《The Necromancer King》 Prologue and Chapter 1: Hero Summoning (Author: Hello all. Writing the same story everyday is tiring and a reader suggested I make a fantasy story to pass the time. Considered a virtual reality story, but there are plenty of those. Plus, I love playing as a necromancer in a game so why not a hero necromancer? Besides, you can''t save everyone. So long as you save the world, no one will care of the sacrifices. Just read a history book. Is a hero charged for his crimes? Nah. I can''t preview this as it is the first submission so I can''t tell if it is long or short. Enjoy.) Prologue and Chapter 1: Hero Summoning The Dragon King was bored. He had eaten, he had slaughtered, and he was rich. No entity opposed him as he ate even those who had little potential to defy him. He had even eaten his own race. There was no meat to satisfy him. No flesh that could stop his claws. No army to stop his might. "My lord something''s happening!" one of his servants cried. "Hmm? What is it?" the dragon king sighed. "Did the human slaves revolt again?" "No my king. It''s a summoning! A hero summoning!" the servant cried. "One of our slaves is being summoned to another world!" "A new world? A new world!" the dragon king laughed. The dragon used transformation language to change into a sixteen year old looking human with medium brown hair with gold colored eyes. The dragon king also had two curved horns the color of ash above its ears and was near around five foot ten inches. Travel was convenient in his demi-human form. He followed the goblin servant while contemplating what he had remembered of summoned heroes. They used to live on his planet. He remembered eating them. They had come from another world from some human kingdom''s summoning ritual. They lost all power they had in the other worlds and kept the form in which they were summoned. Some were demi-humans so the dragon king would be able to keep his dragon horns and ability to use his superior body to overcome the average human. He would lose all magic he could use, but he could always learn new magic. He wasn''t even sure if the magic on this planet could be used on the other. He smiled as he saw the slave. He killed them all with a wave, leaving a huge pool of blood where they had stood before they died. "Goblin, you are the new king of this world. All that was mine is yours," the dragon king said. "This is your reward as my most valued servant. I am heading to another world now. I have grown tired of the meat here." "Your Majesty," the goblin cried, falling to its knees is gratitude. "I will do my best to rule this world in your stead. May the flesh of the new world satisfy your hunger!" "I need a human name," the dragon king thought as it stepped on the summoning circle. "What was the name of the strongest human I ate? Bill? Joey? Alexander? Hmmmm. Edgar? Elgar? Yes Elgar sounds good." Elgar laughed as he felt his magic and power drain from his body. Soon he would travel to a new world. Being a hero? Who cares? There were new prey to eat. To a predator, the stronger the prey, the more delicious it tasted. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ============================= Five lights appeared above a large planet the size of Jupiter with an ice ring of its own. The five lights flashed and appeared in the womb of a female that was of the same race and physical traits of the summoned heroes'' previous older form. Elgar was incredulous as he was ''born'' through the hero summoning. His mother was a dragon who was sealed in human form and sold as a slave. Her husband, a quarter demon, had bought her freedom and married her. He looked just as he had when before he was turned into a baby. He was the eldest son of Edward Maltos, a noble of the kingdom of Galintor. The House Maltos was the royal family of Galintor before it was overthrown a thousand years ago while that royal family was also overthrown two hundred years ago. You could say House Maltos was the royal family that founded the kingdom and fell from power. Only members of the family knew their tragic story. Elgar was bright for ten years old. He learned to read and talk by the time he was three and was always at the library. His parents and his younger twin siblings, Edwin and Elaine, were the only ones who loved and respected Elgar. Why? Edward was the third son of House Maltos and was not destined to be the next patriarch of the house. The Maltos family thought Elgar was weak as he never spent time learning to use a weapon and kept his mind on books. "Fire magic, water magic, even light magic," Elgar murmured as he skimmed through the books in the main building of the noble Maltos estate. "I was ''reborn'' through a hero summoning ritual. This meant this world will become chaotic at some point. When I''m ten, my status screen will unlock and the whole world would know one of my titles is ''Hero.'' Weapons? Who needed them. I was a dragon king! I ruled with strength. I want to rule with magic. I''ll slowly conquer the world while appearing to save it." Elgar roamed the library, trying to find a book on ancient magic. He wanted a magic where he could summon minions. As a mage, he would be more susceptible to swords and arrows. He noticed the old guardian of the library and beckoned him for his assistance. "Yes young master Elgar," the guardian said, bowing slightly. "How may I help you?" "I want to learn magic. Not any magic. A magic with minion summoning. Dark magic. Ancient magic that would bend the knees of my enemies," Elgar said. "There is one school of magic that fits that category," the guardian said. "It is necromancy. Blood magic is forbidden, but necromancy is tolerated. Blood magic actually raises the dead while necromancy twists mana and gives it physical form similar to the dead in appearance. There are other applications such as bone magic, water magic, poison magic, lightning magic, summoning magic, dark magic, and plant magic. You could choose to specialize in one or all of them." The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Necromancy?" Elgar repeated, closing his eyes. He remembered eating a few necromancers. They could blow up their enemies, raise a skeleton army, and other fascinating spells. It took longer for a human to learn, but he was part dragon. Magic was innate in all dragons and draconic creatures. Besides, an elementalist was what all other mages became. It was the orthodox path. The path of conquerors was a harder path. Naturally, that required being different than others. "Give me all the books we have on necromancy," Elgar said. "Oh and try to find a spear with a mana stone. Wielding a staff is good, but I need a weapon to defend myself against warriors." An hour and seven thick books later, Elgar left the library with a spear strapped on his back. He had three years until he could view his stats and go to an appropriate academy until Apocalypse begins. He had to master the basics of necromancy before than. Elgar told his father he wanted to learn how to use a spear and necromancy. His father was surprised his son did not want to wield a sword and wanted to learn necromancy, but he allowed it and hired a general experienced in using a spear in life or death situations. Elgar was surprised guardian of the library was a necromancer, but it explained why the guardian knew so much about necromancy. Later that night, Elgar and the guardian stood in front of the grave of the first emperor of Galintor who was the greatest patriarch of House Maltos. Elgar had brought the fresh corpse of a scorpion with a gold, sand colored carapace he bought from the market. "Young master Elgar," the guardian said. "My name is Tristan Jacks. I am an Arch Magus in necromancy. I am descended from a long line of magus that served the previous royal family which overthrew your own. I was hired to guard the Maltos library due to my ability to summon powerful bone skeletons. Do you know why I asked you to bring that dead spider here?" "According to my books, to learn necromancy, one must insert elementals into a corpse. There was a scorpion in the market being sold as a pet and I chose that for the ritual. Each elemental used allowed the necromancer to use necromancy based on the seven fields of necromancy," Elgar answered. "Very good young master," Tristan smiled. "We are at the imperial cemetery to draw the mana from the corpses to summon the seven elemental types of necromancy. As you took all seven books on necromancy with you, I assume you wish to know them all. This is good. It is a harder path but there will be no truer necromancer than one who has learned all the fields. The founder of the Galintor kingdom was an Arch Magus during his days and many royal court magus are buried here as well. Thus, there should be an abundance of mana in their bodies I can use for the ritual. Now, we shall begin." Wisps of black and white energy rose from the tomb and settled into seven spheres above the scorpion''s corpse. The seven spheres changed into the elemental form of the scorpion. They were made of bones, water, blood, lightning, darkness, vines, and a combination of the black and white energy Elgar assumed represented summoning magic. In essence, that combination was an arcane elemental. Pure mana itself. Tristan waved his hand and all seven elementals scorpion went into the corpse. "Now the final phase of the ritual," Tristan said. You must bind the elementals in the scorpion using your blood, fuse the elementals together, and will the scorpion to come to life. It will be your first minion and your connection to it will cause a change in your body, allowing your mana to thrive and grow." Elgar grit his teeth as he cut his hand with his spear and let the blood drip on the corpse. He pointed his spear at the corpse and transferred the mana from his body into the scorpion. The corpse started to thrash about until it finally came to light, its irises now a black and purple. Elgar clutched his chest as he felt a familiar feeling. It was the mana in his blood stirring. Whatever held his mana back was gone, allowing it to flow and giving him greater strength. Elgar laughed as the ritual was a success. The scorpion was his first minion and moved and acted as Elgar wanted it too. "Congratulations young master," Tristan bowed. "You are now a necromancer. The scorpion will continue to grow as you do and could become as large as a dragon someday. As it grows, you can manipulate it to be any size from its current size to its future size. If it dies, you can animate it once more as it is the first minion. For the next three years I will teach you all that I can. Progress will be hard and other magus will be more powerful than you for now, but in the end, you will surpass them all." Elgar stared at the scorpion as he ordered it to go into his pocket. He was a necromancer. A hero with the necromancer profession. He laughed as he wondered how powerful he would become. Good? Evil? Both would have a choice between being his meal or being his servants.
Main Page Chapter 2: Power of Souls
Chapter 2: Power of Souls (Author: Hello all. Writing a fantasy is a nice break from my other stories. Now as a paragraph stated in the first chapter, the first seven years was just Elgar (aka the Dragon King that once ruled a planet) reading books in the imperial library to learn more about his new world while trying to avoid unwanted attention. Anyway, I plan to focus on this story and Jade Immortal. Writing 2 different genres is easier. Again, this is not a virtual reality story so the tables I make will be different. Thank you all for reading. I guarantee there are no more experiment stories as I have decided to stick with these two. Enjoy.) Chapter 2: Power of Souls Elgar sat on his bed as he began meditating. He was a mage so why meditate? The reason was that he was absorbing the mana around him. He had chosen the path of a mage, a harder and rarer path than a martial artist who cultivated something call qi or spirit energy. Mages mainly relied on the mana in their bodies to cast spells, but necromancers were different. Necromancers could use mana from all living things around them and slowly expand their mana pool. Another energy source was the soul. As Elgar read his magic books, all seven fields of necromancy talked about souls. When a person died, a part of their soul is left behind and becomes something akin to mana. Necromancy did had to do with the dead, but it was the soul, not the flesh. The only exception was using the body as a vessel for an undead minion as it was easier than twisting mana and giving it a physical form. Blood magic actually raised the dead and forcibly fused what was left of the body''s soul back into the body to animate the body. People always confused necromancy with blood magic until one hundred and twenty years ago when the current imperial family authorized its use so the second child, the eldest princess, would not be sentenced to death. Sometimes people in power only did the right thing to protect themselves. "Seven different elementals fused into one," Elgar said as he stared at his scorpion. "That Tristan is a powerful human." Mages had nine ranks in total, but few ever ventured into the Immortal Realms like martial artists did. The nine ranks of mages were Apprentice Mage, Adept Mage, Elite Mage, Sorcerer, Wizard, Magus, Arch Magus, Mage King, and Mage Emperor. Tristan was an Arch Magus, a rank 7 mage. He would have been a tasty snack for Elgar in his previous life. Pity, but he was useful. Bone magic was really fascinating magic. The necromancer could create bones in any shape of form from mana or by using an actual bone and imbuing mana into it. As Elgar experimented with bone magic, he was able to create a small cage of bones large enough to trap his scorpion. It wasn''t much, but having a bone cage for his scorpion was pretty cool to look at. He decided to learn magic as a form of crowd control. It lacked power, but had many potential uses. Water and lightning magic was elementary magic that anyone could learn. It was simple, but very powerful. Elgar did not want to be a generic mage, but necromancers could learn lightning and water magic so he had decided to study them too. He decided to master it if only to disguise himself as an elementalist in the future. Only his father and Tristan knew he was a necromancer. In three years, when his status card activated and he was given the card, it would say he was a hero and elementalist that could use lightning, water, darkness, and plant magic. A status card was made by creating a card using one''s own mana and qi, depending on which path you followed. This meant that he was the one to make his card. Anything could be manipulated on a status card, even one''s name and profession. Why? This was because the gods or devils who created the Mortal Realm wanted people to be able to hide their power or capabilities to protect themselves in the future. His status card would look like this to avoid revealing his true class was necromancy.
Name
Elgar Maltos
Class
Elementalist
Elemental Affinities
Lighting Water Darkness Plant
Titles
Hero Bookworm Researcher Alchemist
Plant magic was rare not because people didn''t use it but because many people thought it was weak. Using plant magic, Elgar could study and find plants suitable for his alchemical potions he would make. He planed to make explosive vials containing water, plant, lightning, and poison magic. Plant magic would help him identify plants. He could also think of creating walls of roots as a barrier or use thorny vines to ensnare his foes. Plant life was everywhere and could be used as subtle attacks. He could also draw mana from plants to heal himself. People just didn''t think of how to apply magic and considered them weak because of their ignorance. Plus, alchemy was a lucrative trade and necromancy required a lot of tools and materials of magical beast and creatures. He could just pay for the materials if he couldn''t find them or if the monster was too strong for him. Darkness magic was useful as he could use invisibility magic in shadows or at night. It was more of a stealth type magic, but many demons could use it as powerful offense type magic. His father was a quarter demon so he had some aptitude to use dark magic offensively. Poison magic was more of a control type magic that damaged the enemy over time. If he wanted to assassinate someone in the future, poison magic was the way to go. Furthermore, by studying poison magic, he could also cure himself in case someone tried to poison him. Summoning magic was the main essence of necromancy. He could summon skeletal warriors and monsters to battle in his stead in the future. He could relax and use long range spells while his minions took all the damage and did the grunt work. If someone slipped past them, he would use his spear and keep his scorpion close as a bodyguard as Tristan told him its maximum size would grow as he got stronger. He wondered what Tristan''s first familiar was, but suspected it was in the vault of the library only the elders and patriarch of the Maltos clan could enter. His father, the third son of House Maltos, probably knew what it was unless it was in its tiny form and hid among the treasure. "Necromancy is very useful for my ambition," Elgar said. He stopped absorbing mana and fell asleep after reviewing his plans. All seven fields served a useful purpose and would be worth the extra effort to learn. The only problem was the quality of his soul. "Now as your teacher, I have earned the right to call you Elgar and you will call me master when we are alone," Tristan said as they resided in the second level basement under the library. "As I''m sure you realized, you absorbed mana from the air. Each of the mana contained attributes of the four fields of magic with arcane essences representing summoning magic." If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Yes master," Elgar said. "I had a higher affinity for absorbing the bone essence from the mana. I believe it might be because my affinity for it is the highest. I had difficulty absorbing dark essence so my affinity must be average for dark magic." "Bone magic is best for defensive purposes which is a must for a mage," Tristan nodded. "When you go to a an academy in the future, choose one for warriors and mages. You can''t use qi or spirit energy, but you can learn how to use a spear there besides the general your father hired to teach you. He will come in one year so you will only have two years to learn from him. I made this request as you are a mage first and warrior second. The classes you will attend will be to learn the spear, water, and plant magic. Alchemy, can''t be taught and can only be truly mastered through experience. As for darkness and lightning, skip those classes and focus learning them on your own with your other fields of necromancy." "That way I have free time," Elgar said in agreement. "I will do as you say master. My problem is my scorpion. How can I hide that it is a minion created by necromancy?" "That''s a simple matter as magical pets are allowed. It will be treated as a pet," Tristan answered, smiling. I suggest bringing the bone cage with you and saw that the scorpion was animated by me to protect you. That way, people will not know you know necromancy and will explain the bone cage you let the scorpion sleep in. Carry it with you at all times to make the lie believable. Also, let the scorpion absorb mana from you from time to time until it evolves. When it does, it can talk and as a fusion of seven elementals, it can guide you and only you can hear it speak as you are its true master." "Oh! Cool," Elgar said. If it was sentient, this means it would be even more useful in battle. He could only imagine the monster meat he would eat when he and his scorpion was more powerful. As it had absolute obedience to him, it would be the one living creature he would trust with his ambitions. Every day Elgar spent the morning studying his books. In the afternoon, he would spend time in the second level basement and applying his knowledge under the guidance of Tristan. He would spend the rest of the afternoon until midnight meditating. He would only rest to eat, sleep, and use the bathroom everyday and will sleep soundly due to exhaustion. He would also let the scorpion absorb mana while he studied in the morning to make it stronger. His only breaks from training were the weekends. He used his free time to study alchemy books and learning about plants. He also made many experiments trying to make the exploding vials and suffered many setbacks. Sometimes, he would sneak into the imperial cemetery at night and absorb the mana from the corpses to expand his mana pool. This was only possible as his family were nobles and were allowed to live in the fourth section of the city. Each section was a circle around the palace and expanded up to twenty miles. The capital city of the Galintor Kingdom, Akhildor was made of five sections. The outer most section was were the livestock and commoners lived, The second section was were soldiers were trained and lived. The third section was the merchant district and the part that all outsiders and people of common status to had access at the most. The fourth section was where the nobles and knights lived. The knights trained there and the imperial cemetery and library was there as well. Unbeknownst to the common folk, underneath the knights'' houses and training grounds was where the imperial dungeon laid. It was made there to prevent the royal family from being endangered in the result of a jail break. The fifth section was the palace itself where only members of the royal family lived. The royal guards and palace servants also lived there. After almost a year of training, Tristan called Elgar to meet him for a trip before he started learning the spear. It was time for Elgar to empower his soul and be able to use more soul energy. "It is time for you to learn about the power of souls as you have absorbed an adequate amount of soul energy from the dead," Tristan said. "I have already received permission from your father to take you with me into the imperial catacombs. A hidden entrance lies in the grave of the founder of the kingdom, your most famous ancestor. No outsider knows it, but the grave is empty and a few drops from a descendent will break the illusion magic and reveal the stairs to the catacomb. None of your family members were able to reach the heart of the catacomb due to its many dangers. However, no one as powerful as I, a rank 7 mage, has ever made an attempt." "So we are going to hunt for treasures?" Elgar asked. "Yes," Tristan answered. "Any gold and jewelry found will be given to your father with a few given to you and myself. All the magical items and weapons we find will be given to you. It is yours by right and I have raided many other tombs and ruins. This will be a test of your progress thus far. It will also serve as practice for you to use your spear in a life and death situation and get a feel as to how to use it. Also, the catacomb will be rich with soul energy and your scorpion will become stronger tremendously. The main goal is to find the Urn of the Demon King. Do you know of Demon Kings?" "It is said to be a demon that ascended to the Immortal Realm," Elgar answered. In his old life, he was the Dragon King. He was a dragon that ascended to the Immortal Realm and broke back into the Mortal Realm after two millennia to rule a planet. He had killed a few Demon Kings and Immortal Kings before he lost the desire to grow stronger and wanted to rule instead. "Correct," Tristan smiled. "A Demon King is an elite ranked demon from the Immortal Realm. When a demon or immortal ascends, they don''t become a Demon King or Immortal King yet. As to how they become one, no one knows. When you and I become a Mage Kings onwards, we are considered immortals as the length of a lifespan is obsolete to us. We live forever unless we get killed. I am an Arch Magus so I am just one rank away from being a Mage King and a low tier Immortal. Hopefully you become a powerful mage before I ascend one day. Tomorrow we head to the catacombs. Make your preparations well. I can only imagine what dangers we will face to find the Urn of the Demon King. What it is, you''ll know when you see it."
Prologue and Chapter 1: Hero Summoning Main Page Chapter 3: Relatives and Tombs
Chapter 3: Relatives and Tombs (Author: Hello all. Decided to change one field of magic for necromancers from ice to water. Don''t see a lot of necromancers using water instead of ice in games. Who''d expect a necromancer to use water magic? It is also easier to disguise himself as a weak elementalist as ice is more of an offensive field of magic compared to water magic. I thought about how to apply water magic as necromancers can use poison and plant magic. Anyway, Elgar and Tristan are ready to head to the tomb, but they encounter an unexpected obstacle. Some say blood is thicker than water. I say jealousy drains blood and envy dilutes it. WARNING: This chapter is not for those with a weak heart. Hope you enjoy the chapter.) Chapter 3: Relatives and Tombs "The Urn of the Demon King," Elgar muttered as he put spare clothes and some food into his magical storage bag, an item all mages carry. It was a gift from Tristan and a very convenient method of carrying items. Elgar currently wore a black robe with a silver collar and silver cuffs. His robe had a hood which he used to cover his head to hide his horns. The Maltos clan didn''t like demi-humans with dragon blood and had always picked on him and called him a freak. He wasn''t able to kill them before, but now he can practice necromancy. Once he encountered his bullies in an isolated environment, he would kill them slowly, painfully. The weak would be wise to endure until they gained power. Once you have power, you return their ''kindness'' back tenfold and make them beg for death. That was what he did once. It was a very effective practice. A little less meat to eat, but certainly more entertaining. Elgar sighed as he grabbed his spear and left his house. His scorpion was hidden in one of his pockets and he met with Tristan at the grave of his ancestor, a grim expression evident on his face. Elgar looked at the grave and his eyes widened as he saw that it had already been dug up with a flight of stairs where the coffin should have been. "People came in before us?" Elgar pondered aloud. "Yes Elgar," Tristan said. "It would appear that we are not the only ones interested in the riches in the catacombs. I have already talked to the patriarch and expressed my disappointment. I might have scared him a little as I am an Arch Magus and I only accepted to guard the library as a favor to your father. I was one of the bodyguards that failed to protect your mother when she was assassinated. We managed to get you out of her before she died and it was a wonder how calm you were when you found out your mom died. Looking at you now, you must have been born very intelligent." "Perhaps," Elgar said, not caring about his dragon mother. She was of the dragon race as he had been but dragons sealed in human forms were a disgrace. When dragons were sealed in human form, they didn''t have any horns, scales, or use any of their magic. They were considered a disgrace as a dragon to be sealed by a human. As for Elgar, he retained his horns and he had the superior strength and mana pool of a dragon. He just couldn''t use any magic as it was his permanent form and was no longer a pure dragon. "The patriarch has given me a guarantee of being pardoned in the event that some of the people in the catacomb suffer an ''accident'' while searching for the treasure," Tristan smiled, knowing that Elgar had allowed himself to be bullied for being a bookworm. This boy was different the moment he wanted to learn necromancy. A pure, innocent child would not want to learn necromancy. He had realized then that Elgar only bided his time until he had the power to fight back." "A pardon?" Elgar grinned, his intent evident on his face. "Do you know who went inside the catacombs?" "Of course Elgar," Tristan said. "It was Master Garret and his two sons, Gerald and Gavin. They have a retinue of fifty knights and one rank 4 mage among them." "A Sorcerer than," Elgar laughed. "With an Arch Magus by my side, what do I have to fear? I will leave the Sorcerer, my uncle, and the knights to you. I have a few experiments I plan to use on my ''dear'' cousins." "As you wish young master," Tristan said, knowing this was an order as was his right as the son of his friend and employer, Edward Maltos. "I believe we should follow them stealthily and let them suffer the traps and dangers until we thin their ranks. Killing them is easy, but I don''t know if the ancient walls and roof of the catacombs will handle my magic." Elgar nodded and they waited for an hour before venturing into the catacomb. Upon entering the catacombs, Elgar admired the human ancestor. The walls were made of pure gold and had several rectangular holes in the walls. Inside a few of the holes were the corpses of what remained of the emperor''s personal army, slaves, and servants. It was an old practice the ancestor established to bury himself with his riches, and all the people who directly served him. If there was any sympathy felt for the people forced to die trapped in the tomb, Elgar felt none of it. It was the weak to die unreasonably. On the ground, Elgar and Tristan saw several rotten corpses and fresh corpses of knights on the floor. Elgar assumed his ancestor must have hired a really powerful blood mage to resurrect his servants and soldiers to eternally guard his treasures. Elgar let Tristan scout ahead as he stared meditating. Fiery orbs swirled around Elgar, but the flames were not hot or cold. The orbs were the pieces of the souls left behind by the dead. The brighter the shade of blue, the weaker the soul. There were a few light blue orbs and many more indigo colored orbs. They would be the souls of the animated corpses that existed since the emperor''s death. As a necromancer, he was able to see souls and touch them. Actual souls had immensely more soul energy than mana and he grabbed the orbs and started eating them. Every time he ate a soul, his mana increased. Necromancers required a massive amount of mana compared to an elementalist so having a large mana pool was not rare. He also orderedhis scorpion to came out of his pocket and watched it eat the souls. When all the souls were gone, Elgar retrieved his scorpion and proceeded past a door and went into the next level of the catacombs. "You did well to eat the souls," Tristan said. "They were but mere fragments of what once was. They''re nothing but soul energy, a purer and more powerful form of mana. I am sad to say that your uncle died, it seems he was stabbed in the back by one of his sons. I believe they might have found a treasure of sorts that their father wanted to keep. Only about a dozen knights remain. I summoned a few dozen skeletal wolves. They should all be dead soon, save the two young masters. I will go on ahead to clear the rest of the traps." "My thanks master," Elgar said, pleased everything went so smoothly. The second son of the patriarch was dead and soon his sons would follow him. Elgar meditated once again to gather the souls from the corpses to him and than ate them. He let his scorpions eat the souls of the knights and a few of the ancient souls before scouring the level for any treasures. All he found were a few gold and silver coins and worn armor and weapons. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Elgar became testing some of his poison magic on the corpses. He had learned poison magic that consisted of bacteria that ate the flesh. It was a very lethal type of poison magic but took way too much time to take effect. After a few moments, he saw the poison mist he created with the flesh eating bacteria devour the corpses, pieces the size of small holes spreading from the point of contact until there was nothing left of the body. Poison in the blood could be cured. Bacterial poison could only be stopped. It was a harder type of magic to learn, but more deadly. At last, he saw two boys a year older than him cowering in the corner on the third level of the catacomb. He grinned evilly as he brandished his spear and let his scorpion rest on his shoulder. He pulled back his hood to reveal his face and horns. "It''s you! The dragon half-breed. Our demonic and human ancestors would be ashamed to learn of your existence," the older boy, Gerald, spat. Gerald was born eleven months before Gavin and had blonde hair while Gavin had dark brown hair. Both boys had blood all over their steel armor with a few dents and cracks. Even their swords were broken from fighting the wolves. "Quick! Distract these wolves while we escape. I promise to send you aid," Gavin shouted, grinning. "I don''t think so," Elgar said as he walked among the wolves. "You see, my master, Tristan, is the creator of these wolves and they won''t harm me. They are here to ensure that you don''t escape from me." "The f*cking librarian guard?" Gerlad laughed. "That old man is useless. Don''t try to lie your way out of this! Distract them you freak! I rder you as the son of the second son of House Maltos!" "You mean you''beloved'' father that you backstabbed," Elgar mused. "I gotta admit. I knew you were pathetic, but even I did not think you would stoop so low. He could have been useful. Oh well. I was going to kill him anyway." "You? Kill him?" Gavin laughed. "You''re just a bloody bookworm! A little freak born from a sealed dragon whore! Dragons, what disgusting lizards." Elgar grit his teeth in anger and said in a low tone, "You filthy human. You dare insult the mighty dragons? You''re not even worth the effort to sh*t on. An insect like you should know your place." "Who''s going to make me? You, half-breed? Don''t make me laugh. You want another beating before crying to your daddy?" Gerald mocked. "I never cried once and endured the pain," Elgar said calmly as he walked toward them. "I waited for so long for us to be out of the family territory. No one can hear you scream here. No one will know of your pain. No one will weep for you either. Why? Because Tristan and I will be pardoned for ''accidentally'' killing you. Tell me humans, have you ever felt fear. True fear. In a few moments, you will know it and you cannot stop it. Killing you? That is beneath me and too lenient a punishment for he injustice you have done. Killing you is justice. Why? Because I am a hero and heroes are not criminals." "A hero?'' Gavin laughed. "You''re not a hero! You think you can be a hero? You''re a dog! Trash! A filthy half-breed lizard son of a slave whore!" "I''m not the average hero," Elgar conceded. "It''s true. I don''t act like a generic hero. Why? I killed the human slave who was chosen. Why? I was a Dragon King that ruled over an entire planet in the Mortal Realm? Why? I am a necromancer. Ever heard of a necromancer hero? Ha! Well that''s enough talk. Let''s finish this." Elgar raised his spear, with a mana stone embedded in it, at their feet. They screamed in pain as small cages of bone decapitated their feet one by one. As Gavin fainted from shock, Elgar used water magic and a small stream of water blasted on his face. He repeated the process on their hands and watched them roll on the ground in agony. He had a greater grudge on Gerald and tossed Gavin toward the skeletal wolves, pausing to watch them eat. He knew from his books that a necromancer could see from the eyes of his minions. Tristan would have known what he meant when he tossed Gavin at the wolves. "And then only pitiful arrogant Gerald remained of the lineage of the the great Garret Maltos! How the mighty have fallen," Elgar sighed, shaking his head in mockery. "Well, you were a nice experiment. You served your purpose." Elgar used mana to once again use his poison magic and watched the poison mist eat the body of the ignorant bully. This was the result of negligence. The bullies had relied on someone else''s power instead of increasing their own. They didn''t know what it was like to struggle for supremacy. Such people were a waste and better off dead. People would probably mourn them for a year or two before they were forgotten. "Finished your business?" Tristan smiled as his wolves escorted him to the entrance of the heart of the tomb. "My thanks master. My justice would have been delayed for quite a while longer than I would have liked," Elgar said, grateful. "I assume all that remains is the treasure and the final guardian?" "Recover your mana before we go inside," Tristan said. "The final guardian should be a lich. If the blood mage animated corpses that lasted to this day, he must have been quite powerful and would have turned himself to a lich to avoid death. The Urn of the Demon King is right in front of us. We must be prepared. Your magic will be useless so keep your spear steady in front of you." "Yes master," Elgar said and began meditating, absorbing mana essence in the air. Power a little inferior but close to his former form lay behind the door. He couldn''t wait to take it. To embrace true power once more. Was he evil? No, but he didn''t refrain from doing evil to carry justice. It wasn''t really evil that he did. It was more like ''going too far and dealing excessive punishment.''
Chapter 2: Power of Souls Main Page Chapter 4: Ancient Lich
Chapter 4: Ancient Lich (Author: Hello all. Been busy writing Jade Immortal and played a bit of Skyrim. Never played as a necromancer, or mage for that matter besides healing magic, in Skyrim so I spent a lot of time playing my other characters while looking for new spells to see what they would look like. Anyway, Elgar punished his bullies and now arrives in front of the door to the heart of the catacombs. Inside, Tristan believes a lich guards the treasures and the Urn of the Demon King. As Elgar is only a rank 1 mage, apprentice mage, his magic will have no affect on the lich itself. How will he support Tristan who will fight the lich head on? Enjoy.) Chapter 4: Ancient Lich Elgar looked into the memories of his past life about a lich. He had only eaten a few in his past life. An ordinary mage had a tenth of the amount of mana of a lich on the same level. They lacked any physical strength and dominated their enemies by using magic and summoning minions. As Elgar''s new form was only a rank 1 mage, his magic would have no affect on the lich. Elgar finished replenishing his lost mana and gripped his spear tightly. Luckily, he was part demon thanks to his father being a quarter demon and half dragon thanks to his mother. He could protect himself using sheer power. After all, that''s why he wielded a spear infused with a mana stone instead of a more powerful staff. He wanted to be a necromancer like no other, which meant using a sword. However, his family only had spears with mana stones. He hoped such a sword was in the catacombs. After all, everyone loved swords. Tristan took out a black wooden staff with runes etched from the bottom all the way to a brilliant amethyst orb on the top. Amethysts were highly valued by warriors and mages as they contain massive amounts of spirit energy. Mages used amethysts to augment their spells while warriors absorbed the spirit energy inside amethyst, a loss compared to a mage as they can still use the amethyst. Enchanters of high abilities were the most paid mage in any kingdom as they had the ability to turn amethysts into mana stones. Mana stones were crystals that augmented a mage''s spells and rituals. Amethyst mana stones were obviously the of the highest quality in the Mortal Realm and the most coveted for all mage of any degree as they were the only mana stones that were indestructible. "I will fight the lich," Tristan began as he put his hand on the door. "You are a smart lad with very powerful genes in your body. True, you are a freak, but what makes you a freak will allow you to survive this ordeal. Lich minions are merely skeleton warriors. Pay close attention to your surroundings and kill the archers with magic while you fight the warriors and avoid fighting near me as I fight the lich or its magic might kill you.." "Yes master," Elgar nodded, knowing he couldn''t hurt the lich. Tristan stared grimly at the door and pushed it open. Inside was a huge, wide open chamber full of treasure and gold coins laying in piles on the walls. Stairs were seen leading to a second floor above the treasure filled with upright coffins. Bodies of dead tomb raiders lay scattered on the floor and one hundred coffins were visible on the second floor with a coffin about fifteen feet high behind an old jade urn about two feet in diameter. When Tristan and Elgar walked in, the large coffin slid open and a rotten corpse with ram horns walked out in a tattered maroon robe wielding a large crimson staff with an amethyst mana stone one feet in diameter. The lich lifted its staff and violet energy zapped from the staff to the hundred smaller coffins, animating the dead warriors within. Tristan put a firm hand on Elgar before running toward the ancient lich with his staff, rivers of lightning blasting forth. The lich waved its staff and a barrier of dark magic blocked the lightning before five fireballs four feet in diameter soared toward Tristan. Elgar breathed deeply before rushing toward the undead warriors on his left. Poison magic had no affect on the dead so he used bone magic to decapitate a foot of one undead warrior, killing it as it stumbled forward. Elgar had no idea how to use a spear as he had only used a sword in his human form back in his previous life out of boredom. He used his superior strength to stab the warriors blindly, augmenting his strikes with lightning magic. If he got surrounded, he used plant magic to stab the feet of the undead warriors with vines, planting them to the ground. The undead warriors felt no pain or emotion and continued carrying out its command to kill the intruder. Elgar constantly ran all around the second floor, avoiding running on the first floor where Tristan and the ancient lich fought. Bolts of lightning and multiple fireballs clashed below, the heat making Elgar sweat as he fought the undead warriors. He formed a spear out of dark magic and threw it as the undead warriors approached him in a line. The magic spear pierced through the first undead warrior and second warrior, stabbing the third. Elgar cursed as the undead warriors only seemed to grow stronger with every death of the others. "They''re absorbing the soul energy of the fallen minions," Elgar realized. Elgar quickly used plant magic to connect the undead warriors to the floor in a large group. Elgar then used water magic to make a small stream of water beneath the undead warriors, strengthening the vines as they absorbed a few of the water. Elgar shouted loudly as he concentrated all his mana into the mana stone in his spear and cast a four small lightning bolts at the pool of water beneath the undead, incinerating them to ash. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Argh," Elgar shouted as the mana stone burst, shattering the spear. Elgar was slammed into the wall by the force and fell on the floor, clutching his chest which suffered the most from the blast. He felt ashamed for struggling against simple undead warriors and felt envy as he watched the lich and his master fight using powerful magic. With the death of its minions, the lich could no longer sneakily absorb the soul energy as Elgar killed them. Tristan was relieved as he was struggling to use magic as he was afraid he would destroy the catacombs. He was clearly stronger but the lich had strong defensive capabilities. With the undead warriors dead, Tristan no longer feared an attack by the warriors and began casting more powerful magic. "IT''S OVER! Return to the land of death!" Tristan roared as a massive pillar of light surrounded the lich, burning it with holy light until it finally screamed. "You''ve no idea what you desire! What you want is power that could destroy this world!" the lich laughed until it finally turned to ash, leaving its staff behind. Tristan felt his legs weaken as he picked up the staff and admired it. It was made from Immortal ranked wood, which explained why the lich was able to use such strong magic and animate and control a hundred undead warriors. Immortal ranked materials where materials that only mages and martial artists with qi could use. It was indestructible and the higher the tier of material, the more powerful the wielder could be. "You did it," Elgar said as he helped Tristan lay on the wall to rest. "Thanks to you killing all the undead warriors. I had no idea it was using you to kill them to absorb their soul energy. I was also afraid they would fight me as I attacked the lich. Although, I don''t think you''re suited to a spear. Search the treasure piles first while I rest. Then, we''ll take a look at the urn," Tristan sighed. "You did well young master. You used your magic wisely to kill the rest of the undead all at once when you realized they only got stronger with each one you killed. You made a wise choice to learn how to fight with a weapon while being a mage." Elgar nodded and searched the treasure piles for something valuable. He smiled as he found a sword whose blade was made entirely out of stone. The stone blade seemed to had runes made of lava on it, but the lava only seemed to swirl inside the blade and never leaked out or made the sword feel hot in his hands. It also had a small amethyst mana stone on the pommel of the sword. He laughed with joy as he realized the sword was indestructible and ever-sharp. With it, he never need to polish the sword, sharpen its edges, and could still perform spells above his ability through the amethyst. He also stored all the gold coins he found while saving most of them for his father as agreed. He cared little for human jewelry and found a peculiar black ring and ash wood necklace in the shape of a six-pointed star. He wore them and was disappointed nothing happened but kept them anyway as a reminder that he survived in the catacombs. Elgar stared silently at the bodies around him and smiled. He laughed with evilly as he meditated to draw the souls to him and ate the souls of the undead warriors and the tomb raiders. He did hesitated before giving the lich''s soul to his scorpion. He wasn''t able to absorb it anyway and the scorpion devoured the lich''s soul. It seemed to shudder and he saw its maximum size expand to a foot long in diameter before ordering it to return to its smaller size. His eye''s widened as he realized the scorpion had become sentient and able to think on its own. While unable to speak, the scorpion''s carapace developed small runes seemingly made of shadows as it constantly traveled over its body. "Good. It has gotten so strong so quickly," Tristan said. "It seems we both made a profit. I was going to give you my old staff as the lich''s staff is better for me, but you found a sword with an amethyst mana stone. It is strange as it seems to be made out of some Immortal rank stone yet maintains lava within. Perhaps its power will be revealed at another time. First, store the Urn of the Demon King in your storage bag and we will quickly leave this place to report to your father. You will open the urn in a safer place. There may be other dangers in this catacomb as we took the main route and did not venture into other routes or any hidden passageways." Elgar nodded and walked toward the urn. It seemed to be made of basic materials, but his hands burned from the sheer intensity of the spirit energy it permeated around it. Eager to open the urn and access the power within, he quickly stored the urn and followed Tristan safely out the catacombs.
