《Lost Realm》


 Ch. 1: The Beginning

    Another day and another paycheck consisting of exactly minimum wage (a grand total of nine dollars and fifty cents an hour). At least it was better than just about every other state out there. This job was in DC after all. Still, minimum wage wasn¡¯t much to be thankful for, as it barely paid for the daily necessities every human being needs


    Even so, Rainier Forrester was thankful simply to have a job. Although supposedly the recession in the states was receding, it still didn¡¯t mean there was a great surplus of jobs. ¡®Can¡¯t help it, I won¡¯t be able to raise my wages or get a better position unless I keep this job for a few more months.¡¯


    Rainier thought his job was terribly boring but easy, which in a way was a blessing. He didn¡¯t really have to focus on his job that much and could space out, imagining interesting things. Escapism, one of man¡¯s greatest mental strategies.


    Rainier imagined everything and anything possible gathered in one world. Things like science and magic coexisting in a world of adventure and prosperity. Fantastic races like elves and goblins doing battle against an army of robotic automatons. He even imagined himself in that world, as a hero donned in epic armor and holding a fearsome bastard sword in one hand and a ball of fire in the other.


    Of course escapism was purely a tool to ignore reality, the dreary bland existence that reality is. Rainier realized this all the same and continued the escapades in his mind.


    ¡°Excuse me-¡± A sudden feminine voice roused him from his dazed state. ¡°I¡¯d like to buy this¡­¡±


    Rainier opened his lazy eyes halfway and saw a rather cute girl holding a book out to him. His job was a clerk at a book store, and it was as boring as it sounds. He did like the peace and quiet, however.


    ¡°''Kiersen¡¯s Guide to Personal Philosophy'', an odd book for someone like you.¡± Rainier read the title just loud enough for the girl to hear as he passed the book over the scanner.


    ¡°Ah, yes, well it¡¯s not actually for me, it¡¯s for my mother. She teaches philosophy and asked me to pick up a book for her that she was interested in.¡±


    Rainier thought the girl looked extremely adorable, though he wouldn¡¯t dream of making any advances without some more information. ¡°You¡¯re a good person, I can¡¯t think of many people who like helping out their parents with such a trivial task.¡± Rainier himself was the exact same as the person he described. Rather it wasn¡¯t that he hated dealing with other people¡¯s trivial tasks, but he refused to do anything with his family.


    Basically, his childhood wasn¡¯t a pleasant one. Both his father and mother were heavy drinkers and spent nearly every coin and bill they made on alcohol, cigarettes, and other such vices. It didn¡¯t take long for them to begin tasting the darker and more addictive pleasures such as drugs and gambling.


    Needless to say, Rainier moved out the moment he had himself legally emancipated at sixteen. Thankfully he had a few friends in school whose parents allowed him to stay for periods of time. Rainier was very thankful, but he hated forcing them to deal with his troubles so he moved himself into the cheapest accommodations he could find and was where he was living now by himself.


    ¡°Yes, I do what I can to help her.¡± The girl smiled sweetly which almost made Rainier buckle from its magical effect.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be thirty-nine dollars and ninety-nine cents. Got a card or are you paying with cash?¡± Rainier pushed the reference book into a plastic bag and slid it back over the counter he was leaning against.


    ¡°Ah, here¡¯s a fifty.¡± The girl handed over a clean bill which must have been recently printed and patiently waited for the change.


    As Rainier punched in a few numbers and pulled out the change for the book, he asked, ¡°Do you read books often?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, I prefer reading over watching shows or movies. I think they provide a more tactile way of acquiring information and interacting with a story when compared to a movie. Of course that doesn¡¯t mean a movie can¡¯t convey a great story.¡±


    Rainier raised an eyebrow. ¡°A fellow kindred spirit of books. Though I don¡¯t read many novels, I like browsing various text books just to learn a few random facts. A good story lasts longer than an hour and a half long movie or forty minute television show.¡±


    While Rainier technically believed that, the main reason he read books much more than watched movies was because of how expensive it was to use. It costs extra electricity to watch TV, it costs money to watch discs on a DVD player, and you have to pay for television channel packages. It simply required too much money for Rainier to bother. Rainier preferred the free things in life. In fact, the only reason he used the internet was because of his less than legal approaching of breaking into his various neighbor¡¯s Wi-Fi passcodes.


    ¡°One ten and a penny, there¡¯s your change, would you like the receipt?¡±


    ¡°Hm, just in case I got the wrong book¡­¡± The girl slipped the receipt into the plastic bag, accepted the change and flashed another perfect smile. ¡°Thank you for the help, have a good day!¡±


    ¡®Please come back here again, I will surely ask you out if you do!¡¯ Although Rainier didn¡¯t have a large quantity of money to spend, and generally stayed away from the expensive creatures known as the opposite sex, he still wished to have a girlfriend one day. He didn¡¯t want to be a virgin forever. That girl was far too cute and sweet for her own good and Rainier desperately wished he could see her again. Though woe to him if she already had a boyfriend.


    The rest of the day went with little incident or interaction other than accepting customer payments for books, helping them (with futile effort) understand the Dewey Decimal System, helping the people he previously helped find specific books, and eventually talking a bit with his coworkers as he went on break.


    In all, it was as boring as always. ¡®Maybe I should find a new book before I go?¡¯ It was around nine PM, which was the time the store closed on weekdays. As Rainier was tasked with closing up the store this night, he was one of the last people left in the store. Every once in a while Rainier took home a book, which the store manager was fine with as long as if you returned it the next day.


    ¡°What should I get, huh?¡± Rainier posed the question out loud to himself as he walked through the various sections. He first walked through the fiction section, where he found nothing of interest. Although there was some books Rainier wished to read in the future, nothing piqued his interest.


    Eventually Rainier found his way to the reference book section. He was slightly awed by the sheer size of numerous encyclopedia volumes from A to Z. Rainier even owned a set of encyclopedias he rescued from being thrown out by one of his neighbors.


    Yet Rainier saw something out of the corner of his eye. In a dusty corner of a shelf, at the very top, lay a very thin book. Purely by the size of the book, it was obvious that it shouldn¡¯t belong among the hefty counterparts in the reference section. It wouldn¡¯t come as a surprise to Rainier if a child climbed the shelves just to put back a picture story in the wrong section out of mischief.


    He reached up and pulled the book out by its binding. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ His surprise came from the fact that the book he pulled out had only a single page and not a single piece of paper more. It wasn¡¯t that somebody had ripped out the pages, it was that there was literally only a single piece of paper attached to the binding. Also, the single page had nothing written on it.


    ¡°Must be some sort of weird joke, a very weird and pointless one.¡± Rainier rolled his eyes and closed the book, although he stopped when he noticed a hint of black on the supposedly blank page.


    Rainier didn¡¯t feel the need to reopen the book, but he did anyway.  And what he saw, was his name.


    Rainier Forrester- The main character of this story. Born 1995, Died ----. Named after the mountain his father proposed to his mother on. He lived an unhappy childhood with parents who spent their money on drugs and alcohol. Moved out soon after hitting sixteen years old and is now working so that he can live by himself. He wishes for nothing more than to live a life of excitement without being forced to worry about money.


    Rainier read the passage that appeared out of thin air on the blank page. The dark ink seemed to appear as his eyes moved from word to word. ¡°Some sort of invisible ink? This is a sick prank, alright who¡¯s doing this?¡± Rainier inspected his surroundings only to find the stillness and silenced especially reserved for a book store at night. The words continued to appear on the page as if someone was simultaneously writing them down. However this time the words appeared on a new paragraph at the bottom of the single page.


    Would you like to have an adventure? An adventure of magic and swords? Of peril and exhilaration? Would you like to meet species and entities unheard of? And would you like to brave danger to bring peace and acquire mystical treasures?


    As if Rainier was conversing with the words that appeared, he sighed and replied earnestly, ¡°It¡¯d be much better than this tough life I¡¯ve got now.¡±


    Would you risk life and limb to survive?


    ¡°...Definitely.¡± Rainier answered without hesitation.


    Then something burst from the page with the sound of ripping paper and grabbed Rainier by the chin. Rainier grunted in distress as he was violently pulled forward into the book. It felt like his body was being stretched through a vacuum tube. A distorted sound pierced his eardrums, it almost made him deaf. He could hear the cracking of his own bones as he felt his own body bend in ways it shouldn¡¯t. Rainier wanted to cry out due to the extreme pain he felt, but he was unable as he couldn¡¯t breathe.


    ¡®Need air! Let me breathe damn it!¡¯ Rainier thrashed about against the invisible forces holding his body aloft in god knows where. He barely opened his eyes for even a single second before closing them, as he wanted to protect the human body¡¯s most sensitive organs.


    Rainier endured this trauma for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was only a single minute. The pain was very harrowing, assaulting his mind in great, distressing waves. It felt far worse than any medieval torture device and there was nothing he can do about it.


    ¡°Let it¡­ End. Please¡­¡± Begged Rainier to whatever divinity was out there. Then he realized that he could speak.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Gone. There¡¯s no more pain!¡± Rainier thrust his arms out in relief. He felt a warm wind wash across his fatigued body, flooding his muscles with will and energy.


    Rainier opened his eyes and looked about his surroundings. Somehow he was no longer in the book store. ¡®How the hell did I end up here?¡¯ Rainier found himself in a forest filled with trees. The strange thing was that nearly every leaf had a red color. ¡®Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be spring?¡¯


    Paying the leaf colors no mind, Rainier began walking in the direction with the clearest path. He had no idea how he got here, the last thing he remembered was reading a strange passage from a nearly empty book. Unfortunately Rainier did not own a phone that could give him a map, not that he would have gotten any service in such a possibly isolated location. It was too expensive to pay for the device and keep the services running for nearly any amount of time.


    ¡®Still, it would¡¯ve been best to acquire a phone for precisely these situations.¡¯ Lamented Rainier with a shrug of his shoulders. ¡®Wait a second, there¡¯s that book!¡¯ Rainier picked up the exceptionally thin book which was lying on the ground next to his feet. He opened it up to see the exact same biographic passage about his life.


    This was some sort of sick joke being played on him, Rainier was sure of it. Even so, Rainier was positive nobody would go this far just to abandon him and freak him out. Even so, how else could he have gotten here? Eventually Rainier put the book under his arm and set off for a way home.


    Rainier walked for some time over numerous shrubs and dead plants. The ground he treaded over seemed rather soft and at times it felt like Rainier was about to sink into the ground and be swallowed by the earth. He heard the chirps and sounds of nature, but it didn¡¯t resemble that which normally went on inside the deciduous forests he had been in the past.


    ¡®Christ, it¡¯s pretty dangerous to walk around when it¡¯s this dark out. Thankfully I¡¯m getting some decent light from the moon.¡¯ When he thought that, Rainier looked upwards and admired the sky.


    Yet it looked different than normal. The moon seemed brighter and larger than before, Rainier also didn¡¯t remember there being any rings around the moon. There was also another planetoid hiding behind the moon with a greenish purple tint to it. No, that was clearly not the same night sky from what Rainier remembered.


    ¡®What the hell is happening?!¡¯Rainier took a brisk pace to his stride and moved forward, frantically searching for a sign of civilization.


    Eventually his search came to a fruitless end. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Rainier cursed out loud as his run came to sudden skidding stop. He pushed out dirt and made small divots with his shoes which dirtied his pant legs and shoes. That was a small sacrifice as he managed to avoid certain death.


    Rainier stopped at the very precipice of a towering cliff. He was forced to massage the fatigue from his eyes. There was no way what he saw could exist¡­ Rather there was no way it should exist.


    Rainier saw amazing things. Things not far off from what he imagined every day at his job in the bookstores. Things you would read about in a book or see in a videogame or movie. Things only possible in the realm of imagination.


    Out of a completely random decision, Rainier opened the thin book he had with him all along. He saw a brand new passage appearing over the one with his name.


    Ademptis- The name given to the world by the extinct human race. Holds many wonders and dangers that only brave adventurers can survive. It is said that Ademptis has infinite possibilities and is a world that never ends. Many have tried to valiantly live in this world only to perish and turn into a decayed corpse.


    Ademptis is home to numerous species, several of which are sentient and intelligent. Although they can still be hostile to whatever they come across, it is a result of being forced to adhere to Ademptis¡¯ harsh standards. Many races that have made their home in Ademptis have gone extinct, most notably the Human, Draconic, Avian, and Terrac races.


    The flora of Ademptis can be equally intelligent, depending on the species. Although most types of flora are incredibly dangerous, even going as far to evolve into being dragon eaters. Most flora live static lives, although some have evolved to move positions and travel for to find new sources of sustenance.


    The fauna of Ademptis, aside from the sentient species, can be very dangerous, should they be provoked. Although many species are solely herbivorous, they can still defend themselves with lethal precision. The carnivorous species are even more dangerous, evolving to kill with the smallest sting to the largest teeth.


    Magic is a special property unique to Ademptis, although how it works exactly has yet to be figured out. It is known that magic can be used by any living thing, should it evolve or learn the ability to wield it for passive or aggressive interests.


    ¡°Ademptis¡­¡± Rainier stared dumbstruck. He could find no words to describe how he felt. Whether it was horror or curiosity, he did not know. All he could find the courage to do is continue reading every word that appeared on the single page. After the passage about Ademptis finished, more words began appearing for Rainier¡¯s passage.


    Rainier arrived in Ademptis initially plagued with the question of why he was brought to this strange new world.


    As if he was talking to the book itself, Rainier replied with great lament, ¡°Why the hell are you doing this, of course I don¡¯t want this!¡±


    Although he wanted nothing more than to go home, he had no choice but to survive in a hostile new environment.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Rainier cursed loudly, slamming the book shut. ¡°Do I really have to survive in this damn situation?! This is clearly no joke anymore¡­ This is was too elaborate to be a joke. I¡¯m so damn screwed- Wha?¡± Rainier was interrupted by odd sound.


    A stoic chant rung loudly throughout the entire region. ¡°Shoom¡­ Shoom¡­ Shoom¡­¡± Accompanying the chant were dull thuds resembling footsteps.


    True fear seemed to penetrate Rainier¡¯s mind and instinct ordered him to hide behind the thick trunk of a nearby tree. However hope and fear couldn¡¯t sate Rainier, among his desire to survive was simple curiosity.


    Rainier peered out with a single eye to see a massive moving object calmly marching past him. It was a giant metal man with steam spouting from his joints and shoulders. It was made of a strange blue metal with shining specks resembling stars dispersed throughout its body. In its left hand the giant held an enduring tower shield, its right tightly held an intimidating gladius. The top of the giants head was completely faceless, the only distinguishing features were a crease where the lips would be, two indentations for his eyes, and bound knot of decorative plumage made of cable. Lastly, there was a set of ladder rungs leading from its right leg up its body and into the back of its head.


    The book in Rainier¡¯s had hummed and vibrated under his arms. He opened it up and found a second page bound to the book when there was originally one. There was an inked passage already there, which Rainier instantly began reading.


    Magnus, the Steel Deity- A giant metal guardian created by the Dvergar, made out of steel blessed with magical influence. It was tasked with the singular purpose of protecting the Dvergar gem mines. However it was sabotaged by a malevolent member of the race that built it and attacked any living being that held a significant amount of greed for valuables. To this day, it patrols the Dvergar gem mines without rest or fail.


    ¡°Shoom¡­ Shoom¡­ Shoom¡­¡± The sound itself didn¡¯t seem to originate from the giant¡¯s lips as they were unable to move in the first place. The chant seemed to appear with every step it took.


    The ground rumbled and trees shook around Rainier. Red leaves fell into his lap as he made every attempt to not be seen. Off high in the sky, a loud screech could be heard. Rainier snuck a look to see a lizard flying around the clouds. Rainier quickly checked the book with his suspicion proving correct, there was a new passage describing the creature.


    Elder Cloud Wyvern- A special breed of wyverns that can walk and live on clouds. While it is a denizen of the sky, it holds a special interest for shiny objects such as coins or gemstones. The Elder Cloud Wyvern is as the same suggests, an older, larger, and more powerful member of the species. Clouds Wyverns normally have long and thin body akin to a snake. Special varieties of the Cloud Wyverns include those who grew up on thunderclouds and thus gain a natural ability to wield thunder magic.


    The wyvern coiled its body around a cloud like it was a snake squeezing out life before acting like a spring and flapping its wings towards the ground around the metal giant. The giant stood still for a few moments before releasing its hold on its shield and sword. The two implements didn¡¯t move or fall over, as they were firmly implanted in the ground.


    The giant then swung its massive hand and deftly plucked the wyvern out of the sky before it could react and escape with sheer speed. It then crushed the wyvern in its hand and let the corpse fall to the ground where a small crater formed. It re-equipped itself with the sword and shield and once again began its march. ¡°Shoom¡­ Shoom¡­ Shoom¡­ Shoom¡­¡±


    Rainier was gravely vexed. There was no possible way imaginable to survive an encounter with this supposed Steel Deity. Still he then realized a clue about the words in the entry about the giant. It said that the Steel Deity would attack anything that held a significant amount of greed, considering it was guarding a gem mine. And the entry about the wyvern said that cloud wyverns were attracted to valuable, shiny objects including gems.


    It meant that Rainier would not be troubled by the giant if he didn¡¯t care about the gems it guarded. ¡®I could care less about gems or valuables at this moment¡­ I just want to live. Perhaps I can use the Steel Deity to my advantage?¡¯


    Rainier shook his head. Just because he wasn¡¯t interested in the gems now didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t be interested in them later. It was far too risky to think about doing.


    What Rainier needed was a shelter for tonight. Even a temporary one would be nice. He didn¡¯t know what dangers existed in this world and was certain he would perish if he left himself too out in the open.


    Rainier searched for any sort of temporary shelter that would give him protection from wind and rain. He soon came across a tree that resembled a mangrove with its roots embedded in a great boulder. Rainier propped up some sticks and leaves to give him a makeshift camouflage and soon went to sleep.


    -----


    Rainier woke to the sound of a foreign land¡¯s nature. Erratic screams and venting steam rung throughout Rainier''s ears, giving him an uncomfortable awakening. Though it was all white noise by now, Rainier was forced to ignore the noise in order to go to sleep last night.


    He was a fair distance away from the Steel Deity, as he could just barely see the top of its plumage over a hill in the horizon. At least he wouldn¡¯t be bothered by it anytime soon.


    Rainier ended up deciding to move away from the giant, opting to look for a safer and possibly more permanent shelter until he found a way back home. ¡®And that¡¯s if I can find a way home¡­¡¯


    ¡°Grmrmbmblr. Oooh, I¡¯m hungry.¡± As Rainier instantly began searching for some sort of fruit or vegetable. He was a stranger to survivalism and thus knew nothing about how to identify edibles in the wilderness. Even then, it was a completely new world, such knowledge would be useless.


    Rainier noticed a plant with strange purple beans sprouting from its flowers. ¡°Hum, is this edible?¡± As if in response to his question, the book he had by his side began vibrating.


    Rainier opened the encyclopedia and took a look at a brand new entry.


    Wretched Poisonfingers- A plant that grows berries shaped like fingers. Its berries are highly toxic, and are known to kill even fairly large beings within seconds of being eaten. Touching the berry is also discouraged as the poison will stick and eventually seep its way into the skin and kill as if you had eaten the berry. The only way to survive touching a poisonfinger is to completely sever the contaminated flesh whether it is a small chunk or an entire limb. Very few species have found a way to withstand or avoid the poisonous substance.


    ¡°Whoa!¡± Rainier immediately recoiled away from the poisonfinger plant. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m so hungry¡­ Wait a second-¡± Revelation reached Rainier.


    He discovered that he could use the encyclopedia book to discern whether a plant was edible or not. That along with the information about the Steel Deity and the cloud wyvern from last night meant that he could most likely acquire information about anything in this world. Rainier had such a useful tool and was nearly about to destroy it last night, he was very glad he didn¡¯t.


    ¡®Even if this book was the catalyst to teleport me to this world, I might as well take advantage of its information. I should keep an eye on it at all times in case a new entry pops up.¡¯


    Rainier instantly went about identifying several different plants until he finally came across two different edible ones. He collected the seeds which resembled watermelon sized sesame seeds from a plant called the ¡°Chisis Plant¡± and the fruit that looked like thick aloe vera leaves from another plant called the ¡°Spiny Sweet Fern.¡±


    He feasted on the seeds and fruit with vigor, restoring much needed energy and nutrients. Rainier finally attained the will to keep on surviving through his situation.


    Rainier made a list in his mind about things he needed find or accomplish.


    ? Find/Create a shelter for a long term stay


    ? Find/improvise a weapon for self defense


    ? Scavenge a suitable amount of food


    ? Search for any friendly species or beings


    ? Learn magic


    Rainier really wanted to do the fifth one on his list too. In fact he really wanted to learn a sort of light or holy magic, as it seemed the most virtuous choice. Being an advocate of light was generally a good thing as far as stories went. Although there were many villains located among priests and churches who used holy magic in stories, it was the general consensus that light equals good and dark equals bad.


    While generic as far as Rainier thought, it seemed like the most suitable choice for his situation. Still learning magic was impossible if he didn¡¯t even what sort of form it came in.


    Rainier decided to think realistically and focus on the first four items on his list. As he pondered his choice, the encyclopedia suddenly began vibrating. A new entry was forming!


    Evoant- The evoant is a type of insect humanoid that evolved over a quick amount of time due to the interference of a powerful archmage. From a distance, the evoant resembles a humanoid from a distance, but it is clear that it is not up close. They are bipedal with two sets of arms for a total of six limbs. Their tiered chitinous armor provides protection far superior to any forged plates of metal. Although they are very susceptible to an attack on their joints.


    Evoants form small nomadic groups of up to a hundred to five hundred which scour the areas they move through for food for their queen. Their keen senses assist them in hunting down living animate or inanimate sources of food. Evoants are stronger and faster than normal humanoids. They also have an unusual dislike for entering any unground system that is not their original home. They only make their homes in their original cave system and thus keep on moving until they die of fatigue, of outside influence, or eventually move back to their original home.


    Rainier instantly closed the book and focused on his hearing. He heard the chattering of feet running across the ground¡­ Heading for him.


    ¡®Shit!¡¯ Rainier saw one of the evoants that was just described to him, seeing how disgusting they were. He instantly kicked the ground with his feet and tore off down the clearest path in the forest.


    Rainier saw similarities in the ants to the insect aliens of various sci-fi movies. Though in the end, the real thing was far scarier than CGI.


    ¡°Sksss!¡± ¡°Skssssss!¡± ¡°Sssskss!¡± The screeching sound made by the evoants was horrendous. It resembled the scratching of fingernails on a chalkboard.


    The evoants tore off in hot pursuit of Rainier with little regard for their surroundings or energy. The evoant used one hundred percent of its energy from the start in order to catch their prey in a single bound. However that proved meaningless if they were seen before attacking.


    Even if they were seen, they had the reflexes and strong muscles to continuously chase their prey until one of the two grew tired and slowed down.


    Rainier relied on a powerful burst of adrenaline to keep him going as he ran at full speed. And in a forest as thick and unknown as the one Rainier ran in, it was very dangerous to step first and without thinking or looking where to step.


    Rainier ran over rocks and fallen tree trunks. He stumbled over a rock in a perfect circular donut ring which caused him to roll. One of the evoants lunged at him with arms outstretched. It latched onto Rainier, causing the both of them to roll around a short distance before Rainier unintentionally struck the creature¡¯s chin, causing it to smash its head against a rock and leaving behind thick green blood.


    Rainier wanted to hurl there and then, but survival was more important. He instantly jumped up and grabbed the encyclopedia by his feet before surging forward. He could hear the evoants crashing against more rocks, it seemed they intended to tackle him while he was on the ground and kill him there, luckily Rainier got up when he did.


    The end of the forest was nigh and between numerous trunks was warm light. ¡®When the hell are they going to give up? Crap!¡¯ Rainier cursed within his mind when he saw something alarming.


    At the end of a forest was a great cliff. Rainier couldn¡¯t stop running, or else the evoants would butcher him. And he couldn¡¯t keep running or else he would fall off the cliff and die horribly.


    Rainier felt that his forced adventure in Ademptis had already reached its conclusion along with his life. Still, he refused to give in. Rainier forced himself to slow down slightly and used his feet to skid. The evoants were literally right behind him, he couldn¡¯t screw up even a single small movement or it was game over.


    Rainier skidded and diverted his center of gravity allowing him to turn at high speed. His feet just barely reach the precipice, showing just how lucky he was.


    Several of the evoants refused to stop their high speed chase and went barreling over the side, flailing around for something to grab on. A small handful of the chasers tried to stop, but they too went falling over the side, desperately scrabbling at the ground with their multiple limbs. However, the majority of the pursuing insects followed pace and quickly corrected themselves in tailing Rainier.


    ¡°*Pant pant* This is never ending!¡± Rainier was running out of steam, he had been running at full speed for a decent among of time which was thoroughly exhausting him.


    Rainier saw a depression in the ground ahead only a good meter away from the cliff side. He remembered the part in the encyclopedia about how the evoants hated going in cave systems other than their original home. Perhaps Rainier could find some sort of cave deep enough to stave off his hunters? Rainier hoped that the depression he saw ahead of him was just that ticket.


    When he got closer, Rainier saw something like a rigid staircase. Unfortunately he was distracted by his target and failed to notice another two evoants gaining on him. They both sprinted and lunged for Rainier simultaneously, grabbing him by his legs and torso.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Rainier grunted as his body gave away, almost flying in midair thanks to the strength of the evoants tackle. Thankfully it seemed that the evoants didn¡¯t have the same strength that was proportional to the ants on earth, if such was the case then Rainier would have been killed by the impact.


    Rainier crashed and rolled on the ground with the evoant latched on to his chest. The one that grabbed onto his legs snapped its neck as it crash landed directly on the staircase.


    The two beings separated upon their second bounce, Rainier groaned in pain as his body bruised itself against the hard stone walls. He heard loud ¡°SKSSS, SKSSS, SKSSSSSSS!¡± noises as he forced himself back up. It seemed he was correct, the pursuing group of evoants refrained from entering. If they had, Rainier would most likely be dead by now.


    ¡°So I¡¯m safe, for now, but what is this place?¡± Rainier looked around and swallowed in the scene.


    The room he was in was completely underground, though light shone in from the entrance a ways away and from mysterious glowing spots in each corner of the room¡¯s ceiling. There was another open doorway where light came in as well as a cold draft. The room itself was made of a pure white stone similar to marble. Surprisingly, there were a few rundown furnishings including a case with a glass door, a few chairs, and an empty barrel.


    Rainier rubbed the bruises on his head and body. His skin will definitely take on a new coloring after his tumble. Thankfully he didn¡¯t hurt too much anywhere on his body. Rainier considered himself lucky that he didn¡¯t snap any limbs in his fall.


    A quick look through one of the open entrances on the other side of the room revealed a long hallway with several more doorways. Figuring that he had to start somewhere, Rainier chose a door at random and moved inside.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    And the room he chose had no wall on the opposite end. It was literally an area open to the outside of the cliff. The room itself had six open stalls, three on each side, with large chains and ropes attached to the back area of each stall. It seemed this area was a sort of stable for flying creatures. On the wall with the door was a tattered and moldy map along with etchings dug into the wall.


    Rainier read the etching out loud, ¡°Outpost Roseir is kill.¡± Despite the bad structure of the sentence, Rainier roughly understood its meaning.


    It meant that all of its occupants were killed off, either by murderous means or a monster of sorts. Still Rainier had yet to see any remains of dead bodies.


    The encyclopedia hummed again, a new entry was forming.


    Outpost Roseir- An outpost built into the cliff with some of its rooms open to the airs for one reason. It was an outpost solely used to carry people up and down the Roseir Plateau using tamed flying mounts. However after the breakdown and eventual extinction of humans, it was reduced to becoming a settlement for surviving humans. Very soon all presence in Roseir was eradicated by an unknown assailant.


    Another entry opened up for Roseir Plateau right after.


    Roseir Plateau- A highly elevated landmass which spans a large area. It houses several notable mines and settlements and is also home to numerous species. The most interesting feature of the plateau is that there is a hole somewhere in its southern side which is believed to never end. Whether the hole exists or not has never been confirmed.


    Rainier closed the book and resumed exploring the underground outpost. He found all the basic necessities for living inside, at least as far as furnishings went. In fact, it was an ideal location for a spot for Rainier to live, for a time at least.


    After a short time, a rotten smell wafted past Rainier¡¯s nose. While he wasn¡¯t actually sure, Rainier was certain that this smell was the stench of death. He followed the odor and confirmed his hypothesis.


    The stench led to the final room of the outpost Rainier had yet to explore. And what was inside were a pile of bones and rotten flesh. Rainier forced himself away from the disturbing sight and retched up what little contents he had in his stomach.


    Rainier pinned his nostrils shut and endured the crypt. If he was going to live here, the disposal of the corpses was a necessary requirement. Something caught Rainier¡¯s eyes first, a peculiar set of bones by themselves in the corner closest to him.


    As he got close, Rainier noticed a glinting object sticking out from the skull¡¯s center. It was a dagger, and not a normal one by Rainier¡¯s standards. He pulled it out and moved out of the room to the open stable area so he could examine it without being disturbed by the corpses and air out the stench left on him and the dagger. The fresh air washed off the strench of rotten flesh and dried blood effectively, giving Rainier room to breathe.


    The dagger was somewhat simple in design. From hilt to point it was at least the length of a forearm with the blade itself taking up a little more than half the full length. The dagger had no guard and the only mark that showed the separation between the hilt and blade were the surprisingly spotless cloth wrap which was also surprisingly warm. The blade also curved off at the tip, giving it a sort of desert-y appeal.


    The blade was very sharp. Rainier even accidentally nicked his thumb while handling the blade. The entire thing was in all clean and deadly. ¡®Could this have been the weapon that killed everything in that one room? It seemed that room was very well sealed until I opened it up, or else the flesh would have completely decomposed until the bones and hair was left.¡¯


    ¡°Skssssssss¡­ Skssssssss¡­¡±


    The familiar hissing noise hit Rainier. He spun around to see an evoant holding on to the frame of the entrance to the enclosed room Rainier was in. It sounded rather nervous.


    Rainier was finally able to get a good look at the evoants up close. Indeed, the overall shape of the evoants body resembled a human greatly, although its features were anything but. It had black orbs for eyes, two fearsome pincers probably for tearing its food and prey apart, and two sets of antennae on its head where ears would be. Its four hands had three grasping claws each and tiered plating for its exoskeleton.


    The evoant finally turned its head towards Rainier and released a formidable screech. ¡°SSSSSSSSSSKAAAAAAIIIIISSSSSS!¡± The evoant lunged at Rainier without regard for safety.


    Rainier clutched the dagger in his hand. Although it was only a small dagger, a weapon was a weapon and it was far better than fighting with his fists especially against the stronger evoant.


    Rainier nimbly sidestepped the lunge and tried slashing the evoant as it passed by. However the short reach of the dagger meant that his attack only hit air. Rainier was also a complete amateur when it came to any sort of combat, his movement and mental capacity was hardly conditioned or trained for this sort of ordeal.


    The evoant crashed loudly into one of the stable stalls and thrashed about feistily. It screeched again in fear even louder than before, forcing Rainier to clamp his ears shut. The evoant then clambered its way across the floor, dragging itself with its multiple limbs across the floor towards Rainier.


    It seemed like the evoant was facing despair and desperation. Rainier fully realized just how much evoants hated being in any sort of underground area other than its original home. It didn¡¯t even matter if the room in question was open to the sky, as the evoant instinctively knew that it was underground.


    The evoant pushed itself off the ground and launched its body with its legs, spiraling towards Rainier.


    ¡®The joints! Go for the joints!¡¯ Rainier remembered the weakness off the evoant from the encyclopedia entry and concentrated with the dagger. The evoant¡¯s pincers just barely grazed Rainier¡¯s flank, ripping apart some of his clothing and skin away. Although it wasn¡¯t terribly deep, the cut was just deep enough to draw significant amount of blood.


    Rainier jumped after the evoant as it yet again crashed clumsily against the stall on the opposite side of the room. He grabbed onto one of the evoant¡¯s flailing limbs and thrust the dagger into its joint. Green blood began spurting out as Rainier withdrew the dagger and stabbed the creature several more times in different joints along its tiered chitin armor.


    Finally, to finish the deed, Rainier pushed up the evoant¡¯s twitching head. It was only weakly resisting at this point and barely managed to lift itself off the ground before dropping due to a lack of strength. Rainier revealed the most vulnerable part of the evoant¡¯s body: Its neck.


    He then lined up the dagger and fleshy part of the neck and swiftly sliced the mass of green blood vessels. Mossy green blood stained Rainier¡¯s clothes and splashed against the walls. The blood dripped from the dagger when Rainier lifted it up from the still body of the evoant.


    ¡°I¡­ Killed it. Hah¡­ Survival is really tough.¡± Rainer forced himself to lean back from the evoant against one of the stall¡¯s side wall.


    Rainier didn¡¯t feel particularly revolted, in fact, he felt rather thrilled. His heart was beating incredibly fast and his head was filled with relief.


    The cut on his waist hurt a little bit, so Rainer ripped off a bit of his clothing and wrapped it around his waist to keep the blood in. He held the dagger before his eyes and eyed the mystical gleam it took with light rays coming in from the missing wall. He stared into the blade, as if nothing else mattered in the world. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Pretty. It moved so smoothly across the neck and cut so cleanly. There¡¯s not even a drop of blood left on it¡­¡±


    Indeed, as Rainier observed, the dagger blade was almost completely devoid of the copious amount of blood that was coating it just earlier. It wasn¡¯t that the blood had dripped off, but the blade seemed to be absorbing the viscous liquid.


    The blade soon absorbed all of the blood. Rainier found this phenomenon far too curious and bored invisible holes through the blade with his eyes. Rainier wanted nothing more than to just stare at the dagger for a while. It just looked too¡­ Lovely.


    Rainer¡¯s attention was forcibly diverted to a vibrating sound on the ground. The encyclopedia had a new entry to look at. Rainier looked back and forth between the book and the dagger, pondering his choices as if he had to choose between life and death.


    After much deliberation in his mind, Rainier reached for the encyclopedia and opened it up to read the brand new entry.


    Razor of Envy- In order to grant a gift to one of his loyal bishops, the ancient Draconic deity of envy removed one of its fingers, which shrunk into the form of a dagger. The flesh became the hilt and the long fingernail became the blade. The bishop, named Astalto, graciously accepted the gift and offered eternal loyalty to his god as a skilled assassin. Even in death, Astalto serves his god as a reaper of souls.


    The Razor of Envy had been passed through several hands after Astalto perished with its most recent holder being a human brought over from another world. It was said to have the ability to absorb partial amounts of strength from beings that the current holder held, granting its user strength and power with every kill. Once the razor passes into a new hand, the strength borrowed from the souls is given back and released. Even with that power, the user must train himself mentally in order to not be overwhelmed by the hatred and enmity of those slain by the blade.


    No wonder Rainier felt so immersed with the blade. It was drawing him in mentally. It was dominating his mind with the hate left behind by his first kill of the evoant. Now that he knew about the truth behind the dagger, Rainier wouldn¡¯t fall so easily. In the future¡­ Who knows?


    Rainier passed the time with disposing the corpses of the evoant and those left in that room. He left the door open so the smell could be diffused with the open air as Rainier went outside to forage for more food. He collected many more spiny sweet fern leaves and chisis seeds as well as a new breed of plant called the ¡°Rachr Root.¡±


    Rainier ate a heavy lunch to replenish his energy and set to work in making Outpost Roseir more suitable for him to live in. He now always kept the dagger, or razor, with him on his person. He discovered that after killing the evoant and the dagger absorbing a portion of its strength, Rainier did get a little faster. Although it wasn¡¯t very noticeable, he figured that any increase in survivability is better than none. He saw a few animals, but was unwilling to attempt hunting any of them for fear of running into something much more dangerous. Also it seemed that the evoant swarm had already abandoned the area.


    Rainier even made a discovery: He found deposits of red crystals jutting out between cracks in the ground. After kicking one of them into another, he saw sparks erupting between the two of them. An entry appeared about the red crystals which Rainier read.


    Blaze Crystal- A type of rock formation that is also known as ¡°frozen fire.¡± Although deposits of it are incredibly rare, it was widely mined for its ability to easily produce sparks and create fires. It is said that placing a crystal in the middle of easily burnable substances and leaving it there in moderately high temperature is enough to make it catch fire. Thus you never see blaze crystals in a warm environment.


    Rainier collected a pouch full of the blaze crystals, knowing that he could most likely create a quick fire with them for the cold nights. He could even use that fire to boil water and cook meat should he ever find sources of either. Thankfully for now the spiny sweet fern was juicy enough to satiate his thirst, but Rainier knew he needed to find a source of water eventually.


    Rainier wasted the majority of his evening cleaning up the outpost and arranging various furnishings so that he could live semi-comfortably. One of the rooms, which was probably a bedroom for the outpost¡¯s leader had the most extravagant furniture including a queen sized bed, tables, a chair, and a few tattered blankets.


    It wasn¡¯t ideal, but it would do for now.


    Rainier moved all the cookware to the kitchen room, though he decided it would be too much trouble cleaning all of that stuff now just to roast some plants. He ate what he could and went to sleep an hour later.


    -----


    Rainier woke up to the cooing of pigeons and sounds of the streets. Horns were going off as people commuted to work. Others were busy cooking up their morning breakfast and brewing their daily cup of coffee. Rainier himself decided to have some simple buttered toast. He performed the process and as he was going to take his first bite¡­


    Rainier woke up again, though not to the cooing of pigeons, but the howling of wyverns.


    ¡°Even though this was exactly what I daydreamed about nearly every day, I¡¯m not sure if I actually want to go home or not.¡±


    Yes, Rainier did not particularly wish to risk his life in a battle for survival every day. Though neither did he want to go back to his dreary life or boring routine.


    Although this dilemma plagued his mind, Rainier knew that he was forced to stay in Ademptis anyways. It wasn¡¯t like he had a way home anyways.


    Since the day of discovering Outpost Roseir and slaying the evoant, Rainier had been performing numerous chores to make the outpost suitable for living over a number of days keeping as safe as possible. Today he planned to do something different and dangerous.


    Rainier donned his most comfortable clothing. He had spent a portion of one of his days producing clothing and repairing the clothes he initially arrived in Ademptis with.


    It was a sunny day with clouds covering a good portion of the sky other than the sun. Even though it was another world, Rainier decided to call the main source of light in Ademptis the sun just for convenience until he knew the name given to it by the residents of this world. There were numerous cloud wyverns nesting in the clouds along with flying creatures of other varieties. Rainier had also accumulated as many different encyclopedia entries as possible so that he never had his information too late in case a dangerous monster attacked him.


    Information is key, and the fact that Rainier had some sort of magic book that provided him with an encyclopedia entry about every plant, animal, location, object, and etcetera was a powerful asset.


    ¡®Time to gain some experience¡­¡¯ Rainier had identified a certain creature called an ¡°Arachnacosa.¡± It was a disgusting, horrifying looking being that had the upper body of a man and the lower body of a spider.


    Arachnacosa- A sentient species that is hostile towards anything other than its own kind. It prefers high altitudes, especially cave systems situated in upper portions of various mountain ranges. It has the upper body of a man and the lower body of a spider due to an abhorrent contract between a human and a spider deity of the Deep Ones. The warrior males fight on the frontlines with both capable melee skills and a ranged acid spit, males are also unable to create webbing. The females act as support, creating webbing to bandage up the wounded and assimilate their conquered territory.


    The arachnacosas that Rainier had seen were apparently scouts, as he had yet to see a true army of the species. However, Rainier felt like he needed to eliminate these scouts if he wanted to halt their advance on the plateau. The entry about the species hinted that they liked high ground. The Roseir Plateau was also on a high altitude, thus of course it be within their range of interest.


    ¡°Kesh¡­ Krasesh.¡± Speaking in a language unknown to Rainier, the arachnacosa sniffed the air of his surroundings, knowing that there was a hostile enemy near him.


    Rainier needed to gain experience in combat if he was going to survive for much longer in Ademptis. The safest route of doing this would be to oppose a single foe at a time and prepare as much as possible. Aside from its ability to spit acid, the arachnacosa wasn¡¯t very special of an enemy. Even the evoants seemed more deadly with their superior physical force. Although that was only what Rainier hypothesized from the encyclopedia entries about the two.


    Rainier pulled out a small blaze crystal from a pouch fastened to his waist. He rolled it around his fingers, eying a particular spot near the arachnacosa. Rainier wasn¡¯t a star pitcher in a baseball team, but he was confident in his snowball aim during winter.


    Rainier took aim and drew his arm back, shooting the red crystal just behind where the arachnacosa was standing. The blaze crystal exploded on impact, creating a small crater in the dirt between some tree roots.


    ¡°SHAKASH?¡± The arachnacosa spun around with its pincers at the ready.


    Rainier dashed from his hiding place and pulled out the razor. He grabbed the arachnacosa¡¯s head and placed the blade around its neck before deftly pulling it across. The spider monster¡¯s blood began spilling out, staining the ground red.


    Rainier breathed out a sigh of relief. He somehow managed to slay the arachnacosa without too much difficulty, a little too easily he thought.


    As if the world was reading his mind, Rainier heard a skittering behind him. The sound stopped and began making hocking noises. Rainier jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a splatter or lime green acid which hit the tree next to the arachnacosa¡¯s body.


    Rainier turned around to see another arachnacosa scout rushing towards him, nimbly moving its eight legs with precision. Rainier stood himself up quickly getting into a position to defend himself. He pulled his body to the left, avoiding a swipe from the humanoid¡¯s sweeping pincer. Rainier noticed that just under the pincer exoskeleton were several fingers including opposable thumbs.


    ¡®Not that that matters at the moment! Shit, there had to be another one!¡¯ Rainier traded attacks with the monster with neither of them landing any blows.


    It seemed the arachnacosa was just as unused to combat as Rainier was, though it had maniacal fervor to match up.


    As Rainier ran a few steps away to face his foe again, he noticed something about his opponent¡¯s shape. The arachnacosa had relatively short arms for its larger lower body. The arms could barely reach further than its furthest leg.


    Forming a plan in his mind, Rainier advanced with the razor in his hand. The arachnacosa screamed and attacked blindly, angry over his foe continuously running away.


    Rainier goaded the monster into advancing further and further until terrain shifted in his favor with unsteady mounds of pebbles. One of the arachnacosa¡¯s eight legs got stuck in the mound and Rainier slashed it around its knee. Due to the sharpness of the razor, it nearly cut clean through the leg, resulting in the arachnacosa howling in pain.


    Rainier took advantage of its stunned state and slashed another leg. The monster persevered and resumed its battle state though with slower movement. Rainier only fought the monster on this terrain and was thankful it was too stupid to move away and use more of its acid spit.


    Eventually after an annoyingly long drawn out battle, Rainier severed the creature¡¯s fifth leg, resulting in the arachnacosa having too much weight on only three of its legs. Its strength was drained due to the loss of blood and it was just far too weak to continue standing.


    Rainier stared down the monster as it looked back with fearful eyes on the human who towered before him. ¡°Oshna¡­¡± The spider humanoid muttered weakly, as if it was pleading for its life.


    Rainier showed no mercy and promptly slit the creature¡¯s throat. Now with the blood of two more lives seeping into Razor of Envy, Rainier felt himself grow a little sick. He felt pure negativity emanating from the dagger, drawing his eyes in.


    It made him feel sick. Rainier threw up on the ground and panted for air. He noticed that the saliva intermixed with his vomit had a bright green coloring to it and seemed to sizzle into the ground.


    Rainier scrunched his eyes together and gathered more saliva in his mouth which he promptly spit out. Again, his saliva had a lime green tint to it and reacted with the ground as if it was acid.


    ¡®Did I gain some sort of acid spit ability due to the razor absorbing the arachnacosa¡¯s power?¡¯ It seemed Razor of Envy not only absorbed strength from those that he killed, but unique abilities as well. Even so, Rainier noticed that the impact of his brand new acid spit was quite weak. Perhaps he needed to slay more arachnacosa in order to fully master his new internal power.


    Rainier smiled and climbed up on top of the largest boulder in the immediate area. He didn¡¯t notice before, but he found he was right next to the cliff on the edge of the Roseir Plateau.


    Before, Rainier was scared out of his wits, wanting nothing more than to go home and live a tough albeit safe life.


    Drunk on his new found aptitude and ability, Rainier looked down on everything he could see.


    ¡°Now I want to take control. I¡¯m going to get powerful and have the adventures I wanted. I¡¯m going to make everything respect and revere me.¡± With those audacious statements said, Rainier trekked back to Outpost Roseir and prepared himself.


    -----


    It was the eleventh day of the teleportation.


    Whitney sighed as she closed the curtains of her fanciful room. She looked about her personal room where she was afforded with every luxury imaginable. She didn¡¯t mind the room itself, it was like she was staying in an ultra-high class hotel. However just because her bedroom had been upgraded into this didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t get homesick.


    Whitney desperately wanted to go home, but she had no way of getting there. She couldn¡¯t order a taxi or take the bus like usual. Nor could she get an airplane ticket or board a train.


    Whitney was far from home. In fact she was currently living in another world which was called Ademptis by its residents.


    The city Whitney was staying in was one of the last three cities of the decaying Rhime tribes. The Rhime were a highly advanced race of beings that resembled elves from movies Whitney had seen, though there were clear noticeable difference such aqua blue skin, pointed ears that curved around back to their cheeks, and sharp teeth that belonged on carnivorous animals. There were others, but these were the few unique traits Whitney had found most odd and frightening.


    She didn¡¯t hate the Rhime; in fact she was quite thankful for their efforts in taking care of her. They had only one expectation, to make her a saintly heroine of their race.


    Whitney was told that she was summoned through a sacrificial ritual that slew three of their most powerful sages. The purpose of this ritual was to summon a human from another world which would be the most likely to raise their race from eventual extinction into a prime empire.


