didn''t expect that." Shooting another angry glare to the doorway where the Butler had disappeared through, Narkas responded. "Neither did I. Anyways, back to business, everything should be finished tonight so I advice you to hurry if you don''t want to go through another day as a servant." Noticing Makoto instantly going pale, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle looking after the fleeing, crimson eyed boy. "May the divines guide your step." Narkas whispered, a soft gaze in his eyes as he looked towards the closing front door. ¡­.. It didn''t take long to reach house Stimridge again and now in possession of this incredible object that opened every and all doors, he snuck back in. This time he was even more careful to not alert anyone in the house while walking through the dark corridors. Noticing a golden dragon sparkle under the moonlight, he remembered the system window again and with a big smile pocketed the little statue.
Because of your Quest no changes to your Alignment are possible.
Seeing this he started to grab everything that was not mounted on any wall, looting the entire mansion as if it was a gigantic pile of loot. After nearly an hour his Inventory was filled to the brim with gold and silver and he had to stop his thieving activities. It was still questionable if he would be able to sell the pile of loot but who wouldn''t at least try? Better he had it than this rotten house. Finally ascending the wooden stairs to the second floor where the nobles normally slept, he counted the doors until arriving at his destination. One thing he had not taken into account was Carl''s wife that would be sleeping next to him in the bed. A bit unsure what to really do with her, he opened the door an a thunderous snore made him jump out of his skin. It took Makoto many seconds to realize that it was not Carl that gave off this extremely loud snoring. Not having to worry about making a sound anymore with this constant noise he approached the luxurious king sized bed. His eyes had completely adjusted to the dark so he was able to see Carl''s face very clearly before him with some help in form of moonlight. Putting one hand on the man''s mouth to stop any attempts of screaming he quickly punched against his temple. Following a surprised muffled sound, Carl''s body instantly went limp and with bated breath, Makoto waited for his wife to wake up. Thankfully she just continued to snore like a dragon so he was able to let out a sigh of relief. Struggling quite a bit with the overweight man, Makoto finally lifted him out of his bed and on his own back. It was incredible how much he thanked the game over and over again for increasing his actual physical strength by quite a lot thanks to his high stats. Otherwise he would have never been able to lift a man nearly twice his weight around without too much trouble. The next problem he faced was the stairs, every step he took it felt like the boards beneath his feet would snap at any moment as he was putting way too much pressure on a very small target. Thankfully his knees and the wood held strong so he finally reached the ground floor but he was still far from done. Makoto was starting to feel a lot of pain from his crooked back, he was sweating all over like a pig and his arms and legs shook heavily but he powered through everything and nearly laughed out loud after seeing a surprising system message.
+ 1 Strength.
So all he had to do was carry more than twice his own weight for many long minutes to increase his Strength, why didn''t he try that sooner. Shaking off this mental sarcastic remark, Makoto concentrated on the task at hand again and continued his way through the dark. His worst nightmare would be for Carl to wake up while he was carrying him, that would be absolutely disastrous so he picked up the speed once more, accompanied by a small groan. A few minutes later he finally reached another staircase that lead down, this time one that was made out of stone. Making sure to close the door behind him shut, Makoto got ready for the final hurdle and traveled down into the cellar with shaky knees. It was maybe the most tiring thing he had ever done but the rewarding feeling he got after finally reaching the bottom made it all more than worth it. Finally out of earshot from anyone inside the mansion, Makoto dropped the heavy man and started to use a linen rope from his inventory to bind both hands and feet tightly together. He also lit a torch as it was completely dark down here and he would see absolutely nothing otherwise. Using a dirty rag that was lying on the floor close to him, clearly discarded quite some time ago, he gagged Carl and looked at this masterpiece straight out of an S and M movie. Not wanting to waste any more time he pulled out his sword and poked the bound and gagged man a few times until he woke up with a moan. It took the guy quite some time to notice the position he was in. Immediately after realizing his situation, he started to pull on the rope but it was pointless to try. Next up he tried to scream but the rag muffled everything to an incoherent and rather quiet moan. Makoto was watching the entire time and only interjected after seeing him banging on the floor which did create a fair amount of noise. Unwilling to risk being discovered now that he came this far he decided to take away the ability to move and cut tendon after tendon from the moaning Carl. Now all he could do was wiggle on the ground a bit but no more bashing and thrashing around. "You are probably wondering why exactly I am doing this." He finally said and immediately all movement from his gagged victim stopped, clearly listening to what he was saying. "Other people might promise you your freedom if you spilled certain names or turned yourself in, good men would definitely give you this option after your involvement with the Blood Moon Church. They might overlook your ignorance for the lives of other people or give you another chance to change your life and make up your mistakes. It could very well be that they would just put you on trial after questioning you, expecting a change in your behavior or personality but we both know that would never happen. People don''t change from getting a second chance, they change from hitting a dead end or after realizing their mistakes but there always has to be the will to change, to do better. I don''t think you have this will so I won''t give you this chance, I will slowly kill you for what you did. There is no sweet talking, no changing my mind, only the simple truth that you are going to die a slow and painful death." It gave Makoto incredible joy watching complete despair fill Carl''s eyes after listening to his words and the incredible fight he tried to put up with only being able to wriggle right and left. With a devilish smile adorning his face, Makoto slowly unsheathed his sword and whipped it over his bound victim, leaving a deep bleeding gash, accompanied by a muffle scream of pain. "I wonder what will happen to your precious house after you are gone, do you think that they will stay the same? After you, their pillar as a house is brutally murdered in his own mansion? I think many nobles will notice the opportunity and your children will be sold off to other houses like freshly baked bread. All that you have worked for, all that you strived to attain will turn to ashes and I will watch it all happen." Makoto explained this with a bittersweet voice while carving his sword into the unmoving Carl. It was clearly visible in the man''s eyes that he could very well imagine this horrendous future for his house and together with his despair, bright and uncontrollable panic filled his mind, making him thrash around with surprising vigor while Makoto cut him apart again and again with a sinister laugh resounding in the dark cellar. "Don''t worry, I will be sure to take one or two of your little girls. 8 and 9 should be an appropriate age for being sold off into slavery right?" Naturally he had no intention of doing what he was saying, he would harm no one in house Stimridge except Carl. All that mattered was to give this man absolute despair before he died, just like so many others had felt the same before being sacrificed by the Blood Moon Cult. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Maybe I will sell your wife to a whorehouse, she might be old but I am sure there is quite a few people inside the city with a grudge towards your house that would LOVE to get some ''relieve'' from her." Again Carl''s eyes widened in absolute terror and he let out a long and high pitched moan. "Did I hit a soft spot there? Oh I am terribly sorry, then I will naturally make sure to be the first one to take her a few times before throwing her into one of the lower brothels. Can''t let her get too comfortable now can we?" Grinning like the devil himself he continued to stab and cut the bound man on the ground apart, not a shred of mercy inside of him while his crimson eyes started to illuminate the entire room. After a few minutes the panic in Carl''s eyes started to fade and with one last twitch his heart finally gave out and he died. Face, back, arms, legs and chest were cut apart to the point where the white of his bones was visible. A big pool of blood had started to accumulate on the ground around Makoto and it gave him incredible pleasure looking at this ungodly justice he had just served. A new system window before him surprised him.
You have received a new title for your actions!
Murderer:
True Murder is not the one happening in the dark of the night or on a battlefield, it happens in the safety of your home when one of your own turns on you and you feel dark steel between your shoulders.
Effect:+ 15% easier to intimidate Merchants or other people.
Additional Effect:A Bounty of 50 Gold will be automatically put on your head should your Alignment ever fall below ''Neutral''.
Not happy about the instant Bounty this title would give him should his Alignment ever change, he could only let out a sigh. Finally having finished his little ''cleansing'' and with no more business here, he wiped his blade clean on the dirty rag in the dead Carl''s mouth and left him down in the cellar for one of the Servants to find the next day. ¡­.. Narkas was looking at the blood stained Makoto with a serious face. "Is the deed done?" Nodding once to confirm the question he could see how the man''S face instantly changed to a big smile. "Good, this should be more than enough warning for all houses in Elisante to not try anything stupid in dangerous times like this, otherwise they might find themselves..." Giving him a quizzing look he quickly caught on and finished the sentence. "Cut up like a pig inside their own cellar." Clearly impressed by his choice of execution, Narkas patted him on the shoulder once and a system window appeared before Makoto.
Quest complete!
"Now then, first of all I thank you on behalf of the Council for bringing the traitor Carl Stimridge to justice. You have done a great deed for all of Asuria, the Capital is a safer place now. Your reward for this is a simple choice. I have no wife or children to speak of and alone it is impossible for me to actually create my own house, I also have no one I really trust inside the Capital so I give you this choice to be the Second of house Forrowfell." Right away another window appeared before Makoto.
Would you like to be adopted by Narkas Forrowfell?
Showing the middle aged man a bright smile, he quickly nodded and together with a happy Narkas, window after window bombarded him.
Your name has changed to: ''Makoto Forrowfell''!
Your Alignment has changed to: ''Good, House Forrowfell''
You have gained a new title!
Noble of Asuria:
Blessed with noble blood and part of a house you have incredible influence inside Asuria and stand high above the common folk.
Effect:Respect and Reputation greatly increases or decreases depending on the person you are facing.
Additional Effect:Able to ask for a private meeting with any other Noble, King or Person in Power in Azalon.
Finally closing the last window, he was able to see Narkas standing before him, still smiling. "From now on you can live inside this mansion and bring whoever you want as it is now also your house. It is good to have you with me...son..." Clearly uncomfortable with calling him his son, Makoto was also unable to call him father so he decided on something else. "Thank you Uncle, I will keep that in mind." Narkas showed a small smile and seemed to be more than ok with being called Uncle. It didn''t take long for Makoto to get back to the Inn, wake up Saracesse and bring her to their new home. "Hoho, well talk about a goddess as your girlfriend... You really are one lucky fellow." Narkas was highly amused seeing both Makoto and Saracesse blush at his words. All in all he treated her very kindly, always being polite and making no further comments about their relationship. Baltas soon enough entered the room and whispered something into his Master''s ear. "It seems your room is now ready, I hope you enjoy the bed and don''t stay up too late." Both Makoto and his lover decided to ignore the dirty wink and quickly ran up the stairs to escape this incredibly awkward situation. Sadly soon after entering the room that was now theirs, Makoto knew he had to go and quickly said his farewell together with a promise to spend the next entire week together with her. It had been more than 3 days that he had stayed inside the game which was 24 hours in Real Life, a dangerously long time not even interrupted by eating or going to the toilet. Shortly after logging out he took care of his exploding bladder and growling stomach. It was Sunday afternoon, tomorrow would be Monday so for once, Makoto decided to not log back inside the game and instead get some well deserved sleep, he dearly needed it anyways. ..... Sharon could clearly tell how incredibly tired Makoto was so she didn''t complain much when he told her that he had to go, even though she was quite impressed how he had managed to rent a room in an expensive mansion like this. Unwilling to stay here without him, she also decided to log out after many hours of grinding inside the Labyrinth. It turned out to be just the right moment too because her phone vibrated soon after exiting her capsule. Immediately noticing the number, her heart rate instantly doubled and she picked up. "Did you find out who he really is?" "Yeah I did, wasn''t too hard really." Hearing this was like music in her ears and she inquired about his actual name impatiently. "Well you already know it, or at least half of it. His real name is Makoto Henderson. He goes to College and is 18 years old, bit young don''t you think?" "It''s a 4 year difference, don''t make me out to be some old hag with only 22 you bastard!" Clearly amused by her heated response she could hear laughter on the other end of the line before Markus explained Makoto''s location which in turn surprised her. Apparently he lived in a City close to the Coast, not even 20 miles from her own apartment. Right away she asked for some more information and got his address that she wrote down together with the one from the College he went to. "I was not able to find any records about him which is a bit strange, not even something like a warning, it was like someone wiped all records about him but that would be practically impossible so I guess he is just a rare goody two shoes." Only listening with one ear, she was currently busy with making plans for tomorrow and soon enough hung up the phone after thanking her sisters husband. Knowing that he was so close changed everything. She had already looked up flight plans to maybe visit him if he was in another state but 20 miles was not a long drive at all. With a gleeful smile on her face, Sharon looked at her capsule. She couldn''t wait any longer to see him and it would be easier to explain everything by meeting him in Real Life so her current plan was to surprise him in College tomorrow. There was a bit of fear mixed together with anticipation and anxiousness that she felt. After all it was still unclear how exactly he would react after actually seeing her but the desire to be with him in Realf Life had become overwhelming. Sharon rolled around in her bed for many hours, unable to fall asleep as the excitement alone was keeping her wide awake... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Aaaand with this I leave you with an incredibly cruel cliffhanger! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D As always, if you have any questions leave them in the comment section below! The tension is rising :O. Chapter 42: Reunion Thank you so much Sam for donating again! You da man!!! :D Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Final Chapter of Volume 3! I loved writing this one so I hope you also enjoy it! :) ----- Chapter 42: Reunion Sighing deeply, Makoto looked towards Veronica who was standing next to his table, she had her arms crossed in front of her and the look on her face alone spelled trouble. "What do you want?" Clearly surprised by his harsh tone, it took her a moment to reply. "What did you talk about with my boyfriend last Friday? He mentioned your name but wouldn''t tell me what exactly the topic was so you tell me, what kind of twisted lie did you tell him?" The attitude alone was what really pissed Makoto off. Not only was that no way to ask someone about something, she instantly assumed that he told some petty lies to her boyfriend, maybe to justify her own anger that Steve hid it from her. This really didn''t surprise him anymore. Her rotten behavior just showed her real self, the nasty and dark personality that hid behind a pretty face, so unlike Saracesse. Comparing the two in his mind was close to an insult to his red haired angel so he quickly decided to concentrate on the here and now. "I told him the truth. The cold and hard truth about what you did to me and what a bitch you really are beneath your looks." His calm and confident way of saying that straight to her face clearly threw her off as it took her a bit to respond to that and when she did, anger was visible in her eyes. "Stay out of my business Makoto!" Unable to hide the crooked smile, he immediately replied. "You should have done the same then without trying to grab for my business down there all the time. Honestly I don''t even care anymore at this point, getting decked in the face by your precious boyfriend opened my eyes a little. The reason I warned him was because I felt sorry for him but after the way he reacted, hell even if he died right now I wouldn''t shed a tear, just like you right?" Giving her a hard glare, Veronica was unable to maintain eye contact and a shocked expression was visible on her face. The entire Cafeteria had gone completely silent at this point and Veronica was not the only one surprised about Makoto''s stone cold responses. "Anything else?" He asked and when she didn''t respond right away, he turned around and got back to eating his meal, leaving the girl standing beside his table just like that. Veronica didn''t move from her spot even after Makoto stood up from his seat and was about to return back to class when sudden shouts from a few people grabbed his attention and he turned around. It was like time stood still, everything just froze and he could feel his heart stop. Standing at the entrance to the Cafeteria was a beautiful tall woman, her fire red hair reached down to her back in waves and sapphire blue eyes stared directly into his. It was impossible, but here she was, alive and in the flesh. After a few seconds where he just stood there completely stunned, the world around him came into motion again. An incredibly happy smile was visible on her face when she actually saw him between all the other students. "Makoto?!" Hearing her crystal clear voice echo through the entire room was enough to make it clear for him that it was really her, and with that many other things fell into place. She was a real human being but also a Boss Monster and she never told him about it, this realization hurt quite a bit. At the same time, just seeing her standing before him, clearly having thoroughly searched for him, and seeing the happy smile on her face after actually meeting him in Real Life made him also aware of the honest way she felt for him. There was probably a reason why she never told him that she was a player, but showing up here like this in a crimson red dress that went very well with her long red hair, it warmed his heart. Knowing that she loved him enough to make the effort to find him in this big and wide world, that knowledge alone blew away any contempt or anger he might feel for her for hiding her real identity. He was well aware of the stupid smile that appeared on his own face but he didn''t care anymore, nothing else in this world mattered except her. After she saw his honest smile, something that had been holding her back before vanished and grabbing for her dress to make sure it wouldn''t reveal too much, she ran towards him while he opened his arms wide. The collision could be called quite intense as her momentum alone nearly knocked Makoto off his feet but he quickly pulled her into a tight hug, not caring about Veronica that stood only a few feet next to him, her jaw nearly hitting the floor. There was quite a lot of shouting going on around them, men and women alike asked about the mysterious beauty. They didn''t matter, nothing mattered anymore, just holding her in his arms, that was his entire world and cosmos right now. Looking deep into her sapphire blue eyes like he always did inside Azalon, a sudden desire overwhelmed him and not caring about the whistling and surprised gasps, Makoto put his own lips on hers. She immediately responded by pressing her body against his and opening her mouth so his tongue could enter without problem. It was the most intense kiss he ever had and a quite annoyed he decided to flick off the surrounding audience that seemed to enjoy the show a little too much. "So what is your real name then?" He asked, noticing that his voice had changed to a deep and husky tone. "Sharon... listen I am sorry for not telling you about this really but if you give me the chance to explain then I-" Shutting her rambling up with yet another intense kiss, he looked deep into her eyes. "You will have all the time in the world to explain yourself, don''t worry my love." He could see how her gaze instantly turned soft as she leaned against his chest, an incredibly happy smile plastered all over her face, knowing that he had accepted her and didn''t hold a grudge. Veronica watched all of this from the sidelines, mouth agape and eyes unfocused. She just could not comprehend this development together with how Makoto had seemingly changed into a completely different person compared to one week ago... ..... It stung more than it should hearing the hatred in his voice and also seeing it in his eyes. His entire attitude while talking to her seemed incredibly hostile, so unlike his previous actions. Veronica was confused. Could he really have changed this much just from her playing around with him a bit? Unable to respond in time she watched him turn back to his meal while quickly finishing it. It was like she was looking at a completely different person. Even the way he was sitting had changed from trying to avoid attention to a ramrod straight back and overall aggressive demeanor, as if he would lash out at any moment. Still deep in thought she could hear surprised shouting behind her. Just like Makoto she also turned around after hearing a few other students and what she saw was something else for sure. Veronica knew immediately that this fair skinned beauty with red hair could be called her first ever rival in looks, some might even prefer the other girl just because red hair with sapphire blue eyes was a rare and exotic combination. The knowledge of being possibly inferior to someone with her strongest asset was quite the blow, and for the first time in her life she felt her confidents tremble. If that wasn''t shocking enough, the next thing nearly blew her socks off. "Makoto?!" Just hearing her shout his name sent a cold shiver down her spine and Veronica immediately looked between the two, noticing the happy smiles on both their faces. Something inside her mind clicked and with an open mouth she watched this mysterious girl in a red dress run to him like you saw it in so many movies. Many others also drew the same connection and loud whistling and shouting was audible in the entire Cafeteria after both Makoto and this girl engaged into the most intense tongue kiss Veronica had ever seen. Seeing him hold and kiss this other girl pulled on quite a few heart strings. Even more so did the knowledge that if she hadn''t just played around it could be her standing there and kissing him like that. Unable to completely shake these thoughts she watched them both leave the room while holding hands An incredible crowd followed them outside and Veronica was one of the few that stayed behind with her gaze glued to a single spot and her mind in shambles. ¡­.. Sharon could feel her thighs shaking. She had chosen her prettiest dress to meet him but unlike ingame this was real life and she was not even half as confident here... The thought alone that he could possible reject or resent her... that was what really made her quiver in fear. Unwilling to stay too long in this state of mind she finally entered his College and looked for the room that Markus had told her about. When she arrived there the door was locked and she could see no one inside through the glass so she decided to check out the other Course rooms, only to find them in the same state. Very confused, it took her a good while to look at the time and realize that the entire College was probably eating lunch right now. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Still feeling herself shake from time to time she followed the signs and arrived in a gigantic room that could only be the Cafeteria. It was filled to the brim with students and she stood there for a good while, looking for him. Only now did she actually consider that he might have altered his looks, what if she didn''t recognize him?! Feeling deep despair slowly creep up on her, a few students had noticed her standing there and let out surprised shouts, drawing a lot of attention from everyone inside the room. It was more than a little uncomfortable to be stared at by so many people but all her worries immediately disappeared after she saw him turn around. He looked just like ingame, the only difference was that his eyes were not crimson red but dark brown instead which she quite liked to be honest. Sharon immediately showed a big smile while an even bigger worry was starting to pull on her heart after seeing him just stand there with a stupefied expression. The fear of being rejected grew with every second while a great mix of emotion appeared on Makoto''s face, only to disappear right away again. After what felt like an eternity she saw him smile, really smile from the bottom of his heart and that was what freed her. No longer constrained by worry and doubt she started to run towards him, the desire to be with him overwhelmed her entirely, only leaving enough of her mind so she held her dress in place as to deny the entire male audience a flash of her underwear. Feeling his arms pull her into a tight hug was enough to make her knees go soft and she heavily leaned on him which he didn''t seem to mind at all. The kiss was beyond anything she had ever experienced. Knowing that this was really him, seeing and feeling him for the first time in the flesh was an overwhelming stimulation and she could feel herself climax a bit just from the kiss and desire that it brought alone. Sharon tried to explain right here and now why she never told him the truth before but another kiss made her mind go blank and her knees wobbly. It was just too much. She was overwhelmed by emotion and a beastly desire to rip her clothes off right here and now to be taken by him. Sharon had never felt anything this strong in her life before, it was a scary kind of extreme she was experiencing but just looking into his eyes made any kind of resistance melt away. With a fluttering heart and shaking knees she was holding his hand as he lead her out of the building, only a part of her was able to actually hear what he was saying and it took even longer for her mind to process the words. He had decided to skip the rest of today and he would take her to his apartment where they would be alone... She also heard the other students behind them whistle and shout things after them which was quite embarrassing to say the least but Makoto didn''t seem to be fazed at all. On the contrary, he seemed to be oozing with confidence, like there was nothing in this world that could stop him after meeting Sharon. It made her incredibly happy just thinking that he felt this way, even if she wasn''t entirely sure if that really was how it was. On the way to his apartment, Sharon started to explain how she was an employee of Ouroboros and how her feelings had driven her to meeting him in real life, unable to hide anything from him anymore and with a deep desire to also be with him here and not only ingame. Still a bit scared she asked if he was maybe secretly angry with her that she kept quiet about it all but his response surprised her. "Are you kidding me? After you show me how serious you are, even going as far as meeting me in my College? I have to admit I was surprised but I don''t care about the past anymore, nothing else matters. Just knowing that you really feel for me just like how I feel for you is enough my love. That is more than enough for me." Again her heart started to flutter and she put her arms around his side while walking. She could feel a constant flow of happiness inside her that just didn''t seem to end, even after reaching his apartment and entering it. "Sorry if it''s a bit messy but I didn''t expect any guests." Nearly lauging out loud and telling him that it was a lot cleaner than her own place, she decided against it at the last second. Honestly speaking Sharon was quite lazy when it came to cooking and cleaning but knowing that Makoto could potentially find out about that was enough motivation for her to change her ways. After getting a quick tour of his place they reached their last destination which was Makoto''s bedroom. Looking into his eyes and seeing the deep desire in them made her lock the door behind her and crawl on his bed with shaking knees. Just the way he looked at her made blood rush into some of the most important parts while also flushing her cheeks. Sharon noticed that she never felt this nervous inside the game but it was different after all, this was not just stimulated realism, this was stone cold reality. No log out to save her from any situation, no reboot button, only the here and now. Makoto also seemed to be completely different as his entire behavior was a lot more aggressive than ingame. Again the look he gave her, as if he was about to jump onto the bed and take her raw was enough to make her feel a strange sensation between her legs. Just watching him slowly unbutton his shirt and then his pants, all while staring at her intensely was enough to allow her mind to go to different places. "You know that I don''t have any condoms here right?" Sharon only showed him a shy smile. "You won''t need them, I have been taking the pill since I was 16 so there is no need to hold back..." "Who said I ever would have?" Stunned and excited about what he was hinting at, she could feel a warm wave travel through her entire body. Without being able to hold back any longer she also undressed herself until she was completely naked. The way he was slowly stalking towards the bed, like a beast about to jump on his prey sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. One look at his nether region was enough to surprise her quite a bit. Had he really always been this big? Opening her legs invitingly while clearly feeling how she was already completely drenched down there, Sharon experienced her first orgasm just by him entering. Ouroboros promised 98.5% realism with Azalon but it was surprising how much these 1.5% could make a difference when it came to the sex. Or could it just be that the knowledge that this was not a game was enough to make the entire thing feel so much better? Unable to pursue this fleeting thought anymore after he started moving, Sharon lost herself in a whirlwind of pleasure. She gave her entire being to him and was in turn rewarded with the most intense pleasure she had ever felt... ..... Makoto noticed it after ejaculating inside her for the 4th time. There really was a difference from ingame and real life. His actual stamina inside the game was worlds apart from the monstrous vigor he had here. Sharon on the other hand seemed to have a lot less, nearly fainting a couple of times during their session and he decided to finally let her rest after many hours. It seems she reached her climax a lot more than he did but that was a good thing in his mind, which man wouldn''t feel proud being able to say that after all. Feeling the beast inside of him purr in a deep growl, Makoto caressed her head while she was already fast asleep. Looking at the reflection of the mirror, he could clearly see her naked body together with his own, sitting next to her. Not surprised to see his crimson eyes once again outside of the game, an honest smile appeared on his face as he watched himself caress Sharon''s head. A strange kind of resolve appeared in his mind. Makoto would protect her, she was the only gem in his life and he would protect her no matter what. ALL of him would protect her as he could feel the beast inside of him growl in agreement. If they dared to take her away from him... Putting a loving kiss on the sleeping Sharon, the light in his eyes increased by a magnitude as the thought alone that someone would harm or take her away from him nearly drove him mad. He wouldn''t allow it... They wouldn''t allow it... She was his now... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Now THIS is what I call a happy end! :D BTW! I am planning on putting Volumes 1-3 together and combining them into one book to publish on Amazon! I will keep you guys updated how it all goes (as there will be a lot of proofreading and possible editing involved, we all know that my english is not without flaws :P) Chapter 43: The Beginning Thank you so much 3 Anonymous for donating! Really appreciate it!!! :D Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Sorry for the delay! Was very busy today so I didn''t have time to post the Chapter yet! Another bad thing is that this weekend is also busy for me because a relative of mine has a birthday and I have a few things to take care off so the double Chapter will probably be after the weekend! D: I still hope you enjoy this Chapter! ----- Chapter 43: The Beginning With a somewhat slow reaction, Makoto opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling above. His mind was a hazy mess. Everything that happened the day before was a bit unclear and only slowly things started to fall back into place. Hearing a yawn to his right, Makoto was able to see the image of a nude Sharon with her nice pair of breasts clearly visible. She rubbed the last bits of sleep out of her eyes and looked at him with a dreamy smile. Unable to help it, he smiled back at her in the same way before standing up. It was currently in the early hours of a new day and he couldn''t help his hands naturally grasping for her private area after watching her get dressed for a while. It was just too much of a temptation not to. Showing him a dirty smile, Sharon still pushed his hands away. "I can''t, I told you about my work and I have to go back to my capsule and log on or I will be in trouble..." Putting his hands down there again she stopped for a second and closed her eyes while biting her lip. "I told you...I can''t..." Interestingly enough she didn''t try to take his hand away anymore but he decided not to torture her anymore and removed his fingers. "I know, I was only trying to mess with you. You have to promise me one thing though, come back and visit again soon alright?" Nodding still with closed eyes, Sharon leaned against him and kissed his neck, only half dressed. The desire to just undress her again and continue with what he had hinted at was still there but he decided to suppress it for now, Sharon had her work and he could not miss an entire day of College again so both their hands were tied. With yet another intense and long kiss they finished getting ready and exchanged numbers before saying bye at the front door, both heading in a different direction, their hearts longing for another... ..... In the evening after College, Makoto returned home, seeing the messed up bed covers reminded him again of their previous activities and he couldn''t wait to see her again. A quick bite and visit to the toilet later, he entered the Capsule and was back inside Azalon. ..... Sharon was not inside the game at the moment, she probably took a break after staying in it for most of the day already. A smiling Narkas welcomed him downstairs in the dining room, it was currently morning and the man only seemed to attend work in the afternoon. "Good to see you back, it has been a few days already and your girlfriend returned quite some time ago to go hunting in the Labyrinth." "Yeah I know, I had to take care of a few things, sorry for not coming back for a while." "Don''t mention it, as I said, I know you foreigners have a place you always return to. Anyways, now that you are back we can discuss this very interesting situation we are in right now." Seeing his Uncle''s eyes sparkle together with the mischievous smile instantly intrigued Makoto and he attentively listened to the man. "After creating our house, quite a lot of options have started to open up, most of them involve the opportunity to increase our overall standing and influence. To put it simple, we are going to try to get some more Power in, and outside of the Capital. We do have one problem but I will see to it as soon as I can. You are aware that I currently only have jurisdiction over the Magic Institute right? The problem with that is that I spend most of the money it earns on keeping things running. Only a small portion actually goes into my own pocket, I am saying small but it is miniscule really, after all I could only recently afford this mansion after working for over 10 years inside the Capital and taking care of the Magic Institute. It is also one of the reasons why I myself only have a few Servants employed unlike other houses that pay many dozens. As I said, it doesn''t matter right now but I think it was necessary to at least inform you of our tight budget. The first thing we have to do now that you are here is to decide on a crest. Every house has an animal or creature that represents it, something that we can show on our chest or outside the gate with pride. What do you think our House should have as a Crest?" A bit surprised about this sudden request, Makoto needed a good moment and named the first 3 things that came to mind but Narkas shook his head with a frown. "No, Dragons are incredibly overused, same with the Wolf and Tiger that you mentioned. I also don''t think that it would fit our house, we are neither ancient like the dragons nor are there many of us like with the wolfs and you might be fierce like a tiger but I sure as hell am not..." Realizing that once they picked the Crest it would be incredibly difficult to change it as other people would identify their house just by hearing the Animal, it turned out to be quite the difficult nut to crack. No matter what animal or mythological beast they both mentioned, not one of them seemed to fit house Forrowfell. It was not even to the point where one of them felt like a specific animal could fit. Staring at the table in silence, both men had reached the end of their wits. Trying to get some inspiration, Makoto opened his inventory and went through it from top to bottom only to stop at the first item that he had completely forgotten about. An item from a long time ago. "What about a Spider?" Quickly turning his head, Narkas showed a surprised expression and then started to think out loud. "Something that traps its prey, a deadly animal that is a master at what it does while getting everything caught in its web... I like it." Grinning from one ear to the other his Uncle looked at him, visible excitement in his eyes. "How about a crimson spider on black for a Crest?" Makoto finally asked, choosing his favorite color together with the only thing that could possibly go well with it, black. "That is a great idea, where did you pull that one from boy?" Clearly impressed, Narkas asked Makoto and without hesitation he pulled out the spider egg. "It was this that gave me the idea." With an open mouth the man stared at the small object in his hand before responding with a slightly higher voice. "Where did you get this from Makoto?" "I found it in a Dungeon quite some time ago and my guess is that it grows into a pet but considering I have been carrying it for ages now I am probably doing something wrong." "Not probably but you are doing something wrong, getting a pet egg is an incredibly rare chance. If I remember correctly there are only 20 or so found every single year in all of Azalon, well this might change now that you foreigners started to show up, killing everything that even remotely resembles a monster but generally Pets are something only owned by very powerful and old houses, it is a priceless possession that shows wealth and power." Makoto couldn''t believe that this small rock colored egg in his hand was an incredibly valuable item but he decided to put it in his Inventory for now for safety reasons. "So how can I get it to hatch then?" "Well it needs a certain incubation chamber and the creation of a specific magic contract. The easiest thing to do would be to go to Pet-Center and let them take care of it until it hatches. They not only take care of hatching but also take care of other creatures that nobles or even commoners keep as normal pets like stray dogs or cats for example. You don''t have to worry about it, they know what they are doing and would also never steal it from you so don''t show such a terrified face." Thankful for the explanation, Makoto watched Narkas call for Baltas and rattle down a list of orders. "First, contact the best blacksmith in town, tell him that his favor is payed if he goes to work right now and creates a Crest for my house, Crimson Spider on black. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Tell him to forge 100 metal crests to apply to armor, 2 big Crests about a foot high and wide that we can attach to the front gate. After that contact the Master Tailor Brendon, I want him to make a banner with the same Crest design, clothes matching those colors and finally to get in touch with someone selling cheap red and black jewels to create brooches that we can pin on our every day clothes to represent our house. This Is going to be pride of house so go to the bank and withdraw everything, I am pulling all stops and savings, we either do this right or not at all! Fuck getting a pension when I''m old, we have a goddamn Crest for my house!" Seeing the happy smile on his Uncle''s face while he was putting order after order on the poor Baltas, Makoto couldn''t help but smile. It was clearly visible just how much this house meant to Narkas and also feeling a bit of the same excitement, Makoto decided to head out and get their prized spider pet hatched so they also had something to brag about to other houses. It was not too hard to find the Pet-Center in Elisante. Until now Makoto had been unaware of its actual existence but that was not surprising, there was only one and if you didn''t know what you were looking for, in a city as grand and complex as this one it was not surprising that he had not seen it before. There was a few players inside at different counters, inquiring about an especially cute looking cuddly creature but Makoto paid all of this no mind. As far as he understood it, pets seemed to only be cosmetic items which made sense, this wasn''t like the very popular game where you battled with the creatures that you trained after all. "Weclome to the Pet-Center, what can I do for you Sir?" Feeling a certain d¨¦j¨¤ vu hearing this line, Makoto decided to concentrate on the here and now. "I would like to grow a pet if that is possible." Clearly surprised, the man nodded his head and motioned to follow him. "First of all, what type of creature do you wish to hatch? I am also guessing this is for a noble house?" "It is a Spider and yes for my own, house Forrowfell." Stopping immediately and going pale the attendant showed a scared expression and bowed deeply. "My apologies, lord! I did not realize that you were of noble birth as a foreigner, please excuse my previously rude behavior!" Unsure what to really say after this extreme behavior, Makoto tried to defuse the situation. "No, it''s alright really, you can just talk to me casually, I don''t mind." Clearly unsure if he was kidding or not, the man looked up only to see Makoto''s hand that motioned for him to rise. "A-Anyways, it is a spider, yes." Trying to get back on track, Makoto followed the now pale man deeper into the building, passing many doors with strange pulsating magic circles around the floor. All in all it was rather simple. He only had to drop off his egg in a specific magic circle, after that put some of his blood on it and Makoto was then told to come back in two days time to pick up his hatched pet. Next up, Makoto decided to take care of something that had been weighing on his mind and Inventory for a while now. He still had the gigantic pile of silver and gold that he had robbed from house Stimridge. It would surely attract attention to just sell an incredibly amount like that to a random Merchant so the only option for him was to find a few shadier characters to take the whole amount off him. After descending to the ground layer where it was incredibly dark even during the day, Makoto asked around for a Merchant that wouldn''t ask many questions and soon enough found himself before a strange little shop. The interior was completely bare and there was a counter but nothing to sell displayed anywhere. A hooded man stood behind it and welcomed Makoto with a deep voice. "What business do you bring to me foreigner?" Showing a crooked smile, Makoto pulled one of the smaller gold figurines and dropped it before the man. "The lucrative kind." Hearing the man gasp made him smile even more but what followed next immediately wiped it from his face. "House Stimridge! I would recognize that horned Drake from a mile away! So you are the one that the entire city its talking about, the one that robbed and murdered the head of the house in his own mansion!" Not happy at all about being seen through this easily and noticing the danger if word got around that he was still in town, Makoto remembered the recent title he had received and put everythithin on this one card. Faking a confident smile, he stepped closer. "Indeed it was, there are going to be a lot of changes from here on out, house Stimridge has already paid the price. I am warning you to think about this carefully, do you want to be on the winning side or end up just like them?" With a quick movement, Makoto pulled back the man''s hood, revealing a face that was mostly hidden by a pair of thick and clouded glasses, giving him the look of an oversized mole. Clearly intimidated by Makoto''s words and behavior, the trembling Merchant tried to step back but an iron grip on his cloak was keeping him from running away. A glimmer from his crimson red eyes was enough to break any and all resistance from the man and Makoto held him at his cloak like on a leash while following him into a back room. The man''s name was Finn and with a bit of convincing from Makoto the Merchant pulled out a Servant contract and modified it to have ''absolute loyalty'' and ''never betray in any way or form'' togetehr with '' lasts forever'' in it. With a demonic smile he pressed Finn''s bleeding thumb on the contract, signing it by blood and effectively making it so if he should every break it, the man would die right away. With a stream of tears flowing from behind his glasses, Finn looked at Makoto as if he was the devil reincarnated. Well aware that he had practically slaved the man to serve him forever, he started speaking again. "Now that I can trust you, I would like to propose a business option." With a quick motion, Makoto dropped all the Gold and Silver from his Inventory and two gigantic piles appeared out of nowhere beside the whining Finn which effectively shut him up. "Do you think you can distribute this much Gold and Silver without it attracting any suspicion?" Wiping away the tears on his face and taking on a serious attitude, Finn looked at both piles for a second and nodded. "If I contact a blacksmith I know and give him 10% of the sales he can turn all of this into bars of Gold and Silver which we could then sell, that would not attract too much attention if we do it over a span of one week." Remembering the words of his Uncle, Makoto decided to abandon the idea of selling everything right away and instead had a different idea. "Only sell 1 fifth of the Gold and Silver bars. Tell your blacksmith to but the crest of a spider on the rest and deliver the bars to house Forrowfell after finishing it all up. If I am not there at the moment while you deliver them, wait for as long as necassery. I might have further need for your assistance and you are going to be my eyes and ears for the Underworld of Elisante from now on, understood?" Nodding with visible fear, the Merchant got started and put the gold and silver into smaller sacks while Makoto left him to his own devices. After quickly ascending upwards from the lowest layer a devilish smile appeared on his face. If Narkas really wanted to grasp for more power they would need resources, so why not use the ones that had been kindly ''gifted'' from house Stimridge? Feeling an evil laugh escape his throat, a crimson eyed devil went up layer after layer... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
I really don''t know the upload times for tomorrow or Sunday, they might be a bit chaotic or late so don''t be angry if they aren''t there at the usual times! D: See you all tomorrow! Chapter 44: Bittersweet Thank you so much Noppes for donating! Really appreciate it!!! Keep em coming :D Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! A bit late but very long Chapter instead ;P Hope you enjoy and normal schedule should return on Monday! ----- Chapter 44: Bittersweet "I''m not sure I understood all of that..." Sighing deeply Narkas looked at him as if he was an idiot and explained again. It had all started with Makoto asking what houses really do. To sum it up, it was quite similar to what guilds did. First of all there was two options to joining a house, either being ''invited'' or ''adopted''. If you adopted someone you brought them to a noble status, this option was rarely ever used in older houses as they put a lot more trust in blood relatives than strangers. There was a lot of intrigue between the houses and it happened on a regular basis that adopted nobles brought a house to ruin by working for another in secret. You normally only adopted someone to a house after having known them for countless years, marrying them or owing an incredible favor to a commoner. There also seemed to be a limit to how many people you could adopt to the house without the entire thing falling apart. The commonly used thing was to invite someone. You would for example invite a servant or Soldier to your house, sworn to stay loyal and serve via a magic contract. The benefits with that were good pay, a place to sleep and also a certain degree of safety for the adopted members or children of the house was guaranteed. All in all, houses could very well differ. There was ones like house Stimridge that had dozens of Servants to wipe their asses while the adults of the house would work inside the city, having less need for actual Soldiers. Naturally there was also those houses with only a few adopted members while the rest was all invited Soldiers, earning their money by traveling the land and subjugating monsters or helping defend the border. Mercenary houses, Merchant houses, Criminal houses, there was a sheer endless list what a house could do and should never do or their king would revoke their nobility. There was also quite a few infamous houses that had no allegiance with any kingdom and roamed the lands, plundering and stealing from wherever they could. Every house in a Kingdom or Country was automatically sworn to serve their King for example. These oaths to serve could be misused or broken and being banished or purged from said Country was the normal turn of events. Only the greatest power in a Country like the King for example could create or allow someone to create their own house. Every noble had once started as a Commoner that served his Country before the king elevated their status, that was the gist of it. Together with the Royal families, Council and other houses there was 3 other entities that ruled the lands of Asuria and kept it in balance. First of all there was the Magic Institute that created every Magic Contract inside the Kingdom while also using them for Bounties and educating young mages. Next up was the Merchant Federation, a secret and selected group of the most influential Merchants that took care of the Country''s financing and overall economy. The last hidden Power in Asuria was the Warrior Academy that trained thousands of recruits in Elisante every year, most of which died either at the border or protecting the lands against monsters after only 5 years. It was an incredibly cruel reality that showed just how dangerous the lands could be if you didn''t live in a big Country like Asuria that tried its best to protect its citizens. Naturally all 3 of these hidden powers where sworn to serve the king and his subjects but the people leading those facilities could be less loyal even if they supported the Country, seen as how Rhobos Grandel had used his power to imprison Makoto or how he had taken no action against his crazed brother. "So does something like a Council exist in another Country then too?" Makoto asked, clearly interested. Narkas only looked at him for a few seconds before shaking his head with a laugh. "No my boy, every Country has its own rules, this is just how it happens to work in Asuria and that is already complicated enough sometimes if you ask me. My home country for example has no king. Sure there are houses but Khalief is ruled by 8 powerful fighters known as the last Mithril Dragons. I have never seen them and I also never want to but rumor has it they are nether man nor beast but also not beast-man, you could say something else entirely. These 8 individuals rule with an iron fist, oppressing the weak and making their own subjects practically into slaves while creating a heaven on earth for the noble or rich that kept things in place for them. Every Country has its own form of ruler or government even though Humans seem to favor a King for some reason." Noticing the same dark look in his Uncle''s eyes when he mentioned his home Country before, Makoto tried to take the conversation in a different direction. "So what form of ruling do the Dwarfs of Farkiln have then?" Narkas looked at him and seemed to sort his mind for a moment before replying with a smile. "Well with them it is a bit special I guess, they have 12 powerful houses that form something akin to the Council we have here but a lot more efficient in how they solve problems. It does help that they don''t really have to deal with protecting their border as their cities are all deep below ground, hidden from the eyes of man and beast alike beneath a mountain range that is impassible on foot and too dangerous for any army." Narkas kept explaining the different cultures and politics of a few other countries before arriving at Sarachec, the Country that created the most trouble for Asuria and that they also had the most warfare with. "I have to say their ''ruling'' is probably the most barbaric and least efficient of all. They host the biggest Tournament the world has seen every year for a whole week where people of their race compete in fighting for the right to sit on the throne. They have the absurd iron rule that the strongest should lead a country and that an old king would create a weak country. I don''t envy those young and powerful creatures that fight their way to the top, considering that most of them don''t even live to see through even half a year of ruling. Not only does the ruler change every year with the end of that Tournament but on top of that the current King could be challenged at least once every two months by the most promising challenger. This constant craze and rush to take the throne and be the strongest has created some of the strongest fighters in all of history, not to mention mercenary houses. House Barsuul is especially well known as the Mercenaries of Death, having only Beast-man in their house and accepting the most dangerous of request." After listening for quite a while and learning many things about the lore in Azalon, Makoto was about to ask for a few other details when Sharon came down the stairs. Seeing the angry glare and remembering his promise to spend the entire week with her he looked to his Uncle for help in calming this raging beauty. Narkas on the other hand went quite pale after seeing Sharon''s expression and quickly fled the room. "Don''t leave me Uncle!" Feeling as if he had just been betrayed in a terrible way he looked to his girlfriend who had the most terrifying look he had ever seen and immediately Makoto went down to his knees with his head touching the ground. About to apologize he hears an audible "pfft" and looks up only to see Sharon laughing her head off in how quickly she was able to scare him. "And here I thought you were about to rip my head off for not waiting for you to come back and going out instead..." Shaking her head with a smile and putting a gentle kiss on his cheek she denied it. "Do you think now that I can visit you in Real Life any time I want I would be hurt or ticked off by not being with you inside the game for a few hours? Are you sure you know your own girlfirend?" Showing a smile now too, Makoto pulled her closer and put his lips against hers. "Well it seems I don''t. Maybe we should go upstairs so I have the chance to get to know her a bit better?" Giggling about his hidden intentions, Sharon put her head against his chest with a blissful smile on her face but didn''t respond. Staying like this for a good while they both enjoyed the moment and only after a while Sharon looked up to him. "So now that I own your ass for an entire week, what do you want to do my love?" Quite a bit surprised about the way she worded her sentence and feeling a bit self conscience what she could possibly want with his ''ass'', Makoto shrugged. "Normally I would want to level up or grind but that doesn''t really seem too romantic so why not just enjoy the day and explore the city a bit?" Quite content with what he had suggested, Sharon locked arms with him and pressed her breasts against him, well aware of how that made him feel. "You dirty girl." Smacking her behind as a little revenge they both left the mansion with a happy smile plastered on their faces. ..... It was a good decision to just enjoy the afternoon and take it easy for once. Makoto even discovered a stand that sold something similar to ice cream even though it wasn''t as sweet. There was a lot of Buildings and Monuments in Elisante that you could visit, as long as you could find them that is. Seeing that the sun was about to go down both Makoto and Sharon were on their way back to the mansion when he suddenly got a message from Lilliana. -Where the Fuck have you been jackass! Messaged you a bunch of times already over the weekend but you never responded and I know that you are online and can see this! I thought we would go to the Labyrinth on Saturday and Sunday, if you also ignore this one I swear to god that I will put a bounty on your head JUST to get a response from you!- Remembering the countless messages that he had quickly dismissed while working undercover as a Servant for house Stimridge he quickly wrote back. -Sorry Lilly, I was on a Quest during the weekend that couldn''t wait, spent over 24 hours ingame on it and then had to go to sleep for Monday, hope this explains my sudden disappearance and why I didn''t respond to any messages!.- He didn''t have to wait long for a response. -Next time send your friends a message that you will be busy and can''t reply please, it is annoying seeing someone not respond for two days when you clearly know that they are online. What was it about?- -Can''t really tell you any details but the reward was that I was adopted to a house and I am now a Noble of Asuria.- Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. -You shitting me here?- -Nope, why would I?- -Well the knowledge about houses is quite new and until now people have only been able to get into a Servant position, if you are telling the truth then you are the first player to actually get into a house as far as I know... Makotooooo, could me and Sanja join your house too? Pretty please?- Grinning about the message, he quickly typed back. -Not really my choice but you can try I guess, you would have to talk with the First of my House, I can tell you the way to the mansion that I am heading back to if you want to really join it.- Immediately she wrote back that she indeed wanted to give it a try and Makoto described the way to House Forrowfell. He then informed Sharon that Lilliana and Sanja would visit soon enough in an attempt to join his house and she seemed to be happy about seeing them again. It didn''t take a lot of waiting for the three of them as both girls arrived only half an hour later with a loud knock. Practically dragging Sanja behind her, Lilliana immediately gave a deep bow towards Narkas and asked the same thing that Makoto had already explained beforehand to him. "Hmm." Letting out this sound his Uncle walked around both girls that stood stock still and examined them from head to toe, even going as far as looking down their cleavage or lowering his head to their behind which clearly made both of them very uncomfortable but they endured. Sighing once he finally spoke. "Well I have to say you both are very beautiful indeed but sadly a bit too young for my tastes so which one do you want to marry Makoto?" Everyone inside the room froze at those words. Sharon was the first one to recover and spoke with an incredibly frosty tone. "I have to say that was not a very funny joke." Narkas only looked at her and showed a crooked smile. "It wasn''t meant to be one, you have to see I am currently unable to adopt anyone to this house even if I wanted to, it is one of the restrictions to houses that you can only adopt 1 member per month. The only way to go around this is if either I or Makoto would marry the girls but I am no longer in my teens and not only would I feel bad for the girls, I also have no intention of starting any disastrous rumors that I like younger women so I can''t do that, no matter how beautiful they are. You could also marry one and have the other as a Concubine which would be a Servant in a way I guess." Thankfully both Lilliana and Sanja abandoned the idea of joining his house any time soon with a bit of help from a few sharp glares from Sharon while hugging his arm tight to the point where he lost all feel for it. "Anyways, it was nice meeting you both. Makoto, I have to attend an emergency meeting at the Dome and I will only be back in the late hours of the night so I wish you a good night and let us continue our conversation tomorrow." Standing up and giving another courteous bow to both Sanja and Lilliana, Narkas left the room and shortly after, the front door could be heard as it opened and closed. Makoto watched his Uncle leave with a very bad feeling that quickly turned out to be true after being aware of the stares he was getting from all 3 girls. Emergency meeting my ass, he just noticed the way they looked at me and decided to quickly save his own hide... Feeling their relentless and calculated gaze he had a cold shiver run down his spine and with a bit of panic shouted for Baltas in hope of rescue. The white haired Butler quickly showed up in the doorway and assessed the situation. "Not even the Divines can help you now young Master." And with a light chuckle he left Makoto who was pinned down by these 3 very serious stares. Once again feeling the sting of betrayal by even a Servant that should gladly die for him, Makoto swallowed once and finally faced them. It was Sharon who finally broke the silence. "I just wanted a moment without your Uncle to tell you that I added both Sanja and Lilliana to my friends-list some time ago and that they know about me." "Oh...I see, well that is great." Immediately a lot less scared, Makoto leaned back with a sigh. "So how was the sex with him Sharon?" Cringing at this rather sudden and personal question from Sanja, Makoto shot a glance to his girlfriend that had a dirty look on her face. "Well he does look just like ingame first of all but there is a difference down there if you know what I mean." "The Good or bad kind?" Lilliana asked this time while Makoto wished for this whole thing to end right here and now. Sharon evaded the hand that tried to cover her mouth and responded with a giggle. "The VERY good kind." All 3 girls started to laugh now and Makoto could feel his cheeks flush for the first time in quite a while. "Could we stop talking about these personal things please?" He tried to change the subject but no one seemed to hear him as Sanja eagerly asked for more details about the Sex. Putting his face into his hands he endured nearly 2 hours of giggling between the girls until he also decided to join in on the conversation, noticing that Sharon was only giving a few details while keeping most of it private for which he was thankful for. Time quickly flew by and soon enough it was incredibly dark outside. It was then decided that they would explore the Labyrinth a bit more tomorrow and that Sanja and Lilliana would stay over at the mansion in one of the many empty rooms for guests that Baltas guided them to. Sharon went ahead to their room and Makoto only stopped once to check outside and see if Finn was possibly standing outside with the promised Gold Bars already. Quickly trying to follow his lover he was about to enter their room when he heard a voice at the end of the hallway. "Can you come here for a second Makoto?" Unsure what was wrong he saw Lilliana waving and entering her room so he told Sharon that he would be right back and walked past a few doors until he reached the right one. Entering without hesitation and a bit confused that no one was inside he was about to shout for her when he heard the door close behind him. Lilliana stood there, her face hidden by shadows and unsure what was wrong Makoto approached her. "Are you alright Lilly?" Not responding she just stood there so he took another step forward. With a quick movement she appeared right before him and he could feel arms grasping around him. Stunned about the sudden intimacy Makoto just stood there and looked at the smaller girl that buried her face in his chest while hugging him tight. "Lilly?" Still not responding she only pressed herself against him harder and he could feel two gigantic soft mounds now too against him. Still surprised but thinking that something in Real Life might have happened and she maybe just needed a hug, Makoto put his own arms around her. Her entire body twitched as he touched her and with a surprising strength in her frail arms she pushed him away and opened the door while not looking in his eyes. "Y-You should go back..." Clearly hearing the panic in her voice and having a slight hunch at what could be going on he looked at her for a long time before finally leaving. "What took you so long?" Sharon asked while looking at him beneath the covers. Deep in thought Makoto just sat down on the bed without responding right away. "What happened?" She asked a bit alarmed and he told her about the strange behavior from Lilliana. He could see the surprise on her face for a second before a knowing look appeared in her eyes. "Do you think that she maybe lik-" "I think you should wait for her to answer that question my love. At least give her the chance to explain her actions before judging her." Surprised about her soft tone Makoto looked up again and saw the sad smile on Sharon''s face. Putting one hand on her face he looked deeply into eyes before speaking. "You know that I would never leave you right? Not for anyone else in the world." Showing him a wry smile and leaning forward to kiss him once she nodded. "I know and for that I am very glad but I am not worried about losing you. It might sound a bit strange but I am more worried about what kind of weight that puts on Lilliana. We got pretty close while you did your Quest you know, she and Sanja were the reason I even visited you this soon." Surprised about this revelation he looked at her for a second before putting his hand on hers. "I don''t want Lilliana to feel guilty for what she might feel towards you... I see them both as good friends." Staring at their hands while talking he could clearly see the sad look on Sharon''s face and following a sudden impulse he pushed her onto the bed and kissed her. "I promise everything is going to be alright, I will talk to her tomorrow after the Labyrinth and we will figure it out between each other alright? You don''t have to worry ok?" Unsure what else to say and filled with the desire to see her smile again he kissed her once more and Sharon put her arms around him. "Alright, I trust you. Hear her out and be gentle to her please. As far as I know she only ever dated douchebags so at least show her that not all men are like that alright?" "I promise." Both smiled happily at each other and while shifting his weight something very interesting pressed against her leg suddenly. "The night is still young you know." Sharon said with a very mischievous grin and Makoto didn''t wait a second longer to rip her clothes off. He could feel a satisfied growl inside of him when he spread her thighs while looking deep into her sapphire blue eyes as they held a lustful greed of their own. With a quiet moan from her he was once again conquering Sharon while the beast inside of him howled and gave him new vigor and constantly fueled his lust... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Hope you all enjoyed this rather lengthy Chapter and see you tomorrow as always :D This is actually as far as I have written the story line for Volume 4, I have a rough idea but I really need to write it down so it might very well be that the Chapter tomorrow is also posted rather late! Chapter 45: Minds Astray Thank you so much 1 Anonymous for donating! Really appreciate it!!! Keep em coming :D Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Only came back home a few hours ago and finally finished it! Hope you like this change of pace and seeing a bit more action again! ----- Chapter 45: Minds Astray Running to the side and throwing himself between two descending blades, Makoto was able to finally break free of the circle and just in time too. "Flame Barrage!" Following Lilliana''s shout a blazing serpent of pure fire crashed into the group of Undead, immediately applying the ''Aflame'' status effect and devouring 2 or 3 of them whole. Giving a thumbs up to the short Mage he could see how she immediately evaded his gaze, just like she had already been doing all day. Sighing deeply about the way she behaved he only had a few seconds to contemplate on when she would finally be like before as a surviving Undead burning like a Human torch was currently running towards him, grabbing his immediate attention. Unable to apply any of his own status effects he just slashed against the resilient thing and watched the flame DoT do most of the work for him. A deathly growl later a shower of experience enveloped him once again. Makoto and the rest of his party were currently on the first floor of the Labyrinth, once again hunting for experience and only using Sharon as a Scout for most of the fights. Surprisingly enough she never seemed to be bothered by her menial task of counting the enemies ahead only to quickly come back and give her short report. Makoto knew that he would never have been cut out for work like that as the front lines was his field of expertise. After yesterdays turn of events, Lilliana was unwilling to look him in the eye even when she talked with him. Trying not to worry about it too much for now, he quickly checked his gear for any problems and then led them all down another bend. It wasn''t too surprising that Makoto was the leader of the party even though he never asked for it but the logic was quite simple, he was the only melee in the party and should Sharon ever miss an enemy he would at least be able to fight on even grounds with it unlike the rest of his party that had to play with a bit more distance in mind. Overall it was a safe and quick way to explore the ever changing first floor of the Labyrinth, even if he was already starting to feel sick and tired going through the same dimly lit maze for the hundredth time now. It had only been exciting for the first few ventures and it soon enough just turned out to be a gigantic headache as even encountering enemies was an uncommon event, they mostly just walked in complete silence, always staying vigilante for an ambush that never seemed to come. With the silence, Makoto''s mind returned back to Lilliana and the way she was acting. Did she really feel so guilty of her own actions that she didn''t even dare to look him in the eye? Honestly he thought it was quite childish in a way but what can you do? Sighing once again and cursing his luck for thinking that everything had been going great not even a day ago the party soon enough encountered Sharon again that had a frantic look on her face and was already waving from far away in complete panic. Naturally they had devised a few ways of communication with her but even though this had never been one it clearly was the ''Get the fuck out of here now big boy is coming!'' signal. Unable to even grin about his own thought process his face soon enough became solemn as he watched a gigantic Labyrinth Boar, easily towering 25 feet crash around a bend and immediately run after the sprinting Sharon. "Get ready for combat!" Unsheathing his sword and giving a quick glance to both Sanja and Lilliana to make sure that they had heard him, he felt his blood surge through him and with a deep growl from a dark corner of his mind Makoto exploded into a run. Feeling his crimson eyes give off a dim light he quickly reached Sharon and shot past her with ever growing steps and tempo. Facing this monster of a pig head on and seeing its gigantic tusks was something that would have scared any warrior but to Makoto it was yet another challenge he had to overcome. Finally able to see its name he felt a cold chill run down his spine but he had no intention of lowering his speed in the least.