Chapter 3: Relatives and Tombs Main Page Chapter 5: Global Tremor
Chapter 5: Global Tremor (Author: Hello! Surprise double release! Elgar survives and returns home from the catacombs. First he must report to his father and discovers frightening news. He also discovers the power in the Urn of the Demon King. Is it a curse? A Blessing? Enjoy.) Chapter 5: Global Tremor "HAHAHAHA! My son returns! Glorious!" Edward laughs as he grips the Elgar''s shoulders tightly. "You did a good thing killing my older brother and his idiot sons. I assume you brought the treasure and accomplished your mission?" "Yes father," Elgar nodded and deposited most of the gold and jewelry in the room. Edward shouts in alarm as the room is piled five feet high in gold coins alone with another feet of jewelry and armor and weapons. Luckily, all the doors and windows were closed. Otherwise, the gold would pour out and the rest of the Maltos clan would try to covet some gold. "Good! Very Good," Edward laughed and deposits it all in his own storage bag. "Thirty percent will be given to the patriarch and he will declare it as an anonymous donation by one of our benefactors. This will also keep the fact that you killed my elder brother and his bullying brats a secret. I assume other events transpired in the catacombs?" "Yes father, an ancient lich was guarding the treasure but Tristan killed it," Elgar said. "I also found a sword with an amethyst mana stone. You no longer need to hire that general who will teach me how to use the spear now. I need a sword master instead. I found a new sword, but the blade seems to be made of stone." "I knew you''d learn the sword!" Edward boomed with approval. "Honestly, I never intended you to learn the spear anyway. Kings and generals wielded swords. Wait, did you say the blade was made of stone?" "Yes. Why? You know of it?" Elgar asked. "That is the Founder''s sword!" Edward laughed. "The real blade is a dark purple holy metal. It is encased in stone until you awaken the sword using the wielder''s own mana or qi, binding it to him like a storage bag. Quickly take the sword out and sit down in a meditative position! Once you imbue it with mana, grip it with your sword arm." Elgar immediately sat down and took out the sword, laying it on his lap. Edward grinned happily and told his son to imbue mana into the sword. Elgar closed his eyes and black mana poured into the sword. His mana was black as he was part demon. The sword vibrated and the stone cracked. After a few seconds, the stone shattered, revealing a dark purple blade with the same runes that seemed to be made of lava. Excited to test the blade, Elgar grabbed the hilt of the sword. Elgar howled in pain as the stone fragments swirled around him and turned his entire right arm, from the shoulder down, black with strange tattoos that seemed to be made of lava. He rolled on the ground in agony as the inside of his arm felt as if it were submerged in lava. "Ah, I was right about that little side effect," Edward said as the pain wore off. "You see, the sword can only be used by its true master which will have his sword arm transform like yours. The Founder was a powerful mage you see, but he loved martial arts. The problem was that he couldn''t cultivate qi as he was a mage. Qi and mana are spirit energy, but they cannot coexist in the same body. On his travels, the Founder found that sword and was able to use fight using qi techniques with mana instead of qi. He was able to experience the joys and struggles of both mages and martial exponents. As an elementalist with the ability to use qi, he was unstoppable and invincible while he was interested in being ruler before he gave the throne to his son." "Then how did someone so powerful die?" Elgar asked, admiring his new arm. "He didn''t. You saw the grave right? It was empty and it had a magical passageway to another dimension. He built the catacombs there for his descendants so their remains would not be desecrated. After all, every time one of our own died, we said we ''buried them'' with the Founder. He also left that behind for his descendants before he ascended so they would access some of his treasures. He obviously found a new sword and left your new sword behind as an inheritance for a fellow mage who wanted to follow the same path. The path of a king!" Edward sighed in awe. "We never knew his name and the records only stated that he was known as the Founder. The tattoos on your arm allow you to use sword qi techniques. As for the runes on the blade, the Founder left no records on that. I believe you''ll find out in due time. Go see your little twin brother and sister, Edwin and Elaine. They missed you while you were gone. Oh, try not to get mad too much when they tell you the news. Your little brother and sister didn''t believe you would learn the spear. I also told them the news, but I think I''m better off if you hear it from them. Take care now!" Elgar stared at his father, narrowing his eyes. While he headed for his siblings'' room, he flexed his right arm while he lifted the Founder''s sword and experimented swinging it in a downward slash. His right arm seemed fine, but he discovered he couldn''t cast any spells with his right hand when he stored the sword in his storage bag. Instead, his right arm seemed to burst with strength. "It converts the mana in my body into qi," Elgar realized. "HAHAHA! An elementalist created an empire with mana and qi at his disposal. I can only imagine how strong I would become to create an empire of my own with necromancy and qi. My future is peerless! Limitless!" "Big brother!" two twins shouted as he walked into their room. Unlike him, they had no horns and the whites of their eyes were black. They were related to him through his father. In the public''s eyes, his father remarried after his mother was assassinated to ease his pain. In reality, he remarried as he had accidentally gotten her pregnant while he tried to drink the pain away. Elgar didn''t care as he never knew his family in his past life and barely remembered his human mother. "You bring a souvenir?" Edwin asked, looking eagerly at Elgar''s storage bag. "Your arm is weird? Is it hurt?" Elaine asked. Elgar just laughed and gave Edwin the skull of an undead warrior and one of the daggers he found, the blade being made of gold. He also gave a ruby necklace to his little sister. "Try not to hurt yourself Edwin. A predator has to know both his strengths and his weaknesses before initiating the hunt. You can''t use a sword as you''re too small but the dagger is the same as a sword to you. Elaine, my arm is fine. Be sure to learn politics well from father. After all, you''re the smart one," Elgar said. "So when are you getting married big brother?" Elaine asked as he put the necklace on her neck. "You going to meet your fianc¨¦ soon?" "WHAT?" Elgar asked, incredulous. "What fianc¨¦?" "The academy you will attend in two years when you turn thirteen. After you spend two more years learning necromancy and swordsmanship, daddy said you''ll meet your fianc¨¦ in the city where the five great academies in the empire reside. Right Edwin?" Elaine asked, looking at her elder twin. "Don''t bother me! I''m practicing using my dagger!" Edwin shouted, holding the dagger with both hands as it was made of gold and quite heavy. "Well granddaddy promised long ago to another elder that he would marry the eldest son of daddy to the elder''s granddaughter in gratitude for saving daddy''s life," Elaine said. "Mom says that the elder is the reason dad didn''t die while your mom died. Sorry big brother." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Marriage at a young age must be a human thing," Elgar sighed. "Elaine, who am I..." He was going to say more, but Tristan appeared behind him. Elgar had no choice but to say farewell to his siblings as he followed Tristan out the house. Tristan heard about Elgar''s new transformation and approved, saying that is was a good thing. Elgar was a necromancer, but he was also a member of nobility. Being able to use qi techniques would help save his life against assassins experienced in fighting a mage. Elgar and Tristan entered the second level of the basement of the library. Tristan apparently placed runes all over the walls as Elgar reported to his father. "Place the urn on the small table," Tristan said as he pointed at a small table in the center of a large rune circle. "Open the urn and discover your destiny young necromancer." Elgar placed the seemingly ordinary urn on the table and breathed slowly as he opened the urn. All of a sudden, Elgar shouted in shock as he became a mass of black mana and was sucked into the urn. Tristan''s eyes opened widely in shock as the urn closed and seemed to radiate black mana. The urn seemed to be a pocket dimension. How else would Elgar be sucked into the urn? "Where am I?" Elgar asked as he appeared in an empty space. He saw black mana swirl all around him as if it were alive. He also saw pieces of amethyst crystals within the black mana. He couldn''t move his body and could only float helplessly as the mana went into his body. He wanted to scream, out loud but the pain was so great that he couldn''t make a single noise. The amethyst crystals seemed to dissolve and spirit energy raged into his right arm. Elgar finally screamed in pain as the pain lessened over his body as it concentrated on his back, two demonic wings bursting from his back. While still predominantly human in appearance with draconic horns and gold colored eyes, his blood had turned dark purple like his sword. "At last, a worthy member of the demon race appears. Not only that, the soul is that of a Dragon King ranked dragon," a deep, ancient voice said. "Reincarnation? Heh, a part demon, part dragon as a hero and a necromancer at that! I welcome you Ancient One. Seeing the power of your soul, you used to be as stronger than the likes of even I. How did you die?" "I got bored and there was no new meat to eat. I also had no interest in returning to the Immortal Realm," Elgar answered. "Boredom? No new meat to eat?" the voice laughed. "You are truly a dragon. However, your soul is even stronger than mine. You would have been fun to fight to the death with. Alas, my body is destroyed and my soul was locked in this urn by an Immortal King. Humans. They fear the unknown and assume dragons and demons would kill them." "Time has changed on your planet. My new body has demon veins. It seems the empire I was born in tolerates non-humans albeit with the exception of dragons," Elgar sighed. "What did the black mana and amethyst do?" "Ah, it made your body strong enough to withstand talking to me," the voice laughed. "You see, your soul is vastly superior to mine, but your body is just as weak. If you were any other demon kind, I would have killed you, but perhaps you will finish what I failed to do. You see, I want you to ascend to the Immortal Realm and kill the Immortal King who killed me and cast me down to the Mortal Realm. It may take you centuries, millenniums even. However, I know that someone as powerful as you will be bored being a king in the Mortal Realm. Kill the immortal human. Will you do this?" "For the power to eat magical beasts of any kind once more, I''ll do anything," Elgar said. "Being a king is merely a means to an end. As king, I can eat whatever I want. With necromancy and martial arts, no one can stop me. As I kill, I''ll have more enemies. I was stupid to kill all my enemies in my previous life. In this one, I''ll let them live to enjoy watching them struggle a little longer before they serve their purpose and die. To a dragon, only food and power matters. The power to take and protect what''s mine. To discover new meat and enjoy its delicacy." "Then receive my power and become a necromancer like no other," the voice laughed. "Show the world that the light cannot block the darkness. Do not falter as you walk the path of kings and blood. Enjoy it for the journey is more exciting than its end. For in the end, it is but an undiscovered crossroad to another end and then another in a eternal cycle." Elgar''s vision turned crimson as black and red liquid appeared out of nowhere and entered his body. Information flowed into his head. Elgar''s eyes widened as he had gained the ability to manipulate space such as gravity. The liquid broke his bones and replaced it as it crystallized. However, his horns were not shattered and remained. The whole planet shook as the Urn of the Demon King burst and released Elgar. Tristan fell to his knees in shock as he felt mana and qi radiate from Elgar''s body. As Elgar stood on his feet, he stretched his wings once before willing them to disappear into his body. He had lost more of his humanity but still looked human save for his blackened right arm with the lava tattoos and the wyrm horns on his head. "What happened in there?" Tristan cried in awe as Elgar stopped radiating power as the mana and qi settled in his body and right arm. "I met the soul of the Demon King and gained its power," Elgar laughed. "Come Tristan, we only have a little over two years to learn necromancy and I will spend some time learning qi techniques as well. There is much to do. I could care less about my fianc¨¦ until I meet her and deny the marriage." "Yes young master," Tristan shouted as he bowed on one knee. "I will do all that I can to make you the best necromancer the Mortal Realm has ever seen. I have also become a rank eight mage, Mage King, as the mana radiating from the urn went in my body as I tried to prevent it from leaking to the outside. The whole world shook as you were released. They will know a new age is coming. I only hope I can see it before I become a rank 9 mage and ascend to the Immortal Realms." "A global tremor," Elgar murmured as he left the library with Tristan. "Let it tremor. I will be a necromancer king like no other. Let them try to stop me. Once I master my power over space, necromancy, and martial arts; I will have no equal! No one will be able to stop me as I conquer the land. A whole plane tis beneath me! I need enemies to slaughter. I need wild magical beasts to sate my hunger. No one can stop me! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Chapter 4: Ancient Lich Main Page Chapter 6: Last Two Years
Chapter 6: Last Two Years (Author: Hello all! Time for the fated time skip! Most of this chapter is more of an informative chapter to describe the remaining two years. before leaving for the mage academy. Elgar gained so much power in the last chapter. Thus, he spent most of his time mastering the power he had rather than continue gaining power. If you constantly gain power without knowing how to use it, it''s similar to an eight year old receiving a gun and putting it under his belt with the safety off. Anyway a rank 2 mage is an adept mage. Capital I and lower case L look the same so when you see Ilgar, it is pronounced as (ill and gar). It is the name of a capital city of another empire. Enjoy.) Chapter 6: Last Two Years Elgar Maltos had gained so much power, but his experience as a Dragon King taught him that a weaker opponent could defeat you if you didn''t understand your own power and overestimated yourself. Was it not the same when he was a normal dragon and challenged Dragon King ranked dragons in the Immortal Realms? The world always had a balance. Why else would people respect and learn from their elders? Elgar was a rank 2 mage, adept mage, after gaining the Demon King''s power but he had as much understanding of his spells and power as a rank 1 mage. Elgar''s life over the next two years flashed by as he constantly trained. He only studied under the general his father hired for a few months to master the basics before letting him return to the army. Elgar was a mage so the general''s techniques were of little interest to him. Instead, Elgar would visit the knights in the barracks and watch them spar with one another. He would also ask how they would fight a mage. He valued their experience and gave them a few gold coins for their advice. He was not a dragon so he had to learn a new way to fight his enemies. His stepmother, Irene, was a half demon and often spent time teaching Edwin and Elaine how to use demon magic. Demon magic didn''t divide magic into different types of fields and the more demonic your genes, the more powerful magic you could use. Their father, Edward Maltos, was a quarter demon, but a very powerful warrior similar to a rank 4 mage. Elgar would occasionally watch as Edward taught Edwin the way of the sword while Irene taught Elaine magic. Edwin and Elaine were three years young than Elgar, but learned at an earlier age because their father was named as the heir of the Maltos clan. The eldest son and the patriarch of House Maltos suffered an unfortunate accident while they were sent as envoys by the empire and the eldest son lost his life. Being named heir meant that Edward would became a big target in the eyes of other noble houses. Naturally, that meant more assassins would target him and his family. Elgar experimented flying and flew around in the second level basement of the library. It was a nostalgic feeling as he would reminiscence hunting prey while he was a dragon. He studied his knew bones and realized they seemed unbreakable. It made him wonder what kind of demon the Demon King he met was. For the Demon King to die, the Immortal King must have used some kind of technique. He slowly mastered the Demon King''s ability to control space. He was able to make a field of gravity to press down against his opponents around him. He could also push or pull enemies to him using himself as the center of the gravity field. As far as demon magic was concerned, he only bothered learning two spells. One was called Blood Mist. It was used by channeling the energy of the unique black and crimson crystal bones in his body as a catalyst and dispersed a mist around him, draining the soul energy of the people who touch it. It was a magic that attacked the soul and very difficult to guard against unless the opponent used light qi techniques or light magic at a higher level. The other demon magic he learned was Demon''s Raiment. It utilized dark magic and created a black armor over his clothes. People ranked lower than him wouldn''t be able to harm him. He didn''t care to learn more demon magic because he had seven fields of magic he had chosen to learn as a necromancer. As for dark magic, his demon magic required dark magic so he focused on dark magic the least. As for poison magic, he named the flesh eating bacteria spell he used on his cousins, Blood Bane. The magic spell was of his own creation so he focused on making it more potent and learned no other poison magic besides being able to extract poison from his own body. He called the spell, Toxic Dispersion. The more types of poison he learned about, the greater his mastery over the poison became. He also learned only one type of lightning magic, but it was his favorite. He called it Lightning Serpent Strike. He would use lightning magic to create serpents made of lightning and blast them like lightning bolts at his target. The spell was very destructive and personified power. He believed if he got stronger, he could create more lightning serpents of even greater power. After all, he had seen its power before as he used a basic lightning bolt while in the catacombs. As for plant magic, he learned a healing magic spell from Tristan called Nature''s Blessing. It was a healing spell that not only healed his wounds, but also had a regenerative effect for a short duration period. He created a spell called Vine''s Wrath, creating vines that spear upwards and drain spirit energy as they pierce through target. He also created a spell he called Cataclysm. It was a spell where giant roots spread from beneath his body and collapsed the ground around him as it destroyed the soil and burst upwards. Doing so would create a large fissures in front of him, destroying the land. The drawback was the massive amount of mana it required, but he was a necromancer so it wasn''t much compared to a different class of mage who would use a spell on a similar scale. His highest attribute was bone magic and his first spell was obviously Bone Cage. The spell created a cage of bone instantaneously and it was now strong enough that a steel sword would shatter on impact. He could also use the spell around him to protect himself if he got surrounded. He also created a spell he called Bone Yard, making spirals of bone appear all over the ground like spears. He could also go into the bones and appear in a different location in the bone yard as he exited a different bone. It was the spell he created after he became an adept mage after a full year passed from returning from the catacombs. It was similar to teleportation, but used bone magic instead. As for water magic, he created two spells. One was for if he fought underwater called, Shark Frenzy. He would create sharks using water magic that would fight on his behalf and slowly drained his mana until he stopped the spell. The second spell was one he thought was useful in his magic book called Water Lance. He would create lances made of water and control them at will. They could swirl around him to protect him and hurled toward the enemy as a wave of lances. His favorite magic was summoning magic, the trademark of a necromancer. He didn''t care to name his spells as he could create the skeletal form of any creature he desired. The stronger he became, the bigger the skeleton minions could become. He could also to choose to keep it small to make its bones denser and more impervious to magic and weapons. Necromancers had the most mana among any mage because of their summoning magic and the massive amounts of mana it required to create the minions. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He also practiced the sword against other knights. He called the Founder''s Sword, Lava Tyrant due to the peculiar dark purple blade made of holy metal and the lava runes along both sides of the blade. Dragon''s naturally breathed fire and the sword emitted a baleful aura the more he killed the bone minions he practiced his sword techniques on. The tattoos on his right arm didn''t just convert the mana in his right arm into qi, it was fire element qi. Devised a fire qi technique he called Lava Dragon''s Claw. It was a technique that wrapped the blade with fire qi that would strike his target five times all at once in a single slash. The target would burn and melt as if lava was thrown at it. He believed as he mastered the sword, the number of strikes would increase. His second technique was called Star Breaker as it incorporated the Demon King''s ability to control and bend space. The technique wrapped Lava Tyrant with demon energy and formed cracked in space as he moved faster than lightning to strike his opponents multiple times. Elgar created this technique so he could fight opponents too fast for him to target with magic. He couldn''t figure out what the runes on the blade did and was shocked as he poured mana into his black ring that he found in the ruins. The six star point necklace he found burst and Elgar laughed as he realized it was a simple pendant. However, the ash colored runes appeared all along the surface of the ring as he poured mana into it. He kept the ring on his left hand as his right hand wielded his sword. His scorpion also evolved over time very quickly as the mana in Elgar''s body was more powerful after meeting the Demon King. The scorpion''s maximum size had become one feet tall and four feet in length. It even managed to be able to talk mentally in his head just as Tristan said it would. He named the scorpion Magmar as the runes on its carapace turned to lava runes as it evolved and formed a second stinger tail and had the ability to eat fire and spew lava from its mouth. All in all, he had could use thirteen spells and one fire qi technique and one spatial qi technique. As an adept mage, it was more than enough. Elgar knew that the more spells and qi techniques one learned, the more divided his attention would be to improve and master them. The final year passed in a flash as he also practiced his alchemy. He acquired many herbs and materials through his father''s connections and many books on alchemy. He learned to make basic potions such as haste potions, low mana potions, and low rock armor potions. He learned how to make paralysis, poison, and sleeping powder as well as itching powder for fun. His biggest accomplishment was making the exploding vials he wanted to make when he first picked up alchemy. He created exploding vials with fire, poison, and lightning essence as they were the most lethal in power. He was only able to make exploding fire vials after mastering how to control the fire qi in his right arm. He was more than satisfied with what he accomplished over the past two years. ------------------------- "Don''t go!" Edwin and Elain cried as the whole family and Tristan stood in front of their house. "I''ll be back on the holidays," Elgar laughed. "You better! I''ll be able to use a sword than! We''ll spar for sure!" Edwin shouted, trying hard not to cry. "I hope the fianc¨¦ is pretty," Elaine said, shocking everyone and reminding them how smart she was. "I still can''t believe father told you and asked you to tell me when I got back," Elgar sighed, laughing as he pat her head. "Goodbye father and mother. I''ll be a strong mage for sure." "Be safe," Irene said as she hugged Elgar. "I''ll try to distract the kids with training, They''ll be much stronger than you were when you started training. After all, they had a head start as they started when you were eleven while they were just eight years old." "I don''t know why you bother to hide your true power?" Edward sighed. "But do not let anyone beat you down. You know what it is like to be bullied. This time you can publicly fight back. Just don''t go so far as to maim or kill them among bystanders. In the city of Ilgar, the capital of Batralga Empire, there are five major academies for magic. All kinds of people of all races, such as beast kin, humans, dragons, and demons live there. The Batralga Empire is the most racially diverse and accepting empire in the world. You never met a beast kin as the Kingdom of Ganora used to be at war with the beast kin for many years, creating grudges and prejudice against them. Good luck my son. Your mother would have been proud to see you grow up to be such a fine young man." "You were my greatest student," Tristan said as he shook Elgar''s hand. "I''m sure you can figure out what the runes on your black ring and your sword will do in the future. You and Magmar will become far more powerful than I ever was, the proof being the power you gained from the Urn of the Demon King. As you have chosen to keep your necromancy a secret and decided to pose as an elementalist, only use lightning, plant, water, and dark magic in front of others. Take classes only for water and lightning magic. Keep your powerful plant and dark magic a secret. You don''t look demonic but your blood is dark purple and your mana is black. Naturally, your demon magic is powerful and uses dark magic. The more power you keep hidden, the more likely you can defeat your enemy in an opportune moment. Good luck Elgar. It was my great joy to tutor you in necromancy." Elgar nodded and said farewell to all his loved ones. Their presence made his new life more fun and different than his past life which was less intimate and less challenging. He walked over to the merchant district and paid for passage for a teleport to Ilgar. He had to visit his fianc¨¦ first and make a decision before going to an academy. He covered himself with the tattered crimson robe of the ancient lich which he had Irene sew into a hooded cloak and pulled over his hood, his horns creating small bulges underneath. Magmar rested in his robes and Elgar grinned as he imagined how much stronger it could become. His peaceful life was over. Now he wouldn''t be protected by his family and Tristan. His new life would become more dangerous, fun, from now on. He stared one last time in the direction of his house before he vanished from sight.
Chapter 5: Global Tremor Main Page Chapter 7: Connections over Power
Chapter 7: Connections over Power (Author: Hello. Releasing this chapter a little early. As for the hero summoning, that will be revealed later in the story as the chaos and ''end of the world'' started by the forces of ''evil'' haven''t made their move. In my vision for this story, they don''t just appear and say, "Hey there, mind if we kill you and eat feed your bodies to our forces? It''s only gonna hurt a lot." Nah. I like dark stories with actions done behind the scenes that connect to form the bigger picture. The MC has only benefited so far because of his lineage. Can it be so coincidental? Hell yeah. I wrote it that way. HAHAHAHA. Elgar has left his peaceful life and entered the city of Ilgar, (ill + gar as the I is an upper case i you know). He goes to visit his fianc¨¦ and, obviously, people don''t like the engagement. Remember, his soul is that a Dragon King, but he can''t reveal his necromancer powers. This means he can''t use his full power (publicly). Mental conversations (telepathic communications) will be in bold. Chapter is shorter as it is an into of sorts. Enjoy.) Chapter 7: Connections over Power The Batralga Empire was a nation of racial diversity and acceptance. Beast kin could drink beer with a human and a demi-dragon could spar with a demi-demon without killing each other on purpose. Only mixed breeds accepted the empire. Pure dragons and demons thought the Batralga Empire was a disgrace and only had minimal interactions with the nation through trade. Beast kin loved the Batralga Empire as they had finally made peace with demon affiliated countries such as the Kingdom of Ganora where the Maltos clan lived. The Batralga Empire had many enemies for its philosophy of racial equality and acceptance, but no country waged war with it openly. Why? The Batralga Empire was the trading center of the north eastern hemisphere of the Jupiter-sized planet. The nations were the richest in the planet. The planet may be large, but sixty percent of it was water. Even more, the time to travel between the ten continents to another one was ten years by sailing. The Batralga Empire was a major trade center, meaning it had teleportation circles to major nations the other nine continents. Power meant nothing, especially in the capital city of Ilgar. Only connections mattered. People stared and muttered as a teenage boy in a hooded, tattered cloak appeared from the teleportation circle. Elgar stared around and found the main road. His destination was the Dune Manor and the fianc¨¦ who was apparently the beloved daughter of the Dune clan. Elgar admired the busy streets and hid his shock beneath the shadows of his hood as he saw many beast kin around. The closet he had been to one in his former life when he ate them all in a mass genocide as they refused to serve him. They tasted funny in his mouth. Even after killing and eating them all, he still couldn''t figure out the flavor. A part of him wondered if it would be wrong to eat one of them as he was part human. Many people quickly walked around him, commenting why a country bumpkin would come to the capital of the largest trading center in the world. Elgar wore the cloak as he didn''t want to be the center of attention. Besides, the cloak had some protection from magic and was worn by an ancient lich. As a necromancer, the tattered cloak suited him. He followed the main road until he reached an area full of lavish estates. Many guards put up their guards as they saw a suspicious fellow in a crimson cloak walk past them. "Such a grand estate master," Magmar commented as it peaked through the neck of the cloak. "I''m only going in to deny the engagement. I had fallen in love once and watched as my mate left me for a stronger dragon and crushed our eggs. Naturally, I never got over it, even when I bound her in magic chains and made her watch as I ate her lover piece by f*cking piece before it was her turn," Elgar said. "Your past life is scary. I''ve seen glimpses of it as I am bound to you and made of seven elemental spirits, but even my soul pales in comparison to your own," Magmar said. Elgar laughed as his life had become more interesting now that Magmar could communicate with him. He pulled back his hood, revealing his golden eyes, ash wood horns, and light brown hair. He walked toward one of the larger estates where ten guards in shining, silver armor, armed with shields and spears, stood guard. A large sign stood above them saying ''Dune'' in large letters made of gold. "Halt! Step no further stranger," one of the knights said as he drew his sword toward Elgar as he approached them. "I have business with the Dune clan," Elgar said. "I am Elgar, son of Edward Maltos. I have come to discuss the terms of my engagement with Lady Caroline of House Dune." "How dare you lie to us! We are rank 3 warriors! You will be punished for your audacity!" the knight roared, charging forward with the others. Elgar could only use water and lightning magic in front of others. He would publicly announce he could also use dark and plant magic, but wanted to keep his future competition in the academies guessing. He never wanted to use his dark magic as they were his trump card in public. Furthermore, he could never use summoning, bone, or poison magic as an elementalist could not use them. Of his two water spells, one of them, Shark Frenzy, could only be used underwater. Unless he revealed his plant magic, he could only use two spells in total unless he fought his enemy in water. He also did not want to reveal the fact that he could use qi techniques as an ordinary mage couldn''t and didn''t want to draw too much attention to himself as they would declare him a genius. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "What a pain," Elgar cursed as he stood back and used water magic to create five lances made of water which swirled around him. "A rank 2 mage wants to marry the young mistress?" the knights scoffed and filled their swords with light qi. Elgar threw the water lances at them, the each lance delayed a knight, but the remaining five charged. Elgar hurled another three lances of water, this time aiming at their feet. The knights jumped and Elgar used lightning magic, the knights who were hit howled in pain and the smell of burnt meat filled the air. The knights were helped to their feet by the other five who were only delayed. They had forgotten that a mage could overcome a mage equivalent of a warrior to one level higher. They were rank 3 knights, but they couldn''t beat a rank 2 mage. Was a rank 2 mage special? Not if they were a teenager. "Let him in," a voice of an old woman said from behind them. The knights, hearing the order, immediately sheath their swords and faked a smile as they gestured to the Dune Manor. Elgar stared silently at them and walked inside. Magmar, angry at the knights, jumped from his cloak and manifested to its full form. The knights stepped back in alarm and watched Elgar enter the manor with Magmar crawling behind him. Inside, Elgar entered a huge garden with red and white rose bushes all growing alongside the walls. An elegant white table and two chairs were placed on the right end of the garden where an old woman in a dark grey robe sat, drinking tea. "You may sit," the madam said without looking up at him. "This woman dares to disrespect you! Master, let me spew some lava on her," Magmar snarled. Elgar merely thanked the old woman and sat on the chair, keeping his anger in check. He would refuse the engagement and find an academy. The more he complied, the faster he could deny the engagement. "I see you only used two spells," the madam said as she gestured to a tea cup in front of him. "I have seven spells at my disposal," Elgar said, not touching the tea cup. He didn''t say eight as he didn''t want to use Blood Mist unless it was to kill someone. Demon''s Raiment and his three plant magic spells would only be used if the need arose. "The scorpion seems to be a minion of a necromancer by the dark purple eyes it has as well as the runes on its carapace. Are you a necromancer?" the woman asked, taking another sip of tea. "I am an elementalist capable of using dark, lightning, water, and plant magic. I learned a plant magic that utilized healing from Tristan Jacks, a Mage King who guards the library of my clan," Elgar said, his words true save for being an elementalist. "An elementalist learning from a necromancer. Well that is acceptable as you can use plant magic," the madam said. "It would be inadvisable to insult a Mage King. This scorpion is his minion and it can mentally communicate your words to him," Elgar said in a low voice. "My apologies," the madam said quickly, not wanting to offend a rank 8 mage. A rank 8 mage was a low tier immortal but one rank away from being a full fledged immortal whose power is at the peak in the Mortal Realm. "I have come to discuss the terms of my engagement, but I do not know your name," Elgar said. "I am Madam Gregoria Lake. I am the head servant of House Dune and a rank 6 mage," the woman said. "I will have to politely refuse your marriage. There are many suitors after Caroline who have higher connections and talent than Sir Elgar. I would hate to see you find yourself in an accident in Ilgar." "Are you threatening me? What have I done wrong? I have been polite, even after being attacked by your knights. Why can''t I marry Caroline?" Elgar said, his hands clenching into a fist under the table. "I am afraid a rank 2 mage and son of a fallen royal family would bring some stain on the honor of House Dune. You may be a noble and a quad-elementalist, but there are many more elementalists who can use more fields of magic and have more money and connections than you. In the Batralga Empire, connections reign over power. Even in power, you are only a little above average, seeing you defeat my knights and with the minion the respected Mage King gave you," Gregoria said, staring at his eyes. "Do you wish to continue pursuing her?" "No. I came here to deny the engagement," Elgar said and pulled over his hood as he started walking away. "Eh?" the madam said, flabbergasted at his quick response. "Why not young man?" "I''ve no interest in a marriage planned before I was born. I also have no interest in marrying a pampered girl. I wish to live an exciting life of adventure, blood, battle, and death. Marrying her would deny me that," Elgar said as he disappeared out the gate with Magmar, leaving Gregoria with her mouth open in shock. "He came to refuse the marriage?" she asked, numb with shock. "He said no?"
Chapter 6: Last Two Years Main Page Chapter 8: Friends and Enemies
Chapter 8: Friends and Enemies (Author: Didn''t expect to release a third chapter but I haven''t written a chapter for Jade Immortal yet. To those wondering why Elgar seems weak: he didn''t use any dark or demon magic. The ability of the Demon King to bend and control space, such as gravity, wasn''t used. Why? The Demon King''s ability is one of the demon race''s most powerful abilities and would garner too much unwanted attention. Furthermore, Elgar didn''t want to reveal all his abilities as he wanted to keep his necromancy a secret. As Elgar has stomped over the pride of the Dune clan, he unknowingly becomes a higher interest. Enjoy the chapter. As I wrote so many, I don''t know when I''ll release another chapter.) Chapter 8: Friends and Enemies "T, tha, that young man," Gregoria stammered. So many nobles and lords wanted Lady Caroline''s hand in marriage and the one man who did broke off the engagement. It was preposterous! Absurd. Which clan was Lady Carline a part of? House Dune! The Batralg Empire was the leading nation in trade and the Dune Conglomerate own a third of all the trading rights and businesses in the empire. They also had branches in other countries, including the nine other continents! It was the same as saying Lady Caroline was a queen as she was the heir apparent! Who would refuse marrying into such a powerful clan? "We have failed you madam!" the knights who attacked Elgar cried as they fell on one knee. "He was a rank 2 mage, an Adept Mage," she waved, ordering them to stand. "Still, to only defeat a group of a dozen knights with only two spells out of seven others...This young man must be experienced in fighting. Summon Geo Valkim at once. Tell him I have orders for him." "I, Geo Valkim, hear and obey the madam," a middle-aged man and rank 6 warrior cried after a few moments. He was one of the five bodyguards of Lady Caroline, but was the weakest. He was allowed to serve the Dune clan due to the madam''s influence and changed his life for the better. Whatever she wanted, he would give his utmost attention and stop at nothing to get the job done. "Ah, Geo," the madam said as she sipped some tea. "Lady Caroline''s fianc¨¦ arrived. Apparently, he came to break off the engagement." "WHAT?" Geo shouted, unable to maintain his composure. "My thoughts exactly," the madam said. "How could a man refuse Lady Caroline''s hand in marriage? He must have an ulterior motive. Find this young man and see which academy he is in or joins. Send the sons and daughters of our knights who have reached the age of thirteen this year and have them join the academy. Tell them to find anything and everything about the young man. What he eats, how he thinks, how he fights, and anything else that could help us determine what his goal is." "It will be done," Geo shouted and received a sketch of Elgar from one of the knights who fought Elgar before he left the manor. "What are you planning?" the madam thought as she refilled her tea cup. "What is your goal?" ----------------------------- "That was easier than expected master. Although, I was worried when the knights attacked," Magmar mused with its mental link. "I expected such hostility from a noble house. Humans, why do they love money so much? Don''t they know that if they meet a mage or warrior too high a rank to defy, that they will lose everything? That pathetic mindset belongs to those satisfied with living in the Mortal Realm I plan to conquer land here for a while before conquering lands in the Immortal Realm, something I didn''t do in my past life. So many more planets and powerful beings, I can only imagine how good the meat of the magical beasts tastes," Elgar scoffed. "What now master?" Magmar asked. "We do what we came here for: join an academy. We will learn more about this planet and where the strong live and rule while gaining power. Once I no longer see a reason to learn more, I''ll roam the world and conquer some land I deem worthy of interest," Elgar answered. Elgar and Magmar walked for three miles before they reached the center of the merchant district. The capita; city was thirty miles long, almost half that belonging to the five academies. As the capital city of the most powerful nation in trading, naturally the academies built there would be the greatest and most lucrative. Elgar stared around and finally found the recruiters of the five academies in Ilgar, ignoring the people gawking at his appearance and Magmar. Each recruiter proposed pros and cons for joining their academy. The names of the academies were Crest Serpent Academy, Heavenly Blade School, Sky Spirit School, Tyrannical Dragon Academy, and Blue Rain Academy. Crest Serpent Academy taught only mages and also taught alchemy to their students. Those who graduated would go on living luxuriously due to making and selling potions, pills, powders, and elixirs. The Heavenly Blade School only taught warriors, but they also had a secret technique that allowed their students to learn enchantment magic. The Sky Spirit School was the weakest school and taught mages and warriors but had no method to allow their students to learn both. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The Tyrannical Dragon Academy was the most dangerous academy as the Chasm of Chaos laid on the outskirts of its territory. The deeper one went in the chasm, the more powerful the magical beasts one encountered. Sometimes they would leave the chasm and a few unfortunate students lost their lives. The Blood Rain Academy was the most powerful academy and most of its graduates went on to be rank 8 and 9 mages and warriors. Those who didn''t pursue a career in the Mortal Realm chose the Blood Rain Academy. Elgar pondered for a moment as he went over his options and made his decision. He wanted to join the Tyrannical Dragon Academy. Why? It was because he was interested in the Chasm of Chaos. He longed to eat the flesh of magical beasts. Furthermore, the deeper he went, the less likely he would encounter people. He could openly train his necromancy on live targets in the chasm. The Blood Rain Academy? He had the soul of a Dragon King and the power of a Demon King. Both were a dragon and a demon that ascended into the Immortal Realm! There was no way he couldn''t become a nine rank mage and ascend! He had received so much mana and soul energy but didn''t dare use it. He didn''t want to draw unwanted attention on himself. He told his family and Tristan that he was a rank 2 mage, but he had actually broken through all the way to become a middle rank 4 mage, a Sorcerer. He didn''t tell them in case spies investigated his family. His siblings were innocent and would easily trust others. If he wanted to, he could have easily killed the knights who attacked him. He wasn''t weak at all, but he handicapped himself to blend in society. He didn''t know enough about the world to carelessly use his power and kill someone who annoyed him on a whim. It vexed him, but he was not all-powerful. Yet. "I would like to join the Tyrannical Dragon Academy," Elgar said as he approached the recruiter. "This is the token allowing you to take the test. The fee of thirty gold will also be paid when you arrive at the academy. Once you pay the fee, pour your qi or mana into the token and give it to the judge. Should you pass, the token will be split in two and strung on a silver chain. Wearing the half-token medallion will notify others that you are a student of the academy. Good luck," the recruiter said as he handed Elgar a silver token with a black, two-headed dragon on both sides of the token. The token was three inches long and was made of holy metal. "Thank you," Elgar said and headed to the north west as the recruiter told him which roads would lead him to the academy. He had a little over a thousand gold which was his keep while he gave tens of thousands of gold to his father. He didn''t care to use much money and at most spent a few silvers on meals. The reason was that he only valued a meal made of magical beasts and spent cheaply on everything else. He cared not for money but knew he needed it anyway. Thirty gold? That was just cheap change to him. A little while later, Geo Valkim arrived with two boys and a girl, all of whom were thirteen as well. Geo interviewed each recruiter and showed them the drawing of Elgar, asking if he passed by. "He accepted a token and is heading to my academy, the Tyrannical Dragon Academy, for the application tests," the recruiter bowed, knowing who Geo represented as Geo was nearly always seen protecting Lady Caroline. "These three tokens will allow your little friends to take the test. I wish you all the luck in the world for your success." Geo nodded and turned to the three teens, saying, "Elgar Maltos is your top priority. Try not to draw any suspicion and become friends with him naturally. You all know the madam''s orders. When you send your monthly letters, one of the two you are allowed will be a report to me. Do not fail House Dune!" The three nodded and took the tokens from Geo. They nodded to one another, dressed into plain white and black clothes, and received a storage bag with six hundred of gold coins. Their parents had allowed them to join any of the five most powerful and dangerous academies because of their assignment. Not to mention, they now owned more money than their parents. All they had to do was spy on one teen their age. They trembled with excitement and headed toward the academy and their target.
