《Claret》 Vol:X - Claret: T.O.C / Discussion / Spoiler Well, I heard someone complain about the chapters not being in order. Since there is not much I can do about that, I decided to make a small Table of Contents. Not like it''s really necessary at this point though -_-'' TABLE OF CONTENTS Ch: 00 - A Prologue¡¯s Lament Ch: 01 - A Coward¡¯s Requiem Ch: 02 - A Child¡¯s Elegy Ch: 03 - A Playboy¡¯s Monody Ch: 04 - A Crying Boy¡¯s Threnody Ch: 05 - The Dirge of a Gardener Ch: 06 - Intermission Ch: 07 - A Fwiend¡¯s Weeping Ch: 08 - A Lone Child''s Wailing Ch: 09 - An Honorable Knight''s Complaint Ch: 10 - A ******''s Sobbing* Ch: 11 - A Ghoul''s Lament* Ch: 12 - Epilogue* (*Are planned chapters. Actual number of chapters may change.) And now that that stuff is out of the way! We have some something interesting before I release the chapter! Well... It would be much easier to release the entire thing once I finish it, but leaving a hint or two to completely mess with your heads is perfectly fine in my book. Well this is a short excerpt from chapter 8, Spoiler : I didn¡¯t notice myself breathing a sigh of relief. ¡°Right, I remember that. They were complaining that they couldn¡¯t use the children.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Well, it seems they will still be alive till you get around to killing them. Stab, Stab, Stabbidy stab, the knife sinks slowly into my chest I slammed my fist into the table. A large snap was heard as a crack spread diagonally across it. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes, forcing myself to chase the voice away. I could feel the cold metal against my hand, the illusionary knife finding its way into my grasp. Hehehe, is little Aren actually close to breaking? Isn¡¯t it about time you joined me? It just takes one little knife thrust. Right to the heart. Conspiracy theories commence! Is Tui a psychopath leading us all to a bad end? Is there some super important detail that everyone is missing? Who is the her that is constantly mentioned? Stay tuned to find out! ..................................................... And now that I''ve finally gotten over my fever, I can start releasing chapters more frequently again. (I feel reaaaaally bad for not releasing these chapters sooner.) So here is the teaser for chapter 9. Be forewarned, this one is a bit more of a tease than most. Spoiler : ¡°It hurts¡­¡± the girl whimpered, ¡°Woss¡­ Awair¡­. it hurts¡­¡± The force of Ross shaking the cage suddenly increased, ¡°Let her go you bastard! Let her go!¡± ¡°No.¡± Was the brother ghoul¡¯s reply. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Ross screamed, tearing himself away from the cage and scanning the wall behind him for the keys. Yeah... That Dead End is looking mighty close right now... Maybe I really am a psychopath? Tui signing off. {[999baw}] Vol:1 - Ghouls Lament Ch: 0 A Prologues Lament It was a starless night, with heavy rain obscuring the sky from view. The rain was cold, ceaseless and heavy, muffling the screams that should have stretched across the plaza. The source of the screams was a young man, whose lungs had long since froze and throat long since given out. Tears could not be seen, wails could not be heard; the young man¡¯s emotions were hidden from the view of the world. The young man was scared. His knuckles turned white as he continued to clench the metallic object in his hand. He remained hunched over what was being stolen from him, knowing he was losing something precious. The girl beneath the young man didn¡¯t open her eyes. She didn¡¯t smile up at him. Her body was already beginning to turn cold, the heat slowly draining away. If the young man was crying, no one would have been able to notice. His face curled into a smile as he started to laugh. It was a laughter that came from deep within. A laughter twisted by insanity, melded with sorrow, and meshed with emotions unknown to him. He couldn¡¯t understand why he was laughing. The young man wished the rain would sweep him away. He wished the rain would sweep his sins away, take away his mistake. It was all his fault. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t been late¡­¡±, he whispered to no one in particular. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t been late¡­¡± The young man¡¯s laughter died and he let the rain berate him. He could no longer feel his heart beating, it had already broken. The young man was growing cold, just like the girl in his arms. ¡°I promised I wouldn¡¯t be late. I knew she would be mad. I told myself I wouldn¡¯t be late¡­¡± The words struggled to come out. The man had channeled everything into his screams: his anger, his sadness, and his love for the girl. They tore away at his throat, slowly robbing him of his ability to speak. The young man¡¯s words came out hoarse and monotone, ¡°Why was I late? It wasn¡¯t my fault right? It wasn¡¯t my fault.¡± He tried to loosen his grip, but the young man¡¯s knuckles continued to cling to the knife. If he let go now, he could run. If he let go now, he could abandon her to save himself... The puddle beneath him, looked like a spilled bottle of claret wine. The liquid spreaded thin under the heavy rain, and crept around the base of the fountain. The pure water of the fountain still shone silver, even while surrounded by scarlet wine. He hated himself for finding it beautiful. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He hated himself for holding this knife. He hated himself for being late. He hated himself for¡­ The young man found himself skidding across the cement. Someone had wrenched him from the girl, and thrown him across the ground. The young man struggled to rise, but a strong force was holding him down. He wanted to keep the girl within his vision. He thought that if he looked away from her now, he would never see her again. The pulsating red light tried to pull him back to his senses. It barely reached his vision, just adding another shade of red to the scenery around him. His arms felt heavy, his eyes fought to keep themselves open. The young man wondered if it would be better if he fell asleep now and never woke up. After all, in a dream, he could act like none of this had happened. In a dream, he could actually be here on time. In a dream, he could see her smile once more. In a dream¡­ Some men lifted the girl up, taking her to the pulsating red light. Screaming, ¡°Don¡¯t take her!¡±, the young man struggled to reach for the girl. His arm outstretched, trying to grasp something that was now beyond his reach. The person holding him slammed down with more force. The young man¡¯s face was shoved against the cement, pressing up against the pool of claret wine. Every breath was filled with the smell of iron. The wine seeped into his mouth, forcing its taste upon him. It tasted nothing like the sweet claret wine he had once drank with the girl. The young man was alone. Alone in the puddle of red. Alone in the rain. Alone in a dark and frigid world. ----------------------------------------------- Spoiler : As some of you might have noticed, some of my chapters vanished. So I shall be reposting them all. That is the reason for all these post dates to be so closely linked. I was able to save all the chapters, but none of the comments ;_; Sorry for the trouble, Tui {[999aba}] T.O.C/Next Vol:1 - Ghouls Lament Ch: 1 A Cowards Requiem What is a hero? Is it someone who has an extraordinary amount of fame? Is it someone with some special power that all others lack? Or is it actually someone who reaches out to help another no matter the cost to themselves? Of course to me, the only answer was number three. And it was the only option that was impossible to achieve inside this game. You were rewarded for all the quests the system assigned you.You could never help someone for the sake of helping them. All the players in this area of the city had received a small quest from the guards at the same time earlier. It wasn¡¯t that big of a quest, only an F difficulty. The quest was to locate a ghoul in the city. You didn¡¯t have to kill it, nor did you have to fight it. All one had to do was tell the guards where it was. Of course, all the low level players jumped at the chance. You could hear them discussing it all day at the restaurant. It was a simple and easy quest that required no skills. There was even a rumor that one would earn points with the kingdom if you succeeded. They didn¡¯t act to stop a monster, they acted because of their own greed. I was one of the few people who didn¡¯t care for such a quest. After all, if I was even remotely close to a monster I might have to see that. I joined Royal Road to get over my fear of that. But I was still working my way up to it. Sure it may have been three months already, but slow and steady wins the race right? I walked down one of the alleyways having just finishing my cooking quest for the day. I had been wasting my time at a restaurant doing miscellaneous jobs and preparing meals since I got here. I had hoped that the occasional accident would slowly increase my affinity with that. Sadly on all the days I¡¯ve worked there nothing had ever happened. The only thing the job had managed to do was keep me on edge and give me cooking practice. The head chef even praised that ever since I joined the injury count has all but disappeared. A chill ran down my back. Sometimes you feel you are at a crossroads. That something you are doing is going to affect your life beyond what you can control. You can¡¯t fight it, you can¡¯t escape. You just have to hope that when that feeling comes you made the right choice. I think I managed to make a great one.
[p=center]You are the second person to discover the ghoul[/p]
[p=center]The guard has already been notified[/p]
[p=center]Help the guard defeat the ghoul for an extra reward[/p]
What the system called a ghoul, was a woman whose age might not have even reached thirty. She would have been entirely human, if not for the fact of the corpse beneath her feet, and the blood seeping from her mouth. At the sight of her my blood ran cold, and my pulse slowed. In this game she was a monster. In this game she was something that needed to be slain. A guard stood next to her with his sword raised. Ghouls are monsters that feast on human flesh. They are enemies to human kind, and no right minded person in the kingdom would let one live. If a single ghoul managed to live, murders would happen frequently as the ghoul struggled to survive. Or at least, that¡¯s what the guardsman had told us when the quest had appeared. I would have been judgmental like the rest of the players, I would have watched as the guard dropped his blade. If not for two reasons beyond my control: One, More of that would appear; Two, the ghoul was crying. She did not run. She did not fight. And yet, she continued to cry. And then I noticed, a detail so easily disregarded in that situation. A detail so important I would most likely retch if the blade dropped. The wound on the corpse was a narrow slit carved downward across its chest. The ghoul, no the woman, was unarmed and unable to cause out such a wound. The guardsman however did have such a bladed weapon.. Help the guard defeat the ghoul for extra reward If I had time I would have spat out in annoyance, but instead I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. I was a mere level 6, and out of those levels none were gained from combat. At minimum, a guards level was 30. No one would think this was a bright idea. Even I, the person taking the action felt a little foolish. And Yet, I rammed my shoulder into the guard, sending him reeling into the wall. Who in their right mind decides to save a monster? My foot landed in a puddle fresh warm liquid. The mere sound of liquid squelching underneath my feet was almost enough to cause me to faint. The thought of the blood beneath my feet caused my limbs to feel sluggish and weak. If I was not in a position where I could be killed with one swipe of a sword, I would have already fainted.
[p=center]Hemophobia + 5[/p]
The guardsman shook himself off as he stood up from the wall. ¡°What are you doing you fool? In case you can¡¯t see, that thing is a ghoul. Back away so I can slay her.¡± ¡°I uhh¡­¡± I paused, then swallowed. ¡°do plan to get in the way it seems.¡± ¡°She killed that man. If you don¡¯t let me do my job she¡¯ll kill again.¡± But if he kills her, more blood will be spilled. You don¡¯t want that do you? I stared back at the guardsman. He had a large iron sword and wore leather armor. He stood at least a few inches taller than me, and he was definitely more muscular. I had no doubt he could silence me with a single swipe of that sword. But my body wouldn¡¯t allow me to run even if I wanted too. That man is a murderer, if you leave him alone more blood will be spilled ¡°Like I would let a murderer get away with killing an innocent girl.¡± ¡°That thing is a monster!¡± He screamed. ¡°Maybe, but she isn¡¯t the only one.¡± He noticed my gaze crossing his blood covered blade. The guardsman went silent, and his scowl thickened for a fragment of a second. He smiled as if to cover it up, ¡°Its from when I struck the ghoul.¡± Are you going to treat her as an injured woman ready to die? I pointed at the woman and answered the voice, ¡°She¡¯s not injured yet.¡± This was not something that I could mistake, not anymore. If you abandon her she soon will be. Her blood would continue to dye this street in that color you love so much. It will be as if roses covered the land. You would like that, wouldn¡¯t you? The guard drew up his blade towards the sky. The tip shone with a scarlet tinge as the sun bounced off it. Dodge you fool! He swung his sword downwards, faster than my eyes could process. But, my body had already started to reel backwards dodging the blade by a narrow margin. It slammed near my feet, causing a small spray of red to land on my leather pants. I fought the urge to tear it off. Only those that cause the injury in the first place are evil. Spilling blood is a crime that only those with wicked hearts could pull off. ¡°Stay still you little bugger.¡± The guardsman called out as he continued to swing at me. I continued to move around avoiding the blows. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯d rather not get killed by being an immobile target. That doesn¡¯t seem like a good plan for living a healthy life,¡± I replied to the guard casually, taking another step back. If I had any stats placed in strength I might have been able to win. But I had not bothered to increase any stat but agility. Its not like I needed any strength to do the odd jobs around town. I spun on my heel as he swung his sword around. Placing all my stats in agility might not have been that bad of a decision, I was fast enough that I did manage to avoid his attacks. My speed must have been only slightly more than his. Each attack of his brought the blade a little closer to my neck, and me a little closer to my death. A single strike of his would probably kill me at my current HP. I took one more step back and¡­slid on the blood beneath my feet. His sword came whistling past where my neck should had been. It pounded against the wall instead, propelling itself from his hands.The guard also ended up losing his footing and sliding in the red liquid. Maybe it was luck. Maybe one of the gods that governed this game wanted to help me. But the blade landed at my feet. I picked it up, and once again rose to my feet. In royal road you could not steal a weapon without killing the owner. But in combat there was a small querk to that rule. As long as the weapon remained within a small distance of the owner, anyone could use it. I picked up the blade, and raised it slowly above my head. The guard looked at me wide-eyed, fear evident in his expression. An average warrior could slice this mans neck and be done with it. The guard¡¯s expression was that of a rat coming across its natural 4 legged predator. But I wasn¡¯t an average warrior, I couldn¡¯t swing it down, ¡°Run, and forget you ever saw us.¡± ¡°Puhahaha¡± The guardsman laughed. Why wouldn¡¯t he? I won through a fluke after all. He probably knew how weak I actually was. Even if I swung, I doubted I could even shred a small section of his HP away. To his laughter I replied with my own. For some odd reason that managed to shut him up. ¡°You do realize I¡¯m a foreigner right? I will come back even if you manage to kill me. I¡¯ll remember your rat-like face and hunt you down for the rest of your life.¡± I smiled, ¡°Your very short life.¡± He nodded. All NPCs knew that players were treated as freedman sent by the goddess of something or other. ¡°That means that no matter how many times you manage to kill me I¡¯ll keep on coming back. I only need to succeed once to wipe you off this map. So tell me this.¡± I smiled, ¡°Do you think you want to risk angering such a person?¡± The guard shook his head slowly, and stood up. He did not answer, but instead exited the alleyway towards the city exit. He probably went to wash his clothes in a nearby stream. That didn¡¯t really bother me, with the danger he possessed now gone I had the chance to worry about more pressing things. Like whether or not the ghoul I had just helped would really end up eating me. I peered down at the lady, it seems she had finally managed to turn herself away from the corpse. She was wiping her face with the inside of her sleeve, it was obvious that she had been crying the entire time. Her black hair slid down her back, it was knotted and ratty. Her clothes were not better off, and had several holes in places I would rather not mention. The first words the ghoul said to me were, ¡°Thank you..¡± That alone was enough for me to know I did not make the wrong decision. A silent pang of pain rang out from somewhere inside me, but I choked it down. She grabbed me by the hand and started to run. Which in hindsight was probably a good idea, I did just threaten to kill a guard. And I was standing over a dead body. And the lady currently holding my hand was just eating it¡­ We were only running for a short while. You would be amazed at how many places there are to hide in a city. The alleyways are only the entrances to an entire hidden world. Okay, maybe saying that is going a bit too far, but there are a lot of places to hide. The ghoul dragged me into one of those places, a hidden cellar nestled between two buildings. A had a vague notion that following a monster that was just eating someone was a bad idea, but I ignored it. I was more concerned about why she was crying. The cellar had a moldy scent to it, it was slightly damp and cool inside. The room was lit by a single lantern that seemed to be on its last legs.. The ghoul had not a speck of blood visible on her. The fact that she had been standing over a fresh corpse not even five minutes beforehand and still managed to be clean of blood was all but a mystery to me. ¡°I¡¯m surprised.¡± She said once the door had been closed behind us. She slowly and carefully refilled the small lantern on the side of the wall, ¡°Most humans tend to attack us first in such a situation. Why did you not do the same?¡± I paused, giving myself a moment to answer honestly, ¡°You didn¡¯t kill that man.¡± ¡°But I was eating him.¡± I faltered¡­ For most people that should have been terrifying. But I was hemophobic, and in a sense that fear overpowered everything else in that situation. That fear was not something the game could cure me of. It was the reason I had never been able to draw a sword. It was the reason why I was still in my starting city three months in. It was the reason why I could barely stand here. And, it was the reason I fought here today.
Hemophobia: This stat cannot be increased by giving skill points. It will increase or decrease depending on the actions of the player. This stat manipulates the user. As the stat increases new skills may be unlocked.
For me, the fact that the ghoul was eating someone didn¡¯t scare me. The fact that more blood would be spilled if the ghoul or the guard was harmed did. It was irrational, but that irrationality was forced upon me by the game. Although I was still somewhat worried that it was my natural thought process. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to reply to that.¡± I finally manage to say. ¡°I see,¡± she said nodding. She lowered her gaze looking at the floor, ¡°Ghouls have a hunger that increases the longer they go without eating. We only need to eat once every few months to quench it and we never kill our meals.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure why she was telling me this but I kept my mouth shut. ¡°The guardsman killed the man, and the scent of blood drove me to eat. I hadn¡¯t eaten anything in 3 months, and I was unable to suppress my desire. Being a ghoul, I was forced to eat no matter what was happening around me.¡± ¡°Why did you go 3 months without eating anything?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t had the chance since I came to this city. Eating in this city will only serve to make the townspeople hate me. I can¡¯t be killed yet, I need to-¡± She went silent. ¡°You need to?¡± I asked. ¡°I need to rescue my children.¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spoiler : Hello everyone, Tui-nya here. A quick thank you to everyone that gave this chapter a read-over for me. If it wasn¡¯t for you I wouldn¡¯t have even bothered to post this. Hopefully I can give you all a ride worth remembering. End Chapter 1 Previous/T.O.C/Next Vol:1 - Ghouls Lament Ch: 2 A Child鈥檚 Elegy The twins danced around the dark room together as Alexia the mother watched. The younger of the twins, Elle, dragged her brother, Eli, along as they climbed under, around and over the furniture playing a game visible to only them. ¡°Brother! This way, This way!¡± ¡°Roger that,¡± He saluted and then both of them hid under the table. ¡°Shhh¡­..¡± Elle whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t let the soldiers find us.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°If they find us¡­¡± the little sister was about to say. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you.¡± Eli cut her off, but his voice was still a whisper. He rubbed the top of his sisters head. Alexia smiled at that. Eli always loved the hero stories Alexia would tell. Especially the ones with a damsel in distress. ¡°But brother¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± he asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get hurt¡­¡± He got out from under the table and stuck his chest out, ¡°Ha, you think those guys can hurt me. I¡¯ll protect you, no problem.¡± The house they lived in was dark. The furniture was old and rotted. They rarely had food on the table, but even so this home was a very warm place. A place filled with enough love for them to drown in. Elle hugged her brother, he gave a slight smile as he patted her head. They were around the same height so he had to reach up to pat her. ¡°Brother?¡± Elle looked up at her sibling with a worried expression, ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± The brother looked off to the side, ¡°What sound?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a dry creaky sou-¡± ¡°Elle, I¡¯m going to... uh...take a nap .¡± He interrupted her, ¡°For some reason I¡¯m tired from all that playing.¡± He gently pushed her away and walked slowly towards the only other room in the house. Elle looked saddened by her brother leaving, but she didn¡¯t chase after him. She just stood there silently not doing anything. Elle always went quiet for a moment whenever her brother wasn¡¯t in the room. She was almost always with him, so even this tiny parting must have felt weird to her. Elle looked up at Alexia, ¡°Momma I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Be patient dear.¡± Alexia smiled soothingly, ¡°It¡¯s hasn¡¯t been long since our last meal.¡± In truth it had already been a few months. An adult ghoul could go at least 3 months without a meal, but for a child it was pushing it to go one. ¡°But Momma,¡± the small girl held out her hand, ¡°I¡¯m starting to peel again.¡± Alexia sucked in a sharp breath and narrowed her eyes. The dark house made it difficult to see the details of her two children so Alexia had not noticed Elle¡¯s peeling skin before this. Alexia took special care not to let Elle see her face. She did not want her child to see her current expression. ¡°I understand, I will go get something for us to eat.¡± ¡°Really?¡± the girl asked. ¡°Really.¡± ¡°Really Really?¡± Alexis nodded. Elle revealed a large and pure smile. The little girl danced around the empty table that hadn¡¯t seen food in a month. She spun in large circles, twisting around on the strands of sunlight shining through to the floor. She hadn¡¯t seemed that joyous in weeks. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later sweetie. I¡¯ll come back later tonight.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯m.¡± The girl cutely saluted before running off towards the back room. Small white pieces flowed off her like snow. In a sense it was beautiful. Although to Alexia it was abhorrent and monstrous. Alexia stepped out of the house and closed the door gently behind her. She locked it behind her with a small smile. She was only acting calm for her childrens sake. They didn¡¯t know the true meaning behind what was happening to their bodies. The sun shone directly above her head. The excess heat caused her to sweat quickly as she ran through the forest. The trees seemed to absorb the heat of the sunlight, and that alongside with the recent rain, made it humid beyond compare. Her clothes stuck to her skin and her breathing became harsh. Every movement was pushing her body a little further beyond the limits of what it should handle. It took her 3 hours to reach her destination, and by then the sun was already setting. The town closest to her had a recent death. It had been 5 days since the corpse had been buried. It was definitely too soon to acquire it. A ghoul never hunted for a recent corpse, it was an iron rule taught to them by their ancestors. It was how they managed to live to this day. It was common knowledge that digging up a fresh corpse would only cause every descendant and close friend of the man that died to hunt you down. But if you waited, within a few months those visiting the grave would all but cease and you wouldn¡¯t have to worry about acts of revenge. Alexia had no choice, she couldn¡¯t wait a day, let alone a month. She took a quick glance around the cemetery, thanking in her heart that people did not like to live around the dead. The sound of a snapping twig caused her to freeze, causing her to glance around the area nervously. She didn¡¯t move an inch as she waited for something to move. ...nothing. She waited for ten minutes, acting the part of a mourner. Only when she was sure that no one was nearby or noticed her did she set to work. Alexia didn¡¯t bother grabbing a shovel to start digging with, instead she casted the spell ¡®Earthen wall¡¯ above where the coffin was buried. The spell was normally used to prevent attacks from archers and block warriors. But in reality the large wall of dirt was created by raising the soil temporarily off the ground. And along with it the coffin would also rise. The large wall of dirt rose up slowly in order to prevent as much noise as possible. After it fully rose, Alexia walked over to where the head of the coffin would have rested. She started to dig with her hands. This was the trickiest part, she had to pull the coffin out without causing the dirt to collapse. If it fell everyone would know she had tried to steal the corpse. She dug enough that the wider end of the coffin was visible in the hole she made, Alexia reached inside to get a grip on it. She pulled at the coffin as gently as the tomb of earth would allow. A ghouls strength was several times that of a human, at times like this she was happy that she had the strength of a monster. The coffin slid out of the earthen wall and landed on the ground with a light thump. Alexia slowly released her earthen wall and the ground returned to how it was a second ago. If anyone walked on the spot where the coffin originally laid, it would sink. Hopefully those that visited would only think the person who made the coffin to be at fault. Alexia lifted the coffin over her shoulder, and start to run back the way she came. It would be several hours till she reached her house. But the fear of not making it in time provided her with the stamina she needed to run the whole way. The branches of the forest tore at her, and the coffin caused her arms and legs to burn from the weight. But she ignored the pain and continued. Ghouls are a cursed race with bodies unsuitable for living. They may have possessed strength greater than ten men and recovery ability bordering along immortal, but they couldn¡¯t maintain their bodies. A ghouls death was vanishing in a torrent of white as their bodies tore themselves apart. It was an abrupt thing. First their skin would start to flake and a white ash would fall behind them as they moved around. Next their body would start to creak as it struggled to maintain itself, when that happened the ghoul was already on its deathbed. Normally within the day if they reached that point, they would simply scatter into a puff of white at any large shock. A ghoul¡¯s death for a human looked stunningly beautiful, and the same can be said in reverse. She needed to hurry before her child fell apart. Elle had already shown the initial signs, it would only be a few more hours till the break happened. She was almost home with the meal, she could deal with the repercussions if the humans noticed the missing corpse later. The smell of smoke reached her first. The flames could be seen through the trees. The red light caused the shadows to flicker in front of her. They danced like demons around her, laughing at what layed just beyond the trees. She could no longer feel the weight of the casket on her back. Instead the weight of the world was what caused her to fall forward. Her feet barely led beneath her, and she could feel her strength giving away in fear. Alexia¡¯s home was burning¡­ ??? ¡°And then the screaming started.¡± Alexia¡¯s voice began to falter, and her shoulders started to tremble slightly, ¡°If I had been just a little faster¡­ or If I hadn¡¯t left to get that meal for us, they would still be in my arms.¡± I didn¡¯t know what to do. My arms felt heavy. The desire to comfort her with a hug was outweighed by the fact that I was a stranger. A stranger had no right to meddle in her family affairs. A stranger had no right to comfort her. Someone like me would only make her feel worse. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± I said to her as lightly as I could. I knew my words would have no weight to them, I still didn¡¯t know the entire story. But as far as I could tell, she wasn¡¯t the type of person that would wish harm on her children. There was no way she could have been at fault. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking,¡± she said, ¡°I just rushed in.¡± ??? The scream echoed through the nearly silent forest. The animals went silent and just listened to the lone sound. It was as if the forest itself didn¡¯t want to face the noise. It was a noise built on the fear of parting with loved ones. . It was not coming from her kids. The sound was coming from her own throat as her mind neared its breaking point. She screamed to express her grief, her worry, her anger. The burden of the flames was too much for her to bear with a sane mind. She could not bear the thought that her children might be hurt or worse¡­ The entrance of the house had already started to fall apart. The door hung limply to the side like a limb with a small piece of flesh holding it to the main body. ¡°Elle!¡± She screamed, ¡°Eli!¡± The burning house was completely silent if not for the crackles and groaning of the old wood.. She ran through the small house looking for her children. The usually dark house was sheathed in a red light, the floor wreathed in blood red flowers called fire. ¡°Where are you two!?¡± She screamed again, ¡°Please answer me!¡± The flames reached out towards her as if to pull her in. Alexia slammed the back room door open, but inside the flames were even worse. The large bed the three of them used to share was now the center of a giant vermillion tower of serpentine tendrils. The flames soaked across the ceiling and in moments sealed her path. No matter which way she looked the flames blocked her. She continued to yell, seeking for an answer in the burning room. Alexia felt a sharp sting across the back of her neck and her legs gave out beneath her. She tried to push herself back up, but she found herself pinned to the floor. The burning support resting on top of her. Her body started to creak under the stress of being overworked, and the flames might have be the final straw for it to collapse. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°M¡¯am,¡± a voice yelled, ¡°Are you okay M¡¯am? What the hell are you doing rushing into a burning house like this? Give me a second, and I¡¯ll get you right out. Thank god we have priests outside to treat the burns.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure who the voice was, but she was too tired to care. ¡°My children, where are my children!?¡± She shamelessly yelled at the voice. The weight on her back forced the air out of her lungs. ¡°You¡¯re the only one inside here M¡¯am, we checked earlier when we first noticed the fire. Although we hadn¡¯t expected someone to rush inside after we checked it.¡± the voice sighed, ¡°Damn, I didn¡¯t think I would have to run into the same burning building twice today.¡± She felt the weight on her back lessen slightly. ¡°M¡¯am, can you crawl out? This thing is heavier than I thought.¡± She struggled to pull herself free. The pillar of fire coming off the bed was a few feet from her face, the heat alone made her skin feel like it would catch ablaze. Her body had already reached its breaking point, it was not meant to run long distance with that exceedingly large weight. She hadn¡¯t thought about the effects on her body, her children and her could be repaired once they ate.. ¡°M¡¯am can you move?¡± The voice asked again, slightly unnerved. ¡°...¡± ¡°M¡¯am!?¡± The weight on her back shifted some more, and air slowly crept its way into her lungs. ¡°Are you okay M¡¯am? Talk to me?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± She choked out. The voice went silent. The only thing she could hear was the crackling of her home falling apart. Alexia felt the weight increase a bit. After a moment the voice returned, ¡°M¡¯am try to keep your eyes closed.¡± Alexia tried to turn to see the voice, but the wood kept her pinned down to the ground. ¡°Why?¡± she barely managed to say. Alexia blinked for an instant. And then everything above her was torn away. The weight. The flames. The heat. The pain. Everything was ripped away from her. And it had taken less time than it took to blink. The voice finally appeared in front of her. He was a young man in appearance, the thin light of embers illuminating his face. His features were sharp, and had a kind gaze. He held his hand out to Alexia. She grasped it as firmly as she could, which was now far below even an average humans strength. He gently brought her to her feet. ¡°M¡¯am, you alright? The priest will be over here in a second.¡± The man waved someone over from outside the rubble. The house was cleaved in half, the roof and the upper half of the walls were completely gone. There was a single flat line going through the house. Above the line laid clear skies, below the remnants of her burning house. A fear silently blossomed into her heart. Alexia forced herself to maintain a facade, most of those with power would not stand at the side of a ghoul. If they found out, she would not continue to live. True to the mans word, a warm light spread around her. The priest that had showed up was strangely young, maybe no older than her own children. The spells healed her minor wounds and burns, but she knew at the core her body would still be about to fall apart. As soon as he finished he bowed, and stepped back. It was almost as if he wanted to leave the speaking to the older man. The older man nodded to the priest, and turned to face her, ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± Alexia gave a brief confirmation. She nervously glanced towards the coffin she had abandoned before she ran into the house. The coffin had luckily fallen amidst some bushes and could not be seen that easily. The man followed her gaze, and if he noticed he didn¡¯t say anything. He suddenly clapped his hands, ¡°Ah! I forgot to introduce myself, I am the knight Gravus, I work under the Marquess of Ardent.¡± he took a brief glance at her eyes, and a flash of realization spread across his face. ¡°Men!¡± Gravus yelled. ¡°Yessir!?¡± more than 10 men replied, even the priest had stood at attention. ¡°Fan out and search for this lady¡¯s children, they must have panicked when her house caught fire and ran.¡± Each of the men in turn started to turn around and head into the forest. Gravus watched his men leave, and started to talk almost to himself, ¡°I have a daughter, I know how irrational parents get when their children are in danger.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± He went paused for a second, looking at the large bonfire of the house, ¡°I was sent here to find and kill the ghoul that resides in this house.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Alexia felt a chill go down her spine. She became acutely aware of the sword on his waist. Gravus sat down and layed on the grass with his arms behind his head. He didn¡¯t look even remotely worried with her next to him. It either meant that he didn¡¯t know she was a ghoul, or that he had enough power not to care. ¡°Well this quest was a waste.¡± Gravus sighed, ¡°Not only did I have charge into a burning building twice. I¡¯m going to have to give up hunting the ghoul too.¡± ¡°...Why?¡± ¡°Finding your children is more important M¡¯am. I¡¯m not going to kill something for existing, even more so when I have children to save instead. Having a quest isn¡¯t that big of a deal, saving a life is far more important.¡± The wind lifted some of the dryer leaves off the ground and tossed them into the flames. They curled up slowly, turning brittle. When another breeze blew past the leaves scattered into dust. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Alexia said slowly. She wasn¡¯t sure if the man would kill her if she did something inhuman like. So whenever she dealt with people she tried to keep the talking to a minimum. The day she spoke too much, would be the day she planned on dying anyway. ¡°Hahaha,¡± He lightly tapped her shoulder, ¡°Not a problem. When It comes to children I know that a parent would worry about them. If my daughter was in the same situation I would risk going to war against the world.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± Gravus sat up and looked towards one of his men that had returned from within the forest. The man in question had a rather serious expression. ¡°The Marques has sent his honor guard near here our men are at a confrontation.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Honor guard?¡± Alexia asked. Gravus, got to his feet quickly. He must have felt it wasn¡¯t the time to be lying down, ¡°The honor guard is the Marques¡¯ dishonorable work force. They are known for pillaging, killing, and burning whatever they see fit. If me and my knights are people who fight with honor, those are the men that fight for greed.¡± Alexia tried to look towards her burning house. Gravus reached over and covered her eyes, ¡°That feeling you have right now, abandon it. Revenge is only suitable for those that don¡¯t have something to protect.