Labyrinth Boar Alpha: Boss Monster lvl 30
Not only was the thing 7 levels above him it was even classified as a boss monster. Clearly something out of his league by more than a bit. Well aware that even Sharon with her high Agility had been unable to outrun this beast, any idea of fleeing from it was immediately dropped so the only way to come out of this alive was to simply kill the little shit. Grinning like a mad man and feeling a strange desire to eat some barbeque ribs, Makoto finally reached the muscle packed boar, ramming his sword forward and feeling his arms immediately going numb at the initial impact. Well aware that he would be unable to even make it drop its speed at this point he quickly used his Willpower stat for the fist time in quite a while, pushing all of his stats up by nearly 20% for 3 seconds which allowed him to not only push his sword into its thick skull but even slow its speed drastically.
Critical hit! 1298 Damage dealt! You have put a status effect on your opponent! Bleed: -42 hp every 2 seconds for 28 second.
Unable to push against this behemoth of a boar anymore, Makoto quickly freed his sword and rolled to the side. "Scattershot! Slingshot!" Sharon was not hesitating at all with her Skills and a Volley of arrows rained from the ceiling while a net suddenly wrapped around the front legs of the boar, effectively tying them together and disabling it for the time being. "Flame Barrage! Ice Needles!" Again a snake of fire appeared out of nowhere followed by a hail of lances of ice that dug deep into the Boss Monster, making it squeal in pain which in turn put a grin on Makoto''s face as he stood up. Not wasting any time while capitalizing on the short time frame that Sharon had given them he quickly used every Combat Skill he had and was able to inflict a ''poisoned'' and ''slowed'' status effect together with the usual ''bleed'' before the boar was back on its legs, having lost a fifth of its health and raging like a mad bull. Spinning around a lot quicker than you would normally think from such a massive and bulky body, one of the tusks squarely hit Makoto into his chest, effectively knocking him into the air while his lungs nearly collapsed from the blow.
You have received 732 Damage! You have received a status effect! Winded: -15% stat reduction for 10 seconds.
Cursing his luck while trying to get some air into his hurting lungs, Makoto barely evaded yet another swipe from the tusks. Following a gust of wind an arrow of light crashed into the gigantic Boar and went through its entire body while also pushing it back a few feet. It was the most powerful Skill Sharon could use called ''Dawnlight''. The cooldown for using it was quite hefty with it being nearly 4 hours so it was an absolutely emergency Skill but it packed quite the punch and inflicted 500% the Damage from a normal hit. It also had added knockback and armor penetration which made it even more useful but as always it could only be used every 4 hours. The other big problem with the Skill was that the incredibly Damage that it did pulled any and all aggro even from the best tank so completely forgetting about Makoto, the boar was now focusing Sharon and judging by its deep roar it was not happy. Immediately distancing herself from Sanja and Lilliana as to not pull the thing in their direction, Makoto watched her shoot arrow after arrow while dodging to the side. Finally freed from the status effect and his health back in a manageable position he quickly ran back to his rampaging barbeque ribs. "Little shit, lets see you ignore me if I do this." Not showing any mercy and directly behind it now he shoved his sword up its... well I don''t think I have to explain that part, and twisted and turned his blade with a visible grin after hearing the squeals of pain and agony. "That''s it big boy, come to Papa and his big sword." Watching the bleeding orifice disappear he was once again faced with an enraged Boar. Showing the monster a big smile he waved his sword in front of its eyes, reminding the thing what had just happened and without even having to wait 1 second it charged towards him once again, lost in a fit of rage. Spinning on the spot and using his crimson cloak in the same manner as a bullfighter, he watched the stupid thing run right past him and headfirst into a wall.
You have successfully tricked your opponent! +1 Intelligence!
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.Surprised about seeing this message only now it didn''t take long for him to figure out why he had never gotten it until now. When had he ever fought with his wits until now? Most of the time he won his battles via either cruel means, brute strength or simply relying on intuition and luck but there had never really been any intention of using his environment against his opponent until now. Wondering if he had turned into the typical muscles for brain stereotype already, Makoto watched the boar stand up with shaking knees. Never having put any value on fighting fair battles he quickly ran forward and rammed his sword into the same...place as before, letting the beast yet again scream in complete humiliation and agony. Noticing that he had been the only one to attack for quite some time now he looked back to the 3 girls only to see a mix of utter horror and disgust on their faces. Deciding not to disturb them any more than really necessary he attacked just like before and soon enough arrows and fire balls rained down on the boss that still had not managed to get up again. Finally reaching the last 15% of health the entire thing entered its last ''phase'' and with a hind leg suddenly kicking against Makoto, he flew through the air, only to crash against the opposite wall with a back breaking force.
Critical hit! You have received 1296 Damage!
On the brink of dying, only the saving grace from Sanja pushed him above 40% health with a heal while his body finally started to be affected by gravity again and he fell to the floor, for the 3rd time in this fight air was pushed out of his lungs against his will.
You have received 204 Damage!
Spitting out a constant stream of blood and clearly feeling a dent in his entire frame from the incredible kick, Makoto felt like he was about to throw up his internal organs next but thankfully his crazy fast regeneration spared him such an experience and bones shifted back into place with audible snaps and cracks. With trembling arms he pushed himself up before throwing up what had been inside his stomach before, together with a bit of blood. It took him half a minute to even stand up and another 10 seconds to grab his sword. During that time, Sharon had aggroed the beast and she was constantly using her ''Quick Dash'' to escape dangerous situations while making the boar''s face look like a porcupine. Just seeing countless arrows already stuck in both eyeballs let a slight shiver run down Makoto''s back as he returned once more to the front lines. "Fucker nearly one shot me..." He grumbled while slashing against its side once again. Together with the help of Lilliana, Sharon and Sanja that also started to use a few damaging spells, they finally managed to bring the thing down and with a dreadful squeal it slumped to the ground, its face and body covered with arrow shafts while here and there burned or cut op flesh was oozing with dark blood. "Talk about close fight, I thought that kick snapped you in two Makoto." Sanja said, a worried look on her face. "Trust me, it felt like I did. Anyways, what did it drop?" More interested about the loot from such a random boss monster he quickly dragged his party to the decaying corpse and soon enough all that was left behind was a white and grey robe with an expensive design and a dark brown ring with a blue stone adorning it.
Robe of Attunement:
Bathed in a holy light but forgotten inside the ever changing Labyrinth, this robe was crafted by a follower of the Divine God Parimes, Bringer of the first Dawn and 1 of the 5 Gods of Good.
Defense:25Vitality:15
Special Option:+8% to all healing
Additional Option:This item will be destroyed should its wearer ever fall below ''Neutral'' Alignment.
Durability:45/45
Requirements:Level 25, Neutral or Good Alignment
Ring of the Sky Raven:
Rumor has it that the eyes of Sky Ravens are just like jewelry, if the ring was crafted with this idea in mind is very questionable but the stone itself seems to stare into your very soul.
Vitality:12Durability:25/25
Special Option:Eyesight is greatly improved
Requirements:Level 23
Without even having to think about it, Makoto handed the Robe to Sanja and the Ring to Sharon. The first item was obviously for a Healer and better eyesight also meant better aim for an Archer so there was no need for him to be greedy even if he was curious as by how much the ring improved your sight. Thankfully he did not get out of the fight completely empty handed as he had gained more than enough experience to finally level up to level 24 and far beyond, he was now only 30% or so away from finally hitting the desired 25. Looking at his status window after distributing the gains he felt that there was quite a big difference, just from this one level and how it had been before.
Status Window
Name:Makoto ForrowfellLevel:24
Alignment:Good, House ForrowfellClass:Crimson Warrior
Race:HumanGender:Male
Titles
Slayer of All, Righteous Demon, First of a Kind, Champion of Blood, Murderer, Noble of Asuria
Health:1500/1500Mana:560/560
Strength:131Agility:152 (+5)
Vitality:88 (+28)Wisdom:40
Intelligence:41Fame:26
Evasiveness:38Willpower:35
Special Effects:
+5% Damage against all living beings. +15% Damage against Chaotic or Individuals with an ''Evil'' Alignment. +10% Chance to inflict the ''fear'' status on your opponents when entering combat. +10% Chance to inflict the ''fear'' status on your first attack in battle. +15% easier to intimidate Merchants or others.
Makoto couldn''t help but smile after seeing his changed name and the two new titles. Turning around to the rest of the group he looked at each and every one of them, ignoring that Lilliana still seemed to evade his eyes. "Let''s go people, we have some grinding to do!" -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO my perfect upload streak was broken T-T....... Damnit..... Well, I hope you enjoyed the Chapter and see you tomorrow again! (*Still salty about not making it in time*) Chapter 46: Heartache Thank you so much Ingro for donating! Really appreciate it!!! Keep em coming :D Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! A bit later again I know but I was editing and proofreading a few Chapters for the book so forgive me :P Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 46: Heartache
Penetration:
Even the strongest of defenses can be broken through with effort and tenacity.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level9 (31%)
Skill Effect:+ 29% Armor Penetration
Devil''s Greed:
Money makes the world go round so why not take more than you give? NPC Merchants and Shop owners will feel an instinctive fear towards you
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level3 (87%)
Skill Effect:+1.5% increased deals in your favor for both buying and selling.
Additional Effect:Able to Bargain more effectively.
Blood Rejuvenation:
Bathing in the blood of others you are able to find new Strength even during extended skirmish and battle.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level7 (76%)
Skill Effect:0.4% max health restored every second for every 2% missing health.
Curse Blade:
Enchanting your blade with a secret curse your every strike will lacerate the enemies flesh, bringing unbearable pain and misery to your opponent.
Skill Type:activeSkill Level9 (22%)
Skill Effect:+65% more Chance to inflict the ''Bleed'' status effect.
Additional Effect:+60% more Damage and longer Duration when inflicting the ''Bleed'' status effect.
Extra Effect:+5% Chance to inflict a random status effect.
Uses:25 Mana per attack
Aura of the Beast:
Your presence alone shakes the hearts of many, with an air of savagery and cruelty around you even guards do not want to take actions against you, fear is your most powerful tool and the use of it comes naturally to you.
Skill Type:active/passiveSkill Level4 (19%)
Skill Effect:Everyone around you (9 feet at current level) will have their stats reduced by 4% and accuracy dropped by 14%.
Additional Effect:Your eyes have permanently changed color.
Uses:5 mana per second.
Realm of Madness:
True terror is not the predictable evil but the unpredictable that will haunt you forever. Madness is a murderer''s best tool.
Skill Type:passiveSkill Level2 (13%)
Skill Effect:All projectile based attacks aimed at you will be slowed by 8%
Additional Effect:+9% Resistance to ''Fear'' and ''Illusion'' status effects.
His Skills really had come a long way. Satisfied with how everything was progressing on that end, Makoto closed the Interface and turned back to his party. They were still in the Labyrinth but had decided to take a short break for their health and especially Sanja''s Mana to reach acceptable areas again. Interested he decided to ask for everyone''s current level and soon enough got his answer. Both Sanja and Lilliana were close to 23 while Sharon on the other hand was 38 in her human form. It was quite ridiculous just how much of a lead his girlfriend had with being an employee of Ouroboros and all. Just like that they hunted inside the Labyrinth for a few more hours before leaving the Dungeon for the day. On the way back to the mansion Makoto looked to Lilliana who kept her head low and had not spoken much the entire time. Feeling that it was a good opportunity to talk to her he asked her for some privacy and they slowed down until Sharon and Sanja walked up front, a good bit away and unaware about the gap in the party. Before even starting up a conversation he looked at her for some time, waiting to see if she would start up the whole thing on her own or if he really had to dig deeper. Hiding behind her black hair, Lilliana just walked next to him but kept quiet. Sighing deeply he decided to just ask her on his own. "So what exactly was that yesterday Lilly?" It took her a while to respond. "Shut it..." "I really just want to know if you are alright, I mean it could very well be that you just had a bad day and need-" "Are you really that stupid to not know?!" Lilliana had raised her voice and finally looked at him with her deep brown eyes. "I have a hunch but I don''t want to say anything before hearing it from you." Staying silent and looking at Makoto for quite a while she replied again, her voice a tiny bit shaky. "Well I think it''s pretty obvious how I feel for you and I thought you felt the same with the constant jokes you did and... then you appeared with her and I just.... I guess I just misunderstood and it wasn''t meant to be..." While she talked her eyes had started to water and she turned her head away as the first few tears ran down her cheeks. Makoto was stunned at seeing her like this and didn''t know what to say. He always told her that it was just him joking around and he also thought that it was a sign of their friendship but apparently Lilliana had seen it differently. Struggling with his own guilt and being responsible for the current situation he didn''t reply and soon enough the small mage stormed up to the front and passed Sanja and Sharon. Both looked back to him and Sharon showed a saddened expression while Sanja seemed confused as to what happened. Makoto''s gaze was locked on the fleeing Lilly, replaying the image of the first few tears appearing on her face over and over again. A mental Image of Veronica appeared inside his head and a disturbing thought came with it. Had he unknowingly done the same thing as her? Playing around with someone elses feelings just because it was funny to see her react? Was he not just like the person he had started to hate? Unable to shake this realization and feeling a deep horror paralyzing his mind, Makoto wished for the first time in his life to reverse time and fix this incredibly stupid mistake. Regret was a scary thing... ..... With another yawn he walked into the caf¨¦ and ordered a cappuccino to wake him up a bit. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. It was Tuesday afternoon, Makoto had just finished College for the day and he was dead tired. Not only had he stayed up for quite some time inside Azalon but he also had trouble sleeping after yesterdays turn of events. He had told Sharon about what happened and she had the same confused and sad look on her face as him. Both didn''t know what to do and they were not naive enough to just think that feelings like that could disappear over night. Both treasured the short tempered Lilly as a friend so the current situation was clearly far from ideal. Unable to come up with any solutions that could help her or solve the issue, he had logged out with a quick kiss while still deep in thought. Sleep didn''t come easily and he had woken up many times during the last few hours until dawn. Dead tired and with his mind preoccupied by relationship problems, the day seemed to fly by as he fell asleep quite a few times too while not remembering even one word his Instructor had said. Immediately feeling his mind starting up again after just one sip of the hot liquid in his hands, Makoto contemplated about his feelings. There was no question about it that he loved Sharon. One thing that had disturbed him though was what Lilly had said yesterday about the teasing he had done and he had reached a very strange conclusion. If it really was just a way for him to interact with her and it didn''t mean anything, why had he stopped doing that after getting together with Sharon? As far as he knew his girlfriend, she would have maybe not liked it but it would after all just be an interaction between friends, no hard feelings behind them. But why unconsciously stop it entirely if he didn''t feel guilty about it deep inside of him? Could it be that he had harbored some feelings for the small mage and been unaware of it? Was that the reason he had suddenly stopped teasing Lilliana after meeting Sharon? Because he would feel guilty if he showed this kind of affection to someone else except the person that he was with? It was a very biased way of thinking but definitely one that had been nurtured by todays society. Was it really so strange to feel affection towards two different women? Right now he was not even truly sure how he felt about Lilliana but was it really such a bad thing? The answer was no, the feeling itself was not bad but the consequences could be disastrous. Makoto didn''t need to think hard and long how it would make him feel if Sharon for example told him how she felt about another man, it was a thought that not only scared but also enraged him and he quickly dropped it into a deep corner of his mind. Naturally he could just blame it all on being horny and saying that was how he felt for Lilliana, a male desire to have sex with her because he was physically attracted to her but was that really all there was to it? Confused but unwilling to go down a route that could very well not only destroy his current relationship with Sharon but also the fragile friendship he had with Lilliana, Makoto decided to lock these feelings he had for Lilly away. How he felt for the little mage might be just pure and untainted affection but that was a dangerous thing and he felt a lot more and deeper for Sharon so it was clear that she had to be the only one for him. Makoto didn''t want to imagine his red haired angel with a pained expression in her eyes after being told what he felt for another woman. It hurt him just thinking that he could make her feel unloved or insecure, that was something he didn''t want for Sharon. She was his and he was hers, that¡¯s how it should be right? Feeling an unease still deep inside of him even after coming to this conclusion he stared out of the shop window and on the streets. Other people walked past in a hurry and some clearly on their way back home as it was the end of the day but all he really paid attention to was his own reflection in the glass. It surprised him seeing his own eyes without the usual crimson hue as he had gotten used to that appearance quite a bit at this point. The amount of female interaction he had in only one short month was truly mind boggling. First Veronica, then Lilliana and Sanja, Sharon and not to forget the mysterious Loren. Two of these 5 beautiful girls could be called goddesses in looks alone and he had managed to keep a relationship with those 5 girls in one way or another. His entire world had turned upside down in only one short month but at the same time It was back again, probably woken up by the full immersion and slaughter that he had been doing inside Azalon. Finishing up his cup, Makoto stood up and decided to go for a walk before returning to his apartment. There was a lot of things that just didn''t add up in his life from the very beginning but he had dealt with them. He took his medication until the signs stopped appearing and he had his peace and quiet, he didn''t attract any attention, barely had any human interaction at all and his only friends had been online. It wasn''t a bad life but it had been lonely. All of this had changed. He had changed. It hadn''t been a fast progress but in only one short month he was more open with other people, talked quite a bit in college, made a few friends and met 5 gorgeous girls that all seemed to have taken a strange interest in him. 1 had toyed with him, another 2 loved him, the next was a mystery that stole his first kiss and the last of the bunch was a good friend that also seemed to be interested in him but he liked to think that it was just her curious nature and nothing else. Right now he had already way too much on his plate without having time to worry about Sanja, she seemed to be the most normal out of the entire bunch. Passing by a happy couple, Makoto looked towards the sky and was both happy and scared at how much Azalon had changed him. Sure he might have met Veronica or Loren without it but how much had one game really influenced his life? It was both inspiring and scary at the same time. Could he even call this Virtual Reality still just that, a game? Or was it something else entirely? Troubled by these thoughts, Makoto reached his apartment and heated up a frozen pizza soon after closing the door behind him. He hadn''t actually turned on his TV in quite some time so it was overdue that he at least checked the news. It did surprise him to find out just how much things had really changed. Instead of the recent murder or terrorist attack a good part of the actual evening news centered around Azalon, this new sensation that took the world in a storm. Already every single one of the 50 million Capsules to enter the game had been paid for and there seemed to be an overflowing request from all around the world for Ouroboros to make more. The first 50 thousand players in the game could be called the select few Beta Testers as the game would only launch worldwide on Friday, it had been North America that enjoyed Azalon until now, but that was for a reason. Before Makoto''s mother had paid the Capsule and the weekly fee that came with it, there was a lot of speculation on the devastating side effects that the immersion could bring, from muscle atrophy all the way to experiencing a real life death after dying ingame. There was already enough examples in books that displayed and described them and many people had their doubts but after this one month of looking at ingame footage from around the Continent, all those worries and side effects got pushed aside. Everyone had to have it. When the first video from a player''s own view went online the internet and real life media seemed to practically explode, News Channels with extensive programs about the game started to slowly emerge and even more so with a possible viewership of 50 million people. It was a Chaos all around that Makoto had been unaware of, simply because he was too busy with College and playing the actual game. Turning off the flat screen after about 15 minutes he just sat there for a while. It wasn''t only him that this ''game'' affected, the whole world had changed without even anyone noticing. A new Era was starting and he was one of 50 thousand leading the storm... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Well here is some food for thought for you guys, time to speculate below how everything is going to turn out :D! I really love reading those in the comment section, brings me joy that people enjoy it this much :3 Anyways, see you all tomorrow! Chapter 47: The Tide Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! I fell asleep on my desk for a few hours :O I''m getting old I tell ya, can''t even handle working all night long without sleep anymore XD. Hope you all enjoy the Chapter and another will follow today a bit later. ----- Chapter 47: The Tide Makoto quickly noticed that he was the last person of his party to actually return. Sharon had left him a message that the three of them would already go ahead to the dungeon and wait there for him. It didn''t surprise Makoto that they had been impatient as he had only logged back inside 2 hours after the promised time which was over 6 hours inside Azalon. Most people would get bored waiting for such a long time. With a few quick steps he descended down the stairs and was about to hurry out of the front door when his Uncle called for him. Still a bit stressed but always willing to listen to the man that had adopted him, Makoto went into the living room where Narkas was waiting for him and the expression on his face alone showed that it was about something very important. "What is wrong Uncle?" Giving him a hard glare, Narkas motioned for him to sit down. "Well, I would say the situation has finally escalated. I think you are aware of the tension at the border and how even a single needle dropped on the wrong foot could start a war? It has now begun boy. Sarachec Soldiers are currently besieging one of our Strongholds at the border, they are said to number over 10 thousand with an incredible amount of siege weapons. The situation is critical and time is of the essence." Realizing what his Uncle had said and what this could very well mean, Makoto immediately had a solemn expression too. "Normally a House is either one of two things, politically oriented or war oriented. There are differences but you can divide all houses into those two categories. I am more into politics but also well aware that your prowess in battle would only be wasted here so we have a very peculiar situation right now, which path do you think we should choose?" Both remained silent for a while and contemplated about their possible future but before anything could be decided, Baltas walked into the tension filled room. "Pardon me Master, there is a very shady Merchant with the name of Finn at the door saying that Master Makoto has ordered him to bring something here." Grinning from one ear to the other and thinking that this was the best possible timing, Makoto looked towards Narkas. "I am not sure about what kind of House we should be but I know whatever path we choose, this is only going to help us." Motioning both his confused Uncle and Baltas to follow, they went outside to see the little Merchant, still wearing his pair of clouded glasses. Immediately the Merchant''s face lit up after he saw Makoto and he quickly hurried to his side. "I have them with me on a wagon, 567 Bars, just as you ordered." Patting Finn''s shoulder with a smile, he told him to bring the cargo behind the mansion to the back entrance. "What exactly was he talking about boy?" Narkas asked with a very confused expression as he watched the little Merchant jump on his wagon and delegate his horse to pull the entire thing to the back of the building. "Watch and see." Not wanting to spoil the surprise he followed Finn just like Narkas and Baltas that both looked at each other, searching for an explanation in the others eyes. After they reached their destination, now surrounded by big trees that blocked any and all vision to the wagon from afar, Makoto decided to pull back the cloth that had been hiding his little surprise. Bars stacked upon bars of Gold and Silver with a Spider Crest clearly visible on them glimmered in the morning sun, blinding both the Butler and his Uncle. Stunned, they just stared at this display of incredible wealth until Narkas looked at him, eyes big like wheels. "Just where did you get all of this from and with our Crest on it too?" "Well, let''s just say house Stimridge was very ''generous''." Showing a wide grin as he clearly understood the implications, Narkas immediately helped Finn carry the Bars inside the Mansion and the head Butler even went as far as taking a stack of 40 bars at once. The only place they could really put such an incredible amount was inside the Cellar so now two mountains glimmered in the torch light deep beneath the mansion. Makoto finally explained the entire situation after they left their little treasury and how Finn fit into the whole equation. His Uncle was laughing his head off just thinking about the now cleared out mansion of House Stimridge while already opening up a bottle of wine to celebrate. Finn stayed beside his side like a shadow as they discussed their new strategy. Narkas would send 50 Mages and 30 Apprentice Mages from the Magic Institute to help out the Stronghold in 5 days and it was decided that Makoto would accompany them. "I will stay behind in the Capital and manage the politics while you fight for the glory of the Kingdom with the emblem of our House on your Chest, that sound like a plan?" Nodding happily and eager for a battle of such scale and proportions, he quickly looked towards Finn that had been staring at him like a hungry wolf. "Do you have the sold amount with you?" Finn nodded and was about to grab into his bag but a hand from Makoto stopped him. "Keep it." Shocked about his words the Merchant stared at him for quite a while to make sure that he wasn''t joking. Finn was unable to resist any command and he also was not able to steal from him as that would be a break of loyalty in the contract but he had just been ordered to keep the incredible sum that one fifth of selling the gold and Silver bars had yielded. It was an insane amount of money for sure and he was unable to comprehend how Makoto was able to just freely give away so many gold coins to someone like him that was already bound to him for life anyways. Makoto''s logic was pretty simple really, even if Finn was sworn to follow him, just how much more eager would he be if it was also lucrative and refreshing for him? Soon enough he was able to see a certain glimmer in Finn''s eyes and knew that he had taken the bait. "Now listen to me, remember how I told you that I want you to be my eyes and ears in the underworld? Well that was not a lie. While I am gone I want you to organize an information network with a lot of other people, you can get the Contracts from my Uncle if need be but in a time of unrest like this, it is very possible that House Forrowfell could easily rise in Power if we manage to find out more about the other houses and their little dirty secrets and that is where you come into play. Dig up everything that could be used about the other Noble houses and give a daily report to my Uncle, do you think you can do that?" Nodding his head eagerly while looking at Makoto with an idolizing gaze, Finn seemed to be more than willing to even jump off a cliff after being handed such an incredible amount of money and that was exactly what he had wanted to achieve, absolute loyalty by Contract as well as free will. Fighting off the devilish smile that wanted to appear on his face as he looked at the little Merchant that had given up any and all resistance, Makoto turned to his Uncle. "Do you think you would be ok with being handed a daily report about the other houses?" The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Narkas only showed a very sinister grin before replying. "I would say it is something that I have been looking forward to for quite a while now, tell him to come every evening and show me this report of his." After getting his orders, Finn spoke with a hushed voice. "Could I also employ a few fighters for this information network? I might very well reach a few dangerous situations so having guards could help me keep my head." Not even having to think about the matter, Makoto gave his ok and with a deep bow and another idolizing look, Finn left the mansion. ¡­.. His new Master treated him well. The contract would mean his death but surprisingly enough this Foreigner was not like the others. He was neither beaten nor abused, all in all he was mostly left to his own devices which was surprising as nearly every Master possessed an incredible amount of paranoia, making sure to keep even the most loyal of Slaves on a short leash, Finn knew that from experience. But now it was different. He had closed his little shop that he had worked so hard to create with a lot of guilt and hatred towards this new Master but surprisingly enough he did not have to worry about finding a cheap place to sleep. Finn had become rich overnight, without even knowing or caring how much money he had gotten for the bars that he sold, Makoto just gifted him the entire sum. This, together with not getting abused at all in any way and even being treated as a normal Servant was enough for him to change his point of view. It was obvious that his new Master trusted him and feeling this trust for the first time in his life, Finn had no intention of breaking it. This was a good Master, a caring Master. One that looked out for him, one that had to be kept alive no matter what. It was a Master that deserved so much more... Showing the same devilish grin on his face that he had seen from Makoto, Finn descended layer after layer. He would not only create an information network for his new Master, he would assemble an entire army... ..... After finally finishing the last few points in their plan, Makoto went out to get prepared for this Journey that would start in 5 days. He also asked if it would be alright to bring 3 other Foreigners to help defend the Stronghold and his Uncle thankfully had no problems with it. Something he nearly forgot on his way to the Labyrinth was to pick up his Spider pet that should now be more than ready. After entering the building and stating his name an employee quickly guided him to a small room. The entire inside was decorated to look just like a forest and Magic had probably been used to grow different plants and moss. Letting his gaze wander he finally spotted his pet on a wooden log. It was a spider with a size similar to a tarantula but instead of the usual brown hair, this one was of pitch black color with a crimson Spider depicted on its back. "We where quite surprised when we saw the Crest of House Forrowfell on its back after it hatched as it is a rare but not impossible occurrence. It is normally a sign of the Divines that a house is destined for greatness if I remember correctly." The employee said with a feverish gaze that made Makoto feel highly uncomfortable. Unsure what he should really do to get his pet and a bit scared of this big and evil looking spider, Makoto stretched out his own arm. The spider seemed to be staring at him with its 8 eyes for some time before slowly approaching the outstretched arm. A shiver ran down Makoto''s spine when he felt the hairy legs crawl up his arm and he instinctively wanted to shake it off. Keeping his cool he watched the thing circle around his arm until finally reaching his shoulder and coming to a stop, only inches away from his face. A system window appeared before Makoto.
You have acquired a pet!
Choose a name for it!
Unsure he glanced towards the 8 legged creature on his shoulder and he could clearly see how it stared back at him with its many eyes. The temptation to name it something out of a book or movie was there but he decided against it and instead decided to name it after a Latin word that seemed to fit quite well. "Acerbus" Right away a new system window appeared before him.
Acerbus:
Pet spider of Makoto Forrowfell, blessed with the Crest of his house. Its name alone can mean ''dark'' ''bitter'' and ''cruel'' at the same time.
Owner:Makoto ForrowfellLoyalty:50%
Skills:None
Interested about this unknown ''Loyalty'' option he opened the ''help'' tab in the Menu and a short explanation was quickly given about it.
Loyalty:
This stat is mostly given to pets and will show how much care and love their onwer treats them with, the lower Loyalty is the more chance there is for your pet to run away, the higher it is, the more chance there is for your pet to learn Skills that could help you outside and inside of battle.
Makoto had thought that pets would only be a cosmetic item but that was appearently not the case if they had a high enough Loyalty for their Master. One or two more Skills were always welcome and if he could even use them inside battle... the possibility alone was very tempting. With a newfound love for the little critter he caressed his new friend and left the Pet-Center. Many eyes followed Makoto as he walked through the streets, his chest adorned with the House crest of Forrowfell while a living example towered on his right shoulder. Unable to hide the gleeful smile, he made his way to the Labyrinth. Change was in the air... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
As always if you got any questions put them below! Making this into a book is quite a bit of work :o Still far from even having an end product. Need to draw a map of Azalon too... *Sigh* ..... Chapter 48: Preperation and Advancements Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! And here we go, a little late, sorry for that but i had to restart my laptop 5 times while writing the Chapter as my program kept on freezing (old laptops... *sigh*) Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 48: Preparation and Advancements Makoto soon enough met up with Sharon, Lilly and Sanja. It took a while to explain the entire situation concerning the possible war that was on the horizon but after they understood what was going on the 3 of them were eager to help defend the Stronghold so it was decided that they would go into the Labyrinth and grind a few more levels. All of them had a bit of trouble getting used to the scary looking spider that seemed to have taken Makoto''s right shoulder as its new home. Sharon was probably the first one to really open up to it. Only after a few hours of petting it was there a sign that it even had an effect. The spider traveled on her body occasionally now which she did not seem to mind at all but Arbecus always returned to Makoto''s right shoulder, whatever the reason behind that was. It was still a little awkward seeing Lilly again but she seemed to have put it behind her and acted just like before. One thing he did have to reevaluate was how he felt about her. It was not really love but more of a brotherly affection, even if he was an only child, that was the best way for him to really put it. More than friendship but not the kind of love you have for your partner, it was strange experience for him to say the least. Not willing to waste any more time on his feelings and eager to finally reach Level 25, Makoto and his Party entered the Labyrinth once again. Thankfully Arbecus jumped from his body every time he engaged into combat and monsters didn''t seem to attack it for some strange reason so it was one less thing he had to worry about. The thought of his pet dying so early after getting it was not very pleasent. It was also still a mystery to Makoto if Arbecus would be gone for good or if he would respawn again after death. Considering his pet spider did not even have a health bar to begin with made it quite clear that a pet was not meant for combat. But would it die from an unlucky sword strike that glanced it? A lot of things were still unclear for him of how a pet really worked so he decided to ask his Uncle before going on his Journey. The next 5 days passed quite quickly. Fighting and more fighting while collecting a mountain of loot, that was basically it. On the second day of hunting inside the Labyrinth Makoto finally reached his desired 25 after what seemed like ages.
You have reached Level 25 and are now officially able to advance your Unique Class.
Do you wish to advance your Class?
Unsure of what other choice he had, Makoto clicked yes and immediately a bunch of system messages bombarded him.
Reevaluation of Psyche, fighting style and overall behavior complete.
Your Class has changed from ''Crimson Warrior'' to ''Blood Savage''!
Blood Savage:
Born on the battlefield of gore and carnage you are more beast than man, an empty shell of what was once human. Your actions disgust many and frighten even more but interestingly enough you never harm the innocent and only draw the blood of the guilty. Justice in Blood. +2 Skills +20 to all stats except Fame.
Memories of Carnage:
Fleeting are those bound to the battlefield, vain are those who survive it but all share the same memories. Allies and bonds forged in the heat of battle and despair.
Skill Type:active (Buff)Skill LevelLvl 1 (0%)
Skill Effect:Will apply the ''Memories of Carnage'' Buff to all Allies in a 50 feet radius. Caster will receive +1% more overall Damage until duration is over. Caster and all Allies will do +1.5% more overall Damage until duration is over.
Duration:3 Minutes.
Uses:100 Mana
Blood Rush:
The liquor of life and death, the crimson flow that keeps us all alive, no matter the race, we are all brothers and sisters of Blood.
Skill Type:activeSkill LevelLvl 1 (0%)
Skill Effect:Sacrifice a constant 50 health per second to receive +5% movement and attack speed.
Additional Effect:Effect doubles every 10 seconds. Movement and Attack speed gains will be halved every time.
Unsure what to make of these two very strange Skills it took him a good bit to figure them out. As far as he understood it, the first Skill ''Memories of Carnage'' would grant him and all allies 1.5% extra Damage while also increasing the overall Damage he would take by 1%. That was not too bad for a Buff considering it only increased the Damage he alone would take and not everyone''s, it was a great Skill to have in a bigger battle. The second Skill sounded very dangerous and would be completely useless without his ''Blood Rejuvenation'' Skill. As far as he understood the math, the Skill would work like this: -50 Health every second = +5% movement and attack speed. After 10 seconds of having the Skill activated. -100 Health every second = +7.5% movement and attack speed. After 10 more seconds of having the Skill activated. -200 Health every second = +8.75% movement and attack speed. And the entire Skill would keep going like this while draining his health to a point where his regeneration would be unable to keep up anymore. At level 1 the Skill only seemed useful during the first 10 or so seconds but what would the benefits be if it was at level 5? Increased movement and attack speed was something that he dearly needed considering he had no ranged Skills to speak of and the price was not too bad for his Class. All in all it seemed like a fair trade at first glance so he decided to look at his Status window, again many things had changed in only 1 level. Makoto fiddled with the settings to also see what bonuses the Evasiveness and Willpower stats currently gave him.
Status Window
Name:Makoto ForrowfellLevel:25
Alignment:Good, House ForrowfellClass:Blood Savage
Race:HumanGender:Male
Titles
Slayer of All, Righteous Demon, First of a Kind, Champion of Blood, Murderer, Noble of Asuria
Health:1760/1760Mana:800/800
Strength:154Agility:177 (+5)
Vitality:110 (+28)Wisdom:60
Intelligence:61Fame:26
Evasiveness:58Willpower:55
Special Effects:
5.8% Chance to evade all Damage taken from a blow. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. +27.5% stat increase for 5.5 seconds if Willpower is activated. +5% Damage against all living beings. +15% Damage against ''Chaotic'' or Individuals with an ''Evil'' Alignment. +10% Chance to inflict the ''fear'' status on your opponents when entering combat. +10% Chance to inflict the ''fear'' status on your first attack in battle. +15% easier to intimidate Merchants or other people.
Very happy about his advancements and eager to test his new Skills, Makoto informed the others about his current Class, there was no need to hide anything at this point as he trusted all 3 girls wholeheartedly. "The first Skill seems interesting, especially if you can buff high burst Damage Mages, that seems straight up broken in a large scale battle." Lilliana commented while the others had to aggree. "The second Skill would be impossible to pull off without your regeneration, after 10 seconds you would lose 100 HP every second which is equivalent to an incredibly strong poison or acid. Honestly it seems like a shit Skill for any other Class and even for you it is kind of dangerous because it would take away a good chunk of your own regeneration if you leave it on for too long." Makoto had to give Sanja props for noticing the one big flaw with the Skill. Even if he could support the Skill for half a minute it did not necessarily mean that was for the best. His Class was centered around long fights and being a hard to kill target but ''Blood Rush'' crippled this strong point of his Class while only giving him a moderate compensation. Sure if the Skill was a high enough Level it would be way worth it to exchange a bit of health for speed but even then it was a dangerous thing to do. "Well as long as you don''t overdo it and use it sparingly I am sure the Skill will help you more than it will hurt you." Sharon finally said with and encouraging slap on his behind which surprised Makoto. "Back to hunting?" Lilly asked and all around everyone nodded. Makoto tested the waters with both Skills in the next few battles and had to admit that his girlfriend was right, as long as he didn''t overdo it, both Skills could be used to some pretty devastating effects. The only thing that bothered the entire party was that every time he used ''Blood Rush'' a trail of Blood tears flowed from his eyes while another stream ran down the corners of his mouth and he even occasionally threw up a mouthful which did disrupt his movements. It was more than a bit disturbing but what about him was not at this point? With newfound vigor in his strides and still unsure about his new strength and speed after receiving so many stats with his Class advancement, Makoto needed a few hours of getting used to. The only one that did not profit from the hunting was Sharon but she seemed to be more than content with occasionally helping out while also getting used to fighting in a party. Makoto also still made a few mistakes with his positioning as he had played most of his time solo until now but it was getting better. After a successful second day they called it a night and logged out. On the third day of hunting they advanced into a very deep part of the first floor and even encountered an Elite Monster that dropped junk loot. The only real good thing of the entire battle was the experience that they all gained which pushed Sanja and Lilliana close to their own Class Advancement. On the 4th day of constant hunting the last two members of their party finally reached the 25 milestone and quickly left the Dungeon. Both girls had a normal Class so they had to go to an NPC Instructor to decide on an Advancement path. Soon enough Sanja appeared first in her old Priest Clothes but with a new Class now. She had chosen to stay as the good old Healer and had Advanced her Class to Cleric. Together with now being able to revive Allies she gained a group heal, group buff and an AoE that would passively heal everyone in it for 10 HP every second. Lilliana on the other hand appeared in a Purple mini skirt but still wore her black witch hat. She had finally advanced her Class from an ordinary Mage to a Summoner. Lilly could now conjure Familiars that would fight and draw aggro for her and it was even possible to acquire new ones from specific Monsters that she killed. For attacking she still had her old Mage Skills even though her Damage was cut by nearly a third as a punishment for being able to summon. All in all it was now up to Makoto, Sharon and Lilly''s Familiars to bring the hurt. They went back to the Labyrinth for a few hours to test their new group synergy. As a Summoner you generally had 3 types of Familiars, the Tank, the DD (Damage dealer) and the Support. All 3 of them could attack and take aggro but there was immense differences in health, damage and available Skills of the Familiars. As she was still at the early stages of her Skills, Lilly could only have one of the 3 availible types summoned at a time. The Support Familiar had an interesting Skill that increased the party''s overall Defense and Magic resistance but was kind of useless otherwise. In the end it was decided to switch between Tank and DD Familiar for the most part. If there was a lot of enemies she would summon her little Tank and deal Damage with her Mage Spells. When it was only a couple of Monsters she opted to using her DD. All 3 basic Familiars looked very much the same being just Stick figures that waddled around. Thankfully Lilliana was able to change her Tank Familiar to one of the Labyrinth Boars so now every time she summoned her Tank an audible squeal of a rampaging pig echoed through the maze. At the end of the 4th day they all decided to log out and get some dearly needed sleep for tomorrows Journey. The Party had quite a bit of luck with the request as tomorrow would be Friday and together with 50 Million new players joining the game they would also have the actual time to play the game a lot more without having to worry about work or college. With a goodbye to Sanja and Lilliana, Makoto turned around and looked Sharon in the eye. Both had the same idea so they quickly ran up the stairs of Makoto''s home and closed the door. In the end because of the limited amount of time, they decided to just enjoy each others company and talked a bit about their thoughts and feelings. The conversation quickly reached Lilly but again both felt like hitting a dead end and decided to change the subject. It didn''t take long until they stopped talking as words seemed to be unnecessary. Makoto lovingly caressed Sharon''s hip and legs while looking into her sapphire blue eyes and occasionally kissed her. Again he felt thankful to all and every God in existence for allowing him to love a beautiful and kind hearted girl like her. With yet another kiss he pushed her into the bed, now sitting on top of her but his red haired angel didn''t mind at all. Quite the opposite actually as her arms pulled him deeper and deeper between her full thighs. They were only playing around naturally but Makoto couldn''t help the surge of excitement that he felt. Desire once again filled his mind, the desire to conquer Sharon, his Sharon. With a lot of willpower he finally calmed the raging beast inside of him and instead decided to just put his face between her breasts which clearly amused her. "Is it really that comfortable there?" "Mhm." He mumbled, most of the sound blocked out by soft and elastic flesh. Another thing he liked about putting his head at her chest was that he was able to hear her heartbeat. The slow and strong rhythm of her heart relaxed him to the point were he was just glad for everything that he had. Glad that this heart was beating for no one else except him. Glad that he had entered Azalon. He was even glad that Veronica had dumped him, thankful for this injustice as karma allowed him to get together with Sharon instead. With a slow movement he rolled off her but still pressed his entire being, all of him against her body. Makoto could feel how her hand went through his messy black hair and how she put her own head on top of his. "I love you Sharon." He finally said, his heart nearly exploding out of his chest. "I love you too Makoto, forever and always." Feeling her lips touch his hair he started kissing her entire body on his end which in turn elicited a giggle from Sharon. Just like this they spent the next half an hour before logging out. "See you tomorrow my love." Hugging him one more time, his girlfriend finally disappeared with a blinding light and Makoto soon enough followed in the same fashion. His mind was flooded with happy thoughts and feelings while the beast inside of him was purring similar to a Ferrari. Smiling at the strange resemblance he wished a good night to the other in his mind and slipped beneath the sheets. As he was about to fall asleep a dark and deep voice seemed to reply but Makoto was already unable to even understand or remember a single word. Good night, brother... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Second Chapter of the day! LET THE COMMENT WAR BEGIN! XD Na but really, stay friendly down there please even if it is a bit exciting with the upcoming events, next Chapter is gonna drop another bomb so be ready to fasten dem seatbelts ladies and gents! :D Chapter 49: Origin Thank you for donating Dvan! Reaaaaaly appreciate it :D Once again, thanks dude. Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Attention! As most of you know I have been focused on publishing the first 3 Volumes of the story into one book, it is a big step to self publish myself and it takes a lot of work to rewrite, edit and check 110 thousand words while keeping to the original storyline but improving it at certain parts. I have personally undersestimated how much time and effort it takes and I can''t support the current schedule of uploading one Chapter A day so I have decided to change it FOR NOW! There will be 1 Chapter every 2 days while I work and finish my book, after I am finished with it the schedule changes back to 1 Chapter per day so no worries, it is not gone forever. :) I hope you can understand my reasoning! Chapter 49: Origin It was dark. A cold chill crawled over him and out of reflex he went into a fetus position to preserve the warmth in his tiny body. Voices were all around him, the sound of machinery and footsteps that came closer. His eyes had trouble focusing, all he was able to see was blurry shapes that moved around, faceless people in white. His hearing steadily improved until words that made no sense to him started to be filtered out. "Subject is steady, heart rate and brain activity normal." "Good, prepare for the final testing to awaken the subconscious and conscious mind at the same time. We only have one shot at this..." An unsteady voice mixed into the jumble of nonsense that he was unable to comprehend, noises that he had never heard. "Doctor Henderson, do you really think it is a good idea to continue with the human testing? I can understand that it was your dream to achieve results but your son..." A rough voice interrupted the shaky one, Makoto was unable to understand what was said but the tone alone made his little body shiver and he hugged into the soft blanket that was around him. "You clearly do not understand me Jacob. He might be my son but this is for all of humanity and a step into the right direction, prepare to inject the subject for the final time. We shall see if it is possible to awaken a human''s mind to its full potential." "Sir, I can not go through with this anymore, the side effects alone on his mind could be catastrophic and the drug has not even been tested on animals yet. The risk that it poses for a newborn child-" "I said do it Jacob or do I have to get rid of you and do it myself?!" Silence filled the room. Again footsteps resounded around him and a shadow dimmed his blurry vision. "Administering subject with the last dosage of TX-459..." A sudden sting like he had felt it so many times already appeared on his neck but he was used to it at this point and he did not even cry, only a slight frown appeared on his face as he turned around to get into a more comfortable position. The voices around him had stopped. Together with a sluggish feeling that suddenly creeped into his body, strange words resounded around him again. "Vitals are stable, heart rate remains the same while brain activity has increased by 50% and continues to rise. It seems to be working Doctor Henderson." "Why wouldn''t it? I have spent the last 15 years of my life to get this far so the experiment can not fail under any circumstances." Together with the sluggish feeling a sudden pain inside his head started to greatly disturb him. His instincts were sounding all and every alarm bell and Makoto knew that something bad was happening with him Even if he didn''t understand the words or the knowledge, his instincts alone told him that something was very wrong with him. "Brain activity in the frontal lobe has reached an increase of 200%, all other parts of the brain have reached an average of 125% above the norm." Pain. First just a sting that kept getting worse inside his head. Right away he opened his mouth and the wailing of a baby echoed in the large room. As the pain increased, so did the intensity of his scream. He could still hear the voices around him, they now had to shout to be heard over his screams. "Abnormally in his temporal lobe, nearly a 400% increase in only a few seconds, Doctor Henderson he is going to have a seizure at this rate!" "Continue with the observations until I say it is enough!" His entire head felt like it was splitting apart. The before blurry vision turned sharp and he could see distinct faces of men and women in white clothes all around him as they watched either him or monitors. "His vitals are off the charts! Doctor Henderson I am begging you give him the serum and put an end to this, your son is going to die if we continue!" "Jacob! I told you to shut up! What is his condition!?" After a short pause where his screams increased yet again another shout filled the room. "Overall activity increased by nearly 700% and starting to stabilize, that he is even alive right now is a miracle!" Makoto could feel it, between the pain and everything else he could feel someone else. First it was only a flicker but soon enough other thoughts mixed with his own, darker thoughts and with them came a wave of emotions that he had never before felt. "His temporal lobe has started to go off the fritz! 900% increased activity and drastically rising!" Together with IT he could feel how his mind was nearly torn apart by the pain and Makoto''s vision started to darken while all color disappeared, only shades of red were left behind. "Doctor Henderson! He is going critical!" Together with the voice that shouted something that made no sense, his body started to twitch and tense, breathing became impossible and the pain in his head got even worse. He could see the figure of a man standing above him, watching him with an unhappy face. After a few seconds in which his body started to thrash about, bringing him even more pain he could see how the figure opened its mouth and the same cold and sharp voice from before echoed through the room. "Give him the serum, conclude the final test as a failure. Jacob, destroy our previous research and burn the evidence." Once again the shaky voice resounded in the room, seemingly unsure. "All of it, Sir?" "Yes, all of it. No point in keeping it archived if the final result of 15 long years of research turns out to be a failure. Make sure to get rid of any loose ends we might have concerning our backers, tell them that I am sorry." Makoto could feel how a strong grip pinned his thrashing body down and yet again pain from his neck shot to his head but with it came a strange sense of relief. The pain started to lessen, he could breathe again without any problems and the twitching in his body had stopped. Once again the wailing of a baby resounded in the room as he could feel the other growl and thrash about in his head. Makoto could feel how it started to lose substance, pulled back to the deep and dark place that it had clawed its way free from but something had changed. Even if it was gone he could still feel that it was there, asleep now but clearly waiting for a chance to break free once again. Tears started to flow down his cheeks and he snuggled into the soft blanket that was now disheveled. Makoto was scared of the people that had done this to him but even more so was he scared of this thing that was now inside of him. He had felt what it felt and even a few seconds of experiencing these strong emotions had scarred him. A plea for comfort mixed itself into the wailing but no one came to hug him. Makoto missed his Mommy... ..... Drenched in sweat he awoke. The first light of the new day was quite a bit away but Makoto still stood up to at least change his shirt that was stuck to him. His mind was foggy, a strange mist clouded it and he was unable to remember anything about his dream. One thing he was sure of was that it had not been a good one. Unable to shake the dizziness in his head, Makoto stumbled into the kitchen. With a quick motion he turned on the tap and without even grabbing a glass he started to drink from it like an animal, uncaring for any civil standards and only concerned by his own greed to fill up his water reserves again. His entire apartment was still in the dark and he had not bothered turning on any lights. Staring at his own blurry reflection in the flooded sink his mind drifted off. After the water calmed down it was like a clear mirror that shined in the moonlight, showing his own face and a pair of crimson red eyes. Makoto knew that this meant something but not what exactly. Shaky on his own two legs he returned to his bed. Lady luck did not grace him with sleep again but at least his eyes and body had time to rest even if his mind was trying to piece together this strange dream that he had. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Even after the sun shined on his face, blinding him as he opened his sleep deprived eyes, the feeling that he was close to remembering his dream was still there. Mentally and physically tired, Makoto got ready for College. It was Friday, the last day of the week and the only thing separating him from a nice time with his friends. Naturally his thoughts always came back to a specific topic, Sharon. Even after a whole week of spending time with her it was still a mystery to him how and why she loved him, then again he could also not pinpoint why exactly he loved her. Sure she was beautiful but it was more than that, he could blame it on her kind and understanding nature but was that really it? The true reason why he loved her was probably because she had seen the beast, or at least a glimpse of it. She had seen it and instead of being repulsed or disgusted she had accepted and supported him. Sharon was the only thing in his life that seemed real, the only person that had never really given him a reason to doubt her intentions. Even the way she told him about her real self was honest, who really would go through the effort of finding someone through a game and then to show up like she had? The reason she hid her identity was simple too, first it was because she was bound by contract but later on after realizing her feelings for him she was just too scared of losing him for good if she didn''t tell him properly so he in no way resented her actions but instead could empathize with them. It just showed what kind of person she was, a generally honest one. That was probably the best reason to say why he liked her, because she had simply honest feelings for him and was a good person. It might sound a bit shallow but that was the core reason together with all the others like her personality, behavior and nature that appealed to him. The question now was, what did she see in him? He was neither especially handsome nor of good character, if he had to objectively look at himself he would even say that he was a bad person as shown by how much he ignored his own mother most of the time. Bad character traits, clearly not a looker and on top of that a mental problem which he even tried to keep under wraps from his own girlfriend... In a way he was the exact opposite to her but his reasoning was that he was too scared of letting her see his other side. Makoto might not be good natured guy per se but showing her the beast inside of him that had recently awakened again was... not something he ever wanted to do. The thought alone scared him that she could look at him the same way that his father had after finding out about it... Makoto was the reason his Dad left after all. Shaking his head to get his mind back on track he quickly went to the bathroom and swallowed an array of pills. It supposedly helped keep the thing in chains but honestly he had seen no visible effect, quite the opposite actually, it was getting worse. Sure he had neglected his medication but that was after everything was finally starting to look normal and only recently did it start again... Stopping what he was doing he looked at himself in the mirror, a clearly shocked expression on his face as something fell into place. The beast had started to act up precisely after he had entered Azalon for the first time. Could a dive into a virtual reality put a certain pressure on his mental health that reawakened it from its slumber again? What about other people with mental issues, could they also worsen from the game? Had Makoto actually found a big problem with this supposedly safe device? Naturally the first thing he wondered was why it was not on the news as he doubted that he had been the only one affected but the answer was not hard to come by. Just watching the news the other day was enough to show just how crazy the entire world had become with the possibilities that Virtual Reality held. Who actually cared about the small percentage of people that could be affected in a bad way from it all? With a company growing as much as Ouroboros currently was with 50 million new clients after only one month of beta testing clearly showed how all of this was only the beginning. If the numbers were right, 213 million others had already posted their demand for a Capsule on the forums. What mattered a few thousand mentally ill or possible victims with so much money to earn? The influence Ouroboros had been able to get alone was probably enough to silence the protesting voices that asked for compensation Makoto knew that the world was a dark and sinister place for normal citizens that angered a big company. Naturally he had to ask himself if he would still play the game after realizing the effects that it had on his mind and surprisingly he was more than willing. Without even realizing it he had become an addict to a world that did not exist but felt more real than the one he was born in. Makoto had felt more joy in this man made one than he ever had in the real one. Without Azalon he wouldn''t even have his current girlfriend so could he really complain that his mental health was a bit hurting from it? Honestly speaking it wasn''t even so bad and the medication should help. Deceiving himself mentally by saying everything would be alright even as doubt was nagging at him, he quickly left his apartment and walked to College. Unwilling to let go of everything that he had gained he decided to take on the consequences. Who could really blame him? Abandoning friends after being alone all this time? Leaving the girl that he always dreamed of? Dismissing Virtual Characters that had been kinder and more understanding towards him than real people? Was there even a need to ask which world he would decide to live in if given the choice? With new determination and well aware that the other was following and watching his every step he made his choice. ¡­.. With unstable knees he walked a few steps. His father was kneeling before him with outstretched arms and a happy smile. "Come on, I know you can do it Makoto." Putting a bit more strength into his legs and encouraged by his Daddy''s words it didn''t take long for him to reach his goal and he even did it without falling over. "Good job my little boy, good job!" Happy about being praised he put his head into his fathers chest while also receiving a big hug. What he was not able to see was his fathers face that immediately lost the happy smile as he nodded towards a researcher that was eagerly taking notes. "Motor skills seem to develop stable and without any problems, tests will be held every 3 months until he reaches an age of 5 after which he will have to take a controlled dosage of medication to keep his brain in the normal scope of activity. The side effects we have concluded are only minor and can be treated easily." Nodding at the researchers words his Daddy put him down again and looked into his eyes. "Did you hear that Makoto? You are a healthy little boy but we still need to do a few tests, did you think it was fun?" Nodding happily and wanting to be praised again he could see his father smile yet again. "See, it wasn''t that bad at all. Come on, let''s go and see Mommy shall we?" Turning towards another man in white he quickly gave a few orders. "Make sure that all files are classified and wipe any and all records about the abnormal results, make sure to bribe the right people should they get a hunch that something is amiss. No one can find out what we have done, understand?" Quickly nodding, the man went to work and his father picked him up with yet another big smile. "What do you say we get some ice cream to celebrate?" "Yaaayyyy, ice cream!" Makoto happily screamed while hugging his father. Doctor Henderson only showed a wry smile. The expression of love and affection towards his son was only visible whenever the little boy could see his fathers face, every time he turned away the mask dropped and a calculating stare with a stern face was beneath it all. It was the same mask he wore around his wife, the same mask everyone except his research team knew and associated him with. The mask of a happy family man that cared only about his family... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
Hope you enjoyed this little twist to the whole story :P And no we are not going into the Supernatural category, this is still Sci-Fi :P Anyways, see you all in 2 days and I am interested to see what you all comment. ^^ Chapter 50: Road to War Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Hope you enjoy this Chapter! The Hype is starting!!! :O ----- Chapter 50: Road to War Makoto woke up in his seat. It was Friday and the nightmare from last night had taken away quite a lot of sleep from him so it was not surprising that he drifted off at the end of his last lesson. With a sluggish movement accompanied by his heavy body he wiped away a bit of drool from his cheek and forced his mind awake again. This was not time to sleep. He strained his eyes for about 15 minutes and was finally able to go back to his apartment. Walking back was what finally really woke him up. After coming home he quickly changed his clothes to something more comfortable and entered his capsule, today would be the 5th day and also the start for his Journey to the border. His Uncle Narkas was already waiting for him as he walked down the stairs of the mansion, together with the rest of his party. Makoto gave a quick nod to both Lilliana and Sanja while hugging Sharon after which he turned to the first of his house, ready to hear the last instructions before leaving the Capital for quite some time. "I see that you have readied yourself for the things to come. That is good. War is an ugly thing boy, there is no real winner or loser as both countries have countless losses and especially this struggle at the border will only yield more bloodshed. Mental fortitude is what makes it possible to survive in times of strife, that and dependable companions which I think you have. As the first of House Forrowfell I command you and your Party to assist in escorting 80 Mages from the Capital to Stronghold Kernum. Furthermore I also command you to participate in the defense of the Stronghold and in assisting to protect the lands of Asuria! May the Divines guide your blade and hasten your step!"