Chapter 7: Connections over Power Main Page Chapter 9: Hidden Forces
Chapter 9: Hidden Forces (Author: I planned to write a chapter for Jade Immortal but it was bad so I didn''t post it. Anyway, Elgar takes the entrance exams to attend the Tyrannical Dragon Academy, his main reason being the location of the Chasm of Chaos being at the school border. The three spies also follow Elgar to the academy to investigate him. Meanwhile, forces behind the scene converge in Ilgar, the largest trading city in the world, in response to one thing: what caused the global tremor? Hidden forces will make their moves, the public ignorant of the effects of the world tremor. Note: tables will be shown but will look different than the one in chapter 2. Enjoy.) Chapter 9: Hidden Forces Nine men dressed in black sit in front of a green bonfire in the slums of Ilgar. They and their men traveled all over the nine other continents over the past two years ever since the whole world shook. They discovered nothing and decided to meet in Ilgar and discover any information there. "Did you find out anything 2nd Elder?" the only man in black with a silver mask asked, "The epicenter of the quake originated in the capital city of the Ganora Kingdom," another answered. "Do you think they used a hero summoning?" "No. The whole world didn''t shake the last time a hero summoning happened. 3rd Elder, did you find the heroes who were summoned?" the silver masked man asked. "Three of the five heroes appeared in the summoning circle thirteen years ago in this empire. They retained their original bodies, only aging back to infancy and losing their powers. Apparently this empire wanted to increase its strength as it was only a threat through its connections and had little power of its own," a thin man answered. "My spies have been trailing them ever since. However, the other two didn''t appear. It is my belief that either the ritual failed or the other two had bodies too powerful for the summoning and were forced to be reincarnated in weaker bodies. This doesn''t mean their soul is weaker though. 4th Elder? How goes your assignment?" "I have spent the last twenty years Vessels who have betrayed our cause. The female dragon that escaped us by sealing her own form was killed over thirteen years ago. My spies killed her, but failed to kill her husband and new born son. Apparently, she escaped our radar by selling herself as a slave. You know slave markets are elusive," a short man answered. "They never found out my assassins killed her but I lost a few assassins killing her and her bodyguards due to a rank 7 mage, Tristan Jacks. He recently became a rank 8 mage, but he is no threat to us. With the dragon''s death, another potential Vessel is dead. 7th Elder, Have the other Vessels shown signs of communing with our Her?" "My daughter is dead...." a burly man muttered. "7th Elder?" the silver masked man said in a low voice. "Ah, apologies Elder One," the man inclined. "None of the vessels have shown signs since the world tremor. They said that She contacted them to find the Demon King." "A Demon King descended from the Immortal Realms?" the 2nd Elder cried, his face turning pale beneath his hood. "It''s not possible," the Elder One said. "The sky would crack and day would turn into night if an King ranked dragon, demon, human, beast kin, or magical beast descended. What did She tell them?" "The Goddess said to accelerate our plans. The Vessels can only receive a fragment of Her powers, but they are too weak. The world tremor released by the Demon King''s might have broken a shackle, but the rest remain. Her enemies will know a shackle had been broken and discover that She is being freed," the 7th Elder said. "The quake saved us some effort, but now we must take more precautions." "For now we find more Vessels and bring them to our cause," the Elder One said. "8th and 6th Elders, go to the Kingdom of Ganora and find out why and where the Demon King''s power appeared. 9th Elder, assist the 4th Elder in finding the heroes. 5th Elder, you will continue recruiting fellow Chosen Ones identified by the Vessels. Dismissed." The other eight hooded men except the 7th Elder bowed and left the room. The Elder One stared at the green bonfire once before teleporting, space cracking as he disappeared. The 7th Elder''s hood fell as he tried to stop his tears. His face was of a middle aged man with crimson hair and golden horns. His golden eyes blurred as tears fell. "Oh Isabelle! Forgive me. I should not have brought you to follow Her. I should have hidden you away. You even sold sealed your true from and sold yourself to slavery to escape," the man cried, his sorrow immense. "I didn''t see you get married and become a free woman. Does your child have our eyes? Does he look like you or me? Forgive your worthless father. I was blind. I was blind." The man kept crying as he walked into the bonfire, the fire unable to burn him as he was a pure blooded dragon. He shouted in anguish at the heavens and teleported, the cracks in space obliterating the green bonfire. --------------------- "Your Holiness! Your Holiness!" a young man in a white garb wearing a gold sun and silver moon emblazed sash shouted as he ran into a white chamber. "Terrible news! The reports confirm that the world tremor was caused by the power of a Demon King. The world tremor was broken a shackle o, of all g, gods it was Her! Not only that, reports have come in saying that a few other shackles were broken longer than two years ago" "NO!" an elder man in priestly garments roared, his spirit energy so powerful it blasted the page out of the chamber. "IT CANNOT BE! Of all gods, it was Her shackles. Of all evil gods sealed away it was Her!" "Your Holiness," one man to his right asked, unaffected by the surge of spirit energy. "Recall all the rank 8 and 9 mages and warriors! Someone plans to free Her! Luckily that world tremor came or we might not have known! We must make preparations and protect the seal!" the elder said. The elder man could not relax as the other man left the room. Who would be dumb enough to free Her. Didn''t they know what She was? What She did? What She failed to do? -------------------------------- Elgar Maltos didn''t know that what he did actually affected the world to such an extent. After all, only a fool would ignore power if it was there for the taking. Elgar heard excited gossip as he walked toward a large, fifteen foot high black wall. He smirked as he heard about how three young babies were found in a summoning circle. They had the body and souls as powerful as the immortals themselves. They also talked in hushed voice of how the ritual failed and how two heroes were either dead or reincarnated. As expected of a major trading city, even the rumors spoke of national secrets. Too bad they didn''t know why someone used the hero summoning. "I heard they are all attending Blood Rain Academy," a woman whispered. "They don''t even need to attend with such power," another whispered. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it."If only I was thirty years younger," another sighed. "We have arrived master," Magmar said, chuckling as it knew its master was one of the two missing heroes. "Will you reveal that you are a hero on your status card?" "No. Now is not the time to reveal it. Anything on the card can be manipulated, even the name and profession," Elgar said. "Am I still being followed?" "Yes master. It seems House Dune was offended. Thanks to being a fusion elemental type minion, I have a connection to spirit energy like no creature save for another elemental or spirits. Two of them seem to have light element qi similar to the knights who attacked you. Even if they didn''t use their qi against you, the signature should be the same if they practice the same techniques," Magmar said. "The third seems to have mana, but closely travels with the other two. I believe that they must be children as it would be too suspicious to follow you to the academy." "As expected of an elemental. Wait, seven elementals fused into a singular being. How does that work anyway? I never got the chance to talk with one in my former life as their masters were easier to kill," Elgar asked. "It cannot be explained really. Elementals and spirits are mutations of spirit energy. We are literally spirit energy coming to life and becoming a separate entity, yet the connections remains," Magmar answered. Elgar sighed as he stood in line of dozens of other children accompanied by adults. They seemed to talk in hushed tones and some nobles laughed as they saw a teen in a tattered, crimson cloak. The applicants would accept a blank card from the judge while presenting a bag of thirty gold coins and the token they received from the recruiter. The applicants would then proceed to put mana into the card and it would become their personal status card to keep, even if they failed. After a few minutes, it was Elgar''s turn and he gave one of the judges the token and thirty gold. "Pets are not allowed," the judge said as it saw Magmar enlarge to its full size. "Wait, is that a fusion type elemental minion? You a necromancer boy?" "No sir," Elgar lied as he looked at the blank white card, realizing it was made of a holy wood. "A rank 8 mage necromancer created him for me as a bodyguard of sorts as the son of his employer." Elgar''s left hand swirled with spirit energy as he imbued black mana into the white card. It shined with a black glow and became a status card.
NameElgar Maltos
RaceDemi-human
ProfessionElementalist
Elemental AffinitiesLightning Plant Water Darkness
Mage Rank 2Adept Mage
However his real status card was visible only to him.
NameElgar Maltos
RaceDemi-human
ProfessionNecromancer
Elemental AffinitiesLightning Plant Water Darkness Poison Bone Arcane (Summoning Attribute)
Mage Rank 4Sorceror
"Hmm. Plant magic affinity. What classes do you want to take once you pass? Do note that the academy does not give items, weapons, or armor made of holy metal. If you desire one, enter the Chaos of Chasm when you are stronger," the judge said. "If you choose to be both a mage and warrior, you must already have used a method to use both qi and mana. Choose wisely." "I don''t need to learn dark magic as I am part demon and demon magic has the most powerful and useful dark magic spells. I also don''t need to learn plant magic as I learned it from a rank 8 mage," Elgar said to the judge, pretending to make a decision. "I will take classes on lightning and water magic. I also use a sword so I''ll take combat classes. Is there any way I can learn dragon magic? My mother died before teaching me any." Elgar lost all his powers when he reincarnated. Dragons only learned their unique magic from their elders. This was why dragon hatchlings were easier to kill as they had no magic and were a novice if they did learn a spell or two. "The only way is to go the Chasm of Chaos and beat a dragon and make it teach you," the judge said, answering only because Elgar said Magmar was given to him by a rank 8 mage. "You will be given half the token back upon becoming a student. The status card is yours to keep. Good luck." Elgar ordered Magmar to shrink back into the size of a fist and rest on his shoulders, looking behind him as he walked into the academy. Using his connection as its master, he could see two boys and a girl through Magmar''s eyes. One boy was tall and muscular and the two others looked like cousins, seeing their brown hair and blue eyes. Elgar memorized their faces as they approached the judge and handed their fees and tokens. "What do you want to do with them master?" Magmar asked as Elgar followed the road markers to the testing area. "For now I''ll observe them. It seems they were sent to spy on me. If they try to attack me as I take the test or as a fellow student, they''ll suffer an ''unfortunate accident'' in the future. Let the insects fly. My concern is what to eat first when I am allowed into the Chasm of Chaos, " Elgar answered and joined the other applicants waiting up ahead.
Chapter 8: Friends and Enemies Main Page Chapter 10: Letting Loose
Chapter 10: Letting Loose (Author: Hello all! Elgar and the spies have bought the right to take the entrance exams to enter the most dangerous academy, second most powerful under the Blood Rain Academy. In the world of spirit energy and those who use them, the strong do whatever they want and the weak can only endure and swear in revenge. You''ll know what the title of this chapter means when you read it. Enjoy. Chapter 10: Letting Loose Elgar, the three spies, and the rest of the applicants wait in front of a large clear, a large black door in front of them on a stage.. Elgar can sense dense spirit energy emanate from the door as if the door couldn''t contain it all. Many students talked excitedly, imagining the many wonders behind the door. They notice a man in a black cloak with a half-token medallion appear in front of the door using teleportation. He pulls his hood back, revealing black steel horns, crimson eyes, and orange hair streaked with black. "HAHAHAHA," the man laughed. "You are the applicants for this year''s round? So many of you. Ha, this is gonna be fun. My name is Draxil Rork, proud demi-human with dragon blood in my veins. I am a rank 9 mage. Didn''t ascend yet as there is still much fun to be had. You green horns don''t need to know that." Rank 9 mage? A Mage Emperor? Many applicants were excited and felt that they had made the right choice. Learning from the powerful increased one''s growth and nurtured their own potential. Elgar didn''t like the man''s tone and felt something was suspicious. The three spies were also shocked but they stealthily made their way through the crowd to Elgar. Draxil stared at a book containing the information copied from the status cards of the applicants. "Don''t t need this. Who you are doesn''t mean a thing to me," Draxil sighed, exploding the book with pure mana. "Say green horns, you want to enter the academy? You want power? Do you desire immortality? Do you desire to stand at the peak of the world?" "YES," many applicants cried, their blood boiling with excitement and anticipation. "Well, it ain''t gonna happen if you''re dead," Draxil laughed. "The dead are dead unless a blood mage reanimates your body and soul. It''s forbidden, but does the law ever stop people?" The crowd immediately becomes quiet. No one knew what to do or say to those words. "Look at all you green horns, silent as a whipped dog. Geez," Draxil laughed. "Since you''re here, you obviously placed your life for forfeit you know. Many people died during the exams. Not mine as I never hosted one yet, but many died. Power isn''t just handed to you unless you''re some fancy noble or really lucky. You see, this black door is a gateway to a secluded area of the Chasm of Chaos. Only rank 3 and 4 magical beasts are found there. Let''s see now, I''m guessing there is around eight hundred of you. You pass when you complete four objectives. I''ll give you a moment to take it ALL in. It must be pretty shocking to you green horns." "Chasm of Chaos? Elgar said to Magmar, an evil grin on his face. "You and I will definitely prioritize killing magical beasts. I want to kill them. I want to eat their flesh and drink their blood." "Yes master," Magmar replied beneath his cloak. " The first objective is simple. Kill a rank 3 or 4 magical beast and give me its spirit core once the other onjectives are done. Feel free to absorb the spirit energy in its body. Only rank 3 magical beasts and above are able to form a spirit core so don''t bother with rank 1 or 2 magical beasts. For martial artists with qi, this is the best place for you with all the spirit energy for the taking. For mages, it''s best to just loot the body for materials and sell them for some silver and gold," Draxil began. "The second objective is to reduce the number of applicants to a hundred and fifty. Feel free to use any method at your disposal once you enter the door. The third objective is to find my guinea pig." "WHAT?" one applicant asked and was immediately burned to ash in a tower of fire by Draxil. "I hate being interrupted," Draxil sighed. "Find my guinea pig and kill it. The final objective is simple exit the door. You see, there is a formation barrier in front of the door. All you gotta do is force your way through it. Only people with a soul as powerful as a rank 3 mage or warrior can exit. That means you kiddos need to rank up. The formation barrier will appear and the door will remain open when two hundred applicants are still alive. How do I know if you are all dead? The tokens with your mana in it will crumble if you die. Good luck and put my guinea pig to rest. Its killed a lot of people and the brass in the empire are always on my case to kill it. It''s a rank 4 magical beast, but with a few personal upgrades. Have fun!" The door open and only Elgar immediately began walking to it. Many of the rank 3 mages laughed at him for daring to enter alone without a party as he entered the door. The other applicants who were only rank 1 mages and warriors whispered to each other and were scared. Rank 3 and 4 magical beasts? Most of them were too weak to even injure a peak rank 2 magical beast. Only the most talented were rank 3 and one was even a rank 4 mage. The three spies nodded and went in the door to pursue Elgar. They were all rank 3 and were confident that Elgar would join them as he was a rank 2 mage. All the rank 3 mages made parties and went in the door. All the rank 1 mages quickly begged the rank 2 students to allow them to join them. It was a sorry sight but they wanted to pass. Elgar pulled back his hood and breathed the air as he exited the door. He looked around and saw dark purple cliffs on his right and left side. Mist was everywhere as Elgar looked to his left. He looked to his right and saw the academy walls. He guessed that the further west he traveled, the deeper it got as he was at the entrance of the chasm. His blood thirst rising, he ran into the Chasm of Chaos, a baleful aura rising as he took his sword out of his magical bag with Magmar trembling with excitement under his cloak. Elgar slaughtered every magical beast he saw. As he was part dragon, he was able to eat them raw if he wanted and he did. Many rank 1 magical beasts died while he and Magmar went on a killing spree, eating a few here and there. Blood would spray on his cloak and Elgar wondered which part of the crimson cloak was not covered in blood. He killed many as he didn''t want others to take all the fun. By the time the spies arrived, all they saw was a river of blood and mangled bodies. Even if they were rank 1 magical beasts, the carnage was just too excessive. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Elgar did not kill as many rank 2 magical beasts as he didn''t want to uncover his true strength as a rank 4 mage. Regretful as he didn''t chase the magical beasts scared by his baleful aura, he only killed magical beasts separated from the others. "Time for some fun," Elgar said and began channeling his mana. A large summoning circle appeared and wolves made of bones appeared. Elgar laughed and ordered them to travel east where the door was. He found a lake that spread for a considerable distance but did not reach the walls and began channeling mana once again. On the bottom of the lake, fish made of bones. He intentionally left deep foot prints around the lake to leave a sign that he avoided the lake. He didn''t want people to know that he was a necromancer after all. Summoning all those bone minions strained his mana, but he had as much as a rank 7 mage so he didn''t care. The bone wolf minions were created using rank 1 summoning magic while the fish were created using rank 4 summoning magic. He summoned and destroyed a few bone wolves with ease to make it seem like he fought them. "That''s low master," Magmar commented. "Only two hundred are permitted to leave," Elgar said aloud. Magmar couldn''t talk out loud but it could understand him. Elgar quickly left the lake and ventured deeper in the chasm. He made a plan to deal with the spies. He would venture in deeper and kill a few magical beasts and absorb their spirit energy. After all, he could use qi in his right arm. He would kill them once he was satisfied. He would find and separate and the black haired spy secretly, causing the cousins to panic. He would then appear after he made a few scratches on himself and join their party. So long as House Dune sent them to spy on him, the less likely they would get in his way. If they were kept alive, he would not have to worry about trying to find the identities of the spies who would replace them. He continued killing rank 2 magical beasts. Some of them looked like deer. Some looked like unicorns. Some were even snakes as long as twenty feet. However, it didn''t matter what race it was if its rank was below his own. Occasionally, he would see through the eyes of one of his wolves, watching them eat the applicants in first person as they become more coordinated under his eyes. Most of the rank 1 and a few rank 2 applicants died under his coordinated assault. Once they killed a weakling, a bone wolf minion would take the storage bag or spatial ring and place it in a small hole near the lake before shattering to pieces in the lake. He would salvage the bags when it was time to leave. He didn''t feel evil. It was allowed in the rules. Besides, he saw applicants trying to kill each other. He just lessened the numbers a little faster. He frowned when a few rank 3 applicants under the leadership of the lone rank 4 began defending the lower ranking applicants. The rank 4 applicant was a warrior who used fire and light element qi on twin swords. His charisma influenced the weaker applicants to follow him like a cult., praising the warrior''s strength. The warrior was a boy with a large build, a girlish face, and blonde hair. He hated pretty boys like that. They always had a sinister side and used their ''heroics'' to manipulate and take advantage of others in the name of justice. Elgar sighed as all his remaining wolves were killed but was glad he was able to feel like a necromancer. This was how they fought. This was what it was like being in control and having minions fight on your behalf. He used a quarter of all his mana to summon a rank 4 undead lich, a summoning spell he learned from Tristan. It wasn''t an ancient lich, but it was able to summon rank 2 bone wolves. He also summoned spent another quarter of his mana to summon two rank 3 undead lich. One would summon rank 2 undead warriors while the other would summon rank 2 undead archers. "Head to the back of the lake and summon bone wolves to attack the group of humans, but leave the trio of humans ahead of them alive. If you are in danger, hide among the bone fishes. Once they pass you, summon more wolves and attack them from behind," Elgar said to the rank 4 lich before turning to the two rank 3 lich. "You two will form a small army and attack the rank 3 and rank 4 applicants. Leave the weaker ones to the other lich as well as the trio of rank 3 warriors and mage. In the end only a little over two hundred of the applicants are permitted to live." "Yes master," the three lich bowed and levitated toward the lake. "The first wave of wolves was a test," Elgar said. "I needed to weed out the weaker applicants and see how the more powerful ones fight. They mocked me for wearing my cloak while I stood in line and for when I entered the door alone. This is their punishment." "It is not wise to hold a grudge, but they did disrespect you master." Magmar conceded. "Too bad they didn''t know they angered a rank 4 necromancer with the mana supply of a rank 7 mage. Poor humans. Poor, pitiful humans."
Chapter 9: Hidden Forces Main Page Chapter 11: Three becomes Two
Chapter 11: Three becomes Two (Author: Hello all. Finally, Elgar summons minions. Please note that summoning a lich consumes a lot of mana because it can summon minions of its own. Also remember that he has a massive amount of mana as a necromancer should anyway. To those wondering why he doesn''t know a lot of spells, only ten chapters came out so far and I obviously plan to increase the spells he can use later on. In this chapter, Elgar meets with the trio of spies. Enjoy.) Chapter 11: Three becomes Two Elgar waited on a boulder with Lava Tyrant in his hand dripping blood, four corpses of rank 3 magical beasts crushed below the boulder. He could see through the lich''s eyes as they fought the applicants. Being a necromancer was much more convenient for two reasons. The first was obvious: necromancer minions were permanent unless they were killed. The second reason was what he discovered in the catacomb and affirmed first hand: when a minion kills a target or another minion dies nearby, it absorbs of the soul energy to heal and strengthen itself while sending the other half to its master. Elgar now realized why both the ancient lich and the undead warriors became stronger with every undead he killed. Elgar also realized that bigger minions were not necessarily better as a necromancer could spend more mana to increase the resistance of the bone minions much more easily if it was smaller. Elgar watched as the wolves became more powerful as the others died and smiled. Tristan once used bone wolves to kill the knights and mage guarding his cousins in the catacombs. If the catacombs were more durable, he might have seen bigger and more powerful minions. Elgar stared to his right as he saw Magmar devour the bodies of the rank 2 magical beasts nearby and extended his right hand down to the four corpses below him. He closed his eyes and willed the spirit energy from the magical beasts to his right hand. It was a strange feeling having qi in only the right shoulder down. He smirked as the qi seemed to condense within the lava tattoos all around his right arm. He could feel the power in his right arm as it was augmented by qi. It was similar to his dragon body. It was a feeling of absolute power. The power to beat them to a pulp. To grab metal and crush it into sand. He sighed as he knew how to cast dragon magic, but wasn''t able to. He had to be taught how to use dragon magic from an elder dragon. Once he learned, he could use his former magic again. He couldn''t be a dragon, but he would have its power. "Master," one of the lich said through their mental link. "The trio have passed by as you ordered. The other two lich will now engage the higher ranking humans." "Good. Your name is Lich Chief and the other two are Lich 2 and Lich 3. Lich 2 is the one who summons undead warriors while Lich 3 summons undead archers. These are temporary names for simplicity''s sake." Elgar said. "Lich 2 and 3, separate a small detachment from your forces heading toward the stronger humans and have them attack the trio. Don''t kill them all. I only want the black haired one injured and separated from the others." "Yes master," the three lich said and did as ordered. "Time for me to head off. Stay here Magmar and scout ahead for that guinea pig. The spies would have learned the lie that you were given to me by a rank 8 mage. Go ahead but don''t engage the guinea pig," Elgar said as he collected the spirit cores from the rank 3 magical beasts'' corpses and stored them in his storage bag. Elgar took off his tattered red cloak and pulled out a black cloak and put on a gold mask that connected to his hood to keep it from falling back. He sighed with pleasure as two demonic wings spread out from his back. The bones of his wings were covered with black skin while the thin wing membrane with dark purple veins visible over the white wings. It was time to execute his plan. Elgar lifted to the sky as he saw the trio. The black haired bow had numerous openings in his armor with arrows all over his arms. The other two had small scratches on their armor and panted heavily. The black haired warrior was behind the other two as he was under attack by a few undead. Elgar smiled and created a bone cage ten feet in diameter around the black haired warrior and ordered Lich 2, the lich in control of the undead warriors, to scare the other two people away. "Hello human," Elgar greeted with his most sinister voice as the other two disappeared deeper into the chasm with the undead warriors behind them. "At last, we can talk." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "Who the hell are you?" the boy shouted. Elgar sighed and snapped his fingers, causing the bone cage to explode. The boy screamed as he was buffeted in all directions by the blast, a few shards of bone piercing his skin as they entered the gaps in his armor. The boy fell to his knees and cursed as he pulled out all the bones as he was forced to take out his armor. Elgar chuckled in amusement as the boy used light element qi and slowly healed his wounds. "Let''s act a little more courteous now, shall we?" Elgar laughed and channeled magic into his left hand. He pointed it on the ground and a yard of bone spears appeared in a hundred foot perimeter. The boy immediately paled. He had thought the lich were a major threat in the chasm, but he didn''t expect a demon necromancer to be behind all the attacks. "Did you create the three lich that attacked us?" the boy asked, horrified. "Now, now human. I said to be more courteous. I haven''t even introduced myself. I am Elgar Maltos, the demi-human House Dune told you to spy on," Elgar began. "I care not who you are or what your lineage is. Three spies with one of them not blood related can be a problem. Blood trusts blood. Manipulating one will be followed by the trust of the other. You can only blame yourself for not being related to them. Don''t worry. You won''t be eaten. There won''t be any piece of you for them to find." "W, wait! Please! I was only told to follow you and record your habits and behaviors," the boy cried. "I haven''t done anything wrong!" "I''m afraid you have," Elgar sighed and the boy screamed as Elgar''s poison magic covered him in a thick jade mist, the flesh bacteria eating his body until only his armor, weapons, and magic bag remained. "I don''t like stalkers. They bring unnecessary trouble. Don''t you agree?...... Ah, right. You''re dead. Oh, well. Three spies has become two." Elgar swooped down and grabbed the magic bag before flying up high once more. He snapped his fingers and the bone spears exploding forming several craters. Nothing remained of the black haired spy. Elgar would have asked for a name, but it would have been a waste of brain cells. Elgar changed back into his crimson, tattered robe and put away his black cloak and mask in his storage bag. His body tingled as the wings retracted back into his body as he landed on the ground. "Lich 2, Lich 3, and Lich Chief; the job is done. Destroy all your minions and hide in the bottom of the lake under the protection of the bone fish minions. I will meet with you once I complete my tasks here in the Chasm of Chaos. How many remain?" Elgar asked. "Two hundred and forty eight still live. We were not able to slay the rank 4 human, but most of the rank 3 and all of the rank 1 warriors and mages are dead. However, a few rank 2 humans and demi-humans will die from blood loss soon. We will return to the bottom of the lake now master," Lich Chief said. "Good. The guinea pig is a variant magical beast. It will lessen the numbers. You have done well. I will have gained many storage bags and less applicants will become killers. This is a small kindness for them. Now to deal with the two spies. Good work my three lich minions. Rest and recover your mana until I return," Elgar said. "Yes master," the lich minions cried and Elgar turned toward the deeper part of the chasm. Elgar sighed as he cut himself with the claws of the rank 3 beasts under the boulder as he returned there. Along the way, he saw broken bones on the floor with ancient, worn swords, shields, and helmets. "Since the minions are dead, they will return to find their friend. I should remain here and use my healing magic upon seeing them, but how to converse with them. Should I appear grateful or scared?" Elgar said silently as he leaned on the boulder. Once he, the spies, and the large group meet together, they would hunt the guinea pig. He needed an alibi, but what to say? What to say?
Chapter 10: Letting Loose Main Page Chapter 12: Ancient Lion Turtle
Chapter 12: Ancient Lion Turtle (Author: Hello all. New internet provider sucks but it comes with Direct TV....I can only endure pathetic internet connection. Anyway, one of the three spies is dead and the undead assault is over. Elgar has gained half of the soul energy of all the dead applicants through his connection to his minions. Now he waits for the confrontation with the guinea pig of Draxil, the rank 9 mage. Unrelated note: anyone surprised at the navigation links on the bottom of the chapters? Enjoy.) Chapter 12: Ancient Lion Turtle "Trey should be fine sis," a sweaty brown haired boy panted as he and his sister ran back to where they last saw their friend. "He was the most powerful of us. He was a peak rank 3 warrior. He''ll be fine." "We were surrounded by dozens of rank 3 undead warriors Michael!" the girl shouted. "Sarah Guss, you are a member of the main family of the Guss clan," Michael said. "My main concern is to protect you and assist you in improving the relations with House Dune through this assignment. If Trey is dead, he''s dead. We have other priorities." As they headed back enough to see a lake, they saw a teen in a tattered crimson cloak using plant magic to heal his wounds. Michael''s eyes were wide with joy as he recognized the light brown hair and ash wood horns from the drawing they got from Geo Valkim. It was their target: Elgar Maltos. "How did you get so far ahead?" Elgar panted as he they approached him, appearing fatigued as his wounds healed. "I took so long going around the lake and was ambushed. Luckily my master, a rank 8 mage, gave me a fusion type elemental minion. Two, maybe three, rank 3 beasts is my limit, but I was ambushed by four. Magmar crushed it with a boulder and I had it scout ahead. Did you see it?" "No," Michael said, shaking his head. "I see going on ahead and killing rank 1 magical beasts did you wonders. You emanate the mana of a rank 3 mage." "Bone minions are strong, but they are animated by mana. Killing them with a minion of a rank 8 mage is nothing. Although, the minion is as strong as a rank 4 magical beast. I was able to absorb the mana from the destroyed minions. Otherwise, there would be no way I could get stronger as only martial artists and warriors such as you benefit from the spirit energy of the magical beasts here," Elgar laughed weakly. "Defeating a dozen rank 3 warriors is nothing but magical beasts are different. Not to mention that undead horde, I was really lucky I didn''t go into the lake." "Have you seen a black haired warrior wearing silver armor like us?" Sarah asked. "Black hair? Silver armor?" Elgar asked, pretending to brood. "I did see one. I can claim some arrogance as a mage, but even I am not blinded enough to fight a demon necromancer. As a mage, I can hide my mana and make myself as ordinary as a person with no spirit energy. That guy was a warrior and he radiated too much qi as he fought back the undead warriors. The necromancer got angry, seemed like a peak rank 4 mage, and blew him up using bone magic. The craters where your friend died is back there, closer to the lake. I wouldn''t recommend going there." "Why''s that?" Michael asked, beginning to trust Elgar. "The rest of the applicants are back there right? They could be under attack by the magical beasts as the undead are gone and many are bleeding. Seeing a weakened prey, how could they not attack?" Elgar sighed as he stretched his body and made sure his wounds were healed. "If you wanna go, that''s fine with me, but I''m going on ahead. Such a large group will only slow you down." Elgar walked past them and was stopped as Sarah grabbed his arm. "What do you want?" Elgar asked, acting annoyed. "If you want to wait, that''s your problem. I''m already been yelled at by a noble''s old hag of a servant. If you don''t let go, I''ll hurt you. I''m a mage. You stand no chance against me. Let go if you want to keep your arms." "Sorry about that," Michael said and pulled his sister away, trying to stop her suspicious behavior. "Her name''s Sarah Guss. Her families are very honorable knights and raised her to protect the weak. Since you seem to be recovered, she wants you to stay behind to assist us in helping them." "I order you as a daughter of the Guss clan to help!" Sarah said, Michael briskly whispering at her to remember the mission. "I am the son of a noble of a different nation despite my appearance. You have no right to order me around. Furthermore, you just don''t get it do you," Elgar said and summoned ten lances made of water that pointed at them. "Do you really want to die. If so, keep being a pest. I''m sick of knights and their twisted notions of justice." Elgar waved his hand and the lances stabbed near Sarah''s feet, forcing her to scream as she screamed back in fear. This was his plan. Easily trusting both of them would be too suspicious, but he needed to act friendly to one of them so they can report that they ''succeeded'' in befriending him. It was a pain, but it was necessary. "My name is Michael Guss. I''m her cousin. I apologize on her behalf. We''ll gladly follow you further in," Michael said, bowing and elbowing his cousin to do the same. "I, I''m sorry. I just wanted to help them," she murmured. "Then let''s keep moving. My minion should have found it by the time we catch up," Elgar said and turned around, his mouth slightly grinning. The three applicants hurried ahead and discovered bodies of rank 3 magical beasts along the way. Elgar was forced to make a few stops as Sarah and Michael wanted to absorb the spirit energy of the corpses. Magmar was the one who killed the beasts, but he needed them to be stronger to fight the guinea pig. It was a magical beast upgraded by a rank 9 mage. Even though the Mage Emperor said it was a rank 4 magical beast, there was no way it wouldn''t be more powerful and could possibly be a rank 5 or 6 magical beast. If need be, he would use plant and dark magic to kill it. If he had to, he would use summoning magic to summon a swarm of rank 2 bone mice. Hiding the fact that he was a necromancer mattered little if it was his life at stake. Besides, since necromancy was only frowned upon and not forbidden, he was certain some mages among the survivors were necromancers as he saw some of his minions die against other minions through their eyes. "Master," Magmar cried mentally all of a sudden. "It''s horrible! The guinea pig is actually a thousand year old ancient lion turtle of the 5th rank. I spewed lava at it to stop it from following, but it didn''t burn!" If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Lion turtles usually had plant and earth element qi or mana. If it didn''t burn, is that the upgrade the mage talked about? While it may eliminate one of the magical beast''s weaknesses, it doesn''t seem that powerful. There must be another upgrade we''re not seeing," Elgar cursed. "Get ready!" Elgar said to the knights. "The guinea pig is a rank 5 magical beast ancient lion turtle. It is also immune to fire." "Immune to fire?" Michael gasped and drew his sword, light element qi wrapping the blade and emitting a golden glow. Elgar and the spies felt the ground shake and shake more violently as they walked deeper in the chasm. They saw Magmar, as large as a adult pig leap into view with trees that seemed to be coming closer. Elgar grinned. Magmar only grew bigger if it absorbed enough spirit energy. It seemed that it killed enough to grow. Sarah lost her footing as the ancient lion turtle came into view. It was twenty feet high with a black shell on its back. The main body was shaped like a lion save for the head as it seemed to be a stone carving of a mix between a turtle and a lion. On the back was a black shell with white oak trees on its back with crimson colored leaves. Elgar ordered Magmar to shrink and hide under his cloak. "For justice and honor!" Sarah shouted, Michael quickly following her as Sarah brandished her rapier. Elgar created lances of water and had them pierce the lion turtle as they trailed the spies. Sarah and Michael gasped in shock as their steel swords, augmented with light element qi, didn''t even scratch the magical beast. Why? They were rank 3 warriors and earth element qi and mana are the greatest defensive attributes among spirit energy. The lion turtle slammed one front foot, sending a wave of earth crashing on the spies, blocking the water lances. "Aaaah," Michael and Sarah shouted as they were hit and blown back in front of Elgar. "Crap. No other choice," Elgar said and began summoning the bone mice. He couldn''t use plant magic as it was had plant magic. On land, earth magic overcame water magic and lightning magic has no effect on earth magic unless it was exceptionally powerful. He couldn''t risk using bone and poison magic as he wanted to save those as trump cards. Bone mice minions were one of the weakest and earliest spells a necromancer learned and was available in any book on necromancy. He emanated black mana and it quickly covered him in a suit of armor as he cast Demon''s Raiment. It seemed fighting with a sword alongside his minions was the only way. "Necromancy?" Michael gasped as he saw Elgar draw his sword, Lava Tyrant, and charge at the lion turtle. "Using a sword and its made of holy metal? What''s with that right arm of his? This is great! We have enough to make a report to the madam." "So this is how he survived! He must have altered his status card. He is as suspicious as Madam Gregoria said so in her letters from Geo. He must have an aim for sure," Sarah said. "What are you doing standing still like a fool?!" Elgar shouted as he dodged a wave of earth. "You''re a warrior, yet I''m doing a better job than you! You call yourself a knight-in-training?" Sarah and Michael nodded, believing their infiltration a success as a life and death battle would increase his trust in them. They ran to the flanks of the lion turtle and stabbed at the top of the leg between the shell, the four most vulnerable areas in its body. The lion turtle''s trees on its back began to glow with a faint white light. Elgar''s eyes widened in shock as he knew what it was doing! "Get back!" he screamed as he couldn''t afford them to die. "It''s going to use a soul qi attack!" Sarah immediately hid behind Michael, channeling her qi into him as he focused his light element qi into his shield. Elgar did nothing as he had the soul of a Dragon King and ran forward, Lava Tyrant raised high. "DIEEE!" Elgar shouted as he and his mice minions assaulted the head. The lion turtle roared and a shockwave of crimson fire element qi blasted around it. The mice minions were immediately destroyed as they were only rank 2 minions. Sarah and Michael were blown back and crashed against the wall, Michael''s sword shattering but saving their lives. Elgar managed to pierce the lion turtle''s head but couldn''t crack its skull. The lion turtle shook its head and sent Elgar flying, Elgar performing a backflip and landing on his feet near the spies. "HAHAHA. Looks like someone''s been hiding his abilities. Time for the big surprise," a Draxil''s voice boomed, his voice causing the walls to quake under his might. "Time for the big surprise! The ancient lion turtle found by three lucky applicants is not my guinea pig. The guinea pig is actually inside of it! To kill it, you got to be eaten. My particular magical beast is special as those who get eaten are shrunk into the size of a pea. A pea! Naturally, feeding it is a problem so I let it roam in the Chasm of Chaos. I didn''t expect it to eat my guinea pig though, but that''s where you all come in! Literally. You only got until sunset to complete the mission or you fail and do not become a student of the academy! Oh and a quick warning: the lion turtle is my magical beast and if you kill it, I''ll bind you in chains and make you watch as I kill your clan in front of you before I cut off your head! Good luck. Clean yourselves before you get eaten will you? No one likes a tummy ache." "Ah, f*ck," Elgar said. He didn''t anticipate having to go inside the lion turtle. It was definitely a rare variant mutation to have such an ability. However, there could be many treasures inside. It was like being in a dimensional prison! There was bound to be many valuables as it was a magical beast of a rank 9 mage! "Let''s go," Elgar said and grabbed the spies. The spies screamed as Elgar literally jumped at the lion turtle as he saw it open its mouth.