¡± He smiled lightly, it didn¡¯t reach his eyes, ¡°Its the same reason I haven¡¯t hunted down my wife¡¯s killer myself. I have a daughter to protect. When we find your children, you¡¯ll need to protect them too.¡± ¡°What if I-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Gravus interrupted, ¡°You will, have no doubt about that at least.¡± ¡°What makes you so sure!?¡± Alexia screamed, ¡°I come back home only to find my house burning and my children nowhere in sight. And you think I can calmly act like they are okay? To make it worse you just said that dishonor guard kills and burns whatever they want. How can I act like¡­ How can I act like my children are safe!?¡± Her fists were clenched so tightly they had started to bleed. He looked her as calmly in the eyes as he could, ¡°Because as a knight I swear to you I will bring them back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make promises you can¡¯t keep.¡± A new male voice broke in. Alexia had never heard this man before but something in his tone made her want to vomit. Alexia and Gravus turned to face the man. He stood behind Gravus¡¯ ally with a rat-like and seedy expression. The Ally that had warned them of the honor guard was currently made into a makeshift scarecrow. His eyes were bulging open, and his mouth flopped open and closed. If it weren¡¯t for the sword in his chest, that soldier would have already fallen down. ¡°Ranthus.¡± The man smiled, but it appeared to be more like a sneer. ¡°Gravus, I am so happy you remember my name. But seriously? Isn¡¯t it against the knights code to lie to a lady? Is that anyway for a Knight to act?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gravus replied, his voice felt restrained. ¡°That lady¡¯s children of course! Don¡¯t you realize that she is the ghoul our boss told you to hunt down? You were supposed to kill her while we captured her children. I¡¯ve already completed my end of the mission, so you have no chance at fulfilling that promise of yours.¡± Alexia¡¯s eyes widened, and she bit her lip. If she had taken the time to eat, she still would have had the power to defend herself and get her children back. She would not allow her children to be with anyone else. Gravus reached for his sword, ¡°My men will save both this lady and her children.¡± ¡°Puhahaha, and how are you going to do that? As we speak my men are hunting down those traitor¡¯s one by one.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± Ranthus shrugged his shoulders, ¡°We ended up having to hunt down your heretical soldiers when they tried to protect our targets. Well you can thank that lady¡¯s children for at least that much, if those kids hadn¡¯t been running away before we got to the house your men wouldn¡¯t have had the opportunity to get in the way. Chasing them down was a real pain you know that?¡± Gravus set his stance and held his sword between himself and Ranthus. ¡°M¡¯am, I¡¯m sorry... I promised you I would save your children and I will keep it no matter what, but for right now I need you to run¡± The knight sighed, ¡°Not only did I have to run into a burning building twice today and my men were killed, I also have to betray the marques, my luck today is absolutely crap.¡± She stared at the knight. He smiled sparing her a short glance, ¡°I told you to run.¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spoiler : Welcome back, This chapter was a slight change in perspective from what the initial chapter had. But make no mistakes the main character will not change. I will continue to use the MC of the first chapter for the entirety of this story. I hope that you all enjoy this little adventure. Comments, rants are all accepted. Or if you just want to say Hi, thats fine too. Thank you as always, Tui. End Chapter 2 Previous/T.O.C/Next Vol:1 - Ghouls Lament Ch: 3 A Playboy鈥檚 Monody ¡°What happened to Gravus?¡± Alexia looked at the flickering light of the lantern, ¡°Probably killed.¡± ¡°Probably?¡± ¡°Ranthus was the guardsman you just fought. Since he is still alive, I doubt Gravus lived from that encounter.¡± At this I went silent. Her voice cracked and she struggled to release the words she had been holding back, ¡°I will get my children back.¡± ¡°Do you know where they are?¡± ¡°Most likely in the Marquess¡¯ manor¡± ¡°...¡± She smiled, it seemed so small and painful. ¡°I know that charging in there blindly would be a stupid idea. The building has many armed guards, and they wouldn¡¯t think twice about stabbing an intruder.¡± I clicked my tongue in annoyance. If It had been any other situation I would have abandoned it on the spot. It was not something that involved me, it was not something I had to deal with. But dammit, she was trying to save her children. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± I asked. She wrinkled her brow, ¡°To do?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I repeated myself, ¡°You told me your story for a reason didn¡¯t you? What do you want me to do.¡± Her eyes widened for a brief moment, before that small and painful smile returned. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to do anything.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± She looked towards the only light in the room, a small candle nearly entirely burned away, ¡°I¡¯ve spent the last three months in silence. I don¡¯t really know the reason why I told you all this. Maybe I just wanted to speak again without someone trying to kill me. Maybe I just wanted to smile for the last time.¡± The smile tore my heart apart. And yet she did not ask me for my help. ¡°Last time?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Last time?¡± I repeated. ¡°I plan to break into the Manor in a few hours after the sun sets. I¡¯ll muscle my way through the gates if I have to. They¡¯ve nearly caught me last time, but I might make it through this time.¡± she gripped her arm and flexed, there was nothing there and I could not help but notice how skinny she was. She did not look like someone able to ¡®muscle¡¯ her way into a fully guarded mansion. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± I found myself saying. ¡°Are you telling me not to save my children?¡± I shook my head, ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you not to go tonight. I¡¯ll go in myself and save them.¡± ¡°I can do it myself.¡± ¡°And risk leaving those kids without a mother?¡± Her eyes narrowed, and the smile vanished. I held my ground and stared her in the eyes. Finally she gave in a little, ¡°How do you plan to get in?¡± I managed to keep myself from sighing at a certain thought, ¡°I have a friend that could help me get in. I just need some time, but I will save your family.¡± ¡°Why would you help me? I¡¯m a ghoul.¡± I couldn¡¯t think of a proper reply, so I just said, ¡°Why not?¡±
[p=center]Quest Updated[/p]
¡­ By the time I left the hideout the sun had already set. The alleyway had grown eerily dark. I made my way slowly back to the main street, being especially careful not to trip on any boxes. The actual street was lit by a large number of yellow lanterns, swaying gently in front of all the shops and houses. I started walking with my destination already in mind. Even if I wanted too, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get in the manor. I had no doubts that the guardsman could have easily stopped a mere level six from trying to break inside. But sadly enough, I knew someone who could get me in. Why was it sad? I had a hard time dealing with the person in question. I let out a long drawn out sigh as I made my way to a section of the city where the red lights covered all. Make no mistakes, Royal Road is not a game for minors. All merchants try to make a profit and the red light district was one such method. That being said, almost no players actually went there. A players fame needlessly lowered if they spent too long in this area. The NPCs would speak ill of them and lower their chances of receiving a quest. No one wanted to ask a man that had to pay for love to work for them. They all wanted a righteous hero to do the job. I found myself entering a particular shop, decorated by a giant sign shaped like a keg. My friend never entered the more R18 shops. He seemed to feel that flirting around was part of the game. The only reason he hung out here was because no one chased him out if he flirted with 6-7 girls in the same ten minute period. There was an exceedingly large rumor that NPCs could not fall in love, that they could only act within pre-set actions. When my friend heard that he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°They should blame the fact that the NPCs are wise enough not to fall for them, on themselves. Those guys think love is so needlessly complicated.¡± I worked my way past a large swarm of NPCs. Although the shops weren¡¯t popular among players, NPCs had no reason not to visit them. Most of them didn¡¯t have to bother with adventuring and quests. The person I was looking for my friend Cur. His level was nearly 40 times that of my own, and although his class left something to beg for in combat, he had a tremendously useful set of skills. [Legendary Redlight Gigolo] a hidden class that he learned directly from a crotchy old man. He was taught the way of eros. Why one would bother learning the ways of eros from a weird old man was anyone¡¯s guess. But if there was anything Cur was good at, it was finding himself a lady to flirt with. Cur was known as the "Casanova of Ardent". His achievements to date have been sneaking into a royal ball, participating (Unrightfully) in a knighting ceremony, and some say he was seen kissing the princess in her father¡¯s castle. Just as I managed to get to the edge of the tavern, I heard someone call out my name. ¡°Alair, what are you doing down here. You finally decide to start picking up girls with me again?¡± ¡°...¡± I turned to find Cur standing with a sloppy smile on his face. He was wearing a black tux, and currently had a bright red mark across the side of his face. The red mark in question was suspiciously hand-shaped. I raised an eyebrow as I looked at him, and he shrugged his shoulders in response. ¡°So what are you up to? You normally try to avoid this area because of that.¡± I looked towards one of the lamps, the red light covered everything like a thin layer of blood. If it was just this much I could get by with a little stomach ache. But this area of the city was prone to bar fights and the like, and the chances of me seeing that irritable liquid was annoyingly high. My hemophobia made me avoid this area as much as humanely possible. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I smiled, it was a bit forced because of all the red around me, ¡°I was wondering if you could tell me how you managed to sneak past all those guards.¡± He laughed, ¡°What?! Are you trying to steal my techniques so you can flirt with girls yourself?¡± ¡°I have an honest reason to use it!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± he crossed his arms, ¡°Then I¡¯m not teaching you.¡± ¡°I just need your help to get past some guards.¡± ¡°Nope. Not teaching you,¡± Cur repeated. I paused for a moment, ¡°Wait, are you saying that you would only teach me if I used it to flirt with girls?¡± He nodded. The heck? This is why I always have a hard time dealing with him. I just can¡¯t understand how he thinks. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°It annoys me that, whenever you''re at school you keep to yourself. The only person that bothers to hang out with you anymore is me. Back in our highschool life, we couldn¡¯t keep the girls off us. I can¡¯t stand seeing you like this anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine as I am.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t happy anymore.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°What do I need to help you with?¡± Cur finally gave in with a sigh. He pulled out one of the free stools and sat down. ¡°I guess even coming here of your own volition is enough progress for the day.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to save some kidnapped children." ¡°Oh?¡± Cur looked surprised, ¡°You are actually doing a quest that seems mildly important? I thought all you ever did in here was deliver packages and avoid stepping outside the city walls every time a chain quest suddenly tried to make you leave.¡± It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want to leave. I wanted to see the outside world just as much as the next guy. The mountains that are filled with gold, the hills lit on constant fire, the wonders that only this world could show us. I wanted to see it all. ¡°It¡¯s not like I-¡± ¡°I know,¡± Cur cut me off, ¡°you don¡¯t have to talk about it right now. Not at this place.¡± he patted me on the shoulder, ¡°So rescuing some children eh? Who¡¯s the kidnapper? Some kobolds? A horde of goblins? Wait neither of those have decent guards, a band of thieves maybe?¡± ¡°The Marquess.¡± I whispered. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...Well damn.¡± To be honest, his reaction didn¡¯t surprise me. A marquess is decently high up on the noble latter. It was slightly above a Count in rank, and was entrusted with some territory at the end of the country. If a player went up against the nobility their infamy would skyrocket. They would become the target of NPCs and players alike. ¡°Well,¡± Cur started to say. ¡°You don¡¯t have to help me if you don¡¯t want to.¡± He nearly spat out his next few words clearly annoyed, ¡°Aren, I¡¯m your friend. If you think a little infamy is going to keep me from helping you, then you are seriously looking down on me as a person. I will help, you just need a way to get in right?¡± He hadn¡¯t noticed but he had called me by my real name. When you know someone outside of the game its hard to keep pretenses when your emotions override your words. It was how I knew I said something clearly wrong towards him. I nodded, ¡°I need to get in, get the children and get out. Simple enough.¡± Cur waved to the bartender, a pretty young girl and ordered two drinks with the wave of his hand. I sat down beside him, it wasn¡¯t till the bartender dropped off his drinks and Cur took a swig once that he spoke again. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you have gotten this quest before I was marked by the marquess? Then I could have helped you more.¡± ¡°Marked?¡± He held up four fingers, ¡°There are four main class skills of the [LRG], well four I care about anyway. I use one of those to sneak around, however it has a few quirks on whether it can be used or not. One of those quirks is if I¡¯m marked by someone, all those working beneath them cannot be fooled by the skill.¡± ¡°So you can¡¯t help?¡± ¡°I can help you learn the skill. I just can¡¯t help you beyond that. Well...¡± He shoved the other beverage out to me. ¡°That is after you swallow all of this.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I asked. ¡°...Trust me its for the best.¡± I gave him an accusatory stare. He shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Fine, you just have to deal with this sober.¡± He held out his hand so that I could see the palm of it. It was red, far redder than the light should have dyed it. That hand was the same one that patted me on the shoulder not even two minutes before. ¡°Blo- blood¡­¡± He nodded solemnly.
[p=center]Hemophobia +5[/p]
I became acutely aware of the sticky and wet sensation as the liquid clung to my back and clothes. I had tripped earlier when fighting the guard. The puddle that had caused my fall was not something I wanted to pay attention too. That same puddle was what covered my back in this instant. If not for the overall redlight of this district, someone would have screamed. My pulse slowed. The world shrunk. And I fainted. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Spoiler : Tui here again. I was a little late for this chapter¡­. I apologize, I mean to try to get them out around the same time every week. Well it¡¯s not like any of you are going to expect a proper release schedule for every chapter, right? Especially more so since its the third one released -_-¡¯ *sighs* I¡¯ll try to be on time from here on. Like always comments will be greatly appreciated. If you spot any stupid mistakes don¡¯t be afraid to laugh at me about them. I¡¯ll fix them if you point them out. Sayonara. End Chapter 3 Previous/T.O.C/Next Vol:1 - Ghouls Lament Ch: 4 A Crying Boy鈥檚 Threnody The cool chill of water was what brought me to my senses. There are better ways to wake up than drowning. I admit that it¡¯s not as bad as falling off a cliff or finding yourself in the middle of an abandoned island. However, drowning is more deplorable than most other ways of waking up by far. My body didn¡¯t obey my commands, the cold water dug into my skin like thousands of tiny icy needles. It makes me wonder how I managed to wake up in that type of situation¡­ My first reaction was to try and swim up above the water¡¯s surface, but to my surprise I found my arms restrained. They had been tied loosely by a thick rope, absorbing the water and weighing me down. I looked up above, toward the sky. I was about a meter under the water. The sun was partially blocked by the large shadow of a bridge. I struggled to get free but the fabric of my clothes clung to the ropes. My lungs were burning and my eyes were growing dim. The rope that held me down suddenly shifted in force and I felt myself being brought to the surface. If only for a moment, I had a chance to catch my breath. The water slid off me and dripped into the river once more. I hung below the bridge by a single thread of rope. Before I could figure out what was happening, I was dropped into the water below. This time, the cold chill of the water stung a little less. My skin had either grown accustomed to the chill or gone numb. I was too tired to care. I sighed in resignation out of habit. The air that had freed itself from my lungs floated gently to the sky. I renewed my struggle to free myself from the ropes, but only managed to turn myself to face downstream. I promptly passed out once more. ??? ¡°What the hell?¡± I was in the middle of drying myself off with the towel Cur had handed me. ¡°Why did you use me as bait for your fishing rod?¡± Cur shrugged, ¡°Because that¡¯s what friends do.¡± ¡°Try to drown each other?¡± ¡°Yes, all friends try to drown each other¡­ are you stupid? I was getting that off you. I couldn¡¯t exactly remove your clothes. If I tried, I would gain some infamy, and for the wrong reasons at that. I don¡¯t want everyone to say I went and stripped an unconscious guy at a bar.¡± ¡°So you tried to drown me instead.¡± ¡°So I tried to clean you with an appropriate method. It¡¯s not like you can swim when you are unconscious. It¡¯s not like I want to see a guy dripping wet and tied up with ropes.¡± ¡­Doesn¡¯t that mean you want to see a girl like that? I handed the towel back to Cur. My clothes were still a little bit damp but the blood had mostly come off. That cloud of red I had just seen in the water stung the back of my eyes. Every blink showed me that pure and deep red expanding outward like a cloud of death. ¡°¡­Thank you¡­¡± I said. Cur wrinkled his brow, ¡°Wow, I never thought someone would thank me for trying to drown them.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I went silent. He started to laugh, ¡°I¡¯m kidding, it was just a joke.¡± He coughed as he looked away, ¡°Well, with that attempted murder out of the way, you want to eat some fish? I caught it while you were dozing off.¡± He cooked the fish over the fire he made before I had woken up. I had thought it was a kind gesture on his part to help me dry off. Although now I suspected it was just to cook the fish. ¡°So when is our red sweatshirt hero going to come back to the real world?¡± I glared at him, ¡°That thing hasn¡¯t fit me in years.¡± ¡°You used to wear it everywhere.¡± Cur¡¯s gaze was almost hollow, ¡°It¡¯s funny how people change as they get older. The three of us used to be inseparable. Now I barely see you in reality, and in the game you go out of your way to avoid me.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Cur sighed, laying his back on the ground. He held the cooked fish on the stick above him. ¡°I¡¯ll drop that type of conversation for now.¡± I forced myself to smile, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°But I will return to it after you finish your silly mission. What was it? Saving some damsel in distress?¡± ¡°It was saving some kids from the Marquess. ¡° I knew he hadn¡¯t really forgotten. He was just changing the subject for my sake. He was always afraid to say the wrong things to me. I knew what he always wanted to say, but I forced myself to ignore it. ¡°Oh right. How long do you have?¡± He asked. I thought back on it, but drew a blank. ¡°Really soon, I guess? She was going to go tonight if I hadn¡¯t stopped her.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He took a bite of his snack. After swallowing, he sat back up and looked in my direction. ¡°Did you bother checking the quest window? You can usually find out how much time you have from the hints it gives you.¡± I grimaced, I hadn¡¯t thought of that. I opened the quest window.
The mother ghoul has escaped from the city guards. Due to some unknown interference the mother ghoul has avoided being righteously removed from the city. Help slay her before she, in a weeks time, tries to kill the marquess. Quest Difficulty: D Requirements: Spot the Mother Ghoul escaping from the guards. Know of the the Marquess¡¯ plight.
I shut the quest window, swallowing down the bile that had started to climb my throat. ¡°Cur,¡± I asked, ¡°Quests normally don¡¯t care if they are good or bad in nature right?¡± He nodded. ¡°Then why is this one saying the opposite of what I agreed to do?¡± ¡°Let me see?¡± I reopened my quest window, setting it so he could view it as well. He read over it carefully, paying close attention to the minor details. Either that or he was just naturally a very slow reader¡­ ¡°So what do you think?¡± ¡°A bug?¡± He shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard about something like this happening before. It really is odd, almost as if something else is influencing the quest. It does make me curious about this mother ghoul though¡­ What can you tell me about her?¡± As I recounted my meeting with the woman, his expression remained dark. He only opened his mouth after I finished speaking. I told him everything that I knew, from the story, to what I knew from meeting her. ¡°Not my type.¡± He lightly fisted my shoulder, ¡°Sounds like she would be the possessive type to me. Not someone I want to try flirting around with.¡± I wasn¡¯t even sure how he reached that conclusion, ¡±Is that why you asked?¡± Cur shrugged, ¡°Would I ask for any other reason?¡± I raised my hand. I was not against violence. Hemophobia may have limited my actions in that regard, but as long as no blood was spilled I was fine with punching someone. Even if I wasn¡¯t I would make an exception for Cur. ¡°So about that skill,¡± He said monotone, obviously trying to avoid getting punched. ¡°What do I have to do to learn it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the type that needs to be taught. You normally need to find an instructor like my old ero sensei to teach it. And even then, you only have one shot to learn it.¡± ¡°Normally?¡± ¡°If you have a advanced level or higher in the skill you can teach it to others. However¡­¡± He paused, and for a moment I thought I saw an evil glint in his eye, ¡°You need to be able to dredge up those old flirting skills of yours.¡± ¡°I what?¡± I could feel a grimace forming on my lips. You heard the man, playboy. ??? I walked into the plaza next to the fountain wearing chef¡¯s attire. I carried a tray full of pie in one hand, and violin in the other. To be honest, I felt like I was playing the fool. No one else was wearing such a strange outfit over here. The only people wearing this would be in the restaurant district across town. I twitched. Cur had said he would be watching from the other end of the plaza, but currently, his back was facing towards me. It seems he found another girl to flirt with. I sighed.
Approach the center of the plaza to begin the test
A buzzer sound rang out as I stepped next to the fountain. My test had started. I had twelve minutes to find and successfully get a date with a girl. Why twelve minutes? I have absolutely no idea. [00:11:58] I swept my gaze around in order to find a good person to speak too. It¡¯s been awhile since I did something like this. I kept myself from letting out my usual sigh, it would only lower my market value if any girls spotted me. Out of all the girls in the area, only a few were viable. There were only three flirtable girls in the plaza. My current criteria was simple: the girl must be alone, she must be above a certain age, and she must not look like she wanted to kill someone. Granted the last requirement is something I learned the hard way. Some people just aren¡¯t good at directing their anger. I rubbed the phantom pain on the side of my face. Some memories died hard. The first was a red headed girl next to the fountain. She was suited up in archer¡¯s gear and was glancing towards the clock above the fountain. I quickly crossed her off my list. Her gaze still occasionally swept through the mounds of people around me. She was obviously waiting for someone. The redhead still looked a bit calm so the partner must not have been that late. Maybe in 5 minutes, if that person doesn¡¯t show, she would be a good target. But not right now. [00:11:51] The second girl was eating alone at a nearby cafe. She had only one chair pulled up to her lone table so she was definitely not expecting anyone. However she was eating in a hurry, and was quickly switching between her coffee and her meal . It was slightly cute when she burned her tongue in her fluster, however that didn¡¯t change the fact that she was in a rush. Flirting with her would also end up in failure. [00:11:43] The third girl was a priestess. Her hair was long and silver, reaching towards her lower back. She had a Freyan crest partially obscured by some large oaf¡¯s head. I shifted my feet and started to walk towards her. She was standing near the alley. Her face looked a bit grim, but that was probably because a group of guys had surrounded her. According to Cur, these type of people seek a coward¡¯s romance. They surround a pretty girl, and coerce her with sheer numbers to hang out with them. I felt my grip tighten. [00:11:35] There were four men surrounding her, all of them looked to be at a decently high level. Well, its not like it would even matter if they were low level noobs, its not like I would be able to fight four of them off... Especially if I tried to avoid spilling blood. So you are going to let them treat a girl like that? I see how it is. Instead I held the pie in front of me, pushing my way through the four. In their initial shock they backed away. ¡°Madam,¡± I said gently, ¡°The marquess is waiting for you at the restaurant, he doesn¡¯t take kindly to those that make him wait.¡± I shifted my gaze quickly over the four males. The players visibly flinched. No one was stupid enough to go against nobility. Even more so for this Marquess. Rumors said that he killed everyone that went against him, commoner and nobles alike. No one in this city had a good impression of him. For players that simply meant that they would lose quests and store owners wouldn¡¯t sell anything to them if they angered the marquess. It was bad enough when you had to use a coward¡¯s manner to flirt, even worse when you couldn¡¯t even have a meal with the girls after picking them up. It was quite hilarious actually, they instantly started to bicker amongst themselves. If I was dressed as I usually was, this type of trick wouldn¡¯t have worked. The only thing that separated a player and a NPC was their fashion sense. And currently I looked the part of a NPC chef, I even made the pie myself. They couldn¡¯t tell if I was lying or not, and you could tell they weren¡¯t ready to test it. ¡°Madam?¡± I asked again. Madam? I mentally smacked myself in the head. I used to be so much better at this. What kind of person calls a girl madam, in this situation? The silver haired beauty smiled, ¡°Thank you, Chef.¡± she bowed and offered me her hand. Her silver hair cascaded slightly forward, curving gently over an exposed ear. In order to show her that neither of my hands were free, I shrugged. She grabbed my sleeve instead. Taking the cue like a proper Chef should, I lead her away from the other men. If I wasn¡¯t dressed like a chef and holding a violin and a pie, this scene could be misconstrued as something romantic. They didn¡¯t bother to follow us. A mob of guys chasing after a fleeing girl would only wreck their fame. I tried to meet her eyes, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, even after stealing you away from those men I have to go back to my work.¡± ¡°No, actually thank you from getting me away from them. They wouldn¡¯t go away no matter what I said¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± I paused for a moment, ¡°My name is Alair, I am a chef working under the marquess. I hope those guys didn¡¯t cause you any harm?¡± I gave her my best sympathetic look, tinged with a light but sorrowful smile. She shook her head. [00:09:21] Something odd changed at the edge of my sight. A grimaced surfaced on my lips, but I hid it from the priestess by turning my head. The emotion that surfaced was weak, it was no where near as strong as it used to be. But you can feel it once more? Are you finally returning to what you once were? I let out a light bubbling laughter, not unlike what you would expect a chef to have. Giving the lady a quick bow, I apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have some urgent business to attend to. A chef¡¯s life is a busy one.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± she repeated. ¡°No problem.¡± I saluted with pie still in hand, and immediately regretted it. What type of fool parts like that? You save a girl from four guys and then part ways by saluting with pie? Am I an idiot? The silver beauty smiled, I couldn¡¯t be sure if that was a yes or not. But the affection points for me, the chef, at least would be higher than that of those four men. What a troublesome guy you are. You could have used this opportunity to pick up that beautiful girl, and yet you decide to be the hero again?¡± My eyes glinted with devilish delight, and almost as if I was speaking to myself I said, ¡°Not at all, it¡¯s just I have a pie to deliver.¡± [00:08:58] I sighed, putting the violin in my inventory. I spun the pie in my free hand as I sifted through the crowds, leaving the silver beauty behind. The four men had formed a circle once again. This time they had shifted to the fountain. I couldn¡¯t see the person in the middle of them, the only thing visible was a black laced umbrella barely visible past the men¡¯s shoulders. Whoever they were surrounding, she must have been quite short. Reaching them in but a moment, I tapped the taller one on the shoulder with my free hand. ¡°Hey idiots.¡± I greeted them. Four synchronized glares settled on me. I was a low level player armed with a pie¡­ what the hell was I doing picking a fight right now? I couldn¡¯t even blame it on the hemophobia stat this time. ¡°Oh look, it¡¯s the little chef, who ran away with our girl.¡± Little? I wasn¡¯t much shorter than they were. Maybe I didn¡¯t feel the need to wear stilts in a game, and change my height. But I wouldn¡¯t call myself little either. I couldn¡¯t understand why someone would try to fix their insecurities in a game. Wouldn¡¯t that just make it worse when they had to return to reality? I chuckled, fixing the chef¡¯s hat on top of my head. ¡°I have a gift for you. It¡¯s a blueberry pie, don¡¯t worry, I made sure only use the smallest blueberries I could find. Lest they end up being larger than yours¡­¡± I don¡¯t think any of them could grasp the comparison, if they did, they didn¡¯t let it show on their face. I sighed. Don¡¯t any of these fellows have a sense of humor? The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Why does it take four of you to flirt with a girl? I mean seriously, I¡¯ve heard of wingmen, but what type of monster needs four wings? A Cockatrice? Are you trying to freeze the girls in fear?¡± The one to answer was not any of the guys, but the little umbrella behind them. The voice was a little too young, almost as if it was a child speaking, ¡°They don¡¯t scare me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°They approached me after I told them that they wouldn¡¯t get any girls like that. For some reason they got really mad at me when I said, ¡®No girl would be stupid enough to fall for a guy that has to have their friends hold their **** for them.¡¯ and then surrounded me.¡± The air around me froze. I clenched my jaw, in order to hold myself back. I wasn¡¯t mad, not in the slightest. The sensation of laughter was fighting its way into escaping from me. True, the fact that the four men¡¯s veins were bulging in their face was a bad sign. But the sound of a little girl insulting guys twice her size was funny. The tallest of the quartet turned his back and yelled at the girl, ¡°What did you say, you little twerp.¡± ¡°Eep!¡± The umbrella swung down between them like a shield. The girl must have had her back to the fountain, because she didn¡¯t move any further away. The black umbrella and the quartet blocked my view of her. The pie felt awfully light in my hand. It took me a second to realize I had already planted it into the back of the tallest mans head. Sticky blue gunk slid down his back. ¡°I apologize?¡± I asked. ¡°Why the heck are you saying like it was a question?¡± The man spun around, his hand on his his sword¡¯s hilt. The other three did the same action, but took to their support roles and said, ¡°Yeah, why are you saying it like a question huh?¡± I took off the Chef hat, blocking my face as if I was embarrassed, ¡°Well, I¡¯m not really sure.¡± The quartet growled at me. I clarified a bit more, ¡°I¡¯m not really sure I should be apologizing. I mean, although I did throw a pie at the back of your head, it¡¯s not like it was an accident. Apologizing when I don¡¯t mean it seems a bit rude, don¡¯t you think? In fact, I should be demanding you apologize to me for making me waste a perfectly good pie.¡± ¡°Boy, you do know what¡¯s going to happen now?¡± The taller one asked, unsheathing his sword. ¡°Of course, that should be obvious.¡± I smiled, ¡°You fools are going to forget about the girl you were about to attack while I¡¯m talking. And when that happens, she¡¯ll escape.¡± Silence, it seemed they finally caught on. Each of them spun around to face where the girl should have been, but she had already vanished. I took a step back slipping into the crowd, murmuring to myself, ¡°And while you are distracted by her disappearance, I might as well leave.¡± I took off running as fast as my agility stat would allow. I couldn¡¯t be sure they would chase after me at this point. Well, I guess I did make a fool out of them. Twice Huh? You made a fool of that quartet twice. ...I turned around, peeking behind me. The four of them had split up and started to sift through the crowd. None of them looked too happy. [00:03:12] I sighed, why does this always happen to me? Whenever I try to help someone out, I always make it worse for them or myself. Now I had no way of making it on time, I should have just stuck with the priestess and ignored the other girl¡­ I felt a hand pull on the back of my shirt. My heart stopped beating for a moment, I was suddenly very conscious of the fact that I was no longer able to fight. Instead of a gruesome macho man of the quartet, I saw a black umbrella swinging shyly above a girl¡¯s head. ¡°...This way¡±, she whispered, dragging me. I looked back at the four men that were still searching the crowds, making the split second decision to follow the girl with the umbrella. I mean, It¡¯s not like it could end any worse for me right? ¡°..thank you¡­¡± The girl whispered. It was so quiet I almost doubted my ears. But I didn¡¯t feel the need to make her repeat herself. She led me into a restaurant that did not have a good view of the plaza. It looked like a cheap joint suitable for new players. ¡°I guess I should thank you too, for helping me get away.¡± ¡°Sit.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She pointed to a free chair with her umbrella, ¡°Sit.¡± [00:02:01] The quest timer was nearly gone. Even in my prime I doubt I could have found a girl, flirted, and acquired a date in two minutes. I really needed to go find someone else.. This girl was a bit too young to meet the requirements for the quest. The little black haired girl was wearing a gothic lolita outfit. It was a dark outfit with an abundance of white frills everywhere. Way too many frills¡­ I was surprised she could find a tailor patient enough to add so many of them. Even though I hadn''t sat down, she continued to speak as if I had. ¡°What are your names?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Did she mean my real name, and my game name? Wasn¡¯t it considered a bit rude to ask that in game? She looked me in the eyes, and asked, ¡°Why are you two people?¡± I went silent at that. For some reason, this girl scared me. She terrified me more than anything else in this game. More than my fear of blood, more than my fear of being late. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You are a crying boy cradled over a dying girl.¡± I clenched my teeth. My fist slammed into the side of the restaurant. The loud thump made everyone turn their heads toward me. Their stares didn¡¯t reach me; they couldn¡¯t reach me. ¡°Quiet!¡± I snapped. My voice was coarse and the words barely made their way out my throat. ¡°Why are you covered in blood?¡± I clutched my head, only to tear my hands away with tufts of hair. I glanced at the girl for but a mere moment, and then my vision went red. This was no status effect in the game, I knew that at least. That should be obvious, right? ??? I was sitting at the fountain, scrubbing my hands. Just scrubbing, but no matter how long I spent on them, the blood just wouldn¡¯t come off. Her blood just wouldn¡¯t come off. ¡°Please come off,¡± I started to cry, my already raw hands starting to peel as I scrubbed even harder, ¡°Please come off.¡± It wasn¡¯t my fault. It wasn¡¯t my fault¡­ I didn¡¯t kill her¡­ It wasn¡¯t my fault. The fountain water was dyed a pinkish red as the blood in my delusion slowly covered it. But no matter how much blood I tore off my hands, they wouldn¡¯t come clean. The water got darker and darker. My sense of self slowly eroded away¡­ A hand gripped my shoulder, and gave a nice secure squeeze. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°NO, IT¡¯S NOT!¡± I screamed. ¡°Your hands are already clean.¡± ¡°I KILLED HER.¡± Cur¡¯s fist hit me square in the face, sending me flying into the fountain filled with my delusional blood. The cold water sunk into my clothes, and my heart slowly returned to its normal pace. ¡°Aren? You finally wake up?¡± I nodded, letting the clear fountain water cool my head even further. The water was cold. It froze and bit into my skin. But right now, that was bliss. Cur reached his left hand out. The knuckles on his right were bleeding slightly. He was hiding that hand behind his back, but it didn¡¯t escape my attention. I accepted his left hand and was pulled out of the fountain. ¡°Aren, this time you don¡¯t have a chance to waste time with that. You learned the skill, so now you just need to go save the kids, right? The loathing and self-hate can happen after.¡± I glanced down at the windows. I hadn¡¯t noticed but a single window had been blinking quite frantically.