    Ademptis was a savage world, Whitney had learned.


    The magic and monsters that frolicked around in its vast wildernesses proved to be too powerful and waged a war of attrition against various sentient species until extinction came. The human empire, which was heralded as the most immense of all kingdoms, also fell prey to the creeping influence of Ademptis. Humans were also marveled for having the most potential out of every sentient species. Though they perished as a race, due to an unknown calamity, it was well known that humans were quite adept in adaptation.


    Whitney couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind their words, but she realized that she was going to be forced to fight for the Rhime against powerful foes. And how would that be possible if she didn¡¯t know how to use the magic of Ademptis or how to fight with a simple sword?


    Whitney truly felt despair.


    ¡°Eventually they¡¯re going to learn that I know nothing about fighting and throw me to the wolves¡­ I won¡¯t last two seconds in this supposedly dangerous wilderness.¡± Whitney didn¡¯t want to die or be exiled. The days she wept and ran away, frightened about her future prospects were already over. She had to go through that ordeal even before being taken to the world of Ademptis. In the five stages of grief, Whitney was currently at the depression stage.


    ¡°Maybe I should try learning some magic? The Rhime would be more than glad to show me the ropes.¡± Whitney thought of anything which could give her advantage in her situation.


    She could only think of her unusual aptitude towards animals. Nearly every cat, dog, squirrel, raccoon, horse, and animal she came across back home liked her quite a bit. When she was about to be mugged once, a stray dog which she had just given some food instantly came to her rescue and fought off her attacker.


    It seemed the affection she received from animals transferred over here. She had befriended some sort of bird she never saw before just the other day. She remembered its beautiful plumage which consisted of a mixture of black, red, and green feathers. Its head feathers extended like a long tail from its head and she found it quite interesting how both the tail and head plumage were connected to each other, forming a wide ring of feathers at least half a meter long. It had a beak, which strangely diverted into two beaks as if it had been cut through the center. The bird also had one more unique feature, a single black orb which was set perfectly center in its feather ring. The ball wasn¡¯t connected to the bird in any way, but it kept the ring perfectly rigid as it lay in the center, hovering in midair.


    Well, the strange bird wasn¡¯t here at the moment, much to Whitney¡¯s disappointment. Still, it wasn¡¯t like she could have the bird with her at all times, it had its own needs to take care of.


    Whitney sluggishly began removing her golden robes. She was given fresh clothing just after settling in Friye, one of the last three major cities the Rhime had control over. It was nearing nighttime and Whitney just wanted to go to bed after a day of forced smiles and compassion, smug leaders, and thoughts of a bleak future.


    Whitney stripped down to her undergarments, slightly annoyed by how sexy the ones she was given by the female Rhime. She didn¡¯t hate them, she simply wished she had a larger array of more normal clothing. Whitney also didn¡¯t feel like there was going to be anyone in this strange world she would be remotely interested in, so it wasn¡¯t like she was going to bare it all and show off her looks.


    ¡°In all, it¡¯s a really beautiful city¡­ Especially the night sky.¡± The sky had a large moon with rings orbiting the world she stood on. And if you looked closely, the moon seemed to have several large asteroids orbiting it along with the rings.


    As Whitney leaned on the windowsill high in the sky (her room was located in a tower), she sighed and lost all interest in her surroundings.


    Her reverie was soon broken by a hand wrapped in black leather grabbing her wrist from below the window. ¡°Yeek!¡± Whitney instantly jolted in surprise and fell backwards as she wrenched her wrist away.


    An obviously male figure completely garbed in black leather deftly pulled itself over the window¡¯s ledge and stood tall over Whitney¡¯s frail body. The strange man even had a crying theatre mask covering his face. He certainly didn¡¯t look anything like a human or a one of the Rhime, in fact, Whitney had never seen such an oddly shaped person before. The line of bony spikes jutting out from its spinal cord said it all.


    Then the intruder spoke in a slight hushed voice. ¡°By the order of our hero, Musala Kasamir, I shall kill you.¡± The figure pulled his arm back, and a piece of his plated leather gauntlets slid back, revealing a small nub above his wrist. The nub extended forward into a wicked looking spike made of white bone and covered in blood and chunks of flesh.


    Whitney, not wanting to die at all, turned over and scrambled for the door to her room. She felt a piercing, burning pain appear in her ankle. She looked down and saw a small piece of metal shrapnel digging in her flesh. She whimpered in pain, clutching at her ankle as if to keep the blood inside her.


    Whitney¡¯s assassin slowly stalked over to her with his arm still angled behind him. In a flash moment, he shot it forward with the speed of a dart. It was pure chance that he missed Whitney¡¯s head.


    Whitney, determined to get over her pain, tried to stand back up and accidentally put too much weight, which resulted in her collapsing flat on the ground, not even noticing that she somehow dodged the spearing of her head.


    Once she noticed the bone spear just centimeters from her cheek, she shivered in fear and bit her lower lip as she made a desperate attempt. Whitney pushed with all her weak might off the ground, head-butting the man behind her in his groin.


    As he received an attack on vulnerable part of his body, the assassin grunted in pain and recoiled back a few steps before mustering zeal to ignore the pain.


    It was truly hopeless, Whitney didn¡¯t know how to fight nor did she even have a way to defend herself. She could only meekly cry for help. ¡°HELP ME! PLEEEEASE!¡± Whitney screamed very hoarsely, her voice getting caught on a mass of vomit and saliva in her throat.


    The assassin showed no interest in mercy and stepped forward, pulling back his arm once again. He only uttered, ¡°My hero commands it.¡±


    ¡®Is this how I¡¯m going to die?! I DON¡¯T WANT TO DIE!¡¯ Cried Whitney uselessly in her mind. She thrust her palms as if she could block the bone spear with his hand, though it was a feeble attempt at defense.


    Perhaps her prayers were answered or perhaps Whitney was lucky. Either way, something bending the laws of reality occurred before her very eyes.


    A large ball of compressed air formed in front of her palms and showed a distorted picture as if you were looking through a hazy pane of glass.


    Surprised, the assassin jumped back and readied a second bone spear from his other wrist wary for any attack.


    The ball of air shifted colors to a smoky black. Then a calm cooing sounded off from the ball, a sound familiar to Whitney. The bird with a strange ring of plumage connecting its tail and head ripped its way through the smoky ball, dissipating it like it was a simple bubble.


    The frowning mask almost seemed to smile as the assassin chuckled behind it, bemused that he almost like he was in danger for a second. He raised both his wrists and pulled them back, ready to strike down by the bird and his target.


    However, before he could strike¡­ His head disappeared and his body slumped down.


    Whitney stared in horror. Her assassin was suddenly beheaded by the bird before her. The bird had literally enlarged in size almost instantaneously so that its double tipped beak bit off the assassin¡¯s head.


    After the initial distress, Whitney felt calmer than she should have been. She knew that the bird would not hurt her and would most likely protect her with its life. Whitney stood and limped over to the bird so that she could hug it as if she was hugging a dog or cat that had been with her all its life.


    Suddenly her door burst open and three Rhime rushed in, each wielding shield and mace. They saw the bird and Whitney in an embrace and stared wide eyed. However, after the preliminary surprise, they instantly dropped to their knees and prostrated before the two of them.


    ¡°Eh, um, what are you doing?¡± Overwhelmed by their sudden show of reverence, Whitney asked in a confused manner.


    Hesitantly, the Rhime in the middle answered. ¡°You are truly the heroine of our race¡­ You summoned the great heavenly Garuda.¡±

 Ch. 2: Double Revenge 1

    It was the beginning of Rainier¡¯s third week in Ademptis. He focused solely on gathering minimal amounts of strength with the razor and gathering a suitable food source. Unfortunately he could not find a decent source of water, which was understandable considering the area that Rainier was making his home was at a high altitude.


    ¡°At least I can survive off the juice of various fruits. Even so, how do all of these plants get so much moisture?¡± Rainier hypothesized that there was an aquifer or something to do with magic in general. Rainier had the basic knowledge of geology and then some, but he wasn¡¯t greatly educated on geology or magic.


    Rainier looked back on his encounters with the arachnacosas and the evoants and found himself far too arrogant. He needed to come up with a surefire strategy to fight against the various weaknesses of each monster he came across.


    Every now and then, Rainier saw an arachnacosa skittering about or an evoant scouring for food. Due to the keen senses of the latter, Rainier was forced to flee back to Outpost Roseir whenever he noticed or was targeted by one.


    Thankfully, Rainier found it far easier to truly escape from danger due to the effects of the Razor of Envy and memorizing the general layout of the immediate area of Roseir Plateau. He only found himself forced to fight once against another arachnacosa, which Rainier barely managed to come victorious out of.


    This most recent foe he fought was certainly more skilled and used to combat compared to the other two arachnacosa Rainier fought. It unnerved him.


    To Rainier, it seemed like the group of arachnacosa were sending stronger forces into the area as a result of losing two of their kind here. What Rainier couldn¡¯t understand was why.


    Surely the arachnacosa had lost some of their kind just about anywhere, why bother with focusing on the Roseir Plateau? ¡®Though the encyclopedia did mention that the arachnacosa like high areas. Perhaps they simply want to take control of the plateau as soon as possible.¡¯


    Rainier pondered the grand scheme of things as he explored a new section of the plateau he had yet to enter. It was relatively the same as the rest of the plateau as far as geography and life went. As mysterious Ademptis was, it was like it could have a surprise around every corner.


    ¡°¡­Or can it?¡± Rainier stopped to see an outcrop of dusty brown rock jutting out from very edge of the plateau¡¯s precipice.


    The rock formation was in the shape of a spiraling goat horn, in fact, there were two outcroppings exactly like one another but spiraling in different directions. It was like a mirror was in between the two. However, it was not the exact formation of rock that surprised Rainier, but what exactly was hanging below it.


    Attached to numerous ropes were rectangular coffins made of a sleek black wood. And piercing through upper left portion of each coffin was a polearm of nearly every variety with at least a spear tip.


    The Hanging Cemetery of Ladia- The Ladia family is an ancient coven of dhampirs that were rumored to be born and laid to rest in the sky. Not much is known about them, as they interacted very little with anyone outside of their circle of foes and family like other dhampirs or vampires and select humans. The Ladia family members specialized in spear techniques and low aerial combat and were sought after as teachers. They are believed to have perished along with the extinction of humans.


    ¡°Dhampirs¡­? Aren¡¯t those like half vampires or something?¡± Questioned Rainier out loud to himself. He didn¡¯t really keep with that sort of supernatural stuff back home, but he had read a book or two involving supernatural existences and vampires were included.


    Rainier ultimately knew nothing was off limits here in Ademptis. Reality as he originally knew it no longer had a meaning and he was forced to embrace a new reality. With that thought in mind, Rainier began his trek back to the outpost. There was no reason to investigate the graveyard which was somehow hanging precariously under a cliff without any rock climbing gear or skills.


    Rainier speculated that the coffins held two different possibilities: The first was that each coffin held a surviving dhampir, hostile or not (most likely the former). The second was that each coffin either held a dead dhampir or none at all. The second theory was more likely considering the fact that there were weapons piercing the portion of the coffin where a bipedal humanoid¡¯s heart would be.


    Perhaps the coffin held some sort of treasure or magic item? Realistically speaking, Razor of Envy was of course not the only magical artifact in Ademptis. The world was far too vast. Rainier thought that maybe one or two of the coffins may hold some useful items, whether they are weapons or something else of value.


    ¡®Still, it¡¯s not like I can get those coffins onto stable ground. I¡¯d need some serious strength to pull off a feat like that. Even then, I can¡¯t guarantee the stability of the outcrop of the cliff.¡¯ Rainier shrugged and made his way back to the outpost without any outstanding incident.


    The next day, Rainier attempted an experiment. He gathered several spiny sweet ferns and ¡°declawed¡± them, relieving the fruits of their needles. Then Rainier wrung the elongated fruits as if they were rags, forcing as much of its juice out as possible. The juice was collected into clean ceramic jar that Rainier had found in the outpost. Considering the sheer amount of liquid from each of the fruits, it only required three fruits total to fill the jar.


    Relieved by the small success of his experiment and the surprisingly small amount of effort needed, Rainier threw both fists into the air and jumped up and down as if cheering on any random sports team (he preferred participating rather than watching).


    Rainier immediately gulped down the contents of the jar, wiping his mouth dry after. ¡°Delicious¡­¡±


    Glad to have made a true liquid type drink, Rainier celebrated within his mind. Rainier wished to make more of the concoction considering its relatively simple process, but refrained from doing so because he had no actual way of storing the liquid.


    There were obviously no such things as refrigerators in Ademptis, so Rainier was out of many options of storage. However, even though Rainier lived an urban life with several appliances, his financial situation in the past made it so he to rely on some very mundane ways of keeping healthy life.


    It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that Rainier was having a camping trip every day inside his home due to how many cutbacks on expenses he made. You could count the number of electronic appliances he regularly used on one hand: a fridge, a handful of lamps, and a laptop. Everything he owned was also not very high on the tech scale.


    Rainier thought of various methods of storing food and drink. Each of which he had a general understanding of thanks to his expansive knowledge from the large quantities of books he had read.


    He could dry and salt meat into jerky, which would be great in supplying energy on his forays into the unknown. He could also ferment the juice he had just made, but decided that would not be an option mainly because drinking any sort of alcohol in this sort of environment would be his death.


    ¡®And it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve built any tolerance towards it, I¡¯m only nineteen after all. I don¡¯t even have any equipment to process such a luxury.¡¯


    Water was the only thing on Rainier¡¯s list. Above all necessities that he needed, Rainier coveted water. There was in fact a well inside the outpost, which in fact was in the same room that held all of those corpses. Unfortunately that well was as dry as bone left over in a desert. It was probably contaminated too, for all Rainier knew.


    After several different forays into plateau, Rainier was worried that he would have to leave the plateau itself in order to find water. It would be impossible for Rainier to move back and forth from the bottom to the top of the Roseir Plateau. So if Rainier did leave the high altitude the plateau offered, it would be a permanent decision.


    Rainier leaned back into a stone chair, which was actually hewn from the stone inside the outpost, and sighed melancholically. ¡°This is such an annoying ordeal.¡± He pulled out the Razor of Envy, admiring its luster. ¡°I¡¯ve got to deal with a hostile ant race and a hostile spider race¡­ All the while trying to find some water.¡±


    Unless he found a body of water aboveground, Rainier would probably have to dredge up an aquifer, which in itself wouldn¡¯t be problem. Locating one would be.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Tomorrow¡­ Let¡¯s find some water tomorrow as well as something to eat other than fruit.¡± Rainier slid the razor back into his makeshift scabbard and prepared for the night.


    Rainier had developed a handful of ways to keep Outpost Roseir safe from any intruders. He couldn¡¯t do some measure which would take time, but the temporary ones were quite effective.


    Rainier used dark green leaves the size of a beach towel to cover the sole ground entrance. In case an enemy like an arachnacosa stumbled its way through, it would then be skewered on about a dozen stakes aimed outwards.


    Rainier noticed that the Razor of Envy never seemed to dull, no matter how hard he struck a stone. Taking advantage of that trait, Rainier sharpened sticks into wicked stakes into the shape of slim evergreens. This ensured that once skewered, it would be near impossible to free yourself from the trap without severely damaging your insides. It was quite a sadistic trap Rainier created, one he learned from books back home and taken a step further.


    Rainier could keep using that entrance if he wished, but he also found a second way into the outpost to the top of the plateau. In the stable devoid a wall to the open air was a stable, but narrow, outcropping of rock. That outcrop didn¡¯t directly lead to the top of the plateau, but rather another set of outcrops where one could climb onto and eventually reach the plateau¡¯s precipice. In the off chance a hostile foe discovered this secret entrance, Rainier hid several bunches of blaze crystals in areas only directly noticeable to the one who placed them. Once stepped upon, the crystals would scratch against another and ignite, destroying the outcrop and forcing anyone nearby to fall off. On a side note, the ledge outcrop was about as wide as a foal.


    Lastly, to stave off any flying monsters, Rainier rolled bunches of a strange vine over the side of the cliff, holding them in place with heavy rocks. The hairy vines acted as a sort of camouflage in place of the missing wall. These vines were actually dead limbs of a deadly plant labelled a Carnifer by the encyclopedia.


    Carnifer- A carnivorous plant which subsists off of the flesh and blood of its prey. It uses long vines to act as tripwires, which if triggered, will instantly wrap itself around the legs of its prey and bring it to its mouth. It then swallows the prey whole, stinging its prey if it proves to be too unruly. It is somewhat intelligent, as it memorizes the shape of creatures that traverse near its sight and identifies possibly dangerous individuals. It prefers to eat prey that may harm it over more peaceful food. Unless the bulb of the Carnifer is found, or you trigger one of its vines to attack, it is near impossible to find a Carnifer.


    Rainier was actually quite worried about the carnifer. He could potentially set off one of its vines at any moment. However he noticed that its behavior was somewhat similar to the steel deity. As long as he did not provoke a carnifer, he had a higher chance of not being attacked by one. Thankfully the vines he used were from a dead carnifer as compared to a live one.


    And those were the only the traps he installed right at each entrance, Rainier had more hidden and waiting. It made him feel a little like that Kevin character that defended his home against burglars with outrageous yet clever defenses.


    After looking over his ingenious defenses, Rainier smirked and let himself drift off into a peaceful sleep for the night.


    Although it was three hours since, it felt like mere moments since Rainier fell asleep. As he had no water to wash them with, the sheets above him were dusty and dirty, but they kept the cold out.


    In any case, Rainier was awake, and not to the soothing sound of crickets and wind. He heard the harsh language of the arachnacosa. Judging by the lack of cries, none of them have made their way into Rainier¡¯s traps.


    Rainier slept with all of his clothes on and the razor nearby, so he immediately went into action.


    Rainier strode steadily and quietly over to the side entrance, confident that only he knew about it. He stepped over the deposits of blaze crystals until he climbed onto the final ledge just below the cliffs precipice. He peered over ever so slightly to see a large force of the scary looking demi-human race.


    He didn¡¯t count every single one, but Rainier figured there were at least forty arachnacosa, mainly battle hardened males, surrounding Outpost Roseir.


    Rainier needed a way to lure this cohort of monster warriors away from the outpost. Most likely they had tracked down the one who had viciously killed off a few of their comrades over the past couple of weeks.


    Rainier was too careless. He had figured that the sheer diversity of hostile being in the plateau, let alone Ademptis itself, would be enough to throw any would be pursuers off his tracks. How wrong he was.


    Thanks to the Razor of Envy reaping effects, Rainier was quick on his feet and agile. He was more than confident he could simply run away from an arachnacosa. However these half spiders were supposed to be quite intelligent. According to the encyclopedia, the arachnacosa were effective in waging war against other species. Rainier inferred from this that they have developed many different countermeasures for various situations. In a manhunt like this, they without a doubt had something in place to hunt down Rainier.


    A vague plan formulated within Rainier¡¯s head. On his person was the Razor of Envy, a pouch filled with a moderate amount of blaze crystals, and a vial of concentrated poison extracted from the poisonfingers.


    The cliff became windswept, causing grass and dirt to bellow about as Rainier dipped a slim blaze crystal into the poison vial. He then pulled himself up on top of the cliff and instantly hid behind a boulder. With the poison coated crystal in one hand and the razor held in reverse grip in the other, Rainier formed a coagulated glob of saliva in his mouth. He waited for that cry of pain Rainier knew he was going to hear eventually since seeing the arachnacosa soldiers.


    The cry came after a dozen seconds. Two of the arachnacosa had fallen through the leaf pit Rainier created and impaled themselves on the barbed stakes, mutilating their limbs and body alike.


    Rainier took advantage of the sudden turmoil to dash from behind the boulder. He instantly located the largest gathering of arachnacosa and threw the poison covered blaze crystal at them. It exploded on impact into dozens of poisonous shards each finding their way into the body of an arachnacosa.


    Rainier took aim with his mouth and shot out the acid spit he built up. Although disgusting, it was a nifty ability which Rainier managed to master aiming with. The spit hit an improvised rope up near a tree branch. That gave way to hundreds of small to medium sized rocks falling down on the arachnacosa. That wasn¡¯t all, intermixed with the rocks was a small handful of blaze crystals which also exploded on impact, sending shards of rock in every direction like a grenade.


    Lastly, Rainier homed in on what he thought was the leader of the punitive force of arachnacosa. It was actually a female arachnacosa judging by the type of garment it wore with a decorated headdress holding strings of small bones dangling and clicking together like chimes. Rainier no longer found anything about the female arachnacosa important as he managed to use the confusion to loop around to the creature¡¯s back and slice across the back of her neck and stab it once more into her neck¡¯s side.


    And Rainier instantly fled afterwards.


    Several seconds after Rainier fled the scene, the commotion was dying down between the arachnacosa, though Rainier knew the confrontation was far from over. Luckily he noticed that in the trees was an intricate maze of webbing created by the arachnacosa. In order to bypass this, Rainier ran along the edge of the plateau, ignoring how dangerous it was on the very precipice of a fall to his death.


    He heard the harsh language of the arachnacosa shouting furiously far behind him. Apparently they were only now beginning to realize where the perpetrator of the uproar was just now and begin the chase.


    ¡®I¡¯m not safe at the outpost anymore¡­ Not as long as the arachnacosa still have a foothold on the plateau. I need a way to eliminate them¡­¡¯ Rainier wasn¡¯t sure how he was going to go about such a genocide, but it was either them or him.


    And his life be damned if he was going to roll over and admit defeat.

 Ch. 3: Double Revenge 2

    Rainier was on the run. After somehow decimating the punitive force sent out by the arachnacosa, Rainier was made the center of a manhunt by the half spider half human creatures.


    It was especially troubling considering that among the arachnacosa, Rainier had to deal with multiple other deadly life forms. There were the hidden carnifers, cloud wyverns, evoants, and a plenty of other monsters Rainier had encountered.


    In fact, Rainier had a close call with one of these monsters. It called a Hornet Stag and was more stag than hornet. It resembled a normal sized male deer, but its antlers jutted out with sharp angles and branched off with several sharp points. It also had a muddy yellow color to its fur and had bizarre chitin like growths protecting its joints. The last notable feature was its impressively developed hind legs packed with muscle.


    Hornet Stag- An omnivorous creature that thrives in forested areas. It uses powerful charges thanks to its hind legs and deadly antlers to impale its prey or enemies before devouring them with its first set of teeth created precisely for ripping flesh apart into suitable chunks. It uses its long tongue to wrap around bunches of leaves or grass and push it into its mouth towards its second set of teeth reserved for grinding up its food. Should its antlers become stuck inside an object like a trunk or an animal¡¯s body, it can eject its antlers and regrow them over time dependent on their age.


    One of the hornet stags ambushed Rainier out of nowhere from the dense forest. It was because of the speed he acquired that Rainier was able to notice and dodge the initial surprise attack.


    The hornet stag landed gracefully, scattering dirt and sand behind its hooves. It looked quite intimidating when it stared at Rainier. It seemed to grin with both sets of teeth visible as if setting Rainier as its next target.


    Rainier looked around him. Right now on his left was an utterly dense forest, on his right a few meters away was a cliff that which falling over would lead to certain death.


    The Hornet Stag charged Rainier again, which this time he managed to avoid only because he could see it charge ahead of time.


    ¡®Fast!¡¯ Cried out Rainier silently.


    Indeed, the hornet stag¡¯s incredibly powerful hind legs made the main body surge forward like an artillery shell. Rainier blindly stepped to the side the moment before the hornet stag charged so he was of course safe. However he also slashed with the razor in the line the hornet stags charge would take it.


    It was impossible for a creature like the hornet stag to change course in the middle of its jumping lunge. Rainier figured that as the razor left a minor, but lengthy cut along the hornet stag¡¯s flank. It was the sort of scratch you would receive from a feisty cat and ignore as soon as you received it despite the initial pain. .


    The hornet stag paid the scratch no mind, not even releasing any cry of pain. It slammed against a tree, embedding its horns into a tree. Although Rainier read about it in the encyclopedia, he was still surprised to see the animal pop the horns off its head and turn around to face Rainier while new horns began growing and poking through its skull.


    ¡®Like fricken Wolverine¡­ But with its head and bone horns instead of metal claws!¡¯ Randomly reminded of the superhero, Rainier grit his teeth and flipped the razor back into normal grip and stood ready.


    But then, rather anticlimactically, the hornet stag swayed and swooned about as if intoxicated. It then fell over with pained moan and stopped moving after several seconds.


    Rainier looked at the Razor of Envy. It still had a faint layer of poison. ¡°No wonder¡­ This poison is really strong. I better get some more poisonfinger berries when I get the chance. So lethal!¡±


    Rainier felt a strange mental stab which felt like he was piercing his own brain with the Razor of Envy. He always felt like this when he absorbed the power of another creature.


    Rainier wanted to know the parameters of the Razor of Envy¡¯s power absorption, but in order to do so he needed to kill more creatures. So far he had only slain an evoant and a handful of arachnacosa directly with the razor. From the evoant, Rainier gained an increase in his physique. From the arachnacosa he gained the ability to spit poison along with a general awareness in using weapons to fight. It seemed like the acidic saliva was subconsciously created when Rainier intended to do battle with an enemy.


    So what would Rainier gain from the last two enemies he slew: The female arachnacosa and the hornet stag?


    ¡®What kind of power did I gain?¡¯ Rainier finally moved forward. Nothing felt different than before, so Rainier decided to brood upon it while exploring.


    The scenery of Roseir Plateau began changing little by little from a deciduous jungle into a more plains like scene. There were still plenty of trees, but he now saw groves of grass and flowers connecting like a delta.


    After traversing a fair distance while carefully looking out for danger, Rainier happened upon a chasm. It was a terribly deep chasm in which he could not even see the bottom due to fog and a thick net of roots. Rainier laid down and peered over the edge, it seemed the chasm arced inwards up like and archway.


    In any case, it was impossible to cross the chasm without making a bridge. The chasm divided the plateau into two with a gap at least eight meters long. Rainier would normally give up then and there¡­ But he felt he could make the jump. He felt that his legs were strong enough.


    Rainier took put his back to a tree a fair ways away from the chasm. He eyed the gap and smiled fearlessly. Drops of sweat beaded down his body as he anticipated the suicidal action he was about to take.


    ¡°I can¡¯t live in this damn world without taking risks!¡± Rainier sprinted forward. He didn¡¯t take any special running stance like those in the Olympics. He simply moved forward.


    However the speed at which his legs gave him was not what he was used to. Surprised by his sudden burst of acceleration, Rainier tripped over his own legs and face planted into the ground.


    ¡°Gah! Damn!¡± Although the pain was mediocre, it still annoyed him. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, where the pain was centered. ¡°Ach¡­ That¡¯ll leave a bruise. Still, the power from my legs¡­ I don¡¯t recognize it. Is that the effect from killing the hornet stag? It did have powerful legs after all. I wonder how high I can jump vertically.¡±


    Rainier crouched low and looked upwards. He instantly jumped upwards with all the strength he could find in his legs.


    And he soared.


    ¡°HOLY SHIT!¡± Rainier knew that the highest recorded vertical jump was around sixty inches. However his current jump, which only borrowed a portion of the powerful legs of a hornet stag, easily went beyond that.


    Rainier reached more than three meters into the air and was only just then at the top of his parabola. He felt like he was floating in midair at that height, only then did he feel like he could understand what birds felt high in the sky. However it was a fleeting feeling as Rainier soon fell to the ground.


    It was only seconds of time he was in the air, but that single jump made Rainier realize something.


    ¡®At the very least, I can easily jump across that gap with these amped legs.¡¯ Rainier landed on both his feet and hands. He hadn¡¯t expected such a high jump and so his ungraceful finish was warranted.


    ¡°Sssssssssk¡­¡± ¡°Ssssk¡­¡± ¡°SSK!¡± ¡°SSSSSSK!¡±


    Jolting Rainier out of his reverie was the familiar hissing noise belonging to evoants. Rainier looked behind him to see the insect soldiers creeping around opposite ends of the tree. Their antenna twitched on their heads, sending feedback to their hive mind.


    There were only two evoants as far as Rainier could see. Two too many he also thought. He was only able to kill the one before because of its distraught state, right now they were all aboveground where the insect shines brightest.


    Rainier didn¡¯t hesitate to start running when he saw them. The evoants noticed the prey before them was fleeing so they took chase. These were creatures that ate anything they regarded as food. The human before them was simply another piece of meat for their hive.


    His feet kicked the ground powerfully, giving Rainier an instant boost to his acceleration. Merely seconds passed until he made it to the chasm and leaped with all his might.


    Much to Rainier¡¯s surprise, he easily made more than half the jump before falling downwards and barely making it to the other side. He then immediately turned around, brandishing his dagger at his pursuers.


    The evoants ran as if their life depended on it. They jumped simultaneously, flailing about in the air. Their mindless, basic instincts caused them to begin falling down sooner due to air resistance from their frantic movements.


    Still, the evoants had powerful bodies and made it to the other side of the chasm. The ground was weak however and crumbled away the moment the ants collided with the cliffs, the multi-limbed creatures somehow managed to scrabble their way to stable ground despite hanging precariously over the chasm.


    Rainier reacted quickly and kicked one of the evoants in the face. His powerful leg slammed into the insect¡¯s armored head, probably ravaging whatever organs inside. The evoant could not hold onto the cliff any longer and went fell down while releasing a loud, ¡°SKSSSSSSSSSSSSSssssssssssss¡­¡± Rainier heard its cry until he was no longer able to hear it as the insect body disappeared into the depths of the chasm.


    Rainier pivoted around to face the evoant which had made it over the cliff. It used its multiple limbs to deftly climb up and face Rainier. As he was crouched low, Rainier used his strong lower limbs to jab at the evoants legs and knock it back.


    Being the mindless creature it was, the evoant didn¡¯t bother reacting to Rainier¡¯s provocation, instead opting to tackle Rainier and bind him. The end result was that the evoant fell down face first.


    Rainier went in for the kill with the Razor of Envy, aiming for the vulnerable fleshy area between exoskelatal plates on its neck. The evoant thrashed about, attempting to gain the upper hand.


    Rainier, although he had gained a mediocre amount of strength in his body, was still nowhere near as strong as an evoant and was easily tossed away. However the sabotage was already done.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.A *kerack* sound went off as a small explosion erupted around the evoant¡¯s upper body. Rainier had wedged a small blaze crystal in between the ant¡¯s personal armor plates. And while he hadn¡¯t expected it to go off just like that, Rainier was already taking advantage of his plan.


    The evoant spun a full circle in midair from the explosion¡¯s momentum before falling to the ground, howling in pain. It barely wasted anytime though in getting back up to face Rainier, which he found impressive. The explosion of the blaze crystal was comparable to hand grenade, so the fortitude of the ant was indeed worthy of admiration.


    ¡®As expected of a creature that evolved from humans and ants¡­ I wonder what evoants born from other races are like?¡¯ Not intending to ponder it any longer, Rainier sidestepped the evoant¡¯s tackle.


    He shot his left hand towards the evoant and followed suit with his right. The curved blade of Rainier¡¯s dagger soon found its way up into the evoant¡¯s head, piercing the brain.


    ¡°And just in time too¡­¡± Exhaled Rainier as he noticed the evoant¡¯s armed bent unnaturally backwards in order to latch onto Rainier while he straddled its back. Surely if he waited even a second longer, the evoant would¡¯ve grabbed onto him and not let go, effectively rendering any resistance futile. Already, like before, the blood was seeping into the Razor of Envy.


    Rainier didn¡¯t waste any time in seeking safety. The evoants surely sent a signal to their comrades as their minds were all connected to their queen. After traversing a small distance, he found a small crater.


    ¡°Is this what I think it is?!¡± Tentatively, Rainier walked down to the bottom of the crater which gradually steepened inwards. What he saw was a pool with crystalline clarity of what he suspected was water.


    However, before he went any further, the encyclopedia hummed dully. When he initially fled Outpost Roseir, Rainier tucked away the encyclopedia on his waist. The information inside it and potential information was an invaluable resource.


    Oasis Trap- A large carnivorous creature that lives the majority of its life underground. It feeds by burrowing underground and opening its mouth in order to completely encompass the hole it dug. It then fills its mouth with pheromone laced water in order to lure in prey. The pheromones themselves are harmless and don¡¯t affect smaller prey. Its mouth is wider than the pool and has multiple feelers in order to sense disturbances in the water. Once the oasis trap feels enough prey is centered in its mouth, it quickly closes up swallowing everything whole. It does, however, prefer larger prey. Also, in order to camouflage itself, it can form growths that resemble nearby flora. Some humanoids took advantage of these growths and held onto them when the oasis trap closes its mouth. Due to the immense danger and rarity of the oasis trap, the water it secretes for its pool is considered valuable and is praised for its nutritious qualities.


    Rainier¡¯s initial excitement over his discovery was quelled upon reading the entry in the encyclopedia. ¡°I need water¡­ But it¡¯s pretty dangerous. And how big is the prey he usually likes?¡± Rainier was debating whether to brave the danger of being eaten alive.


    Maybe he was already within the oasis trap¡¯s mouth, ready to be devoured at any moment¡­


    Rainier considered the possibility; in fact Rainier suspected he had entered the oasis trap¡¯s gullet the moment he stepped into the crater. ¡®Well, no matter. I¡¯m thirsty and I¡¯m already in deep enough shit as it is. I might as well take shelter in the most dangerous place I can find.¡¯


    Rainier felt that as long as long as if he found one of these stable growths, he was in a good position to survive here for a while. Even if he was found by a group of arachnacosa, evoants, or some other force, Rainier could make the oasis trap swallow up while he held onto a growth.


    After a small while (involving a lot of surveying his surroundings), Rainier located a suitable spot to make camp. It was on a flatter portion of the crater and located in a hallowed out rock the size of a small home. After setting his belongings down, Rainier went to gather edibles and scoop up some of the water for later using a water skin he salvaged from the outpost. Thankfully the oasis trap showed no interest in eating him just yet. He also found a ravenous critter the size of a capybara which attacked Rainier with its long tail like a xenomorph from fiction.


    Scorpara- An omnivorous rodent that spears smaller prey with its tail and fends off potential threats with the same appendage.


    After accidentally slaying the critter with a shower of loose rocks, Rainier brought it back to eat. He lamented on the fact that he didn¡¯t find a chance to finish it off with the Razor of Envy and gain an ability. Sighing over the fact, he scratched the back of his nest as he watched it being roasted by a fire he made from kindling and a spark of a blaze crystal.


    ¡®What the¡­ What¡¯s on my neck?¡¯ Rainier rubbed a strange lump on the back of his neck. Using the razor as a mirror, Rainier looked at the back of his neck to see a pair of ridged black nubs protruding from his flesh. Being surprisingly calm about the discovery, Rainier continued to thumb the nubs while attempted to figure out what they were.


    Every time he touched them, it sent an electric tingling sensation into his brain. They felt unusually sensitive to his surroundings. Almost as if they were¡­ ¡°Antennae?¡± Rainier was under the impression that he was gaining a stronger body from the evoants when in fact he was growing a powerfully sensitive set of antennae. The physical increase was probably a result of his body¡¯s changes.


    ¡°In any case this clarifies some questions about the Razor of Envy.¡± Marveled Rainier as he sat down to feast on the long lost flavor of meat.


    The Razor of Envy apparently required multiple kills of a species in order to gain a specific ability from them. The ability gained seemed to be their most prominent feature and sometimes differentiated on gender. From the evoants, Rainier just found out he was gaining sensitive antennae. From the arachnacosa males, Rainier gained the ability to spit some sort of acid, the females didn¡¯t seem to contribute to this ability¡¯s growth and thus Rainier bet he would get something different from female arachnacosa. Lastly from the hornet stag, Rainier acquired muscular legs.


    After eating and savoring the delicious water as much as possible. Rainier created one of his specials traps with the oasis trap in mind. He attached as many wooden spikes fashioned from a bunch of sticks he gathered and positioned them so that anyone before the entrance to the hollowed rock would fall in and get skewered should the oasis trap close its mouth.


    ¡°Speak of the devil¡­ Something may fall into my trap already.¡± Rainier saw a single figure, about the size of an evoant racing into the crater.


    However he saw a group of three arachnacosa chasing after the supposed evoant.


    ¡°Makes sense, I doubt the evoants or arachnacosa would be friendly to each other. I wonder which side would win in an all out confrontation¡­¡±


    Rainier was about to hide himself so that he didn¡¯t catch the attention of either side. Then he heard a girlish plea, ¡°Geeeeeet awaaaaay!¡±


    ¡®English?¡¯ Confused, Rainier focused his eyes and brand new antennae. ¡®She looks human¡­ I thought according to the encyclopedia the humans were extinct? No matter, I¡¯m not that heartless to leave a girl like that to those monsters.¡¯


    Rainier moved to a feeler belonging to the oasis trap he found earlier and stood by. He waited until the girl and the arachnacosa were line up with the entrance to his shelter. Once they were aligned, Rainier twisted the feeler and burst towards the hollow rock.


    A roar shook the area and the crater began tilting upside down. Rainier looked about in a mixture of fear and curiosity as he saw the entire crater, which is a little less than a kilometer wide begin closing up.


    Rainier had already made it to the part of the hollowed rock where the side of its entrance was and stood upright. As the ground shifted, he changed position so that he stood on the rock and not the ground.


    Almost immediately the girl and the arachnacosa began falling towards him and improvised stake pit. Sand, loose rocks, animals, and all sorts of objects began falling into the pool at the center


    Rainier timed his jump and crouched low. When he judged the girl was close enough, he nimbly leapt into the air and plucked the girl from the air and gracefully landed on the other side of the hollow¡¯s entrance. The arachnacosa fell into the hollowed rock, cursing furiously in their harsh language before being brutally punctured and impaled on the stakes. The three arachnacosa began choking on their blood and soon perished with a handful of jerky movements from their nervous systems.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you?¡±


    ¡®She sounds cute. Maybe she fell for my manliness from rescuing her?¡¯ With both delusion and hopes that the girl was a pretty one, Rainier looked at the girl he was holding in his arms. Indeed, the girl was very pretty, resembling a young woman that had her looks perfected with the best photoshop had to offer.


    ¡°No problem, really. I can¡¯t ignore a girl being attacked by arachnacosa.¡± Rainier was dully relieved to finally speak with someone after being so long alone.


    He had read about how solitude for a long period of time can be severely damaging for a person¡¯s mind, even fatal to an extent. Although he hadn¡¯t put much thought into it since he was focused on survival, Rainier just now realized how happy he was to have a conversation with another person, and a pretty girl at that.


    ¡°I see, I see. Indeed, it would be impossible for ANYONE to ignore such a peerless beauty like me after all! In any case, please set me down. It is far too embarrassing for royalty such as myself to be held in such a promiscuous manner.¡± Declared the girl with reddened cheeks.


    ¡®She¡¯s certainly sure of herself. Still, she is very pretty, I guess it¡¯s warranted.¡¯ Rainier took a few seconds to take in the girl¡¯s looks.


    She had silken black hair disheveled from being pursued moments ago. She wore a surprisingly clean tan robe covering the majority of her body, though it was far too simple for self-declared royalty to be wearing. As befitting a peerless beauty like her, she had a slender figure, though Rainier averted his eyes lest he was thought of too poorly. Her skin had an olive tint and her eyes were pure black. She had a pair of antennae protruding behind her ears and black chitin tail.


    ¡®Tail?¡¯


    The girl stood proudly and exaggeratingly placed her palm on her bosom. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself to the man who saved me! I am named Sataska and I am an Evoant Queen!¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What? HUUUUH?¡±

 Ch. 4: Double Revenge 3

    ¡°Sheesh, there¡¯s no need to be rude, you¡¯re speaking to a queen after all!¡± Declared the self-professed member of royalty.


    Rainier was dearly confused. While he knew from the encyclopedia that the evoants were born from and congregated around a queen, he imagined that very queen to look more like an ant. This girl him was the complete opposite of what he expected. While she had some appendages like the tail and antennae, this Sataska more or less resembled a beautiful human girl.


    As if to answer Rainier¡¯s confusion, the encyclopedia vibrated under his belt. Rainier was glad that he didn¡¯t leave the book back in his temporary encampment. If he did, it would¡¯ve fallen to the back of the hollowed rock along with the guts of the arachnacosa and the fire.


    Deciding to read the new entry in the encyclopedia later, Rainier resumed questioning Sataska. ¡°Aren¡¯t evoants supposed to look like¡­ Well, ants? You¡¯re clearly different.¡±


    As if wondering ¡®Is he retarded?¡¯ Sataska tilted her head before answering Rainier. ¡°Huh? Why should I tell you? Yes you did save me, but that is an obligation one has towards royalty.¡±


    ¡®This insect¡­¡¯ Rainier¡¯s eyes twitched, irritated by her attitude.


    ¡°Anyways, even though noblesse oblige and all that, I am simply too busy to give you a suitable reward for saving my life.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what that might be? Is the queen looking for a mate to screw and build a new evoant nest?¡± Rainier was heated from his confrontation with the arachnacosa just now and her incredibly rude attitude even though she was just saved by Rainier had pissed him off.


    Rainier was usually, subjectively speaking, a rather nice individual. He rarely used rude language towards strangers even if they had wronged him in some way. It was the simply that the first seemingly sane person he was speaking to was just so impolite to him that set him off.


    Surprisingly, the reaction he got was different than Rainier expected from his provocation.


    ¡°H-How did you know that!?¡± Sataska was visibly taken aback. ¡°You can read minds?!¡±


    Rainier scrunched his brow as if, wondering just how dumb this girl was. ¡°I was joking¡­¡± Although Rainier was being more insulting than joking before, he simply couldn¡¯t muster up any feelings of anger.


    ¡°Y-you!¡± Sataska pointed a quaking finger at Rainier who just scratched his head in return.


    ¡°Uh, here you go. Ah, the name¡¯s Rainier¡±


    Since he had yet to give his name, Rainier did so and held out a portion of the meat he cooked on an improvised spit over a fire. While he invented some ingenious ways of cooking back home, he was not so primitive as to have a Neanderthal¡¯s knowledge of survival cooking. In fact, this was the first time since he had come to Ademptis where Rainier was eating meat.


    ¡°¡­¡± Sataska wordlessly sniffed the cooked meat before taking it with a suspicious look. Cautiously, the ant queen poked and prodded the crispy skin with her fingers before nibbling like a gerbil. Instantly her eyes burst wide and ravenously began tearing apart the meat with unexpected vigor. ¡°Just what magic did you wrought upon this hunk of meat to make it so delicious?¡±


    Rainier was dumbfounded. He didn¡¯t do anything other than scoring the meat before placing it on a stick to slow cook it over a fire. He would¡¯ve liked to add some basic spices like salt and paprika, but those were obviously unavailable to him. While Rainier doubted paprika existed, he may be able to find salt considering it is a mineral and not a plant.


    "I just cooked it over a fire. Raw meat is bad anyways, so wouldn¡¯t anyone would cook it.¡± Rainier began munching on his own portion of the meat he cooked.


    The scorpara was quite big, twice the size of a capybara, so there was even some left over. Though with no decent ways to preserve the meat, thus whatever the two did not eat would be tossed.


    ¡°I have never heard of such a concept, this cooking is amazing. You should cook every piece of meat or plant for me.¡± Sataska seemed to have lost every bit of suspicion she had towards Rainier just now.


    Rainier mumbled under his breath, ¡°I should cook for you? Rapture.¡± He then resumed his normal voice. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you evoants never cook your food?¡±


    ¡°As I said, I have never heard of the concept of cooking. The same would go to my queen mother and all other evoant queens most likely.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, are you a part of hive of evoants that is in this area?¡±


    ¡°Hm, since you did save me and introduced me to this wonderful cooking of yours¡­ I might as well answer your questions.¡± Sataska tore off another chunk of meet before grinding it between her teeth. ¡°To answer your question, I am. Or rather, I was.¡±


    ¡°Was?¡±


    ¡°I learned this from my queen mother, but the evoants are a race that spreads and swarms. Once establishing a home for her hive, a queen immediately begins the birthing process beginning with her personal guards. After which, she gives birth to the drones and soldier evoants. Both the drones and soldiers are completely mindless and act based on instinct, the queen¡¯s guards are similar but they have a primitive level of intelligence. They are just smart enough to perceive and eliminate threats.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite knowledgeable.¡± Rainier didn¡¯t have information that intricate in the encyclopedia.


    ¡°How so? It just means I understand my own kind. What about you? What exactly are you, Rainier?¡± Sataska took in Rainier¡¯s appearance without trying to hide her prying eyes.


    ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± Rainier was troubled. Humans were supposedly extinct in Ademptis, would Sataska even believe him if he told the truth? Rainier wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°Oh come on, I revealed my very soul to you!¡± Complained Sataska even though she didn¡¯t seem particularly annoyed while crunching down on the roasted meat.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m a human.¡± Cautiously, Rainier revealed his own race.


    ¡°Human? Is that tasty?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go attaching strange adjectives to what I am! I most certainly am not tasty! I think¡­¡± Well, Rainier had never tasted human flesh so he couldn¡¯t exactly say that. ¡°But you seriously don¡¯t know what a human is?


    ¡°I know absolutely nothing about the world I live in aside from what mother and my aunts told me. So of course not, humans are quite foreign to me. I have basic knowledge about what lives on this stretch of land, so it isn¡¯t surprising I don¡¯t know what you are.¡± Sataska just finished her third piece of meat and greedily reached out for a fourth shank.


    Rainier didn¡¯t mind, the scorpara was a large animal after all, besides, he was also full.


    ¡°In any case, what do you plan to do now? Saving you was only temporary, and the arachnacosa will come here en masse since I offed a few of them.¡±


    ¡°Mother will try to retake me. I¡¯ve ran away before and each time she sets out her herd after me and take me back no matter how many perish to the land.¡±


    Rainier looked back on the two evoants he encountered before, perhaps those two were looking for Sataska? Things were getting worse and worse for Rainier¡¯s continued existence.


