《Astraea: The Journey of Magic》 Chapter 1: A Past and a Phenomena Sometimes, people are just plain unlucky. At least, that''s how Kuroki thought of himself. How else could one describe him essentially rolling a nat one for his origin story and stats? About being worn into just about the worst family possible for someone like himself? Kuroki was a fifteen year old junior high school student. He would be entering high school next year, along with all of his friends. He had ambitions to go to a high tech technical school, as he was good at not only coding but also problem solving. Some referred to him as the web wizard, which made him blush a bit, and he was already helping out with his seniors who already went to such schools as they came to him for advice. Kuroki was very good at using his head and his brain. However... In terms of gym class, it had reached the point where the gym teacher sort of just pitied him at this point. Kuroki was fifteen years old, but he was only 124cm tall. His weight was also not worth mentioning, he was basically a stick figure. Although Kuroki had good control and technique, he had no power. His classmates were generally 20cm taller than him at least, with some even moreso. Kuroki had decent endurance at least, but he often got treated by a child even by his juniors. That said, a good number of classmates did treat him rather well, apparently finding him easy to talk to and get along with, so he had a good number of friends. Sure sometimes he was treated as the adorable class pet, looked after and coddled by everyone, but it made a nice change of pace from his home life. His father didn''t approve of him at all, not one bit, and was even determined to "fix" his son. Kuroki has always had an interest in fantasy and sci fi, but especially magic and psychic powers above all else. His father found that abhorrent, saying that magic was something only girls should be interested, and men trained in martial arts and swordsmanship. He had incredibly strong, rigid, and frankly narrow sighted beliefs about all that. That men should rely on muscles and strength. And as the leader of his own dojo, he made sure to thoroughly educate his son on these matters. This was made especially worse by his physique. For reasons his father couldn''t understand, Kuroki''s growth had slowed quite a bit. He was not just the shortest person in his class, but also his grade, with everyone, even the girls, being taller than him. As such his father always made his training extra harsh for him, especially when he perceived Kuroki as having done some slight against his ideals. Which was often. Sometimes this meant dragging Kuroki into the dojo at random for training. He even sometimes made Kuroki strip naked to confirm he was indeed a boy, and then proceeded to make him train as is. His father often liked to use such embarrassment on him as well, saying it was his just deserts for Kuroki embarrassing him with his "antics" and "lack of hard work". Kuroki was pretty sure at least part of his lack of growth was due to his shitty dad though. His mom had left and disappeared years ago, and frankly, Kuroki wouldn''t have been surprised if he had killed her for "producing a son like him". To be honest, it was getting to the point where Kuroki was thinking of running away completely. He already often stayed over at his friend''s houses rather than coming home, and a good portion of his clothes were now located at other people''s houses as well. The parents of his best friend, Akano, were even the ones who got him his current cell phone, and the division was pretty evident. The only issue was custody laws. He had to at least pretend to still live there, because he learned his father was more than willing to use the cops to make sure he couldn''t run away. But it was no secret from Akano Kuroda or his parents about how bad it was getting. Even if he was able to make it so barely a mark or a scar was visible, they had long since become able to see the truth on Kuroki Kyoudo''s body. But as it turned out, sometimes fate can intervene before things reach a critical point.
Kuroki was currently facing a great trial in front of him. Frankly speaking, it was an unfathomable and horrible situation that required him to muster all his strength and courage. It would be, without a doubt, the greatest trial he would ever experience. His inner monologue continued to spiral, as panic and fear overcame him. Yes, he... "...Kyoudo, are you going to sit there?" The substitute gym teacher called out to him suddenly, breaking him out of the spiral. Yes, it was P.E. At the moment, they were just doing some basic things like pull ups and such. It was just... "...sorry, can I borrow a stool please?" Kuroki asked as he stood up and came forward. The substitute gym teacher, who was absolutely not Kuroki''s favorite, barely suppressed a grin and a laugh. No, Kuroki was sure he heard a bit of it leak out. However, it couldn''t be helped. It was designed for fifteen year olds in mind, but Kuroki was far shorter than the average fifteen-year-old to reach the pull up bars. Yes, in other words, he needed a boost. He was the only one in class too, even the second shortest person in his class could not reach it. "Sensei, the stool is over there". "Here, let me get it". "Did you eat a bug or something? You look very strange and a bit revolting there, sensei". As the substitute did not move quick enough, three boys quickly moved in. They were Kuroki''s longtime friends since starting elementary school. Akano Kuroda, Reiji Shinoda, and Juno Kamiya. The teacher seemed to be taken aback a bit, the amusement gone from his face as he even paled a bit under their pressure. Or perhaps it was from the general annoyed aura coming off of many other classmates. Although some couldn''t help but giggle at the need for the stool as well, but it was more that they found him adorable then mocking him. Once that was done, Kuroki proceeded to finish the pull ups. He didn''t do too well, but better than in other categories. It probably helped he was so light. He was the lightest person in class thanks to being the smallest in class. Akano Kuroda was pretty short himself, while Juno was normal sized. As for Reiji...Reiji was big enough and strong enough to pick up Kuroki and have him ride around on his shoulders. In fact, that was how they won the Calvery battle during the Sports Festival. Since Reiji alone could support him, the others could focus their energies elsewhere. That said, the rest of the gym class was annoying. The substitute kept staring at him, and frankly it was getting annoying and was kind of creepy. Thankfully, Akano and the others always stayed close by. Once that class was over, the rest of it went by quickly. Kuroki got praised a lot, since he was good at problem solving it seemed he was able to use that to get good grades as well. And just like that, another day ended at school. But right when he was done, he was called back to the gym for some reason. "Uhg. I hope my records didn''t get lost again and they make me retake it. It would mean changing to and from my gym clothes again". "Ah, I will go with you. Maybe we can sort these things out" Akano said, tagging along. Juno and Reiji quickly joined them. "I don''t want to hold you guys up..." "It''s no problem. Besides, after today, I was thinking we could all hit up the bathhouse to clean off and then go to the arcade. How about staying over at my place tonight?" "That would be great thanks. Do I still have a change of clothes at your uncle''s bathhouse though?" "I can have my mom bring some over". "That would be great. Thanks a lot". "No problem. Besides, you really helped me study for my math homework the other day, so I gotta pay you back anyways". Akano had what he liked to call "a blood feud" with math, apparently stemming back to his father''s generation. Kuroki thought it was the easiest subject himself, but to each their own. If there was any subject Kuroki had actual difficulty with, it was history. Not only was there so much of it, sometimes it felt annoyingly subjective depending on the teacher they had. Especially that one who held clear bias towards the age of the samurai and even worn a samurai helmet into class. The group headed into the gym, where they found the substitute gym teacher and a pair of gym clothes for Kuroki on the table in front of them. "Hmm, you were supposed to come alone. It seems your results got misplaced, so change quickly into these and redo it all". Even though he said that, there were others, including girls, in here, and it was clear he was telling Kuroki to change right there in front of everyone. It was obvious this was all set up to harass Kuroki, and it was pretty obvious who as well. "I don''t care if Kuroki''s father told you to do this. Even if you are just a substitute, you have no right. Especially if you destroyed school records, that will get you in major trouble you know? Are you ready to be fined and blacklisted?" Akano spoke clearly and with great strength. Even the substitute had to step back a bit. "Don''t talk to me that way. I am still your teacher..." "Oh? Then perhaps we should ask the principal then what he thinks" Juno mentioned. "Just so you know, this is not the first time Kuroki''s shitty dad had a connection to the gym teacher. We may have failed the first few times, but we learned how to manage these situations you know?" Reiji then stepped forward. "Of course, because that shitty dad is so narrowminded, he probably has yet to realize trying these forceful things over and over just doesn''t work". Yes, this was not the first time this had happened. Over the past year or two, the bigger the gap between Kuroki''s height and the average height became, the worse their relationship got. It wasn''t always there, and wasn''t always overt, but Kuroki was planning on running away for a reason. Thankfully, his father had plenty of other students to keep him busy, which was a big reason it had not escalated more. That, and the fact his father had no intention of letting him run away, apparently considering that as a loss for himself. The substitute eventually had to back off, running away and noting it was probably a clerical error. "...thanks guys" Kuroki said, finally taking a breath. He had ended up freezing there out of humiliation and fear. "Akano, I think its best if I stay with you for a few days". "Sounds like its for the best. Come on, let''s go to the bathhouse. Cleanse away the stench of that scum".
The bathhouse in itself was a rather well aged place. It wasn''t run down, but there was some wear and tear that gave away how long it had been in operation. Nothing that made it looked dirty or shabby though. The boys headed into the changing room, and proceeded to strip. They wanted to get their school uniforms off as soon as possible, and they already had fresh clothes here. It wasn''t the first time this group had come here immediately after school, especially due to Kuroki''s home situation. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. As they got fully naked, Akano got a good look at Kuroki''s body again. Although clearly developed some bit down there, he lacked any facial, body, or pubic hair currently. However, what Akano was more interested in was seeing if Kuroki had any new wounds. Kuroki didn''t always report every injury, partially because he was so used to his dad''s beatings that were claimed to be "training", but also because he wasn''t the best at taking care of himself. Almost as if the person who should have been the role model for that completely neglected their duties. At least that was Akano''s thoughts. As they put their stuff into the baskets, Akano grabbed one of Kuroki''s legs suddenly, but used another arm to keep him balanced as he looked it. "...did he force you to do more of this so-called training this morning? Even with the exercises today?" "...mhm. Yeah". "Alright, come on. Lets get you washed up". "Eh? I can do it myself!" Akano shook his head. "No, someone needs to show you some proper warmth and care for your health". Akano sat down and had Kuroki sit down on his lap and began to rinse them both off, as well as wash Kuroki''s hair. Kuroki was a bit embarrassed by it, but considering how he grew up, he did secretly enjoy it when his friends doted on him. At least to a degree. He hated being treated like a little boy normally, but...this sort of thing every once and awhile, with someone who he shared a strong friendship with, was okay. Though he did draw a line when Akano started to wash certain areas, doing that himself. Of course he was sure Akano did that just to mess with him a bit as well. Once that was done, the group of them all got into the bath together. The tension washed away immediately, as they sighed with bliss and happiness. "This is great". "This is truly bliss". "Only a hot springs could beat this". "So great to be purged of all that darkness". Kuroki, Akano, Reiji, and Juno all responded accordingly in that order. "Hey, Kuroki". "What Akano?" "I got the latest edition of The Legend of the Arcanist back at my house all ready for you, by the way". Kuroki''s eyes lit up. "For real? Ahh, I knew i could count on you Aka!" Kuroki said, getting all energetic and hugging Akano. "Ahahaha. Yeah. My dad got it yesterday for you on the way back from work". "So this is what a real dad is like!" Juno and Reiji could only smile wrly on that comment. "That series has some of the best detailing of how magic works it''s so great! And I hear the artist even lives in a nearby town!" "I know! I really want to visit him~" And so they engaged in such a happy conversation, their moods getting a double boost from the bath as well as excitedly talking about most of their favorite mangas. Juno actually liked some of the martial arts ones as well, but was considerate enough to not bring up certain ones due to Kuroki''s situation and some similarities that could be drawn. Once they were done, they headed into the changing room, only to quickly cover themselves up again. "Mom! What are you still doing here?!" "Sorry, Aka dear. I just wanted to tell you in person that you and Kura are on your own for dinner. We ended up with a coupon for a nearby nice restaurant for two, so we wanted to make sure we make use of it" she said, before she left the room. "...that''s the excuse she claims, but I am pretty sure she just wanted to embarrass us". "Well, she is a doctor, so she probably wanted to make sure we were all healthy" Reiji mentioned. He didn''t include the fact that she had good reason to with Kuroki, not wanting to dampen the mood. They quickly all got changed into fresh clothes, with them stuffing their uniforms into their bags to wash them later. And so, the group made their way to the arcade, where they proceeded to enjoy their time. Kuroki of course, found games with magic and wizards to be his favorite, and there were a few available. Juno enjoyed fighting games, while Reiji loved racing games. As for Akano, his favorite was shooters. Incidentally, there was a game that had both magic and involved shooting, which made it a game that Kuroki and Akano often played when they came here. It was a mostly peaceful time, but as they left and began to head home, the sky had changed drastically. "It was completely sunny without a cloud in the sky a moment ago, but now it looks like its going to be a total downpour" Akano mentioned as the group hurried forward at a brisk pace. Reiji had equipped the Kuroki helmet, since Kuroki had the slowest pace of them all. They made their way towards Akano''s place, as it was closest, when the rain came down hard. Even if they were only a few blocks away, it came down so severely they decided to take cover for a bit and try to call someone to bring them some umbrellas. Reiji let Kuroki down as they waited, but it seemed to only get more and more severe. It almost seemed like a full on typhoon, and even thunder and lightning were observed. It went from gentle sunny day to a superstorm in just an hour, which was really surprising. As they were observing it, Kuroki had this strange feeling. No, it wasn''t just him. Everyone else he could see suddenly became uneasy as well. But all of that was forgotten about in the next moment, when suddenly everything stopped. The rain, the thunder, the lightning. And not as in it ended, but it stopped. It froze in place. One could see the various droplets of water stopped in the air, unmoving and just gloating there. Lightning, which had been striking rapidly all over to the point they could see four different ones near their own position, had also stopped. The rampaging thunder was gone. And then it all resumed, but in reverse. Water dripping up from the street, raining in reverse. Lightning shot up from the ground, startling everyone. And then, gravity itself seemed to shut off for everyone, as they all began to float for some reason. No, perhaps they were even being pulled upward. And then everything was blotted out by a sea of white.
Kuroki had this strange feeling of warmth. His mind was a bit blurred and foggy, as it struggled to remember things at first. He remembered the bathhouse, the arcade, walking home with friends, and then... Kuroki bolted awake as he remembered what happened, and realized he had blacked out. He looked around himself and it appeared he was laying down by a campfire in a forest, with a blue haired man looking at him with a gentle smile. It was someone he didn''t recognize, and this area was a place he did not recognize. He didn''t see his friends anywhere. "Where am I?! Who are you?! What did you do with my friends!?" "You are in the Southern Garva Forest, east of Warden''s Rest. I am the wizard who found you collapsed in the forest completely naked, and brought you to my camp for safety. As for your friends, I am afraid I did not see any of them". There were a lot of things to unpack from that statement, but first Kuroki felt a shiver across his body as the wind blew by. He looked down and he was indeed naked, his bare feet standing in the dirt. Normally, he would react to that immediately, but the man in front of him had said wizard, which was currently causing Kuroki''s priorities to skew, partially because from what he remembered and where he was now, it did seem rather magical. Rain and lightning did reverse themselves. Yes, in other words the thing that fascinated him for so long, but he thought he would never truly exist in reality, was suddenly a possibility for him. The wizard just looked at him. "Well, I suppose if you dont mind exposing yourself like that, you might just be able to pass some wizard trials. Though I would appreciate if for my personal reputation, in case anyone comes by, that you please wrap yourself in my cloak" he said non-chalantly. This finally brought Kuroki back down to reality, and he quickly covered himself with his hands. "...I was just in a daze". "Yes I figured. I was having you rest on my cloak so you could sleep on something soft and not get dirty, so it''s right behind you". "You don''t have anything else for me to wear?" "Like I said, I actually value my reputation, and I am not some pervert. Why would I have random kid''s clothes on me? And this situation is at least easier to explain when I am not half naked or naked in front of a minor. It''s one thing if it''s a little boy like yourself, but an adult like me? Please spare me". Kuroki twitched at that, but if that was this man''s stance, Kuroki decided not to correct him this time. At least on the off chance he might actually consider Kuroki based on his real age. Kuroki had to briefly give thanks to his total lack of pubic hair at the moment, which was something he hated and was made fun of before. Plus, what he said made sense. If an adult randomly walked around with kid''s clothing, that would be super creepy as hell. He had no right to complain, except to whatever force teleported him here completely naked. "...so, you found nothing else by me?" "Nah, although its possible it was hidden by the crater". "...crater?" "Yes, I found you in the center of a crater. Just after the sun set, there was a huge amount of shooting stars in the sky, racing off in all directions. Quite a few of them fell to the ground though, impacting this forest. You were the first one I located, and given I had some naked child in front of me, I couldn''t exactly go off and investigate the others. For the record, if we talk to anyone else, you should absolutely leave that part out about being found naked in a crater. It will attract the wrong kind of attention, and you will definitely get kidnapped, enslaved, and then probably sold to some pervert who enjoys doing bad things to little boys like yourself". Kuroki really hated being called a little boy. He was small sure, but the man must have seen his development down there to know he wasn''t that little! "Ah, you look like you hate being called little boy, to the point you forgot about covering yourself" he remarked. "I will admit you have some growth down there, but it''s not like its especially so?" "You didn''t need to say that! Why did you even look!" Kuroki said, covering himself again as he started to pick up the cloak. It began to shimmer as he did, and caused the man to go wide eyed. "Hold it. Stop. Spread your arms out quickly" he said, coming over to Kuroki. Kuroki was hesitant to do so, which caused the wizard to grab his wrists and make him move them. He examined Kuroki closely, placing his ear, which Kuroki learned was pointed, right against Kuroki''s belly. "Umm, what are you..." "Don''t move. Don''t make too much sound. I need to be sure about this..." His eyes seemed to be filled with curiosity and alarm. Kuroki had met quite a few people who gave him a disgusting look. That substitute gym teacher for example. But this was different. This was closer to when his doctor examined him after finding out he had grown only a single centimeter in a year, trying to examine his whole body in addition to tests to see if there was some sort of cause or reason for his shortness. Especially compared to his father, who was at least two meters tall and incredibly muscular. He proceeded to grab and squish and squeeze various parts of his body, observing things and occasionally murmuring "interesting" and "I see I see". Part of him almost seemed fanatical researcher, not that Kuroki had any room to talk when he went through his magic system research phase. There were some tests better left unsaid though, and by the end Kuroki was seriously wondering if he had misjudged the man''s eyes and was rather creeped out. However, when he was done, he nodded happily. "It appears you might possess quite the natural talent for magic". "Eh?" "I measured the mana veins in your body, and I used a mana sonar to check your torso. You possess quite the strong core for mana, as well as good mana veins for circulating mana through your body. Not only that, but given the..." He looked rather hesitant to say it and just as creeped out, which improved his reputation with Kuroki once again. "...the taste of my mana?" "I was going to go with smell, but its the same thing really". That explained why he licked the air around Kuroki a few times, as well as for the briefest of moments sweat off of his arm, although he looked throughly disgusted. In fact, Kuroki was pretty sure when he went to examine him from behind, he heard the man vomit somewhere. It must have been the only test available to him in these woods. And to be honest, the news that he could use magic apparently, so Kuroki was in a very forgiving mood if this gave him details of what he needed to know. "In any case, it appears the mana of your body has an especially high compatibility with a few things. Divinations and wards, as well as natural mental abilities. But also Storm based magic, Water and ice based magic, and time-based magic. Of course, that doesn''t mean you will be limited to those, that is just what your body is best suited for". "Is there any easier way to test for all this?" "They have powerful but expensive machines in all branches of the Mages'' guild, but they don''t really like me there, and given what I saw we needed to confirm immediately. Although in the end practice and hard work is the most important, you have quite the natural talent. I have not had a student like you in a long time" he nodded, finally letting go of Kuroki. "Though I should warn you, I am the type of teacher who tends to be bad at traditional teaching methods, can be brutal at times, and prize thoroughness and efficiency over feelings". "I would love to!" Kuroki said, jumping right into him with a hug. "Ah...I love the enthusiasm, but...could you at least put on the cloak first?" "Does that really matter sensei?!" Unfortunately for Kuroki, the situation had induced a state of confusion into him. Furthermore, he was now on a high that his dreams came true, so he was entirely unreasonable right now. By tomorrow morning, he would probably have a face that was entirely red with embarrassment, but he wasn''t able to think that far ahead right now. The bizarre situation has put him into a frenzy. "Ah, you seem to be a bit too high on excitement". "You have to teach me something!" "Oh boy, I don''t mind, but please. If some other traveler sees this...well, I guess if you are my mage apprentice, this isn''t as weird. Honestly it saves me a lot. I can just say ''during magic training, some thief stole his clothes''. It''s actually pretty common for newbies as a form of hazing after all..." Kuroki had a lot to unpack from that statement, but all that he cared about was that he got a magic teacher. And that he could use magic. Both facts were amazing. "...however, first things first, can you cover up please?" "Teach me something first!" "Alright alright, but once we get to town, you won''t get any more teaching until we get you some damn clothes! Understood?" Kuroki nodded. "Very well, I am Amyris Vaelia, and I welcome you to the Ronia Kingdom, my apprentice". And so, the gears of fate began to turn as Kuroki''s journey of magic began. Chapter 2: A Matter of Perspective The Elven Mage, Amyris Vaelia, currently had quite a few major problems he was trying to deal with. However, not just the current problems, but most of the problems he had dealt with his entire life did not enrage him more than the one right in front of him. Right now, he was staring at the body of a sleeping child. Normally he would never do such a thing, especially since such a child was naked thanks to his absolute terrible sleeping posture right now. He seemed to toss and turn at any moment, and was an incredibly rough and active sleeper. This had caused the cloak that the Elven Mage had covered him with twice now to fall by the wayside. Amyris was complaining internally, as to not to wake the boy named Kuroki, that he wished for him to fix that so that if a wanderer or adventurer came by, his reputation would not be damaged. Then again, when it came to learning magic, its not like such a scene was uncommon. Although he suspected Kuroki might have an easier time with it then most. Such magical energy within the boy...to think I would meet another Starfallen. Still, given what I know, I had best to take things slow and properly with this one. Especially given what happened with Anna. Clearly, the stars that guided him here must have granted some wish of his, considering how he was clearly interested in magic. Perhaps it was a way of balancing the scales, considering... The elf clenched his fists when he looked at the boy, eyeing his body. To anyone else, the boy''s body would seem quite lanky and small, but in healthy and good condition. Especially if they learned his actual age, then short might be considered an understatement. He would certainly appear weak at first glance. However, a seasoned eye would be able to realize he had gone through hell. He had clearly been put under harsh training, likely too harsh for someone his age (or the age people often mistook him to be). Although it seems to have not done all that much for his physical strength, those who realized this much would be certain the boy had far more stamina and pain tolerance then the average individual, as well as a much sturdier and harder to break mind as well. And yet, even those would be incapable of seeing what the Elf saw. Some of the magic he specialized in was sensory magic. It was a spell he was so good at it was often unconsciously active at all times now. And with it, what he could see was far more then even those with seasoned eyes could see. His eyes could see the history of wounds upon this boy''s body, down to exact details. His ears could hear the minute trembles in his voice, about how even when excited the boy was wary of him. But also how he kept the conversation going, as if to avoid talking about himself. The only time he did was about his friends, but not his family. From his nose, he got a good idea of the damaged cells and their rate of damage and healing. From when he was checking the boy''s body by squeezing the various areas of his body, he learned the full extent of the damage done upon him. And from the taste of one of the healed wounds, it had not been taken to any healer or doctor, or at least treated properly by them. When he had made the boy stop suddenly, it was because his magic had his senses pick up traces of those wounds. He did in fact check the boy''s magic as well, since it was an entirely effective way to do so, even more then those machines at the guild actually. Especially since that information had a tendency to remain on file and be leaked. ...like what happened with Anna... So although