Quest Complete
You have completed the Gentleman¡¯s Test Although some would wonder about your taste in woman, it cannot be denied that you managed to get a date with a girl.
You have learned the Playboy¡¯s passive technique: False Impression One¡¯s attire can easily change how the world reacts toward you. Dependent on your style when you meet someone, their opinion of you will change. Warning: Does not work on players, or someone that has seen you under a different impression. At higher levels you can fool people into thinking you are high ranking nobility.
Cur sat down on the ledge of the fountain, looking up towards me, ¡°You know, for a commoner, you are a real piece of work you know that? Can¡¯t you leave it to the rich noble wannabees to act like this?¡± ¡°...¡± He played with the clear water, trailing his finger just below the surface, ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± I glared at him, ¡°You know if this was a moderately good story, no one would outline the plan they are going to use this early. Isn¡¯t that just dooming the plan in advance?.¡± ¡°Or so you say, but it¡¯s me who is going to have to buy the disguise.¡± I pouted, ¡°I have money. I bought this didn¡¯t I?!¡± ¡°You got that from working in a restaurant didn¡¯t you? And even if you had some pocket change from that absurd amount of low level quests you took, it¡¯s not enough to afford a decent tailor. If you plan to sneak into a nobles mansion, I can¡¯t let you wear such cheap attire.¡± ??? ¡°You said you would get me the attire? So why are we just sitting here drinking coffee? I¡¯m in a rush you know?¡± I complained the entire time while drinking coffee. It was far more expensive than what someone my level should be able to afford. ¡°Even if I gave you the outfit right now. It¡¯s not like you would be able to sneak in to the manor at this point.¡± ¡°Why not? I learned the skill didn¡¯t I?¡± I wanted nothing more than to march right into the manor and take those kids back. I wasn¡¯t sure entirely on their situation. I couldn¡¯t be sure if it would be too late if I waited. I didn¡¯t want to be late again. Cur added some sugar into his coffee, ¡°Your timing is off. No new guy shows up midway through the work shift. If you are going to trick someone, you need to play the part the entire way.¡± ¡°So, that¡¯s why we are sitting here wasting time drinking coffee.¡± Cur nodded, ¡°What good coffee it is.¡± I tried to scoot out of the chair and make my escape, but Cur silenced my movements with a single word, ¡°Bill?¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll pay you back?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the bill I¡¯m talking about.¡± I obediently pushed my chair back, ¡°So what should we talk about?¡± We both went silent, neither of us wanted to speak. We could act fine when we still had the formalities to go through, but beyond that, neither of us knew what to say. Neither of us knew how to act alongside the other anymore. I knew he had a question he wanted to ask. It amazes me even now that he can his patience when talking to me. But I didn¡¯t want to answer that question, at least not yet. ¡°What skills do you have anyway?¡± I asked the first thing that came to mind. Maybe I was a coward for trying to escape, but I can¡¯t be denied that I was curious. The fact that Royal Road had playboy skills just seemed odd to me. ¡°Oh¡­ about that¡­.¡± Cur looked away avoiding my gaze, ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°You mentioned four skills¡­ what are they?¡± I leaned forward. ¡°Not telling.¡± The silence returned between us. I no longer knew how far I could push him for random questions. I didn¡¯t want to risk losing my only friend. The window seat next to ours was strangely loud, it set the BGM noise of most of the cafe. I didn¡¯t mind. It covered up the lack of conversation between Cur and I. We always became reliant on others at times like these. ¡°Hey did you hear about the Red Reaper?¡± Someone asked his friend. Cur and I shifted our gazes toward them. We may have been eavesdropping, but we couldn¡¯t really be yelled at within a game. Not like we would care about being yelled at outside of it, anyway¡­ ¡°You mean the little girl in black clothing?¡± ¡°Why would the Red Reaper wear black?¡± The friend went quiet.. ¡°But you do know the red reaper I¡¯m talking about right? They say when he shows up in the game, whoever he kills stays dead.¡± ¡°So their character get¡¯s deleted? Sounds like the little girl.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with you and little girls?¡± The friend coughed as they answered, ¡°Well, I heard the same rumor, but it involved a little girl dressed in black. She would always ask the people some weird questions and then follow them around for the next few days before they died.¡± ¡°Sounds like another one of your delusions¡­¡± I took another sip of my coffee, ¡°Hey Curv, what¡¯s this about the Red Reaper?¡± He leaned back in his chair, he seemed quite happy since he finally had a topic. ¡°Nothing that you didn¡¯t just hear. It¡¯s this guy dressed in red. He appears randomly around Royal Road and kills players. Some say they don¡¯t even bleed.¡± ¡°So he stabs them with a scythe?¡± I asked. I wasn¡¯t sure if the last bit Cur said was true. I couldn¡¯t be sure if he added that tidbit for my sake. Cur shook his head, ¡°The manner of death is always a bit different. The Red Reaper shows up and the players die. It has nothing to do with the act of mur-¡± Cur was about to say murder but stopped midway through. I gave him my best smile, but it still came out as somewhat of a grimace. ¡°And have you heard about the little girl as well?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were a lolicon all along? She would be crying if she knew this.¡± I took a silent breath, ignoring the images that came to mind, ¡°No, I just came across that girl they talked about during that test of yours. Which, you would know, if you weren¡¯t flirting around.¡± He raised his hands up in surrender, ¡°Hey, a guy must do what a guy must do, especially when he spots a good looking girl.¡± I swigged the rest of the coffee. It was already lukewarm. ¡°I guess this means that if you die, you will be forced to face that world once again.¡± I glared at my friend. He shrugged and continued to sip his coffee, ¡°You will have to face it eventually, Aren. You can¡¯t live the rest of your life as Alair the Coward. You¡¯ll have to face the real world eventually.¡± ¡°Give me time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you all the time you need. I¡¯m content as long as the beer is good and there are girls. There are plenty in this world, or that one.¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spoiler : Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It¡¯s a bit longer than my other ones, and I hope it will continue to remain that way. For some odd reason I feel like it¡¯s my loss if Cur or Snow¡¯s chapters are bigger than mine¡­ (I¡¯ve yet to exceed either of their word counts) The story is finally starting to build up. I hope you guys can pick up on some of the things hinted at in this chapter. I do have a overall plot in mind, but plans are made to be broken. Thank you all for spending your time to read this pointless rant. -_-¡¯ Salutations, Tui End Chapter 4 Previous/T.O.C/Next Vol:1 - Ghouls Lament Ch: 5 A Gardeners Dirge For most players, walking into the Marquess¡¯ manor was a near impossible task. They either needed high enough fame to get a special invitation, or a quest that gives the player the right to enter the manor. I had neither of these. My quest, was one that forced me to go against the Marquess. By all rights I shouldn¡¯t be allowed past the guards, not to mention entering the manor. I smiled slightly, hiding my gaze from the guards as I approached the gate. I looked suspicious to say the least, I was wearing the standard clothes of a commoner, and didn¡¯t really look the part of a new recruit. Cur had said he would get me the clothes I needed, but in the end he had only given me this crap. I sighed, just before stopping in front of the two men guarding the gate. ¡°State your business.¡± The guard on the far left said. His helmet was shinier than the one on the right, and looked less suitable for a fight. He must have been the leader. ¡°Um.. I¡­ um¡­¡± I started to speak while stuttering. ¡°Spit it out,¡± The man roared. I handed the man an envelop. It had a red wax seal and looked important. The seal had the emblem of another person of nobility, I had no idea who it was. I didn¡¯t really care about the politics in this world. Politics had to do with bloodshed, I wanted nothing of it. The head guardsman accepted the letter, tearing it open. He eyed the contents for a brief moment before his face started to grow pale. His gaze moved slower and slower across the page. The man was visibly sweating as he forced himself to smile. ¡°Do you...¡± He paused, then brought his voice to a low whisper, ¡°know what is written here?¡± ¡°S-S-s-shouldn¡¯t it be about me starting to work h-h-here?¡± Cur had told me the letter would allow me to enter the premise. My guise is that of a new employee, and the letter was supposed to be my excuse to walk in the door. ¡°I see. Are you sure you never read this message?¡± ¡°S-sir?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay then,¡± The head guard took a deep breath, ¡°You can enter.¡± ¡°T-thank y-you.¡± I passed through the heavy iron gates and entered the property beyond it. The Marquess¡¯ manor was large enough to fit a small town. It was precisely because it was so large that it wasn¡¯t uncommon to get new people admitted as servants. Players are never hired as servants, it may be because of the nobles pride. However, I think it may be the pride of the players and the unwillingness to work under another. Most humans at some point in their lives are forced to obey the rules and orders of a higher power. A large chunk of them would be fine if they could work toward some goal. But serving the Marquess for no reason at all would be a heavy burden for the player¡¯s heart. Sure, they may have entered this place with making connections with the nobility in mind, but not everyone in this building meets the Marquess, and those that do often lose whatever fame they had tried to acquire. A few stares greeted me as I crossed the courtyard. I was currently a stranger, the sole fact that I walked in through the front gate was enough to steal their curiosity. It meant that I was someone that would soon join them in their isolated town. A new individual to work and fight with. Several gardeners worked on a large field of flowers. The colors spread over the spectrum, ranging from dark blues, to stunning violets. I was glad that the red roses were placed on the far side of the courtyard. They were hardly visible, but the color still made me sweat. I approached one of the gardeners, forcing a smile on my face. The older man was covered in dirt all the way from his shoes to his face. The dirt clung to him like it was clinging to a friend. He had a gentle appearance. It gave off the vibe of a caring man, someone who could even be gentle toward the smallest animal and the frailest plant. ¡°E-excuse me¡­ s-sir.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The man widened his eyes, ¡°You look new, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you here before? Were you just hired?¡± I paused, this was the rather risky bit. Cur had informed me on the way new employees had been hired. If we had made a mistake, they would instantly find out I shouldn¡¯t be here. ¡°I-I think so.¡± I continued to say with a stutter. The reason I had been speaking in this manner was to remain in character. Only the truly dense or cruel would want to continue to question someone that looked terrified. Then again, someone who was so fearful could be suspicious in its own right. ¡°I received a letter telling me to come here. I-I think it¡¯s for work?¡± ¡°Another one eh?¡± ¡°Another one?¡± I asked. He looked me over, his gaze switching briefly to one of suspicion. He quickly broke into a smile, and wiped his brow. ¡°Hey kid, what do you think about our Marquess?¡± That question caught me off guard. ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± That wasn¡¯t a question I could answer easily. I think most people in my situation would have immediately hated the man. But, I find it hard to hate someone I had never met before. ¡°You¡¯re not sure? You do live in this city right?¡± I shrugged and answered as honestly as I could, ¡°Yeah, but the nobility is separated from the lives of the commoners. They may raise the taxes and send out drafts, but that seems less like a person and more like a natural disaster.¡± ¡°What about all the horrible things, they say he¡¯s done? They say he kills others in his quest for power. They even say that he goes out and kidnaps children to eat¡­¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t met him, so I can¡¯t really judge him as a person.¡± Saying this may seem somewhat insane. But I learned never to trust a story. Everyone thinks they have full understanding of what happens around them, but there will always be trickery and misunderstandings. You say that now, but you will always remain a gullible fool The gardener laughed, ¡°Yup, Yup, that¡¯s the answer I was hoping for.¡± ¡­? ¡°Kid, a lot of people have quit working in the marquess¡¯ manor over the last few weeks. They all seemed to be in a rush when the left. If I didn¡¯t know any better I would have thought them to be scared.¡± I remained silent. He shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I¡¯m sure they had their own reasons¡­¡± He smiled, his teeth were white and straight, ¡°But it just means even more workers had been hired over the last week. I would reckon about half of the people inside this land, are new to the game.¡± ...game? ¡°A noble¡¯s manor is a place for trickery and deceit. Lies are stacked upon lies, and truths are bent into something incomprehensible. Every person that walks through these gates should be prepared for that.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll keep that in mind¡± I said. He laughed heartily patting me on the back, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you something interesting. There have been a large number of fake invitations going out for new workers. So much so that the Marquess stopped caring about any new people coming in. Even that fake invitation of yours would have been accepted easily¡­ Did you really have to go so far as threatening the guards? I could see him panicking from here...¡± I froze in my spot. The gardener¡¯s smile didn¡¯t lower a bit. He kept speaking as if to ignore the strangeness of my reaction, ¡°Not like I¡¯m one to care. As long as I can sit here in my garden I¡¯ll be happy. Just don¡¯t go around killing everyone.¡± Was that really something you should say to a person you know had threatened the guards to enter? ¡°If you are wondering why I¡¯m so nonchalant about letting a guy like you enter the property even after threatening the guards, it¡¯s quite simple. All the chef¡¯s quit. And I would rather eat something poisoned than something accidentally gruesome. At least with the former I can complain as I collapse and die on the floor.¡± ¡°...¡± Makes sense He shrugged his shoulders, ¡°What? Can¡¯t I be honest?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Names Rosa, but my friends call me Ross. Well¡­ I normally force them to call me Ross, but that doesn¡¯t really matter does it?¡± ¡°I think it does, Rosa.¡± ¡°Ross,¡± he corrected, ¡°Call me Ross.¡± ¡°A-are you treating me as your friend?¡± ¡°Can you cook?¡± I had been working as a chef at a restaurant for a considerable period of time, so if I can¡¯t cook by now I never will be able too. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered honestly. He nodded his approval, ¡°Then as long as you stop that annoying fake stutter, you will be as close to a friend of mine as you can be in this mansion. After all the way to a man¡¯s heart is through his stomach.¡± The gardener Ross smiled. I froze for the second time since I¡¯ve talked to him. I couldn¡¯t believe my stutter was found out for a fake. ¡°You need more practice with your stuttering to fool a master like me. Everyone here has a character they try to portray in order not to give up on their goals. If I didn¡¯t know any better I think all the chefs quit because they never knew when the compliments were threats or not. Two faced people are a real pain¡­¡± I forced myself to smile. Ross set the gardening tool in his hand down, and started to put everything away. His tools amounted to some rather old styled blades and shovels. I guess most of the things used for gardening nowadays had yet to be invented. He slung his red work bag over his shoulder. It was the first time I saw it, but I unconsciously reeled away. He tilted his brow and asked, ¡°Something wrong?¡± I tried to hide it, ¡°O-of c-course nothing is wrong!¡± ¡°THAT¡¯S IT!¡± Ross shouted, ¡°THAT¡¯S A GENUINE STUTTER! I knew you had in ya boy, I just knew it.¡± He held the bag in his right hand, and walked to stand on my right side. Ross stood in a position to keep himself between me and the bag. This man was too perceptive for my liking. He smiled, ¡°Now shall we get on with your enrollment test?¡± ¡°Test?¡± ¡°I need to sample your food, don¡¯t I? I can¡¯t let a suspicious individual enter the property without making sure the grub he cooks is actually decent, ya know?!¡± ??? He brought me to an open courtyard after setting his stuff into a shed not far from where the garden had been. The closet was old and rickety and was nearly falling apart. It had been hidden from sight, but it only showed the differences in status within the property. Inside the courtyard was something that shocked me beyond all words. It was something that should not have existed in this world... A playground complete with monkey bars and swings. Several children were playing happily together. Several of them stopped when Ross and I had approached. His figure, that of an old man, made him seem like a loving grandpa when he smiled at these kids. Don¡¯t go forgetting why you came here. ¡®I know that¡¯, I told the voice in my head. ¡°Grandpa Ross!¡± One of the kids yelled out. It was a little girl covered in mud from her recent play. She had several tears in her eyes as she ran toward him in a flustered manner. ¡°Grandpa Ross, they are getting in a fight again!¡± He caught her in his arms as she jumped at him. His smile did not fall for a single instant, ¡°Again? Haven¡¯t I already told them to stop?¡± The girl nodded. Ross set her down, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it. Today, I brought a secret weapon.¡± He winked at me. What did he expect me to do? Ross walked with practiced steps toward a blind spot on the playground, a spot hidden just beyond a climbing wall. There, two boys were in the middle of a fight. It was a childish match, both of them shoving each other back and forth. Ross¡¯ smile dropped, ¡°Okay, you brats.¡± Both of them stopped moving and turned their heads slowly toward the intruder. Without meeting his eyes, they brushed themselves off and slung their arms around each other''s necks like the best of friends. ¡°¡°Yes?¡±¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®yes¡¯ me, boys, you were fighting again, weren¡¯t you...¡± They both shook their heads. ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me the truth¡­ ¡° Ross opened his mouth into a sly smile, ¡°I¡¯ll get the chef to add even more carrots to your meals.¡± In an instant, both the boys were down on their knees, ¡°¡°We¡¯re sorry. It won¡¯t happen again!¡±¡± He lightly thumped both of them on the head, ¡°I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t.¡± Ross then brought his hands to his face, and gave one long low pitched whistle. I could see the formerly two fighting boys shudder at the noise. ¡°¡°Please no,¡± they said, ¡°Anything but that.¡± For two kids that had just been fighting, they really were in sync. The gardener Ross nodded, his face grave, ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± ¡°B-but¡­ we won¡¯t do it anymore.¡± ¡°Honest, we promise.¡± Ross shook his head. The other kids in the area had started to gather around him, ¡°It¡¯s time for us to face the lunch table once again¡­¡± Looks of horror spread across the children. Many of the kids started to take a step back, in preparation to run. Ross laughed at their reactions, ¡°Fear not, for I have found us a new chef! We no longer have to face that deathtrap... Eating can return to something enjoyable once again!¡± Loud cheers erupted from all the children around us. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of food they had been eating to garner this reaction. You would think the food in the Marquess¡¯ manor would at least be decent, right? He pointed at me and the kids all turned to face me at once. ¡°This is our new chef¡­ He will be the one to shoulder our fates from this point on. His name is Chef¡­¡± He paused. ...All of the kids went silent. He leaned over and whispered into my ear, ¡°What is your name, anyway?¡± ??? By the time introductions were over with, half an hour had already passed. It had started with introducing myself (I only gave my name), but soon all the children in turn had decided to introduce themselves. Any kid with a hint of noble blood would spend what seemed like two minutes on their name alone. All the kids were smiling, and they seemed like they were having the time of their lives dancing around and playing with Ross as they introduced themselves. The monstrous horde would have continued on with their introductions till the day was spent, if one of their stomachs hadn¡¯t roared out. I could have sworn that a few of them introduced themselves more than once... That was lauren, she seems like a sweet girl. ¡®...There was more than one¡­¡¯ I rebuked. Alfred, John, Ingred, Alphonse, Penelope also did it. But Lauren did it three times. After the children had calmed down, Ross dragged me along with the kids to the manor entrance. Although I called it a manor, it wouldn¡¯t lose in size to that of a castle. The entrance was one of the many smaller doorways on the side of the building. The main entrance a good fifty meters away and completely devoid of traffic. The main entrance, I guessed, was something only the Marquess and his invited guests could use. The smaller entrance where we entered was completely flooded with traffic as everyone in the building went about their daily routines. However, most of the servants and nobles parted away quite swiftly as they noticed the group of dirt covered devils. In fact, I think I was the only one not covered in dirt. Although I still ended up receiving glares of silent suspicion from everyone aside from Ross and the children, I didn¡¯t mind it. From my perspective, it looked like they were all running away. The walk through the manor was unnecessarily confusing, each turn would send us up another stairway, only to have to go down another. I had taken special care to memorize the routes and different passages we crossed, but since the route had taken so long, I doubted it would be of any use. We entered a massive dining hall connected by a low counter to a large kitchen. The kitchen had several pots and pans stacked in the sink. The fumes alone had nearly caused me to breakaway running. I wasn¡¯t alone, the kids had started to walk rather slowly as they entered the cafeteria. It seems their fear of food wouldn¡¯t vanish so quickly. They all sat rather politely down at the table in the large room. Grandpa Ross, which the kids had been calling him, had sat amidst them like it was perfectly natural. I walked towards the kitchen area and surveyed the supplies. I let myself leak a sigh, why was I even going along with this? For the thirty or so kids sitting down, there was only half that many plates in the cupboard. You would think that with so many servants running around someone could cook and clean the dishes. Maybe the treatment of the kids is a blindspot for the many nobles in this manor. Don¡¯t you find that to be a little odd? I opened up the cupboard that was stacked with fresh fruits and supplies. Hundreds of spices were lined in alphabetical order, many of which I had never heard of before. Seeing so many options, made me want to give up. There is nothing harder for a chef than having too many options to cook, and not enough dishes to serve it on. I glanced towards the sink filled with dishes pots and pans. Was it just me, or was everything in this building made for giants? The sink alone was filled with enough pots, pans, and dishes to support all the kids and their families. How long had they gone by without cleaning them? I avoided visualizing it. I leaned over the counter and yelled out toward Ross, ¡°Hey old man!¡± ¡°What? Can¡¯t decide what to cook?¡± He asked, leaning back in his seat at the large table. I shook my head, ¡°Well that too, but that¡¯s not what I need help with.¡± I looked out at the kids, then back at the dishes, ¡°I need help with something.¡± ??? Working with kids is rather difficult for some. Adults tend to forget that kids don¡¯t treat everything with disdain like they do. All kids are open to learning and playing at first, it¡¯s only after we beat it out of them do they finally start to hate it. I surveyed my handiwork. The kitchen was completely covered in soap bubbles. I needed the dishes to serve food on, but cleaning it all myself seemed like a pain, so I improvised a bit. There was way too many dishes for me to wash. If I had tried to clean them all, I would never have gotten around to cooking. So I got the kids to help¡­ Well, at least the dishes are getting clean... ¡°Watch this!¡± Ross screamed as he juggled a few of the expensive plates. The children watched in awe as he fluidly spun them around. The kids tried to do the same, but often tripped up, sending the plates falling to the ground. Ross easily spun around the soap covered ground catching all the plates a second before each hit the ground. The kids just thought it was part of the game. Everyone was laughing and smiling. However, the kids grew more careless as they continued to play and Ross wasn¡¯t able to catch them all. A single plate shattered into a pile of sharp glass. The kids all stared in horror as one of the boys failed to catch it. Everyone gathered around the broken plate. Fearing punishment, they all tried to clean up the mess. ¡°Stop!¡± Ross yelled, bringing all the kids to a standstill. I continued to chop the vegetables. The boy that dropped the plate suddenly burst into tears. ¡°*Waaaaahhhhh!!!* I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry.¡± he wailed. Ross patted the boy on the head, and whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear, ¡°I don¡¯t see anything you should apologize for.¡± ¡°But.. the plate¡­*sniffle*¡± Ross leaned over the shattered glass, ¡°What plate?¡± He swept his arm over the glass bringing it all into one pile, ¡°You mean this?¡± Another sweep of his arm, this time the pile of glass had nearly vanished, replaced by a sparkling freshly washed plate. The kids stared in amazement. Ross laughed, ¡°See nothing wrong here.¡± It hadn¡¯t escaped my gaze the pile of glass sitting behind him, beyond the sight of the kids. It was a simple magic trick of replacing the broken glass with a proper plate, but at the very least¡­ the kid had stopped crying. ¡°How about you guys go get changed?¡± The old man asked, ¡°You all started off dirty, and now you are all dirty and wet. By the time you get back I bet something will be made¡­ I¡¯m not sure what is taking our chef so long¡­¡± He sent me a look. I glared at him, ¡°I can¡¯t cook without being in a kitchen.¡± ¡°Strange¡­¡± The kids started to gather around ¡®Grandpa¡¯ Ross once again, taking special care to direct their sight away from the broken plate. He must have wanted me to clear it after he had gotten all the children to go change. One of them, however, didn¡¯t try to leave. ¡°Awair,¡± one of the younger kids pulled on my sleeve.The girl was watching me as I expertly handled the knife and chopped the vegetables. She yanked my sleeve as she spoke, ¡°Awair, can I help? Can I? Can I?¡± Ross stood still for a moment, but went back to leading the kids out of the kitchen.. I looked down at the girl and then at the knife in my hand. Giving a kid a knife just doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea on my part. If something happened, then¡­ She would bleed¡­ I smiled, ¡°How about we make something a little special to eat afterwards.¡± ¡°Special?¡± She asked. I set down the knife, and looked for the flour. ??? ¡°How did you do it?¡± ¡°How did I do what?¡± I asked. Ross stood at my side as the kids tore through the lunch I had just finished making. The kids all wore fresh dry clothing, even the girl that had remained to help me changed after she finished with her special portion of the lunch. I wasn¡¯t sure if having cake right after lunch would be a good idea, but the girl looked happy enough. Children are so cute before they grow up into horrible adults. ¡°Nevermind then,¡± the old man shook his head, ¡°I learned what I needed to.¡± I tilted my head, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Did you know that animals can judge someone just by being near them? Not a simple kind of judging either. They naturally know who is evil and who is good. They look past their external differences and only look at what lays inside the heart.¡± ¡°...¡± He laughed, ¡°The more fearful the animal, the kinder the person has to be for them to open up to them.¡± ¡°So, this was a test?¡± ¡°...If it was, I must be someone brilliant. I only thought about it after Auri approached you. Trust me, If I was going to test you, it would be with gardening tools in hand.¡± I thought back on the gardening tools he had been using them. Most of them could easily be substituted as a weapon of somesort. I¡¯m not sure whether to take that as he would test my gardening skills, or my ability to handle a torture table¡­. Torture table? Really? Making some fertilizer would be more accurate. ??? The day had dragged on. I hadn¡¯t been able to find a chance to wander off and look for the kids I needed to save. The entire day, I had been glancing at the time, watching as it ticked past. I didn¡¯t want to be late. I was fine with everything else, but I just didn¡¯t want to be late¡­ Ross had forced me to and let the kids help him garden. He, strangely enough, stayed away from the red flowers, working instead on the other end of the flower field. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was his work area or not. The kids just having been cleaned not to long ago, once again found themselves covered in dirt. The other gardeners remained silent, not one approached us to speak. There was an indescribable divide between Ross and the rest of the community. Ross was surrounded by children laughing and playing, while the rest had this deathly silence to them. It seemed they cared about work and nothing else. I still wasn¡¯t sure what most of their jobs were, especially since I seemed to be the only one Ross wanted to cook. Before the sun had set, Ross once again set out on a walk around the manor. This time, with destinations in mind. We walked to smaller villas scattered around the property, dropping each kid off at their ¡®homes¡¯. A large number of the kids stayed in villas disconnected from the larger main building, however, most stayed within the walls of the manor. I wasn¡¯t sure which were supposed to be the nobles¡¯ here. Why was this man so willingly showing me around? Was he really that kind of a man to accept me so easily? ¡°I already told you why. It¡¯s because you looked like you could actually cook.¡± Ross said nonchalantly while looking forward. I remained silent. ¡°What? With that melancholic expression on your face, anyone could guess what you are thinking. No one is truly blind to the world around them, most just don¡¯t know how to look.¡± He stopped speaking and lead me down a detached hall within the manor. He pointed to a door. The door was a old wooden relic, polished and inlaid with gold. The Marquess seemed to enjoy flaunting his wealth to the people within his land. Ross turned the knob, ¡°This is the room you will be staying in. I would recommend leaving the sneaking out for a little more than 3 hours from now. Before then you have a good chance at being spotted by a noble going about their daily secret lives.¡± I gave him a puzzled look. He swung his arms as if to defend himself, ¡°It¡¯s a joke, a joke. But seriously though, it¡¯s dangerous walking these corridors alone.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I asked. ¡°Do you know why there are so many kids at this manor?¡± I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s so all the nobles can play the games they love so much. If they all remained in their houses like the little rats they are, they would never be able to surpass the others in rank. Those with kids in this manor are playing a deadly game - they all want to achieve a higher standing for themselves. They leave all their children here to have an excuse to approach the Marquess at any time. These people use their own children as bargaining chips. They have no qualms of killing someone in an accident in these halls.¡± ¡°And the Marquess?¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°He enjoys it.¡± I froze. Ross smiled as he spread his arms, ¡°When someone stands at the very top, they have no choice but to either look at the impossible above them, or look at the people beneath. The Marquess is no longer someone who desires the power to rise to new standing. As long as the king never speaks against him, in this land he is the law.¡± Ross stepped into the room, ¡°He looks at everyone beneath him the same way you would look at two kittens smacking each other about. He finds the whole thing terribly cute.¡± The room was furnished better than my own in reality. The bed was nearly as large as the room itself. Several doors lined the walls, each of them already opened to reveal a closet full of fancy clothes that only nobles should wear. ¡°Why are you giving me a room?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t exactly have you cook for us if you have no place to stay. I doubt the guards would let you back in again, since you threatened them the first time around.¡± He shrugged, and pointed toward the closet, ¡°If you feel the need, you can change into the spare clothes in the dresser..¡± ¡°...¡± Ross sighed, ¡°That¡¯s not the answer you are looking for is it?¡± I nodded. ¡°I hate it when children come to harm. Noble parents don¡¯t care about their own children and they often use them in bloody feuds between themselves. I am the self-imposed caretaker of those children. I am the one to teach them, I am the one to feed them, I am the one to raise them. If any one of them came to harm¡­¡± Everything in the room went still. Even the flickering of the candle flame seemed to remain motionless. A stinging cold sensation crawled up my arms like a million tiny bugs, gnawing and biting as they climbed. All of this, just from meeting Ross¡¯ eyes. ¡°...I,¡± he continued, ¡°I would slaughter anyone that allowed it.¡± I swallowed, ¡°I see.¡± Ross broke out into laughter, harshly smacking me on the back with his palm, ¡°Don¡¯t be so serious, boy. The reason I want you to stay within these grounds is simply that you are not of noble birth. You are not one to follow those childish games. If you were, you would have noticed by now.¡± Noticed what? I couldn¡¯t help but think. He smiled, ¡°Goodnight Alair, breakfast is due three hours after sunrise. I hope you aren¡¯t late. I doubt we can survive that cooking any longer¡­¡± He shut the door behind him. His footsteps echoed away as he traveled down the silent hall. I reached my hand out and twisted the handle on the doorknob, it turned smoothly and without trouble. I paused, Ross hadn¡¯t locked me in the room. Had he truly trusted me? Something was wrong here, no sane man would have let me in knowing all he had. He was far too perceptive for a gardener, but maybe hanging out with nobles in this place brought out that talent of his. Nobles desired power. That is normally considered an absolute law in any world They manipulate, they deceive, they steal, they do whatever is necessary to make sure they are the ones with the highest standing. According to Ross, the Marquess wasn¡¯t like that. Was that really something I should believe? Was it something he told me to trick me? Would he gain anything from telling me something like that? I fought off the urge to sleep while lying down on the bed. I had been forced to follow Ross and the kids around all day long. They dragged me around through hundreds of games. These weren¡¯t noble¡¯s games, but ones that were made to bring the children joy. Hide and seek, tag, a game of pretend, all of them were played without the slightest hint of subterfuge. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to sink into the extremely soft bed. It floated up around me, almost as if I was sleeping on top of a cloud. I glanced at the time, watching it tick slowly by. I wasn¡¯t going to trust Ross - I wasn¡¯t here to become his friend. He had helped me get inside and I felt grateful, but being grateful didn¡¯t mean I would believe everything he said. You just don¡¯t want to be late again. I removed myself from the bed and walked toward the door. I stuck my ear against it and paid full attention to the sounds beyond. Silence. Not a single step echoed through the chamber. I could only hear the sound of my own breath. I pushed the door open slightly and scanned the hallway. Shadows twisted silently around the lanterns, sending spirals of red floating down the corridor. Why did flames have to burn red? I clutched my stomach as revulsion crawled up my spine. Oh, is little Alair getting sick from just this? Don¡¯t tell me your hemophobia hasn¡¯t gotten worse since you met that girl? You had barely spoken to her before you ran out crying, more than a few people were watching, you know. Alair the Crybaby, that title seems to suit you, don¡¯t you think so? I gritted my teeth, taking a moment to calm my stirring mind. The voice always came to me when I gave it an opening. I could chase it away if I focused, as long as I had a second to gather myself. Look, behind you is a noble with their sword drawn. You really are bad at this sneaking thing, aren¡¯t you? I spun on the heel to face the corridor behind me. A tall man dressed in silver stood at the edge of the hallway, his metal sword on his hip. I nearly fell backwards, but barely managed to regain my posture. The suit of armor had been there before I entered my room, it was merely a decoration and a lifeless shell. The voice had started to laugh the instant I turned around. I clutched my head, trying to chase it away. *Step* A sound traveled down the empty corridor. This sound was no delusion of mine. *Step**Step* The sound of the footsteps got louder as the source moved closer to where I stood. I glanced around frantically, afraid to lift up my feet and make a noise. I looked up at the suit of armor and quickly made my choice. *Step**Step**Step* The footsteps drew closer, not stopping or slowing down. By the time they arrived near where I was standing, I could faintly see their appearance. One person¡¯s shadow stood out to me. It reminded me of someone I had met over the last day or two. I couldn¡¯t place who it was, not without seeing his face. ¡°Have you figured it out yet?¡± The taller shadow asked. ¡°The two beasts are not obeying us. Our efforts with the experiment are not proceeding as planned.¡± The taller shadow laughed, it was a practiced laugh that traveled no farther than where I was hiding, ¡°You expect those monsters to obey you? We only need them to feed, nothing else.¡± ¡°But, sir. The test subjects have not survived that manner of corruption.¡± ¡°Ohh¡­? And what happened to them?¡± The shorter man paused, ¡°They bled, sir.¡± ¡°A cleric can fix that much.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t stop, sir¡­¡± The conversation continued on, but they had slowly walked further away. I could barely hear what they had been saying. I remained silent as the footsteps drew farther and farther away. Suddenly, their movement stopped, a fist slammed into the wall, sending a roaring echo down the building. ¡°That damn Marquess, if he had simply let me do as I pleased this would have been solved already. We already know the proper manner to use the [Requiem], why won¡¯t he let us?¡± I recognised the shorter fellows voice trying to calm him down. It seemed to be in vain. ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± The taller man screamed, ¡°He may be my boss and he may have been the one to discover this power from that wretched journal, but he isn¡¯t the only one here. I also desire power. I need enough power to kill those blasted foreigners like that man!¡± I didn¡¯t hear anything else as the shorter man managed to calm him down. Not that much, but enough that his voice no longer carried down the hallway. I remained as a statue for nearly an hour. I had nearly been caught already, and I couldn¡¯t be sure if someone else wouldn¡¯t follow soon after those two. I slowly left my hideaway. The two beasts those two were talking about may have been the children I came here to save. I sighed, wanting to punch the man that called them beasts, but I couldn¡¯t do that in this situation. No matter the situation, children are never evil. I clenched my fist. Don¡¯t forget what happens when someone is punched. ¡°They bleed,¡± I mumbled. ??? I knew my way around the manor well enough. I had just been given a tour lasting the entire day. If I hadn¡¯t known this place a little by now, I must have been an idiot, or cursed with no directional sense. I checked the map in my head, thinking of any route that could send me farther down. In most stories, they always keep the monstrosities in the basement. It was a rather weak premise to go on, but that was the only one I had currently. Finding the way down was rather simple. I just had to take all the turns that Ross had avoided. Well, in all honesty, the fact that I knew where the staircases were helped. After a good hour of walking I finally managed to find myself¡­. Lost. ¡°I¡¯m not lost.¡± Out of the twelve doors you peeked in, 5 of them were secret deals, 4 were making unethical bets, and 3 were¡­ ugh¡­I wish I could forget that. ¡°I know the children should be around here.¡± It was the only place I could think of looking. I didn¡¯t want to give up and patiently take my sweet time to find them. What if I was late? ¡°The children aren¡¯t here though¡­¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± I asked the voice¡­Only to spin around on my heel and fall on my butt. I recognised the voice, and it wasn¡¯t the same one as the delusion I was bickering with. The girl that had just spoken tilted her head cutely to the side. The black clothes she was wearing, swamped with frills, melded easily into the darkness of the manor. ¡°Because the [lamentation]¡¯s center is that way.¡± She pointed off behind her. Her hand was was so small and fragile looking. She was no more than a little girl. Yet, why did she terrify me? Just like when I had met her yesterday, she was someone that made me experience fear for no reason at all. The things she said picked at wounds that I didn¡¯t want to remember, and those that I couldn¡¯t remember even if I tried. She grabbed my sleeve, ¡°This way.¡± You really don¡¯t have much to lose. Well, you can treat this as the date you promised her. I wanted to grumble that I didn¡¯t remember making any such promise. However, I felt it wasn¡¯t the time and remained silent. I started to contemplate the many ways in which I could punch the voice in my head. I knew one thing. If I did manage to succeed, voices couldn¡¯t bleed, so I could smack it as much as I wanted. ¡°You have a scary face.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The girl shook her head, ¡°Never mind, it went away.¡± She kept on dragging me around the hall. To my surprise, we hadn¡¯t come across so much as a peep. When I had been walking around before, I had occasionally come across someone walking around. I hid myself each time, but I couldn¡¯t stop myself from encountering them to begin with. She stopped, ¡°Here.¡± She pointed to a rather large doorway. ¡°You should wait for someone else to open it.¡± She bowed, ¡°Bye bye,¡± and skipped away. I just stared, gaping. What the heck was that? I looked at the tall iron door, the weight of which looked far more than I could simply move. I paused, thinking about it. How the heck was I supposed to get this open? By taking the girl¡¯s advice and waiting. ¡°Is it just me? Or have you been speaking a lot more lately?¡± Is it just me? Or are you going more and more insane lately? ¡°I¡¯m not going to wait.¡± I gripped the handle. Yes, you are. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be late again.¡± Will you really risk endangering those kids by opening the door? We don¡¯t even know if the children are behind it. What is the point in rushing in? I let go of the handle, ¡°I was late once. Never again, I won¡¯t be late ever again. I would rather shred my limbs off with a nail filer than be late. I can¡¯t be late. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. I really can¡¯t be late. Late¡­ Late¡­¡± I gripped my head, a splitting headache thundering against the back of my head. Why was I late before?