    ¡°How many times have you tried to run away from home?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t run away from home if you never called it such in the first place.¡± Retorted Sataska with grace.


    ¡°Touch¨¦.¡±


    ¡°I stopped counting after the forty-first time.¡±


    *Cough* ¡°You ran away forty freaking times? You¡¯d think you get strait jacketed after that many times!¡±


    ¡°Strait¡­ Wha? Whatever. In any case, I have only a single plausible option for me to finally be free.¡± Declared Sataska with determination. Her hands trembled as she spoke as if stricken with extreme cold.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Asked Rainier as he began cleaning up the mess from their meal.


    ¡°I need my mother dead.¡± There was no hesitation in Sataska¡¯s statement despite how horrifying it was.


    Only because of the sheer amount of disturbing things he had seen so far, Rainier kept his calm. Even so, he was still unnerved. ¡°Matricide?! Why would you want to do that?¡±


    ¡°It may seem odd to someone who is not an evoant queen, but my kind holds no qualms about killing each other. It simply means that one¡¯s brood and self was weaker than one another.¡±


    It made unnaturally perfect sense. ¡°I see, survival of the fittest. Though how do you plan on going about it?¡±


    ¡°Easy!¡±


    Rainier slightly admired her confidence. If she was that convinced of her victory, then she must have some sort of plan to work towards her favor. ¡®It seems she wasn¡¯t a helpless girl like I thought she was when I first saw her.¡¯


    ¡°You will be helping me!¡±


    ¡°HELL NO!¡± Rainier shouted in exasperation, losing all composure he had gained.


    ¡°Hmph, and here I thought you would be more than happy to assist me.¡± Sataska had a pouting frown with crossed arms.


    Rainier returned in kind with a skewed facial expression that seemed to show disgust and annoyance. ¡°I only saved you that time because I just happened to feel like it. That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to be your mercenary!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a skilled man, and although you¡¯re physically inept compared to mother¡¯s brood, I feel latent power in you. Besides, I can see that you will help me despite your aversion in doing so.¡± Sataska seemed to stare through Rainier, as if his soul was shining.


    ¡®So now she¡¯s an oracle?¡¯ Rolling his eyes, Rainier asked, ¡°And what makes you think that?¡±


    ¡°Because on opposites sides of this strange crater are mother¡¯s evoant brood and a force of arachnacosa closing in on us.¡±


    Rainier narrowed his eyes and focused on his surroundings. Sataska was right, unfortunately. On the northern side of the crater was ten to twelve evoants carelessly dashing into the wide crater. And on the southern side were the remains of the punitive arachnacosa force that had attacked Rainier at Outpost Roseir.


    Due to the size of the oasis trap¡¯s mouth, both sides were still stick figures to Rainier¡¯s eyes, but he could clearly make out where and what both sides were coming from due to his enhanced senses from his antennae.


    Rainier gnashed his teeth and grabbed his essentials which included the Razor of Envy, water skin, pouch of cushioned blaze crystals, and basic supplies. It was going to be impossible to gain any sort of peace unless he did something about both groups of insectoids.


    Rainier grabbed Sataska¡¯s hand and roughly pulled while running to the end of the crater closest to them.


    ¡°Wah! Rainier, so presumptuous!¡±


    ¡°Shut up and follow my lead!¡± Rainier led Sataska to the edge of the oasis trap¡¯s mouth before turning behind him to see both groups of monstrous humanoids closing in. They all seemed much faster than before, much to Rainier¡¯s lament.


    ¡°Still, doesn¡¯t matter how fast they are, they can¡¯t escape being this guy¡¯s dinner!¡±


    Rainier kicked a strange gelatinous nub protruding from the ground as hard as he possibly could. His augmented legs made the nub flop about like a fish out of water and a deep pained moan came from the very center of the oasis.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Not even a second passed when the oasis trap began closing its mouth once more, and much more quickly this time. Still, Rainier wasn¡¯t going to allow himself and Sataska become food tonight and began running up the rapidly slanting landscape.


    ¡°Not agaaaaaaiiiiinnn!¡± Complained Sataska as she fled along with Rainier.


    They both could hear the screeches and cries from the arachnacosa and evoants, though they didn¡¯t bother to look behind them to see their fate. Surely they were already being dunked into the oasis trap¡¯s gullet.


    After seconds that seemed like minutes passed, Rainier found it hard to move upwards. He just needed one more jump on stable ground.


    ¡°Hold on!¡±


    Sataska listened to Rainier¡¯s command and complied, squeezing painfully tight on his arm.


    Rainier halted for only a second before jumping with both legs into the air. He just barely managed to reach the very cusp of the oasis trap¡¯s mouth with one hand and used the momentum to toss Sataska clumsily over the monster¡¯s lip. Swiftly, Rainier pulled himself over and laid down flat on the underside of the oasis trap¡¯s lower lip while panting like a dog.


    When he finally regained his senses, Rainier noticed Sataska staring at him with stars in her eyes.


    Rainier wasn¡¯t sure what to make of the attention, so he asked plainly, ¡°Uh, what?¡±


    ¡°THAT WAS AWESOME!¡± Shrieked Sataska with two fists hovering around her cheeks.


    ¡°¡­Ok.¡±


    Rainier looked between the oasis trap¡¯s lips (which were dusty and hard as rock), and saw nearly complete darkness. The only light she saw in the crater was that which came from the line of its lips and a silver glow coming from the pool in the very center.


    ¡°Oasis Trap, huh? What an amazing yet terrifying creature. I bet it could swallow an entire sports stadium if it wanted. And no wonder it stays in the same spot, everything would run away from such a massive creature.


    Although despite what Rainier said, he of course only knew of a very small percentage of the wildlife in Ademptis.


    Sataska eventually stopped admiring Rainier and observed their surroundings. ¡°How do we get down?¡±


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re going to wait here until the mouth closes up. We can¡¯t reach the ground until it does so, we don¡¯t have the gear for scaling something akin to a cliff.¡± Analyzed Rainier indifferently.


    They waited a good minute until Rainier felt something odd around him. Almost instinctively, he drew the Razor of Envy from his waist and slashed it in a semicircle behind him.


    ¡°Sssssskss¡­ Ssscary.¡± Rainier adopted a defensive stance with the razor in reverse grip and studied this new presence.


    It was undoubtedly an evoant, though one unlike the workers and soldiers he had seen before. Physically, it had roughly the same appearance as a male evoant with its chitin plating and ant like features. However, the clear difference was its limbs.


    Instead of the normal chitin armor evoants had, this one had veiny, muscly texture like that of a skinned human arm or leg. And adorned along multiple points all around its four limbs were dozens of black bladed protrusions that grew in scale away from its torso.


    ¡°Skaren. So mother even had you sent out to find me.¡± Sataska frowned and stared down on the odd looking evoant.


    It was obvious this was no normal evoant, so Rainier hypothesized, ¡°Is this one of those special guards you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Skaren is among four guards that my mother had birthed as when she first started her colony.¡±


    Skaren didn¡¯t seem to notice Sataska much less that she was sharing a conversation with Rainier and once again uttered, ¡°Ssscary¡­ Enemy.¡±


    Without much of a warning, Skaren slashed the thin air where Rainier originally stood. Keeping watch for such a surprise attack, Rainier skillfully evaded and jumped backwards. He felt something wet around his stomach and noticed an iron smell wafting about him.


    ¡®He hit me? No, it¡¯s just a scratch on my side. Still, I wasn¡¯t anywhere near him when he attacked.¡¯ Rainier was confused on how he blood was drawn from him, but the fact remained, he had lost the initiative.


    ¡°Ssscary¡­ I misssssssssed. Sksss.¡± This time, Skaren stood still and slashed with both of his arms.


    Focusing on his senses, Rainier noticed to black bladed objects hurtling towards his stomach, intending to rend him. Stepping to the side to dodge one, Rainier deflected the other with a mix of luck and speed into the air.


    Rainier then realized what the objects were: They were the bladed protrusions from Skaren¡¯s arms. Skaren was using them for not only slashing attacks, but as rudimentary projectiles that seemed to shoot with lethal precision.


    That along with the fact that he was an evoant superior to the workers and soldiers put Rainier in a bit of a pickle. Only a bit, however.


    You see, Rainier was hiding an ability he discovered during his time preparing the meat of the scorpara and used it to patch together his tattered clothing.


    Skaren hopped around Rainier and slashed with his bladed arms. The ant also drew a circle in the ground with the equally dangerous leg intending to attack Rainier from multiple angles.


    Rainier snapped his leg forward onto the evoant¡¯s knee, using tremendous leg strength from both the evoants and hornet stags he slew to kick in Skaren¡¯s joint. As he did so, Rainier dropped to the ground in order to avoid the upper slashes that, as Rainier expected, shot out more sharpened blades.


    ¡°Sssssscary!!! Pain¡­¡± Skaren howled in pain and arched his other leg toward Rainier, shooting out a blade from his other leg.


    ¡°Garh- damn it!¡± The blade stuck itself into Rainier¡¯s left shoulder, pinning itself between muscle and bone.


    Determined to not take another blade, Rainier punched the Skaren¡¯s head with his left fist over and over again.


    The two grappled for only moments until Skaren shoved Rainier off, leaving behind a second blade stabbing into the right half of Rainier¡¯s ribcage. Thankfully for Rainier it did not pierce any vital organs of his.


    ¡°Too sssscary¡­ Kill enemy.¡± Skaren shot another blade below the one in Rainier¡¯s chest.


    ¡®Damn! At this rate, I¡¯m going to die¡­¡¯ Rainier¡¯s mind grew hazy, the blood loss was getting to him. ¡®Maybe I can¡­¡¯


    Interrupting Rainier¡¯s thoughts, Skaren walked over to Rainier and razed a foot over his head, intending to crush the life in his skull. With the strength of an evoant, bones meant nothing, Rainier was about to die.


    ¡°Sssscary enemy¡­ Die.¡± Skaren slammed his foot down, leaving an indentation on the solid surface of the oasis trap¡¯s lips.


    However, where was the blood? The gore and bone? The mottle hair and imploded eyeballs? Skaren didn¡¯t see any of those things and noticed that he was the one falling to the ground. The powerful evoant tried stabilizing himself with his legs, but noticed that they were bound, with a white web belonging to the arachnacosa.


    As he slammed to the ground, stunned more from the fact that he fell rather than the impact itself, Skaren soon noticed his arms were equally bound by the same webbing.


    ¡°Ha ha¡­ Can¡¯t believe you fell for that.¡± Rainier lazily stood up, swaying from side to side due to blood loss. It felt like he was about to keel over and cease living any moment.


    ¡®I want to survive.¡¯ That sole thought kept Rainier going.


    Pulling out each of the blades embedded in his body, Rainier instantly stopped the gushing fountain of blood from the new cavities in his body with a material similar to spider webs coming from his hand. ¡°When I was a kid, I always wanted to be Spiderman. Well, except for the outfit, I guess I preferred Venom instead.¡¯


    Skaren didn¡¯t even bother paying attention to the words coming out of Rainier¡¯s mouth nor that he was binding his wounds up. He struggled with all his might to break free from the improvised bonds.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even bother, ant. You¡¯re far too weak to break from such an insanely strong material.¡± Rainier had bound Skaren¡¯s limbs behind his body, so that he could not shoot the blades even without moving like Rainier thought they could. Whether they could or couldn¡¯t, he wasn¡¯t going to take that chance.


    Rainier knelt down and positioned Skaren so that they were eye to eye.


    ¡°Ssscary¡­ Sssca-RY! SSSSSSKS! SKSSSSS! SSSSKSSS!¡± The moment Skaren opened his mouth to mutter his words, he felt a painfully intense burning sensation in his mouth and traveling down his throat.


    Rainier had spit a glob of acid down Skaren¡¯s throat. ¡°Hahaha! This is what pain is you damn ant! More than what I felt, I¡¯m sure, but I don¡¯t care about that.¡± He forced Skaren¡¯s mouth shut so that the ant couldn¡¯t vomit out the acid. ¡°What I do care about is what kind of power your soul will grant me.¡± With a slight sadistic grin, Rainier finally ended Skaren¡¯s life with the Razor of Envy.


    The green blood belonging to the evoants completely covered the now messy blade of the razor. And already was the Razor of Envy beginning to absorb the power within the primitive soul of Skaren.


    Rainier felt a ripping agony throughout his body, mainly concentrated on his limbs. He bit down on the cuff of his shirt in order to endure the pain. He had never felt anything like it, not even in his younger years. His skin seemed to rip open, like when a hose was put under too much water pressure and began splitting up. Rainier focused on the pain on his left arm, and while it helped, it didn¡¯t divert the pain well enough.


    Several tanned nubs began splitting his skin open from the inside out, ripping through Rainier¡¯s skin like paper. Blood spewed from each of the openings adorning symmetrically on each of his limbs. The nubs grew into bladed spikes with the color of bone and grew with an outwards slant.


    Eventually, the transformation stopped, though that didn¡¯t halt the pain. As a result, Rainier found himself drifting into unconsciousness.


    ¡°Ahhh, Christ¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve been flayed alive.¡± Rainier shook his head as he pushed himself off the ground. He noticed he was lying on an improvised bed of moss and leaves with a pillow made from some of the clothes he made. He was under one of the large mangrove like trees he took shelter in when he initially came into Ademptis.


    While he had read about sacrificial rituals involving flaying like the ones performed by Aztecs, he never thought he would be able to stay sane through such an ordeal.


    ¡°I¡¯m thirsty¡­¡± Looking around for the water skin he filled prior to fleeing the oasis trap, Rainier heard a trickling sound from a brook.


    The river playing pied piper to Rainier¡¯s needs, he found himself stumbling out of the mangrove and towards the stream. He allowed himself to fall face first into the stream, relishing the effect the water¡¯s coolness had on his body. Rainier took in large gulps of the satisfying liquid until he felt like his body was fully saturated.


    He washed his face clean of any blood and grime before opening his eyes.


    That was when Rainier noticed something amiss about his body. He had spikes similar to curved thorns covering his arms and legs.


    ¡°What the hell happened to me?¡±

 Ch. 05: Double Revenge 4

    ¡°So the Razor of Envy can even transform my body to this extent. I can¡¯t tell if I¡¯m intrigued or horrified.¡±


    Rainier commented on the numerous bone spikes sticking out from his skin on his arms and legs. They were probably the ugliest things he had ever seen on a human body, yet they stood out with a malicious grace to them. It was as if the spikes belonged to his body and were melding with his skin even though Rainier had only just recently grown them.


    After concentrating on a single spike situated on the side of his right forearm, Rainier was able to confirm a suspicion of his which he was very grateful for. Rainier was able to retract the spikes back into his body and presumably meld into normal sized bones again.


    Rainier toughed out the painful feeling of the insides of his arm reconnecting. After the deed was done, Rainier tested out his new ability by experimenting with the extent of the spikes. He measured how far they could extend (around eight inches or twenty centimeters), where exactly they could protrude from which was restricted to his limbs. He also checked the shapes he could make with the spikes, though they always veered off into a crescent curve with a sharp tip. Rainier also found out how many spikes he could form at any one time, which seemed to be about thirty-six, though Rainier wasn¡¯t able to bear with the pain of thirty-six holes in his limbs for too long. Lastly, much to Rainier¡¯s disappointment, he found out he could not shoot out spikes like Skaren could. Perhaps accomplishing that required practice.


    In all, the ability to create multiple spikes from his limbs would be a very deadly skill if Rainier used it properly. Still, Rainier found it strange that the magic behind a simple dagger could affect him to this extent. ¡°This world¡¯s magic is amazing; it¡¯s abnormal to any kind of magic I¡¯ve read in any fiction.¡±


    Still, Rainier knew next to nothing about the basics behind magic in Ademptis. The encyclopedia had yet to tell him anything about it, not that Rainier expected it to be that easy.


    ¡°Speaking of which, I was recently treated to an update on it I have not yet read.¡±


    Rainier quickly found the encyclopedia back where he had awoken and flipped the pages to where the latest update was on. He noticed that it was an update on a previous entry for the evoants detailing their mating habits and hierarchy that was explained to him by Sataska. He also noticed an entry talking about the mangrove trees that Rainier was camped under.


    Spider¡¯s Web Tree- A type of tree that grows in areas with vast amounts of underground aquifers. Its thick roots resemble a spider¡¯s web crisscrossing from the trunk into the ground. It is often used by creatures to hide among its dense network of roots. Study indicates that in order to penetrate rocky layers of earth, it utilizes a form of magic to reach underground rivers, though the research was considered useless and abandoned before it was discovered what kind of element it used for its magic.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake at last!¡± Rainier saw Sataska standing in the widest gap of the mangrove roots.


    Rainier closed the encyclopedia and gazed upon Sataska with calm eyes. ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    ¡°I believe for two nights and days.¡±


    ¡°And you took care of me all that time? You must have even carried me and my belongings with you here.¡± Rainier found it hard to imagine that Sataska could carry him and all these supplies with. He knew the evoants were naturally strong, but it was still hard to believe that she could lift such an awkward bundle.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Um¡­¡±


    Seeing her hesitation, Rainier figured it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡°In any case, thank you. I guess I do owe you one. If I was out cold for two days straight in this dangerous land, I¡¯d surely be dead.¡±


    A look of relief washed about Sataska. ¡°Good, because I already have a task for you I want you to help me with. Heh heh¡­¡±


    Rainier began sweating profusely once he heard the suspicious laughter. ¡®Why do I feel like I¡¯m not going to be pleased with what she wants?¡¯


    Rainier¡¯s worries were soon proven true.


    ¡°You will help me gain my freedom by helping me kill my mother!¡± Sataska placed her hands on her hips and stood upright with an annoyingly prideful and smug expression.


    ¡°You ask me to help you commit matricide so easily, Christ. Well, why not? I¡¯m not going to live peacefully on this damn plateau without eliminating my enemies first.¡± Rainier stood up and stretched his limbs behind him casually. ¡°I have a feeling things will go my way if I help you out anyways.¡±


    Still, Rainier was rather worried. He alone against a colony of powerful evoants is an impossible victory. In an all-out fight against the ants ten out of ten times Rainier would lose, even with his ingenuity. Taking out this enemy evoant queen would require complete subterfuge and stealth, both of which Rainier wasn¡¯t familiar with.


    ¡°Yes! With a strong person like you, Mother is sure to be dead in no time!¡±


    Rainier felt that Sataska¡¯s personality was not unlike an elementary student. He figured that was simply due to the difference in education and culture. Of course a child brought up in vastly different surroundings would be different than Rainier. ¡®It¡¯s a pity she¡¯s an ant considering how cute she is.¡¯ And in the end, Rainier showed that he was not incapable of slight xenophobia.


    ¡°Hm, I have a plan roughly mapped out already, but for it to work, how are you in a fight?¡± Rainier was also curious as to whether Sataska could even defend herself.


    Tilting her head to the side with a pondering gaze, Sataska gave it thought. ¡°I suppose it depends on the flesh I¡¯ve eaten and how much of it I ate.¡±


    ¡°What the heck does that mean?¡±


    ¡°I guess since you¡¯re trustworthy, I can tell you about my ability. But before I tell you, I want you to cook something! I¡¯m sooooo hungry for a meal with more of this cooking of yours!¡±


    ¡°What a cheeky girl. Fine, I¡¯m hungry too. I wonder if there¡¯s a fish type creature I can eat from this river.¡± And on that note, Rainier went fishing.


    -----


    ¡°SO DELITHETH!¡± Sataska stumbled over her words as she dreamily chomped down on the strange creature Rainier prepared.


    Rainier had watched the stream for a while and noticed a few smaller seafaring animals each of which took an entry in his encyclopedia.


    The first was a sharply angled fish with four fins each at ninety degree angles with one another, it is called a Starmonger.


    Starmonger- A fish that has four fins that combine movement efficiency with defense against predators. Its fins are normally flimsy, but grow rigid and sharp when it senses a threat. It then either flees if the threat is too large to fight back or engages in a dogfight if the threat is within a reasonable size. As a last ditch effort to survive, the Starmonger can detach one of its fins if it gets caught by an enemy, the time it takes to regrow one depends on the amount of food it takes in return.


    Rainier caught three of those as they were the most numerous. The second fish he caught was more like a crustacean than an actual fish considering its carapace. This one is called an Exploding Mollusk.


    Exploding Mollusk- A fish with a flat base that houses most of its body in a shell that it creates using secretions from a gland unique to it. Once it finds suitable food, it uses its flat base to wrap around it like a sheet of paper; it then digests its food inside its shell for a period of time. As a defense mechanism, the Exploding Mollusk hides itself snugly in its shell and causes the outermost layer of its shell to explode. It then immediately begins strengthening a second shell layer. Some of the more intelligent members of this species use this method to hunt rather than use it as a defense mechanism.


    Although Rainier expected something disgusting like a snail, it turned out the one exploding mollusk he captured truly was a delicious looking fish. He saw a few more species, but decided the four he caught was enough to sate Sataska¡¯s large appetite. The exploding mollusk was larger than the three starmongers together.


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    Rainier separated the exploding mollusk from its shell and set it aside. He created a circle of large rocks and used them to hold up the shell. Using the large shell as a pot, he poured in water and carefully used the blaze crystals to let out a few sparks, igniting the tinder underneath composed of leaves and dry branches. As there was a slight wind to one side, Rainier wasn¡¯t worried about infesting the temporary shelter with smoke. Rainier then asked Sataska to assist him in descaling the three starmongers. He also sliced up the exploding mollusk into bit sized chunks and carved broken bits of the secondary shell of the fish into bowls and spoons. It reminded Rainier of people who used dried gourds or turtle shells for their meals.


    As he was still devoid of any seasonings, Rainier was forced to simply boil the fish meat in a soup, periodically stirring whenever the soup¡¯s contents settled. To compensate for the lack of spices, Rainier added in some chisis seeds for their oil and chunks of rachr root. Eventually when Rainier deemed the meat to be cooked enough, he skewered the starmongers and dished out chunks of meat into the smooth shell bowls. Considering the quantity of fish meat Rainier prepared, he was worried for moment.


    The moment soon disappeared over the course of the meal as Sataska ate two of the skewered starmongers, bones and all, and four bowls of the simple soup. He laughed slightly uncomfortably as he watched Sataska down a fifth bowl and eyed the final starmonger in his hands as if saying, ¡°You gonna eat that?¡±


    ¡°Not bad, if I do say so myself considering the simplified steps I used to make this meal.¡± Casually mentioned Rainier with laidback pride.


    ¡°That¡­ Was¡­ So¡­ Good¡­¡±


    ¡°Why the heck are you panting like you just sprinted through a thirty kilometer marathon!¡± Cried Rainier cynically.


    ¡°So you wished to see how I can fight? Well I¡¯m not well versed in combat itself, but I am confident in the extent of power my special trait gives me.¡±


    Rainier was intrigued. He knew nothing was impossible in Ademptis, so he was very curious about this special ability that Sataska was so confident in.


    ¡°And what is it?¡±


    ¡°I have the amazing ability to cross my eyes- Ow!¡±


    Rainier instantly clapped both hands on the sides of Sataska¡¯s head with irritation. "There''s a fine line between being annoying and outright stupid."


    ¡°Ok, fine. Though to show you my ability, it¡¯s best to continue outside.¡±


    The two walked from out under the roots of the mangrove tree to where a corpse laid still.


    ¡°Why do you have that guy¡¯s corpse here?¡± Rainier eyed Skaren¡¯s lifeless body on the ground. He let go of the fact that Sataska brought not only Rainier¡¯s unconscious body and his belongs, but also Skaren¡¯s corpse as well.


    ¡°I need it to show you what I can do.¡±


    Rainier gestured his hands to usher Sataska along with her demonstration.


    Rainier soon understood what Sataska meant by the flesh she ate. The ant girl instantly began prying open chitin plates adorning Skaren¡¯s body. It was like she was cracking open a peanut open to eat. Sataska then began devouring the supple flesh of her fellow evoant until there was nothing left but the unappetizing plates, not that the evoant was appetizing to being with.


    Then a familiar sight took form, Sataska held out her arm to show that she could grow blades exactly like Skaren¡¯s own and shot one out at a tree trunk, embedding more than half of it in.


    ¡®Is this like the magic of the Razor of Envy? No, she completely copied his ability to nearest detail. It¡¯s like she can use the blades as effectively as Skaren could.¡¯


    ¡°Once I consume the flesh of a being, I can completely take on certain physical traits and use them with maximum aptitude. Thus consuming an entire corpse is ideal, as an incomplete meal means that the ability would be deformed to an extent. Also, if I eat another being, their physical traits overwrite the current ones I possess.¡± Sataska shot several more blades out, completing a smiley face in the trunk with her blades.


    ¡®I get it now. She doesn¡¯t merely acquire ability after ability like the Razor of Envy does for me. She holds only the physical abilities and traits of a single creature at a time.¡¯


    Suppose that Sataska consumed the body of an arachnacosa. She would lose the ability to craft her chitin blades from her body and shoot them in exchange for a slew of new abilities. Sataska would then be able to shoot acid from her mouth or weave spider webs depending on the gender she ate.


    Still, Rainier needed to see just how far she could go with Skaren¡¯s power that she was taking.


    ¡°Alrighty then, let¡¯s have a mock battle.¡± Rainier drew the razor forth and aimed it at Sataska in a reverse grip. ¡°Though let¡¯s avoid any injuries, even minor ones.¡± It wasn¡¯t that Rainier was afraid for his or Sataska¡¯s health, rather he was worried that any injuries will affect the plan he had in mind.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I will probably lose. But I will do my best!¡± As she was unsure of how exactly she should begin in a fight. Her total amount of combat experience equaled zero, though she was lucky enough to be granted a bestial instinct on how to fight from her nature as an evoant as what she took from Skaren.


    Without waiting too long, Rainier rushed in and swiped at Sataska with the razor, he held his free hand behind his back, holding something from her sight. She retaliated by stepping back slightly and sending an uppercut at Rainier¡¯s chin.


    Rainier easily tilted back and avoided the punch, but he realized that there were several chitin blades sprouted on Sataska¡¯s arm ready to cut through his face vertically. Weren¡¯t they supposed to avoid injury?


    Thinking that, Rainier kicked the ground with his legs and launched himself diagonally backwards and to the left. As he did so, he wrapped a string of tense webbing around Sataska¡¯s neck like a lasso and pulled her back roughly onto the ground. He then doubled back before Sataska cut the string with her arm blades and laid the Razor of Envy carefully against her neck.


    ¡°Like I thought, you¡¯re too amazing.¡± Sataska seemed to speak with a sense of reverence and stared at Rainier with dewy eyes.


    If the Rainier of two days ago saw Sataska like this, he would¡¯ve painted himself red and slapped himself silly.


    ¡°I think I ended it far too quickly. Though I have to say that anyone wouldn¡¯t think you¡¯re an amateur from that quick wit.¡± What Rainier referred to was when Sataska reacted to his initial leap with a quick uppercut attack using her chitin blades. It was only a single movement, but it gave Rainier all the confidence he needed in Sataska¡¯s instinctive approach to combat.


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Sataska herself wasn¡¯t as assured; in fact she felt that her display was atrociously pathetic.


    ¡°Well, I might as well explain to you my plan. I don¡¯t intend to waste any time on enacting it either. The sooner I can eliminate my threats, the sooner I can acquire even a remote sense of peace so I can survive.¡± Rainier took a seat and rested his head against crossing roots of the spider¡¯s web tree.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about this plan you¡¯ve concocted.¡± Sataska was more interested if Rainier had both brains as well as brawn. She wanted to be convinced of something, suggested by her expression.


    ¡°Your mother obviously cares a great deal about you, in a very obsessive manner at that. I have no doubt that she would sacrifice her entire brood to take you back. Thus you will be my hostage. The next ant she sends after you, most likely one of her personal guard again if she¡¯s so confident in them, I¡¯ll make him return a message about my returning you. During that time, we need to have you antagonize a group of arachnacosa and lure them to the area where the negotiations will take place.¡±


    ¡°Where will these negotiations take place?¡±


    ¡°In the perfect location, back at the oasis trap¡¯s mouth. For these two damnable races to chase me around nonstop since I came to Ademptis, I¡¯ll let them have only a single fate to be eaten alive. It¡¯s perfect for my set of double revenge.

 Ch. 06: Whitney Armeina Interlude

    Ch.06: Whitney Armeina Interlude


    During the time Rainier Forrester had first met Sataska, Whitney was busy trying to stay sane.


    Nearly every step she took in the presence of members of the Rhime, they averted their heads and meekly offered a show of fealty or exaltation. Never before in her life had a group of people this large, or of any size for that matter, had held her in such high authority.


    Whitney felt like she was a wise prophet of a popular religion. She even had some of the Rhimers request to become servants or slaves under her command. At one point, one of the Rhime spat in her direction and was swiftly beaten down by his fellows.


    Whitney didn¡¯t consider herself a great beauty at home. And though she didn¡¯t feel she was ugly in the slightest, yet the Rhime even believed her to be a paragon of beauty.


    Really, it was all too much for the woman in her early twenties.


    At the moment, Whitney was being outfitted with a long dress that seemed natural for her body and harmoniously went along with the natural colors of the land. She was being measured by a stoic clothier woman who didn¡¯t even bat an eye on the supposed fact that Whitney was the savior of her race.


    Whitney was consoled by the fact of a constant companion almost always at her side. The bird that the Rhime referred to as a heavenly garuda was apparently a member of a species of bird that had once fought dragons for control of the skies. Most types of dragons were outright hostile towards anything except that which they let live, usually a mate or children. Thus they often plagued the outskirts of various nations, with the Rhime being favorite targets of ice and cloud dragons. The heavenly garuda is a mystical species that were birthed by a god long ago in order give the dragons a meaningful threat. That particular god felt that the dragons were being too arrogant and decided to curb their pride. It worked and thus the Rhime believed the heavenly garuda were bringers of divinity and justice.


    Whitney was no longer a skeptic about anything in this world of Ademptis, fully believing in what she was told.


    The heavenly garuda in question that protected Whitney from the assassin a while back was currently perched on a beam in the ceiling, grooming its feathers with its double beaks. As the two had acquired a sort of kinship, Whitney decided to give it the name of Soar, after a canary she owned as a child.


    ¡°How is this dress is supposed to protect me?¡± Trying to break the awkward silence between herself and the seamstress, Whitney forced herself to ask a question. She was quite nervous behind around the Rhime, especially those that didn¡¯t seem intimidated by her being a great savior.


    ¡°Enchantments, my lady. The fabric with which I am going to make this dress will be given enchantments of the highest purity. As for the type of enchantments, you of course will make that decision.¡± The seamstress spoke with a clarity that Whitney was not used to. It was like her voice could blend in with crowds and be as inconspicuous as possible while simultaneously being capable of commanding the attention of an entire army.


    ¡°I see¡­ I really am expected to fight for all of you guys.¡± Whitney¡¯s tone drooped into slight despair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to. In fact, I honestly expected you to abandon the Rhime at some point.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s a bit rude¡­ But she¡¯s right, I really don¡¯t want to fight. I just want to run away home and go back to my old life.¡¯ With that thought in mind, Whitney dropped her arms and shoulders.


    As she was currently measuring Whitney¡¯s arm span, the seamstress halted her measurements for a moment. ¡°Oh dear, don¡¯t let my words get to you. What I said was in past tense. While I won¡¯t force my expectations on you like the rest of the Rhime has been unintentionally doing, I don¡¯t think you are a coward who would abandon people just because.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to fight; I proved that when I sat there helpless when confronted with that assassin.¡±


    ¡°Fighting isn¡¯t simply hitting the other until their heart ceases beating. Banging metal against each other until your weapon is stained with the other¡¯s blood is a way of fighting reserved for barbarians. You could fling sharp sticks or hurl elemental balls of fire or air if that suits your fancy, but in the end you are simply trying to kill someone.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Whitney had none of these skills; at best she could be protected by those stronger than her like Soar.


    ¡°I am to understand that the heavenly garuda slew the assassin for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m too weak to defend myself, so I had to rely on Soar to protect me. Even then, I was only lucky enough for him to appear out of nowhere in that time.¡± Whitney continued to degrade herself, she truly thought she had no use.


    ¡°That is an incredibly amazing magic you have there.¡± The seamstress widened her eyes in amazement.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The heavenly garuda answers to no one except those it believes can command it, which is supposedly only the god who created it, Talo-Ar. And the fact that you summoned it out of thin air is truly awe inspiring.¡±


    Whitney was confused as to why she was being praised this much. ¡°What do you mean? I summoned Soar?¡±


    ¡°Yes, summoning magic is a type of cosmic magic that essentially teleports things, in this case it would be living beings. Aptitude for it is rather rare, and to be able to summon a heavenly garuda means your talent for it is exceptional.¡±


    Whitney gave the matter thought. She knew magic had no ends, especially considering the many scenes she had witnessed in the Rhime city of Friye.


    ¡°My talent, hm.¡± Whitney then looked straight at the seamstress.


    The seamstress was an ethereal beauty. Her pale blue skin was neatly complemented by her snow white hair and loose set of silver robes. She always had a mysterious smirk that only moved to allow words out of her mouth. Whitney felt like she lost a hundred beauty points by just looking at her.


    ¡°Talent comes in all forms, for myself it is enchanting and tailoring; for you it is summoning and perhaps more. If you wish to help the Rhime, and do not force yourself to do so, please understand you have something to cultivate into a powerful weapon.¡±


    The seamstress took Whitney¡¯s hands and clasped them together. Despite the cold aura her skin emitted, they truly gave Whitney warmth.


    ¡°Thank you, really¡­ Um, I never did catch your name.¡±


    ¡°Ah, how rude of me. I was given the name of Light Frost; I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Whitney. Now, what sort of enchantments can I give your dress?¡±


    Whitney took Light Frost¡¯s words to heart. She intended to fully develop this magic she was told she had talent in. Reflecting on that, summoning had the connotations of having minions or creatures to fight on your behalf, even sacrificing their life for the summoner.


    Taking that into thought, it was highly unlikely Whitney would ever be engaged in a melee except on worst case scenarios. Most attacks on her would be ranged based, presumably from magic projectiles or arrows or anything else.


    ¡°Then I recommend a tungsten based metal enchantment for ranged defense. It is an incredibly strong and flexible metal which would be ideal against penetrating projectiles. However, the enchantment is not designed to stand up to a close up attack, for that you will need actual armor or a melee defense enchantment.¡± Light Frost gave her suggestion with a finger resting on her chin.


    ¡°A tungsten based metal enchantment?¡± Whitney was slightly surprised. She hadn¡¯t expected to hear the name of that metal back on Earth¡¯s period table, she honestly expected there to be a slew of new metals and elements.


    ¡°Yes, it is a rare metal, but I only need a small portion to apply a transparent enchantment borrowing its strength.¡±


    ¡°Interesting, how do enchantments work exactly?¡± Whitney had decided the best way to follow through with the responsibility forced upon her was by understanding the strengths of not just her but those around her. She by herself is quite weak; Whitney understood that as evidenced by her supposed specialty in summoning. However, Whitney was determined to not be deterred by the fact that summoning was essentially relying on those stronger than her.


    ¡°Well, I suppose the easiest way to explain it¡­ Enchanting can be divided into two types. The first is what I will be doing, which is imprinting the properties of various materials onto another object. An example would be giving a ceramic plate the elasticity of rubber, though that destroys the purpose of the ceramic considering it is supposed to be a decoration or tool static in form.¡± Light Frost gave her explanation as she and Whitney exchanged views on various accessories and embellishments that would go with the dress. ¡°The second type would be using cosmic magic to directly apply a natural law onto an object. An example of this would be like how a kom (a fruit eaten by the Rhime) is normally crunchy, but you enchant the kom with magic with the intention to make soft. You literally declare with your imagination that the kom is no longer a crunchy fruit, but a soft one.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ They both sound so incredible.¡± Whitney was overwhelmed with the potential behind a single aspect of magic.


    ¡°Of the two, the first method is more reliable and effective since you¡¯re using an object as a medium to copy its traits. The second is restricted by the enchanter¡¯s imagination, and besides, those particular enchantments are common and thus relatively weak. Changing a natural law takes up much of the power put into the enchantment in the first place.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thank you so much for teaching me, the enchanted dress, and your kind words. They¡¯re really something I needed to hear.¡± Whitney was truly happy to have a conversation between equals with Light Frost.


    Nearly everyone so far in Friye had acted subserviently towards Whitney as she was supposedly their savior for the Rhime. And those that didn¡¯t act like a submissive serf were silent and simply bowed their heads in Whitney¡¯s presence.


    Light Frost was the very first person that Whitney could hold a real conversation with; it relieved the stress in her mind immensely.


    Light Frost simply shook her head. ¡°There is no need for thanks. I¡¯m simply trying to help a young girl.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be that much older than me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, I don¡¯t know how long a human can live after all. I¡¯m still quite young myself at fifty-seven.¡±


    ¡®How long do the Rhime normally live if fifty-seven is considered quite young? It is definitely longer than a human lifespan.¡¯ Concurred Whitney.


    However, just now Light Frost said something Whitney was curious about. ¡°So how long ago did the humans of Ademptis become extinct?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not a historian but it was a few centuries at the minimum. If you want information, then I¡¯d seek out the royal library of Rhime in the second city of Frasran. Of course making the trip there will be dangerous despite it being regularly patrolled.¡±


    The remnants of Rhime¡¯s empire consisted of three grand cities their outlying villages. The three major cities were located so that a rough isosceles triangle was formed. And while the distance between Friye and Frasran formed the smallest line of the triangle, it was still a considerable distance on foot.


    ¡°Soar is very strong, so I don¡¯t think there will be too much trouble. Though I would be underestimating Ademptis if I thought that.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Light Frost nodded in agreement. ¡°Should you decide to make the trip, it would be prudent to take a few guards or willing people to fight with you.¡±


    ¡°And where would the best place to find these people be?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t wish for a royal escort, then go to where everyone dumb enough to search for treasure and artifacts in the hostile land of Ademptis would be, drunk at a tavern.¡±


    -----


    With her newly tailored travelling dress, Whitney arrived at the underbelly of Friye known as Lower Friye. Considering the principled and clean air the Rhime had around them, Whitney had never expected there to be such a dirty and raunchy portion of the city. It was intriguing in a way.


    In fact, the ratio of docility in the residents of Upper Friye compared to Lower Friye was quite vast. In Upper Friye, Whitney was supposed to become a legendary hero that would help the Rhime rise from squalor.


    And yet the residents of Lower Friye could not find it within themselves to care. Of course there were still many that showed admiration and awe towards Whitney, but the amount was far less compared to Upper Friye.


    Soar flew high above, perching on top of various buildings. Every time he shrieked, Rhime¡¯s citizens looked upwards and pointed in awe. Heavenly garuda were much more famous than Whitney first realized.


    After walking a fair distance, Whitney noticed a commotion over yonder. Nearly all of the people that saw commotion seemed to know what was going on and rushed over. Whitney followed suit, but in a more relaxed and curious manner.


    Once she reached the mass of people, Whitney found a gap and moved herself through. Once she finally got past everyone, she saw something interesting.


    There was a cart being pulled by a sort of pack animal Whitney had seen a few times during her time in Friye. Inside the cart was a large silver statue at least six meters long, covering the statue was numerous marks marring the grey coloring of the statue¡¯s skin.


    Accompanying the cart were three men and one woman with the latter riding on the beasts pulling the cart.


    Whitney was curious about the sight before her, so she asked the Rhime next to her.


    ¡°That cocky group from a few days back everyone said was going to die actually succeeded! That¡¯s what!¡± Then, the Rhime male noticed that he was speaking to Whitney. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry my lady, I didn¡¯t reali-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not bothered, don¡¯t worry¡­ But what exactly is the context behind this commotion?¡±


    ¡°Oh, ah, yes. Well, a week ago, that group of four over there came from one of the other civilized nations named Tangura belonging to the Tago race. Even though they are Rhime, they were apparently living there for quite a while. Well, once they arrived, they received some animosity from Rhime purists and got in an argument.¡±


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    Rhime purists were those that absolutely believed in the power of the Rhime. They decided that Whitney was not only incapable of saving the Rhime but also completely unnecessary and unwarranted. Though there were variations of that belief. At first Whitney agreed with them, but now she was determined to prove herself.


    Also, the Tago were one of the few races along with the Rhime that had survived to this day, albeit barely.


    ¡°The travelers then declared this: ¡®We will defeat and bring back Marst, the Silver Deity that has been haunting these mountains.¡¯ At first everybody thought they were just being arrogant and cocky, they did have a few to drink after all. And once they left, everybody thought that they had died. And now that they are here, with the Silver Deity, it seems their claims were not just for show.¡±


    The area between the circle of onlookers and the four adventurers was still quite large, but the group of four and their cart halted moving once four of the onlookers broke away from the crowd and stepped forward to face them.


    ¡°So this is the result of your farce. You honestly expect us to believe that the four of you who abandoned the Rhime and lived with the pitiful Tago defeated a silver deity. The metal creature probably froze up in the mountains and you just carted it down. There¡¯s no way you shits can fight the silver deity. Only the strength of a pure force of Rhime can hope to fight something that powerful in the cold mountains.¡± The supposed leader of the purist group began a blustering speech filled with self-praise towards his race.


    Then one of the male members of the group of four walked forward and met the man eye to eye. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe in our strength, why don¡¯t you test it yourself? There are four of you and four of us, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re afraid¡­¡± The Rhime man mockingly held his hand up to cover his mouth as if saying ¡°Oh my.¡±


    The leader of the four purists twitched furiously, though he calmed down seconds after. ¡°Very well then, the four of us will show to might of true Rhime.¡±


    ¡®Why does it feel like they are already going to lose?¡¯ Wondered Whitney as she watched the purists confidently draw their weapons of choice.


    The purists face off with the adventurers in a diamond formation. The leader took to the front with chainmail and a regal sword and shield. The purist to his left wielded a large two-handed curved sword almost like a hooked scimitar, he wore green leather armor. The purist to the right held a battle pick in one hand and a curved shortsword in the other, he wore similar armor to the purist on the left. The purist in the back had tight fitting cloth vestments and held a single wand in one of his hands.


    The group of purists looked well polished. There was no doubt that they had all fought as a team before and survived. At first, Whitney thought that the purists were going to win, but that thought only lasted a moment because she was overwhelmed by their sudden display of discipline.


    Then the adventuring group took their formation, in a completely straight horizontal line. Simply looking tactically, anyone would think that the adventurers were just a bunch of amateurs that randomly lined up to fight, Whitney realized otherwise. They weren¡¯t just lining up because they felt like it, they weren¡¯t lining up because they believed there was no need.


    Whitney glanced over the group starting from the left, the male Rhime furthest from her. He had tight winter clothes lined with fluffy fur on the inside. His weapon of choice was a staff with bladed edges on opposite sides on one end each, the blades slanted like windmill. Although it was slight, Whitney felt like the air around her was gravitating towards him.


    The next one up was another male who held a large sword at least a meter and a half long before him with two hands. He wore leather pants with golden colored greaves along with a single golden chestplate covering his torso. His arms, save for the hands that had thick gloves, were completely bare showing off developed muscles under his blue skin.


    The third person was the final male who seemed to be the leader of the group wore loose fitting white robes covered by a crossing leather straps from his shoulder to waist. Apparently under the robes was a thin layer of armor judging by how the cloth rested against him. His weapon appeared to be a spear with spearheads on both ends, though the head on the lower end resembled a harpoon and the head on the upper head looked like a conical arrowhead.


    Lastly, the sole female of the adventuring group and the one in the line closest to Whitney stood tall and proud quite literally considering she was quite possibly the tallest Rhime in the immediate area. She wore a complex set of hardened leather plates laced with numerous small metal spikes and many different pouches filled with various items. Her weapon of choice was an odd one, considering it seemed she was interested in a melee fight. It was a complexly designed crossbow engineered with many mechanisms and parts that Whitney wouldn¡¯t even begin to try understanding.


    Aside from the jeers and cheers of the encircling crowd, the two groups being focused on was completely silent save for the pack animals and the clinking of armor.


    ¡°We won¡¯t wait all day, go crazy on them guys.¡± The leader from the adventuring group then smiled and broke the cohesion of the line formation. He instantly rushed forward and stabbed forward with the cone end of his spear, spinning it for extra momentum and friction. The shieldbearer hunkered down, peering over the edge of his shield and holding his sword over the brim like a pike receiving a charging horse. However, the spear never reached the shieldbearer, opting to instead fly over him with the robed man following suit and leaping over him like the purist was nothing. He then began charging straight towards the wand holder.


    To the side, the girl pulled the trigger on her crossbow and a bolt splintering into many shards like shotgun shell left the crossbow¡¯s stirrup. The one she fired at was the dual wielder purist received some of the splinters and dodged the rest. She rushed forward and swung her crossbow wildly, latching onto the pick with a hook that was attached to both ends of the bowstave. She then ripped the pick away from her opponents grip.


    Whitney was too focused on two of the adventurers that she didn¡¯t see the third one somehow stabbing into the chest of his opponent (the one holding the large scimitar (with his spear. Whitney missed the lead up to the stab, but she saw the adventuring Rhime¡¯s arm extend forward, spreading the reach of his weapon.


    And Whitney didn¡¯t even see the last two clash. The staff wielder had his foe¡¯s neck trapped under his staff, threatening to cut off his supply of air. The purist was so effectively immobilized that even his limbs were incapable of budging.


    Whitney¡¯s eyes could barely accommodate the fast paced action that ensued. It was like she was watching a battle from a high fantasy movie from within the movie itself. ¡®Is this the kind of battle I¡¯ll have to fight in?¡¯ Whitney wasn¡¯t sure whether she was intrigued or frightened.