he hated how it might damage his reputation given what it required, it was his preferred way of determining someone''s magic. Especially since it also allowed him to examine them physically as well. And thanks to his memory, it would be personally saved within his brain to use as reference, which could help him treat the boy more accurately in the future. However, there was far more then just that which he got from his examination and conversation with Kuroki. He brought up his friends, but not his family. From what I could tell, they were not even an afterthought when he realized he had been transported to another world. He was strangely reserved at first, clearly embarrassed, but he always maintained a defensive stance. It wasn''t just that he was forgetting to cover himself from the shock, his body was far too used to being on guard to notice. For a brief moment, he even directed bloodlust at me, not that he noticed himself. The way he clearly showed interest in magic to forget both caution and embarrassment though shows large desire...shackled desire that was set free. As if something, no, someone had been making him hold back so much before now. A looming shadow that is no longer there. The elf quitely walked over, but froze suddenly when he saw Kuroki''s fist clench and arm move across his chest. Protecting his vitals instinctively. Considering everything, its clear the boy was regularly beaten and abused. However, while admittedly I did avoid any thorough investigation of those areas so I suppose I really cant be one hundred percent sure, I am reasonably certain it wasn''t sexual abuse. He was however beaten even while completely naked, and regularly. The fact that he can sleep so soundly while naked in an open forest, even with the benefit of a campfire, likely means many of those beatings caused him to fall unconscious in some way, or left him without the strength or will to move. But in an open, yet enclosed area. A dojo then? Most likely. The Elf took note of the injuries themselves, none of which were visible to the naked eye. The way they were hidden clearly shows a martial arts background, reinforcing the dojo idea. But this, no decent martial artist would do this to a child. Not even their own apprentices...nor their children. Certainly, stripping a child bare and spanking them till their butt turns red even is one thing. I don''t know about his previous world, but it would certainly be acceptable here for a naughty child. But this goes so far beyond that, leagues beyond. They purposefully used techniques that would not show any visible wounds, but cause great pain for the one hit. Even just ten percent of this would be more than necessary. And the fact that Kuroki even puts his guard up in his sleep, and could sense my footsteps...means he was likely living with his abuser, the one who beat him regularly. The elf took special interest in the size of the fists necessary for the damage spread. An adult male. A very large adult male. So not a brother then most likely. No, considering everything, clearly it was done by his father. His father, a highly trained martial artist, probably over two meters tall, repeatedly beat, abused, and humiliated his own son. Thats...sick. If I ever find this bastard...he should never be allowed to be near his child ever again. I am sure I can think of plenty of ways to erase him. Of course, considering Kuroki is a Starfallen, I would like to think they will never be in the same dimension ever again, but... Amyris Vaelia remembered what he saw earlier that night, right before tracing the path of the fallen star closest to him and finding Kuroki, naked and unconscious in the woods. There had been thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of stars shooting through the sky. If they all came from where Kuroki lived, all from the same town or city... Well, there was a very unpleasant possibility that he had been brought to this world like Kuroki. Normally, there would only be a handful of Starfallen at any given time. It was especially rare for them to appear when a Hero Summoning Ritual was done. He would need to ask Kuroki about the specifics of what happened later, and hope the boy opened up about it. He certainly did get a lot more open when I said I would teach him, so it probably wont be too much of an issue. Still though, to think I would be there to personally find two Starfallen myself within my lifetime. Then again, legends do say that Starfallen tend to drop near where people can help them or where they will be able to find clothes and supplies they need for themselves. After all, they cant bring any physical possessions with them. Well, its because of that which makes kingdoms rely on Hero Summoning Rituals rather then trying to summon those legendary weapons Heroes sometime mention, such as Tanks or Nukes or Airplanes. Probably for the best. He had reservations about randomly yoinking people to this world to solve their problems, the ritual did make sure to target only those who would accept and benefit from it. Or who otherwise would want to leave their old world behind. But given what Anna told him about those weapons, he did think this world was better off without things like "guns" and "nukes" and "land mines", even if he could think of a few magical equivalents for some of them. Still though, I suppose even if he still gets quite embarrassed by it, he at least seems to be capable of doing things while naked. Its a few days to town, so it might be worth it to at least test him out a bit. After all, one of the important tests and milestones to becoming a mage is by becoming one with mana. Its not just meditation and understanding, but other factors as well. Considering his water element, perhaps a waterfall would be good. He could use a shower anyways. Still, I would rather not delay ourselves either. Even with my cloak, he is still basically completely naked, and it would harm my reputation for sure. And even if children his age still run around like that all the time, I doubt its pleasant for him either. I guess we will have to see what happens and what we encounter along the way. Incidentally, he sometimes recommended that his students also learn some martial weapons or hand to hand to be safe, but given what he had uncovered about the history of Kuroki''s body, he would not do that. Kuroki must get stronger only using magic. Too many bad memories I am sure. ANd I refuse to allow his father even the slightest bit of justification, the slightest bit of silver linings like "I told you it was necessary" or such. Thats exactly what a shitty dad like that would say. No, I wont allow just statements that might even remotely justify what was done to this little boy. Especially for the amount of years it was done. While thinking of such things, Kuroki shivered from the cold. Amyris got up and laid down next to him, wrapping him within the cloak again as he had the boy huddled within him for warmth, his only exposed side facing the campfire. Now I really need to hope no one comes by and misunderstands things. Still, I wonder...where are his friends right now? It would be nice if he could see them again.
At the same time, Akano was just waking up himself. The cold wind ran up his naked body, making him shiver as he came to his senses. He could hear the various tweeting of birds, although none he recognized. Then again he wasn''t a professional bird expert. The sheets and bedding he had was rather unusual, different then what he was used to and not really as good. However, all of that didn''t matter as much as other details in his situation. "...what the hell?" Akano wondered that as he looked around, quickly becoming aware of things. It appeared he was laying on some sort of bed, looking at an unfamiliar ceiling. He started to move around, and found that he was able to do so. Still, waking up in a strange, unfamiliar bed completely naked was rather disorienting and confusing. Especially since the last thing he could remember was walking home with Kuroki, Reiji, and Juno, when suddenly there was a downpour. And then... And then the weather got really weird. And then after that, everything went white. He woke up here after that. No idea what happened inbetween, but this did not look like a hospital room. He didn''t see any signs of electricity or modern power either, yet for some reason he didn''t feel all that surprised. In fact, it was as if on some level he was expecting it. He was still confused however, but only confused and disoriented. Was it perhaps too much shock, or something else? The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. However, where he was or what was going on did not matter. Not even his lack of clothing mattered. He went out the door, not even bothering to cover up. Although he was not as short as Kuroki, he was short enough that people typically thought he was younger. If they thought Kuroki was still a little boy, perhaps around 10 or so, they typically thought Akano was 13, two years younger than the truth. However, while he found other adjacent rooms with beds, he couldn''t find any of his three friends. He was especially worried about Kuroki, given he was the smallest and therefore most likely to be targeted by some creep or criminal. "Oh, I see you are finally awake, little boy" a woman''s voice said from behind. He turned to face it and saw someone who appeared to be a nun, with a rather pretty face. She had to be at least twenty years old, and she was looking right at Akano, making him incredibly self-conscious. He looked for anything to cover himself up, but couldn''t find a thing. "Ah, sorry little boy. I am afraid we didn''t have any clothes ready for you off hand, or any spare cloth to even make you a tunic. Unfortunately, recently the kingdom requisitioned a lot of it. I sent out Merry, the girl who found you naked in that crater, to go to town and get some clothes for you, but it will probably take three or four days for her to return". So they quite literally had nothing for him? "You don''t have any backup clothes?" "None for travelers. We are not permitted to allow anyone but nuns to wear our own attire here, as is the rules of the Church. They are religous outfits after all. If you had come just a few days ago it might have been different, we could have at least made a basic tunic by now..." "Wait, it was taken in the last few days?" "Yes. The oracle received a divine prediction, saying that cloth and clothing would soon be needed, so the kingdom began emergency preparations. It was already sparse enough, but now even the limited amount of secondhand clothes one might have had at a tailor''s shop or general store or church was taken. To think they would misinterpret such an event as Starfallen and actually move things away, how foolish". "Wait, what do you mean? And what is a Starfallen?" "A Starfallen is those like you, people who fall from the stars. Usually with some level of ability or abilities, often including magic. Typically a Starfallen only arrives a few at a time in any given decade, but last night had over ten thousand shooting stars at least. If they were all Starfallen like yourself, then...its very likely the Oracle was said to help prepare the kingdom for them. However, Starfallen tend to end up being spread out over a wide area, and in this case, probably the entire world. But they went and monopolized all the spare cloth and clothing, so it makes it harder to provide for you. Quite ironic, truly". In other words, he was not the only one here. "Wait, does this mean you saw others? My friends for instance?" "Unfortunately, you alone were in that crater, little boy. I do think there are other Starfallen who arrived in this area, but most of you were scattered about. Even if your friends also arrived, they would be at closest on the other side of the forest, or in the town Merry went to, and you most certainly cant go into town as a naked little boy". "...would you mind not calling me little boy? I am thirteen you know". "And I am 142 years old. So you are most certainly a little boy, especially to me. Besides, I have helped give birth to, provide countless medical checkups to, and punished plenty of little boys like yourself". Akano certainly had no remark to that immediately. Although it explained why he didn''t feel all that concerned about covering up around her. She lookedl ike a beautiful twenty year old, but as it turned out she was older then his great grandmother. And they had similar personalities as well. However, he wasn''t letting this go so easily. "My name is Akano, so at least call me that instead". "We will see, little boy". Akano had a feeling it would be a long three to four days.
A bit later, at early dawn, Reiji was just coming to as well. However, unlike Kuroki or Akano, he woke up and gained awareness almost immediately. "Why am I naked in a crater?" Unlike those two however, he was waking up where he had landed, and he noticed there was no one around either. Not any of his friends, nor any trace of them or his belongings. Furthermore, it was clear he was in a forest right now. He considered himself happy that nothing tried to eat him while he was asleep. That said, there was something he noticed nearby. It appeared to be a broken down wagon. It wasn''t that old though, but it appeared to have crashed into a tree. "A wagon? Is this off some old, long abandoned trail? No...somehow I suspect its more complicated then that". He remembered the strange weather, and what happened there. "...without a doubt, this is an isekai situation" Reiji determined, deducing the truth instantly. "it explains my lack of clothes too. It''s probably because they cant bring physical objects over, probably just souls and the bodies themselves. Although, I feel like my capabilities have increased by quite a bit somehow". As he started to climb out of the crater, he heard what sounded like growling. As he got out of the crater, he turned around to see three wolves, stalking him and inching ever closer. Reiji growled at them in return, unleashing a thunderous roar. He had once used that same roar to intimidate bullies who went after Kuroki and Akano, but it seemed the beasts were braver then the bullies. The wolves only froze for a moment, while the bullies when they heard it and then saw him, had peed themselves and ran away. He noticed a large sword and shield on the ground by the carriage, as well as some clothes that looked like they would fit him very well. Unfortunately, there way no way he could put them on in this current situation. He wasn''t a big fan of battling white butt naked, but the wolves clearly would not give him the choice. And yet, the moment one lunged at him, an arrow struck its neck. Another wolf tried the same, but the archer got him as well. Reiji was able to use the shield to block the last, and then stabbed the wolf through the neck. He felt weird for a moment, but then it passed. It was strange, as if his mental fortitude had increased suddenly. Especially since Reiji had expected to be hit by the shock of killing something with his past world''s sensibilities. "Whew, real glad I made it on time" a familiar voice spoke out to Reiji, causing him to turn and see Juno. Unlike Reiji though, Juno was fully dressed, although the clothes did look a bit loose on him. That said, Reiji thought for a moment that Juno might be just a bit shorter at well, and perhaps just a bit younger. Reiji shelved such thoughts for now. Juno appeared to be wearing a hooded light vest, a sleeveless shirt, and shorts that only just reached the top of the knee. He also had a bow on his back. However, the biggest change of all for Juno was his cat ears that were on top of his head, and a cat tail coming out from behind. As Kuroki might say, there is a lot to unpack here, but first off... "Juno. Ah, before we catch up, mind keeping guard while I get dressed?" "Sure. I think I spotted a caraven passing by this location soon, so it would be best to hurry". "Spotted?" "Yeah. It feels really weird without my glasses, so I might pick up a pair, but...it seems like I don''t need them anymore?" Juno originally wore glasses, but now he didn''t. Furthermore, he was now a crack shot with a bow. Then again, given that Juno was in the Kyudo club, so that would actually track. However, despite not having glasses, it seemed like his skills, which were already among the best of middle schoolers in the region, had only gotten better. Reiji couldn''t help but notice that Juno had often lamented that whenever his glasses got stolen or missing. Probably as much as he lamented being the ordinary one in the group in terms of height, making it harder to console Akano, and especially Kuroki. And yet, his new self seemed much closer to those. Meanwhile, Reiji had noticed that he felt more robust and mentally strong. He had often had the desire to be the shield for them. He didn''t mind being so tall, even if people did make fun of him for it as well by calling him giant. But he wanted the strength and mentality to weather anything, not just for himself, but for his friends. So, when we came here, did we gain what we desired as compensation for dragging us to a new world? That said... "Juno, that was some good shooting, but tell me...did you gain any abilities one might refer to as cheats or overpowered?" "Nah. I was only able to find you because it seems of the four of us, I landed first, and I was able to just glance at others while the rest of you were falling". "...wait, you woke up immediately? Before you even landed?" He was always worried about his awareness of the rest of our plights. Honestly, we always told him he was too hard on himself. Still, I wonder if this was reflected by his ability to be instantly awake? It must be. While thinking of such things, Juno responded. "Yeah. Then some guy tried to murderstab me all of a sudden, but then tripped and fell down the crater, breaking his neck on a rock. As compensation for trying to kill me, I took his clothes and his daggers and bow and arrows, and then raced off towards you, since you were the only one who landed even relatively close to me. I will say I am much faster then I was in the previous world, but...certainly not absurdly fast. I was able to climb trees really well, but..." "You were the second best tree climber of our group, and Akano basically had cheat level tree climbing skills in our world, so that means nothing really". "Yeah basically". "So that explains how you found me so fast. We were closeby then. And the other two?" "Honestly we really lucked out. I think most of us landed quite far away from each other. I think the distance between us was the shortest between any of us. That said, a large part of what took me so long to reach you was the fact I had to get used to my own body. That said, I did spot them. They headed a bit further away, but considering others, I would say they are in the same region. At the very least, with a dedicated search, if we spent all our time searching, we should be able to find them in a few weeks unless they keep moving in the opposite direction of us". Reiji frowned. "Thats not very realistic. We need food and water, and other supplies. We need to learn more about this world. We need money as well I am sure". "Yeah. Thats the problem. Still, I think the odds are good they wont be completely screwed". "Why is that Juno?" "Because what are the odds some psychomurderer trips and falls to death right in front of me, with a build that has his clothes fit me...almost perfectly? I admit they might be a bit too big, but not enough to matter too much. I will grow into them". Reiji frowned. "What? You don''t think I will grow?" "Well, for one thing, you asked for that size, so..." "Ah, fair point. Well, I always enjoyed slightly oversized clothes anyways". "Yeah, but there is also a second reason. That all depends on how this wish granting stuff works though". "What do you...wait, do you mean...oh. Well, I guess that just means Kuroki wont always be the shortest, which will cheer him up right?" Reiji had an awkward smile. Unfortunately, you didn''t quite understand what I meant. Reiji remembered the promise they all made to each other, that they made every New Year, every Christmas, every birthday, after every major test. Yes, there was one problem with what Juno said. And it all depended on how the wish granting worked.
Kuroki woke up to a rather unusual situation. Rather then an unfamiliar ceiling, he was looking at an unfamiliar sky. It seemed he had been rewrapped in a cloak, but he was also being sheltered/craddled by the elven mage he had met yesterday. And then he remembered everything he said and did yesterday, and his face went red. He was thankful that just learning about the flow of mana within his own body was sufficient enough to get him to pass out yesterday, or else he might have been even more embarrassing. He completely acted like a little kid after all! He was fifteen years old! Even if it was an amazing thing to learn, he really had to weight it in. Incidentally, he felt like he hadn''t really experienced the shock, fear, or other such things he always thought were strangely missing from isekai stories. He could vaguely feel a strange pressence fortifying his mind, so he thought that might be it. Although it clearly wasn''t perfect since he still felt it to a degree, and it didn''t stop his mortifying display last night. Soon after he was awake, Master woke up as well. "Good morning, Master" he said cheerfully with a smile, as he remembered learning magic and got a stupid grin on his face. However, Master scowled something fierce. "I thought you were calling me sensei". "But you are so much more then that! Master makes so much more sense!" "Please, spare my reputation and my feelings. At the very least, wait until you are fully clothed before calling me Master". "Are you sure master?" "Yes, yes I am!" "Alright ma...err, I mean sensei". The elf let out a sigh of relief, happy with the outcome. He really didn''t want someone to see some naked boy calling him master. Although Kuroki was starting to suspect he was perhaps a bit *too* self conscious of these things. Perhaps a bad experience with a previous student? I probably shouldn''t ask Master yet, its far too soon and we only just met, but later. I suspect I will be here for awhile, and the trip back to town will take a few days apparently. Probably because I am kind of dead weight for him. Although Kuroki had only learned to sense mana within himself, he could feel bits of it all around. And he could feel two huge sources of it. One of them was the elf in front of him, Master, who radiated so much he could feel it despite not learning mana sense yet. And the other was an even bigger amount of mana, settled behind them. Deeper in the woods. Every instinct in his body told him to run away from it when he sensed it. Whatever was in that forest, Kuroki had no intention of ever going that way. At least not any time soon. Perhaps if he knew that was the same direction Reiji and Juno were in, he would change his mind. Now that his body was wrapped in the cloak fully, Master proceeded to make them breakfast before they would head out for the day, and Kuroki would begin his journey of magic. Of course, little did either of them know that while some of their current worries might soon be satiated, others would soon take their place. Chapter 3: The Start of a Journey If there was one thing Kuroki could do right now with his magic, he wished he could turn back time. Last night he passed out almost the moment after Amyris used a more forceful method to awaken his perception to mana, but he remembered how he had acted before. Basically exactly like an excited little kid. He had even been naked when he hugged his Sensei as well, adding to the humiliation. Thankfully he didn¡¯t seem to mind so much, so they were able to move on fast. But to act like a little kid like that, especially in front of someone he barely knew¡­ He was extremely mortified. He was now wearing the cloak. The cloak itself had changed to a length fitting his height automatically, and while it didn¡¯t get close to his knees, it was enough to stop people from being able to see certain things at least. Provided he didn¡¯t bend over too much or move too fast at least. Honestly though, after walking the whole way down this slope through the forest, Kuroki would even trade this cloak right now for a pair of good shoes. They had put some bandages around his feet to help, but the benefit was minimal at best. And they had a few more days before they made it to town. Kuroki had walked several hours already, and he was fully content saying he would gladly walk naked with shoes then walk the whole thing barefoot. Modern sensibilities? Who cares about that. This was quite literally life threatening. If he slipped, he could hit his head and die. He could break a bone, or several. And it hurt like crazy. Sure, he was used to being active and barefoot in the dojo, but those were smooth and even floors. This was the opposite of that. At some points they had to go down 45 degree angles. It was rocky, there were nuts everywhere, and it was impossible to avoid them all. He was someone who was used to wearing shoes and socks, so something like this was tough for him. Kuroki was still going too rather than quitting, so one should really admire and praise him you know? He would definitely feel better if people went ¡°Go go Kuroki, you can do it!¡± As for the Elven mage, he stayed in front as they moved forward. ¡°Hmm. The easy route is no good, so we will take the North Route¡±. ¡°Our target location is east by northeast right? Wouldn¡¯t East be faster?¡± ¡°There is a threat to the east right now that has an 85% chance of killing you even with me there¡±. ¡°So, I hear the scenic northern route is lovely this time of year¡±. ¡°Good answer¡±. In truth, Kuroki had nearly been eaten once today. He had to use the toilet after breakfast, but had foolishly insisted on privacy. This had nearly made him the prey of tunneling snakes, and as an added humiliation, he ended up having to go with his Sensei right there watching him. Which was good too because a giant bird type monster actually tried to pluck him off the ground in from of Sensei right in the middle of him doing his business. Emphasis on tried, because Sensei one shotted it with a spell that looked like lightning that came from his palm before it could get close. So now, no matter what, he stays close to Sensei. If he has to go to the toilet, ask Sensei for help. If he gets hungry and sees a fruit tree, ask Sensei for help. If he needs to cry about his situation, ask Sensei for help. Basically, he couldn¡¯t do a single thing without Sensei right there. Even sleeping, since it was hard to sleep without sensei¡¯s body heat keeping him warm at night. It was essentially already the point where Sensei was master, but master Sensei had refused that. At least until Kuroki was dressed. "I don''t suppose you can just magic up some clothes?" "Yeah no that is impossible. While it is true magic can do a lot, it can''t do everything. On that note, never bathe in water created by magic, and don''t drink it either". "Hmm? Why?" "You will likely suffer heavy mana intoxication and die if you try and do either". "Eh?" "Water created with magic is highly infused with mana, a concentration twenty times higher then normal water at least. If you try to drink it, you will experience a mana overdose and very likely die, especially without someone finding you and giving you aid in time. But even then there is still a chance you might die. And bathing in it, or trying to wash yourself in it, is just as bad...and also highly ineffective, since the mana in your own body will naturally try to repel it. But since it would be physically absorbed by your skin, it would still cause issues". Kuroki twitched a bit. "So I take it there is no super convenient magic that cleans everything for you then?" "Ha. Not a chance. Like I explained to you earlier, even you Starfallen are not immune to the general rules and logic of this world". "Right right. I wish we at least got boots though". "I believe that is just this world''s various gods rules being in effect. Or perhaps its a limitation of the Summoning Magic itself. Although, in truth I have never heard any accounts of any Starfallen mentioning the weather stopping or going in reverse, let alone creating a storm in the first place. That said, while never so wide ranging, their are reports of summonings done in our world causing strange gravity issues like you experienced, and blacking out with a white light is absolutely something that happens in every report. But that first bit, the reverse weather? I can''t think of a single account I have ever read. Granted, Starfallen or Summoned Heroes are not supposed to be so damn common. We can go at least a decade or two without any Starfallen appearing, so the fact that so many appeared one night makes me think something went very wrong". As he said that, his familiar, a black hawk, came down. A Black Hawk was much smaller than a normal Hawk Kuroki had seen, and was apparently actually a monster. Amyris was having it scout for them, as well as keep an eye out on things. "Hmmm, according to Glemia, it appears there might be trouble up ahead". "Trouble? Is it monsters?" "Yes. Undead. Which is strange, because Undead don''t usually appear here. Furthermore, there is a beast type on our tail that could easily kill you in seconds, but its still a few hours away...ah, but I did find something we were looking for". "What was that?" Amyris smiled at him. "A waterfall. Now we can have you take a shower".