[p=center]Due to the Hemophobia Stat¡¯s decision, you have been paralyzed. Agility is down by 99% Strength is down by 80% Intelligence is increased by 5%[/p]
[p=center]Hemophobia Stat -10[/p]
¡°What the hell?¡± I nearly screamed, but managed to keep it at the base of my throat. Wait patiently so you don¡¯t get yourself killed. ??? In total, I had to wait three hours. No, I was forced to wait three hours. Through sheer force of will, I had managed to hide myself behind another suit of armor. I would be visible if someone so much as glanced around, but it was all I could do. I started to worry that I would not make in time to make breakfast for the kids, after the sun rose, but then I realized I shouldn¡¯t be worrying about staying here for too long to begin with. My goal is to get her children and get out. I don¡¯t need to worry about anything else. The tall man and the short man returned. They walked patiently toward the large iron door. When they came to the iron door, the taller man paused for a moment, as the shorter man played with something on the wall. After a large click, the tall man started to pull. It swung open with a large groan. The weight of the door could easily have crushed me¡­ I didn¡¯t want to have to fight someone like that. The door groaned loudly as it opened. I was surprised at how little the sound carried past - it didn¡¯t echo down the hall. The two men walked into the room. I could barely glance inside from where I was hiding. It was a jail. Large metal bars came down from the ceiling. The room was well lit and I could see clearly without the shadows twisting my vision. Two children were leaning against the wall, a boy and a girl. The boy had his arms raised, loosely hanging off some chains that held him. The girl was free to move around within the cage, but sat in front of her brother. Their eyes were closed and calm. They seemed at peace. They looked like two individuals content to die where they stood. Frankly, I felt sickened by the sight. ¡°Come on, now, we don¡¯t have all day.¡± The short man said, holding out his exposed hand toward the two children. I could finally get a good glimpse of him, he wore an old labcoat full of ratty holes. The short man looked like a sketchy doctor that would scam any low life needing treatment on wounds they needed to hide from the public. The girl opened her eyes gently, her skin giving off a gentle white light. When she saw the man, she opened her mouth and bared her teeth in a snarl. ¡°Tch,¡± The Doc drew his hand back, ¡°You know what happens if you bite me, don¡¯t you? I shall hand you your brother¡¯s head on a platter. I can do that much from outside this cage.¡± The girl closed her mouth and spread her arms wide, hiding her chained brother behind her. She then kept her mouth closed as she cautiously reached out her hand. The Doc was hesitant in grasping it. He slowly reached his hand out to take hers. She smiled, violently baring her teeth once more. He fled backwards, hitting his head on the wall. The sound carried a bit farther down the hall then the door had managed before. ¡°What are you doing? Just grab the damn brat.¡± The tall man shoved the doc aside. ¡°I can¡¯t let her bite me, sir.¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t she wearing a muzzle?¡± ¡°Where am I supposed to find a muzzle for children? Do you want us to be found out?¡± The doc finally managed to stick out his chest and fight against the taller man. The taller rat faced man only laughed in response. ¡°You think those beasts are children? Have you not seen what happened to the men you used as test subjects? If anyone finds out, I would be less worried about being punished, and more worried on whether they could survive the [requiem].¡± ¡°I understand, Ranthus.¡± Ranthus glared. ¡°Hurry up already.¡± The Doc quickly grabbed the girl¡¯s hand and yanked her along. He quickly tied what looked like a piece of cloth around her mouth to keep her from biting. I clenched my teeth.. I glanced at the two men. The tall man by the name of Ranthus looked familiar, but he gave off an odd, overbearing presence that I didn¡¯t recognize. His face was partially hidden by the long metal neck guard of his armor. It was a strange, dark reddish metal that twisted the lights into an even darker red. It looked like blood was constantly covering him. After getting a good look at him from my hiding spot, I drew a blank. I didn¡¯t remember meeting anyone wearing such disgusting armor. I gripped my fist tightly. Time to jump in and fight the bad guys right? I nodded. Bzzzt. Wrong. The correct answer is that you still can¡¯t move. I checked my limbs, they still couldn¡¯t move. The paralysis status effect still hadn¡¯t been removed. I wasn¡¯t sure how long it was supposed to last. From what I read about this game online, most only lasted 5 to 10 minutes. However, this one had already lasted three hours. ¡°I¡¯m going first.¡± The doc called out, dragging the girl farther into the Jail like room. It seemed that there were stairs inside leading farther down into a dungeon. I could hear them as he stepped down. I was surprised they hadn¡¯t kept the children hidden away, down in the deeper depths. Anyone that opened that metal door could have found them. A rhythmic dripping noise cancelled out that thought. A small red puddle had started to form at the base of the door. *drip* *drip* I tightly closed my eyes, and tried to chase the noise away.
[p=center]Hemophobia Stat + 1[/p]
A thin red line surrounded the edge of the door. I should have noticed it before, but the red light of the lanterns hid it from view. I gently sighed, the door really had been booby trapped, and I was going to open it so carelessly. The sound of footsteps faded as they both went inside down the stairs. Was it carelessness on their part for leaving the door open? Was it another trap? Did they not suspect someone would come around at this hour? Or was it a honey trap inviting it¡¯s prey?
[p=center]Paralysis has worn off[/p]
I slowly moved out from behind the armor and prepared to charge in, but a sudden voice stopped me, I had forgotten about Ranthus.¡°So brat, are you ready to give up your sister?¡± The child remained silent. I shuffled behind the suit of armor once again, keeping special care not to alert him. ¡°It¡¯s a good offer. You give up on staying by your sisters side and work under me. I wouldn¡¯t mind having a monster on my side. Fellow creatures get along well.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t what?¡± Ranthus asked. ¡°I won¡¯t become such a sickening creature like you. You may be human, but you lack the class you need to be a intelligent creature. If you''re not classy, you¡¯re better off in the pig pen where you belong.¡± ¡°You brat. That was your last chance.¡± Ranthus drew his sword. The child laughed, puffs of white coming off of him as he did so. ¡°You won¡¯t kill me. You can¡¯t. Not until you figure out how to use that. If my sister stops being so compliant, you won¡¯t be able to achieve your goal.¡± Ranthus sheathed his weapon, letting loose one final glare before heading down the stairs. I slowly entered the room after I was sure the footsteps had been become faint enough. ¡°That was scary,¡± I murmured. The child tilted his head and looked at me, ¡°Who are you?¡± I gave a quick bow, surveying the room for anything to hide behind, ¡°I¡¯m Alair, and I¡¯ve come to rescue you.¡± ¡°Best save it for later then.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving without my sister.¡± The boy was right. Even if I rescued him at this point, his sister would still be confined. And who knows how hard it would be to get them both out if the kidnappers panicked and raised security. I was happy that they were still alive, at this point, I didn¡¯t want to get them killed in a half planned escape. I sighed. So troublesome. ¡°Why are you thinking about saving us? Don¡¯t tell me you actually think of us as children?¡± I paused, crinkling my brow. The child was tied up to the wall and looked infinitely frail and weak, yet still spoke with such confidence. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not all to it, is it?¡± ¡°Eli, your mother wants to rescue you.¡± Eli widened his eyes for a mere moment, before closing them slowly. It was almost as if he was breathing out the last of the life within his lungs. He slowly leaned back against the wall. The chains rattled as they moved around. ¡°I¡¯m better off staying here then.¡± I went silent. The flickering of the lanterns flames was the only sound between us. ¡°Why?¡± I finally managed to ask. The frail child looked towards the roof, almost as if to look at the starry sky beyond it. ¡°How much do you know?¡± ¡°Your mother rushed into a burning building to save you, only to find out you were kidnapped by the marquess.¡± Eli started to laugh. The boy laughed with such gusto the swinging of the chains made me panic and frantically look for a place to hide. No noise of steps came from down below, but I still ended up peeking down the corridor all the same. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that seem odd to you? Why would she think we were in the burning building to begin with? Do you remember her saying anything about checking the surroundings for us before hand. It would only have taken a glance.¡± ¡°She was in a panic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lie. The reason she thought we were inside that house was because she locked it. She always locked it. She locked it from the outside. She locked it so we could never leave. She kept us close to death so that we would die the instant we forced our way through the door. Any strong enough force to knock down the door would be strong enough to tear this body apart.¡± A ghoul¡¯s death was a simple one. The body lost its ability to maintain itself. When a ghoul was close to death it wasn¡¯t as simple as them falling apart. It was as if they started to shatter piece by piece, in a snow white cloud. Or at least, that¡¯s what their mother had told me. The boy was constantly shedding the white powder, it wasn¡¯t too odd for him to say that he could die if he tried knocking down the door. I could believe a child. He wasn¡¯t someone corrupted by adulthood. If he was, I would rather fall for it now, than regret ignoring it later. ¡°...¡± ¡°I love my sister. I want to get out of here and live a happy life with her. But that won¡¯t happen as long as my mother remains in the picture.¡± Sounds like the boy has been putting on a facade for a long time for his sister¡¯s sake. Eli continued, ¡°The reason we weren¡¯t in the building wasn¡¯t because they caught us and burnt the building as an afterthought. The one who burned the building had been my sister and I to begin with. We burnt it when we were running away. I had dug a hole without my mother knowing and escaped with my sister the moment she left us. I burned the house down with my own hands. Not some petty soldier of the marquess.¡± Eli¡¯s body was shaking. The chains rattled like the death throes of a dying man. He was a child that had seen his last hope stolen from him, just when he thought he was free. He was a child that had risked everything to save what was precious to him, and he had failed. With a shaking voice, Eli uttered, ¡°I did it so my sister and I could be free.¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spoiler : Hello everyone, Once again, thank you for reading this chapter. And once again I¡¯ve failed to match either Snow or Curv¡¯s word counts¡­ I¡¯m getting closer, but that just makes it so I take a longer amount of time to write. I am sorry for taking so long to write this Chapter. I am in the midst of midterms that had completely caught me off guard. If they weren¡¯t the type in which I had to do something in front of the class I could have procrastinated a bit more¡­ A tip for the spoiler coding. Only one works per page, I have no idea why. So if you want to read someone¡¯s spoiler after this you have look at the coding of the page. Or quote the person in question. Thank you for your time, Tui PS. Would you like me to start naming each chapter? I hadn¡¯t thought about it before, so I¡¯m not sure if I should or not. End Chapter 5 Previous/T.O.C/Next Vol:1 - Ghouls Lament Ch: 6 Intermission ¡°I refuse.¡± Cur said adamantly, staring at the man before him. ¡°If you don¡¯t talk, your friend will be put in an even worse position.¡± ¡°...¡± The man sighed, ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to confess his crimes. I just want to know how he acted in his daily life, nothing serious.¡± ¡°That has nothing to do with you.¡± Cur snapped back. ¡°According to this folder, you¡¯re wrong. At the end of this talk I need to write something down. Don¡¯t you want to be sure it¡¯s the truth? A few words from me can make or break his fate, if you truly think you''re his friend, you should tell me what I need to know.¡± [p=center]???[/p] ¡°What happened to your face? You fail again?¡± Cur rubbed the red mark, ¡°Actually, no¡­ strangely enough, she gave me her number afterwards. We have a date this sunday. Though I¡¯m not sure why she had to slap me first.¡± ¡°Must be a girl¡¯s natural reaction to seeing your ugly mug,¡± Aren laughed, leaning back in his chair. It wouldn¡¯t have been a surprise to see him fall backwards. Aren¡¯s current expression was as childish as it could get. ¡°Eh?¡± Cur joked back, ¡°At least I can get a date with a girl.¡± ¡°You are talking like I can¡¯t.¡± Cur laughed, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been waiting for you to ask her out for how many years? No matter how many girls we flirt with, you¡¯ve never managed to ask the one you actually care about on a date.¡± He looked towards the door, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± ¡°You think I¡¯m blind? I know you like-¡± ¡°Aren likes who?¡± A girl suddenly asked from behind them. They hadn¡¯t noticed her enter from the doorway. Her long golden hair was tightly tied back into a ponytail.The girl was wearing jean pants that had been cut at the knees to allow easier movement. If a single word had to be used to describe her, it would be tomboy. A loud bang was heard as Aren¡¯s chair slipped out from underneath him, slamming loudly into the floor. Both Cur and the girl glanced over, holding back laughter as they checked to see if he was alright. After seeing him twitch, they went back to talking. ¡°Hey, Clare. Where did you pop in from this time?¡± Cur asked, holding back some laughter. Clare pointed to the open window behind them, ¡°Where do you think?¡± Cur sighed, they were on the third floor¡­ She placed her hands behind her head, placing her back against the wall, ¡°So which lucky girl is this playboy¡¯s crush?¡± ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t tell you. It¡¯s sensitive information. I can¡¯t sell my friend out.¡± Clare pulled out her cellphone, ¡°It¡¯s a pity, and here I was going to give you this girls number, she asked me to give it to you... If you won¡¯t tell me¡­ I guess I can tell her you turned her down. It¡¯s a shame, she seemed like your type...¡± It didn¡¯t even take Cur a second to make his decision, ¡°Well the person he likes is-¡± A sudden flying kick sent Cur careening into the wall. ¡°What the hell man. Why are you telling her?¡± Aren yelled. Cur picked himself up, ¡°Oh so you admit that you like someone.¡± ...Aren clicked his tongue, realizing he had been tricked. ¡°Oh?¡± Clare asked, ¡°I¡¯m surprised the second biggest playboy on campus actually has a crush on someone. Was it one of those fragile and weak damsels you are so intent on saving?¡± Aren remained silent. Only to grow red when both Clare and Cur broke out laughing. This was their daily life, a natural pattern on a natural day. [p=center]???[/p] ¡±Sounds like he is a violent kid. A Flying kick? That must have really hurt.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never had friends have you? That much is only a joke.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Well,¡± Cur sighed, ¡°He is a little violent, not really his fault. He didn¡¯t get to pick what happens around him. As far as I¡¯m concerned, if he ignored it, I wouldn¡¯t treat him as my friend.¡± [p=center]???[/p] ¡°Hey Aren, you sure you''re okay?¡± Cur was currently helping Aren limp over to their class. Aren had several cuts and lacerations on his limbs. The wounds would still be bleeding profusely if Aren hadn¡¯t tied them off with sections of a shirt he ¡®found¡¯. Aren broke out into a laugh, ¡°Of course, Just a few nicks here and there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you made it out alive. There was ten of them.¡± ¡°Eh? I just forgot how hard it was to fight alone¡­ I¡¯m used to fighting more than that with you and Clare, the number just seemed like an easy match.¡± ¡°Just because they are rich snobs, doesn¡¯t mean they are weak rich snobs. Some of them have taken lessons from several famous martial artists.¡± ¡°That didn¡¯t stop me from beating them before.¡± ¡°You had Clare and I to guard your back.¡± ¡°Ehehe, I forgot about that, you two are always there. I tend to forget it¡¯s possible to walk the streets alone¡­¡± Cur chopped his best friends head, ¡°Hey, we have lives too. We can¡¯t guard your back all the time. You can¡¯t forget the dangerous position you¡¯re in. Don¡¯t be an idiot and walk these streets alone.¡± [p=center]???[/p] Dangerous position? Why was his position dangerous? Isn¡¯t he just a regular student?¡± ¡°You have those papers in your hand, and still don¡¯t realize? You don¡¯t know anything about this place, do you?¡± [p=center]???[/p] Clare sat alone with Cur. They were in an abandoned classroom as usual. Aren had been sent to work in one of the many facilities on the campus. Due to his scholarship being unable to pay for everything, Aren was treated as a pack mule by the teachers and forced to run random errands. If the school had even known that Aren slept in Cur¡¯s section of the dorm, they would have already kicked him out. They wouldn¡¯t want their beneficiaries to think they were treating a commoner who couldn¡¯t pay the fees the same as their children. ¡°You think he is done by now?¡± Clare asked, somewhat mournful. She was looking out the window toward the setting sun. ¡°Nope, on nights like these he doesn¡¯t return till the sun has risen.¡± ¡°Then why are you still here?¡± ¡°I need to use my card to open the door to our room. Why are you?¡± She went silent. ¡°So you plan on using Royal Road to get closer to him eh?¡± ¡°...¡± Clare didn¡¯t meet Cur¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡± Cur leaned back in his chair. Silence blossomed between the two of them. It was a dead heavy silence, an invisible barrier that separated the two. Cur broke it easily with a single line, ¡°I hate this school.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Do you know the reason Aren is still allowed to stay here?¡± Clare answered quickly, ¡°His scholarship right?¡± The playboy shook his head, ¡°No, his scholarship alone is nowhere near enough to get him here. Aren is the scapegoat that the school prepared. When you have so many kids with noble standing, one of them is bound to stir up a fight. If they are allowed to fight those of equal standing, a long and violent feud could be born.. As long as they have someone beneath them to target, they have no reason to fight amongst themselves. He is here just to be looked down upon..¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lie¡­ I don¡¯t look down on Aren.¡± ¡°You did. Don¡¯t you remember when you two first met? You were even more violent then, than you are now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what that has to do with this.¡± ¡°Did you think the only reason we got in fights was to protect damsels in distress?¡± [p=center]???[/p] ¡±Royal Road? You guys decided to start playing it?¡± The playboy looked up at the man surprised, ¡°You mean you''re ignoring the obviously very dangerous thing I mentioned?¡± He shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m not here to blackmail you, I just need a good understanding of the guy.¡± ¡°So you ask about Royal Road?¡± ¡°What can I say?¡± The man smiled, ¡°Can¡¯t an old guy be curious?¡± Cur looked out the door of the room, growing silent. ¡°Well¡­¡± Cur finally said, ¡°They¡¯ve been talking about playing it for awhile.¡± ¡°They?¡± [p=center]???[/p] ¡°Hey Aren, have you ever heard of a terror build?¡± ¡°Is it like some haunted house gimmick?¡± ¡°Nope, its about the idiots in RPGs that only increase one stat.¡± Clare explained, smiling brightly. Her long golden blond hair curled loosely around her neck, looping behind a single ear as she leaned forward to speak. Cur sat off to the side of the two of them, reading a book as his two close friends chatter. All three were sitting alone in one of the many abandoned classrooms. Aren wrinkled his brow, ¡°What? Wouldn¡¯t they end up dying?¡± Clare shrugged her tiny shoulders, ¡°Depends.¡± ¡°Depends?¡± ¡°It depends on how the game is made. The programming of the enemies is important. Same with whether the game is skill or turn based. As you said, only focusing on one stat would be license to getting the player killed.¡± Aren thought about it for a moment, before asking,¡°So what about it?¡± ¡°When we get our capsules, how about we do that?¡± Aren spat out his drink, ¡°What! Why?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be cool? You¡¯ve always been quick on your feet. If you max speed, no one will be able to match up to you. You would be the perfect kiter and distraction for mobs.¡± ¡°So a thief?¡± Clare shook her head, ¡°A thief with speed thrice his level. When you level in RPGs you normally have to split your stat bonuses on all the stats you¡¯ll need. A terror build increases your risk, but allows your to reach limits impossible for other players.¡± ¡°How the heck am I meant to fight anything?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deal all the damage, I¡¯ll be the world¡¯s slowest damage dealer. I may not be able to hit much, but when I do, I¡¯ll make sure it stays dead. We can overcome each others weaknesses and become a perfect set. We can conquer Royal Road with our teamwork.¡± [p=center]???[/p] ¡±So those two are a couple, eh?¡± Cur shook his head, ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°In the future then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he has it in himself to ask her out. He probably won¡¯t even risk it until he fixes his situation. Aren is a coward for the things he actually cares for.¡± [p=center]???[/p] Cur and Aren were walking through the town. Clare had been off doing her own thing, and couldn¡¯t join them that afternoon. ¡°Only two more weeks till your capsules arrive,¡± Cur announced, ¡°You would think that with so many rich kids here, you would be able to order them a bit faster.¡± Aren shrugged his shoulders, ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, most of us don¡¯t even know what country we¡¯re in.¡± Cur held his hand out, stopping Aren. ¡°You should get ready.¡± Aren nodded, pulling out a red bandana out of his pocket, putting it on in order to sweep his hair back. When his hair grew too long and became an annoyance in a fight, he always tied it up like this. ¡°How many this time?¡± he asked. Cur looked around, taking some time to count the thugs, ¡°Only 12.¡± ¡°You think we can make it in time for dinner?¡± Cur laughed, ¡°If we don¡¯t, we can always have them buy us some.¡± They pounded their fists, ¡°¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±¡± [p=center]???[/p] ¡±It seems you and your friend, have it tough.¡± ¡°Surprisingly, It just makes it easier to successfully flirt with the girls¡­¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± The man went quiet, ¡°You know what I¡¯m here about right?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I was surprised, the boy was covered in blood. The cops wouldn¡¯t have found them, if that boy hadn¡¯t been screaming.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Cur said, ¡°He¡¯s fine as long the fight remains man on man, but once a girl get¡¯s injured he tends to panic...a bit.¡± ¡°A bit?¡± [p=center]???[/p] ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Cur sighed¡­ He found himself in a large abandoned warehouse. The town had an absurd number of them scattered about. A strange number really, if they all hadn¡¯t been unlocked, you would start to think something suspicious was happening in this small town. A group of people stood in front of him. All of them held a makeshift weapon of some sort. Their postures were all relaxed and uncaring of Cur¡¯s presence. Why would they be? He was already tied up and shoved against the wall. The leader of the group was a noble brat with a spiked neon green haircut. He was considerably more ripped than the rest of them, standing at the forefront, closest to Cur. In that instance, Cur decided between Spikey, and Neon boy as the brat¡¯s impromptu nickname¡­ since Spikey was actually somewhat cool, Cur immediately settled for neon boy. The group standing behind neon boy were all in the school¡¯s uniform. The school actually doesn¡¯t force anyone to wear the thing, the price tag alone could make CEOs faint. However, among the students it was a sign of power. If you owned a uniform, no one would doubt your background within the schools walls, or the town below it. Cur complained to no one in particular, ¡°Why do I have to be the damsel in distress? Can¡¯t I be the hero saving some pretty girl from ugly thugs?¡± Neon boy stared down on Cur, ¡°It¡¯s your fault for hanging out with that trash.¡± ¡°Hmm? I don¡¯t remember ever hanging out with someone like that¡­ or do you mean right now? Is the fact that I¡¯m talking to you right now, the sole reason for you dragging me out here?¡± A kick sent cur sliding farther down the wall. ¡°Shut up,¡± neon boy screamed. The kick hit Cur just beneath the ribs, knocking all the air out of his lungs. ¡°I mean come on,¡± Cur said after regaining his ability to breathe, ¡°couldn¡¯t you have let me finish the date with the girl first?¡± ¡°The girl is the reason you were caught so easily.¡± Cur paused, ¡°OH, I was drugged. That explains it¡­ I thought I just had a rather exciting night in town.¡± That explained the gap in his memory. The mob of people grew silent. ¡°Well, what do you plan on doing here anyway? Don¡¯t tell me you kidnapped me just so you can stare at my brilliant body all day long? Sorry, but I¡¯m not into guys.¡± ¡°Like hell!¡± Neon boy screamed, ¡°You are the bait for the trash you call a friend.¡± If Cur wasn¡¯t too busy laughing, he might have felt threatened. Neon boy was twice as ripped, thrice as stupid, and was leading a small armed group. ¡°...oh.¡± ¡°¡®Oh¡¯? Is that all you have to say?¡± Cur thought about everything he could say, ¡®Children shouldn¡¯t play with weapons¡­¡¯ ¡®How much do they charge for dry cleaning?¡¯ ¡®Couldn¡¯t you have given me a chair?¡¯ But ultimately he settled for the most proper response he could come up with, ¡°Who was that girl? Your sister?¡± Neon boy stuck his chest out with pride, ¡°It was my girlfriend, actually.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± Cur¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Can I have her number?¡± ¡°She. Is. My. Girlfriend.¡± ¡°I know, she was pretty cute. Quite good at kissing too.¡± ¡°You what?¡± Cur shrugged, ¡°What do you mean, I what?¡± ¡°You did what to my girlfriend?¡± ¡°Hey man, she was the one who kissed me. I was just curious if she wanted to continue later on better terms.¡± Neon boy was turning a scarlet red, ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± ¡°I see, your noble pride is fragile enough to beat up a man tied up in ropes. You even had your girlfriend kiss me to accomplish that.¡± ¡°I did not such thing!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ so I was right. I knew you wouldn¡¯t tell her to use her tongue¡­¡± One the uniformed members gripped neon boy¡¯s shoulder, ¡°He is probably lying. Don¡¯t trust him. Calm down, our target should be arriving soon.¡± Cur laughed, ¡°Well it¡¯s up to you if you believe me or not. I have no reason to lie.¡± ¡®Well¡¯ Cur thought, ¡®Besides watching this guy become a human christmas tree.¡¯ ¡­ ¡°What did you guys send to call him out?¡± Cur asked, ¡°Not another girl I hope, I can¡¯t have him being more suave than me.¡± ¡°A letter of challenge of course,¡± Neon boy stammered, still a bit red, ¡°It says,¡¯Come to the abandoned store shed at 9, or prepare for your princess to get hurt.¡± Cur looked over the objects in the mobs hands, ¡°You guys might want some better weapons...¡± The large doors of the warehouse slammed open, the light of the setting sun shone against the man¡¯s back, making him look like some sort of hero in a lame action flick. If it weren¡¯t for the loud resounding sigh he gave off when entering, he might have pulled it off too. ¡°Oh my hero! You¡¯ve come to save me!¡± Cur said in falsetto. ¡°I thought you guys said princess¡­¡± Aren looked at Cur, ¡°Can I go home now?¡± ¡°What?¡± Neon boy yelled, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to save your friend?¡± Aren complained to everyone in the warehouse, ¡°Think about how I feel for a second. I thought I was going to save a girl in distress. And instead I found a flirt tied up in ropes, surrounded by a bunch of sweaty guys¡­ I would rather just leave.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll treat?¡± Cur lamented. ¡°Alright you bastards!¡± Aren yelled, ¡°Which one of you buggers hurt my friend! It¡¯s time for your punishment!¡± Aren was a little too motivated when food was on the line¡­ This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. After their initial shock, the group of armed men in the room all started to laugh. They held their weapons in front of them, as if to show them off. In response, Aren took the time to count them one by one. Even in a situation where he faced off against eight armed individuals, he was rather calm. As long as they outnumbered him, Aren would be able to fight as much as he wanted. If the school reported him, it would only demean the status of those in uniforms. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind releasing your friend, if you got on your knees and begged for forgiveness¡± Neon boy said sweetly, as he gripped a knife in his hand. He must have felt empowered by having the blade in hand. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You are outnumbered maybe?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you surround him first? Surround then threaten, can¡¯t you idiots do anything right?¡± Cur stated, leaning back against the wall. His hands were tied behind his back with the rope, so he had a hard time getting comfortable to watch the show. They must have actually agreed with Cur¡¯s advice, as they started to walk around and form a circle around Aren. The entire time they set up, both Aren and Cur watched, twiddling their thumbs. ¡°Hey Cur,¡± Aren asked, ¡°What are the chances of you getting out of those ropes?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Aren hung his head, ¡°Eight isn¡¯t that bad anyway¡­ I just hate fighting people with knives. They tend to be idiots and hurt themselves more than necessary.¡± Aren spoke rather calmly, but kept himself facing neon boy who was holding the knife. A weapon like that was nothing to joke about. It was easy for both the victim and the attacker to get hurt badly. ¡°What was that?¡± Neon boy yelled, ¡°Who ya calling an idiot?¡± Cur replied nonchalantly, ¡°Take a guess, its the guy swinging a knife around while complaining about being called an idiot.¡± If neon boy hadn¡¯t already joined the circle to pummel on Aren, Cur would have had another kick to the gut. ¡°Shall we begin?¡± Aren asked, ¡°I¡¯m hungry and someone promised to treat me to a expensive meal.¡± ¡°Who the hell said anything about it being expensive!¡± Cur yelled. Aren glanced at cur, raising his eyebrows, ¡°I can leave you know.¡± Even with Aren surrounded, Cur didn¡¯t doubt his words, so he gave up, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I promise I¡¯ll treat you to something expensive. I can¡¯t stand having a bunch of guys admiring me.¡± For Aren, a fight was a mere game. A game with some stakes on the line, but a game all the same. When facing abnormal numbers, it was less about striking and more about dodging. Well, that was what he was taught at least. He didn¡¯t always follow it. Luckily for him, only neon boy was using a knife. The others had bats and other makeshift weapons. There were even two people using brass knuckles. One of the men swung the bat horizontally, causing a few to jump back to avoid being hit by their ally. Aren ducked down low, avoiding the strike as it flew past his head. The bat continued to swing forward, sending it careening into one of the two brass knucklers. The knuckler tried to use his arms to block, but the force of the swing pushed into him, shoving his guard directly into this face. A thin trickle of blood started to form at his nose. His arms probably were going to swell in the morning from the bruise. Cur yelled, ¡°Aren, want to make bets?¡± ¡°Not this time, Cur.¡± Aren jumped back as three weapons slammed into the ground where he was a second before. Three of those attackers actually worked well together. They timed their attacks so that Aren had a harder time dodging them. Aren was forced to take some light blows as he continued to forcefully dodge all the attacks. He had yet to attack his opponents in retaliation, in fact, he hadn¡¯t even bothered to raise his hands in defence. Cur laughed as he noticed the mob slowly growing angrier. He belonged to the same boarding school as them, so he could understand their mentality. They were taught that anyone without the proper rank was a weak and worthless individual. The reason Aren was targeted was to prove that fact. The mob felt insulted that they had not been able to bring down the person they viewed as trash. Following the pace of neon boy, the attackers started to speed up in turn. They must have thought the more they attacked, the harder it would be for the trash to dodge. However, it only led to them hitting each other as Aren danced around them. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to make a bet?¡± Cur asked. ¡°Can¡¯t you act more damsel like?¡± ¡°Oh great Prince Aren, can¡¯t you save me from these ugly beasts? They fell in love with my grace and beauty and have kidnapped and brought me into this foul and abhorrent place.¡± The men grew distracted from Cur¡¯s insults. Aren finally sent two quick uppercuts to the two closest fighters. The men he hit fell forward, dropping to their knees. Without waiting for them to get up, Aren jumped forward, kneeing the one to his right in the face. He spun on his heel and delivered a strike to the other with a roundhouse. Red splatter had started to turn Aren¡¯s pants into a twisted and devilish appearance. The devil wearing them smiled as he turned to face those remaining. Only six more to go. Aren launched forward, successfully delivering one more punch. This time he didn¡¯t follow up with a kick. Instead, he swung himself behind his victim, twisting his arm around his neck. The attacks from the others continued. Aren twisted the poor boy around, using him as a sponge to absorb their attacks. When they realized they had only been managing to hurt their ally, the strikes slowly stopped. Blood was slowly trickling down Aren¡¯s arm. If he were a kind person he would have started to worry about his shield¡­ ¡°What are you doing, you coward! How can you take a hostage?¡± ¡°¡°...¡±¡± Aren and Cur deadpanned. Aren dropped the bag of meat to the ground sighing, ¡°Sorry¡­ I really shouldn¡¯t have done that. Only a coward uses a hostage. If I want to even act noble, I should stick to one on one fights and never use a woman as a tool.¡± ¡°...How the hell do you know we did that?¡± neon boy yelled. Aren pointed to Cur, ¡°That idiot wouldn¡¯t have been captured by weaklings like you, unless you used a girl. He may be a fool, and act in questionable manners from time to time, but he would, by no means, lose to trash nobles like you. He isn¡¯t even injured.¡± ¡°...¡± Aren sighed loudly, ¡°When I first saw him tied up, I thought I would actually find a decent fight. That I would find someone strong enough to beat him up¡­ and what do I find instead, HE¡¯S UNHARMED AND SMILING.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°You know for trash villains, can¡¯t you even do your job properly? A hostage shouldn¡¯t be smiling!¡± Aren glanced at the few of the fighters he had bothered to attack. They were still lying on the ground bleeding. The bag of meat was the worst off, but that wasn¡¯t Aren¡¯s fault. ¡°We aren¡¯t trash villains!¡± Neon boy yelled. ¡°Seriously? Then why are you guys giving up from only that much pain?¡± Aren asked. ¡°We aren¡¯t giving up.¡± Neon boy jumped forward, knife in hand. ¡°Aren!¡± Cur yelled. Aren twisted violently to the side, barely dodging the strike, it had been by luck more than anything else. Panicking as he dodged, he overestimated the force needed. Aren lost his balance and hopped comically on one foot. One of the men using a crowbar, took the chance to send a strike harshly into his side. A sharp crack echoed in the empty arena, even Cur flinched at the noise. Aren clenched his teeth, biting down the sound that tried to rise from his throat. his left arm bent oddly, facing the wrong direction. ¡°AHAHAHAHA,¡± Neon boy laughed, ¡°Now you see the might of Noble blood!¡± A quick right straight, sent neon boy flying. Aren went back to clutching his arm, ¡°Ughh¡­ that hurts.¡± he took a deep breath, calming himself. A steady trail of blood escaped from his left arm. This time it wasn¡¯t from his meatshield. The three remaining men stared. They were all wannabee nobles, and weren¡¯t used to the sensation of pain. Aren must have seemed like a monster to remain standing with a broken arm. Neon boy stood back up. In total, four of them still remained. Aren was visibly surprised that neon boy was still standing. He may have covered in muscle, but pain was pain. It was a strike to his face too. The thin trickle of blood from his nose could have him mistaken for a pervert in some novels. Cur shook his head, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you fighting back?