    One thing she knew was that she was overwhelmed and left before things got too harried.


    -----


    It was nearing night time in Friye.


    Whitney was sitting down in her luxurious bedroom with Soar perched on the windowsill that the assassin had come through before grooming its feathers.


    ¡°Hm, now that I¡¯ve had time to think about it, I realize it would be safest behind others. And there¡¯s safety in numbers. Perhaps I should accept the help of Rhime¡¯s military?¡±


    Whitney had received numerous pledges of support from various military leaders. She not only access to military power but political power as well.


    ¡°What do you think, Soar?¡±


    Although Whitney knew she would not receive an answer, she asked for the sake of hearing her own words.


    Soar crooned and tilted its head as if responding to Whitney¡¯s inquiry with purely facial expressions. Of course a bird, no matter how intelligent or magical couldn¡¯t speak Whitney¡¯s language without even the right body parts.


    ¡®I wonder how I can even speak the same language as the Rhime in the first place¡­¡¯ Whitney had wondered this many times, and she realized that even though the written language of the Rhime did not consist of any language characters that she was familiar with on Earth, she seemed to somehow understand it.


    Suddenly Whitney heard a knock on the door to her room.


    ¡°I apologize for disturbing you, Lady Armeina, but you have some visitors who claim they have a message for you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, thank you¡­ Um, Night Dew, is it?¡± Due to the majority of names belonging to the Rhime corresponding to common words, she often had trouble remembering most of them. ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°My name was remembered, you honor me.¡± Night Dew unceremoniously opened the door to the room spoke with a humorous tone.


    Night Dew was similar to Light Frost in that he treated Whitney as a more normal person, though he still showed humble version of respect. He seemed to truly believe that Whitney was capable of being this savior, trusting her abilities wholeheartedly.


    He was of course a Rhime, having a deep ocean blue skin tone along with a slender and rigid body type. Probably the strangest aspect about him was the fact he had his eyes were nearly fully closed all the time, in fact Whitney could sworn that he walked with completely closed eyes. Honestly, Whitney thought he was rather handsome for a member of another race, but she didn¡¯t feel the need to pursue any relationship.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°A group of four raggedy looking fellows came in unannounced claiming they have a message for you and you alone. They refused to show it to anyone but you, though they did mention that it was from the representative of the Tago.¡± Reported Night Dew calmly with a blank face.


    ¡®Could it be those guys? It does seem like a mere coincidence, but it just might¡­¡¯ Deciding it didn¡¯t matter if it was the same people she saw engaged in the battle with the purists or not, she then nodded. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no harm in hearing them out, could you bring me to them please?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t think that is a good idea. They could be related to someone who might wish to harm you¡­¡± Night Dew raised a point Whitney naively didn¡¯t think about.


    It would a mistake to assume that there would be only one assassin after that one appeared weeks back. Whitney knew this, but there had been no noticeable harmful indicators since.


    ¡°Well, I should be fine with you and all the other capable guards around here. Besides, Soar can take out anyone who gets too close.¡± Whitney scratched the back of the garuda¡¯s head who crooned in delight.


    ¡°Well then, I shall bring them and several of our best guardians for assurance to the meeting room.¡± Night Dew bowed quickly and thusly before leaving.


    -----


    With Soar on her flapping from perch to perch, Whitney followed a servant leading her to where the meeting was going to take place. As she requested something soothing for her mind, the meeting was going to take place in the secondary dining hall, though it was more of a spot for influential individuals to partake of snacks and small meals while reading to pass the time.


    Whitney sat down in a corner of the room with a grand window display presenting numerous snow-capped mountains and the dense evergreen forests around Friye. She liked this exact spot in particular because she was told that on clear nights, you could see the closest of the other two major cities of the Rhime, Frasran in between the cracks of the mountains. Although that was only the three tallest buildings one of which was a bright firehouse that served to disperse blizzards.


    ¡°Your grace.¡± A maid served Whitney a warm desert shaped like dome. It had a chocolaty taste mixed with a sharp citrus zest. One scoop of the ladle like utensil and the dome gave away like soft spun sugar revealing a network of strand similar to the nervous system.


    ¡°So delicious¡­ Please thank the chef who made this!¡± Whitney was overwhelmed with the pleasant taste of the dish. She had eaten many things since her arrival in Ademptis and she enjoyed every new tasteful experience.


    ¡°I will convey your gratitude, the chef will be most thankful to receive your praise.¡± And the maid bowed and left.


    ¡°¡­¡± Whitney ate the desert in silence, mulling over various topics. ¡°It would be nice if everyone wasn¡¯t so formal with me.


    Soar tilted its head like a parrot and squawked as if in reply. She scratched the back of the garuda¡¯s head which pushed against the head with a soothing noise. To Whitney, it sounded like a purring cat, though a cat with feathers instead of fur and a double-beak.


    Then she heard a large gathering of people appear beyond the bookcases. Listening carefully, Whitney heard harsh words. ¡°I understand they were the perpetrators of that incident, but Sharp Grass is an influential member of the Pure Mountain. While they may be small in number and not very popular, they are relentless. Any of your erratic action may cause them to grow restless and try to bring harm to our savior. Also, if any of you were to attempt to harm the Lady, death will be swift.¡±


    The person talking was Night Dew, who was speaking to what Whitney assumed were the visitors. The Pure Mountain was the name of Rhime¡¯s purists that she saw earlier today, though there were of course more than just those four.


    ¡°Huh, Soar, it seems that coincidences do happen.¡± Why Whitney said this was because she had figured that the visitors were in fact those adventurers she saw fighting the purists.


    ¡°Lady Armeina, I present to you those four raggedy individuals I mentioned before: Four Leaves, Three Blades, Twin Souls, and Sole Peak.¡± Night Dew casually insulted the adventurers who showed mixed expressions while introducing them.


    Whitney realized that playing the part of a dignified leader was essential, even if she was only a superimposed one. ¡°How may I help you all?¡± She scratched under Soar¡¯s chin, making her feel like a James Bond villain.


    The one named Sole Peak, the leader of the group with the odd spear stepped forward, wary for the many guards around them. ¡°Hrm, I came here with my group to deliver a message for you from the hero of the Tago tribes.¡±


    Whitney blinked. The only thing she knew about these supposed heroes that Whitney is a part of is that they are all human. In fact they were the only twelve humans on this world, as the human race was technically extinct in Ademptis. Perhaps this hero of the Tago could shed some light on their situation?


    ¡°And this message is?¡±


    ¡°He wishes to convene a council with all the twelve heroes in order to discuss and share information. As well as to take action against a common enemy that threatens the very existence of civilization.¡±


    Whitney Armeina ¨C End.

 Ch. 07: Double Revenge 5

    Ch. 7: Double Revenge 5


    ¡°Alright, so you remember the basics of my plan?¡± Rainier was setting up two travel packs for him and Sataska filled with non-perishable edibles, a handful of blaze crystals each, and a crudely drawn map using ink like concoction Rainier devised from poisonfinger juice and the thick oil of chisis seeds.


    While in Outpost Roseir, Rainier accidentally mixed the two secreted liquids and found that it practically stained every surface save for wet or metallic surfaces. He procured a flask of the mixture and carried it around just in case he needed to write something down.


    The map showed landmarks and approximate distances and directions. Rainier wasn¡¯t skilled in cartography, so there was no way he could possible make any map accurate. At most, it was like a set of vague directions leading a person to where X marks the spot.


    ¡°Yes, ummm¡­ I need to annoy some arachnacosas and lure them to the big mouth monster without getting caught or found out by mother¡¯s brood, I got it. Sataska held out a hand and counted off a list on her fingers.


    ¡°Wow, you actually paid attention, apparently you do have something of an attention span.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what do these marks mean?¡± Asked Sataska as she pointed at various crude figures on the map Rainier made.


    ¡°Even though I just showed you what is on this map¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, is this all the food left?¡± Asked Sataska again as she swallowed the last of the soup Rainier had made.


    Rainier rubbed his temple wearily. ¡°I¡¯m with a clear as day idiot here.¡±


    ¡°I do believe you just insulted a Queen! Though, I guess I can let it go considering your strength¡­¡± Sataska had a confused expression, as if she was contemplating something.


    ¡°Shush, idiots don¡¯t talk.¡± Rainier shook his head while staring down Sataska as if he was talking down an arrogant child.


    ¡°I may be insulted once, but I won¡¯t be insulted twi-¡±


    Rainier interrupted Sataska¡¯s nonsense by handing her a sheet and a makeshift sack woven from tough grass stalks. ¡°Anyways, here¡¯s the map and some dried meat, don¡¯t eat it all in one sitting.¡±


    Apparently forgetting that she was looked down upon, Sataska look at Rainier with dewy eyes. ¡°We won¡¯t be separated long, will we?¡±


    Rainier would normally think that a girl acting like this would be cute, but he couldn¡¯t get over the fact of two things, the first was that she was an ant and the second was that she was plain stupid.


    ¡°If things go well, my plan shouldn¡¯t take more than a day to bear fruit. Even so, make sure that you don¡¯t lure them over until the next day.¡± Rainier¡¯s confidence in his plan was warranted.


    If there was one thing that was constant in Ademptis, it was just how fast danger can be. Monsters and corrupt species were anything but slow. They evolved over centuries to hunt prey and survive in this hostile world.


    Evoants were no different, their bodies were vastly superior to humans and they developed keen senses reliant on their antennae. Arachnacosa were equally dangerous, though not as strong in body as evoants due to their numbers, they possessed a clear intelligence in tactics that was not to be messed with.


    If Rainier needed to live, he needed to be both stronger and sneakier. He already had the knowledge to do one from the vast amounts of texts he read on earth, and he had the method to do the first.


    It was all a matter making it happen.


    -----


    Rainier drew the Razor of Envy, he stalked a duo of hornet stags grazing on the vine of a carnifer. That very vine staggered about as it was chewed upon before curling around the legs of one of the stags without its noticing.


    Rainier watched as the hornet stag bleat in fear as the vine tightened and lassoed its legs together where it was then dragged into an unknown brush presumable to be eaten.


    Taking this moment to strike, Rainier gutted the flank of the remaining startled hornet stag, covering the razor in as much blood as possible. The hornet stag thrashed about violently, attempting to gore Rainier with its thorn like antlers. Rainier was even lifted off the ground a few times due to the sheer strength of the hornet stag stomping against the ground, sending them both into the air.


    Yet it was futile, its insides were already being shown and blood sprayed everywhere. The hornet stag soon ceased its attempts to buck away Rainier and fell to the ground limp. The submission hold Rainier had placed the hornet stag in proved superior and ultimately won.


    Almost immediately, Rainier felt a twinge of severe pain as the blood coating the razor was absorbed by the blade. He felt the spasms ripple through his body until they centered on his calves.


    So far, Rainier had slain four hornet stags. There was the very first one, and this kill right here marked the third one he had hunted since separating from Sataska.


    ¡®It feels like the power my legs are gaining has tapered off, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get any stronger from killing more hornet stags.¡¯ Although Rainier wasn¡¯t certain of his thoughts, it was true that his legs muscles had ceased developing since their magnanimous growth.


    Rainier was interested in testing out his legs, so he moved to an open karst field littered with rocks that had a pearly luster and a limestone texture.


    Ashstone ¨C A type of stone that was excavated for its special fire resistant properties. It is said to completely negate fire magic and explosions depending on the purity of the stone. In return it has a weakness towards the erosion of wind and water. Realizing the capabilities of Ashstone, many engineers placed the stone in key areas where an explosion might disrupt the balance of a building. It is also quite sturdy, allowing many tons of pressure to be placed upon it without breaking.


    ¡°Ashstone, huh?¡± Rainier, who always carried the encyclopedia with him, read the newest entry in the book while contemplating the possibilities of taking advantage of the resource before him. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have the manpower to mine the stone anyways. But perhaps at a later date¡­¡±


    Rainier then walked to the middle of the field and placed down everything except for the razor. He then looked up to the closest tall rock and stood next to it. ¡°A simple jump¡­¡± Rainier then jumped as high as he possible could.


    The change was already apparent. Rainier jumped a full two meters higher than the rock, which was at least four meters high. Compared to the first hornet stag he slew, his jump had doubled in height and then some. He grabbed onto the rock ledge as he fell down and pulled himself up so he could stand and survey the rocky field. After soaking in the geography, he hopped off the rock while performing a front flip just because he could.


    Rainier tested his legs in various other ways. He ran a small course around the field which he estimated to take a normal person around a minute and a half to complete; he ran it in under twenty-six seconds.


    The next test Rainier collected rocks of varying densities in a line. He then kicked them with as much force as possible. He broke every single one of them except for two rocks which he figured contained the purest amount of the ashstone, both rocks had a dusky blackness to them. He also took a smaller rock and tossed it upwards before kicking it like a soccer ball. Upon impact, it burst into dust. He kicked a second rock with the same coloring of the rocks he couldn¡¯t break and kicked that instead, sending it flying for who knows how far. All Rainier knew was that rock had disappeared from his eyes with a speed he could barely distinguish.


    ¡°Nice, though having only strong legs is a bit annoying. Wonder if I can do something about my body or arms¡­¡±


    ¡°Sksss¡­¡±


    A familiar hiss shivered through his ears and small antennae nubs on the back of his neck. Rainier turned and faced the source of the noise to see two evoants, one burly and the other with chitin plates that looked melted on.


    ¡°Ssssatasssska¡­ Where? Ssssssks.¡± The larger one seemed to be the speaker of the two, though they both adopted threatening poses ready to attack at any moment.


    ¡°Not here.¡±


    ¡°WHERE?!¡± Screeched the melted one as he thrust his hands to his sides.


    ¡°She¡¯s safe, don¡¯t worry. Your queen can have her under as long as if you listen to me.¡± Rainier spoke diplomatically, if he angered the two before him and brought them into a fight, his plan was ruined. He just now realized that his plan was actually teetering on failure at any moment.


    ¡°Sssstop and hear¡­ Him out.¡± The large one seemed rather sensible, much to Rainier¡¯s amazement.


    Once the melted one calmed down, Rainier continued. ¡°I will only return Sataska if I can have a face to face negotiation with your queen.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.¡°If you¡¯re worrying about her safety, it¡¯s not like I could do much damage all by myself against the queen and her queensguard.¡±


    ¡°Kill you... Skssss. Will kill you¡­ Sksssss.¡±


    ¡°If you do, I can promise that your queen that she¡¯ll never see Sataska again. Also, if we don¡¯t have these negotiations soon, her precious daughter will somehow make her way to bottom of the plateau. Rainier put on his most evil looking smile, intimidation is key in these situations.


    ¡°Ssssks. Negotiations¡­ Where?¡±


    ¡°The crater, besides if you found me here, then it¡¯s pretty obvious you can find where I will be. Be sure to not come until tomorrow, don¡¯t worry about the ant girl, she won¡¯t be harmed unless she resists or you and any other ants follow me.¡± After speaking to the two evoants, Rainier haughtily dismissed them. He most certainly earned their ire, though he didn¡¯t particularly care about how they saw him. Even so, it wasn¡¯t like the loyal guards of the evoant queen had much of a personality.


    Rainier intentionally left the details about the negotiations vague. First of all, he wanted to piss them off and seem like he was willing to kill the queen¡¯s daughter, Sataska. Then he also specifically didn¡¯t mention anything about coming alone, he hoped that they took note of that and brought a considerable force of evoants to the oasis trap.


    So far at least half the day had come to pass. Rainier wanted to get back to the oasis trap as soon as possible. Since the giant monster had a unique feeling to it, Rainier¡¯s antennae nubs were unusually receptive to the rotten stench exuded from its gullet. Rainier could only guess how many rotting animal corpses were still being digested.


    ¡®Things will start heating up fast. I¡¯m taking a giant gamble with my plan; I won¡¯t be surprised if it fails as well.¡¯ Rainier exhaled, he was fully aware that success was very unlikely. ¡®Playing it safe is too boring.¡¯


    Adrenaline, the natural high. Rainier had experienced it dozens of times since coming to Ademptis. And while he didn¡¯t realize it, Rainier was definitely addicted to the rush.


    -----


    The next day.


    Rainier stealthily made his way back to the inside of the oasis trap¡¯s mouth. When he came back, he was surprised to see it completely covered once again in sand, rocks, and dried shrubs.


    Even though an oasis trap swallows everything in its massive mouth, it actually has filters that sort out the edible from the inedible. It then redistributed the inedible matter through its pores above its body so it could recycle what it used to disguise the area as a legitimate oasis once again.


    ¡°Efficient.¡± Mumbled Rainier to himself as he walked down to the center pool where all the food entered the oasis trap¡¯s body. He refilled his waterskin while drinking some of the pristine liquid.


    He wasn¡¯t swayed by the fact that the water was technically the oasis trap¡¯s saliva. If it tasted like water and provided the same hydration as water while providing nutritious benefits, then there was no reason to not drink it.


    ¡°Ahh, so thirsty.¡± Rainier downed the flask, he was fairly dehydrated from running all the way here with his amped up legs.


    Rainier looked down into the pool. He wasn¡¯t sure how deep it was considering the fact that it is the throat of the oasis trap, but he also didn¡¯t intend to find out. If the mouth closed any time, Rainier planned to jump to safety.


    ¡°Well you can¡¯t eat me, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll let you feast soon.¡± Rainier stared deeply into the pool as if speaking to the oasis trap like it could understand him.


    The thing was, it did.


    Two thick membranes pushed aside revealing what could only be an eye.


    ¡°Holy!¡± Shocked for only a moment, Rainier stood ready to flee, yet he felt safe. He was sure that the oasis trap didn¡¯t intend to try to eat him. How he felt this, Rainier could not explain.


    The eye had a sky blue color to it with the iris forming an erratic star. Crimson red lines formed a complex web below the membrane, which Rainier guessed to be blood vessels. The thick membranes, being the eyelids, were smooth and refused to blink. The thing Rainier felt was the most strange about the eye was that it was under the pool, basically inside the oasis trap¡¯s throat.


    ¡°¡­¡± After an uncomfortable silence for Rainier who had no idea what the oasis trap was thinking, he finally spoke. ¡°You seem to eat quite a bit. And I helped you to a decent meal not too long ago.¡±


    The eye blinked twice.


    ¡°Would you like me to treat you to another filling meal?¡±


    The eye blinked twice once again, this seemed to be the oasis trap¡¯s version of ¡°yes¡±.


    ¡°Oh, this¡¯ll be interesting. Well hopefully during tomorrow, if things go well, the feast will be around a hundred bodies. Trust me and you¡¯ll have a delicious feast.¡±


    Rainier smiled ruthlessly with open teeth. He then noticed a stringy tentacle from the inside of the oasis trap¡¯s mouth dive down its throat. While wary, Rainier didn¡¯t flinch and was interested in what the oasis trap was going to do.


    Rainier never expected the oasis trap to be intelligent enough to communicate with him. This new fact changed his opinion entirely on the oasis trap. Perhaps the two of them could come to some sort of understanding?


    ¡®I kind of like the idea of having a giant ravenous monster under my thumb.¡¯


    While pondering the matter, the tentacle accomplished its objective and was traveling back up the oasis trap¡¯s throat. Rainier saw a strange glint accompanying the end of the tentacle. It seemed the appendage was carrying an object from its body¡¯s depths.


    The tentacle tossed the object it was carrying from the pool close to Rainier¡¯s feet. At once Rainier saw what it was: ¡®A mask?¡¯


    There lay a mask similar to that which performers wore during ancient Greek plays or that which harlequins wore. It portrayed complete neutrality in its expression, as you could not see any hint of emotion at all. The mask had two faint red dots on both cheeks for faux blush. The eyes were closed shut on the mask that was consistent with the mask¡¯s neutrality; it also had no access for eyesight


    But why? Why did the oasis trap give Rainier this mask? The encyclopedia hummed as if in reply, Rainier quickly checked the newest entry.


    Garavan¡¯s Masque ¨C A mask crafted by the famous human playwright Garavan Kinton for personal usage. Due to Garavan¡¯s obsessive desire to understand the emotions of various races, some of his obsession was poured into the mask. The result of this unique enchantment allowed the mask to change the emotion on the mask to the one most strongly felt by the wearer, although only among the four basic emotions of happiness, sorrow, anger, and surprise.


    This is not all. Each of the four emotions carries unique physical and mental enhancements that depend on the wearer¡¯s emotional intensity on how useful they are. Happiness allows the wearer to effectively manipulate the minds of others, how many minds depend on the wearer¡¯s mental fortitude. Sorrow allows the wearer to predict events up to weeks ahead; the predicted events are more accurate depending on the distance in time. Anger allows the wearer to amplify their body¡¯s physical capabilities with the limit depending on how angry the wearer is. Surprise allows the wearer to heighten their mental and physical reflexes and awareness. Although only a rumor, it is said that Garavan¡¯s Masque was blessed by the human god of emotions, Whimsyl.


    ¡°This¡­ Is incredibly overpowered. And how the hell did it end up in you?¡± Asked Rainier to the oasis trap though he didn¡¯t expect much of an answer.


    Another tentacle, this one larger than the one that brought the mask up rose from the rose from the pool and shook around like as if shrugging.


    ¡°Well, thank you at the very least. I¡¯m going to make sure you have plenty to eat soon.¡±


    Rainier put on the mask, finding unsharpened metal hooks to latch and lock onto his face so that it didn¡¯t move around. Despite the ominous way the mask attached to someone¡¯s face, Rainier unhesitatingly put it on.


    If anyone had put on this mask, they would not be able to tell the difference between looking through it and their normal eyesight. Even though the mask had no slits for the eyes on the front, Rainier could somehow look through the mask as if there was nothing obstructing his vision. ¡°Pretty convenient I guess.¡±


    Even though Rainier thought that Garavan¡¯s Masque was too strong and convenient for its own good, he failed to understand that there were similarly strong foes that could overrule a magical item¡¯s ability with their own power.


    Ademptis was not so easy to survive in with just a single item, no matter how versatile it was. Not even the numerous monsters, big and small, could survive without being capable.


    ¡°And this is why I intend to tower over this damn world. And there¡¯s no point in living if I can¡¯t even pull off one plot.¡± Rainier took off the mask and used the hooks to latch on to the wrap around his waist. He then looked at the horizon and frowned. ¡°Sataska¡­ She¡¯d better not screw this up. She is an idiot after all.¡±

 Ch. 08: Double Revenge 6

    Ch. 8: Double Revenge 6


    Sataska ran. She ran like an Olympic sprinter at top speed without even a hint of exhaustion. She had just accomplished her objective of grabbing the attention of a group of arachnacosa. In fact, she was being tracked by the largest hunting group of arachnacosa she had seen of around two hundred.


    Yet she did not mind. She believed in Rainier even though she barely knew him. Out of everyone in her life, Rainier, while a rude fellow, was quite possibly the most trustworthy person she had met.


    Sataska roughly understood the plan Rainier proposed, though she failed to understand how that would help kill her mother. Still, she trusted that man for all his faults.


    At this very moment, Sataska saw two arachnacosa cutting her escape route up ahead with crooked sabers drawn. Both slashed at her neck and legs respectively, but Sataska used her impeccable senses and instinct to jump and twirl in the air to doge between the two blades. As she did this, she swung her arms around with two chitin blades in her hands like dual daggers and hamstrung several legs on each arachnacosa.


    The two spider creatures gnashed in pain and made a feeble attempt to keep standing up. Eventually they stood back up, they still had more legs after all, only to find that the evoant they tried to block off had ran off.


    It was currently night time and Sataska was pacing herself, distracting the arachnacosas with every bit of ingenuity she could muster.


    Sataska fought the chitin blades, her hands, feet, and even her jaws in order to beat down every arachnacosa that came her way. However, there were far too many in the way of numbers for Sataska to even hope to take on, she had to get to the oasis trap by tomorrow. The constant running and luring she would have to do would take all night, and Sataska was not confident she could make it without sleep.


    Could she really be as strong as Rainier? Sataska had to be in order to survive the night.


    ¡°KASHAYEK!¡± An incensed shout from an arachnacosa somewhere behind Sataska could be heard. It seemed they just found the two arachnacosa Sataska had wounded.


    Sataska pulled several chitin blades from her limbs and threw them randomly in the direction of the voice. It didn¡¯t matter if they hit, she simply wanted to have them know where she was.


    It seemed her tactic worked as she heard the rustle of bushes and plants, her antennae told her that arachnacosa were pursuing her in force. ¡°So aggressive. Such vulgar vermin shouldn¡¯t even be allowed in the same presence as a true queen!¡± Then looking thoughtful for a moment while running she whispered quietly to herself so no one could hear no matter how close they were. ¡°Except for him¡­¡±


    Although Sataska never noticed it, it was her base animal instincts that allowed her to live for so long. Certainly, if any normal person was doing the same as Sataska, they would quickly perish. She subconsciously relied on both luck and instincts to accomplish her mission.


    Sataska ran, with all her might.


    -----


    While passing time, Rainier experimented with the mask. Despite how overpowered he thought it was, he actually found that it was a pain to activate its innate abilities.


    Simply feelings of happiness or anger weren¡¯t enough to bring out its power. He tried remembering his useless parents, upon thinking of them he felt a little sad and angry, but neither emotion triggered the mask¡¯s magic. Even thinking of his few friends and the good moments he shared with them which once filled his hear with warmth failed to bring any of the mask¡¯s power out.


    ¡°Huh, I guess memories from the past simply don¡¯t draw out any strong emotions. I bet only the present will work.¡± Hypothesized Rainier as he stared into the mask¡¯s eye sockets. ¡°I suppose until I figure out how to activate its abilities, it could act as a face guard like a helmet.  Kinda creepy looking though, like I¡¯m some sort of thespian serial killer.¡±


    Rainier then put the mask on, allowing the metal hooks to latch onto his head and keep the mask in place. On a side note, Rainier also tested the durability of the mask, finding it nigh impossible to even make a dent. It was perfect protection for Rainier¡¯s face until he found a similarly unbreakable full helmet.


    Rainier spent a few more hours of the evening hiding his supplies in the rock he made his camp in before. Why he did this was because when the next time the oasis trap closed its mouth his supplies wouldn¡¯t fall down the pool where its throat was at.


    Eventually night befell the area. Seeing that there was no more to do until the next day, Rainier created a camouflaged shelter out of dead branches and the webbing he could make to hold it together like glue.


    ¡°Tomorrow will end it all¡­¡±


    Or so Rainier thought.


    ¡°Sksss¡­ Sksss¡­ Sksssssssssss.¡±


    ¡®Sooner than I expected, this is bad.¡¯ Rainier jolted upwards and peered out his shelter as quietly as possible. He knew just how potent an evoant¡¯s senses were, he had their antennae after all.


    What Rainier saw was no less than seventy evoants. Four of them were standing out above all others which must have been the queen and her personal guard. Rainier saw the melted looking one and the bulky one on both sides of the queen. The third guard walked on four legs and had two arm like appendages arcing upwards and pointed down like scorpion tails. The third one looked nothing like his compatriots but an even more monstrous one.


    And the queen herself was no less a thing of beauty. She was similar to Sataska in that she resembled a human though with an ant tail, antennae, and completely black eyes. Like some sort of ancient Amazonian, the queen had an obviously fit body that showed just barely enough muscle to not look too bulky. The queen was also quite voluptuous like an Amazonian, she wore brown cloth wraps to cover her body, but her outfit still left little to imagination. She stood tall and proud, haughtily looking down on her surroundings with an austere gaze.


    Rainier slipped on Garavan¡¯s Masque and placed his hand on the Razor of Envy. He wondered what kind of power he would gain if he killed all of them with the razor, just what kind of strength would he gain? The greedy die in Ademptis, much to Rainier¡¯s misfortune. That opinion became fact when the human race became extinct, although Rainier did not know this.


    ¡®No¡­ I¡¯ll definitely die if I come out now. I need to stall for at least an hour.¡¯ Rainier attempted to devise various ways to keep the evoants here.


    He could just there and now have the oasis trap chomp away, but Rainier wanted to try to wait and see if Sataska could make it here on time. If he made the oasis trap eat too soon, he could potentially put Sataska in danger and his plan would fail. There was no point in this plan if he didn¡¯t accomplish his objective of getting the two insect races to fight each other and promptly get eaten by the oasis trap.


    ¡°BASTARD! SHOW YOUR PUNY SELF!¡± A frighteningly loud voice rung throughout the entire crater. That exact voice belonged to the evoant queen.


    Like Sataska, the queen wasn¡¯t hindered by the hissing lisp her brood had. Even so, it seemed the queen had the same arrogance in her voice like Sataska in triplicate. Rainier honestly wasn¡¯t sure what exactly to do.


    Should he show himself and begin the negotiations that he had no grounds on in the first place? Considering the pride and arrogance of the queen, Rainier doubted he would last very long. Then again, judging from Sataska¡¯s words, she seemed to care an abnormal amount about her daughter.


    Should he continue to hide? Rainier would definitely be found soon if the ants seriously began looking for him. Their antennae were far too sensitive to not find him in a matter of minutes.


    Should he flee the scene? No, that¡¯s what gutless people do.


    Should he fight and most likely die? This would bring the same result as attempting to hide.


    ¡°I only have one option it seems¡­¡± Grumbled Rainier as he walked out of his hiding place with a confident stride. Even showing a hint of weakness would be fatal.


    ¡°YOU! Sataska¡­ WHERE IS SHE?¡± The queen folded her arms and looked over to where Rainier was at. It looked like she was staring Rainier down despite the distance between the two. ¡°I will flay you, quarter you, shred you, cut you¡­ I will eat you ALIVE if Sataska has even a scratch on her.¡±


    Rainier kept his distance, but he noticed several evoants attempting to encircle him and block off any escape attempts. ¡°First off, let¡¯s make a few things straight here. Your daughter is safe and sound¡­ But she won¡¯t be if things here don¡¯t go my way. Have your brood head back behind you, if I see any of them get near¡­ Well, I won¡¯t be happy.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± The queen clicked her tongue in discontent and her antennae flinched. Apparently her antennae was the source of the telepathic signal she had with the rest of her brood aside from Sataska. ¡°Well, GET ON WITH IT!¡±


    ¡°Christ, so impatient.¡± Rainier sighed and slightly shook his head in mock disbelief. While he felt he was becoming a little too cocky, it was somewhat fun to be the arrogant one. Pride against pride and all that.


    ¡°My offer is simple. Leave me alone. I will be living in the area from this crater down to Outpost Roseir. As long as if you can have your brood recognize me, they will not attack me.¡± Rainier spoke authoritatively, not giving an inch in diplomatic ground.


    Still, despite the raw firmness from Rainier¡¯s voice, the evoant queen was not daunted. ¡°Fine. Now where is my daughter? I presume she is safe lest you will be risking your life and all the pain I will be giving you.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll be here soon. And with it being painfully obvious that you were going to kill me as soon as you had your daughter considering the forces you brought here, you WILL wait on the other side of the crater. Even if you do capture me to torture, it¡¯s a simple matter of killing myself to avoid the pain. You¡¯ll lose your daughter and you¡¯ll lose the target of your revenge, that won¡¯t be fun will it?¡± Rainier would never have dreamed of saying anything like this in the past, it was both too self-destructive and conceited for him to even consider.


    Rainier could see the evoant queen gnash her teeth and attempt to stare him down ruefully. ¡°I won¡¯t be waiting forever.¡± Despite the calm tone, the queen was bristling with fury. She wanted nothing more than to kill the one that was keeping her daughter away from her.


    -----


    An hour passed and darkness took over the sky.


    The night sky of this world was truly beautiful. Rainier could see the odd moon of Ademptis with its rings of ice and dust. It resembled an atom with its odd arrangement of rings. Of course one couldn¡¯t fail to mention the second moon which actually seemed to be a moon of Ademptis¡¯ moon orbiting in synch with the rings.


    Rainier thought about how nice it would be to have a decent life. A calm one where he could look at the stars each night without having to worry about constant threats. Back on earth, Rainier often mused that he was born too early or late to explore anything undiscovered. Yet on Ademptis he had plenty of chances to do this, explore the unexplored and make new discoveries at any turn. Peaceful or frantic, what kind of life did Rainier want to make on Ademptis? For the former, he would need to eliminate any and all enemies, in this case the evoants and arachnacosa. For the latter, he would need to find a way off the Roseir Plateau, but who knew how dangerous that was and how dangerous the lower area was.


    ¡®First let¡¯s resolve this. That queen¡¯s getting ancy.¡¯


    The evoant queen had not once diverted her gaze from Rainier, not a single second from this hour had her attention been on anything but Rainier. Her personal guard was included in the impenetrable gazing party. As for the rest of the sixty to seventy evoants, they were patrolling their half of the crater.


    ¡®It¡¯s good that they don¡¯t realize they are standing in a monsters mouth that could eat them alive in one gulp.¡¯


    Rainier still didn¡¯t have a grasp on time in Ademptis. As it was a different world, the days could be longer or shorter and who knew how long a single year would be? Even so, he knew that enough time had passed to sufficiently piss off the evoant queen.


    ¡®How can I stall for more time? It¡¯s unlikely, but under the small chance Sataska arrives early I may survive this bad situation.¡¯ Rainier rubbed the mask¡¯s chin, forgetting that he even had it on in the first place. Rainier would love to make use of the mask¡¯s magic, but emotions were not things easily tapped into. It wasn¡¯t like Rainier could bite his tongue to incite anger or suddenly slap his face for surprise.


    Perhaps he understood that such mysterious items were not so easy to manipulate or perhaps Rainier didn¡¯t want to put himself in potential danger. Really, it was just that Rainier felt it would be too troublesome to break the mask¡¯s annoying restrictions.


    ¡°Jeez, too much thinking, too little action. I¡¯m going insane here from trying to think too much.¡± Rainier stood up. He had noticed that the evoant queen was just about fed up with waiting. If he tried to ply more honeyed words, he would undoubtedly be attacked by the large quantity of evoants and would assuredly die.


    ¡°I¡¯ve waited too long. Sataska, WHERE IS SHE?¡± Shouted the evoant queen while sticking to her half of the oasis trap crater. ¡°I shan¡¯t wait anymore. I will wring out my daughter¡¯s location from your throat and then RIP IT OPEN!¡±


    ¡°Well shit¡­¡± Rainier no longer had any time to mull over his choices. He made the mistake of thinking too much and acting too little and the price he would have to pay is potential dismemberment and death.


    Not that Rainier would allow such actions be done to him without a fight.


    Evoants were already more than halfway to his position. They were frighteningly fast as always. Still, Rainier was fast too, especially his legs.


    Rainier lunged forward and slammed his left foot on the ground, launching him into the air at a low angle like a baseball. The sheer force from his jump caused the mass of air before him caused Rainier to unintentionally front flip. Rainier was still not entirely used to his powerful legs.


    One evoant used its comrades as a jumping platform, leaping onto their outstretched hands. The two evoants holding the one in their hands shot their arms powerfully forwards, launching the evoant at Rainier.


    Just noticing this, Rainier rolled along the ground, scratching his skin in several places against rocks and slashed with the razor right when the evoant got too close. The strike hit, cutting the evoant under its upper left joint. In fact, the momentum from the evoant in the air nearly caused Rainier¡¯s slash to cleave through the arm.


    Rainier recovered and righted himself in a bestial crouching stance. He had the razor in reverse grip just before his eyes and his other arm below ready to receive any attacks.


    Yet peculiarly, there were no more evoants coming at Rainier. In fact he saw the three queensguard conversing with their queen via the silent telepathy they all shared. Well, that was what Rainier assumed since he heard only silence.


    Then after several tense minutes, Rainier saw the evoant with the melted chitin stride forward among the vast group.


    ¡°Sssksss.¡± ¡°Ssssssssks.¡± ¡°Skissssss.¡± ¡°Ssskssks.¡± ¡°Sksss.¡± Rainier was unnerved by the relentless chittering of evoants that began popping up all around the crowd. He wasn¡¯t scared, he refused to be so.


    ¡°Ah, I get it. You want a duel.¡± Rainier now understood. In fact he was greatly relieved. This was the perfect chance to stall for time.


    ¡°Skssss, kill you¡­ I will, sksss¡­ Kill you for my, Sksss¡­ Queen.¡± The melted one stopped right when he was at least twelve meters away from Rainier. ¡°Pakssa is mine¡­ Your, sksss¡­ Name?¡±


    With some surprise, Rainier quickly answered as he saw no reason not to. ¡°Rainier Forrester, the guy who¡¯s soon going to kick your ass.¡±


    -----


    ¡°I recognize this place. This chasm, I have to jump across and the crater with Rainier should be on the other side¡­ I think.¡±


    Sataska had so far managed to stay one step ahead of the arachnacosa with a mixture of intuition, instinct, luck, and of course idiocy. Though with the very latter due to her inability to stay on track with what she was thinking.


    ¡°I wonder if I do this successfully¡­ Will Rainier praise me?¡± The entire time she was running, her mind was running wild with delusional fantasies.


    Normally anything caught not thinking with survival on the mind in Ademptis would die in twelve steps. Yet somehow Sataska managed to sashay through the dense mixture of forest and plains with an enthusiasm not seen by Roseir Plateau in a very long time.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Sataska jumped across the chasm. Although her legs were not as strong as Rainier, she was still an evoant with bodies bred to be superior to the race they were based on, humans in this case.


    ¡°Uh oh¡­¡± Sataska looked behind her to see a thick bridge made of arachnacosa webbing sticking the side of the chasm Sataska had leapt on.


    Already the spider monsters had created a suitable bridge for them to charge across. Although the web bridge looked thin and ready to break, the arachnacosa surged forward as if their weight meant nothing. Tightly woven webbing from an arachnacosa was like a thin metal cable; it could even negate a strong axe slash.


    Sataska no longer paid attention to what was behind her. Every second she spent focusing on what was behind her was one less second she spent on escaping. Her clothes were close to becoming tatters and red marks could be seen all over the bare parts of her skin.


    ¡°SHAKESSSHHH!¡± A hissing scream from one of the arachnacosa, presumably the group¡¯s officer cried out in frustration.


    These past few days and weeks, they were getting increasingly frustrated over the numerous losses to a mysterious menace on their borders. When they found out it was only one creature, once they were not familiar with, they were wary and thus decided to attack in force. However, this was not the only threat they faced. When the officer saw the young evoant queen by herself, this was a perfect chance to rid themselves of another enemy.


    Yet it was clear she was far too wily to simply be chased down and caught.


    -----


    Rainier pivoted and sidestepped in order to dodge Pakssa¡¯s lunge. So far he had seen no weakness or quirk of the queensguard evoant that he could take advantage of. Pakssa was clearly stronger in every way than Rainier.


    In a sense, you could consider the difference between the two a matter of genetics. The evoant species evolves upon the weakness of the race their queen mated with, in this case, a human from long ago.


    And the queensguard were the pinnacle of those genetics as they were created precisely for the protection of their queen and following through with her orders. Although one had died due to mainly luck, it was certain that luck would not follow through a second time in a drawn out fight between Rainier and Pakssa.


    Rainier had been working on a thick glob of acid in his mouth, waiting for the perfect moment to spit it at Pakssa. He narrowly deflected one of the evoant¡¯s flailing arms just before it slammed into the side of his head. If it connected, he surely would have died, or at the very least dented his skull.


    If Rainier took even a single attack, it would mark game over for his life.


    ¡°And I¡¯m going to fucking survive you damn ugly ant!¡±


    Rainier kicked with a powerful leg at Pakssa¡¯s left knee. Though he didn¡¯t wound the evoant with its thick glossy chitin plating, he at least managed to make the ant stumble. Rainier then aimed his mouth under one of the ant¡¯s joints, specifically under its right elbow, and spat the highly hazardous acid glob he created in his mouth.


    ¡°Sssksss¡­ Do you think, sksssss¡­ That will affect me? Sskssss¡­¡± Indeed, despite that these evoant¡¯s weak points were around their joints, it seemed that Rainier¡¯s acid spit had no effect on Pakssa.


    ¡°What the hell? You¡¯re a damn tank!¡± Although as he said this, Rainier was somewhat certain he had figured out Pakssa¡¯s unique trait.


    In order to confirm his suspicions, Rainier quickly followed up with several weaker shots of acid on various spots of Pakssa¡¯s body who just stood there and ignored the nuisance.


    Pakssa¡¯s unique body shape, which resembled an ice cream cone left out in the sun, had the special property of resistance.


    There were four queensquards belonging to Sataska¡¯s mother.


    Skaren could pull out extremely sharp chitin like blades from his body and use them in combat. These blades could cut through many objects, easily rending bone and stone alike.


    Pakssa¡¯s natural chitin like armor was not only extremely resistant to weaponry, but also seemed to be resistant to things like acids and poisons. It was like wearing heavy plate armor, but that armor taking the place of your skin thus allowing the same mobility.


    For the remaining two, there was Ksske. He was the only evoant among their group that could use magic. And due to his species¡¯ nature, he was extraordinarily potent with magic than the average human wielder.


    The fourth was Nise, the large burly evoant Rainier had seen with Pakssa before. He, as his body type suggested, was extremely strong, more so than twenty normal evoants put together. His fists could make dents in not only Pakssa¡¯s armor, but fracture boulders at his size.


    Getting hit even once would obliterate Rainier¡¯s insides.


    Rainier relied on his legs to keep steady and jump around his surroundings. Slowly but surely he gained confidence in himself to keep up with Pakssa¡¯s speed. If one applied a numerical value to another¡¯s speed or strength like a video game, Pakssa would be higher in both aspects. However, Rainier proved to be wily enough to erase that difference.


    Pakssa, on the other hand, was getting more and more frustrated in his inability to kill the arrogant human before him. If he could lay a single hand on the human, he could apply a strong grip and rip him to shreds. He was putting all the thoughts in his mind towards the singular purpose of killing.


    And as a result, he never noticed the trap Rainier was about to set off.


    ¡°!!!¡± Pakssa suddenly began facing the ground as he began falling down. He had tripped, or more accurately, been entwined by Rainier¡¯s spider webbing.


    Despite how strong the material was, anyone could destroy it provided the thread was thin enough or their arms were strong enough. However this webbing was far stronger than the threads any spider Rainier was familiar with could weave. It was also quite sticky, evidenced by the two balls of web sticking to two rocks jutting out from the ground. Connected to the balls was a deceivingly thin web strand which caused Pakssa to trip and fall.


    ¡®Is that¡­?¡¯ Rainier saw a mottled chip in Pakssa¡¯s chitin armor on the back of his neck. Seeing the chance, Rainier took it and jumped onto Pakssa¡¯s large figure as he pushed himself back up.


    Rainier latched on as tightly as possible in order not to be shaken off like a bull rider. He then stabbed several times with the razor in that chink, loosening up loose chunks of chitin inside. It was like picking at a scab on one¡¯s skin, though the scab in this case was a thick armor with a disfigured surface on the nape of the neck.


    Pakssa screeched in pain and wildly thrashed about. He slammed Rainier on his back against a smooth boulder. Rainier grit his teeth as pain vibrated throughout his body. He erased the pain in his mind and focused on opening up the wound. If Rainier couldn¡¯t hurt anywhere on the outside of Pakssa¡¯s body, then the only logical way to wound him was from the inside out.


    ¡°SKSSSSS! OFF ME! SKSSSSSKSSS!¡±


    Rainier was thankful that the thickness of Pakssa¡¯s chitin armor would allow him to bend his arms behind himself and grab whatever was on his back.


    Eventually, Rainier¡¯s body was too bruised to keep holding on to Pakssa and he was thrown off. Rainier rolled against the ground, receiving several more scratches and bruises before crashing into a dense foliage bush.


    ¡°Bassstard. Sksss¡­¡± Pakssa began walking menacingly towards Rainier. He was coming in for the kill.


    And unfortunately for Rainier, he was too battered to offer any decent resistance.


    Yet there was no need to resist since all the damage Rainier needed to incur on Pakssa had been done.


    ¡°SsssSSSK-! SSSSKSKSSSS! SSSKSSSS!¡±


    Pakssa doubled over in pain and howled madly. He clawed at the dirt, balling up dust in his grubby hands. He kicked and struggled, destroying rocks and deforming the land around him. A strange bubbling steaming sound could be heard while an ominous smoke began rising from Pakssa.


    ¡°Oh good, I was right.¡±


    Rainier had spat a concentrated dose of his acid in into the mangled wound on Pakssa¡¯s neck. Then the acid began dissolving Pakssa¡¯s insides into a mushy stew. And the fact that Pakssa¡¯s outside armor plating resisted the acid at first meant that the acid could also not escape the shell. Pakssa was literally turning into a cooking pot using his flesh and toxic acid.


    Rainier never flinched at the gruesome sight of Pakssa being melted inside out. He even smirked a little bit. ¡°Heh, serves that shitty ant right. Though I doubt the other ones will sit still. At least I took one of them with me.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ YOU INSIGNIFICANT MONGREL!¡± Spouted the evoant queen while pointing a resolute finger at Rainier. ¡°ALL OF YOU! BRING HIM TO ME¡­ I will play with him until I have my fill and then finish him off.¡±


    Rainier clawed at the ground in a weak attempt to crawl to safety. He knew it was a futile attempt to escape, but he didn¡¯t want to endure that ant¡¯s version of torture. No doubt she had some very sadistic ways of keeping him alive while experiencing extreme pain. And then when she was done with him? Of course Rainier would probably be used as food for the endless hunger of evoants.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die¡­ I need to survive.¡± Rainier pleaded with whatever gods existed in Ademptis, which he was sure that there was. ¡°Fine, yes, I got too arrogant. I managed to kill a few ants and spiders and yes, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m a combat master or even an apprentice! Just because I lived this long was due to luck, I realize this! Just LET ME BLOODY SURVIVE!¡±


    Yet prayers rarely ever come true.


    In the end, Rainier¡¯s pleas for mercy to nothingness resulted in exactly that: nothing.