"...that''s rather strong for a shower". Those were Kuroki''s words upon seeing the waterfall. It was quite strong, gushing downward at a rate much faster and stronger than he anticipated. The waterfall came rushing down from the top of a cliff well overhead, and was a rather strong stream of water. There was a sort of natural rock bridge that was located right in front of it, however a portion of the waterfall came down upon it before spilling over the side, back down below into the pond and river heading down. A bit of a rainbow could be seen thanks to all the moisture. Thanks to the bridge, it was possible to actually indeed take a shower there by standing under it. But the water was strong, absolutely pouring down. Even if Kuroki had a bathing suit, it would be pointless. The force of the water pouring down on them would knock it right off, and possibly make him trip and fall over it, which could have its own terrible results. That was how strong the waterfall was coming down. And of course, obviously, it was cool or cold water, not hot water. Kuroki preferred hot baths and hot showers. Especially after his father''s special "Wintertime Training". Still though, it was a majestic sight, this waterfall. Especially with how the sun was currently hitting it, it gave it a sort of warm feel as the rays of light brought out its color, the vibrancy of the rocks matching against the cool and collected tones of the water. Truth be told, Kuroki might not mind skinny dipping in a place like this. The natural feel about it made it feel like it was the proper thing to do, especially thanks to the natural partial enclosure it had from the cliffside. However, apparently there was even more to this waterfall then Kuroki had initially realized. "This will help you not only clean off, but given the purity and strength, will help you understand more about mana. Also, I put up a barrier so no one will accidentally approach and spot us, so I can help you progress further without any weird misunderstandings that will harm my reputation". "Master..." "Kuroki" Sensei interrupted sharply. "Oh, sorry, Sensei. Did something happen in the past that made you extremely concerned about your reputation?" Amyris did not respond at first. When Kuroki looked back at him, he was biting his own lip, a concerned look on his face. "Sorry I said anything". "No, it''s a fair question to ask. I suppose its two fold, at least. One involves ancient history, involving a previous student...a previous Starfallen student, and the other is some of my more recent actions. In some ways, those two things are related...it''s a story for another time though. At the very least, we should be back in the city before I recount it". Kuroki nodded, not wanting to press further. Although he was interested to hear he was not his first Starfallen student. After they both stripped naked, both of them went into the waterfall. The cold water rained down upon them, making Kuroki shiver. It wasn''t just cold, but incredibly chilly. Almost freezing. However, the temperature right now seemed to be spring or maybe even early summer for this region. There was no reason the water should be this cold, even with wind chill. He wondered if this had something to do with the natural mana Amyris mentioned before. "Now then, focus on the water. Try to sense each drop. I am going to forcefully awaken your magic a bit and your senses to it, but this will only be temporary unless you can take advantage and seize it for yourself. Taking control of water already there by injecting your mana into it is a lot easier then trying to create it from scratch". "But isn''t there water in the air itself then, mas...err, sensei? Cant I make use of that then to form water freely?" Master had a wry smile on his face. "So you do know of that then. As expected of the Starfallen. Yes. Water is everywhere, so mages who can use it are quite versatile. But not everyone is capable of really being able to perceive and use that water, since humidity is something that cant be observed as easily. Even if you do know it, its harder then trying to use water from this river". Amyris then put his hand on Kuroki''s back, and used his magic to awaken Kuroki''s senses. All at once, Kuroki''s senses expanded. He closed his eyes to limit the amount of information flowing into his brain at once. He was cold, wet, and standing in a forest. He could feel it. The water around him, flowing down upon him. The water below him, polling and flowing forward. The water above him, rushing off into the air. He could even vaguely feel the water within the trees, but it was hard to make out and distinguish. He could tell it was there, but not how many or any real movements of them. It was too much for him, and he was starting to feel overwhelmed. He collapsed backwards into his master, who was looking at him with amazement. "Are you trying to go for extra credit? I was simply having you awaken the ability to sense the mana in water and make use of it, but you ended up instinctively casting a spell on accident? However, considering where and how you fell backwards too from overwhelming yourself, sorry but no extra credit this time". Kuroki quickly got back up and apologized. "Sorry..." "Well, no one was around at least, but please be more careful. Especially with your magic. As expected, your natural talent is strong". "So your saying I will be able to cast a whole bunch of water, storm, time, ward, and divination magic?" "Eh? No, I mean, you will be able to cast magic of any kind. Mages are not limited by their affinities. It just makes those spells a bit easier. But you could just as easily master fireball if you want". "Nah, I am good". Certainly, fire magic was a common protagonist magic, but he also felt like it was often attributed to hotheads and combat types. Kuroki had no desire to go down the path laid before him by his dad. Thankfully, it seemed his Master was in agreement there. In fact, his Master had already come to similar ideas and feelings as Kuroki did, perhaps even stronger. Kuroki had endured it over time, but his Master had learned of it all at once, increasing the shock on him. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Not that Kuroki knew any of that yet, unaware that his magical examination had also been a physical one. Either way, as for what happened next, his master sat down and had Kuroki sit on his lap, as used magic to bring soap and shampoo over and began to wash Kuroki''s body and hair. "Ah, wait! I can do this myself!" "No reason for a little boy like yourself to be so modest or shy. Besides, as your sensei, I am basically the closest thing you have to a parent in this world. So let me take care of you like one should, okay?" Such words left a bittersweet feeling within Kuroki, and while he resisted a bit still from embarrassment, he ended up going with the flow. It was one thing for his friends, or the friends of his parents to do this. It happened all the time honestly. But it was different. It wasn''t a friend''s parent, no, it almost felt like it was his parent doing this. There was no forceful violence of his father, who might twist his arm or make him do something painful before or afterwards. It was a special sort of warmth, similar to the warmth he got from his friends and their parents, but different. And yet oh so sweet, even as it dragged up bitter and painful memories. As tears began to roll down his face, he flinched as he remembered his father''s words. "Boy''s don''t cry! It seems we will have another session! Take off those tear-stained clothes too!" "You are a boy, you don''t cry! How about you learn something and try to toughen up for once?" "Man up and stop crying, you failure!" Those were just some of the things said, but it always boiled down to boys should never cry. It caused him to tense up and try to hold back on instinct, but his master wrapped his arms around him from behind and held him close. "It''s okay. Cry all you want. Let it out". The opposite things his father would say. It felt like those words had scratched a long formed lock on his heart, eroding it. His master didn''t stop there. "I don''t know what was told to you before, but don''t be afraid to cry okay? Everyone cries, everyone feels pain and gets upset. It is nothing to be ashamed over, and in the long run its healthier. So let it out. Let it all out". These words further tugged away at that lock, as if the tumblers themselves were clicking into place as the lock began to rust and age. "It is okay to be yourself, Kuroki. You don''t have to be afraid any more. So let your emotions run free. Thats not something that just little boys should do. It is something anyone should do. Only by expressing and releasing our emotions can we truly be healthy and move forward". Hearing those words, Kuroki''s body relaxed, and as the waterfall poured onto him, his own waterfalls erupted, as he began to cry and complain and vent, spilling out all the pain he had endured.
Once they were done washing up and they had gotten dressed again (or as dressed as Kuroki could get given his current situation), the two of them proceeded to rush forward. Their speed was much faster now, since Kuroki had agreed to let Amyris hold him. It was a tad bit embarrassing, especially since there were angles that would let anyone they passed see up his cloak, but they were going so much faster as a result, and this was a forest infested by monsters. At the moment, Kuroki was busy still anyways. Floating above his right index finger was a ball of water. It was a bit uneven and wavey, and occasionally destabilized itself, but Kuroki was able to form it back into its ball form. Amyris was once again impressed. The boy has natural talent. He tried multiple different methods and failed spectacularly, but then he got this one. Apparently he tried various different methods from this text he read called Manga, although given how it was described, I suspect I might be mistaking that as being a category of various different text. In any case, apparently they all failed, but he learned enough from the failures to figure out how to do it right in a single day. I know I accelerated things a bit on impulse, but to think that actually worked. Still, there is a lot more to magic then just making a waterball. While it is true that it normally takes people weeks to get a hold of that, its not unheard of either. I could probably think of a hundred people I met myself in my lifetime who did something similar. But, it does mean he has innate talent. The Starfallen did not tend to possess any overpowered abilities or "cheats" as Amyris remembered Anna mention them. That said, they did receive enhanced abilities and unique abilities. From what he could gather, it largely depended on their desires and wishes. That said, while not godly powerful, sometimes they could be absurd or decently strong still depending on the wish and the emotions behind it. Kuroki wished to become a powerful and reliable mage, and break free from his father. He also wished to be best friends forever with his three friends, and he wished to be capable of living on his own, despite his own physique and appearance. Amyris had no idea what sort of other gifts or abilities might have been granted based on his wishes, but at the very least, Amyris suspected at least one involved his father, or those like him. If I had to guess, perhaps related to those enhanced mental abilities I couldn''t identify. While thinking of such things, Amyris suddenly stopped. Kuroki was surprised, but then he saw Glemia being rather noisy and circling back towards them. At the same time, a few bipedal ugly humanoid creatures appeared in front of them. They had twisted faces and flesh, but lots of muscles, and were kind of a sickly pale green. They all had clubs, and very much were difficult to even look at. "Orcs, huh?" "Orcs? Wait, you mean those fantasy creatures that like to capture women and such? Aren''t they supposed to look like pigs?" "What? She said the same thing once...no no, I don''t know what Orcs you know, but these are aggressive monsters of destruction, Long ago, an Evil God created them to be his shock troops to invade the world. It is true though that they capture other species to forcibly use them for breeding, extracting the life essence of them as they do it, however...male adventurers are at far more risk". "Eh?" "A female can only produce them a single orc before dying, maybe two at most. But Orc females can carry multiple spawn at a time, so males are more useful for them. This was part of their design so they could continuously replenish their numbers during the war though, but most people avoid it by ending their own lives before any of that happens these days". So Orcs in this world were different then in the media he knew. Apparently they didn''t really so much as have a sex drive but a desire to keep increasing their own population, still bound to the orders, or perhaps programming would be a better word, that the Evil God left for them. However, they mainly were just murderous thugs who wanted to destroy and devour humans, elves, ect. They would never put themselves at risk to capture someone if they were dangerous, so usually adventurers just died to them rather then being captured. One could say that they were closer to Orcs from Lord of the Rings then the sources he knew. "What will we do master?" "Like I said, please wait before you call me that. As for what we will do...honestly, its a problem if there is an entire orc settlement in our way, but that shouldn''t be possible. There were no orcs here when I came this way last time after all, but so close to the city suddenly is concerning". "But what about the ones in front of us?!" "Oh those? Since it was just a few and they were clearly weaker varients, I already killed them". Alarmed, Kuroki turned and looked at the Orcs. They were just standing there, not attacking or moving at all. "...what did you do?" "Just cut through them with my own personally designed wind blades" he mentioned, as he suddenly covered Kuroki''s head as held them close. He heard something gross out there, the sounds of sliding and so on. Kuroki fussed, confused by that, and ended up peeking his head out. He got a glimpse of the Orc''s bodies. At that moment, he paled a bit. "...oh..." Kuroki said, as Amyris covered the boy''s head again. "Yeah. As expected, I do think your mind has been fortified when you came to this world, but even then...I doubted it was all powerful. Sorry, I should have killed them in a cleaner way. That was my mistake". Amyris had wanted to show off to Kuroki a bit, but he had gone a bit too far. "It''s fine. It was just...really gross and disgusting". "Yes. It is better if you get used to it, you will probably see more of that in the future. But the future can wait right now. Lets give you some time to process the present". It was something his father would never have done. Give him the time to process, to experience the here and now and take in what he learned rather then brutal lesson after brutal lesson with no break. Amyris was the polar opposite of his father, and Kuroki couldn''t help but smile as he secretly enjoyed the snug warmth of being held like this. In his mind and subconscious, Amyris had already replaced his birth father as his father and father figure. Despite everything, despite the hardship and embarrassment, so far everything that happened to him when coming to this world was ultimately making him far better off. His body, which he had always been made to feel ashamed of it deep down. His friends comforted and supported him, so he never developed any major complex, but...it was always difficult for him. Amyris however accepted him and his body, noting it was wonderful and full of magical talent. He made Kuroki feel good about it. If it wasn''t for his friends, who knows what might have happened to him. And if it wasn''t for Amyris, who knows how he might have otherwise developed. And so, the wounds on Kuroki''s heart healed, if only by a bit.
That night, they had slept in the same posture as last night. Kuroki was a bit less defensive and embarrassed, and in his grogginess, even pulled Amyris closer over him for warmth. He would get flustered and embarrassed about that the next day of course, but not as much as what he said when he groggily woke up. "...good morning, dad". "...who are you calling dad exactly?" Kuroki''s face went rather red. "Err, umm, I mean...I said nothing!" "That was the worst recovery and most unconvincing lie I have seen in a long time" Amyris chuckled, not pressing into his actual family. Much to Kuroki''s relief, it appeared Amyris was more focused on getting them back safely then probing into his background. Kuroki had yet to mention anything yet, although he thought maybe the Elven mage had some ideas. Still, it wasn''t something he intended to speak of himself. For now, he wanted to enjoy his new life. "You seem to be getting more confident. To be honest, I am slightly concerned" Amyris muttered. "Hmm, what do you mean? Why does that concern you?" "Well, lets just say something similar happened to my last Starfallen student. We also took several days to get back and for me to get her clothes, but she got so comfortable and used to being naked, she often went around like that. I was just barely able to keep it to only inside the house, and even when she got awareness of it again, it was rather muted, especially around me". "Ahh..." Kuroki said, averting his eyes. In truth, he was starting to feel as comfortable about it as he was around his friends and their parents. While it was still true he could get flustered and embarrassed, he had been like this for over a day now. That said, he decided to change the subject. "So, this Starfallen..." "...sorry, but please not yet. At least not until we return to the city". "Can you at least tell me her name? What she was like?" "Her name was Anna. And although she was a rather strange girl, she was spirited and brave and confident. Perhaps that caused her habits too, but it felt like she really felt no shame. She was willing to help anyone who needed it, and she devoted herself to her studies. Had...things not turned for the worse, I am sure there would be entire history books dedicated just to her". His tone got somber and sad, a deep darkness hovered around him that Kuroki had never seen before on his face, no matter what monsters they came across. "Sorry". "No no, its right to be curious. Just...let''s leave it at that for now". Kuroki decided to respect his master''s wishes, and not pry further. He was curious of course, about the girl that was his sempai, his senior in magic. "Do you have any other students?" "Yes. A boy and a girl, both around your age...although they are only part time really, since they have their own circumstances". "You know I am fifteen right?" "Yeah, I am still not sure about that. But it''s not like it makes much of a difference. I mean, I am 207. A few years really doesn''t change much". Kuroki supposed at least that was consistent with the Elves he knew of from everything he read and watched.