¡± Aren shrugged, ¡°I am.¡± ¡°No you¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Yes I am.¡± ¡°No. you. are. not.¡± ¡°I broke my arm.¡± ¡°You can break your arm playing around.¡± ¡°I. Broke. My. Arm.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, you are still not fighting..¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°They are still standing.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Am I some sort of super human?¡± ¡°You say that¡­ but you¡¯re talking right now, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°And?¡± Cur let out a long drawn out breath, ¡°They are attacking you right now¡­¡± Aren glanced around dumbstruck. ¡°Oops¡­¡± He clutched his arm melodramatically, ¡°Oh, I have lost, the pain has brought me down to my knees.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still standing.¡± Cur said monotone. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m wasting time.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why else¡­.¡± It took Cur a brief moment to realize what Aren meant ¡°Do you want to get them killed?¡± Aren shrugged¡­ only to breath in sharply as his broken arm moved. Although he put on a tough act, a broken arm still must have hurt a considerable degree. ¡°We have you now!¡± Neon boy screamed. ¡°STOOOOOOOOOOP¡± A new entrant screamed. It was a short person, easily the shortest among the people here. Yet her voice carried such authority with it, that everyone in the room froze. No one such as so much as blinked, as the girl stepped towards the mob of people. ¡°Clare,¡± Aren bowed. ¡°Aren, Cur,¡± Clare smiled. She approached the group armed with nothing but a smile. A chill raised on Cur¡¯s back, he had seen what happened when she fought. It was never pretty¡­ At first the four remaining individuals did not view Clare as a threat. Even with her tomboyish attire, they were taught that all girls were fragile and weak. That stopped when she snapped one of their arms. Some flowers are quite poisonous. In terms of combat prowess, Aren was nowhere near the level of Clare. Their fighting styles were quite similar, but that was because Clare was the one who taught Aren to fight. Her movements were so smooth that you would be hard pressed to think she was attacking. It was as if the entire battle was being conducted. She didn¡¯t fight so much as manipulate. She danced through the men, attracting their gazes and sending their weapons careening into each other. Only when their strikes came close to hitting her, did she bother to defend. ¡°And I only get to watch¡­ Well, the perks of being the damsel in this situation I guess.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Clare turned to face Cur. ¡°Why the heck are you the damsel?¡± Taking the opening, one of the fighters swung at Clare from the newly opened blind spot... A kick from Aren sent him and his weapon flying to Cur on the farthest wall. ¡°Hey Idiot, watch what you are doing.¡± Aren yelled, his foot still raised into the air. ¡°Idiot? The idiot calls me an idiot?¡± ¡°Who you calling an idiot? Idiot.¡± ¡°It takes one to know one.¡± Like oil and water, those two fought at the most inopportune times. You could tell how close they were by how they treated one another. They needn¡¯t worry about the other being hurt, and hurled harsh jokes at each other. ¡°Okay you idiot duo,¡± Cur yelled, nonchalantly kicking the corpse that landed near him, ¡°Mind finishing this fight already? I want to go home.¡± ¡°¡°You shut up!!¡± They both yelled at once. Cur kept his complaints to himself, and continued to watch the rest of the match. The fight seemed to evolve into a dance, a style of movement that could only be born between the Clare and Aren.. Dodge, Slide, Punch, Sidestep. Slide, Sidestep, Sidestep, throw. Dodge, slide, punch. The opponents, fell into chaos. They couldn¡¯t understand why they couldn¡¯t hit their targets. Their weapons only struck air. Their weapons started to weigh more in their hands, and drew closer to the ground. The occasional splatter of blood, continued to eat up away at their courage. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that running was considered cowardly, they would have fled long ago. Because of their pride, most of the remaining fighters had turned into piles of meat. The reason Clare was terrifying to fight with, was not her strength. It was her ability to judge. She knew just how much force to use to keep her opponent from falling. Clare simply kept the damage below what the adrenaline could hide, and slowly worked her way up. Neon boy was the last man standing. He had several welts going up the side of his face. The spikes in his hair had mostly been snapped. The neon green hair was now tipped red from the splattering blood. It was quite the grotesque scene. ¡°You¡­ You¡­ bastards!¡± ¡°blood¡­ blood¡­¡± Aren ignored him and started to mumble. Clare put her hand on his shoulder, as if to calm him down. ¡°It will be alright. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine Aren, just calm down.¡± Cur chipped. ¡°But the blood¡­ so much blood¡­¡± ¡°¡°Aren¡­¡±¡± ¡°I¡¯m never going to get this blood off my clothes! This was my only good pair.¡± Aren was nearly in tears. Neither Cur, nor Clare, could tell if he was joking or not. Judging by the smile, it was probably a joke¡­ they hoped it was at least. Neon boy shuddered. In the next moments, none of the fighters were willing to open the door. If the friends had allowed neon boy to scream, even the cops wouldn¡¯t have been willing to enter the door. [p=center]???[/p] ¡±What happened to him?¡± ¡°Haha. If I told you, I would have to kill you.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a joke. We just fixed his hair for him¡­ And his clothes¡­ and¡­ tended his injuries with some swabs of iodine¡­ We were doing the proper thing in that situation.¡± ¡°...¡± [p=center]???[/p] Aren was currently in panic, standing next to Clare. He hadn¡¯t expected that to happen. If he had been paying attention¡­ If he hadn¡¯t been late¡­ she wouldn¡¯t- have gotten a cut on her cheek. Cur sighed, rubbing his wrists. He watched as his best friend get himself worked up over the tiny injury. It was always like this, Aren was so obsessed about his friends being hurt, he forgot his own injuries. Apparently, Clare thought the same. ¡°What are you doing? Calm down already, it¡¯s just a cut.¡± ¡°What if it get¡¯s infected?¡± A rather heavy chop sent Aren to his knees¡­ ¡°What is the idiot with a broken arm talking about? Shouldn¡¯t we be rushing you to the hospital?¡± [p=center]???[/p] Cur laughed, ¡°That idiot was more obsessed over the cut, than he was about his broken arm.¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°He made us treat her cut before allowing himself to be rushed off to the hospital. The idiot started to scream when the adrenaline finally wore off.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you explain the blood?¡± ¡°They stopped asking around the 104th time we walked through that door. They¡¯ve gotten used to it¡­ Young nurses are nice¡­¡± The man heard a thought that he felt was he was better off ignoring, ¡°Why is she curious about that violent boy? I just can¡¯t understand it¡­¡± ¡°Who is curious?¡± ¡°Not something you need to know.¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spoiler : Hello everyone, I thought I would take the time to write a little side story of the main arc. Cur yelled at me for this, so It seems I was a tad bit mean here. Oh well¡­ Just curious, would you guys like me to make a teaser and discussion topic? My favorite part about the FFs is all the conspiracy theories that go into it. Like always, Thanks for taking the time to read this. Tui signing off. End Chapter 6 Previous/T.O.C/Next Vol:1 - Ghouls Lament Ch: 7 A Fwiend鈥檚 Weeping Nothing is more aggravating than a fool¡¯s errand you can¡¯t leave unfinished. ¡°I did it so my sister and I could be free¡­¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°What?¡± I asked after a moment of silence. ¡°...¡± ¡°I came here to save both of you,¡± I reaffirmed, mostly to myself. I said I would save these kids, and now the action of saving them is in the wrong? I just couldn¡¯t stand it. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, that¡¯s impossible. Not if you are going to bring us back to our mother. I would rather die here, at least then my sister won¡¯t starve.¡± ¡°...¡± I let out my usual sigh, ¡°So troublesome.¡± ¡°Troublesome?¡± Eli asked, his voice sharp. ¡°Yeah,¡± I snapped, ¡°Troublesome. I told your mother I would save you. It may not be the way she expected it, but I won¡¯t back down after I decided on something. Not after¡­¡± I cut myself off. ¡°Not after...?¡± He asked me to continue. I ignored Eli and placed myself against the wall, leaning over to peek down the stairs the two men went down before. The sudden echo of footsteps made my heart beat erratically. The sound grew louder the longer I waited. Someone was coming up the stairs. I spun on my heel and prepared to dash out the doorway. It may have been a coward¡¯s action, but I was no hero. If it came down to a fight, I wouldn¡¯t be able to win. If I was able to fight, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered sneaking in here in the first place. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you...¡± Eli mumbled. ¡°What?¡± I whispered. ¡°If you rush out that doorway right now, you will be spotted. I can¡¯t tell who it is, but I doubt you would like them. Don¡¯t doubt a ghoul¡¯s ears, they¡¯ll be here even faster than those coming up the stairs.¡± ¡°...¡± If I wasn¡¯t in the middle of looking for a place to hide, I would have tried to crack a few jokes. You may end up looking like a fool because of it, but at least you can calm down. I solemnly berated myself, ¡®Not like I can even joke around anymore...¡¯ I clenched my fist, my back against the wall. I couldn¡¯t see down the stairs that lead deeper into this jail-like dungeon, and the hallway was also hidden from view. I didn¡¯t know which way I should be running. ¡°Any ideas?¡± ¡°You promise?¡± ¡°Promise what?¡± I snapped under my breath. ¡°You promise you will save us? Not only from the Marquess but from my mother as well.¡± I nodded. It wasn¡¯t like I had much choice in the matter. I already came this far, if I stopped now she would yell at me. I shuddered at the thought. There aren¡¯t many things scarier than her when she is angry. ¡°Good.¡± he whispered. His voice came out far weaker than usual, which scared me. It was already weak before. His skin paled further as he forced himself to smile at me. The ground started to shake. It was a silent rumble, as if the earth itself was preparing for something. The area in front of me quickly rose, forming a wall between me and the rest of the room. It suddenly became eerily dark, not an inch of light shone through the dirt wall. Even if I raised my hand to my face, I would not have been able to see it. I placed my hand on the wall before me.It felt like hardened dirt, nothing like the stone normal walls of the manor. The wall sealed any escape path I might have had. ¡°Did you do this?¡± I asked. ¡°Will you shut up? They are getting close.¡± I obediently kept my mouth shut. ¡°You came to visit me?¡± Eli asked. His voice was childish, nothing like when he spoke to me. It carried a hint of purity. The same purity that most people associated with the foolishness of children. A voice answered him, I recognized the speaker, but it didn¡¯t sound like either of the two men that had already left this room, ¡°Oh, drop that childish act. Your sister is still down in the lower dungeon. I came to make sure they weren¡¯t treating you too badly, since I told them to keep her down there for today.¡± I swallowed as silently as I could. ¡°Give me and my sis a little more to eat, and we¡¯ll be perfect.¡± ¡°...¡± The man went silent. The false wall in front did nothing to impede the sound. I could hear what happened beyond it clearly. Even the sound of labored breathing whistled freely through the structure before me. ¡°Even if you are the marquess, you won¡¯t get what you want.¡± ¡°Oh!?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t acquire it, no matter what you do.¡± Eli said rather bluntly, his voice jagged like cracked glass. ¡°Why do you say that? Are you going to make your sister starve?¡± ¡°Do you know why it¡¯s called ¡®Ghoul¡¯s Lament¡¯?¡± ¡°Because you monsters lament the day we acquire that power?¡± ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA¡± Eli broke into a fit of laughter. His chains shook violently against the walls. The dirt wall in front of me shook as the mana holding it slightly gave away. The strength of the mana must have lessened as Eli lost some of his concentration. ¡°You really think we would care if someone is stupid enough to curse themselves? If they are idiotic enough to strive for that power, they deserved to die.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°You know as well as I that the body can¡¯t handle the change. The fact that you are trying to acquire it is laughable. It would be simpler to hang yourself.¡± The voice was morbidly silent. Eli took a deep breath. His voice directed itself towards me, almost as if he was facing me as he spoke. ¡°Let me tell you a story, the real reason it¡¯s called a ghoul¡¯s lament. ¡°There was once a man who fell in love with a girl. The man couldn¡¯t understand why the entire village avoided her. The girl kept to herself. She never harmed anyone, never stole anything and was impossibly beautiful. Yet, she was outcast from the rest of the village, as if she was cursed. ¡°You see this man, he was an odd fellow, a traveller of sorts. He never stuck around one place too long, traveling from place to place. He didn¡¯t know what the rest of the village knew; he didn¡¯t know the girl was a ghoul. ¡°He confessed to her for 3 days and 3 nights. Each day, the girl would silently shake her head and rush off. Each night under the glow of the moon, he could see her blushing and fighting against something within her. On the third night, the girl gave in. Even if she was a ghoul, her heart could feel love all the same. ¡°The village found out within the week.¡± The voice was silent. Eli chuckled, taking in a deep breath. He started to cough violently as if he was choking. The chains rattled against the walls, shaking violently as they tried to keep their captive bound. The cold steel must have been digging into his flesh the entire time. ¡°And?¡± The voice asked. ¡°I¡¯ll say the rest later.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Hey,¡± the chains rattled as he shrugged, ¡°Gotta keep something back so you don¡¯t kill me off, right?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Eli agreed, ¡°Not as long as you can use me to keep my sister in line. Even if you are a cruel marquess like the rumors say, you aren¡¯t stupid.¡± The Marquess laughed, ¡°You are far more cruel than I am, your personality is nothing like the one you show your sister.¡± ¡°The personality I show her is none of your business. I¡¯m happiest when she is happy. She is happiest when I am happy. What is a white lie if it soon becomes the truth?¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m not talking about that.¡± ¡°Are you talking about me acting like a kid?¡± A silence appeared. I could only take that as the Marquess nodding his head. ¡°I have my reasons¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± another second of silence. The voice called out again, this time with more force and authority. ¡°Ranthus, Theodore, I need to discuss something in my office, follow me. I don¡¯t want that fellow to overhear us.¡± Two sets of footsteps walked towards the Marquess¡¯ voice. ¡°But sir,¡± one of them asked, ¡°why should we take the trouble? Wouldn¡¯t it be fine if we talked here?¡± ¡°...Do you doubt my decisions?¡± ¡°No¡­ sir¡­¡± The Marquess chuckled, ¡°If you must know, it¡¯s something we can¡¯t have that brat knowing about.¡± More silence. ¡­ The sound of footsteps, three sets of them, leading away from the room and down the hallway. They grew faint rather quickly, the acoustics of the area making it hard for noise to enter or escape the room. The door quietly shut behind them. ¡­ ¡­ How long is the silence is going to last? ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Hey kid,¡± I whispered, ¡°what¡¯s the hold up?¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Kid?¡± I asked again. ¡°Oh¡­ sorry¡­¡± came a faint whisper. The wall in front of me slowly sank into the ground. The light coming from above blinded me, and I temporarily shielded my eyes with my arm. When I finally managed to open my eyes, I shuddered. Eli was far from a healthy child when I first saw him. I may have called him pale before, but this was just insane. His skin was so pasty that I could clearly see all the veins running across his face. It was almost to the point that Saran Wrap would have been more opaque and thicker than his skin. ¡°W-what¡­?¡± I started to ask. ¡°A ghoul uses mana to repair its body and yet we don¡¯t naturally produce it. The reason we eat another¡¯s flesh is to temporarily gain the ability to regain that energy. In case you haven¡¯t noticed, I¡¯m a little starved. That spell was pushing it, even for me.¡± The wall of earth the boy summoned might end up being the final straw that ends up killing him. Not only am I struggling to save these kids, I might end up being the ones killing them too¡­ ¡°So Ar- Alair, can you do me a favor?¡± Eli smiled, his lips tearing as he did so. ¡°If you have to choose between saving my life, and saving my sister¡¯s, pick hers.¡± I stood there silently. ¡°Alair?¡± I finally nodded, ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°...Get me something to eat.¡± [p=center]???[/p] The darkness returned. I was once again surrounded by the red glow of moonlight. I stood in a puddle of claret wine. It sunk into my clothes and bit down on me, trying to drag me away into insanity. Tendrils of the red liquid gripped my arms, slithering around me like a living being. The liquid was warm and pulsed almost as if it was alive. Can you face me yet?, The voice asked. I shook my head, and struggled to pull myself from the claret wine. The copper stench of the liquid clouded my senses. Everything around me was covered in the dull red I had grown to love so much. I forced myself to keep from screaming. The only color that would have calmed me, the silver glow of the moon, had long since eroded to the crimson red of a life lost. I struggled to remain upright. The scarlet water pulled me further down. You hadn¡¯t even bothered to save those kids. ¡°I¡¯m going to save them! I haven¡¯t given that up yet!¡± So you admit you will give them up in the future? ¡°No!¡± I finally screamed. The tentacles of claret wine came down on me like lashes, ripping my clothes and tearing the skin off my back. You are a coward. You deserve to die a dog¡¯s death. You gave up your chance to save those kids when you left Eli in that room. ¡°If¡­ If I saved him now, I wouldn¡¯t be able to save his sister.¡± Oh really? Then what stopped you from saving them both? The people guarding her had already left. You could have saved them both¡­. why didn¡¯t you? More lashes came down. I fought to remain on my feet. ¡°The door down to the bottom level was locked.¡± Are you sure? I went silent. I couldn¡¯t remember. I couldn¡¯t pull that memory back into my grasp. The claret wine grew thicker and heavier. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Should hurry up and die. I never loved you, I could never love a murderer like you. After all, you killed me. You stabbed me with that knife. It was all because you were late. You knew I would be angry. Why else would you be holding that knife? Why else would you be laughing as I bled to death? I clutched my ears. The claret wine had risen to my waist. I didn¡¯t want to hear the voice. I didn¡¯t want to hear her voice right now. Each sentence uttered, each word spoken, only served to make it harder to remain above the sea of claret wine. Aren¡­ You killed me. I drowned. I couldn¡¯t breath. I could only see red. I could no longer face her I could no longer¡­ [p=center]???[/p] A knock came from the antique door. I had never been so glad to have someone wake me from my slumber. I brushed the sweat from my brow and slowly pulled myself out of the bed. Before I could step forward and answer, the door swung open, ¡°Gooooood moooorning!¡± Ross called out. His gardening attire was already covered in dirt. He had a lopsided grin on his face as he strode into the room as if he owned the place. ¡°What are you doin-¡± ¡°Tsk¡­ Tsk¡­ Tsk¡­¡± Ross cut me off, ¡°What do you mean? I bet you haven¡¯t even bothered to look through the clothes I gave you. Not even after you snuck around the manor last night. I swear, couldn¡¯t you have at least used the secret passages. The poor guards almost had a heart attack from all those vanishing footsteps¡­¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Even if you go silent now, It¡¯s not going to change the fact that I know you snuck out. Although I am curious, what are you even here to do? Wait. Don¡¯t answer that, I don¡¯t want you to kill me because of some idle curiosity of mine.¡± I sat up. Ross jumped backwards, and put his his hands up in a makeshift guard posture, ¡°You¡¯ll never catch me alive!¡± He stepped into the closet, shutting the door behind him with a thud. Is he alright in the head? ¡°It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°Ask what!?¡± Ross hollered. He continued to rustle around in the closet.The sound of something expensive breaking made me wince. What the heck was he doing in there? The closet was pretty spacious. For him to create that much noise, he¡¯d have to be in a deathmatch with one of those luxury suits. And judging by all the ruckus he was making, he was probably losing. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I quickly avoided the subject, ¡°What are you doing in there?¡± ¡°Found it!¡± Ross yelled, slamming open the closet door and stepping once again into the main bedroom. In his hands was a almost completely white uniform. Several blue flowers outlined the sleeves. The uniform was similar to a tux you would expect to see on a rich nobleman. I had seen many such uniforms in the manor yesterday, but this was the first time I had seen one with so many flowers on it. ¡°What is that?¡± I asked, knowing full well the answer. ¡°Your new uniform?¡± [i[Why is he replying with a question?[/i] I shrugged my shoulders. Ross raised an eyebrow as if suddenly struck with a puzzle he couldn¡¯t solve. I bit my tongue and forced a smile. ¡°What? You don¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°Why does it have flowers?¡± ¡°Flowers are cute.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Now put it on.¡± He said nonchalantly, handing the clothing over to me. His words carried too much authority for a gardener; I hadn¡¯t realized that my arms were outstretched until he set the clothes down on them. ¡°Now I¡¯ll wait outside while you get changed.¡± I wasn¡¯t entirely against getting free stuff. I¡¯ve had to deal with people giving me things beyond my reach my entire life. You either learned to accept it with a smile or hate everyone that has tried to help you. Pride is an obstruction. I may have felt bad taking the items when I didn¡¯t plan to stay, but I could always return them afterwards. What? Are you going to send them in by mail order? ¡°Shh¡­¡± ¡°You done yet?¡± Ross yelled. Crap. ¡°Not yet,¡± I answered, hurriedly putting on the clothes. I hadn¡¯t even had time to check out their stats, before the door was once again shoved open. ¡°Prepare for the tsunami.¡± The gardener said while laughing.. ¡°...Tsunami?¡± Rumbling shook the room and a torrent of kids piled through the door. ¡°Big bro Alair,¡± most of them yelled. They all had smiles on their faces as they tackled into me. A child on its own was weak, but when they came in a pack of thirty, I was easily shoved down to the ground. They clambered on me like a jungle gym while I struggled to stand. ¡°Awair.¡± the girl I remembered as Auri, climbed up on my back, clutching my neck in a forced piggy back ride, ¡°Sank you, for hewping me make the cake westerday.¡± Damn, she¡¯s adorable. ¡°C-can¡¯t breath¡­¡± I choked out. Ross patted me on the shoulder as I slowly turned blue, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can¡¯t let you die until you¡¯ve cooked us one more meal. He clapped his hands and the kids slowly got off me. Auri still clutched my back, but without the added weight of the rest of the crew, she was no longer choking me to death. I didn¡¯t see a reason to chase her off, so I stood up with her on my back. Smiling wryly, Ross said, ¡°So, Master Chef Alair, won¡¯t you cook us a meal?¡± ¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°Pwease!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡± I grimaced, ¡°Fine.¡± The cheers alone shook the foundation of the room. Seriously though, what the heck had these kids been fed so far to inspire this kind of reaction? Sure I could cook, but I¡¯m not at the level of a master chef. I glared at Ross. He shrugged his shoulders, before walking out the room. The kids didn¡¯t follow him like they did the day before. They followed once I had left the room, It seems their normal guardian was lower ranked than the guy who provided the food¡­ [p=center]???[/p] The kitchen was currently working to its full capacity. I currently had six stoves lit at once. Three groups of kids washing the remaining dishes, and two groups to sort them into the lower cupboards. (they were not tall enough to reach the upper cabinets.) I thought back on the time I first learned to cook. I wasn¡¯t taught in Royal Road. Nor was I taught by someone I would consider my guardian. It was forced into me by her, she had proclaimed, ¡°Even if you can get a girl with that silver tongue of yours, you won¡¯t be able to keep her if you can¡¯t even cook.¡± I don¡¯t know why I agreed to learn from her. Stolen story; please report. I clenched my teeth, a severe migraine riding up behind my eyes. Flashes of pain nearly brought me to my knees. ...Why can¡¯t I...? ¡°They keep on coming¡± Ross yelled. I snapped to attention, the pain vanishing in an instant. I focused myself on the task at hand, once again avoiding looking at the memories that lay beneath that puddle of claret wine.. ¡°What the hell are these kids? Piranhas?¡± I screamed. ¡°Worse¡­ dragons!¡± I gulped. ¡°Grandpa Ross¡­¡± Lauren called out, looking up at the gardener with big puppy dog eyes, ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± Lauren, the dragon of manipulation has struck again! ¡°We need more food!¡± Ross yelled. ¡°AT LEAST WAIT UNTIL THEY START TO EAT¡± I yelled. ¡°B-b-but¡­¡± Ross pouted, ¡°what if it isn¡¯t enough?¡± ¡°I can make more.¡± ¡°B-b-but what if they starve before then¡­¡± How fragile did this guy think kids are? I continued to flip each of the patties on the six separate pans. Each pan had four patties each. With the thirty kids, I wouldn¡¯t have enough by the time I finished., ¡°I can¡¯t handle this. Back up! I need some back up!¡± ¡°Awair¡­¡± A cute and quiet voice gripped my sleeve, ¡°Can I hewp? Pwease. I want to hewp!¡± Auri stood at the tip of her toes as she pulled on my pant leg. I looked down at Auri and grinned, ¡°Maybe you could...¡± Another tug, this time from the other pant leg. ¡°I want to help to help too¡­ Pwease?¡± Lauren looked up at me with two big puppy dog eyes, the same attack she had used on Ross earlier. It wouldn¡¯t work on m- Damn it. I sighed. ¡°I have a mission for both of you...¡± I spoke gently. They nodded as they continued to listen to my evil plot¡­ [p=center]???[/p] Auri and Lauren were not similar in any way. They both may have been females, but Lauren was energetic and quick to act, while Auri was shy and cautious. Or at least, that¡¯s what I had grown to understand of them. It hadn¡¯t been long since I met them after all. I still didn¡¯t know most of the kids names. The reason Lauren and Auri stood out was because both of them constantly pestered me. Lauren had been trying to make me give her a piggy back ride since she saw Auri on my back this morning. And Auri, having already been sent back down the ground, hadn¡¯t let go of my pant leg until Ross forcefully parted her just before I started cooking. He was fearful that the grease from the pan might hurt her if she stood too close. Auri had re-attached herself to my leg as Lauren raced amongst the kids, whispering as she passed. Ross was helping some of the kids wash some dishes, but was constantly sending some worried glances over to us. The only reason he hadn¡¯t pulled Auri away again, was because I was keeping my body between her and the stove. When Lauren approached us, I could feel Auri release her hold on my leg. Ross was a bit too good at figuring things out, so Auri was necessary as a distraction. While Auri talked to Ross, Lauren would sneak behind him and give the ¡®orders¡¯ to the kids closest to him. ¡°Gwanpa Woss¡± Auri tugged on his leg. He looked down at her surprised. ¡°I burwned mysewf.¡± She held up her uninjured hand. I expected a wry smile, as the normally perceptive man saw through her little prank. Instead, Ross¡¯ eyes opened wide in panic. ¡°Water¡­ We need Water!!!!¡± He spun around in a panic looking for a source of water to cool the burn. He was in a real panic, he hadn¡¯t even noticed his hands were still on the faucet. When he realized, he gently lifted Auri up towards the sink, and pulled her hand under the water. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked. She nodded, somewhat blankly. ¡°You sure?¡± he asked again. ¡°Uh huh.¡± She nodded. Ross sent a sharp glare over to me, ¡°How could you let this happen? I told you about what would happens if someone let these children come to harm, didn¡¯t I? How could you allow this to happen?¡± I continued to flip the patties. The one¡¯s that were finished cooking were piled on a plate to my left. Ross¡¯ glare deepened, ¡°I will ki-¡± ¡°Sowwy¡± Auri cut him off with a sudden apology. ¡°Wha¡­¡± The gardener went silent, ¡°Why are you apologizing Auri? You aren¡¯t at fault. It¡¯s Alair¡¯s fault he let you get burne-¡± ¡°Awair is not at fault!¡± Auri screamed, causing everyone in the room to go silent and turn to face her. The girl didn¡¯t have a loud voice to begin with, so this might have been the first time most of the people in the room heard her clearly. And it was LOUD. ¡°But how else were yo-¡± ¡°It was a pwank!¡± She continued to yell, ¡°Awair told me to talk to you!¡± ¡°Then why did yo-¡± Auri still hadn¡¯t given Ross a proper chance to speak, ¡°Because!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ross asked. She turned away from him, fighting her way out of his arms. Ross did his best to gently set her on the ground. ¡°Why?¡± he asked again. Auri crossed her arms and looked away. I couldn¡¯t help myself and ended up giving a light chuckle at her performance. I wondered how serious Ross had been before. He was far more angry than I could picture the agreeable old man. I only asked Auri to distract him, but I learned something about Ross I hadn¡¯t known before. He really cared for these children. [p=center]???[/p] ¡°Why don¡¯t I have a spot¡­¡± Ross cried. His previous spot at the end of the table had been stolen by Lauren. She had her arms crossed in defiance. Out of the many spots to sit at the table, not a single one of them was free from the kids¡¯ defences. All of the kids worked together to block Ross from sitting amongst them. Ross was already in full-blown tears. In comparison I was given the spot on the other end of the table. The kids treated me like one of their own. ¡°Because,¡± Lauren said rather bluntly, ¡°you yelled at Alair.¡± ¡°B-but I t-thought he hurt Auri.¡± ¡°And?¡± Lauren asked. ¡°...I thought he was dangerous.¡± One of the boys looked at Ross, ¡°What¡¯s dangerous is your cooking. If Aren hadn¡¯t shown up¡­ I might have starved to death.¡± The entire room laughed. The sound of laughter slowly brought back the headache that I had finally managed to chase away. I smiled, hiding the pain with my usual facade. Did I deserve to be in happy place like this right now? Those two kids were still in the dungeon, and I¡¯m just enjoying myself eating with these kids? ¡°Awair.¡± Auri called out to me, ¡°Your face is scary¡­¡± I was still smiling. Was there something wrong with the way I smile? ¡°You look like you are hiding somethwin. My momma had that face when she-¡± Auri suddenly shut up. A couple tears slowly developed. She started to sniffle, her body was shaking as she held herself back from crying. I looked over to Ross for some help, but he was still crying as the kids continued to berate him. His tears had long since fled, so I was guessing he was just enjoying playing with them. I bit my lip gently, careful not to spill any of my own blood. I reached out my hand and gently rubbed the top of Auri¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I whispered, ¡°It¡¯s alright¡± She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. She reached forward and hugged me, rubbing her snotty face into the expensive clothes. I continued to pat her head. ¡°I mwiss her.¡± she cried through my shirt, ¡°I mwiss her Awair. I mwiss mamma. Why didn¡¯t mamma come back? Awair, why?¡± Her crying grew louder, so I ended bringing her into a tight hug. What was I supposed to say here? What was I supposed to do? [p=center]???[/p] ¡°Most of these kids shouldn¡¯t be here,¡± Ross explained. We were both sitting on one of the many benches planted throughout the garden. The kids were in the midst of what at first glance seemed to be playing, but on closer inspection you could make out swordplay and other things that could be construed as noble training. Ross continued, ¡°People want an excuse to come here and meet the Marquess. So they would leave their children in his care. This way, they could come and visit whenever they wanted with no one doubting them.¡± ¡°I remember you mentioning this before.¡± I recalled our earlier conversation. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®Shouldn¡¯t be here¡¯?¡± I expected a laugh and one of his usual jokes¡­ No, that wasn¡¯t quite right, I was hoping for one. Instead he remained level, and spoke while looking me in the eyes, ¡°Most of these kids don¡¯t have parents anymore.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± ¡°To put it simply, in this wretched game of nobles, their parents risked everything and lost. These kids still harbor a faint hope that their parents will return and collect them. They still have the faint hope of returning home one day.¡± ¡°Are their parents dead?¡± This time he did laugh, but it only made my heart sink more, ¡°They aren¡¯t dead. They just think that living a life here would be far better than living a life with them as a commoner would. They lost everything in this game: the entirety of their land, all their acquired titles, and the remnants of their compassion. Those parents no longer view the children as their own. To them, they are merely bags of flesh that can give them a second chance. ¡°They are content with the illusion that these kids will lead fulfilling lives in their place. They wish that these kids would be able to bring their family once more out of the poverty and obscurity they drove themselves towards.¡± I watched as one of the kids managed to knock another¡¯s wooden sword into the air. ¡°Will some of these kids do that?¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t let them.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ross smiled, ¡°If these kids live so close to the heart of nobles, they are bound become as twisted as their parents. I don¡¯t want these kids to be hurt like the foolish adults that gave birth to them. ¡°I wished I could provide them with a world without these childish games their parents play, but I can only do so much. I will at least give them a world where they don¡¯t have to corrupt themselves to survive.¡± He plucked a single white flower from the bush next to us, twiddling it between his two fingers. ¡°As a gardener, can you really do that?¡± I asked. ¡°As long as I send them off to school far away from this land, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem. They are bright kids, they will be fine.¡± His gaze grew somewhat sad. ¡°I wish I could see them off in a month¡¯s time. The life of someone like me can never be so easy.¡± [p=center]???[/p] No matter what anyone might say, spending time with these kids isn¡¯t a complete waste. Kids are less tight-lipped than their adult counterparts and just as perceptive, if not more so. All of the kids in the group were under twelve, with the youngest being just older than 6. They functioned as a single organism most of the time, splitting off into smaller groups as they moved around their playground. Auri tried to remain close to me, even as the group moved farther away. She was playing with the white roses behind me. She was not one to play amongst the rest of the pack. Ross had even asked me, specifically, to look after her, since he disliked leaving her all alone. I begrudgingly complied. ¡°Auri,¡± I asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you hang out with the other kids?¡± ¡°...but Awair¡­ they would be sad. Everywone is sad when they hang out with me.¡± She started to sniffle, ¡°Everywone would end up sad¡­ but if I don¡¯t hang out with them¡­ they can be happy.¡± I was at a loss for words so I rubbed her head. ¡°Ehehehe¡± She laughed as I messed with her hair. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to avoid me, though.¡± I whispered. Auri was silent for a moment before saying, at a near inaudible volume, ¡°But Awair, you are already so sad¡­¡± Kids are terrifyingly perceptive. An idiot like you could learn a few things. the voice snickered. ¡°Ouchie¡± Auri called out. I looked over to see what was wrong.