Chapter 11: Three becomes Two Main Page Chapter 13: Nightmare Part 1
Chapter 13: Nightmare Part 1 (Author: Hello all. In this chapter, we witness some of the pasts of Elgar while he was a Dragon King! What drives his hunger for magical beast flesh? Why did he descend from the Immortal Realms to the Mortal Realm and take over a planet? Please note that for this memory lane segment, his present day thoughts and words will be in italics until the chapter where it says Elgar wakes up from the nightmare. To those wondering what he looked like as a dragon, here you go! Warning: this is might be too intense for younger viewers. This is when the mature and tragedy tags come in. HAHAHAHA! Hope you enjoy the chapter. I''ll try to make this a longer one while fighting with my horrible internet connection....) Chapter 13: Nightmare Part 1 As Elgar carried the two screaming spies, a bright light flashed from the lion turtle''s mouth, shrinking them as it sucked them inside its mouth. Elgar crashed onto a bumpy tongue which seemed to spread for miles. Elgar grit his teeth as the tongue raised to the roof of the mouth. The spies fainted from the horror as they seemed to fall for five minutes as they left the mouth and could see the entrance of the throat. Elgar sprung out his wings and stopped himself from falling in and watched the two spies fall into the throat.. The lion turtle felt something remain in its mouth and raised its tongue to the roof of the mouth. It then slid the tongue back, slamming into the back of Elgar. Elgar cursed as he choked down blood from the impact of the massive tongue and fell in. He saw a strange grey light as he fell into the throat. He squinted as he saw a faint outline of what seemed like a fallen angel as the wings seemed like a birds but where misshapen and black. "Sweet dreams boy! Steel yourself. Discover yourself. Uncover what you are and maybe you can kill me," the voice said and the grey light expanded, causing his vision to go dark. -----------------The NIGHTMARE begins----------------- Elgar scratched his head as he regained consciousness. He stared around and noticed he was in a corridor with six doors in front of the other. However, the doors were not part of a wall and levitated an inch above the ground. Elgar tried walking around the first door and was teleported to five feet in front of it. He cursed as he remembered the words he heard before he arrived. A nightmare demon. I F*CKING HATE nightmare demons. They toy with the mind of their prey. Physically they are weak. Thus, they use illusion magic to make their prey slumber. Once the body runs out of spirit energy, the nightmare demon can feast on the body. Seeing that I can''t get out, its rank must be 6 or 7. Only nightmare demons that powerful could trap me in its illusion. If only it attacked my soul instead of my mind. I can only endure the trials and discover what kind of demon it is. If I can figure out its name, I will break free and wrench that demon''s heart. Elgar grit his teeth and pushed open the door. He cursed as he saw a small white dragon with gold eyes with silver spikes ranging from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. It had three heads and four wings and seemed to radiate a slight aura of power and loneliness. Each head was capable of splitting its thoughts but had one mind. Elgar saw it stare silently at the ground. All around the dragon were bodies of other dragons. Some of them were burned, some were frozen, and some seemed as if a tornado twisted their bodies and scattered the pieces in a vortex formation behind the head. "Ah little Zodimat, you survived the Ritual of Resolve," a soothing voice said as a giant scarlet dragon with bright orange eyes appeared from the sky. "Brood mother," the dragon said. "Why did I have to kill my siblings?" This is my past. I remember now. This demon seems to take pleasure in making its victims witness their own memories, but why this one? Which clue to its name is in this memory and are all the doors a scene from my past? "It is our way little hatchling. Now you must feast on their flesh and consume their spirit energy. Your first kill will change you, but will steel your resolve. Sometimes other dragons will try to steal your prey. You must have the resolve to kill them and protect what is yours," the scarlet dragon said. "Resolve will make you stronger and will help you carve your path to glory! Do not waver nor hesitate! Steel yourself and continue your path." A flash of white blinded Elgar and he appeared in the corridor again. This time, he was five feet in front of the second door. The first door was made of steel and remained open behind him. The second door was made of water, the handle and edges of the door made of ice. "HAHAHA. So you were a dragon once! Excellent. I didn''t expect to have such a gourmet appear. What will you show me next?" a voice said with glee, no doubt in Elgar''s mind that it belonged to the nightmare demon. What do you want from me?! "What all life wants: excitement. Humans assume that soul attacks are the most powerful, but you and I know that it is attacks and magic that target the mind that are the most dangerous. The power of your soul is so powerful, I doubt my body will not blow up if I decide to take a small bite of your soul energy," the voice laughed. "Press on little gourmet. Show me more. You want a way out right? You want to take vengeance on me? My power is not without a price. Survive the doors and say my name. HAHAHAHAHA!" Elgar tried to use magic, but it was no use. He was trapped in his own mind, not a pocket dimension. He could only do what the nightmare demon wanted. He sighed as he stared at the door. Each door''s material makeup depicted the theme of the memory based on the first door. This one likely targeted a sad memory. Elgar walked to the door, closing his eyes as another flash of light appeared. He opened his eyes and saw that he was on a bridge. His old body had matured and managed to create a human form. It looked exactly like what he looked like before he went into the hero summoning circle. He had skin the color of light tanned sand with hair as white as snow, flowing loosely to the middle of his back. He had the same horns he had now, ash wood horns appearing slightly above the human ears and pointing behind him at a slight angle upwards. He was covered in blood and staring at a frightened young dragon who hadn''t attained human form yet. It was a time when dragons were at their delinquent phase. He had once fallen for a dragon and married young. He had found out that she had cheated on him with two other dragons, one being his brother from another batch of eggs made by the brood mother. He had looked out for the young dragon after it survived its own Ritual of Resolve. How could he have known it was jealous of his power? Of the magic and adoration of the brood mother? It killed his brood mother as she slept and seduced and f*cked his wife, life mate. He killed the older dragon his wife had as a lover and killed her upon seeing them in their cave. He destroyed them as they were shocked in seeing him appear. In his rage, he even destroyed the eggs his life mate made. He didn''t know if the future hatchlings were his own blood or not. His pain blinded him and he crushed them all, smashing them on the bodies of his wife and lover. He then realized his younger brother had seduced his wife upon seeing the brat enter the cave with a musky scent around him. He chased his brother through three human kingdoms, burning, freezing, and rendering the kingdoms with breathes of wind while he chased the traitor and finally made him crash near the bridge. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "Forgive me brother! I was wrong! I was jealous! Jealous of your power and the beauty of your life mate!" the azure dragon whimpered as Elgar saw Zodimat walk toward the dragon, spirals of fire, ice, and wind emanating from his hands. "How could you do this to me? You, of all the dragons I trusted, betrayed me! You were my younger brother! I trusted you! I loved you! WHY? WHY!" Zodimat roared and grabbed one of the dragon''s wings, wrenching it and causing the dragon to howl in agony as he tossed it aside. "We both overcame the Ritual of Resolve! You had everything I wanted and could never have!" the dragon roared, his anger and jealousy overcoming his pain. "So you made yourself into a lizard whore and f*cked my life mate?" Zodimat roared and wrenched out the second wing, tossing it aside like the first. "A freak like you shouldn''t have been born? Three heads and four wings? Madness! You know, the other dragons talked trash about you behind your back! They wondered how that b*tch fell in love with you! She felt great! I only wished I could experience her one more time!" the dragon spat. Elgar''s body trembled as he watched the memory. It was over a hundred thousand years ago and he had long forgotten the memory. A part of him felt satisfaction as he saw Zodimat transform into his dragon form and tear the younger dragon to pieces as each head bit a piece of the body and tore it apart in different directions. The theme of this memory was pain. A kind of pain that the body, mind, and soul could not fight. An attack to one''s emotions, the culmination of the mind and soul. You should not have shown me this memory. Thanks to you, I remember now why I did not trust other dragons and devoured my own kind. You didn''t continue the scene but I killed all the dragons in the mountain range where I was born when I saw my brood mother dead, the other dragons laughing. I lost two of my heads and two of my wings as I became berserk. The mountain range was destroyed and only rubble and blood remained. I was a monster and lost my insanity for three decades as I attacked human kingdom after human kingdom. Why show me this? "Because it allows you to discover yourself. To realize your defense had openings. That even the greatest of dragons had a weakness. Your memories are fun. On to the next one," the voice said with glee. "A third way through and it only gets harder from here. HAHAHAHAHA!" Elgar stared at the third door. The door was made of chains and seemed to emanate anger. He opened the door and was blinded once more. As he opened his eyes, they were wide with shock. He was Zodimat again! He couldn''t move and could only watch the memory in a first person point of view. He felt his head move and observe his surroundings. He was in a mountain of crystal with an army of humans and magical beasts before him. They looked mad and brandished weapons and torches in his direction. "Foul beast! For decades you destroyed our homes and slaughtered our people! On the behalf of all those whose lives you''ve destroyed, I, Kaiden the Hero, will vanquish you!" a blonde haired youth shouted, dressing in shining silver armor and brandishing a large silver sword emanating with light element qi. "Puny humans," Elgar felt his body say. "I, Zodimat, was blinded in my rage. Even if I have done you wrong, you dare think you can challenge me? I am a rank 9 magical beast! A variant mutation among dragons! I have no equal under the heavens and will ascend! Your arrogance have cost you your lives! I will devour you all as an appetizer for those I will eat in the Immortal Realm!" Zodimat laughed as he charged at the humans, breathing columns of fire at them. He felt tingly as they attacked him and could not penetrate his scales. Elgar laughed as he experienced being in his old body and could feel himself crush the army and devour them. Elgar stopped laughing as he remembered the next part of the scene and the chained door he entered. "NOW!" the hero screamed as he clutched his left shoulder, his left arm down gone as it had burned to ash by the fire. Priests and maidens appeared from the back of the army as they were basked in light. Zodimat roared in anger as giant chains of light appeared. It wrapped around Zodimat, the dragon struggling as it could not break free. The ground shook as a portal of light appeared, the chains dragging Zodimat down. "You will be trapped for all eternity with the evil gods of all the worlds in the Mortal Realm. You, Zodimat, are a evil dragon god that must be punished for your actions in the Mortal Realm. Let the chains of light be your shackles!" the hero roared as the dragon entered the light. All Elgar saw was darkness as he was forced to curl his body into a ball under the chains of light. HE dropped for what felt like centuries until he appeared on a stage where the chains blasted forth and chained his ankles to the stage as it allowed him to finally move. Elgar could see other life forms chained the same way he had been. Some of the shackles were broken and some of the stages were cracked and emptied. "Well look who came! A white dragon," a lustful, feminine voice said as Zodimat looked left. "Who are you?" Elgar felt himself say as he saw a seemingly ordinary human woman with black hair and purple eyes to his left. "I am called an evil god like you. However, I was sent here after I ascended so I cannot escape like you and the others," the woman smiled. "The people of the Immortal Realms called me the Goddess Qingyu, for lust. I manipulated the powerful kings into waging wars and destroying their own kingdoms and destroyed fifteen planets before I was sealed away. Sometimes they called me Her, too terrified to say my name. My beauty is undeniable and I slowly absorbed the soul energy and spirit energy of my victims. I terrified the Immortal Realms and they sealed me here. Using me as an example, they taught the method to their followers in the Mortal Realms so that threats like me would also be sealed. Tell me, do you also lust for me as they did? You won''t deny your carnal desires like they did,will you? Those who abstain from pleasure are sooo boring."
Chapter 12: Ancient Lion Turtle Main Page Chapter 14: Nightmare Part 2
Chapter 14: Nightmare Part 2 (Author: Hello all. The Nightmare continues. Well I will release try to release one chapter a day for both of my stories with some days only one release or one release each with an extra chapter. Depends on my real life situation. Last chapter, Elgar, in his memories as Zodimat, reveals Her, the Goddess Qingyu. Now you know who the Elder One and his organization want to free. This chapter features the third to the fifth door. I will make this chapter a long one(?) as my trail of thought has given me a load of ideas. We also find out about the other organization trying to keep Her locked away. Qngyu will have all mentions of her capitalized such as Her of She. Again, as Elgar is trapped in his dreams, his words and thoughts are all in italics. What Zodimat says is not what Elgar says. This chapter took a while to write. I had many ideas and the themes for these doors were the best I came up with. I don''t know how long Royal Road will have the navigation buttons so I will continue to post links for the previous chapter, main page and next chapter when applicable on the bottom of every chapter. Enjoy.) Chapter 14: Nightmare Part 2 "I cannot say that I do not desire you," Zodimat said as he stared at her, her spirit energy releasing an aura that enticed him. "You look human, but I doubt it is your realm form. What are you?" "Let''s just say I was a Seed born of the God of Creation and Destruction during the birth of the Divine, Immortal. and Mortal Realms. I have never been in the Divine Realm and started in the Mortal Realm like you," Qingyu laughed, a sense of warmth filling Zodimat''s chest. "This is not the first time we are meeting. You see me now as two different entities. In time, you will know." Impossible! So this is what you meant! "It has been a long time hatchling. Perhaps you are seeing me as a victim of a demon. Probably one of my descendants. I did love illusion magic. Tell me, have I been freed yet?" She asked, looking at Zodimat as if she knew Elgar was watching through its eyes. No, but your shackles have been broken over time. Even now, I believe Your followers have been persisting in freeing you. "Young dragon, may I ask for your name?" Qingyu asked as She returned Her attention to Zodimat. "My name is Zodimat," the dragon said. "You said I will be free upon ascending? What about you? How will you be freed?" "In time young one. In time," She laughed. "Know this, the day I am freed, the Realms will shower with blood. I am the End. End of life. End of worries. End of suffering. I am Lust. All will crave Me. I am the Destroyer. I will take back what is Mine in the Immortal Realms. I am Pleasure an we will enjoy ourselves until you are free." "What?" Zodimat asked incredulously as he was transformed into his human form. "These stages are not really separated. You are an anomaly. You will come here twice. In time, you will see and you will remember your lust. Your greed for power. You will remember who has given you your pain. You will remember the ones who have sealed you in this place." -----(I''ll leave it to your imagination as to what explicit activities they did until Zodimat ascended. HAHAHA)------- Elgar appeared in front of the fourth door, his mind dazed as he experienced his imprisonment once more. Qinyu. She was his lover once. As he stared around, he thought about the themes of the two doors. The first was resolve. The resolve to kill. To stop at nothing to survive and take what is yours. The second was pain. Pain felt from betrayal. The price of trust and love. The reminder that he was blinded by his accomplishments and the loss of his two other heads and two other wings. The third door was arrogance and lust. It reminded him of his enemies. Qingyu was right. He did remember who sealed him. It was the Celestial Church of Madorax. He had once fought Madorax in the Immortal Realms before he descended and conquered his home planet in the Mortal Realm. He couldn''t kill him as Madorax escaped and entered the echelons of the Immortal Realm. However, he had slain and eaten all of his original followers in the Immortal Realm before descending. Perhaps I should find someone to reign beside me in the future. Being with Qingyu reminded me of a feeling I had long forgotten: true love. In Her case though, it was the lust that reminded me of it. To hold a woman in my arms once more without eating her or crushing her with my claws. Not that I have claws now though. "Oooh. That was scary! I never thought you met Her. To even f*ck with Her, many would be quite jealous of you. She even saw the current you as you reunited in your memories. That is one powerful being," the demon said with awe. "Well then. To sum things up, you spent about five hundred years before you ascended. How She didn''t get pregnant, I assume its the imprisonment being the cause. A part of me wanted to join in the fun. Luckily I am the one performing the nightmare, not that I could materialize and actually touch Her. Each memory gets more and more exciting. Much more interesting than the other two. So boring its dismal. They''re too scared to go through the SECOND door. What buzz kills. Well, the fourth door awaits and you''re halfway to killing me. Fun." Elgar rolled his eyes and stared at the fourth door. Seeing the wind and ice, he knew it would be about that day. The day he regrew his heads and met the dragon clan in the Immortal Realm. He breathed deeply and opened the door. It was the day he became a Dragon King ranked magical beast dragon. The day he became one of the more powerful immortals. Once again, he returned to seeing the scene in third person. His dragon form had become over one mile high. "HAHHAHAHA! I am whole again! Whole again!" Zodimat roared as he had three heads and four wings again. "I feel so much power flowing in my body! The qi! Three types of qi! THREE!" "Calm yourself hatchling," a dragon four miles high and seven miles long laughed. "I, the First Dragon, am quite proud to finally meet a variant that ascended to the Immortal Realm. To see that my race still continues to prosper warms my ancient heart. Congratulations in becoming reaching the rank of Dragon King. Among magical beast draconians who have reached Dragon Rank, they can only be counted on two human hands. I will venture to the Divine Realm soon. Before I go, I will give you a gift. Your soul will always be that of a dragon. In your soul sleeps an egg I received from someone who ventured in the Divine Realm. It will be your magical beast in the next life. It is not strong when it is born and will appear like an ordinary magical beast, but it is the only one of its kind and I would hate it to die. I trust you''ll remember it." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The First Dragon looked to the right of Zodimat, but Zodimat saw nothing. Elgar''s eyes widened as he realized the First Dragon was looking at him! He had forgotten the First Dragon''s words. Once he was free, he would take the egg out from his soul and hatch it. "You have suffered betrayal and imprisonment of the highest order," the First Dragon said as it looked at Zodimat again. "The world has given you much pain and your berserk state did not lessen it in the slightest. Even now, you wish to conquer more lands and dream of eating magical beast flesh. It empowers you with the spirit energy in the blood and meat. The land gives you happiness as you can dictate over all who live in it and never suffer from pain as you can just kill all who attempt to do so. It is a lonely life. A cursed life. You will die and hear me say those words again. You will have mana in your body in all but one limb. You will understand this in time. You must change little hatchling. You will be less of a dragon and live among humans. You cannot be as arrogant as you were before. You must be intelligent. Crafty. You must remember this." Elgar knew Zodimat only nodded without understanding. Elgar did not understand the words then, but he did now. It was a warning of the path he was treading. Even now, he thought as a dragon and not as a human, demon, and dragon combined in one body. He still acted arrogant, but the First Dragon was wrong about one thing. He was intelligent and was crafty in his ways of doing things. "Look at your fellow brothers and sisters," the First Dragon said as it waited for Zodimat to look around and observe the small dragons. "They are older and weaker than you, but they will still be alive in the Immortal Realms while you die. I have seen this. I have seen a small part of your next life. To rule is not to be the strongest. A king is nothing without the support and admiration of his people. If he didn''t have that, he was just a landlord with too much land. A ruler of himself. You will still persist in being a king. You will know what you did wrong in your first life. Do not attempt to rule an entire world in the Mortal Realm. It will bring you loneliness. Do so in the Immortal Realms. In there, each Immortal Realm has countless galaxies. The conquest is never ending. You will have a better connection to death in your next life. Remember this well. Soul energy is much more than energy from the dead. With enough soul energy, you can sacrifice all that you absorbed to evolve and absorb more. You will be Three in One. Three types of races will be in your body. In time, you will know this and remember this lesson. Learn it and apply it well." I can evolve? I can sacrifice my soul energy to evolve? I know he can see me, but I didn''t think he would know I was a necromancer! Is this why necromancers were considered the most powerful type of mage under blood mages? Is this why necromancer was forbidden in the past? The current beings in the Mortal Realm must have forgotten this fact. I didn''t read it in any book on necromancy! Heh. Even now, the First Dragon still gives me lessons. A white light flashed and Elgar appeared in front of the fifth door. He passed through as he realized the theme of the fourth door: wisdom. To learn the lesson from the beings before you. To learn more about the world and to reflect on past mistakes. This was the theme of the fourth door. "Well, I didn''t expect this to happen," the demon said, disappointed. "I assumed you would have to watch the scene of one of the first four doors over and over again and never learn the lesson. Your body would have run out of mana and I would have eaten you. The other two are boring and I must divert my attention on you. You are my threat and my fun. The fifth door awaits. Seeing you know, you should pass it, but the sixth door.....You will fail." Elgar stared at the fifth door. It seemed to be made of a summoning circle. He was confused. He didn''t know what it signified. He opened the door and was blinded again. He opened his eyes and shouted in shock. It was the day he had found out about the hero summoning! But why? Why did it show him THIS day? This event? Elgar was blinded once more and appeared in front of the sixth door. It was completely white and clear. Then, the five doors behind him combined and fused into the sixth door. The theme of the fifth door was easy: boredom and regret. Boredom for lack of enemies. Regret for killing and preventing treasonous thoughts. Regret of no meat to eat. Boredom for having no one to enjoy his rule with. No foes to fight. No land to conquer. In the galaxy of his home planet, there was only one with life in that galaxy and the ten immediate galaxies closest to it. "You see! I told you the fifth was easy. No surprise there. It is the whole reason you are here to begin with. Reincarnated to start over with a clean slate. I would have ascended and conquered the Immortal Realms if I had your power. Oh well. Here you are and at the final door. The door that is the accumulation of the five other doors. The door where your nightmare ends when you say my name," the voice of the demon laughed. "Are you ready?" Elgar stared at the sixth door. It had become changed. It had become an enveloping darkness. As if it was a tear in space that would never close.
Chapter 13: Nightmare Part 1 Main Page Chapter 15: Nightmare''s End
Chapter 15: Nightmares End (Author: Hello. Late night release due to real life stuff (and dynasty warriors). At last, Elgar is at the final door. I can honestly say that it took me a damn long time to make up Elgar''s past memories up to this point. This was how I wanted to write about Elgar''s past. The main character has to suffer in order to progress. Been busy playing in Skyrim again. New game and I already have a conjuring spell that raises the dead! Fun. Kill the bandit, bring him bag, kill him again, and he turns to ash. Pretty fun until I ran into a giant. Man it''s fun to get killed by him. Your body goes flying and you''re all like "What the f*ck happened? How''d he hit me?" Anyway, Elgar faces a trial he doesn''t expect in the final door and remembers someone he had known long ago. Enjoy.) Chapter 15: Nightmare''s End Elgar walked toward the tear in space. Oddly enough, he did not feel pulled toward it and knew that once he put his hand in the tear, the trial would begin. He looked back at the empty corridor once before he put his right hand in the tear in space. He was a little startled as no bright light cam and was sucked inside the door. "Do you truly desire your freedom so much Zodimat?" the demon said in a soft voice. "You have truly lived a life of sorrow. There are other memories I could have shown. Painful memories. The ones that have made you indifferent to killing. The memories that made you lose some of your compassion and trust in others. Memories of hate and grief beyond measure. You lived for over two hundred thousand years. Why not let down your burdens and end your suffering? Why do you still hunger? Why do you still pursue power? Your soul remains blessed by the First Dragon, but you cannot seek your vengeance in your current body. Even now, your mind remains vulnerable. I have seen the future Necromancer King. If you continue to walk this path.....you would have chosen to stay here. You would have chosen death. You will be born anew after your nightmare ends. You will know I am no ordinary nightmare demon like you believed. Zodimat......Elgar......I only hope that your rebirth will open your eyes." In the real world, a woman cloaked in darkness kissed the top of Elgar''s head before disappearing in the shadows, her magic still holding the three applicants prisoner. She appeared once, in front of the lion turtle with Draxil beside it. They nodded at the woman, knowing who she was. Draxil had been warned by his magical beast of her identity and vowed that he would not reveal Elgar''s secret. Trapped in his own mind, Elgar opened his eyes as he entered the location within the sixth door. He saw another version of himself. This version looked different. His light brown hair had grown past his shoulders and to the center of his back. His right eye had turned from gold to jade. Lava Tyrant had also changed. It had become a double-bladed sword, two blades on both sides of the grip. He radiated mana and was dressed in black and silver armor with the tattered crimson cloak still around his body. "Hello Elgar. Welcome to the final trial. Who are you? I am you. I am what you will become when you awaken. I am the potential you have held back. I am pieces of Zodimat''s memories made flesh or at least, that is what I will seem here. The only way to pass the trial is to say the nightmare demon''s name. I''ll give you a hint: it is not a nightmare demon that sealed you here. Demonic maybe, but not a pure demonic being. Do I fight you? No. You do not fight with me. You will fight against yourself. Remember the trials. Remember what you have seen. What you have felt. What you have witnessed. I am you so I know that you can succeed. This is not a trail by blood. It is a trial by soul. What are you, Elgar Maltos? Are you Zodimat? Do you know who you are? Do you know why you still persist in living a life of excitement? What is this boredom you are running away from? Is it reality? Is it really having nothing to do in your life? Do you know the answer? Can you realize the name? Elgar stared silently at the other ''Elgar.'' It said it was himself. The nightmare demon was not what sent him here. His assumption was wrong. But if it wasn''t a pure demon, what was it? His memories held the clues and were somehow connected to reveal the name. In the first door, Elgar saw himself surrounded by his dead brothers and sisters as they killed each other. His brood mother had called it the Ritual of Resolve. The second door was where he killed his younger brother. The one who betrayed him. A memory that brought him much pain and suffering. The third door was when he was blinded and defeated for his arrogance and sent to a prison like no other and met Qingyu. She was his comfort in the darkness besides the chain and stage made of light. The fourth door was when he last saw his great ancestor, the First Dragon, after he became a Dragon King ranked magical beast. It had warned him of his past mistakes and reminded him about the power of soul energy. The fifth door was his final memory as Zodimat. The day he came to terms with himself to let go of his past, yet still maintained his drive and conviction. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Lava Tyrant had two blades and the other Elgar had a jade eye. It was a symbol of what he was: one soul living two lives. The jade eye being the divinity of his soul belonging to what was once a Dragon King ranked magical beast. The longer hair meant a long life. It symbolized the years he had lived before as Zodimat. It was an acceptance of what he was and what he had become. He closed his eyes as he pondered about each door. Each trial was connected. The first was of dragons and the power of resolve. The second door revealed the resolve of his jealous brother and his resolve to seek vengeance on him and his own relatives who scorned him for what he was. The third door reminded him of his arrogance. He had lost two heads and two wings before and his arrogance in the third door cost him his freedom. It reminded him of his pain as he was comforted by Qingyu during their imprisonment together. The fourth door was about becoming whole again and moving on from his pain. To learn from his mistakes. To cherish fellow dragons once again. The fifth door had shown his wisdom learned through experience. That the warnings of the First Dragon had come to pass. The sixth door required a name. It was a name he had known once. You see, you do remember. Tell me the name. Envy. That is what she had called herself when we met in the Immortal Realm before I descended. We had known each other for centuries. Millenniums. I had told her of these five specific memories once. She said it was the envy of the dead to miss out on living. Envy of love that one could never attain. Envy of power and how easily one could take and spare another life. Envy of the wise for understanding something beyond one''s understanding. Envy of challenges as life had become too simple. Her name was Envy. It was what she called herself. She called herself Envy because she had been born a slave between a human and a demon, yet scorned by both. It was the feeling she knew best and one I knew well. She cannot stay as she will have returned to the Immortal Realm. She wanted you to forget the envy. To move on from your pain. To stop your obsession. Her brother, Pride, is a member of an organization trying to free Qingyu. Do not free Her. You should have known the reason a hero summoning was made. When you wake, the two spies will remain comatose. Kill them and move on. Remember the power of soul energy. The me you see now is prove of that power. I am the final warning to those who walk the path of immortals with human blood in their veins. Envy always meets them. She warns them of immortality. You have lived such a life once. You know the pain of living a long life. Farewell Elgar Maltos. Your time here is over. Awaken now and walk your path with a new resolve. -----The Nightmare Ends------------- Elgar groaned as he awoke. He was within a pocket dimension. Behind him was a crack in space where he could see the throat of the lion turtle. He felt his hair brush against his back and Lava Tyrant to his right, two blades now instead of one. Inside the pocket dimension was a black slime and the two spies he brought in. The black slime radiated fear and any life form below the rank of 3 would have been paralyzed with fear, unable to escape as the slime would devour them whole. Elgar used poison magic and killed the two spies. He didn''t care about them anymore. He still wanted to become a king, but a different kind of king than before. He felt as if a burden was lifted from his shoulders and let his demonic wings sprout behind his back, no longer caring to hide them. He put his left hand over his heart and a small jade egg appeared in his hand. It hatched into a small jade scaled snake with dark purple eyes like his blood. He killed the black slime with Lava Tyrant and fed the spirit core to the baby snake as he left the lion turtle. He saw Draxil as the lion turtle spat out a cube which was likely the source of the dimensional pocket. Draxil picked up the cube and teleported away with the lion turtle. "The third requirement is satisfied. Only two hundred may leave through the formation barrier in front of the exit and present me with the spirit core of a rank 3 magical beast to pass," Draxil''s voice emanated as he left, his voice heard within the mind of every applicant still living.
Chapter 14: Nightmare Part 2 Main Page Chapter 16: Passing the Trials
Chapter 16: Passing the Trials (Author: Hello all. Elgar has finally overcome the six doors and accepted his new life. He has accepted that he was blinded by his past life. He was no longer a Dragon king ranked magical beast. He had human, demon, and dragon blood in his veins. He had achieved inner peace with himself. Again, there are nine mage and warrior ranks before ascending by choice reaching the 9th rank and no choice after three hundred years after reaching rank 9. Mage ranks are Apprentice Mage, Adept Mage, Elite Mage, Sorcerer, Wizard, Magus, Arch Magus, Mage King, and Mage Emperor. For warriors (if I forgot to post it earlier) is Soldier, Squire, Knight, Knight Lord, Paladin, Warrior Mage, Blade King, Blade Emperor, and Overlord. There is a table below which will keep you posted on Elgar with slight alterations. To those who write stories with tables: I realize some of your struggles. Again, no idea when or if Royal Road will stop posting the navigation links below my own. Enjoy.) Chapter 16: Passing the Trials "Master? You have changed. Even you sword has changed. What kind of snake is that magical beast?" Magmar asked as it greeted its master. Magmar had been outside the lion turtle and waited for three hours before it saw its master changed. It was relieved that its master was alright and surprised to see the snake. It was not able to follow its master as he carried the two spies inside the mouth of the lion turtle as the lion turtle closed its mouth after eating them. "A great many things happened inside the lion turtle. I seem to have broken through to the fifth rank, Wizard. I also reached rank 4 as a warrior. My right arm is no longer black but the lava tattoos remain. I became more in tune with my demon and dragon blood in my human body. I am immune to fire and naturally absorb fire element qi as a dragon. I no longer hide my wings if I don''t want to and my demonic mana has become purer and more powerful. I have changed much while I was gone. The snake''s name will be Void as I am too tired to think of a name. I need to quickly leave this place and rest, " Elgar said to Magmar. He held the little snake magical beast in left hand as he carried Lava Tyrant. All long the grip of the double blade were veins of amethyst crystals. It seems the mana stone had evolved and became one with the sword. The snake was sleeping as it had become a rank 2 magical beast after devouring the spirit core of the black slime. It looked cute and harmless but would eventually become powerful as even the First Dragon said it was a one-of-a-kind existence. Elgar summoned bone mice minions of the third rank and over one hundred of them traveled around Elgar and Magmar as they walked back to the lake where the lich where hiding. Elgar no longer hid his secret as a necromancer, but that didn''t mean he would use his qi techniques or poison magic. He stared at the group of applicants and they were all instantaneously trapped in their own bone cage except for the rank 2 mages and warriors. "All three of you lich, hear my words," Elgar said to them mentally as their master. "You will remain here and gather strength. Become stronger and start exploring this chasm. There are bound to be treasures here. When we meet again, I expect a full report on how much of the chasm has been explored. Furthermore, find a secluded area in the chasm and build a house for me. There might be a time I will have to go in hiding from my enemies." "We hear and obey!" the three lich cried. "Let us go demon!" the rank 4 warrior shouted as he knew Elgar was the one who imprisoned them. "Come here and face me like a man! Do you know who I am? I am the third son of the emperor of the Batralga Empire! This empire!" "And I am a human with demon and dragon blood in my veins. You think you, a pure human, can beat me? I am a rank 5 mage and rank 4 warrior. You''re so weak, your blood would only dirty my blade. Even using magic on you is a waste. The spell will be released once I pass through the formation barrier in front of the exit. Until then, stay there little princeling," Elgar sighed and walked up to the warrior. The prince''s eyes widened in horror as Elgar grabbed his sword made of low tier holy metal and crushed it in his fist. In front of a dragon and any other demi-human with draconic blood, low tier holy metal was junk and utterly useless. Their sheer brute strength was what made them superior to humans. Elgar laughed as the prince''s face turned pale as he stretched his wings. The demi-humans with demon blood cried in alarm and knelt on one knee with their heads bowed low. Demons and demi-humans with demon wings were considered members of an ancient bloodline of demons and any country not prejudiced against demons would humble themselves before one. Elgar did not know of this as he had never embraced his demon blood besides the magic he wielded and flew into the sky toward his hidden stash of magic bags taken from the dead. He arrived near the entrance of the chasm and took his time looting the magic bags. He was ecstatic when he realized he could breathe fire from his mouth like a dragon when he roared with laughter at how much money and magical items he found. He piled the empty magic bags and burned them to ash. Magic bags and spatial rings were indestructible if, and only if, the owner was dead or there was not owner. Naturally, he did not want others to know he was responsible for so many deaths. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He stared at Magmar and saw that it had been feeding on the demonic cores of the dead magical beasts that littered the area and had grown to two feet in height. He salvaged some of the dead magical beasts in a spatial ring he found so he could he and his new magical beast could feast on them later. He sighed as he walked through the formation barrier as if it never existed and destroyed his bone mice minions as they had served their purpose. Before he entered the black door, he snapped his fingers and destroyed the bone cages. He stored Lava Tyrant in the black ring he had found in the catacombs and entered the door. All he had discovered that it was a very powerful ring and could store many more items with higher qualities. Only he, the owner, could see the white runes along the side of the ring. To others, it was just a regular spatial ring. One day, he would find out what the runes did. "Oh the necromancer returns and quite successful as well," Draxil grinned as he received a rank 3 spirit core. "Congratulations Elgar Maltos. Welcome to the Tyrannical Dragon Academy. The most dangerous academy in the entire empire. My thanks for taking care of my guinea pig. I don''t know why a blue, rank 1 magical beast slime became black and so powerful. Oh well, it''s dead and the brass will be off my back soon. As a reward for passing my first entrance exam as a proctor, I will give you this book on how to make golems. Once you become as powerful as I, a rank 9 mage, you''ll realize how useful it is to have minions. You already have a magical beast and a fusion type elemental minion, but a golem can be controlled with....YOUR MIND! Get it? Your mind? HAHAHAHAHA! I know your a necromancer, but you''ll need more assets at your disposal if you run out of qi and mana. Yeah, I can sense the fire element qi in your right arm. I am a Mage Emperor after all. Good luck making a golem. That is, if you choose to make one anyway. Report to the judge at the front of the academy to get your half-token and update that status card of yours. Its good to hide what magic you use, but not the profession you wish to be. You''ll ruin your own potential you know." "Thank you," Elgar said and stored the golem book in his black spatial ring. Only the golem book and Lava Tyrant were valuable enough to be placed inside. One storage bag had food and exploding vials and other alchemical tools and the other had loot he didn''t need and could sell. "Welcome back young man," the judge said five minutes later as Elgar flew in front of him. "Let''s update that status card." [tr][tr]
NameElgar Maltos
RaceDemi-human
ProfessionNecromancer
Elemental AffinitiesLightning Plant Fire (Qi only) Water Darkness (Mana and Qi) Bone Arcane (Summoning)
Hidden Affinity Poison
Mage Rank 5Wizard Warrior Rank 4Knight Lord MinionsMagmar (rank 5 elemental necromancer minion) Void (rank 2 magical beast snake)
Preferred Weapon Lava Tyrant (double-bladed weapon)
"Oh! You''ve been keeping your potential hidden I see," the judge laughed and present him with a half-token. "Head to the registration office at the main building overhead and show them your half-token and status card. Your class request will be reviewed and changes will be made. Welcome to Tyrannical Dragon Academy." Elgar put the necklace on and flew toward the main building, many people gossiping behind him and wondering when the other applicants would arrive. Geo Valkim was hidden among the anxious parents and guardians and was sad to not see the three spies he had sent. Seeing as Elgar had arrived first and di not head to House Dune, Geo suspected the spies had died without their cover being blown. He quickly turned around and headed to House Dune to make his report and tell the families the bad news. Lucky for him, he had found out from some of the knights that they had children at the academy so there were plenty of spies to replace those who had failed. That would lessen the disappointment from the madam.