Their journey continued forward, with it being about noon now. They were apparently just two days away now, having managed to save half a day to a day of traveling by having Amyris carry him for a bit. However, they eventually came across some strong monsters, which forced him to put Kuroki down and place him in a barrier as he fought. In those battles, Kuroki noticed that pure power wasn''t what usually decided something, but creativity and flexibility in his magic instead. When Kuroki thought of magic, he remembered the more popular examples. Fireball, lightning bolt, ice lance. However, Amyris'' magic was far more advanced then that. He created butterflies which flew across the battlefield, causing enemies who were under them to temporarily be reverted backwards in time, leaving the other monsters exposed suddenly. Apparently the spell was called Butterfly Effect. In other cases, he froze the entire ground he walked on, and the ground around him, before having ice spikes shoot out of them. He even used the ground himself to evade, moving like an ice skater. At one point, he shifted the timelines of monsters, causing their attacks to run into each other and collide, hurting or even killing each other. He even turned himself into lightning once, charging through the beasts and killing them with lethal zaps, moving so fast it was hard to keep track of for those few seconds before he turned back. He noticed also that he often used incantations when he could. "If you can use magic without incantations, why do you use incantations master?" "Kuroki". "Sensei, sorry. But why?" "Because incantations make a spell more efficient, provide meaning to reality through the word. It helps the world understand how your mana is shaped and initiate the effect. However, keep in mind grammar and syntax are important for incantations. You cant just jam random words together. The cleaner and nicer it is, the better your spell will be. Furthermore, its more mana efficient, it increases its power, and unlike non-incantation activated spells, where you have to actively maintain it, an incantation can let you maintain a spell without needing to stay focused on it, allowing you to not have to worry about being distracted and letting you cast more spells far more easily". In most things he read, usually there was some cheap thing where incantations were actually pointless and weaker even, but it appeared this world was the reverse. While magic could be done without incantations, incantations were actually incredibly useful and more powerful. "How do you learn them all?" "Well, a lot of optimized spell incantations can be learned in spellbooks and such, but many of those were actually my own. See, there is no actual limit to what incantations you can use. You can make up your own. However, making an incantation that is good and effective, and doesn''t waste mana or have unnecessary parts, is very difficult. Don''t be surprised if you won''t be able to pull off making your own spell for awhile, although...given the education Starfallen seem to have, it might be easier for you then other mages of this world. But keep in mind, being able to create your own incantations wont immediately make you super powerful and capable of wielding super powerful spells. You have to refine your control, get used to optimizing your power, and...you really need to stop accidentally activating Sonar". "Sorry..." Kuroki said, deactivating the spell. Perhaps due to his heightened feelings of worry and danger from seeing all the monsters, Kuroki had been instinctively activating his Sonar. At first it disoriented him, but now it just made him feel uneasy. He was getting used to it. "I suppose the days when you can stand up straight while using Sonar are fast approaching at least. That will make you valuable to an adventurer''s party". "An adventurer''s party?" "Yeah. In addition to the Mage''s Guild, there is also the Adventurer''s Guild. I am signed up with both myself, and unlike the Mage''s Guild which holds a grudge against me over a mishap, the Adventurer''s Guild still is very friendly and welcomes me. Especially after that one thing". "What one thing?" "...let''s save that for later". Kuroki pouted a bit, while Amyris just awkwardly laughed it off. It was clear he had no intention of divulging things. Still, it appeared their journey was making progress. Provided nothing interrupted them, at least. Of course, little did they know of the darkness approaching them on the horizon. Chapter 4: Hunt As Kuroki was fast asleep, recovering from the fatigue of having traveled so much on foot in a single day, he had a various and vivid collection of dreams. Somewhere of the culture and sports festivals he and his friends had been in. He often dreamed about those a lot. And about how they promised to always be there for each other, and to be best friends forever. Others were nightmares, mainly centered around his shitty father. Fear penetrated his heart, his very being, with each one of these. Sometimes though, they ended with him defeating his father using cleverness and tricks, or with magic. That last one was becoming especially common these last few nights. However, currently he was dreaming something else. He wore the same long blue cloak that he currently used to cover himself with, but it was more open and longer, reaching down to knee length. It no longer needed to cover his body, as in this dream he was not naked. He had been in a few, often home life dreams with Master or his friends, but not this one. It felt more solid and real, as he wore a red short sleeve shirt under his blue cloak, and black shorts that went three fourths of the way to his knee from his waist. Around the top of the cloak that kept it secured around him was a sort of emblem that acted as a fasten, an oval shaped one that had rays of magic eminating from the center, where a lightning bolt was. Going across it was a wand as well. Attached to his shorts was an old yet very detailed and expensive looking book. It was clearly a magical tome, a grimoire. It looked a bit large for him, yet despite that it did not pull down his shorts at all. ANd upon his feet were sort of black half-boots. They appeared to be almost like sneakers at first glance, but the rim was a bit higher, more like a boot''s. It could be said to be a sneakerboot, one could say. His blue cloak had long sleeves, but as he stepped forward he shortened them, their length adjusting like magic, leaving his arms as exposed as his legs. Standing alongside him was not his friends, who were the usual people to support him in dreams. Instead it was a blonde haired girl, holding a massive sword. Notably her hair was about the same length as Kuroki''s, although her bangs were cut more. And when she pulled out her sword, it almost felt like it increased in size to be bigger then her, or shrank when it was necessary. Kuroki had never seen this girl before in reality, yet she appeared clearly in this dream and this dream only. She wore a blue cloak and emblem similar to him, but wore black short pants and a green shirt. She had boots similar to Kuroki''s as well, and they likely came from the same shop. And across from them was some sort of huge creature, rampaging through the city. "You ready, Kuroki?" she asked without looking at him. "Mhm. It looks like most of the people evacuated, but this is still a residential area with people''s homes. We have to limit property destruction". "Ehh, I am not good on that. I will leave it to you". "What?! Hold on! You have to at least try! I don''t want to be scolded and locked in the stockades again!" "But its more fun to go all out!" The huge creature charged at them, appearing to be half bull, half wolf, and perhaps half bear as well. Kuroki and the girl both dodged, and suddenly an ice barrier formed around it. Chains of ice shot out of the ground to bind it, but it broke through them all. "Geh. It must have a fire attribute, my chains weakened through melting almost instantly". "Doesn''t that mean you will have to use time magic to repair the walls and buildings we break then?" "You know I cant just do that. Most of them were made by another person''s earth magic, so their mana traces will reduce any spell I try. Please just avoid breaking anything". "Fine fine" she said, stepping forward. "Hear me now! My name is Anna the Hero! I begin this tale with a glorious waltz, a sword in my hand and a spell in the other. I wish and I wish, and I want and I want. My light will sing with my sword and my spell. My light will sing this tale for all, through the power invested by combining it all". Suddenly, light flowed from her left hand into her sword in her right hand, as she charged forward. The beast appeared to have some degree of intelligence, as it jumped back and dodged her sword. And yet, it was cut through all the same, despite her blade clearly not reaching it. All that was seen cutting through it was a beam of light, that seemed to have extended from her sword. As if the light itself extended outward to extend the reach of her blade. Not only that, but it should increase the power gained from centrifugal force, since the end of the blade moves faster then the parts near her hands. Longer swords could be unwieldy, but consider a slash and the length of a blade. The hilt will barely change position at all, while tip arcs a great deal and goes a much further distance. However, since it reaches that distance at the same time as the hilt, that means that its velocity is higher. This adds to its attack power, which means Anna''s sword did more then just extend its blade. The power was also increased. The correct answer would have been to close the gap, or go to the sides and risk her being able to adjust the slash trajectory for a side step. Kuroki refused to use a sword himself, but he understood and remembered enough to know how brutal Anna''s spell truly was. A hidden surprise attack that would do more damage then if they actually took the blow. Anna then looked back at him, as the dream began to get hazy. "Thanks a lot! I guess I..." But the dream faded, becoming an echo of a memory in Kuroki''s mind, as light began to flicker. "...daddy?"
Late at night, a man was backing up against a tree, completely naked as he was in terror. "Oh god, no please no! Please! Stay back! Stay back you monsters!" Unfortunately for him, his prayers went unanswered, as he was turned to charcoal. His entire body roasted beyond recognition, with not even a trace to determine who he really was. And so close to the main road too, that it would likely be discovered within a few days. Not that any of it mattered to the corpse anymore. At that moment, another one of the Starfallen met a brutal end. He was not the first, and he would not be the last. But he was most certainly hunted and dead.
It was the start of a new morning. What should be their final morning in the woods. According to Master, they would make it to the city by nightfall, so there shouldn''t be any issue there. In the end, they never came across an Orc Settlement, but also they never found a place where Kuroki would be able to optimally attune to Storm mana. Apparently, for Storm mana, they needed a wide-open location with a good breeze, and a natural place to sit somewhere around the middle so that they can better become one with the air and wind. Apparently that was usually enough, but Amyris had said something absurd about increasing its potency to the max by "summoning a storm" during the process. Furthermore, to do this, Kuroki would need to sit completely still in the middle of all this, so he wasn''t sure how he felt about the storm part, but apparently it was considered incredibly effective. However, he had briefly mentioned Anna had done the same, so Kuroki had decided to go for it. He had not even met her, and barely knew anything about her still despite the fact she seemed to have no sense of shame and was quite the active tomboy, but the way Master looked the handful of times she did come up and what was said about her, was making Kuroki feel a bit competitive towards his fellow Starfallen apprentice. Apparently, all objects contained minute traces of mana, even the clothes they wore, so it could interfere during the process as well. He also mentioned something about "newbie mages having a mana-sense high", but seemed to refuse to elaborate on it no matter how much Kuroki asked. The most he got out of him was that it was "an unofficial trial all new mages go through", and looked away with an awkward chuckle. Either way, it was something his Master wanted him to go through before reaching the city, since apparently it wasn''t as potent in crowded places near people, so it would be more convenient this way. Plus apparently there was a place up ahead on the route they were taking where they would be able to, although noted it might be a chore later, according to Amyris. At the moment though, instead Amyris was doing something that at this point in time, bothered Kuroki far more then having to make this journey naked. "Now make sure you don''t bite down okay?" "I can brush my own teeth!" "But will a little boy your age actually do it?" "I am not a little boy! I am fifteen years old, master!" "...that''s not convincing when you keep making that mistake, Kuroki". "Err, I mean, sensei!" "You also called me daddy this morning as well..." "I was just really groggy and tired!" "Uh huh". In truth, Amyris was pretty sure Kuroki was telling the truth about these things, but he found teasing him to be a bit fun. He had the same fun with Anna, even if she did make trouble a lot. But also, it was his way of trying to both make him feel warm and cared for, while also trying to make it so that Kuroki didn''t have some weird psychological fix on him. The fact that Kuroki called Amyris daddy was a bit of a red flag for the elf, especially since the day before it was just dad. Amyris wasn''t sure he was comfortable with such progression. It had taken Anna a week after arriving to this world to start making that mistake, although she was younger then Kuroki''s (claimed) age, given she had been eleven at the time. Well, supposedly eleven at least. It seemed she didn''t have any development yet after all. That said, he hoped it wasn''t a side effect of the spell he used last night. After that whole dad comment, Amyris had gotten confused because he didn''t expect him to say that word so warmly, even if it was towards Amyris instead of his actual father. As a result, Amyris needed to check on something, so while he huddled with Kuroki to help keep the boy warm as he slept, he used magic to investigate his mind and memories. From this spell, he learned the warmth and the strength of the friendship between four boys, Kuroki and his three friends. He saw the parents of his friends, who had shown Kuroki so much warmth and care. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. And then he saw Kuroki''s father. No, he did more then see. He felt it. All sensory information from the memories. He felt every hit Kuroki endured, every humiliation he faced, every harsh word and rejection sent Kuroki''s way. This man...no, this thing could not be ever said to be a parent. And that was what Kuroki felt as well it seemed. The reason why Kuroki was able to say "dad" and "daddy" so warmly, despite what his birth father did, was because Kuroki at this point did not see that person as his father anymore. Especially not as a dad. Indeed, the older Kuroki got, the worse this man seemed to get as well, and the treatment got worse and worse. At some point, Kuroki had given up on him completely, and planned to leave the brute and get away from him. Amyris could understand why. What he had done to Kuroki was undeniably cruel and uncalled for. Furthermore, from what Amyris knew, he was sure that treatment likely contributed a great deal to his son''s lack of growth. His body had to spend all that time using its energy and nutrients to heal rather than grow. And from what he saw, he got his kicks out of scarring Kuroki physically and mentally. If this bastard also arrived in this world, I swear, I will kill him. Amyris made that silent resolve to himself as he finished brushing Kuroki''s teeth, and had him spit out into the smoldering campfire. "So why are we doing this now of all times?" "...I just thought, given you got dumped all alone with a stranger like me, before we got to the city I would provide a little TLC. We are about to enter a city that is incredibly foreign to you, and you only have that cloak to cover yourself with...although it seems like you are getting used to it. I can''t tell if that is good or bad, but know this. Make sure you learn from Anna, and dont even touch the door knob of the front door without clothes. At least some underwear, at least. Please spare my reputation far more then she did". "...the front door? Wait, you mean she still went out like that through the back door?!" "...the wall on my back yard isn''t even high too, but whenever she had a dream that gave her inspiration for a new spell or sword technique, she would kick off the covers, not even pull on a pair of boxers, and run out into the back yard early morning to practice". There was a lot to unpack there about Anna''s behavior, however... "...wait, boxers?" "Yeah. That was another thing about her. She disliked girl''s underwear. She only wore boxers when she did at all". Kuroki wasn''t sure what to make of this. It was probably strange, but he didn''t have enough girls he had been close to in his previous world to know if that was an Anna thing or something that was actually more prevalent then he realized. Master seemed to find it a bit odd, but who knew for sure. Still, leaving that aside, Kuroki could tell his Master was not lying when he said she had no shame. Also, he had ended up learning Anna was a swordsman and a mage. Kuroki had no desire to ever pick up a sword again, not after everything he endured, but he was still impressed with her ability to learn both. That said, Kuroki felt like his Master deflected onto this topic to avoid another. After all, it was rare he would bring up Anna himself so directly, without any prodding needed. Either way, they decided to move onwards, heading towards a nearby meadow Master''s familiar spotted.
"Now, like before, I am going to use a spell that will temporarily enhance your mana perception. During this time, you will need to work with your own effort to grasp the concept and remember it with wind and storms, got it?" "R-right. Can we please h-hurry this up?" While his master was totally unphased and unbothered, Kuroki was quite chilly. At the moment, both of them were quite naked, as Kuroki sat on his master''s lap in the meadow. A huge storm was encircling them, raging all around them with wind and lightning and some rain. His master had placed their clothes where they wouldn''t get dirty, wet, or blown away. The two of them were sitting on a rather large rock in the middle of the meadow, as his master used his spell on him the moment the storm reached its peak. Kuroki felt the whole world expand, his senses feeling the mana in the wind and air itself. Within the clouds and the breeze, within the thunder and the lightning. Kuroki felt its nature, its essence. It called out to his consciousness, and for a moment, Kuroki started to follow it. But then he remembered what his master said to him, and quickly stopped. Be careful not to follow the free winds, or you might be unable to return to your body. Kuroki had stopped himself from following them, but not with communicating with them. His own mana spread out, feeling the sky itself. Storms, the power of the sky. However, part of the storm felt uncomfortable. Disruptive even. And within the wind, there was a darkness. A malice. This malice came towards him, fast and strong. Kuroki pushed other wind in the way, but it seemed to tear through it and towards him. Rapidly flying towards him, like an ill natured beast. Like a bird swooping toward its prey. Kuroki panicked, and unleashed something else. Lightning seemed to twirl around his spirit, and launched itself at the bird. It dodged, only to suddenly be struck by a bigger and faster lightning bolt, as Kuroki felt himself pulled out of his trance. "Kuroki! Kuroki, answer!" The man whose lap he was sitting on was shaking him, bringing him back to his senses. "What the...master?!" "Oh, thank goodness" Amyris said, turning Kuroki around and pulling him into a hug. "Master, what happened?" "Sensei, remember...but well, everything went fine. You almost followed the wind, but then stopped thankfully. But then something else happened, and yanked you into some sort of spirit realm somehow. Then you got attacked by an unknown familiar. I was able to reach you, defeat it, and pull you back in time, but...that was quite shocking". "Whose familiar was that?" "I don''t know. But I will say, its probably trouble. It might be from that Orc Settlement I theorized was out here and never found. Its possible they looked into who kept killing their scouting parties. In any case, we should hurry up the pace to the city. Come on, lets get dressed". As he said those words however, suddenly Amyris looked off into the distance. Kuroki felt something as well, like traces of a lot of mana just blew their way. It was only for a moment, but it was a massive feeling, and it seemed to make Amyris tense. "Let''s hurry".
Right after they got dressed, Amyris scooped Kuroki up into his arms and ran at a much faster speed. From his running and traveling, he had gotten used to having a breeze down there, but nothing like this. Amyris had to be running at 30kmph minimum. This was much faster than before. And yet, right as they were closing in on the road, they came across a sight that gave them pause. There were signs of a battle, with damaged trees all over, but from what Amyris could tell it was a rather one sided battle. However, the most notable thing was the charred corpse...and the crater right in the center of the battlefield. "Master, is that..." "Yes, its identical to the crater I found you in. If I had to guess, even though its charred, that body likely was not wearing any clothes...so likely, he was also a Starfallen". "So he died so soon after coming here...but I thought all Starfallen were placed in places where it was possible to find starting supplies almost immediately or where they would be found by someone who would be able and willing to help them like you?" "Indeed. That should be the case. Its possible there were just too many Starfallen for accomodate them all, in which case the transfer probably prioritized the youngest first. However, they should have at least otherwise appeared in a safe place. Which means, this place was safe, but then something decided to show up here after he landed and attacked him". "...thats really bad isn''t it?" "Yes. Hold on tight Kuroki, we are running towards the city". Kuroki did as he was told, wrapping his arms and legs around Amyris as the elf went even faster then before. It was clear he had forgoed efficiency. It appeared it took exponentially more mana the faster you went, and would keep draining the longer it was held. "Is the threat that dangerous? Didn''t this thing litterally ambush a naked man before he even knew where he was?" "It was able to pinpoint and immediately travel to that place and then used overkill to be safe. I am sure I would be able to win, but I am not sure if you would survive the battle". Kuroki gulped, understanding the danger. It was not always as simple as defeating the opponent, Kuroki knew that all too well. He decided to try Echo at this time. It was his spell, or rather his two spells he rolled into one by manipulating mana of wind and water. When he was in the waterfall, he utilized something that seemed to be like sonar in a way. And when he did wind earlier this morning, it seemed like he had an out of body experience and became sensitive to the vibrations in the air. It was admittedly a basic spell, Amyris had even told him he knew plenty of people who could do that, so it wasn''t novel by any means. But he did say that not many would pick up on it as fast as Kuroki did. The only issue was that using it made Kuroki very dizzy and unstable, and unable to move. He was still a novice after all, and he wasn''t fully used to the effects of Sonar alone. When adding his Wind Sense to it, it increased the difficulty. In other words, right now, the only way Kuroki could use this spell and remain mobile is if he did it in a carriage, or if he did it while someone carried him. This left him incredibly vulnerable, which was not at all ideal. Wind Sense and Water Sense, as Kuroki was told their official names were, expanded beyond the five senses and therefore felt alien to people who tried it. It would often takes weeks or months for someone to properly adapt and get used to the spell, although supposedly Anna took all of seven days. He had no intention of losing to Anna. This was the current state of his mind, somehow it had already established a rivalry with this person, despite the fact he was pretty sure she was dead, given the tone of his voice and what he said so far. But it felt like there was a bit more too it, considering his sorrow. However, he had no time for such thoughts when he detected something. "Uhg...we have...thirty enemies up ahead?!" From what he could tell, they were Orcs. A few of them were stronger and tougher then the others, and Kuroki could actually sense mana from them. "I see. From what I can tell, it appears to be seventeen normal orcs, six elite orcs, three orc mages, two orc berserkers, an Orc Champion, and an Orc Queen". "...Orc Queen". "Yep. I see you remember what I told you about Orcs the other day". "You can kill them all right?" "Not...as easily as before. But don''t worry, I wont let the Queen get you". "Mhm. Thanks". "Willows of the wisp, heed my call. Summon an inferno that will transcend beyond burning. Let it ravage only what I wish to be ravaged, burn through flesh and bone and fat. Bring forth calamity to my enemies and peace for my allies. Spectral Blaze!" Master chanted a spell, and suddenly purple flames appeared within his hand, before throwing it at the orcs. The fires raged around them, and yet Kuroki didn''t feel a speck of heat or blaze. Even when embers fell upon his bare skin, they felt closer to snowflakes then cinders. His cloak seemed unharmed as well, in addition to the clothes that Master was wearing as well. This went far beyond just manipulating mana, like what he had been taught to do. This was true and proper magic. This is the true power of a spellcaster. While directly utilizing the mana was faster and more flexible, proper spells formed from incanations clearly held more power and could be imbued with special effects, from simple things like not harming one''s allies, to so much more. It was true magic, that made a paltry fireball look lackluster by comparison. "Woah..." "Indeed. However, it seems these Orcs are stronger then normal. They must have been quite successful in their own hunts and training" Amyris said, as he watched the Orc Queen break through the flames. "A bouncy house bounces around. Up and down and side to side. Release the jelly beans all around, and watch them bounce inside. Place it inside of itself, and ride the bouncy ride. Bouncy Hell". Suddenly, all of the remaining orcs found it impossible to stand up straight. Some bounces right off the ground, while others had their weapons bounce right out of their hands. So far they had yet to even close the distance to the two of them. The first spell had burned through most of their normal orcs, while this one made it difficult if not impossible to close the distance. Kuroki noticed that Amyris often made his incantations quite fluid. They were basically hummable and singable. IIt seemed to not only make it easier to incant faster, but considering what he said before about incantations, it was very likely that was done to increase its efficiency and power as well. The orcs were more or less at his mercy now, as he began a third incantation. "Thrash and burn. Strike and churn. The wind will pierce as its anger is fierce. A pleasant end is not your fate. For now you are already too late. Slashing and bashing, flashing and gnashing. All of this wind coils around, all without any escape sound. For this will be a Squall, that will tear down the tall. Tempest Blitz". All of a sudden, the wind and air itself turned against the remaining orcs. As they squeeled and screamed, Amyris quickly covered Kuroki''s head again. The corpses were flayed and flattened, beaten and slashed. They were pierced several times with wind and lightning, gouging out huge parts of them. Amyris knew that such a scene was still too soon for Kuroki, so he made sure to cover the boy''s head completely and not risk a repeat of last time. He had been able to handle all the other fights, witnessing Amyris'' magic, but this last spell was just a bit too brutal. The winds themselves were also hot, causing even more pain to their enemies. Amyris placed a sound barrier over Kuroki''s head ot filter it out, thinking he didn''t need to hear this much. He had put a lot more mana in then usual too, so the spell turned out stronger than usual. Its been awhile since I have gotten this emotional. Although I will say, I am glad that Kuroki seems a lot less reckless and carefree then Anna. Her first battle like this she didn''t even bat an eye at first, although she was at least disgusted enough to throw up and lose her appetite for a bit at how gross it was. Anna was...a bit too strong willed and hard headed I would say. I mean, her reaction was still abnormally muted given that she saw so many living creatures brutally slaughtered in front of her, even if they were trying to eat us at the time. Either way, the Orcs were entirely defeated by the elven mage. He walked through the battlefield, keeping Kuroki''s head covered as they made the final stretch. Once they were a bit away, he let Kuroki down. "Well then, Kuroki. Welcome to the City of Azralia of the Ronia Kingdom". Chapter 5: The City of Azralia The evening sun poured over the city walls, its warm glow casting a shadow upon the road. It gave the city almost this golden halo, with huge sections of the city towering beyond the walls in sight, but not much seemed to peek out near the gate itself. The trees were flourishing however, and the road was well made. For awhile now, instead of dirt and gravel which had pierced Kuroki''s feet, it had been smooth cobblestone. The wall itself had come into view, and it appeared might and significant The sheer quality of the stonework was amazing it was completely smooth and refined, and appeared to be thick and sturdy. An unbreakable bastion that would protect them, no matter what was slammed into it. Old Runic markings had been subtly engraved as well. And furthermore, when they got even closer, they saw the gate A brilliant and beautiful gate, it wasn¡¯t so much as a grid but an almost mosaic array of metal pieces brilliantly crafted together to create a strong and sturdy gate It too looked quite thick and reliable. There were still pebbles and nuts here and there, not to mention the occasional excrement of horses, which quickly got whisked out of existence by the master mage Amyris. Ever since the orcs, not a single creature had come and attacked them. Nor had bandits come to strike at them either. Kuroki was rather relieved all things considered, especially since he had been distracted for a good portion of the trip. At some point, Amyris had even started holding his hand so he wouldn''t wander off. Kuroki might have been short enough to mistake as an elementary schooler, but he had hoped by now Amyris knew he was telling the truth about his age. Unfortunately, it was something Kuroki was used to. It took a few of the teachers awhile to realize he did not mistaken follow some older sibling to the school, and some had overlooked him entirely. He had been forced to ask for a seat change more then once when he couldn''t see over his classmates. Although, he did admit his height occasionally came with advantages. Considering that Kuroki