[p=center]Hemophobia +5[/p]
It was a small cut, barely enough to cause her to bleed. However, the mere sight of blood sent me reeling back from her. She clutched her hand and started to cry, light muffled cries as she tried to hide her pain. ¡°It hurts,¡± she whispered under breath. ¡°It hurts.¡± I don¡¯t think she knew I could hear her. And because you are Alair the coward, you will run away right? That¡¯s the only thing you can do in this situation. Run¡­ Run away you spineless coward. I clenched my jaw. What was I so afraid of, a small speck of red? What was so scary about that? You and I both know why you are afraid of that. You killed me. You watched as I bled. Just like that little girl over there. Just because you weren¡¯t paying attention. She is going to bleed, and bleed, and bleed. I clutched my head. Auri¡¯s sniffling remained muffled, as she tried to hide her pain. Why was she hiding it? Why was she so afraid to let me see her hurt? I clenched my hand, the knuckles turning white. I crouched down next to her, leaning in close. The mere action of stepping towards Auri drove the voice away, it drove her voice away. I placed my hand over the cut on her hand and said with a forced smile, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Finally noticing me, she started to yell, ¡°No, it won¡¯t! Mamma left when I hurt my hand! She said she would come back quickly with some bandages! But no! Mamma... she¡­ and now you¡­¡± Auri broke down crying, no longer muffling her tears. ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°But¡­ but¡­¡± ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡± I repeated. I picked her up in one fell swoop. I rested her on my arm, as she used her uninjured hand to cling to my neck. ¡°See? I won¡¯t be going anywhere without you. We are going to go together.¡± You are going to get blood on you. You are going to have her blood on your hands All because you tried to help her. It will be all your fault. ¡°Sowwy.¡± Auri said, ¡°Because I got hwurt¡­ I made you sad.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the swaddest smile you have shown me yet.¡± I laughed. I couldn¡¯t help it, so I laughed. ¡°This smile? Sad? Auri, you couldn¡¯t be more wrong.¡± She looked at me startled and confused. ¡°I¡¯ve made more progress with that in the last five minutes than I have in these last three months! I¡¯m more happy than I have been in awhile!¡± ¡°Weally?¡± the little girl asked. ¡°Really,¡± I lied. I continued to stumble forward, fearful of fainting with the girl still in my arms. [p=center]???[/p] ¡°Thank you, Awair.¡± Auri sniffled after I finished bandaging the tiny cut. I smiled, ¡°No problem. Just don¡¯t go letting Ross see that I let you get hurt, he might seriously hurt me this time.¡± ¡°Gwanpa Ross wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone.¡± I merely laughed in response. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alwight? Not sad?¡± I nodded, ¡°Not sad, not sad at all.¡± To lie to a little girl. You¡¯ve fallen far. ¡°Then¡­ will you be my fwiend?¡± Auri asked suddenly. How was I supposed to respond to that? Sorry, I can¡¯t be your friend because I plan to rescue some kids and leave here? Sorry, I can¡¯t be your friend since I¡¯m lying to you about everything? ¡°Of course I¡¯ll be your friend.¡± we.. no I said? Auri jumped up happily. ¡°I now have two friends! That¡¯s enough to make a gwoup.¡± She spun in circles while humming happily to herself, ¡°Awair, Auwi, and Elle are a group.¡± I froze. The little girl before me continued to dance around in circles. I forced the words to leave me mouth, ¡°B-but, there wasn¡¯t an Elle in the group with Ross was there?¡± Auri shook her head, ¡°No¡­ Elle is¡­¡± she looked unsure whether to tell me or not, ¡°Elle is my friend in the secret place.¡± ¡°Secret place?¡± I asked. ¡°Yup.¡± Auri nodded, ¡°The wall opens up with a woooooooshhhhhh, and then the floor drops with a ktttttthhhhhhhhhh, and then some stairs appear to that dark place. Elle is in the dark place.¡± ¡°...really?¡± Had I really been this lucky? Ross had mentioned that there were secret passageways here, but was there really one leading directly where I needed to go? Auri grabbed onto my pant leg, and started to pull me forward. ¡°Since Awair is my fwiend, I¡¯ll show you. The dark place smells funny, and Elle isn¡¯t there sometimes, but I can still show you.¡± Auri showed me a wide grin, her two missing front teeth giving me a lasting impression. This was the first time I had seen this girl so happy. ¡°Smells funny?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± the little girl pause for a moment, ¡°smells like this.¡± she held up her injured hand towards me. It barely reached up to my chest, but with just that, I could still make out the faint smell of claret wine. The force of my delusions forcing me to smell something that should have long lost its scent. Finally coming down to meet me are you? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spoiler : Hello everyone, Its been awhile¡­ -_-¡¯ It¡¯s not my fault, I swear. I was uh¡­. busy with uh¡­. school. That¡¯s it¡­ school. Well, Like always I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It lacked the usual jokish nature, It¡¯s not my fault. I honestly tried¡­ This arc is approaching its climax. I¡¯m quite happy that I¡¯m able to say that. Alair is going to have to face his fears one way or another. I hope you noticed some of the unnaturalness of his reactions. As always, thanks to my PR, Flamarow. Cur and Snow also helped me out this time. If you yourselves notice any mistakes, feel free to point them out. I¡¯ll fix it ASAP Tui signing off. End Chapter 7 Previous/T.O.C/Next Vol:1 - Ghouls Lament Ch: 8 A Lone Childs Wailing The voice¡­ No, her voice grew silent as Auri dragged me through the garden. After the last barrage she had attacked me with, her voice seemed content to remain silent. I wasn¡¯t sure how long that would remain to be true, but I was thankful. We headed in the direction that Ross and rest of the kids had slowly wandered off to. Auri took special care not to approach them. She even forced me to duck behind a bush of yellow flowers as we passed by. We ended up approaching the storage shed that Ross had used when I first met him. ¡°Awair,¡± she called out, ¡°Close your eyes and pwease don¡¯t peek...¡± I hesitantly followed Auri¡¯s instructions. Once I heard her turn her back, I opened my eyes into tiny slits to see what she was doing. This action may have been a small betrayal to the little girl, but I needed to know how to get inside. I felt a little guilty, but I forced myself to ignore the emotion. Auri pushed against the wall, sliding her tiny hands into a small slit. I glanced at my own hands, I wasn¡¯t sure they were small enough to do the same action. Maybe I could use a stick instead. The wall split in two. It wasn¡¯t a loud rumble like those in movies, but a silent movement on well-oiled hinges. This secret passage was either super new or had been used frequently in the last few years. Then again, it wouldn¡¯t make much sense for a secret passageway to be noisy. If it groaned when everyone used it, it wouldn¡¯t be long before it wasn¡¯t a secret anymore. ¡°Okay, Awair,¡± Auri turned around, ¡°You can open your eyes now.¡± I had quickly shut them after I had seen her starting to turn around. I must not have been quick enough since she was staring up at me with an accusatory glare. ¡°You peeked didn¡¯t you, Awair.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Are you lying?¡± I shook my head again. Her bright and cheerful smile returned again. ¡°Okay, Awair. Wet¡¯s go!¡± She grabbed my pant leg and once again dragged me into the opening. Light didn¡¯t carry far into the passage. It grew darker as the entrance started to slowly seal itself. I felt her grip tighten. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Awair. This happens every time. The dark place is only a little farther.¡± I was suddenly glad that I was hemophobic instead of achluophobic. Being afraid of the dark wouldn¡¯t help me in this type of situation. ¡°Auri, aren¡¯t you scared?¡± I asked. I could barely see her shake her head, ¡°No, I¡¯m not scared. The first time was scawwy, but not anymore.¡± She tightened her grip once again on my pant leg. It was clear she was lying. I set my hand against the wall to keep what balance I had. The walls and floors slowly covered themselves in a velvety moss as we made our way down. Each footsteps sunk slightly into the flora, causing a constant squelch as we walked. The noise didn''t echo, but that only made the dark hallway all the more foreboding. It felt like the hallway was going to eat us alive. I set my free hand on top of her head, lightly ruffling her hair. The warmth of my hand seemed to calm her down a bit. Her grip relaxed, although it was still quite tight. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± I said. The little girl looked up toward me, my hand still resting on her head. ¡°What doesn''t make sense, Awair?¡± ¡°Why would you go in here?¡± It made sense she would overcome her fear to meet her friend, especially since she claimed to have so few of them, but that wouldn¡¯t be true the first time around. The first time would have been only her and the black hallway; a hallway without echoes, a hallway without an end. I didn¡¯t understand how a kid, especially one as young as her, could have entered here alone. ¡°I heard crying.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The day I swipped and the door opened for the first time, I heard crying. Of course I was scared. But¡­ but¡­ even if it was scawwy, someone other than me was crying¡­ I didn¡¯t know what to do. So I¡­ I fowwowed the noise.¡± I nodded, still trying to understand. What made someone act like a hero? Was there any point to it? Was there any point in putting yourself in danger to help another person? Even if you didn¡¯t know if that person needed help? I looked down at Auri. This little girl wouldn¡¯t have thought of any of that. She would only have wanted to help someone in need. ¡°Awair,¡± Auri said, stopping in place, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± I looked around in the darkness. There was no change from before. The hallway still appeared to stretch to infinity, the darkness eating the far end of the path. The little girl giggled, grabbing my hand and pulling it toward the wall. I was forced to bend at the knees to prevent myself from falling. I could feel a small latch, something that I would have easily missed if I had gone inside this dark place by myself. I heard something click and a small red light flared up to the side. The light coming from the flame showcased the green moss in a heavier tinge of red. It wasn¡¯t so bad that it would bother me. It was just moss after all. Auri held me in place as the ground in front of us slowly dropped. Each step would offer another clank as the stairway sank. The noise this time was muffled by all the moss and still managed to echo down the barely lit chamber. The sickening stench of copper slowly rose from the open pathway the new set of stairs created. Auri happily pulled me down into the depths of the darkness. The copper stench grew stronger as we headed further down. The staircase lead us into what looked like a study. A small section of the room had several bookcases filled to the brim with books, leaning over a small isolated desk. However, most of the room had been covered in large metal cages. The cages were open and empty, storing nothing inside. Auri frowned, ¡°Elle isn¡¯t here today. She is normally on that side of the room.¡± The little girl pointed to the giant cage. I nodded in understanding, glancing around nervously. I couldn¡¯t be sure someone wasn¡¯t already in the room. Auri didn¡¯t seem to understand my worry and was once again pulling my pant leg. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I asked. ¡°Elle said to never stay down here when she¡¯s not here. Bad people might show up.¡± I glanced back up the staircase and grimaced. What I originally thought was moss, was something far more twisted. Red lumps of shredded flesh rested on the staircase, mixing in with green moss.
Hemophobia +5
Auri looked at the staircase like it was the most common thing in the world. I wished I was as innocent as the girl, to be able to look at something visibly grotesque and still be able to remain calm. I placed my hand against my mouth, willing myself to hold back a gag. ¡°Awair?¡± Auri asked, yanking on my leg. That tiny force was enough to cause me to stumble. I fell forward and only managed to catch myself from landing on the ground by using a desk further inside the room. The ground terrified me. Not an inch was free from the red of dried wine. I couldn¡¯t allow myself to faint. If I fainted, I would end up resting amongst it. Auri continued to call out my name. The noise barely echoed through my ears. I faked a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll be right up after you.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The little girl asked. Why? I scanned for an excuse, picking up a decrepit old book from the bookshelf. ¡°I just need to read this for a bit.¡± ¡°A book?¡± I nodded, ¡°A book that I¡¯m not allowed to take out from here.¡± It was a lie. The sole reason I didn¡¯t leave was because I didn¡¯t trust my legs to carry me. The ground was covered in red. ¡°B-but, Elle told me not to stay here.¡± ¡°Did she mention me?¡± Auri shook her head, ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Then it should be fine, right?¡± She nodded, ¡°Be carefuw¡­¡± I closed my eyes for a moment, regaining my calm. By the time I opened them again, Auri was no longer in the room. The staircase showed no sign of hiding itself again, but I doubted I would be able to use it to leave anyway. Unable to leave the room, I focused my attention on the book in my hand. If I had been thinking logically, I would have escaped from here as quickly as possible, but my sanity was already at its limit. The book turned out to be more of a diary. The text inside was written by hand, each entry dated, telling of some of the events that had happened in the writer¡¯s life. The author¡¯s name had been written on the inside of the cover: Fabian Eilert. Most of the stuff he wrote was boring and did nothing to distract me from the red. Not like anything could. Who knows? If you keep reading, you might find something worth learning about. Like how to kill someone on their first date. Her voice joyfully toyed with me. It spoke the words I wished to hide from with the same voice I longed for. I quickened my mindless and frantic turn of the pages. As long as something within it drew my interest, I could chase away my fears. As long as something withdrew me, I could once again hide from what needed to be seen. I got my wish. I really wish I hadn¡¯t.
March 1 Requiem. That wasn¡¯t the first time I heard the term, but this was the first time I saw the monstrosity it was linked to. Soldiers upon soldiers were fighting tooth and nail to keep a single individual from killing them all. The individual wasn¡¯t even originally that strong, being nothing more than a nameless child mere days before. How has this child managed to gain such power? Why is such a child attacking us right now?
Oh¡­ It looks like the journal had something of interest after all. Looks like we can finally learn why the Marquess wanted those kids.
March 8 We finally managed to subdue the child. Our losses were staggering. Out of the 150 soldiers deployed, 90 had been killed. The death count would have been more if our priests hadn¡¯t been keeping us alive. The child¡­ the child is weird. He seems¡­ normal. He isn¡¯t as rabid as his earlier fighting made him out to be. We are currently in the midst of interrogating him. Perhaps we can figure out how he came to acquire this power. We had heard rumors about ¡®Requiem¡¯, but none of us actually believed them. Is this the reason why the Count had acquired those beasts?
March 10 We have learned the process to acquire the [Requiem]. It is not as complex as we had thought. You merely require to have a ghoul ¡®curse¡¯ the human in question. We have started our own experimentations with our own captured ghoul. Nothing so far has given us the results we wanted. Each subject has experienced immense pain before forcefully terminating themselves. A sudden increase of strength seemed enough to allow them to snap their own heads. Those that we restrained had met death¡­ in other more gruesome ways. I¡¯m unwilling to write them here.
April 15 We have discovered the cause of our folly. The test subjects are too old to survive the changes brought on by the curse. We are unwilling to test on children, so we will be dropping the matter here. No matter what anyone says, we are still human. We will not attack the innocents.
¡°What the hell is this!?¡± I screamed. The reasoning behind their capture. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! I thought that was obvious, you idiot. Well, we already knew everything written here except for the potency of the curse. The conversation from those two last night already said this much. I didn¡¯t notice myself breathing a sigh of relief. ¡°Right, I remember that. They were complaining that they couldn¡¯t use the children.¡± Well, it seems they will still be alive till you get around to killing them. Stab, Stab, Stabbidy stab, the knife sinks slowly into my chest. I slammed my fist into the table. A large snap was heard as a crack spread diagonally across it. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes, forcing myself to chase the voice away. I could feel the cold metal against my hand, the illusionary knife finding its way into my grasp. Hehehe, is little Aren actually close to breaking? Isn¡¯t it about time you joined me? It just takes one little knife thrust. Right to the heart. The table¡¯s crack deepened, taking a shallow dip towards the ground. If a little more force was applied, the table would have split in two. A small envelope with a broken wax seal sat crumpled underneath my fist. I lifted my hand slowly. The seal was of the same flowers currently imprinted on my uniform. A slight chill ran up my back. I ignored the prodding of the voice and slowly opened the letter. ¡°SHIT!!!¡± I screamed, taking to the stairs, letter still in hand. The flesh covering the steps had completely escaped my notice. Even hemophobia had its priorities... My hemophobia feared the fresh spill of blood more than blood long dried.