Journey to War!: (Quest)
You have been tasked with escorting 80 Mages from the Magic Institute to the Stronghold of Kernum which is currently under siege! It is your responsibility to make sure that every single one of them makes it to your destination as every Mage is worth a hundred normal Soldiers in times of War!
Rewards:Glory and Honor to either yourself or your respective House or Guild.
Penalties:None
Requirements:Must have incredibly high Intimacy with house Forrowfell.
For Asuria!: (Quest)
The Stronghold Kernum is under siege! You have agreed to protect the land and defend the commoners from their impending demise! Failure is not an option as this could heavily influence the tide of the war as a whole!
Rewards:Glory and Honor to either yourself or your respective House or Guild. 1 Gold for every enemy Soldier killed by your hand at the end of a successful defense.
Penalties:Should the Stronghold of Kernum fall, Sarachec Soldiers will attack the Capital of Asuria next and even more turmoil at different parts of the border will break out. The potential for yet another Stronghold to fall will increase by 50%.
Requirements:All citizens or players of Asuria are allowed to partake in this Quests.
A bit overwhelmed about suddenly receiving 2 Quests at once, Makoto needed a good minute before accepting them both. Surprisingly he was not the only one that received the Quests as his party members also talked about them. The rewards themselves could be called meager but that was not the point. Participating in a war could have an incredible effect on the local Commoners of Asuria as they would hear stories about your deeds in the war. It was an excellent way for a House or Guild to plant its roots in a Kingdom. If he played his cards right and helped in fending off the Soldiers of Sarachec, Makoto''s House would gain and incredible amount of fame and recognition. It would not only help his Uncle in grasping for more power but also inform the other Countries about their house. Unable to hide his smirk after he imagined the possible gains he would get from this Quest, Makoto needed a moment to calm down again. Who did not want to be talked about in admiration and awe after all? Finally he looked at Narkas who was still waiting for an official reply from him and nodded. "I will make you proud Uncle, I promise." Slamming his fist against the Crimson Spider on his chest he gave a short bow to the serious Narkas in front of him before leaving the mansion. His party quickly followed him and seemingly out of nowhere the before absent Arbecus appeared on his shoulder. Makoto had been wondering for quite some time where his pet had disappeared to after logging in. "Are you perhaps afraid of Uncle Narkas?" He finally asked the little black Spider but naturally Makoto didn''t get a response from it. Shrugging his shoulders once he turned back to more important matters. They would meet up with the Mages at the Magic Institute so that was their next destination. "So how long will we be walking until we reach this Stronghold, Makoto?" Lilliana asked him, it was not only curiosity that had pushed her to voice this question. After being in a party with the little Summoner for quite a while now he was able to get a good grasp on her habits and personality. Lilliana or Lilly the little Witch that Makoto liked to call her, was a quick tempered but lazy girl that loved to take the easy way out if possible. This had become especially apparent in the Labyrinth Dungeon that they had been in for the last 5 days in which the dark haired girl had complained about the endless amount of walking nearly every 10 minutes. It was quite incredible really if you took into account that it was not even your real body that got tired and that you also never got any muscle pain. Theoretically you could probably walk for an eternity as a player if you kept your Hunger and thirst on acceptable levels. Your Stamina only got drained from straining activities like running or fighting inside Azalon. Simple things like walking or practicing a swing or form could be done without any noticeable drain to your stamina. In a way it showed the clear difference between Game and Reality. Getting his mind back on track, Makoto responded. "As far as I know, not far, the border is quite close to the Capital so it should only take one or two days of walking." Clearly relieved to hear that, Lilliana let out a sigh and Sanja had a small smile on her face as she watched her best friend. "Lazy as always I see." "Don''t call me lazy Saja, you know I hate walking for no reason." Pouting, Lilliana turned her head. "Yeah, I still clearly remember how you always asked for a piggy back ride when we walked back from the cinema..." "Don''t tell them that!" With flushed cheeks and upset that Sharon and Makoto knew this embarrassing bit about her past now, Lilliana started to chase their Cleric around. Sanja''s laugh could be heard in the entire street as she kept on teasing the little Lilly, further angering her with every word. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The mood was surprisingly lighthearted and both Makoto and Sharon couldn''t help the smile as they watched the mad chase. After a few minutes, Lilliana''s ingame Stamina hit rock bottom and she finally came to a halt. Stamina inside the game was calculated with the Vitality, Agility and Strength stat in mind. Most Magic Classes had incredibly poor Stamina which in turn made running and close combat fighting for an extended amount of time impossible for them. On the other hand, someone that diligently increased all 3 of those stats like Makoto had done for quite a while now would soon enough develop a monstrous amount of Stamina which was something that his Class needed anyways as extended battle was his forte. All close ranged fighters had to keep those 3 stats in mind but how they increased them was naturally up to them. There was countless ways of building your Character and an incredible number of secret stats to unlock that would help you fight but in the end your basic stats would be one of the few things that a player could trust in. Makoto and his party arrived at the Magic Institute after 15 more minutes of walking. Just like always, the design of the entire building was quite strange and stood out in the surrounding landscape. Outside, standing neatly shoulder to shoulder was row after row of Women and Men in long blue robes. The 80 Mages seemed to be all ready for departure. Greeting the entire Squad with a wave, Makoto stepped out of the surrounding crowd that kept its distance from the group. "As some of you might know, my name is Makoto and I am a member of House Forrowfell that will escort you to your destination and also help to defend the border, pleasure to make your acquaintance." A few of the Mages also introduced themselves but the majority seemed to ignore him and his party. Some glanced at the Crimson Spider Crest on his chest but kept their mouth shut until a middle aged Mage stepped out of their midst. "My name is Carsus of House Oltin, High Mage of the Magic Institute and Leader of this Group. I welcome your participation in the coming battle but I have no idea why Council Member Narkas even bothered with sending us 4 people when we will be together with over 5 thousand Soldiers that are also going to travel to the Stronghold..." Makoto naturally had been unaware of this fact but kept his cool and didn''t let it show on his face, instead he smiled. "Well should this not be enough of a hint that we are a special kind of support then?" Winking once towards the stunned man in blue robes he quickly turned away and lead his party to the back of the group so Carsus could not ask any further questions for the time being. "Don''t tell me you knew about the Soldiers?" Sharon whispered to him but he only slowly shook his head while keeping the High Mage in his field of vision to make sure that he would not notice it. "No, I didn''t know but that makes our job a lot easier, not only do we not have to worry about the Mages, we are also safe from other monsters as most beasts would think more than twice to attacking a group that big." Unsure what else to do, Makoto decided to lead his little party to the end of the rows of Mages only to find a familiar face in the standing Men and Women. "Farabello? Is that you?" Makoto was quite surprised to see the little wide eyed Mage here again but thinking about it logically it was not that unusual. He had met the boy for the first time in the Caravan that he took to the Village of Shivercliff, originally the Caravan had been meant to reach Elisante after all. Both never really spoke much on their Journey but they had exchanged a few words, enough for his face to stick in Makoto''s memory. The same seemed to apply to the apprentice Mage as it became quite obvious that he recognized him. "Makoto was it? Guess I remembered your name wrong, still nice to see an old face again. Imagine my surprise seeing you here of all places and on top of that as part of a house..." Grinning once he quickly introduced his party and explained how they knew each other. Farabello looked at each and every one of the girls for quite some time with an open mouth before turning to Makoto and saying something quite dangerous. "I see you have fulfilled every mans dream and already established a Harem now that you are part of a House." Feeling his smile freeze on his face, Makoto looked to his right and left and could see the same frozen expression on everyone''s face except Farabello''s. "You sure tell some tall tales my friend, hahaha." Quickly putting the boy in a headlock to keep him from spouting any more nonsense, Makoto was able to avoid a crisis even though both Lilliana and Sanja showed some dangerous glares towards him while Sharon''s frosty smile was a big enough hint that she was very close to putting an arrow or two into the unknowing apprentice Mage. Women were scary creatures... "If you say something like that again I can not guarantee for your safety!" He quietly whispered to Farabello and the little boy instantly went pale. The conversation slowly but surely went back on track even though Sharon showed a very scary smile from time to time. Apparently Farabello had still been part of the Caravan with Zergoon when the Bandit raid happened and he was also captured like most people. He quickly told the same story of how they managed to escape and continued their Journey to the Capital. Afterwards he applied as an apprentice to the Magic Institute and trained his Magic while also fighting in the Labyrinth from time to time. It seemed that even the Magic Institute used the Dungeon inside the City as their own personal training ground to teach their young Mages about proper combat. After a few more minutes of mindless chatting, a shout went through the ranks until finally reaching Makoto and his party. "Get ready for departure!" Farabello quickly fell back into his respective row and started to walk after the leading Mages. Makoto and his party also started to follow the many blue robes through the streets and layers of the City until reaching the East Gate of the City. They had to travel down two more layers to actually reach the ground so they were high enough to see the actual size of it all. When someone says he has been with over 5 thousand people you might imagine a gigantic mass of bodies and that would not be wrong at all, it was quite something. But when you are told to meet 5 thousand Soldiers, all standing in a neat formation while wearing heavy platemail and wielding either a Sword and Shield or Spear, then that is something completely different. It is worlds apart and at the same time it still is the same amount of people. The only difference was that the 5 thousand Soldiers are a hundred times more intimidating and no one dared to even come close to them. Seeing row after row of heavily armored individuals under the burning sun made Makoto realize, maybe for the first time, that they would really participate in an actual war. They would partake in an incredible amount of bloodshed and carnage in a Virtual Reality game. Talk about hardcore... -----
Previous ChapterBack to Main PageNext Chapter
I know it is a bit later than promised, sorry about that :P We are slowly getting to some really interesting parts of the story so I hope you stay tuned for the things that come! ;D Chapter 51: Dilemma Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Hope you enjoy this Chapter! It focuses on something a bit different! ----- Chapter 51: Dilemma Makoto''s party kept to the back of the platoon together with the mages. It was more than a little intimidating to walk between so many full armored men with fierce expressions on their faces. In the first hour or so of their Journey everyone kept to their ranks and stayed in formation but after 3 hours, nearly all manner of order had disbanded. The code of honor to stay in the same position with the same walking speed could only hold so long under the burning sun after all. Thankfully the higher ranked officers didn''t really have a problem with that and allowed everyone to flock to their respective groups for the most part. Most just chatted during the trek. Farabello soon enough joined Makoto''s party together with a few other Soldiers that held a special kind of interest for the girls, which in turn quickly disappeared after feeling a few frosty glares from Sharon. "Story time! What is your most embarrassing experience and be honest everyone, I''m going to do the same after all. Come on, lets hear it!" Sharon said and both Lilliana and Sanja moaned while Makoto could only show a wry smile. He had seen these kinds of conversations with other people on school trips. They would share stories from their youth or even make up a few but he had until now only ever watched them unfold, never actually participated in them. "Alright, because you are all so very eager to start I shall do the honor of breaking the ice." Sharon finally said after no one talked for a few seconds. "My most embarrassing story would probably be the trip that me and my dad had when I was 8. We went camping in the woods. You all don''t know him but he was never one to actually go out to the park with me or ask me and my mum to go on a drive but this one weekend where my mother was working he decided that we suddenly had to go camping. Just straight out of the blue he picked me up from school and told me we would drop by at home and go camping. As you can imagine I was pretty excited, I had never before been on a trip like this as a city child and most things about nature were foreign to me." Sharon''s eyes had started to look at the horizon far in the distance, fixed on a point only she could see. "We quickly packed everything and then drove out of the city. My dad had packed food and water for 2 days and we would come back home on Sunday, it was such a sudden decision that my mum wasn''t even informed about it so he just left her a message at home. Just thinking back, it was quite a bizarre trip but I was young and didn''t see the signs... anyways. We went shopping for a tent and afterwards drove straight into the middle of nowhere. My dad was someone who had never even swung a hammer in his entire life so setting up the tent was a complete disaster, in the end we decided to sleep in the car." Sharon stopped for a second before she continued, a visible deep color on her cheeks as she talked. "It must have been 2 in the morning when I woke up because of my bursting bladder. Unable to wake up my dad and unwilling to just pee myself I unlocked the car-door and went to a nearby bush to do my business. What I had not considered was to take some toilet paper with me. My next decision was to just use some leaves to wipe but I was in complete darkness so with my rash decision to trust nature as toilet paper I wiped myself with poison ivy... You can imagine the scene when an 8 year old girl comes running, screaming her lungs out for her father while her underwear is at her ankles and her privates... well let''s just say it wasn''t pretty and probably the most embarrassing event in my life..." Sharon leaned against Makoto''s shoulder after seeing Sanja''s ruthless smile and Lilliana''s grin, only her boyfriend seemed to have actual pity with her for that event. "Alright, stop grinning like a pervert when you think about an 8 year olds crotch and tell me your story Sanja." Immediately the happy expression disappeared from the girl''s face. "It''s only fair after all." Makoto said, driving the figurative nail in the coffin. "Alright, alright. I will tell you the story but only once and because we are between friends, if you tell anyone else about this I swear that I will find you guys and take my revenge..." Sanja glanced at everyone once and only Farabello seemed to be confused about what had been so embarrassing about the previous story which was understandable, he was an NPC after all and words like ''car'' or ''camping'' didn''t exist in the game. "I was in middle school, must have been only 13 back then and believe it or not I had braces. There was a guy named Dolton that I had a crush on back then, long hair, always in trouble with other students and the school and already had 2 tattoos, the typical bad boy. Let''s just say my taste in men was not that great back then." "Only back then?" Lilliana intervened and Sanja immediately smacked her over the head with her staff. "Anyways. Dolton was good looking guy, a bad boy and he never made fun of me for my braces like the other kids did so he was my prince in shining armor. After getting the courage to talk with him a few times he dragged me into an empty classroom and we started to kiss. It went pretty good for a while but his long hair somehow managed to got stuck in my braces and soon enough he started to pull back and noticed the tangled hair. It was not pretty at all and Dolton was not happy. He practically dragged me out of the classroom by my braces while trying to undo his hair and everyone in school was able to watch the whole thing... It was pretty tough, especially the nicknames that followed shortly after..." Makoto was about to comfort Sanja with her flushed cheeks when Lilliana started to snicker. Apparently her best friend knew about the event as there was a visible evil joy on Lilly''s face as she whispered something to Sanja. The blond girl immediatly went silent while her cheeks took on an even deeper red. She glared at Lilly with visible killing intent. "Don''t you dare say it or I swear that I will tell them about Marten..." Right away the little Summoner with the evil grin went silent, only a shocked expression visible on her face. "So who is this Marten?" Sharon inquired while watching naked fear crawl into Lilliana''s eyes. Once again Makoto felt a shiver down his spine. Just how cruel could ''friends'' be to each other... Telling himself mentally over and over to never ever cross Sharon under any circumstances, he nearly didn''t hear the smaller girl''s response. "N-Nobody. Don''t listen to Sanja, she is just being mean for no reason. Anyways we should probably hurry and catch up to the front of the platoon what do you say?" Immediately two strong hands from Sharon and Sanja pulled back the fleeing Lilliana while she clearly struggled to break and run free. "Yeah, tell them about Marten Lilly, I am sure Makoto would be thrilled to hear about him." Just seeing the pure evil in his girlfriend''s eyes was enough to even make the beast inside of him take a step back in fear. With a face full of despair, Lilliana was kept in place by both girls and even Makoto''s numerous attempts to convince them to let her go failed. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. After nearly 5 minutes of talking the small Summoner in a corner she finally broke down, all resistance disappeared and with a sigh she began her story. "Alright, you will both pay for this but I guess I have no choice in the matter. It wasn''t really embarrassing at the time but looking back at it now and how much trouble Marten got into because of me... let''s start from the beginning... I was always a good bit smaller than others and I have learned to deal with this after many years but when I was in kindergarten I had this crazy idea that drinking a lot of milk together with hanging upside down from things would make me grow taller. Marten was one of the people that took care and played with us, I don''t remember if I had a crush on him as I was pretty young but I remember many girls from all ages being in love with the guy, even my own mum always unbuttoned her shirt when he was close. Marten was very good looking and popular, lets put it that way. One day, young me had the great idea to drink a glass of milk while hanging upside down. The end result was catastrophic, I fell from a low hanging tree branch, Milk splashed in my face and all over my clothes and I also hurt my tailbone in the fall. Marten was close by to see me fall so he quickly ran to me and checked me for any other injuries. He pulled off my clothes to make sure I had not hurt myself any further and because they were soaking wet with milk..." Lilliana suddenly stopped talking and hid her face in her hands, apparently too embarrassed to continue but thankfully Sanja already knew what happened next and continued talking. "Now imagine this, Lilly''s mother walks in on the whole thing, her little girl undressed to her underwear with white stuff spilled all over her red face and Marten kneeling over her... I would have paid money to see her expression at that moment I tell you." Freely laughing her head off, Sharon soon enough followed suit and even Makoto couldn''t help a smile after imagining the entire unfortunate chain of events. "In the end the guy was able to walk away without any bad rumors following him around but he could have easily gone to jail if the situation had turned out badly. Lilly''s mum still made her attend a different kindergarden even though the guy was innocent, pretty funny if you ask me." "Well it would be to a sadistic bitch like you" Lilliana mumbled and both Sanja and her immediately started to fight it out with nails and screaming. After a few intense minutes were Makoto and Sharon had tried to make peace and Farabello hid behind a few surrounding Soldiers, the fighting stopped and they continued their Journey in complete silence. Finally, Sharon turned expectantly towards Makoto. "Your turn, tell us your most embarrassing story." Right away visible interest could be seen on everyone''s face as they all waited for a detailed explanation. "Uhm..." Unsure what to say he struggled for a few seconds, trying his very best to remember any noteworthy stories from his past. "Come on, we all told our fair share of secrets, it''s your turn now Makoto." Sanja encouraged him and he felt even more helpless. No matter how hard he tried to think back, there never seemed to be any events like the girls had told him about. "Don''t you trust us by now?" Sharon finally asked. "No...that''s not it. It''s just that there... there is no events or experiences like that in my past..." "Come on, stop bullshitting and spill it!" Lilliana said, her face still showing a visible red from before. Keeping his eyes to the ground and wracking his brain for anything at all he opened his mouth. "I am not bullshitting you... Well I guess you won''t believe me with just this so let me explain as some kind of compensation. I never had embarrassing stories with my dad because he left me and my mum when I was pretty young. Never anything to explain to my mum because the moment I could walk she left me to my own devices and rather spent her time with a few friends than with me. I also had no crazy weird situations at school or with friends simply because... I never had anyone willing to share them with me. Believe it or not but you guys are pretty much the first friends I ever had... I guess that could count as an embarrassing story..." Showing a wry smile he finally looked up, only to see the same shocked expression on everyone''s face, even Sharon seemed to be visibly stunned. "What do you mean you never... how could you never have had any friends?" Lilliana finally asked, unwilling to believe that something like that was possible. Taking a deep breath he looked at each and every one of them, Farabello also seemed to be concerned which was more than enough reason to include him in the talk. "To put it simple... I was diagnosed with a mental illness when I was younger... it''s pretty bad, my dad couldn''t take it and left because of it and everyone in my life tried to keep their distance, my mother included. The school naturally had to be informed should there ever be an incident when I was still a minor and word got around to stay away from the crazy dude... Only after turning 18 they stopped warning each and every one to stay clear, should something happen now it is on my head and I could go to jail for it. That is why I never had any friends Lilly." He tried to show them an uncaring smile but it was forced and they would have to be blind not to see that. "Why did you never tell me... you never..." Sharon looked at him, clearly in shock about this sudden revelation and he couldn''t blame her, it was a lot to take in suddenly but he tried his best to answer her question as truthfully as possible. If he didn''t do it now he might never again have the courage to do so. "There was two reasons, the first one is simple. I didn''t want to be treated like a freak just because you knew the truth about my situation. The second reason... well after all that happened I just couldn''t bear the thought of you being scared of me or leaving me because you found out..." Unable to look into her eyes after admitting his own weakness, Makoto stared at the ground and a hand on his right cheek made him look up again in surprise. Their eyes met and the he could see the same warm and gentle expression on her face that he had fallen in love with. "I would never see you any different because of something like this you big dummy." Unable to hide a smile after that last part he stared into her eyes for a long time, their fingers interlocked in loving embrace. "Talk about awkward..." Sanja blurted out and he turned his attention back to her and Lilly. Both still looked at him the same way, not judging or fearing him at all which he was incredibly thankful for, it was not an understatement to say that he had seen far to much of that in the past. A part of him was still scared now that the truth was finally out. But for the most part he was simply glad and thankful for a girlfriend like Sharon and friends like Lilliana and Sanja. People that he could actually trust and lean on after standing alone for such a long time.... ----- Talk about change of topic right there :P Next Chapter we gonna get some INTERESTING action :) Hope you all stay tuned and see you in two days! Chapter 52: Two Sides Thank you very much gyro2death for donating :D Really appreciate it! Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Attention! Some of you might have noticed that I have been gone for quite some time but there was a reason for that, in my country there was a bank holiday on thursday and my dad took friday off so I spent the extended weekend at his place, I soon enough found out that his Internet was not working so that is why I have been unable to update like I promised so to give you guys some compensation for the lack of content I decided to give you 2 Chapters today and 1 Chapter each day until friday (That includes Friday and ends on Saturday until we go back to 1 Chapter every 2 days, that means after Friday''s Chapter the next will be on Sunday). I hope you can forgive me for practically abandoning you guys for these few days but it was not willingly XD. Anyways, hope you enjoy the double Chapter! ----- Chapter 52: Two Sides It hurt seeing him like this, knowing that Makoto would never treat her the same. Lilliana lowered her head and her black hair successfully hid the frown that appeared on her face as she watched them both happily looking at each other. Together with the envy that she felt for Sharon for being with the person that made her heart skip a beat, she also felt hatred. This dark and nasty emotion had started to tear away the happy go lucky attitude that she normally showed, every time she saw both of them together she felt another sting in her heart and the hatred was once again fed to the brim. Lilly liked Sharon, there was no denying that they were friends but this friendship was starting to feel heavy for her. Her feelings for Makoto ruined it all. The first time she met him on that beach she had not felt anything special, he was just another guy that made fun of her for whatever reason, another sadistic douchebag that could only think as far as his dick was long. But things quickly changed. Surprisingly enough she started to enjoy the little game they both played and every time he looked at her she could see the same mischievous glint in his eyes that only appeared for her, no one else. That realization alone that he looked and treated her differently than other people brought the whole thing into motion. Soon enough she secretly couldn''t wait to see him again, every time he wasn''t paying attention she looked at him, knowing that her face probably held a longing expression. It was depressing to now be in this situation. Especially when she knew that things would have been different if she had just taken that one last step before he met Sharon. Her own unease and cowardice about her feelings denied any possibility to be with him now and instead she had to watch how he enjoyed his time with another woman. Grinding her teeth in jealousy once again, Lilliana looked at the smiling Sharon, a dark voice inside of her wishing for her to disappear. Right away she slapped herself mentally and broke off the death glare. She felt ashamed how she had thought about a friend, especially one that was as good natured and kind as Sharon. Didn''t this just show that she was on the sideline for a very good reason when she turned out to be this kind o person? Once again feeling a wave of depressionand a strange hollow sensation that filled her chest she looked at the happy couple. "Coward..." She whispered to herself, reminding herself that this was the price that she paid for her actions, or better, for the ones that she didn''t take. It was a harsh reality. "How are you feeling Lilly?" A voice next to her asked and without any surprise she saw that it was Sanja. "I''m alright, bit tired really but otherwise..." "You know what I mean." With a glance she noticed the way she was stared at and let out a sigh. "Can''t keep anything from you, can I Saja?" "No, we have known each other too long for that to be possible." Only giving her a forced smile as a response, she quickly hastened her step again as to not be left behind. They were still walking to the Stronghold and had been all day now. For her at least it was a tiring thing but most others seemed to be indifferent to all the walking. It was just bad luck that her Stamina as a Summoner was incredibly poor, the only stat that affected it for her was was Vitality but that was only 1 edge of the triangle after all so the boost to her own Stamina from Level 1 till now could be called quite small. Similar to Real Life she was starting to feel a sore feeling in her thighs and her mind drifted off once again. Lilliana was deep in thought when she heavily bumped against something. "Watch where you are going you little shit!" Shouted a soldier in heavy armor that nearly fell over after the previous collision. Finally aware of her surroundings again she could see that all soldiers had stopped walking and instead started to run around with a certain haste. Unsure what was going on she turned around and was able to see Makoto and the rest without any trouble. "What are the Soldiers doing?" Lilliana finally asked after reuniting with her group. "I think they are preparing for Dinner and some rest, we have been walking all day and it is impossible to reach the Stronghold today so the commander decided to let his soldiers get some rest and arrive there at around noon tomorrow." Farabello answered her question with a shy grin. Nodding her head once she looked at Makoto out of an old habit and she could see how a pair of crimson eyes stared back at her. "Everything alright, Lilly?" Gulping down her sharp response that he could shove his concern elsewhere she decided to just nod. In a way she was also angry at him. It was unjust anger considering he had done nothing wrong but the thought that it was all his fault somehow made it easier to deal with. Once again noticing the concerned gaze from Sanja she quickly looked around to flee from the current situation and was able to see a soldier that had trouble lighting a fireplace. Confident in her magic and a fire spell already on her lips, Lilliana walked. In a way she was thankful for having someone that worried about her but this was something she had to deal with on her own. A few seconds later a happy soldier stood next to a blazing fireplace waving her goodbye and Lilly looked around to possibly help someone else. Thankfully there was quite a bit to do so her hands and mind were both occupied for some time. In the end she lit a good two dozen fires, helped build 14 tents and also carried another dozen buckets of water from a river. Completely drained and sore all over after emptying her stamina bar she returned to her friends that also had a fire going now. "I see the good Samaritan is back. Farabello cooked up something quite decent, do you want a bit?" Makoto asked after seeing her and held up a bowl of steaming broth. Sitting down close to him with a relieved sigh after being able to rest her screaming thighs she gladly accepted the food. It was unexpectedly good, giving a thumbs up to Farabello, Lilly quickly emptied the bowl and right away asked for seconds after licking over the corners of her mouth. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She could see Makoto smiling while he watched her and she hated herself for feeling happy that his eyes were only on her right now. Biting the inside of her cheek to get her thought under control she ate her second serving with a dark feeling in her chest that battled with the blooming happiness that she got from him being so close to her, together with being aware that he watched her every move. Quietly cursing herself once more for falling for him she couldn''t help to glance over to him a few times and every single time he looked back at her. It made her heart beat faster when she looked into those crimson red eyes that seemed to stare at her very soul, stripping her completely. Once again a mischievous glint appeared in the crimson red together with a crooked smile on his face and her heart skipped around in her chest, her gaze glued to his. If only she could just be stripped in a different way right now to justify a look like that from him... With a lot of willpower she finally broke free from the moment and stared at the half empty bowl between her thighs. Once again she felt shame and anger that she had thoughts like that when he was already in a relationship with Sharon. The mood all around was quite good and they talked about a few things, only Lilliana decided to stay out of most of it, she was scared of saying or doing something stupid when her own emotions were this confused surfed the web and tuned out. After an hour the others decided to log out for a bit as they had to wait until dawn inside the game anyways and a few wanted to quickly heat up some food in Real Life. Lilliana soon enough sat alone beside Farabello. The little Apprentice Mage looked at her with a sad expression that confused her greatly until he started talking. "You love him don''t you?" Startled by this sudden question and unsure if she was even willing to talk about this with a stranger like him she decided to slightly nod, what could she really lose by admitting it at this point? "I noticed after seeing the look on your face when Makoto talked about his past and the interaction between him and Saracesse who obviously shares a certain relationship with him." Lilliana needed a moment to remember that Saracesse was Sharon''s ingame name but after that she only looked at the NPC for a while waiting for more until she decided to talk. "So what if I love him, as you said he is with someone else so these feelings are only in the way..." "Do you really think so? Is that as far as your love for him goes?" Surprised about the sudden anger in Farabello''s voice she looked up and saw a complicated expression on his face. "He already knows how I feel about him and he is still together with...Saracesse so that should be answer enough, it is not that my feelings for him aren''t enough but more that he just loves someone else, simple as that." "So why don''t you then win him over? I bet if you are aggressive enough, with your beauty he would be hard pressed to resist if you tried to seduce him." Once again she felt a wave of awe at how real some of these NPC''s acted and behaved. It took her a while to answer that and even if it hurt, she spoke the truth. "I don''t want to do that simply because I am friends with Sharon and if I was able to seduce him in that way she would hate me for her entire life... I don''t think it is worth to sacrifice a friend selfishly like that." Farabello''s gaze softened after hearing her words and he nodded. "I have to say that is very admirable that you feel this way, most people would gladly throw a friend or two beneath a carriage to get what they want." Deeply in thought it took him a while until he opened his mouth again. "So I am guessing he is together with Saracesse in the other realm too?" Slightly confused about what he meant he quickly explained his last question. "Well I am talking about the place you foreigners always disappear to, the other realm. Are they both together there too?" Nodding a bit unsure at what he was getting at, she could see a smile appear on his face. "Well if it is like that then there should definitely be a way. If he has 1 woman in his own realm, why not have 2 here were there are different laws and culture. Trust me when I say that it is not unusual for a man to have a wife and a Concubine or two in Asuria. This is a different realm so does it really matter if he is intimate with you and Saracesse here while being with her alone in your own realm?" Lilliana was stunned at this incredibly bold statement. An NPC was practically telling her to convince Makoto to two time inside the game while being loyal in Real Life, it was beyond bizarre. The idea alone might be strange but it was something that she couldn''t just forget, after all it might be her only way to actually be with him after all this time... Slapping herself mentally once again for being weak like this she shook her head and looked at Farabello. "I don''t think that is how it works, thank you for your concern but I am also going to go now, see you at dawn." The little Mage said something else but she had already pressed log out and with a white light disappeared from Azalon. ..... Stretching he arms once, Liliane exited the capsule. Her eyes hurt after noticing the light of a new day shining through her windows and she had to squint them to actually reach the bathroom. It was early in the morning of Saturday, she had played all night without even noticing the time. Scratching her smooth and flat stomach she finished her business and brushed her teeth while also splashing a good bit of water in her face to fight off a strange sense of lethargy. Wiping herself dry with a towel she stood in front of the mirror. The reflection showed a gorgeous woman at the start of her 20s with long and straight black hair together with a pair of deep brown eyes. Liliane''s skin was pale but without any scars or damage. She had double D''s even with her rather short height and the whole appearance was completed by naturally curved and perfect eyebrows as well as pink petite lips. As someone who worked a full time job as a model and constantly appearing in magazines it was natural that she was beautiful but Liliane was one of the few in the business that never had to do any surgery to get where she was now. Thinking about the crimson eyed boy she could see herself pout in the mirror and with a sigh she left to get some breakfast. Would things have turned out differently if she had kept her original appearance ingame instead of bringing it down by so much? Even if she didn''t, would she have been happy if the man she loved only loved her back because of her appearance? Surely not. After all she had met enough assholes in real life already to know the hollow feeling of being with someone that was only attracted to your appearance far too well. Throwing a glance out of her penthouse window, Liliane was able to see the sun fully rise above the horizon just in time. Biting her lip in a way that would have men holler and whistle, Liliane''s mind was occupied by Makoto once again and she could feel a warm sensation between her legs as she longed for him in more than one way... ----- Quite a few things are revealed in this Chapter together with it being from a completely different POV the whole Chapter. Next Chapter will be up in 30 min or so! Chapter 53: The Stronghold Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Second Apology Chapter! ----- Chapter 53: The Stronghold Makoto exited his capsule with a yawn. He had about 3 hours before dawn would appear inside Azalon, that was enough time to cook up something decent and also take care of a few other things like laundry and the dishes that had been piling up for some time now. In the end he decided to warm up a pot of frozen curry and made some rice to go with it. The actual meal only took about half an hour to prepare and eat so the rest of the time he finished up the work inside his apartment. Still having more than an hour of time left after cleaning up, Makoto turned on the TV and made himself comfortable on his leather couch. "-edible just how much things have changed after realizing the possible options that Virtual Reality can offer us. Many companies have already bought the rights to use this technology from Ouroboros in other ways, imagine if you could use the time difference of 1 hour Real Life being 3 hours in Virtual Reality for research or work purposes, the possibilities to expand are endless in that matter!" "So you are saying that not only is Virtual Reality a new form of enjoyment but that all of us could possibly work even more in a shorter time frame? Wouldn''t that mean that we would also earn more money in reality?" "That is indeed what I am saying, I mean imagine being able to work twice as long and earn double your Salary but in reality you are actually working less time than you did before! Naturally there will be a few regulations to compensate for these things but consider just how much time we could save to spend with our friends or being able to come to work a lot later because we can still get everything done in time, it is mind blowing if you ask me." "Very true indeed, I agree and also think that there is going to be a lot of change, especially if the smartest scientists in the world are able to triple the time they have to research something. Thank you Doctor Martinson! Next up, are our Universities going to buy Virtual Reality Capsules simply so their students can spend more time on studying and reviewing? Find out after this short commercial break!" Makoto was unwilling to watch an entire 5 minutes of mindless Commercials and instead zapped through the channels, only to find similar talk shows or programs talking about the same thing. The hottest topic right now for America and the world was Virtual Reality and even Makoto had to agree that the possibility to use the time difference to your advantage was a big plus once again for Azalon and the game''s sales. Until now he had never thought about studying inside the game but it was quite a logical thing to do considering you even had internet access in the game. Finally after switching to a Channel for kids he was able to find the normal television programs again. It was simple cartoons but that was what he had been looking for, even previously popular shows had been put on hold so that they could have more discussions and programs about Azalon, only Channels that focused on younger children still played the usual things. The world had gone completely insane as far as Makoto could see. Looking at the time once again he still had half an hour to go so he switched Channels until reaching a rather interesting show. A beautiful woman in a red dress was sitting on a couch and spoke into her microphone with a firm and bright smile. "Hello ladies and gentleman and welcome back to Azalon 101! A show about the game that we all love from the bottom of our hearts. With me I have a very special guest today, he is known as the player with the highest level and has kept that same spot for 3 weeks. He has agreed on this exclusive interview so please all welcome Malcolm Karnisson, also known as Giro!" Right away the crowd that was present during the live talk show exploded into cheers and whistling, the clapping was so loud that it drowned out everything else as a skinny and dark skinned man appeared on the stage. After showing a blinding smile to the camera and the people in the room he quickly sat down on the seat next to the woman during which he exchanged a short but firm handshake with her. "Well then Giro, tell us about yourself please if you would, I am sure many fans are dying to hear more about you." The man showed another smile to the camera and complied with a steady and deep voice. "Well there is not really much to talk about. I am attending a University, quit my part time job and am currently single." After the last part the female part of the crowd instantly cheered and screamed as if he was some kind of rock star that promised that he would accept the loudest screaming fan as his bride. Just from Makoto''s standpoint he could very well understand in calling the guy handsome, definitely better looking than him but what he did not understand was the fuss about his person or why having the highest level inside Azalon meant that he was an instant celebrity now. "As you can see your achievements and especially being the first ranked player for such a long time have made you very popular with a lot of female fans and I have to say that even I count myself as one of them." Showing Giro a little wink, the crowd went along with the whole thing and once again exploded into howling and whistling. "Tell me Giro, what have you gained in your life after playing Azalon, not including the rather obvious popularity." "Well that is a very easy question to answer, the first thing that I have gained is that I know how it feels to actually fight for your life. But Azalon has not only shown me those life and death battles but also the beauty of a world that does not exist in reality. There are many different areas and cities in the game and each and every one of them is an absolute masterpiece. I started in the Human Kingdom of Lomar so I have seen the Twin Tower City of Ulzhan, the Fields of Havoc and finally the Capital of Lomar, the City in the Clouds, King''s Peak. Each and every one of these places goes above and beyond any imagination and is an incredible sight to see. This experience in both good and bad is probably the most important thing that I have gained after entering this new world." Makoto had no time to listen to any more and quickly turned off the flat screen TV. It was due for him to return to the same world that Giro was so fascinated with, Azalon. ¡­.. Arriving in a blinding ray of light, Makoto nearly walked right into Farabello first things first as he was back inside the game. "Welcome back Makoto, the others are already here and waiting for you and the Commander is about to order the Soldiers to continue with the Journey so you are incredibly lucky in making it on time." Nodding once as thanks for the explanation he stepped out of the way to let the little Mage pass by him. Makoto then quickly turned around and saw his beautiful angel waiting for him with a bright smile. Following a sudden instinct he stepped closer and kissed the surprised Sharon without any warning but she soon enough wrapped her hands around him and melted in his arms while also pressing her body with short and fast breaths against him. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Hearing a disappointed moan from her as he backed away a bit againit took her a while to get her usual composure back. "Don''t do something like that and then not follow through you sadist..." Biting her lip in a very alluring way it took Makoto an extreme amount of willpower to resist the temptation to simply rip away her clothes and drag her behind one of the nearby bushes. Finally turning to the rest of his party he could see a frowning Lilliana and blushing Sanja, both took the sudden display of affection that he showed differently and Makoto was unable to distinguish which reaction was the better. Wrapping his arm around Sharon''s waist and unconsciously declaring her as his that way, he motioned the rest to follow him. Beside him he could see his girlfriend with the happiest smile in the world leaning her head against him while soon enough Lilliana whispered a snide comment behind his back. "Talk about showing off. Are you going to whip your dick out next to prove that it really is bigger than 4 inches?" Greatly surprised about the out of nowhere attitude he turned his head and showed a dirty smile. "Why don''t you check for me if you are so unsure about my manhood down there?" Everyone was clearly shocked about his reply and he soon enough felt a hard pinch in his side from Sharon but ignored it and instead looked into Lilliana''s eyes. "What''s wrong? Scared it is going to bite you?" Turning his head around with a wide grin on his face he was able to faintly hear her reply, once again whispered. "Fucking Asshole..." A bit unsure why exactly he even made the comment to begin with, he finally looked at the girl that he had his arm around and his blood ran cold after seeing the way she looked at him. Swallowing once to calm himself, Makoto showed a weak smile and spoke, accompanied by a trembling voice. "Y-You know that I was kidding right?" "Sure I do, did you not hear me laugh?" Sharon once again leaned her head against his arm but at the same time he could also feel her nails digging into his wrist and he couldn''t help but curse his own stupid actions. Was there any need to play with Lilliana''s feelings like this now, or with Sharon''s? The rest of his party kept a dead silence after his earlier faux pas and they continued to walk like this. It was beyond stupid but the damage was done so he could only sigh and follow the endless rows of NPCs as they journeyed towards the Stronghold. ¡­.. After hours and traveling many miles on the gravel road, the scenery around them suddenly changed. Instead of fields of grass and the occasional tree or bush the amount of rocks increased to the point that any sort of vegetation was gone. Soon enough the ground next to the road rose until the entire platoon of soldiers had to walk behind one another. Surrounded by high stone walls and only able to walk on a gravel road that was about 10 feet wide, a feeling of unease went through each and every one of them. After another hour they could finally hear it, distant screams and sounds of battle that got louder with every step. The narrow road drastically increased in width and soon enough the walls around them disappeared allowing Makoto and the rest of his party a clear view of the gigantic Stone fortress that seemed to be made out of pitch black stone. The voice of the Platoon commander echoed through the ranks and reached Makoto and his party. "We have reached the Obsidian Stronghold of Kernum! Everyone, prepare for battle! The situation is unclear but it seems that there is still people fighting for the freedom of our lands so show them that they are not alone!" With the man''s roar, 5 thousand Soldiers and even the Mages fell in with it and an incredibly loud cry for battle echoed around, drowning out even the now clearly audible screams from beyond the Stronghold. "Ready your weapons and follow my lead!" All around the sound of swords and other weapons being unsheathed could be heard while a lone man made his way through the ranks and started to run towards the Stronghold. Accompanied with the roar of thousands of men, Makoto and his party also got ready for battle and ran after the courageous Commander. He could feel an incredible rush of adrenaline and together with the rest also roared to the heavens with his heart beating faster and faster. The gate before them opened up and Soldiers wearing Asurian armor welcomed them together with a man that was sitting atop a horse. "Bharfas you crazy old fool, are you driving your men battle crazy before the fight has even started? Sheath your weapons, this Stronghold is far from falling!" Right away the entire Platoon felt like they just ran against a low hanging tree branch and everyone put their weapons back into the respective sheath, clearly stunned about the harsh words. "Don''t be so rough with them Falknir and in what way do you think you are talking with the Commander of the 5th Platoon anyways?!" Their Commander bellowed while Falknir only showed a wry smile as he lead his horse closer. "I speak with you however I want, you have only been elected as a Commander because we are in a time of crisis, otherwise you would be a Knight Captain just like me so stop whining or do you want me to close those gates before you again?" "You dare to possibly sacrifice Asuria and let this Stronghold get demolished just because you want to be in charge?!" "If you don''t want to explain to the King why exactly I couldn''t do my duty then yes, I dare to do that. We don''t need your kind of help Bharfas, or the help of any of your men but the King sent you so I can not object on his order without any reason so please, give me a reason old friend." Unable to respond to that, Makoto could clearly see how their Commander lowered his head with a grimace and Falknir once again showed a wry smile. "That''s better, now follow me. It is true that we do not need your help but to be honest it is highly appreciated, we are facing nearly 15 thousand Sarachec Soldiers and that is only a rough estimation as it is impossible to see each and every single one in these mountains." Turning his horse around, Falknir lead the way while Bharfas and the 5 thousand strong Platoon followed. Soon enough they all passed through the gate and it was closed behind them once again. They ascended a gigantic set of stairs until reaching a plateau, now able to look at the black walls beneath them. "This is the first defense line and I welcome you all to your first real war." Falknir said with a snort and Makoto had to swallow as he watched thousands of enemy Soldiers trying to climb over the walls of the Obsidian Stronghold. Each Stone wall was nearly 50 feet high but a few still made it up with either ladders or extremely bizarre and dexterous movements. They were too far away to clearly see what was happening but just looking at the mass of bodies that clustered before the gates of the Stronghold and comparing them to the tiny number of defenders was enough to paint a very nasty picture. "So, who wants to die today?" Falknir said with a grim face and stared at the 5 thousand men beneath him... ----- Next Chapter tomorrow afternoon! Site is really slow right now, don''t know what is up with that btw O.o Anyways, comment below as always and see you again tomorrow! Chapter 54: Second Gate Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! I have a feeling that a lot of people are going to enjoy this one, get ready for some cruel killing and tactical slaughter! ----- Chapter 54: Second Gate Unable to answer a question like that, the entire platoon remained silent until Falknir let out a short snort and ordered them to follow. Bharfas still had the same dark expression on his face but complied and soon enough they reached the Stronghold''s Barracks. Makoto saw countless Asurian Soldiers running around in all directions, some carrying wounded allies, others dragged screaming Sarachec Soldiers to the dungeon. It was complete mayhem. Bharfas quickly judged the situation and barked orders. "To make things easier I want that you split up into rows of 5 and then make a Squad of 125, every Squad will be assigned with 2 Mages. That should give us around 40 Squads. Each Squad will be at different locations so don''t expect any backup, you are to hold your position with any means necassery, we can not lose this Stronghold! All Nobles or Knight Officers step forward please!" The entire Platoon quickly complied, Makoto soon enough found himself with Acerbus on his shoulder between other young men. "As Nobles of Asuria you will have certain responsibilities and one of them is to lead the Country to a better tomorrow, each and every one of you will be the Captain of a Squad so make sure to bring them back in one piece and hold your positions, understood?" "Understood, Sir!" Shouted all the present Nobles, Makoto included, even if he was unsure why he was even here as a player. Soon enough the entire Platoon was split into 40 Squads and Makoto found himself with 125 foreign faces looking up to him. It was good fortune that his party was not included in the actual Platoon so Lilliana, Sharon and Sanja joined his Squad somewhat unofficially together with Farabello and an unknown older Mage that had both been assigned to him. Makoto was the Captain of Squad 40, the rest of the bunch, containing the last few stragglers that no other Squad wanted. To put it into perspective, he had gotten the worst of the worst. Feeling countless stares on his person he cleared his throat and spoke somewhat nervous. "My name is Makoto Forrowfell and I will be your Squad Captain for the time being. You might not know me but I assure you that I plan to keep each and every one of you alive as best as I can so you can all go back to your families after this is over." Quite a few expressions all around softened and the grim mood quickly dissipated. It was obvious that his short speech had managed to take away a bit of the tension in each and every one of them. Happy that his plan to make them less on edge worked, Makoto turned around to Bharfas and the other Squads that were gathering around Falknir. Motioning his people to follow, Squad 40 soon enough joined the mass of uniformed people. "Alright, listen up!" Falknir shouted, clearly telling them to stop the chit chat when he was making an announcement. "I will now put each Squad where we need it, some places will have less problems while others will be swarming with Sarachec Soldiers so don''t except an easy time." Within 15 minutes only Squad 40 was left undecided. After glancing at the Crimson Spider Crest on Makoto''s Chest, Falknir showed a rather sinister smile as he spoke. "Squad 40, you will help defend the second gate at the South-East side, one of my Knights will guide you there and you will be responsible for holding the damn thing. I wish you good luck and may the Divines watch your step." Concerned about the strange smile that Falknir had shown him, Makoto nodded and followed the Stronghold Knight. Throwing a glance behind him every so often to make sure that no one was left behind while walking through the maze-like structure of Kernum, his men embarked on their first Defense. After only 5 minutes they passed the inner wall through a thick gate and continued on the dirt path with hastened steps. The surrounding screams and the sound of metal hitting against metal increased by quite a lot, drowning out even their loud steps. Without even being able to help it, an unusual tension creeped into Makoto''s body. Until now he only ever had to worry about himself or maybe 3 other people but now it was different. He was the Squad Captain of nearly 130 people, their lives depended on his actions and even if they were just code, in a game as realistic as this and knowing how some NPC behaved just like real people, it put a lot of stress on his mind. Glancing over his shoulder he could clearly see how Sharon nervously checked her arrows, Sanja grasped her staff with both hands and he could clearly see the white of her bones while Lilliana was pale as a wall. Each and every one of them never before fought in a battlefield or against NPCs, it was quite terrifying for most and he could see the same unease in all of his Soldiers. They are not ready... This single realization made him nearly stop dead in his tracks as the Knight of the Stronghold led them to the last bend and then disappeared without a word. None of them were eager to engage in a fight like this, they were all scared and probably felt like running away but because the lives of their family and loved ones were on the line they now stood behind him. No one wanted to kill another intelligent being with a family, they knew that killing would just bring more hatred and grieve but in war there are no real winners, only losers and those that try to survive it all. This was not a fight for honor or glory, it was simply surviving. Realizing this sudden truth, Makoto could feel how the beast inside of him roared in agreement as a new surge of energy accompanied the silent cry. He could feel how his emotions swelled up and his nervous walk turned into a stride with a sinister smile appearing on his lips. The Beast inside of him was pure Instinct, emotions and desires all mixed up into one fucked up bundle but in a situation like this it complied with him for once and left him the control while giving him newfound strength. Survival no matter the cost. Reaching the end of the black cobblestone path, his eyes already started to glow in a dangerous light and a heavily damaged gate appeared before them together with Asurian and Sarachec Soldiers fighting for their very lives. It was an intense battle and already countless lives ended right here and there but his Squad had not been discovered yet. Watching the situation for a few seconds, Makoto developed a plan while his bloodlust once again billowed deep inside of him together with a lot of other emotions. Even now he was struggling to keep control over his actions while holding the Beast on a tight leash. Finally, with a truly evil smile similar to a serial killers sweetest grin, Makoto turned to his Squad and he could see how each and every one of them was shocked about his sudden transformation. "All of you listen to me when I say that this is not going to be an easy or nice fight, most of you will be wounded and some very well killed, that is without question. Your loved ones are going to be left behind, families torn apart and your parents are going to be an empty shell after your passing. Your death will not only end your life but also theirs, it will create a hole that can never be filled again and that is all your fault." Stunned by his cruel words, the surrounding men lowered their weapons as all strength left their arms, they were completely terrified by the picture he was painting them and fear creeped into their little hearts. Noticing the change he paused for a second to give them time to reflect on his words and continued. "Now tell me, is that what you want? Are you going to let these half breeds trample all over you and slaughter your families? Are you going to run and hide, knowing that your cowardice killed every person you ever held dear? Is that the kind of person each and every one of you is or are you Soldiers of Asuria? Don''t fight for peace, don''t do it for me or for any king, fight for your life and the lives of your loved ones! Show them what happens when they try to take everything you hold dear from you! Make them bleed, make them cry and scream your name as you slaughter each and every single Sarachec pig there is!" The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. With a thundering roar from his entire Squad that made the earth beneath their feet tremble he could see a crimson light appear in the previously fearful eyes of his Soldiers, similar to his own. Their faces had turned into masks of terror and looming evil. Killing intent wafted around his unit as each and every one of them changed from a scared Soldier to a cornered beast. The only ones who were not affected but rather shocked by his speech were Sanja, Lilliana and Sharon and a part of him wanted to ask them what was wrong but a bigger part of him that was so very eager to bath in warm blood shoved those concerns aside. Looking back at the 125 Soldiers that stood before him with the same wicked smile on their faces as him, he could feel how an evil giggle escaped his throat but a system message kept him from truly laughing out loud.