suffered from all the negatives of his height, he had long since tried to find the silver lining by at least taking advantage of the positives. For one thing, adults were far more likely to buy a ten year old candy for free then a fifteen year old, and he could get into movie theaters for the under 12 price. Make no mistake, he loathed the people who were inconsiderate and all of it, but he was going to suffer through that anyways. Plus, it had been Reiji''s idea. This was largely because Reiji, the giant of their group, had often had his under twelve status doubted when he was a child. He had been tall quite early, and been made fun of for it as well. Incidentally, the two had used both their heights to a rather nasty advantage for each Sports Festival. Mainly during the calvary battle, where their four person team would essentially be Reiji with the Kuroki Helmet equipment. This allowed their other companions to be more aggressive with how they battled the other, and Kuroki himself had picked up enough of his shitty dad''s martial arts to be able to deflect most attempts at his headband, provided anyone could reach it in the first place considering they how to climb the tower that was Reiji. Their class had subsequently won every calvary battle, although some people considered it absoute bullshit that Kuroki and Reiji had been in the same class every single year. Though, not as much as the other schools did, during the special "Inter-School Sports Festivals" they had started recently. But that was getting off track. This was not something he particularly enjoyed, and had insisted on walking the rest of the way himself. Not only because they were finally walking on flat, solid surfaces, but also to keep some level of self respect. "I mean, I am over two hundred. In elf years, you would still very much be considered a little boy even if you were fifteen". "...that wording you just had there kinda pisses me off, master. You just said ''if'' didn''t you?" "And the fact you keep calling me master instead of sensei isn''t helping your case". "Damnit!" In all truth, this sort of banter was all stress relief. They had been walking fairly casually towards the gate, when Amyris prodded something from Kuroki. "By the way, you might want to fasten your cloak closed". Kuroki''s face went red. He had become so comfortable around the elf already, that was more embarrassing then having been seen naked all this time. He was not sure why he had become so comfortable around the Elf, but perhaps because Master had saved his life a number of times, and taught him magic. But also perhaps...he was essentially the polar opposite of his father. He was kind and considerate, thinking about Kuroki''s emotions and feelings and not just making him stronger or better. He had asked Kuroki''s opinions on food every time Amyris cooked him something, while his father made him eat whatever health protient disgusting garbage went on his plate, which incidentally was most meals with him the last year or two. He felt like there were a few odd things that were said sometimes, and he was awfully evasive about his past, but Kuroki didn''t want to talk about his family, so he couldn''t really say anything against that. Making sure the fastener on the cloak was tightly in place, it had made it so only his knee area and lower was visible, as well as his neckbone and up. It had occured to Kuroki that it meant anyone who really looked at him would be able to tell there was nothing underneath this cloak. He hoped the gate guard would be at least a little more considerate, or not very observant. But leaving aside the importance of gate security, the fact was that all these knights were clearly likely high ranking and might be skilled. Their armor was very polished, and had minor extravagance to it Some parts were clearly decorative, and even a novice like Kuroki could tell they were of high quality. As they made it to the gate, there were four guards on duty that were visible. Kuroki was half tempted to use Echo again to check more, but he had been warned by Amyris not to. To be exact, they had wards in place on these walls to not only detect but mirror any detection magic used, so unless he wanted to announce to the entire barracks he was completely naked under this cloak, instead of just any guards on duty. Amyris said that Kuroki should really give up on that unrealistic belief that they wouldn''t notice ahead of time. "Well now, if it isn''t the Magician of the Silver Hour. Back from your research trip early?" A female guard came over to them, and appeared to be familiar with Amyris. She mentioned him by title, and although slight, there was awe in her voice. "Hello Desris. I ran into a complication, and then ended up with a new apprentice. I already put him through two trials you know". The guard then looked over at Kuroki, his eyes sizing him up. Kuroki felt rather uncomfortable all of a sudden as he tried to push the feeling away. All of a sudden, Kuroki found his cloak off and on the ground next to him, with his right arm twisted behind him as he was bodyslammed on the ground, pinned there. At the same time, a dagger made of wind was at the guard''s neck, surprising her. "Amyris, you need to reach your apprentice some manners. Why the hell did you teach him to repulse a guard''s Searching Gaze?" "Actually, I didn''t. I really did not teach him about wards at all yet. He does have a natural talent for them and diviniations though. You must be slipping, Desris, if he noticed your attempts to investigate him without even knowing about it ahead of time and repulsing it. Now, would you mind so terribly letting him go. You should know by now that I would never bring anyone dangerous as my apprentice". "Fine fine" she said, backing away and releasing him as she got up. Kuroki quickly got up, grabbing his cloak and getting it back on again. "Still though, another kid huh? And another naked kid at that? I know you mages have your rituals and its all about studying and becoming one with mana and all that, not to mention the whole Rookie Robes thing. But this is sort of becoming a theme isn''t it?" Kuroki looked at Amyris. "A theme?" "He is misunderstanding and leaving a lot of details out" Amyris told Kuroki, as another guard came forward and knelt down to look at Kuroki at eye level. "Amyris is known by many names, such as the Magician of the Silver Hour...but he is also known as someone who has crushed quite a few criminal organizations that target kids, especially little boys like yourself". "Just last year, he came with a cage full of naked kids, having rescued them from a secret smuggling base. Since it had been deep in monster territory, and the carriages were used to escape, he had to have them stay inside the case so they didn''t get eaten. About two years before that, he ended up crushing a rather...vile institution that utilized children in...ugly ways, but you don''t have to worry about them since as I said that guy crushed them already". "I wouldn''t need to crush them had the Hero done his damned job a few decades ago. What an absolute moron" Amyris complained. This was the first time Amyris had ever mentioned a specific hero to Kuroki before. "Wait, what did this Hero do that was so bad? I mean, people still call him a Hero it seems". "Yeah, thats because he did actually sort of complete his Heroic Duties...sort of..." the male guard mentioned. Desris was however less restrained with what she said about him. "The guy was an absolute tool and a pig. He somehow got a party of only female companions, and went around and saved many women from bad situations, occasionally teach incredibly random things, and caused several businesses to go bankrupt and countless political nightmares. Sure, some of that might seem great, however, he basically ignored all the criminal organizations targeting guys. Apparently, the guy didn''t even consider they might exist, even when they were right along side the others under his nose, leaving many to die. The conflicts between all his party members for him was really bad, especially since their families often got involved. This included dukedoms, and even kingdoms, not to mention major merchant groups. Not only that, but it was considered a major violation of the Equal Rights Act that many kingdoms have to only have a party of women, although admittedly that might have just been some excuse used by nobles to justify executing him. So even though he did defeat the Demon King, he just caused way too many issues. Rumor has it he even adopted the Demon King''s granddaughter and got together with his daughter. He propagated the idea of gender specific roles too basically with his so called ''ideals'' as well". That last one actually got on Kuroki''s nerves, considering what he had experienced from his own father just because he thought magic was a "girls only" thing. "He also caused economic issues in many places when he tried to usurp the general culture and food culture with his own world''s. He said that ''it always worked out in all the stories I read'' and insisted on them using food from his homeland, which was in another world. However rather then success, either they took decades to get any traction at all, or more often, failed completely. After all, it wasn''t like it was amazingly more delicious. We have plenty of our own tasty foods and preferences after all". Ah, I see what happened now. Basically, this Hero tried to do just about all the cheap things done in various animes and mangas, and it all went horribly wrong to the point he got executed. Harem, food culture take over, ect. Only instead of the sugarcoated version in fiction where everything somehow goes well, reality struck instead. "Anyways, sorry about the rant tangent. Back to what I was saying. Because everyone thought he was going around all the criminal groups, the ones targeting men and young boys specifically were able to escape, and grew in the power vacuum thanks to the hero crushing their competition. Of course, we have been fighting back this whole time, but it totally disrupted the balance of power. So you should make sure to be careful, little boy". Kuroki flinched and was quite angry with what was said, but then Amyris cut in before he could say anything. "So, with everything that has happened and all that we dealt with, are me and my apprentice free to enter the city? I do need to get him new clothes after all". "Is he actually going to wear them, or is he going to pull another Anna in the back yard routine?" Is that story actually famous?! "I think he has more sense then that, although...it has been several days, so I would like to hurry to minimize the risk". "Right. Well, you are an adventurer, so you don''t need to pay the tax. And this little boy is clearly under thirteen, so he is free as well. Welcome to the city". Kuroki almost shot off his mouth, but Amyris quickly pulled him along as they hurried down the road. They passed by a few other travelers in a hurry, but no one seemed to think much of it. "I am amazed you were able to hold back at the end there". "...only because since you are doing so much for me, I did want to save you the money" Kuroki admitted. "Wait, that means you believe me?!" "Well, I believe you will say that every time someone calls you little boy". "I am not a little boy". For a moment, Kuroki felt like he released something with his rage, and Amyris seemed almost startled for a moment. But then he just acted like his same old self. "Sorry sorry, I couldn''t resist. Now then, lets get you to a tailor''s. We should get you some proper clothes for a mage. You can''t just take up assignments in just a cloak after all. Well, for formal events, you will, but that will be with a full formal cloak". "Wait what?" "Its a long standing tradition for apprentices. See, things are better now, but for a long time, apprentices were barely able to scrape by between fees for teachers, food, and other supplies. To the point that many mage apprentices to cut down on laundry costs, and also because it was required for their budgets, wore only a robe and nothing else. Even underwear was too expensive. Naturally, the better their skills became, the better jobs they could take, and then eventually they would be able to wear more on average. Now, clothes are still expensive. I heard from Anna, but apparently clothing in your world got cheaper due to something called manufacturing. Well, that doesn''t exist here. There are sometimes second hand clothes on the market, but those, especially for children, tend to be bought up fast. So the tailors have to measure you, and make the clothes by hand. And dont bother, this is a different world, and a lot of tailors have their own independent units of measurement they use anyways". "Wait wait, doesn''t that mean it will take forever for them to make my clothes?" "Certainly, it takes time and resources. Hence why its expensive. But because they handmake things, they subconsciously add mana to it which increases its quality, durability, or other traits. People tend to have at least somewhat higher physical abilities in this world then your own by the way, so from what I understand, even if manufacturing was used, the clothes would be gone through so fast a tailor would actually be easier". "...does this mean I am stuck like this for a week?" "No. Only a single day. Because we are going to the greatest seamstress in the city, who also happens to be a mage who is a master at enchantment". This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. However, Kuroki had missed something in his explanation that was plainly weird. In truth, this city is big enough and I have enough connections I could probably get quite a few things his size immediately, but...considering the situation, I need to get him clothes that will actually provide good protection for a mage. And a safe place to put him while I investigate a few things. My place might be being watched, so best not to go there yet. Which means, only one place can provide everything we need. Yes, in truth, there was quite a few other motivations, but Amyris had decided to keep this from Kuroki for now, which was why events were heading the way they did. As they spoke, they walked through what appeared to be a market. There was people all around, with storefronts that sold everything from books to fruit, to also places that sold weapons and armor. There were some makeshift stalls around as well that looked like they could be moved and cleared out when night fell, and there were a few foods that he didn''t recognize. There was a smell of meat that tasted delicious though. That said, for a moment Kuroki felt like someone was watching him, but it faded almost instnatly. Then again, perhaps it couldn''t be helped. It was bustling with life, and Kuroki felt just a bit better when he saw some kids playing completely naked in the fountain, even if most of them were like, half his age. He also spotted someone else who appeared to be in nothing but a cloak. Obviously he couldn''t be sure, but he als ohad no shoes at the very least. His cloak or robe was a bit more covering through, and looked rather nice. "Those are formal robes. Remember what I said before about mage apprentices in the past only having the money to wear them? Weell, admittedly while still expensive, clothes are a bit cheaper now, and there is more work for mage apprentices, so they have it much better. However, partly because they want young mages to suffer the same ways they did, and also to keep up with tradition, there are various times where you can wear nothing but a formal robe. Well, they might let you wear shoes sometimes as well at least. Its still considered a rite of passage, meant to unite mages. However, thankfully those occasions are very few and far between. And if you rank up quickly, you wont need to endure it much. Its only for the lowest ranked mages, which are essentially always apprenticed to others, although they are mandatory". At the very least the formal robes covered quite well. "So this person can make clothes very fast?" "Yes, but only for mages, and she only takes new clients by referral. Thankfully, I use her services all the time, so we are fine on that front. However, she can be...eccentric sometimes. And uhhh, dont bring up Anna, at least too much". "Wait, what? Why?" "The two hated each other". "Because Anna refused to wear her clothes and ran around naked half the time?" "Well yes, that was part of it...but also, she was determined to see Anna wear something girly. The whole underwear situation especially was a war between the two. Also, Anna never wore dresses or skirts. The seamstress was determined she would look cute in them, so she often warred with Anna to try and make her wear them. But Anna won about...90% of the time. Partly because the seamstress is a professional and never took it too far with a minor. But don''t worry, she will complete the order we ask of her for". Kuroki wanted to say it was a shocking development, except based on what he learned already, while admittedly not much, it fit her. Although, for some reason Kuroki felt like he had a dream or something that involved this, but he couldn''t quite place it. There was some extra information in his head he just couldn''t source right now. As they walked through the streets, it was quite lively at this time. The streets were brimming with activity and cheer, and plenty of laughing children filled the streets. All sorts of people wandered around, such as adventurers and knights, but also the common citizen. Kuroki had sort of expected this, but most of the clothing was far more typical for a fantasy setting and medival and renassaince times, as well as the middle ages. it did seem more comfortable then what would have been at that time though, but there weren''t any people wandering around in business suits, and no one was wearing anything like a swimsuit. Notably, there were no women in bikini armor and so far all the men he had seen were wearing shirts and were properly dressed, aside from one person who was getting kicked out of what Kuroki assumed was his girlfriend''s apartment. It should be noted there was no real outragously sized chests either, although there were a few guys who stuck out. A number of people with more tanned skin were at least two feet tall if not taller and incredibly muscular. "Ah, you noticed them huh? Those are people from the Hanzo Tribe. You wont get along with them". "I won''t?" "Yes, because you like magic. The Hanzo Tribe believes in muscles and might make right and that those who rely on magic are weak. They have often harrassed and annoyed, and sometimes gone after, mages. Incidentally, the Hanzo Tribe is peculiar in their birth rates, which is about 70% male and 30% female. Perhaps because of that, they think they are especially right when it comes to men and boys like yourself. Truly outdated thinking on their part, but their enhanced physical abilities do make them dangerous, so keep cautious. Hanzo Tribe culture cultivated genetics so their people would be tall and muscular like that, but they are normal humans incidentally. Just with a rather outdated and insular mindset, although I cant deny there are a number of non-Hanzo tribe people who might share such a foolish belief as well". They sounded just like his father, which caused Kuroki''s impression of them to plummet drastically. In fact, it sounded like his father could have been from the Hazo tribe. He was also at least two meters tall and very muscular. As they passed by, they also saw a few other things. A Dwarf apothacary, administering medicine to a patient on the street. A young elven bard, as he played wonderful melodies on an instrument. As well as what appeared to be a young boy with cat ears and a cat tail, working hard at a blacksmith with someone who could have been his father, with similar facial features and pitch black hair for both of them. Either way, they made it to the seamstress. The door said to knock, but Amyris just shoved it wide open and went in. Kuroki was a bit concerned, but he decided to follow him in. The moment they did, they entered a space that was clearly bigger on the inside. The storefront outside had been rather small, but this one was large and full of various things. There was a young girl of about ten manning the front desk, although despite being in a seamstress'' shop she was not wearing a stich. She was also standing. "Oh, I don''t recognize you. Are you her secret lovechild or something?" "Wait what? No no no!" she said, clearly refuting. "I am just new here! I don''t know where my family is, so I am working here while the master of this place gives me a place to sleep and eat, and makes some clothes for me". Hearing that, something in Amyris'' mind clicked instantly. "Ah I see. So she found a Starfallen did she?" The girl''s eyes went wide, and then she nodded. "That is what she called me! She found me lying in a crater...naked...and brought me here! We just returned late last night!" Kuroki had a feeling it was like that when he saw her. She looked like someone who could be from his world, but even before Amyris had asked, her explanation made Kuroki suspect. She didn''t say she was orphaned or that they were missing or dead, but that she didn''t know where they were. And she had needed a place to eat and sleep and make money. The fact she didn''t even have clothes also kind of gave it away. That made two other Starfallen whose fates he had now seen. The burned man, and this girl. Three if one counted Anna. The hero mentioned before didn''t count, since he was summoned, which is different from being a Starfallen. As they were speaking, the seamstress came out. She immediately looked at Kuroki and nodded. "I see you found another Starfallen, Amyr". "I see you found one as well". The girl looked at Kuroki surprised, coming out from behind the counter in a flurry of excitement. "No way! So you too? It wasn''t just me?". "It might be...everyone who was in the city. Apparently, there were tens of thousands of shooting stars. Master thinks each one might have been a Starfallen". "...woah. So my parents might be here somewhere after all...wait, master?!" Kuroki turned around, only to realize his cloak had been fully removed and that the Seamstress was now measuring him a bit. "Kaede, please get a box for him to stand on so I dont have to crouch down while taking these measurements". It was only then that the two realized they were naked in front of each other. That said, although their faces were red, they only remained still until her second reminder. The girl, whose name was Kaede, got to work, although Kuroki noticed she had quite the red butt when she did, pulling out a box for Kuroki to step on. She quickly did so, while he was made to move his arms outward instead of covering himself so she could measure properly. She seemed quite strict. "Is this normal for tailors in this world?" "Yes" Amyris, the Enchantress, and Kaede said at the same time, although Kaede sounded a bit dejected. Once he stood on the box, a few other employess, all female for some reason, came out and began to measure Kuroki along with the owner of the shop. Kuroki, desparate to distract himself, threw Kaede under the bus immediately. "So, what is with that red rear of yours?" "Ah...well...I admit, I was in the wrong there. I kind of threw a hissy fit this morning. I was upset because my clothes were not ready yet, but she was only able to get her machines to start making them today, so she said I would have to wait till tomorrow. She also said I still had to man the shop, but I got so embarrassed I threw a hissy fit. And well, she punished me for it. Technically still is. But considering I am getting fed, given shelter, and am being given clothes by a stranger who took me in out of kindness, my hissy fit was wrong. Things take time, after all". "She has to work the front desk like that for a week even when they are ready. She has no room to act entitled". "Ouch. Thats kind of harsh". "Harsh but necessary. She needs to know throwing a fit will only get her into monumental worse trouble. And she needs to learn humility as well". "She did say that''s only when I am manning the storefront or working through, and I can wear them all I want otherwise". Amyris mused a bit over something, but Kuroki wasn''t sure what. Suddenly, he heard Amyris'' voice in his head. "Ellie is being quite soft and nice with Kaede. I wasn''t aware she had such a soft side". "You call this soft, Master?" "Certianly, she might be made to do a delivery or two if she is unlucky, but Ellie has often left things up to fate. However, Kaede might only be seen by a few people, likely less then ten. But its possible it wont ever exceed five, or even be zero. Normally when kids get this punishment, they would end up having to deal with plenty of people. But not Kaede, not in this shop". "But isn''t she running a front desk?" "Remember what I said about this shop? About how it only accepts referrals? Well its also hard to find. You have to open the door just fast enough as well, and you cant knock, or else it will send you to an empty storefront instead. Furthermore, she deals in elite high end mage clothes. These things are enchanted to have crazy durability, and last a long time. They are even meant for combat after all. So while highly expensive, it means her store is often empty, and could go days without anyone entering. Frankly speaking, if it wasn''t for us, Kaede''s plight might have never been seen at all. Of course, this all depends on Kaede''s luck. Its always possible it could get busy for some reason, but thats quite rare. Although...given the amount of Starfallen, if plenty of other mages found their own, they might indeed see an influx of activity to get clothes for them. However, that means two things. One, Kaede will meet a lot of fellow Starfallen, and given her circumstances with their own, will empathize with her, giving her a number of contacts. Two, it increases the odds of her parents finding her as well. Also, there is a very strong possibility Ellie will shorten Kaede''s punishment for good behavior, although she would absolutely extend it for bad behavior as well". In other words, the odds were stacked in Kaede''s favor. And Ellie had planned it all. That was rather shrewd, finding a way to punish her and help her at the same time. Of course, it all depended on Kaede''s luck in the end. But there was a serious possibility that no one would walk in at all during that week, or if they did, it would only be Starfallen. Of course, given how Amyris figured it out so quickly, there was one thing that he wondered about. "...by any chance, do you take all the kids you rescue here to get clothes as soon as possible? Not just your apprentices, even even that time you had like twenty or thirty of them that you rescued?" "...yes actually. How did you know?" "And she still deals with you and works with you the whole time?" Both Amyris and Ellie the Enchantress nodded. "By any chance, do you both have a soft spot for children?" "I would really like, for the sake of my reputation, that you at least rephrase that question". "Yeah, I gotta agree with the old man here". They both brilliantly deflected in identical ways, and even both averted their eyes. Ellie talked a good game about being harsh and making people earn their keep, but it seems she planned to secretly spoil Kaede while not letting her realize it, even if it meant her punishments might be a bit harsh to compensate sometimes. More then likely, she was going to teach Kaede everything as well, so that even if she left she would be guaranteed to be able to start her own business to make money. And Amyris sure did like rescuing children. Anna, Kuroki, all those victims of those criminal organizations. No matter how you looked at it, the Elf was always brutal against anyone who tried to go after a child. He had been rather protective of Kuroki as well, to the point he basically picked a fight with the city guards for him and kept babying him. For the briefest of moments, Kuroki wondered if Amyris knew the truth about his family life, but he didn''t want to dwell on that topic. The only real discrepancies between what anyone from Kuroki''s world would think about if they were soft or not came down to the cutlural differences between his modern world and this world that appeared to be from some fantasy story. But Kuroki was sure. Ellie was the type of person who liked to act strict and harsh, but then was actually secretly nice and sweet. At least for children. And Amyris was the type who was all cool and intelligent, but actually was quite passionate and a storng believer in justice. He was a little bit vain and cared about his reputation too much, but considering how he was such a kind person who also displayed great levels of being able to teach and care for children, he was basically a superdad in disguise. To the point that Kuroki, who had been starved for parental affection but even had a supposed father figure who was in the negative, and so quickly and subconsciously become attached to Amyris psychologically as his father figure. Perhaps that spoke to just how damaged his relationship with his father was. Either way, the legion of women finished measuring, and retreated into the back, while Kaede looked around confused. "What is it Kaede?" "...it was a legion of hot guys when I was measured. While you got a legion of beautiful girls. Although both teased us relentlessly". Incidentally, this entire internal monologue was another one of Kuroki''s escape attempts to evade the remarks made about his size and his boyhood. Of which there had been many teasing comments about those and more, like how cute he was. However, none of it sounded serious, but more like they were using Kuroki for their own entertainment and stress relief. Suddenly, Ellie and Amyris both looked out the window, sharp looks in their eyes, before returning to the business at hand. "Now then, your clothes should be done by tomorrow afternoon, night at the latest. Amyris, do you want me to keep Kuroki here while you go handle things with the mage''s guild, adventurer''s guild, and your own home? Just make sure you dont come too early, okay?" "...yes, that would be helpful" he said, as she tossed him his cloak back. Of course, this left Kuroki with nothing. "Ummm..." "You Starfallen are too shy! Just get used to it! Incidentally, its closing time, so I will prepare the bath for you both. I want both your butts in the bath in ten minutes, or I will deal with your butts personally! There is nothing more important then personal hygiene! Now, get in the bathroom now!" Both Kuroki and Kaede reacted to that comment though. "Wait, together?!" they said in unison. "Yes, together! We don''t have enough hot water for separate baths for everyone, so suck it up! I don''t get why your world''s people is always so antsy about that, seriously. Boys and girls bathe together and go swimming together all the time you know? Now, go! Both of you!" The two were rushed into the bathroom, leaving a confused Kuroki and Kaede who, leaving aside being embarrassed, were confused. Ellie had just said ten minutes, but then rushed them in immediately. She even followed them in and locked the door, saying she wanted to make sure it was done right before getting back to making their clothes. "Not even..." Before he could answer, Kaede interrupted him. "No, swimsuits don''t exist in this world. They don''t understand even why anyone would bother to wear something just to get soaked and wet in, and I dont think the material or perhaps even the technology exists in general. Everyone just swims in the nude here" she told him. To be fair, they didn''t really exist during the Middle Ages or such in their time either, so that actually made some sense. Or rather, it was animes who kept forcing it in to make beach episodes and all that which were the weird ones. However, Kuroki couldn''t help but briefly wonder why Amyris and Ellie did that all of a sudden, without any previous conversation. Amyris never mentioned anything like it to him, so was it a spur of the moment thing? But then, how did Amyris and Ellie both know of it?