Ranthus, It seems I have not been thinking clearly as of late. You know as well as I the importance that this mission succeeds. We cannot let the country fall because of such irrationality. It is only my pride and ignorance that has allowed me to continue to act in this manner. It has been two weeks since we caught those children. And in those two weeks my hope that the mission would succeed has dwindled. I no longer see the possibility of leaving the children alone. We need them. We cannot let the city fall because of my foolish desire to keep them safe. I grant you permission to use the kids. As always, I wish for quick and prompt action. We cannot allow the clock to tick by anymore than it already has. -M.S
I swept through the black hallway, paying no attention to what lay in front of me. I was glad for the straight pathway. As I ran, my shoulder skidded against the wall occasionally as I slowly skewed off into the sides as I ran. A fierce pain ran down my face as I planted face first into the wall. I¡¯ve heard of running headfirst into your goals, but this is the first time someone has taken it so literally. Nursing my throbbing nose with one hand, I felt around the area in front of me. After coming in contact with the smooth wall, I couldn¡¯t help but be a little glad. Sure, I had no idea how to get past it; but thankfully I hadn¡¯t run into some moss instead. The wall that stood before me was the entrance and hopefully exit of the hallway. ¡°Where is the trick to opening this thing?¡± I muttered. The wall didn¡¯t give way no matter how much I shoved against it. The wall was only as wide as my arm span, so I should have been able to find the trigger easily enough. Especially since a kid as young as Auri had found it before. ...I mentally slapped myself. Lowering myself toward the ground, I started to check the wall at a child¡¯s height level. Finding what I was looking for, I pulled the small handle, causing the wall to slowly swing open toward me. As I stepped outside, a small whistle could be heard as it closed itself. I took a quick glance at the normal looking wall before sprinting in the direction of Ross and the kids. If I was late... If I was late again... I don¡¯t think I would be able to wake up. I started this dream to live. But this dream may end up swallowing me whole. I don¡¯t remember passing by any flowers. It was quite possible I passed the red roses I despised so much. My back felt burdened by my fears. The indescribable weight pressed itself against me. Yet no matter how much I ran. No matter how much I looked for them. No matter how much I wanted to save the kids. I couldn¡¯t find them. I couldn¡¯t hear even a small chuckle. The noises of kid¡¯s playing didn¡¯t reach my ears. The noises of kid¡¯s living wasn¡¯t to be found in the small garden. The wide expanses of flowers seemed drained of color and life. The only color mixed in with the dull grey was the vibrant red of roses. Brighter still under the fresh light of the sun. ¡°Shit!¡± I screamed, ¡°Shit! Shit! Shit!¡± At least it isn¡¯t your fault they ended up dying. You were just late¡­ again. Late to be at the place you truly needed to be. Late to support those that needed your help. Late so you could break your promise to that girl. ¡°They aren¡¯t dead yet!¡± I screamed. I couldn¡¯t accept such a reality. I couldn¡¯t accept that such a horrid thing was happening around me. I couldn¡¯t accept that it was all my fault. If I was just a little faster in rescuing those I said I would rescue, this entire situation could have been avoided. If I was only a little faster. If only I hadn¡¯t been late again. I continued to run through the fields. They were strangely empty, not a single worker to be found. The ones that I saw yesterday were nowhere in sight. I had no one to question, no one to ask. I was lost. It would be all my fault. My foot caught on something and I tumbled forward, landing face first into soft soil. I turned my gaze to what I tripped on. It was Ross. I swallowed hard. He was laying on the ground, his expression calm and relaxed. His head rested comfortably against a stump of wood that surrounded one of the many patches of flowers. He laid perpendicular to the path, blocking everyone that would have come this way. If I had been in my right mind, I wouldn¡¯t have tripped on him. My jaw clenched and my fist tightened. I was absolutely furious. The man that shouldered the youth, the man that had panicked when they had been even slightly injured, was pleasantly sleeping. He was sleeping without a care in the world. The man that should have been guarding the children seems to be having a pleasant nap. Why don¡¯t you join him, Aren? ¡°Shut up,¡± I whispered. What was that? the voice asked. Did you say something? ¡°I SAID TO SHUT UP¡± I screamed at the top of my lungs. I could feel her voice fading away. She came in like the tide and would return again. High tide was always the harshest. Her voice rang in my ears bringing a silent longing, a silent desire to see her again. ¡°Why won¡¯t you ever shut up?¡± I cried. A yawn answered me, ¡°That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve been told to shut up to wake me up. Is my snoring really that loud?¡± Ross asked. I snapped forward and grabbed his expensive shirt, raising him into the air. ¡°Where are the kids, Ross?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked, ¡°They should be right he-¡± he pointed to the area around him, his hand slowly dropping to hang by his side. ¡°Where are the kids, Ross? Why the hell are you taking a nap!?¡± ¡°Nap? ¡­.¡± He paused, slowly growing stiff, ¡°Why was I taking a nap? Why would I be taking a nap in the middle of the day?¡± He pinched between his nose, almost as if to focus himself. I still hadn¡¯t let his feet touch the ground, but he seemed to be in too much of a daze to notice. ¡°I remember playing with the kids one moment¡­ and then¡­¡± He froze. ¡°And then?¡± ¡°I saw a strange person in a red cloak off in the distance. I felt they shouldn¡¯t be here, that they were dangerous. And my suspicions are hardly ever wrong. But when I went to call the guards¡­ The red cloaked man drew up his hand and pointed at me...¡± He looked at me as color slowly drained from his face. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ fell asleep¡­ no¡­ I was forced to fall asleep¡­¡± he gripped the my shirt the same way I gripped his, ¡°Where the hell are the children!?¡± I let go of him and he fell to his knees. ¡°Shit.¡± I repeated again and again, ¡°Shit. Shit. Shit. They¡¯re going to be killed. All because that damn Marquess wants some stupid ability at his disposal.¡± Ross scrunched his brow. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The Marquess is trying to get a person infected with ¡®Requiem¡¯¡± ¡°I already know that,¡± Ross spat, ¡°I¡¯m asking you why you think they are going to get killed. They shouldn¡¯t be involved in this. They are the only ones not allowed to be involved in this.¡± ¡°The damn Marquess ordered them to be killed.¡± ...A moment of silence passed between us. Ross mouth was open, gaping at the news before him. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ The Marquess wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± He mumbled. I grabbed his shirt again, pulling him close, ¡°What doesn¡¯t make sense about it, you bastard. The same symbol of flowers on this stupid uniform is the seal on this note.¡± I still held the note in my free hand, raising it slightly into the air so Ross could see it. ¡°How are you supposed to explain that if it wasn¡¯t the Marquess?¡± He looked down at the note in my hand. ¡°That should be the Marquess¡¯ seal, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°I know for a fact that he would never have written that note.¡± I shoved him away. He landed in the thorny flower bush behind him. ¡°You still have so much trust in that damn marquess.¡± He brought himself to his feet. Ross was almost as enraged as I was. ¡°You want to know how I know? You want to know how I know that man would never have signed that note? It Isn¡¯t something so fragile as a bond of friendship. My trust in him is deeper than what I would have with my own family, for the Marquess is someone whose actions I know very well. ¡°I know everything that man has done in his life. I know all the choices he had made. He wouldn¡¯t have done that¡­ no¡­ I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have done that¡± Ross started to laugh, tears streaming down his face, ¡°I¡¯m that damn marquess.¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spoiler : ¡­-_-¡¯ Welp, time to jump off the deep end. I hope y¡¯all are ready for this. I know I¡¯m not. The next chapter is halfway written. I know I said that exact same phrase for this one two weeks ago, but I promise I will release much sooner. As always, thanks to my PR flamarow. And a few quick closing questions for all of you: How many of you noticed who the marquess was before this chapter? How many of you told yourself otherwise? o/ Tui will return with more! {[999baw}] End Chapter 8 Previous/T.O.C/Next Vol:1 - Ghouls Lament Ch: 9 An Honorable Knights Complaint Content Warning: Contains Claret wine and fresh meat. Read at your own risk. No seriously¡­ I mean it. What is a hero? Is it someone who has an extraordinary amount of fame? Is it someone with a special power that all others lack? Or is it actually someone who reaches out to help another no matter the cost to themselves? Of course to me, the only answer was number three. I was no hero. I had no desire to save another. The only reason I joined this little escapade was on a whim. I had no reason other than that. It was impossible for me to have such a reason. ¡°I¡¯m no hero.¡± Ross said while running. His breathing remained calm as he ran full speed down the empty halls of the manor. He had already he grilled me for the location I found the note. Out of the two of us, he was the only one who knew where to go. The Marquess continued to talk, ¡°I had many people killed to get where I am today. For most of my life, I didn¡¯t regret any action I had to take to gain power. I have burned people alive, slaughtered innocents, and broken the strongest of men. By all rights, I was not a good person.¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the kids, I would still be like that. Killing everyone that defied me. Killing all those that sought to use my power for their own. I¡¯m a coward after all. I couldn¡¯t let risks like that exist.¡± Ross¡¯ pace quickened even further. We were already at a pace that would have been impossible to maintain in reality. ¡°Would you believe me if I said a smile changed all that?¡± He looked over, expecting an answer. I shook my head. A corrupt person can never change. Once you have dipped yourself into sin, you can never recover. You didn¡¯t think like that before. You are only saying that to punish yourself. ¡°Of course,¡± Ross nodded, his gait slowing, a pained smile crossing his old features. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect you to believe me. Not you of all people. Someone as broken as you can¡¯t picture a panacea in front of you. I was the same after all.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think anything is wrong with me.¡± ¡°That fact that you think that, proves that you are broken to a great degree.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± I spat, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean everyone is broken?¡± ¡°Care to find someone who is not?¡± ¡°Everyone is broken. We either try to fix ourselves as we proceed in our life or run away from the source of the problem and slowly crumble. I may already be at my breaking point, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t save someone.¡± Ross took a sharp right, and I followed right after. ¡°This experiment was my own doing.¡± the man admitted. ¡°I wanted enough power to protect these children¡¯s homeland and all those that try their hardest to live within it.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°This city is the boundary between the country and its death. A marquess¡¯ rank is only higher than a count¡¯s because they are tasked with protecting the country. It is my duty, to protect this land. As it stands now, this country will fall in a months time.¡± Shouldn¡¯t this idiot have an army? ¡°Don¡¯t you have an army to fight against those threats?¡± I asked calmly. His brow was covered in sweat as he continued to panic. He was obviously only talking to distract himself from what lay ahead. ¡°A battalion of soldiers couldn¡¯t even take out a single soldier of theirs.¡± Her voice whistled. ¡°So you were putting your soldiers through the experiment?¡± I asked. It didn¡¯t make sense to me. If the experiment failed, wouldn¡¯t he lose what fighting force he had? The old marquess let out a light chuckle, his pace slowing for the barest of moments. ¡°Do you take me for an idiot?¡± ¡° -_-¡¯ ¡° ¡°I have a manor full of idiots that are supposed to protect this country and instead bicker amongst themselves. Why would I not use them instead? Did you not realize that the people leaving this place didn¡¯t quit? They were used! I would rather use someone with no value to this country, someone who is obsessed with gaining power or undermining my own, then use someone that struggles to live.¡± This man says terrifying things rather casually. I nodded. ¡°Those kids are the last thing I would use in this experiment.¡± He took another turn, this time leading us both down a set of stairs. At the bottom we met a fork, only now did the old man stop. ¡°Nobody was in the study, right?¡± ¡°Study?¡± ¡°The room you found the journal and note. We used it to monitor and research those kids in specialized environments.¡± I nodded in affirmation. Nobody was in the room besides me and Auri. Even the cages were completely empty. Ross took a deep breath. ¡°Should be the storage room then.¡± Ross started to head right, returning back to his full sprint. ¡°Storage?¡± I asked. ¡°The manner in which a the ghoul uses ¡®requiem¡¯ requires a large amount of mana. Ghoul¡¯s don¡¯t naturally recover the mana, but instead use flesh and blood stolen from another life to replenish it. A ghoul¡¯s existence is that of a thief, stealing the remnants of life from the corpses they eat. I had a storage prepared in order to keep a large amount of their meals prepared.¡± ¡°So what? You have a pantry filled with corpses?¡± ¡°Corpses rot. I can¡¯t let such a stupid reason as smell be the reason this little experiment is found out.¡± I went silent at the implications. ¡°We¡¯re here¡± Ross whispered, stopping in front of a large door. Quickly shuffling through his pockets he brought out a small iron key. Sticking it into the lock and turning it, he violently swung the door open as soon as he heard the click. Dead silence rang out as the door slammed against the wall. The sickening stench of bronze and iron clawed outward toward us. The old marquess¡¯ jaw clenched as he strode into the room. I followed him inside. I could not comprehend what I was seeing. The room was once again filled with cages like the study, although the cages in this one weren¡¯t empty. Bodies were ruptured and split open. The skeleton of a jaw was still loosely connected to a tongue. Someone¡¯s intestines were wrapped around another¡¯s leg. Most of the corpses were wrecked beyond recognition. It was impossible to tell if the corpses were children or adults; they had all been desecrated to that degree. Not a single corpse was showing signs of rot. This mess was still fresh. The large puddle of blood seeped toward me with it¡¯s claws outstretched. Closer and closer it approached, trying to draw me in. Trying to cover me once again in that wretched red liquid. Trying to make me once again taste that horrible claret wine. Only one of the cages currently had something still ¡®whole¡¯ inside it. Two children cuddled towards the far corner. As far as one could get away from the edge of the cage. The cage was in the far recesses of the room, covered in shadow. If it weren¡¯t for the sound of a child¡¯s voice, I would not have thought them to be alive. One step, two. Ross slowly walked toward the cage. His old hand outstretched, his eyes wide. ¡°Are you¡­ are you¡­alright?¡± In a mere moment, his voice grew silent. His rather slow, zombie-like pace switched to a full out sprint. He rammed his body into the cage, stretching his hand inside. ¡°You bastard!¡± he screamed, ¡°You bastard!¡± He yanked at the metal iron bars, trying to wrench the metal cage open. The entire cage shook under the force. But the door remained steady, remaining locked. Why don¡¯t you look at what your presence caused? Why don¡¯t you see the horrors your existence brings? I stepped forward. My feet causing small ripples in the puddle of claret wine beneath me. ¡®That¡¯s right¡¯, I told myself, ¡®This is just spilled wine.¡¯ I started to smile, the sweet smell of wine filled my nose. I took in a fanatical whiff, as I continued to walk forward. Auri was leaning up against a boy. Her limbs outstretched, her eyes darkened. The boy behind her was currently pressing a knife against her wrist, causing a neat little fountain of claret wine to spill out from the little girl. Eli kept the knife pressed up against her, slowly but surely draining the girls wine away. ¡°It hurts¡­¡± the girl whimpered, ¡°Woss¡­ Awair¡­. it hurts¡­¡± The force of Ross shaking the cage suddenly increased, ¡°Let her go you bastard! Let her go!¡± ¡°No.¡± Was the brother ghoul¡¯s reply. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Ross screamed, tearing himself away from the cage and scanning the wall behind him for the keys. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to find it,¡± Eli called out. Ross¡¯ scowl deepened tearing through the numbered keys. I had slowly been approaching them, and now stood next to the metal container filled with the two children. ¡°She¡¯s the last one, you know?¡± Eli said, rather calmly, ¡°The other¡¯s had been killed before you showed up.¡± ¡°Lies!¡± Ross spat. ¡°I¡¯m not lying,¡± Eli said, drawing another line on the girls wrist with the knife, refreshing the spill of claret wine. ¡°Each one they brought in was immediately infected with ¡®Ghoul¡¯s Lament¡¯ by my sister.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s a lie¡­¡± ¡°I thought you were supposed to be good at reading people?¡± ¡°...¡± Ross went silent, going back to tearing at the keys. Most likely looking for the one that corresponded with Eli and Auri¡¯s cage. You talk like he would be looking for a different key in this situation. What? Do you think he wants to lock himself in one of those iron monstrosities? I clicked my tongue. ¡°Eli, what the hell is going on here?¡± The boy shrugged, ¡°I would explain, but this is harder than it seems.¡± He drew a line across Auri¡¯s other wrist. ¡°DON¡¯T DO THAT TO HER!¡± Ross screamed, once again stretching his arm through the iron cage. His arm was too short and couldn¡¯t reach them. He could only watch as Eli occasionally created a fresh spout of claret wine on Auri¡¯s limbs. ¡°...It hurts¡­ It hurts¡­¡± Auri¡¯s voice grew more faint. Eli held up his free hand, the one not grasping the knife. In it he held a pair of iron keys. ¡°Now I need you both to shut up, so I can explain quickly. I don¡¯t want to add another death to my sister¡¯s kill count. She¡¯s too young for that.¡± ¡°W-what¡­¡± Ross mumbled. ¡°I said to shut up,¡± Eli repeated while sneering, ¡°I don¡¯t have the time for this. And neither does this girl!¡± Both Ross and I nodded. ¡°This isn¡¯t the cage I was originally locked in. Both of you should know that. I wasn¡¯t even allowed to leave the cage in that other room for the three weeks my sister and I were here. You wanted to use me as a bargaining chip to control my sister, so it didn¡¯t matter if I was fed.¡± Ross nodded. ¡°Wise decision on your part. Keeping a ghoul in check, even a half fed one is normally a bad idea. When we eat, we are far stronger than this flimsy metal cage.¡± He cut another gash on the young girl, this time she didn¡¯t so much as shudder in pain. Auri must have already fainted from the loss of wine or the extreme pain. ¡°You guys didn¡¯t keep track of how much you were feeding my sister.¡± Eli twiddled the knife in his hand, continuing to speak monotonously, ¡°She slowly grew stronger. It may have been true that it takes a large amount of energy to use our ¡®Ghoul¡¯s Lament¡¯ but you didn¡¯t know how much. A little acting here and there, is enough to allow my sister to recover her strength. Tonight¡­¡± He raised his arms, the warm red knife glinting in the candlelight from the hallway, ¡°Is the night she had eaten enough to strike back.¡± I unconsciously gulped. ¡°I would have been content to merely escape with her. She, however, didn¡¯t feel the same, which is why this happened.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. Eli pointed at Ross with the knife, ¡°That idiot inadvertently showed my sister a way to kill everyone she came across, then gave her motive to use it.¡± Ross was silent and didn¡¯t say anything. Eli brought the knife down once again, slicing into the side of Auri¡¯s neck. ¡°When she had rescued me from that cage, she noticed the state I was in. She absolutely needed to punish those that caused this.¡± The brother ghoul stared at the old marquess, ¡°You should never piss off a female ghoul. All of them are a bit crazy when it comes to the one they love. Even familial love is enough to send them off to the deep end. She lost her ability to distinguish who she should hate and who she should pity. Seeing me hurt was enough to send her off the deep end. She started to bite and infect everyone she came across.¡± Eli took a deep breath, ¡°I had two options: rushing out to stop her knowing I would fail or staying here and trying to prolong the death of this child.¡± ¡°Prolong the death¡­?¡± I asked. ¡°Ghoul¡¯s Lament. No, what you humans would call the ¡®Requiem.¡¯ is forcing the abilities of a ghoul on a human body.¡± ¡°...?¡± Eli continued to explain, ¡°A ghoul is a corpse, so our bodies are constantly falling apart. We have a passive skill to repair the body. This skill, although suitable for repairing our constantly failing bodies, has a harsh and unnatural reaction on those of the living.¡± Ross was still eerily quiet, staring at Eli with his mouth hanging open. Eli swept the dagger across Auri¡¯s wrist, once again revealing a fresh spurt of claret wine. ¡°Instead of the body repairing itself, it goes into overproduction of its cells. Among those cells, the blood cells are hit the hardest. They are produced at an alarming rate. In a matter of minutes, the body can no longer handle the pressure and¡­¡± Eli¡¯s mouth curled into a smile, ¡°they pop.¡± ¡°Are¡­ you saying Auri is going to die?¡± Ross yelled, ¡°I-is this is all my fault?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re also at fault, Aren. If you weren¡¯t here, none of this would have happened. Eli broke out into laughter, ¡°She isn¡¯t going to die. Not yet at least.¡± Ross was shaking with an unreadable emotion as he stared into the iron cage. I couldn¡¯t be sure if it was anger toward himself, fear toward Auri¡¯s current situation, or hatred toward the ghoul that had cursed her this way. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be wasting my time draining this girl¡¯s blood if I felt she was beyond saving. There is still something you can do to keep her amongst the living. You would have to hurry though; the rate she is producing blood is only going to increase. It won¡¯t be too long before she ends up ¡®popping¡¯ like the rest of them.¡± ¡°W-what do I have to do?¡± Ross cried, bringing himself up against the metal cage. ¡°You need to continue to drain this girl¡¯s blood while me and that hero over there go and get the cure.¡± ¡°What do you need to get?¡± Ross asked. Eli grimaced, ¡°I won¡¯t be telling you that.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If I told you, you might still try to kill me out of anger. You aren¡¯t an idiot. You know that the best way to hurt my sister is to kill me. I need a lil¡¯ bit of insurance to keep me and my sister alive.¡± ¡°...¡± The Marquess didn¡¯t say anything. It seemed Eli had hit the nail on the head. Eli made one last knife thrust, making a fresh spurt of wine, before standing up and unlocking the cage from within. He spun the knife in his hand to grip the blade, and handed it over to the old man. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about severing an artery,¡± the boy said simply, ¡°the injuries would end up healing in a few minutes anyway. Make a new incision whenever her veins start to swell. Try to keep the bleeding at the bare minimum to keep the body from striving to recover. The more her body tells her to produce and heal, the faster she is going to die.¡± Eli grabbed my hand and dragged me forward, away from the trembling old man. Ross¡¯ jaw was tightened to the point it seemed like it would pop off, his eyes closed into small slits as he gently waved the knife up and down. ¡°He¡¯ll calm down in a bit,¡± Eli whispered to me, ¡°but we should leave.¡± We left Ross and headed farther into the room, exiting out another doorway. It led into a long hallway that lacked in the usual armor adornments. Since we had headed underground, there was no longer the occasional window to bring light into the room, instead the entire walkway was lit with dim lamps. The walls and floor were covered in cold stone that seemed to reverberate a cold chill. The person who made this manor must have had a thing for really dim lighting. Maybe Ross prefered to use dim long lasting candles instead of the bright ones he would have to change frequently. ¡°This room is connected to two others via an empty hallway.¡± Eli explained, ¡°My sister told me the format of our little prison so I have a rough understanding of where we are.¡± ¡°And also where we need to go?¡± I asked. The boy nodded, ¡°We are going after my sister. She can use her ghoul traits to cure the girl. We don¡¯t have to worry about her being in any side rooms as there is only one large room at the end of the hall.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you cure her instead?¡± I asked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The so-called cure is an antivenom. The only one that even has a chance of curing that girl is my sister.¡± Eli pulled something out of his pocket, holding it out to me. ¡°Want some?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s tongue.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Your loss.¡± He shrugged and tossed it in his mouth. I could hear the squirting of wine every time he brought his jaw down. He glanced up at my face for a second before speaking again, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that... my body is too weak to run properly right now. Forgive me for eating a little in front of you, even if it¡¯s bad manners. I need to recover.¡± Eli paused for a moment and looked up at me, ¡°I was expecting more of a reaction. Most people would be freaking out from visiting a room like that. That old man is a perfect example...¡± I shrugged, giving him a small smile in return. ¡°Is there anything I should be reacting to?¡± Sure my quest to save them is getting sidetracked so he can save another, but that isn¡¯t worth stressing about is it? The brother ghoul¡¯s curious gaze suddenly became fearful. He turned forward, quickening his pace. It was almost as if he wanted to get away from me. Eli was no longer shedding the white powder every time he moved. His skin, although still frightfully pale, was no longer falling apart. At this distance, I could finally notice the dark spots under his eyes. He looked as if he hadn¡¯t slept at all during the time he had been staying in the manor. As we continued to run down the hallway, the smell of claret wine behind us finally started to fade away. The pulsation of my heart prodded heavily between my eyes. I could feel something tug at me, trying to free itself. ¡°I¡¯m worried about my sister.¡± The little boy whispered. Isn¡¯t she the one attacking people? ¡°I don¡¯t care if she is the one attacking people, I can¡¯t help but worry. What if she comes across someone stronger than her? What if she is tricked into following them home? I don¡¯t want anyone else to have my sister.¡± His final words couldn¡¯t help but make me wonder why people can¡¯t see their own insanity. Well, that¡¯s ironic. ¡°Shut up.¡± I muttered. ¡°...¡± Eli went silent. I sighed, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean you.¡± He took another step away from me, his gaze drifting up toward the ceiling. Eli must have been the one who wanted to rush off the most, but his own constitution was forcing him to travel at such a slow pace. He started to talk, almost as if to keep his heart in check. He once again told the tale of A Ghoul¡¯s Lament. The story he started the first time I met him. The love story about a traveler and a ghoul. ¡°You see, the village couldn¡¯t accept the confession of that man. They couldn¡¯t accept the fact that someone could fall in love with a monster. They thought the reason he could love her was because he didn¡¯t know the truth about what she was. So they did the one thing they thought would be best, they told the man about the truth.¡± Eli looked forward, chuckling to himself, ¡°No one expected the man to stay with her. They expected him to kill her out of spite for making him feel false love to a monster. The girl had thought the same.¡± What happened?¡± The voice asked. ¡°What happened?¡± I asked for her sake. Eli continued, ¡°The man was an odd fellow and a traveller. He had seen mountains of fire, seas of gold, and castles of ice. He had seen things that no other man could hope to imagine; he had even met people that should have long since died. ¡°Yes, this man was an odd fellow. So odd, in fact, he could fall in love with a monster.¡± The voice in my head gave a sigh of relief. ¡°So this is a happy story after all?¡± I asked. Hey! No spoilers! Eli gave a small smile, ¡°For some it could be considered a happy ending.¡± I swallowed. ¡°The two were in love. They didn¡¯t care for the divide between their species. They continued to love each other no matter the troubles that plagued them. ¡°For nine months, the village treated them with silent disdain, but nothing beyond that. They weren¡¯t so stupid to risk their lives over the atrocity of a man falling for a monster.¡± Eli took a deep breath, ¡°However, something started to change.¡± ¡°The girl had normally collected a corpse or two once every three months; but lately, she had started to gather them at increasing frequency. At first it had increased to a month between meals, then every two weeks. It wasn¡¯t long before every week another corpse had been dug up from the nearby cemetery. ¡°You see, the village couldn¡¯t stand the thought of a monster desecrating their loved ones. They finally acted to remove the blight that was the girl.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± I interrupted, ¡°Why only get mad about that now? She had been eating their corpses for awhile now hasn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Some versions say she had dug up the corpse of the mayor¡¯s daughter. Other versions say it had just been the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. Which is true? No idea.¡± I nodded in understanding. The young boy started to speak again, ¡°The village sent ten of their strongest men to kill the two lovers. They had thought to spare the man if he gave up, but no such option would be presented to the girl.. ¡°When they had reached the ghoul¡¯s house where the lovers stayed, they were greeted with an unexpected sight. Eli had a smile on his face. ¡°The ghoul had given birth to another. A happy father gently rocked the child in his arms, the mother leaning gently on the father¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The first and strongest of the ten spoke to the traveller, having been the quickest to gather his wits. The words that slowly dribbled from his mouth were enough to set the traveler¡¯s eyes ablaze. Even unarmed, the man was once an adventurer that had seen the secrets this world had to offer. He would fight to protect his loved ones. ¡°He had chased the ten men deep into the woods, but they had fled before he could harm a single one. It wasn¡¯t until he heard his wife¡¯s scream, that he realized his mistake. He could dodge a hundred sword strikes from a hundred men, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for his newborn child and her mother, especially since she was weak from her recent birth.¡± Wasn¡¯t this story supposed to be about ghoul¡¯s lament? Why is the ghoul the one who ends up dying? Almost to answer her question Eli replied, ¡°The girl was still alive when he returned. Their hours-old child was missing as if it had been nothing but an illusion. The girl was bleeding heavily, arrows covering nearly every inch of her flesh. ¡°Even in this state she still smiled toward the man. Her eyes could no longer see him, but she wished for her smile to at least reach him once more. ¡°You see, this man was an odd fellow and a traveller. He had seen things no other man could imagine. Spoken to people long since dead. And most of all, he had learned all there is to know about his wife. He knew that a ghoul was a corpse that mimicked the living. He knew that a ghoul could recover from such an injury as long as they had enough mana to do so. ¡°And most of all¡­ he knew where that mana came from. He opened her mouth and placed his forearm in her maw, knowing full well her body¡¯s desire to live would take care of the rest. ¡°The girl awoke to the man gently cradling her in what was left of his arms. Countless bites and tears across the surface of his body. His eyes were closed, and a smile was painfully attached to his face. ¡°His body was already starting to turn cold. ¡°No one could survive being torn apart like that. She was the one to tear apart the man she loved. She may not have been conscious of her actions. But she was the one who ended up killing him.¡± Eli started to laugh, ¡°The ghoul lamented her existence. She lamented the fact that she had ever met the man. For if she had never existed, they would never have met and he would have continued to travel. He would have continued to live.¡± But that¡¯s not the end of the story, right? ¡°But that¡¯s not the end of the story, right?¡± I mimed the voice. He looked up at me, a pained smile crossing his features, ¡°She bit him.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that the reason he died?¡± ¡°No.¡± Eli shook his head. ¡°Not that kind of bite. In order to save the man she loved, she tried to turn him into a ghoul. You see, there are two types of ways a ghoul can reproduce. One is by giving birth to a living person¡¯s child. And the other is to force what you call ¡®requiem¡¯ on a corpse.¡± Eli started to laugh, ¡°The spell worked at the cost of most of her lifespan. She managed to bring the man back¡­ for a few minutes at least. The man breathing once more, finally managed to meet her eyes. All she could see was pain in his features. ¡°He screamed and screamed. A human body was never meant to repair itself in such a manner. Each cell in his body strived to do something they weren¡¯t trained to do.¡± ¡°Did the ¡®requiem¡¯ fail?¡± ¡°No, it succeeded.¡± Eli said nonchalantly. ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°He couldn¡¯t stand the pain and took his own life.¡± What? Wasn¡¯t this guy supposed to be super strong and amazing? And he took his own life? Eli continued, ¡°The only way to use ghoul¡¯s lament is through the use of an inhuman amount of mana. With nothing to spare, she had to use her lifeforce instead. In her last few minutes of life, she watched the man she loved suffer and ultimately kill himself in front of her¡± That¡¯s horrible. ¡°That,¡± Eli said, ¡°Is why it is called ¡®Ghoul¡¯s Lament¡¯ and not ¡®Requiem¡¯ among my kind. And why this experiment was destined to fail from the beginning. Resurrecting a dead person caused enough pain and they are half numb to it. If that was ever tried on a living person¡­ the pain would make even the strongest keel over.¡± Aren, don¡¯t go trying to get superpowers okay? Sounds like it may hurt¡­ ¡°Like hell I¡¯ll do that!¡± I roared. With a suspicious glint in his eye, Eli asked, ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± ¡°Well uh¡­¡± We both suddenly stopped walking, having noticed a shadow in the distance slumped up against the wall. Both of us were unarmed, so we were careful to approach it. I recognized the figure in an instant. Poor Lauren¡­ One of the kids that I had been playing with not even a day before was currently huddled up against the cold stone wall. It was the manipulative little girl that had been messing with Ross and leading the other kids around. The little girl¡¯s body shook and convulsed constantly, a white froth escaping from her mouth. ¡°Another failure, huh?¡± Someone else said, farther down the hall. Both me and Eli had been so caught up seeing Lauren¡¯s condition that neither of us had noticed his approach. I was really starting to hate that rat-like grin. Ranthus stood before us fully armored, a brown bag swung over his shoulder. The bag twisted and moved violently as if something was inside. Ranthus sighed, ¡°Well at least that failed experiment managed to take the edge off the female ghoul. How many did that thing infect before it even started to slow down? Maybe I should torture it a few times so it learns to be obedient.¡± The last part was obviously directed at us. Eli¡¯s fists were clenched as he faced the fully armored knight. Ranthus¡¯ laughed. ¡°Does the starving little ghoul boy want to join its sister in the sack? I¡¯m sure she would enjoy the company.¡± The sack continued to squirm. The stare between the ghoul and the guard was only accompanied by the sounds of whimpers and convulsions of Lauren against the stone floor. It was horrifying to see the child formerly so full of life in that state. You aren¡¯t going to help the girl? You already know what you are supposed to do to save her. I turned to face Lauren, but was stopped by Eli. Keeping his gaze on Ranthus, Eli spoke to me, ¡°Don¡¯t approach her. Draining her blood right now would only end up killing her.¡± He¡¯s lying. You know what you need to do, right? Stab that girl with a knife. You know you want to... I gritted my teeth, grateful that I didn¡¯t have a knife in my possession. ¡°You talk about saving that girl, when the fault lies with you monsters she ended up this way.¡± Ranthus snickered, ¡°Not like us humans could use ¡®Requiem¡¯ ourselves.¡± Eli stepped forward, ¡°My sister did nothing wrong! It was you bastards that forced her to do all this.¡± ¡°Forced?¡± The guard laughed, ¡°That may have been true when it was in the cage. But everything in that room, all the death that is happening right now is no one¡¯s fault but its own.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lie!¡± A cute voice screamed, ¡°I only bit all the bad men that tried to hurt me and my brother! I only bi-¡± Ranthus swung the bag off his shoulder, slamming it into the stone wall. A large crack appeared where the sack had hit. ¡°What did I tell you about speaking. Just be glad you are more durable than a human. I might end up killing you before you end up listening to me.¡± Lauren started to whimper as her convulsions increased. With his free arm, Ranthus unsheathed a large broadsword from his hip. ¡°This brat bites both villains and allies alike. If I¡¯m not mistaken she was even friends with that other failed experiment.¡± She bit more than just those that harmed her brother and her. Yet why is she saying otherwise? Eli must have reached the same conclusion. His eyes narrowed into slits, before once again resuming a fierce glare. ¡°You¡¯re trying to trick me.¡± ¡°Oh? Why do you say that?¡± Eli shrugged, a small emotionless smile finally crossing his features, ¡°I¡¯m not going to bother to explain, it doesn¡¯t really matter. I don¡¯t care who she bit anyway. You see, you hurt my sister. You really hurt my sister. And for that I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± The brother jumped forward, sending a roundhouse punch toward Ranthus face. If it weren¡¯t for the seriousness of the situation it would have looked childish. Eli was a currently nothing but a starving kid. A starving kid that was trying to fight against a fully armored adult with his bare hands. The kid didn¡¯t stand a chance. Ranthus must have thought the same, letting Eli approach him. The strike was so slow that the guard would have had no problem dodging. In a show of power, it looked like Ranthus wasn¡¯t even going to bother to move. A glint from the candlelight appeared near Eli¡¯s hand and Ranthus suddenly skated backward, albeit slowly. A thin red line appeared as fresh claret wine spilled down from the guardsman¡¯s cheek. Ranthus laughed. ¡°So you were hiding a weapon. If I let my guard down anymore than I had, I might have actually been killed there.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Eli currently held on to a small knife. He was using both his small hands to grasp the hilt, the knife visibly shook as the little boy stared down his opponent. Where did he get a weapon? Did you already forget? He had a knife in the other room. What¡¯s to say he didn¡¯t find one more? Ranthus held his own broadsword easily with one hand. Elle¡¯s sack once again nonchalantly tossed over his shoulder. Eli lunged forward, forcing the blade of the knife forward. Almost as if to treat it like a game, Ranthus swung the flat end of the sword against the boy, literally sending him flying into the wall. ¡°¡®bout ready to give up monster?