    ¡­


    ¡°Maybe, just MAYBE I might be even a sliver lenient in your punishment if you tell me where my daughter is. After that, you can beg and kneel, asking for forgiveness that your measly self even thought to take something of mine.¡±


    Rainier looked into the evoant queen¡¯s dominating eyes.


    He hated the fact the she had her foot on his shoulder so that she could look down on him. He hated that his plan had a lack of basis and thought put into it and the fact that he was confident enough that it would succeed. He hated Sataska for not coming in time, even though it was obviously too soon for that to happen.


    However, Rainier was determined to have the last laugh. He spat at the queen¡¯s face, though the acid was knocked out of the sky by one of her queensguard, the burly one named Nise.


    ¡°Up your own ass.¡± Rainier smiled and narrowed his eyes defiantly. He truly lost interest in groveling for his life.


    The evoant queen kept a blank expression. ¡°You honestly don¡¯t care what happens to you?¡±


    ¡°Not one ever fricken¡¯ bit, you damn ANT!¡±


    ¡°Humph, it just got less fun torturing you. Well, not that that will let you out of your punishment.¡± The evoant queen then nimbly kicked Rainier in his cheek before striding off presumably in the direction of her nest. ¡°Bring him with me.¡±


    ¡°Itome, that feeling, that sound¡­¡± The other queensguard named Ksske who surprisingly could speak normally like the queen cocked his head to the side as he saw something in his peripheral vision.


    ¡°¡­¡± The evoant queen shook angrily. ¡°Arachnacosa. Perhaps this worthless insect was in league with them?¡±


    ¡°Unlikely, but I wouldn¡¯t rule it out.¡± Ksske spoke with an air of caution.


    ¡°Ssssks. Ssssataska is with them.¡± Nise revealed something that shocked everyone, Rainier included.


    ¡°My¡­ My daughter is with them? She must either be fleeing or is captured. I knew it was too dangerous for her, I will have to bind her more securely when I reacquire her.¡± The evoant queen turned to face her entire brood of evoants who all gazed upon their mother. The evoant queen simply flicked her head to her side and the entire brood instantly tore loose.


    Rainier too could now feel the presence of multiple running beings to the southwest. Apparently the information he gathered was less due to his antennae not being fully developed like normal born evoants.


    ¡°Haha¡­ Amazing, that idiot actually pulled through.¡±


    Although he was injured and could barely walk before, Rainier felt a rush of intense adrenaline enter his system. He ignored all the pain in his body and burst from the grip of an evoant that stayed behind to keep hold him. Rainier slashed behind the ant¡¯s knees, making the ant crumple to the ground like a marionette with cut strings. Not wasting anytime to finish the ant off, Rainier began running in the opposite direction where the large force of evoants headed to collide with the arachnacosa.


    Before long, Rainier could hear the sounds of combat and cries of pain of both sides. He glanced behind him to see an all out charging of armies descend into a free for all madness.


    Taking shelter next to a dead tree, Rainier slumped against the trunk to regain his breath and soothe his wounds.


    Evoants jumped all around while lunging, clawing, and biting mindlessly at various arachnacosa. The two queensguard entered the fray, utterly decimating any foe unlucky enough to cross paths with them. Although the evoants were clearly outnumbered, they were showing an admirable effort in the battle, killing many arachnacosa that challenged them.


    However, the arachnacosa were not without their own heroes. Several of the spider monsters were showing a clear display of amazing skill in their chosen weapons. They didn¡¯t even need to aim for under the joints more than half the time, cleaving through the chitin with powerful blows. Also, the arachnacosa were showing a clear advantage in tactics as they employed encircling maneuvers using their superior numbers to finish off several evoants.


    At one point, Rainier saw Nise punch one of the arachnacosa into one of its leaders, killing both with the impact. And on the other side, despite Ksske displaying an unusual aptitude for magic, shooting rudimentary fireballs at his opponents, it was clear that his knowledge in the arcane was not enough and was eventually swarmed and finished off.


    ¡°Neither side is relenting despite numerous casualties on both sides. Though one or the other will retreat soon at this rate. I can¡¯t have that, I¡¯ll have to do that soon, yet I can¡¯t until I find Sataska¡­¡± Rainier carefully searched everywhere in his view. Waldo could eat his heart out if Sataska was this good at camouflage.


    ¡°Right here!¡± The nigh visually perfect Sataska jumped and landed nearby Rainier with a smile on her face.


    ¡°Huh, so you actually pulled it off? Well I wasn¡¯t expecting much near the end.¡±


    Though his words were harsh, Rainier was greatly relieved by Sataska¡¯s timing.


    ¡°I¡¯m not that useless! I am more than capable at doing anything you ask!¡± It seemed Sataska didn¡¯t realize how suggestive her sentence just now was. ¡°In any case, how exactly are you going to kill all of them in this crater? Don¡¯t tell me this creature is going to-¡±


    The side of Rainier¡¯s mouth curled into a smile. ¡°Hold on this this tree, girl! It¡¯s time for a great feast!¡±


    Rainier kicked the ground and yelled, ¡°SWALLOW THEM ALL!¡±


    And the oasis trap began closing its maw, threatening to swallow everything inside the crater alive.

 Ch. 09: Dominance and Authority 1

    Ch. 9: Dominance and Authority 1


    Rainier and Sataska held on for dear life to the dead tree. Apparently this tree was a member of that mangrove Spider Web Tree species, so the roots were just thin enough for both of them to wrap their arms around.


    They could hear the screams and screeches of arachnacosa and evoant alike as they fell to the center of the oasis trap¡¯s mouth. The only future for those creatures was to be digested and become sustenance for the oasis trap.


    It was like seeing a venus flytrap in action now that Rainier thought about it. Those plants too waited for food to crawl into their mouths before clamping down.


    Eventually the screams stopped and the splashing into the center pool of the oasis trap¡¯s throat ceased. The mouth began opening up, letting the moonlight enter the scene. Due to the moon¡¯s close proximity to Ademptis, it was unusually bright like every other night.


    ¡°Shit¡­ Finally, all done. Hmm?¡± Rainier saw a few limp movements over where the battlefield between the evoants and arachnacosa.


    Both he and Sataska walked over to find the target of their plan, the evoant queen, lying down. She was missing one of her legs and a curved, serrated blade was sticking out of her stomach. She was going to die soon to blood loss, but Rainier did not want that.


    ¡°Mother¡­ Itome.¡± Sataska stoop upright, looking down at her mother contemptuously.


    The evoant queen, apparently named Itome looked towards her daughter¡¯s voice. ¡°Sataska¡­ Why are you with him?¡± Through choking on her own blood, the queen was clearly surprised to see her daughter with the man conspiring to keep the two away from one another.


    ¡°You still do not understand, do you? I tried to escape the dark depths of the nest so often yet you just thoughtlessly took and sealed me away.¡± Fire entered Sataska¡¯s eyes, her anger getting the best of her.


    ¡°It was¡­ It was to protect you! Th-This world is far too dangerous for you¡­ You won¡¯t be able to survive by yourself out there!¡±


    ¡°You forget mother, I am a queen. And I am above these measly threats you are speaking of provided I find a mate I believe in.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    Rainier didn¡¯t like the sound of where this was going.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s this man here!¡± Sataska glommed onto Rainier and began rubbing her head into his side.


    Yes, Rainier really didn¡¯t like where this went.


    ¡°This world is dangerous as you said, for both you and me, mother. In the end, you¡¯re the one who lost this intense game of survival while I aim to succeed with Rainier.¡± Sataska sounded like a girl full of determination. She was absolutely certain that the two of them would live to an old age.


    Finally Rainier interjected with a halfhearted response. ¡°I have no clue what you¡¯re talking about, but I am going to end this now. You and your damn evoant brood have been gnawing at my leg ever since I was taken to this world.¡±


    Itome didn¡¯t bother to respond to Rainier, only looking into her daughter¡¯s eyes. Rainier didn¡¯t care that he wasn¡¯t being paid attention too, all he was thinking now what kind of power he would acquire from killing Itome with the Razor of Envy.


    ¡°You done talking to her?¡± Asked Rainier without much care for the situation.


    Sataska nodded and walked away. Despite her desire to have her mother killed, it seemed she did not want to see the act being carried out.


    Rainier placed the razor at Itome¡¯s throat and quickly pulled it across. And finally, the oldest living evoant queen in Ademptis¡¯ history died.


    Itome, Evoant Queen- While being the oldest, was also considered the most immature and paranoid of the queens that numbered around forty strong. She was the firstborn evoant queen from the malicious experiment intended to instantly move humanity a step further in evolution. And from her brood many queens were born, many of which died and several of which had moved on to form their own broods. Gradually over centuries, evoants shifted from resembling humans to there being Avian and Elven hybrids to even dragon hybrids. If there was a monster with a desire to create children and the evoant queen was compatible enough with that monster to share genes, then they could procreate and form a new breed of evoants. Where Itome had made her home after such a long time since her birth remained a mystery. And while she sometimes visited other queens which were all technically descended from her, they shared no relation in the end. Sick of giving birth after birth, Itome and her last child queen nestled into their nest where they lived for several years until Itome¡¯s death by the hands of Rainier Forrester.


    Rainier read all this in the encyclopedia under the evoant passage. It had been updated sometime during his conflict between himself and Itome. He had no idea that this queen had such a long lived past. Although he didn¡¯t put much thought into it now, Rainier found it very strange that his name was placed in the selection.


    ¡®Are evoants immortal or something? Then Sataska herself might be as well¡¯ Rainier had already endured the painful process of assimilating Itome¡¯s soul and power, this time proving to many several times more painful than Skaren and any other monster he had encountered so far. The only noticeable difference he could see was that his antennae had fully sprouted from his neck back around his neck forming what one might mistake for a gothic choker.


    He felt strange thoughts enter his mind, but Rainier attributed it to the corruption from the Razor of Envy trying to take hold of him. It gripped his mind like a strong adhesive. It clawed what Rainier guessed what his soul, which was a very real thing in Ademptis.


    ¡®Christ, it feels far worse than the worst headache I¡¯ve ever experienced.¡¯


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Sataska was standing right next to Rainier, tugging on his sleeve.


    Although he tried to ignore her precisely for the declaration she made before, it turned out to be impossible. ¡°No matter what you said and are going to say, I will not become your damn mate, lover, breeder, husband, or whatever in god¡¯s name you wanna call it. Not on your life!¡±


    Sataska only heard the words what she wanted to hear, namely mate, lover, breeder, and husband. ¡°I-¡­ I know you¡¯re just being shy, but I think it would work out perfectly! You are quite possibly everything an evoant queen looks for in a mate. Any beyond that, you are everything I was looking for in a mate too.¡± Sataska had her hands on her cheeks and swung her head around like a delusional child.


    Rainier scrunched his face up, he wasn¡¯t sure whether he was disgusted or he simply couldn¡¯t understand her thought process. Clearly it was both.


    ¡°What hell is wrong with you? Who¡¯s being shy, I¡¯m in no way interested in an ant.¡± Rainier took a few steps back, wary for whatever Sataska did next.


    Sataska seemed to not understand that she was being insulted, as she was lost in her own world. ¡°I wonder how large the nest will be. How many children will fit? What should their names be? What about-¡±


    In the end, Rainier stopped paying attention. The more he got involved with Sataska¡¯s delusions, the more wrapped up he got in her twisted pace. Besides, there was something he didn¡¯t like about the situation right now.


    Something probed Rainier¡¯s senses. His antennae felt much more attuned with his surroundings than ever before and he could sense something staying still out of the crater just past the battlefield.


    ¡®Those rats¡­ There are more arachnacosa hiding out there. Four¡­ No, three in that direction.¡¯


    Not even the evoant queen, Itome, would be able to gather this much information from the signals her antennae provided her. Rainier had gone past that. If the man that created the evoants from that time long ago saw this, he wouldn¡¯t be able to comprehend a normal human going past what he considered the next stage of evolution for the humans.


    ¡°Sataska!¡± Rainier gestured for Sataska to come closer.


    ¡°Yeeeeeessss?¡± With an annoyingly cheery voice, Sataska trotted towards her center of interest. ¡°What would you have of me? Ah, um¡­ Don¡¯t tell me you want to start already?¡±


    ¡°Sataska.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking somewhere in the middle one hundreds?¡±


    ¡°Sataska!¡± Rainier hissed to get her to stop deluding herself and pay attention to his words.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh!¡± Finally his words got through to the merry Sataska.


    ¡°There are three arachnacosa left hiding somewhere in the underbrush past the crater. You head down to that boulder and move north, I¡¯ll go up and around going south. We¡¯ll trap the three in a pincer attack and kill them. No, I think one of them might be this expedition¡¯s leader, we¡¯ll capture him and kill the rest.¡± Rainier spoke softly so that he couldn¡¯t be heard.


    After a quick nod of confirmation, Rainier and Sataska briskly took action.


    -----


    ¡°Kosh! Key nas mankosoo¡­ Shit! They noticed us.¡± Among the three arachnacosa, one quickly understood their situation.


    They had watched the battle between their forces and the evoants. And while it was bloody, their side were gaining the field despite the casualties they took. Then, without any indication, the oasis trap the battle was on closed its mouth, eating anything and every live creature inside the crater.


    Kosok Kre was leading his legion of Arachs to find and eradicate the threat that slew several of their scouts on the southern half of Roseir Plateau. And when he found out that it was a single creature, no, a single human that acquire his people¡¯s ire, he was mystified. Humans, as far as Kosok knew, had not been seen by his people in more than a millennium and then some.


    Humans were terrifying to the Arachs. While they were the source of his and the evoant species, their initial birth into what meager civilization they had gave them distinct advantages over weak humans.


    Yet humans grew far more quickly than they did, creating many new advances into arcane and mundane technology. The Arachs would not survive in the barely hospitable Ademptis without being outwardly hostile towards any potential threat, thus gaining their reputation as innately hostile and malevolent.


    And right now, a member of the race they had no contact with for such a long time appeared and began killing them off one by one.


    Kosok Kre had two choices to stay alive along with his remaining comrades, fight back and most likely die. He was not weak. In fact, he was a spirited and talented magic wielder, though there were no guarantees in being talented in magic. The second was to give up and surrender.


    Kosok Kre gambled and took the second option. While the humans in the stories he heard from his elders were supposedly extremely volatile and dangerous, that did not mean this man was the same.


    ¡°Both of you lay down your arms.¡± His subordinates looked at him questioningly and hesitated. ¡°Don¡¯t think, follow my order and quickly drop them and surrender!¡±


    Kosok Kre threw down this serrated blade and totemic wand and raised his arms up in submission. ¡°The human out there! And the evoant! If you have mercy, grant it, we surrender because I do not believe we will survive a confrontation against you!¡±


    Several long minutes passed brought Kosok Kre slight relief. The fact they have not been attacked yet meant that either the human was being wary for a trap or was considering his offer, most likely both.


    ¡°The three of you, put your hands behind your back. If I see them move from your back, we won¡¯t hesitate to kill.¡± Rainier would definitely follow through as well. ¡°Sataska, make sure those two don¡¯t do anything.


    Sataska nodded with a slight smile. She stood diagonally behind both of Kosok Kre¡¯s guards and rested two blades protruding from her palms under their necks. If Rainier asked for it, she would instantly end their lives.


    The two guards didn¡¯t even have a chance to react to Sataska¡¯s entrance. They didn¡¯t notice until her chitin blades were at their throats, ready to perform the ending slice at any moment. Of course they were going to do as their commander asked, thus they didn¡¯t make any sudden movements that would result in theirs and Kosok Kre¡¯s death. Though should it come to blows, they would die for their leader.


    Rainier himself made his entrance, stepping before Kosok Kre with a wary gait.


    Kosok Kre was initially surprised. The human he saw before him had surprisingly well mended clothes, though they were currently marred from some sort of battle. Perhaps he also fought the evoants prior to his troop¡¯s arrival? Other than that, the human wore a strange mask with a neutral expression. The cheeks were puffed and were slightly red as if covered by blush makeup. The lips were also ruby red but like with the rest of the mask, there was no indication of expression. In fact, Kosok Kre couldn¡¯t see anything belonging to the humans face, as the mask completely covered it. How could this human see without slots for the eyes? Kosok Kre guessed that the human was either naturally skilled in using his other senses, possessed some sort of magic to help him see, or the mask itself was a magical artifact. Though he didn¡¯t know, Kosok Kre¡¯s latter assumption was the correct one.


    ¡°I have a hard time believing you want to have a peaceful confrontation when so many arachnacosa have been trying to kill me since I came to Ademptis.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you want to eliminate any potentials threats to your home so that your people could live freely knowing one less danger is stalking about?¡±


    Rainier stood silent for a few seconds before casually nodding. ¡°I can¡¯t refute that. Though I never thought about joining the military at home. Still, the same could be said about my actions, I defended myself against your arachnacosa that tried to kill me.¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t detest you for that. Let us simply have bygones be bygones and not attack each other in the future.¡± Kosok Kre was actually quite surprised. This was the first time in around two decades the arachs have met a creature that was willing to converse instead of kill.


    ¡°However, please refrain from calling us ¡®Arachnacosa¡¯. My race refers to us as the arachs. arachnacosa is a disgusting term thrust upon us by the humans a long time ago. Of course I hope you can be more sensible.¡±


    Rainier raised an eyebrow. He honestly didn¡¯t expect a civilized encounter with the arachnacosa. ¡°Yea sure, Arachs.¡± Rainier could say whatever he wanted in his mind, so he didn¡¯t care what he said in words as long as if it kept him alive.


    ¡°Now may I ask this¡­ Her to remove her weapons from my companions necks?¡± Kosok Kre was about to refer to the evoant queen behind them as an ¡®it¡¯ but decided against since it might enrage the two.


    ¡°Hmm? Sure. Sataska, over here.¡± Rainier flicked his head beside him.


    ¡°Of course!¡± With a bounce to her steps, Sataska took a place by Rainier¡¯s side.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask some questions? Oh and call me Rainier since I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet, this is Sataska beside me.¡±


    ¡°I am Kosok Kre, Kosok for short; my followers are Ion and Musuk. And I don¡¯t see why not. I¡¯m grateful we could come to terms for peace between us so as long as if I can ask some questions of my own, I do not mind.


    Kosok Kre was more than glad his potentially stupid gamble to converse paid off. He not only managed to let him and his companions to live, but he also managed to befriend the human before him. Though the word befriend was a little strong for the current relationship between the two.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first then. Where¡¯d you learn how to speak English? The language we¡¯re talking in right now.¡± Rainier wanted to understand how Sataska, Itome and her brood, and now Kosok Kre could all speak English. After all, it was another world he was in after all.


    ¡°Hm¡­ Well I don¡¯t know this language¡¯s name, but it is universal in this world. Though us Arachs also speak in our own language which is rudimentary but all of us Arachs learn it. As for this English you speak of, it was said that it was the language of the human empire when they were still around and it has become a sort of tradition to have our races children learn it. I encourage it, because I hope someday that our race will stop idling here and emerge to become powerful.¡±


    ¡®That makes a little bit of sense I guess if the extinct humans of Ademptis could speak English. But if the humans were from earth like I suspect, why don¡¯t they speak Latin, Chinese, or bloody Spanish? Whatever, I won¡¯t question this convenience.¡¯


    ¡°My turn to ask. Are you the only human around or do the humans have some sort of last bastion hidden in the wilderness?¡± Kosok Kre believed that if Rainier was this amiable, perhaps he could ally with him and his clan if they could find them.


    ¡°I¡¯m the only human on Ademptis that I know of. I know that humans have gone extinct, but here I am.¡±


    In a sense, being the only human in this world made Rainier feel incredibly lonely and lost. It was a miserable thing to now realize you¡¯re truly the only one of your species on a planet. It didn¡¯t matter that there was still the world earth he came from, right now Rainier was on Ademptis and knew no way of getting back, not that he really wanted to.


    ¡°I see.¡± Kosok Kre didn¡¯t see that as a terrible loss for himself. He did feel a bit sorry for Rainier who had a mournful expression on his face.


    ¡°Are there any other possible threats from a group like the evoants I may encounter on the Roseir Plateau?¡±


    ¡°Recently, on the northern half of the plateau which is where the majority of my race lives, there have been some incursions from a race we have never seen before. So far, our skirmishes against them have provided us with little casualties and information, a blessing or not, I do not know. As for the southern half which we have completely scouted, the only major threats are the evoants that have been completely slaughtered just now. Well, there are also a few groups of Doblins, but they are only dangerous in large numbers. A single one of them could be effortlessly been killed by an Arach child. They¡¯re alive still, so they must have something up their sleeves. Thankfully they are divided into tribes that are as hostile with each other as they are with us.¡±


    Doblin- A short humanoid monster that ranges from three to three and a half feet tall at their maturity¡¯s peak. They often form small compounds of up to ten families each which interbreed mindlessly in order to ensure their groups ongoing survival. Even the smartest doblin only has half the intelligence of a mentally disabled human. They use whatever supplies they can scavenge and only show an ability to pick up objects as tools like sticks and rocks instead of combining the two to create a more efficient tool. Doblins are hostile to any living creature except to other doblins from their compound. They do have an unusual sense of smell and often uses it to identify females from other species which they try, and usually end up failing, to capture for breeding purposes. They attempt to mate with any female of any species aside from those that are physically too large or small. To compensate for their high amount of deaths per compound, their children are birthed in many and grow up fast, usually to end up being dead way or another very quickly. The average lifespan of a doblin is three months, though there has never been a recorded instance of a doblin actually dying of old age aside from those in captivity.


    ¡°If you are the only human, then where do you come from? You were born, thus there must be more humans out there.¡±


    Rainier mulled his answer over. He didn¡¯t think there was any harm in telling the truth.


    ¡°Believe it or not, I actually was brought to this world, teleported I guess, from another world where humans are the sole sentient race living on it. There is no magic like here on Ademptis and our technology is far superior to anything here. As for how or why I was teleported, I have no clue really. All I¡¯m trying to do now is survive.¡±


    ¡°Truly?! Another world? Such a thing is possible, for life to exist in places other than Ademptis?¡± Kosok Kre could see no lie in Rainier¡¯s eyes and was quite amazed by the prospect brought by the human¡¯s words.


    ¡°Yea, though it doesn¡¯t matter. In fact, while it is a possibility, we don¡¯t believe that there is sentience on other planet. And here I am in a world where that theory is meaningless.¡±


    A world where magic doesn¡¯t exist is something Kosok Kre can¡¯t fathom. But it must be true, it aroused his interest vastly. ¡°Well, for now let¡¯s do our best to coexist. Moving on to more important matters, should we establish a boundary between my outpost and your race¡¯s territory? I and Sataska are only two people, so I don¡¯t really care about true borders. All I want is access to both halves to the Roseir Plateau.¡±


    ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t think I want to contact this race that¡¯s moving in on your race to the far north. In fact, I¡¯ll be doing a lot of moving around so I take out any threats that I see to your south. Not that I can catch all of them of course.¡±


    Kosok Kre was relieved. ¡°To be honest, I did suspect you were in league with this northern race. And if you are lying to me-¡±


    ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t worry. I doubt a race that¡¯s this hostile to foreign influences that they¡¯ve yet to see like yours will be any nicer to me. Since I was brought to this world randomly, I¡¯m more along the line of trying to find out what exactly I want to do.¡±


    As much as Kosok Kre didn¡¯t want to antagonize Rainier, Rainier didn¡¯t want to antagonize Kosok Kre.


    ¡°I understand. Very well then before I leave, let me apologize for my people¡¯s hostility and your influence in eradicating the evoants. If I told my people that you did kill so many Arachs as you have, they would of course want vengeance. Thus I will keep quiet about that and simply say the evoants killed them and you slew the evoants after. Ion and Musuk, I ask you to keep this lie with me as well.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°As you command.¡±  The two other arachnacosa nodded their heads in affirmation.


    ¡°One more question¡­¡± Rainier noticed these two arachnacosa held Kosok Kre in high regard. Surely this person was not a simply army commander.


    ¡°By all means.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is your position among the Arachs?¡±


    ¡°I am the Kre, rather in this language of yours, I would be the prince of my people.¡± And with that, Kosok Kre and his two guards headed home to their home.


    -----


    ¡°A prince, he says?¡± Rainier respected the way Kosok spoke with him. He accompanied his words with the right amount of humility and arrogance in every sentence, despite those two adjectives being antonyms.


    ¡°Huh, I expected it to be more raggedy. It¡¯s been a while since I was last here.¡±


    Rainier and Sataska were inside Outpost Roseir. The underground base was exactly the way he left it, though with all the traps still in place he left behind for any intruders in his absence. All the dead arachnacosa outside the entrance were consumed by carrion eaters judging by the remains left behind. He left that disposal to the next day, as he was too tired to do any cleaning today from all the running and walking he did from the oasis trap back to the outpost.


    Sataska showed none of the abysmal attitude an evoant would have in a cave other than their own. He attributed that to the fact that she herself was a queen of her species.


    In truth, Rainier hoped that he and Sataska would go their own separate ways after he killed Sataska¡¯s mother. He was quite annoyed by Sataska¡¯s newfound clinginess.


    It was like he was some sort of male prostitute and Sataska was purchasing him. ¡®That¡¯s kind of disturbing when I think about it.¡¯


    It was already night time and Rainier dusted the sheets on the bed he slept in previously. It was a good morale booster for Rainier to have decent accommodations again. He felt the antenna that wrapped around his neck to find it melding with his skin. He wasn¡¯t alarmed, in fact it felt natural.


    The antenna was a part of him as much as his arms and legs, no matter how recently it formed. When Rainier touched the antenna, it felt bony to his fingers. To the antenna itself, Rainier felt like he could feel every tiny gap of his finger¡¯s skin. ¡°It¡¯s too damn sensitive, it¡¯s hard to process so much information continuously. Hm¡­¡± Rainier tried pushing the antenna into his neck and back. Although it was only a hunch, Rainier believed he could store the antenna in his body and unleash it whenever he had need of it.


    It was as if his body conveyed to Rainier his own capabilities.


    Before Rainier knew it, the antenna was completely covered by his own skin. ¡°It¡¯s like when I use one of these bone spikes. The skin heals up pretty quickly and I can pull it out whenever I need to.¡±


    Of course it was safe to have the antenna out at all times to watch for threats, Rainier just felt more at ease when he didn¡¯t have this appendage attached to him conveying so many sensory details to him at once.


    And then Rainier sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve finally acquired a little bit of peace. There are still many dangerous things out there, but I would be relatively safe if I decided to stay here provided the arachnacosa don¡¯t decide to off me.¡±


    Rainier looked at the encyclopedia besides him. There was quite a bit of information inside the book that he had been collecting since his stay, many entries he had yet to read. While he got ready for sleep, Rainier made a meal consisting of a carnifer vine, which on the inside resembled a red cucumber along with two starmongers seared over a makeshift grill.


    As he ate, he set aside a large portion for Sataska considering her enormous appetite. Though he wondered where she was at. ¡®Well if she left that¡¯s okay, if she¡¯s still here in the outpost¡­ Well, whatever, she can do what she wants.¡¯


    Rainier also spent some of his remaining time cleaning his clothes in a vat of clean water he collected through a cistern. He disliked being dirty himself, so he used the rest of the clean water to rinse down his body and dumped it off the cliff where the open air room was at.


    In the distance, he could see that imposing steel giant marching solemnly, steam venting off its shoulders.


    ¡°This world has so many mysteries and possibilities. I can¡¯t even begin to imagine how something like that was built. Judging by the steam, it must be technology compared to magic. Does this world have advances in both fields?¡± Rainier had only understood technology all his life, that fact that magic exists in another world was still strange to him.


    ¡°Well, maybe I¡¯ll learn how to use it someday. Even if I can¡¯t use magic, I can still use magic items.¡± Rainier looked at the ground, thinking hard. ¡°I think I know what I want to do next, hunt for more magic artifacts. I don¡¯t know how to use this mask, but the Razor of Envy has proved indispensable.¡±


    What Rainier intended to do was easier said than done. However, he already had a place in mind to search. ¡®Those hanging coffins with those dhampir whatchamacallits, surely one of them must have something useful.¡¯


    ¡°In any case, time for sleep.¡± Rainier lay down on the bed and stripped himself to his undergarments before covering himself with the sheets. He placed the encyclopedia, mask, and razor on the surprisingly stable nightstand beside the bed and laid back. ¡°Where exactly is Sataska? Things would be easier with that ant girl around.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s the first time you showed worry for ME!¡±


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Rainier jumped from the bed to find that Sataska was slumped over the other side like a dog begging for attention.


    ¡°Is there something wrong with me? Am I really of no interest to you?¡± Sataska, though she had acted like a devoted girlfriend for a good majority of the time since Rainier¡¯s success in his plan, was worried that Rainier had no interest in her.


    Of course considering how young she was, especially for an evoant queen, it was purely natural. She had practically no interaction with the world outside her mother¡¯s nest. And while she acted haughtily when she first met Rainier, she grew gradually attracted to him. She was especially amazed by his sheer perseverance and strength in obtaining victory no matter how stacked the odds were against him. He also had a sly deviousness to him that pricked her personal interest.


    Sataska didn¡¯t think she was ugly, but of course she had no idea if she was attractive to other beings, particularly Rainier. ¡°Tell me... Are you at all interested in me?¡±


    Rainier sighed and placed his hand on Sataska¡¯s head like he was petting a cat or dog. And he answered honestly. ¡°Nope.¡± And quite cruelly at that.


    *Plomp*


    Sataska face planted into the bed, though she immediately recovered. ¡°Huuuuuuuh? I was supposed to be tugging at your heartstrings with my adorable act and you ruined the mood by saying ¡®Nope¡¯ of all things?!¡±


    ¡°Let me make this clear. I have no romantic interest in an ant, anything that¡¯s not human I guess.¡± Rainier knew that it was fairly unlikely he was going to meet another human in Ademptis, but he refused to back down.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? Am I ugly? Is there something wrong with me in general or do you just plain disdain me?¡±


    Rainier slightly wanted to be evil and comment ¡®All of the above¡¯.


    ¡°No, you are not ugly. Truly, any guy other than me would be more than happy with your looks. And as for the other two, well your personality is kind of screwed up, but that¡¯s not the point either.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it!¡±


    ¡°I honestly have no decent reason I can think of. I¡¯m simply not interested.¡± It looked like Sataska was about to cry, so Rainier then added, ¡°If it¡¯s a matter of whether I have come to care for you, then yes I do care. You¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve been able to speak with normally and I consider you a friend as a result.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ Friend?¡±


    ¡°People that you can joke with, share hardships with, help out, and care for without romantic involvement. That¡¯s a friend. My best friend back on Earth, the other world I mentioned with Kosok Kre, has a younger sister who looks similar to you, and since I lived with my friend¡¯s family for a time, she came to be a like sister to me too.¡±


    And that was Rainier¡¯s main reason why he had no interest in Sataska. While she resembled his friend¡¯s sister, Sataska still looked older and more developed, thus he was having a hard time trying to avoid any complications in his mind.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Here, you can sleep in this bed, I¡¯ll sleep somewhere else. Wake up reasonably tomorrow, there¡¯s a place I want to head to tomorrow.¡±


    Rainier grabbed his belongings and went to another room with a smaller, but still clean bed he originally prepared for Sataska.


    ¡°That girl may be like a sister to you, but I am not. I am a queen and I will not be giving up as easily as you hope.¡± Sataska was determined to make Rainier fall for her charms.


    Rainier raised a single eyebrow. ¡°Heh, good luck on that.¡±

 Ch. 10: Dominance and Authority 2

    Ch. 10: Dominance and Authority 2


    ¡°So¡­ Where are we going?¡±


    Sataska and Rainier were casually pacing themselves towards their destination. Finally when Sataska grew bored of nonstop walking and miserable attempts in flirting, she finally asked where they were going.


    So far, Rainier had been quiet about his destination. To be honest, he had only visited this location once and he wasn¡¯t too clear on its whereabouts. All he remembered was that it was on the west end of Roseir Plateau. Basically, on the opposite end of the plateau where Outpost Roseir was at.


    And it was the most likely place to hold magic artifacts that would provide him a higher percentage of survival for him and Sataska.


    (I doubt she¡¯ll be leaving anytime soon and two heads are better than one despite her delusional tendencies. Besides that strange quality of her that takes other beasts power by devouring them is useful, unfortunately she can only have one at a time.)


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Well, the best way to describe it as a cemetery. It is literally a group of coffins hanging from an outcrop from the plateau.¡±


    The Hanging Cemetery of Ladia. It, as the name suggests, is a hanging cemetery for the Ladia, a family of dhampirs or half vampires. The description of the cemetery made Rainier believe there would be some valuable objects of interest hidden inside. Perhaps a magic spear or something since the encyclopedia also mentioned them being something like masters of pole weaponry.


    ¡°Hm, intriguing. What are we going to do at this cemetery?¡±


    ¡°You see this dagger and mask?¡± Rainier held up the Razor of Envy and placed his other hand on Garavan¡¯s Masque. ¡°They¡¯re pretty awesome magical items. I¡¯m keeping this the Razor of Envy since it¡¯s essential to my survival, but I still have yet to know what the mask does.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you had it on at all times, maybe the mask will eventually reveal its secrets.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sataska casually suggested this with a finger on her chin as if thinking thoughtfully.


    ¡°I mean, if you have no idea what the mask does then wouldn¡¯t the most logical thing to do is have it on at all times. The mask, whether in normal daily work or in a frantic battle, will reveal the secret behind its magic eventually.¡±


    Rainier scrunched his eyebrows together and said with an annoyed expression, ¡°Can it be this person is actually somewhat intelligent? Meh¡­¡±


    ¡°Rude! And at least leave out the ¡®somewhat¡¯ part too!¡±


    Sataska complained with tears partially forming in her eyes.


    Rainier shrugged and slipped on to the mask. The metal latches on the mask held on to the back of Rainier¡¯s head, keeping the mask on his face not uncomfortably but sturdily. As always, the neutral expression of the mask seemed to perfectly cover Rainier¡¯s face.


    ¡°So, are we there yet?¡±


    ¡°Hm, I vaguely remember this landmark, so I¡¯d say yes.¡± Rainier gestured towards a spider web mangrove with curved stone pillars weaving through its roots. Why such oddly shaped stone was woven like that through the tree¡¯s roots was beyond him.


    In reality, Roseir Plateau was very short width wise. The length of the plateau¡¯s southern and northern tip was many times longer than its widest line from west to east. It would be safe to say that Roseir Plateau had the same area and width of Argentina while being as long as Chile. Rainier did not know this of course since he had no map to show him.


    Every now and then the two happened upon hostile monsters which they dispatched with precision to their teamwork. Creatures like the hornet stag that Rainier had already assimilated a power from were finished off by Sataska. A new creature that Rainier had not yet seen, called the Necroraptor appeared before them once. It seemed it was a creature that mainly lived in the south.


    In any case, while avoiding its fearsome claws, Rainier eventually finished it off with the Razor of Envy. The hardest part to deal with about the necroraptor was its annoying capability to heal its wounds to an extent. Not to the extent of regenerating limbs or nasty cuts, but any sort of light scratch that would nag and irritate anyone¡¯s mind.


    Rainier felt it was very lackluster for a self-healing power, and quite disappointed. ¡®Maybe there¡¯s a more powerful version of self-healing. Healing a lost limb would definitely be useful in this dangerous world.¡¯


    Necroraptor- A bipedal carnivore usually decorated in grey or brown scales. It eats both the flesh of living and dead animals and often hides among corpses in order to conceal itself. A fairly common genus in the world, though many of its subspecies differ from one another in its healing factor. Necroraptors have a habit of following large groups of any species in order to eat any dead left behind.


    As for the ability in question Rainier gained, it was indeed the mediocre healing ability. ¡®Though I say mediocre, it will indeed be useful. Perhaps I can regenerate from larger injuries more quickly if I relax.¡¯


    Sataska also ended up getting tangled by a carnifer vine, though Rainier managed to smash the appendage to a pulp with a single kick of his legs before slicing it in half with the razor. The two quickly fled as getting completely tangled up with a carnifer¡¯s vines was quite dangerous and hard to get out of.


    Eventually, the two finally arrive at the Hanging Cemetery of Ladia.


    ¡°So, how are we going to go about this? I guess I can make some web ropes and tie them around the coffins. Then we¡¯ll slowly use the rope to pull them all up?¡± Though that was what Rainier proposed, it was still a troublesome task to perform.


    ¡°That sounds pretty dangerous¡­¡± Sataska agreed with the thoughts Rainier had in his mind.


    ¡°How is your arm strength, Sataska?¡±


    ¡°A queen like I may not look it, but I am very strong! Between the two of us, we can definitely pull up any of those coffins depending on the heaviness of its contents.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty then, since there¡¯s not much of a better option, I¡¯m going to carefully tie a web rope around the closest coffin.¡±


    Rainier had slain several males and females arachnacosa. He can spit acid thanks to the males and create tough spider silk from the females. Thankfully enough for him the silk came out of his body with a PG rating, from the palms of his hands.


    After making the rope long enough, he made his way across the cliff to the vertical point where the first coffin was hanging. As an insurance policy, Rainier tied a second silk rope to a sturdy stump in case he lost his footing.


    This spider silk was exceptionally strong. And if it was woven tightly together, it could probably ward even bullets off with the same effect or better than Kevlar.


    In any case, Rainier tossed the end of the first rope close to where the coffin was hanging. Afterwards, he grabbed onto visible handholds and carefully made his way under the hooked outcrop. Once he was close enough to the rope suspending the coffin in midair, Rainier swung his body and launched forward, grabbing onto the suspension rope.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t rope. It¡¯s like a chain without the cold metallic feeling.¡¯


    Without wasting time, Rainier shimmied down the warm chain until he reached the coffin. Rainier nimbly maneuvered the silk rope through the handholds attached to the coffin. Of course during the process he almost fell numerous times, but Rainier¡¯s sense of balance was polished so that he never actually felt he was about to fall.


    ¡°Sataska! See if you can pull the both of us up! If not I¡¯ll try to climb up and help with the pulling!¡±


    Rainier yelled to Sataska while keeping watch out for any possible threats in the air or on the plateau.


    ¡°Oh jeez, this girl is really damn strong!¡± Rainier was quite surprised that Sataska alone was capable of such strength.


    As for the source of the strength, it was the combined might of her being an evoant queen and devouring Skaren¡¯s body some time ago. Besides, in Ademptis, a display of strength of this stature was quite pitiful in comparison to some of the creatures away from Roseir Plateau.


    Once the coffin was high enough, Rainier jumped upwards, propelling himself with his strong legs. He grabbed onto a handhold and pulled himself up. Quickly afterwards, he helped Sataska in pulling up the coffin by hand. It was almost as hard as trying to lift a large piece of furniture off the ground and into the third story of an apartment through the window.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Finally!¡± Rainier and Sataska arranged the coffin so it was flat against the ground.


    The coffin was made of a black wood which seemed as hard and cold as iron, it also had a thorough lacquered finish for a pleasant glossy effect. There were eight handholds, four on each side, symmetrically arranged on the coffin¡¯s side presumably for a funeral service. The very bottom of the coffin was shaped into a flattened pyramid, though it tapered nicely into a sharp point. The coffin was one whole head higher than Rainier, so it was quite tall. It was also just wide enough for someone of muscled stature comfortably fit in. Decoration wise, the coffin had thorny design. Numerous vines were interwoven around each other with numerous thorns poking out every so often; of course the design was symmetrical. Lastly, there was the sole non-symmetrical touch which was a single flower shaped like a rose but with the petals spiking outwards instead of curving.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    The most prominent feature of the coffin which caught Rainier¡¯s eye was the spear stabbing through the upper left side of the coffin. It was a clean white iron pole with a slightly darker colored sphere attached to the pole¡¯s end. Rainier could just barely make out that it was a spear due to the spear tip barely showing itself from the coffin. On four sides below the spear tip were secondary blades with the same shape and color of the main spear tip, though they were all curved at the top and pointing inwards instead of outwards.


    ¡°How odd. Why is there a spear thrust through this part of the coffin?¡± Rainier looked at the coffin and spear from all sides.


    ¡°The only way to find out is open it, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Hm, yea¡­ Though how?¡±


    After Sataska suggested opening the coffin, Rainier quickly agreed though he could find no seal or lock to the coffin. It was as if the entire coffin was hewn from the same chunk of wood and fashioned to what it is now.


    Rainier had a hunch, however. That the key to opening the coffin was the spear.


    ¡°Maybe if I pulled this out?¡± Rainier placed two hands on the spear¡¯s shaft and braced himself.


    While he expected the spear to be stuck inside the coffin firmly, refusing to budge, it was in fact quite the opposite. Rainier only slightly lifted the spear and it cleanly slid out of the coffin. Due to the ease of unsheathing the spear, Rainier pulled a little too hard and ended up falling backwards on his back.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Though the spear was still in his hands, Rainier looked at it and the coffin in turn wondering why that was so easy.


    *BANG*


    The top of the coffin shot off into the air, reaching a great height before falling past the cliff face and down past the plateau¡¯s edge.


    Sataska jumped around to Rainier¡¯s side with chitin blades forming around her arms and body, ready for anything. Rainier stood up and aimed the spear at the coffin, though he was more comfortable with the Razor of Envy, his mind focused only on the weapon in his hands at the moment.


    Then two bony hands stretched forth from the coffin and weakly placed themselves on the coffins side, pushing with the little strength they could muster.


    ¡°I am¡­ Awake?¡± A very old and mystical voice crept out from inside the coffin.


    Since the two were a short distance away from the coffin, so far all Sataska and Rainier could see were the arms and hands.


    ¡°My eyes are¡­ Open. And I can see¡­ What is the word? Oh yes, light.¡± The voice had an air of experience. It was as if the voice had gone through not only one lifetime, but many lifetimes.


    The voice started off haggard and slow, but it gained momentum in its speech. ¡°How long have I been asleep? I wonder if my family¡­ No, they are still alive but sleeping.¡±


    Rainier wasn¡¯t sure what to say or do, so he simply remained quiet for now.


    The hands, after an annoying long amount of time finally managed to push the main body out of the coffin. And what came into view was an extremely emaciated human looking man. He had a long set of golden brown hair with the same color of facial hair forming a full beard and mustache.


    ¡°And you two are?¡± The old man finally turned his head towards Rainier. ¡°Perhaps you were the ones who helped me awaken?¡±


    Still cautious, Rainier made his reply. ¡°Yea, though I didn¡¯t expect there to be anyone inside it.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I doubt anyone expects there to be a living thing inside a coffin. Still, you helped me wake up from this sleep I was forced in. Truly, I thank you on behalf of my family.¡± The old man placed both palms with all fingers spread across his chest.


    ¡°I only opened up the coffin because I was hoping there was something magical to loot. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t intending to free you.¡± Rainier preferred honesty over a blatant lie to get people on his side.


    ¡°Ahah, so you give me the truth.¡± The old man chuckled while stroking his beard. ¡°Whether I repaid you for your help was dependent on the fact if you told me the truth of your opening my coffin. If anyone had said they earnestly wish to help my family awaken would be lying. Who would want to awaken a dhampir? We are even more dangerous and bloodthirsty than our vampiric kin.¡±


    Rainier raised an eye. While he didn¡¯t believe he was, there was potential danger in conversing with a self admitted blood sucker. ¡®I doubt he really sucks blood like the vampires I¡¯m thinking of, anyways.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not aware of what a dhampir means, whether it signals danger or not. I was simply greedy, that¡¯s all. Since you mentioned a family, does that mean they are in the rest of the coffins here?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was the final member of my family to be sealed away for its crimes as they called it. I call it survival, so damn the parties involved with our sealing!¡±


    The old man had fury blazing in his eyes. And despite his obviously weak body, he slammed his fist down which ended up shattering a fist sized rock on impact.


    Sataska stood up and fidgeted around, somewhat uncomfortable around the old man. ¡°Can we really trust him to not attack us when we don¡¯t expect it?¡±


    ¡°Hm, to be on the safe side, keep an eye on him and instantly kill him if he does anything threatening. I¡¯m somewhat intrigued by this repayment he mentioned.¡± Rainier mumbled out his response just loud enough for only Sataska to hear.


    ¡°Please tell me something before we continuing freeing my family. Does the Silver Star Inquisition still have a presence in the Roseir Plateau?¡±


    The old man grits his teeth and balled his hands into fists while standing up. He clearly did not like this Silver Star Inquisition in the slightest.


    ¡°I assume that is a group of humans?¡±


    ¡°Yes, why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Do you know how long you have been sealed?¡±


    ¡°I believe at least several decades, if not a century or two. Again, why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for far longer than that, I¡¯m afraid. Humans have long since been extinct for many thousands of years. Ademptis has claimed the human empire for a long time. I may be human myself, but I was brought here from another world by some magic. In any case, this Silver Star Inquisition has long since been eradicated.¡±


    Silver Star Inquisition- A special group of inquisitors disliked the tolerance towards half-human species, dhampirs in particular. They made it their order¡¯s goal to completely eradicate such subspecies. Unfortunately for them, dhampirs were impossible to kill by normal means, thus they only way to dispatch them was to seal them until lethal measure could be taken. Some of their most notable achievements were the destruction of the Prismatic Castle, which housed numerous half human and avian refugees. They were also attributed to the sealing of several dhampir families¡¯ such as the Astora, Vrokar, and Ladia families.


    The old man wasn¡¯t sure whether to believe Rainier or not. Even if it was true, he wasn¡¯t sure whether to laugh or cry, probably the former.


    ¡°Ha ha! Truly? If that¡¯s the case my former master and head of the family would have also perished. If not, then he would have contacted me by now anyways.¡± The old man then sighed and his shoulders drooped. ¡°The Ladia family no longer has a purpose¡­ This makes me weary.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you intend to do?¡± Asked Rainier, as he felt somewhat sorry for the old man.


    Rainier himself had felt the extreme loneliness of knowing that he was the only human alive. His sanity was at its breaking point when he met Sataska and it quickly went back to normal. This old man was feeling similar to how Rainier felt in the past when his parents had practically abandoned him for their daily dose of intoxicants. He basically was by his own with no drive to push him forward. However Rainier found himself here and survival soon was his priority.