Chapter 15: Nightmare''s End Main Page Chapter 17: Dorm 1397
Chapter 17: Dorm 1397 (Author: Hello all. Watched two movies so sorry for the late release. Last chapter, Elgar finally becomes a student at Tyrannical Dragon Academy. Thus, Elgar now goes to receive his classes and the academy life begins. I hope you all enjoyed learning more about Elgar''s past as Zodimat. I''m satisfied with how powerful Elgar has become and will now focus on him learning new magic spells and qi techniques. Enjoy.) Chapter 17: Dorm 1397 Elgar arrived at the registration office and displayed his status card and half-token. Many people were shocked as they saw Elgar''s wings and cautiously examined his class requests. They also inquired of his genetics to suggest classes that offered knowledge on how to use his racial powers. Thus, his classes were decided and Elgar looked at the schedule. Attendance was voluntary and Elgar only chose classes he cared about as classes were every day except for the weekends. Weekend classes were once a week and considered specialized classes. There are thirteen months and five hundred and twenty two days a year with nine days a week. Week days were from the second day to the eighth day with every day lasting twenty four hours. The days were not named as each country had their own name for each day and were just classified as numbers globally with the first and ninth days recorded as the weekend days. Elgar stared at his schedule and sighed as he couldn''t get all the classes he wanted as each class was two hours. He took three weekday classes and two specialized classes. He took no class on summoning magic as he had his books from the Maltos library as well as his lessons from Tristan. [tr]
Student NameElgar Maltos
Class Name Class Time Lightning Magic8a.m. to 10a.m.
Water Magic10:30a.m. to 12:30p.m.
Qi Combat1p.m. to 3p.m.
Special Class Class Time
Ancient Dragon Magic10a.m. to 12 p.m.
Royal Demon Magic2p.m. to 4p.m.
"Three regular weekday classes as required and two specialized classes based on your genetics are mandatory. Choosing to go to any of them or adding another class is up to you," the attendant said as she gave him his schedule. "Your classes have been scheduled based on your rank. Please note that Qi Combat is one of many classes available for warriors, but focuses on combat and is accessible to all warriors capable of using any type of element qi. Demon classes are based on lineage and only privileged or demons of noble blood can take the Royal Demon Magic class. Dragon magic is taught one-on-one and your professor is Draxil Rork, the proctor you met earlier, by personal request. There is no set standard of learning for special classes as each race and branch have their own strengths and weaknesses. You are the first to pass from application group four under rank 9 mage, Draxil Rork. Your application group is the last group of this year''s recruitment process. Four groups were tested over the course of four weeks before the school term. Your classes will begin next week." "As a student of the academy, you are required to live in the dorms. As you are classified as a mage and a warrior, you will be assigned to Dorm 1397 on the third floor of the first year male dormitory," another attendant said as she handed him a key. "Please note that dorm assignments are made regardless of rank. The first floor is for warriors only with four people per room. The second floor is for mages only with four people per room. The third floor has three people per room with each room four times the size of the rooms on the other two floors. This is because the academy is not responsible for teaching students how to cultivate mana and qi and requires the students to become capable of doing so on their own. Spirit energy is comprised of mana and qi, both having different applications. You have been verified as capable of using both types of spirit energies. Please note that fights are not allowed unless it is done in the academy coliseum under the supervision of one of the faculty. Students are allowed to graduate upon reaching the seventh rank. Those who fail to reach the seventh rank after thirty years are expelled. Good luck and learn well." Elgar nodded and thanked the attendant. He realized that there was no tuition at the academy as the academy was responsible for overlooking the Chasm of Chaos and were the first line of defense for the city. Elgar didn''t have a problem with money as he had looted so many storage bags and spatial rings. He moved his seven books on necromancy to his black spatial ring with the white runes and headed toward the academy store. There, students could buy or sell their wares to the academy or at the main plaza to other students. He sold many magical items and spirit grass as he didn''t need them and bought materials needed for his exploding vials, spirit pills for qi condensation, and mana potions. After all, he did learn alchemy and it was easier to make your own items than buy or find them. He now had only three items to store his belongings. His black spatial ring with white runes contained his necromancy books, school books, and Lava Tyrant. One cerulean magic bag contained corpses of magical beasts and all his alchemical items and materials. His silver storage bag contained all his money and all other items he had. He traveled to the northwestern area of the academy where the dorms were and followed the road markers as he flew to his dorm. It was a black and silver painted building with three floors with several balconies visible. Each dorm was categorized by year and gender. Each dorm had its own private bathrooms and each dorm had its own cafeteria and training grounds. Elgar put his tattered, crimson cloak into his spatial ring and tucked in his wings as he walked into the dorm. After ascending two floors, he finally found his dorm room in the center of the third floor. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Elgar took out his key and opened the door, unlocking the magical runes that protected his room. He walked in and let Magmar expand to its full form while Void slithered onto his shoulder. Inside he saw a half elf with blonde hair and green eyes and a demi-human with orc blood with grey tinged skin due to his race. He knew had never seen an elf and an orc before and realized that the nation really did welcome any race within its borders. "Oh! Finally, our third roommate is here. We were part of the first group and wondered when the final roommate would appear. I am a demi-human with elf blood. My name is Argolin of the noble clan of Rehan. I am a rank 5 warrior and rank 2 mage. I am pursuing to be a Beast Master," the blonde half elf greeted with a nod. "I own two magical beasts of the Violet Storm Bear race. Both are rank 4 magical beasts." "My name is Ulgor Gnarlix," the half-orc said. "I am a rank 4 warrior and rank 3 mage. I was sent here by my tribe as only one mage is allowed per tribe. I am a War Shaman. I am glad you are a demi-human. Even though other races are accepted, pure blood humans always think themselves as superior." "My name is Elgar Maltos and I am a demi-human with demon and dragon blood. I am a rank 5 mage and rank 4 warrior. I own a fusion type elemental scorpion called Magmar and a rank 2 snake magical beast I named Void," Elgar said and shook their hands. "Looks like none of us have classes together based on our ranks," Ulgor sighed. "Well our room is four times the size of others. Our room is equally divided into four rooms for all of us and you can style your room by magic when touching your key on the door and visualizing the interior of your half. The fourth area is where we can gather like a living room. We''ll wait for you to organize your room before heading to the cafeteria." Elgar put his dorm key on his door and visualized a simple room with a king-sized bed and entered inside. He did not care much about his room as he would always be busy at class. He left Magmar inside the room to guard his cerulean storage bag with all the corpses and alchemical tools and left it to gather the spirit energy in its own form of cultivation. He kept Void with him as it was a hatchling and too attached to leave alone. "You ready?" Argolin asked as Elgar appeared wearing his academy uniform. He wore a black and gold buttoned coat with black pants and shoes. The coat had the same emblem on the half-token over the heart. Elgar let Void rest on his right shoulder and left with Argolin and Ulgor to the cafeteria. Elgar smirked a little as he recognized a few people in the cafeteria as applicants from his group ten minutes after they arrived. He was surprised to see many more of the former rank 2 applicants and guessed they reached the third rank and defeated the rank 3 applicants while they were trapped in the bone cage. They must have reached the third rank while he was sorting his loot from all the dead applicants. They nodded at him in gratitude while the rank 4 prince from earlier glared at him, but didn''t dare to look at him any further. "It seems your group had the least amount of applicants and many fresh rank 3 first years," Ulgor grinned. "By the way they''re looking at you, you must have done something to the stronger applicants." "They didn''t mock me before the trials like the former rank 3 applicants did. It''s unfortunate that not all the rank 3 applicants and that rank 4 prince survived," Elgar said as he grabbed some food. -------------------------------------------- Back at the Galintor Kingdom, the 7th Elder had arrived in front of Edward Maltos and his family. "Where is my grandson?" the 7th Elder asked. "Where is the son of Isabelle?" "You know Isabelle?" Edward asked, ordering Edwin and Elaine to hide behind their mother, Irene. "She is my daughter. I hear you freed her from your slavery as you married her," the 7th Elder said, bowing his head in gratitude. "She escaped from a horrible fate at the fault of her stupid father. I am glad she found happiness. What is her son''s name and where is he?" "His name is Elgar," Edward said. "He is currently at the Batralga Empire to apply to one of the five academies there. He hasn''t contacted us yet as to which one." "There is no need for that. He is of a noble dragon clan. He must be able to breathe white fire as I and his mother did. A dragon can find its kin easily. Do not worry, I will not harm him. Please, tell me how my daughter died," the 7th Elder asked. "I will tell you how she happy she was while she lived, how sad she was when I found her, and how courageous she was when she chose Elgar''s life over her own," Edward replied and led the 7th Elder into his home. "May I ask for your name?" "My name is Isaac in the human tongue as Isabelle is in the human tongue. Our real names are too long and difficult for humans to pronounce," the 7th Elder said.
Chapter 16: Passing the Trials Main Page Chapter 18: The Prophecy
Chapter 18: The Prophecy (Author: Hello all. I am focusing on this story so I will have random releases of Jade Immortal. This is because I desire to write longer chapters from now on, but writing a chapter for two different stories everyday is tiring and real life events happen unexpectedly. One example is taking my brother to the movies and releasing the last chapter later at night (where I live anyway). To those wondering about an illustration picture on the main page: I can''t draw to save my life. To those wondering about elves and orcs: this is a story with magic in it. I only have qi in it as I love xianxia novels and wanted to incorporate both into my own take on it. Also, dragon magic can be taught by any with draconic blood, but unique dragon magic can only be taught by the bloodline. Lastly, people can learn to use both mana and qi using unique methods such as Elgar binding Lava Tyrant, allowing him to cultivate qi in his right arm. I''m glad people like this story and will try to improve it as I write more chapters. Sorry for the long author''s note this time around. In this chapter, the Prophecy is revealed. Every good fantasy story has a prophecy. It makes it all the more fun. Enjoy.) Chapter 18: The Prophecy Elgar held Void in his hand as he left the cafeteria first, wanting to find a suitable place to practice his magic without prying eyes watching. He no longer cared about House Dune but did not want to be distracted. He ventured to his room and visualized a teleportation circle. Once his three lich found an isolated area in the Chasm of Chaos, he would have them make another teleportation circle and train there while Magmar would continue to guard his room and alert him if someone asked for him. Magmar happily agreed as it allowed the minion to stay in the room and cultivate spirit energy. Magmar''s body was that of a dead scorpion but its mind comprised of seven different elementals. It did not need to eat or make waste. It did not need to sleep either so it could spend all its time gathering spirit energy. Elgar was meditating in the training grounds in his dorm while Ulgor and Argolin spared. Ulgor used a staff with a blade on the bottom of the shaft while Argolin used twin swords. Both of Argolin''s Violet Storm Bears were sparing against each other. Elgar opened his eyes as he sensed a massive amount of mana coming his way. It was ancient but the entity it belonged to did not emit any killing intent. In a flash, a middle-aged man with crimson hair and golden dragon horns arrived in front of him. What startled Elgar was that the man''s eyes were golden like his left eye. "You are Elgar Maltos. I can tell by the color of your left eye. I was told by your father that you had a different appearance but I suspect that you have changed while you were away," the 7th Elder said. "I am known as Isaac in the human tongue. I am your mother''s father." "Why do you have Qingyu''s spirit energy in your veins?" Elgar asked as he took out Lava Tyrant and was surrounded in a baleful aura as he summoned two dozen bone wolf minions. "How do you know that name?" Isaac asked and quietly approached his grandson. Argolin and Ulgor left the training ground as they heard Isaac identify himself as Elgar''s grandfather. They suspected it was a private conversation between dragons and wisely left, the two Violet Storm Bears leaving first as they were frightened of Isaac. Isaac cast a barrier around him and Elgar to prevent any eavesdroppers. "You must be the ones trying to free Qingyu," Elgar laughed. "I see now. My mother must have been one of the Vessels, recipients of a part of Qingyu''s soul and Her voice among you. Through the Vessels you learn of other potential Vessels as well as how to break Her shackles." "How do you know so much?" Isaac asked, discovering his grandson was more than Edward had known. "I am the 7th Elder of the organization. I am in charge of the Vessels. I did not know that Her name would have been known by my own grandson. How did you learn of Her?" "Let''s just say I have known Her for a long time as if I were in a dream," Elgar shrugged. "My mother must have run away when she realized the price of being a Vessel as well as discovering that she was one. Why did you join the cause of freeing Her? Do you not know what She wished to do?" "I was foolish and blinded by the power of Her spirit energy," Isaac sighed and shook his head. "Had I known that it would cost me my own daughter, I would never had joined the cause. Do not worry, any news of any Vessels is known to me first. I kill all but one of any discovered Vessels and have killed all of the Vessels who have learned of Her shackles as they received Her power. Worry not grandson of mine, with each Vessel created, She becomes weaker. She aims to have enough Vessels to weaken Herself enough to pour the rest of Her soul in a Vessel and be reborn when She is freed." "I see. I assume you have a different reason to see me?" Elgar asked, satisfied with his new knowledge. He knew Qingyu''s power first hand. He had known what She was but Her seductive mental abilities clouded his judgment while he was imprisoned. "I am here to teach you your unique blood line dragon magic," Isaac said. "As a member of my lineage, once I awaken the bloodline in your body, no mental attacks, qi or mana, will affect you. It is a special trait and one of the reasons I became known as the 7th Elder. Even the Elder One is cautious and requires all Elders to be immune to mental powers. Another trait of our bloodline is that our exterior, dragon scale or otherwise, is so hard that steel shatters upon it and even low rank holy metal weapons with not scratch you. The unique dragon ability of my clan is telekinesis. This unique dragon ability uses your mana to move other people or items with your mind. Come and let me awaken your blood and implant the hereditary memories that will awaken your dragon magic. You can use the unique dragon magic of our clan but you must discover it within the fragments of your memories. It is our way. This concludes the dragon ritual known as the Ritual of White Fire." Elgar knew of the awakening process as he once underwent his own as Zodimat had been awakened by his brood mother. He knelt on both knees breathed his white dragon flame. Isaac breathed his own white dragon flame and the two converged until Elgar was consumed by fire. He was not harmed as his dragon blood was strong and was immune to fire. It bathed him, spreading a warm feeling around him. It did not burn his clothes as he controlled it. Memories of dragons long dead entered his mind. He had seen fragments of their lives as they used telekinesis. He had seen a golden dragon use telekinesis for the first time and lifted a boulder. He saw a crimson dragon splitting a lake in two to find treasure. He had seen an emerald dragon use telekinesis to rob a human army of their swords before raining them down at the human army. Each dragon had the same golden eyes and breathed the same white dragon flames. His mana supply had increased ten fold while Isaac continued to breathe fire at him. "You are a true son of the Ancient Dragon Clan," Isaac said as he fire dissipated. "Immunity to fire is unique only to those of use in that clan. Regular dragons breathed ordinary dragon flames and have various eye colors. Only a member of the Ancient Dragon Clan can breathe white flames and have golden eyes at the same time. However, the Cold Ones are our enemies. As you have awakened, you will exhibit our rare aura. A baleful aura will emit from your body as you fight. The Cold Ones will know of your lineage and will attempt to kill you. Dragons call them Cold Ones, humans call them the Ice Brood." "Dragons that have lost their sanity and live on pure instinct. They are the reasons humans feared us once. However, they are different as they are nothing but beasts and have lost the ability to breathe fire," Elgar said. "The Ice Brood live underwater and breathe ice. Many powerful societies of immortals and magical beasts are under the oceans and the Ice Brood control most of the oceans. Unlike the many dragon clans on the land, the Ice Brood is united as they contain dragons of all clans and follow a pack leader, an alpha. They live just as rabid wolves do. They are mindless beasts that are a disgrace to all dragons." "That is correct. However, they will not try to harm you. You are...unique. You possess demon blood of the highest order as you have wings. The Ice Brood dare not attack you as their greatest allies are demons. Magical beasts and demons share a common affinity and are equally persecuted by humans. Under the water''s surface, the only pure humans able to survive are very powerful experts of the ninth rank," Isaac said. "Most beings under that water are eighth and ninth rank magical beasts and demons. Do not venture there until you are at least of that rank. Might be decades or even centuries, but do not venture there until then. I must go now. Seeing your hair and your left eye reminds me of my daughter to whom I have failed. We will talk another time. Perhaps by then, you will have discovered the unique dragon magic and have mastered it well." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Elgar stared silently at Isaac as he teleported. Elgar did have the ancient Demon King''s ability to manipulate space and could only teleport within one hundred meters. Of his two demon magic spells, only one was unique. It was his Blood Mist spell. Using his mana, he could create dense cloud of black and crimson mist that drained the soul energy of his victims. Soul energy was life force. It allowed someone to live longer lives than ordinary members of their race. Necromancers used soul energy and mana to create their minions Necromancers also lived longer lives as they were able to absorb soul energy alone without absorbing the soul energy within qi or mana. Elgar did not look different after the ritual, but he felt changed. His strength had increased and his skin felt soft but hard when aggregated. "It appears that hidden forces also exist in this world," Elgar sighed as stood up and left the training ground with Void in his hand. "I wonder what you will become. You are definitely a snake, yet you have four legs and another head. Just what kind of snake magical beast are you?" The Ritual of White Flames had an unexpected effect on Void as it was bathed in white dragon fire. Void seemed to feed on it and became a rank 3 magical beast. The color of its scales changed into pattern of gold and abyssal black colored scales with the scales of its underbelly as white as snow. Its eyes also changed and became the color of jade. After his grandfather left, Elgar had breathed white flame on Void which made Void even stronger. Void was also able to breathe a purple flame that not only burned on contact, it also poisoned the victim. "Master?" Void asked using its mental link as his magical beast. "You remind me of a powerful snake magical beast I know but your evolution is different,," Elgar laughed. "You are an interesting reptilian. To feed on dragon fire, is that why the First Dragon was curious enough to give you to me?" "Welcome back. I''m guessing your grandfather taught you some magic?" Ulgor asked as Elgar and Void appeared. "Whoa! That snake of yours mutated! It has draconian blood for sure but isn''t a drake as it still has its snake body." "You seem stronger now," Argolin nodded. "You''re aura has changed. It''s more pure now. An even mix of demon and dragon. You only look human in appearance now. I have heard of the stories from my elders in the elven woods. They spoke of hereditary memories of dragons and how they taught their bloodline their unique magic through a sacred ritual." "Half demon and half dragon, yet mostly human in appearance," Ulgor muttered, as if remembering an ancient verse from among his people. "A necromancer at that....You must be the one! One of the two missing heroes! I heard from my mother who was the tribe''s shaman before she died and was replaced by my elder sister who was even more powerful in clairvoyant magic." "What?" Argolin gasped and took a step back in shock. "One of the two heroes who went missing due to the failed hero summoning? You''re the one?" "I''d appreciate it if no one found out," Elgar said, a baleful violet aura appearing slowly from his body. "Of course not," Ulgor stammered. "I heard of the prophecy of the heroes. The two heroes who went missing were the ones destined to stop or slay the Lady of the End. The other three would become twisted and tainted by her followers and unwittingly bring the end of the Mortal and Immortal Realms under the belief that they are saving it." "I have also heard such a prophecy from my father, the king of elves of the woods in the north. To be your roommate, I will strive hard to help you save this world," Argolin bowed. "And if I wished to rule a piece of it in the process and claim the title of Necromancer King?" Elgar asked. "And venture to the Immortal Realm after a few years and slay the false god Madorax?" "So long as it is not a danger to my people, I will serve," Ulgor said and bowed on one knee with his head lowered. "I too, will serve. I will not inherit my father''s throne as I am the fourth son and I aim to tame magical beasts of many races. Following you, it is certain that many rare and powerful magical beasts will attempt to stop you. By your side, there is no greater method to achieve my goal," Argolin said and bowed as Ulgor did. "Good," Elgar said and sat on the couch. "You have heard of the prophecy so you must know some of Her servants." "Aye, that I do," Ulgor said. "Blood Stones follow Her will and many demons are in a secret civil war in their territories all over the world to serve or defy Her will. The blood letters are converting many demons and even the dragons have grown soft and threw away their pride to follow Her. We orcs call them Blood Stones. The humans commonly call them Gargoyles, winged statues with the body of a goblin and orc combined into one that feed on the soul energy within the blood of their victims. When the victim dies and the Gargoyle is of at least the eighth rank, the corpse mutates into stone and another Gargoyle is born. They are immune to magic and only those who cultivate qi can kill them." "Creatures that hide in the night follow Her will," Argolin said. "They flock to her like sheep, listening to Her lies. She tells them promises of glory and power. She shows them visions of their greatest desires and twists them from their purpose. The undead fight against Her, but the living get in their way out of ignorance and fear of what they do not understand. Blood mages adore Her and She shows them the grotesque and teaches them Her spells. She is the Lady of the End, an evil that even the echelons of the Divine Realm fear. The Mortal Realm is Her prison. Madorax is Her bane, but he too has been twisted and commits evils in the name of justice. To kill them both is to save the Mortal and Immortal Realms. The day the Goddess seduces Madorax at last, is the End of Days. If one yet lives, the End will come. Madorax knows but denies that he is Lord of the End. When the Lord and Lady join hands, not even the Divine Realm can stop them. Divided, they are weak. Divided, they can be killed." "The words of the prophecy speaks of five heroes, summoned from the other planets and galaxies of the Mortal Realm. They will appear in the planet where She is shackled," Ulgor began, chanting the prophecy with fear and awe. "Three will be summoned in Heroes Circle. Two of Three and Doom of Two shall fall to darkness. Only of the Three will walk the path of good. Two Heroes will be reborn in wombs of unknown histories. They will determine the Survival or End of Days. One of the missing is destined to free Her. His desire will be our Doom. One Hero will be blinded by Lust and become Her champion. He is one of two born pure human. One will die by Her Vessels, the Hero''s death sparking the beginning of the War of Days. The two who are missing must slay or free Her. It is their fate and their destiny. Two more of the Heroes shall fall and one will be forever changed." "So am I Doom, the Hero destined to free Her, or am I one of the two Heroes? Maybe I am the one whose death will start the War of Days. Either way, two Heroes walk the path of evil and two others walk the path of good. One Hero just dies to start it all. How amusing," Elgar laughed as he stroked Void''s head. "I must know more."
Chapter 17: Dorm 1397 Main Page Chapter 19: Going to Class
Chapter 19: Going to Class (Author: Hello all. Elgar learns of the prophecy and will soon begin his academy life. I saw decided to change Void''s body back to a regular snake as I felt I didn''t like the evolution as it seemed similar to Zodimat, but it will remain a rank three magical beast. The changes were made in the last chapter for those interested. Someone named imram brought up a lot of questions. First, immunity to mental attacks caused by mana or qi is an ability, not magic, like the Demon King''s ability to manipulate space. Second, his skin becoming harder that steel when aggregated is a passive ability. By aggregated, I mean when something tries to blunt attack or pierce his skin. His actual blood line dragon magic: has to be discovered from the fragments of his memories. Telekinesis is also a dragon magic, but is not restricted by a spell or technique as you can control how an object or person moves with your mind. It''s like an ability, but it is magic as it uses mana. This chapter focuses on the remainder of the week and the almost his entire first day of class. Ulgor is the more bloodthirsty of his roommates while Argolin is the more calculating one. Again, links are up as I don''t know how long the navigation links will be there. Hope the chapter is long enough. Enjoy.) Chapter 19: Going to Class The next day, Elgar received a mental message from his three lich that the safe house had been made. The teleportation circle had also been made, completing the teleportation array and Elgar could now travel back and forth from the chasm. His safe house was made entirely of wood and bone. For now it was more of a single-room cabin. He would cultivate there, absorbing spirit energy and converting it into mana and qi. He also absorbed the fifty percent of soul energy he would have already taken as his lich and their minions killed magical beasts. He spent the entire day forming a map of the chasm his lich had ventured so far. He also created two more lich he named Lich 4, which summoned bone mice minions, and Lich 5, which summoned bone hawk minions. It was weird at first to see something fly with no flesh, but Elgar assumed it was because it was made of magic so flesh was not required. The bone mice minion would scurry on the ground while the hawks would venture in the air. Chief Lich had broken to become a rank 5 Lich and now the bone wolf minions it could summon were rank 4 wolves. They had glowing eyes of pure green fire and were the size of a regular tiger. The bone wolves would protect his safe house and the five lich while the bone warriors and bone archers followed the mice and hawks further into the chasm. Satisfied with his current results, Elgar left the chasm after taking all the spirit cores and corpses of the magical beasts. Magmar had also made several breakthrough and was a rank 6 fusion type elemental minion. Elgar asked how it was able to advance so fast and Magmar simply stated that it was because the minion was previously seven elementals and that it finished absorbing and regulating the mana of the elementals using the spirit energy it absorbed from cultivation. Three days later, Elgar and his roommates left to the cafeteria. Argolin, being the fourth son of an elven king, was very rich and they ate a luxurious meal in the V.I.P. section of the cafeteria where many other student nobles and lords ate. Void, after growing to three feet long and five inches thick, always accompanied Elgar and occupied its own chair as it ate some meat. People who ate in the V.I.P. section ate meat from the bodies of rank 1 magical beasts. Eating magical beast meat was good as the flesh was enhanced by spirit energy. Elgar, as a necromancer, loved the V.I.P. section as he absorbed all the soul energy in the air. As a rank 5 necromancer, all Elgar needed to do to absorb soul energy, and soul energy only, was will it into his body. "This place is great," Ulgor laughed. "I have two sworn brothers now who accept me and I eat magical beast flesh. This is great." "Entering a Blood Pact to be sworn brothers is archaic but that is how elves deal with strangers. Those who sign a Blood Pact become as brothers and no secrets are required. All who sign a Blood Pact obey the Eldest Brother who will know all the secrets. Not that I care. I suggested we do it. That way, you and I are in the loop and get to hear Elgar''s plans without being too surprised. Making the Blood Pact this morning was the right call," Argolin said as he bit a piece of magical beast meat from a hare. "No kidding. To have a sworn brother capable of creating five lich is just awesome," Ulgor said as he crammed magical beast in his mouth like a rabid dog. "We get so many spirit cores thanks to Elgar. Obedience? Who cares! All those people who shunned me in my tribe would be jealous of me now. Besides, Heroes always suffer the most dangers. This means the greatest challenges accompany them too. How goes the chasm Elgar?" "So far my minions have reached the furthest they can at their current ranks. I found a cave, but rank 7 magical beasts linger there. I can only wait for my lich and I to become stronger to summon more powerful undead and bone minions," Elgar sighed. "How about your end?" "I contacted my people and asked around about the Blood Stones," Ulgor replied, swallowing his food before grabbing another chunk of meat. "So far this continent hasn''t seen any Blood Stones, but some of the other continents have. Some orcs who live among the continents ruled by demons talked about the civil wars going on within each of the demonic kingdoms. Blood Stones have been spotted supporting demons who have listened to lies about the Goddess." "The elves are united against the Goddess," Argolin said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "However, the dwarven kingdoms are constantly under siege by goblin tribes. Some powerful magical beasts fight alongside the goblin tribes. Whether or not any of the two sides support the Goddess is unknown at this point. What concerns me is the dark elves and dark dwarves. The dark dwarves were attacked by a sudden wave of magical beasts and have vanished into hiding. As far as the dark elves are concerned, they follow their Spider Goddess whose name only they now. I don''t know if it is an immortal rank spider magical beast that descended from the Immortal Realms, but it is powerful. For now, the dark elves have chosen to remain neutral. The general public of the rest of the world remains oblivious to the events conspired by Her followers. No doubt the death of the Martyr Hero will garner their attention." "So they are steadily increasing their influence," Elgar mused as he breathed a white flame on a piece of magical beast meat and gave it to Void. "When our classes start, try to find people who will be of use to us in the future. Only we will make a Blood Pact. I do not trust others so easily and having more people under a Blood Pact is unwise. If I am a Hero, I should have a party whose members can do several jobs. In the meantime, we will focus on increasing our own ranks and make connections with some of the more influential students." "You got it," Ulgor said and was about to say more when he saw a group of nobles walking to them. "Ugh, what''s a half-breed orc doing here? Look at how it eats. It has no class," a noble human laughed. "Why is a magical beast eating here? How dirty," a female mage said, covering her mouth as if avoiding to breathe something toxic. "What''s a b*tch with no hair and a ugly turd with broken bones doing here?" Elgar asked. He breathed a small river of white fire at the female mage''s hair, burning it all of. The noble screamed in pain as Void suddenly sprang forward and crushed one of the boy''s arms. "Too funny big brother," Ulgor laughed. "You''re right! What are they doing here? B*tching and moaning over something so miniscule. Tut tut. How weak. How pathetic." Argolin managed to control his laughter while Elgar and Ulgor roared at his joke. Even Void hissed happily as it uncurled from the boy''s arm and returned to its chair. "My father will hear about this!" the mage screamed as she ran away, covering her head and blushing with shame and embarrassment. "You! You-" the boy started until he was grabbed by the neck by Elgar and thrown out of the V.I.P. section. "Oh piss of," Elgar scoffed, remembering the humans who sealed him away as Zodimat. "Pure blood humans. You just never learn." The rest of the student nobles and lords did not care for the what transpired. They only cared about power and did not know of Elgar and his roommates. Thus, they were not deemed worthy of note. Elgar spent the rest of the week in the chasm, practicing his telekinesis and poison magic. He managed to make the poison mist corrosive but it worked to slow for his taste. Magmar notified him that a notice came from the academy, warning him that all persona; conflicts should be made in the coliseum and that it was their last warning. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Elgar received a notice that his first class on lightning and water magic were canceled for the week due to the teachers currently still venturing a ruin discovered near the capital somewhere with other members of the faculty. Apparently all five academies sent many faculty members to explore the ruin and most of the faculty sent were mages as mages could use wide area of effect spells and damage. Only a handful of faculty warriors were sent in case the magical beasts encountered were too fast for a spell to hit. Qi Combat was not canceled and Elgar went to his class. Unexpectedly, Ulgor was also in his class. Ulgor transferred his class as he learned that Elgar was a warrior rank 4 like him when they met and changed classes during the break. They had all changed into a white shirt with black shorts with gold stripes on the side. As all the students gather around the coliseum floor, all the students, mage or warrior, were gathered in the coliseum with ranks of 4 and 3, the two weakest ranks. Students were not categorized by year, but students who were among the youngest in their ranking class meant that they had more potential than their older peers. Even the rank 5 to 7 mages and warriors were in the coliseum stands overlooking Elgar''s class below. "Oh sh*t! Something''s going down and we''re definitely going to fight something nasty," Ulgor grinned and brought out his speared staff as the other students in the coliseum floor did the same. "We got one of those muscle-headed teachers this time around," Elgar sighed as he brandished Lava Tyrant. "Why else would the whole academy watch a group of thirty or so rank 4 warriors that have gotten even rank 5 to 7 mage and warriors interested in watching us?" "HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE COLISEUM!" a voice boomed, Elgar cursing as he recognized the voice and saw Draxil Rork appear. "I am your humble host, rank 9 mage, Draxil Rork! I am also a rank 8 warrior. It hasn''t been three hundred years since I broke the ninth rank and I will stay and ascend when I become a rank 9 mage and warrior, unless the three hundred years pass up first. Welcome. You''re all here because I said that if you didn''t I''d kill you. Just so you know, I don''t give a magical beast rat or hydra''s a$$ who you are or whose nation your a noble of. Mundane matters are for the weak. I walk the path to immortality! Let''s give a round of applause to my students below. Please note that I will be the dragon magic instructor for three lucky students for the one-on-one sessions on Day 9. One of those hatchlings is below. He is the first to pass my proctor''s exam He is a rank 5 mage and rank 4 warrior: Elgar Maltos. The other two are in the stands. Today''s class is a death match!" The students in the coliseum gasped. No teacher ever made their lessons in the coliseum a death mage unless they were rank 7 students. This demi-human dragon was insane. Many of them pitied Elgar and whoever else was unlucky enough to learn under that lunatic. "I was right," Elgar sighed. He did not summon Magmar as it was in charge of protecting his room. Void slithered on the floor and glared at Draxil. "That demi-human is trouble. Can I eat him?" Void asked. "He''s much more powerful than you and I. Unless he only plans to assault me with mental or soul attacks with qi or mana, he is a threat we should not anger," Elgar replied. "I suspect that we will soon face magical beasts. Remember, once it is dead, do not eat the spirit core." "There are staff near both the west and eastern doors to the coliseum," Ulgor grinned, bloodlust rising in his chest. "I can''t wait to smash my staff on its skull and pierce it with the spear below. Now this is a class I can live with! Bleeding, killing, and the adrenaline pumping in my veins!" "Let the masses attack first when it appears," Elgar warned. "We need to know some of its capabilities and movements first. Since thirty of us are fighting it, it must be a horde of rank 4 or 5 magical beasts." "Introducing the challenger from the western door! From the depths of the abyssal hells of the ocean: a rank 6 Ice Brood! It''s so deadly and beautiful, I almost cried when I came up with this idea. Almost," Draxil said and motioned to the coliseum staff to release the aqua dragon. A cerulean winged dragon appeared with spikes the color of crystals and irises the color of lapis lazuli appeared. It stood over twenty feet tall and its wings were about fifteen feet long. Ice permeated from its mouth and it stared right at Elgar, sensing the draconic blood in his veins. The coliseum was protected by an invisible, dome-like barrier that only someone of the ninth rank could break. It feared and didn''t look at Draxil and could only glare at the students with dragon blood in the stands before returning to Elgar. This demi-human was its prey. Its instincts screamed at it to kill him, its fear of Draxil holding the mindless dragon at bay. This Ice Brood was separated from its pack and was just a mindless killing machine, the pack mentality that returned some of its sanity long gone. "And in the eastern door, a second challenger awaits! It is a rank 6 magical beast! It is a crystal heavenly lion! Behold its magnificent purple mane and smooth black fur. The giant purple crystal in its forehead and massive bat-like wings! It is a demon lion that slayed an angel! A demonic magical beast of a rare breed. Angels flee before it so ladies watch out. You do not want to get bitten. It will suck your soul energy right out and leave your body a dry and wrinkled husk. To any demi-human with angel blood in the arena: I pity you. You''ll be the first it will kill." "Such a powerful demonic magical beast. To have wings," a demi-human in the crowd gasped. "If I knew that rank 4 warrior class would fight it, I would have transferred right away to tame it," a rank 4 demi-human agreed. "It is not a noble demon as it is a beast, but it is majestic in its appearance," another sighed. "Not my kind of magical beast," Argolin said to Elgar and Ulgor telepathically due to their Blood Pact. "Try to have the two of them fight each other or separate them. You might be able to take one of them but not both! This teacher of yours is insane!" "Join the others in fighting that lion and steal that purple crystal. It should help Argolin easily breakthrough mage rank 2, The spirit core will contain more spirit energy and is worth more to you," Elgar ordered Ulgor. "Void and I will take on the Ice Brood. I aim to make that dragon mine. If I can make it my magical beast, it will regain its sanity and serve me in dealing with the other Ice Brood. It will be the start of having my own dragon army. The dragons of the land are not mindless and cannot be tamed. Taming a dragon as your magical beast will make you the enemy of all dragons. Ice Brood are different. Once you kill that lion, prevent the others from getting in my way." "Don''t worry boss. They''ll suffer an unfortunate accident while they fight the lion. Leave it all to me," Ulgor laughed. "Argolin will become the Third Brother for this. He owes me for the crystal. HAHAHAHA!"