At the same time, Amyris walked out of the shop. Immediately afterwards, a barrier was raised over the shop and a few over the surrounding area. Especially the bathing area. Kuroki and Kaede were unaware of this, but in fact Ellie was rather cautious about ambushes. Her shop had countless defensive wards and barriers on it, but the rooms that had the most were the bedrooms, and the bathrooms and toilets. And of those, the one the two were currently in was the most fortified of all. Even the most powerful mage in the world would not be able to break that in a single attack, or even a few of them. The spells woven into the room were so complex and fortified, it made bank vaults look like child''s play. In other words, the impromptu bath was really just an excuse. As the adults, they had no desire to risk the two children being exposed to unnecessary worry and danger. Although it was also true that as someone who had walked around barefoot the whole time in the forest and been exposed to various dangers, Kuroki had worked up a sweat and some parts of him needed a thorough scrubbing and bath. Kaede was probably the same. As for what caused them both to go on guard, Amyris looked at the sky, where he saw a black robed figure floating above him. "Well now, what do you know. They sent a single demon...well that''s a problem". The black cloaked figure seemed shock, but didn''t waste any time unleashing several beams of fire at Amyris. However, the attacks just seemed to misdirect themselves away from him, leaving him totally unhurt. "Tsk. Bring out the children, both of them, and I will let you go in peace". "As expected. You really are here for them. Which means...you have no idea who I am". Suddenly, Amyris appeared behind the black cloaked figure. It turned around in shock, only to be flung into the ground with some sort of magical telekinetic force. It found itself pinned, its body suddenly ten times as heavy. An ice sword tried to stab Amyris from behind, but he shattered it with a snap of his fingers. He then appeared at the ground level. "Ah, there are your friends" he said, as two more black robed individuals appeared. The first robed one''s hood had fallen though, revealing a horned individual with blue skin and black markings on it, yellow eyes devoir of love or compassion. "You think you can stand against all of us, mage?!" Another three appeared on the opposite side of the alley. "It seems you placed some barriers and wards over this area to make sure we are not noticed. What an exorbitant waste". Saying this, Amyris did not appeared worried at all as he began a six versus one battle. Chapter 6: Clean Up Two guards were patrolling the outside, looking for anything suspicious or of note. They weren¡¯t like the fancy gate guards, meant to be flashy and intimidating. Their uniforms were designed for practicality, but also they were common guards rather then gate guards they weren¡¯t meant to stand out as much, and only some of the most skilled at perception guarded the gate, as well as having the skills to deal with any groups of monsters that approached. That said, they still had decent quality equipment. Their job was to patrol the city and deal with things like drunken brawls or rowdy adventurers, since so many shops were in this area. They had small plates over their torsos and reinforced padding on their arms and legs, as well as the lower chest. Stylized to give it a sort of uniform, to make it clear they were guards. They had medium length swords, as well as arm guards and knee guards. And each had a metal helmet to help protect their heads, padded on the inside to avoid that metal from hurting them either in a scuffle And each had a small shield attacked to their left arm, to have it ready but avoid it being in the way. You could say they were the normal guards while those at the gate would only ever be the elite and flashy ones, used to make a presence known and make sure everyone around had a feeling of safety. These two guards had begun mindlessly chatting to pass the time. "You know, I heard a Seer said there was a growing darkness in this area, and that Demons were trying to infiltrate the city". "Ha. You know seer visions can be unreliable. Besides, they also said there would be a great and flashy battle with a setting sun within the city, but look around! The sun is already over halfway down, and I dont see or hear any bloody fighting". "But what if they put wards around or something?" "Yeah that might last for a moment, but not a sustained battle. Not within the city, with so many eyes and ears. Only someone with truly advanced magic, like the Magician of the Silver Hour, or Elizabeth could do something like that". "Yeah, I guess you are right. And if he is the one fighting the demons, then we dont need to worry anyways do we?" "True. I suppose there could be a battle going down right now maybe if he is involved, but we wont need to worry about that. After all, he is a legendary hero after all". The two guards nodded, with no idea just how true their conversation they had for their own amusement was. No idea of the war raged between a Master Magician and Six Demons that was occurring right now.
While a battle of epic proportions had begun outside, Kuroki and Kaede were busy being rinsed and scrubbed by Ellie, who appeared to be about a forty- or fifty-year-old woman. She didn''t hold back regardless of their protests or where she scrubbed and washed. Despite their instance they could do it themselves, she refused to relent, but then near the end twitched and decided that they could do it to each other after all, but not themselves, to finish up. Although she threatened if she even caught a single trace of them not having done a good job, she would make them go through it all over again. So basically, in really overzealous mom mode. But if Kuroki would get his new clothes by tomorrow, as well as Kaede, it was all worth it. It seemed like the plan was for him to stay here until they were done, so aside from this right now, it didn''t seem like he wouldn''t run into any more events or situations before they were done. Of course, Kuroki probably should have realized that was a dangerous thing to say given his luck, but he was too tired to care and it was a very safe assumption. As such, Kaede was currently washing Kuroki''s back, after Kuroki had already washed hers. Both of them let out a big sigh, despite the fact their faces were as red as could be. "This is just terrible". "Yeah, but thanks to these last few days, it at least seems tolerable by comparison". "That is true. Besides, I think we should take the lessons of the hero to heart, and accept the culture here. I really don''t want to be executed over something stupid". "Same". Even if the two of them were embarrassed as all hell, they had to make the entire trek to the city like this, and walked by who knew how many who realized the truth. Not to mention how many people saw Kuroki by the gates. Not to mention both of them were influenced by the Mind Fortification that all Starfallen recieved, which improved their mental fortitude and helped them adapt to the different culture of this world. In their previous world, they would probably be more flustered. They probably would have still been able to push through maybe, if they had someone as strict as Ellie forcing them too, but now their embarrassment wasn''t able to make them freeze as much. Once they were done, Kuroki groaned still though. "There isn''t even any towels?" "As a top grade enchanter, she apparently uses something that might as well be a hair drier. I think there might be some under the sink though, but...we might as well give up on bringing them into the bath with us, since I am sure she would scold us and spank us both". Understanding the danger they faced, the two of them got into the tub together. It was large enough to fit one adult and one child with some wiggle room, though not much. They might as well have been shoulder to shoulder or back to back. But eventually they ended up facing each other so they could spread out a bit, since they both actually did want to relax in the bath. That meant their legs basically overlapped each other and occasionally hit each other on accident, but at the moment it didn''t matter. Even when their butts sort of slid into each other, their faces went red but they didn''t bother to move because their troubles felt like they were melting away. "Finally, a warm bath! Not some stupid waterfall or lake or pond!" Kuroki let out a satisfied voice. Kaede immediately picked up on those words, an equally blissful face on hers as she also raised her voice in excitement. "Ah, did you have a waterfall shower too?" "You too?! It was so cold and the water was coming down way too strong!" "Yeah, same! It was terrible!" Both of them began to bond over their various complaints of the world. It didn''t really stay any more centered on a topic then that though, but as two people from the same country, even if their common sense and resistances had melted away between the trek to the city, their enhanced mental fortitude, and the pleasant hot water of the bath, there were things they just had to get off their chest. "That stupid hero! Why did all those women follow him anyways? I bet one of his dumb ass wishes was to charm women or something, I bet he was a super unpopular and shitty guy!" Kaede said, revealing that when she let loose, her language was a bit more expanded than one might expect of a ten year old. "Yeah yeah! Did he really think attempting solo cultural contamination was a good idea?!" "I wouldn''t have minded if swimsuits took off, but I mean, it was obvious they weren''t. This world clearly doesn''t find nudity the same. Hell, apparently bathhouses and baths are actually considered social activities for groups, along with other times when people are naked together. Its apparently way more common in this world, also for security reasons when checking people for possible weapons or magic. Its pretty obvious any attempt to just randomly change or subvert its already developed culture would fail". "And they also have their own cuisine too! Why would they adopt some random food from another country they never even visited based off of one person?!" Kuroki added. They both let out a sigh. "Lets not forget how he probably didn''t actually know how to make any condiments anyways. I asked my big brother once, and he confirmed no one actually learns or remembers that stuff. No way any of those protagonists in all those stories did!" "Yeah! The stories all lied to us! There are no cheat skills or get rich quick schemes! Its harsh! We don''t even start with clothes!" "I really dont get how that is by the way" Kaede mumbled. But Kuroki was quick to answer. "Ah, I heard it was something about soul transference, not matter transference. According to Master, err, Amyris, apparently they can transport souls in but not actual matter. Of course, this is also why they have to do a hero summoning rather then summoning say, fighter jets or missiles or tanks or such. And also...nuclear bombs". "...you know, given what those weapons are like, I take it back. Clothes are a small price to pay to make sure nukes dont come into this world full of war with no UN to manaage it". Kuroki nodded. Both of them had never actually seen what nukes or tanks did themselves in real life, but considering what they learned in class, they knew enough. Perhaps it was just another aspect of their mental fortitude, but both of them knew that if it had come down to it in their previous world, a few days naked and more times naked and embarrassed over all was a small price to pay to avoid the dangers of modern weapons. "Agreed. Not having nukes or guns is probably for the best, even if we do have magic. Also, not having landmines is especially good". Kaede nodded at that. "I know I still hate it and complain and all, but it''s a reasonable sacrifice. We can always get more clothes after all, but preventing nukes from being a threat when they enter the world? Yeah no thats too much". There were constant wars between nations in this world. A single nuclear bomb would be catastrophic. Especially given how much damage it would actually do. A modern nuke would be so much worse. It was then that Kaede gazed upon Kuroki''s body. It wasn''t like this was the first time she had seen a naked boy before. She had two brothers, and she had a group of friends that were both boys and girls that had gone skinny dipping in the woods, or through other various moments where they had gotten into some sort of trouble or shenanigans. Even though their town was bordering on a city, it had plenty of wilderness after all. Perhaps as a result, the two of them already had some resistance, since Kuroki was the same after all. Both of them came from the same place. In fact, Kaede was attending his old elementary school. But that was besides the point. She couldn''t help but notice something was off about Kuroki''s body. Ever since she came to this world, she felt like she had been far more observative. She heard from Ellie that Starfallen tended to gain abilities based on their wishes and desires, but while typically useful and even a bit strong, it wouldn''t be anything overpowering. In truth, part of the reason she had spent so much time playing in the woods was because her parents were actually fighting with each other a bit, and might be getting a divorce. She didn''t really get it, but she wanted to be more aware of how they and others felt so maybe they could mend their disagreement and be happy together again. Ellie said such a desire probably enhanced her ability to percieve. It was also why she could more easily percieve that Ellie was right about how she was wrong for throwing a hissy fit, and also why she could get so enthralled talking to people, she forgot about her own situation when she was observing others. Like how she forgot she was naked when learning Kuroki was a Starfallen and ran out to talk to him. And that was why she could see, as she was able to look at him clearly for a long time now, that Kuroki had been hurt. A lot. At first it appeared he had beautiful, youthful skin. It was soft and nice to the touch, and was nice and smooth. But that was just on the surface. It wasn''t inherently visible, but she thought perhaps he had a history of being bullied. She tried to think of ways to comfort him. However, when she started to think about that, she ended up remembering her own loneliness. "Hey, Kuroki". "Yeah, Kaede?" "Do you...do you think we will see our parents again?" "...I am sure you will find yours". "Eh? What about yours?" "My mom left years ago, and I would be much happier if my dad did not transport over to this world. He was a shitty person". "Oh...sorry to hear that. Wait, then..." Kaede suddenly sat up and leaned forward, closing in on Kuroki''s body as she analyzed it completely. "They are well hidden but...are those bruises? And other old injuries? So does this mean..." Kuroki got a bit embarrased by all that, but while red faced, he recovered. "Sorry, could I just have some personal space...anyways yes. My father called them lessons. To teach me how to be what he considered a boy or a man. If he learned I was learning magic, something he considered incredibly girly, he would either kidnap me...or kill me". The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Suddenly, Kaede lunged more forward and hugged Kuroki. "I am so sorry. Thats so sad..." she said, barely holding in her tears. "Its okay. You can cry that you want your parents. I understand" he said as her limbs wrapped around him and held him close. He no longer was embarrassed, but instead just held her close instead as she began to cry. They no longer cared the state they were in or who they were, right now a child had been dumped in a strange land without even the clothes on her back, made to make a dangerous trek, and was separated from her parents. And so she began to cry and cry, as tears flowed down her face. Their mental fortitude boost was not all powerful nor all purpose. It did not prevent them from feeling things, it simply let them to push past it when necessary. At least to a degree. And at some point, Kuroki began to cry as well. "I hope my friends are okay..." "I hope my family is okay..." Amid the sniffles, they made these confessions. They did so as they cried and cried. Ellie, who had been watching them in secret, nodded and smiled. "Amyr was right. Sometimes one just needs a peer to talk to, rather then an old bag of bones like us". Ellie mused that way as she suddenly appeared twenty years younger. She then looked over at the Demon that had made the foolish attempt of infiltrating her house, now locked inside of a cage in a secret room. It looked entirely beat up. "So, they really thought this smallfry would be enough. Who hired you lot anyways? I suppose the Demons could be trying to kill the Starfallen themselves, but that seems rather unlikely for it to just be you lot. Nah, no way its that simple. Especially since there are just so many Starfallen...unless, perhaps are you panicking? Afraid at the sheer number brought to this world?". The demon just spat at her. "You wretch!" "Now now, that is no way to treat your host you know?" she said, as the cage lit up with mana and he endured a great deal of pain. Not only that, but his size shrunk a bit. He went from adult sized to upper teenager sized, just like that. "You came here to kill the Starfallen. Why?" "I wont tell you a damned thing!" Suddenly the cage activated again, and he let out even more screams of pain. By the time it was over, he was about the size of a thirteen year old boy. "What the hell is this damn cage?" "Oh nothing much. Its just specially enchanted to extract your time. Then I will be able to read your memories within it at my leisure". "Thats...not possible!" "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Elizabeth Saziri, descendent of the young magician boy who helped the hero of one hundred years ago slay the demon king at the time. I suppose you could say I am one of the people who has slain the most demons at the time. And let me tell you, that Demon King had some dangerous tomes on Time Magic, and quite a number of records of experimentation on Demons. So I do hope you dont think you can escape, because that was made by one of your own Demon Kings, that cage". The demon paled, immediately understanding both the woman in front of him, and the cage itself, were far beyond him. Still, he tried to resist again and break out, which resulted in even more pain and regression. He was now about the size of a nine year old. Even Kuroki was bigger than him at this point. His clothes of course hadn¡¯t shrunk with him, which made him look ridiculous. "Honestly, it''s always a pain when you lot track me or Amyris down, but I suppose siphoning off your time for myself has its advantages". "Wait, what?" "See, its set up so it siphons time from you, making you younger, while then I recieve it in the form of extended time rather then getting older. Usually helps rejuvenate the skin and provides a nice beauty effect too. I actually have quite a bit stored up you see..." Once she said that, she turned into a little girl of about nine years old herself. "And thanks to my other research, I can pretty much take whatever and appear however old I desire". "You monster". "I am not the one who went after children" she countered. She then looked back to the two children in question, who were busy comforting each other. Their emotional bonds growing and becoming strong. I see. If he can draw out empathy like this, then perhaps Amyris can finally settle things that happened to Anna. She decided she would be a bit forceful for the next twenty four hours with those two, but she was thinking of the future.
At the same time, Amyris was fighting against the demons. There used to be six of them, but now three had become corpses, and the other three were gasping for air. Furthermore, one of them was already in Amyris'' hands, as Amyris was doing a cursory glance at their memories. "Ah, so it seems you were ordered to do it. Someone who kept their identity hidden even from you. However, it seems you all work in isolated cells, so it appears none of the information has leaked yet. That means, all I need to do is kill you and the two will be safe, at least for a time". "You bastard...to think you were the Magician of the Silver Hour". "Yes, but you realized that far too late" he said, as suddenly the earth opened up under them, causing them to fall in before it closed back up and locked them in. "What?! When did you..." "Before me and the boy entered. Just to be safe". He looked at the beings before him. "Still, even if you all are low ranked demons, to think they sent so many of you". In truth, it wouldn''t be too abnormal for Demons to try and kill Otherworlders, given that the heroes are also Otherworlders like the Starfallen and who kept crushing their dreams of world domination. But Amyris and Ellie were unconvinced that things were so simple. Certainly, Demons did unify under Demon Kings, but otherwise they were a pretty divided bunch. The only thing that was different is that they lacked any capacity to have empathy for anything other then other Demons, and even then it could be rather muted. So while it was actually fairly likely it was revenge, Amyris couldn''t help but be suspicious. Perhaps the fact that this was the largest Starfallen event in the history of the world, by a huge margin and a couple of zeroes. But something about it just felt off. Still, these were low ranking Demons. "It''s just so hard to come to a clear conclusion. They were absolutely hired by someone, but that someone seems to have obfuscated any memory they had about them, or perhaps just all magic that would reveal his identity? This is quite the problem". Demons would also sometimes act as mercenaries for other nations, so this whole demon angle could be totally throwing him off. It could be a Delathid Empire to the west. Perhaps they somehow caused all the Starfallen to appear, and then had people go after those that appeared in other Kingdoms. It could also be some scheme from The Unified Zai Fao states in the southeast, whose kings and nobles often get everyone else involved with their power struggles and cause no ends of headaches in terms of espionage. There is also the Nemulos Kingdom in the north, which has had a rather.....strange burst in power as of late, with talk of secret blood rituals and the like. Then of course, there is the continent of Rodan across the sea to the south, which has tried to expand recently with two wars into other nations of this continent as well. The Empire seemed unlikely. They had such outragous and strict rules upon magic, and they hated Demons with a passion. At least publicly. BUt rumor had it they performed Blood Rituals to gain much of their power, so who knew for certain. And it was a fact conflict with the Empire was escalating. It wouldn''t be strange for them to try something like this, especially since the Empire tended to break its own rules for its own convivence. It could also be a Devil, but if that was the case, they were in quite a bit of danger. One could only hope that was not the case, since a Devil would be bad news for everyone. Either way, it would take quite some time. Amyris finished off the low ranked demons as he contemplated this, showing his skill as a master wizard.