    The skinny old man knelt down before Rainier and lowered his head.


    ¡°The Ladia family does not know how to live on their own. We have always served and been served upon. Presuming you actually are the last human in the world, then there is no other option. Help me awaken my family and I promise to serve you until death takes hold.¡±


    Rainier tilted his head and half-lidded eyes and mouth. ¡°Eh?¡±

 Ch. 11: Dominance and Authority 3

    Ch. 11: Dominance and Authority 3


    Already, twelves coffins had been brought up using several silk ropes Rainier created. He made introductions with the old man, finding out his name to be Falth Ladia. Though Rainier expected it, he was still surprised to see more dhampirs come out alive from the coffins.


    ¡°There really is a family of you guys in these coffins.¡± Rainier scratched his head as another coffin was pulled up by a group of human looking dhampirs.


    Like Falth, all of the dhampirs so far had the last name of Ladia and were equally emaciated as he was.


    ¡°Of course. Though the process of unsealing the coffins would go much quicker if we could use our wings.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you?¡± Rainier coughed lightly, he had read the encyclopedia entry shortly after freeing Falth, and so he knew all about their abilities as a race.


    Dhampir- A race born from the union of a vampire and human. Other variations of half vampire species are notoriously dangerous, but none meet the potential of a dhampir. Dhampirs possess only strengths of vampires and humans; they do not have any of their weaknesses. From the vampires, dhampirs have the power of both day walkers and night walkers, thus they are not weakened at any time of the day. From vampires, they have abnormal strength, blood regeneration, night vision, natural dark magic affinity, and wing flight. From humans they possess evolutionary capabilities, blessed aptitude for mundane and arcane advancement, and other such visionary qualities. Like vampires, dhampirs are given a coffin upon birth will be their main sleeping area until they designate a new coffin as their bed via a ritual. Also, when a dhampir comes of age, they choose a weapon which they will always know the location of and can never break until the dhampir itself dies.


    ¡°After a long time of being sealed, would you not be hungry? I have held back since you saved me, but I am quite hungry for blood, even a mere animal would do, but humans prove to be the most nutritious.¡± Falth¡¯s eyes were clearly staring at the veins visible on Rainier¡¯s skin.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be harming this man, not while I¡¯m standing¡­¡± Sataska suddenly placed herself between Falth and Rainier.


    Falth, who was sitting down on the coffin he emerged from, looked blankly at Sataska before showing a wry smile. ¡°There is no need for worry, little one. I will not be harming the man I swore to serve even if threatened to being burnt alive.¡±


    Fire purification was one of the few ways to kill a dhampir. It was just that normally they never stood still long enough for it to happen. Sealing was in fact the easiest way to deal with a dhampir, forcing them inside their birth coffin and thrusting their blood weapon through the top into their heart.


    ¡°This spear of mine will kill¡­ And kill and kill as many times as it needs to keep this one¡¯s master alive.¡±


    ¡®Quite loyal, isn¡¯t he? Well he¡¯ll be useful that¡¯s for sure.¡¯ Rainier¡¯s expression was a mix between smugness and exasperation. ¡°Falth, if I offered, would you and your family partake of my blood? Of course this is temporary until we find enemies for to harvest blood from.¡±


    Falth¡¯s eyes widened, he was clearly astonished. ¡°Never before has anyone freely offered blood to a dhampir! Not in any memory of mine have I heard of it. Perhaps you do not know the danger your offer suggests? Blood is intoxicating, to a dhampir like I, it is a drug of the highest quality. While I won¡¯t be addicted to your blood per se, I may not be able to stop myself from drinking your arteries dry.¡±


    Rainier gazed upwards and sighed. ¡°If it will ensure your family¡¯s loyalty, then I don¡¯t see why I shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Rainier realized that the first step in acquiring loyalty was by freely offering danger to one¡¯s life by assisting the servant. In the servant¡¯s eyes, there was simply no plausible reason for the master to risk himself for the low class. And if that master disregarded his life for a ¡®mere¡¯ slave or servant, complete devotion would be acquired.


    ¡°You would trust not only I, but the rest of my family with your blood?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t put it like that. Think of it like I am buying your loyalty by playing with my life. It sounds more dramatic that way.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Rainier¡¯s casual joke rendered Falth speechless for a few seconds. ¡°Dramatic, huh? HAHAHA! You are quite right, then let us do this. Since I am the oldest of my family, I should be able to break away from drinking the most easily with my will.¡±


    Sataska looked at Rainier with pleading eyes, begging him not to play gamble with death.


    ¡°Heh, Sataska, don¡¯t worry. If I die, then I wasn¡¯t as strong as you thought I was and that would mean I¡¯d be a horrible mate in any case.¡± Not that Rainier planned to be Sataska¡¯s mate no matter how this proceeded.


    Rainier made himself comfortable on a stump. One of his hands was gripping onto a slab of firm bark. Rainier held the other arm aloft for Falth who came over and brandished two sharp fangs in his mouth.


    ¡°Then please pardon my uncouth behavior for the next few seconds¡± Falth plunged his mouth on the center of Rainier¡¯s right arm. The two fangs easily broke the skin and Falth instantly began to drink.


    The pain Rainier received was intense. It was like feeling two hypodermic needles thrice their normal size into his arm and sucked out more blood than a group of hungry leeches. However, that pain ended after several seconds, like Falth said, he was composed enough to know when to stop drinking. Though the old man seemed like he was thirsty for much more judging by the longing in his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time¡­ Ah bliss, my thirst is satiated for now.¡± Falth spoke with more vigor than before. In fact, everything about him seemed more energetic than before partaking of Rainier¡¯s blood.


    Falth stood tall and proud with a muscled stature. His face seemed to have a permanent expression of both grace and firmness. He held on to his spear with discipline far superior than any honor guard. Any bit of weakness that was on his body disappeared. He shuddered and arched his back before letting out a youthful cry. Suddenly, two charcoal black and heavily veined wings sprouted from his back. The bone running through the wings ended in vicious looking claws that quivered on the ends of the wings.


    ¡°Each one of us need about the same amount of blood I took, some a bit less, but you¡¯ll need to at least give each one of us a dosage of that much if you wish to reinvigorate all of us.¡± Warned Falth.


    The amount of blood Rainier gave to Falth wasn¡¯t as much as Rainier expected- at least he didn¡¯t feel any worse. His arm looked slightly pale for a second, but it was quickly flooded with a new infusion of blood.


    ¡°Do you have to drink straight from the body?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, no, but its effect is much greater the fresher it is. Of course if the blood is poured into a bowl and drank soon after, that would be the same level of freshness.¡± Falth thought about the inquiry for a second before answering.


    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t it be logical to limit the danger by pouring my blood into a separate vessel? I¡¯ll drain my blood into this mug, I¡¯ve got a good handle on how much is needed, so have the next guy come up for a drink while you assist in bringing the coffins up.¡± Rainier pulled out a sturdy ceramic mug from Outpost Roseir. ¡°Sataska, don¡¯t worry, this¡¯ll be safer so you help with unsealing the rest of the coffins.


    Only Rainier or Sataska could pull out the weapons sealing the dhampirs inside the coffin, so it would be efficient for Sataska to perform the rest of the unsealing.


    ¡°Really, I don¡¯t believe you for a second when you say you would be a horrible mate. I chose correctly, and I won¡¯t be denied that truth.¡± Sataska earnestly admired Rainier¡¯s ingenuity and penchant for survival.


    Falth had gained a new level of respect for Rainier. It seemed that the human not only ignored the potential danger of him losing control of his thirst, he never even put the fact that he might die into the equation. Rainier had already developed such a simple idea of dispensing his blood effortlessly and safely.


    Rainier began to knead and wring his arm like a dishrag in order to draw out the blood. He opened the wound with the Razor of Envy a little wider to make the process easier. Rainier winced in pain and agony every second of the procedure, but any amount of pain was worth it if it meant his continued survival.


    Time passed as Rainier gave cup after cup to more of the dhampirs. They each offered eternal thanks and servitude seeing as the eldest of their family had done the same.  They all commented in some way or another how Rainier¡¯s blood tasted unusually delicious taste to the blood. Rainier couldn¡¯t help but notice how, for a lack of a better term, perfect they all were in the looks department. Each of the men was equally handsome in some way or another, not that Rainier knew how to rank someone based on looks when the other party was a male. The females were all of course beautiful, much more so than the average pretty girl back on earth. There were even some that suited Rainier¡¯s tastes to a T.


    ¡®Though I feel like a scumbag if all I do is focus on looks.¡¯ Although he felt a little weaker than when he first started, Rainier could still keep giving blood.


    At this point all but two coffins remained. The members of the Ladia family, including those two coffins amounted to thirty-two. They used their wings to fly around the coffins to tie the ropes and simply lift and pull the coffin at the same time for the quickest work. That mean Rainier gained thirty two elite follows. ¡®Doesn¡¯t that make me like untouchable? Couldn¡¯t I just have these guys simply be my bodyguards?¡¯


    Though Rainier could do that, it felt unbearably¡­ Boring. ¡®I may want to survive in this world, but what¡¯s the point of living if I can¡¯t do anything? Isn¡¯t life about doing what you want and having fun? Dying of course isn¡¯t fun, but it¡¯s the thrill, the adrenaline rush that¡¯s getting me going right now.¡¯


    Then Rainier had an interesting thought. ¡®These guys are essentially calling themselves my servants. They¡¯re also incredible fighters, without a doubt. Maybe I can make use of their talents to¡­¡¯


    ¡°HEAVE!¡± Falth and two more dhampirs were pulling up one of the last two coffins while three other dhampirs did the same to the final coffin.


    One of the dhampirs with Falth, named Porth, wiped the sweat from his brow. ¡°Nera and Tero should be in these two coffins, correct elder?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the twins, I remember seeing them get sealed away in the coffins furthest from mine, and seeing as they have not appeared yet, they must be in these coffins here.¡±


    ¡®Well then, hurry up and get on with it, I¡¯ve already got the blood ready and I¡¯m tired.¡¯ Rainier just wanted to sleep and get on with the day. It was nearing the evening, so he was feeling tired, especially after giving out so much of his blood.


    ¡°Hm? Yes, of course. Let¡¯s hurry up and get these coffins ready for the unsealing.¡± As if Falth, Porth, and the rest of the dhampirs received Rainier¡¯s mental command, they immediately set into the unsealing process.


    ¡®Did I just¡­?¡¯ Rainier had a quizzical expression. It was as if the demand he made in his mind took root in the dhampirs heads, as if Rainier commanded them vocally. Although he only suspected, Rainier believed that he could mentally command each of the dhampirs if he so wished, but the only way to find out was to test his theory.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.¡®Right then¡­ Falth, can you hear me?¡¯ Rainier asked Falth specifically, so far he proved to be quite trustworthy.


    Thinking that Rainier had asked him out loud, Falth replied with his voice. ¡°Yes, lord?¡±


    ¡®Reply with your mind if you can, I¡¯m testing out this telepathy.¡¯ Rainier was ecstatic. He already knew that he shared some sort of telepathic link with Sataska, but he had no idea that he could have one with these dhampirs.


    ¡®You can thought speak? Not even any of the Ladia family can do this. Even among the humans, it is a rare power.¡¯ Falth was quite alarmed yet intrigued at the same time.


    ¡®I call it telepathy, but yes, it seems I can speak with others through my mind.¡¯


    ¡®Amazing, you are full of surprises my lord. I can certainly see that these upcoming days will be interesting.¡¯ Falth nodded with a pleased grin.


    ¡°In any case, there¡¯s no point in using telepathy now. Let¡¯s unseal the last two coffins.¡± Rainier walked over to where the final two coffins were.


    Right now there were three neat rows of coffins laid out totaling ten in each row. There was about twelve dhampirs total hanging around the area with the rest keeping watch around the current territory. Rainier could see some of them stretching their bodies out after their abnormally long sleep. Some of them weren¡¯t too happy about the person their elder was going to have them serve, but what could they do? Humans are extinct and the elder already chose to serve the one human they knew of. Besides, even the stubborn dhampirs had to respect that the human not only unsealed them but freely offered his blood.


    Each of the dhampirs had their polearm of choice which was used to seal them inside their respective coffin. Rainier was surprised to see the weapons and the clothes the dhampirs wore completely unmarred.


    ¡®With this group, I can turn Outpost Roseir into a decently fortified place. Still a real fortress would be cool.¡¯


    ¡°Well, no time like the present. Sataska pull out that weapon.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Rainier and Sataska pulled out the sealing weapons simultaneously and soon following were two loud sounds.


    *CRACK!* *SLAM!*


    The tops to the two coffins were blown off and went flying into the air, even higher than the top to Falth¡¯s coffin.


    ¡°Thiiiirrssssty¡­¡± ¡°Give usss sustenannnncce¡­¡± Two very worn and arid voices called for the same thing, blood.


    Falth and Porth knelt down to the coffins, taking the mugs of Rainier¡¯s blood and tipping them down into what Rainier assumed was a mouth both. Gulping noises came from the coffins and the portions of blood were quickly downed.


    ¡°F-Falth¡­ Elder, how long has it been?¡± One of the dhampirs inside the coffin pushed itself up revealing a very young looking and handsome teenage boy.


    ¡°I do not know exactly¡­ All that I do is that it has been thousands. Dhampirs like us couldn¡¯t very well survive a sleep this long, we were lucky.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ What is this? The blood, it¡¯s taking hold of my mind. Poison?!¡± The boy clutched his head and thrashed about as if trying to shake something loose stuck on his head.


    ¡°No, it is not poison. I guess it is similar to a leash to put it crudely? The old master had died; he was a worthless one to serve anyways. The new lord has already gained my respect. His blood has magical properties to it, so please. Accept the burden of servitude once more.¡± Falth held the boy close to his chest, hugging him like a father. ¡°Nera, come here so that I can hold you as well for the first time in ages.¡±


    Out of the other coffin rose a teenage girl with features similar to the boy, Rainier would believe they were twins without even knowing so earlier. The girl and boy both accepted Falth¡¯s embrace and returned it in kind. It seemed the three had a dear kinship with each other, perhaps familial love?


    ¡®I¡¯ve never had such a thought before. I care about the friends I have but I¡¯ve never thought of someone as family aside from my friend and his younger sister. Even though I said it, I can¡¯t imagine Sataska as a younger sister either.¡¯


    ¡°Now you two, I have one command. The Ladia family will be serving Rainier, that human over there. You two will need to be especially close to him as his personal guards. You two are special, more so than the rest of us so I believe in you both.¡±


    ¡®I get bodyguards? Awesome, I guess.¡¯


    The boy, Tero looked at Rainier and back to Falth before nodding firmly. ¡°Of course, you can trust my sister and I!¡± He then clasped his hands together and declared with a determined voice. ¡°Success and life or failure and death!¡±


    Nera also looked at Rainier, but it was best described as sizing him up. ¡°Yes, Elder.¡± It was clear that she wasn¡¯t too pleased by the prospect of being Rainier¡¯s bodyguard, but Nera would not disobey Falth¡¯s request. She absolutely trusted everything he said, and so she couldn¡¯t find anything noteworthy about Rainier, there had to be a reason Falth liked him so much.


    ¡°Now, Lord, do you have a place of residence?¡± Falth handed him and Sataska freshly sown articles of clothing made of spider silk and other fibers while asking his question.


    It seemed one of the dhampirs was a skilled tailor and quickly made clean clothes for both Rainier and Sataska using completely accurate measurements. The seamstress seemed to be capable of taking their measurements by simply gliding her hands over their bodies in and oddly arousing display, though Rainier remained composed through the matter. Rainier now wore a black form fitting shirt with a hardened leather plate coat for warmth and defense, below he wore matching colored heavy silk pants. Sataska wore an alluring set of hard silk robes colored a distinct dark blue; it had a grey sash to keep it together. In all, the Rainier looked masculine while Sataska had a serene beauty to her. Even Rainier would fall for her if she wasn¡¯t an ant to begin with.


    Back to the matter on hand¡­


    ¡°Hm? Oh yea. Sataska and I are currently taking refuge at Outpost Roseir-Huh?¡± Rainier was instantly interrupted by a dhampir named Ganel who burst into the scene and knelt down on one knee.


    ¡°Lord! Elder! We have apprehended an intruder. We were going to kill him instantly but he said he knew the lord.¡± Ganel reported with urgency, though he didn¡¯t stutter once.


    Rainier tested his ability once more. ¡®Can I impress orders on others too? I¡¯ll try it¡­ Tell me what the intruder¡¯s name is.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, lord. He told us his name was Kosok Kre.¡±  Ganel didn¡¯t even seem to realize that Rainier told him his order via the mind and not vocally. Rainier didn¡¯t even try to use telepathy, he just stared at Ganel and thought out his order.


    Falth¡¯s eyes widened again, it seemed he realized what Rainier just did. The twins as well were both confused, but it seemed they saw the same thing as Falth. In any case, Rainier was surprised to hear the arachnacosa prince¡¯s name again.


    ¡°Geez, it¡¯s good you didn¡¯t kill him. He¡¯s an ally so to speak. Bring him to me, please.¡± Rainier, as though he had been in this position before, felt natural in giving out orders.


    ¡°Yes, lord.¡± Ganel turned around and dashed behind the trees to where he presumably captured Kosok Kre.


    ¡°My lord¡­ Not only can you thought speak, but you possess mental domination?!¡± Exclaimed Falth with a wide open mouth.


    ¡°This hum- I mean our lord has such a rare power? Mental domination is rare even among the true masters of darkness.¡± Nera almost said human and received a sharp glare from Falth so she quickly corrected herself.


    A true master of darkness, or commonly known as a Lunar Lord, are magic users at the top of their craft in the darkness element. So Rainier knew not what Nera was talking about but he understood that this mental domination was not commonplace.


    ¡°I realize it now. I got these mental powers from that evoant queen I killed!¡± Rainier made a mental note to kill even stronger beings with the Razor of Envy from now on.


    ¡°Evoant queen? Ah yes, those do exist now that I think about it. Well that doesn¡¯t explain how you acquired mental domination. Even so, it wouldn¡¯t do for a simple servant like I to know too much about the lord lest someone wrests secrets from me.¡± Falth grinned knowingly.


    ¡°Sataska here is one as well, though she¡¯s nicer than the rest it seems. Treat her as an ally, alright?¡± Rainier was slightly worried that the dhampirs would not show the same level of decency to Sataska considering how she¡¯s part insect and human.


    ¡°As you wish. And I will tell my kin, but some of them may not be too enthused.¡±


    Off to the side, Nera and Tero were speaking to themselves. Even though telepathy was a rare ability, the twins could thought speak to each other at will but not to anyone else unless spoken to.


    Tero began the mental exchange between the siblings. ¡®What do you think of the new master?¡¯


    Nera inspected Rainier with dismissive eyes. ¡®He¡¯s weak. I can¡¯t tell what Elder sees in him.¡¯


    ¡®Hey¡­ I¡¯m sure there is some special quality only Elder can see. He was apparently the first to be awakened among all of us, so even though the time was short, he understands the master best.¡¯  Tero tried to change his sister¡¯s conceited view on Rainier, to no avail.


    ¡®Look at him. He¡¯s clearly not even at the tropospheric level of magic in any element. His eyes and demeanor ooze inexperience and immaturity. His weapons are weak and he has that silly mask on him. Also his choice in companion is appalling, to think a human, and our ¡®lord¡¯ at that has lain with an insignificant ant.¡¯ Nera only assumed Rainier shared a night with Sataska. ¡®Yes, he may have the ability to thought speak with anyone as well as mental domination, but such powers mean nothing if you are too weak and idiotic to make use of them.¡¯


    ¡®Sister, first of all you¡¯re being too unreasonable. Your expectations are quite high due to the previous master¡¯s worthlessness. That man wasn¡¯t even slightly worthy of being our lord: he was an utter piece of trash.¡¯ Tero mercilessly struck down the Ladia family¡¯s previous master. ¡®This new lord, Rainier¡­ We haven¡¯t even known him for more than an hour, we do not know if he is unworthy or not. For now, please work with him until he proves himself. As for his companion, I do not see why her being an evoant has anything to do with it. In my eyes, all races are equally worthy or unworthy.¡¯


    Nera quietly listened to her brother¡¯s silent speech. She deeply respected her brother¡¯s beliefs and reluctantly accepted his request. Whether this mysterious human is any better than the rest of the extinct humans will be up to his future actions to decide.

 Ch. 12: Dominance and Authority 4

    Ch. 12: Dominance and Authority 4


    ¡°Before Ganel comes with this Kosok Kre, let me ask you something, my lord.¡± Falth stood at the ready next to Rainier with Sataska close by. The twins, Nera and Tero were going through Falth¡¯s command of protecting Rainier and took positions relatively close to him keeping watch with their polearms at the ready. ¡°Do you know about magic?¡±


    On a side note, Nera¡¯s weapon was a glaive with two edges on opposite sides of the pole on both ends of the hafts. Tero¡¯s weapon of choice was had a narrow spear tip at the top with a single but long half-moon edge below it.


    ¡°A bit embarrassing to say, but not much.¡± Admitted Rainier. He had gained a few hints of magic through the encyclopedia, but not an actual entry for magic itself. He attributed that to the fact that magic was too vague of a subject to have an entry.


    ¡°Understandable since you are a human from a world without magic.¡± Falth had been told about Rainier¡¯s origin. And while he was initially surprised, he mentioned a few other such occurrences that had happened during his lifetime, though it was still a rare event. ¡°Well then¡­ Where to begin?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a little about these elements, perhaps there? I¡¯m rather curious.¡± In many stories Rainier had read and from various games, there was always the general natural set of elements. He was curious since there seemed to be more than just that in Ademptis.


    ¡°As you wish. Before that even, I should mention this special word: Concept. A concept is everything in Ademptis and the universe. The concept of life, death, fire, emotions, animals, theocracy, justice and so on are all concepts that could not exist without being introduced to this world by the corresponding god of that concept. Many researchers dedicated their whole life in unraveling the mysteries of concepts and achieved very little.  Perhaps the biggest breakthrough was that there existed special items imbued with concept essence by the gods themselves. These special enchantments are unrivaled in their potency and uniqueness.¡±


    ¡®Like the Razor of Envy¡­ And Garavan¡¯s Masque. They must have been imbued with the concepts of envy for the razor and emotions for the masque judging by their encyclopedia entries.¡¯ Rainier instantly broke through the mystery behind his special items by chance.


    ¡°Since concepts are too confusing to truly understand, I won¡¯t spend any more time on them.¡± Falth shrugged as if saying there was nothing he could do. ¡°As for the natural elements, there are twelve total: fire, water, air, earth, light, darkness, life, death, wood, metal, flesh, and cosmic. Cosmic often goes by other names though, like ¡®null¡¯ or ¡®natural¡¯ but cosmic is the most common term. Most species in Ademptis are born with a random natural affinity towards one element, though we dhampirs are born with solely darkness affinity. Aside from the natural affinity, sentient species can learn to specialize in other elements, but very few can learn to use more than three in their lifetime. The last thing I want to mention are the various levels of understanding and skill in using magic, five in total. The weakest level is the tropospheric level, and then from there it is the stratospheric level, mesosphere, thermospheric level, and exospheric level.¡±


    ¡°What can these various elements do?¡± While the fire, water, air, and earth bit was pretty obvious, Rainier had never heard of the rest in fiction.


    ¡°Fire commands hot energy and the flames that perpetuate such heat. Water commands the precious liquid that keeps everything and everyone alive as well as cold energy. Earth commands the stones, crystals, and soil of the land as well as neutral energy. Air commands the inviable gas the surrounds all of life as well as the climate that controls weather.¡±


    ¡®So even the four basic fantasy elements are fairly different than normal.¡¯ Rainier stroked his fuzzy chin. It seemed he had a need to shave which Rainier thought off topic.


    ¡°Light commands not only the visible spectrums life looks through, but the holy might of the sun¡¯s solar energy. Darkness commands the veil that erases light as well as the moon¡¯s lunar energy. Life, albeit a passive form of magic, soothes and revives the weary and hopeless, it can also bring animation to inorganic vessels. Death is also a passive element, but brings solace to the depressed and lonesome; it also commands the art of necromancy which brings animation to organic vessels.¡±


    ¡®I thought death and darkness magic would sound more menacing. It seems even evil sounding magic may actually do the most good in Ademptis.¡¯


    ¡°Wood simply commands the numerous array of plant life in Ademptis, so while the magic may be weak in a wasteland it can be quite powerful in a forest. Metal is weak in offense but holds the most powerful defensive magic. Flesh can be malicious or virtuous in how it¡¯s used as it commands the ability to heal and rend animal flesh. Cosmic energy is without a doubt the most mysterious and most unwieldy of magic as it commands the natural forces in the world such as gravity, space, mass, and other such untouchable laws of nature. Concept magic could also be considered an element, but it is not due to it belonging in the realm of gods.¡±


    ¡°Though I expected as much, it¡¯s a complicated array of information that is hard to completely understand in one sitting.¡±


    Falth nodded with a wry smile. ¡°Yes, not even the most gifted of prodigies can swallow the mysteries of magic all at once.¡±


    ¡°Can you use magic, Falth?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am a triangle elementalist, a magic user who can command three elements. And the ones I use are my natural darkness, fire, and a minor specialty in cosmic. Though I trained more in melee combat, I still have decent proficiency in my magic.¡± Falth spoke with utmost poise. ¡°I am confident enough to believe I could take on a good hundred or more foot soldiers or more without even relying on magic. Though my specialty lies in guerilla warfare.¡±


    This all gave Rainier a lot to think about. One thing Rainier was skilled in was sorting information in his mind and pondering the possibilities, it was a necessity for someone who read as many books as he had. Of course there was no doubt that in the history of Ademptis that someone utilized the vastness of magic into numerous tactics. ¡®Hm, I¡¯ll improvise on this later.¡¯


    ¡°Lord! Here is Kosok Kre.¡± Ganel finally arrived with his spear planted on the ground, firmly announcing his entrance.


    The eight legged spider human calmly strode in, the chittering noise of his spider feet sounded like raindrops on the stones he walked over. Though Kosok Kre was calm, there was a hint of nervousness visible to Rainier.


    Behind Kosok Kre was another dhampir that had its weapon wrapped around Kosok Kre¡¯s neck, a type of polearm with a spear tip and a sharpened hook like a sickle next to it.


    Rainier broke the tension in the air first. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been too long since I last saw you. So I can only guess this must be urgent?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ And now that it seems you have these powerful beings under your command, I am certain you could help.¡±


    ¡°If you say so. Anyways, what did you need help with?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember me mentioning that unknown race of beings inhabiting the northern end of the plateau?¡±


    ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°They are venturing further south than before, even coming into contact with one of our nests. They entered the next and slaughtered everyone inside it, even smashing the eggs into pieces. It has been unanimously decided to assemble a full army and remove them from the plateau.¡±


    ¡°And what does this have to do with me?¡± The arachnacosa should deal with their problems and Rainier would deal with his, that¡¯s what he believed.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it¡°One of my scouts spied someone among the foreign race, someone you might know.¡±


    ¡°I might?¡±


    ¡°It was another human.¡±


    Rainier¡¯s eyes widened and his spine received a sharp jolt. ¡°You said a human?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, hence is why I came over to tell you. You said you were the only human as far as you knew, so what does that make this human? Before you ask how I know exactly he is human, my scout was one of the arachs you met with me. He said this being felt oddly similar to you and I agree.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if I can talk with him.¡± Rainier desperately wanted to understand why he was here, so far the best clue was this human¡¯s sudden appearance. However¡­ ¡°Even if this person is human, why do you need my help?¡±


    ¡°I have seen from you firsthand just how dangerous humans are. Their mindset is incomprehensibly crafty; my kin do not understand this. They simply want to ravage the intruders with a conjoined force. What I want to ask you is for your help, or at the very least, your advice in dealing with the invaders.¡±


    ¡°My lord, there is simply no point in assisting the arachs. There is no benefit for us if we help. Of course I do not presume we take up arms as mercenaries.¡± Falth offered his personal advice to Rainier.


    Rainier nodded in agreement. ¡°Even so, I do want to make contact with this human whether he¡¯s an enemy or not. If he¡¯s an enemy, I¡¯ll side with the arachs. If he¡¯s an ally, I¡¯ll once again be facing the arachs in battle. I¡¯m already too annoyed in having enemies attack me at every turn, though I bet the Ladia could easily handle the arachs.¡±


    ¡°Very.¡±


    Kosok Kre didn¡¯t feel insulted. He already knew that those with power and strength were allowed to be arrogant. It was their prerogative in the world of Ademptis. Still, he was feeling quite apprehensive.


    In all honesty, Kosok Kre respected Rainier¡¯s mindset. He was set on survival and thus didn¡¯t turn down any option whether it would save a life or end dozens. It was those that stuck to a single set of morals, whether evil or good that perished early in this world. You either lie down and die, submit to the strong, or become powerful enough to command the weak.


    ¡°Then how about this. Kosok Kre, I will help you against the invaders and this human¡­¡±


    Kosok Kre¡¯s eyes brightened in hope. ¡°Then-¡±


    ¡°But in exchange, all of the arachs will come under my command and eventual rule.¡±


    The words of a tyrant. The saying of one lustful for power. And the declaration of the conceited.


    ¡°I won¡¯t rule with cruelty nor will I disrespect the arach traditions and beliefs. All I want is for you to hear my call when I have need of arach might in the future.¡±


    Rainier knew full well what his words implied. He meant each and every one of them. The true path to survival in his mind was to become an untouchable presence, a leader of men and creatures.


    ¡°You¡­ Are not kidding?¡± Kosok Kre almost couldn¡¯t believe the words coming out of Rainier¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°I am entirely serious. What, you want it down on paper?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯ve never heard anything so audacious.¡±


    Even the dhampirs around them could hardly believe Rainier¡¯s words. The only ones with reactions other than surprise were Tero who seemed to have an eternally blank face and Falth who was giddily chuckling like a monkey.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s your answer?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t speak for all of the arachs as a whole, only a good third of them are truly loyal to me. The rest are divided amongst four other leaders who may not be as interested in your demand.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mind? I¡¯m surprised.¡±


    ¡°I have always held a hope for my people. That we would someday stop hiding on top of the plateau and enter the world as a major civilization. Of course something like that can only happen after centuries of growth, but for some reason you make me think that you can make it happen even sooner. The elder of my people are content to stay alive among the lands we¡¯ve hunted on since we first settled here. However, I believe in a new world that is open to ambition. Sitting there is boring and won¡¯t bring any glory to the arachs. Even if you are human, you are wise and tenacious enough to fulfill my dream.¡±


    There was certainly an air of charisma orbiting Kosok Kre¡¯s speech. Rainier couldn¡¯t help but feel moved by his words. ¡°Well then, any objections guys?¡± Rainier posed this question to everyone around him.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t do for me to doubt the lord¡¯s words.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say! I¡¯ll stand by you through every hardship!¡±


    ¡°Admirable¡­¡± Tero¡¯s eyes opened a little wider as he practically whispered his praise.


    Only Nera wasn¡¯t influenced as easily as everyone else by Rainier¡¯s charisma. Nera closed off a section of her mind so that Tero couldn¡¯t interfere with her thoughts. ¡®This human is too odd. He¡¯s far different from the weak ones I once knew. He can talk big like them and he¡¯s just as arrogant as them.¡¯ Nera¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡®Yet why is he so confident? He isn¡¯t skilled in combat or magic. He has no admirable skills that suit a leader. He may have mental domination, but other than that there is nothing noteworthy about him.¡¯


    So just why did everyone seemed so drawn in to Rainier? Nera could not fathom the reason.


    ¡°Kosok Kre, relay this message to the other arach leaders word for word.¡±


    ¡°Alright, shoot. My memory is very good, it needs to be in order to have memorized the amount of spells I have.


    ¡°I understand you are about to lead your forces into a failed siege on the invading forces. Well do not fear because I am willing to help you under the single condition that I am given lead command of your forces. If you worry that I am going to fail or are not qualified as a leader, let me assure you I am gifted with a superior level of knowledge in any type of warfare. You will not lose with me in command. After all, I have the knowledge of some of the greatest generals of all time.¡±


    Rainier did not lie. Sun Tzu, Hannibal, Charlemagne, Nobunaga Oda, and even Shaka Zulu, Rainier has read about the exploits of each of these extraordinary leaders including their tactics.


    With his knowledge from earth¡¯s past generals and his own mind constantly improvising, Rainier was confident he would not lose even to another human from either Ademptis or his world.

 Ch. 13: Dominance and Authority 5

    Ch. 13: Dominance and Authority 5


    ¡°And this is Outpost Roseir, my home for right now.¡±


    Rainier gestured towards the entrance to the underground base. Most of his improvised traps from before were already cleaned up and gotten rid of. Rainier was glad he didn¡¯t need to rely on those unpredictable traps anymore.


    Along the way home, Rainier had some of the dhampirs collect supplies he needed. Namely blaze crystals along with any other kinds they could find. He also had two of them collect a supply of wretched poisonfingers and their poison. Other than that and some hunting for food, Rainier led Sataska and the rest of the dhampirs back to the outpost.


    ¡°A simple place not fit for people of our stature. It¡¯ll have to do for now I suppose until better lodgings are available.¡±


    ¡°Nera, don¡¯t be rude.¡± Falth sighed and indifferently shook his head. Already during the walk several similar comments came from Nera¡¯s mouth, but Falth gave up trying to truly reprimand her.


    ¡°Yes Elder.¡±


    Rainier didn¡¯t care himself. If he tried to shoot down every hostile comment from everyone, his voice would have given out long ago. Even he was prone to making rude comments every now and then considering his banter with Sataska.


    ¡°There should be enough rooms here for the thirty-two of you. You can transport the coffins you use for sleeping into here.¡±


    ¡°The coffins we sleep in are symbolic in nature, true vampires may need them but us halves do not. Of course symbolism plays a great deal in the magic of Ademptis. We only truly need our coffins for meditation. But after this long sleep of ours, I doubt we will need to meditate for a great amount of time.¡±


    ¡°Outpost Roseir, I heard this used to be the first human bastion on the Roseir Plateau during the war between humans and the avians. Of course both races do not exist anymore, but it is still a wondrous place in history.¡± Ganel leaned forward with his arms wrapped around his polearm behind his neck. ¡°History is such a fantastic subject¡­ Lord, did you perhaps find anything like a written statement on this place or any books?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, head all the way down the hall, go right and it¡¯s the final room on your left. There are also all the necessities to keep a reasonably sized group up to one hundred in this outpost, so there can be a room per person if that is what everyone would like.¡±


    ¡°How about a training room for weaponry and magic?¡± Inquired Falth as the group of dhampirs dispersed into various directions to check out the place.


    ¡°Erm, it¡¯s not that big, so no.  At most there¡¯s an armory and out of use blacksmithing station along with some ratty old dolls to practice on.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also an open air room which seemed to be a stable for flying mounts. Fairly convenient for you guys to fly out if there¡¯s an emergency.¡± Rainier was fairly proud with how he turned the entire outpost into a clean and reasonable area for living. He had spent a great deal of time sprucing the place by himself into a suitable living area.


    Unfortunately Rainier hardly had anytime to live inside it until now.


    ¡°While we dhampirs won¡¯t need to sleep due to our long rest, we can still do so to pass the time.¡± Falth then turned to the twins. ¡°Tero and Nera, unless you need to recover from an injury or a lack of energy, guard Lord Rainier at all times.¡±


    Nera half frowned while her brother dipped his head in respect and curtly smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s not really necessary, I¡¯m not defenseless you know.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, Lord. While I have not yet seen it, I have no doubt of your skill. Still, allow me to put my own mind at ease by having Nera and Tero guard you as needed.


    ¡°Even if some creature managed to enter the outpost without being accosted and slain by the rest of the Ladia, there is no way it could survive for too long inside the outpost.¡±


    Rainier knew far too well not to underestimate Ademptis. However, that also meant the various monsters of Ademptis shouldn¡¯t underestimate him and his following of dhampirs. Survival was a luxury everything in Ademptis needed to spare every expense for, from the lowliest fish to the mightiest dragon.


    It was late evening and there were some things Rainier needed to take care of before sleep, namely dinner. Rainier was a competent cook, but there was little he could do without knowledge of ingredients.


    ¡°Falth, is there anyone among the Ladia that can teach me about food ingredients around here?¡±


    ¡°Hm, yes. Nera and Tero bring the lord to Rasi. In the meantime I will begin managing my family member¡¯s duties.¡± Falth then turned to Sataska. ¡°You are Sataska, my lord¡¯s consort? Well the lord can be with whomever he wishes, but I will require you for a few moments.¡± Falth pushed Sataska along with him harmless with his intent.


    Sataska clearly wasn¡¯t expecting to be practically forced along with Falth. ¡°H-huh? Waaaait! I want to be with Rainierrrrr-.¡± Her voice trailed off as Rainier watched with a half lidded expression clearly amused.


    ¡°If I may inquire, how exactly did you impress Elder Falth?


    Tero had been very curious about Rainier. He had not a chance to ask him anything without being in Falth¡¯s presence until now.


    ¡°Nothing much. I simply unsealed him after bringing his coffin from being hung below the cape.¡± Rainier wasn¡¯t sure himself what exactly Falth saw in him.


    ¡°Falth has no mental probing magic, but he is a very good judge in character which I trust more than magic itself. I can¡¯t say the same for my sister, but let us get along.¡± Tero had an amiable voice that seemed reluctant in general to be rude to anyone.


    Nera¡¯s eyes opened just a little wider hearing her brother¡¯s words. She even clicked her tongue in annoyance when she heard him mention herself.


    Rainier smirked. ¡°I don¡¯t mind since her haughty appearance is rather cute.¡±


    ¡°I-¡­ Hmph!¡± Nera didn¡¯t expect the nonchalant compliment and lost her composure for only half a second before regaining her emotionless expression.


    Unfortunately for her, the damage was done. Rainier was satisfied with his playful provocation. He was rather entertained when he played with other¡¯s emotions like that harmlessly or otherwise.


    Tero and Nera brought Rainier to a dhampir that was making herself acquainted with the kitchen establishment in the outpost. She introduced herself as Rasi who wielded an extremely long spear around 5.5 meters long and had dark purple robes draping around her body.


    Rainier had Rasi teach him about all of the various ingredients belonging to the Roseir Plateau as well as cooking techniques belonging to various places the human empire had reached those many years ago. His mind easily retained all of the information and soon his cooking skills reached far beyond the rudimentary survival cooking he fashioned during his time with Sataska.


    Since Rasi seemed to believe that only those with adequate skills in cooking were to be let in the kitchen along with those who wish to learn those skills, she had Tero and Nera wait outside the kitchen.


    Rasi proved to be an apt teacher, Rainier learned very quickly and the two engaged in conversation as the former was rather interested in the latter.


    ¡°If I may ask, Lord-¡± Rasi attempted to speak but was immediately cut off.


    ¡°Rainier, just call me Rainier please. I¡¯m not a rich or noble guy at all so it¡¯s kind of getting on my nerves being call that all the time.¡± Yes, Rainier wasn¡¯t particularly fond of the new title.


    ¡®If I had to have a title I would¡¯ve preferred choosing my own. Maybe something like Exarch or Legate? Those sound pretty cool.¡¯ Whatever Rainier¡¯s sense of style dictated, his having a title was here to stay.


    ¡°The honor of being noble does not come from birth or blood, erm¡­ Rainier. It comes naturally to those who are deserving. Simply being born or acquiring wealth and power does not count.¡±


    ¡°As you say, but I honestly haven¡¯t done anything special enough to warrant this honor or nobility you talk about. Freeing a group of people from their coffins that I didn¡¯t even know were sleeping in or knew nothing about shouldn¡¯t be enough to be described as a great deed.¡±


    Rainier didn¡¯t know why he tortured himself so often. He didn¡¯t think so lowly of himself, so why was he always so humble with his words when attempting to explain his actions? Rainier himself did not know the answer.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always pondered the meaning of power and how and why should one have it. I often wonder how the gods of yore were put in their position. Were they born powerful or did they do something amazing to gain their power?¡± Rasi seemed to stare into Rainier, as if boring through his body with a contemplative gaze. She then shook her head as if throwing away a nagging thought. ¡°Pay me no mind, my words are too heavy for this atmosphere.¡±


    ¡®No kidding? Christ, you should think more happy thoughts.¡¯ Rainier had a blank open smile that seemed to say, ¡°What the heck is she on?¡±


    ¡°Hm, perhaps I should think more happy thoughts?¡±


    Rainier raised his eyebrows, just now realizing that he mentally manipulating her. His mental domination was more potent that he thought. Along the way to Outpost Roseir he noticed aside from the obvious distance restriction of the mental domination that weakened depending on the distance from him to his target, that his mental commands were much more potent on weaker willed creatures. He also realized that since the dhampirs had wills like steel, he figured that their ingesting of his blood played a part in the mental magic.


    Of course without proper study this was all just a hypothesis to Rainier, but the logic behind it seemed unshakeable.


    ¡°Allow to make you tonight¡¯s dinner. Of course you can make it yourself if you so choose, but I would be pleased if you would allow me to take care of your meals. You are our master and I am sure you enjoy my mastery of food.¡±


    ¡°Hm, alright then. Let me have your best. In the meantime I¡¯ll be in the aviary.¡± Rainier learned that the name to the room containing the stables for flying mounts was normally called an aviary.


    Rasi smiled sweetly with closed eyes. She seemed almost motherly despite her young appearance. ¡°I will do this. And I have one favor I wish to request you, though it is rather inappropriate to do so.¡±


    Rainier cocked his head to the side. ¡°Which is?¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Please treat my children well. Though she is intolerant in a way, Nera is a headstrong and loyal girl. Tero is equally so, but he is quite vengeful and malicious against his enemies.¡±


    ¡®So she is a mother, and to those twins no less.¡¯ Rainier didn¡¯t feel very surprised, but he still did not expect Rasi to be their mother. He quickly nodded and left the kitchen.


    Once outside, he saw Tero and Nera standing outside. Out of desire to tease the two, especially the sister, Rainier said, ¡°Rasi was quite the gossip. She said some interesting things about you two as your parent.¡±


    Both Tero and Nera comically widened their eyes to the size of mugs. ¡°Whatever she said-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t believe her!¡± They spoke simultaneously resulting in a jumble of words that Rainier could understand but feigned doing so and shrugged his shoulders not caring.


    He wrapped his arms behind his necked and rested his head while walking with an amused expression towards the aviary. Along the way, he could see several dhampirs involved into truly restoring the outpost to a larger degree than he ever could alone. He could also see an influx of supplies from food of plant and animal life. There even bunches of uniquely colored crystals divided into colors with the blaze crystals in one bunch.


    ¡°In the Ladia family, half of us specialize in combat like myself, Nera, Falth and Ganel by physical weapons or magic. The other half are also skilled in combat, but specialize mainly in various professions like hunting, alchemy, mechanics, enchanting, sewing, smithing, and so on.¡± Explained Tero as they walked by. ¡°My mother would belong to the latter with her cooking skills, although she can be incredibly dangerous with her pike if angered.¡±


    ¡°I can see that happening¡­¡±


    Rainier imagined someone walking to Rasi and casually calling her old, and thus invoking the wrath of a thousand suns.


    ¡­


    Moments later, Rainier found himself standing at the very edge of the opening in the aviary. And as always, the view from this location was spectacular.


    This time he could not see Magnus marching about like always, but Rainier could still hear the loud venting of steam in the distance past the horizon. He could barely make out the ground; his antenna proved quite useless even at this distance. A thin layer of fog draped the scene like always. In the sky, Rainier could see a group of cloud wyverns making their next in a dense group of cumulus clouds.


    ¡°Looks like they are raising their young in that cloud, how adorable.¡± Although Rainier¡¯s blank tone didn¡¯t suggest that he actually found it adorable.


    He sat down next to a ledge and began eating the meal Rasi prepared for him. It consisted of a hot soup that warmed him to bone. The soup itself had a taste between chicken and vegetable stock with wild herbs, soft nuts, rachr root for more body, and a strange but tasty chunks of meat Rainier vaguely recognized belonged to the hornet stag. On the side there was a plate with a pretty decorative arrangement consisting of ether pears (similar taste to pears but more airy and fluffy), pinyars (a blood yellow colored fruit with a sour pineapple taste), and chasis seeds. For a drink, Rainier simply had clean water filtered by a dhampirs water magic.


    Tero and Nera ate similar meals since dhampirs couldn¡¯t subsist off blood. To a dhampir, blood was like an addictive, but beneficial, drug. So they still needed to eat normal food for nutrients and energy.


    During the middle of the meal, Sataska came by with a dead air around her. ¡°I¡­ I cannot believe that man. Is Rainier truly the only decent person I know?¡±


    ¡°Who? Falth? What¡¯d he do?¡± Rainier was quite curious about what exactly Falth wanted with Sataska.


    Sataska looked at Rainier as if he was a single light in the darkness of death. She took a giant leap of joy and landed neatly besides him and attempted to wrap her arms around Rainier, though he managed to keep her away by slamming his palm into her face.


    Sataska licked the fingers of the hand keeping her way which prompted a quick return on Rainier¡¯s part. With nothing obstructing her, she explained. ¡°He-HE LECTURED ME! Imagine that? A queen like I being lectured, unthinkable!¡±


    ¡°And what exactly did he lecture you on?¡± Rainier shook the hand that had saliva coated on it in disgust.