Chapter 18: The Prophecy Main Page Chapter 20: Fire and Ice
Chapter 20: Fire and Ice (Author: Hello all. Like the cliffhanger from the last chapter? Yeah, I''m evil. Well, here''s the surprise second chapter release of the day! Ulgor and the students face the rank 6 lion magical beast while Void and Elgar face off against the rank 6 aqua dragon magical beast. Enjoy the chapter.) Chapter 20: Fire and Ice The Ice Brood roared as Elgar turned to face it. Elgar focused his mana and fifteen summoning circles appeared, each one creating a bone wolf the size of a bear. People in the stands gasped as a baleful aura surrounded Elgar and each of the bone wolves had a heart of white and sky blue fire that permeated all over their bodies. This type of minion summoning was taught to Elgar by Tristan. "Ghost fire minions! This guy is a necromancer," someone in the stadium shouted. "Where did he learn to summon ghost fire minions? Regular necrotic fire minions have green and black fire permeating from the eyes!" "Fighters, are you ready?" Draxil asked, pausing for dramatic effect. "This is your first lesson: slaughter or die. Healers on standby....BEGIN!" Elgar pointed at the Ice Brood with his left hand and the ghost fire wolves charged. Void breathed columns of purple fire behind itself and Elgar to prevent others from joining the fight. Ulgor ran forward, leading the charge of students as he ran toward the lion magical beast. Void was only a rank 3 magical beast so Elgar ordered Void to stay out of range from the Ice Brood while occasionally breathing its poison fire around it. It may be too weak to poison it as well as it should, but the damage would appear over time and slow it down. Enraged, the Ice Brood breathed a river of ice at the wolves, but Elgar summoned spears of vines toward its snout, diverting the blast of ice away. A huge icicle the shape of a wave appeared to Elgar''s right, drawing gasps from the audience as some of the sand on the ground shattered into a small crater before the icicle wave formed. Elgar summoned a small storm of water lances, but they were ineffective against the Ice Brood as they froze and shattered like glass upon contact. Elgar would have used poison magic, but he didn''t want to reveal that he could use that magic or kill the Ice Brood. He focused his mana into his right arm, watching as the lava tattoos converted it into qi. Lava Tyrant emanated small wisps of white dragon fire. After Elgar went through the ritual of his dragon clan, his ability to manipulate and create fire had increased exponentially. The lava runes on Lava Tyrant and the lava tattoos on his arm shined, showing liquid lava moving if one looked closely with small flashes of white fire inside. "Taste my blades," Elgar said and used the Demon King''s ability to manipulate and bend space to teleport over the Ice Brood''s head. Many people stood in shock as they saw Elgar emanate black mana and seeing his wings appear from his back. Among those who stood up were demi-humans with demon blood or those affiliated with demons. They knew what demonic wings symbolized and wondered about Elgar''s background. Elgar dived, spinning his body and appearing like a drill of blades and white fire as he headed for the Ice Brood. As his blade smashed against the Ice Brood, it seemingly passed through it as if it didn''t exist. Elgar stopped spinning and braced himself as he hit the ground, his feet causing skid marks. "What the hell? This isn''t a normal Ice Brood," Elgar cursed, looking at Draxil. "Well, I never said it wasn''t a variant," Draxil shrugged. "On the battlefield, never assume you know your opponent. They might have some particularly nasty surprises." The Ice Brood stared at Elgar, ignoring Draxil he levitated above the dome barrier and let out a shockwave. The shockwave was a dragon magic that sends a mental wave to disorient those who heard it. Void, Ulgor, the students fighting the lion, and even the rank 6 lion magical beast were affected, the lion quickly recovering and took advantage to send students flying with its paws. The students spat blood as they crashed against the invisible barrier, shocking the audience as some of them crashed above the arena walls and slammed in the barrier before them. "You think that kind of attack can faze me?" Elgar roared as he was immune to mental attacks. Elgar teleported to the left flank of the aqua dragon, but his blade passed through it once again. Only his ghost fire minions managed to harm the Ice Brood, but why couldn''t he? Even Void''s poison fire and his plant magic that created spears of vines hurt the Ice Brood. Could it be that this Ice Brood had some sort of special ability? If it doesn''t attack or move, any attack will go through it as if it didn''t exist? It must be some space manipulation ability. Elgar wanted it even more now. "This kid isn''t bad," Draxil murmured as he saw that Elgar realized the Ice Brood''s special ability. "Oh well, plenty more surprises in store. If you''re gonna be a student of mine, it should be expected that my little test would have a high degree of difficulty." "If I can''t hit it, then I just have to hit harder!" Elgar roared. He summoned a quarter of his mana into his left fist. With a shout, he jumped slightly before slamming his fist on the ground as he cast his plant magic spell: Cataclysm. The coliseum floor shook as giant roots spread out from the ground and a large fissure spread toward the Ice Brood. The Ice Brood lost its footing and Elgar teleported to it, finally slashing it with lava Tyrant as it stumbled into the fissure. It roared in agony and slammed its tail against Elgar. Elgar did not see it as it came from his blindside and smashed into the wall of the fissure. "You think you can beat me!" Elgar roared as the Ice Brood breathed a column of ice at it and roared a column of white fire. The two rivers converged and a large explosion burst upon the two opposing elements clashing together. Elgar cursed and a small bone cage appeared, catching him as he was knocked back by the blast. The Ice Brood shook its head as it smashed the top of the fissure as it was knocked back on the surface of the ground. Small of its scales were cracked and the Ice Brood was momentarily stunned. Void breathed a small river of poison fire at the Ice Brood. Stunned, the Ice Brood was not able to block or dodge the poison fire. Elgar destroyed the bone cage and flew up into the air, angry beyond words. Each of the ghost fire wolf minions exploded as they landed on the Ice Brood, damaging more of its scales, revealing flesh beneath. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "If you survive this, I will spare your life and make you my magical beast," Elgar said coldy as he put willed another quarter of his mana into his left hand. He roared as he used his lightning magic to cast his spell: Lightning Serpent Strike. Thirteen two feet thick and twelve feet long lightning bolts streaked across the sky in a flash and crashed into the Ice Brood. The Ice Brood endured five serpent lightning bolts before its ability activated. Elgar''s eyes opened in shock and sighed. The difference between a rank 6 and rank 5 really was vast. He grit his teeth and willed his black mana to surround his body as he used his demon magic: Demon''s Raiment. A void black armor appeared all over his body as Elgar drank a mana potion stored in his cerulean storage bag, replenishing some of his lost mana. The crowd cheered. They had never expected such an intense fight. None of them watched the other fight against the lion magical beast, failing to notice Ulgor accidentally hitting the other students as he attacked the lion with fire balls and with the excuse that he never fought with his staff and magic at the same time before. Elgar''s fight with the Ice Brood was just too interesting to miss even a single second. "It should be about time for the warm-up to end," Draxil murmured. "Surprise number two should be happening in 3...2...1..." The Ice Brood roared as a blinding ice white flash flashed and covered the dragon. Elgar frowned and landed on the ground as the orb of light became smaller and smaller. Elgar hastily drank more mana potions and recovered all of his mana. The light dispersed, revealing a smaller dragon the size of a human. The Ice Brood snarled as two swords of ice appeared in its hands. "Oops. Did I forget to mention it could transform into a more powerful human sized form? How careless of me," Draxil said and faked a regretful sigh. "Bullsh*t," the minds of everyone in the audience said. "Did you think being becoming a human sized dragon will make me feel fear? You''re an Omega. A lone Ice Brood. You''re nothing but a mindless dragon of slaughter. A dragon mutated into an aqua dragon after losing your fire. Dragon form or otherwise, you will be mine!" Elgar said and brandished his double-bladed sword, white fire burning in his mouth. The Ice Brood''s smaller form had all of its scales repaired and was brimming with mana as it gained a stood upright like a human. It still had wings but they were much smaller and only five feet in length. It brandished the two swords and charged at Elgar. Their blades clashed and the ice swords shattered, instantly repairing themselves as the Ice Brood let its mana flow from its hand to the broken swords. "Bone Yard," Elgar said, using his bone magic to summon a field of bone spears. The Ice Brood dodged the bones but its movements were limited as it was surrounded by the bone spears. Elgar went into one bone spear and appeared out of another to the right of the Ice Brood and was smashed in the back of the head by the side of Lava Tyrant. The Ice Brood flew out of the bone yard and fused its ice swords together to form a giant sword of ice. The Ice Brood raised its head and roared, a twenty foot comet crashing toward Elgar. "I grow tired of this game," Elgar said and used his fire qi technique: Lava Dragon''s Claw. The comet burst as Elgar flew toward, slashing at it with his technique. The Ice Brood felt fear as Elgar appeared and grabbed its throat. "Look into my eyes worm! Feel the might of my soul and become mine," Elgar said, covering both of them with his baleful aura. Everyone in the arena and the stands felt a shiver in their spine and were paralyzed with fear as they felt his killing intent. Such killing intent could not be faked. Draxil paused, wondering if he had gone too far. Just how many lives did Elgar take to emit such killing intent? The Ice Brood was still as it stared into Elgar''s left golden eye and jade right eye. It saw the Dragon King rank soul within him and its fear overcame its instinct. A shockwave so strong emanated from Elgar that the barrier shattered on contact and blasted the students in the front rows into the people behind them. Even Draxil was knocked out of the sky and crashed into the stands. Black mana seeped from Elgar''s body and leeched blue mana from the Ice Brood. The Ice Brood shuddered and became still as Elgar released his grip. The Ice Brood lost consciousness, forming a small crater as it crashed onto the ground below. "Now you''re mine and know your place. Your reward for surviving is the return of your sanity. Do not lose it so easily this time," Elgar said as he landed softly on the ground and allowed Void to slither onto his shoulder. "You have done well," Elgar said as he stroked Void''s head. "Thank you master," Void hissed as it stared at the Ice Brood. "What happens when the aqua dragon wakes up?" "I will learn about the Ice Brood and it will be my servant. It is not like you. The Ice Brood became my magical beast by force. It will remain...rebellious for a time. In the end, the Ice Brood will serve or die," Elgar said using their mental link and turned toward Ulgor''s direction. "I see you''ve finished." "It didn''t take much with so many people. I got the crystal and the spirit core. Next time, I will be the one fighting solo," Ulgor sighed. "It''s no fun with others trying to steal your kill. You have to waste time knocking them out."
Chapter 19: Going to Class Main Page Chapter 21: The Aftermath
Chapter 21: The Aftermath (Author: Yo! Hope you all enjoyed the double chapter release yesterday. This is my main project for those who don''t know. I think that battle scene went well (bias opinion as I wrote it but it was great to write). Elgar has demonstrated more of his power and made the Ice Brood his magical beast. To those hoping its a female, it will regain its sanity overtime and you''ll know then. It probably will be but it depends on how the story goes. Now House Dune will have heard of what transpired as all the students watched the fights. How will they retaliate and how will the students in the Royal Demon Magic class react when they see Elgar? A little short as a lot dialogue will take place. and will be a lot to absorb. Enjoy.) Chapter 21: The Aftermath After the match, Elgar dragged the unconscious Ice Brood out of the coliseum while Ulgor took the corpse of the lion magical beast as he was the one to kill it. None of the others who fought got in their way as they knew they were no match. Draxil gave Elgar a B rated performance as he used magic, but fought solo. Void was a magical beast and magical beasts were not counted as an entity. Ulgor got an A- performance as he used miniscule amounts of magic while fighting. As the teachers who left for the ruins did not appear, all mage classes were canceled and students were told to study on their own until the teachers returned. Only a few warrior classes were canceled. Draxil surprisingly taught the students more about qi and had them fight rank 1 and 2 magical beasts to practice their forms. Argolin was the only one who made any advancements and became a peak rank 3 mage due to Ulgor''s gift of the purple crystal. Elgar let the Ice Brood rampage in the Chasm of Chaos as it would take a long time until it regained its sanity and acknowledged him as its ''alpha'' as Ice Broods did in packs. Elgar was vexed but he did obtain some of the mana and soul energy from the Ice Brood, improving his foundations. It takes a long time to advance in rank from the 5th rank onwards and he didn''t expect to become a rank 6 by binding the Ice Brood as his magical beast. He spent the next few days sparing with Ulgor and Argolin to improve his stances as they were more experienced in combat in humanoid forms. He used to be a dragon, but seldom fought physically in his human form before. It was easy to blast an army to smithereens with a few twenty yard long fireballs as a Dragon King ranked magical beast. However, House Dune was not as relaxed as Elgar was. Madam Gregoria was especially shocked when she read the reports sent by the spies. If the lords and ladies of House Dune found out she pushed away such a powerful candidate, she would surely face some sort of punishment despite her many years of service and position. "How could he have been so strong!" the madam shouted as he tea cup exploded in her rage. "Was he not a rank 2 elementalist? I knew he was hiding his spells, but did not suspect he was hiding his rank and class as well! He even has demonic wings! Wings! WHO IS THAT CHILD?" "Forgive me madam," Geo Valkim cried as he knelt on both knees and slammed his head repeatedly on the grass. "Did you discover his background?" Madam Gregoria asked as she motioned him to stand. "Yes madam," Geo said respectively as he wiped the grass and dirt on his forehead. "He is the son of Edward Maltos, third son of the patriarch of the Maltos clan. Edward has become the new patriarch after his father and two elder brothers died, all in the same year. Edward is the new patriarch and is married to another demi-human with demon blood named Irene. Elgar has two younger half siblings. A twin boy named Edwin and a younger twin sister named Elaine. None of the Maltos clan have exhibited any black mana or qi, save for Irene and the two twins. However, no demonic wings were seen on the backs of any of the Maltos clan members." "Then how does Elgar have wings?" the madam roared. "Did a level 8 mage necromancer really guard their clan''s library?" "Yes madam," Geo nodded. "His name is Tristan Jacks. Our spies report that he is indeed a mage 8 necromancer. He must have taught Elgar how to use the ghost fire bone minion summoning Elgar used during his battle with the Ice Brood. However, I believe that the fusion type elemental minion named Magmar is in fact the minion of Elgar. Necromancers begin to learn necromancy once a higher ranked necromancer performs the ceremony to summon seven types of elementals and asks the aspiring mage which field of necromancy he wishes to learn before setting the elemental in the corpse of a dead animal and asks the young mage to bind the elemental in the corpse with his or her own blood." "He hid his necromancy as it is frowned upon, but that doesn''t explain how he has wings and his family does not! Is it his mother?" Madam Gregoria asked. "No madam. His mother was a sealed dragon bought and freed from slavery as his father married her. His hair color, horns and gold eyes are reported to be exactly as hers was. However, the boy has changed from when we met. His right arm is no longer black and the lava tattoos and have both mutated and have hints of white dragon flame if looked upon closely. He is slightly taller and more muscular with his hair up to the center of his back and has a jade colored right eye. Even his sword has changed into a double bladed weapon with the amethyst mana stone transforming and becoming one with the grip. It is my belief that he has undergone an evolution sometime during the application exam." This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "Evolution? It is surprising and could explain the wings, but most evolutions don''t give you extra body parts," the madam sighed. "As our three spies died, their cover might not have been blown but I will not take any chances. This boy has now become eligible with his royal status as a demon. Have your spies observe him for now and not approach him. We need to know more before we make our next move. I must tell the master about my failure." "Madam," Geo bowed as Madam Gregoria stood and left him alone in the courtyard. Geo wondered how the master would react and turned back, only to see a young lady with blonde hair and sky blue eyes look at him. "L, La, Lady Caroline," Geo stammered and knelt once more. "Sir Geo. I heard what you said to Gregoria. Tell me about this Elgar Maltos who denied the engagement and how Gregoria responded ever since she met him," the girl asked. Geo nodded and didn''t dare lie as he reported all that he knew to the lady of Dune. After all, he was one of her bodyguards and his pay as one was considerably high and had many luxurious benefits. ----------------------------- Elgar rolled his shoulders as he and Void left their room and headed toward the coliseum. The Royal Demon Magic class was scheduled to be there. His Dragon Magic class was canceled as Draxil had to attend a disciplinary meeting for threatening students and forcing them to watch the fight on the first day of class. He stretched his wings and flew toward the coliseum, ignoring the comments people made as they saw him. He had become somewhat of a celebrity as a powerful necromancer and of his demon wings. He had first thought that it was because of his fight, but the rank 7 students had faced more dangerous solo fights before. The academy had just never seen such a powerful necromancer and one with a demonic lineage they did not recognize. He was an anomaly they could not perceive. He would be interesting until the next shocking event. However, people dare not offend them as they saw Void and the Ice Brood in action and inly a few elite realized that Magmar was actual his minion and not given to him by a rank 8 mage. "Hello," Elgar said as he landed on the stands and entered the coliseum floor down the pathway. "Who are you?" one boy asked as he stepped forward. "What is your royal lineage? I don''t remember seeing your name on the list." "There are many ancient families not recorded," Elgar said and ignored the boy. "You think you can ignore me! I can use Demon''s Raiment too!" the boy roared as a black armor appeared on his body. "It isn''t a unique demon magic," Elgar shrugged. "Are all royal demons like you? You''re unbelievably weak. Why don''t you grovel on the floor and beg for forgiveness." Elgar used the Demon King''s ability to bend and manipulate space to control the gravity. The winged demon boy in black armor crashed onto the ground, sweating as he tried to get up to no avail. "This is the difference between you and me," Elgar said coldly. "YOU F*CKER! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?" the boy shouted, none of the six other students daring to come to his aid. "I did not give you permission to speak," Elgar said coldly and increased the pressure. The boy endured so much pain that even his screams could not be heard. "You see, I am not a bad person. If you are kind to me, I return that kindness. If you are cruel to me, I will return it a hundredfold," Elgar snarled and released the boy, kicking him and sending him flying as his foot broke some ribs. "Will you beg now and end your suffering?" "My father is a rank 9 demon!" the boy coughed. "You and your entire clan will be tortured to death for doing this to me!" "My lineage is that of a Demon King," Elgar said, some of what he said was truth as he did gain its power and had his body changed because of it. "Do you think some insignificant rank 9 demon can stand the fury of a higher immortal ranked demon? Even immortal demons bow in reverence and cowardice in front of a Demon King ranked demon. Do you insist on pursuing your idiocy or should I dismember some of your limbs first? It is allowed in the demonic society and there are sure to be healers who can piece you back together." "I...I will beg," the boy cried, sobbing. "Please forgive me. I was only trying to mark myself as the best in the class and did not know of your esteemed lineage. I did not recognize your ancestor as any of the reigning demon families across the globe. Of course someone of such prestige would care little of Mortal affairs. Forgive me Please forgive me." "Well it is nice to meet the rest of you," Elgar said, ignoring the whelp sobbing over his ill fortune. "What are we going to learn?"
Chapter 20: Fire and Ice Main Page Chapter 22: Repercussions
Chapter 22: Repercussions (Author: Hello all. Wow I did not expect people wanting the ice brood to be female so badly. It won''t appear for a while until it regains enough of its sanity and recognizes Elgar as its alpha and master. I did say it would most likely be female unless the story takes it along a different route than I intended. Madam Gregoria realizes she f*cked up and goes to report her failure to the lord of House Dune. Elgar also unwittingly reveals a small piece of background about the Demon King. Note: Magmar is male, but will not have a chance at a romantic future until he gains a human form which is a looooong time from now. As for Void....I haven''t decided. That''s why it is another reason (which I did not mention earlier) why I named it Void. Evolutions are uncommon but not rare, but suddenly gaining wings, tails, or other extremities are almost impossible. People would believe that he is a descendent of the Demon King even though he underwent an evolution when he entered the Urn of the Demon King. I think that is all the questions people asked? As for Elgar falling in love....I don''t think Envy''s trials changed that much of his personality. He became friendlier sure, but romantically interested? No. This is the last "break" chapter before I start writing a new development. Enjoy.) Chapter 22: Repercussions Madam Gregoria knelt uncomfortably on both of her knees later that day. Before her, the lord and lady of House Dune sat on their chairs with various other elders of the house and Caroline on her father''s left with one of her bodyguards, Geo Valkim, at her side while the others guarded the perimeter outside. They had convened in a meeting to discuss Lady Caroline''s fianc¨¦ and how he had been dealt with since his first appearance. Geo felt ashamed on reporting what had happened to Lady Caroline, but she had a higher position than his benefactor and he was a knight of House Dune who would put the clan''s interests before his own. Sitting in the center was a pure blood human male in his early thirties. He had jet black hair and sky blue eyes. Blue mana radiated from his body as he was a rank 8 mage and warrior. He had his grip on a bastard sword made of eerie black metal and wore a lavish sand brown robe with golden stripes made from a twin-tail sand tiger magical beast. His name was Caesar Dune and was the lord of House Dune. His wife, Evangeline, had blonde hair and silver eyes. She was a half human and half dragon. She was a daughter of a very powerful dragon tribe in a continent to the north west. They were Caroline''s parents and they were not pleased. Both of them seemed to be in their early thirties due to the sheer purity and power of their mana. "Madam Gregoria, you have failed House Dune," Caesar said coldly. "Explain yourself to the elders about your mistake." "My lord," Greogoria cried. "Almost two weeks ago, the fianc¨¦ of Lady Caroline had arrived. He had the aura of a rank 2 mage of the elementalist class. I had refused him to join the marriage as he was unfit to be Lady Caroline''s husband due to his inferior rank, but now he has become a rank 5 mage and rank 4 warrior of the necromancer class! His hair had grown abnormally fast to half of his back and his right eye had turned to jade. There is no way an evolution would break him three ranks! He was hiding his power from me when we met." "You were a rank 6 mage! A bloody Magus! Are you telling me you were unable to comprehend his true power?" Caesar roared. "It must have been his genes from a Demon King my lord," Gregoria cried. "The other members of House Maltos do not have wings. His demonic genes must have been stronger than his human and dragon genes to spread wings," Evangeline said, placing a palm on her husband''s hands to calm him. "His dragon blood comes from an Ancient Dragon clan. It is possible that the genes were diluted enough that it distilled the human blood and let the dominant demon blood takeover." "That is no excuse my love," Caesar said softly. "A fine candidate and one who is barely thirteen but with such power that he even overcame an Ice Brood of the 6th rank slipped out of our grasp. This failure cannot be tolerated. To have the backing of a Demon King is priceless compared to the many influential families in the Mortal Realm. When we ascend to the Immortal Realm and choose the one where the Demon King resides, we would be able to cultivate in peace and under the protection of such an esteemed master. No doubt Elgar''s position would be high in the Demon King''s eyes as he has demonic wings." "How does he fare in the academy now?" Caroline asked as she was a rank 4 mage and warrior and was tutored by rank 8 mages and warriors who worked for her father. "The nobles who attend the Royal Demon Magic class all attend regardless of rank and they have recognized him as the strongest in demon magic due to an ability he revealed that controlled gravity earlier today. It is my belief that he can do more and has learned a unique demon magic from the Demon King''s line that no other has learned," Gregoria bowed slightly with her head. "Not to mention an ability and unique magic from the Ancient Dragon clan," Evangeline muttered. "Two very powerful ancestries supporting a young man of a house that fell from power. The Galintor Kingdom was founded by their ancestor but was usurped by another family which also fell from power to another. We have underestimated that clan. Father-in-law must have seen the potential. I had heard of Lava Tyrant from him but the boy actually became one with it like in the stories and it evolved as well." "GREGORIA!" Caesar roared, silencing the room as the elders also began whispering. "For your failure, you are hereby sentenced to death. Geo Valkim, take her to the dungeon and execute her. I do not want her blood to stain the floor with her disgrace." "It was an honor to serve you my lord and ladies," Gregoria cried as she was taken away. "Madam," Geo whispered faintly as he had her sit on the dungeon floor an hour later in a white garment. "I''m so sorry." "I am to blame Geo my boy. Remember this day. Never fail House Dune or underestimate someone with that boy''s personality. I learned this lesson with my life. Do not repeat this mistake with the consequence of your own," she whispered and bowed her head forward after a brief pause. "For the House." Stolen novel; please report. "For the House," Geo murmured and cut off her head. "What now father?" Caroline asked after a pale faced Geo returned to report the deed. "I must use my connections with the headmaster of the academy to have you attend it. I heard one of the three heroes who appeared in the Hero Circle attends the Blood Rain Academy while another who arrived late in the city would be transferring to Tyrannical Dragon Academy where Elgar attends as Blood Rain Academy is beneath connections. I know not which of the academies the third of the three known heroes attends as the royal family has kept that particular hero in secrecy," Caesar answered. "You will get to know both of the boys in Tyrannical Dragon Academy. Know them, not fall in love with both of them. Pick the one who would bring the most favor for our house if you cannot find yourself to love either of them. This is your duty as my heir. Do not fail me or you shall be exiled like your elder sister. Do not fail the House." "For the House," Caroline nodded and left the room. "She is young. She does not understand what you are asking. She is too innocent," Evangeline muttered. "And who is to blame for that?" Caesar sighed. "Either way, both of the boys are also young. They will not understand feelings and it will have a tighter hold on them as they mature and realize what they feel. Do not worry. I will not exile this daughter. You cannot bear another child. How is our newborn son?" "Grey is well but he cannot walk as we have feared," Evangeline said, a tear falling down her face. "He is unfit to be the heir apparent. The heir must be strong and must have the strength to defeat those who challenge him or her. Business eventually draws blood. A cripple as the head will make us appear weak. The fate of the House lays with Caroline. As for Grey, he is being prepared for his exile as we speak." "All of this pain. The loss of our son and first daughter. The life of one of our greatest servants," Caesar wept and wiped his eyes as the moment of weakness passed and steeled his heart once more. "For the House. All that we do is for the House. One day, we will not need the connections of the elders. Until then.....for the House." -------------------------------------------------------- "How goes the Ice Brood? Is it still rampaging in the Chasm of Chaos?" Argolin asked. "Yes. Who knows how many decades ago it had lost its sanity. Still, to be so strong despite being an Omega in its society, it is certain that its background is not ordinary," Elgar sighed. "For now, my lich have been training as their minions have been leading the Ice Brood and manipulating it to clear out the more dangerous parts of the chasm. I should have a new shipment of corpses and spirit cores shortly." "Sweet. You know, this week was rather easy except for that battle in the arena. The meat of that lion magical beast was delicious. You guys sure know how to cook your meat and skin the fur off," Ulgor said as he sharpened the spearhead mounted on the bottom of his staff. "Makes me wonder what kind of ruins they found. Anyway, have you heard the rumors? It said that Lady Caroline of House Dune and one of the three known heroes are transferring to the academy. A rumor spread the last of the three known heroes is also attending one of the five academies. That means at least four of the five heroes of the prophecy have settled in Ilgar." "It won''t start anytime soon," Elgar said as he shook his head. "The martyr has to die in some manner to start the War of Days. None of us have enough of a global influence to start the War of Days with our death." "I heard you broke the ribs of one of the demon nobles today," Argolin muttered. "His country is not under siege by Her followers yet so it shouldn''t matter much." "In the demonic society and dragon society, the masses follow the strongest branch," Elgar said as he stroked Void''s head as he fed it a rank 4 spirit core. "The boy thought I was one of the masses. He had to be taught his place. If you are kind to me, I return that kindness. If you wrong me, I return it a hundredfold. I remembered what it was like to trust and make friends during my trials, but I have not gotten soft." "What''d you learn in the Royal Demon Magic class?" Ulgor asked as he put his staff away. "Nothing knew. Just basic introductory into the essence of mana like any other mage class for the first day. Next week should be when we start learning something important. Hopefully our mage teachers return. I also want to know about the ruin. More particularly, where it is located." "You wish to venture into the ruins?" Argolin asked. "I''ll ask my father. He''s good friends with the royal family here. If the teachers don''t tell us, we''ll know it anyway." ----------------------------------------------- "7th Elder! A Vessel has been contacted by Her! A potential Vessel has been found," a black robed youth cried as he barged into a giant cave. In the cave was the 7th Elder, who covertly hid a portrait into his spatial ring as the youth burst in. "What is her name and where is she headed?" he asked. "Her name is Evangeline and the wife of Caesar of House Dune She currently lives in the main house in Ilgar in the Batralga Empire," the youth cried. "The daughter also has potential but not enough to be of use according to the message from Her." "I will deal with Lady Dune myself. Leave me!" the 7th Elder said coldly and the youth felt a shiver down his spine and ran out quickly. "According to Edward Maltos, the father of my grandson, the daughter of House Dune should be his fianc¨¦. Even if the boy wanted it, I cannot allow this marriage. I will kill the mother first. Later, when the daughter is deemed worthy, I will send my subordinates to capture her while I covertly kill them and the girl with the members of my clan," the 7th Elder said. "Yes. That is what will happen. She will pay for desiring my beloved Isabelle and assassinating her. I will not let Her deal anymore pain to my family. Never again. Never....again."