¡± ¡°Go to hell, maybe someone there might actually like having you around.¡± ¡°Sorry, I have something to do. I won¡¯t be taking a vacation to visit you anytime soon.¡± Ranthus smiled. ¡°And what is that?¡± Eli asked, dodging another swipe of the broadsword and sending another strike of his own. Eli¡¯s flimsy little knife barely nicked the side of the armor. ¡°To make it so beasts like him,¡± He leveled his broadsword at me, ¡°can be killed once and for all.¡± Even though you are a person that only does menial quests, Ranthus really seems to hate you. ¡°Even though you look really useless, this guy really hates you.¡± Eli snickered. He must be insane to make a joke in this situation. Can you really not tell...? Ranthus swept his broadsword down, the strike easily crushing the stone flooring. ¡°I just realized I don¡¯t need to keep you alive anymore. If harming you makes your sister bite everyone with disregard, killing you should do the exact same thing.¡± Ranthus swept his sword upward as he stepped forward, the unexpected movement catching Eli across his shoulder. The brother ghoul bit his lip as one of his arms dropped numbly to the side. Claret wine forming a steady trail, dripping to the ground. The small knife swayed heavily as the starving boy struggled to hold it up, keeping it between him and the guard. Eli¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t falter and he continued to stare directly at Ranthus. The rat-faced guard took another step forward, slicing his sword across Eli once more. Eli made no motion to dodge. No... maybe he couldn¡¯t¡­ he was barely managing to remain standing as it was. With his other arm injured, the boy could no longer grip his weapon. The small knife dropped coldly down to the ground. What¡¯s with you? You enjoy watching children being sliced apart? You enjoy seeing children die? ¡°Shut up.¡± I whispered again and again. The usual mantra showing no signs of working. Maybe you like being late? ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Are still trying to prove to yourself you aren¡¯t a hero? Is that why you only watch? Is that why you continue to wait? Is that why you are watching him get killed? You are still hiding behind Alair the Coward Hurry up and ACT!! I rocketed forward, sending a quick right straight into Ranthus¡¯ face. He barely flinched, but I managed to get his attention. The armored man turned to face me, ignoring Eli. ¡°Look¡¯s like the pesky little blight decided to attack.¡± Ranthus chuckled, wiping a small trail of claret wine from his mouth. ¡°That strike was weaker than I thought. Even the brat could do more damage.¡± Aren¡­ you really are super weak. ¡°Shut up!¡± I yelled, sending another punch toward Ranthus¡¯ face. The guard swept his sword up, and I had to slide to the side to dodge it. My fist barely grazed his cheek. This is really unfair. Not only does that guy have a weapon, the only place I can properly attack him is his head. That stupid armor would block everything else. Well the armor also has its downsides. ¡°Like what?¡± I mumbled. He is a lot slower than he should be. ¡°And?¡± You are a lot faster than you should be. ¡°I¡¯m normal!¡± I yelled. Someone who has only ever bothered to increase his speed can¡¯t be considered normal. Ranthus barraged me with attacks from his broadsword. I nimbly avoided each of them. It was far easier than when I fought him in the alley. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because I was no longer fighting on top of a puddle or the armor really slowed him down that much, but his strikes were too slow to even pose a threat. Now if only that allowed me to stab this guy in the face. ¡°What about you blights is normal?¡± Ranthus roared, ¡°You can die and return as many times as you please. You continue to get stronger at rates impossible for the rest of us. And you take whatever you want!¡± Dropping the brown sack, Ranthus used both his hands to swipe the broadsword toward me. The strike was far faster than it was before. I tried to dodge, but the unexpected increase in speed caught me off guard. The blow grazed me, splitting my bottom lip. ...If I¡¯m hit once by that, I really think I¡¯ll die. Then don¡¯t get hit, idiot. ¡°Easy for you to say.¡± I said, dodging another strike. You¡¯re right, Alair is a weak existence. He can¡¯t even dance properly on the battlefield. Aren, however¡­ A small smile creeped up onto my face. I started to laugh. I had forgotten. A fight was a mere game. A game with stakes on the line, but a game all the same. There was no reason to take a game seriously, if you panicked you would only end up getting hurt. The broadsword chased after me as I continued to dodge. My movements slowly growing more precise. I was slowly warming up to something I hadn¡¯t done in a long time. I used to fight every day. When had I stopped? Stabby Stabby. ...right. ¡°Stop moving, you brat!¡± Ranthus yelled, increasing the pace his strikes came at me. Had he thought the action would make it easier to hit me? The more he forced his strikes, the wider they swung and the easier they were to dodge. I had been slowly working my way around Ranthus. The knife was the only way I would have stood a chance at harming the man. I doubted my fists could stand up to a suit of armor. The knife lay at the foot of Lauren¡¯s convulsing form. The froth at her mouth now covered half her face; her bulging eyes open and terrified. Eli was lying limply at her side, keeping her head elevated so that she would not drown in her own froth. He hadn¡¯t been able to use his hands, so he had to work his way under her so her head rested on his lap. ¡°What are you looking at, brat?¡± Ranthus tried to follow my brief gaze, but I took the chance to jump forward and land another punch against his face. The man still didn¡¯t flinch at the impact, but his cheek bled even more furiously. In retaliation Ranthus launched another strike, which I easily dodged. The man was only growing more aggravated as our fight drew on. He couldn¡¯t land a hit on me, and I couldn¡¯t land any serious hits on him. This entire fight was a waste of time Late, Late, you are going to be late. Lauren¡¯s hand smacked the wall during another convulsion. The mournful echo resounding throughout the chamber. I didn¡¯t have any time to waste. Jumping forward, I grabbed the small knife from the ground. Even with this weapon in hand, I doubt I could get past his armor, but at least now if I hit him in the face I would have a wound to show for it. Ranthus started to take special care to keep me from getting close. He hadn¡¯t worried about me hitting him when I wasn¡¯t armed. But now, with a knife in hand, I could seriously harm him. The broadsword was an insurmountable shield preventing me from achieving victory. Not only was it longer than the knife, the man could easily swing it around to keep me from getting too close. I could win this. I was faster than he was. I just needed to dodge the broadsword and rush in. If I could close enough distance, the broadsword would be unable to strike me. The armor would seal him from striking close to his own body. ¡°Sister¡­¡± Eli begged to the bag on the far side of the room. ¡°Please wake up! We don¡¯t have much time.¡± Another convulsion from Lauren caused her hand to smack across his face. The brown bag didn¡¯t so much as twitch as her brother continued to yell. You are almost back to how you were. It¡¯s almost as if you can actually fight. I chuckled, stepping to the side. Ranthus¡¯ weapon landed a little bit to my right. He seemed to put too much force into his swings. It was almost as if he only cared to flaunt his power. His actual skill with the sword was the same as a bunch of teenagers with baseball bats, and I was used to fighting teenagers with baseball bats. When I tried to step forward, Ranthus¡¯ slid back. This had happened a few times since I gathered my wits. He was doing all that he could to stop me from approaching. I continued to focus on the blade, waiting for my chance to slip past. ¡°Come on, sis! Hurry and wake up! Please hurry!¡± Eli yelled at the sack. A sudden burst of pain echoed throughout my head. Aren, you are late once again. Lauren started to choke. Her appearance taking a bright red tone. The white froth that had been coming out of her mouth was starting to turn light pink as wine attempted to escape from other orifices. ¡°Mama¡­¡± she whispered and with one last shudder, the world turned red. Claret wine covered everything. It stuck on to me with it¡¯s sickening grip. I was covered. Absolutely covered. The revolting liquid smothered the entire hall. The nostalgic stench riled up, aggravating my senses. The corpse of a young girl smothering the walls around us. Ranthus eyes didn¡¯t twitch at the explosion, almost as if he was already expecting it. Aren¡­. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± I whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± Guess what? ¡°Shut up! Shut up shut up shutupshutupshutupshutup¡± You were late again. ¡°I SAID TO SHUT UP.¡± With total disregard of the weapon in front of me I lunged forward. Ranthus¡¯ startled for a moment, quickly slid backwards and horizontally swung his broadsword. I ducked to avoid it, the blade skimming itself across my back. Not caring for the sudden flash of pain, I continued to charge. Ranthus let go of the sword with one of his hands, using the free hand to smack me away. The force alone was enough to send me into the air. ¡°What¡¯s with you, hero? You suddenly grew fr-¡± Eli started to ask. I interrupted him, yelling at him while waving the knife around. ¡°What do you think is wrong with me? Did you not even notice what happened? Are you blind to the harm that happens to other human beings?¡± ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Please just shut up,¡± I pleaded. Why can¡¯t you ever be on time? ¡°WHY DO YOU NEVER SHUT UP¡± I screamed, sending strike after strike toward the lumbering metal giant. I just wanted to chase out the noise. The noise that assaulted me every day of every year. Her voice was growing too loud for me to bear. Why? Why can I not get her voice out of my head? Eli could had seemingly given up on speaking to me, going back to begging his sister to wake up. Telling her to hurry. It was too late for that. Didn¡¯t he even understand that much? Ranthus was having no trouble fending off my strikes with his sword. A smile was plastered on his face as he easily knocked all of my blows away. Hit. Hit. Hit. I begged the knife in my hand to strike upon his flesh. The inanimate object glistened silver as it ignored my demands, easily being knocked away whenever I brought it close. Why can¡¯t I hit him? It was so easy before I grabbed this knife. Was he truly just playing with me? Did I really have no chance at winning? Or was I just afraid? Was I just afraid to kill someone? Alair the Coward, will always be a coward. Unable to leave the confines of this city. No matter how much he struggles¡­ Alair the Coward will never be able to match Aren. After all, Aren was the one to stab me. Alair is the one who is still running away. I used the small knife to block the broadsword at the last second, the strike coming close to actually striking me. The small metallic weapon forced its way out of my hand, landing next to Eli and Lauren. At this point I couldn¡¯t care less, it is not like I could hit him with it anyway. I was a coward. Killing someone, even in anger, was impossible for me. ¡°It¡¯s funny,¡± Ranthus said, ¡°I think you are the weakest among the foreigners that I¡¯ve come across. I don¡¯t know why he told me to be wary of you. You are less than insignificant. If you had never bothered to show up here, nothing would have changed.¡± Ranthus stabbed his broadsword into the ground. Casually walking past it, he raised his hands into a boxing stance. ¡°Red Reaper told me to kill you quickly, but I don¡¯t see why. Even if I killed you, you would just come back here four days later. It is only when you pathetic existences live that I can have some fun of my own.¡± He sent a right hook toward my face. The punch was sloppy and lacked any structure. It was an amateur''s punch through and through. I easily side stepped out of the way. The fist swept cleanly past me¡­ and smashed into the wall. The stone crumbled underneath the force. I¡¯m going to be killed¡­ Why should you care? ¡°Because I don¡¯t plan on d-¡± I heard a crack and found myself flying backwards. Ranthus had managed to get a powerful strike in during my moment of distraction. I found myself coughing wine as I struggled to stand up. ¡°I only planned to knock you back a bit, but you are already coughing blood? Are you trying to be the most brittle little blight you could possibly be?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°What? No fancy comeback? You are nothing like the Red Reaper claimed you would be. I even went so far as to flee from you in the alley. I can¡¯t believe I bothered to be careful around a runt like you.¡± Ranthus walked forward. He was an embodiment of death that slowly approached. ¡°Taking advice from a little girl dressed in a frilly dress are you?¡± I asked, spitting wine. ¡°Who? Oh¡­ you must be talking about her. Ol¡¯ Reaper also said to be careful of that girl. He said she is mostly harmless, but to be careful not to kill her with my new ability.¡± Oh great, this guy has another ability besides his absurd strength? Granted I should have expected as much. Someone of his strength should have a few skills here and there, and all he has shown is his ability to swing something around. ¡°Just like that man, when I kill a foreigner, they should stay dead.¡± with that said, Ranthus lunged forward, grabbing my neck. The broken ribs making it impossible to dance out of the way. He tightened the hold as he lifted me up. I had to struggle to breath. ¡°Did you know? One the most painful ways to die is by drowning?¡± Ranthus asked. ¡°Since I don¡¯t have access to a body of water to drown you, crushing your windpipe should be close enough.¡± I heard a crackling sound as my trachea was slowly crushed. The world grew darker. I tore at his hands, trying to tear them off me. My lack of strength became readily apparent, when even with both my hands I couldn¡¯t move a single one of his fingers. So weak¡­ ¡®Shut up!¡¯ I mentally screamed. ¡°So defiant,¡± Ranthus complained, ¡°Just give up and die already. We don¡¯t need your kind here. You are just making it harder to deal with these monsters. You even went so far as to try to save them. These creatures aren¡¯t worth saving, and neither are you.¡± My vision slowly tunneled. Ranthus¡¯ voice grew more distant. Just before reality had fully faded away, I stopped struggling. Not much I could even do at this point¡­. ¡®Haha, I¡¯m a failure.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but berate myself mentally, ¡®I couldn¡¯t even save a few kids¡­¡¯ Ranthus unexpectedly released his grip, and air forced its way into my lungs. After a brief gagging fit, the bright light of reality slowly dredged its way back. A warm hand placed itself onto my shoulder, squeezing with an almost nostalgic amount of force. ¡°What? Giving up already kid?¡± I tried to shift my head toward newcomer behind me. ¡°Even that bastard knight has more willpower than that.¡± Who the hell is that? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spoiler : Well, that was a hard chapter for me to write. For some obvious and non obvious reasons. I hope you all enjoyed it. Sorry for taking so long. (I seem to like repeating myself on these afterwords.) Thanks to Flam for PRing. And for all my beta readers for betaing¡­ Next chapter¡­ The conclusion of Ghoul¡¯s Lament! I think¡­ No promises¡­ {[999baw}] End Chapter 9 Previous/T.O.C/Next Vol:1 - Ghouls Lament Ch: 10 A Hearts Keening A few months ago, I could honestly state that I never felt I was weak. I could be battered, bruised, and bloody, but even then I wouldn¡¯t have given up. I wouldn¡¯t have felt like I couldn¡¯t accomplish the goal in front of me. It was almost sickening how simply I had forsaken my fate. The hand on my shoulder allowed me to regain my sense of bearing. I wasn¡¯t aware of how much I had lost myself. Actually¡­ I still wasn¡¯t positive I had fully recovered; the feeling of displacement still existed. It was as if I was standing apart from the events happening around me. I heard Eli screaming. I felt the hand on my shoulder. I smelled the stench of wine. I tasted the bile in my mouth. I saw Ranthus before me. But none of it seemed real. That shouldn¡¯t matter¡­ no, that didn¡¯t matter in this situation. Even if the events that had happened were all fake, I would still act upon them. Even if this was all according to the will of my delusions, I still had to act in order to save those I could. After all, you¡¯ve always wanted to be a hero. I silently stood up, the hand that gripped my shoulder slipping off of me. I didn¡¯t turn my head to face the newcomer, instead I stepped off to the side in order to include them in my sight. No matter what happened, I didn¡¯t want to let Ranthus vanish from view. The newcomer looked only slightly older than me. And yet, in a way he reminded me of an actor in an old movie. He was wearing a suit of armor just like Ranthus. Although, this man¡¯s was a clear shining white instead of a sickening crimson. The two stood at the same height, their gazes locked on each other. ¡°I haven¡¯t given up.¡± I said, forcing myself to remain steady. The silver knight laughed, ¡°Good, kid. Good. Not that I plan to let you do much from here on out. Your small role is already over. Leave and be done with it, I can¡¯t have your death be on my conscious.¡± The guy who saved you is harsher than I thought he would be. ¡°Why are you still alive?¡± The rat-faced Ranthus asked, his jaw tightening into a grimace. He had already taken a step back, regaining the use of the broadsword abandoned just moments before. The man actually looked a bit onguard, compared to his previous haughty attitude. ¡°Did you think death could stop me from fulfilling the promise I made? I¡¯m a freedman after all.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Ranthus screamed. ¡°He promised me you would stay dead! He promised me that that would be the last time I would see your face again! That death should have been absolute!¡± The silver knight shrugged, ¡°If it was anyone else, that might have been true. Even I was forced into a coma for a week. Frightful man that Red Reaper is.¡± Doesn¡¯t this feel like watching a plot-based show after starting half way through? I nodded my head in agreement with her voice. I was missing a crucial detail about this whole ordeal and it bothered me greatly. The sack that contained Eli¡¯s sister had finally started to squirm again. It seemed this time Ranthus was too focused on the new guy to pay much attention to her.. ¡°Gravus!¡± Ranthus roared, ¡°Even if have to kill you a thousand times over, I will make sure you stay dead!¡±. Ranthus charged, sword in hand, but the silver knight easily sidestepped out of the way. In an instant the positions in the hallway reversed. No longer was the wine-colored knight between us and Eli¡¯s sister. We were the ones standing between her and the enemy. Aren! ¡®On it!¡¯ I mentally replied, spinning around and going directly to the bag. Taking a grip on either end of the small opening I tried to tear it open. The opening heavily resisted, forcing me to change my focus to the knot instead. ¡®Can¡¯t they make it easier on me?¡¯ I groaned. That would be the day you actually do something useful. The silver knight¡¯s overbearing presence only increased as he spoke. His voice was tinged with malice and spite, his words sharp and on edge. ¡°Ranthus, I¡¯ve never met such a sickening man as you. I don¡¯t consider myself a saint, but even I have a shred of decency.¡± ¡°Hahahaha, Gravus, you bastard. I can say the same. You were always putting on that fake act of being a knight. Acting honorable for the just to fulfill the role.¡± Gravus¡­ Gravus¡­ I feel like I should remember that name. It¡¯s not often you hear a name as strange as his¡­ How can you forget such an emotional story like that! ¡®What are you talking about?¡¯ In Ghoul mom¡¯s story. He was the knight who saved her. ¡°Ah! The guy who couldn¡¯t do crap when his platoon was killed in front of him!¡± I pointed at Gravus in exclamation. He glared at me, his teeth visible in a momentary snarl. ¡°Erm¡­ sorry?¡± I forced a smile. Ranthus was laughing, ¡°See, even that blight knows how worthless you are.¡± Geh! I should try to keep my mouth shut. Untying the knot was hard enough without having a new ally want to kill me. With one last tug of the knot the bag sprung open. The little girl sprung out from it with her mouth open and fangs glistening. She aimed for the throat without hesitation. ¡°Elle! stop!¡± Eli yelled. The girls mouth closed instantly. However the forward momentum didn¡¯t dissipate and she bashed her head against my chin. I heard a sharp crack and fell backwards. I have to admit, I¡¯ve felt rocks softer than her head. Rubbing my now throbbing chin, I watched as Elle look up at her brother with expectant eyes. Something strange crossed the little girl Elle¡¯s gaze¡­ jealousy? Eli smiled grimly, ¡°Oh beloved sis of mine, can you hurry up and cure this girl already? My legs are falling asleep.¡± She nodded her head, jumping towards her brother and Lauren.The girl still remained spasming, the only trickle of blood coming from her mouth. My brain went haywire. ¡®Contradiction¡¯. I thought, ¡®Contradiction. Contradiction. She had popped. I had seen it happen. This entire room was covered in the red of her cla- her blood.¡¯ The voice laughed, That was merely punishment I am your friend and your ally, but above all, I am your punisher. I am the punishment that you inflicted upon yourself. I am merely a voice taking the form of your desires. I am not her, but a recreation of what you believe her to be. And she is someone who you believe should cause you harm The two girls seemingly kissed. I looked away. ...After waiting for a moment to make sure they were done, I resumed looking at them. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked Eli. The boy shrugged, ¡°If she bit Lauren to cure her, the girl would really have died. The puncture would increase blood production all at once.¡± He explained. ¡±It was fine with Auri, as the production of blood was increased in stages, and I could always open up a new wound if it increased too much. That was the reason I stopped you from bleeding her out. The only way to save Lauren was to give her the antidote mouth to mouth. It couldn¡¯t be helped really.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile. I hadn¡¯t failed this time, afterall. Pervert ¡®What? Why!?¡¯ The voice didn¡¯t bother answering. She giggled instead. The two metal soldiers clashed again and again. Their respective swords showering sparks as they met. I once read that the mark of a skilled swordsman was the ability to parry blows without locking them. These two evidently hadn¡¯t gotten the memo. I took a peek at the kids, taking a step away from the swordplay. Gravus was right; although I wanted to stab Ranthus in the face, it would better if I escaped now while I still could. My goal was never to defeat the villain. It has always been to save those that needed to be saved and rid myself of all of this. If you really wanted to rid yourself of this You wouldn¡¯t have accepted in the first place I did my best to ignore her. I snuck over to the three kids. Lauren¡¯s spasms had stopped and she no longer seemed to be frothing at the mouth. I kneeled down next to Eli, preparing to pick him up. He was in no condition to run and I couldn¡¯t have him slowing our escape down. ¡°Elle,¡± I asked the girl, ¡°Can you carry Lauren for me?¡± She glared at me. ¡°I¡¯ll carry brother! You can carry that girl!¡± I simply nodded, not wanting to argue. I brought Lauren up into my arms, watching as Elle did the same with her brother. She didn¡¯t struggle in the slightest over the weight. I guessed it was due to her nature as a ghoul. Eli watched over Elle¡¯s shoulder as we started to head back toward Auri and the Marquess waited. ¡°Is Ranthus coming after us?¡± I asked. Eli weakly shook his head, ¡°Too busy fighting that other knight guy, we should be fine¡­ hopefully.¡± ¡®Took long enough for something to go my way.¡¯ Don¡¯t Jinx it I sighed. Elle suddenly froze. I stopped a half of step later. ¡°Why¡¯d you stop?¡± For a moment Elle remained silent, still facing down the long hallway. She took a step back, her eyes widening. ¡°We can¡¯t go this way. Brother will be taken away from me.¡± I glanced at Eli, measuring his reaction. ¡°We can¡¯t go this way, Hero.¡± Eli¡¯s face was serious. If he wasn¡¯t currently being carried by his sister, he looked like he might have ran away. ¡°What?¡± I spat out in annoyance, ¡°You want to go back in the direction of the guy that was trying to kill us?¡± Eli nodded, ¡°If it means that I don¡¯t have to face mother again, yes.¡± ¡°Your mother?¡± The siblings both nodded grimly. Are you going to return those kids to her? ¡°Like hell¡± I mumbled, turning around. Elle was already running back from where we came. I quickly did the same. I wasn¡¯t sure how they knew their mother was down this hallway but I didn¡¯t really care. It could have been from natural ESP for all that mattered. Getting away from the person that might bring these kids more pain took precedence over everything else. Even if that means heading back to the person that might kill them? Returning to where the two knights were fighting didn¡¯t take more than a moment. The constant clash between them hadn¡¯t slowed down in the slightest. If anything, it looked like they were speeding up. Gravus¡¯ face was curled into a bloodthirsty grin, nothing like how his silver armor had previously portrayed him. I didn¡¯t want to risk getting close to him so I sidled along the wall, keeping as far from the fight as possible. Neither of them spared me a glance. I felt somewhat insulted. Insulted? You being useless to the point of being ignored is your own fault. Who keeps a promise with a dead girl? Elle was the one to drag me back to my senses. She prodded me in the back with her head as both of her hands were full carrying Eli. She must have been trying to get me to move when I unknowingly stopped, I complied. In a few minutes we reached the end of the hallway. The hallway caved inward, the walls curving toward a large iron door. I gently set Lauren down to free my hands. Gripping the handle of the door, I gave it a harsh tug and abruptly fell forward. It felt like I was trying to pull a tree over. Obviously, the door didn¡¯t give It stood stalwart, blocking our path. Elle set her brother down against the wall far from where Lauren was, joining me in trying to pry the door open. The thing wasn¡¯t really locked, more like just insanely heavy. There must have been an easier way to go about opening it, but we didn¡¯t have the time to search around. The door shuddered under Elle¡¯s grip, slowly opening at a snail¡¯s pace. ¡°Elle!¡± Eli screamed, ¡°Hurry!¡± Elle¡¯s pull against the door became more frantic. I did my best to help, the door opened enough that kids might have been able to slip through. The ghoul mother Alexia finally came into view at the end of the hallway. If I didn¡¯t understand why the kids were panicking, I wouldn¡¯t have felt afraid. Her expression showed no hostility, no anger. She had a sweet smile on her face as she spotted her lost children. That in itself was troubling. No sane parent could smile so peacefully after seeing the wounds on Eli. It was as if a crucial part was missing in the composition that was family: Sanity. ¡°Elle, Eli, isn¡¯t it about time we head home?¡± The two siblings went quiet, unmoving. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Alexia asked, her expression turning slightly worried, almost panic stricken. Still no answer from the kids. ¡°How¡¯d you get here?¡± I asked. She tilted her head, ¡°By walking?¡± ¡°What about the two in the hall?¡± ¡°They are still playing. I don¡¯t think they have eyes for anything besides each other. If they weren¡¯t trying to kill each other, I would have mistaken them for a couple in love.¡± She giggled at her own joke. ¡°Well, nothing to do with me now that I¡¯ve found my children.¡± She smiled a sweet pleasant smile, ¡°I can now see that you really were going to help me, I hadn¡¯t fully believed you before. If I spotted you outside, I was thinking of feeding you to my children in return for lying to me.¡± She gave an almost imperceptible bow as if to say thanks, ¡°Come now, Elle, Eli, time to go.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°No.¡± Eli spoke, his tone fragile. ¡°No?¡± She asked. ¡°Elle, please talk some sense into that brother of yours. He isn¡¯t being rational right now.¡± Elle merely shook her head, visibly pale at the sight of her mom. Her fist was silently shaking in a strange kind of anger. The mother, Alexis, tilted her head slightly while narrowing her eyes. ¡°Why don¡¯t either of you want to come home with me? Are you hungry? Is that why you are quiet? Is that why you don¡¯t want to follow me?¡± Her smile widened, ¡°I can give you some food, it¡¯s been so long after all.¡± Alexia¡¯s gaze shifted toward the unconscious Lauren. ¡®Shit!¡¯ She lunged forward. In one swift motion she had impaled the small girl in the chest. Lauren gave one last pained spasm, her eyes briefly opening, glimpsing at the red orb in Alexia¡¯s hand. Alexia held it outward toward her two children, ¡°This should be fine right? Once you eat, you¡¯ll come with me right?¡± I looked away, trying to keep myself calm. I could feel my legs start to give. She had been saved! The poison was cured! She was going to live! And this time, it isn¡¯t a delusion. It seems I needn¡¯t have bothered with that before. You really failed, after all. Drip¡­. Drip¡­. Drip¡­ The red orb dripped fresh liquid onto the floor. The sound rhythmically beating in my eardrums. Something was going down my cheeks. I gingerly reached up and touched it with my hands. It was warm. I briefly wondered if it was the same thing that was dripping onto the floor. Wouldn¡¯t make much sense though. I was still living after all. Drip¡­. Drip¡­. Drip... ¡°Hero¡­¡± Eli called out to me. His voice sounded strangely far away. Oh! That reminds me¡­ I was supposed to protect them wasn¡¯t I? I shifted a little to the side, to better put myself between Alexia and her children. Like cracking ice, Alexia¡¯s serene expression started to break. Her gaze focused on me, gliding over as if looking at a bug. I was a mere annoyance; when had I ever been anything else? The strange liquid continued to drip from the red orb. It was beating out a calming tune, luring me to sleep. Still beating, beating, beating. Almost in defiance in what was obviously fact. I could hear Elle behind me, grabbing her brother and pulling him toward the door. He had lost too much blood to walk on his own, she either had to bring him herself or leave him there. I could hardly picture her doing the latter. Alexia stepped forward, her hand twitching. I took a step backward. I couldn¡¯t rationally understand why I did so. Was I afraid? I didn¡¯t feel as such. I tilted my head, glancing down at my hand. Then again, right now I couldn¡¯t feel much of anything. I remembered the first time Lauren died; I could feel nothing but anger. An explosive anger that tore through my entire being. Right now, it was as if I had been detached from even that. I knew I should be angry. I knew I should want to do something irrational. But I couldn¡¯t for the life of me figure out at what I should be angry at, or what I should do because of it. Alexia had noticed me barring the way, ¡°Do you plan to get in the way of me and my children? ¡± I nodded, I knew that was something I was supposed to do, ¡°I can¡¯t hand them over to someone who doesn¡¯t understand the meaning of giving their heart to someone. It¡¯s rude to use someone else¡¯s.¡± I broke into laughter. It seemed a bit wrong for some reason. I thought the pun was good, but the joke seemed a bit bitter. Too soon maybe? I was never good at timing these things. ¡®You dare say I don¡¯t love my children!?¡± her voice came out like a hiss, violent and spiteful. ¡°No,¡± I shook my head, taking another step back. Elle and Eli had already exited through the door. If I could manage to fit, I could escape too. ¡°Your are the prime example of a mother. Every mother should starve their children and lock them away for safe keeping. It doesn¡¯t matter if they get hurt, right? As long as they are home with you, it¡¯s fine if they are corpses. It¡¯s not like you distinguish between receiving someone¡¯s heart and eating it.¡± ¡®The love Alexia shows is sickening. The way she treats her children is fake and premeditated. ¡® She glared at me. That doesn¡¯t sound like you were talking about her anymore A normal person would just think she is crazy obsessive Alair, is there something you want to tell me? I pressed my back against the wall, hoping to give myself a better chance getting through the small opening made in the door. ¡°You think you know how a mother should act?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± I yelled, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be an act!¡± She looked confused. In that moment I heard something pop, and I was dragged through the small opening in the door. Elle had gripped my hand and pulled me so hard it disconnected my shoulder. Should I have been worried I didn¡¯t feel the pain? I realized I couldn¡¯t breath through my nose. Reaching up with my still working arm I felt around, it was pointing in an odd direction. I must have slammed it when I was pulled through the door. I twisted it back with a pop. Alexia was screaming, yanking at the door. She must have been stronger than her daughter, because the door was moving much more swiftly than when Elle and I were trying to open it. Elle gripped the handle on this side, and tried to resist the door¡¯s desire to open. The movement slowed, but Alexia was still winning in the contest of strength. Even if Elle and I struggled to keep the door closed it wouldn¡¯t buy us more than a few seconds. Eli was all but out for the count, I doubted he could even raise his arms or stand anymore. The room we were currently inside was the same room I had been in before. It was where I found the journal and the cage used to store Elle when they weren¡¯t using her. The secret staircase had closed at some point since I last visited and I wasn¡¯t sure how to open it from this side. Like the rest of the hidden entrances, I guessed it would be something easy for a child to come across. The door lurched a bit more. If only Eli could walk, he might¡¯ve been able to find the entrance and escape a little more. As it was, all three of us were locked in a dead end. ¡°How did you trick my children? Why are you trying to take them away?¡± The door was open wide enough that I could see her gazing in. Elle answered her mother, ¡°Brother doesn¡¯t want to stay with you! And I don¡¯t want to share brother with you either! Brother is mine!¡± With renewed strength she managed to close the door slightly. Brother complex? ¡®I should have expected this.¡¯ ¡°No,¡± the mother whispered, ¡°nonononono. You are my children. I will protect you. I will take both of you home and keep you safe from strange people like that man.¡± The door stopped moving, instead a heavy groan echoed throughout the room we were in. *Crack* The inside handle of the door snapped off, flingling Elle farther into the room. Alexia using this chance, easily swung the door open enough for her to jump inside. Reacting more on instinct than anything else, I slammed my fist into her face. To my surprise, she was actually knocked back. ...I should say something snarky right now.. ...But the shock of you actually doing something useful is making it hard to think. Elle had recovered from her tumble, standing by my side. She pressed something heavy into my hand. I could only hope it was a weapon of some sort. For some reason, I felt taking a glimpse at what it actually was would only get me killed. Alexia faced me, still on the ground. Her hands and feet were on ground, propping her up. Her current posture was almost animalistic. Her limbs bending in strange directions as they popped randomly as bones shifted. That¡­ That wasn¡¯t humanlike at all. The monster called Alexia lunged, I swung the object in my hand. The bludgeoning weapon sent her flying to the side. The heavy recoil sending shocks down my arm. I took a chance to glimpse at what I was actually holding. Why do they have a bat in this room? A torture instrument perhaps? I held the weapon loosely in my hand, holding it to slightly to the side. As it was, it was the only thing I could use to defend myself. Even the full on hit from the bat already appeared to be healing. How much does a ghoul have to eat to get that kind of healing? Even if I asked, I doubt I actually wanted to hear the answer. ¡°Elle, look for the secret exit.¡± I used my free hand to point to the wall the staircase would have come from. I could only hope that she had seen Auri enter and exit enough to know how to leave. She wouldn¡¯t have seen Auri open it from this end. The same reason you wouldn¡¯t know how to open it. It remains open for quite some time before closing. Alexia¡¯s fingers snapped loudly as the bone protruded from the tips, slowly sharpening into a point. Her body was distorted far more than I thought was possible. Was this result of a heavy feeding? Or was this actually the true nature of a ghoul? She lunged, her claws tearing gouges in the floor as she used them to propel herself forward. --------------------------------------------------------------- The monster clung to walls of the warehouse, attacking the small group that hid in the center. The monster had showed up without warning, an abomination that didn¡¯t belong in this world. The shape was vaguely human, its limbs sprouting sharpened bones randomly across its arms. The monster had attacked and heavily injured a few of the people already. It had only taken a few injured to cause the rest of the people to give up. They had huddled together in the center of the building, almost as if they hoped the warmth of another would be enough to protect them. They clutched their heads to protect them from the beast¡¯s claws. It was obviously useless. If they wanted to live they shouldn¡¯t choose to cower. Only one of the people there didn¡¯t try to run away. His face twisting into an odd childish grin. He had a stolen baseball bat in hand. He doubted the unconscious victim would mind. His eyes chased the beast as it jumped around them. It¡¯s speed being nearly impossible to follow correctly. It lunged for him. His reflexes weren¡¯t fast enough and the beast clipped him on his shoulder. If he had dodged a second later he would have been missing a chunk out his neck. He readied the bat once again. This time he would be ready. ¡°Batter up, come on pitch it right down the center.¡± It lunged. He swung. ----------------------------------------------------------------- The bat cracked against the side of Alexia¡¯s face. Her jaw shattering under the force. I honestly felt I should feel bad for being so violent. She hadn¡¯t outwardly tried to harm me all that much before. If it wasn¡¯t for Lauren, maybe I would have. Pain clung vaguely on my shoulder. Fresh wine was leaking out of the injury. One of Alexia¡¯s lunges had cut it quite close and she managed to tear some flesh away. If I had been any slower... This situation was too familiar. For the life of me I couldn¡¯t remember why. It was too random and incoherent to actually happen in reality, and I had never left the town in this world. If you still plan to run, I could lie. I could say it was obviously from a dream long ago. You would believe me, even if I said it right now. I prepared to swing once more, as soon as Alexia recovered to attack again. Elle still had not found the exit. In fact, both Elle and Eli were staring at me with odd blank looks. I couldn¡¯t deduce what those gazes meant. Alexia didn¡¯t recover. Her body laid limp on the floor. Her jaw was moving in a almost sluglike way. Ripples went across her face as the shattered parts of the bone realigned themselves in their proper positions. I leaned toward her, pressing my finger against her neck, feeling for a pulse. I didn¡¯t want to kill someone again. So her life is worth more than mine? ¡°No.. I¡± I faltered. Just long enough for a sideswipe to crack against my jaw, sending me flying into the bars of the cage. With a feline grace she walked over to where I laid against the metal bars. She raised up her hand, the sharp claws promising a quick death. And swung it down. Spoiler : Sorry for not posting in a long while. This chapter has been bugging me for far longer than I would like, I''m sorry if it isn''t up to my usual quiality and for the long wait I gave you before posting this. I just didn''t like how this chapter turned out no matter how much I rewrote it. SO I finally decided to power through and keep on going. As always a thanks to all the people that helped proofread it. Flamarow keeps on showing up and helping me with it, if I was in his place I would have run away long ago because of my (the writer''s) lack of updates. I thank you all for reading this. And I promise I will continue to release chapters at what should be a decent pace.