At the same time, a far ways away, Akano was sitting in the chapel thinking to himself. He had ended up being rather shy anf flustered at the start, but after a few days of dealing with an incredibly strict nun, he knew he couldn''t just stay in his room the whole time. At the moment, Akano was sitting on a bench, looking at the various statues. There were apparently quite a number of gods in this world, more then most nuns could remember by heart even. Naturally of course, the one he had first met did know them all. This church was dedicated to Benevia, the God of Earth and Harvests, as well as Greth, the Goddess of the Sun, and Siria, The God of Maidens and Kindness. They appeared as an old man with a beard and a scythe, a woman with a moon, and a young boy wearing a white dress with a torch. Apparently, in this world, the term maidens was not gender specific, something that threw Akano at first. Especially given what was discovered about himself. To think I would end up in another world with that sort of power... Akano apparently had healing powers, as well as the ability to repel darkness and other support based abilities. This was in addition to an uncanny talent with a staff, and a strong affinity for magic that involved light and helping others. And who knew if he had any others as well. Incidentally, the reason he was waiting in the chapel right now was because he seemed to possess the inherent ability to be a Shrine Maiden, and that he might have other abilities revolving around that. Plus, today was supposed to be the day the person came back with his clothes. In this time, the nun who had found him had found another Starfallen, although...admittedly it was a rather pointless one for his sake. To be exact, it was a toddler who was probably only about three years old at most. But Akano figured it was closer to two. But it did leave the fifteen year old boy pondering something. How many babies and infants were in the city that day? If this was as wide reaching as he thought, it was likely the entire population of his city had disappeared. If that included the hospital, that was going to be a problem, since it meant countless wounded and injured were out there, as well as psych ward patients. This was especially problematic since their city on the outskirts had a criminal psych ward for the criminally deranged. They took in people from other nearby areas as well, so they could be looking at a rather unpleasant rash of psycho murderers. Although maybe we will get lucky, and one will murder Kuroki''s shitty dad...nah, unfortunately thats unlikely. His father is an elite martial artist. Even if all four of us had worked together, we would have lost. I mean, we have grown since that time in elementary school, but still. Doubt its enough. He, Reiji, and Juno had once come to Kuroki''s defense in a rather haphazard way, by jumping in and fighting with his father when he was going to try and wail on him. It was pretty obvious it wasn''t something Kuroki had wanted either, since he was not only naked but soaking wet, which meant his father had probably yanked him out of the bath and dragged him to the dojo. In any case, the end outcome should have been obvious. He didn''t just defeat them, he toyed with them until each of them were the same as Kuroki. The man truly was a psychopath. It was unclear how his head worked, but clearly he should have been sent to that mental facility. Akano had briefly wondered if his magic could be used to heal whatever was mentally wrong with Kuroki''s dad, but he gave up on that. It was unlikely it would work, and he doubted it was much more then some complex and a really shitty personality. Short of wiping away all his memories, there wasn''t a way. And he didn''t deserve such an excuse. Besides, that would basically be the same thing as killing him. All of a sudden, he felt something squeeze his butt. He jumped out and flipped around, only to see an old man there. "Well now, I dont think I have ever seen someone with both a look of justice and a dark pressence at the same time in a chapel before. And for it to be such a cute little boy too". "I am not a little boy! My name is..." "Akano. Fifteen years old. Well I am much older, and lets be honest, you still are". This gave Akano a pause. So far no one had really believed him when he said he was fifteen, but this man knew it right off the bat? "I heard about you from quite a few of the nuns. Always claiming they are fifteen years old and not a little boy. Would you prefer extremely little man then? And now you spend time here, praying to meet up with your friends soon, and that they remain safe. Especially your best friend, Kuroki, right? But that doesn''t mean you are not worried about Reiji and Juno either". Clearly this old man knew a lot. He had a staff beside him and a stereotypical wizard''s hat, along with a grey robe covering his whole body. Even his feet were not visible. But what was even more strange that was he entered a room with all these closed doors without him noticing. All of the doors in this room creak, and Akano did not think he was that distracted. But also, for some reason, even with the man standing in front of him, Akano could not feel this man''s pressence at all. This old guy...he isn''t normal. "I thought I would give you some good news. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you where they are. But your three friends, Kuroki, Reiji, and Juno are all still alive". Although keeping up his guard, Akano felt some relief. He wanted to be suspicious of the man''s words, but it was like his voice made it so that he couldn''t. "At the moment, Kuroki has been found and picked up by a master wizard who has agreed to train him, and already started. He is right now enjoying a nice bath with another Starfallen he met, although ultimately it seems she is destined to continue to be a sort of...how would I say this so you would understand....her destiny isn''t as great? Ah, I know. Think of her like a recurring side character that appears quite a bit. Although, who knows, perhaps her destiny will change as well". Akano felt like he should suspect the old man way more, but it was almost like he couldn''t. "Reiji appears to have taken the path of the warrior. He and Juno will arrive in a different city soon, and begin work as adventurers". "Wait, Reiji and Juno appeared with each other?" "No, but they did appear close together and unlike most of you, Juno remained awake during the process somehow, so he was able to track the directions of some people and immediately headed for them. Juno seems to be taking the path of the rogue. Perhaps unexpected, giving his overflowing empathy, but it perhaps also works for him well sincce he is used to controlling his emotions". "You...who are you? No, what are you?" The old man disappeared from his sight, and then Akano felt that unpleasantness again. He let out a yelp as he jumped forward and twisted around, seeing the old man standing behind him. "I suppose you could say I am intermediary, Shrine Maiden. Here to introduce you to your new god. Ah, forgive me. My name is Benevia". Now that he had turned around again, he could see the old man, and the statue behind him, and certainly. The carved face was identical to the old man''s face. Furthermore, standing next to him was a young boy hiding behind the old man suddenly. He had blonde hair and golden eyes, and a soft and gentle face. He had large round eyes, but a small frame, even smaller then Akano. He appeared to also not be wearing anything, however that barely mattered since he radiated such late that in truth, it was difficult to see from the front if he was a boy or a girl. But Akano had the feeling he was a boy. "This is Talia, the God of Friendship and Light. His magic gets stronger when its against malice and darkness, or when you are doing it for your friends. The stronger the bond between those friends, the stronger the magic. It wont be anything ridiculously strong mind you, but it will be useful, especially in the right moments". "...so you are a god". Akano had suspected halfway through, but now he had his confirmation. "Why cant you tell me everything? Or send me right to my friends? And...would you mind leaving my butt alone?" "Because there are countless rules regarding our interaction. Technically we are already breaking a few of them right now, but something this minor wont be noticed by Ordius, the God of Order who has made all these rules. And as for your butt, its been awhile since I have had such a cute boy. See, unfortunately, most people who worship me are old people, mainly farmers, even though I should encompass more then that. But I suppose you could say its just the different mindsets because mortals and gods think differently. Gotta enjoy life". Akano felt like a headache was coming on and decided to drop that particular subject for now. "But why did you all bring us to this world?" "I am afraid we can''t answer that fully...except that it was not us that did this". Wait, they can''t answer, but it wasn''t them? Or wait, did he just mean it wasn''t the two gods in front of me right now? "We hope you succeed in your endeavors and live a long, wonderful life with your friends, Akano. As a sign of our support, we have decided to give you a little help with a lucky occurrence to get going". Before Akano could get any more answers, they disappeared. Unfortunately, thanks to the vagueness of their answers, Akano in the end only ruled out two of the gods of this world being involved. In the end, Akano was left with more questions than answers. And then, as if to interrupt this, the doors flung open. "I am back with the clothes! You won''t believe it, but we got majorly lucky! I thought we were going to have to use cloth to make our own, but I somehow was able to find an entire second hand outfit in the little boy''s size! Ahahaha! You can call me Merry the Great! I even found shoes that should last him a good long time, and even a spare set of boxers and a shirt!". Well, I think I figured out what they meant when they said lucky occurrence. The gods might sometimes be vague and mysterious, but this was a rather blatent and straightforward boon. Not that Akano had any intention of complaining. And so the clocks turn ever onwards, as the new day arrives. Chapter 7: Compliance While Kuroki was busy getting rest and finally decompressing, and both he and Akano were finally getting the clothes they needed. the two friends who already got clothes and got together were busy riding in a carriage towards the city of Ruthil. The two had ended up joining a merchant caravan. They had ended up paying for a discount on their ride though in exchange for the wolf corpses, which the merchants were able to butcher and sell at the city they were heading to. There were four carriages in all. Two for cargo, one for the merchants, and one for their escorts and passangers. At the moment, they were staying in the passanger one. Reiji was sitting inside near the exit, while Juno was sitting on the outside, swinging his legs back and forth while humming some tune from an anime song. Incidentally, the cliche were people were captivated by an otherworlder''s song and it became popular did not happen at all. At least not yet. They just thought it was the hummings of a young child. Juno looked younger then he used to, although from what they had overheard, Cat Beastkin, particularly males, were often shorter and scrawnier then humans on average. However, the merchants were all Dwarves, so to them anyone below 40 was considered young, and anyone below 20 was a young child. It was even more for Elves incidentally. So Juno actually could still pass for fifteen in this world because he was now a Cat Beastkin. The only thing that caught them by surprise was that there was no segregated bathing between males and females, that nudity was far more normal, especially for children since it helped reduce laundry and limited the amount of clothes people needed to buy for children, and that despite the apparent time period of this world, cleanliness and hygine were taken very seriously. Reiji and Juno had been forced to experience that first hand when they, especially Juno, were vigorously bathed when it was realized they still had some blood on them from the wolves. But they had adapted well. It probably helped their mental health had not been constantly tested over the past few days like Kuroki''s was, and that they were able to get a better night''s sleep. They had also learned some other things else. For one thing, both of them had ended up developing just a bit of magic. It wasn''t quite at the level of a proper mage, but it seemed that they might be able to do some things with their respective roles. For Juno, that was his archery and stealth, and for Reiji, his shield and likely even his sword as well. However, during the last few days, they had learned something else of critical note. "Still not tired, Juno?" "...my butt is getting a bit sore from the carriage, but no issues. I need to rest when I push myself, but that is about it". Juno had found that his was always alert and aware. Reiji had expected there might be some unintended results of their wishes and desires, as well as just their personal likes. Juno had always wanted to be more aware of his friend''s plights. That was why he ended up looking younger and shorter. But he also wanted to be more alert in general. And it seemed that had the unintentional effect of causing Juno to not need sleep. So long as he did not exert himself, just staying awake and being passive, like riding in carriages and reading books, would not drain his energy. Of course, if he was active, he could rest. And sleep was the most efficient way to do that. If he really tried he could sort of force himself asleep, at least for a bit, also. But he no longer needed it. Within the past four or five days, Juno had slept only one single time, and that was after he asked for guidance and training from an adventurer. Otherwise no matter how much he was resting, he was always aware and awake. He would need to be really pushed and exhausted, like he was after that training, to really be able to sleep. And even then, he would usually remain aware and when he woke up would remember everything he heard and smelled during that time. That said, although they were unwilling to try this right now, they suspected that given they lacked any other cheat abilities, with the exception of maybe Juno''s archery/Kyudo, it likely was not all powerful. And they were reasonably sure Juno''s archery skill was only because the gifts, rather then setting things to say a certain level, added to what they already had. Juno was already talented at archery, so while the gift on its own was likely nothing overwhelming, if it added to that, it would explain a lot. Even the adventurers when they saw him practice mentioned they had nothing they could teach him regarding archery, so they trained him with his daggers and how to evade and avoid attacks. Reiji meanwhile had taken some lessons on how to handle shields. Although he lacked training, apparently he seemed to possess some natural talent, and his build was really good for it as well. Reiji and Juno''s abilities complimented each other nicely, though they lacked a support or multipurpose role. Someone to help adapt to unexpected circumstances, which would be hard with just the two of them. Back to Juno''s awareness, it was very likely that if he was drugged or knocked unconscious, he likely wouldn''t be able to wake up immediately or be aware of what happened during that time. Naturally, they had no way to be sure, but neither of them intended to test it. It did make them feel a bit better when traveling with these strangers though. Especially Juno, who right now was wary of one of the two adventurer''s groups with them. The first party, who called themselves "The Rising Dawn", seemed to be a pretty decent group. Their leader was a bit idealistic and young, a blonde haired man who was perhaps twenty or so. His name was Kaira. The second in command was the Great Shielder, Sally, who seemed to possess the most strength in her group and wore heavy armor and a heavy shield. They wondered how she endured hte heat, but apparently the armor was enchanted to reduce the strain. Also apparently she was half dwarf. The mage of their party was a thirteen year old elf boy named Ciel, while they had a rogue named Jack who appeared about the same age. There was also a dark skinned nineteen year old whose parents hailed from a foreign land, but apparently was born in the same city as the rest of them and they were all good friends. His name was X''ram, and he was apparently something that could be loosely considered a priest. Really more of a healer. And then finally, there was the swordswoman Reina. She was seventeen like Sally, and apparently was a fast strike sort of swordfighter. This group had so far been okay, and the two of them had taken the time to chat with them and get to know them. However, the other party were straining Juno''s mental health. It was a party of all women, and they had nearly tried something rather despicable one night. When Juno went off to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, they had ended up following him and surrounding him. They spoke far enough away and kept to the shadows to avoid being detected, but Juno''s sight was better then even a normal Cat Beastkin''s, and his ears were quite more accute then normal as well. Apparently, they planned to ambush him, restrain him, and then "give him a wonderful, free education of woman intimacy". Apparently they believed that he wouldn''t put up much of a fight, and they were confident that no one would believe some random beastkin kid over grown human women like themselves. Juno was already away from the others however, and his pants and underwear were already around his ankles when he heard this, as he was in the middle of doing his business. He hadn''t taken his weapons with him, so things were looking grim for him. But that was when Reiji and Kaira came over. The women sneaked away, so instead it was these two who came and saw him in this position. Embarrassing, but hardly the first time. When they were in the woods for a school trip and no toilet was nearby, they had asked Reiji to be their wall before. Admittedly he volunteered the first time and said it was okay to ask him in the future as well, which helped a lot. Kaira was relieved when he saw Juno, but then gave him a rather stern scolding. "Juno, listen. You shouldn''t go off on your own like this okay? Its incredibly dangerous! If you forget again, I will give you a spanking so you remember!" Apparently, that was commonly done to get a child to really remember and reflect when he did something wrong in this world. Although that was the only physical punishment that was considered acceptable for children. Anywhere else then a bare butt, and the guards very likely would arrest someone. So it made Juno and Reiji''s opinions of this world increase, as they remembered a certain shitty father. Unfortunately for Juno, he did get that punishment anyways because he questioned why. Kaira was not afraid to back up his words it seemed, so over the knee Juno went. After he was thoroughly made to reflect, and was allowed to finish his business, Kaira explained why he had to do it. "Being out in the forest is dangerous". "Because of monsters? Even though we are so close to the city?" Kaira glared at him, and Juno quickly covered his rump. "Not just that, but closer to the city has its own dangers. Such as criminal groups, especially kidnappers. Thanks to the actions of a certain foolish hero, while the groups targeting girls and women were dismantled and have only started growing back, those that target men, and especially boys, were able to flourish. Now, its not like they are getting kidnapped off the street or out in the woods every day I admit. But, especially someone like you, a Cat Beastkin who looks so young and cute, would be a prime target". In addition, they learned a number of monsters were nocturnal and got more active at night. Juno had actually nearly had been assaulted just moments ago too, so he was forced to consider it seriously and understand that he had worried them needlessly about his safety by doing something so stupid. Apparently, not knowing such a thing was considered a very airheaded and foolish thing, which was why Kaira had punished him. It was a question that normally a five year old might ask, not a question for a fifteen year old, so it also sounded like backtalk. As for Reiji, he had also been concerned about his friend not being able to sleep, so he had already been up and looking for him as well. In any case, they soon made it to the city as the morning sun began to drift overhead. The adventurers were able to get in without a toll, and the merchants paid for themselves and their passangers. Juno and Reiji still had a good deal of money from the psycho Juno got these clothes from, and from the ruined caravan Reiji got his clothes from, but they needed to save as much as possible since they were unfamiliar with the area and didn''t know what they needed. Naturally, joining the adventurer''s guild seemed like their best option, given their combat abilities. Combat abilities that came from their desire to fight Kuroki''s dad and beat him up and such, not to mention the bullies they have had to deal with. Once they were inside the city, Kaira recommended an inn for them. It wasn''t luxurious or anything, but while it didn''t have a bath itself, it was close to a bathhouse and close to the adventurer''s guild. It got a bit rowdy, but the food was decent. Nothing special, but decent. Of course, the bathhouse would cost them a few coppers, but the inn itself would be fairly cheap as a result provided they shared a room. Even more if they shared a single bed room. Juno and Reiji had decided to do that. While they might have liked having their own beds, they couldn''t be stingy, and they had along with Kuroki and Akano all scooted close together when they had gone camping or on field trips, or even when they had sleepovers sometimes. Admittedly, it was also because neither of them wanted to be alone right now. Especially Juno, who was still coming to terms with what happened the night before. "You okay Juno?" Juno nodded. "Yeah. Just...I guess I am not used to how dangerous this world is yet". "Huh. You just seemed a lot more compliant then before, but I guess that would explain it. Struggling to adapt the best we can after going through something so odd and strange". Reiji accepted the logic, but something was nagging him. Although not forced to endure such things to strengthen it like Kuroki, Juno could be rather defiant. It wasn''t just about the time he brought that box of stray kittens to school, after being scolded for a previous time he did it. He stood up to the peer pressure that was placed on him so long ago, when many classmates were picking on Kuroki. When Reiji''s desk had "Giant" scrawled on it, it had mysteriously been moved elsewhere with a new desk in its place. The bullies ended up commenting on it before realizing what happened, and it seemed Juno looped the teacher in for that class, so they got in major trouble. Even when he got grabbed by those bullies who were furious with him, and did some things like taking his clothes and covering him in beetles to make him talk, he ended up never saying a thing. Incidentally, that got a few of them suspended from school. Juno had been normal height in their previous world, so often bullies tried to pressure him into mocking Kuroki, Akano, and Reiji. Especially Kuroki and Reiji, since both were abnormalities in their own way. Reiji was taller then some year 3 high schoolers who were about to graduate, while Kuroki looked so out of place in a middle school on his first day a few teachers tried to take him to the elementary school thinking he had made a mistake. Juno lived in the same Neighborhood was Reiji, and Kuroki lived only a few blocks away from him. Akano was the furthest away, but in the end it would take only about ten to fifteen minutes for any of them to walk to his house. Less if they rode their bikes or ran. But because of this, the bullies saw him as an easy mark to get information from about them. Someone who was probably weak like them, but since he was "normal", it made him someone they though would sympathise with them and make him pliable. They were wrong about that. Reiji had difficulty believing the normally strong willed Juno would just accept a punishment like that. "Juno, Kaira is rather nice you know. Unlike those women you told us about. Don''t just secretly plot revenge like that, okay?" "Eh? I am not though?" "You do remember I know all about your defiant nature in our previous world right?" "Well yeah, but those guys were wrong. Kaira...he was right. He was worried about me, and he was right". "...have you grown from this whole situation?" "Rude!" The two laughed off that reaction a bit, but then Juno bit his lip. He did that when he got frustrated with something he didn''t know how to handle. "...it was weird of me, wasn''t it?" "It was. Honestly, the fact you even let anyone else bathe you was also surprising, but I was also in shock at the same so I cant say too much on that". "Yeah...hmm. I dont think it might be a bad thing, considering our situation, but...it seems like we are being a bit more compliant then normal". Reiji froze for a bit at that word. "Wait hold on. Juno, was that the first word that came to your head?" "Hm? Yeah, it was". "...it was for mine as well". The two stood there for a moment, letting that sink in. "...the mental fortitude, could there be a compliance effect?" "It must be a low level one. We realized it fast, and I dont think we have done something we would have never done at all". "It probably has helped us adapt to this world, so I want to say its beneificial...but I kind of doubt that". Juno took Reiji''s reasoning to the next level. "Whoever caused this, whoever brought us to this world. They wanted us to be malleable. Compliant. Moldable. At least a bit, unless its just weakening". "But if that was the case, why were we scattered across this region?" Juno had to admit Reiji brought up a good point. "Okay, lets theorize wildly then. At least lets think of three options". "Option one, the spell messed up, and instead of bringing us to one place, it scattered us around". Juno nodded with Reiji''s idea, and then brought up his own. "Option two, the spell succeeded, but then someone else interfered and scattered us instead". Reiji had to admit, Juno brought up a good point. If someone was going through all the trouble of summoning tens of thousands of people, they probably were trying to reinforce their position. Which means that their opposition acted against them and scattered us. Assuming this was artificially done". "I think it has to be. If this was a natural thing that happened, I think more cities or towns would have had their people disappear". "Fair enough. Okay, then do you have an idea for an option three?" "Yeah. Everyone was brought to this world was just a side effect, of them trying to bring a few people specifically". Hearing that, Reiji frowned. "The Hero Summoning..." "We can''t rule it out. We can''t even say any of these options are the correct one. There might be something we missed or don''t know, and we might be wrong about it not being natural, as unlikely as that is. But at least, it would explain the Compliance. As useful as it is to help us adapt to this world and challenge our comfort zones, I doubt that is its main purpose". Reiji nodded, agreeing. It appears the "muscle bound idiot gorilla" trope did not apply to him, as both he and Juno had shown themselves to be quite good at discussing and trying to figure things out. Still, they had a long way to go, as the sun reached further into the sky.