Chapter 21: The Aftermath Main Page
Short Hiatus I had a short blackout today and did not save the chapters I had written. Furthermore, my laptop suddenly said the USB drive is broken. I dunno. It really sucks. Seriously, ten chapters all gone. Bought a new USB and the power was back when I got home. Luckily, only the some of the ice cream went bad. Rocky road.... Oh well. I will have chapters of my other story up for a while. Whether you like that other story or not is up to you. Either way, all my stories are written with my thoughts and which direction I want it. I try to please some readers requests if it helps improve my story. As I mentioned in the last chapter''s author''s note: I am starting a new arc kind of thing. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Feel free to post any suggestions, comments, or concerns you feel about this story. I will implement constructive ideas. I''m just really pissed off as the new arc was......well I don''t have photographic memory so I can''t remember all the tiny details but those tiny details really make a story shine. Again, short hiatus. Sorry to all my followers and readers. Either way, not all authors make daily updates anyway. I just so happen to enjoy writing so much that I do. Seeing people commenting my work is really gratifying you know. Well...the good and bad that are constructive. It helps me know if what I am doing is going the right way or not. I put words I thought were important in bold. Sorry if it makes people dizzy seeing the changes on the screen so much. Chapter 23: Soul Realm (Author: Hello all! The hiatus is over. Been working on some ideas for the next arc after the loss of the 10 planned chapters I had. As I mentioned, it is time for a new arc. The followers of Qingyu are making their move. One of the three known heroes and Caroline are transferring to Tyrannical Dragon Academy. My other stories won''t have as many regular releases and this one should be every day or within every three days. It''s summer now you know. Enjoy.) ------Chapter 23: Soul Realm------------- Three months had passed since Elgar started his life in the academy. Elgar had many breakthroughs as he studied the Laws of Lightning and Water, his mastery over water and lightning improved as he learned from the magic books. Books contain knowledge and classes were applications and lessons to learn that knowledge. Elgar also sparred with Ulgor and Argolin in the training grounds, learning more about qi from them. Magmar used to be seven different types of spirits before becoming his minion. Spirits were spirit energy that broke off and began to grow and become an entirely different being, but still connected to spirit energy. Elgar learned from Magmar that the special characteristics of his left arm had spread and that his body was slowly fusing his mana and qi were being absorbed into his soul energy and becoming one. A realm of soul energy slowly formed in his body, similar to a realm of qi, but very different. Elgar was ecstatic as he had read about the power of souls in his necromancy books. Forming a realm of soul energy meant that he was at the bottleneck of the fifth rank and would break through. Magmar also said that both his warrior and mage rank were connected. When necromancers reached the sixth rank, that was when they truly became necromancers. They could see souls and tear a piece of the soul and bind them. They could essentially control another living being. Soul binding was the true reason necromancers were as feared as blood mages. Not only was a necromancer able to seal someone''s soul and obtain their absolute obedience, they could also glean knowledge, spells, and qi techniques to improve their own skills. Blood mages could control the bodies of their enemies, but the difference between controlling the soul and the body is the same as comparing heaven and earth! Necromancers would no longer need to rely on mana or qi as both would be fused into soul energy. Necromancers naturally cultivated soul energy from the air and the dead, having near limitless energy to sustain themselves in battle. In terms of military assets, elementalists were a tank and necromancers were a tactical nuke. At rank six, necromancers could even absorb soul energy from the living. They were walking black holes of soul energy. However, cultivating and reaching the next rank is the hardest compared to any other class, warrior or mage. Why? It was because necromancers had to control the soul energy they absorbed. Soul energy is spirit energy containing fragments of the soul. Necromancers forcefully cultivate those souls into their own. As they cultivate, they had to resist the minds of the souls. Endless screams of rage, pain, despair, and loss would scream from the soul energy inside the realm. In life and death, there is always a balance and a price for power. The price might not be immediately paid, but it cannot be avoided. "Soon the resentment of the souls will echo," Magmar said as it observed its master on the bed, meditating in a cross-legged position with the back of his hands on his knees. "It will be easier for you to handle it as you are combining your qi and mana into your soul energy, strengthening it and empowering it. You will soon realize why it took so long for someone like Tristan to reach the eighth rank of Mage King." "Master is strong. He will not fail," Void hissed as it glared at Magmar. "Master''s mind isn''t weak like that Ice Brood!" "Enough," Elgar said silently. Void. I am sending you to the chasm. Eat the spirit cores there and become stronger. The tunnel my three lich found, I will be venturing in it soon with Argolin and Ulgor when I break through to the sixth rank. Magmar, it is no longer necessary for you to guard my room as Ulgor and Argolin signed a Blood Pact with me. You shall accompany me once more." "Yes master," Void and Magmar said in unison, Void disappearing as it slithered atop the teleportation circle. "I need you with me to absorb some of my soul energy in case it goes out of control. As my necromancer spirit minion, you have the ability to absorb soul energy. You must not fail me when it occurs," Elgar said. "Of course not master," Magmar said as it shrunk to the size of a fist and rested on his shoulders. "Cultivate and develop the realm with ease. When you compress the soul energy and establish a stable realm of soul energy, we will all undergo some changes. Void, the Ice Brood, and I will evolve as we are bound to your soul and will transform as your soul energy reaches a new tier of power. I know not how it will affect us, but I believe the Ice Brood will regain its sanity. Evolution is possible, but there is no way to be sure." Elgar closed his eyes and resumed meditating, no longer absorbing soul energy. He slowly lost focus of his surroundings and retreated deep inside himself. Combining his qi into his soul energy was easy as it was all concentrated in one limb. The lava tattoos traveled from his arm and settled on his back, slowly taking shape into a phoenix. His soul energy began to take shape as a molten ball of black earth and white molten lava. He felt a warmth growing above his naval, the center of his chest, and in his head behind the gap of his eyes. His black mana was traveling along his meridians toward the center of his chest. The molten ball of black earth and white lava expanded as more and more of his mana fused with his soul energy and entered the molten ball. Then the molten ball began to flare and became a moon, a crimson glow emanating from it. Then, Elgar heard them. The screams. Sweat poured down as his brow as the whispers started. Whispers of damnation, sorrow, hate, anger, and rage permeating from the small moon with a crimson glow. They called out to him, cursing him, telling him lies of temptation. They tried to persuade him to let them devour him, to give up his body to them. The dark purple blood in his body felt as if they were boiling, his wings involuntarily sprouting from his back, making holes on the back of his shirt while scratching the walls and bed sheets. Black liquid began to leave his body and Elgar opened his eyes, the both eyes now a mixture of gold and jade. His body radiated fear and his skin seemed to become purer and appeared heavenly. Elgar was still deep in his thoughts as he continued shaping his realm of soul energy. Then, Elgar appeared standing in a large body of water, seeing the ground beneath him glow as if the earth beneath his feet were made of a blue green rock. He stared at the moon as a night sky appeared with several dazzling stars appearing. Elgar stepped black in alarm as he skeletal arms burst from the ground. Up to half of a skeleton would emerge from the ground around him, grasping at him and calling his name and saying many things to him. What have you done to us? It hurts. Oh, it hurts so much. Why are you made of flesh? Join us! Join us! Join us! Give yourself to us! Pay for your sins and give us your body! "You will not take me!" Elgar roared as he began leaving his realm of soul energy. Come back! Come back! We are lonely. Suddenly the voices stopped and began speaking as one saying, "We are Legion and you will give us your body. You are a true necromancer now. We will always be watching, waiting for your soul to weaken. You will accept us. When you die, you have no choice to but to accept the Legion and we will become an Arch Lich. That is the price to pay for harvesting us. For using us to fuel your power. We are you and it is only a matter of time until we.......become one." Elgar panted as he returned to reality, clutching his chest. As he looked at his realm of soul energy, he could hear their whispers of temptation. He knew that the more he increased his rank, the harder it was to resist them. He noticed Magmar leap off his shoulder and enter the teleportation circle. Curious, he quickly cleaned himself and changed before following his minion back to the Chasm of Chaos. He hadn''t been able to break the bottleneck yet but he had already created the foundation of the soul energy realm. He also realized something fundamentally important. It was true that he studied seven different fields of necromancy, but in reality, it was only seven different applications using the same energy source: mana and soul energy. Spells? They were just restrictions and attributes of mana applications. All spells used mana but the living put them in categories to simplify their understanding. All the elements were just pieces of one whole element. What is was, Elgar didn''t understand. For dragons, magic was a part of them and came to them naturally like breathing. "You nearly broke through but the bottleneck is more difficult than we expected master," Magmar sighed. "I know because I feel more powerful but I have not evolved. Becoming a necromancer of the sixth rank is the hardest bottleneck as it is the gateway to necromancy itself. To truly use the pain, anger, hate, and resentment of souls whose energy you cultivated to empower your spells and qi techniques." If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "It''s only a matter of time. I already established the soul realm," Elgar said. "The elements are just pieces of a whole aren''t they?" "How did you know master?" Magmar cried, shocked. "It seems you understand more about spirit energy and soul energy now. Yes, it is true. I was comprised of seven different elementals and they fused into me. Humans assume it is difficult fusing elements together. They just don''t understand that spells are physical manifestations and augmentations using spirit energy, not the actual substances themselves in their entirety." Elgar sighed as he walked to the baths and cleaned himself before changing into new clothes. Argolin and Ulgor stared at their friend as they felt an immense pressure coming from his body. It seemed unnatural and sent shivers down their spines. Elgar had broken through and become a rank 5 warrior but seemed on the verge on breaking into the sixth rank as both a mage and warrior. Not only that, they couldn''t determine his strength as they could not detect mana or qi in his body. Rather, they sensed a weird energy they never felt before as well as an abundance of spirit energy. "Dude? What happened?" Ulgor asked. "You''re giving off this weird vibe of energy I never felt before." "It''s soul energy. It''s similar to spirit energy, but only necromancers can differentiate it and separate it from spirit energy," Elgar said. "I''m on the bottleneck to become a Magus and a Warrior Mage, but it''s more difficult than I expected. I probably need to gain an insight to the sixth rank in order to break the bottleneck." "The sixth rank? Already?" Argolin gasped. "Actually, it''s not that surprising as you''re one of the five heroes. I heard the hero who transferred in is a pure human called Bartholomew Deuce. He is a rank 7 warrior and rank 6 mage. The other two have similar ranks according to the rumors. A Blade King and a Magus. You think he''s Doom, the one who frees Qingyu? How about the hero who becomes Her Champion? Champions are usually warriors." "We should kill him," Ulgor said as he munched on a piece of magical beast steak. "He could be one of them or both. Besides, he''s not important enough to start the War of Days. Just kill the guy and be done with it." "We don''t know that for certain," Argolin argued. "Best to observe him and determine his background and personality. If he is a threat, I can contact my father and have his assassins kill him." "Let''s do that for now," Elgar chuckled. "Did you find out the location of the tomb?" "Not yet. Rumors spread that the teachers might all be dead or trapped within," Argolin answered. "Then let''s ditch class!" Ulgor laughed. "It''s voluntary anyway. We should explore the tunnel big brother''s lich have discovered. We''re strong enough by now and have killed a lot of magical beasts during our three months of training under that lunatic." "I can also check on the status of my Ice Brood. It should have calmed down by now," Elgar agreed. "Alright. Ulgor, go to the cafeteria and pack lots of food for us. Argolin, head to the pharmaceutical office on campus and get a bunch of potions and elixirs we might need while we''re in the tunnel. We don''t know where it will lead. Best to be as prepared as possible." "Alright!" Ulgor roared and the ground shook a little as Ulgor ran out the room. "Is it just me, or is that half-orc gotten fat?" Argolin asked. "Nah. He''s somehow turned all that fat into muscle. Must be his genetic trait or something. I''ve never seen a fat orc," Elgar grinned. "Be sure to bring some scented elixirs too. Who knows what we''ll smell down there. I don''t mind the smell of blood, but you never know if the smell will get to you once you''ve killed so many magical beasts that it looked like you bathed in their blood on purpose." "Are you sure you even have human blood in you?" Argolin asked. "Dunno. My dad is only quarter demon and my mother was a pure dragon," Elgar shrugged. "Being human? I don''t really act like one do I? Hasn''t bothered me before. Anyway, we have much to prepare. Get to it." Argolin nodded and left. Elgar didn''t dare cultivate further as he knew he hit a bottleneck and didn''t want to expose his mind further in the soul realm. The Legion, as the souls called themselves, were at their strongest in probing his mind when he entered the soul realm. We''re not scary. We''re you. We''re a part of you. You stripped us from ourselves. You made us your power. It is too late to regret. Too late. Too late. Just give in. Give in to the Legion. Give in to us. "And who is us? There must be one of you controlling the Legion," Elgar smirked as he noticed the souls grow restless when they heard his words and began silent. "The voices, master?" Magmar asked as it was connected to him through necromancy. "They are no threat to you. You are their master. When you reach the sixth rank, you can show them your control over them." "I will make them beg for forgiveness for trying to control me. They think they can defeat my soul? I have the soul of a Dragon King ranked magical beast dragon! Once I become a Magus, I will feast on their souls and empower my own. The soul realm is the embodiment of my own soul. They''ll realize their helplessness than and serve me with absolute obedience or risk the end of their pathetic existence," Elgar laughed, his voice power shaking the room. "What of the hero? That half orc was right. He could be a threat as he is one of the two pure humans," Magmar warned. "Leave him. I have other plans for him," Elgar said. "That Lady Caroline of House Dune arrived and tried to get closer to him and me, succeeding more with the gullible hero. She is just a pawn of her clan. She is talented, that much is certain, but no one makes me their pawn. I was only played once, by someone I considered a brother and came from the same brood mother. I will not suffer and be toyed with again." "Master, the prophecy is proof that you are playing someone''s game," Magmar reminded him. "You can''t defy the Fates." "I was never meant to be the hero," Elgar grinned as he stared at Magmar. "Some pathetic human slave was supposed to be born in my place. I took it. I already defied the Fates once. I''m not even sure if they are real. Everything has been moving in the palm of my hands so far. Only now did no benefit come from a trial with the Legion annoying me. Even then, I still benefit as I feed on any defiant soul and easily replace the soul energy I lost as a necromancer." Magmar remained silent as its master began practicing his spells on the training ground. It was a spirit and cared little for laws and regulations. It left its master''s side and ventured into the campus in its tiny form. It very much wanted to snap the little necks of the humans, but its master had plans for them. Instead, it would devour the humans following its master like a pest. Its master didn''t care for weaklings, but Magmar did. Any threat to its master must be eliminated. It waited for the cover of darkness before expanding to its horse-sized , double-stinger true form of a snad colored scorpion with white lava runes all over its carapace. It cared little for the screams as it wrenched the spies apart and killed the witnesses. It carefully put all spatial rings and storage bags in its mouth before leaving. Crumbled buildings and blood littered the campus, the screams of shocked students rung loudly as they found mutilated corpses everywhere. The site sent shivers down their spines and all the people who saw the bodies breathed heavily. Some couldn''t stomach the site and threw up their dinner onto the floor. "You really enjoyed yourself today," Elgar noted as Magmar appeared from his open window and spit all its trophies. "Are you gonna clean that or shall I?" "You''re not going to punish me master?" Magmar asked. "We both know I cared little for the spies. They already sent their precious heir here. They know I won''t kill her. They have no need to send for more spies, but they will....trouble me.....more now than before," Elgar sighed. "There''s no evidence I''m sure, but they''ll believe that I killed them or ordered their death. Sort out the belongings and send the items that are useless to me to the lich to aid them." "Yes master," Magmar said and began sorting the treasures, pausing to snack on some spirit beads and grass it found as they were useless to its master anyway. Elgar would smile a little as he imagined the loot from the tunnel. It was deep within the Chasm of Chaos. It was bound to have treasures within. "Soon, I will attain a new level of existence. Maybe then, I can interpret the fragments of memories I obtained from my supposed dragon grandfather," Elgar sighed as he laid back on his white, comfy bed. "With the demon magic and necromancy I am learning now, I will be invincible once more. The four other heroes? Heh. They won''t be able to get in my way. I''ll repay the debt to the Demon King and killed Madorax when I ascend. I have no time to care for Mortal Realm matters." ((Author: Thanks for reading and again, sorry for the short hiatus. The chapters might get longer in the future if I feel that it will flow well. Feel free to post comments and suggestions. You can hate me if you want but I will continue to write the story as I see it and will add constructive suggestions if I feel it helps the story. Thanks again for your patience.)) Chapter 24: Slaughter Fiend (Author: In case you don''t know: I''m back! Well, this story is back. Was busy experimenting with one shot stories and college stuff. Anyway, Magmar decides to kill the spies and took their items. The whole campus found their bodies and blood everywhere and some saw their dinner again albeit in an unrecognizable and deformed outlook. Elgar has reached a bottleneck and has made his preparations to enter the tunnel. Just how will House Dune react to the slaughter? Enjoy.) ----------Chapter 24: Slaughter Fiend----------- "My Lord Caesar! Lord! Horrible news!" a page screamed, his voice echoing in the halls of the house. Groans and curses strung the air as they heard the panicked voice. Caesar put a hand on his wife''s shoulder and told her to go back to sleep before he got out of bed. He was wearing a pure white sleeping gown with golden, diagonal stripes and shook his head as he walked outside. Many of the servants and guards knelt as they saw their master and lord and waited until he left their sight to stand once more. Caesar cared little for his appearance as he heard the scream and quickly sat down on his throne-like chair. He wasn''t a king, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t buy a chair that rivaled one or far surpassed its elegance. Other lords, elders, and knights also gathered in their sleeping garments in the hall and sat in their respective places as they all stared at a pale, sweating page wearing a dark robe. His dark brown hair was sticky from the sweat and his eyes constantly darted left and right. Murmurs came from the knights as they knew the boy saw something that terrified him to the core. Even the elders, the true power in the house were muttering. No one but Caesar and his wife knew that they were the ones truly in charge in matters of only the family and not their trading organization. "Speak!" Caesar ordered, the room immediately growing silent as all eyes stared at the trembling and sweaty page. "It''s horrible news, Lord Caesar," the page trembled and his teeth constantly clacked together. "The spies were....eaten alive in their sleep. The whole campus awoke to horrifying screams, the breaking of bones, and the tearing of flesh. They say they saw a large, sand-colored scorpion with white lava runes the size of a horse break into the buildings from the windows. It would aim for their mid-sections and just dismember them in half with its large claws, or are they called pincers?" "They were killed!" Caesar roared and slammed his fist on the arm of his chair, small cracks forming beneath his fist upon impact. "Yes, Lord Caesar," the page whimpered. "I was on my way to visit one of our spies when I saw it all happen from the shadows. The scorpion would take some of the spies and just kill them by biting their heads off. As it was a rank 6 magical beast, they were not able to stop it. I think it''s a magical beast. Others died by being pierced through their bodies by the stingers. It has two and sometimes.....two would pierce the chest and exit, tearing the body in pieces. It was horrifying. It even killed the witnesses. If I wasn''t given the device that cloaked my mana, I''m sure it would have killed me too." "It''s not a magical beast. It is a fusion type elemental minion," Caesar said silently. "Is my daughter safe. Is she alright?" "Yes, Lord Caesar," the page said, calming down upon answering the question. "It did not even get close to Lady Caroline''s room." "Was its master nearby?" one of the elders asked. "No Esteemed Elder," the page answered. "The scorpion ate, slaughtered, and collected spatial rings and storage bags after it killed all the spies and witnesses and had its full. With all their belongings in their mouths, it left toward the male dormitories." "It was acting alone then. There is no way a minion would openly attack and the master would have known there would be people watching. Was there anyone else there?" Caesar asked. "None. By the time the staff got there, it was long gone as well as all evidence. I could not afford to stay or risk my presence there," the page bowed. "Leave us. Rest well. You have done well," Caesar said and sighed as he leaned back on his chair. "She''s safe. My daughter is safe." "Our spies were killed once again. Previously, we did not think it was the boy, but now, there is irrefutable proof that he killed the spies this time," one of the elders cursed. "Who else has a minion of necromancy with an appearance like the one Elgar Maltos owns?" "We can''t kill him or we risk the wrath of the Demon King. It would prove difficult, but not impossible, for a Demon King to descend and get revenge. The Heavens do not interfere in that regard and allow such matters as it does not involve the safety of the Mortal Realm. So long as it is not a monarch or leader of a nation, everyone else is fair game." another elder warned, glaring at the other elder. -------------------------------------------------- In a dark room, a single young man knelt before two men wearing black, hooded cloaks and silver masks that hid their features , illuminated by the moon light. The men were the 4th and 9th Elders sent by the Elder One to find the heroes. They weren''t able to find the two hidden heroes but did monitor the three known ones. "Report. You said people were slaughtered with all evidence destroyed. What really happened?" one of the Elders asked. "I was part of the staff that cleaned the rooms and analyzed the corpses," the young man said, his voice loud and clear. "It looks like a magical beast bit the necks, dismembered the bodies, or pierced their chest. However, using the methods of the Esteemed Elder Ones, I and our spy, posing as a page of House Dune, reported the truth to you and House Dune. However, what they don''t know was that the soul energy seemed to have been sucked dry from the corpses. The minion is sentient and belongs to a necromancer with royal demon blood and of draconic lineage." "Is he a threat to the hero?" the Elders asked. "No. He is a mere mage and warrior of the 5th rank. So far, we have been collecting news from the trading organization run by House Dune. So far, none of the heroes have been discovered. The human hero is interested in Lady Caroline to a degree," the man reported. "Good. Return to your duty and continue monitoring the heroes progress. Find out his strengths and weaknesses and report back to me. He could be the one of the prophecy. Don''t let him die though. We are not yet ready for the War of Days," the Elders said in unison and the man left. "We have not found the remaining two heroes," the 4th Elder said. "The Elder One will not be pleased." "They are playing it smart and hiding their power," the 9th Elder said. "However, they will reveal themselves in due time. The prophecy is undeniable. They will appear." "We also have a hidden foe. Our unknown enemy is killing Vessels and hiding or slaying potential Vessels before we can reach them," the 4th Elder spat. "We need to find out who the Martyr is and slay him or her quickly. We already have more than enough Vessels for the sacrifice and for our other plans." The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Someone''s watching!" the 9th Elder cried in alarm and stared out of the window. A small flame appeared before what he sensed, vanished. "It vanished. I don''t believe we were overheard, but we must be more careful. Send the message to our spy once we find a different meeting place." "You would give orders to me?" the 4th Elder cried. "The Elder One sent me here to assist you because you couldn''t get the job done alone," the 9th Elder warned. "Your job is easy and you have been complacent. You have already disappointed the Elder One." "You''re right," the 4th Elder grimaced. "I''ll tell my son to meet us elsewhere. He will not be replaced." "I understand," the 9th Elder nodded and the two men teleported in a green flash of fire. ------------------------------------------------------ Elgar opened his eyes as a ghost fire mice minion had self-destructed. He leaned forward and shook his head as he closed his eyes and reviewed its memories. He ordered his other mice to return and follow the other spy when he returned to the campus. What the two spies failed to notice, was that Elgar controlled the campus all along. He knew Magmar would go off and kill the spies. After all, he could order it around as he had absolute dominion over Magmar. Why else did it leave as he trained? He created ghost fire mice minions and saw Magmar''s slaughter through their eyes. He also saw the spies. One of them anyway, but the other one communicated with the other spy shortly. He had created his ghost fire mice minions on the training ground and hidden them beneath the earth until Magmar made its move. They had no spirit energy and were completely made of soul energy. Only a being sensitive to soul energy could detect them. As he had absolute control over Magmar, he could have ordered it not to do its task, but wanted to see who else was watching him. Ever since he learned of his grandfather being the 7th Elder, he knew the hero transferring would be watched. He didn''t dare have his mice minions leave the campus but took a special note to make them follow the one that went in an unknown direction before coming back. One certainly went to House Dune. It was funny to Elgar as they were being used as pawns just like how they used their daughter as a pawn in their own schemes. "Magmar," Elgar said before he went to sleep. "I have my mice minions hiding within the grounds of the academy. As you are connected to me, you should be able to sense them. They have no spirit energy so only you and I can detect them to a degree. They''re following someone, a witness who saw you." "What? How can that be master? I am a rank 6 fusion type elemental minion. Forgive me, but not even you can escape my spirit sense if you weren''t connected to me," Magmar said silently. "They used some artifact, but one of the spies is a double agent under House Dune. The other one is posing as a staff member. The next time you go on a slaughter spree, incapacitate but don''t kill him, before you begin," Elgar ordered. "He could be a useful pawn if fed false information. If they discover that I am a hero one day, they will try to make me one of their pawns. I need to take this chance to use them as pawns before they become wary of me." "Understood master. Rest well. I will clean myself and rid myself of the stench of human blood," Magmar said as it dipped its scorpion head. The next day, Elgar, Ulgor, Argolin, and Argolin''s two violet storm bears stood in the center of the living room with a large teleportation circle beneath them. Magmar and the five lich confirmed Magmar''s arrival in front of the tunnel. The link was established and all preparations had been made. It was time to had to the tunnel and explore it to the end. "This is so sick. I always wanted to venture into an ancient ruin. There is sure to be one at the end of the tunnel," Ulgor grinned. "I have also reached the fourth magus rank since the event at the arena," Argolin said. "I am ready and I also received some magical treasures from my father. He only asks that we send any coins we find and give him a small cut." "We don''t need the money anyway. We''re only interested in magical treasures, tomes, weapons, and anything else of value to help us increase our ranks. I am especially looking for anything that enhances or is involved with soul energy," Elgar agreed. "I must break to the sixth rank and take control of the Legion. Luckily my soul is much more powerful than any other necromancer her in the Mortal Realm." "I just want a giant hammer with a amethyst mana stone like you''re Lava Tyrant, save for the whole amethyst being in a stone form like state," Ulgor agreed. "I''m tired of wielding a stick. Even if you put a spear head on the bottom of a staff, both are still sticks. I hate sticks. It doesn''t make me look imposing." "You''re over seven feet tall and almost all of your body is all muscle. You think you don''t look imposing with a staff?" Argolin sighed, rolling his eyes and looking at Elgar. "How''s the Ice Brood?" "It is sane for now. It comes and goes," Elgar answered. "As its master, I can control it against its will if it goes berserk. It''s main job is to guard the Chasm of Chaos to prevent people from exploring it. We don''t need guests to interfere. There are other ways though. If we do fight someone, don''t attempt to kill anyone unless they insist on getting in our way. Let''s go. Get ready. The teleportation circle will take us straight to the tunnel''s entrance and disappear behind us. I also disabled the teleportation circle in my safe house in the chasm. There''s no one to guard our rooms while we''re gone. Are you ready?" "Bring it on! Just lead me to the fighting and let me hit something really big," Ulgor grinned, his teeth flashing and revealing his canine teeth. "My bears and I are ready," Argolin nodded. "They are both rank 5 magical beasts. They''ll guard me as I cover you with my arrows." "Then, let''s begin," Elgar said as he tapped his left foot, causing the teleportation circle to glow a bright jade. The light flashed from their bedroom and they were gone before the light dimmed. They appeared before a dark entrance with Elgar''s army of ghost fire wolf bone minions and skeletal warriors. The rest of his minions and his lich will guard the tunnel and entrance into the chasm with the Ice Brood residing in the lake. Elgar''s hand glowed a dark purple fire as he directed the skeletal warriors and bone wolves into the tunnel. He drew Lava Tyrant and Void and Magmar traveled in front of him as he entered the tunnel. Ulgor grinned and followed suit while Argolin rode one of his violet storm bears while the more powerful one took the rear. The green fire from the wolves illuminated the tunnel as the party ventured inside. Chapter 25: Entering the Dungeon (Author: Hello all. This week, I have a bunch of college stuff to deal with in the middle of the week. Like I said before, I will try to release a chapter everyday or within every three days. It''s not easy to write you know. Anyway, Elgar has secured a watch on the campus and ventures into the tunnel. Just what is hidden there? Why would a tunnel exist in the Chasm of Chaos? Enjoy.) --------Chapter 25: Entering the Dungeon----------- The ghost fire wolves were scattered around the party as they ventured inside. At the front, skeletal warriors of the fourth rank carried steel swords and shields with a few of the ghost fire wolves to lead the way. Walking with Argolin were the skeletal archers, each of them walking in a monotone manner with an arrow already resting in their hand. Elgar also summoned regular bone mice minions of the second rank to scout ahead. If they encountered danger, Elgar would be ready. Water dripped from the stalagmites on the tunnel ceiling. The tunnel was leading to somewhere damp. Their feet would sometimes step on puddles as they walked deeper inside. Elgar motioned the others to stop as one of his mice minions died. "What is it?" Ulgor asked as Elgar sat on Magmar and closed his eyes. He began seeing through the mice''s eyes, constantly changing from one view point to the next. All of a sudden, one of the mice died again. Before it died, he saw a horde of hobgoblins with one of them shooting an arrow at the mouse with extreme precision. "Hobgoblins. Half goblin and half troll. About five feet seven inches to six feet four inches. Low intelligence, but travel in hordes. No ability to use magic but seem to be at the strength of rank 4 warriors. Why live here? Why live so deep in the chasm?" Elgar answered. "Warriors, assume shield wall formation. Archers, fire magic fire arrows to illuminate up ahead." The skeletal minions moved as commanded and Argolin cast a barrier enchantment magic on himself, the bears, and the skeletal archers. Ulgor didn''t say anything as he was more of a close to medium range combatant. Elgar saw pitch black of darkness as another mouse died. He had them swarm at the horde to lessen their numbers. The hobgoblins had a pungent smell and had dark blue skin with a tint of green. Some of the hobgoblins screamed as some of the archers were overrun by the swarm as the little mice bit their teeth and tore flesh. As they were just bones with blue fires for eyes, the flesh just fell on the floor through where a throat would be. Blood also fell on the floor as the mice attacked. Knowing the mice minions would soon die upon reaching the stronger ones, Elgar ordered the mice to hop and latch themselves to any hobgoblin they saw. Elgar''s eyes opened and a small blue flame appeared from his eyes before dying out. He snapped his fingers, and the mice minions exploded in shrapnel of bones and small explosions of fire. Ulgor and Argolin saw a blue light down the tunnel, accompanied by screams. Elgar got off Magmar and brandished Lava Tyrant, small white flames pulsing from the blades. "They''re coming. I couldn''t kill half of them but most will be injured from the shrapnel caused by the explosion. Argolin, you and my archers will shoot arrows at the hobgoblins at the rear. Personally shoot any that seem stronger than the others. Ulgor, you and Magmar will assault the hobgoblins that reach the shield wall with my ghost fire wolves. Use the skeletons to cover yourself if you see danger heading your way," Elgar warned. "If you see any more intelligent hobgoblins, leave them alive. It''s okay if they''re not in one peace. I need to know how many more are there. Where their hordes live and how many more patrol the tunnel. More importantly, I need to know how deep they traveled and if it leads anywhere. I''ll be here with Void protecting me while I cast spells and summon more minions." Elgar was busy summoning endless waves of mice minions to swarm the hobgoblins from below. He couldn''t use ore powerful spells as they might damage the tunnel and cause it to collapse. Destroying the mice minions only had a small explosion due the fire being as small as a mouse''s eye and bone shrapnel isn''t very destructive but it does enough damage on skin. Bones were crushed by hobgoblin clubs while flesh spewed blood from arrows from the skeletal archers and Argolin. From time to time, Elgar threw javelins of water and made a wall of bone spears in case Magmar and Ulgor were surrounded. Magmar had no trouble though as it was a rank 6 minion and only had to restrain itself to small movements as it could easily damages the walls. Elgar and the party advanced through the horde easily due to their superior ranks but progress was slow due to the vast number of the horde. Eventually, they reached a fork in the tunnel. The hobgoblins didn''t dare go to the left one and stayed primarily in the tunnel behind the right fork. Elgar grinned and created his bone spear field at the entrance of the tunnel where the hobgoblins were and sent them screaming for their lives as he finally released the mice minion swarm. Wherever they went, puddles of flesh, bone, blood, and wood remained scattered on the floor. Elgar had them travel deep enough without fearing a collapse and destroyed the entrance of the right tunnel as he made them blow up as he had done once before. To collapse the tunnel, Elgar used a lightning magic spell he learned called Thunder Clap. It was a spell that sends a shockwave of energy that sends vibrations and lightning outward from his hands like a cone. The tunnel trembled as the vibrations shook the tunnels and eventually caused the tunnel roof to collapse. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "You''re freaking overpowered," Ulgor complained. "Even though you didn''t kill most of them directly, you controlled a freaking private army and got most of the kills!" "I spared a few here and there," Elgar said as he pointed to dying and unconscious hobgoblins. "If they don''t know anything, feel free to bash their heads in with your staff or run them through with your spear head. I only need those who have useful information. I don''t want to waste anymore soul energy. This tunnel was in a rank 7 magical beast zone and was only cleared through my minion army and my Ice Brood while it was berserk. We haven''t even encountered a foe near that rank yet. You''ll have your glory. Just bide your time and be patient for now." Ulgor grumbled as he carried his staff and followed the skeletal warriors down the left fork to the other tunnel. Argolin spent some time looting the bodies while Void and the two violet storm bears feasted on the corpses. Elgar put away Lava Tyrant and followed Ulgor with his ghost fire wolves taking the lead. As they went deeper, the tunnel walls began enlarging and small piles of bones lay scattered against the wall. Finally, they saw a light and Ulgor was the first to race through. Elgar also sped up as he flew and paused outside the tunnel next to Ulgor. Before their eyes was something they didn''t expect: a valley. Before them was a huge mountain range with tall trees which seemed a thousand years old. Past the trees and into the distance, they could see an ancient temple with cracked rocks and vines growing over it. Elgar closed his eyes and started to search for any life forms with spirit and soul energy. His eyes widened as he saw a few rank 7 magical beasts near the entrance of the temple with several rank 6 magical beasts in the forest. Killing them would increase his soul energy but he wouldn''t be able to break the bottleneck as he was different than the others who could forcibly break through. "Rank 6 and 7 magical beasts," Elgar said to Ulgor. "You have your fight now, but you''re too weak. We need to find a path with only a few of them on the way. If we encounter a group, we''ll have to go all out just to survive. The rank 7 magical beasts are near the temple so we don''t need to worry about them for now." "Just what is that temple?" Ulgor asked and they heard Argolin gasp as he exited the tunnel. "By the gods! The Pantheon of the Divine!" Argolin said as he spun around three times and knelt on his feet, bowing his head to the ground with his palms stretched, facing the sky. "This is the beginning of this world. The first settlement of the Creators who made this planet billions or trillions of years ago. I thought it was a myth. Who knew it would be here?" "What''s so special about it?" Ulgor asked as he waited for Argolin to stand. "It''s just some broken temple in the middle of nowhere. So what if the first immortal rank beings lived here and descended into the Immortal Realms. Whatever''s in there must be broken by time by now." "Not magical artifacts," Elgar answered with a grin on his face. "We really hit the jackpot this time. However, the guardians within are sure to be rank 7 or even rank 8 magical beasts. We must tread lightly." "Just show me the way and let me kill one of those things on my own," Ulgor scoffed. "I might not be a rank 6 warrior yet, but I''m confident enough with my skills." "Magmar, lead the way," Elgar said and the party followed the giant scorpion down into the forest with Argolin writing down their discovery in his journal. Once they cleared the dangers here, they could use this as the base of their future operations. There were also very powerful magical beasts he could tame. As for Elgar, he was getting anxious. There was an abundance of soul energy here, meaning a lot of lives were lost. The more he absorbed, the stronger the Legion became. "You are making us stronger. We will devour your mind before you can devour our souls with your own. Who cares if you''re a former Dragon King! We will consume you! Join us! Join us, Elgar Maltos! You will not devour us! You can''t fight us yet! Just give in. Give in. Give In. GIVE IN! "These pests," Elgar cursed. "The sooner I reach the sixth rank, the sooner my soul can grow as it devours them. I will not spend the rest of my life as a raving lunatic. I don''t need special formation barriers or spells to fight them like Tristan did as I learned under him. I just need to eat them all and make my soul realm invincible." Chapter 26: Blood Mist (Author: Hello. As I said before, the middle of the week will be hectic for me for college stuff. An example being that I just got my classes today. Awesome. By the way, it is WAY TOO HOT lately. I''m always out of ice. Elgar and his party have arrived at the valley, where creatures stronger than they are (rank wise) live. Each has found a purpose in the valley and the temple. Enjoy.) ----------Chapter 26: Blood Mist-------------------- Elgar took the lead atop of Magmar as he sent his ghost fire wolves up ahead. Void slithered beside Elgar as he had his eyes closed and began sensing spirit and soul energy. His eyes were closed, but he could see. This was what a blind mage or warrior could see once they reached the fifth rank: pure spirit and soul energy. Spirit energy was white while soul energy was jade. All living things have spirit energy but only advanced life forms had soul energy. It was as if he was looking in a foggy mirror with small gaps of clarity. Those gaps of clarity were living things with spirit energy like grass trees, water, and earth. Nature was alive and abundant with spirit energy. Within the darkness, he could sense powerful concentrations of soul energy mixed among spirit energy. These were the magical beasts. Elgar directed his wolves to the east side of the valley as he led the way into the forest. He wanted to get stronger, but under his own terms. This meant isolating the rank 6 magical beasts in singular numbers until they became strong enough to fight hordes and packs of them head-on. There were several lakes in the valley, truly a bizarre sight in a forest which seldom had more than one or two lakes within. Towards the temple was an enormous swamp. That was where the rank 7 magical beasts lived. "Up ahead is two rank 6 magical beasts. One in the lake and one outside of it," Elgar said as they followed him and Magmar. Judging by how the white and black strands of spirit and soul energy intertwine, the one in the lake has octopus tails, with a snake body with the exception of four scaled arms like a dragon." "What the f*ck?" Ulgor laughed incredulously. "What the heck is that?" "According to my people, the Creators created many failed specimens of species before we were created. This must be one such specimen," Argolin said. "My people called it the Dranoct. Only sixteen were found and almost all of them were the former rulers of the oceans before the Ice Brood numbered to many and annihilated them. I thought they were extinct. I must tame it. It must have a human form as it is of the sixth rank. I can also shrink in size as you do to Magmar." "Then the other one is all mine," Ulgor laughed. "I''ll need a few skeletal warriors as backup. I''m bloodthirsty, but I''m not stupid. I know I can''t take it on alone....for now." Elgar hung back as he took charge of his skeletal warriors and archers. He had the warriors back up Ulgor while he kept his skeletal archers back. He had Magmar assist Argolin as it was a rank 6 minion. Void stared at its master as Elgar closed his eyes as he began to contemplate something. Suddenly, a third rank 6 magical beast emerged. Void hissed in shock and went to attack it. It looked like a horse but was as tall as a building with a fiery mane with silver colored horse hair. Void tried to stop it as it approached Elgar, but was knocked aside as it charged forward like a battering ram. Elgar took one look at it before using his plant magic to create vines that speared the horse and trapped it as it coiled around the horse''s body. "Too bad I''m not like your normal prey. I am a bit too strong for my ranking," Elgar sighed as he stared at the horse. "Disappear." He used his lightning magic, Lightning Serpent Strike, to create over a dozen large bolts in the image of several snakes. It blasted against the horse, turning it into ash save for a shiny monster core the color of fire. Void at the monster core and noticed its master was contemplating again. Its master was planning something big and was probably thinking about the consequences. "Void," Elgar began as he looked at it. "Become bait and lure two rank 6 magical beasts in the vicinity and lead them to me. I need to try something." "Yes master," Void hissed and slithered into the trees. Slowly, a black and crimson mist was emanating from Elgar. This was the unique demon magic that he obtained from the Demon King. When Void finally appeared, it had several broken scales as it sped past its master. The two rank 6 magical beasts were pure white bulls as large as boulders with glowing orange eyes. They saw Elgar and ran toward him as they were in a berserk state as they chased after Void. Elgar smiled and the bulls were suddenly crushed by a very dense gravity field. The bulls were held in place and didn''t have the strength to push up. Bulls were stronger, but most of the danger lies while they are moving. On the ground, so long as you avoid the head with the horns and its rear, bulls were no threat. They stared in horror and fear as Elgar cast his Blood Mist on them. It was an inescapable mist once trapped and drained the soul energy from the victim, literally draining the life out of his victims. It seemed like tiny crimson and black crystals crept upon them. As it made contact with their bodies, their blood drained as their soul energy was being absorbed into the crystals. The bulls began aging incredibly fast. Their skin became wrinkly and they turned from black to white. The whites in their eyes turned yellow and their teeth cracked and fell as more and more soul energy was absorbed. Elgar laughed maniacally as he drained and absorbed their life energy until they turned to dust. He healed Void with his healing magic and resumed laughing. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "So this is how it feels to use a Demon King''s power," Elgar laughed. "Magnificent! I need more! More! I need to grow stronger to reach the sixth rank. I need to grow stronger to protect what''s mine. I need to become stronger to take what I desire. I need more to unlock my unique dragon magic. More! I need more! Void, get them!" "Yes master," Void said, its voice layered with a little fear as it nearly shrieked its reply. "Power corrupts absolutely," Elgar muttered. "Power changes people. It changes how they think, how they act, and who they used to be. Some are even controlled by their own power. A hero? I never called myself a hero. Once I can manipulate souls, I''ll control the populace with fragments of souls that I absorbed and control the Legion to takeover the land. The power to control souls....to make someone obey you with absolute obedience. Once I insert a soul into the body, I''ll be able to make them my living puppets. Reanimating the dead? HAHAHA! You lose out at all the potential of controlling them with their powers and memories while they were still among the living. True might is not in slaying your foes, but controlling them absolutely. As they still live, I can keep absorbing their soul energy. They become an unlimited supply of soul energy. The more I control, the more reserves of soul energy I can drain. HAHAHAHA! This is why necromancers are feared. Only a fool would choose to learn blood magic. Only a fool would desire to control the flesh instead of the soul." Meanwhile, Argolin and his bears were struggling to kill the magical beast in the lake. Needless to say, his bears were not rank 6 so still required air to breathe instead of circulating their mana or qi to act as a substitute. WHat was the point of breathing? To fill blood cells with oxygen and feed them to the lungs which would expel carbon dioxide out the body. How else could someone travel the galaxies and trenches in the oceans if not without mana or qi? This was why they were feared. They could travel or escape to anywhere in existence. Not even hiding within lava or magma under the surface can save you from their wrath. Argolin had his bears shoot rays of light at the magical beast from ashore while he used an artifact from his people as a breathing apparatus. Arrows were useless at his rank as he lacked the power to resist the water pressure. He was forced to fight the magical beast with his twin swords, but was also forced to fight with the sides of the blades as he didn''t want to kill it, but tame it. Elgar stared silently at the lake, bored while waiting, and walked to the edge of the lake. He put his hand in the water and cast his water magic, Shark Frenzy, a water magic spell that shaped the water into a tiger shark which attacked his foes. They ripped and tore at the magical beast and even bit off the tentacles. One thing about tentacles people didn''t normally remember was that they could regenerate. As tentacles are the main threat, an octopus or magical beast mutation equivalent, were both almost harmless with its main method of attack gone. Elgar deactivated the spells when all the tentacles were destroyed and resumed waiting for Void to bring more victims. Void would happily comply as it ate the monster cores. Argolin was relieved the main threat was over and quickly focused his attacks on the head of the magical beast, knocking it unconscious after several light rays and smashes on the head with his swords. He brought it to shore, where it would be less dangerous if the tentacles grew back, and began chanting while the bears went into the lake to feast on the dismembered flesh and tentacles. Elgar watched as five interlocking circles with strange markings appeared beneath the magical beast. He narrowed his eyes as similar markings appeared all over the magical beast as well. As Argolin continued to chant, the markings began to glow a gold luster and the marks were converging on the circle. When all the markings fused together, a large sphere levitated from the circle. Argolin grabbed the sphere and laid it against his chest, the sphere entering his chest upon contact. "Lavi nein kur alis muwo," Argolin said in ancient elven. "And so thy will is mine," Elgar interpreted as a flash of memories appeared in his head. Turns out he gained some of the memories of the soul energy he absorbed. It was a very intriguing discovery. Argolin sweated heavily as he dropped on the floor. He smiled and held his hand toward the magical beast. The magical beast began receiving some of Argolin''s mana and regenerated its tentacles as it shrunk to the size of a small lizard. Argolin gently dropped it in the lake as he went in and relaxed while the water washed off his sweat. "I assume it is now yours?" Elgar mused, still waiting for Void. "Yes. Thank you. You know, I never expected to be able to come to an ancient and sacred place like this. Truly, thank you," Argolin said and closed his eyes from exhaustion. "That Ulgor.....What is he doing?" Elgar asked as he saw Ulgor prancing around the unconscious magical beast. "Is he praying to it? I don''t get orc customs. Too bizarre. If it was up to me, I''d either kill it and eat it or absorb all the soul energy until only the monster core remained. Why play around with your food and look like a fool? Wait, where are my skeletal warriors? I let them fight autonomously by giving them simple commands before letting them fight and they''re dead. I need to come up with a more complicated system. It''s a pain to control so many different groups. I might need to summon a more sentient minion to take command. I have a few summons I''ve yet to try out. Perhaps now is the time to experiment with them. I can''t rely on three different types of summons: lich, bone, and ghost fire minions." Chapter 27: New Minions (Author: Hello. Been busy with college stuff like registration and paying for it and helping my aunt move. Why not move during winter....Anyway, I released five chapters of my side project as it was way too late and I''m now scot free from obligations except tomorrow and Tuesday for some last obligation. Then, I am free. Sorry for the wait but not a lot of writers commit to stories as it is hard to write. Just saying. Elgar is unsatisfied and decides that it is time to summon a new type of minion. Hope you enjoy.) ---------Chapter 27: New Minions----------- Elgar sat down as he began looking through his necromancy books he got from Tristan during his training. It was time he expanded and summoned a more sentient summon. Lich were great, but he needed a more melee oriented minion to lead some of his weaker minions. His minions were twisted forms of spirit energy forcefully manipulating it into a tangible form. The bones were not from the dead but made out of mana and spirit energy. The ghost fire minions were not made of real fire but looked and burned like one save for a difference in color. He stared at a more intelligent minion known as an imp. Imps were the opposite of fairies and abominations as they were the product of a rape of a fairy by a demon. Imps were clever and evil. All they desired was destruction and death. Curious, Elgar summoned one imp to test it. A small, crimson circle of runes appeared on the ground and fire erupted. The ground burned as a small figure about nine inches in length appeared. It was entirely black with small bat wings, a pointed tail, empty white eyes, and only spike-shaped teeth were in its mouth. "Puny human! How dare you summon me! I am an imp, not some stupid bone minion. You should bow before me and--" the imp began before Elgar grabbed it in his fist and crushed it to a pulp. He ate the soul energy from the body and shook his hand several times to remove the blood. "That was pathetic. That race is useless," Elgar muttered as he continued reading. "Ah, a zombie. Zombies are animated bodies from another world brought into the world of the summoner huh? Let''s check it out." Elgar muttered a small chant and a black circle of runes appeared on the ground. An aura of blood emanated and splashed from the circle as a dead, decaying corpse pulled its way up from the circle. Its eyes and teeth were rotten and yellow with its skin all wrinkly and hanging to one side. Its legs were crooked and the zombie constantly gaped as though it were born stupid. "Are you f*cking kidding me? Another useless summon. Zombies..." Elgar spat and incinerated it to ashes with a wave of his hand, lightning crackling as it reduced the zombie to ash. "From useless to stupid. I should try summoning a demon. Heh. Considering that I am descended from one, I wonder how it works. Could I be summoned as well? Hmmm. Interesting. I never thought about it. Well, let''s see...how about this one? It should be useful." Elgar began muttering an ancient chant. The ground shook as a circle of dark purple runes began shining on the ground. Argolin, who was resting, could not help but shudder as he felt rips in the area as all the spirit energy seemed to converge onto the circle. He could not see mana, qi, soul, or spirit energy. However, his race was extremely sensitive to it and some could see specks of it. Elgar was summoning something ancient. "HAHAHA! Rise! Rise and become my destroyer! HAHAHA!" Elgar laughed maniacally "Rise blade demon. Rise!" As if hearing him, a horde of twenty blade demons sprung out of the rune circle. Each of them emitted a baleful aura and were an existence that should not be in this plane. Each of the blade demons were pure black and had three blade-like claws on their feet. They had four arms and two legs with, but Argolin could not differentiate them by gender or any characteristic save for that one was pure white. Each of them had eyes without an iris. Each eye glowed iridescent red and numbered four in total with one over the other like a humans but at an angular position. They had no nose, no ears, and no hair whatsoever. Their only other feature were horrible shining teeth the color of steel with each one pointed like spikes. Instead of hands, half of their forearm down were blades shaped like a scythe. Were they a summoning a necromancer normally used? No because they were demons. Most necromancers never summoned demons as the only ones who were tolerated were those who were part demon like Elgar. Elgar laughed at the sight before him. These were intelligent minions with a hive like mentality that obeyed the orders of the white blade demon. Each of the black demons were six feet tall while the white demon was eight feet tall and had dark purple eyes instead of red eyes. Each of them were rank 5 demons with the leader being a rank 6 demon. The best part was that if he gained a rank, they did too! He didn''t even use one tenth of his mana supply to summon them. "HAHAHA! Demon summoning! Amazing. Oh, why didn''t I summon you guys before," Elgar laughed as they bowed before him. "Tell me, where are you all from?" Elgar asked. "We come from the Death Plane of the Immortal Realm master," the white one said. "Not all life in the Immortal Plane are at the levels of an immortal. We are but ants among them as we spawn at a frightening pace. I have the ability to summon more blade demons. Each day I can summon five more to add to master''s forces. Although, the concept of time is irrelevant in the Immortal Plane as the most powerful beings are immune to the death over time as their lifespans are unlimited. We do not eat. We do not sleep. We only multiply and execute the orders of the strong. Sometimes, one of the blade demons I summon is also a hive leader like me. Only your orders, we obey. There is no mercy without your command." "Is it wise to allow them here?" Argolin asked as he walked up to Elgar. "A hero would not use such forces under his command." "Hey elf! These are awesome killing machines," Ulgor laughed. "Besides, it''s not like demons are the forces of evil like in the stories. We''re fighting the Goddess of the End! We''re fighting a f*cking god! How awesome is that. Besides, Elgar''s part demon so technically, it''s okay for him to use demons. So what will you summon next? It''s got to be something big. Like REALLY big! Something that screams: I''m gonna kick your a*s." "I have just the thing. It''ll cost a lot of mana to summon three of them though. We might have to beat them into submission as I want rank 7 minions," Elgar replied. "I get to pummel it first? Awesome! Do it! Do it!" Ulgor laughed as he gripped his staff. "I need to test my new magical beast''s prowess anyway. Just summon it by the water," Argolin sighed as Elgar began chanting and saw three huge rune circles of fire. "What are you summoning anyway?" "Three Ifrits," Elgar grinned. "Horned giants with extreme strength and power over fire." "Are you mad! Those are demi-gods for f*ck''s sake!" Argolin cursed. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "HAHAHA! The elf can curse after all," Ulgor laughed while holding his stomach. "I can''t handle it. It''s just too beautiful. A regiment soon-to-be army of blade demons, three Ifrits, and a cursing elf. Oh this is just too awesome. I think I''m gonna cry." "I know you need minions, but some things should never be summoned and you''re summoning three of them! Even the demon royalties only dared to summon one giant of darkness in all of known history," Argolin cried. "Relax. They''re only rank 7 fire giants. Not rank 9 or immortal rank fire giants. Besides, most of their powers are restricted and can only be used with my permission," Elgar shrugged. "They will submit. They have no choice. Why? Because I can destroy their bodies and devour their souls as is my right as their master. Necromancy sure is sweet. Once I reach the sixth rank, I can augment my summons with the vengeful souls of the dead. Until then, their current forms will have to do." "Here it comes," Ulgor said excitedly. "Whoa! What''s happening?" The sky turned red and the ground began shaking even more. Finally, three giant men emerged from the flames as the rune circles exploded. Before them were three fire giants. They looked the same as humans save that they were beyond muscular and stood twenty feet tall. Their fists, alone, were larger than a foot in length. Their skin was red but not crimson. Their lower canine teeth stuck out of their mouths and the whites of their eyes were black while their irises were golden. They had two, spiked horns purely black protruding above their ears towards the back angled upwards. Their hair constantly changed color like a flame and reached to the center of their back. They had no clothes save for metal leg guards of an unknown material. Only one of them carried a war hammer as big as he was tall. One wore gauntlets while the other one just radiated fire around his fists. There was no question of how powerful they were. Elgar held his hand out to them and black energy crackled around his hand. Two of the Ifrits were forced to kneel as the black energy crackled around them, glaring at him in the eye. The one without gauntlets or the war hammer was the only one that resisted. "Hmph. We got a live one. Blade demons, pummel his a*s," Elgar said as he snapped his free left hand. "Don''t hog all the fun," Ulgor laughed as he and Argolin''s new magical beast charged at the fire giant. The fire giant tried using its flames, but was stunned as only embers were shot towards the blade demons. It looked at Elgar in shock and saw a sinister smile on his face as he tilted his head to Void. Void nodded and breathed a small stream of poisonous fire at the Ifrit while the blade demons attacked the back of the Ifrit''s knees. The Ifrit was forced to block the poisonous fire as it was immune to fire, but was not immune to its added poisonous effect. Ulgor laughed as he repeatedly smashed the Ifrit''s head while the tentacle magical beast dragged the Ifrit into the lake. Each swing of its arms and legs sent a gust of wind, knocking back its assailants as it crashed into the lake. While the others were fighting. Elgar looked at the kneeling Ifrit and began to chant. The black energy from his hand connected to the black energy harming the Ifrit, causing the two to scream. Their screams subsided when the image of a black skull was branded on their right shoulders. Their will was now his. "We greet thee as our master," the two Ifrit bowed as the black energy subsided. "Thou art worthy of the pact. What is thy will, my lord?" "Bring the rebellious one to me so that, he too, becomes my minion," Elgar said coldy. "We hear and obey," the Ifrit shouted and ran toward the struggling Ifrit in the lake. Ulgor vented his anger by stomping on the head of the Ifrit before it was dragged out of the lake and pushed on the ground before Elgar. "I will not submit. Thou is not worthy to be my master!" the Ifrit screamed. "Stomp at him five times," Elgar said. "I won''t submit!" the Ifrit screamed after enduring five stomps each. "Stomp at him ten times," Elgar said and watched the Ifrit grunt as it withstood it and saw the glint in its eyes. "Stomp it fifty times." "AUGH!" the Ifrit cried as it could not withstand the cruel punishment while simultaneously enduring the black energy. "You''re strong. I give you that much, but you''re foolish if you think you can deny me," Elgar said. "I am no hero, but I require your power to do what must be done. People wish to free Qingyu. They are all fools. The people in power are doing nothing and are just waiting for the prophecy. I am not like them. I am gathering an army to crush whoever is trying to free Her. The Goddess cannot be freed. I have changed as I seem to care about some people in this world, but the rest of the world can burn for all I care. I only want to protect what is mine and destroy who wishes to keep what I want or try to take what I have. I am a necromancer. I don''t have to kill you to wrench out your soul. In fact, it would be much better as soul energy is but a fragment of a soul anyway. So choose: death or life?" "The soul? Who would do such a thing? I thought humans only messed with the body," the Ifrit paled. "Those are just blood mages with a corpse fetish," Elgar scoffed. "True power always lies in the soul. How else can it be that all life fear soul magic and soul techniques more than material ones? It is because there is next to nothing that can stop it. Only few items can increase the defenses of one''s soul besides the true power of the soul itself. I have the soul of a Dragon King. My soul is the greatest in the Mortal Realm. I only fear the material. Souls? Heh. They''re just tools to increase my power. This forest has many rank 6 magical beasts. They''re in the way. Gather the strays on my path to the temple and bring them to me alive so that I may extract their souls. Something in that temple is calling to me. I want its power, need its power, to break through to the sixth rank and become a true necromancer. I cannot let them free Qingyu. No one but I know her true power. I alone, also know how to kill her." "Thou can kill Her?" the Ifrit gasped. "I...submit. I cannot take the pain any longer. Complete the pact and my will belongs to thee." "Good," Elgar said and the same soul brand of a black skull appeared on the Ifrit''s shoulders. "I know have a sufficient force. Only an existence of the ninth rank can stop me now. Ulgor and Argolin, we''re done here. Time to head into the temple and slaughter our way in." "I might take a few detours if I see an interesting magical beast," Argolin said as he shrunk his new pet and sat atop one of his bears. "The fun just never ends," Ulgor smiled as he followed them. "What fun roommates and brothers I have. Eldest brother wants to kill a goddess and third brother wants to enslave magical beasts. Such brothers are worthy of Ulgor. HAHAHAHA!" Chapter 28: An Ifrit and an Orc (Author: Hello! New side project and I am finally done with my college interruptions. Not class, but college stuff like paperwork. Finally done. Finally. Anyway, Elgar has increased his fighting force and is now ready to head to the Pantheon of the Divine. You know, the old temple since the beginning of time guarded by rank 7 magical beasts in a swamp in front of the entrance? Yeah. That''ll be fun. Good thing he''s got three Ifrits and an army of demons that grows by the day under his control. Trying to show more of the personalities of the side characters to make them more life like. Maybe I went too far? Well here is the chapter. Enjoy.) --------Chapter 28: An Ifrit and an Orc------------- "So how are we going in?" Ulgor asked as the Ifrit in front of them scared off the weaker rank 6 magical beasts while the stupid ones were killed and subsequently looted and eaten. "We going in with our weapons raised like a bada*s or are we doing it the Argolin way." "What?" Argolin asked, confused. "Is that supposed to insult me?" "If you''re an elf, yeah. Pretty much," Ulgor cackled. "You know how you elves fight. Always like a unit and hitting from afar with fancy spells and little sticks with metal triangles on the front. Very classical and noble. It hurts my eyes." "It must hurt because last time I checked, an elf kingdom in the west slaughtered fifty orc tribes without losing a single elf. The only casualty was someone improperly string a bow and breaking his own nose as he pulled the string back," Argolin sighed. "It would my eyes if I were you. It is simply too embarrassing to watch. I don''t know what I''d do if I was an orc." "You want to get skinned alive elf!" Ulgor roared. "Bring it on you brute. How about you taste my classical arrow and a spell up your a*s while you''re at it," Argolin growled as he nocked an arrow. "Why are we in a party of idiots master?" one of the Ifrit asked as Elgar ignored the chatter in the back. "Their childish antics amuse me," Elgar smiled. "Besides, they are worthy allies, can pull their own weight, and have very useful connections. Are you ready to slay some magical beasts in a swamp?" "Ah, master," the Ifrit grinned. "I f*cking hate swamps. Why can''t everything burn? Adding fire always brings a warm touch." "We''re almost at the swamp master," the other two Ifrits said. "Can we burn it all down?" "No. I aim to make the temple my main headquarters for the army I''m building and monopolizing all the magical beasts in the Chasm of Chaos. I already have it blocked off. Once I conquer the temple, I''m going to conquer the rest of the chasm past the tunnel entrance," Elgar said. "Kill all that get in our way. Void, you will assist them to become stronger and collect some of their cores for me. Blade demons, you''re with me and Ulgor. We''re heading inside with two of the Ifrits. Argolin will stay out here and take his pick of which magical beast he aims to make his pet." "Yes master," they all said while Ulgor and Argolin stopped their bickering and nodded. Elgar and the others entered the swamp, the dirty water splashed as they waded through it. Bubbles formed under the feet of the ifrits as they refused to be touched by the water. Some of the rank 7 magical beasts avoided them as they saw the ifrit but a few stood their ground. They were a horde of fifteen rank 7 magical beast hydras. Sixteen of them had nine heads with black and crimson scales while the largest was over fifty feet tall with black and gold scales and twelve heads. Elgar laughed manically while the other stared at him as if he had gone insane. They were outranked and outnumbered and he laughed? "HAHAHA! I can''t believe it. HAHAHAHA! They really exist here," Elgar laughed. "Do you know what that large one is? It''s a female." Everyone looked at the twelve headed hydra in shock while the blade demons trembled with excitement. Argolin had his tentacle magical beast enlarge to its true form as he and the skeletal archers drew arrows. The blade demons took a wedge formation with the skeletal warriors divided to cover the left and right flank. Ulgor was the only one who didn''t know what was so important about a female hydra while Void licked its lips, dark purple fire appearing with every exhalation. Magmar looked at Ulgor as if he was an idiot as Elgar rode atop it and marched behind the blade demons and the ifrits. "What?" Ulgor asked, looking around. "Anyone mind cluing me in on what the hell''s got you all excited. I don''t mind as I am the most bloodthirsty out of all of us, but you guys are seriously aiming to kill those things. What''s so great about a female hydra? It''s just a bunch of spawning snake heads on an dragon body. Not like its scales are as hard or breathes fire." "Do orcs live under a rock? It''s a female hydra!" Argolin shouted, his fingers almost closed into a fist as if he were imagining that he was chocking the orc. "So what if it''s a f*cking female? You sexist or something? Don''t tell me you wanna enslave it in human form and make it a sex slave. You can do a lot better. By you, I mean Elgar. I don''t see how the elf can lose his chastity anytime soon. He looks more like them pretty boys, looking more feminine than a seven year old brat." Ulgor chortled. "I don''t mind screwing a girl, but a hydra...that''s too much of a party guys." "Can someone tell that fool what''s going on before I decide to seal his mouth shut Lava Tyrant under his chin?" Elgar growled, sending shivers down Ulgor''s back." "A female hydra isn''t important unless it''s the head of a horde. A hydra horde usually means that the female hydra gave birth to them," one of the blade demons said. "I''ve been on a similar planet in the Mortal Realm once before. So, seeing their reactions, it must be that the female hydra did in fact give birth to them. That means there is hydra milk inside her." "We''re gonna kill a bunch of mutated snakes for milk? What are we, farmers milking some deformed spawn between a cow and a snake. I don''t see what''s so important about milk. It doesn''t really make you taller you know," Ulgor shrugged. "What if I told you that drinking a hydra''s milk increases the rate of your cultivation? What if a hydra''s milk permanently increased the amount of spirit energy you could use. Imagine having to face someone of a higher rank, but possessing more spirit energy than they do? It is as if you and that person were of the same rank," the blade demon said before the white blade demon glared at it and forced it to shut up. "It can do that?" Ulgor cried in shock and stared at the female hydra, his sight going dark as all he saw was its stomach hidden by meat bags who were in his way. "If I can drink that, I can kill even more awesomely with my strength. I can cover my weapon and fire and wield it into battle without care. How awesome is that? Slaying foes left and right like a bada*s on fire." "In the end, all he thinks about is the glory of killing," Elgar sighed. "Is that how all orcs think master?" Void hissed. "I doubt it. This is an orc shaman trying to be a warrior. He focused less on his magic, even though his talent in it is greater. Perhaps I need to force him into a situation that requires him to use his magic and realize his mistake," Elgar mused. "No. He''s too thickheaded to think otherwise and will just force his way out of his situation. All forces, advance to the temple Leave only a few of the hydra and the female alive. Her milk and the existence of males will allow us to increase the strength of my forces in the future." The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "And so another becomes a cash cow," Argolin muttered. "First is Magmar to slaughter behind the scenes and now an unlimited supply of spirit cultivation enhancement. I am starting to wonder if he is a hero or a villain in a hero''s image. I wonder what he''ll do with the resources of the temple." The ifrit charged with glee as they began to throw giant fireballs, about ten feet in diameter, at the hydra in a frenzy. The blade demons were extremely fast and flashes of black and white appeared as they cut the hydra heads, even as they regenerated. The skeletal warriors were easily crushed to pieces and Elgar didn''t bother to replace as they were just too weak. The archers kept shooting at the body of the hydras, the only part that did not regenerate as fast as the snake heads and necks. If Elgar wanted to kill them all, he would have used a bone cage around the body to subsequently cut off all heads long enough to finish it off with his lightning magic. It was a pity he needed them alive. "Master! It''s retreating to the temple!" one of the demons cried and pointed at the female trying to escape with a small number of hydras as its guards. "Magmar! Ifrits, throuw Magmar at them!" Elgar cried as he gripped the carapace of the horse-sized scorpion. "You''re even crazier than I am!" Ulgor laughed as he stabbed one hydra head to the ground. "It''s raining. It''s raining! It''s hydra blood I''m bloodletting. HAHAHAHA!" "I am seriously starting to doubt his intelligence," Argolin snorted as he kept shooting arrow after arrow. It seemed that his quiver was a magical artifact that replaced an arrow its owner put inside the quiver before a battle. "I wonder if it was a mistake to accept the crystal core in exchange for letting him be the second brother of us three." "M, master?" Magmar asked as one of the ifrits picked it up as if it were a pebble. "By thy will be done!" the ifrit cried and threw Magmar high into the air. "Whoa! Too far! Too strong!" Elgar cried and let go while simultaneously sprouting his demonic wings. Magmar shrieked in fear as it speed past a velocity similar to seventy miles an hour and slammed into the hydra guards, reducing them to puddles of blood while it crashed through the temple doors with the female hydra. Elgar looked up in alarm as he saw a white glow appear from the top of the temple. His eyes widened in shock as it slowly turned into a dome, extending its radius as it headed toward the ground. "Quick! Blade demons, the ifrits with weapons, blade demons, and Ulgor! Get inside the temple before it closes!" Elgar roared and frantically created a bone field, a clear path to the temple appearing in front of them. They saw the barrier forming as well and quickly left. Elgar and Argolin nodded at each other in understanding. Argolin, his pets, the skeletal archers, and the remaining ifrits also ran, but stopped before the temple and held the hydras at bay. "Orcs weren''t meant to be prancing like ponies! Our women don''t even look cute when they run," Ulgor cursed as he barely made it and crashed on the steps to the temple. The blade demons had easily made it in with their incredible speed and the two ifrits were fighting in the front beforehand. "Ah f*ck. I think I bruised myself a bit on those steps," Ulgor said as he rubbed his legs. "There are about ten thousand steps, each as high as three feet," Elgar said to the orc, a smile on his face. "It''s a long walk. You want the ifrit to give you a ride?" "Yeah, just don''t tell the elf. I don''t want him to know I took the easy way up. Just make sure the ifrit don''t throw me so hard. My ma always said that my best feature was my arms and chest," Ulgor said. Elgar chuckled and said, "Don''t you mean the face. It''s actually better than some fatty human nobles we saw at the academy. I''m sure...Pfft." "Not a word. Not a gods dam* word," Ulgor said as the ifrit picked him up by the back of his shirt. It was like looking at a little girl picking up a doll for the first time. The ifrit was looking at the orc like a toy and was wondering how hard it would have to throw. It shrugged as it saw Elgar point at the top of the steps and threw the orc. Ulgor screamed at the top of his lungs as he sped toward the top while the blade demons followed him to make sure he didn''t become a puddle of blood upon the steps. "Master, these steps are large and fit for a giant," the ifrits warned. "Something very powerful built this place and probably locked several beings inside as guards." "I know," Elgar grinned. " I can just imagine myself devouring their souls. Maybe I should leave one alive for when I rank up and experiment on soul manipulation magic on them. To control someone''s soul like a puppet. To see their despair as there is no possible way to resist. HAHAHA! I need to go inside, my minions. I have plans and whatever''s inside might just accelerate my plans further." "The orc''s alive. Cursing as it wet itself, but it''s alive. It also said something about not telling the elf or it will bring the wrath of its ancestors on us," the white blade demon said. "Hive minds sure are convenient," Elgar nodded as he flew up the steps with the rest of his minions behind him. "What''s it like anyway?" "I do not know master. I never had my own mind separated from the others," the white blade demon answered. "Oh. I wonder what it would be like if you all chanted the same words at the same time. Those religious fanatics would freak out. When I am about to siege my first city, I should have you all chant like that. Heh. I wonder how spooked the guards would be. So creepy but mystifying. I suppose that''s why cultists have their followers chant along with them to pray to their false gods. Words are a very powerful tool in manipulation. Just a few words can spark a war. Something like that," Elgar nodded. "Pfft. He wet himself. That''s a riot. I can use this to my advantage. HAHAHA! He wet himself. HAHAHA!" He was still laughing as he reached the top of the steps. Ulgor was fuming and started punching the ifrit that threw him, the one that wielded the giant war hammer as long as it was tall. The ifrit looked at him as if he was a flee and flicked its foot, sending Ulgor crashing against the wall, dazing him. Magmar looked relaxed as it kept devouring all but one of the hydra heads of the female. The lone head was crying tears and trembled with fear as it realized just how much it underestimated them. "Magmar. You did wonderfully. Well done. If the female hydra tries to go in after us, you can continue to eat its heads. I''ll be back once I reach the next rank and enslave its soul. I have many plans for that one. Those bastards trying to free Qingyu won''t know what hit them," Elgar smiled wickedly, all hope of escape leaving the hydra as it was already powerless before Magmar. "Good luck master," Magmar said. "Well now. We broke the doors and activated its defenses already. I''ll bet the traps have also been activated. I wonder how many ways it plans to kill us. This dungeon''s gonna be a lot of fun," Elgar said as he summoned ghost fire mice and followed them inside. "You heard the master. Get moving little orc," the ifrits laughed as the pushed Ulgor inside. "Our master, this time, is very dangerous. Be sure to obey his commands to the letter," the white blade demon warned as the last of the party finally entered the temple. Chapter 29: Legend of the Pantheon (Author: Hello. The more I write, the harder it is to continue. So many ideas that seem to be good but turn out bad. Elgar and his small army( and one humiliated orc) have finally entered the temple. So far I am satisfied with the pace of this arc. It does not seem as rushed so far. Well, enjoy the chapter.) ----------Chapter 29: Legend of the Pantheon------------- Elgar stared around as the torches of the temple suddenly burst to life with an ominous black flame that gave off white light. He had never seen black flames before and was curious. Immediately to his left was a large wall full of pictures. It looked like it was telling a story. Elgar looked over the wall and did not enter the stairs going downward yet. The pictures were obviously carved on the wall for a reason. Were they a warning of what was to come? Did it contain the origins of how the temple came to be? His ghost fire minions stepped on every tile on the ground and no traps seemed to be triggered. Satisfied, he had the blade demons guard the stairs with the mice while he, Void, Ulgor, and the ifrits stared at the carvings on the wall. The wall was segmented by pillars twenty feet away from each other. The pictures seemed to tell a story from the top down from left to right. The pictures also extended around the door to the stairs to the wall on the left. The entire room was full of carvings. "Why aren''t we going down yet?" Ulgor asked, still upset about his actions outside. "I really need to kill something right now." "Go and kill the mice minions then. I need to study these carvings," Elgar waved and turned to the ifrits. "DO any of you recognize these carvings?" "Vaguely, master," one of them said. "These carvings depict the origins of the temple. It was once known as the Pantheon of the Divine, the birth place of sentient life on this planet. The Divines created this place long ago. It used to be a place of learning and worship to the Divine. However, the sentient life was not satisfied. Why did they have to pay homage to the gods? Why couldn''t they be like the gods themselves? This wall says as much." "The following wall talks of their rebellion," the other ifrit said as it examined the second segment of pictures. "The civilization had long expanded all over this planet. Being halfway across the globe, some of the smarter and stronger life forms began growing thoughts of rebellion. They challenged the gods and many cities and races became extinct as they slaughtered those loyal to the Divine beings. However, a single of the Divine defeated them and nearly wiped them all out with a flick of his finger. Entire continents were destroyed while new ones came to being. The Divine decided that living was a harsher punishment than death and sealed the most powerful and cunning inside this temple." "The next wall depicts how other planets in the Mortal Realm became to undergo similar situations. The Divine began to call the stronger life forms: immortals. They were a higher being of existence and immune to death over the span of life. In other words, they had become immune to death by aging, as if time stopped in their bodies. They used their power to create a Divine Realm where they would live as well as several Immortal Realms. They created something known as Heaven''s Decree and disallowed immortals from living in the Mortal Realm past a certain level of strength. Wait....this....it is impossible," an ifrit said. "This wall says that the most powerful and first of the Divine killed himself and that his death was the start of all life on this planet. Spirit and soul energy, the very energy all beings cultivate, all began with him. His blood became spirit energy and his soul gave us the ability to think for ourselves and allowed us to attain a higher existence than the one we were born to!" "His death allowed the first beings in existence to reach immortality," Elgar concluded as he studied the walls. "Most nations and churches would declare this fact: heresy. Could the death of one supreme being really create the possibility of immortality and godhood? I, I can''t believe this. There''s no way it is true." "It is said that the immortals who have been sealed within will be released as they ascend to the Immortal Realms. However, a small portion of their power will always remain in the temple. To those brave enough to obtain these treasures, venture into the temple," the ifrit continued. "Various prototype magical weapons and failure species reside inside the temple. They are also yours to obtain should you find them. This temple contains many runes of protection and control of this temple is yours if you reach the heart of the temple," the other ifrit said. "At the bottom of the stairs, many dangers await you. You must endure if you want to live. You''ve already entered the temple. The dome will never disappear. Only the temple''s owner gets to decide if you can enter or leave. You seek powers you do not understand nor meant to have. You will change inside the temple. Nothing will prevent that," the ifrits said as they kept deciphering wall segment after segment. "One of the powers inside has to do with the essence of life: the soul. It is something you cannot have. Leave it be. Anything else, you are free to take. Do not attempt to control the soul. It will only destroy you. If you have come for it, you must already be hearing them: a Legion of your own making," the ifrits said, causing Elgar to step back in shock as they continued. "The Legion was created to stop individuals from harvesting the power of souls. Some can resist it, but none will ever obtain immortality as they will eventually stop as they learn their limit. Unless their soul was that of an immortal, it is impossible. Give it up." "HAHAHA! So this is why Tristan took so long to become a mage of the eighth rank. He had trouble overcoming his own Legion. It''s too bad. I defied Fate. My soul is the most powerful in the entire planet. Why should I listen to the warning of some carving? The times have changed. In the end, even the past is overcome and forgotten," Elgar laughed. "I already got this far, and now I learn that there is a hidden power that has to do with the essence of souls. HAHAHA! It''s as if I am being rewarded for defying Fate. It practically has my name on it." "Should I continue deciphering it master?" the ifrits asked. "Yes. I''ll take one of you with me below. One of the blade demons will remain with you and keep you updated. They share a collective mind. If you decipher anything important, let it know," Elgar ordered and headed down the stairs. Elgar chuckled as he headed down the stairs. Two paths led to death while one other led to the heart of the temple. Why should he be afraid? Where there was death, there was treasure. Did he not have an army of minions? They would die, he would discover the danger, kill it, and then repeat the process. Trial and error with an unlimited amount of sacrifices. Elgar and the others followed the stair case down and entered a large empty space with three tunnels in front of them. Each tunnel looked exactly like the other. Elgar began summoning ghost fire mice and ghost fire wolves. The mice were more agile and more likely to escape danger while the wolves were more powerful. The others waited as Elgar sat down and began meditating. First, Elgar decided to explore the tunnel on the left. The ghost fire minions were the first to run. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Elgar alternated views as each of his minions scoured the tunnel. There were no doors or open places. The tunnel was just a tunnel. No traps either. Elgar thought nothing was out of the ordinary until one of his minions suddenly died. Frowning, Elgar had all his minions halt while he sent three mice ahead. He saw a flash of jade up ahead as all three of his minions suddenly died. However, he saw what killed them this time: an arrow with a spear head of jade. It seemed to be an arrow of pure mana, leaving no trace behind as it struck the target. Elgar paused as he summoned skeletal warriors and sent them into the first tunnel. They each carried a shield as high as they were tall and walked like a moving shield wall as they walked in rows of five. Ulgor and the others watched as the warriors entered the tunnel. Ulgor wanted to go in, but he guessed that the tunnel might be one of those that led to Death. He didn''t know if it meant the entity of death, personification of death, or the actual state of death. He just sat down in boredom as he didn''t want to take the risk. Elgar laughed as the shield wall of warriors pushed through the jade mana arrows. Eventually, they reached a glowing tile on the floor and the arrows disappeared. He didn''t know where they came from and sighed. He let the mice and wolves explore ahead again. This was boring, even for him. The tunnel seemed to go on and on. His mice died once again by a jade flash. Puzzled, he had his skeletal warriors push through. Once the tile rune was deactivated, his mice explored again and were killed. After about ten more times of repeating the process, Elgar tried to have his minions turn back, but the walls on the left and right sprung out and crushed whatever lay between them after heading about twenty yards backwards. After a few more attempts going forward and backward in the tunnel, Elgar realized what the tunnel was. "HAHAHA! So it was like that," Elgar laughed as he put a palm on his forehead and blew up his minions. "HAHAHA! Such an archaic trick for magicians. I suppose this was how it was all started. I don''t need those minions anymore." "What happened? What''s wrong?" Ulgor asked. "That tunnel there really does lead to death. It isn''t meant to kill you. Rather, it''s meant to keep you going inside. Once you are in the tunnel, about twenty yards, you can no longer leave. The pattern is the same. After going some distance, jade mana arrows will try to kill you. Once you endure and deactivate the rune on the glowing tile, the process repeats. This tunnel is an old trick used by magicians: an trap of illusion. The tunnel is really only a little more than twenty yards. You seem to be moving forward, but you''re not. Not really. It seems unending, but you are already trapped in an illusion." "What the fuck? Seriously? The oldest trick in the book?" Ulgor asked. "Would you prefer a round boulder appearing form the wall, trying to maul you into paste?" Elgar asked. "Actually, yeah. I do. At least I can hit it," Ulgor said. "What if that repeated in an endless cycle. Would you like it then? Eventually, you grow tired and it will kill you. DO you think you can do the same thing for eternity?" Elgar asked. "Good point. Guess that tunnel was no good. To be trapped in your own mind....fuck. Seriously, that''s fucked up," Ulgor sighed. "To die at the hands of a mage''s parlor tricks....I''d rather fuck that hydra. FUcking a multi-headed hydra with no idea where my little fellow goes is better than that." "Listening to the orc makes me feel stupid for some reason. Master, can I squish it?" the ifrit asked. "I agree with the fire giant," the white blade demon said with Void and the other blade demons nodding in agreement. "Fucking a hydra....I''d at least wait for it to have a more humanoid form first," Elgar brooded. "Is that you plan to do to the hydra when we make it out of this temple?" Ulgor asked. "Why should I soil my body with that thing?" Elgar spat. "Who knows how many of its own sons, half grandson and half son, or whatever the hell it fucked to make more. Just let me recover my soul and spirit energy. I''ll make more minions and explore the middle tunnel next. I refuse to believe only one tunnel could lead to powerful artifacts and rare treasures." "Just trying to get rid of the boredom is all. You must be really pissed off after wasting so much time exploring the first tunnel. Whoever built that tunnel seriously kicked your ass," Ulgor laughed. "Ifrit, I forgot to ask. What is your name?" Elgar asked as he began to absorb the spirit and soul energy around him. "Pyrozane," the ifrit answered. "Does master have need of me?" "You asked to squish the orc. While I need him alive, he is becoming a nuisance. How about you repeat what you did earlier. As I seem to recall, you were the one that threw him up the stairs before. This time it will be just a little narrower. Can you handle that?" "Gladly master. I''ll try to make sure not to throw him too hard. A few scratches won''t matter," Pyrozane smiled as it picked up Ulgor. "HEY! Let me down you stupid ifrit! Let me down!" Ulgor roared. "You want me to tell Argolin what happened the first time?" Elgar asked. "Ha! You don''t scare me. We''re locked in the temple," Ulgor laughed. "I can control my skeletal archers you know. The connections still there. I can have them write on the ground a little story of how a little orc pissed himself as he was thrown up a few flights of stairs like a rag doll. I can make some interesting details on how much he screamed like a little human girl. If you don''t mind, I''ll order Pyrozane to let you down," Elgar shrugged and was about to say something when Ulgor raised a hand. "Fuck me," Ulgor said. "Throw me then. Just one question. If the connection is still there, can you summon Magmar and the Ice Brood inside the temple too? The connection as their master should still be there too if you can still order the skeletal archers outside." "You do say some smart things once in a while," Elgar grinned. "I forgot about that. I only considered my necromantic summons. Magmar does count, but I didn''t think about the Ice Brood. My thanks." "So I won''t be thrown?" Ulgor asked, hope appearing in his eyes. "Nope. You''re still getting thrown. Pyrozane, be a little gentler with your throw." "AHHHHH! Stupid hybrids!!!" Ulgor cursed as the ifrit thrw him up the stairs. "Now I can recover in peace. Tell Ulgor to be quiet when he comes back down," Elgar said as he closed his eyes and resumed his cultivation. "Our new master is indeed scarier than our previous one," the white blade demon murmured while the others all nodded in agreement. "Be sure to make a nice impression. Once we number a large army in the future, the weak and the ones he remembers the least might be sacrificed like those minions in the first tunnel. After all, minions are expendable. We must do a good job so that he remembers our resourcefulness." Hiatus Announcement Hello. Some of you are wondering why I haven''t released any chapters lately. The answer is because writing magic stories is hard and I get stressed trying to come up with so many ideas that consist of so many elements. Some of you are saying I added too many elements for him to learn so early on. I gotta admit that they are right. I made advances but they are too spread out. Writing a story is different than reading one. I am NOT cancelling it. I am merely taking a break. How long? I don''t know this time. I honestly did not expect to write above twenty five chapters and this story began as a one-shot with ten intended chapters like my other one-shots. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I am currently writing another story based on my experience in writing and I am starting to enjoy that one more. I apologize to all my readers for this unexpected development. Once you write a story, you realize how it is to enjoy reading one more than writing one. Some commented that I am a better fantasy writer with xianxia elements. I agree with them albeit regretfully. Many writers stopped writing the last few days as well. I don''t know if it''s the stress or the hot summer weather. Sorry and thanks for reading up to this point. I''d like to think the last chapter was a good cliffhanger to end with.