For successfully rallying your troops with unconventional means and making their loyalty reach a maximum of 100% you have unlocked the stat, Authority.
[tr]
Authority:
May your subjects prosper and flourish while your enemies perish and die, only one true king has the favour of his people! Increases the stats of all that follow your lead by 0.2% for every point in the stat. (also includes Parties, Armies, Cults, Countries, Continents etc.)
Current Authority:5 points (+ 50)= 11% stat increase for those that follow your lead.
Happy about this incredibly useful stat, Makoto could only thank his good fortune once again. Thanks to his advanced Class the stat jumped from 5 to 55, increasing his Squad''s overall stats by an incredible 11%. It was unclear if the others noticed the change but that was not important right now when he quickly explained his plan to his loyal Soldiers and Acerbus crawled down his back to climb on a nearby wall, he had noticed the change in the surrounding air and was unable to join in any combat for now. "Everyone get into position, seems like they managed to overwhelm them just like I thought." Makoto said and just as he finished talking, the last Asurian defender was impaled by nearly 4 swords. It was already looking pretty bad when they arrived and he had judged that it would only be a matter of time until the gate would fall if his Squad was unable to make the difference. More and more Sarachec Soldiers appeared through the damaged Second Gate and searched for a way on the walls, that was the exact moment he had been waiting for. Makoto used the Skill ''Memories of Carnage'' to boost the Damage of his Squad before giving the signal. With a single motion of his hand, Sharon readied her bow and aimed high into the sky while activating the Skill ''Scatter Shot''. For the first time since acquiring his ''Blood Cult Gauntlets'' did he activate ''Nightmare Manifestation'', the special Buff that would increase his chance to fear his enemies by 90% and would also increase the effective fear by 30%. Right after that he used ''Blood Rush'' to run out of the small alley that his Squad was still standing in and pulled ''Quelligan''s Splinter'', his trusty sword. Finally letting the beast inside of him off the leash, his blood lust more than tripled and a blinding red light shot out of his eyes. Right after reaching his first enemy did Sharon''s ''Scatter Shot'' finally descend from the sky and on the nearly 200 enemy Soldiers. Quickly disabling ''Blood Rush'' and instead activating ''Aura of the Beast'' and his ''Willpower'' stat, he grasped his sword with both hands and slashed horizontally at the shocked Sarachec Soldier that was currently shielding his head from the rain of arrows and noticed him a fraction too late. Together with increasing his own stats drastically he also lowered the man''s stats at the same time, allowing for an inhuman difference as his sword cleaved right through his middle section and completely neglected the armor that he wore. He had not even seen the NPC''s Level and still cut him in half like he was made out of butter. Right away a system message notifying him about the ''Lethal Hit'' appeared but that was not what he wanted, instead he looked at the shocked enemy Soldiers all around him and finally he got the system message that he had been waiting for.
You have put a status effect on your (189) enemies! Fear: -25% stat reduction until the battle is finished.
Makoto had naturally feared monsters before with his 10% chance to inflict the fear effect when attacking and engaging into combat but it had always only been either 1 or 2% of stat reductions. The only times were he actually inflicted a real difference was when he had done either shocking or cruel things so together with boosting his chance to ''Fear'' is enemies above 100% with ''Nightmare Manifestation'' he also came up with a plan to show his enemies true terror by killing one of them in a crude and inhuman way. He also was only slightly affected by the Scatter Shot as his passive Skill ''Realm of Madness'' reduced the speed of all arrows that were aimed at him, even the ones that dropped from the sky. It was still a bit unpleasant when arrow after arrow found a gap in his armor and got stuck in his flesh but his regeneration allowed him to simply not care about it. After successfully laying the ground work, his Squad came rushing out of the small alley with a cry that seemed to swallow up everything. Each and every one of them had red glowing eyes and a mad look as they practically threw themselves at the feared and stunned Sarachec Soldiers. It was an absolute massacre and after killing half of the enemy force they tried to quickly retreat back through the gate but a smiling Makoto was blocking their paths. Only screams of absolute terror could be heard behind the second South-East gate which sent shivers down the Sarachec Soldiers backs that stood outside the walls as they had previously planned to take this route but abandoned the idea right away. Makoto finished off the last Sarachec Survivor with a level of 28 at the second gate by finding a gap in his armor and ramming his sword into soft and important inner organs. With screams of pain and agony he twisted his blade in the man''s wound as his Soldiers watched with the same happy expression on their faces that he had and only after 20 seconds did the enemy Soldier die. Wiping away the blood on his blade he quickly surveyed the surrounding area. His Squad had already formed into tight ranks and awaited his next order, he could see relieve on their faces and only a few of them had light injuries. Not a single one had died during the previous skirmish and all of them knew that it was close to a miracle as they gazed upon Makoto with newfound devotion and loyalty. "Secure the gate and find out if we can close it again, see if we can bring a few Archer on those walls and keep an eye out for enemy movement, my guess is that this is not the last time that we are going to see them today." Saluting once, his Squad quickly dispersed and went to work, soon enough Farabello returned with news about the gate together with 4 other Soldiers. "Makoto, it looks like the iron hinges took some damage and we are unable to close the Gate fully for now, what do you want us to do?" Contemplating on the matter for a few seconds he saw a Sarachec body being transported and a cruel but effective idea appeared in his mind. "If we can''t close the gate we will build a temporary wall and we have around 200 bricks lying around. Make sure to pile up the bodies correctly so they won''t fall off. Let''s see if our enemies are willing to climb over their dead comrades to get into the Stronghold." Showing a truly wicked smile on his face as the beast inside of him purred in silent agreement he could see the Soldiers and Farabello go pale but they still did as he commanded and rallied up more men. "Let them come and join their fellow friends as a wall that protects the Second Gate." Makoto whispered to himself and once again the crimson light in his eyes increased... ----- Well and that is todays Chapter :P The Siege is far from over so don''t worry, Squad 40s adventures have only begun! See you all tomorrow and if you have any thoughts or find mistakes comment bellow :D Chapter 55: True Terror Thank you very much kallesen for donating! Appreciate it :D. Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Yet another day in the life of Squad 40! ----- Chapter 55: True Terror It didn''t take long to complete the makeshift wall. The finished product looked incredibly grotesque, enough to make people uncomfortable by just looking at it. No sane man would dare to advance with such a crude and barbaric defensive method and it proved as quite the success as Squad 40 was able to spend the rest of the day without any more fighting. Soon enough an audible horn from beyond the wall was blown in a short rhythm and Makoto was able to watch the gigantic mass of enemy Soldiers retreat while he stood near the damaged gate. The first day of battle was over for now but the danger of sneak attacks during the night were still present so he decided to station 20 Soldiers and the old mage at the Damaged gate. Naturally they would be unable to fend off any attackers but that was not the point, 5 of the Soldiers would go on the wall and keep an eye on things together with the wizard so they could send a warning signal into the air with his help. The rest would work on the gate during the night and try to repair it again so that they would be able to get rid of the wall of corpses. It might be a good strategy right now but after only one day in the sunlight the stench the pile gave off was already beyond the endurable threshold. The rest of Squad 40 returned to the Barracks to sleep and eat. Makoto''s prediction was that the next day would probably be even more tiring than this one so it was a dearly needed luxury. He also quickly returned to Falknir and gave him a short report about their situation. For some reason the Knight captain had a frown on his face the entire time but dismissed him without any complaint. After finally reuniting with Sharon, Lilliana and Sanja he decided to sit down next to his girlfriend while the Soldiers of his Squad kept their distance out of respect for their Captain. Most of them held Makoto in very high regard after not only hearing his speech but also seeing the way he threw himself into battle, not hiding behind a wall of Soldiers like other Captains did. They naturally also knew about his relationship with these 3 beautiful women and half of his Squad admired him even more for being able to keep all 3 of them without any internal struggles. It showed them once more that their Captain was out of the ordinary. Unsure how to interpret the shimmering eyes and awed expressions of his 100 Soldiers all around him as they looked at him, Makoto decided to simply ignore it as he walked past them and took a seat beside Sharon who was currently enjoying a bowl of stew. After sitting down he noticed how all 3 girls instantly had complicated expressions on their faces and with a sigh he asked the 1 million dollar question. "What did I do?" Clearly hesitant, Sharon needed a few seconds before answering. "We were just... surprised about the way you acted today. Don''t misunderstand me, it was a great speech and plan and all but it just felt... off. Just didn''t seem like the usual you." Well aware of the implications of this statement, Makoto could see how especially Lilliana and Sanja looked at him differently now and with an ugly feeling in his chest he had to agree that his actions today had been quite brutal. Makoto had been under the influence of the Beast and even while remaining control over his body he was still affected mentally, it was something that no amount of willpower could protect him from. He knew that things between them had started to change and they were not longer just two beings in 1 body. That it actually cooperated with him today was proof enough. Normally it was always a constant struggle as to who was in control but not anymore. Azalon had changed that. Makoto was still unsure how exactly things would turn out but he no longer felt any threat from the Beast but something else instead, it was a sensations that he was unable to put into words but it didn''t feel wrong. Once again glancing at Lilliana and Sanja and somewhat hurt by the way that they looked at him, it affected his choice on how to react quite a bit. If he told them more about his condition, would these eyes that now had a look of concern and worry turn into fear and repulsion? It was a thought that scared Makoto to the deepest part of his being, the possibility for something like that to happen was clearly there so he decided to not shed too much light on it for now. Neither Sharon nor Lilliana and Sanja could ever truly know, he was well aware that he was not strong enough to take a mental blow like if they suddenly cut any and all connections with him and viewed him as a crazy nutcase. He no longer had any desire to be seen that way and after weighing each of his words carefully, he finally spoke. "I know I was acting a bit strange but you don''t need to worry, at the end of the day I am still me so cheer up guys. It was all a strategy to keep the Squad safe so you really don''t have to look at me like that." Each and every lie he told hurt but it was necessary to lie this once. The fear of being abandoned was forcing his hand in the matter and he did tell the truth, in the end it was still him, even if a part of him was a crazed and battle hungry monster... ..... At the first light of the new day, Makoto stood up and quickly woke up the rest of his Squad. A few other Squads had already left the Barracks so it was time to also go back to their respective position. When they returned they could see that the gate was finally closed again even if a tiny gap was still visible in the middle of the two giant iron doors, his men had been unable to fully remove the dent that initially blew the gate open. Happy about the progress, Makoto quickly ordered the tired and sleep deprived 20 Soldiers to rest at the Barracks until Noon. He also personally helped with removing the rotting pile that was still guarding the gate and more than once wanted to empty his stomach in the same manner as his fellow Soldiers did from time to time. Lilliana helped burn the Corpses with Magic and an ashen face while a scent of burning flesh started to dissipate the disgusting stench that was lingering in the air. Finally able to breath in again without having to hold his nose, Makoto ordered his men to barricade the Second Gate while he positioned their archers on top of the actual wall. After stacking 4 carriages, two dozen wooden crates, a lot of wooden planks and even an unhinged door behind the gate, effectively blocking any and all entrance to the wall while also reinforcing the gate, Makoto ordered the rest of his Squad to also man the wall. It was nearly mid day and until now there had been only little movement in the mountain range, no one had approached their position even though they could clearly hear a few battles raging at other gates. The sound of metal hitting against metal accompanied by Human and Beast-men screams filled the air. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Interestingly enough Sarachec Soldiers looked a lot more human than Makoto had originally expected. Sure he could see an occasional tail or animal ears beneath their helmets but all in all they had the same height and posture as humans. A few showed something like fur on their arms or beneath their armor but their faces seemed to be unaffected, no signs of razor sharp canines or cat and dog noses. What exactly was the discrimination even about? Was a bit more hair and the occasional tail worth all of this animosity? For Makoto it was something that he just couldn''t understand. A sudden shout to his left from a Soldier with especially good eyes that was also standing on the wall next to him finally brought his thoughts back to the here and now. Soon enough he understood why the man had shouted like that as Sarachec Soldiers poured from all sides before the Obsidian Stronghold in a matter of seconds. Their number exceeded the previous day by nearly twice. Seeing 30 thousand enemy Soldiers in full armor and hearing the loud battle cries that echoed all around them, it was enough to make more than one of his men shiver in his boots, even Makoto could feel how he started to pale. Grinding his teeth in defiance, unwilling to succumb to the fear that tried to make him panic, Makoto quickly barked a few orders to shake Squad 40 free from their terror. "Archers and Mages, get ready to make anyone who tries to get close to the wall or gate pay, the rest of you, spread out on the wall and keep an eye on the gate. Should they breach it we quickly have to block off the only way deeper into the Stronghold even if we have to use the bodies of our enemies once again to build a wall!" Right away movement came into the before stunned troops and in a matter of seconds everyone was in position and nervously waiting. It didn''t take long until a small part of the huge Army split off from the main body and advanced to the South-East second gate. Makoto''s rough estimation on the enemies number was around 1 thousand, nearly ten times the amount of his Squad but they had no time to complain as the first row of enemies was already in range of the Archers. Sharon and 15 other Archers all shot into the sky while activating the Skill ''Scatter Shot''. A hail of arrows descended down and a couple of Sarachec Soldiers fell to the ground, either too hurt to get up again or simply dead. "Again!" Makoto shouted and once again a hail of arrows welcomed the constantly nearing wave of enemies. Because Makoto was leading this Squad they could be called an elite force in the entire 40 Squads as the 11% stat increase their stats put them far above and beyond the ordinary Soldier even if they originally had been the weakest bunch. After all, for most of them it was like suddenly gaining 5 to 7 levels, a huge difference considering how hard it was to actually increase your level, even for the NPCs inside Azalon. Soon enough Farabello and Lilliana also had the range to use their Magic and lances of Ice, Flame Snakes and countless Boulders rained down on the enemy force, dealing even more damage to the enemy Soldiers but on a smaller area. It didn''t take long for the first few to reach the gate and bang against it while others that had been carrying ladders quickly put them against the surrounding wall. While the Archers and Mages continued to attack the still healthy force at the back or middle, it was the responsibility of the rest of Squad 40 to fend off the ones that managed to ascend the wall. Soon enough after the entire enemy force reached the wall a hail of arrows also descended on the wall they were standing on and immediately everyone started to take cover in the few niches in the wall or used a shield to deflect the rain of arrows. "Mages, focus the Archers!" Makoto screamed while he himself completely ignored the Arrows that pierced his armor, the Damage he received was not worth mentioning for him after all.
You have received 78 Damage! You have received 103 Damage! You have received 59 Damage!
This much was healed back in seconds. After a few minutes the hail of arrows suddenly stopped as a barrage of Ice spears and Boulders from Lilliana and Farabello completely annihilated the enemy Archers. Makoto and his Soldiers continued to either push away the ladders or battle the ascending enemies. It soon enough got to a point were 1 or 2 enemy Soldiers were able to actually make it on the wall and battles on the narrow path all around broke out.
Sarachec Soldier: NPC lvl 27
With a quick glance on the letters above yet another Sarachec Soldiers head, Makoto used ''Curse Blade'' in conjunction with ''Blood Rush'' to quickly bleed the man dry. Even though most enemies were at least 2 or 3 levels above him, after advancing his Class he had no problems dealing with even 3 or 4 at the same time, that was how much +20 in all stats could change things. Wiping away a splash of blood on his face, Makoto noticed movement in the enemy force and his eyes immediatly grew wide. "No fucking way!" Below the wall, partly hidden by the sheer mass of bodies, a battering ram was slowly making its way to the already badly damaged gate. Well aware that it would not hold for even one minute after having been unhinged only 1 day ago, Makoto quickly searched for Lilliana and Farabello in the chaos that had descended on the wall. Soon enough he could see that they were both too busy with the fighting to even hear his screams so without any ranged help as everyone else around him was currently either fighting already existing enemies on the wall or keeping more from reaching them he could only helplessly watch their certain doom slowly advance. Once again a ladder near the gate smashed against the top of the wall, immediately Makoto had the craziest idea but it could be their only way to surviving all of this. Sheathing his sword for the moment and feeling the beast supporting this crazy plan with an infernal roar while also giving him strength, Makoto quickly rushed to the ladder and kicked it away as hard as he could. Unlike before he watched the ladder with an intense stare as it slowly fell back and he also took a few steps backwards. After the ladder stopped and was about to fall back towards the wall, Makoto quickly activated ''Blood Rush'' and ran with everything he had. With a roar that seemed to silence the entire battlefield he jumped off the wall, grasped the ladder with one hand and shifted its center of gravity so far back that it fell deep into the mass of Sarachec Soldiers beneath, together with Makoto that was riding on top of it with crimson red eyes... ----- OHHHHHHHH you guys are gonna hate me for this intense cliff hanger I just know it XD Had to do it once again right? :P If you got questions or thoughts, comment below as I eagerly await hell down there. ^^ *lets out evil laughter* Chapter 56: Undying Thank you very much kallesen for donating once again! I love you bro! Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! THIS GONNA BE GOOOOD! I had goosebumps just writing this so I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did :D ----- Chapter 56: Undying Sharon could clearly see it in his eyes that Makoto was hiding something. She was currently sitting right next to him and he had just explained that they didn''t have to worry and that everything was alright but she knew that was not all of it. There was something he could not tell her and this realization hurt her more than it should but she kept quiet about it. Until now, Sharon always shared everything with Makoto and she had thought that he did the same but clearly that was not the case, or at least not with absolutely everything. It was clear that whatever he hid from her had to do with his mental illness and his erratic and cruel behavior from before. Quite a few ideas presented themselves in her mind but she didn''t want to judge her boyfriend without hearing his side of the story first so she just nodded and faked a bright smile to show him that she understood. After having quite a bit of experience in life she was not narrow minded enough to make a scene or force it out of him. Things that you can''t even tell to your family either come from the person willingly or not at all, it had been the same with her when she talked with a psychologist about her previous ''stalker''. Still, even with knowing all of that it still hurt. Her Sapphire blue eyes grew moist for a moment before she blinked it away and started to focus on something else. The entire evening she sometimes glanced towards Makoto, in hopes of reading him a bit better and understanding his problems but he played this farce quite well, laughed loud over jokes and he always had the hint of a smile on his face even when it didn''t reach his eyes. After logging out a bit to prepare some fast food before the second day of the defense, Sharon was deep in thought the entire time. Naturally she had seen him act aggressive and a bit cruel in battle before but never to the degree that he had shown yesterday, once again it begged the question if that person had even been Makoto, her feelings told her yes but her mind was unable to forget the gleeful smile as he brought pain and suffering to others. It was the exact same expression that her ''stalker'' had when he pressed her on the bed... Feeling a cold shiver run down her spine she shifted her attention away from that rather dark corner of her mind and quietly ate her food. Back inside the game she could once again feel tension in her body as she grasped her bow tightly. Even when she knew that it was not real, all of her senses told her that it was, she could smell the sweat of the surrounding men in armor, the stench of the dead and the overall fear that loomed over the entire Stronghold. Being a part of a Siege was a terrifying event that filled her with more fear than she was ready to admit. Even in Azalon, dying was not painless and a part of you could feel death slowly creep up at the end, it was beyond scary experiencing this. Her thoughts since yesterday had all been rather gloomy and it took quite a bit of willpower to stay positive. Even more so after she saw the entire Sarachec army for the first time. Thousands of foreign faces stared at her, glaring and cursing her, shouting all at the same time in a cacophony of madness. A wave of killing intent from these 30 thousand Soldiers hit her with a might that made her take more than one step back just like the rest of Squad 40, only Makoto seemed to be completely unaffected and glared back at them instead. Once again the question how he could be so fearless formed in Sharon''s mind as she looked at her boyfriend. In a game as real as this there was no distinction between false and right. Your instincts got tricked to the point were every alarm bell in her head rang and told her to run for her life after seeing so many enemies that wanted to kill her without a doubt. Once again Makoto quickly took control of the situation and gave a few orders to elevate the overall morale. Seeing him so calm and collected also helped Sharon to keep it together and she was soon enough busy with using one Skill after the other and raining down a barrage of arrows on the incredible amount of Sarachec Soldiers. The battle continued for many minutes and thankfully they only had to face 1 thousand instead of the 30 thousand. More and more, hope started to appear in her heart as the ranks within the enemy group started to visibly thin out and she was able to focus a few shots on the few that made it atop the wall. Sharon was about to shout towards Makoto that they would easily be able to hold the gate at this rate but the words didn''t want to leave her mouth. The moment she looked to her right she could see him pushing a ladder away before taking a running jump and finally landing between hundreds of enemy Soldiers. All of this happened in a mere moment and Sharon could feel how the fear inside of her heart quickly escaped out of her throat. "No, Makoto!" Her voice was filled with incredible pain and fear and more than one Soldier on the wall turned around to look in the same direction as her after hearing it. It was a game, all of this was not real but it could show her boyfriends death in terrifying detail and that was something that would haunt her in her dreams for sure. Putting both hands on the small stone slap before her and leaning as far forwards as she could, Sharon stared down below were Makoto had disappeared in a jumble of bodies. It couldn''t be, right? This was all a dream, right? ..... For the first few seconds no one attacked him. The enemy Soldiers all around him simply were too stunned to even move when they saw him jumping off the wall and landing right in their midst. That was beyond heroic, it could be called plain stupid and no one had the slightest idea if what they saw was real. Makoto decided to not give them any chance to recover and quickly put every ounce of strength into his sword as he spun around on one knee. Countless system windows appeared before him, telling him that he hit more than 11 different Sarachec Soldiers but that was not the point for him, all he wanted to do was push them back with the pain and that was also what he achieved. Activating ''Blood Rush'' as fast as he could, Makoto slipped through the ranks and quickly ran to the gate where the battering ram would be in a few moments. Sadly this short distance was impossible to pass through without taking a good dozen sword strikes to his body or back. Together with his rather decent armor, high Vitality and incredible regen, no one hit did more than 150 Damage and he was able to heal through it all without any trouble. After finally reaching his target, Makoto didn''t hesitate and attacked the level 29 Foot Soldiers that carried the heavy log without mercy.
Critical hit! 1261 Damage dealt! 763 Damage dealt! 801 Damage dealt!
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. With a few quick attacks two Soldiers fell to the ground limply and the other two were unable to carry it alone so with a loud *thud* the device was dropped to the ground. At this point, Makoto successfully drew the attention of each and every Soldier around him. They all looked at him with absolute hatred after identifying him as a Noble of Asuria, judging by his human appearance and the Crimson Spider Crest that was on his armor. Soon enough instead of picking the battering ram back up they instead attacked him from all sides and he found himself backed against the damaged gate behind him while swords, spears and other weapons hacked against him viciously. With anger welling up in his entire being as the Beast inside of him went on a rampage, Makoto trusted his instincts and battle experience to dodge most of the attacks while he used his own Sword left and right without discrimination like a mad berserker. Blood gushed all around him as ''Cursed Blade'' opened many new wounds but it was not only his enemies that bled. Dozens of long wounds and gashes appeared on his entire body as his armor was broken apart. Within seconds his health dropped below 40% and his regeneration finally fully kicked in, healing a ridiculous amount of hp each second but it was not enough while facing hundreds of bloodthirsty Sarachec Soldiers. Above him he could hear the shouts and cries of Squad 40 and his Party as they were only able to watch the cruel massacre of their Captain. Naturally Lilliana, Sharon and the 15 Archers on the wall tried their best to kill as many enemies as they could but they would never be able to do it in time and even if, they sure as hell did not possess enough arrows or Mana to sustain this kind of battle forever. Unable to do anything at all they watched as Makoto battled against 23 Soldiers at the same time, his sword a tempest in a storm of never-ending swords and spears. Weaving his body to the right and left he was able to dodge quite a few attacks but not all, yet another spear shoved itself beneath his armor and into his gut before being pulled out with a disgusting sound. Many times windows appeared telling him that his Evasiveness stat had neglected some damage but it was not enough either. A sword hit his face and he could feel half his cheek being chipped off before his reflex kicked in and he dodged the rest of the attack. Time after time more and more wounds appeared on his body and a river of blood appeared beneath him, drenching the ground and his entire body in crimson red while the light in his eyes increased every second. Roaring like a cornered Beast, Makoto unleashed his Willpower stat in conjunction with ''Blood Rush'' and the effect was immediate as a good dozen or so Soldiers died after only 2 seconds. He was able to sustain his Willpower transformation for a bit more than 5 seconds so after finally having a short reprieve and no longer pinned against the iron gate, with yet another roar he actually started to push back the mass of enemies and his Squad could only watch with open mouths. Without any form or grace, no martial art or technique aiding him he pushed back an army of hundreds of enemy Soldiers while viciously slashing all around him. His health soon enough hit 20%, still drastically dropping but a lot slower than before. After the Willpower stat ended he could feel his body weaken again right away but that did not stop Makoto in the least, borrowing from the constant surge of power from within him he put both hands oh the handle of his sword and his attacks once again gained even more speed as ''Blood Rush'' entered the second stage and his movement as well as attack speed increased by 7.5%. This was around the time when the Sarachec Soldiers started to notice that something was off. Dozens of Soldiers had fallen to this single man but even more than that, hundreds of attacks had disfigured him and probably bled him dry of blood more than 3 times but he became moe vicious with every attack he received. His face and body was one mess of cuts and gashes. Only the crimson light in his eyes that constantly increased was the thing that was undamaged but never the less he just didn''t die. War was a frightening thing and fighting each day against enemy Soldiers even more so but this, this was simply terrifying. More and more Soldiers all around the Gate and before Makoto started to back off, their faces clearly showed incredible disbelief and fear as they watched this Monster from hell that slaughtered their comrades but seemed to be unable to die himself. Countless windows informed Makoto about putting the ''Fear'' effect on quite a few enemies but he dismissed them with a growl, his face was twisted and pure killing intent emanated from his body. After finally stopping their attacks the Sarachec Soldiers saw that the body from the man healed before their very eyes in a matter of seconds, wounds closed up, gashes disappeared just like that, only the blood remained, dying the man before them in the same crimson red that shimmered on the Crest that he was wearing. "Demonspawn!" "Undying Monster!" A few of them shouted in absolute fear and took a step back but to their dismay, Makoto instead took two steps forward. Uncaring to the shocked expressions behind him on the wall from his Squad or in front of him from the Saraches Soldiers he quickly shortened the distance between him and the enemy army and engaged once again in slaughter. Only this time it was the Sarachec Army that felt like they were cornered against a wall as their own allies made it impossible to dodge. "R-Retreat! Fall back!" The Commander of the group finally said and with a sigh of relieve the Soldiers started to turn around. This time of short reprieve only lasted a few seconds before once again death screams resounded behind them, with an expression of extreme awe and fear everyone present, no matter Asurian or Sarachec watched as Makoto chased the retreating group. Apparently unwilling of letting them go this easily he hacked his way through the ranks and once again the ''Fear'' status increased, further lowering the enemies stats. Without any mercy he ran after the sprinting and completely terrified Soldiers, killing those that fell behind while putting the fear of god into the rest. After nearly getting out of sight of the South-East wall he finally stopped and with a terrifying roar stood there, panting deeply while his crimson eyes dimmed once again. After many minutes Makoto returned with slow steps, incredible fatigue hit his body while his mind slowly but surely returned. He could clearly remember all of his actions but it was not his power alone that let him survive today. Deep in thought and soar all over, it took him a while to understand the shouts from the wall, the closer he came the louder they got until he could hear the screams of Squad 40 clearly. "Undying! Undying! Undying! Undying!" Without stopping they repeated this one word and he could see expressions of joy and awe on their faces as they all chanted as loud as they could. With this battle of the second day, Makoto earned himself a new title. He didn''t receive it from the system so it was not official but Squad 40 as well as the surviving Sarachec Soldiers would not forget the man with the Crimson Spider Crest on his chest, a monster of inhuman proportions that they would forever remember as the ''Undying''! ----- And that is todays Chapter :D Hope you liked it and as always, comment below. ^^ See you all tomorrow :P Chapter 57: A Maidens Love HOLY DONATIONS! Thank you very much kallesen, Sagron, moop and two Anonymous for donating, I BE ROLLING IN MO- I mean I really appreciate it guys XD! Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! A lot of people are going to love and hate me for this Chapter! Quite abit of POV changes and a surprise ending so I hope you enjoy and stay tuned for more! (next Chapter either today or tomorrow) ----- Chapter 57: A Maiden''s Love It took him a few minutes to return to his senses and he noticed that his level had increased two times while 3 of his Skills also leveled up during all of this which was quite unbelievable. He distributed his stats and didn''t really noticed any big changes with his Skills so he quickly made his way back. After returning to his men on the wall, Makoto could feel the difference right away. His previous display of carnage and battle had changed how everyone looked at him. Each and every Soldier of Squad 40 had a fanatic glint in their eyes whenever they looked at him now and every time he talked to one of them they would kneel down as if in front of the king himself and carry out his orders with a rather scary expression. Unable to determine if this was a good or bad thing he decided to just go with it and let them behave however they wanted. Once again his eyes were set beyond the wall as he carefully examined the mountain range. His Stamina was already recovered at this point and one of his archers had set the battering ram ablaze as to make any attempt on breaching the gate with it impossible. Still, even after all of that he was completely exhausted. Not physically but mentally instead, his mind had taken quite the hit after letting the beast roam free and fighting for his life like that and Makoto had no desire of a repeat any time soon so he dearly hoped that no further battles would happen today. ¡­.. Sharon looked at her boyfriend once again deep in thought. It was obvious to her and the others that Makoto had lost complete control in the last battle. Just remembering the savage smile that he showed while killing dozens of NPC''s made a shiver run down her spine. Quite a few things slowly fell into place for her and the previous ''hunch'' about his mental issues manifested more and more. She could understand why he would want to keep something like that hidden but wasn''t it exactly because of how she was feeling right now that he had never told her? Sharon still loved him like before but at the same time there was also a bit of fear mixed into her heart as she recalled her boyfriend going completely berserk. Casting her gaze to the floor she once again let the previous fight run through her mind and the fear in her heart only increased after remembering the way he looked during all of this. Unable to help it she instinctively took a step away from him which shocked Sharon herself. At the same time it was also the moment that Makoto looked into her direction and still mentally visualizing the gruesome scene she looked into his crimson eyes as her expression changed. It was only for a split second but visible fear showed on her face as she once again took a step back before the rest of her mind reacted and she reminded herself that it was still the same old Makoto but it was already too late. The damage was already done and she could see his face change many times before his expression finally stopped at a cold and uncaring one. It was clear that he was hurt and knew how she was afraid of him now so without another word he turned his head away from her and stared with the same cold expression beyond the wall. Kicking herself mentally many times she hated herself for the way she instinctively reacted, well aware of the gap that it had created between them and no matter how much she tried to find a way she just couldn''t think of anything to close it with. Once again looking at the lonely back of Makoto her lips trembled and she wanted to say something but Sharon was unable to find her voice in time and instead remained silent. ¡­.. His heart instantly grew cold when he saw the terrified look on her face. With a self ridiculing feeling in his chest he turned around and bit the inside of his cheek. What else did he expect after his previous battle? That everything would just stay the same? It never had been that way and never would be, everyone reacted the same way. Feeling his heart growing colder each second that silently passed he once again cursed the other in his mind for ruining each and every relationship that he treasured. Even an idiot would be able to connect the dots at this point and who wanted to have anything to do with a nutjob after all? Once again feeling a pain in his chest he looked at both Sanja and Lilliana. It was clear to him that they would have the same expression on their faces but at this point he just wanted to get it over with. Sanja''s eyes clearly widened after noticing his gaze and her face was hard to read, only seeing Lilliana stunned his mind for a second. Instead of the already familiar fear or disgust, he could see real concern and worry in her eyes. It was a first seeing someone react this way even after discovering about his problems. Makoto looked at her many more times during the rest of the day, unable to believe that this was not a fa?ade or a sweet lie but actual concern for him. ¡­.. Just as he had hoped, there was no further battles until nightfall and once again his Squad could hear a horn giving the signal for retreat. While he lead his men back to the Barracks he could see in the corner of his eye how Sharon stare at him with a difficult expression but the fear of losing her made it impossible for him to directly look in her direction. After giving his report and not paying any heed to Falknir''s sneer as he left the man standing, Makoto was about to return to his party but remembered the previous events and stopped dead in his tracks. Well aware that he was not strong enough to endure their disdain, he turned around and decided to instead explore the Stronghold. He knew there would be a time were he had to face his fears with them but with so many emotions running through him it was definitely not now. His feet lead him through the innermost corridors and rooms of the entire castle. Deep in thought and contemplating about how things would continue from now on he didn''t really pay attention to where he walked. Only looking up occasionally to make sure he at least knew how to return, Makoto wandered through Kernum with a heavy heart. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. After the sky was completely dark he finally stopped in a small courtyard with a fountain and sat down on a nearby bench. Looking at his empty hands his mind returned to a rather old memory. He must have been only 7 or 8 at the time but he would never forget the way his mother looked at him after finally finding out what was wrong with her son. It was the same fear that he had seen in the eyes of many, the most recent being Sharon. Feeling his heart throb in pain once more it took him a while to notice that he was no longer alone. With a rather surprised look he lifted his head and he was able to see a miniskirt, followed by a loose robe and the face of Lilliana. "What are you doing here?" He finally asked after a few seconds. Shouldn''t she already have logged out at this point with the others? "Well I was originally looking for you but currently just standing around, mind if I sit?" She asked. Once again stunned about the way she responded he nodded and made some space on the rather narrow bench. Both of them remained silent for a while before Lilliana looked at him with the same worried expression and opened her mouth. "Why did you run away?" "I didn''t run away." He quickly responded but she didn''t seem satisfied with his answer. "Why are you hiding here Makoto? Be honest with me, I deserve at least that much don''t you think?" Once again biting the inside of his cheek he was unable to respond right away and only after a full minute did he talk. "Well you should have seen how they all looked at me right? Like I was some kind of monster. Everyone does after finding out. Do you know how it feels to see your girlfriend look at you that way? I didn''t know until today and I wish I never had, it''s the worst..." Resting his chin on his hand he watched the water bubble about in the fountain while Lilliana remained quiet for a while. "I can''t say anything in Sharon''s defense because I am not her, there might be another reason to it, you never know." "Oh I know far too well trust me..." Once again Lilliana remained silent for a while before standing up and positioning herself right before him so that he was unable to look at the fountain anymore. Naturally he looked up at her face and it surprised him to see flushed cheeks as well as her eyes that stared deeply into his own. "What I can say is that you are wrong, not everyone looks at you that way or do you think I am scared of you? You aren''t even man enough to properly respond to my feelings so why should I be scared of a pansy like that?" Completely stunned by her mocking attitude it took Makoto a bit to digest her words and afterwards a small smile showed on his face for the first time all day long. Happy about seeing him smile she stepped closer and once again spoke. "Also, you are wrong if you think that everyone is just going to suddenly stop being your friend after finding out that you sometimes enjoy fighting too much. I at least don''t see what is wrong with that, so what if you have a screw loose? Not like you can''t fix that with a slap over the head right?" Giving him a slight tap on his forehead he could see the mischievous smile on her face and his previously cold heart shuddered for a moment. "You aren''t going to get rid of me that easily so stop being so depressed you jerk, I liked you a lot better when you didn''t care about anything and were just yourself... even if that included that you teased me from time to time." Once again her cheeks flushed and she avoided his gaze for the first time but Makoto still looked at her with a slightly open mouth, unable to peel his eyes away from her. He could feel another shudder as the ice around his heart broke away and with a warm feeling in his chest he stood up. It was as if a curtain was pulled away from his eyes and for the first time in quite a while he really looked at her from head to toe. Once again he could feel how his heart skipped a beat when he looked at her face and a drastic change happened in his chest as he put his arms around the stunned Lilly and pulled her in a tight embrace, thankful that she was still the same good old Lilliana. Makoto didn''t care about anything else and just hugged this little girl that tried her very best to cheer him up even after knowing about his condition. His fear of once again being abandoned by the people that he cared about quickly dissipated and with bated breath he whispered a "Thank you" directly in her ear which seemed to send a shiver down her spine. ..... Lillana was stunned for a second as she felt his arms wrapping around her. "Thank you." This one sentence together with the hug that he gave her made her heart flutter and no longer being able to hold back she put her face against his chest while also putting her arms around Makoto, unwilling to let him go anymore. Feeling a gleeful smile on her face she pressed her body against his with a bit more force and to her delight she could feel how his hands twitched as her breasts were also pressing against him. Knowing that he reacted but didn''t push her away in the slightest once again brought a smile to her face as happiness surged through her. Lilliana knew that what she was doing was wrong. After all she was practically manipulating his feelings for Sharon with her actions and giving him this kind of comfort but that was not even her real intention right now. All she really wanted to do was ease the pain that she had seen in his face. It had hurt her too seeing him like that. After a few seconds she lifted her head and was able see a small smile together with a light in those previously sad and dark eyes of his. Staring deeply into the crimson that had captivated her heart, together with being happy that he was no longer depressed she was unable to stop herself anymore as her hands reached for his head. With one quick motion she pulled him down and pressed her lips against his, uncaring for any consequences as she felt her heart nearly explode out of her chest. All that mattered was this one single moment and it only belonged to her... ----- Next Chapter either later today or tomorrow, it is still not finished so I am not sure how it is going to be. If you have any questions or want to start a shipping war, comment below. :P Also, a big thank you to all of you for the awesome support you always give me, love you guys! ^^ Chapter 58: Resolution No new donations... *cries* Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! A bit later than I wanted to post it but I had to rewrite a part of it last minute as I noticed a flaw so forgive me! D: Anyways, let''s see how you all like it as it is in no way an unthinkable turn of events but never the less an important part of the story! ----- Chapter 58: Resolution Together with a body being pressed against him he could feel his lips touching a heavenly softness as he was unable to comprehend the current situation while Lilliana stood on her tip toes to kiss him with even more force and desire. The earlier hug that he gave her out of thanks to a good friend had unexpectedly turned into something else and he cursed himself for actually enjoying it. Finally aware of the current situation and seeing a mental image of Sharon that he still loved with all of his heart he quickly took two steps back and wiped over his mouth, surprise still visible in his eyes together with the bitterness of being used by her like that. Makoto knew that she had feelings for him but kissing him when he was in a confused state of mind was quite the low blow. He could see a wry smile on Lilliana''s face as she also took a step back, clearly hurting in her own way. "...Please don''t do that ever again." He finally said after a few seconds of silence and the girl before him gave a short nod, unable to look into his eyes. With this elephant in the room, both didn''t know what to say next so Lilliana did the only thing that seemed to be appropriate and apologized. Only giving a short snort as a reply he watched her for a bit before letting out a deep sigh while walking towards the fountain. Could he really blame her for acting the way she did? Even if her intention was of selfish nature, it still was coupled with feelings for him and when it was because she wanted to show him that she would always be there for him no matter what with that kiss then he could blame her even less. One good thing that this mistake accomplished was to actually free Makoto of his trauma and the resolution to fix things with Sharon no matter what slowly formed in his heart. It must be understood that Makoto''s fear of being abandoned by everyone was quite severe, to the point that he had closed off his heart to every single person and only Sharon and the rest of his party had slowly changed this. He had experienced quite a bit of loss until now. His own father disappeared after landing in the hospital when the other went on a rampage, his mother rarely talked to him anymore as the image of her son blurred behind the other''s influence on his actions. Friends turned on him after noticing his sometimes fragile and unpredictable state of mind, years of being neglected and called a nutjob made his heart grow cold and the only human interaction he really had was when he bought something in a shop or by talking with friends over the internet. Azalon had fixed his social anxiety in that regard but at the same time opened old wounds again. After nearly disappearing in the last few years without any incidents, the beast reappeared as if sniffing the blood that splattered inside the game. The change to his body and mind in Real Life had not reached the previous peak but it was slowly getting there and Makoto was unwilling to let others pay the price once again, unaware of the real danger that it meant to be close to him. "I am going to log out for a bit, see you in a few hours." He quickly said to Lilliana who had not moved from her previous spot until now. He didn''t want to leave a gap between him and Sharon and at the same time he could not just let her stay in the dark anymore. Even if it meant that he would once again be alone he would tell her the truth and also inform her about the other''s actions when he lost control. It was without question that his own selfish desire and love paled to Sharon''s wellbeing and health. Disappearing in a ray of light, a short whisper could be heard coming from the girl that was still standing there with a difficult expression, her face mostly hidden by her long black hair but it still allowed sound to travel out. "...Don''t leave me..." ¡­.. Sharon bit her lip until she could taste her own blood but even that was unable to bring her legs to move. She was currently standing behind a corners bend after searching for Makoto and watched a conversation between him and Lilliana It must be noted that she had arrived at this corner a long time before Lilliana but even then her legs just wouldn''t move as the image of Makoto smiling viciously and her stalker smiling the same way overlapped in her mind. It took her years to actually date and trust someone again but even after all of this time, this one stupid coincidence concerning a simple smile brought fear into her heart. Even when she met Makoto and he nearly forced himself on her she was still in no way nervous because she was well aware that she was a lot stronger than him and that it was only a game so why now was she so afraid? Once again remembering the previous battle she had to correct herself. It was not the smile that planted fear inside of her, it was Makoto''s eyes that she had seen at that moment. The same cruel and uncaring savagery was visible in them, so unlike the gentle and caring nature that her boyfriend normally showed with his actions and that she could also see in his eyes. Was this who he really was and the previous him only a lie? Sharon couldn''t help but think this way as her past had already clouded her judgement somewhat but she was not convinced even now. Silently she watched both Makoto and Lilliana talk and multiple times she could feel a sting in her heart as she could clearly see how hurt he was right now. And then it happened. It wasn''t the hug that got her but what followed. The moment Lilliana took his head into her hands Sharon wanted to let out a scream but no sound escaped her throat, all she could do was watch Makoto getting kissed and comforted right before her very eyes and a never before felt surge of regret washed through her, together with a stream of tears that rolled down her cheeks. It just wasn''t fair that her fear let things turn out this way. Were her previous words of always being there for him and loving him no matter what just a lie? Was she really that kind of person? Sharon couldn''t help but let out a small sigh of relive after seeing Makoto immediately back away instead of returning the kiss and a rather complicated feeling appeared in her chest. Wiping away her tears she stared at Lilliana and hatred welled up inside of her but it only lasted for a moment. Could she really hate her friend that showed more care and compassion towards her boyfriend than she had? It was obvious that Makoto was suffering from his mental issues but instead of being there for him she hid behind this wall and was even afraid of him. Slowly but surely the fear inside of her disappeared and cold determination replaced it. The Sapphire blue of her eyes deepened as did the resolve to fix things between Makoto and her. Knowing well that she had no right to butt into the current situation and that she could only trust that her boyfriend would do the right thing, she turned around and logged out after a few steps. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. In a blinding ray of light accompanied by a Sapphire glint, Sharon left Azalon and quickly searched her contacts for Makoto''s number. ¡­.. It was late in the evening when he logged out. Having been inside the game for such a long time it took him a few seconds for his hearing and eyes to adjust. A sudden ringing to his left nearly made his heart stop and he quickly glanced at his phone. To his surprise it was Sharon that called him and not for the first time, judging by the 16 missed calls. Taking a deep breath he picked up and held the device against his ear. "Hi my love." He said as calm as he could. "Finally, I have been calling you every two minutes you know?" "Yeah I saw... so...what''s up?" Cursing himself mentally for being such a wuss he instead listened to Sharon''s voice. "I wanted to talk to you about your... issues." Feeling his heart going cold he swallowed once before replying. "I actually wanted to do the same, I think it is time that I''m honest with you because I think you deserve to know even if you might not like what you hear, I hope you at least let me finish." And then he told her the truth, told her as much as he could about the other inside of him. Mentioned his previous black outs and rampages that hurt countless people and made him go on severe medication. Talked about his fear of being abandoned by everyone and also divulged his own concern that he would once again lose control but this time with her. After what seemed to be an eternity, Sharon finally spoke. "So it was something like that... I see. Well at least I know if you strangle me it isn''t on purpose." Unable to laugh about this rather cruel joke he remained quiet and couldn''t say anything. "...Sorry, that was stupid of me. It''s just... a lot to take in." "I know, take your time, I mean it. You can just call me back in a few days and tell me if you still want to be friends and if not then j-" "Wait a second, what are you talking about? Do you think just because of this I am going to stop being your girlfriend?" Surprised about the harsh tone in her voice he was unable to reply for some time. "Now you listen here pretty boy and listen closely, I love you, ok? That means we are a couple and we go through stuff like this together and not alone. If it really is like you said and that this other seemed to also like me, what do I have to be scared of? So what if you got a split personality, Demon or what not in your head. That doesn''t mean that I will just stop loving you. Would you just abandon me if I had problems like that?" She finally asked and Makoto was completely stunned by this unusually hard tone from Sharon. Normally she had a rather gentle voice so this was a first for him. "No, absolutely not because I know it wouldn''t be your fault so why would I?" He finally said. "That is the exact same reason for me. I might have been a bit confused after finding out but that is understandable. The reason why I was afraid of you for a bit... well that is something that I also owe you an explanation for. You are not the only one with a past you know?" After that Sharon revealed her shocking experience of nearly getting raped and also telling him that he had a similar look in his eyes when he was fighting beneath the wall as the man that broke into her house, it was enough to leave him speechless. Her next words took a while as she told Makoto how she had to fight for her life and in the end killed her stalker in self defense. Naturally he was well aware that experiencing something like that together with taking another''s life would leave deep scars in her soul so he tried his best to comfort her as much as possible but she told him over and over that she had long since finished and left it behind her. "It took me a bit by surprise and reminded me of some bad memories but that is it, I am confident that you won''t hurt me and even if, I took some self defense classes afterwards so I can protect myself. You are not alone in this Makoto and I am sorry for making you think you were with reacting like that." Sharon''s voice had returned to the gentle tone and once again he was thankful for being with a girl like her. It took him a while to find the right words but after finally speaking he was unable to stop the surge of emotion that was clearly audible in his voice. "Thank you Sharon, I don''t even know how I deserve someone like you, really. The same goes for me, I am always there for you and... I love you too, more than anything else." Hearing an angelic giggle from the other end of the line he wanted to say even more but remembered his previous incident with Lilliana and the smile on his face quickly disappeared. "There... There is something else I have to tell you. Before I logged out I was with Lilliana and talked with her, I want to tell you that it was not my intention and don''t blame her but-" "I know what happened Makoto. I also saw how you didn''t kiss her back and instead stepped away. After seeing you stay so loyal to me even after how I reacted, that was when I noticed how this fear was completely baseless and it was still the same old you. It took me a while to realize that I have to admit but in a way I am happy that I saw it even if I wanted to strangle that little... girl." Feeling a slight shiver after hearing the cold anger in Sharon''s voice he at the same time felt relieved that he didn''t have to explain everything and convince her that it was not his intention to kiss another girl. After all of what was said, how could he keep quiet about the previous incident with a clear conscience? Makoto decided to vow to himself that he would not keep anything hidden from Sharon anymore from this day forth, no matter how small or big the topic was. She was after all his other half and he couldn''t help but feel a connection between them that further deepened after not being rejected by her even after knowing about the beast. With a happy smile on his face he soon enough ended the phone call and stared at the ceiling of his apartment for a while. There was really someone out there that accepted and still loved him without being afraid of him. Feeling his heart beating nearly twice as fast as before, his mind projected a clear image of Sharon with her fire red hair and two Sapphire blue eyes that seemed to stare into his very soul. "Mine..." He quietly whispered as the beast inside of him purred with delight... ----- And that was the Chapter of today, next Chapter should be in two days but as you all know my uploading has been somewhat irregular, I will try my best! >:3 Hope you all enjoyed and comment below as always. :P Chapter 59: Breached Thank you gyro2death and ambi34 for donating, love you guys! Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! I''M BACK BITCHESSSSS! After this sudden and random 2 day hiatus ( which I am sorry about D: ) I am back in blac- I mean just back. Some new developements are on the horizon with this Chapter and I hope you like it as we stray away from the drama and relationships a bit that seem to split apart our dear Protagonist and Harem girl 1 and 2! (Yes I know I am being mean by not calling them by their names, so what?) ----- Chapter 59: Breached Unable to contain his anger, Galenwelth crushed the cup in his right hand to powder while staring at the trembling Soldier before him. "Explain it to me again why the second South-East gate is still standing!?" With a shaky voice and a nervous look, the man before him complied. "Milord, we sent 1 thousand of our men to the gate just as you ordered and when they returned only 476 remained, most of which reported of a ''Demon'' that protected the wall." Furrowing his brow, Galenwelth motioned for the man to continue while wiping pieces of cup from his hand. "When I questioned them further, the surviving Captain said that one men alone kept them from breaching the already badly damaged gate. At first they didn''t really think he was too much, neither built with an inhuman frame nor giving off a strong aura but no matter how much they wounded him and no matter the amount he bled, he just wouldn''t die and instead slaughtered our men by the dozen. In the end they were forced to retreat after seeing that he even healed in a matter of seconds." Frowning deeply after hearing the full report, Galenwelth remained silent for a while. This sure was an unusual turn of events but he was well aware that his Soldiers wouldn''t dare lie to him so there really was a ''Demon'' that protected the second South-East gate. Was his source from inside the Stronghold trying to wipe out his men? Unsure what was really going on behind the scenes anymore and unable to fully trust the unreliable source, Galenwelth had no other choice but to get rid of this obstacle. "Inform all Captains that I will personally lead the charge against the second South-East gate tomorrow. We already wasted enough time and men here. Prepare the War-beasts and tell him that that we are going to need his help tomorrow. It is time that we take back what is ours!" With a thunderous voice he quickly gave the orders and his Soldiers showed a relieved smile after hearing that the War-beasts would finally be put to use. After a short glance to the spilled wine on the ground when he broke his cup in anger earlier, Galenwelth once again asked for another and stared at the star filled sky above him. This war would now finally conclude with tomorrow''s battle and he would make sure to not let a single Asurian scum live to tell the tale. With a sinister light in his eyes and his blood boiling with the desire to slaughter his enemies, Galenwelth, Commander of the first Sarachec Army mentally vowed to use every resource available for him to win this war. ¡­.. After returning to Azalon, Makoto immediately went to look for Sharon. It only took a few minutes before he was once again reunited with his girlfriend and just like she had told him over the phone, he could no longer notice any fear in her eyes or actions. To his own surprise she even immediately wrapped her arms around him and kissed him without any restraint, much to the awe of the surrounding soldiers that were currently busy with forming ranks and readying their gear to once again protect the Stronghold. Unwilling to part from these heavenly lips he also put his arms around her and dragged Sharon into a tight embrace while playing with her tongue. Licking his own lips once after parting from her, Makoto could clearly see the hungry look in her eyes and also the love that bloomed on her face once again when she looked at him. "So everything is alright again?" He asked with a crooked smile, already knowing the answer to his question. Without even saying anything she just hugged his arm and accompanied him to the rest of his Squad. The moment he approached them he could see the same fanatic look in their eyes as Squad 40 looked at him with an idolizing awe. His own gaze flew over them once to make sure that everything was going its normal way and halted after spotting Lilliana. She had a complicated expression on her face and the look she gave him seemed to be somewhat longing which once again made him feel unconfortable. Glancing to his right, Makoto could see that his girlfriend was also looking at the smaller girl and the way Sharon stared at her was enough to terrify him. Thankfully she only looked and didn¡¯t take any action even though she was well aware what the other had done. Sighing deeply at the incredible tension between the two girls he once again faced his Squad which at this point had formed into rows before him, only awaiting his orders now. "This will be our third day of defense, when we reach the gate today I want most of you to help reinforce it once again as it seems to me that it will not hold in a situation similar to yesterday''s. Our main objective is to make sure that no one gets through, no matter what!" He could see nodding all around and with a smile turned around. "Squad 40, move out!" With hasted steps and Sharon still sticking to his side, Makoto and the rest of his troops quickly reached the second South-East gate. Just like he said, most of the men immediately went to work and started to use the surrounding wood as a material. After about 2 hours the barricade looked even sturdier and a few dents in the iron gate had also been fixed. That was around the time that the Sarachec army once again appeared on the horizon and Makoto watched the mass of enemies with furrowed brows. He was currently standing on the wall and surveying everything until he noticed a change. Just like before a mass of enemies split from the main force and rushed towards him but it was different this time. Instead of a small part breaking away, nearly a third of the entire enemy force slowly but surely broke away and seemed to be coming his way. Another Soldier from his Squad also witnessed this spectacle and immediately looked at Makoto with wide eyes. "Captain, what should we do!?" His mind racing for an answer and well aware that the surrounding men were clearly alerted by the frightened shout from one of their own, Makoto immediately made his decision and turned around to the men that were still working on reinforcing the gate. "All of you! Immediately return to the First South-East gate and warn the other gates along the wall, the second South-East gate has fallen! More than 10 thousand are going to destroy this gate in a few minutes so make sure that this message reaches them before the enemy does! After delivering the message about their number and that we couldn''t hold them quickly return to the First South-East gate, all of our lives depend on this!" It took them a while to process this new order but soon they hurriedly stood up and talked to each other to decide who went where. After only half a minute, more than two thirds of his Squad had disappeared without a trace in an attempt to warn the other gates. Turning to the rest of his Squad that still remained on the wall with him, he could clearly see the nervous look in all of their eyes as they stared at him, waiting for his orders. "The rest of you follow me to the First South-East gate. Farabello, send out a flare to warn our allies once again that the gate has fallen." Nodding once the little Mage immediately started to chant a few words while his Soldiers descended the wall with quick steps. "Quick, hurry!" "To the first gate!" The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. His Soldiers shouted in an attempt to once again hurry their comrades to haste as Makoto together with Farabello and the rest of his party came in last while occasionally looking back at the disappearing second gate behind them. After a few minutes of running they could hear an incredibly loud bang, similar to an explosion behind them, followed by the roaring and cries of Sarachec Soldiers. "They have breached the gate!" One of his Soldiers shouted and Makoto just like so many others shot another glance over his shoulder. Most of the pathways to and from a gate had been blocked on purpose so that if one gate of the second wall was breached all the others would not fall as well. The problem with this was that the actual way back to the first gate snaked around in narrow hallways and alleyways which made retreating in a quick fashion nearly impossible. After another 3 minutes of absolute terror his Squad finally reached the first gate were a few others of Squad 40 were already waiting for them with worried expressions. "Quickly, close the gate!" Makoto shouted after rushing through and a Captain of another Squad approached him right away with a grim expression while his Soldiers helped in quickly closing and barricading the iron gate. He had seen this man before and judging from the Silver cross on his Chest he was also a noble from Asuria. With a nasal voice that was full of disdain and head held high the other Captain spoke. "As expected from a former commoner, the second gate fell in such a short time and you call yourself a noble of our wonderful Asuria? Shame on you!" Unwilling to even bother with an idiot like him, Makoto quickly turned around and gave his Squad a few more orders which angered the arrogant Captain behind him immensely. "I demand that you listen to me when I grace you with a few words you peasant!" Putting one hand on his shoulder the man tried to turn Makoto around with force but found out to his surprise that it felt like he was trying to move a 10 foot boulder with just one hand. Clearly pissed off, Makoto finally turned around and slapped the other Captain once to finally get him to shut up. "Listen here pipsqueak and let me tell you this only once, there is about 10 thousand Sarachec Soldiers coming this way so if you don''t stop showing off your title as a noble right now I will throw you their way first things first, you get me?" Clearly stunned by his words the other man just looked at him with an open mouth and Makoto turned around to give a few more orders to make sure that his Squad would survive this calamity as best as possible. Facing the baffled Captain behind him once again, Makoto rattled a bunch of orders his way, uncaring for rank or any attitude in the current crisis. "Get your archers on the wall and the rest of your men to help reinforce this gate. Next up, send word to our resting Soldiers and to the other gates for reinforcements and do so fast, we won''t be able to hold it long without them even if the walls are higher and the gate sturdier. Tell them that we are facing once third of the enemy army and make sure to get as many as possible. After that I want you to inform Captain Fafnir and Commander Bharfas that the enemy Commander is probably also with them as a decisive move like this has to be coordinated on the battlefield itself. If not the enemy Commander then there is someone else with a lot of power and influence within this major force so it amounts to the same thing in the end." Still staring with an open mouth at him, the man seemed to be in a daze that someone dared to talk with him this way and only Makoto''s next action forced him to close it. With a mighty slap on the same cheek as before he sent the other Captain sprawling on the floor and glared at him with crimson eyes. "Move it Soldier or do you want me to throw you over the wall head first? This is an emergency and if we don''t hold this gate we are all doomed so move your ass and do as I say!" "Y-Yes!" Any attitude or arrogance had been blown away after facing the harsh reality of death in the next minutes so the other Captain did as he was told and put Makoto''s orders through while still holding his hurting cheek. "The rest of you come with me." He said to the archers and is own party as he also ascended the wall of the first gate that was indeed a lot sturdier and higher than the previous one. Fear was written on every face that they passed and only after crossing the last step and looking down did he really see what they had to face in the next few minutes. More than 10 thousand Soldiers slowly but surely made their way through the snaking path that lead to the first gate. Most of them wore the normal uniform of Sarachec Soldiers but that was seemingly not all of them as Makoto saw a group of bare chested muscular men with fur growing all over their bodies appear at one point and he asked Farabello who they could be. "As far as I know Sarachec Soldiers all wear the same uniform like we do so if you saw a few other groups then the enemy Commander must have recruited them as mercenaries to bulk up his army. This could be either good or bad as most mercenaries only know how to fight monsters and not other people but if they are from a prestigious house then they are many times stronger and more experienced than even our best Soldiers... Let us hope it is not the latter for all of our wellbeing." Makoto silently agreed and once again looked at the endless rows of tightly packed men in armor beneath him. Soon enough the other Captain returned and gave his report. "I told my men to help reinforce the wall and it should hold for a while even if they use a battering ram. Messages have been sent to Bharfas and Fafnir, both are saying that they will immediately send reinforcements and Bharfas is also one the way to personally help. 256 Soldiers from other gates have already arrived and more are still coming" Nodding once after giving him a small thank you for the detailed report he spoke again. "Tell me, how many men do we currently have to defend the gate?" "As of right now that would be a little more than 800, Sir." Makoto remained silent for a moment before dismissing the man but he surprisingly still remained at his side so he just decided to ignore him for now. "800 against 10 thousand... they really don''t pay enough for risking your own hide like this..." He muttered in a low voice, staring at the sheer endless amount of enemy Soldiers. Sharon glanced at him worriedly and held his hand tight which he answered by showing her a reassuring smile. After one more minute all of the archers around him were in position and waited for Makoto''s orders, a few of them were his own and he could still see a fanatic light in their eyes which greatly disturbed him. He would have to organize a long talk with Squad 40 when this was over... Silence fell around them and only the occasional shout or hammering from below could be heard. After a few more minutes he could finally hear them. A rumble went through everyone when they felt the thousands and thousands of footsteps that shook the earth itself. "Archers, aim for the street!" Lifting his arm, Makoto waited, his eyes stuck to the last bend of the street that lead to the first gate. Soon enough he could see silhouettes eagerly running around the corner and he was more than willing to give them a big welcome. "Fire!" Together with his arm that fell down, more than a hundred arrows instantly shot towards the first few Sarachec Soldiers that spilled forth on the street, igniting the flames of the final and decisive battle... ----- Hope you enjoyed! Gonna work on the next Chapter later today and will comment below when it will be out. I am well aware that there is still a lot unanswered with the relationships and what is going to happen with the harem but it has not been forgotten, only postponed to give you some more action. :P If you got any questions or thoughts just comment below. ^^ Chapter 60: Full Fledged Battle Thank you D Wind for donating! Really appreciate it! Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Pretty long Chapter and it was amazing to write so I hope you also enjoy as we once again delve into madness! ----- Chapter 60: Full Fledged Battle Like the cry of a hundred different birds, arrows flew through the air, lodging themselves into the bodies of unsuspecting men in only a moments notice. Screams of pain filled the air and his Soldiers drew back their bows, arrows nocked and ready. Makoto''s arm fell down a second time as his gaze showed cold determination and the cries of the birds of death once again filled the air. The next salvo was soon enough met with iron shields from the Sarachec Soldiers and an animalistic howl of carnage flew his way as he felt the killing intent from the enemy army on his skin. After quickly turning around to the other men on the wall and seeing every gaze lying on him he opened his mouth while already descending the stairs. "Keep shooting until your quivers are empty and protect the wall at all costs." Immediately each and every one of the Archers replied with a "Yes Sir!" And continued to rain down hell on their hated enemy. The other Captain quickly followed Makoto as he returned to the plaza below and examined the work of his other men who had indeed built a mighty barricade in only a few minutes and were still improving and reinforcing it. Would this be able to hold against a force of over 10 thousand? It was unlikely, Makoto was fully aware of this fact but he still hoped that it would be enough to at least delay them until more reinforcements arrived or even Bharfas who was a lot more experienced than him in warfare turned up. He himself only took command of the entire situation because there didn''t seem to be anyone capable around that could get them through this predicament. With a grim expression on his face he once again ascended the stairs leading atop the wall and he could quickly see that the picture below had changed from a reckless charge to a slow but steady advance. Shield bearers had appeared at the frontlines who were now more valuable than ever before in the Sarachec army as they were the only reason that the situation had not turned in a scene from hell with dead bodies littering the street. Only a few arrows made it past the gigantic square shields and even less actually penetrated the hard steel. With a nasty expression he told his Archers to stop shooting and instead looked at Lilliana and the other few mages on the wall. "Light em up!" Without any further command each and every single one of them casted fire magic which showed its true devastating effect soon enough. Bunched together in a narrow street that was only wide enough for 10 or so men to stand shoulder to shoulder, fire magic with its small range flourished like never before. Dozens of Sarachec soldiers got enveloped by flame snakes or flew through the air from fiery explosions, utterly decimating the before tight ranks. Faced with a hellfire that rained on them from above the 10 thousand Soldiers finally stopped advancing and instead kept their distance but this allowed Makoto''s archers to once again rain a volley on their heads. Stuck between a rock and a hard place while being fully aware that no matter what they did, many would die in the process, the enemy army once again retreated back, out of the range of even Sharon who was by far the strongest archer on the wall. "Archers, restock on arrows, Mages refill your Mana as best as you can. This is not the last time that we have seen them." Makoto fully believed that the short time of repreive would indeed only be short. Aided by this narrow and only way to the gate together with their simple strategy to switch between Magic and long ranged arrows it would only help them stall for the time being. No matter how loyal the Soldiers were, only a select few were loyal to the point of storming against an enemy that would surely kill them. This was more of a psychological strategy than anything else as the Mages would be unable to use their magic after only a minute or two and arrows were also a finite resource in times of war. But who would really want to be the cannon fodder used to empty the enemies reserves? This kind of strategy was quite efficient at stopping forward approaches right away as even the enemy Soldiers would turn against their Commander if ordered to charge into their certain doom and this also only worked in unique situations were the enemy had no other choice of approach. Still, would that really be all until nightfall? He saw it as unlikely as any Commander would have at least one or two aces up his sleeve to deal with a psychological strategy like this. The easiest way would be to bring up the moral of his men to a point were they would be willing to throw their lives away and this kind of fanatic behavior was also what Makoto feared the most. Just like you always hear in stories, if pushed to a certain limit the human body was able to do the most incredible things and the trigger was always reaching a cornered state of mind were you had no other way out but to push through. After half an hour of quiet he once again checked below and was for a moment stunned by the gigantic change that had taken place. Not only had the iron door been reinforced by more iron bars and wood but his men had also prepared the surrounding area in case that the gate or wall fell. Wooden spikes, nasty traps and makeshift walls had been erected in a very short time. It is as they say, necessity is the mother of all creation. "Good work." He commented to the surrounding men in armor that looked at him with a tired but proud face. "I really hope we won''t need this kind of preparation but it can never be bad to have it. Any word from Commander Bharfas yet?" He asked one of his trusted Soldiers from Squad 40 who was called Jackson. "No Sir, the only thing I know is that he said he would come here personally to assist us but that was over half an hour ago. It should have taken him 5 minutes at most to come to the first South-East gate so my guess is that another gate is also in a dire situation similar to ours." Nodding once Makoto silently cursed his bad luck but at the same time had to admire the genius move. If they pressed at two fronts like this for an extended period of time, the egg would soon enough crack. The Stronghold in itself was able to easily repel any and all attacks without problem but that heavily hinged on having the same amount of defenders as the attackers. As far as Makoto knew, there was not even 10 thousand men defending but there was 30 thousand enemy Soldiers. Sure, with the support of walls and having the height advantage they should still be able to defend it easily but Kernim was a gigantic castle with many gates. If the enemy attacked two gates heavily and forced them to use nearly all their men to defend only these two points of interest, then a small force would surely open another gate during the battle. This meant that they couldn''t abandon the other gates no matter what and even had to leave quite a high number of soldiers stationed there which in turn made it even more difficult to defend the two focused gates. Grinding his teeth in anger with his mind racing for a possible answer to this dangerous situation, Makoto''s thoughts were interrupted by a loud shout from one of his men on the wall. With quick steps he once again ascended the narrow staircase, the other Captain still sticking close behind him. "What is it?" He quickly asked, unsure what the problem was as even before they just kept on attacking without his instructions whenever an enemy appeared. Without saying anything together with a sickly pale face the Archer simply pointed down on the street below and Makoto''s gaze instantly fixated on whatever it was that he wanted him to see. It didn''t take long for him to understand. Countless shadows with a size of 10 foot high quickly ran towards the gate, evading any and all arrows or fireballs that flew their way and ascended the wall with an insane tempo. Stunned after witnessing them climb this 80 foot high monster of a wall without losing too much speed or falling off he quickly put his hand on his sword and unsheathed it while letting out a loud roar. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Prepare for melee combat!" Immediately, half of the men on the wall dropped their bows and instead also took their respective weapons for close quarter encounters to hand. The rest of the Archers and Mages immediately fell back from the edge of the wall and Makoto as well as the other melee combatants stood at the front to welcome these strange shadows first. They didn''t have to wait long as a dozen or so of them shot up in the air with a low growl only to then tower above each any every one of them with frenzied expressions and completely black eyes.
Mad War-Beast: Elite Monster lvl 31
Just reading the letters above its head sent a shiver down his spine and he was not the only one. The War-Beasts looked like a failed attempt of creating a Frankenstein Chimera. Each and every one of them was originally from different species of monster with extra appendages or muscles roughly attached to their body while their original appearance was incredibly hard to even make out anymore. Something that seemed to have been a simple giant snake possessed four limbs that seemed to all come from different monsters as all kinds of colored scales or fur appeared on random parts of these patch work bodies, held together by rusted nails or iron clips. It was obvious that some kind of magic was used to keep everything from falling apart but how they could move so fast with these strange bodies was far beyond Makoto and he also didn''t have the time to ponder about this either as a Boar-Lion hybrid tried to bite his head off in a moments notice. With a quick step to the side Makoto was able to evade the attack and instead rammed his sword into the monsters body as it passed him. A pleasing scream of pain reached his ears and guts as well as blood spilled on the wall from the belly of the disfigured monster. Even its intestines seemed to be put together from different kinds of monster as he could clearly see at least two gigantic hearts and three livers spilling out on the ground together with a disgusting stench that one would only associate with rotten bodies. "Necromancy, could that be it?" He pondered loudly while evading yet another attack from the frenzied beast. Something which also disturbed Makoto in this fight was that even though the beast howled in pain when he attacked it, its HP bar was not lowered by much and neither did its movements slow down even after losing large parts of his inner intestines. His ''Curse Blade'' Skill was able to inflict a few random status effects like ''Slow'' or ''Cripple'' but for some reason they would only last for a few seconds and afflicting ''Bleed'' was completely impossible too. This once again confirmed his suspicion that there was some form of Necromancy at work here but even Zombies could be slowed so why was it that the status effect just disappeared with them? Unable to solve this rather strange riddle and forced to put his entire attention on killing this one abomination he quickly glanced to his right and left and what he saw was not good at all. Makoto was currently fighting one of the 15 War-Beasts that had ascended the wall but unlike him, his men had real problems with them as they were a lot less agile and most of their strikes did little to nothing to the undying atrocities. Already he could see a good dozen or so Soldiers lying on the ground, either dead or dying while Sanja tried her best to heal them before their health was too low. Seeing this Cleric really in action for the first time and watching the holy light that descended on so many different wounded Soldiers, Makoto had an idea how to possibly deal with these monsters that even he could not kill in a quick fashion. "Sanja, use your Heal on one of these undead freaks!" She naturally heard his words and stared at him with a confused expression until it clicked and with a shout that seemed to silence everything else she pointed her Coral staff on one of the monsters in her proximity. "Light of Heaven!" Following a buzz that rang in everyone''s ear, she had used a holy type of attack that could also be used as a great heal for allies and the clouds above them broke apart as a blinding light enveloped the Snake-Tiger hybrid. With a blood curdling scream from the War-Beast, Makoto watched a great chunk of its health disappear each second until it had nearly lost 2 thirds of its health with this one attack from a Cleric that specialized in healing and not attacking. After seeing her great success Sanja showed a beaming smile and quickly used the attack on each and every Monster to make the battle easier for her allies and it really was a great help as it not only hurt the monsters but also slowed them down tremendously for a good period of time. After putting his entire weight into the attack and hitting the muscular neck of the Boar-Lion, Makoto lopped its gigantic head off and the monster finally stopped moving and soon enough disappeared in a cloud of light particles. After finally disposing of his own enemy he helped in defeating the others and finally took a few steps back to look at his men. They were tired but only a few had really died during this tough battle which was good as they still would need to defend the ga- Right away his mind halted as he realized something and with a panicked expression he looked below, only confirming his fears. How could he not have thought of it? Was he too enticed in the battle that he had completely forgotten their current situation?! The War-Beasts had only been meant to distract the men standing on top of the wall while the rest of the Sarachec army approached the gate, without even receiving a single scratch and worked on breaking through the iron gate. This short battle with the War-Beasts had only lasted a few minutes but it was enough for a disaster to happen as Makoto could feel the wall tremble each time the battering ram nocked the gate further down. "Archers and Mages, concentrate your fire on the gate! All Warriors come with me, they will break through any second now!" Everyone present had the same terrified expression as him but they quickly did as they were told and a barrage of Arrows and Magic descended on the Soldiers below. Practically flying down the stairs, Makoto reached the bottom in record time and Jackson and the others from Squad 40 were already in position, their eyes shining with incredible determination. Only 30 seconds later the First South-East gate could no longer support the constant damage and broke down with an ear piercing noise. Silence followed for a short two breaths before hordes of Sarachec Soldiers spilled forth with mad shouting and roaring that was directed towards Makoto and his men. The crimson light in his eyes increased just like it had many times before but he was not the only one as he noticed every Soldier from Squad 40 showing a savage red emerging in their eyes. His emotions had been in a turmoil the entire time and only now did everything calm down as he faced imminent death. With a wicked smile blossoming on his face and no longer caring for anything else he casually walked forward while rallying his men. "Don''t let a single Sarachec dog past! Slaughter and kill them until they know their goddamn place!" Following his roar Squad 40 walked just like Makoto in a casual manner towards the ever increasing number of enemy Soldiers, their bodies emanating an incredible killing intent and each and every one of them had the same savage smile as well as crimson light in their eyes. His lips parted and moved on their own, accompanied by an even deeper voice that didn''t seem to be his anymore and Makoto could feel the beast inside of him slowly take over. "Brothers, death may follow but let us show these dogs what it means to piss on the wrong tree. United by Blood we stand!" And with the same bestial roar escaping the throats of his men, they started to run without any care for defending, only filled with the desire to let their enemies bleed and scream in agony... ----- And there we have it, battle should conclude either next Chapter or the one after. Hope you are already just as excited as I am and if you got any questions, comment below like always. :P United by Blood we stand!!! >:3 *raises cookies* Chapter 61: Overwhelmed Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Now this is what I call tension! ----- Chapter 61: Overwhelmed Even though he could feel the Beast affecting his actions he still kept a calm mind and immediately used ''Memories of Carnage'' to give his men a little boost in damage with the following battle. The first clash alone nearly knocked him off his feet. With so many enemies constantly spilling through the destroyed gate in only these first few seconds, Makoto and the 800 defenders were already faced with over 2 thousand Sarachec Soldiers. It wasn''t just that 3 different men used their weapons to attack him but on top of that, one of them even tackled him, seemingly without care for his own life and knocked the air out of Makoto''s lungs while also pushing him back a dozen or so feet. Simply put, the entire battle was one brutal clusterfuck. Even with the makeshift traps and walls, all of it paled in comparison to the high number of enemies that flew their way. Makoto soon enough lost vision of his men and found himself surrounded by hundreds of enemy Soldiers while swinging his sword around with an amazing speed. Blocking, slashing, evading, kicking, piercing. This went on to a point where he lost track of time and only felt his aching body while new wounds constantly appeared all over and fatigue started to slow down his attacks. There was not even a second to breathe as attacks rained down upon him from all sides and he tried his best to fight back. ''Blood Rush'' was already nearly constantly activated to give him that little bit of movement and attack speed that could help him evade a possible lethal hit from an enemy. Sarachec blood rained down on him from all sides as he cut necks with a terrifying accuracy and with a roar, Makoto finally broke free of the encirclement that had already trapped him for more than 15 minutes. He had used each and every one of his Skills to the best of his ability but after using ''Curse Blade'' so many times he no longer had the mana to support any active skills except ''Blood Rush''. Glancing over the chaos all around after having a second of reprieve he finally spotted his Party and the rest of his men defending the path to the inner works of the city. The wall had been abandoned without a second thought after the gate was broken through and the survivors had grouped up to keep these 10 thousand enemy Soldiers from completely taking over the Stronghold. Only a few individuals like Makoto were fighting between the masses and he could see that one of his Squad 40 members was in a rather dire situation. With quick steps he jumped past a battle axe and spear that tried to take his head and made his way to the nearest survivor that was still fighting for his dear life. After decapitating a lanky spear wielding Sarachec wolf-man he finally arrived before the blood stained member of his Squad. "Jackson?!" Surprised to see the loyal man still alive and so deep in the enemy masses after all this time, Makoto quickly put his back against his and warded off a few attacks while listening to Jackson''s words. "Captain, I finally found you! I have been trying to get to you for the past 10 minutes but these guys really made it quite difficult. We are falling back and I was told to bring you to Commander Bharfas!" With glowing red eyes the man cut an enemy''s arm off with a quick sword stroke and grinned a devilish smile after hearing the agonizing howl that followed. "So the old man finally made it after nearly an hour?! About damn time! Alright, lets make our way back. I get the feeling we aren''t too welcome here." Makoto jokingly said with a laugh while dodging past a dagger and ramming his sword into the body of the assailant. Jackson also let out an evil laugh while both of them practically hacking their way back through the sheer endless masses of enemies. On their slow journey they found 3 more Squad 40 members that had been in similar situations as Jackson and their 5 man group of battle hardened and crimson eyed Soldiers finally reunited with the surviving Asurian Soldiers that were constantly pushed back. "Makoto!" This single scream from a familiar voice got his attention and with a quick look he saw Sharon with a deep gash on one arm making her way through the tight ranks. While Jackson and the other 3 made sure to protect his back he reunited with Sharon and gave her a quick hug, not caring about the surrounding mayhem anymore and just glad to see her still alive. Even if it was just a game, the thought of seeing her dead body was not something he would ever want to witness. "I really thought you died back there..." She said with a trembling voice while looking in his eyes and once again putting her arms around him. It was clear that unlike the last battle where he was surrounded by enemies but still visibly stood his ground, after witnessing nearly 10 times the amount of enemy Soldiers spilling through the broken gate and losing vision of him, Sharon immediately assumed the worst. Even now his health only slowly crawled back above 50% as he had suffered quite a few status effects that nearly cost him his life many times over. After noticing Lilliana and Sanja squeezing their way through the ranks, also with the same relieved expression on their faces as Sharon after seeing him he no longer cared for any past incidents and walked up to them. Makoto immediately pulled the two girls in a tight but short hug and with a laugh spoke. "It''s good to see that you both made it down from the wall." Sanja only showed him a warm smile as a response, no longer was there a trace of fear in her eyes either, and returned the hug. Lilliana on the other hand couldn''t help but glance towards Sharon who stood at the sideline and was watching them. In the end she also returned the hug with slightly flushed cheeks and couldn''t help but hug him a bit longer than necessary. Makoto was naturally aware that his actions could be misunderstood but really, he was just glad that no one from his party had died in the absolute chaos that was still going strong. After returning to Sharon''s side he grabbed her hand and held it tight while she only showed a small but happy smile before focusing on more pressing matters. Makoto, the rest of Squad 40 and his party made their way through the ranks and alongside the line of defense while heading in the direction where the most action took place, that was also where Commander Bharfas incidentally was. Even now the entire Asurian defense line was constantly being pushed back as their number was just too small and they only had a few healers, Sanja included. "Commander Bharfas!" Makoto finally called out after seeing the middle aged men decapitating 2 enemies with one sword stroke and heavily wounding another. "You damn brat, I called for you nearly 20 minutes ago and only now do you actually show up! If we all get through this I swear by the Divines that I am going to drag you by your ear to the King and tell him about your punctuality!" Even though the words he said were rather harsh, Makoto could still see the relieved smile on the Commander''s face when he looked at him and decided to just think of it as good old military ''Glad to see you back, Soldier'' line. While unsheathing his sword once again and deflecting an enemy blade that would have ruptured his gut, he stood beside Bharfas on the frontline and did his best to kill as many enemy Soldiers as he could. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "Why did you send for me Commander? Could it be that these guys are a bit much for you to handle after so many years of service?" He casually asked with a vicious smile while once again cutting apart flesh with each of his attacks Bharfas looked at him with a surprised expression before laughing and once again decapitating a man with one of his attacks. "You cheeky brat, are you calling me too old for this?! I could do this all day and no my reason for calling for you was not to help me defend against these small fries, I want you to bring your men into the inner city and inform Falknir that we need his help and the help of his men in the battle. Tell him to get his ass down here and fight for his country and if that is not enough than at least for the whore that always keeps his bed warm at night! The reason I am sending you with your Squad is because I fear that this is not the only gate that is under attack and one of them might have already been breached but if this continues then we really will have a problem here so tell him that the first South-East gate will fall soon enough if we don''t get more reinforcements! Understood?!" After kicking against the chest of a muscle packed monster of a man to get some space he quickly saluted and responded. "Crystal clear, Commander!" "Good, and now get your ass moving Soldier or I will skin you alive!" Swallowing once at the threat he quickly gathered his party and Squad and made his way into the inner Stronghold. He very much believed the Commander to be capable of the threat and glancing over his shoulder he once again felt a shudder down his back after reading the letters above the man''s head.
Asuria Commander of the 5th Platoon Bharfas: Elite NPC Boss lvl 53
Normally NPC''s, just like players, only showed their level during combat but seeing the big gap of over 25 levels still shocked Makoto, considering he could kill an enemy Soldier with ease. Even if he used his entire Squad and party to support him, Makoto was still unsure if they would be able to kill this monster of a Commander. The end result of gathering his entire Squad was quite shocking as he still possessed nearly 70 able men even after recklessly charging into the enemy masses when the first gate fell. It could be said that it once again showed the big difference that his stat ''Authority'' made when leading his men into combat as it increased all of their stats by 11% which was indeed quite a lot. Sanja used one of her Skills and buffed them all with increased movement speed as long as they didn''t enter combat and they quickly ran into the Stronghold and towards the Barracks. The entire place was deserted and not a single soul could be seen anywhere. Knight Captain Falknir was no where to be seen either even though he was supposed to have his headquarters at the Barracks so that in case of emergency anyone would be able to find him. Unsure what to do now, Makoto thought that Falknir might be helping in defending another gate but even though he could clearly see many Asurian Soldiers fighting, there was no one except their respective Captains leading them in any way. The clock was ticking and Bharfas dearly needed reinforcements to hold his ground as he simply couldn''t kill them all on his own so Makoto gave up on searching for Falknir and instead talked with each and every Captain that was defending the gates and explained the situation. After hearing just how bad it was going at the South-East gate and unwilling to be cornered by two sides, most of the Captains willingly ordered a good amount of Soldiers to follow Makoto''s lead. After only 10 minutes he had acquired nearly 1.5 thousand men and Sanja once more buffed them all to return to the South-East gate as quickly as possible. They had only been gone for a bit more than 10 minutes but Bharfas and his men had been forced back over a hundred feet and their number had also visibly declined. "Hey brat! Where the hell is Falknir!?" The Commander asked after noticing Makoto''s return and the big amount of Soldiers that helped him reinforce the line of defense. With a rather grim expression he quickly explained that he had been unable to find Falknir anywhere and voiced his suspicion. "Could it be that he abandoned the Stronghold to save his skin after getting the report that the South-East gate was not doing well?" Bharfas naturally wanted to protest against these accusations against a loyal Knight Captain of Asuria but fact was that he seemingly was nowhere to be found. "Are you sure you looked everywhere for him?" "Well not everywhere but he definitely was not at the Barracks or any of the gates, I had no time to look in the entire Stronghold but didn''t he say that he would stay at the Barracks no mater what so we could always report back to him without fail?" Unable to retort to this sound logic a dark expression clouded the Commander''s face and he sighed deeply before facing the battle before them once again. "I will make sure to get to the bottom of this but we first of all have to make it out of here alive and we also sure as hell can not allow them to get any further!" With an angry growl Bharfas pushed a fellow Soldier to the side and used both his hands to swing his sword for the first time while a gust of air pushed everyone in the vicinity away. "You goddamn dogs don''t know when to stop barking do you?! Cyclone Slash!" Followed by a mighty roar, wind seemingly exploded into every direction as the Commander''s sword hit the stone ground at his feet and with a thunderous tremor, over a hundred Sarachec Soldiers that where clustered before him went flying into the air only to get impaled on their comrades weapons when they fell from the sky again. The entire battle stopped for a second as both sides were stunned at this overwhelming display of strength and many Sarachec Soldiers took a few fearful steps back as to not receive an attack of the same fashion. Even Makoto was shocked to see this inhuman display. Sure it might be possible as this was a game but because it looked just like real life one couldn''t help but be stunned after seeing something like this. Glaring at the trembling men before him, Bharfas stood his ground and deep disdain was visible on his face. "You guys really don''t know who you are messing with do you?!" "Oh I think I do!" A voice retorted and a muscular, middle aged man with grey hair and animal ears stepped out between the ranks of the Sarachec Soldiers, a gigantic glaive shouldered as he casually strode towards Bharfas and only stopped 10 feet away from the Commander. Just seeing the letters above this imposing enemy was enough to fill Makoto with fear.
Sarachec Commander of the 1st Army Galenwelth: Elite NPC Boss lvl 55
----- The Battle of the Commanders! Find out what happens in the next episode of Dragon Ball Z- I mean Azalon. XD Hope you guys are all hyped and I will try to post it tomorrow as to not keep you waiting too long! For Asuria!!! Chapter 62: Might of a Commander Thank you very much Sagron for donating! Really appreciate it bro! Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Many things are revealed this Chapter and many things also conclude so I hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 62: Might of a Commander Showing an ugly frown, Bharfas looked into the other man''s eyes for a long time before spitting before his feet with utter disgust visible on his face. "Well look who it is, Galenwelth the dog of Sarachec. Since when did your Masters allow you to walk on two legs instead of four?" These words alone, filled with so much malice that it physically hurt, made nearly all of the Asurian Soldiers go ghostly pale. Many had the same thought. Was it really a good idea to anger the enemy Commander when they were already fighting for their very lives to protect the path into the Stronghold? Seemingly completely unfazed by the harsh words, Galenwelth only showed a small smile before responding with a deep and rumbling voice. "I see you are still as sharp tongued and full of hate for my race as before, and here I thought old age would make a fool grow wise. Must be really frustrating to know that you are still weaker than this ''dog'' after all this time." Both Commanders showed a small smile on their faces while exchanging words but their eyes had already turned blood red and an immense killing intent was washing over their respective men behind them. "Do you really think level is everything? Unlike you I trained my Skills and perfected them over the years instead of mindlessly trying to only increase my level you stinking mutt." Bharfas responded with a frosty voice as sharp winds howled around him although no one could even feel a breeze in the air. "And still I am stronger and probably more skilled too as I actually perfected mine in battle and not with a wooden training pole, too scared to face real dangers like a certain someone." Galenwelth still showed the same smile and his voice had a happy tone but his eyes spoke a different language. Gripping the glaive on his shoulder with as much strength as he could he slowly got into a fighting style as did Bharfas, murder seeping out from them in cold and chilling waves. Without even having to be asked to, both Sarachec and Asurian forces took big steps back and formed a ring around the Commanders, no one daring to even breath loudly while staring at the inevitable fight that would conclude the siege in one last battle. "Have you already said your farewells to your wife and children old fool?" Galenwelth asked and Bharfas only snorted once before responding. "I would ask the same but I don''t think the 12 year old girl in your tent would count as a ''wife''." Clearly feeling the words, the Sarachec Commander''s smile finally vanished and with a short movement he instantly appeared before Bharfas. Not even giving him time to say anything else the gigantic glaive in his hands swung in a wide arc, the air itself trembled from the power behind the blow before finally hitting against the blade of a sword. Cracks formed in the black stone beneath Bharfas'' feet as he took the attack without any problem and counterattacked by rotating his sharp sword many times until it looked like his arm would pop out of his shoulder. Together with the strong and bizarre rotation, immense winds suddenly appeared out of nowhere and with a low shout he smashed his blade against the glaive which had changed to a defensive position in the blink of an eye. "Storm Edge!" Together with the shout, a translucent wave went through the glaive and everyone behind the Sarachec commander, knocking over 1 thousand Soldiers in one swoop and some of the ones at the front even spat out a mouthful of blood while holding their stomach. This clearly was an incredibly high leveled Skill and even though it was being deflected and 90% had been directed at the enemy Commander, 10% was enough to get over a thousand Soldiers out of commission for a few minutes. Monster. This one word echoed in each and everyone''s mind as they watched the battle unfold. It had to be mentioned that unlike his soldiers, Galanewelth had not taken any damage from the attack, although he had clearly received the brunt of it all. Once again the difference between a normal Soldier and an ''Elite NPC Boss'' had been outlined with this short but incredible exchange. Makoto''s blood was boiling in his veins and the beast inside of him for once stayed just as stunned as him while he watched this incredible battle between the elites that would never be possible in Real Life. Soon enough the two men were circling each other with measured steps and gauging eyes. No longer was there any trace of taking it easy or showing off, both clearly felt the danger coming from the other and were on high alert. With a quick and aggressive step, Bharfas traveled nearly 10 feet and once again the wind itself seemed to lend him strength. "Demon Scythe!" A thunderous roar exploded from the Commander''s slash and a visible translucent current flew towards Galenwelth who quickly used his glaive to block the attack. Unable to endure it as easily as last time he retreated a few steps back and a deep gash was visible on his chest. The man himself seemed to be surprised about the wound and with a snarl for the first time put both of his hands on the handle of his weapon. It must be noted that until now he had swung it around with just one hand which was quite ridiculous in itself as the thing was nearly 7 feet long and easily weighed over a hundred pounds. Anyone who is rather involved in weapons will be able to tell you that the difference of using 1 hand or 2 was gigantic. Strength and technique could both be pushed to the utter limit when using two hands and this only showed that the enemy lvl 55 Commander was finally getting serious. Accompanied by his deep voice, a sudden heatwave clashed against Makoto who was standing not too far away from the enemy Commander and he had to cover half of his face to follow what happened next. A bright blue flame, in the same translucent manner that he had seen before with the Commander appeared on Galenwelth''s glaive. "Skyfire Howl!" His weapon completely covered in the bright blue flame, Galenwelth lashed out only once with it but that was appearently enough as a stream of flame shot towards Bharfas. Faced with this Jetstream of fire that hurt the surrounding Soldiers who where nearly 40 feet away from it, the middle aged man quickly utilized yet another Skill as his sword flew around him in a bizarre pattern, creating a translucent wall around his sides and front. "Void Protection!" The moment the flame touched the translucent barrier of wind it surprisngly enough disappeared without a trace and Galenwelth visibly frowned after seeing that. "Creating a void with the power of wind to shield yourself. It seems you spoke true when you told me that you mastered your element." "I have to admit I never before saw an attack with a flame as hot as yours. Did your owner throw you into a campfire when you were a whelp or is your affinity so strong without even mastering your element?" "I really don''t feel like telling and old fool like you." Galenwelth said with a chuckle and once again got into a battle stance. Spitting on the ground without any manners, Bharfas also put both hands around his sword for the first time and silence fell in the ring. No one moved for more than half a minute and some of the surrounding Soldiers were starting to grow uncomfortable before a sudden flash of light and a mighty wind exploded forth, seemingly out of nowhere. Most of the Soldiers were unable to follow the incredibly fast exchange between both Commanders that continued for many minutes, only Makoto after having his senses heightened by going through so many life and death battles in the game was vaguely able to follow them with his eyes and what he saw left him flabbergasted. Having never trained in any martial arts, all of his attacks were an original from him, derived from many encounters and sharpened to be an effective and most importnatly, efficient way of dealing with any creature. If you cant pierce it, bleed it to death, if you cant bleed it slow it down and hack it to death. All of his attacks and strategies were incredibly crude and without any grace or technique that he was witnessing from both of these NPCs right now. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. It was as if you compared the skillful swordplay of a fencer with the cleaving ability of a butcher. Simply put, his fighting style was incredibly crude and without much thought put into it. Until now he had been left with the belief that what he was doing was the best of his ability and a certain arrogance that was derived from continued success with his crude fighting style had kept him from noticing the flaws and also kep him from improving all this time. This single exchange opened Makoto''s eyes and showed him that he was only at the start of a very far road. He never really had a goal in the game, because let''s be honest, would anyone really have a deeper goal than just enjoying every single second in a Virtual Reality where you could be who you wanted to be? He highly doubted it. Witnessing this high-speed exchange beyond the limit of the human body and showing so much technique and grace in every movement was simply mindboggling for Makoto and made him question if he actually ever really tested the limits of his virtual body inside Azalon. After all, even if those Elite NPC Bosses had stats that far outstripped a normal level 55 player, they were in the end still stat points which could be attained by everyone in the end. It could very well be that at level 70 he would be able to move just as fast and with as much strength as these two monsters but he knew that without the actual Skill to back it up he would still be utterly destroyed. Just thinking about his previous experience with Veronica who had clearly been training in a Martial Art showed him that she had to be at a rather early stage but it still made it easy for her to dominate the average opponent by strictly following the basics. With such a shortcut in the power of a player inside the game, Makoto felt a cold shiver running down his spine just imagining a high leveled player who was also a Real Life Champion in a Martial Art. Unlike Makoto who was relying on instinct and his body''s Agility stat to dodge, those kinds of players might as well be able to walk inside an enemy army without being touched at all. With a roaring wind blast, he was once again reminded of the current situation and intently followed the chaotic battle. Despite the level difference, Bharfas had less injuries on his body while Galenwelth was already bleeding heavily from multiple wounds. This clearly had something to do with his Commander already having mastered his ''element'', whatever that was. Having been put in a rather tight spot, the Sarachec Commander let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. Bharfas watched the whole scene with a raised eybrow and was about to say something when a visible change appeared on Galenwelth''s body. Together with a blinding blue flame that enveloped his entire body, a layer of stone was slowly being pushed out from his body and covered the enemy Commander like a protective shell. "Duo Element Affinity?!" Bharfas shouted with an agape mouth and Galenwelth who now looked like a living statue at this point once again chuckled and his rather deep voice resounded. "That''s right, my progress with Earth is many times slower than with Fire and I can not master one without the other which is why my flame affinity has been at a peak for many years now. Let''s see if you can still win in a full out exchange shall we, old fool?" Clearly unhappy about the developments in this fight, Bharfas only let out a shallow growl and an air current made his short hair fly around as if he was standing in the middle of a hurricane. No longer even letting out any rude comments he completely focused on channeling his strength for one final and decisive exchange. Wielding his sword with a might that could split apart the heavens themselves, a gust of wind lifted all the surrounding 10 thousand men from the ground and with an inhuman scream he unleashed his strongest Skill. "Dragonwing Typhoon!" Following his old enemy''s example, Galenwelth too put every once of strength into this one attack and strengthened his own defense while at the same time using his ultimate Skill and piercing forward with his Glaive as a storm of fire engulfed the two men in a split second. "Phoenix Goldflame!" Fire and Wind clashed in an explosive exchange and the black stone beneath them instantly split apart while the surrounding walls crumbled as if crushed by a giant''s fist. Every Soldier of both armies had already stepped back a great distance after that last exchange and Makoto was one of the closest, about 150 feet away but it was appearently not enough as all of them still got affected in some way or another. Both Skills seemed to fuel each others strength and with a bang that made the earth tremble, followed by a seething hot wind that sent everyone flying through the air, silence soon enough followed. Crashing down with a breakneck speed, Makoto was able to roll off most of his momentum and soon enough stood up with shaky legs. He saw that nearly half of his health had disappeared in a flash and was already quickly regenerating thanks to his ''Blood Rejuvenation''. Others had not been as lucky. Because the surrounding two walls had practically turned into rubble, there had been more than a dozen boulders that flew into every which direction, killing everyone they as much as grazed and still possessing enough power to once again be imbedded into the ground or a nearby wall. Where both Commanders had clashed before, only a 5 foot deep crater in the black stone was left now. First he thought that they had disintigrated into ash but a moan from both sides of the destroyed walls showed that there was more to it. After a bit of stumbling and patting away the ash like dust from the black stone, Bharfas appeared on the right rubble wall, clearly having seen better days with a nasty injury on his forehead. A few seconds later, Galenwelth showed up at the left rubble wall, clutching an arm at his side and limping on one leg but clearly worse off than Makoto''s Commander. Only now did it click that these sturdy black stone walls probably didn''t even crack from the actual exchange but had been completely destroyed by the two bodies that flew into them. Looking at both Commanders as if he was seeing Behemoth like monsters, Makoto could even feel the Beast inside of him shudder with fear. Not saying a single word, both men stared at each other for a long time, stances at the ready even if they were missing their weapons now. Only after 2 very long minutes did Galenwelth finally lower his gaze and Bharfas'' expression instantly lit up. "Seems a dog will always be a dog." Once again feeling an incredible killing intent coming his way, Makoto''s Commander put his arms up and quickly added with a smile. "I was only kidding old friend, I see you are still struggling with taking a joke." The tone in his voice had changed and Galenwelth too had the same honest smile on his face as he looked at the middle aged human before him. "Even if I pump myself up to hate every human there is and swear to eradicate them all, I just can''t hate you Bharfas. Are you sure you can''t just disguise yourself and join me just like in the old days?" "Are you willing to cut off your ears and clip away your tail? We are who we are, even if some of us are born as mutts like you. Can''t help it if the previous King suddenly goes mad after growing old and sentences every Sarachec citizen who crosses the border to death. The past is the past but it sure has a habit of following us into the future, even now we are nearly constantly at war even though only 35 years ago we had a deep bond and were at peace. Should have slit that Mad king''s throat back then when I had the chance but I was so foolishly loyal..." Sighing deeply, Bharfas turned around and sent one last glance towards the wounded Galenwelth before helping his men. The Sarachec Commander stood at the same spot for quite a while before also returing to his men, only Makoto remained at the same location, utterly speechless to what he had just seen and heard... ----- And there we have it, this will foreshadow quite a lot of what will happen in the future and I am sure most of you are already speculating without rest! As always, comment below and I will try to upload next Chapter tomorrow but no promises, busy Abbadon is busy. :P Chapter 63: Element of Surprise Thank you very much Lelander for donating! Love you man! Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Alright guys, sorry for not putting up a new chapter in the last few days and I think I owe you an explenation. I wrote this in a comment 2 hours ago but I am sure not even one of you has seen it so I am just going to say it again so those who are questioning themselves if I maybe am dropping this can be at ease. My income and job hunting has been at 0 for some time now and my savings are starting to dry out so for me to actually continue living I was forced to put my mind completely into work mode concerning the book as it has a good chance of possibly giving me some dearly needed financial support. This is why I have been gone for the last few days and also stopped advancing the story but I am back again even though the book is not finished yet I am getting there. :P Anways, away from all that heavy stuff and back into more.... well.... interesting stuff? XD Some of you might hate me for this but trust me, I know what I am doing! (atleast I hope so...) ----- Chapter 63: Element of Surprise Unsure what to really do, Makoto decided to follow Commander Bharfas. "I see you are still alive and kicking." The man said after spotting him. "Commander... just what kind of relationship do you have with the enemy Commander?" Lifting one eyebrow he remained silent for a while before explaining with a long sigh. "I see you were in earshot before so there is no use denying it, I actually hoped the confusion all around would be loud enough to hide our talk but that was obviously not the case. Galenwelth and I have known each other since we were young men. Before there was any hate between both us Humans and the Werebeasts. You are young so you probably don''t know this but Asuria and Sarachec were once at peace. Sure there was always something to fight about but not to the scale that we see today were this siege alone can be seen as an act of war. It all started with the previous King, Markus the Righteous. Turns out for him when he grew old, righteousness was to eradicate everyone that wasn''t human. As the King he had the power and used it in treacherous ways. Entire Legions of Soldiers were sent to each corner of Asuria to purge the lands of the ''filth'' how he liked to call it. He was a man who had truly gone mad in his last years and was finally assassinated by a special force from Sarachec. The common folk had been unaware of their King''s actions and only witnessed his death by the hands of a Sarachec Werebeast. This together with the rumors that had made their way to the Throne of Sarachec ignited the flames of war and they truly burned strong. More than 30% from both Countries perished in 20 long years of strife until Asuria and Sarachec were forced to declare a ceasefire as the casualties had reached an astronomical number. Hate has been carved into the bones of the survivors and there has been 10 years of peace since. Both me and Galenwelth were forced to participate in the wars in those 20 years and we more than once crossed blades. Our hands were forced as we served in the army and we always had the desire to protect our kind so we tried to push away friendship and kill each other as best as we could. In the end neither of us could end the others life whenever we won in a duel. That alone would have been treason in the eyes of the previous King and I truly thought that this one would be wiser but I clearly underestimated the influence that madness can have in your own house." Confused as to what he meant, Makoto opened his mouth and asked the question. "Is it really so difficult to connect the dots? First Sarachec suddenly attacks after many years of peace, that alone is highly unlikely as their King changes every year so there would be no one that would even plan to attack another country without a reason. Secondly, Falknir disappears from the battle without a trace. And finally, something which a normal Soldier doesn''t know but I do. Why only send 5 thousand as a reinforcement to defend the border? Have you never wondered why it is only this small of a number? Do you really think we only have that many men to defend against an imminent threat that could very well bring ruin to us all? When the King gave me the order to bring 5 thousand men to hold the Stronghold I asked him why not more and his answer was very simple. After 3 days he would send 75 thousand. Why hesitate with your troops? Only now does it all make sense. Something must have happened in Sarachec, could be an assassination, could be something else but it was enough to once again ignite the flames of war. No one wants to be the bad guy, so what do you do to change the mindset of your men? Anger the other party and justify your actions with ''defending'' your loved ones. For these simple Soldiers it really is the same but I would bet both arms that it was not Sarachec that started all of this. After the Stronghold that they were supposed to help defend fell it would only further fill the 75 thousand with a sense of duty as their comrades that died would have to be ''avenged''. It was all a farce to begin with. The reason he sent only 5 thousand was to let us die, we were supposed to be collateral to change the mindset of thousands of Soldiers. He would have not only taken back the castle but also started an invasion and from his Soldiers point of view they would have every right to do so. What a truly twisted and cruel King we once again have sitting on the throne." Sighing deeply and with a look that only showed disappointment, Bharfas stared towards the setting sun while Makoto needed a moment to digest this incredible developement. "B-But if it is like that why not get rid of the King?" Letting out a short laugh, the Commander looked at him as if he was a child. "Do you think it would be that easy? First of all the thought alone that you have voiced is treason, so is what I have told you but who really cares at this point right? The problem is that it is impossible to kill the King. There are spies in every single Platoon or those loyal to the King. I only told you this because you are a foreigner, free of any political corruption as this is not the only world for you but for us born here it is different. Even if we wanted to start a rebellion, do you really think it would work? I don''t even want to think about what this cruel King of ours would do to the people that rose against him. He is protected by the best of the best, trained as the absolute geniuses from their generation they are Knights that have sworn an oath to protect the King. 1 thousand Knights that are equal to 100 thousand Soldiers protect the King. Tell me, how do you want to kill him?" Unable to give an answer to that question, Makoto simply remained silent and the tired looking Bharfas nodded. "That is what I thought. Even if you managed to rally many from the Army without being discovered, the King''s Guard alone could destroy the entire available force that Asuria possesses. It is true there is more people than that but don''t even think about using civilians as they have no real battle experience and would die a meaningless death if you put them against those elite Knights. Right now only an external force could kill the King and maybe stop this War that is already knocking on our door." Gloomily looking at the Sarachec Soldiers that were already getting into formation after recovering from the shock of the previous duel, Bharfas revealed the harsh truth to Makoto that there was no simple way of resolving this dilemma. Even if Makoto managed to somehow kill the King, would that solve the War that they were facing? Not in any way or form. It would be incredibly difficult to calm the Sarachec forces if no one even knew why they suddenly attacked. This gave him an idea. "Commander, if we don''t know why they attacked, why not just ask your friend Galenwelth, he should know the reason right?" Shaking his head once a hint of bitterness appeared on Bharfas'' face. "That is the biggest problem, he wouldn''t tell me. Even if we are still friends, we are also Knights who are sworn to protect the people so how could he possibly tell someone from the opposing force any classified or valuable information? It is simply unreasonable to expect any answer at all." Unable to think of a way out of this mess, Makoto''s thoughts once again returned to the previous fight and he voiced a question that had been eating him up all this time. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Excuse me for asking but what was the Wind and Fire attacks that you both used before? I have never heard of someone with a Class like that." Both of them were NPCs and even though they were Bosses, just like players they used Skills in battle so he might be able to use them too, at least that was what he hoped. Clearly surprised by this question, Bharfas looked at him for a moment and couldn''t help but grin. "I always forget that you are a foreigner when it comes to these kinds of things. This is common sense with the people living in this world so let me enlighten you. Every person, no matter what Class they possess will receive an Element when they reach level 40. Most people only have the affinity for 1 Element but there are rare cases of someone having an affinity with 2 or more. The 4 basic Elements that over 60% gain access to are Fire, Wind, Earth and Water. The other 40% will gain access to either a unique Element of their own, a sub-element or a mix of the big 4 like Ice, Fog or Mud for example. No one really knows where this affinity comes from, if it is an inborn talent that is determined from birth or if it is something that is acquired later. Rumor has it that the Elfs far to the west have found the answer to this question but I doubt it. Before gaining your Element every Warrior can be considered average but after crossing level 40 and being able to use it freely... it is enough to earn you the title of Knight Captain even if you are a Commoner from low birth. This once again shows how difficult it is to actually reach level 40 and many people either die or just don''t have the ability to reach it no matter how hard they train." Thanking Bharfas for the thorough explanation, Makoto decided to head back to his Squad and informed them about the King''s scheme and about Elements, which until then had been unknown to the players of Azalon as no one had crossed level 40 yet. "So you are telling me all of this happened because of the King of Asuria? Talk about fucked up. Just how sick do you have to be to purposely let thousands of people die so you have a ''cause'' to attack another country?" Sanja asked with a pale face. Everyone present could only silently agree that the King was indeed quite a disturbing individual. "I have to agree that its bad but just like Makoto said, what can we really do right now? I am more interested what kind of Element all of us will gain after getting to Level 40. Isn''t your snake form over 70 Sharon, why didn''t you ever tell us about this?" Lilliana asked curiously. "I really never heard of this before. It''s true that my Lamia form is over level 75 but I never noticed anything in my status or Skills about an Element so I can only guess and say that it has something to do with my Human form being only at 38 and not having crossed that threshold yet." Makoto and his party discussed about possible Elements for a while longer, all of them had seemingly forgotten about the imminent threat that they all were in as rows of Sarachec Soldiers once again formed and a horn resounded. Stunned about this sound, his Party and Squad quickly got into a battle stance but when they looked towards the thousands of enemy Soldiers, only Galenwelth approached them. He seemed to whisper something into Bharfas'' ear for a good while and then turned around to depart together with the rest of his Soldiers. Makoto saw that their Commander was clearly stunned as he watched the Sarachec force that could easily finish them all off retreat. Silence filled the partially destroyed plaza and after clearing his throat, the firm voice of Bharfas could be heard. "The enemy force is retreating back to their homeland and I was told that they have abandoned the Siege for now!" Stunned about this sudden announcement, it took a while for the first cries of joy to emerge from the surrounding Soldiers. Once again The voice of their Commander resounded and it carried with it a firm but uplifting tone. "Naturally this could very well be a trick but because reinforcements are about to arrive this evening anyways, I will personally stay here and only keep a few Squads, the rest of you will depart tomorrow and return back home to your loved ones." This time the shouting was a lot louder and everyone had a face full of joy that the fighting was over for now. Luckily, Squad 40 was one of the ones that was allowed to head back home so Makoto and his Party joined in on the celebration that the Soldiers arranged in the evening. Alcohol and laughter filled everyone''s belly as they exchanged stories and drank until deep at night. Makoto was no exception here as the previous days had been more than a bit exhausting for him. The liquor ingame naturally had the same effects like they would have in real life so his laughter only grew louder the later the hour got. It was quite interesting that Makoto was allowed to drink alcohol although he was only 18 unlike the rest of his party who were all either aged 21 or above. The reason behind it was quite simple, as he was only simulated to be drunk and didn''t really drink any liquid at all with his real body, there was no law that could forbid him from drinking alcohol inside a game. It could be described as a gray area but until now, no one had heard even a single complaint from the authorities as the age restriction of playing the game was 16 anyways. Soon enough everything started to spin and darkness crept up around the edges of his vision. With a sluggish mind and a dizzy head he fell into his bed and only felt a soft feeling around him before blacking out. ..... Waking up was surprisingly without a throbbing headache. Makoto thanked the creators of the game once again for not including this rather nasty feature as he opened his eyes and stared at the wooden ceiling above him with a hazy view. He identified it as the room that he and Sharon shared in the barracks. Unable to see properly he blinked a few times and wanted to use his hands to rub the sleep out of his eyes but to his astonishment, he wasn''t able to. Something was keeping his arms from moving. This was also the first time he noticed the soft feeling that both of his hands where wrapped in. Glancing to his right he saw a breathtaking view of Sharon, completely without any clothes and snuggled against him while his right hand was buried between her breasts, only the tip of his fingers poking out. Immediately after seeing her curves and the pleasant expression that she showed while sleeping, a fire ignited in his heart as he lovingly looked at his girlfriend. Her curly red hair was hiding a part of her face and he wanted to use his left to push it away but once again he felt some kind of resistance and the same soft feeling that he got from his right hand. Still half asleep and his heart full of desire and love for Sharon he glanced to his left and the blazing hot fire in his heart got doused with a bucket of ice cold water as he was shocked wide awake. Lilliana, just like Sharon, completely without any clothes was lying beside him, seeing his arm buried deep between her chest that was even a size bigger than Sharon''s despite her shorter body was enough to let his heart beat a couple of times faster. His eyes couldn''t help but follow those lascivious curves that he had before only seen, hidden by clothes. Now he could examine her in all her glory and it was enough to freeze his mind for a few seconds as he looked at her lower region. Only the purring from the Beast inside of him that was also feasting its eyes on Lilly finally managed to knock him out of his daze. Having a terrible premonition, Makoto finally looked at himself and nearly cried out in shock as he was also completely naked and without underwear, his morning wood happily waving towards him. Staring at the ceiling above him for many seconds while keeping as still as possible as to not wake the two beauties to his right and left, only one thought went through his mind. Just what the hell happened last night?! ----- And there we have yet another incredible cliffhanger that people will hate me for muhahahahhah! Things shall be explained next chapter but I think many already hate/love me for this anyways. :P Those of you who are wondering about Level and Skill Level, don''t worry I will bring it to your attention at the way back to The Capital. ^^ Will try to get the next one out fast so you won''t have to wait too long. If you have any questions, put them below and I will try to answer them as best as I can! Chapter 64: Acknowledgement Thank you very much Anonymous for donating, appreciate it very much! Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it! Slight delay as it is early morning here and I wanted to get this one out last night, oh well. Hope you enjoy this rather important turn of events! ----- Chapter 64: Acknowledgement Minutes slowly crawled their way as he blankly stared at the ceiling above him, unable to move or let out a sound in fear of what might happen if he did. There was no way to escape the current situation and no matter how hard he wracked his brain, he just couldn''t remember what happened after entering the room. Why did they have to include this feature but not the headache in the morning!? Despite the dangerous situation he was in, Makoto couldn''t help but once again turn to his left and stare at the forbidden fruit that was Lilliana''s body. Just seeing her cute face snuggled up against him in her sleep was enough to warm his heart and also excite him as there was lots to explore with his eyes alone. Unlike Sharon''s fire red, Lilliana had the same black colored hair at her lower region and once his gaze was locked it was quite difficult to move it away. It was easy to compare both women but they still had a fundamental difference in structure, firmness and volume at each body part. Lilliana possessed an explosive chest and wide hip while Sharon had a more slender body but firm thighs that were currently clamped around his own legs. Feeling both warm and soft pressed against him from two sides was enough to drown out any and all productive thoughts as desire ruled everything inside of him. Only the terrible situation that would without a doubt unfold was able to let Makoto keep his cool in a situation where he was sandwiched between two beautiful naked women. Couldn''t he just pretend to sleep when they woke up and play innocent? This could be counted as quite the cowardly thought but just remembering Sharon''s ''Death Stare'' was enough to make him shiver. Naturally he quickly threw away this kind of attitude as it would solve nothing and only prolong the inevitable. Gulping once his mind was set to properly see this through no matter what, that much he owed them both. Once again his head turned and he feasted his eyes on Lilliana, his hand instinctively tensing between her mounds and the sensation alone was enough to allow a dirty smile to appear on his lips, despite the situation. Somewhat guiltily he turned his head right and watched his angel drool on the pillow beside him while feeling the hot inside of her legs pressed against his thigh. There was a visible tent sticking out of the duvet and he couldn''t really help it despite his efforts to not look at both girls. One might say he was enjoying his last meal before being hanged and who could really blame him? Once again staring towards the ceiling above him for the 10th time he noticed a sudden movement to his right and the tent disappeared in a flash as he steeled his heart with a grim expression. Turning towards Sharon he could see her eyes that met his own as she seemed to observe him. After a few seconds her gaze shifted, as she somewhat got up, and fell on the naked Lilliana that was also sleeping in the bed with her. Sharon''s expression froze for a moment before she silently looked at Makoto. He also kept quiet, unable to speak as any and all resistance crumbled away beneath her glare. She stared at him observant for a few seconds before sighing deeply. Surprisingly enough she got up and put her clothes and armor on manually while once again casting a glance towards Makoto. "Stop giving me those Puppy eyes, wake up Lilly and put some clothes on." Her tone and expression was without any anger or confusion and he couldn''t help but stare at his girlfriend with an open mouth. In a timespan of only 2 minutes she finished dressing herself and left the room, seemingly unaware of the bombshell that this situation really was. Only after a few seconds did he close his agape mouth and turned to Lilliana who was still taking claim of his left arm while showing a content expression. His own feelings could only be described as complicated and confused as he tried to comprehend what really just happened. Once again the question as to what really transpired last night haunted his thoughts as he somewhat reluctantly shook awake the sleeping maiden beside him. ..... While lifting her glass, her gaze once again fell on Lilliana who was currently talking with Sanja and Sharon couldn''t help but sigh inwardly while gulping down the strong liquor. Makoto had disappeared with some of the soldiers and it seemed like the perfect time to talk with her but her own unease made that impossible. Just how would she ever have a real talk if she herself was shying away from it in fear of what she might discover? Didn''t she already make up her mind beforehand? The question as to why she was hesitating now of all times was more than a little justified. Clenching her hands into fists she stared at the discolored liquid in her glass with droopy eyes as the memory of Lilliana kissing Makoto once again flashed before her eyes. Gulping down the rest of the disgusting, broth like alcohol to hopefully gain some more courage she pushed her chair back and stood up with somewhat shaky legs. Once again she was hesitant to walk up to Lilliana and Sanja''s table but after biting the inside of her cheek she finally had the ''balls'' to do what should have been done a long time ago. "Can we talk for a minute?" This one question was enough to let the smile freeze on Lilliana''s face as she looked up to Sharon. Just seeing her face pale in seconds was enough of a hint that the other was guilty of something quite devastating. "S-Sure." Sharon threw a few glances towards the smaller girl as she lead her into a quieter part of the Barracks which turned out to be the individual sleeping quarters of the partying Soldiers. Stopping at a distant corner she fully turned around and was somewhat satisfied about the terrified expression that was now visible on Lilliana''s face. "I know that you kissed Makoto behind my back." This one sentence out of her mouth and the serious expression she was showing was enough to visibly shake the other before her to the point where she was unable to meet her eyes anymore. "Listen, I am sorry for that really, I promise it won''t happen again I was ju-" "I didn''t ask for an apology did I?" Somewhat stunned by these calm words, Lilliana finally looked up again and met her eyes. "The only thing I want to know is, why did you do it?" In Sharon''s heart there was neither anger nor hate for the other girl as she asked this question, only anticipation and fear as to what might come. Clearly struggling for words, the girl finally calmed down after a few moments and answered with a calm and firm voice. "I had two reasons. One was because I love him and wanted to at least experience this with him, which I did so now I am satisfied. The other reason was... I wanted to show him that there was always someone there for him no matter how bad things might seem... I know it sounds selfish and I agree that my actions..." Clearly feeling guilty about what happened, Lilliana went silent, no longer trying to defend what happened. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. It took a lot out of Sharon to keep her calm expression as she heard exactly what she feared the most. Silence filled the otherwise empty hallway that they were in and once again she looked at the little Summoner before her that had an incredibly unhappy expression on her face. It was clear that she felt something for Makoto for quite some time now and had suppressed this love at the same time because she was aware that it was pointless to keep chasing it. At the same time it was difficult to just stop loving someone as the feeling itself was a highly unpredictable but strong emotion. Maybe after a month more it would slowly disappear and be replaced by only a painful memory, one of many that every human carries around. The jealous and possessive side of Sharon was telling her to wait for those feelings to disappear even if it made the other unhappy. If it was only Lilliana that felt that way then she would have firmly kept to it but sadly that was not the case. She had noticed it the moment she first saw the interaction between them. It was obvious that Makoto''s heart had never truly only belonged to her and this realization hurt at first but at the same time seeing him suppress his own feelings hurt even more because she knew that it would eventually ruin their relationship if she tried to keep him for herself. Constantly having to lie to himself and destroy his own feelings would erode what he felt for her and ultimately drive him away from her, this much Sharon knew from experience. It still didn''t make it easy. Doing the right thing never was but this one was especially heart wrenchingly difficult to accept as she had always been the possessive type but in the end it had to be done. If she had to choose between keeping him alone and losing him in the end or somewhat sharing but possibly always having a place in his heart then it was a no brainer. Seeing Lilliana kiss Makoto despite being made aware of his rather unpredictable state of mind, watching someone else be there for him in her stead and doing something that she had not been capable of at the time opened her eyes to many things. One of them being the pure and honest way that both felt for each other despite having to constantly suppress it all for the sake of standards and to not let others suffer. Taking a deep breath to calm her beating heart she finally said what she really had dragged Lilly here for. "I know that you love him and that he feels the same for you too. Still can''t believe that he can have feelings for two girls at the same time. We ended up falling for quite the pervert didn''t we?" Lilliana only showed a wry smile while nodding once before casting a curious glance at Sharon. "I see it this way, no matter how much I want him to myself, a part of him belongs to you and there is nothing that I can do to change that so instead of making us all suffer... it might be best to acknowledge it and... move into a different direction." Surprise was written all over Lilliana''s face but at the same time Sharon was able to see a tiny spark of hope in those before empty eyes. It gave her a complicated feeling seeing this, this strange feeling couldn''t really be described as happy or sad so she decided to explore it later and continued. "Don''t misunderstand, I am not willing to share him in any way or form in Real Life... but inside the game I might be able to turn a blind eye... if both of you are also willing..." It took a lot out of her to finally say this and she wanted to stop at multiple occasions but reminding herself once again that this was the only way gave her the willpower to see it through. Biting her lip somewhat annoyed after witnessing the drastic change in Lilliana as she showed a dazzling smile which gave Sharon a confusing mix between delight and unease. Cursing her own stupid jealousy that had made this more complicated than it had to be for a long time now Sharon decided to see it positively and continued to talk with Lilliana while establishing some ground rules. It was quite obvious that she still wanted to have first dibs on her boyfriend but over the course of the talk she allowed a few extras for Lilliana which seemed to create a constant stream of happiness for the other as her eyes dazzled in the most beautiful of colors while a blooming smile was plastered on her face. Not restraining her excitement any longer she gave Sharon a big hug which clearly surprised the other but also allowed a warm smile to finally appear on her lips. She was still not sure if what she had done was the best option but just seeing the before downcast and somewhat hollow expression of the small girl filled with so much life made it all the more worth it. After once again going through everything that they had established between them they returned to the party and asked around for Makoto to talk with him about the situation. "If you are looking for him he said that he was going to your room, is something the matter?" Neither of them were willing to answer as they thanked her and quickly ran to the room that Makoto and Sharon had been in for the last few days. Not even bothering to knock, Sharon opened the door with a key and was about to start talking when she stopped dead in her tracks. Lilliana also halted next to her and both women stared at the naked Makoto who was sprawled on the bed, face clearly flushed from liquor while lightly snoring. Unable to help it they looked at each other and laughter escaped their mouths as did the tension in their bodies. "Typical, when you really need him he decides to sleep." Still lightly snickering, Sharon also started to undress next to the somewhat embarrassed Lilliana before jumping into the bed and snuggling against Makoto. After a few seconds she noticed that there was still someone standing there, seemingly unsure if it was alright to follow suit. Just seeing Lilly reluctant like that was enough to once again make a smile appear on her lips. "Are you just going to stand there all night or did you forget what we decided on? I am not going to bite your head of for lying next to him so come on." Nodding once she quickly undressed too and Sharon couldn''t help but inspect her new rival''s body. It surprised and hurt her at the same time to see that her breasts couldn''t match Lilliana''s but she had her own strong points after all which she unconsciously used as her legs wrapped around Makoto''s. "What kind of face do you think he is going to make when he wakes up with both of us being like this?" Lilliana finally asked with a mischievous smile and once again both girls couldn¡¯t help but laugh. After talking for a few more minutes, Sharon stood up and blew out the candles before once again snuggling against the warm body of her boyfriend. Her heart was still somewhat uneasy about this new situation but the damage was done. From now on all she could really do was move forward and make sure that she wouldn''t fall behind Lilliana when it came to certain things... ----- And there we go! We have finally reached the fated first steps into a land of glory, drama and incredible experience for our MC! Next Chapter will show levels, interactions and the one after that finally some IRL which we have not seen in FOREVER! Siege was pretty long wasn''t it? Anyways, hope you stay tuned as this IS ONLYYYY THE BEGINNNING!!!! Still can''t believe it took 64 Chapters for this to happen btw XD talk about stretched out... well it only made this better I think. What happened to Azalon?! Been a while hasn''t it guys? I feel like it is overdue that I explain myself and tell you what happened and as to why I suddenly disappeared without a trace to the point that Snake would be proud of me. (Literally haven''t logged back in this account for ages either T-T) So, the big question first. The elephant in the room that we all have been glancing at, will I drop Azalon? NO I told you guys that I had big plans for this story and wanted to finish it and that is the truth. So don''t worry, I will not drop it. As many of you might know I started writing Azalon because I wanted this story to actually make it on the market as a book which I still do. While I was writing it I mentioned a few times that I didn''t have a job or income to speak of and went in a somewhat roundabout way as to how I am able to afford my rent and food. Well at the time I stopped posting here it was pretty bad. I knew that writing was taking up a lot of my time so I had to make a choice, either focus all my energy and time on getting a job or land on the streets. It wasn''t easy and I hated myself (still do) for not telling you guys all of this earlier but it wouldn''t have really helped anyone and I am not the kind of person that would ask the kind people that donate out of their own free will and because they appreciate the story to do it because I need the money. It is just not who I am. One of the reasons I kept quiet and only now came back is because I now have a job that allows me to afford a few things (finally). I wanted to come back, knowing that I would never have to leave you guys stranded like this again because Real Life is being a bitch. Oh, I also got a gf and then shortly after broke up with her so I guess that also delayed my return a bit but no worries I have said goodbye to social life once again (more like flicked it off) and am now back here with you. Now then, lets talk about what will happen to the story. I always continued to write here and there and improved it quite a bit but it turns out I underestimated this sucker by a lot as especially the early chapters are cringeworthingly bad in my opinion (and yes I know that is not a word btw but you get the point). I will continue to finalize the earlier chapters of the story as they were never meant to stay that way anyways, I am also going to add a few things that I learned/overlooked while writing it so I would recommend a re-read after all is done, don''t worry I will tell you which chapters have already been reworked in future updates and new chapters so you don''t have to search for it yourself. I am going to get back into the storyline and continue re-writing and creating new chapters and the next actual new chapter is going to appear on here on Monday (I will also post with it my new schedule on when I post new chapters.) A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Another thing that many people will probably hate me for (lets hope not XD) is that I have been itching to start writing another story and I have mentioned this before. See, here is the thing guys. In my opinion there are 2 types of writers, the passion writers and the planned writers (that is what I call them) Passion writers have a spark of insight, a glimpse of a story that fills their insides with a burning desire to write it down, a need to expand on this spark and let it grow into a fire. It can literally happen that you just write for about 4 hours straight and the end product even without proofreading is already excellent. Planned writers slowly build a story from the bottom up and will have scheduled times when they write. They will be able to lay down the groundwork for the story and then have to continuously improve and add things each chapter until it reaches a certain quality. This type of writing is a lot slower and needs constant improvement otherwise it can be pretty shallow. Now to actually write you will need both passion and planning but I am more the former and when I get this spark I just have to write even when I know which way my story is going to go and what I want to add. Without this spark I can still write but it is a lot less enjoyable and makes the entire thing pretty stale. With a gigantic project like Azalon it is not easy to always find this spark of passion and because of my earlier schedule (which was pretty much 1 chapter each day) I couldn''t wait for that moment to happen so it was more the later with a little bit of passion. I have discovered that after taking a little break and concentrating on another story it helps me find that spark a lot easier for Azalon which in turn makes it more enjoyable and gives you guys a better quality (also I really want to write this story that has been wandering around in my head for a while now). So in the end I have decided to start this little pet project of mine while still focusing most of my attention on Azalon (as I said I ain''t ever dropping it lol). I hope this helped some of you lurkers out there that have been craving and hoping for some more of Azalon. It is honestly a surprise and joy for me that there is so many of you that PM''d me while I was gone, asking if I was alright while at the same time I could see how many seemed to love Azalon more than even I do. Thank you everyone for reading this story and for your support, it means a lot to me even when I don''t always say it but reading your comments really is a treat for sore eyes and brings me a lot of happiness. Without further ado I can now officially say that I am back baby! New Story + litte Update Hello once again guys and to those that thought this was a new chapter...sorry! XD As many of you seemed to be quite interested in this new project that I was starting and a lot (absolute ton) of you are starving for some kind of chapter I decided to give you the link of the story in a new post. Here it is: http://royalroadl.com/fiction/4254 The name is Yokai Academy and still in consideration as I am not sure if I will keep it that way, maybe, maybe not. I am trying out a new style of writing with it and hope that the few who were interested in it to begin with won''t grab pitchforks and look for me just because it isn''t to your taste (you will never find me anyways muhahahahaha). A little update on Azalon and the future is also here as my new PC that I ordered (thank the Amazon gods!) is going to arrive tomorrow while I work and I will finally be able to start writing on something that works faster than a goddamn potato. This is something I have been waiting for for nearly 8 months when my old reliable... well wasn''t as reliable anymore and broke down. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. This new baby is an absolute monster of a PC and should be able to handle even the newest of gam- I mean programs for writing, yes, definitely! Na but in all seriousness you don''t have to worry about Azalon or the new story as this will actually drive me to write even more now that the program I write with won''t crash every 15 minutes. (I can''t even tell you how many tears I shed and how many times I cursed the gods when I was writing Azalon as the Laptop I was working with was already struggling with the simplest of things and I lost sometimes entire chapters and had to rewrite them, I am not kidding when I say that it crashed every 10 - 15 minutes and if I didn''t save it all the time I was boned T-T) So yeah, big plus to future writing and me not going insane :D Hope that you check out this little side project and I will try to finish a new Chapter sooner but if I can''t it will for sure appear on here on Monday so stay tuned guys and have a nice day! Abbadon out! Chapter 65: Aftermath Surprise Chapter! I decided to post this Chapter a bit earlier and instead of Monday make it Sunday (which it is right now for me even though it is only 2 in the morning) for the simple reason that I was very excited while writing this and couldn''t wait to once again post something for you guys. IMPORTANT NOTICE! First of all I would like to thank all the lovely donators that continued to show their support even when I was gone and it was still unclear when (or even) if I came back. Thank you very much matthew043, Cole H, Shizuyami, trent S (once again, love you bro), Thomas K, and Malik J Second on the Agenda is how my new schedule of posting Chapters is going to look and I will reveal it now and do my best (can''t make any promises as I don''t sleep at night for about 2 days out of 7 each week because of work) to post the Chapter on the promised day, there might very well be a delay of 1 day from time to time, just warning you guys. Monday: 1 chapter Azalon Tuesday: 1 chapter Yokai Academy Thursday: 1 chapter Azalon Saturday: 1 chapter Yokai Academy Sunday: 1 chapter Azalon That is 3 Chapters of Azalon and two Chapters of Yokai Academy each week. This means Wednesday and Friday will pretty much be my days off (well not really as I will still write on those days but just not post anything here). BONUS CHAPTERS CAN VERY WELL APPEAR RANDOMLY SO IT CAN HAPPEN THAT ON SPECIAL OCCASONS I WILL RELEASE MORE THAN ONE CHAPTER PER DAY FOR AZALON OR YOKAI ACADEMY, THIS HEAVILY DEPENDS ON MY MOOD OR HOW MUCH I AM ABLE TO WRITE WITHOUT IT TURNING INTO CRAP! Alright now that that is out of the way I will give you a quick recap of what happened the last 10 or so chapters as some of you might need it after such a long break. Makoto and friends have started to participate in their first siege and upon arriving at the stronghold our MC is the Captain of a 100 (127) man Squad, the infamous Squad 40. Trying their best to defend the heavily damaged second gate, one bloody battle after another nearly breaches the Stronghold and only the persistent fighting of the ''Undying'' as some might call him and his Squad of crimson eyed fanatics keep everything from breaking apart. As the final battle commences and the commanders of both armies clash in an epic contest of power the Sarachec army decides to finally retreat and stop the siege. Celebrating with the rest of his men our MC wakes up without any memory as to what happend with both Lilliana and Sharon beside him naked in the bed. Both are completely ok with the situation and don''t seem surprised at all, just what the hell happened?! (if you can''t remember read the previous chapter as it shows the POV of both girls). now then, shall we continue our dance? ----- Chapter 65: Aftermath Makoto''s current situation could be called more than a little strange. Even after understanding everything that Sharon told him about last night, his brain just wasn''t able to catch up. Still in a daze he looked to his right where his red haired angel was sitting and enjoying her breakfast. Turning his head left he could see Lilliana doing the same even though she sometimes sent a few glances his way which Makoto chose to ignore for now. Sighing deeply he rubbed the bridge of his nose. No matter how many times he went through it, it was a situation completely outside of the norm or his expectations on how women generally functioned. Could he understand what happened? Yes. Could he understand Sharon''s point of view to allow something like this? No, no matter how hard he tried to put himself in her shoes. And to begin with, had anyone even asked for his opinion on this? Sure, it was true that looking at Lilliana''s naked body had excited him a bit and now that she was sitting next to him his mind couldn''t help but peel away the already useless layers of clothing that she was wearing... Stunned by his own thoughts he shook his head and decided to concentrate on more pressing matters. With eyes locked on the untouched sandwich on his plate he felt a bit uncertain for what the future might hold. While he was staring holes into his food, the men around him in turn glanced his way a couple of times as they would have to be dense like bricks not to see the difference from a day ago. Before, Makoto had only seated himself besides Sharon each day which already fueled the jealousy of many as they had no way to vent any of their pent up stress in times of war but now he was sitting between 2 girls and both seemed to practically be stuck to him even though there was clearly enough space on the bench. Just seeing the small Lilliana looking towards Makoto with red cheeks and a happy expression was enough to make some of them see red as faint trails of bloody tears appeared on their cheeks while they angrily chewed their food. Even Sanja didn''t dare to say anything this time around as she watched the situation unfold before her with big eyes. She knew that Lilliana decided to sleep Ingame instead of logging out for a few hours but it was crystal clear that something big happened while she had been gone. Finally closing her mouth, Sanja looked at the also baffled Makoto with a mischievous glint in her eyes as she slowly connected the dots. "So, how did you guys sleep last night?" The question alone was like a bombshell and made the other 3 sitting on the table flinch as if they had been physically attacked while the surrounding soldiers instantly perked up their ears as to not miss a single word. "W-What do you mean Sanja?" Lilliana asked while letting out a nervous laugh. The surrounding men all had the same solemn expression on their faces that seemed to say "oh you know what she is talking about" but no one dared to speak their mind. Showing a rather dirty grin, Sanja leaned forward and didn''t even bother to whisper as Lilliana''s reaction clearly amused her. "Judging by this new seating order something definitely happened between last night and this morning. Do I also have to mention how Lilly looks a lot happier than before? You could say she is practically ''glowing'' as if... no nevermind. Now I do wonder what could have made her so happy last night that she can''t help but look at Makoto every two seconds." After finishing her little speech she attentively watched all 3 of her party members with hawk eyes and was delighted to see that her words indeed had the desired effect. What she clearly wasn''t aware of was the murderous air that had started to rise around them from some of the Soldiers that had grim expressions and crimson red eyes while slowly standing up from their respective seats and grabbing for a nearby weapon. Having experienced life and death battles for nearly a week and being so close to returning to their loved ones naturally stimulated a lot of emotions and desires in their hearts but this was just too much. Seeing Makoto showing off like this after possibly doing unspeakable things with these two women that seemed to be beauty itself reincarnated was enough to drive some of them mad with jealousy, especially after comparing both girls with their own wives it infuriated them even more. Lilliana looked like a ripe tomato and again and again repeated the words "it wasn''t like that" while Sharon seemed to have fallen for an uncontrollable giggle and Makoto just had a solemn expression on his face as he looked at the surrounding and armed men with empty eyes, pleading for their help. He was a defeated man that was under a tight leash from his girlfriend and apparently Lilliana now too. The Soldiers that had been about to attack Makoto stopped their steps and made up their mind when they saw the look in his eyes and once again decided to sit down. It was clear now to everyone after seeing the scene that a fellow brother had once again fallen beneath the fangs of an evil witch and no matter how sweet it might look the real story was a different one. Some of the Soldiers surrounding Makoto and his party even shed a silent tear as yet another one of them was defeated in the ever lasting war for dominance in a relationship. They could already see how he would be dragged to a church by both of these demons sitting to his right and left, forced to participate in the incredibly dreaded shotgun marriage that had already transpired on nearly half of the Soldiers currently eating in the room. Makoto didn''t know if he liked the looks of pity he was getting now better or worse but at least he wouldn''t have to fight with his own brothers in arms anymore. Only the surviving members of Squad 40 had unwavering admiration visible in their eyes as they had seen their Captain in the defense of the Stronghold and couldn''t imagine him to be at the receiving end of a relationship. For them he was someone who had achieved the impossible dream, holding a beautiful flower in each hand was something that nearly every man at least thought about once. ¡­.. After eating breakfast Makoto gathered his men and put them in formation which sadly still showed a few holes here and there, reminding each and every one of them of the sacrifices that some of their comrades had to make to protect them. Just looking at the back of his Squad was enough to make Makoto''s face cramp up for a few seconds as he tried not to notice the empty spot where Farabello would normally stand. It was still unclear as to how or when it happened but after the Sarachec Army departed they naturally had to burn the surrounding dead bodies of friends and foe alike, which was also the time they discovered the small mage as one of the dead. Just remembering the cut open throat and empty white eyes was enough to fill Makoto with an uncontrollable anger as he had gotten surprisingly attached to the NPC. It was also one of the reasons why he had intoxicated himself like that Ingame last night, an attempt to drown out the nagging guilt that he as the Captain of the Squad felt. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Noticing the change in his behavior, Sharon quickly grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight, her face showing a tinge of worry. He had naturally told her about how he felt, that it was his fault and no matter how many times she reminded him that they were not real people it didn''t really help much considering that he had developed feelings for Sharon when he still thought of her as ''just an NPC'' too. It had surprised her to also feel a sting in her heart as Farabello was someone that she had gotten along with quite well with, before and during the Siege. There was no way to revive a dead NPC so all she could do was support Makoto and maybe ease the pain and guilt in his heart by letting him know that she was there for him if need be. Showing a thankful smile he squeezed back and was about to open his mouth when he felt a strange sensation from his other hand. Lilliana was holding onto it and showed the same worried expression on her face, coupled with a light blush. Just seeing the small girl clearly flustered but at the same time concerned about him was enough to warm his heart. For the first time since he woke up did he feel thankful for how things had turned out in the end, even if he was unsure what the future might behold. Tightly squeezing both hands, Makoto once again looked over the empty spots in his Squad with new determination slowly appearing on his face. It didn''t matter if it was stupid to feel disturbed or even sad about the NPC deaths, all that mattered to him was that this happened because he was not able to lead and protect his men properly. All he really did was use a few basic tactics and fight like a berserker, nothing more. Once again the desire to attain strength surged through him, both personal and influential strength was needed to lead Soldiers in this world. With a new mindset on things and a new goal he looked to his right and left once again and was welcomed by the smiles of two angels. I can''t stay like I am right now. That was the conclusion he came to after this war and after losing nearly half of the men assigned to him. There was merit to everything as this experience once again re-forged the surviving men of Asuria, fueling their hearts with different desires. As the morning sun slowly climbed the sky, Bharfas the Commander and the one leading them all finally appeared before them and only said two sentences that resounded in their ears like the sound of thunder. "Move out! It is about time that you return to your families!" ¡­.. Deep in the lower layers of Elisante, hidden from most commoner eyes was a rather normal looking house where a family of 4 was currently eating dinner. The two little children again and again complimented their mother for her cooking skills while their father could only agree with a deep laugh. This peaceful and heartwarming scene was shortly after broken into pieces by a loud banging, resounding from the front door. Strangely enough none of the members of this household seemed to be startled by this sudden disturbance as the father calmly stood up and opened the door. Before him stood a group of rough looking men and women in dark clothes and armed with weapons of all kinds while their eyes darted around in an alert manner as if they expected a surprise attack any second now. "Evening ladies and gentleman, how may I help you?" The father asked with a calm voice accompanied by a warm smile, not even the slightest trace of fear was visible in his eyes as he saw this group standing on his doorstep. One of the men took a glance at him before speaking in a low voice. "Our employer is here for the event and we heard this was the place to go to." "Well whoever told you was indeed right and there is no need to keep your voice down, the entire layer has been bought by us and even the guards look the other way so you don''t have to worry when you conduct your business here or simply want to enjoy the show." The father replied together with a brilliant smile as he stepped to the side and invited the group into his home. The group of a dozen or so nodded towards the still eating family before entering another room as they followed the man. The air around them was quite tense as the father leading them stopped before a simple looking wall and started to form a few different signs with his hands as traces of mana streamed down his fingers. With a low booming sound that was only audible in the room the wall slowly retracted and gave way to a wide corridor that lead deep down into the bowels of the earth while being occasional lit by torches. Turning around the man gave a low bow to the group as his lips parted once again. "I welcome these honorable guests to the Undercity, may your business transpire quickly and darkness hide your secrets." This before simple looking man and father of two in the group''s eyes quickly transformed into a cold looking man with a wicked smile plastered on his face as he showed them his real colors but still kept the respectful bow. It was clear to him that these dozen newcomers were here for the first time so it was only proper that he gave them a little taste of how the world beneath the city really looked and worked, after all this was no place for fools or cowards. Clear gulping sounds could be heard as the group passed the man and made their way down into the unknown. With each step the air around them seemed to grow colder and worry as well as fear was clearly visible in their eyes but they were after all only here to protect their employer and not because they normally associated themselves with these kinds of circles. After what seemed like an eternity of walking a faint noise reached their ears and slowly but surely got louder as they continued down this endless corridor. The noise increased until it was clear to them that it was the sound of life, the clear buzzing of thousands upon thousands of people. Soon enough the corridor before the group opened up and an open gate that looked like it had been there since the beginning of time showed them a rather ridiculous picture as they passed through it. In what looked like a gigantic underground cave system, countless houses, huts and even mansions had been built without any care for room or foundation as they could clearly see the surrounding rock being chipped away at certain parts of the undergound city to make more room for the new buildings and structures that were being built. It was a city that was constantly expanding deep beneath one of the Capitals of the continent, Undercity. A place for rogues, thieves and shady business men to thrive and live in. Market stalls selling illegal wares like stolen equipment from adventurers or gold from different nobles was being put boldly on display as well as foreign objects or artifacts that would have brought great change and prosperity for the public changed from one shady hand to the next in Undercity. Mercenaries hired for dirty work, Assassins, political influence and even the highly illegal slaves could be bought in a place like this. Slavery was something that had been a thing of the past for many years now but in dark and unrestrained places like this they still showed up from time to time as human cruelty, even if it was in reality just a bunch of NPCs, was one of the rare things one couldn''t get rid of no matter how hard you tried. This was also an exciting place for PK''ers or otherwise notorious players who could hide their crimes well enough and make it past the city guards. Arenas that showed brutal mass fighting to the death, brawls at nearly every corner and even one or the other murder was clearly visible for the group to behold as they looked down at this City where everything was legal as long as you had the strength or money to obtain it. Suddenly a hand started to push the group apart as a small man dressed in simple clothes and wearing a pair of clouded glasses that gave him the image of a mole appeared while looking down at the chaos before his eyes with a devilish grin. It was none other than Finn, the shady Merchant that Makoto had put under contract and asked to organize a few Soldiers that would fight for his house. Looking at the men and women around him he opened his mouth and a dark voice filled with a hint of anticipation escaped his lips. "Rosy and Thurter will stay with me, the rest of you spread out and talk to the mercenaries, fighters and also slave traders to come here, tell them Finn sent you and tell them it will be worth their time." Nodding once the group split apart except for Finn, a woman who looked like a classical female Amazon warrior with two long-swords on each side of her hip as well as a man dressed in complete black with empty, death like eyes. Watching his bodyguards do his bidding, Finn couldn''t help but smile once again as a sinister glint appeared behind those clouded glasses of his that nearly covered half of his face. A whisper only audible for the two people next to him made them both flinch in fear as his voice was tinged with an otherworldly darkness and fanaticism that seemed to scream to the heavens. "You asked for a small loyal force, I will give you an army that will die for you!" ----- Well, isn''t that something? The next chapter will appear on Monday as I decided to just give you an extra chapter this week so you don''t need to wait that long for it. Hope you enjoyed this little slice of Azalon that some of you seemed to have been missing in their lives. :) PS: My new PC arrived and after once again getting a somewhat flawed product (took me 4 hours and a lot of rage as well as hardware and software fixes later) I now have a beast Computer that fits each and every one of my needs, YUS! Also, here is a random YT link for those of you who are bored: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWynPcFRzWU Abbadon out! Chapter 66: The Return God I slept for a long time today, anyways here is the next and promised Chapter. Just so you know this is a pretty long one (more than 5k words) and also includes insane amount of tables so I hope you enjoy as we give a little more time and twists to Real Life in this chapter! IMPORTANT NOTICE! I have decided that earlier Chapters will be marked with a (v.2.0) after the Chapter title so when I am satisfied with a Chapter it will have it, that way I can let you guys know which ones have been somewhat rewritten and are up to the standard I desire! ----- Chapter 66: The Return Makoto was currently on his way back to Elisante together with his Squad and party, it was also at this time that the two Quests he had received in the Capital concerning the ''War'' finally appeared again.
''For Asuria!'' Quest has been completed. Fame and Honor of your house have both increased in and outside of the Capital as word of your deeds during the Siege have reached even the furthest of ears. Your house has been compensated with 759 Gold for the successful defense. The Title ''Veteran of War'' has been unlocked.
Veteran of War:
All people of Asuria will hold you in a new light and even Merchants treat you as their dearest friend.
Effects:-5% on all buying and or paying in Asuria.
Additional Effects:Attacking a player in Asuria will not change your Alignment and guards will turn the other way for personal grudges or brawls. Killing another player if you are the one to initiate the attack first will instead turn your Alignment from ''Chaotic'' to ''Evil'' (only counts if said enemy player has ''neutral'' or above Alignment).
''Journey to War!'' Quest has been completed. Even though not all 80 Mages of the Institute will be able to make it back to the capital their participation in the Siege was without question an essential necessity and for protecting them to the Stronghold your house has been awarded with the Title of ''Righteous''
Information on House/Guild Titles:
There is an abundance of Titles available even for your respective House or Guild and it will benefit or harm you in different ways depending on the title. House/Guild Titles can be earned through quests or actions just in the same way as individual titles.
Honor:
A man with Honor will never truly kneel before any King but just the same way will he never yield before evil. Increases damage against ''Chaotic'' or ''Evil'' Individuals by 0.5% for every point.
Current Honor:5 points (+ 50)= 27.5% increased damage against ''Chaotic'' or ''Evil'' Individuals.
Shocked by this storm of messages he read through each and every one of them slowly as his eyes started to grow wide. Not only did he receive two different titles but also the ridiculous sum of nearly 760 Gold. It took him a moment to realize as to why it was such a large amount as each enemy Soldier killed would yield 1 Gold for this Quest which meant that he... that he single handedly wiped out 3/4 of a thousand men strong Platoon... It was quite shocking to know the actual numbers but it made sense considering that he had been fighting on the frontlines the entire time and had tried his best to keep his men alive, sometimes by diving headfirst into dangerous situations to spare others the effort or pain. Still, the knowledge that the King of Asuria was behind all of these deaths just because he wanted an excuse for the public to invade Sarachec once again filled him with unbearable rage that he quickly tried to suppress. Farabello''s face couldn''t help but float before his mind''s eye as he clenched his hands into fists, cursing the King to hell. All the men that died under his command were his fault but it was the King that had started it all and he really would like a personal word with a man like that... Without wasting any more time Makoto did something that he had wanted to do for a while now and opened his Status Window as well as Skill page to see the changes that had transpired since the last time he checked. [tr]
Status Window
Name:Makoto ForrowfellLevel:31
Alignment:Good, House ForrowfellClass:Blood Savage
Race:HumanGender:Male
Titles
Slayer of All, Righteous Demon, First of a Kind, Champion of Blood, Murderer, Noble of Asuria, Veteran of War
House Titles
Righteous
Health:2020/2020Mana:800/800
Strength:172Agility:207 (+5)
Vitality:122 (+28)Wisdom:60
Intelligence:61Fame:26
Evasiveness:58Willpower:55
Authority:55Honor:55
Special Effects:
Attacking other Players in Asuria will not change your Alignment. Killing a Player you initiated an attack on will instantly change your Alignment to ''Evil'' (only counts if said Player has ''Neutral'' or above Alignment). 5.8% Chance to evade all Damage taken from a blow. +27.5% stat increase for 5.5 seconds if Willpower is activated. +5% Damage against all living beings. +42.5% Damage against ''Chaotic'' or ''Evil'' Individuals. +10% Chance to inflict the ''fear'' status on your opponents when entering combat. +10% Chance to inflict the ''fear'' status on your first attack in battle. +15% easier to intimidate Merchants or other people.
Aura of the Beast:
Your presence alone shakes the hearts of many, with an air of savagery and cruelty around you even guards do not want to take actions against you, fear is your most powerful tool and the use of it comes naturally to you.
Skill Type:active/passiveSkill LevelLvl 5 (67%)
Skill Effects:Everyone around you (10 feet at current level) will have their stats reduced by 5% and accuracy drops by 17%.
Additional Effects:Your eyes have permanently changed color.
Uses:5 Mana per second.
Blood Rejuvenation:
Bathing in the blood of others you are able to find new Strength even during extended skirmish and battle.
Skill Type:passiveSkill LevelLvl 9 (41%)
Skill Effects:0.5% max health restored every second for every 2% missing health.
Blood Rush:
The liquor of life and death, the crimson flow that keeps us all alive, no matter the race, we are all sons of Blood.
Skill Type:activeSkill LevelLvl 3 (62%)
Skill Effects:Sacrifice a constant 50 health per second to receive +7% movement and attack speed.
Additional Effects:Effect doubles every 10 seconds. Movement and attack speed gains will be halved every time.
Curse Blade:
Enchanting your blade with a secret curse your every strike will lacerate the enemies flesh bringing unbearable pain and misery to your opponent.
Skill Type:activeSkill LevelLvl 11 (15%)
Skill Effects:+65% more Chance to inflict the ''Bleed'' status effect.
Additional Effects:+11% Chance to inflict a random status effect. +60% more Damage and longer Duration when inflicting the ''Bleed'' status effect.
Uses:25 Mana per Attack.
Devil''s Greed:
Money makes the world go round so why not take more than you give?
Skill Type:passiveSkill LevelLvl 3 (87%)
Skill Effects:+1.5% increased deals in your favor for both buying and selling.
Additional Effects:Able to Bargain more effectively. NPC Merchants and Shop owners will feel an instinctive fear towards you.
Memories of Carnage:
Fleeting are those bound to the battlefield, vain are those who survive it but all share the same memories. Allies and bonds forged in the heat of battle and despair.
Skill Type:active (Buff)Skill LevelLvl 3 (81%)
Skill Effects:Will apply the ''Memories of Carnage'' Buff to all Allies in a 50 feet radius. Caster will receive +2% more overall Damage until duration is over. Caster and all Allies will do +4.5% more overall Damage until duration is over.
Duration:3 Minutes.
Uses:100 Mana.
Penetration:
Even the strongest of defenses can be broken through with effort and tenacity.
Skill Type:passiveSkill LevelLvl 10 (12%)
Skill Effects:+30% armor penetration.
Additional Effects:0.3% max durability from enemy equipment is additionally lost with every hit you land. Able to break Items.
Realm of Madness:
True terror is not the predictable evil but the unpredictable that will haunt you forever. Madness is a murderer''s best tool.
Skill Type:passiveSkill LevelLvl 3 (26%)
Skill Effects:All projectile based attacks aimed at you will be slowed by 11%.
Additional Effects:+11% Resistance to ''Fear'' and ''Illusion'' status effects.