    ¡°On how to be a proper and useful consort to you of course. I don¡¯t need to be taught that when I am obviously such an amazing queen in the first place.¡±


    ¡®What amazing confidence. It¡¯s almost admirable in a way. Of course her being an utter idiot makes it meaningless.¡¯


    ¡°Specifically, he taught me about proper etiquette and manners as well as how to act like lady. I may have not grown up in a human environment like you dhampirs, but I am most assuredly a lady!¡±


    ¡®Lady¡­ If you really think that, then you have to be on some sort of reality bending drug.¡¯


    ¡°She has much to learn if she is to be your queen like she claims. Though I can only teach her so much until I hand her off to a proper teacher in the art of being a noblewoman.¡± Falth nodded knowingly with a pleased expression.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here. Falth, time to get to brass tacks. I need you to carry out my orders.¡±


    ¡°While I do not understand the portion about brass, I am ready to carry out your commands.¡± Falth answered with an eager grin.


    To Rainier, it was finally time to start striding down the path to his goal. His main goal was survival, and the simplest way to accomplish that was to eliminate all of his enemies and assimilate potential allies. In this case, absorbing the arachnacosa while helping them defeat a potential threat in the far north of Roseir Plateau.


    ¡°How many of the dhampirs are skilled in covert operations and stealth?¡±


    ¡°All of us. Every dhampir has trained to various degrees their natural element of darkness which have a decent array of concealment type spells.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Well, I want at least four or more if needed to head towards the northern tip of the plateau and scout out the inhabitants of the area. If you can, identify their race, overall forces, magic, and city weaknesses. As a priority, I want to know how they got on top of the Roseir Plateau. According to the arachnacosa, they are invaders and thus were not there originally.¡± Rainier paused for a few moments, collecting his thoughts. ¡°I want a different set of four to do the same with the arachnacosa, but focus on these other leaders Kosok Kre mentioned. If possible, I want the arachnacosa under one banner and eventually under my own. Lastly, send how many you think is needed to see what potential threats or useful resources can be found. And by resources, use your imagination. Almost everything may have a use.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Rainier.¡± Falth bowed and walked out of the aviary.


    -----


    While Rainier concocted his plans, there was another force at large on the Roseir Plateau.


    This force belonged to a race of sentient beings which branched off of the old draconic species. They were known as the Karkans, a race of bestial ferocity and unwavering loyalty. They were currently occupying the northernmost territory of the plateau and were facing off against the Arach race.


    Normally Karkans answered only to their own power and looked down upon any race or nation that was even the slightest bit weaker than them. However, they were among the last sentient races that still survived in Ademptis against all odds. And to do so, they had to sacrifice their race¡¯s cornerstone to survival to grab that small chance at continued survival. They performed an exospheric summoning magic ritual to summon a hero. They summoned a human champion with the potential to bring their race greatness which is surprising given their racist attitude.


    In order to acquire this hero, the Karkans sacrificed their immense pride towards their race. They still believed themselves, but the fervent belief that fueled warriors with strength. Their troops of both magical and foot soldiers were still strong, but they lost that mental aspect that brought their race much in the way of territory. However, their lost pride and belief was replaced with a new spirit that placed resolute trust in their summoned hero.


    His name is Musala Kasamir, a Bulgarian of thirty years of age.


    ¡°So, how is the city colonization proceeding?¡±


    Musala asked this while conferring with his advisors in the building at the center of the city.


    ¡°The revitalizing of the firehouse is going well. We have our second most powerful fire mage with all the necessary materials to set it ablaze.¡± Reported on Karkan with a pleased smile. One of the most essential buildings in a large city was its firehouse.


    ¡°Our skirmishes against the native spider-humans have gone well. Our casualties in each conflict are one of ours to five of them.¡±


    ¡°The great stairwell is nearly fully restored; soon our people can fully colonize the vast land of the Roseir Plateau.¡±


    ¡°We have also brought our ecologists to begin identifying the edibles and dangers of the various flora and fauna of the plateau.¡±


    ¡°The city defenses have been fully restored first thing like you ordered, Sire. Farseers and arhers have been posted on the watchtowers and walls with our vanguard force preparing itself for when our scouts find the native¡¯s home.¡±


    Musala smirked. ¡°Excellent¡­ And you¡¯re sure that you didn¡¯t locate any high humans in the area?¡±


    ¡°No, all humans, including you, have the same sort of ¡®high¡¯ presence. And I did not sense any such power on the plateau. Although a word of warning, the Roseir Plateau is large. If a high human skilled in concealing their presence was around, I could very well miss it.¡±


    ¡°As you say, but I do not believe any of us humans could master magic in this short amount of time. No doubt most of us, myself aside, are still panicking like fish out of water. Even if we do find such a guy, I¡¯m quite certain we will defeat him or her.¡±


    Musala was abnormally confident in himself. He was, after all, a veteran mercenary officer back on Earth. While born in Bulgaria, his impeccable record in military service acquired the eye of a private military corporation and was promptly hired. Peace, after all, was boring. His skill and experience in commanding not only his fellow mercenaries, but rebel forces in Eastern Europe.


    After he was summoned to Ademptis by the Karkans, he quickly adapted as befitting of his personality. After consolidating himself as the undisputed leader of the Karkans, he formed a plan in bringing the race he was responsible for to economic and military greatness fueled by expansion. He would not be satisfied in leading only the Karkans, it was Musala Kasamir¡¯s intent to take over all the surviving sentient races.


    After all, to Musala there was no point in living if you didn¡¯t challenge yourself.

 Ch. 14: Dominance and Authority 6

    Ch. 14: Dominance and Authority 6


    ¡°You two, be quiet and follow me. Close in your wings tightly. It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve participated in a stealth operation, so let¡¯s make this quick and dirty.¡± The dhampir known as Ganel was currently latched on to the side of a cliff where the ancient city of Vectoir.


    Vectoir- The first and only major city of note on the Roseir Plateau. What was once a citadel for humans slowly developed over decades into a metropolis for mainly humans with the addition of other major races, most notably the karkans. Vectoir was also the first city to detach itself from the human empire during its collapse, soon falling prey to Ademptis¡¯ corruption. The city finally lost its last little vestige of civilization from aggressive raids by arachs, a new hive of evoants, and a force led by genocidal intent karkans. Recently, Vectoir has taken over by karkans in order to gain more territory.


    Karkans- A race of warlike beings descended from the ancient draconic race. Their culture revolves around bloodshed and being the strongest race of beings around, however the corruption of Ademptis proved to be an annoying adversary. Their empire¡¯s remnants consists of twelve minor cities, two major cities, and numerous outposts where their military conducts patrols from. They frequently clashed with the extinct humans but ultimately lost nearly every war they participated in against their most hated foe due to a lack of belief in tactics.


    The party Ganel led consisted of three dhampirs all well versed in scouting and stealth. Ganel had his usual weapon, a trident with its prongs serrated like steak knives. The second, a male with a cylindrical tube on his back holding numerous extendable javelins followed Ganel, rock climbing with speed and ease. The third dhampir, also male, had equipped an oak staff, he was the group¡¯s main magic user.


    When the three of them finally neared the edge of the cliff on the back end of Vectoir, they could pick up words of conversation being exchanged, presumably by karkans. Ganel peered over the cliff face, to see congregations of said karkans mulling about eating a supper of what he smelled was the meat of a hornet stag and spring vegetables.


    One of the karkans began walking towards his group¡¯s direction, though not because Ganel was found out.


    Once the furred humanoid neared the cliff¡¯s edge, Ganel grabbed its ankle and pulled it over the edge before it could even react.


    The karkan tried to cry out, but found out he couldn¡¯t speak as if the vocal cords in his throat were constricted. More accurately, the magic user in Ganel¡¯s group cast a darkness attribute spell to silence the sound surrounding the karkan. In essence, sound waves could not travel within the influenced area of that spell¡¯s epicenter.


    ¡°Let¡¯s split up now. Survey the city as much as possible, identifying fortifications, locating mages, counting its forces, and anything else of interest. In particular, find the commander of this force so that we may better identify him in the future. If you can perform any sabotage without drawing attention to our presence, all the better. Meet at the top of the firehouse in two hours or earlier if an alarm is raised.¡±


    Ganel¡¯s compatriots nodded and dispersed.


    -----


    ¡°So this is where the Arachs live¡­ A bit dirty, don¡¯t you think?¡± Commented Rainier casually to Kosok Kre.


    ¡°I would say the same to you. But you lived in a fortified outpost compared to our city of burrows and web. There are major differences.¡± Kosok Kre wasn¡¯t insulted, he couldn¡¯t afford to when he had already thrown in his lot with the human.


    ¡°Alright, so tell me about these representatives of your race. You mentioned they hold considerable sway over the Arachs?¡±


    ¡°Not as much as I wish even though I am the reigning prince, but I have more than enough to make it useful. Though I don¡¯t have enough sway to change the beliefs of everyone.¡± Kosok Kre grit his teeth, he clearly didn¡¯t like it when his own people undermined his authority.


    Rainier walked beside Kosok Kre through a wide tunnel which was essentially the main street for the home city of the Arachs. It seemed the Arachs had several ¡°cities¡± which were all connected underground by tunnels and above ground by crude paths. Only numbering four settlements total, the one Rainier was currently walking in was basically the arach capital known as Kochla.


    Kochla- The capital city of the arach race on the Roseir Plateau. First built around fifty years before the long cataclysm of corruption that overtook Ademptis. The Arachs, ever since their creation, longed for a home of their own which they finally found on the Roseir Plateau. They began construction on their small territory modestly, which proved to be a smart move when corruption took Ademptis.


    ¡°Well, nevertheless I¡¯m impressed by the arachs¡¯ way of life.¡± Rainier spoke the truth.


    He was truly fascinated by the capable hunter-gatherer society of arachnacosa warriors. They had a complex system of tunnels created by capable engineers. They also had an adept education system which not only taught basic skills but also magic and the English language (or whatever English was called in Ademptis).


    Tero and Nera were the only two accompanying Rainier. Sataska was forced to stay behind due to the animosity between evoants and arachnacosa. In order to placate her, Rainier promised her he would have her at his side for his soon to happen largest plan.


    ¡°Alright, YOU TWO!¡± Kosok Kre barked at two arachnacosa city guards dressed in grey armor and holding serrated longswords.


    The guards slapped their armored chests in reply, waiting for their kre¡¯s command.


    ¡°Escort these three to the meeting room of the council building. Provide them every accommodation they ask for as they are my personal guests.¡± Kosok Kre spoke with a dignified air surrounding him.


    ¡°Are they¡­?¡± One of the guards couldn¡¯t help but inquire about the identity of the kre¡¯s guests.


    Kosok Kre shook his head. ¡°They are not the invaders. They are humans I am gambling our existence on. At the very least, treat them as you would treat me.¡±


    ¡°¡°As you command!¡±¡±


    Kosok Kre turned to Rainier and the twins. ¡°I am going to summon the other figures holding influence over my people, how you deal with them is up to you, Rainier. There are three of them, Sharok answers to power, Dulcek is a self-absorbed idiot, and Maork only answers to personal gain. Personally, I dislike all three of them, but their skills are there.¡±


    ¡°Hm, well I¡¯ll just wing it once we get to that point. Alright, see you at the meeting.¡± Rainier turned and followed the two arachnacosa guards to the council building.


    -----


    The council building wasn¡¯t a building so to speak, rather it was a cordoned off area surrounding by cut stone to give it the illusion of a building buried underground. Rainier noticed that in this more noble and wealthy portion of Kochla that the tunnels were made with cobblestone paths with the materials used being something akin to sandstone.


    Underground plants aligned many of the larger tunnels and underground rooms like glowing roots and mushrooms. Rainier paused to take a look at two entries that updated within the encyclopedia.


    Moonroot- A plant with above ninety percent of its surface underground and the remaining ten gathering the energy of the moon which gives it the ability to glow. The moonroot stretches further and wider the more you get underground to gather more moisture until it ends. It is often raised and grown by underground sentient species in order to reinforce their burrows and underground tunnels due to the root¡¯s strength and light it gives off.


    Whitecap- A type of mushroom that glows a bright white thanks to its magical properties. The whitecap gathers underground magical energy to illuminate its surroundings underground for the sole purpose of gathering small animals and insects to carry its spores for further growth in other areas. It is often cultivated by underground races for the purpose of illuminating passageways and food as the whitecap¡¯s stem is highly nutritious unlike its poisonous cap.


    Rainier studied the whitecap entry for a few seconds. He thought about taking some whitecaps with him to further cultivate a wider variety of poison instead of sticking with the toxin made from wretched poisonfingers.


    ¡°Honored guests, this is the council building. Please step inside.¡± A guard led the trio through the open passage into the council building and led them directly to a circular room where a sculpted stone mound rested in the center. ¡°I apologize for the lack of seating arrangements. We arach¡¯s have not had visitors from another race in¡­ For as long as I can remember.¡±


    Rainier shrugged. It didn¡¯t really matter to him. ¡°Hm, could you please get someone to bring some food down for me? I like tasting new foods I¡¯ve never had before. You want some too, Nera? Tero?¡±


    ¡°You honestly expect me to eat what these¡­ Things consider food?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Both the twins answered in turn.


    Not offended by Nera¡¯s rudeness, the guard that had spoken to Rainier nodded his head. ¡°I will have someone bring to you some of our specialties. Cooking isn¡¯t exactly something we arach¡¯s indulge in, but we prepare our foods in advance from time to time. I believe the food will arrive before the council does, around fifteen minutes at minimum.¡±


    Time passed while Rainier spoke with Nera and Tero, preparing on how to deal with this council.


    Of the three, Rainier felt that only Sharok would be swayed to his side. Maork would as well as long as if he was fine with personal gain under Rainier¡¯s conditions. Dulcek, the apparent self-absorbed idiot would most likely be the biggest problem but also the most easily dealt with.


    He thought about this as he ate the food which had come in moments ago by an arachnacosa servant whose head looked down at the ground nearly the whole time the servant was in the meeting room.


    The food didn¡¯t look particularly appetizing, probably thanks to the brusque nature of the arachnacosa society. However, the taste spoke for its own. Rainier first ate what appeared to be seared worms which had a chewy texture but a surprisingly decent taste resembling tender rib meat without the bones (Rainier later found out these were indeed worms of the Scaleworm species). The second dish consisted of whitecap stems with some sort of meat next to it. The stems absorbed the juices giving a lovely juicy taste. Rainier liked this dish the best of them all after trying the rest.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.Despite there being one dish he particularly liked, Rainier felt the dishes were rather subpar. He believed he could make superior versions of these foods with his own flair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know WHY you brought the enemy to us, our HOME CITY of all places. Are you trying to prove yourself a simpering weakling of a prince?!¡±


    ¡°Calm yourself, Sharok. They are not a part of the invaders and I believe they can help us wipe out the threat to the north. It is simply the conditions of them doing so you will have a problem with.¡± This voice belonged to Kosok Kre while the former Rainier believed to be Sharok.


    ¡°Hrm, if they have the skill and power to do so, I¡¯ll respect them. If not, then I¡¯ll have them killed before they leave.¡±


    ¡°They can hear you, Sharok. And do not worry about power or skill. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll recognize them.¡±


    Kosok Kre entered the circular room where Rainier stood about lazily with Tero and Nera tending to their weapons. Kosok Kre was followed by ten other arachnacosa, three of which followed Kosok Kre¡¯s suit and surrounded the stone mound. The other six were city guards but with armor and arms of a seemingly higher quality than the normal guards, they took positions in around the back of the room with space divided equally.


    ¡°Allow me to introduce you all. These here are my guests: Rainier and his personal guard of Tero and Nera. Rainier, these three are Sharok, Dulcek, and Maork. Sharok is the general of our forces. Dulcek manages our general infrastructure such as tunneling and city supplies. Maork coordinates the people such as education and hunting and gathering.¡±


    So far, Rainier didn¡¯t have a good impression on any of the three and he felt that they each had a similar outlook on him.


    ¡°So, say what you¡¯re going to say, no point in waiting.¡± Barked Sharok.


    Rainier nodded slightly and began his speech. ¡°I understand you face a severe threat of invaders to the north. These new invaders pose a larger threat than anything you¡¯ve faced so far and I am quite certain they will not stop at a single city. They will continue to spread until your race has either fled or are annihilated. While I am not looking down on your own might, I know for a fact that when a large group begins a colonization or invasion, they are confident in their abilities to do so.¡±


    Rainier noticed Dulcek sneering under his breath as he listened to Rainier¡¯s words. Surprisingly, Sharok and Maork had looks of acknowledgement, as if they fully or partially agreed with Rainier¡¯s words.


    ¡°As we speak, I have spies investigating this city which is known as Vectoir. I even know the race of the invaders, they are called karkans. Karkans are a fierce race of individuals hell bent on superiority in combat. The only reason why I know the arachs would lose in a battle against karkans is simply because they are more experienced in warfare. However, with my knowledge, my exceptionally skilled followers, and your superior numbers, I am more than confident in eradicating the karkans. I say this, I will eliminate every last karkan on the Roseir Plateau with or without your help, and of course it¡¯d be easier with. I will ONLY do this under a single condition.¡± Rainier grit his teeth, the hard part was coming up. However he was confident.


    ¡°And this condition is?¡± Queried Maork. He was the type of fellow who liked adding conditions to his proposals, so he was always wary when someone else did the same.


    ¡°The arach race will be under my rule. This is the sole condition.¡± Rainier patiently waited for the expected reactions.


    Sharok, Dulcek, and Maork each performed different actions but all out of surprise or indignation.


    ¡°Of course with the arachs under my rule, I will use my knowledge to help your people expand and prosper. Of course in doing so, you will be helping me in future plans with your military forces. However, I can promise that I will bring the arachs a promising future.¡± Rainier was not lying here.


    Thanks to his consumption of knowledge from reading many different types of books on earth, he had many ways to improve the more primitive civilizations like that of the arachs. There was no point in being a ruler if you don¡¯t help your own people change from underground dwellers to proud citizens who can live above ground without fear and the promise of a future.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Rainier focused his eyes on Dulcek, who finally began talking after frequently disregarding Rainier¡¯s words. ¡°You filthy maggot. I will not stand for this, the arach race are a proud people who will never submit to maggots like you. I won¡¯t stand here anymore to listen to your drivel, guards! KILL THIS MAGGOT RIGHT NOW!¡±


    Then Rainier took action. He jumped forward while drawing the Razor of Envy. With great speed, he dashed over the stone mound and kicked Dulcek in the head, knocking the head back. He then took both of Dulcek¡¯s arms and pinned them behind his back with Rainier¡¯s weight pressing into the hold while also holding the dagger tightly against the arachnacosa¡¯s neck.


    The guards intended to intercept Rainier and kill him, though not out of Dulcek¡¯s command but because of his sudden aggression. However, their weapons were somehow wrested from their grasp and dropped to the ground. Tero and Nera hastily disarmed each of the six guards in the room with several twirls of their poleweapons. They know held the weapons pointed at one guard and a lethal magic spell already charged at another. If Rainier commanded, they would instantly kill four arachnacosa guards and then swiftly kill the remaining two.


    ¡°I am not here to be hostile, but I do intend to get what I want. Sharok, you respect power, do you not? Tero and Nera here are just two highly skilled dhampirs among a slew of their veteran comrades. I myself am not weak and can easily get even more powerful with every foe I slay. Maork, apparently you respond well to personal gain¡­ While I cannot promise anything right away, gamble on me and I will bring you great riches to not only you but all of the arachs and anyone else I bring under my rule. As for Dulcek here, I deem him unworthy and unless you all wish otherwise, I¡¯ll kill him here.¡± Rainier spoke very stoically, his voice not wavering or cracking for even a single moment.


    Never had Rainier believed he would speak like this back on earth. He always imagined himself as a hero of good, not a conniving player in it for power.


    Sharok raised an eyebrow and shrugged. He disliked Dulcek in every way. Idiots like him should be culled in Sharok¡¯s opinion. He also rather liked Rainier¡¯s way of handling the situation just now. While he still didn¡¯t like the idea of the arach race submitting themselves to Rainier¡¯s commands, he felt that Rainier could actually pull off everything he said.


    Maork also disliked Dulcek, but the only reason he nodded was because he felt intimidated by Rainier¡¯s words and actions. While he hadn¡¯t seen everything Rainier could do, Maork felt that this human was not one to be trifled with.


    ¡°You¡¯re-ack¡­ You are all actually listening to this pile of dirt? This damn worm?! It¡¯s like I thought, YOU ARE ALL FIL-¡± Dulcek screamed pitifully like a child throwing a tantrum.


    Rainier only bothered letting Dulcek live for a few moments se he could see what kind of person this arachnacosa was when facing death. And he was not impressed.


    Rainier sliced the Razor of Envy cleanly across Dulcek¡¯s neck in two quick strokes to let the blade be covered in the arachnacosa¡¯s blood. Like always, the Razor of Envy absorbed the blood, resulting in an increased gain of power in his overall physique and strength of the acid spit Rainier had. Pain invaded Rainier¡¯s mind, though it wasn¡¯t as powerful as the time he absorbed Itome¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Now, what will you all do?¡± Rainier posed this question to Sharok, Maork, and even Kosok Kre.


    Kosok Kre was a bit alarmed by the sudden death of Dulcek but quickly recovered. ¡°I already planned on doing this. I believe in your capabilities, Rainier. I believe that we arachs are destined for a better future. I may be only a kre, but I will follow your lead now and in the future.¡±


    Sharok was not a simple warrior, he is a smart warrior as well. He knows when the time to retreat and when to place his trust in others. This was now the time to trust someone. ¡°I, Sharok, will follow Rainier¡¯s rule now and in the future. However, you better deliver on your promises.¡±


    Maork knew that if he didn¡¯t capitulate, he would probably die. Besides, even though he wasn¡¯t friends with Sharok or Kosok Kre, he knew they were intelligent arachs. ¡°I see no real harm in this. I will also follow your rule, Rainier. This future you intend to bring us sounds promising. I¡¯ll follow you for as long as this future seems possible.¡±


    -----


    Ganel met up with his two fellow spies on top of Vectoir¡¯s firehouse. ¡°So what have you all found out?¡±


    The javelin using spy went first. ¡°I noticed the karkans fortifying several open chokepoints in the city ruins. I also saw mages laying down magic mines of ice, fire, and plant types. Each of the mages I saw each had a sword staff colored according to what I believe would be the magical attribute they specialize in. I also investigated their other defenses and am now well informed on the subject.¡±


    The mage spy went next. ¡°I found what I believe are their center of command, located in the very bottom of this firehouse. Their chain of command leads to, strangely enough, a human who I believe came to Ademptis the same way our lord did. I also managed to place a latent magic explosion rune where their main armory is. I can set this off whenever I am within twenty meters of the rune and it will last for up to a week before the magic energy dissipates.¡±


    Ganel smiled while nodding. ¡°This is good. I caused several ¡°accidents¡± to happen around the camp eliminating at least twelve karkans. I also assessed to overall composition of the forces here so I can report this back to the lord. Now, let¡¯s leave our message and be on our ways. Haroh, use a javelin for the delivery.¡±


    The javelin user, Haroh, nodded while smirking. He pulled out a single javelin which had no embellishments other than the handhold sculpted solely for its Haroh¡¯s grip. Ganel pulled out a handwritten letter from Rainier to Haroh who inserted it into a small magnetic tube which was then attached to the javelin. Crawling down the firehouse on all fours like a lizard, Haroh held the javelin between his teeth.


    Haroh then entered the firehouse through a ruined window and looked down at the bottom of the tower. This firehouse was constructed very simply. There was the bottom holding a solitary room where the commanders of the invading karkans were located. Spiraling along the side is a steep staircase leading up to the firehouse¡¯s lit now lit beacon.


    Haroh peered over the side of the spiral staircase and held the javelin aloft. The dhampir took aim at the very center of the table where the karkan leaders were conversing and eating at. Haroh pulled his arm back and unleashed his strength. The javelin spiraled through the air as it hurtled down to the table.


    Before the javelin even hit, Haroh left the firehouse and took to the air with his wings along with Ganel and their magic using comrade to return to Outpost Roseir.

 More Information about Lost Realm

    Hello, I am RiseofHank humble author to this story of mine.


    How did I come up with this story? Admittedly the various webnovels of Japan, Korea, and China have influenced me to a degree, but I came up with this idea by pure chance when I devised multiple ideas for a story. I had dozens of ideas being thrown around in my head, most of which have a chapter or two saved on my computer.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Well, this thread was made primarily to advertise the blog I am going to posting future chapters in the future for Lost Realm and any other stories I do.


    Most chapters will be up there for a time before being posted to other outlets like this website.


    https://riseofhank.wordpress.com/</a>

 Ch. 15: Calm Winds

    Ch. 15: Calm Winds


    ¡°Lord! I am most impressed by this achievement. Subjugating the arach leadership could only be done by someone with an indomitable will and fierce nature.¡± Falth, like usual, offered no expense in his praise towards Rainier.


    Rainier wasn¡¯t one to respond well to excess flatter or lack of, but there was some truth to the elder dhampir¡¯s words.  Besides, he knew that these dhampirs only responded to cold evidence of a person¡¯s abilities.


    Right now, Rainier was back at Outpost Roseir along with Tero and Nera who accompanied him to Kochla. Rainier was now eating a meal prepared for him by the capable chef, Rasi. Next to him sat Sataska and on the opposite end of the dining table was Falth, Tero, Nera and a handful of other dhampirs.


    ¡°Did Ganel come back yet? I want to know the strength of the karkans as soon as possible to begin forming a plan to chase them off the plateau.¡± Rainier was more than ready to test his knowledge of ancient battlefield tactics and adapt them to a world of different races and magic. He was sure he could come up with not only a few battle plans using strategies adopted from famous generals of earth like Sun Tzu or Hannibal, but also create some new tactics of his own. Of the few videogames Rainier did play back on earth, his favorite were strategy games where he could outwit his opponents with his armies.


    ¡°Not yet, but this is good in my opinion.¡± Responded Falth with closed eyes.


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°As you apparently came from another world devoid of magic, I assume you would like to be educated on how magic works in Ademptis. Not only that, but we can taste your own level in magic and see what attributes you would be suitable for.¡± Falth¡¯s words made perfect sense.


    Tero then spoke up while nodding his head in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right, you may be quite capable in a melee battle, but you can increase your might tenfold if you learn magic and how to apply it in battle.¡±


    Rainier realized in all his excitement of preparing for his first major conflict that he forgot about his goal in gaining enough power to be unmatched. Magic is obviously a priority if he wanted to reach a high level of power in Ademptis.


    ¡°So, how does one learn magic exactly?¡± Rainier then looked towards Sataska. ¡°You should learn how to use magic too, Sataska.¡±


    ¡°If you wish! I suppose a queen like I shouldn¡¯t be content with only a simple level of power gained from consuming powerful enemies. I could become even more dazzling to you if I learned magic as well to accommodate the skills I gain from eating.¡± Sataska rested a finger on her chin as if contemplating life itself while holding a playful grin.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I believe in Sataska¡¯s case she will be incapable of learning magic.¡± Revealed Falth while grimacing.


    ¡°W-Why do you say that? I am a queen! Of course I can learn magic!¡± It seemed that Sataska¡¯s ego couldn¡¯t fathom the fact that she would be unable to learn something like magic.


    Rainier was also curious about the reason Sataska could not use magic, so he inquired further. ¡°Hm, is it perhaps because of her special ability?¡±


    Falth stared at Rainier in surprise. He hadn¡¯t expected the young master to be able to already understand the reason. ¡°As you say, Lord Rainier, it is because of her natural ability. There are beings, which to the nonexistent human empire, were known as godkin¡­¡±


    Rainier¡¯s encyclopedia thrummed, once again signaling a new entry in the book.


    -Godkin- Beings holding strange powers gifted from the gods themselves. It was first believed that chosen heroes held these abilities and that these people were messiahs of the gods themselves. However, further evidence suggested that these special abilities were granted to those that could best utilize them. A famous godkin proved this theory when he turned his special power which allowed him to shift tectonic plates to a certain degree against the human empire, thus branding him an enemy of humans and ultimately the gods themselves.


    The special powers given to godkin are usually the embodiment of a certain god¡¯s concept. For example, the god of disease¡¯s godkin would most likely be given the power to create a new deadly disease or change aspects of other diseases to make them more or less harmful.


    ¡°I believe that you, Sataska, are one of these godkin. Most likely under the God of Gluttony¡¯s influence granting you the power to use the full strength of anyone¡¯s body you completely consume. Thankfully you cannot have your current power be overwritten by a new being¡¯s abilities unless you wish it to. I suggest you keep this evoant Skaren¡¯s ability until you find a more powerful creature to consume.¡±


    ¡°See, Rainier? I told you that I am an amazing queen, now how about you properly appreciate me in private-urk!¡± Sataska began speaking normally but as she inched closer and closer to Rainier¡¯s head, a palm pushed her back to her original position.


    Of course that palm belonged to Rainier. ¡°I need a restraining order or something¡­ Well, Sataska¡¯s power is indeed amazing as you say, but what does being a godkin have to do with her not being able to learn magic.¡±


    ¡°That answer is easy. A person blessed by gods already has the power to rival powerful warriors or mages provided they train their ability. A godkin¡¯s special power completely is so amazing, that it erases any intruding weaker force, which in this case renders them unable to master even basic magic.¡± The elder dhampir then said something which relieved both Sataska and Rainier. ¡°Although¡­ Suppose Sataska consumed the corpse of a powerful mage, hm? She would of course lose her current consumed ability, but in return she would gain that mage¡¯s full magical power and complete knowledge on how to unleash EVERY single one of his spells. That of course includes legendary magic of the exospheric level.¡±


    Rainier raised both his eyebrows. ¡°Wow. Well then, how do we determine my magical capabilities?¡±


    ¡°First we must administer a few short tests to determine your natural attribute, your soul force, and talents in other attributes. Ah, the difference between the first and third tests is that your natural attribute is someone everyone is naturally talented in using while the third test finds out your level of talent in elements other than your natural one.¡±


    -----


    The outside of Outpost Roseir had turned from a scraggly field into something reminiscent of a noble¡¯s mansion. It seemed that what Outpost Roseir used to look like was unqualified for someone of Rainier¡¯s ¡°stature¡± to live in, even temporarily, and thus was cleaned up and decorated. Outpost Roseir went from a ruined underground fort to something like what a dwarven fortress from a fantasy novel would look like.


    There were some dhampirs keeping watch on tree branches while a few were flying in and out of the aviary section of the outpost. Along with Falth, three more dhampirs were setting up the required materials used to administer the tests Rainier was going to undertake to determine my potential in magic.


    ¡°Alright, Lord Rainier, place your dominant hand on this orb.¡± A dhampir named Nestor was going to be the one to oversee the tests. Falth explained that he was second to only Nestor when it came to magical ability and knowledge.


    Tero was sparring with Sataska nearby, helping her to learn combat maneuvers while Nera was meditating on a nearby rock.


    Rainier moved towards the orb in question. It looked like a glass sphere with sparkles inside it making it resemble a marble. The orb sat on top of a stone pedestal as stone was supposedly a substance with some of the least amount of elemental energy. The small amount of earth elemental energy the stone even had would be nowhere near enough to affect the test results.


    Without further ado, Rainier placed his right hand on top of the orb. ¡°Uh, now what?¡±


    Nestor gazed into Rainier¡¯s eyes. ¡°Imagine all of the world¡¯s energy collecting from your fingertips and gathering in your hand.¡±


    Rainier had no clue what Nestor meant nor did he even remotely understand his words. However, Rainier tried to follow Nestor¡¯s directions as far as he could comprehend them.


    The glass orb flashed a dull grey light before disintegrating into dust where it was then carried away by the wind.


    Fearing that he did something wrong, Rainier asked Nestor, ¡°Uh, did I screw up?¡±


    Nestor shook his head, instantly making Rainier wipe his brow in relief. ¡°This test has twelve results which determine your natural attribute. The glass ball decomposed into mere particles, symbolizing that your natural attribute is that of the death attribute.¡±


    Rainier was startled for a few moments. Out of all the attributes he could have possibly gained, death was not one he expected. He honestly expected something basic like fire or wind.


    ¡°When the ball starts heating up and produces some flames, it signifies the fire attribute. When it cools down and begins condensating, it is water. When it gathers dust or dirt around it from the ground or air, it is earth. When the ball begins floating and the air grows restless, it is wind or air attribute, whichever one you want to call it.  When it glows yellow or white, it is light. When it becomes a shade of black, it is darkness. When it produces a warm soothing feeling, it is life. When it decomposes like you just saw, it is death. When it tries to flee the flesh of your hand towards a plant, it is wood. When it sticks to your palm, it is flesh. When it becomes magnetic despite being made of glass, it is metal. And finally, when the glass ball does nothing or has an effect not previously described, it is most likely that of the cosmic attribute.¡±


    Rainier patiently listened and immersed himself in the information, memorizing every detail. This information may not be all that important at the moment, but who knows when even the tiniest detail comes in handy in the future.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Now for the next test. Place your same hand on this orb.¡± Nestor produced another glass orb, which Rainier inquired about. ¡°These orbs are called magic resonators. They are especially susceptible to even the faintest traces of magic and are very effective in deducing people¡¯s magical talents. Now this test will determine your soul force.¡±


    Rainier nodded. He placed his hand on the orb for the soul force test while asking, ¡°What exactly is soul force?¡±


    Soul Force- Every being with free will has a soul; it does not matter if that being is organic or inorganic in nature. Soul force is basically the level of power of one¡¯s soul. The ranks begin from a measurement of one. Soul force levels are divided into several levels: Grounded soul is one to twenty, Mountain soul is from twenty-one to forty, Planet soul is from forty-one to sixty, Meteor soul is from sixty-one to eighty, Star soul is eighty-one to one hundred, and finally a Void soul is anything beyond one hundred (not to be confused with the cosmic attribute which is sometimes called void instead).


    The soul force level is used to determine the amount of magical power a being can use as well as how far a being can go beyond their body¡¯s limits.


    Rainier read this passage in the encyclopedia later, Nestor¡¯s explanation on soul force essentially mirrored the passage.


    ¡°Now through your arm and hand, imagine that your entire body is residing inside this glass orb.¡± Instructed Nestor, this was the basic procedure for the soul force test.


    Rainier, like the first test, wasn¡¯t sure what Nestor¡¯s instructions meant exactly, but he followed them as best as he was able.


    The glass orb began vibrating and spinning in place like a dreidel.


    ¡°Keep focusing for as long as you possibly can. The longer you can focus, the more accurate this test will become and the higher your soul force rank will probably be.¡± Explained Nestor as his mouth twisted in a wide toothy grin with ecstatic eyes.


    Rainier closed his eyes and did as instructed. Minutes that felt like hours passed until Rainier, his mind exhausted, could no longer focus on the test. The glass ball slowly slowed down and the shaking stopped.


    ¡°So¡­ Hah, geez, how did I do?¡±


    Nestor switched his gaze from the orb and Rainier several times in sheer astonishment. ¡°Your soul! It¡¯s a v-v-YOU HAVE A VOID RANKED SOUL FORCE! I never thought I would see one¡­ Ever! Never ever in my immortal lifetime!¡±


    Rainier remembered the explanation on soul force. If what Nestor said was true, then his soul force is incredibly high, on the highest of levels. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That is much better than I expected.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so amazing Rainier! As expected of my chosen mate!¡± Exclaimed Sataska from the side just before she was smacked on the cheek by the flat end of Tero¡¯s spear.


    ¡°There is only one problem, not a bad one though. From what I understand, when someone has a void ranked soul force, it is impossible to judge the exact rank above one hundred compared to say finding out someone had a rank of forty-two ranked planet soul force. In the end, it just means your soul force is very high and you should have no trouble in casting very high leveled magic once you learn them.¡±


    Rainier was at first worried by Nestor¡¯s explanation but became relieved when he heard the rest of the aged dhampir¡¯s words. ¡°And the last test?¡±


    ¡°Right, since this orb wasn¡¯t destroyed we¡¯ll continue using it.¡± Nestor pulled the glass orb back up.


    ¡°Yea, sorry about that.¡± Rainier apologized as he remembered causing the first glass orb to decompose.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. Now this test is the same as the first, imagine the world gathering like before. The only difference is the magic I¡¯ll be using to identify your talents in other attributes.¡±


    Rainier went through the process of the third and final test until Nestor said he had the results.


    ¡°Alright, now for your talents in other attributes. Talent is generally divided into low, medium, high, and prodigal talent. There are minute differences in between the divisions, but it is simply easier to explain one¡¯s talent this way. For this test, you also got a rather unique and great outcome.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean I graded high in a few more elemental attributes?¡± Asked Rainier hopefully.


    ¡°Let me tell you¡­ Your prodigal talents are darkness and cosmic, I¡¯m highly intrigued by this prodigal talent towards cosmic. Your high ranked talents are water and flesh. Your medium ranked talents are earth and metal. You have no low ranked talent in the other elements. What I¡¯m most amazed besides the fact you have very good talent in several elemental attributes is the sheer fact that you have talent in not just one or two attributes, but the fact you have talent in six attributes other than your natural attribute of death!¡± Nestor was giddy with exhilaration and delight. It was as if he was having the most insane sugar rush a person could have.


    Not only Nestor was amazed, but every person aside from Sataska who had practically no clue what was being talked about stared Rainier bewildered. Such talented individuals like Rainier were all legendary figures of history, even far beyond the formation of the human empire long ago. They all wondered if all humans from Rainier¡¯s world were like this but quickly decided to believe that the lord they now followed was one they were meant to follow.


    Even Nera could barely contain her surprise. She had looked down on Rainier initially, believing him to be a lucky amateur who just happened to unseal their coffins. However, now she could only imagine the future prospects of this man. To herself, she whispered, ¡°Falth was right¡­ Even the most insignificant sounding characters could be raging dragons on the inside.¡±


    ¡®It is as I said, sister. This man, while he may have not made any major accomplishments yet, I firmly believe he will become the center of this world in the future.¡¯ Tero reached over to Nera¡¯s mind telepathically.


    Nera didn¡¯t say anything back. She simply formed an expression showing a mixture of confusion and complication.


    ¡°So I got through these tests with some pretty great results, so how do I use magic? Do you just teach me an incantation or something and I cast the spell? Do I-¡± Rainier was cut himself off. ¡°Well, you¡¯re the most capable person around to teach me magic, so I¡¯ll follow your guidance.¡±


    ¡°Right, I¡¯m rather excited to be teaching such a naturally talented individual like you, lord. When I previously taught students, the best way for one to learn spells is to start learning spells from the tropospheric level and gradually go upwards in power. However, with your talent I believe this process should be quick.¡± Informed Nestor with a ready grin.


    ¡°Before we start, I have one more thing to ask.¡± Rainier had a question he was rather curious about.


    ¡°By all means, ask away.¡±


    ¡°Exospheric magic is the strongest of the spell rankings, this I know. But just how powerful is exospheric magic is compared to tropospheric magic?¡±


    Nestor¡¯s toothy grin changed slightly to a sly smirk. ¡°Tropospheric spells are basically magic where you hurtle various projectiles at one another or simple element manipulation. They may not be terribly dangerous, but they do have many uses both in and out of combat.¡± Nestor then listed off several examples of useful tropospheric magic in each of the elements. ¡°Then we have exospheric magic¡­ Honestly, casting even a single exospheric magic by oneself is practically suicide. Taking advantage of a ritual where you use various items of power or extra casters for the ritual decreases the risk and increases the chances of completing the magic. If you fail casting an exospheric spell, most often your soul will perish like a simple campfire being doused by an entire ocean.¡±


    ¡°I see. Your response implies that there has been successful casting of exospheric magic. Can you tell me what these mythical spells are capable of?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you of a few. One is Second Sun, a fire spell of exospheric rank. It doesn¡¯t literally create a second sun in the sky, but it conjures a massive ball of fire far larger than anyone could expect. Using this as a projectile is capable of vast swathes of destruction and most likely massacre the caster or casters since even dozens of kilometers in distance aren¡¯t capable of keeping you safe. The only occurrence of this spell being used was in order for the human empire to utterly ravish the lush harvest a rival nation had that year. It grew too hot for the farm plants to survive and they were scorched.¡±


    ¡°This one sounds quite unreasonable. How about an exospheric spell for my natural attribute?¡±


    Nestor pondered the question for a moment. ¡°Hm, an exospheric spell for death. The only one I have heard of is Army of Souls. It summons a near endless army of spirits to fight for the caster or casters. I heard of minor versions of it being cast before with mixed results, so I can only imagine what the exospheric version of it would be.¡±


    Rainier grinned while nodding. ¡°I like the sound of it. If I can, I want to learn this spell someday and perhaps cast it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it with your amazing talent, Lord Rainier. First, let¡¯s begin at tropospheric magic, unfortunately I can only train you in magic for the darkness element which is my natural attribute and earth magic. I also know fire magic, but your talents lie in darkness and earth. Once I teach you the basics in learning magic from a specific attribute, I believe you should be able to self-teach yourself in the other attributes, and effectively considering your talent and soul force.¡±


    And with that, Rainier finally began practicing magic after many weeks of being stranded in Ademptis.

 Ch. 16: Preparing for Slaughter

    Chapter 16: Preparing for Slaughter


    -


    Rainier trained himself on how to use tropospheric magic in three elements. He first learned Shadow Spear of the darkness element, Stone Shot of the earth element, and Death Lance of the death attribute.


    Nestor mentioned how skilled Rainier was in not only mastering spells in the two elements he taught Rainier in, but a spell from the death attribute as well. The aged dhampir also stated it was probably due to death being Rainier¡¯s natural attribute.


    The spells literally conjured what the names said, although in stone shot¡¯s case it required a reasonably sized stone nearby to manipulate.


    ¡°Magic really is amazing.¡± Rainier said near silently to himself. He soon refocused himself on the task at hand, which was saturating himself with the intelligence Ganel¡¯s group acquired from scouting out the karkans at Vectoir. ¡°Ganel, you said the leader of the karkans is a human? Can you tell me anything more specific about him?¡±


    ¡°While I didn¡¯t see him myself, my brother in arms, Nelsor, did. Apparently this man is around thirty years of human age. The karkans referred to him as a ¡°hero¡± that they had summoned from another world, your world I believe. Also, we found his name to be Musala Kasamir.¡±


    Rainier mulled the name around his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone famous on my world by that name. Let¡¯s see, there is a mountain named Mt. Musala and the last name sounds Eastern European¡­¡± Even though Rainier said this, he felt it was pointless detail. ¡°Well, none of that is important. What we need to do is form a plan to eliminate the karkans from Vectoir. It would be best to continue this conversation with Kosok Kre and Sharok so we can coordinate with the arachnacosa forces¡±


    Then Rainier rethought about the capabilities of magic. ¡°Wait a second. Is it possible for certain magic users to disguise themselves as another race? Like a karkan to be specific?¡±


    Nestor interjected here. ¡°As a matter of fact, yes it is possible. In order to shift yourself into another flesh and blood appearance, you need to use magic of the flesh or darkness elements. Although in darkness¡¯ case it is more like an illusion than an actual shapeshifting.¡±


    ¡°Good, I want at least ten of you Ladia to disguise yourselves and infiltrate the karkan ranks. Once that is accomplished, I¡¯ll need several of you to wait until the arachnacosa attack and destroy the defenses at the chokepoints from the inside allowing easier access for the arachnacosa to swarm Vectoir. The rest of you use your own judgement in order to sabotage any of their defensive efforts.¡± Dhampirs were naturally stealthy creatures. All of their natural attributes were that of the darkness element, thus it gave them access to a variety of magic reserved for covert operations.


    ¡°Yes, lord. I will select the members of my family to take part in the infiltration.¡± Falth answered with an unusually youthful vigor for the elder.


    Due to Rainier¡¯s mental link with the dhampir, he could see that he was more than ready to test his strength in battle once again. However, Rainier¡¯s mental link wasn¡¯t only restricted to Falth, but all the dhampirs. Thanks to this mental link, Rainier felt drained, or more accurately, extremely hungry.


    This hunger Rainier was receiving from the dhampirs could only mean one thing, they thirsted for blood.


    ¡°Make sure some of the infiltrators have ways of incapacitating a sizable number of karkans. I need at least five to ten for my personal use. I also want you to capture a good amount of them so that you can all feast on their blood. It¡¯s been awhile since your last bloody cocktail I presume? Naturally since I can¡¯t always be available to give blood there must be some ¡°cattle¡± to provide you with sustenance from now on.¡± Rainier¡¯s words were frighteningly reminiscent of a villain from a novel he once read who completely disregarded life.


    Then Rainier realized something. ¡®This is Ademptis. If I don¡¯t even do what is ultimately necessary to ensure not only myself, but my followers¡¯ peak condition¡­ We will die.¡¯


    All of the dhampirs present aside from Nera each mouthed off some variation of ¡°lord.¡± While they didn¡¯t need blood as much as full vampires considering their half vampire nature, they still thirsted for the crimson nectar.


    ¡°Falth, once the infiltration squad is chosen, let me see them.¡± Ordered Rainier, he wanted to give a few specific orders to the squad.


    ¡°Yes, my lord. First off, are there any volunteers as of this moment?¡± Several dhampirs stood up in response, they were eager to prove themselves on the battlefield once again to a worthy master.


    -----


    ¡°Tero, you sparred with Sataska quite a bit, correct?¡± Asked Rainier to the young dhampir twin.


    To Rainier, dealing with the twins was fairly easy and fun. Physically they may be hundreds if not a good thousand or more years old, but mentally they were still teenagers like Rainier is. ¡®I just realized, quite a bit of time has passed in Ademptis that I had not tracked, I may even be twenty by now¡­ Well, my age doesn¡¯t matter right now, I¡¯ll just say that around four months have passed and I¡¯m still nineteen years old. This means only two more months to go before I am twenty.¡¯


    Interrupting the thoughts about his age, Tero quickly answered Rainier¡¯s question. ¡°Yes, quite a few times now actually.¡±


    ¡°How capable is she on her own in a fight?¡± Rainier needed to know just how skilled Sataska was in order to make use of her in the future and keep her safe.


    While Rainier didn¡¯t particularly care for the ant girl¡¯s romance induced advances or her annoying clinginess, he still cared for her as a friend and did hope to keep her safe.