He had gained 2 titles, 2 new stats, an absolutely ludicrous amount of money, 6 levels and even more Skill levels in these past few Ingame days. At least in that regard this little ''War'' had paid off greatly. Still it was interesting to see his ''Penetration'' Skill gaining new effects instead of even more armor penetration and one could argue that these effects were even better as he was now able to break enemy equipment or break items in general which was nearly impossible before. Even if an armor piece had no durability it would just lose its effects that it gave to the wearer but still exist, being able to permanently destroy equipment was... something else for sure but it had also taken a long time for Makoto to level the Skill to 11 and it got more difficult with each gain and not easier. His ''Curse Blade'' Skill worked in the same way as it no longer increased the Bleed chance or duration but instead increased the chance to give other, random status effects which could, as far as he knew, even include a few instant death status effects. Makoto naturally told his Party about his gains and at the same time discovered that both Sanja and Lilliana were Level 30 now and even Sharon had surprisingly enough gained a level even though all the enemies had been far below her which put her now on Level 39. She was no longer miles away but it would still take a while to catch up to her especially because party exp was mostly shared. On their way back they talked a good while longer about other possible hunting grounds besides the City Dungeon and Sharon seemed to know of a place but told them it was a ''secret'' and they would find out soon enough. After the Platoon came to a stop and the NPCs decided to rest for the evening and would continue their journey to the Capital the following day, Makoto decided that it was also enough and turned around to his party with a small smile. "Alright guys, I think I''m going to log out for a while now and take a rest, feels like we have been playing for ages now anyways and I have a few things I need to take care of like actually sustaining my body and visiting the toilet. Let''s meet up back here at 8 this evening." Both Sharon and Lilliana seemed to be a little dispirited at his words as for them, Ingame was one of the only ways to interact with him, they couldn''t help but agree though that it was time for a longer break. Makoto put his hand on his girlfriend''s left cheek and exchanged a long and deep kiss with her before slowly and unwillingly parting from her. Hidden by a veil of curly red hair was a pair of blue gems that seemed to practically scream with desire as she stepped back with a small pout, obviously not satisfied. Staring into those sapphire like eyes of hers was really a view that could bewitch a man''s heart and it pained him a little not being able to see it all the time. After this rather intimate goodbye for his girlfriend, Makoto felt a sudden tug on his right sleeve and only now remembered that there was someone else, or rather, now there was still someone else. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Glancing to his right he was able to see a blushing Lilliana with half of her face hidden by her black hair as her eyes darted towards his direction and her lips seemingly formed the words ''Me too'' while at the same time being too embarrassed to voice them, especially before Sharon. Makoto too naturally knew deep down inside how he felt about the little Mage and had suppressed it for a while now so that didn''t really make it easier to just follow his instincts. Unsure what to do in this situation as this was still rather new and unexplored territory he just stood there for a few seconds before a soothing voice broke the stalemate. "Really guys, do I have to personally grind your bodies together by force or are you just gonna get it over with? I feel like I am watching a bunch of toddlers who don''t even know what a simple goodbye kiss is." Sanja said with a fox like smile as she watched both Makoto and Lilliana flinch. After once again looking at Sharon who gave her a slight nod that it really was ok, Lilly took a deep breath as she moved forward, putting her arms behind his head she did not just leave it with a simple ''kiss'' as her tongue invaded his mouth like a tiger being released back into the wild with joy. His mind started to go blank for a few seconds before he returned the playful way her tongue explored his mouth and he could hear a small squeak escape her throat as she quickly once again stepped back with a flushed face, unable to face Sharon she logged out first in a hurry, leaving the other 3 a little dumbstruck. "That was both cute and sexy so I will give it a 9 out of 10 but next time try grabbing for her ass while you kiss her Makoto, she likes that." Sanja commented with a knowing smile before also logging out in a flash of light. Feeling an instinctive fear crawling through him he turned to his left only to find a now deeply pouting Sharon waiting. "So... was it enjoyable?" She asked with a cold voice as she moved closer. "Well... I think no matter what I say it will just blow up in my face so can I keep my vote as neutral?" "Well that wouldn''t really be fair now would it? I mean you get to kiss two different girls." She once again stepped closer and with one hand forced him to look into her eyes. "So I will get at least more than a single kiss to make it even." Before the whisper had time to fully dissipate in the air and while not getting any chance to react she threw herself in his arms and dragged him to the ground. Unbeknownst to the NPC Soldiers all around them a fellow man was currently being devoured by a starving woman. Not even a single scream could escape his lips as she sat on top of him and started riding him like he was only hers and hers alone, not that he really minded of course... ¡­.. Opening his eyes for first time in a while everything was still a bit blurry as Makoto exited the capsule. It was 11 AM and Sunday on top of that so he would have to go back to College the following day but at least for now he had more pressing matters as he quickly made his way to the bathroom and emptied his bladder and intestines for the first time in nearly 15 hours. After that was done he changed his old clothes and was now wearing a black shirt with the words ''Eat, sleep, game, repeat'' on them together with a pair of washed out jeans. Checking his phone he noticed that there was a missed call from an unknown number and with a mental shrug decided to call back. It only took a few seconds for the person on the other end to answer. "Hello?" It was the deep voice of a man so he was naturally a bit confused as he was sure to never have heard it before. "Hi, I saw that I was called by this number 2 hours ago so I wanted to make sure it wasn''t anything important." Makoto replied, somewhat unsure if this person maybe just called the wrong number. "Ah so you are Makoto, wait a minute I will get her quickly so you can talk to her yourself." Confused what this was about he decided to wait as footsteps and voices were distantly audible on the other end of the line. "Finally, I wasn''t able to reach you before with Dale''s phone so I was a bit worried and my own phone ran out of charge so I couldn''t call you with it. I just wanted to tell you that I will be back from my holiday soon dear." Finally realizing what the purpose of the missed call was a wry smile started to form on his face. "Hi Mum, how was the vacation?" Hearing a small giggle at his question she quickly explained their flight and stay at a six star hotel in Dubai. As far as Makoto understood it just from these two facts, ''Dale'', the boyfriend he only knew a very small amount about, was definitely rich beyond belief and probably young too. Makoto was someone who had inherited his unremarkable features mostly from his father as his own mother was by the standards of others incredibly pretty, even now after crossing 40 she still looked like she was in her 20s. He had a shallow smile on his face as he listened to her chit chat, wondering if she would ever stop. "Oh and lastly dear, I think it is time I give you a visit again and make sure you haven''t burned down the flat yet. We will talk more about this when I am in the area." There was a slight pause at the other end before his mother continued. "Dale just told me that the movie he booked is going to start soon so I have to go, see you soon and take care!" Even after she had already ended the call Makoto still held the phone to his ear for a few seconds before putting it down. He had always seen his mother as a nuisance and pushed her away for the simple reason that he just couldn''t forget the way she sometimes looked at him when she thought he didn''t see it. She played the role of a loving mother quite well but Makoto had long since noticed the fear that was still present in the corner of her eye. It showed that she was always wary of him since the incident with his father and who could really blame her? Which 7 or 8 year old kid could hospitalize a grown man in a matter of only seconds? Not to mention that he was unstable he also had an abnormal strength while the other took over so he didn''t really hate her but at the same time he couldn''t help but somewhat detest her. Wasn''t he still her son in the end so why did she look at him like he was a monster when she thought he wouldn''t see her expression? Sighing deeply Makoto shook his head to rid himself of these dark thoughts and a sudden vibration from his phone was right on time to bring his attention to something else. It was a message from Sharon and just seeing it brought a smile to his face. They texted for a while and chatted about Real Life as well as Ingame before the topic fell to Lilliana and the rather awkward goodbye. -I know that you two agreed on something Sharon and I don''t want to lie and say that I don''t feel anything for her but it is just...- Unable to put it into words his girlfriend quickly helped him out. -Weird? Trust me you are not the only one who has to get used to this and even though I agreed to it... it just isn''t easy. I don''t regret my choice though because I would rather be out of my comfort zone instead of making all of us unhappy, we will get through this together Makoto. As long as you always keep me in your heart and still have feelings for me I am ok with how things are right now.- Just looking at the message he could see that Sharon was indeed not having it easy and his heart started beating faster as a warm feeling of love and care rushed through him. Just how the hell did he deserve someone like her? Wiping away the tears of happiness that had started to form in the corner of his eyes he quickly wrote an entire paragraph of how much his girlfriend meant to him and clicked send. This back and forth of sweet talk between lovers continued for a while before they both said their goodbyes, Makoto was in dire need of groceries and Sharon also had to take care of something as she was going out for lunch with her parents soon so there was that too. Before she left she sent one last sentence that filled Makoto with a jumble of emotions as well as excitement. -I am coming over tomorrow so leave me some space this time on the bed please.- Unable to hide the grin that bloomed on his face he sent a quick ''awesome'' and put down his phone. Unsurprisingly his current mood had skyrocketed, accompanied by the whistle of a long forgotten 80s song he took a plastic bag, some cash and his keys and left his apartment to buy some dearly needed food. ¡­.. On his way back from the store he started to contemplate about a few things that had been on his mind recently. What kind of Affinity would he get? Was there a max level for Skills or would they just infinitely grow and gain different effects? How could he create his own Skills or learn some dearly needed Martial Arts Ingame so his movements wouldn''t be as random and more effective than they were now? Those were the kind of questions that had been on his mind for a while now, all things he could really only speculate but still something he just couldn''t stop thinking about. He needed more strength Ingame otherwise he would only be able to watch NPCs and players close to him die a miserable death, that was the sad truth. Remembering the old Narkas he couldn''t help but wonder how he was currently doing and if his pet spider Acerbus was alive and well. Before going to the Stronghold he had decided to leave the little critter at the Mansion he now lived in for the simple reason that he would have one less thing to worry about. The little Spider didn''t even have a health bar and in a battle like a siege he just didn''t really seem useful, bringing him along would have probably only killed him. Makoto made a mental note to spend some time with his pet after returning to the capital and also inform his Uncle about what really was behind this sudden attack from Sarachec. Deep in thought he crossed a street as the light turned green while holding a heavy grocery bag and noticed something that piqued his interest after arriving on the other side of the road. In a display window, sitting on top of the appropriate stand a dark sword made out of wood was resting, apparently on sale. Seeing something so familiar but at the same time so unique in today''s day and age made him stop dead in his tracks as he looked at this sword for a few seconds before a thought crossed his mind. What would happen if he started to train in Real Life with a sword to his Ingame performance? Couldn''t he just start training Martial arts here or get better acquainted with a sword and then use what he learned Ingame just like how others had done so before? It was a rather interesting plan that was worth a try in his mind so he quickly entered the shop and bought the wooden sword, not even caring about the price. Feeling somewhat excited and unsure if this really was a good idea he hurried home and unpacked the weapon. As he held the hilt he could feel a strange sense of familiarity from his fingers, similar to how he felt when he wielded his sword Ingame and a grin started to appear on his face. Swinging the surprisingly heavy weapon left and right he instantly felt the difference which broke the illusion that everything was the same as Ingame. Just because he could cut or slice with lightning speed in Azalon didn''t mean that his actual body in Real Life could keep up with those movements, the reason behind it was simply that he hadn''t trained with an actual weapon and didn''t know the hardships of slowly advancing through pain and practice as well as his body being completely out of shape. That was probably one of the bad aspects of Virtual Reality, you would never be able to master a weapon Ingame simply because the game itself made it too easy with increasing your stats and you would automatically start relying more on speed or power instead of technique. Unsure if what he was doing was a smart idea he started his first ever workout with a weapon and practiced his swings until he felt somewhat confident that the wooden sword wouldn''t just simply fly out of his hands when he tried a new move. After about 30 minutes he was drenched in sweat, his body and hands hurt but it was the good kind of hurting that showed that he was slowly improving. Taking a little break and wiping his forehead with a towel he couldn''t help but crave a target to test his swordsmanship and a rather bold idea crossed his mind. Thinking that it wasn''t actually so bad he organized an old backpack and filled it with towels, bottles of water and a little snack before putting on a jacket and storming out of the apartment, sword fixed to his back and partially hidden by his supplies that he had with him. After about 10 minutes of walking he arrived at a nearby park where he could see kids running around playing and families sitting down and having picknicks, it was after all a beautiful Sunday even though it was still somewhat cold but with the heatwave that was currently passing through most people used that to their advantage. Makoto was currently looking for a good spot, possibly a little further away from prying eyes as he walked through the surrounding green. After about 5 minutes he found an acceptable spot and tree as a target, even though other people would still be able to see what he was doing there was no real helping it if he wanted to practice properly. Ignoring the looks he was getting he put down his backpack and held the wooden sword in both hands while staring at the tree before him. Kicking off from the ground beneath him he performed a horizontal slash and for the first time felt a real response from his hands as he grazed the bark of the tree with force. He started going through a set amount of simple moves and focused on the ones he had trouble with first, slowly but surely improving his understanding of how to properly hold and use a sword. It was all trial and error and not really learning martial arts but it felt like a start and the right thing to do. There were a few spectators that stopped to watch him for a while but they soon enough lost interest and continued on their way while Makoto did his best to ignore them. The sight of a young man swinging a wooden sword against a tree did attract quite a bit of attention at first but as soon as people started to realize that he had no hidden agenda and was only training they lost interest and slowly left. When the air started to grow colder and twilight filled the sky the exhausted Makoto decided to drink a mouthful of water and took a break. All the muscles in his body hurt, not a single one seemed to have been spared as even his facial muscles felt tired. Leaning on his sword he looked at the tree before him and was somewhat depressed. No matter how fast or hard he attacked even while getting a better understanding of the sword in his hands he ever left a single mark on the bark of this rather old tree. Letting out a sigh he pulled the wooden sword out from the ground and decided to try once more to at least do some damage to it. Taking in a deep breath he focused his gaze on the tree and gripped the handle in his hands tight. With an already practiced manner he pushed off the ground but something was different this time as a feeling of weightlessness filled his limbs. Unbeknownst to him a crimson light suddenly flashed in his eyes as his body moved both fast and gentle, similar to how he carried himself Ingame. Turning his ankles, hip, shoulders and wrists, a slash like he had never done before crashed against the tree and a loud bang echoed out, together with the sound of breaking wood. The shock of the collision broke the trance that his body and mind had entered abruptly as he lost all feeling in his fingers. Completely dumbfounded he stared at the wooden sword in his numbed hands that had snapped into two. He wasn''t really sad that the sword he recently bought was broken but more stunned as he noticed the deep dent his strike had left in the tree, the other half of his blunt weapon still being stuck inside the bark. Unable to comprehend what happened, Makoto calmed down his haggard breathing as a wave of fatigue washed over him, he even had to sit down for a moment as everything around him started to go blurry. After nearly a minute his body recovered far enough that he could stand up again. Looking at his hands he couldn''t help but remember that he had felt something similar to what just happened once before but not as strong. Was this not the same thing as what had happened 2 weeks or so ago with that thief that tried to steal a girl''s purse? Didn''t he kick that guy with the same feeling of power and speed that he just experienced? Stunned by this discovery he couldn''t help but think that it might just be the beast rearing its head but in his mind it just didn''t fit. If it really was the beast everything surrounding him would have gone hazy and he wouldn''t have felt as tranquil as he did during that strike. He also would not have experienced this ridiculous drain of power as he had clearly gone beyond of what his body was capable of when he was already tired. A crazy idea crossed his mind and Makoto couldn''t help but gulp. Could... could it be that what I learned Ingame and practiced is also applicable in Real Life? I mean it somewhat makes sense considering that it is proven that Real Life ability translates into Ingame ability but that it was possible for it to go the other way too is just... inconceivable. Lost in thought he stared at the broken sword in his hands as a surge of newfound determination flowed through him. ----- Finally done [th_084_.gif] took me ages to make these tables right... Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter and if you got any questions just put them below! Abbadon out! Chapter 67: Surprising Transformation There you go guys, the promsied chapter of today. Next chapter might come out a bit later as I am visiting my Dad''s place this weekend and have no real access to internet there for now so just a heads up for you guys, will try my best to make it but just letting you know if I don''t deilver on time ^^. ----- Chapter 67: Surprising Transformation Wiping a strand of red hair out of her eye Sharon stared out of the restaurant window while her parents kept asking her sister question after question like how her kids were doing and if their son in law was treating her alright. It was a bit tiring for her to listen to all of it especially when her thoughts lied with someone else, a certain crimson eyed man that held an important place in her heart. Completely blocking out the chatter she couldn''t help but remember how Lilly had kissed him not too long ago and once again a strange mix of emotions surged up inside of her. Jealousy and hate being a part of it but at the same time she also remembered how the look in his eyes towards her had not changed in any way and it gave her a sense of security and warmth. "It really isn''t easy to get used to." She mumbled, more to herself than anyone else. "What did you say sweetheart?" Her mother asked with an inquisitive look. "Nothing, I was just talking to myself." Her sister seemed to have remembered something after listening to her and a strange smile appeared on her face. "I heard from Mark that you asked him to track someone down for you, does this guy have something to do with why you seem so lost in thought Shary?" Hearing those words her parents instantly perked up their ears as they were well aware of their own daughter''s previous experience with men and years of not getting close to anyone had passed since then. "What is this? A guy in your life and you haven''t talked to us about him, who is he? Where does he live?" Sharon could clearly see how her sister seemed to enjoy the unhappy expression on her face as she talked for her instead. "I heard from Mark that he is called Makoto, not sure about his last name as that is something he wouldn''t even tell me but apparently Shary and this guy met Ingame." Showing a stern expression for the first time her father now stared coldly towards her and Sharon couldn''t help but instinctively flinch. She always remembered him to be a gentle and kind Dad but after what happened with her stalker his entire mannerism towards the male population of this world took a big dive and even Mark had to argue with him many times to get her sister''s hand in marriage. "Talk to me Shary, who is this guy to you?" His voice was low as his eyes seemed to hold a dark kind of promise. Being stared at by 3 different people and knowing what she was going to say she couldn''t help but slightly blush and lower her head as a whisper escaped her mouth. "He is my new boyfriend." It seemed nobody had expected this answer as even her sister that had previously teased her was shocked. "No way, I don''t believe it he actually is? I was just messing with you, you know, please don''t lie about stuff like that." "There is nothing to lie about Caroline... Makoto is my boyfriend and we have been together for more than a week now, at least I think so. It is kind of hard to keep track of the days with my job, you know that." Silence filled the table as each and every member of her family were deep in thought. Finally her father was the first to speak and his voice was chillingly cold. "Have you met him in Real Life before to make sure that he is just like he is in that game? Can''t have you be with a dishonest bastard now, can I?" "Yes we have met and he didn''t even change his character Ingame which 99% of all people do so you tell me if he is honest or not? Even though we haven''t been together for long I just..." Unable to hide the smile that formed on her face as scene after scene with him floated before her eyes. The way he smiled at her as if he was looking at the most beautiful artwork or scenery, his eyes that seemed to stare at her innermost core and showed warmth, love as well as comfort. His embrace that made her feel safe and at home. All of her feelings for him started to bubble up in her chest like a warm cloud that radiated heat to every inch of her body. "¡­ I just feel happier than I ever have before." Unbeknownst to her as Sharon was still in her own little Makoto world, her parents exchanged a glance of astonishment. This was the first time after and even before the incident that they had seen their daughter lost in bliss and happiness like she was right now. Seemingly making a decision her mother looked at her with a loving smile. "Does he feel like the right one?" Without even needing to think about it Sharon immediately nodded her head instinctively before realizing what she had just done. Seeing the surprised look on his own daughter''s face her father couldn''t help but chuckle as he patted her head. "If it is like that then next time bring him with you so that we can get to know this Makoto a bit better too. I would like to see the man that could break through to my little Shary with my own eyes, I hope you understand that?" As she nodded once again a gentle smile formed on his face and the 3 of them asked her nearly everything they could think of, most of these questions were naturally concerning Makoto. The entire afternoon quickly disappeared in a flash and with a dry mouth and somewhat itchy throat after talking so much Sharon said her goodbyes to her parents as well as sister before hurrying home. The only thing she could think about at this point was being with him once again Ingame and a little bit of excitement filled her heart as she reminded herself that she would also see him in Real Life tomorrow again. If this was not bliss what was? ¡­.. With a ray of light Makoto returned to Azalon and soon enough spotted his party that was only waiting for him now. "Did the Soldiers already depart?" He asked after joining them with a quick look around the empty hill they were standing on. Lilliana answered his question as she pointed to her best friend. "Sanja here was the first to log back in and told the man in charge that we would not return any time soon so they should just continue without us for now, we aren''t that far away from the capital anyways so he reluctantly agreed but the men of your squad nearly started a riot, which was also the time I logged back in." Sighing deeply after remembering the scene her hazelnut brown eyes met his own and he could see the faint blush that appeared on her face. With two quick steps she appeared beside him and hugged his left arm while putting her face against his shoulder. It was clear that after the kiss something had changed in her behavior as she seemed to be quite unwilling to let go of his limb even when he told her it would make walking quite the hassle. Giving a pleading look to Sharon his hope that she would resolve this situation was quickly shattered, noticing the strange smile on her face he couldn''t help but sigh as she took a hold of his other arm in the same manner as Lilliana. Both girls started to giggle when they saw his expression and he could already feel the headache as they made their way to the capital once again. Sanja, who was currently walking behind them had a rather lonely look on her face as she watched her party members entering their own little world. Glancing into the nearby woods an empty smile formed on her lips, only she knew what she was thinking at the moment. ¡­.. Makoto felt like what he was doing was just plain wrong, it was something he had silently dreamed about for a while now but actually doing it felt like he was committing a serious crime. His left hand was currently fondling Lilliana''s full behind for the first time while they walked on a remote road leading west and the response he got from his sense of touch was just absolutely amazing. Judging by her red face, parted lips and dreamy expression he wasn''t the only one enjoying the moment. Turning his head the other way he could see a similar expression on Sharon''s face as his right hand was currently busy exploring every nook and cranny of her behind too. This was the reason he felt so bad. Was this even morally acceptable and just why the hell couldn''t he bring his hands to stop?! Sanja who was currently walking up front naturally had no idea what was going on so without anyone disturbing or judging him his hands slowly but surely traveled from their respective behinds to a rather sensitive area. Both girls flinched at the same time as a heated expression and a hungry look appeared on their faces and they turned their heads towards him. It was also at this moment that they noticed the same expression on the others face and it didn''t take long for them to connect the dots. He could see their faces going through a number of changes and with a shudder Makoto noticed a deep anger that once again quickly disappeared on Sharon''s face. Lilliana on the other hand seemed to be quite flustered and embarrassed, she broke away from his embrace hurrying to Sanja''s side up front. It wasn''t even necessary to turn his head to know that his angel was currently staring daggers at him. Both girls had agreed on this situation but they behaved quite shily and he couldn''t really blame them as this was a new kind of experience after all. "You are playing a very dangerous game here Makoto." Sharon whispered into his ear with a low voice and for the first time since Lilliana left his head turned towards her. He knew what he was going to say as the apology was already on the tip of his tongue together with an excuse but before Makoto had a chance to voice it he could feel the presence of the other. The struggle in his mind only lasted for a split second but it was enough to let some of the presence and emotions that followed the beast influence him. "But isn''t that exactly the reason why you love me?" Unable to help it he showed Sharon a beastial smile before abruptly kissing her. He could feel her trying to resist him for the first few seconds but as the other grew stronger so did the intensity with which he dominated her body and soon enough she gave up struggling and returned his advances with rather expectant movements of her lower abdomenal area. Breaking away from his girl he could clearly see the disappointed expression on her face as he turned around with a chuckle and continued to follow Lilliana and Sanja, leaving a rather perplexed Sharon with disheveled hair behind. ¡­.. It took them all afternoon to reach the city gate. Just seeing the absolutely monstrously tall walls and chaotic, labyrinth structured layers once again filled Makoto and his party with a sense of awe. This environment really did feel like the capital as they tried their best to squeeze past the abundant masses that filled the ground and lower layers of Elisante. After finally reaching some stairs leading up they climbed for quite a while before reaching the upper layers where there was quite a lot less traffic, this was after all an area not meant for commerce but instead a layer for nobles and their families. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Because of the sheer size of Elisante it still took them nearly 2 hours to reach House Forrowfell even while traveling on the higher floors. His Uncle was naturally very delighted to see Makoto again as word of his deeds had already reached his ears. Narkas demanded a detailed explanation of the entire siege and sent the rest of his party away so that they could rest but also so that he himself wouldn''t be disturbed as he listened to his nephew''s report. It took nearly an hour to explain everything and he hesitated for a second before continuing. "There is something else Uncle." "Hm? What it is it? Come tell me you know there is no need to hide anything between us at this point and time." Showing a reassuring smile on his already withering face Narkas encouraged him to speak openly so Makoto began explaining as to how and why the king was probably behind the entire thing. It was quite disturbing for him that his Uncle only furrowed his brow but didn''t really seem to be surprised as he stood up and looked outside of a nearby window, seemingly deep in thought. "I already kind of expected something like this but that the King of Asuria is really behaving the way I feared is rather... unsettling." Pausing for a moment Narkas turned around and looked at him before speaking once again. "What do you intend to do, now that you know the facts and reason as to why good men had to die?" Clenching his hands into fists Makoto once again felt waves of rage burning through him when he remembered Farabello and all the others from his Squad that died a meaningless death, just because someone in power was bored and decided that he needed a reason to justify a war. "I want to kill the King and put someone in charge that cares about the people and not about more power." Narkas showed him a face full of smiles and nodded. "It is good to see that we share the same views, you know that I am from a land where the people in charge act in a very similar manner and treat their citizens like cattle so I detest such behavior and see it as the disease of a nation. I think we should work out a plan and include some other noble families that have the same idea so that the Spider of Forrowfell can help rid this country of this sickness." Seeing the dangerous glint in his Uncle''s eyes Makoto couldn''t help but smile. "But for this to work you will have to be a lot stronger than you are right now as in the end strength is a big deciding factor in winning a rebellion. If you really support this idea Makoto you will need to increase your level by quite a bit while I will do my best to find others that share our views, we will need a lot of money and manpower that our House currently doesn''t possess. If you know any other foreigners that are of the same mind and might join us I implore you to invite them as we are going to need all the help we can get." Narkas discussed a few more things with Makoto as Baltas the Butler of House Forrowfell did his best to supply the demand of food and drink necessary for a long conversation like this. His Uncle quickly bade him farewell after they finished their talk and even though it was already dark outside he didn''t dare waste any time to meet up with a few old friends that could support their bold idea of changing the King. Thinking that things were proceeding in a good direction, Makoto decided that it was time to see how both Sharon and Lilliana were doing upstairs. A thought that occurred to him while he was walking up the stairs was that they might talk about what happened on the way to Elisante and a guilty kind of weight pressed down on his shoulders, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. It was still a mystery to him as to why he had done it to begin with, at least his... reply to Sharon was something influenced by the beast so it made sense but it couldn''t be that the previous action was also from the other... right? Still somewhat contemplating these things he opened the door and immediately something landed on his chest and clawed itself into his armor with force. Stunned he looked back into 8 different glimmering eyes and a smile couldn''t help but form on his face when he noticed the spider rubbing its head against him, similar to how a cat would normally behave. His pet seemed to have grown a bit and Makoto was surprised to see that the pattern on its back from the previous crimson spider that was also the emblem of House Forrowfell, had slightly changed as on it a black skull was now present too. Before he had time to even catch his breath a system window jumped up, blocking out most of his vision.
Your pet ''Acerbus'' has learned the Skill ''Mending Thread''
Mending Thread:
Even though Spiders are always famous for creating webs that are used to trap their prey, only few know of their expert craftsmanship and ability to mend even completely destroyed webs in a matter of minutes.
Skill Type:activeSkill LevelLvl 1 (0%)
Skill Effects:Able to restore 5 Durability to an Item.
Uses:50 Mana per second.
Acerbus:
Pet spider of Makoto Forrowfell, blessed with the Crest of his house. Its name alone can mean ''dark'' ''bitter'' and ''cruel'' at the same time.
Owner:Makoto ForrowfellLoyalty:74%
Skills:Mending Thread.
"You gotta be kidding me..." Unable to believe his eyes he looked at the inconspicuous pet spider still stuck to his chest. The Skill this little guy learned was borderline broken, even if it only was 5 Durability as its level was still low and at the cost of a lot of Mana but the usefulness of this one Skill was equal to an extra party member. It had to be made clear that just like every time when Makoto and his party returned to a town or city, the first thing they did like any other player was to pay a blacksmith to repair their equipment as it would naturally degrade after some use and would lose its effects when the durability was 0. It clearly stated in the Skill description that it would ''restore 5 durability to an Item'' which meant that it included weapons, armor and even some rather powerful artifacts that could only be used a few times before their durability hit 0, no blacksmith could repair them again but this little spider... could. "What''s wrong Makoto? You look like you have seen a ghost." Sharon asked with an inquisitive glance as she noticed that her boyfriend had been standing at the same spot and staring into nothingness for a while now. After explaining what kind of Skill his spider had learned while he was away he wasn''t the only one anymore that was shocked beyond belief. "I heard before that pets are a treasure guarded more strictly by NPC''s than any money or weapon and if they can all learn Skills like that then it doesn''t surprise me anymore." Sharon whispered while dreamily looking at the Spider. Both of them knew what it meant to have this little critter with them now as he would be able to repair all of their gear without having to worry about visiting a town which was one of the only reasons players couldn''t explore too far into the unknown as their entire gear would slowly but surely turn useless. That on top of every decent item available for players being insanely expensive made it practically impossible to wander off into unexplored regions if there was no known town nearby. Many players wanted to visit other countries but no town would ever be built at the border as it was just considered too unsafe for most NPCs and no Stronghold would just allow their already overworked blacksmiths to also help foreigners that had done them or their respective country any service. It plagued many players that they would have to slowly work their way up in the political world of their nation or find a way to be a blacksmith''s apprentice and quite a few discussions as well as angry a comments had been made on the online forums about it. "Can you get Lilliana and Sanja quickly?" Sharon nodded and after only a minute she returned with both girls as Makoto explained the new situation. Both had the same expected reaction and a rather dangerous expression of greed seemed to form on Sanja''s face but after looking at Makoto she seemed to throw whatever idea she had away with a sigh. "I don''t think I have to mention this to you but tell not a single soul that we have found a way to repair equipment outside of going to a blacksmith. If this becomes known to the public we will be top priority for nearly all players and definitely all guilds. They will use any and I say any means to get their hands on Acerbus and if you ever want to play in peace and without having to constantly worry about other players I beg you to be smart about it and keep quiet." Makoto said while mostly looking into Sanja''s direction as he had not missed her recent episode of ''how to get rich quick''. Noticing the way he looked at her she showed him a dry smile. "Don''t worry Makoto I am not just some dumb slut that only can see as far as her boobs are big, I already got the message and even if you didn''t tell us I wouldn''t try anything against a friend." Unable to voice the inner question as to what she would try if he wasn''t her friend he decided to just forget about it and not judge her for a single selfish idea. Remembering something else he looked at Lilliana and then at Sharon before glancing once again at the brown haired priestess. Without even having to say anything she rolled her eyes as she got the hidden message and stood up to leave the room. Lilliana was about to do the same but Makoto held her back by grabbing her hand. "There is something I need to talk about with you two..." Petting over the shiny and smooth back of Acerbus he managed to finally pry his pet off his chest and put him on the ground before sitting down and pointing next to him so Lilly would do the same. He was well aware that this was going to be a long and awkward night but it had to be done... ----- Hope you enjoyed the chapter and let me know if you have any questions or find a mistake! Here is a little throwback to the past and one of my all time favorite songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFS4zYWxzNA Abbadon out! Chapter 68: Assistance Thank you very much Thomas K for donating once again, love you man! Sorry this chapter is a bit late (well one day late) as I was at my dad''s place as mentioned before, will try to give you the promised chapter of today too without any delay so you can expect the next chapter in... well a few hours I guess XD (still haven''t written jack shit for it but know which way I want it to go). Important notice! I have gotten a few private messages from people so I am just going to ask it here, do you guys think I should start up a patreon account? Just comment below what you think please as it would be awesome if I could put more time / give you guys more chapters and content by actually being able to live through my hobby ^^. Without further ado I give you a rather exciting chapter! Hope you like it! ----- Chapter 68: Assistance Lilliana was a little nervous as she took her seat and looked towards Makoto, waiting for him to start the conversation. "Honestly speaking, both of you need to relax and enjoy this all a bit more. I know the current situation might not be comfortable for you guys but it was you two who agreed that we should try it so I am just going to say this." Taking in a deep breath, Makoto looked into their eyes before continuing. "I am not going to just focus on one of you so there is no need to get angry or embarrassed when I enjoy both of your bodies, alright? If I only focus on one person wouldn''t one of you feel like she is being left out? You girls know how important you are to me." Placing one hand on Sharon''s and the other on her own she could feel her heart skip a beat when she saw the warmth in his gaze. Lilliana unconsciously gripped his hand tighter while losing herself in his eyes. "We have reached a point where I can''t just say goodbye to one of you so get it into your heads already, you both are important to me and don''t need to hold back your feelings, do what you want to do, follow your heart." With those words he stood up while still holding their hands and guided them to the king sized bed. Lilliana couldn''t help but exchange a glance with Sharon and it somehow helped her, knowing that she wasn''t the only one that was surprised and nervous of what Makoto was trying to do. Looking back he showed them a devilish smile while his crimson eyes held a mischievous glint. "I know what you two are thinking and no I am not trying to get a threesome with you both even though it would be awesome, I was just thinking that we should all at least sleep in the same bed at this point. I mean if you guys wanna do a different kind of slee-" Cut off by an elbow thrust from Sharon, Makoto soon enough kneeled on the ground while gasping for air and Lilliana couldn''t help but giggle as she followed Sharon''s lead and slowly undressed herself to her underwear before jumping under the covers. Lilly could feel that her face was already bright red and kept close to Sharon while they both watched Makoto undress beside the bed. Seeing his naked upper body that was rather lean she couldn''t help but feel a bit excited. When she jumped into the bed with Sharon at the Stronghold he had already been undressed so it was a different experience to watch him like this now, it was a show that stirred her heart while at the same time a certain area between her legs started to warm up. After stripping down to his underwear too he turned off the lights and rudely fell between Sharon and her while putting one arm around each of them. Although it was dark she could swear that she saw the dirty smile that was probably on his face. "Oh I am sure you are enjoying this a lot right now, one girl in each arm and warming your bed. You know what they normally call guys like you?" Lilliana asked aloud in the darkness with a grin. Naturally she didn''t mean what she said but the small talk helped her in relaxing a bit more as she hugged the arm that was around her while at the same time slowly massaging her left breast. "Well I would call myself a very handsome and lucky fellow but I am sure you have a different answer in store for me so I will just help you keep quiet for a bit." Without any warning his hand went up and turned her head, a tongue invaded Lilly''s mouth as she lost herself in the feeling as well as pleasure that he was giving her when his hand wandered down between her legs during the kiss. Gasping for air she could hear a moan coming from the other side of the bed and knew that he was probably doing the same to Sharon right now. His fingers were getting a little rougher now as they went in and outside of her and she couldn''t help but once again speak with a heated breath. "You are such an asshole Makoto!" "Sharon said something similar today but look where we ended up, so explain to me why your legs are opening for an asshole like me Lilly, please do tell." The dripping sarcasm gave rise to a slight anger in her chest as his hands started to move faster, pinning her lower half to the bed and she couldn''t help but bite her lip. Even if she wanted to close her legs now it was just impossible as each of his movements took more strength out of her and a strange longing bubbled up in her lower abdominal region. The moans of both Sharon and her own filled the room, slowly getting louder as his fingers pounded both of them ruthlessly into oblivion. When he started using 3 instead of 2 fingers her back arched in pleasure and a "don''t stop" escaped her rosy lips. Makoto had long since been kneeling on the bed to be in a better position for both of them and Lilliana was only vaguely aware of Sharon''s presence as her entire view of the world in this darkness was only herself and his hand that never let up, bringing her closer to a certain point. Seemingly noticing how her insides had started to wriggle in anticipation he started to thrust even harder, reaching the deepest of parts without any problem and while repeating the word "yes" over and over again as well as moving her hips to the rhythm it finally happened. She felt it coming as wave after wave of pleasure exploded in her head together with her legs and body twitching uncontrollably. His hands continued all the way through it, extending her orgasm even longer before finally coming to a stop and exiting her insides. Completely exhausted and trying to catch her breath she noticed that Sharon was currently in the same state. It couldn''t be that they both reached it at the same time... right? Lilliana wasn''t able to see what Makoto was doing in the dark but after a few seconds he was lying between both of them again and put his arm around her shoulder while pulling her into his embrace. Half lying on the bed and half lying on his chest her hand naturally moved over his stomach before bumping into something. After hearing the surprised voice of Sharon in the dark she knew that it had been another hand and Lilly couldn''t help but freeze for a second, unsure of what to do. Before she could even move her arm back she felt slender fingers entwining with her own. The situation was a bit strange but she didn''t pull away and instead played around with the fingers of the other girl while an audible giggle reached her ears in the dark. Makoto who had noticed this small incident that was unfolding on his stomach couldn''t help but snicker too. "See, isn''t it better this way? Now if both of you could just use one hand each down there for me everything would be perf-" Completely on the same wavelength with Sharon, Lilly pushed down on his stomach, effectively cutting off any further words. "Don''t ruin the moment Makoto and just stay quiet, you will be pleasured by two different girls in the future so stop being greedy and get some sleep." Feeling a deep sigh through his chest, Lilly smiled as she closed her eyes, content and happy with how things turned out in the end. ¡­.. Opening his eyes while blinking away the blur that was present in his vision he tried to use his arms to sit up but surprisingly enough was unable to. Something heavy was lying on both of them, making it very difficult for him to even move. After a few seconds of confusion his mind caught up with last night''s events as he looked at both girls with a warm smile. Sharon was pinning down his arm with her head and had her own body curled around it while Lilliana had her head on his chest while cutting off any and all blood circulation he normally would have had in his other arm with her back. Naturally Makoto wasn''t able to just slip out of this confinement and honestly speaking he didn''t even want to as he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling as well as sight more than anything else. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Resting his head back on the pillow he gently pulled Sharon a bit closer while kissing her forehead and also gave a little peck on Lilly''s lips while she slept. Shutting his eyes once again with a smile he started to think about a few things that he would need to take care of today, but not right now. This moment was one that had to be savored and enjoyed till the very end as it was something precious and utterly rare. Time passed slowly but Makoto really didn''t mind at all and was even a little saddened when both Sharon and Lilliana started to wake up half an hour later. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes Sharon slowly sat up and gave him a sleepy kiss before standing up and putting her gear on. Lilliana on the other hand took a bit longer as kept turning around while trying to fall back asleep, only a little motivation in her lower region managed to finally fully wake her up. "You know, that is probably the rudest way to wake someone up that I have ever seen." She hissed his way while fixing her bra and with a smile he pulled her into his embrace and gave her a deep kiss to make it up to her again. Licking her lips with a slightly dreamy expression present on her face she smiled back and stood up as well. Fully enjoying the show he watched both of them putting on their clothes and he could see the amused smiles shot his way when they noticed that he was doing the exact same thing they had done last night. With a sigh Makoto finally decided that it was time to stop being lazy and stood up too. After about five minutes all three of them left the room and went downstairs, only to find a brightly smiling Sanja waiting for them. Seeing the smile on her face they stopped walking as she started to speak. "You guys know that the walls here might be thick but not that thick right? See, I was starting to wonder what you had to talk about for so long in your room, that was until I heard Lilly''s... voice of course." Feeling a tug on his sleeve he didn''t even have to look to know that Lilliana was currently hiding behind his back with a beet red face. "Someone ever tell you that you should start looking for a boyfriend so you can make similar sounds at night Sanja?" Makoto asked jokingly but the smile on his face froze when he noticed the look the girl before him was giving him. Seeing the tears that formed in the corner of her eyes and the shocked expression was enough of a hint for him that he had stepped over an invisible line. Before he could say anything else Sanja stormed out of the room with Lilliana following closely behind her while shooting a glance his way. Confused as to what just happened he looked towards Sharon but she had the same expression on her face so he wasn''t any the wiser. "Maybe something happened in Real Life?" She said and Makoto could only reluctantly agree that it was probably that. He was naturally well aware that everyone carried their own scars with them and some never fully healed even after an entire lifetime so in the end it didn''t really come as a surprise, if at all he was surprised about the topic that brought Sanja to her tears. Could something have happened to her previous boyfriend not too long ago? Unsure and not wanting to pry into someone else''s business he decided to keep it in the back of his mind while leaving the damage control to Lilliana. Entering the dining room to have breakfast he saw Narkas already sitting at the table and currently reading a newspaper. This was also the first time that he was aware that something like it actually existed Ingame as he hadn''t seen it before. "It''s only early in the morning and already did you manage to make a girl cry, was it because she wasn''t included in your feast last night?" Seeing the knowing glint in his Uncle''s eyes he couldn''t help but once again sigh. While silently making a promise that he would either make them both bite into a pillow or visit an Inn next time he completely ignored the question and talked about what Narkas was able to accomplish from his nightly visit to some of his friends. "Well the good news is that not one of them went to the current King to get us all executed on the spot and they also promised to keep quiet about the treason I am currently committing, bad news is that not even a single one of them is going to assist us. Bunch of spineless wimps." Mumbling a few other rather disgusting descriptions of his ''friends'', Narkas took a sip out of his glass before looking into Makoto''s eyes. "Sadly we are alone in this little rebellion of ours, at least from the noble side of Elisante we can''t expect any help." Unsure what to say to that Makoto kept quiet while staring at the newspaper lying on the table. The headline was what drew his attention. ''Village of Salem overflowing with foreigners, possible invasion?!'' This rang a bell in the back of his head and with a sudden jolt he looked at Narkas. "I think I know of at least a few people that might help us in this crazy idea but they aren''t close and I am not sure they will agree but the village of Salem owes me a big favor." "Well I imagine if you mention it then the favor truly is a big one, let me send a messenger to them and ask for assistance, you will have to write a letter and mention a few things only you would know so they can be sure that it really is you. I don''t think their help is going to be enough but we need anything we can get at this point so why not give it a try." Nodding once he ordered Baltas to get in touch with a trustworthy messenger while Makoto wrote a quick and short letter explaining a few things and addressing it to the Village head of Salem. Shortly after he gave an explanation as to why they could possibly expect at least some form of assistance to Sharon and Narkas. After eating a bowl of warm soup and 2 ham sandwiches as breakfast, both missing girls finally returned and entered the room. When his eyes met with Sanja''s she gave him an apologetic smile and it was enough for him to know that it was better not to ask. While they waited for the other two girls to also finish their meal Narkas used the time for some small talk and asked Sharon how she met Makoto. Naturally his angel didn''t tell him the whole truth as he was an NPC and probably wouldn''t be too happy to know that her true form was a Boss monster so she just said that they both met in a dungeon when Makoto was in a rather emotional state. Unable to help the smile that formed on his face when he remembered the way they both ''met'', Makoto sadly was soon enough abruptly pulled out of his daydream as someone loudly banged on the front door of the Mansion of House Forrowfell. Seeing the alarmed look in his Uncle''s eyes he naturally knew that they were not expecting visitors. Narkas silently exchanged a glance with the Butler Baltas who pulled a short knife seemingly out of nowhere and made his way to the front door as the atmosphere in the room changed from one second to the other. Makoto decided that it would be best to do the same as he unsheathed his sword and followed the white haired Butler while motioning the girls to stay seated so they could log out if things turned sour, after all they weren''t even part of this house so why should they bear its consequences? Standing right next to Baltas with his weapon hidden behind his back he took the lead and put his hand on the door through which he was able to hear the muffled voices of quite a few people. Tensing his body for a possible attack his mind was sent reeling right after stepping outside. Before him stood men in simple clothing unlike the last time he had seen them, lined up in two long rows he recognized each and every one of them as they started a chant when they saw him and it was one he had heard before. "Undying! Undying! Undying! Undying!" ------ As mentioned before I will try my best to give you the next chapter in a few hours and get back to my usual schedule (I didn''t plan to actually include some time for other people, figures that as a loner I forgot about something like that XD) If you find any mistakes please do tell below! PS: If you play League of Legends and saw Illaoi, was I the only one who thought ''Oh god the fan hentai!'' XD? Abbadon out! Chapter 69: Secret Endeavors Phew *wipes away sweat on my brow* Now I only need to finish the chapter for Yokai Academy tomorrow and my schdule is back on track. I also managed to update the first chapter of Azalon (finally I know) so it is currently at a standard that I find acceptable, hope you check it out! Anyways, without further ado here is the next exciting chapter! ----- Chapter 69: Secret Endeavors Completely caught off guard Makoto stared blankly at the spectacle before him and he wasn''t the only one as other people on the streets started to notice the current events too. Raising his hands in an attempt to calm down the chanting men, it took him a while to get a hold of the situation. One of them, presumably their current leader, stepped forward and kneeled down in front of him while opening his mouth. "Captain, we have decided to break away from the army as well as crown so we can instead serve under you after seeing what you did at the Stronghold. All of us here want to help House Forrowfell and wear the crimson spider on our chest with pride!" Still somewhat stunned, Makoto asked Baltas to get his Uncle and explained the situation to him and his party that had also tagged along. "Well then, seems like you really did go above and beyond duty if so many of the men you commanded are practically begging for you to do the same again." Narkas said with a grin as he looked at the now silently kneeling men. Noticing that his Uncle had taken control of the situation Makoto watched as he stepped forward. "My name is Narkas Forrowfell and I am the head of this house as well as Uncle of your Captain, I can promise each and every one of you 2 Gold a month for your service and the only thing I ask of you is absolute loyalty to our house, you will be fed, receive weapons and gear and also go through training here so I have no use for those who are looking for an easy life. You are in the line of duty and will represent the honor of our house so I expect absolute obedience while following orders. Those of you who still want to serve, follow me!" Turning around he gave Makoto a wink while leading a line of men to the back of the mansion. Not a single one of them had left even after the speech, it seemed like they knew what they were getting into before arriving here. Still somewhat interested in what would happen next, Makoto and his party followed the group and watched Narkas assign each and every one of the men to a different duty while also showing them their quarters where they could sleep if necessary or spend their free time. After about 30 minutes Baltas was ordered to get an instructor from the City to help these men further expand on their military as well as combat knowledge. With gleaming eyes his Uncle returned to Makoto and his group and they once again entered the main mansion. "This can only be counted as a rare stroke of luck in our situation considering that we are in dire need of a force of our own and although they aren''t much these men can definitely be used for a quick and decisive attack. Well done Makoto!" Feeling like he hadn''t really done anything at all he was patted on the shoulder by his smiling Uncle but before even getting a chance to respond, Baltas who had already been on his way, returned with hastened steps. "Sir, there is a group of shady looking people waiting outside of the gate and the one leading them is mister Finn, it seems like he has some news for our young Makoto here." Surprised by this sudden appearance all of them exchanged a look before this time hurriedly making their way to the front gate. Knowing that he had ordered Finn to create a network and also hire some men, it felt like he was truly blessed today as one good news after the other arrived on their front door. Seeing the small stature and big cloudy glasses wedged between a group of men and women in dark clothes Makoto couldn''t help but smile as he greeted the other. "Finn, it''s good to see you again old friend. I am guessing you are here because of what I asked you to do? How about we talk about this inside and away from curious ears?" Nodding at his words they all returned to the dining room and Baltas was rushing back and forth at top speed before excusing himself, after everyone had a glass of tea and some snacks, so he could finally go out and find a competent combat instructor. Sipping on the rather big glass next to his small head, Finn glanced at Makoto''s party for a second before his eyes returned to the man in question. "I am here because I did what you asked me to do, I created a little network around the city and was also able to acquire 250 armed men to do your bidding, further 1000 are currently training to increase their strength and efficiency in working together but they should be finished and ready for combat in 2 months." No one spoke a word after that as a stifling silence filled the room. Gulping down some saliva, Makoto needed a moment to collect his thoughts as these news that Finn brought to the table had instantly changed everything. "I-If I remember correctly I only asked for a small force but this... this is..." "An army." His Uncle finished for him while looking towards the small man with calculating eyes. "How did you manage to get your hands on so many soldiers without alerting the king that something is wrong?" Narkas asked and Finn couldn''t help but let out an evil laughter that sent shivers down many spines in the room. "Whoever said I recruited Soldiers of the king? I would be more than a little stupid to try that with a number like this. Being in this kind of business for a long time now I know how to get my hands on people that no one is going to miss even if they disappeared. The reason there is only 250 for now is because I am still recruiting and the rest needs to be... properly educated before I am able to trust them with a weapon." Seeing the way his guards nearly jumped out of their seats at those words Makoto didn''t have to ask how Finn managed to keep so many men and women loyal to him. "So they are what? Criminals?" For the first time in this conversation did Finn turn his head towards Narkas who had been asking the questions while showing a reassuring smile. "Criminals, Slaves, Mercenaries, Assassins, Murderers, you name it. All I can promise you is that no matter where they came from they will be absolutely loyal and obedient to house Forrowfell should you ever need them. Naturally I know that I might have overdone it a bit and I am sorry if I am creating a bit of trouble for your house. I have already found different places where I can hide them and let them live fake lives in the city so they can be ready at any given mo-" Cut off by a hand gesture from Narkas, Makoto exchanged a silent look with his Uncle before nodding. And then they started to explain their plan to Finn and his group, naturally all of them had to promise beforehand not to let a single soul know about the contents of the following conversation. Noticing the excited light behind those cloudy glasses and the big smile as he told the little man their secret rebellion, Makoto couldn''t help but feel a surge of anticipation too. "Well if it''s like that then I will have to recruit a lot more people and also get my hands on more resources as this is not going to be cheap anymore." Finn finally said after listening to everything they had to say. "Don''t worry too much on how much it is going to cost, I can still provide for some of it, the rest we will need to acquire illegally but I think you know more about that kind of stuff than me." Nodding to Narkas''s words the little mole-like man quickly gave a few orders to 4 of his followers and they left the mansion with hurried steps. "Is it possible to shorten the training of those 1000 from 2 months to only 1?" Makoto asked as a sudden idea formed in his head after remembering what some of the soldiers he commanded at the Stronghold had gossiped about. If his calculations were right... Thinking for a moment, Finn nodded again and gave the simple command "get on it" to a man with dead eyes who nodded and just like the previous 4 left the room. "Why exactly do you want to shorten their training time Makoto? It shouldn''t really be a problem to take it slowly and haste could only ruin things." If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. His Uncle inquired but seeing the smile that slowly formed on Makoto''s face he decided to wait for an explanation. "We always had one big problem, no matter how many times we talked about it we always reached a dead end even while speculating with theoretical thousands of troops, how do we reach the king?" Looking around in the room to make sure that everyone was following his words he continued. "Even if we stormed the palace and knew the exact location of the king it would still always come down to actually getting our hands on him as there are many plans put in place to prevent exactly that, hidden rooms, secret exits and not to forget the most elite knights this kingdom has to offer. Not only does the king rarely ever go outside, he doesn''t even leave his room most of the time so assassination is practically impossible as there is many high leveled magic formations edged into the palace walls as far as I understood. They only times the public and the rest of the world will be able to see the king is at new year in over nine months, but that isn''t right is it?" Looking at his Uncle he watched as it ever so slowly clicked. "The Tournament... Each and every Tournament at the Colosseum is viewed by the king. The public might not see him but it is well known that he likes to watch the fights as it is a rare kind of entertainment for a man who is being protected all the time... and the next one is..." "In one month." Makoto said, finishing the sentence for Narkas. "But even then the king is going to be protected by his guards right? So how do we reach him?" Sharon asked, seemingly still confused as to how this information could help them. "You are forgetting something I just mentioned, there are many plans in place to protect the king from harm in the palace, as long as he is outside we have a good chance and not only that, with the Tournament being such a big event there is going to be 10s of thousands of residents and foreigners coming to participate or to see it. This means that we can easily mingle between those masses even with an entire army if we disguise ourselves right and if we can create a distraction during the Tournament itself..." "Checkmate." Finn spoke with a wide grin, showing a row of yellow teeth. Silence filled the air once again as each and every one of them was deep in their own thoughts. After a while Makoto''s lips parted once again and immediately all attention was focused on him. "We have a little over a month to get this show on the road, that means a lot of things could go wrong and no matter how well we plan it there is bound to be an unexpected situation. We have to make sure that we stay alive during the entire thing no matter what, as long as we are alive after messing up we get another shot at it, but once we die..." Giving a sidelong glance towards the NPCs in the room he let out a sigh. "Then it''s game over. As I am a foreigner it won''t matter too much to me but for a few here this could very well be too dangerous so I would suggest to keep your involvement while the Tournament is underway to a minimum." Making sure that his Uncle and Finn understood that part they continued with their discussion. Finn and his remaining followers left soon after to take care of a few preparations while Narkas also stormed out of the mansion to secure a few important assets. Watching the back of his Uncle disappear in the distance he finally turned around to Sharon, Lilliana and Sanja. "Alright guys I think we should log out for now, it''s already early morning and Monday so there isn''t really much choice in the matter. Although time is of the essence me and Sharon won''t log in until Tuesday afternoon because we are meeting up so we will have to leave you two alone for a bit." Showing an apologetic smile to both girls he could see the disappointed look in Lilliana''s eyes and the understanding smile on Sanja''s face. "Until we meet again I hope you guys manage to catch up with my own level as we are going to have to level a lot more in the coming week anyways if we want this plan to work... thanks by the way guys that you are helping. It means a lot to me even though the plan is a bit insane and they are just NPCs, it just doesn''t feel right to leave things how they are." "Well knowing you I can only agree that you would rather do something completely dumb and suicidal like trying to murder the king of a country instead of enjoying the game but that¡¯s why we are here after all, to keep an eye on you." Lilliana said with a smile even though it didn''t really reach her eyes. He naturally knew why she was currently not in a good mood, the news that not only would she not be able to see him for a while but that he was spending some Real Life time with Sharon was less than pleasant for her to hear, at the same time he couldn''t really just ask her to tag along as this was something that Lilliana and Sharon had agreed upon before. Makoto gave both of his girls a kiss and noticed that Lilliana tried to extend hers for as long as she could so he let her have her will for a little while before waving one last time and logging out. While he disappeared he gave one last glance into Lilly''s eyes again and a sudden longing feeling of love and care exploded in his head like never before when he saw the sadness that was visible on her face. Completely stunned and confused he had no time to analyze where this burst of emotion was coming from as the world in front of him turned white. ..... While returning to his real body he noticed that the emotions he just felt Ingame had completely disappeared without a trace. Deep in thought he sat there for a while before exiting his capsule. Makoto always knew that he felt something for Lilliana, that there was something more in his heart for the little Summoner than he wanted to admit but it had never been with the same or even close to how he felt for Sharon. That was one of the reasons he had not tried to talk about it with his girlfriend or even mentioned it because it was worlds apart to how he felt for his angel, nowhere close to being the same but that last moment just now... had been different. It had felt like the same intensity that he had for Sharon, the same depth and emotion, but how could it disappear just like that again? Unable to find the answer to this mystery he decided to just shove it to the back of his head for now and shrug it off. Human emotions were a complicated and delicate subject that many philosophers and scientists had been keen on exploring for many decades now but even then there was still a lot left unexplained, especially if you took his special circumstances into consideration. Glancing at his phone he saw that he had about an hour left before he had to leave so he decided to hop under the shower for the first time in a while after which he got dressed and ready for College. ..... Sharon couldn''t help but feel a little nervous. She had been Ingame for a few hours longer when everyone was already logged out to kill some time. Dressed in a gorgeous outfit while also having put on a little bit of makeup she made her way to Makoto''s place with her heart beating in excitement. This would be the second time that they met outside of the game and she had been longing to see him for a long time now as it was still different to be with him outside than it was Ingame. Skipping the last few steps to his apartment with a fluttering heart she stood still before a certain door. Taking in a deep breath she knocked 2 times and waited. It didn''t take long before the door opened and a hand quickly pulled her inside as she found to herself again within a tight embrace. Closing her eyes while burying her head into his shoulder she whispered a muffled "I missed you" as the door behind her closed shut and silence filled the outside corridor. ----- And there we go, thats it! As always if you find any mistakes please do comment them below. PS: Still waiting for that next episode of Hellsing Abridged that should come out this month *eyes are filled with stars* Abbadon out! Delay for about 1 day Hey guys, sorry to give you these news right after having already delayed things last weekend but I will have to delay this chapter until tomorrow probably because one of my eyes (right one) has finally decided it is enough looking at a computer screen for now as one vein after another keeps popping so after wiping away quite a bit of blood out of my eye while writing this chapter I decided to stop for today as I also have to start working in about 4 hours. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Once again sorry for the delay but when it involves my eyes I get a little freaked, even though I know that it is nothing serious after looking it up online I want to give them some rest and also get some sleep so see you all later! Chapter 70: Hunting Den So it turns out my eye is a lot better now after sleeping for 14+ hours straight, guess I did really get it from being sleep deprived until I didn''t even feel sleepy anymore (yep I really take great care of my health) Anyways, here is the chapter! ----- Chapter 70: Hunting Den While standing up he made sure that his movements didn''t disturb Sharon in her sleep and couldn''t help but smile when he remembered yesterday''s events. Spending some rather interesting time at his place for the first 2 hours they decided to make some other memories that didn''t involve a bed and went out. Strolling through the streets while holding hands they had entered a few shops here and there, not really looking for anything specific. After buying her a cute tiger shirt and a cat paw keychain they went to see a movie and later in the evening had their dinner in an Italian restaurant. All in all it was an enjoyable day as this was the first time he had really spent time together with a girl like this. Gently caressing her sleeping face while wiping a red curly strand of hair away, Makoto had a peaceful smile on his face. If only he could spend all of his time like this, not having to worry about anything and being able to be with the one he loved, that truly would be heaven. Looking at his phone once again he sighed and left the room to shower. It was Tuesday morning and unlike Sharon who could sleep a bit longer he had to go to College. Just the idea left a bitter taste in his mouth as he had no intention of leaving her side but he had no choice in the matter, after all Real Life was an undying monster everyone had to battle. ..... During a break he noticed the text message from Sharon and it pained him a little that he wouldn''t be able to see her when he returned to his apartment but it was her job after all to stay Ingame for the most part. As far as he understood it, not only did her role involve being a player boss be she also had to report any bugs or errors in the coding that she could see and give a weekly report on her experience to mostly sleep Ingame instead of outside of it. When he had heard that she signed a contract that included that no matter what kind of health issues she got out of these tests she couldn''t sue the company behind Azalon he felt a little shiver run down his back. Even now it was still unsure if the game had any effects on people''s minds if you slept in it, but considering that one day was equal to 3 Ingame days and the time spent sleeping in each of these 3 days would amount to the regular amount spent sleeping outside, just cut up into 3 portions, left the general player with little to no worries. Skipping one or two days for a long period of time however... that was still under investigation. At most you would feel constantly tired outside of the game which could be fixed by just sleeping a bit more. Thinking about the game as well as his friends again Makoto couldn''t help but sigh as he wished for the day to quickly end. ..... Liliane was depressed. Even though she was in a photo shoot right now and working she constantly thought about what Sharon and Makoto might be doing or had done last night. It filled her with a bit of jealousy that she had never spent this kind of alone time with him. Like a thorn stuck in her side the thought never left, haunting her every passing moment and making it hard to concentrate on anything else. Forcing herself to smile even though she wasn¡¯t happy, the entire shoot was thankfully soon enough over. ¡°Something on your mind Lilly?¡± Her manager asked with a concerned voice as he had noticed that she wasn¡¯t like her usual self today. ¡°Yeah but its private so I can¡¯t really talk about it.¡± ¡°Let me guess, a boy?¡± Clearly giving it away with how her expression changed for a split second she felt his hand pat her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it will all get better with time even though you two have gone different ways so you don¡¯t need to fe-¡° ¡°We are still together jackass!¡± She hissed angrily, knocking his hand off her shoulder and standing up. ¡°Well where is the problem then? Forgive me for being a bit rude but no man would ever push you away if we just take your looks into account and considering that your personality is half way decent-¡° ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°I would say that he would rather chop his hand off than let you go or cheat on you so where is the problem?¡± Hesitating for a second she bit her lip and shook her head which made her long raven black hair fly around. ¡°Forget it, you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± Shrugging once she heard an ¡°only trying to help¡± before he exited the room, leaving her to her own devices. Looking into the mirror before her and seeing the beautiful face that was at least 4 times as pretty as the one she used Ingame staring back at her she sighed. Would she really be satisfied if Makoto only choose her because of her looks? It wouldn¡¯t make her happy at all if that was what he saw in her but why was it then¡­ that he had never said it? Sure he told her that he felt something for her but why did he never straight up say ¡°I love you¡±? This was what had been bugging her for a while now because even though he treated her nicely and showed an interest in her body she would have to be blind not to see the difference in treatment, which was the reason she was so aggressive. She wanted to get the response she was longing for, the whispered words and passion filled eyes that he always gave to Sharon. She wanted him to herself¡­ Liliane wanted him to only look at her and what they had right now¡­ just wasn¡¯t enough. Somewhat regretting that she had agreed to the current situation she was once again lost in thought as her heart longed for his love, the care and passion that she so dearly missed. Even though she shared Makoto right now and he treated her well she felt¡­ alone. It just wasn¡¯t what she had wished for when her heart slowly but surely fell for him. ..... Arriving in a ray of light Makoto stepped out his room and went downstairs. Sharon, Lilliana and Sanja were already waiting for him thankfully so they could all leave straight away. Letting his pet spider Acerbus climb to his favorite spot on his shoulders he felt ready to take on anything as he glanced towards his red haired angel. ¡°So you said before that you knew of a place where we could level properly and considering the task at hand I would say it is something we dearly need at this point.¡± Nodding once with a beaming smile she took the lead as they left House Forrowfell and the training Soldiers in the back of the mansion behind. They walked through Elisante for quite a while and chatted on the way until Makoto noticed where they were heading to. ¡°The Magic Institute? If you want to find a task we can do why not visit an Inn?¡± Not answering his question she only smiled and continued on until they reached the right building and went inside. Stopping before the reception desk, Sharon¡¯s next words confused everyone in the party. ¡°Hello, would it be possible to show us all of the Bounty requests for notorious killers and foreigners in the area please?¡± The lady at the desk was a little surprised but only nodded and disappeared for a minute before returning with a mountain of Bounties. ¡°Alright guys, accept the ones around our level and for which we have the right requirements.¡± Still confused as to what the hell they were doing, Makoto and the rest took the giant pile of papers and went to a nearby table to sort through it all. After nearly half an hour they had accepted 32 Bounty requests that fit their characteristics and returned the rest. ¡°So why exactly are we doing this? I mean sure we will get some money and exp from it but do you realize how much time it is going to take to actually find all of these guys?¡± Makoto really didn¡¯t like the idea of doing Bounty requests at as they not only reminded him of some bad memories but also really were not ideal for them at the moment. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Calm down and just trust me on this, alright?¡± Unable to resist the reassuring smile she gave him he reluctantly nodded and together they followed Sharon¡¯s lead once again out of the Magic Institute. Descending layer after layer the surrounding buildings quickly changed from majestic mansions and palaces to simple stalls as well as stores together with the NPCs and Players around also increasing by nearly 5 times. Not stopping even once they pressed through the crowd and kept on going down until they reached the lowest layer and also slums of Elisante. Even though they were inside the walls, criminal activity was rather high here and only rarely did the guards patrol the filth ridden streets. Even though the gate itself was also on the lowest layer, from the moment someone entered the city they would naturally ascend a layer or a few in the maze like city, simply because the lowest layer was also the darkest one with the least amount of sunlight reaching it and piles of trash accumulated at nearly every corner, making passing through it all a hassle and quite disgusting. This was the kind of place only those without a home would turn to, hunted by the guards and hated by the world. Exchanging a quick look with Sanja and Lilliana they followed Sharon past wooden huts that seemed to break down with the slightest gust of wind and tried their best to ignore the incredible smell that seemed to always be present on this bottom layer. After 10 minutes of silent walking and without seeing even a single soul they entered a broken down stone house, completely ignoring the destroyed wooden door on the ground. ¡°What the hell are we doing here?¡± Lilliana finally asked, no longer being able to hold back. ¡°We are here because this is the right place to go if you all want to quickly level up and also earn quite a bit of money.¡± Sharon answered mysteriously while walking past a gigantic piece of rotten wood that had once been the ceiling of the house. Entering the only room that still existed in this ruin of a home they saw wooden stairs, half covered by stone bricks, leading down into the dark. As if she had done the same thing a thousand times before, Sharon walked around each obstacle in her path and descended down into darkness. Still confused as to how the basement would help them level up, Makoto quickly did the same even though the incredible dark made his progress slow and only after Lilliana summoned a small fireball in her hand was he able to see the ridiculous length these wooden stairs seemed to go down. ¡°This isn¡¯t a regular basement is it?¡± Sanja asked and Makoto could only chuckle at her question after seeing it himself. With his interest finally awakened as he was faced with this rather strange place he followed behind Sharon who was surrounded by a globe of light. It was one of her ¡®Huntress¡¯ Skills called ¡®Wisp¡¯ which was normally used to help illuminate the surroundings in a completely dark forest but it also worked wonders in caves or in this case. ¡°This is something I discovered after exploring Elisante. As you all know unlike other players I started in the Labyrinth and the Capital from the moment I logged in for the first time so I had a lot of time on my hands in this gigantic city and also accidentally stumbled upon this entrance.¡± ¡°Entrance to where exactly?¡± Makoto asked quite interested. Who wouldn¡¯t be if they discovered a hidden staircase leading down into the unknown beneath a city as big as this after all? Once again not answering his question so she wouldn¡¯t spoil the surprise, Sharon showed him a teasing smile while skipping down into the dark. They followed her for quite a while and only after a long time did they reach the end of it all and found themselves in a cave. They ground itself was uneven and no human seemed to have passed through it in quite a while as they continued their journey before ultimately having to crawl through a crack in the stone. Slowly but surely they could hear voices reaching their ears. It was only faint murmurs at the beginning but the longer they followed the red haired Huntress the louder it got until they finally emerged on top of a boulder at the outskirts of a bustling metropolis. Right away a system notification jumped before the shocked eyes of Makoto and the rest of the party.