    ¡°I¡¯m the BEST! I, being a great queen, am more than deadly in a fight.¡± Sataska placed a hand over her heart with the elbow outstretched. ¡°Oh! I have a great idea!¡±


    ¡°A great idea you say? I can certainly imagine your idea of ¡°great.¡±¡± Added Rainier with intentional sarcasm.


    ¡°We should fight together as husband and wife! It is a perfect idea! I can¡¯t believe how smart I am for coming up with it.¡± Sataska was clearly in her own little world right now and never once caught Rainier¡¯s sarcasm.


    Nera shook her head with a dead look on her. ¡°What in the world is wrong with this nuisance? Truly, this woman is ridiculous.¡±


    Rainier had to agree with Nera. He had a dry open smile which clearly didn¡¯t signify the usual undertones that accompanied a smile. ¡°Ignore the idiot over there, Tero. Getting back to my question¡­¡±


    ¡°Sataska, while she is quite unorthodox in her style of combat, is more than capable of killing a few dozen karkans on her own with her strength, speed, and mental awareness that an evoant queen has. Coupling that with the spikes she produces from her body, I believe she is even more deadly than you, my lord. Of course I mean no disrespect, but I only say this since I have not seen you in an full fight yet. Your skills are there, but a battlefield is much different than a one on one fight.¡± Tero explained his thoughts very honestly.


    Rainier could tell Tero was not lying and this was what he truly thought. Rainier used the mental link he had with all of the dhampirs to peer into Tero¡¯s thoughts. A few days ago while training in his magic, Rainier had spent a large portion of a day meditating in order to study the mental link with the dhampirs.


    Rainier already knew that this mental link was formed with the sharing of his blood with all of the dhampirs. It was also thanks to absorbing the soul of the late Itome. While meditating on the link, Rainier had figured out he was capable of several things. He could give mental commands to the dhampirs as well as read their thoughts. Rainier had already confirmed with Falth that this mental link allowed him to telepathically communicate with all of the dhampirs. Rainier also speculated that he could eventually directly control the dhampirs, moving their arms and legs as if they were his own. In all of these abilities just described, Rainier of course had not yet mastered them.


    ¡®However, given more time and meditation, I believe I can eventually fully master this mental link. This ability I gained from Itome really is mysterious. It seems evoants are not as simple as I once thought.¡¯ With these thoughts in mind, Rainier decided to reevaluate Sataska in the future.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t intend to stay weaker than anyone in this group. If I¡¯m going to be leading the Ladia family, the arachnacosa, and anyone else in the future¡­ Well, let¡¯s just say I plan on being strong enough to be unrivaled.¡± Declared Rainier with a ruthless grin.


    Tero nodded in admiration, Sataska bounced her head around in delight, while Nera stayed deadpan.


    ¡°Lord Rainier, here are the men that will be a part of the infiltration of the karkan ranks.¡± Ganel walked in with nine other dhampirs following him. ¡°I myself volunteered to join the squad as well.¡±


    Rainier looked at the infiltration squad a few times over. He saw six men and four women in the group. As befitting of immortal figures, they all looked quite handsome and beautiful. Without a doubt they would be chased by many men and women back on earth.


    ¡°Alright then, tell me about everyone¡¯s specialties.¡±


    ¡°Well, it should be obvious that we are all very skilled in stealth based skills. Each of us own soul forces at or above the planet rank and we are all experts in darkness element magic. Four of us are talented and proficient in other elements: two in wind, one in metal, and one in fire. All of us are masters of our weapons of choice and each of us are confident in our being able to kill at least thirty or more karkans before falling in combat. Of course we won¡¯t die if we flee the scene first.¡± Ganel explained the various strengths of his squad before turning back to Rainier. ¡°I myself have been elected the leader of the infiltration group as my strength and ability is the best of the ten of us.¡±


    This was not overconfidence, but the unmistakable truth. When Rainier cocked his head over to the nine other members of the infiltration squad, they all nodded in agreement to Ganel¡¯s words.


    ¡°Well then, I have some specific orders to give aside from the general ones I believe Falth had already informed you of.¡± Explained Rainier as he stretched his arms behind his back.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Yes, we were told of the main goals of our infiltration by the elder.¡±


    ¡°Well, now that I roughly understand this group¡¯s assets, I have some new orders.¡± Rainier rolled his head around his neck before refocusing. ¡°These objectives are optional, but should you guys accomplish even one of these objectives, the battle will be even more in our favor. The first objective is to divert attention of the karkans from the Roseir Plateau cliffs as much as possible. The second is to plant rune mines to kill the karkan leadership, you should know where they are located Ganel. If you are to accomplish the second objective, make sure you keep Musala Kasamir alive, I want to fight and speak with him during the battle. The third objective is to use metal magic to sabotage the karkan armory. The fourth objective is to use fire magic to light up areas behind the karkan masses so the arachnacosa know where to fire their ranged weapons and magic. The fifth and probably most important optional objective is to douse the firehouse or at the very least reduce the intensity of the firehouse to a small flickering flame.¡±


    Rainier drank a cup of water before returning to his words. ¡°Of course make sure you follow the main orders as much as possible. Ganel, it is up to you to decide the actions to take from now on.¡±


    All ten dhampirs of the infiltration squad bowed their head in respect. Ganel himself bowed deeply, ¡°Yes, lord! The might of dhampirs have not been seen for centuries, if not millennia. The world will once again fear the might of the Ladia family after this battle.¡±


    ¡°No point in wasting time, good luck then.¡± And directly after Rainier wished the group good luck, the ten dhampirs ran towards the edge of the cliff and jumped off to take flight with their wings.


    Rainier watched as the dhampirs flew in a strange formation that resembled a chevron. ¡°I wonder if formations like those are important for aerial battles¡­ Hm, I¡¯ll see someday.¡±


    Turning to Sataska, Tero, and Nera, Rainier calmly said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to plan the battle with Kosok Kre and Sharok.¡±


    -----


    Rainier traveled to tent just outside the main entrance to Kochla with all of the dhampirs aside from two (Rasi, the twins¡¯ mother is one) who were left behind to watch over Outpost Roseir. Sataska was with him as well, always at Rainier¡¯s side like usual. This meant there were twenty-two people at the arachnacosa encampment (twenty of them dhampirs).


    ¡°This¡­ Is all you have?¡± Kosok Kre looked over Rainier¡¯s group with uncertainty. He was honestly expecting a much larger force.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Rainier slapped his hand down on Kosok Kre¡¯s shoulder resulting in a strange flinch from the unexpected contact by the half-spider. ¡°My followers have quality over quantity. Besides, I have ten of my followers infiltrating the karkans as we speak. They will wreak havoc on the enemy during the battle.¡±


    Sharok skittered up and over to Rainier and Kosok Kre. Unlike the sparse ritualistic robes he wore in the council building from the meeting, the general of the arachnacosa now wore prickly armor crafted from clean bones of various animals. In all, the set of bone armor looked well-crafted and quite deadly. He also had dual axes slung behind his back and several smaller axes, hafts in a pouch, probably for throwing.


    The general looked skeptical towards Rainier¡¯s words. ¡°Quality is good yes, but ultimately even the strongest can be singled out and swarmed by superior numbers. Not ideal, yes, but what works is what works.¡±


    ¡°Allow me to interpose here¡­ But the Ladia family of dhampirs, my kin, cannot be defeated by such meaningless maneuvers.¡± Falth stepped in besides Rainier who had beckoned him over.


    ¡°This is Falth, he is the elder of my dhampir followers. Though they look it, they are not human. And because of that, their ability enough so that even one dhampir can kill dozens of karkans effortlessly.¡± Rainier then pulled out a devious grin. ¡°Perhaps you would like to taste Falth¡¯s power for yourself? You saw how easily Tero and Nera defeated your top guardsmen.¡±


    ¡°Hrrrrr, very well then. How shall we slaughter the invaders?¡± Sharok strode over to a massive tree trunk where a smoothly drawn map was pinned to. ¡°This map¡­ Is impressive, accurate too?¡±


    Ganel had this map drawn up when he scouted out Vectoir and its surroundings. It noted key locations such as chokepoints in the ruined walls, sleeping quarters, storages for supplies, armory, the firehouse, the gondola, troop congregations, and other such important spots. Elevation and terrain was also accounted for on this map, thus allowing a fully planned out arrangement for all troops.


    ¡°I would stake my life on its precision. Of course that doesn¡¯t mean some things can¡¯t change before and during the battle.¡± Falth answered to rhetorical question with a heavy gamble in place.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Sharok was an arach who believed in honor and strength. It made Rainier think of a chivalrous knight or a bound samurai.


    ¡°Alright, Falth, have the dhampirs ready themselves for their first real battle after their long sleep. Afterwards, immediately join me here so you can join in on the planning.¡± Rainier then walked towards the tree Sharok was at with Kosok Kre, Sataska, and the twins in tow.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about the strategy you are going to come up with, Rainier.¡± Kosok Kre pondered the various ways he would come up with to attack Vectoir.


    ¡°Of course my husband will come up with some marvelous ideas where I-¡±


    ¡°Oh is that a delusional ant I hear in the wind? No point in paying attention to it¡± Rainier looked about towards the sky as if he heard a bird squawking then shrugged and went back to business.


    Rainier looked around beyond the tree with the map. What he saw was demonic, not literally of course.


    Hundreds upon hundreds, possibly even a few thousand, arachnacosa were scattered in around the landscape of dry forested area and random clearings of rock fields. There was another chasm to the far north where the numerous rows of arachnacosa stopped at.


    And the fact that the arachnacosa were crawling about on several sets of legs made the scene even more foreign.


    They all had crude sets of armor on, none of which had the same level of craftsmanship of either Sharok or Kosok Kre. Most of them wielded serrated swords of several different lengths, these swords would undoubtedly flay the karkans¡¯ alive. Rainier could also see a decent amount of arachnacosa shamans. Rainier was also informed about the relative soul force levels of the shamans (the highest being a planet rank at fifty-nine).


    Many of the arachnacosa also had roughly hewn bows made from pieces of spiderweb mangrove tree roots. Rainier understood that arachnacosa generally refrained from ranged warfare, but Sharok assured him they kept a skilled cadre of archers for when it is necessary.


    The dhampirs took up residence in a corner of the army encampment and began sparring amongst themselves, warming up for what is to come. The impressive display drew in many spectators from the arachnacosa staring with amazed or dazed expressions. Falth himself was giving out a few reassurances to his family members before spreading out his wings and flying back towards Rainier¡¯s position.


    ¡°They can fly too? I have never seen such a being like this before. Alright, no more doubt from me anymore.¡± ¡°Nor I.¡± Kosok Kre spoke first and was swiftly followed up by Sharok.


    Rainier cracked his knuckles and stretched his arms behind his back. ¡°Good, ok everyone is here. Now, let¡¯s begin planning on how to thrash the karkans and drive them out of the Roseir Plateau.¡± He said all this with a pleased smile.


    -----


    Musala Kasamir was not happy.


    There was one of them on this giant plateau with him.


    Musala had been quite hostile towards them ever since he first summoned to Ademptis. They were, in short, his main enemy.


    Musala desired to rule over a grand empire of karkans, maybe not encompassing the whole continent, but an empire much larger than the legendary Genghis Khan created.


    This Bulgarian man would stop at nothing to accomplish his ultimate goal. He would backstab, mutilate, commit genocide, and every other intolerable act that was needed.


    Yet now he came upon an obstacle, namely the person named Rainier in this message. He looked it over and read it out loud again to himself.


    ¡°Musala Kasamir, I presume?


    I see you, leader of the karkan forces in Vectoir attempting to invade the area I have currently made my home. Naturally, I hate threats towards my wellbeing and thus I will be proceeding with a plan to erase your presence in the north. Please know that I will be having the arach¡¯s support in this matter and with our combined forces, you will be overwhelmed. So I give you two options. The first is to immediately withdraw from Vectoir and have all of the karkans go back down the gondola. Obviously you won¡¯t be willing to do this, so that brings us to the second option- complete and utter annihilation of your forces. And believe my when I say that I have the ability to do so.


    From the amazing, illustrious, undauntable, peerless, and extremely handsome Rainier Forrester.¡±


    Musala ripped apart the message in frustration. What sort of insipid person would send such a senseless ultimatum? ¡°A retard, most likely¡­¡±


    Musala gnashed his teeth and stomped down on the paper shreds in fury. ¡°Fine then, I¡¯ll give you a battle. A retarded scrub like you can¡¯t possibly stand up to me years of experience in the battlefield. I¡¯ve trained to be unrivaled as both a special forces member and officer in my days as a PMC soldier.¡± Musala glanced towards a fully automatic rifle that had apparently come with him when he was summoned. This rifle, an AK-12, was modified to have a bayonet attachment, enhanced scopes, and a detachable grenade launcher which now used magical projectiles, was Musala¡¯s only possession he had in Ademptis aside from the clothes on his back.


    ¡°You want a war? I¡¯ll give you one.¡±

 Chapter 17: Similar Malice 1

    Chapter 17: Similar Malice 1


    -


    ¡°Archers, take up cover positions! Infantry, crowd around the chokepoints with pikes out! Mages! Cast your support magic! Those with fire attributes begin casting flares past the walls!¡±


    Various lesser commanders began ordering the karkan troops into position. A horn from a lookout was blasted thrice before a spear pierced his head from an unknown assailant.


    ¡°They are attacking already?! All of you, TO ARMS!¡± Inside the main portion of the firehouse, Musala Kasamir ordered his karkan subordinate commanders to the outside and lead the troops. ¡°This damn Rainier¡­ I didn¡¯t think he would be this audacious.¡±


    The time was two in the morning. Musala feared a night attack above all else. The karkans, in an effort to establish the ruined Vectoir into a colony city, were constantly wasting their stamina on various restoration projects and patrols on the wilderness surrounding the city. Thus many of the karkans needed a good night¡¯s rest in order to be at top shape for the daytime.


    Despite being recently awoken, the karkans rapidly sallied themselves and zealous fervor shook their senses. It was as if none of the sparsely scaled humanoids had any fatigue remaining.


    ¡°Gwaaaaagh!¡±


    Musala heard several explosions sound off outside of the firehouse entrance, with his modified AK-12 equipped. When he arrived at the entrance, dust clouds billowing about. ¡°What in the¡­¡± Then Musala noticed the bodies.


    Seven bodies owned by the karkan military leadership lay strewn across the ruined portion of the city before him. Three were draped over arches with lifeless expressions, another was burnt to a crisp inside his own scales, two more were literally halfway into the ground as if they phased through. The most horrific death belonged to a karkan diced into many different sections, not even his limbs were whole.


    ¡°¡­Damn it.¡± Musala hissed under his breath. It seemed he had to take command of the karkan defenders himself. At least there were still the lower ranked officers around. ¡°You four!¡± Musala pointed at four karkan soldiers with inflamed eyes. ¡°Ignore the bodies and guard the firehouse!¡±


    ¡°What about the enemy!¡± The karkans were four youths who proved themselves in a team competition were allowed entry to be some of the first conquerors of the new karkan dominion atop the plateau. All of them wished to face the enemy directly, not to be forced to guard a location in the opposite direction.


    ¡°ORDERS ARE ABSOLUTE! This is necessary for your race¡¯s continued survival. If whoever placed these magic mines douse the firehouse, do you know what will happen?!¡± Musala knew that the firehouse was probably the most important building in any city.


    Firehouses had several functions. The most obvious one is to act as a lighthouse for lost travelers. The second is to ward off monsters and beings that pose a threat to the city. Of course extremely powerful entities could easily bypass this system. The third is to serve as, for some, a place of worship for religious persons and fire attributed mages. The fourth is to act as reassurance for whoever lives in the city that they city has yet to fall, essentially this function boosted the morale of the soldiers defending whichever city it was in by a great deal.


    The karkan youths realized their immaturity as they all looked at each other and back to their hero. ¡°¡°¡°¡°YES SIR!¡±¡±¡±¡± All four of them shouted their confirmation before running past the gory corpses and up the stairs of the firehouse.


    After the karkan youths sprinted past him, Musala himself began his solitary job towards the defensive line. Vectoir¡¯s defenses were lacking in nearly every aspect. There were several gaping holes in the city walls were platoons of enemy forces could squeeze through. The crenellations on the top of the walls underwent a transformation from a defense addition into worthless defects on the walls. Sandbags were placed concentrically in front of the archer and mage formations.


    Musala himself made his way up to the highest point of a tower where two mages he recognized were casting flare spells into the sky beyond Vectoir¡¯s main walls. A third karkan followed Musala up with handaxes at the ready.


    Turning to the karkan who followed him, Musala frowned. ¡°Give me the run down on the enemy. Give me their race, estimated numbers, weapon composition¡­ And most importantly identified officers.¡±


    The karkan immediately responded. ¡°The enemy is comprised of entirely arachnacosa with an extremely small handful of them to be humanoids resembling humans. Numbers of the enemy forces are impossible to determine, the majority of them are still hidden in the forested sectors. So far, we see mainly the traditional arachnacosa weaponry with at least fifteen percent to be ranged support and three percent of them to be magic casters.¡±


    Although he said three percent of them were magic casters, this only meant those who completely specialized in magic. Those who fought in melee combat could obviously use spells if they cultivated their soul force and magical ability appropriately.


    ¡°And any officers?¡±


    ¡°One over there. You should be able to identify any arachnacosa officers by their polished armor. It¡¯s clearly of higher quality than the basic troops. I would also be suspicious of the humanoids. The way they are standing in the distance seems¡­ Imposing. At least compared to the main arachnacosa force.


    Musala stared at the collection of humanoids pointed out by his subordinate. Unfortunately they were too far away at the moment, so he would have to do with one of the arachnacosa officers.


    ¡°Right then, I will take the first shot.¡± Musala licked his lips as he knelt by the crumbling parapet on the tower. He pulled his rifle into place and peered through the enhanced scope, taking aim. ¡°Hm, over there¡­ No good, I¡¯ll probably hit an underling. To the left¡­ Perfect.¡±


    A single loud crack pierced the heavens. From Musala¡¯s rifle came a bullet that shot faster than any arrow or magical projectile could and near instantly punctured the skull of the arachnacosa he took aim at. The half spider half human creature¡¯s head bent back unnaturally before slumping down.


    The three karkans on top of the tower stared wide eyed at their hero and commander. Rumors of Musala Kasamir¡¯s bizarre weapon ran rampant around the remaining portions of the karkan race. Rudimentary rifles existed in Ademptis, but they were merely experimental mockups created by the more inventive races like the dvergar. At least, that was what Musala had found out when reading a text found near the patrol route of that giant metal golem.


    -----


    The arachnacosa didn¡¯t even pay attention to their officer whose skull shattered before slumping down like a marionette with its strings cut. Their lust for battle completely drowned out their senses.


    Rainier, who did see the rifle being fired off thanks to his extra sensitive perception, frowned. ¡°That¡­ I recognize that sound.¡±


    ¡°Lord, that arachnacosa was slain instantaneously. While there are many things that can kill with one shot, I have never seen a death quite like that.¡± Falth followed the sound where the bullet was fired off. ¡°It seemed that this¡­ Whatever it is, originated from that tower right behind the city walls.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Falth. I¡¯m not certain, but I think that could be a weapon from my world. If it is, the weapon¡¯s probably in Musala Kasamir¡¯s hands.¡± Still, to Rainier, this possibly dangerous weapon could be a nuisance. He himself could be easily taken down.


    ¡®Ganel, I order you to have someone to immediately incapacitate, kill, or disarm Musala Kasamir. Preferably keep him alive, if you cannot, then don¡¯t worry and kill him.¡¯ Rainier had used the mental connection he shared with the dhampirs to give Ganel an order. One of the things Rainier had tested was the range his mental link had. Much to Rainier¡¯s benefit, the link could extend up to around two kilometers in range.


    ¡°Ganel will have someone take care of Musala shortly unless something unexpected happens.¡± Rainier informed Falth of the telepathic order he sent just now.


    Rainier then turned around to look over the gathered forces. ¡°Sharok, are the arachs ready to fight?¡± Although he could clearly see the near tangible bloodlust in the air, Rainier questioned the arachnacosa general anyways.


    ¡°Give us the order already! My axes thirst for their organs!¡± Sharok shouted crazily in the air, his heart and arteries throbbing madly.


    Rainier smiled. He shot the karkans in the distance a vicious grin. ¡°Then¡­ COMMENCE THE ATTACK!¡±


    The arachnacosa shouting died down for only a moment. Every single one of the arachnacosa from the back to the front row listened to Rainier¡¯s enthusiastic cry. Starting with one of the demi-humans which multiplied exponentially, all of the arachnacosa raised their arms holding their weapons towards the night sky. Rough and violent cries threatened to throttle the planetary bodies surrounding Ademptis in space.


    ¡°KILL!¡± ¡°EAT THEM ALL!¡± ¡°NO MERCY!¡± ¡°BLOOOOD!¡± There were no taunting or demeaning words in the shouting. The arachnacosa bellowed purely to satiate their natural instincts for death to their enemy.


    The sheer ferocity in the arachnacosa¡¯s fervent cries echoed loudly throughout the area. Rainier compared the loud shrieking from the arachnacosa to excessively fanatical fans inside a stadium for a sports game or a wrestling match.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Sharok scuttled past Rainier¡¯s party and drew a throwing axe. He pulled his arm back and the muscles in his arm seemed to pulse as if being injected with hyperactive steroids. ¡°ARACHS! MY PEOPLE! CHARGE AND SLAUGHTER!¡± After declaring his orders, Sharok threw the throwing axe as hard as he possibly could.


    The axe seemed to glow a blackened red, Rainier noticed that some sort of magic was applied to the weapon. Whether that magic came from Sharok or an arachnacosa mage, Rainier didn¡¯t care. What he did care about was the explosion that followed when the axe somehow traveled the great distance between Sharok and Vectoir.


    Sharok sped forth with wave after wave of arachnacosa soldiers following him to charge at the karkan defenders.


    ¡°One must admire the ability to disregard one¡¯s life.¡± Observed Nera calmly. ¡°Such absurd folly.¡± Nera of course regarded the arachnacosa as lesser beings and looked down upon the mindless charging.


    ¡°I will ignore that outright insult to my race due to your position towards my¡­.¡± Kosok Kre hesitated for a moment while he thought of a word to call Rainier. ¡°Liege. The arachs have never visited the battlefield in force for over a century thus military doctrine is not our strong suit.¡±


    Rainier raised an eyebrow to the large words Kosok Kre used. ¡°Kosok Kre¡¯s right, Nera. Still, that is why I am here.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Nera wasn¡¯t privy to Rainier¡¯s mind, so she could only imagine what he had in store.


    ¡°Falth! Are the Ladia ready?¡± Asked Rainier while turning to the trusted elder of the dhampir family.


    ¡°Ready and thirsting for blood.¡± Falth himself revealed a set of fangs from his vampiric bloodline. He pulled out his polearm, sticking the blunted end into the dirt.


    ¡°Blood will come later! And I promise all of you can drink your fill when we win!¡± Roared Rainier to the dhampirs behind and around him. ¡°Take out the flare magic in the sky and rain down magic behind their lines! Watch out for your disguised comrades and arachnacosa invaders!¡±


    ¡°LORD!¡± A communal shout rang into the air as the dhampirs aside from Rainier¡¯s twin bodyguards spread their wings and jumped into the air taking flight.


    ¡°Kosok Kre take command of your people¡¯s ranged forces. The four of us will be storming the central tower. Tero and Nera, carry Sataska and I to the tower where the initial attack took place on that tower. If Ganel hasn¡¯t yet incapacitated Musala, Kasamir, then we will!¡±


    Tero grabbed Rainier under his arms, hoisting him up with supernatural strength. Nera scowled as she did the same to Sataska. ¡°Why do I have to carry this useless-¡±


    ¡°I will have you know that I, Sataska, am a queen and those that insult me will eventually face the penalty!¡± The evoant queen grinned with delight as she looked over to Rainier who didn¡¯t even return the glance.


    This would be the first time she officially and wholly fought side by side with her precious companion. In her mind, Sataska began imagining various scenarios where she and Rainier assisted one another in combat, gradually increasing the tension until her man could no longer stand himself and threw his body on top of her¡­


    ¡°Sataska!¡± Interrupting her from her trance state was her one and only beloved Rainier.


    ¡°Ahm?! Yes, darling?¡±


    ¡°Good lord woman, you¡¯re drooling. I can see it dribbling down.¡±


    When Rainier said this with a vague look of repulsion, Nera looked down at the evoant she was carrying and followed up on Rainier¡¯s words. ¡°Why we stand such a lascivious creature like you is beyond me.¡±


    The wind rumbled past the group as they flew in the air. Rainier ignored the bickering girls as he began his own conversation with Tero. ¡°I don¡¯t understand you guys to be honest. Why are you dhampirs, or Ladia family to be exact, so obsessed with following my command?¡±


    Tero, though physically older, was still mentally younger than Rainier. Thus he didn¡¯t rightly understand the question. ¡°I was always taught to follow my lord¡¯s orders no matter the details. Besides, you unsealed us; that alone makes you worthy to lead my kin.¡±


    ¡°You see, this is what I don¡¯t understand. I, by pure random chance, found your family¡¯s coffins and unsealed you guys. Anyone could have come across you guys and pulled out the weapons sealing you all in your coffins. Why does that make me worthy to command all of you?¡±


    Rainier looked at the rest of the Ladia family swooping around the sky like bats. They all were casting dark magic which covered the magical flares in the night sky like window drapes. Veils of misty darkness reached every corner of light from the flare magic like cancerous tendrils infecting a body.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you realize, Lord, but removing a seal is not as easy as you think. If the soul force of the person trying to remove a seal is weaker than the sealer, then nothing happens. If the unsealer¡¯s soul force is roughly equal, below or above, to the sealer then it is possible to remove the seal. And with your soul force¡­ Well, for you it was as easy as plucking fruit from a tree.¡± Explained Tero with a strangely mirthful smile.


    ¡°It was just as easy for Sataska as well. Hm, well I shouldn¡¯t wrack myself with heavy thoughts. I have a battle to win.¡± Rainier shoved all thoughts unrelated to the current battle out of his mind. The more unimportant thoughts he pondered, the more distracted Rainier was from what was important.


    ¡°Pitiful servant!¡± ¡°Useless insect¡­¡±


    Rainier looked back at the dhampir and evoant girls with lament. ¡°Both of you shut it!¡±


    The two girls instantly ceased insulting one another, looking at Rainier with a sort of pressure being placed on them.


    ¡°Tero and Nera, I know you both have it, so cast some sort of camouflage magic on us as we near the tower. I want to avoid being picked out of the sky by a stray shot or spell.¡±


    ¡°¡°Yes sir!¡±¡±


    -----


    Musala Kasamir scowled and clenched his teeth as he watched the wall of arachnacosa slam themselves against the walls. The majority of their forces, as expected, were centered on the chokepoints in the walls where crude barricades were built. Thankfully the pikes in place were keeping them at bay, but occasionally a lime green blob of acid found its way past the blockade and plaster itself on a karkan, forcing the soldier back to a healer.


    He fired a few more bullets at supposed arachnacosa officers illuminated by the flares in the sky, killing them each instantly with a single shot. He loaded a shell layered with an explosion rune from the fire attribute into his rifle¡¯s launcher, firing it off towards a group of heavily armored arachnacosa. The shell landed precisely on one of their heads, splitting it like a watermelon. The explosion then went off, sending a handful of arachnacosa to the ground, dazed. Their armor, fortunately for the demi-humans, protected them from most of the blast. Only four of the large group died from the improvised magic grenade.


    The karkan archers proved to be efficient marksmen, as many of the arrow barrages felled a dozen or two arachnacosa each salvo of arrows. Musala often handed down exact coordinates where to fire arrows, leading the arrows to converging spots of arachnacosa forces.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Getting darker? What the hell?¡± Musala noticed the light from the flare magic disappearing and flicked his gaze upwards. ¡°They¡¯ve got fliers?!¡±


    Musala was shocked to see human figures flying around in the sky. They were waving staff like objects around in the sky directing magical energy around in the sky. Musala could just barely make out blankets of shadowy energy gently cover the flares in the sky like a soft blanket.


    ¡°The hell is that?! Hey, you, tell me what they¡¯re doing up there!¡± Yelled Musala to one of the mages beside him at the tower.


    ¡°Sire! It seems they have darkness attribute casters and are blocking out the light in the sky. We¡¯re trying to strengthen the light from the flares, but our mage¡¯s combined soul force is too little to continuously cast flare!¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­ Abandon those flares, just randomly fire new flares and spread them out!¡± Musala dosed out several more orders regarding the reinforcements in the sky before a new problem hit them.


    On the non-ruined portions of Vectoir¡¯s walls, milky white wisps of coiling silk began spreading around. Numerous arachnacosa females gathered at the walls and launched spider silk onto the walls, forming a large spread of webbing.


    Musala instantly noticed the danger this web posed. ¡°BURN DOWN THAT WEB! FRONT ARCHER ROW, DRAW MELEE WEAPONS!¡±


    Following Musala¡¯s orders, archers just before the crenellations pulled out swords of all shapes and sizes from a longsword down. The fire mages responsible for burning down the web on time tried to do so, but were quickly blocked by shield bearing arachnacosa hooking their legs onto the makeshift web ladder to climb up and over the walls.


    ¡°Damn¡­ Damn it all! We¡¯re outnumbered clearly. Send a message asking for reinforcements from the cities.¡± Musala licked his lips. This was a challenge to the authority he was going to pose in the future. It seems this Rainier has a few tricks up his sleeve, we¡¯re quite similar.¡±

 Chapter 18: Similar Malice 2

    Chapter 18: Similar Malice 2


    -


    ¡°Duck down! Land us at the tower¡¯s base!¡± Rainier noticed just in time a volley of arrows about to shoot Tero and Nera out of the sky. He also initially intended to land right on top of the tower to face Musala Kasamir, but a barrier made from cosmic magic blocked their path, so they had to reach the tower from the ground level.


    Tero and Nera dropped down to the base of the tower where a battle was already underway between equally sized groups of karkans and arachnacosa. When the four of them landed on the ground, they all readied themselves for battle with their weapons of choice.


    Nera began swirling her double-ended glaive like a dervish, chopping karkan limbs and blocking their weapons. Tero effortlessly skewered a karkan through its neck as he dropped to the ground before pulling it out and shooting a solidified spiked ball of dark energy into the face of another charging karkan.


    Sataska grew several dagger length spikes from her hands, tossing them at a karkan who blocked the projectiles with a buckler shield. The karkan, upon lowering its shield, barely noticed Sataska rushing at him with spikes growing from her arm. He slashed horizontally with a chipped longsword. Sataska ducked under the blade and jabbed on spike between the openings in the armor around the karkan¡¯s kneecap, causing the reptilian humanoid to howl in pain. One more stab from her other spike into the gut and she finished off the karkan.


    Rainier simply stood still and watched on. There were no threats to his current being, so he relaxed for a moment, drinking in the situation. ¡®The chokepoints are still holding, but soon we will swarm and surround them. The secondary force of arachnacosa I sent to scale the walls with webbing should soon attack Vectoir from the cliff sides. Hm, there¡¯s someone about to attack me from behind.¡±


    Rainier swerved to the side and pulled his arm holding the Razor of Envy around. Like he sensed, a karkan tried to attack him with a greatsword, though the edge of the blade found itself dug into the dusty cobblestone of the derelict roads. Rainier shot his free hand up, imagining a purple hued spear radiating ghastly energy. This spear took the form of a knight¡¯s lance complete with a shadowy pennant and it emerged from the collective energy of the various recently deceased soldiers of the battlefield. The karkan saw this lance and back stepped to avoid it only to see the lance stretch from Rainier¡¯s hand directly in front of his neck before piercing him in the same spot.


    Rainier then dashed over to the karkan and quickly slit his neck with the razor, coating the dagger with blood. Though only Rainier noticed this as due to the intensity of the battle, the death lance he created was unusually powerful compared to the versions he practiced when taught be Nestor.


    ¡®It must be because of all the death in the air. Death is a fairly rare attribute, even compared to the cosmic attribute. I wonder if other mages with a death attribute also have their spells become more powerful during a battle.¡¯ Rainier speculated the increase in his power. He also accounted it to his mysteriously large soul force, but could not confirm either theory.


    In any case, Rainier realized that it was no time to debate magical theory right now.


    ¡°Arachs! You lot swarm the other side of this tower, attack the defenses by climbing the tower walls and climbing down on the other side! A group of you assist the arachs engaging the archers on the walls. Pull any karkans too close to the edge to the ground to be finished off! Five arachs guard the entrance of this tower, the enemy commander may be up here. I want to deal with him myself!¡±


    Rainier dispensed orders with clarity, his voice reaching beyond the sounds of combat within the current vicinity. The arachs barely hesitated for a moment before adhering to their leader¡¯s command. They all knew the central command of Kosok Kre and Sharok: To follow this human¡¯s orders. Some didn¡¯t care while most were not fond of handing off their authority. However, none of them could deny the fact that if they lead a siege by themselves, the arachs would fail miserably. Somehow, everything was in their favor, and they could not figure out what was it that the human was doing to lead them to victory.


    -----


    Musala Kasamir couldn¡¯t understand a single thing that was going on. ¡°Rainier¡­ He¡¯s not what I expected, intelligent.¡±


    The person who wrote and signed the letter came off as an arrogant prick that didn¡¯t seem to think about the consequences of his actions. Yet¡­


    ¡°He¡¯s similar to me, very similar. And thanks to that, I know what his next action is, to find me.¡±


    Musala grinned as he peered over the edge of the tower he stood on. He could barely make out several figures among the dozens of half spiders. ¡°If he¡¯s not down there, then those four must still belong to him, probably after me.¡±


    Musala yanked three discs attached to a satchel on his back. He took a stance like a Frisbee thrower and shot one of the discs directly downwards. The disc went off target, most likely from a spell¡¯s shockwave or gust of wind somewhere, and struck the ground close to two arachs. The sound of an explosion sounded off, but instead of an explosion a 360 degree flash of grey light spun in a circle before tapering off. That disc of dull light hit the arachs around one¡¯s neck and the other¡¯s upper torso, completely separating the aforementioned attachments from the rest of the body.


    Without waiting any further, Musala flung the other discs downwards the four humanoids. After doing so, he quickly barked to the nearby mage. ¡°Can you form spatial platforms?¡±


    Spatial platforms were a magic of both wind and cosmic attributes. However, both types of magic were extremely hard to keep steady. Manifesting one was easy, but to keep one manifested was not.


    ¡°Yes, but wind is not my strong suit. I can probably only form two at most for about a second each, one at four seconds long.¡± The mage already understood what his commander wanted. ¡°I can do this sir, escape while you can! The hero of the karkan race must not fall! Once you jump off, I¡¯ll form a platform directly underneath you, so keep moving forwards and down without wasting a second!¡±


    Musala nodded while smiling. ¡°I just need to rally our forces and turn this battle around. Numbers do not mean victory, not to karkans. SPIRIT AND WITS DO!¡± With a fierce roar, Musala vaulted himself over the tower¡¯s ledge and landed deftly on an invisible platforming swarming with toiling air, making his way down all the way to the bottom where a group of karkans were effectively fending off a small squadron of arachs.


    -----


    ¡°He¡¯s not up here?¡± Rainier removed the Razor of Envy from the heart of a lifeless robed karkan.


    The dagger greedily sucked up any blood remaining on its blade, resulting in a twinge of pain on the back of Rainier¡¯s neck. ¡®Feels like a really intense mosquito bite.¡¯


    ¡°It seemed this mage or human leader used some sort of magic to allow the other to mistake. Hopefully it is not long range teleportation, or else it would be impossible to follow.¡± Tero licked a finger and waved it around in the air as if testing for the temperature.


    ¡°Can you find out where he went? No¡­ Scratch that, Sataska!¡± Rainier glanced towards his self-professed spouse. ¡°Can you sense any humans other than me in the area?¡±


    Even though he reaped the powerful senses of the evoants, Rainier noticed it still wasn¡¯t up to par with the real deal. ¡®Besides, I¡¯m still not used to relying on an entirely different set of sensory input.¡¯ The five senses were something every human were used to excluding those who lost the appendages needed. So of course Rainier found it difficult to completely rely on his antenna which when released was powerful enough to override the input from his original five.


    ¡°Of course I can! I am a queen after all with queenly power. Hmmrmmm¡­¡± Sataska blinked happily at the thought of being of some use. She pressed her pointer fingers on her temple like some sort of mind reader while humming. ¡°It¡¯s tough to do so when so much is going on at once, but I¡¯m confident at finding the human if you give me a short while.¡±


    Rainier nodded. ¡°I suppose this is as good as time as any to focus on the overall battle some more. Tero?¡±


    ¡°Our initial advance was successful; we easily penetrated the walls at unexpected speed. However the momentum has slowed down and our advance has been nearly halted.¡± Reported Tero as his gaze ventured about over the tower¡¯s edge.


    ¡°Karkans are quite efficient in battle. Even more so with Musala Kasamir commanding them. He¡¯s a cut above the average person. And you said that metal magic from those discs was his doing?¡±


    Nera then took her turn to speak. ¡°Metal attribute magic is either purely defensive or offensive in nature. I believe a metal rune was imbued on those discs so when the discs shattered, the magic would then spread out in a circular fashion slicing everything around it.¡± Nera normally wouldn¡¯t speak so much in a single sitting, but something compelled her within her mind to do so.


    Of course she was unaware that Rainier utilized the mental hold he had over all of the dhampirs to force her to explain things in more detail.


    ¡°Hm, I think I¡¯ll speak to Ganel for a second.¡±


    With that said, Rainier searched for familiar feeling of Ganel¡¯s mind. ¡®Ganel, can you hear me? This is Rainier speaking to your mind right now.¡¯


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    Mental silence could only be observed for several seconds. The abyss of mental speech was quite cold and timeless. It almost felt as if Rainier could get lost within his own mind or the minds of others.


    ¡®Lord?! You can thought speak? Truly! You are meant to be a great ruler.¡¯


    Finding the ceaseless veneration annoying, Rainier sent more thoughts to Ganel before he got too full of himself.


    ¡®Yes, yes, yes, I¡¯m amazing. I already know that. Musala Kasamir has escaped my grasp right now. If you or subordinates find him, immediately let me know!¡¯


    ¡®Yes sir!¡¯


    Rainier turned his attention back to Sataska who was in an attempt to get his attention, pulling on his sleeve. ¡°Hello? Sataska speaking, I¡¯m unfortunately unable to glean Kasamir¡¯s exact location, but I can tell he is in the direction of the firehouse.¡±


    ¡°Really? Good work, I guess.¡±


    Rainier was a bit cagey to give Sataska any sort of compliment as it usually resulted in an annoying form of the ant glomming onto Rainier.


    ¡°Of course I did good work. I, as a queen, cannot do anything less.¡± Sataska beamed with a shift in her hips.


    ¡°The elder has been forced to take the family from the skies to low altitude. It seems several of us have been injured from concentrated fire from the karkans, no deaths thankfully.¡± A dhampir out of nowhere landed on the top of the tower to relay a message a report to Rainier.


    ¡°Your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honored you asked, my lord. I am Haro, skilled with my jet-lance and have served as lead commander for Fountaine¡¯s undead army before I was sealed.¡±


    Fountaine, the Decayed One- A human archmagus turned vampire lord who raised and managed to cast an exospheric death spell which  fielded a massive army of undead to fuel his ambition of creating a nation for solely undead citizens. Undead creatures of many types that had freewill flocked to his banner. His legions of undead fought successful battles in many theatres, mainly against the human and avian empires. In his bid to establish firm borders, Fountaine earned the ire of more nations and every single military force which believed undead to be unnatural. In the end, Fountaine¡¯s ambitions fell apart four years after they began. This sparked debates among many philosophers and thinkers which questioned the morality of committing genocide on freethinking individuals, even if they were undead.


    ¡®This encyclopedia is so weird¡­¡¯ Mused Rainier as he nodded to Haro.


    ¡°Okay then, Haro. I¡¯m assuming Falth had you come to me for your leadership ability. Well, Relay these specific orders to the arachnacosa officers and then command them while I¡¯m dealing with Musala Kasamir.¡±


    Rainier passed down orders, one of which included the usage of a metal magic which drastically sped up the oxidizing process of rusting metal. Haro didn¡¯t understand the reason behind the usage of that magic, but he didn¡¯t question it and acquitted the reason to one of his lord¡¯s plots.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave lord!¡± Haro leapt on top of the tower¡¯s edge and aimed his lance downwards towards a group of karkans in reserve for the frontlines.


    The tip of the lance, around fifty centimeters long the shot forth from the haft, pulling a dense chain behind it with a clinking sound. Haro then dove off the tower with his bat-like wings furled around his back.


    ¡°Tero, Nera, and Sataska.¡± Rainier deafeningly stated their names over the music of conflict. ¡°Let¡¯s find Musala Kasamir, double-time!¡±


    -----


    The battle was effectively rendered a grand melee in the decrepit streets of Vectoir. Among the shredded cobblestone paths where freshly made corpses of arachnacosa and karkans alike.


    Vectoir is a fairly large city, some eight hundred kilometers squared in area. And since the karkan army was merely an expeditionary force compared to a full invasion of the arachnacosa tribal armies, it was steadily losing.


    It would take not only military genius to win the battle, but also a great deal of luck. And luck was exactly what Musala Kasamir was lacking at the moment.


    ¡°What do you mean the weapons in the armory are unusable?!¡± Angrily shouted Musala with a hint of gloom.


    ¡°Sir! The armaments we stockpiled all have brittle blades and edges, they shatter behind on any good impact. It¡¯s impossible to effectively wield the armaments with such a fragile nature.¡± A karkan looked at his commander and hero in despair.


    ¡°Damn it! Nothing is going our way. This Rainier must have fully prepared for a surprise attack, how did he lay down those mines? Plant the mines at the firehouse? Sabotage the armory? Light up the archer¡¯s locations?¡± It suddenly dawned on him. ¡°Spies and saboteurs in our midst. I fully didn¡¯t expect anything like this, and even if I did, I doubt I could prepare efficiently on such short notice.¡± Yes, unfortunately for Musala it was far too late to find the saboteurs and eliminate them.


    ¡°What next, sire?¡± The same karkan who gave the report inquired on their next action.


    Musala felt the heavy gazes of more than forty karkans stare down on him. He was no stranger to decision making that decided the fate of other¡¯s lives, it naturally came with the dangerous job he had back on earth.


    In his surroundings, Musala could hear more cries of painful anguish coming from karkans than arachnacosa. Although he hated the thought of it, Musala Kasamir knew what his next course of action was.


    ¡°Sound the retreat. Order a full steady pull back of all karkans remaining to the gondola. We can take refuge inside the indestructible structure as it takes us down the plateau.¡± Yes, Musala didn¡¯t wish to, but retreat was his only option at continued survival.


    He underestimated both the arachnacosa and the one leading them, Rainier. This was his mistake, underestimating the dangers of Ademptis.


    The karkans didn¡¯t question their hero¡¯s orders. They were all members of the bestial and battle crazy karkans, but that did not mean they refused to retreat or back off when necessary. Dying for nothing was a shame compared to dying honorably for their race and empire¡¯s gain.


    ¡°CHARGE THROUGH HERE, CUT THEM DOWN!¡± A domineering shout sliced through the despondent atmosphere of the karkans.


    ¡°Thirty of you hold them off here until you can no longer. The other ten, inform your comrades of my decision!¡± Ordered Musala as he took aim with his rifle.


    Musala Kasamir fired off several bursts of automatic fire from his rifle, downing three arachs in quick succession. He had the thirty karkans quickly arrange into a shield wall formation with spears between the shields. In the thirty, there were two mages, one skilled in earth magic and the other in plant magic. He had the earth mage erect stone stakes from the cobblestone before firing off shards of rock into the charging forces. The other mage had the weeds growing between the stones elongate to whip and tangle the legs of the arachs. Although no arachs tripped due to the amount of legs they owned, it still slowed them down.


    ¡°Fire a volley at my mark¡­¡± After waiting a full second, Musala fire another burst while shouting at full volume, ¡°FIRE!¡±


    A full dozen of arrows passed over the shoulders of the shield bearers as well as a small handful of magical projectiles. However, all of the projectiles were halted in midair and bounced to the ground harmlessly. Where the projectiles now laid was a human figure.


    This male human looking person had bat-like wings and twirled a spear with a pennant around to knock the arrows and magic stones out of the air.


    As the arachnacosa charged around him, crashing headlong in the karkan formation clashing with serrated swords and axes. Musala looked past the fighters to see three more unique figures standing by the male with bat wings.


    One was a very similar looking female with the same set of wings wielding a large double ended weapon with naginata like blades. The other was also female with metallic spikes growing out of her body like some sort of porcupine. Musala Kasamir was stunned by the two girl¡¯s beauty, the former resembled a glamour model from the USA or Russia, she also had a cold dismissive expression that seemed to look down on others. The latter was like a slender model that would have hundreds of ardent admirers, she also had a cold expression that seemed to belong on royalty. Surely those who had a masochistic nature to them, which Musala was sure he didn¡¯t have, would be enthralled by the duo¡¯s incredible beauty.


    However, it was the fourth figure that stole his gaze. This fourth figure stood in between the two girls as if he belonged there. He stared directly at Musala Kasamir with a savage grin. A grim looking dagger held in reverse grip looked ready to slashed out and cut at a moment¡¯s notice. A karkan that pulled out alone from an alleyway looked about frantic before charging at the figure. The person ducked the karkan soldier¡¯s sword slash and kicked at his knees, breaking the bones effortlessly and bending it backwards before slitting the karkan¡¯s neck,


    Musala narrowed his taciturn eyes. He saw his enemy and knew exactly who this fourth figure was. The human leading the arachnacosa: Rainier.