You have entered the special Dungeon ¡®Undercity¡¯! As this is not a regular Dungeon the usual respawn mechanics do not apply, instead you will be teleported to the last city you visited just like normal and no matter who you kill in ¡®Undercity¡¯ your Alignment will not change.
¡°Even the capital of a country has its dark secrets and this is Elisante¡¯s, a city beneath a city, only inhabited by criminals, mercenaries and corrupt business men and also the only way to enter they city as a chaotic player. There are many hidden entrances in and outside of the capital leading to this place as far as I know which makes the whole ¡®making sure you are not chaotic¡¯ thing at the gates leading into the city pretty pointless in my opinion but only very few people know of this place. Entire crime networks have their headquarters here and many guards and nobles of the city are either bought or have at least done some shady deals with the people here. Where did you think your little NPC friend Finn got the people for the army you are trying to build Makoto?¡± Stunned by these words he didn¡¯t really know what to say as he looked at the scenery before his eyes. It really was an entire city with countless buildings all constructed underground and away from any sunlight. Giant stone furnaces built at the top of the cave ceiling that had to be at least 20 feet in diameter burned day and night to somewhat illuminate the streets and buildings below while street lights all around helped to brighten up those places that still remained in twilight. It was a sight like you would normally only see it in a fantasy movie, an entire city with even a river running through it built entirely underground. This was how Makoto normally always envisioned Dwarfs to live like but it was a big difference to think about it and to actually see it himself. Considering it was humans who built Undercity it suddenly interested him to see how the real Dwarfs Ingame lived so he made a mental note to visit Farkiln their homeland that bordered on Asuria whenever he had the time. Sanja and Lilliana both had the same shocked expression on their face as they looked down at the city that stretched out beneath them. ¡°So this was the reason you wanted us to accept all those Bounty requests¡­ do all criminals that we selected live here?¡± ¡°Well I did say specifically to only accept those that are known to have created trouble in the area so considering there is no other town close to the capital and this is the best place to be for any criminal they should all be inside Undercity as far as I know. I also did this in the past and even though it wasn¡¯t always instantly but in the end I always found my target here no matter how many times I did it.¡± Sharon answered with a satisfied smile after seeing their expressions. With Acerbus standing on his shoulder he looked down on the people making their way through the streets below and a dark smile formed on his lips. Turning around to his party, his crimson eyes seemed to hold a new light as his fingers itched for some combat after such a long time. ¡°Who is ready for some hunting?¡± He asked in a sinister voice that sent shivers down the spines of each of the girls. ----- We are ever so slowly reaching the end of Book 2 (well I say slowly considering I still need to write quite a lot together with the Tournament and getting rid of the King etc.... at least it is in sight I guess? Hope you enjoyed it and see you all on Sunday! (This time hopefully without any annoying delays like my body telling me to take care of myself *rolls eyes*) PS: I wrote this chapter while only having one eye open to read it :D Abbadon out! Chapter 71: Friends in odd Places Hey guys, guess what I have here? It''s a delicious new chapter! (no shit sherlock) I have been sleeping a lot these past few days to take better care of my health so I just didn''t feel like finishing it yesterday night but it was a lot of fun writing this chapter so I hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 71: Friends in odd Places The first thing that Makoto and his party did when they entered the rowdy town was to visit an Inn. The idea actually came from Sharon as she told them that not only could there be a Bounty request for a person from the Magic Institute, but at the same time also a task or even quest here that asked you to take care of the same guy, so it was like killing two birds with one stone. The Inn they entered was more like a dark cave, filled with dirty faced men and women of all ages and more than one pair of eyes followed them through the room as they made their way to the task-board. It was clear that they looked like they didn¡¯t belong, which in turn meant that they could be potential prey for a few chaotic NPCs living here. One thing that was interesting was that not every single NPC was of chaotic nature, a lot of them even seemed to have a neutral Alignment and when he asked his red haired angel she explained that you would only acquire chaotic Alignment for murdering someone, scamming or robbing someone rarely ever changed your Alignment if it was in a small scale. It could however make the local authorities aware of your deeds and in turn they would hunt you down to get back what was stolen even if you didn¡¯t have a chaotic nature. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we are lucky.¡± Sharon mumbled to herself as she looked at the tasks pinned up on the wall, many of which containing rather nasty things like ¡°beat up this guy¡± or ¡°break into this house¡±. It was clear that they were the kind of tasks you could only find in a city like this, meant for chaotic or evil players. Glancing over the different papers, Makoto was even able to find a few tasks that involved chasing down and killing Bounty Hunters. It came as a bit of a surprise but when he thought about it for a second it wasn¡¯t really odd that they would exist considering that Bounty Hunters endangered anyone that ever committed a crime. His gaze wandered for a while before stopping at a rather familiar name.
Kill the Bounty Hunter: (Task)
Get rid of Zergoon the Foreigner, located somewhere in Undercity.
Rewards:5 Gold.
Requested from:Maralick, Leader of the Midnight Warriors.
Requirements:Level 28.
It had been a long time since they last spoke and Makoto had honestly somewhat forgotten about the strange guy after getting officially together with Sharon as well as the Siege happening and the previous dilemma with Lilly. Too many things had been on his mind at the same time recently but seeing that this old acquaintance of his was in the area left a little smile on his face as he opened his friends-list. -Guess what Kill request I am looking at right now?- -If you accept it I swear that my next bolt will go up your ass Makoto! I have already enough goddamn NPCs to deal with right now. How the hell did you end up here btw? Did you kill someone and got kicked out of the city or what?- Grinning about the messages he walked off to the side while writing back. -No, one of my party members stumbled across an entrance to this place and made us accept a bunch of Bounty requests before coming here.- -Smart guy.- -Girl actually but yes it was a good move considering we can now accept a task concerning the same target and are able to reap double the profits.- -Damn! Why the hell didn¡¯t I think of doing that, guess I really am compensating for something¡­- Letting out a small laugh he finally wrote what had been on his mind for the past two minutes now and the reason he even started to write Zergoon. -Listen, we have a Bounty request telling us to get rid of this Maralick guy and I can see that he is a little pain in your ass too so do you wanna party up and take care of him? Should be a lot easier with more people you know.- -That would be awesome actually and we did say that we would party up anyways when we met again so perfect timing, currently in a tavern called the ¡®Flirty Trans¡¯ and please don¡¯t ask why I am here¡­- -Who said that I am judging you?- -See, this is the exact reason people think you are an asshole Makoto.- Breaking out into loud laughter, more than a few gazes were shot his way. Who wouldn¡¯t be surprised if a guy was tapping around in mid-air for a while and then started laughing like a crazy person? It was also at this point that his party noticed that he was no longer looking at the tasks and instead in his own little world. ¡°Everything alright or did you finally go completely insane Makoto?¡± Lilliana asked, ever so charmingly and he couldn¡¯t help but laugh once again as he strode to her side and put a soft kiss on her forehead before leaving the dazed girl standing. ¡°We are going to meet up with an old friend of mine so select the tasks you guys want to do while I am quickly going to ask for some directions.¡± Speeding off to find the owner of the Inn, Makoto wasn¡¯t able to see the surprised look that all 3 girls exchanged after noticing his good mood. ..... ¡°Well I guess now we know what kind of places your old friend visits.¡± Sanja said as they entered the ¡®Flirting Trans¡¯. Unable to refute the statement he smiled and looked around. The inside of the tavern was just like he had imagined, a world of pink. Each chair had its own pillow, was painted in screaming pink and on every table a few plush toys that a 7 year old might own decorated the area. It was both cute and terrifying if you took the name into consideration and the possible mental state of the owner. Interestingly enough there were all kinds of people here and Makoto soon enough found the reason as to why. Generally speaking meals inside Azalon that everyone knew were heavy things like stew, meat or ham dishes but not once had he ever seen anything sweet. Sure there existed a type of candy for little kids but actual dishes or desserts had until now been an unknown as even ice cream was a foreign term inside the game. Looking at all the pastry, cookies and different colored cakes that filled the plates of every customer around, Makoto knew why so many people ate inside the tavern despite the rather uncommon name. It only took a moment for him to spot the gigantic crossbow that was no longer wooden but had a metal frame with actual spears lying on a chair next to it as ammunition for it. Seeing the ridiculously long pony tail and bright eyes, once again allowed a smile to appear on his face. ¡°Never took you for someone with a sweet tooth.¡± Makoto said with a chuckle as he sat down on one of the free chairs around Zergoon¡¯s table. ¡°We all got our little secrets and hello there, that your party?¡± The other said with a glance at Sanja, Sharon and Lilliana that sat down next to him while eyeing this until now unknown friend with interest. ¡°Damn brother, so many beautiful girls in your party and you never bothered to invite me earlier. Talk about holding out on me.¡± Zergoon said as his eyes wandered over all 3 girls with a hungry light. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Both Sharon and Lilliana instinctively leaned closer to Makoto while also taking one of his hands each. Clearly stunned by this sight Zergoon¡¯s mouth nearly hit the floor when he noticed the atmosphere around the group. ¡°You gotta be kidding me here¡­ you also in on that?¡± He asked Sanja, a little stunned. She naturally quickly shook her head while showing a wry smile and it amused Makoto a bit that his friend seemed to be somewhat relieved at that answer. ¡°3 girls in your party and 2 are your own, can I get her then?¡± Pointing towards the blond Cleric at the table with a completely straight face, Zergoon was nearly ripped apart by the outrage that soon enough followed from both Lilliana and Sharon as they cursed and nearly spat his way in disgust. It surprised Makoto to see that Sanja the girl in question was the one that was perplexed the most as her cheeks slowly turned red while still leaving a rather confused expression on her face. ¡°How about you shut up before you get yourself in any more trouble? If you continue down this road I am going to be overruled in letting you join the party.¡± Zergoon who had taken the angry words without even flinching showed a knowing smile and only nodded. It was clear that it had only been a joke but Sanja¡¯s cheeks still remained a darker shade as they continued their talk. ¡°So what the hell have you been doing all this time Zergoon? It¡¯s been a while after all and am I right that your class upgraded?¡± Glancing at the Iron spears as well as Crossbow he wondered how the hell someone could even lift the damn thing. As far as Makoto could tell the weapon his friend currently had was a good size bigger than before on top of no longer being made from wood but instead out of various metals. It was clearly ridiculously heavy considering that the wooden floor had a visible dent in it while the Crossbow was leaning against a wall. ¡°Well you know how my Class used to be this odd one called ¡®Bolt Thrower¡¯ right? Turns out the moment I hit Level 25 I got this quest telling me to hunt some mobs outside the city, only problem was that they were literally enormous and I had to pin each one to the floor to actually kill them. It was a real pain in the ass I tell you. Anyways after completing it a local blacksmith made these custom weapons for me and my Class changed to ¡®Giant Slayer¡¯. Pretty good damage but heavy as hell if you need to run around and loading each spear takes time so I am not good with crowds at all. After that because hunting in the Labyrinth was starting to get boring and slow I kept on doing Bounty request until I got the title Bounty Hunter and through it gained access to Undercity. Then I pissed off lots of NPCs by randomly killing a few members of their Guild, had to burn down some houses to cover my tracks, killed a few more people, was hunted by a player guild for stealing a boss drop and that was pretty much it until now.¡± Listening to the ridiculously casual way he explained his story, Makoto didn¡¯t need a lot of imagination to know that his friend had been on a rollercoaster of life and death events. ¡°Is that why there is a task to kill you in this city, because you pissed off so many people? I mean after getting to know you I gotta say it isn¡¯t really surprising considering you seem to have a talent for it.¡± Lilliana said with a poisonous smile, clearly still a little angry about the previous episode. Showing her a small grin, Zergoon leaned back in his chair and took a bite from the cake that was on his plate before answering. ¡°Listen here girly, a man isn¡¯t really a man if he doesn¡¯t piss a hundred people each day off. You gotta live life to the fullest or it isn¡¯t fun so doing things like this¡± he suddenly took a hold of Sanja¡¯s head and placed a deep kiss on her lips before backing off again ¡°is something completely natural¡±. Everyone was completely stunned for a moment after what just happened, Makoto included. He remembered Zergoon to be a little loose lipped and talkative but never this daring, could it be because he had never seen the guy actually interacting with women before he always was like this? It was clear that his friend soon enough noticed the error of his ways as he put both hands up with a panicked face. ¡°Alright I am sorry, hey I said I am sorry so please put down your weapons guys. We are in a restaurant so don¡¯t make a mess that is very ru-¡° Before he had time to say anything else, Sanja, who had until then stayed quiet stood up and threw a dazzlingly fast kick his way. It was unclear if it was the anger that flushed her entire face red or something else but Makoto knew that this was the first time he had seen the otherwise calmest member of the party fly in a rage like this as she continued to kick the living daylights out of his poor friend. Nearly all guests in the room watched this scene with terrified eyes and even the rest of his party didn¡¯t dare to interfere with what this normally ever smiling Cleric was currently doing. Completely out of breath and her blond braided hair in a mess she looked down on the curled up ball that was Zergoon. ¡°If you touch me again I will rip your fucking testicles off you cocksucker.¡± She said in a low voice, sending shivers down each and every spine in the room. Spinning on the back of her heels, Sanja left the whimpering mess that had once been Makoto¡¯s friend on the floor as she once again sat down with a calm face and fixed her hair like nothing at all had happened. It was at this moment that Makoto made an important mental note to never piss her off as it was quite similar to kicking a sleeping dragon. Gulping once he helped Zergoon back on his feet and clearly saw the fear in his friend¡¯s eyes as he didn¡¯t even dare to look at his new nemesis. Silence filled the table and no one spoke a word after this little incident that took place. Makoto exchanged a look with Sharon and could see the same startled expression that he also had on her face. ¡°Now then, I think it is time that we get going again, maybe without this ¡®friend¡¯ of yours.¡± Lilliana said while throwing a look of contempt towards Zergoon. Clearly he hadn¡¯t made the best of impressions on her after playing around with her best friend like that. ¡°Oh I don¡¯t think so, I think it would be a great idea to have him in our party.¡± A voice on the table said and nearly all flinched in fright when they saw that it had been Sanja who said that. The completely empty smile she showed him was beyond scary as she even was the one that sent him the party invite. Zergoon was currently hesitating, clearly weighing both his friendship with Makoto and the safety of his privates on a scale but before he could make a decision a cold and empty voice took what little choice he had away. ¡°Accept the request now or I will make your life into a living hell.¡± Normally someone would want to stay away from a person they hated or had bad history with, Sanja was a beast of a different kind as she didn¡¯t seem quite finished with the poor Zergoon yet and with a feeling as if he was watching his friend sign his death certificate a new system window popped up before Makoto¡¯s eyes.
Zergoon has joined the party.
----- I know its a bit short but I just had to leave it on a note like that XD. No worries, the battles you are all longing for will finally return next Chapter and in the near future even more so if you take the coming events into account. As awlays if you find any mistakes please tell me below! PS: I am making this a bad habbit that chapters are like 1 day late aren''t I? [th_015_orz-v2.gif] Abbadon out! Chapter 72: Back into Habit Gather round children as I tell you a tale of bloodshed and carnage, of romance and friendship of- oh for gods sake just read it yourself ;D Hope you enjoy! ----- Chapter 72: Back into Habit After dragging the somewhat mentally scarred Zergoon with them, Makoto and his party left the tavern after eating some desserts, paid by the big man Z himself with the help of a strangling stare from Sanja. Their first target was an NPC called Stellarwick who was responsible for the murder of a well-respected merchant in Elisante and his wife. Finding a person in Undercity was quite easy as there was eyes and ears everywhere and a few copper coins were an easy way to gain some leads as to where they could find said person. Considering that they would gain nearly 3 Gold from getting rid of the guy it didn¡¯t really matter much to them that they had to spend a few coppers to get to him, they saw it more like an investment. ¡°Listen Sanja I am sorry alright, can you please stop looking at me like that?¡± Zergoon said behind Makoto for the third time now and he couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Just why the hell did he think that inviting this guy had been a good idea? I mean sure they had spent some time together but he had not been aware that he would do something like THAT and especially to someone that Makoto considered a close friend at this point. ¡°What do you mean, I am just looking at you normally.¡± ¡°Looks more like you want to skin me alive to be honest.¡± ¡°Oh I am sure that would be fun too but I was thinking something else.¡± ¡°Makoto!¡± Once again sighing deeply he turned around to the distressed Zergoon while putting a hand on his shoulder. ¡°The hole you dug is too deep, it was nice knowing you my friend.¡± He said with a completely straight face as he ignored any further pleas of his ¡®brother¡¯. Turning to Sanja he said a short ¡°that¡¯s enough for now¡± and she thankfully stopped her rather ominous stare that she had been giving the guy. Honestly speaking he didn¡¯t really know what to do if she hadn¡¯t listened to that and the thought alone that she had now turned into an unpredictable variable in his party scared him a little. Pushing these thoughts to the side for now, they traveled through the packed streets of Undercity while ignoring the screaming Merchants that tried to sell their wares. Finally leaving the market behind them they reached a place that could probably be counted as the residential area, or at least one of them. Once again tipping a few Copper coins to a friendly looking old lady that had seen better days and dressed in rather skimpy clothes he was told that Stellarwick lived in a mansion not far. Thanking the woman while trying his hardest not to think about what her day or even night job was they followed the stone road, passed a few buildings and corners before stopping at their destination. Looking towards Sharon and Zergoon they both nodded his way, therefore telling him that this really was the place. Both had the title Bounty Hunter and it allowed them to gain something akin to a skill. The effect was that they could feel the general direction of their Bounty request target but it was extremely imprecise and would only give them a clear sign that said target was close if they managed to get into a range of 1000 feet. It was useful but at the same time flawed so asking around or investigating was still 10 times faster than following this strange feeling but it did help pinpoint the person of interest if they already had a hunch that they would be at a certain place. ¡°Alright people, get ready for combat.¡± Makoto said while also drawing his sword and making sure that his pet spider was out of the way. Zergoon had been more than a little surprised when he saw the little critter and even more so was told that his friend had managed to join a house. After trying to touch Acerbus and failing miserably as the spider instead decided to bite him he finally accepted that he wasn¡¯t dreaming and Makoto really had a pet which was until then an item completely foreign to Players and 99.9% of the NPCs. Feeling the grip of ¡®Queligan¡¯s Splinter¡¯ in his hand gave him a sense of nostalgia and security. Sanja held her staff at the ready while Lilliana summoned her Labyrinth boar to have a secondary tank in the battle, at the same time Sharon nocked one arrow while putting the other in her mouth. Noticing the change in the party the surrounding people started to immediately back off as they approached the Mansion that seemed more like a small castle, it even had guards standing next to the closed iron gate. ¡°Halt! Who dares go there with such rude beha-¡° Not even bothering with the entire thing Makoto dashed forward while holding his breath. One other reason he had wanted to fight Ingame was to see if he really could improve or learn a martial art but most of his ideas needed a live target so these 2 enraged guards were the perfect test-dummies. Putting both hands around the grip of his sword he slowly exhaled and focused on the weapon in his hand. Instead of just slashing and hacking away with it he tried to follow a set pattern while keeping his movements to a minimum so he would use the least amount of energy for the best effect. Dodging half a step to the side, one of the pikes in the guard¡¯s hand shot past his chest, leaving only a few sparks on his armor before Makoto took a step forward and seemingly casually struck out with his blade.
1281 Damage dealt!
Makoto couldn¡¯t help but be secretly surprised at the obvious difference. Sure he had leveled up a bit thanks to the siege but previously the damage of a normal attack of his, especially one not hitting a vital area, would only deal around 8-900 Damage. He couldn¡¯t help but grin as he once again dodged the swing of the heavily clad man with ease before giving the man a quick stab to the face.
Critical hit! 2074 Damage dealt!
The number alone was absolutely insane as the previously only injured NPC immediately collapsed to the ground dead. This alone showed that Makoto had been on the right track with his attempt to get a real feel of his weapon after having used it to such an extent already. Feeling the burning flames of battle surging through his veins he turned to the other guard and was about to attack before a deafening sound rang out behind him and a silver streak shot past his shoulder. With a seemingly ungodly force the guard, who had until then been completely unaware of this new threat, was struck in the chest by the silver streak and instantly flew off his feet. Accompanied by a bang that made Makoto¡¯s teeth shudder the man was impaled into the stone wall behind him with a grotesque pose, unable to even let out a single scream before dying. All of this happened in only a split second and after seeing the metal spear that had in a single moment shredded through armor and life of the NPC he couldn¡¯t help but turn around to Zergoon who was still holding his monstrous crossbow. ¡°Told you it held a good punch but this thing is a one hit wonder, either I kill something right away or whatever I attack survives and I die, pretty little room for error with this class.¡± Showing his teeth in a brilliant smile he seemed to be pretty proud of his kill but that smile only remained for the time it took him to reach the corpse that was already disappearing and he found out that the spear he had used was completely stuck in the stone wall. ¡°I¡¯ll get it later I guess.¡± Zergoon said with an annoyed expression and took the lead as they headed inside the castle like mansion through a little door next to the closed Iron Gate. Greeted by a garden with a little pond off to the side they examined their surroundings and soon enough noticed 2 Archers that resided in a little tower close to the wall. They still hadn¡¯t noticed the intruding party so Makoto quickly whispered to his teammates. ¡°Zergoon, Sharon, can you guys take care of those two so they don¡¯t make a ruckus or sound the alarm?¡± Both nodded in unison and while his red haired Angel knocked 3 arrows at the same time the new guy in the party took about 15 seconds to load just one of his gigantic spears. It really was a slow process but after seeing the incredible lethality he didn¡¯t doubt for a second that Zergoon probably had the highest burst Damage in the entire group. Sharon was the first one to attack and with only a small sound her 3 arrows pierced through the air and quickly imbedded themselves in a live chest. Not even giving the man a chance to wonder what was going on, half a second later 3 more arrows decorated his body and he slumped to the ground. She had used one of her Skills with a medium long cooldown called ¡®Quickshot¡¯ which allowed her to quickly load a maximum of 3 arrows at its current level and hit the same target again in quick succession. Zergoon on the other hand had finally finished his preparation and didn¡¯t bother using any Skills at all. Lilliana and Sanja both had their fingers in theirs ears as the gigantic crossbow went off and soon enough another body flew through the air. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. As there was no wall behind the target, this time they were able to see the actual force behind the attack as the archer flew nearly 100 feet straight through the air before the spear slowly but surely descended with its new attachment. Together with a disgusting smack as if someone squished a fly the archers body hit the floor and blood exploded out in nearly every direction. ¡°Just how much goddamn damage does one of your spears actually do?¡± Makoto couldn¡¯t help but ask as they neared the metal spear and Zergoon managed to recover his ammunition this time. Shrugging his shoulders he once again started to load his weapon. ¡°Not sure man, I have only been getting these ¡®lethal hit!¡¯ messages for a while now so I guess I have to fight a boss to find out.¡± Nearly every member of the party right away gave the working Zergoon a stunned look as they were well aware of how rare lethal hits normally were but it was all he got? In a way it was scary but Makoto couldn¡¯t help but think the guy would be a great addition to the team and maybe could even help them with removing the king. Wouldn¡¯t just one of his spears be enough to finish pretty much anyone? It felt incredibly imbalanced but after once again waiting for 20 or so seconds for another spear to be ready and loaded he changed his mind. Sure the projectile had an insane amount of power and flew fast but if you managed to dodge it then, just as Zergoon said, you would be able to easily kill the guy with no problem. Until now he hadn¡¯t seen it but another guess of his was that the actual accuracy of this gargantuan weapon was probably pretty bad at long distances as unlike normal arrows the amount of air resistance one spear had to face was a lot more. This in turn would make hitting something quite a chore as missing your target by a few feet could very well happen. All in all Makoto could see that the class ¡®Giant Slayer¡¯ had a big advantage for damage but on the other hand all the disadvantages of the class made more than up for it. Once again ready for more action they picked whatever loot had dropped from the two archers as Sharon quickly ascended the tower for a little bit of surveillance. ¡°I think I saw a little courtyard with a table and quite a lot of people eating on it in the middle of that main building over there so it might be worth a shot to check it out.¡± She told everyone after climbing back down again. Trusting her word more than he trusted himself Makoto quickly gave the ok for the change of plans and they made their way past the entrance of the main building. One of the reasons he was the shot caller and party leader was because everyone naturally knew and trusted him but after informing them of his stat ¡®Authority¡¯ that would increase all of their stats by 11% whenever he lead a party there was not even a discussion about it anymore as it was just too big of an advantage to pass up. With the effort of the entire group they quickly dispatched the guards in the entrance area and even Sanja their Cleric was using attack focused Skills to help out as there had been not even a single scratch on them until now. Even though it was nearly a dozen guards, Lilliana¡¯s summoned Labyrinth boar and Makoto himself managed to tank or dodge all the damage that was done. As a Summoner Lilly naturally had the ability to also heal her boar so there was not much for Sanja to do except join the attack and maybe speed things up a little. Interestingly enough killing actual NPCs had a much higher chance than monsters to actually drop gear as soon enough a somewhat rusty sword was left on the ground for them to pick up. Considering how insanely rare those kinds of drops normally are with monsters it showed the rewards one could reap after going down the chaotic or evil road were quite plentiful. Well it did make sense that there was this kind of advantage considering how many goddamn disadvantages having negative Alignment brought so being able to actually earn the same rewards without their nature changing in Undercity was quite a nice catch. Although Makoto¡¯s level had long since surpassed his current sword¡¯s abilities, it was after all a Boss drop so even now when he acquired a sword that had double the level requirement that ¡®Queligan¡¯s Splinter¡¯ had it was still worse by a little bit. This showed that although NPCs did drop more loot, the actual quality loot dropped by monsters would stay with a player for a much longer time as the effects on each item outgrew normal drops by more than 10 levels. Even still, Makoto was painfully aware that he needed a complete overhaul in his equipment rather sooner than later as he still wore a few things he had gotten pretty early on into the game while also missing things like a helmet, shoulder pads or accessories. Once again trying his best to feel the movements of his sword rather than just whack the guy in front of him he made a mental note to speak with Narkas when he returned to Elisante for some new equipment. After all he had quite a lot of money now after the Siege so it was about time to spend some of it.
1092 Damage dealt!
Piercing through enemy armor like it was Swiss cheese thanks to his ¡®Penetration¡¯ skill, Makoto once again managed to get rid of another armed guard as they went deeper and deeper into the main building. It was quite surprising that a simple murderer was able to afford such a place but if he became a murderer so he could steal all of that well respected merchant¡¯s gold then it made a lot more sense as to why they had to fight an entire army before arriving at the actual guy in question. No wonder no one had finished that Bounty request until now. As far as Makoto could tell each of these heavily armored guards was level 25 and above so for the solo Bounty Hunter or average party this was a nearly impossible task to fulfill. Although Zergoon didn¡¯t have the same Bounty request and was just tagging along until they got to the guy he was also interested in this still was free experience and loot for him after all. Picking up the second sword they acquired since entering the building as well as a dented buckler they proceeded down the stone hallways, somewhat lost. The entire thing was gigantic to begin with and took up a big space in the residential area of Undercity so it wasn¡¯t easy to find their way but after a lot of trial and error they finally managed to find the right door leading towards the courtyard Sharon had spoken of. Sitting there on what seemed like a throne was a muscular man with a double headed war-hammer lying on his lap. He was seated at a table that was filled with all kinds of luxurious food and drink and quite a few barely clothed women were serving and entertaining the other guests. Noticing the ruckus the new arrival had created after entering the courtyard the man on the throne looked up and Makoto was able to see his name right away in red letters which indicated that he was the guy they had been looking for.
Stellarwick: NPC Boss lvl 28
Somewhat surprised about their appearance a wide smile soon enough showed on the man¡¯s face as he opened his arms in a friendly gesture. ¡°Welcome to my humble abode my young guests! Judging by your attire and rather interesting way to barge into my home I can only guess that you are here because of the Bounty that is on my head. I have to say I am impressed that you managed to make it past all my guards but I advise you to lay down your weapons and join me on this table instead. I have enough money to grant you a happy live and much more than a simple Bounty request can give you, just look at how all the others that came before you are enjoying life at my side.¡± The man said while pointing at the guests sitting and eating around the table. ¡°So they are the previous Bounty Hunters?¡± Makoto asked, somewhat surprised and Stellarwick nodded. ¡°All of them have decided to join me and keep my assets safe so why don¡¯t you do the same? I can promise you riches beyond your wildest imaginations and an easy life as long as you protect me.¡± Showing each and every one a brilliant and friendly smile, Stellarwick waited for a response that didn¡¯t come. Hearing a rather sudden sound he turned to the now giggling Makoto who held a hand before his mouth. With a dark voice that immediately got the alarmed attention of both Lilliana and Sharon he spoke through the hand that still covered his mouth. ¡°Oh I am going to enjoy your death a lot more than I probably should.¡± Before anyone had the time to react, Makoto dashed forward while a mad crimson light sparkled in his eyes. ----- And there we go, yet another chapter done and a somewhat mean way to leave things but hey you guys know I love to torture my readers with cliffhangers :D As always if you find any mistakes please do tell and see you all on Thursday! (hopefully really this time without delaying things constantly by one day *sigh*) PS: I am hungry :Q Abbadon out! Chapter 73: Unhinged Heyo, sorry this is a lot later than intended. So a lot of you might know that I have overdone it a bit with missing sleep, turns out it was more than a bit as I have been sleeping more than 12 hours each night and only now feel like a human being again (yes I really need a slap for being so irresponsible I know) 16 hours of straight sleep, can you believe it? I at least can''t. Anyways, because I decided to take a better care of my body my entire writing schedule was messed up (I mostly write deep at night which was probably one of the reasons I missed so much sleep lol) so I am working on finding a suitable schedule and time for all of this. Writing two (or more? Hehehehe *sneaky Abbadon is sneaky*) stories with such a chapter count might have overdone it slightly and I am currently behind 3 Azalon and 1 Yokai Chapters (Yes I do keep count and they won''t just not appear) but I needed the break this past week to feel somewhat better so I have time to completely wreck myself in these next 4 days I have off again XD. jk jk but expect a few more chapters than usual as this is only the first one of the lot. Also another announcment, I will be spending a few days at my dad''s from the 1st till maybe the 5th or 6th of January so there won''t really be any chapters during that time period, once I am back though I practically have off until the 11th so much time for writing again *BANZAI!* Anyways that is pretty much it and I hope to bring you a lot more chapters in the following days as the least thing I can do is get my chapter count back out of the minus, don''t like being in debt and it only gets worse! D: Hope you enjoy the chapter as it turned quite a bit darker than intended with that ending lol ----- Chapter 73: Unhinged It wasn¡¯t like before where he felt the other coming and fighting for control, it happened slowly and without his knowledge. Makoto didn¡¯t lose consciousness, instead everything became much clearer as his mind twisted and turned with the hidden influence of the beast. Just like the madness inside of him he couldn¡¯t help but giggle when he looked at Stellarwick as if he was his new little plaything. Images of torture and inhuman suffering surfaced in his mind with the silent guidance of the other and he couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit excited as he imagined what he would do to this poor little NPC. With itching finger, unable to hold himself back anymore he charged forward, completely disregarding his previous stance or intent to maybe create a skill by following the way of the sword. He just wanted to make this piece of shit that stood before him suffer. Turning his ankles, hip and shoulder in a whip like strike his sword lashed out with a whistling sound as multiple bones in his arm cracked by the sudden movement and he lost a good chunk of health but he couldn¡¯t even care a single bit and ignored the pain that rushed through him. Faced with such an unusual and self-destructive way of attacking, Stellarwick was a split second too late to fully dodge and a nasty gash appeared on his left shoulder as a bit of flesh and muscle fell to the floor, chopped off from his body. Completely ignoring the shocked faces of his party or surrounding NPCs, Makoto took another step forward and once again lashed out with such a force that his shoulder dislocated and his elbow bent the wrong way while he lost a ridiculous amount of health. Even his regeneration wasn¡¯t able to keep up with this crazy way of fighting as his sword once again went beyond the physical limitations of the human body and whipped around. Followed by a scream of surprise and pain, Stellarwick held his bleeding side that had been hit with a terrifying speed and force from the sword. Ignoring the system windows before him, Makoto was somewhat annoyed as he grabbed his completely useless left arm and with a sudden movement 2 popping sounds filled the courtyard, making everyone instinctively flinch in pain as his shoulder and elbow snapped back into place. No one, no matter if player or NPC dared to move as they looked at Makoto in horror who had the visage of grinning demon adorned on his face and Stellarwick, an Elite NPC that would normally take an entire party of 6 or more people to bring down was currently shaking in his boots as he looked towards this lunatic. Once again a system window appeared, informing Makoto that he had successfully applied the status effect ¡®Terrified¡¯ which lowered the stats of everyone around by 40%. He couldn¡¯t help but lift an eyebrow after seeing the advanced version of ¡®fear¡¯, in the end it would only make things easier. Showing the brightest smile he could muster while murder was clearly visible on his face, Makoto once again stepped closer and this time Stellarwick surprisingly took one step back while holding his side from which blood flowed out without end as he was under a severe ¡®bleed¡¯ effect. ¡°J-Just who the hell are you?!¡± He asked Makoto, terror visible in his eyes and not even a trace of his earlier arrogance or demeanor was left. Cracking his neck while playfully swinging his sword around, the smiling demon looked at the shaking NPC with a cold gaze. ¡°Just your friendly little neighborhood spider helping to clear out the trash.¡± Not even bothering to explain the reference and irony, Makoto looked back towards his party with the same insane smile. ¡°Come on guys or do you all just want to stand there and let me do all the work?¡± Finally woken up by his words, everyone excluding Zergoon who had never seen Makoto act this way, exchanged a worried glance. They knew that something wasn¡¯t right even though he was still aware of his surroundings, the way he carried himself and how he acted had drastically changed and they didn¡¯t have to think long as to why. Especially Lilliana and Sharon felt more than a little worried as they looked into those gleaming crimson eyes filled with an unnatural light. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s finish this quickly before he snaps completely.¡± Lilliana finally said and Makoto couldn¡¯t help but show a pouting expression as he turned his head towards her. ¡°Hey I heard that and that is mean, I am completely fine, no need to worry guys.¡± The rather cruel smile he used to reassure them seemed to only have the opposite effect and with a shrug he turned back to his meal- I mean pre- no, target. Shaking his head slightly, Makoto felt like a curtain of red had been pulled over his eyes and no matter how many times he blinked or rubbed his eyes everything was tinged into a different, darker light. Unbeknownst to him his eyes had started to lose their white and were instead completely bloodshot with the crimson of his iris shining similar to a cat¡¯s in the dark. Nothing mattered anymore, not his party, not the pain that he still felt in his arm or the world around him, only Stellarwick this little ant before him that he wanted to crush with a mad joy was important. Letting out an animalistic growl that came from the depths of his throat, Makoto dashed forward. ¡°K-kill this freak! I will give you all 1 thousand gold each if you kill this goddamn lunatic for me!¡± Stellarwick shouted with a high pitched voice to the surrounding NPCs that still sat around the long table. Finally waking up from their staring and awe, the sound of gold coins finally enticed many of them to draw their weapons as they followed Makoto who was madly dashing forward with complete disregard for their levels or professions. ¡°Goddamnit Makoto get your head back into the game already!¡± Sanja screamed as she swung her staff into the face of a sprinting warrior with all her strength like a baseball player would when hitting a homerun. Many more NPCs rushed past her and she was unable to stop them as the rest of the party struggled in the same manner to hold back as many of the gold crazed NPCs as they could. Zergoon didn¡¯t even bother long before he found a good spot and shot one of his iron spears through the chest of 3 dashing men that instantly dropped dead to the floor, impaled like shish kebab with their fellow brothers. ¡°If they get to Makoto and kill him we are the next ones on the list so hold them back for fucks sake!¡± He screamed towards the others while swinging the empty crossbow like a gigantic club as he bashed it on top of the head of another person that tried to pass him. Lilliana quickly summoned her Dungeon boar and made it charge to intercept the surrounding people as best as she could while occasionally throwing a fire ball into a few faces to rob them of their vision. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Sharon on the other hand was non-stop shooting into eyes, knees or sides to trigger as many status effects that would limit mobility as possible while using her ability ¡®Slingshot¡¯ whenever it was off cooldown to ensnare as many targets as she could. Even thought they had their stats reduced by 40% and were below their level the overall number was still more than 4 times their own and if they all piled up on Makoto even he would eventually die, especially now that he fought so recklessly. The pressure on everyone was huge as Makoto chased the injured and scared Stellarwick around the whole courtyard. Shrieks of horror and pain could be heard from time to time as more flesh was chipped off from the NPCs body. Naturally he tried to hit back, swinging his axe with mad rage, fueled even more by fear but no matter how many times he tried, Stellarwick was unable to leave even a single scratch on the nimble Makoto. It was like every single attack or movement of his was seen through and no matter what he tried the axe never even came close to hurting the smiling demon. Feeling as if he was trapped in a nightmare, the NPC started to let out fearful sobs as the wounds on his body increased. Occasionally one of the other NPCs would reach Makoto but an arrow, flame ball or highly lethal spear bolt would quickly either incapacitate or kill the ones who tried to attack him from his blind spot. Eventually, riddled with bleeding gashes and wounds all over his body and chased around to the point of complete exhaustion, Stellarwick¡¯s body could no longer endure and he fell to the floor with ragged breath, unable to take even another step forward. ¡°Are you already done? Well I guess I had enough fun for now. It was nice knowing you ste-¡­ what was your name again? Ah who cares.¡± Not even bothering to look at the blue box above the guy¡¯s head he moved forward and plunged his sword into the eye socket of the trembling NPC.
Lethal Hit!
With a soundless cry Stellarwick died, not thanks to an honorable or memorable fight but instead by being chased and slaughtered like a pig. It was a sad way to go and it was also at this point that the other went back into slumber, seemingly satisfied with the damage that he had done. No longer was Makoto¡¯s vision blinded or his thoughts full of torment and murder, instead he stared somewhat listlessly at his own bloodstained hands. It happened again, without him even realizing it, it happened again. He didn¡¯t even want to look at the body of Stellarwick and instead turned to his party that had stopped to fight a long time ago. Their eyes showed a slight fear, Zergoon just seemed to be mostly confused and worried but the girls on the other hand didn¡¯t look sure if it really was him again or something else. Letting out a tired sigh he walked closer and sheathed his sword. Just this gesture alone calmed the 3 women in his party down and Lilliana and Sharon quickly stepped forward to make sure he was alright. ¡°So is anyone going to tell me what the hell just happened? I mean sure I can tell that Makoto somewhat snapped but why so suddenly and without even a reason? As far as I can tell Stellarwick didn¡¯t really say anything to piss you off.¡± Zergoon asked with furrowed brows, clearly unsure of the situation. Everyone looked towards Makoto who still stood there with a lost look in his eyes and everyone tried their best to keep their mouths shut, after all it was his secret and not theirs. ¡°It¡¯s not that he pissed me off, I have a condition. A mental condition.¡± Not bothering to say anything else he turned around to loot the disappearing bodies of the NPCs. ¡°Does that happen a lot?¡± Zergoon asked Sanja who was the only one still standing next to him. ¡°Not as much as you might think but it was pretty bad this time around I guess, that¡¯s at least what I can gather from the expression he is showing right now. If you are worried that he is suddenly going to attack you then you really don¡¯t have to be. For some reason he only likes to play around with NPCs and mobs, it¡¯s a bit fucked up but we all have our own dark side.¡± A shadow appeared on her face for a split second as she finished the sentence before she followed the rest of her party. Zergoon once again threw a rather worried glance towards the dissipating body of Stellarwick. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty dark side if you ask me.¡± He mumbled before shouldering his gigantic crossbow. ..... The rest of the day passed quickly without another incident. They hunted a few more of their targets and Makoto was slowly but surely approaching his next level. Even though he spent a lot of time on it and it did help him to land better and more accurate blows he still had not unlocked the corresponding skill for his sword and it baffled Makoto whetever it was his approach or if he was missing something else. Sharon threw a few glances his way during the entire time and Lilly did the same when she thought he wasn¡¯t looking while he just tried to pretend like he didn¡¯t see it. The best way for this to pass was to not make big deal out of it. It happened yes but that didn¡¯t mean it was going to happen again, at least Makoto hoped so. The scary thing was that during these past few weeks the other had gotten a lot stronger and he would be lying to himself if he didn¡¯t realize that it was Azalon, the game itself that was responsible for that. At the same time he couldn¡¯t just stop playing to make his condition better, especially now that he had a party and people that cared about him¡­ it didn¡¯t matter what happened in the future, as long as no one he cared about got hurt he would gladly turn into a monster. He loved the game and it had given him so much back already, happiness that he thought lost to him as well as many other things. Getting this game was to date the best thing that happened to him and if that meant losing who he really was¡­ so be it. It was a rather grim way to look at things but the more he thought about it, the more determined he got. Makoto would keep playing the game, no matter at what mental cost it came for him. Looking at both Lilliana and Sharon that stood next to him he couldn¡¯t help but be relieved that no matter what happened Ingame, they would not suffer for it physically in the Real World. Until now the other never hurt the ones that he cared about but it was proven that it wasn¡¯t always the case if he thought back to what happened with his own father. Even if it might hurt them mentally they would not be hurt in Real Life. It was also at this moment that his thoughts went into a different direction and he realized that meeting Sharon outside of the game¡­ might not be the best option if it got any worse. He wanted to see her and be with her but hurting her¡­ that was not something he could allow his red haired angel to go through. Just why the hell did it have to be like this, why couldn¡¯t he just be normal?! The self-hate he was currently experiencing was beyond anything he ever felt and even after logging out it stayed the same way. Standing before the mirror he noticed that his before dark eyes had somewhat changed and whenever the light fell into them a crimson glow was visible in the depths of his Iris. How that was possible or why it happened didn¡¯t matter, maybe he was just imagining things but the moment that he noticed it his head slammed against the mirror with enough force to crack it. Pain shot through his head as he glared into the broken bathroom mirror and kept pressing his forehead against it, despite the blood that visible ran down his face. Makoto looked deeply into his own eyes as he spoke with an unprecedented rage. ¡°This is my goddamn body, do you hear me? MINE!¡± ----- And with that I end this little chapter that hints at quite a few things. If you find any mistakes please do tell below and Merry Christmas everyone! PS: I am spending the holidays alone T-T no girlfriend no family no nothing, sad days indeed. Abbadon out!