Kuroki nestled into the warmth, hugging his pillow close as he began to stir. Light was pouring in from the nearby window, and he had been carefully placed under some sheets. Even as he was coming to awareness, his consciousness was foggy. The byproduct of having spent several nights sleeping outside, only to now finally have a nice and warm bed. He was probably too used to the outside as well. Furthermore, the fact that he was finally safe in a city, and was able to relax and unwind in a hot and proper bath, had caused him to relax and ease his tension. This had allowed him to be lulled into a long and blissful sleep, recovering from the fatigue which may have possibly contributed to some of his delayed reactions of the past few days. He would like to say it was the first time, however...it wasn''t. It wasn''t even the first time doing so naked. Courtesy of his shitty father. One time, Kuroki had tried to be openly defiant and even tell on him. Unfortunately many of the officers were his friends, and apparently he had mentioned about how Kuroki frequently seemed to act out and tell tall tales ever since his mother left him. In the end, not only did nothing happen, but Kuroki was stripped, a dog collar locked around his neck, and then chained to an old dog house outside in their rather isolated yard, and was treated like a dog for a few days for trying to embarrass his father. That was yet another trigger for the increased relationship deterioration in the past year or two. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. It was humiliating and awful, and if it wasn''t for his friends, he wasn''t sure what might have happened with his mind. But now he was very, very far away from that person. He felt safer and better than he had in a long time. He even had this wonderful pillow that... Wait hold on... As awareness was coming back to him and he finally opened his eyes, he saw that the pillow his limbs were wrapped around in comfort...was Kaede. Also, Kaede appeared to be awake herself now, although rather groggily. "...good morning Kuroki" she said. "...good morning, Kaede" he replied. In truth, she was wrapped around him in a similar manner. They remembered that, as the bath had melted away their tension and reserves, it also finally had them open up about their emotions. They talked about so many things last night, but then eventually got emotional again and then held each other tight as they cried. Apparently they had cried themselves to sleep in the bath, so Ellie must have come in at some point, removed them from the baths, and then dried them. Then they were placed into the same bed together, as light was pouring into the room. Both of them had roughly processed the details up to this point, and both of them got rather embarrassed. That said, neither felt absolutely abhorred or against being seen naked by the other at this point. Part of this was the mental fortitude all Starfallen recieved when they came to this world, as well as the natural enhancement to adapt to its culture. However, they were also two people who experienced something mind boggling and scary. They endured together, and then they cried their hearts out together. As a result, psychologically they had sought a strong bond of friendship with each other as a coping mechanism. This had caused an admittedly rapid forming friendship to happen, so they held a certain closeness. That said... "...this light is rather high for morning". "Thats because you both slept till noon" Ellie said, pulling the sheet off as she stood there. She exuded an aura of sternness and authority, which caused the two to untangle from each other and jump to their feet, backs straight. Kaede had essentially no development up top, but Kuroki tried to cover himself, only to be whacked with her cane and made to keep his arms at his side. "You have nothing to hide or be ashamed from as little kids, so you should have more confidence in yourselves and your bodies. And no playing with yourself, so hands at your side! In any case, you both slept till noon. Your clothes should both be ready by end of business day, but as punishment for this situation, Kaede''s punishment will be extended an extra half day, and Kuroki, you will help her for the remainder of the day. Unless you want to walk all the way to Amyris'' place with your bare butt. Now, get into the kitchen! You have not eaten yet today, and I must make sure you have adequate cooking skills. I would like to know in advance if either of you are the second coming of that loathsome individual!" "Which individual?" Kaede asked, not sure on who was being talked about. Kuroki however, had a good idea. "Perhaps Kuroki there has already heard of her. Anna. She too stayed with me, although I will say she was far different then both of you. Except in size of course, she was a perfect fit for you both. Now that I think about it, some of the clothes I made for her probably would fit you quite well..." "Wait, you mean you have clothes our size waiting for us?" Kuroki said, building up hope. "Yes. Dresses and panties". "Nah nevermind, I am good" Kuroki said. He felt like he might have unnecessary proved something for his father if he accepted that. He was a boy, and he liked magic. Magic was for boys too. He knew wearing a dress wouldn''t automatically make him a girl, pretty much covering himself in that cloak the last few days was basically wearing a dress. But his grudge against his father was influencing him for a part of it. And for better or worse, if it was at least inside and with someone who sort of felt like a mom to him, and Kaede who he already formed a strong bond with, he might be okay as is right now. Its not like his face wasn''t red and he was full of embarrassment right now, but Kaede was already far from a stranger, and Ellie was sort of like a mom. Perhaps his lack of a maternal figure was screwing with his perception a bit, but that was a debate for another time. Kaede of course, was being punished, so the offer wasn''t for her at all. In truth Ellie knew Kuroki wouldn''t accept it anyways for Kaede''s sake, so she wasn''t the only one at the front desk like that. They bond was just too freshly forged and strong for that sort of thing. Kaede meanwhile seemed puzzled. "Why do you still have them then?" "Because that brat was far more happy running around bare ass naked then wearing girly clothes. In fact, her orders were always very practical or clearly centered on looking cool or awesome or epic rather then pretty. Even her underwear, she always wanted boxers. She claimed it was easier to move around and be sporty in, and a few times when I tried to force the issue, she didn''t even get dressed again, but just picked up her clothes into a bundle in her arms and ran back home like that. Really now, that girl..." Anna had no sense of shame... Kuroki remembered Amyris'' words. However, Ellie wasn''t done. "Not only that, but from what I saw and heard, she was not proficient, or just not willing, to do housework, although I think it might have been both. Apparently her room was a mess, with its more organized state being piles of clean laundry on the floor, and piles of dirty laundry. Her underwear just scattered about, with no one but her being able to tell what she had or hadn''t worn yet that week. Furthermore, she often only did her laundry when she was completely out of clothes, which was especially problematic for Amyris when the clothesline blew away and Anna chased after it. When she dusted or swept, she somehow got more dust everywhere. She was at least able to bathe herself and clean her sword just fine, but often Amyris needed to help her with the finishing touches". It sounded like Anna was an absolute nightmare when it came to chores. "But the worst part of all was her cooking". "Her cooking?" "She could make two things and that was it. Eggs and meat. Anything else, always turned out horribly. She could roast meat and make scrambled eggs, but that was it. She quite literally once gave Amyris a double dose of problems when she tried to do something nice and new when he brought home the captain of the guard, some guards, and a knight for a celebration". "...I am almost afraid to ask..." Kaede mumbled. "First of all, she was a very free spirited and rather...unrestrained person. Even when she was here, not only did she tend the front counter completely naked for a week after causing me so much trouble, she wasn''t even embarrassed by it. She was like that at Amyris'' home too. When they all arrived, she was in the kitchen, bare as can be, cooking for them all. This caused Amyris to field many questions and a lot of teasing. However, to get back at them, Anna went and sat down with them at the table after serving them, mentioning that if bad rumors spread about her Master, it would about them as well. Course, that ended up happening anyways since she had to call for a healer and apply emergency treatment after giving them all food poisoning". Kuroki felt there was a lot to unpack there, but there was one detail in specific that caught his eye. "Food poisoning shouldn''t happen that quickly". "No, it shouldn''t" Ellie confirmed. "...I see". Kuroki was actually rather happy now, because he could in fact actually cook and do chores. He felt a sense of victory over Anna. "Anyways, so now you know. Its part of why Amyr is so sensitive about his reputation, although I think he also says that as a sort of pet phrase to joke around with. Anna resulted in a lot of bad rumors about him, like he was into kids or such. Ha! That would require him being able to be into anyone. It was all crock. Such comments are so stupid anyways. The entire reason so many kids your age run around and play in the nude is because there is nothing sexual about you lot, you are all just too innocent anyways". With that, she then looked at the window. "Ah, you both, I told you to get into the kitchen! I will have to teach you to waste time like this! I still need to punish you for yesterday after all!" "Wait what?!" "You were the one that rambled though!" Kuroki and Kaede both held objections, but she brought each one over her knee anyways. Kuroki was first, and once he was over her knee she began to spank him relentlessly. He cried out for mercy and pain, squirming. SMACK SMACK SMACK! SMACK SMACK SMACK! SMACK SMACK SMACK! Each strike burned and hurt, although he thought he felt mana within each strike as well. It was painful and tough, and his arms seemed to be pinned at his sides for some reason as this happened, causing him to squirm more. Still, this was hardly the first time, but hopefully in this new world, it would be the last. Once it was over, his butt was bright red. Kaede was made to endure next, until she had an equally red butt. "Now, remember this. Do not fall asleep in a bath! Say it with me!" "Eh?" "Huh?" Wait, was that the reason for all this?! Ellie then proceeded to give them another minute of spanking each. "Now, say it with me. Do not fall asleep in a bath!" "Do not fall asleep in a bath!" "Why do you not fall asleep in a bath?" "Because we might drown!" "If you get sleeping in a bath, what do you do?" "Get out of the bath!" "And?" "And call Ellie!" "Very good. Glad to see you two learned". Kuroki and Kaede meanwhile were conflicted. Both had a strong stinging rear, but now they understood the true motivation. Their tardiness to the kitchen made her remember, but that wasn''t the cause for this, nor their back talk. Although it might have contributed. They very likely could have died last night. This fact hit them hard. And it wasn''t even from monsters, it was from drowning cause they fell asleep in the bath. The only reason they hadn''t drowned had likely been their posture. That or Ellie had been monitoring them the whole time and saw when they fell asleep and saved them. Which was why she was very angry with them. They had done something unbelievably stupid and dangerous. Still, the two of them didn''t just stand around and reflect. On the off chance they were wrong, or at least not totally right, they didn''t want another round and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast...or perhaps lunch was the better word. Either way, they both learned not to take stupid risks. But with all their distractions, neither of them noticed Ellie take out a locket and look at the photo with a mix of love, and sorrow.
Ellie had ended up rating their lunch as "Passable", which apparently meant it was severely better then Anna''s attempts. Kaede only had some experience in the kitchen, while Kuroki had some but was no professional chef, so that was probably all they could ask for. Apparently, Anna would always either over season or under season the meat, even with salt. The two were now standing behind the front counter, leaning on it as neither wanted to risk a chair right now. It still stung after all. "I gotta say, I am surprised we can stand here behind this counter without our feet getting worn out", "Ah, she mentioned this to me yesterday. Apparently, the floor is enchanted to reduce any strain on feet, even if they are in magically protected shoes". "So you can stand for a lot without getting worn out? That makes sense". "Still, it would be nice to sit...I need to stop acting like such a brat" Kaede mumbled. "Probably the same for me as well" Kuroki let out a sigh. "To think I let myself fall asleep in the bath. What a little kid move". Both of them bemoaned their own actions. Had the old Kuroki seen the current one, he probably would have mentioned something like "don''t blame yourself, thats unhealthy, what has gotten into you?!". Ellie gazed at their backs for a bit. Both had perfectly clean and healthy backs, and normally there would be no reason for Ellie to stare unless she was checking out their health. Which was exactly that. Kaede had noticed this as well, but while not visible to an untrained eye, there were clear signs of abuse on Kuroki''s back. It appears solid and unharmed at first glance, no scars or signs of injury. A very beautiful back for a beautiful boy. However, the truth was that they could see the minor hints and traces of it. And yet, while they both already knew this, Ellie was able to take her observations to a level beyond Kaede''s. The spine was purposefully avoided in all of these beatings. Should I praise them for not causing serious harm to such a vital part of the body, or hate them for clearly still having control over their actions when they did this? Perhaps both. No matter, I will have to treat them properly. "I am going to be making the finishing touches and get your clothes finished now. The two of you, handle any customer that comes in. It shouldn''t be long now". "Really?!" "Yes yes!" Both of them were casually standing next to each other naked at this point, but that didn''t mean they wanted to just stay like this the whole time. Still, perhaps a testament to their mental strengthening, or perhaps their own personalities. But they both seemed rather compliant. With how they blamed themselves there, almost too complaint. Which is strange, because given what I heard from Amyris, Kuroki is defiant enough to overcome his father''s threats and pressence. Kaede is younger, so perhaps that made her more flexible, but would kids really blame themselves so easily when they get spanked? Or maybe...could the psychological damage of their pasts be more then either of us realized? Either way, she doubted she would learn much more from keeping them naked. At this point, she figured they needed them out and about and interacting with people, under observation of course. It would also help them adapt to the culture of this world, and get them active and focused on some activities. The enchantment magic she had placed on them earlier was also running its course, analyzing their souls for the details of their modifications. She had maintain contact for quite awhile, and even needed to boost it a bit. When Ellie did something, there was often quite a few reasons for it. She was the type of person who liked to multi-task after all. Incidentally, as Amyris had told him, they had not had a single customer walk in today. In fact, the two had gotten so bored at one point, they actually played a game for a bit where they opened the door slightly and saw who was more willing to get further away from the door and into the open. Naturally, there was always the potential risk of some passerby seeing them, but that risk was the thrill. This of course happened after about five hours of just standing there ready for someone to come in. And naturally, what was outside of the door was not a busy street but actually an alley that was off a side street, which made it possible. Well, in the end they were still children, and they didn''t always make the best judgements. Especially when bored. They forgot about the eccentricities of the door, and had to bang on it a bit in a panic before Ellie was able to let them back in, making sure to scold them in the process for "acting too much like Anna". However, it couldn''t be helped. Especially since it was a punishment, so she had taken away all the books they might read and Kuroki was forbidden to practice magic. Still, right when the sun was starting to set, and their clothes was just about ready, did something happen. The door slammed open, and a man wearing armor that appeared golden entered. Kuroki saw two knights standing outside, guarding the entrance, while a man who was more lean and waring robes entered with the golden armored man. He looked at the two kids and smirked, sending chills down their spine. "Where is Elizabeth. I need to speak with her at once!" "She is busy in the back right now" Kuroki replied while Kaede flinched. "Let me guess, with your orders? What a cute bunch of kids". Once again, their spines felt as if a cool breeze washed over it. Something about this guy gave him the creeps. It was the first time he had felt this way in this world. It felt similar to how his father looked at him sometimes, when he wasn''t full of rage. Like Kuroki was some possession of his to do with as he pleased. This gaze felt like that. "Do you have an appointment? Who referred you?" Kaede asked, having recovered thanks to Kuroki taking the heat for her. She opened her books. "My name is Count Valiance. I am the one who manages the knights of this region, and do not need referrals". The robed man glared at them. "You should both prostrate yourselves, commoners!" With his voice, a magical energy was released. It felt like they had to comply, as something forced them to their hands and knees. "Oooh, Ellie might be my bride, but you two will make good playthings for me as well. Samson, tie them up and take them with us". Samson, the robed man, nodded as rope flew out of his sleeves and circled around them, binding their arms and torsos together, as well as their wrists and ankles. In a moment, both had been captured. Furthermore, the rope even attached to the ceiling and extended into the air, pulling their limbs in all four directions while suspended into the air. "Finally, I can relieve some stress after all this bullshit I have had to endure". "By bullshit, do you mean how you were punished for your crimes in a rather lighthearted manner, and have yet to learn your place?" A woman''s frosty voice echoed that, as suddenly the robes were slashed to pieces. No one saw what did it at first, but then a large piece of cloth wrapped around the mage, binding him and disabiling his ability to speak. The mana in it overwhelmed his own, leaving him unable to cast spells. The man in the golden armor meanwhile cut through the air, and two pieces of cloth fell to the ground. However, another got him from behind and wrapped around him, before throwing him out of the shop. Samson was soon deposited with him. ¡°I keep telling you, I am not interested¡±. ¡±Do you really think you can deny a noble? You should be grateful. Besides, I am sure there are ways to convince you¡± he said, eyeing the children. She just shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t if I were you Especially since Amyris has taken a liking to them¡±. ¡±And nobility like you should be ashamed of your actions¡± another, youthful voice said. Ellie, Kuroki, and Kaede all looked out the door and around the corner, and saw a blonde haired boy there. At first glance he appeared like an average commoner, but then out of nowhere a sword that looked like it could be larger than himself was drawn out of the air and was in his hands. In an instant, the knights guarding the noble who had drawn their blades backed off, scared. ¡°You may manage the Regional garrisons, Valliance, but you do not manage the knights of the Kingdom. And certainly not the Royal Knights, noble¡±. The boy smiled coyly as he readied his sword. Kuroki could tell he was no mere rookie. His sword was readied in a way that almost resembled Kuroki¡¯s father, but it felt both warmer and even more refined. ¡°Riza Luminar. What the hell do you want, old man?¡± Kuroki wondered about that comment, but the blonde haired boy just smiled. ¡°Well, I need to get my new apprentice some formal wear of his own, as well as just some good every day clothes, so I came to see my old friend and see if she had anything in stock. Also, I much prefer forever thirteen then old man¡±. ¡±People who are forever thirteen don¡¯t have kids, let alone grandkids¡± Ellie retorted humorously. ¡°You could bring those grandkids to visit you know?¡± ¡±Haha, no thanks. You are insanely kind but an incredibly strict worry wart. The only ones allowed to punish my grandkids are me and my kids, got it?¡± ¡±Oh come on, you had it coming. What if that bush had been poisonous?¡± Riza scowled at her, before looking at the other two. ¡±Abd what about them? Left out something they might trip on?¡± ¡±Fell asleep in the bath tub, together, along with back talk, and being way too uptight when their lives were at risk and needing to be more open and adaptable¡±. ¡±¡­I see. I¡¯m not sure about the rest, but I suppose I can¡¯t argue with those first two. They could have drowned after all. But all that resistance¡­are they¡­¡± Ellie nodded, and then Riza let out a sigh. ¡°Alright you lot, are you going to back off, or do we have a problem?¡± Valliance growled as Riza returned his attention to him. ¡±You have no right to interfere with the affairs of nobles, Commoner¡±. ¡±Ex-Commoner. Funny how you always forget that. You wife is probably rolling in her grave at this display¡­or did you not even give her that?¡± ¡±How dare you accuse me?!¡± It was clear this was not friendly banter, but barbed words of two people who hated each other. Valliance seemed to be on the losing side, especially given mud from the alley had soiled his lovely golden armor. Riza meanwhile never lost control of the situation once. ¡°So I guess, if you don¡¯t plan to run away, I will have to intervene since you are disgracing nobility with your antics. As a fellow count his majesty personally praised and annointed for my years and decades of service, I guess it¡¯s up to me?¡± Valliance seemed to seethe at that last comment. Riza, like Kuroki, was older than he appeared. Kuroki hoped that he would at least grow more than Riza did, although he suspected that it might not be totally natural. Or rather, if he is a grandpa, no way that form is legitimately natural. Not even Kuroki would be like that. At least he hoped not, since Riza was only 147cm roughly. Realizing he was disadvantaged, it seemed Valiance decided to turn away at this moment. Or rather, it was a retreat. A full retreat that he just phrased that way to save his dignity. ¡±Now then, with the interruption done, and with your work day done, how about we get you both dressed in your new clothes¡±. Hearing that, the two became elated and raced back in. Riza smiled a bit and came in with them, as Ellie, despite seemingly not having moved at all, was standing there in the dressing room when the two arrived. ¡±And now for the customary dressing of the new outfit. Kaede came first, so she goes first for her first outfit¡±. Kaede was beckoned to stand on a box in the middle of the room, where she got confused. ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t I going to do this myself?¡± ¡±Nope¡± Rosa answered. ¡°That proves you are a Starfallen though who is not used to our culture. Any new outfit, you get dressed by the tailors¡±. Kaede just went ¡°Oh¡±. She got a bit red, but not by much. Just a sign that after the last few days, and especially the last twenty four hours, she wasn¡¯t phased as much by this anymore. She was just compliantly adapting to the world at this point, as was Kuroki. She didn¡¯t even mind that some new unfamiliar person was here. Granted that boy slash supposed grandpa was sitting in a chair innocently swinging his legs, and had just defended them from a major creep. Kaede was soon dressed in pink underwear with a bunny face design on the back, followed by a pair of brown shorts with purple flower designs on them. There was a skirt to go with it, although it was shorter than the shorts. It was light purple. Meanwhile, she had a darker purple shirt, as well as black sneakerboots with pink butterflies designed on the sides, and pink socks. It very much suited Kaede as a whole, and looked way more modern then Kuroki expected. That said, it certainly couldn¡¯t be called a one to one modern. What was waiting for him was a red short sleeve shirt with sleeves that just reached a bit beyond his elbows, and black shorts that went three fourths of the way to his knee from his waist. ANd upon his feet were sort of black half-boots. They appeared to be almost like sneakers at first glance, except far more simple without all the various designs of actual snakers of course, but also the rim was a bit higher, more like a boot''s. It could be said to be a sneakerboot, one could say. Or maybe it was just a shoeboot, and Kuroki was too used to sneakers. But the most notable thing of all was a blue cloak, identical to the one his master gave him. Around the top of the cloak that kept it secured around him was a sort of emblem that acted as a fasten, an oval shaped one that had rays of magic eminating from the center, where a lightning bolt was. Going across it was a wand as well. It was a beautiful blue cloak, although it appeared slightly resized. It now went down to just past his knees in terms of length, and its sleeves were shorter. "Woah, is that?" "Yes, its the same one. He had his own favorites anyways and a spare of that one, but he asked me to modify it and attune it to your magical energy". "Wait, attune? When did you do that?" "When I was punishing you for nearly drowning in the bath". "...oh". "He said I should surprise you after all". Ellie was clearly a master at multi-tasking. However, she had a mischevous smile on her face. "That said, your master went to prepare something big for you. Honestly, you might love it even more then those clothes. I am working on a few more things that I will have delivered to you later as well, such as your formal mage''s robes. Thankfully you dont need those things to register with the Mage''s Guild". Kuroki was very happy to hear that. He had gotten weirdly used to no pants, but as expected, he wasn''t like Anna. This was preferable. "Ah, I recognize that look. Yeah, Anna wasn''t a member of the Mage''s Guild". "Wait, she wasn''t?" "To be exact, she technically was. She got kicked out for awhile after a dispute with the corrupt leader at the time, but then he got taken down later when it was revealed he sold out the city to evil mages who wanted to sacrifice all people in the city for a ritual. THen she got let back in, but she barely ever went there, if she did at all...so its hard to say what her status was with them". "Seriously?" "Well, she also picked a fight with a number of the other members too". "Why?!?!" "She got bored, wanted to see their skills, then crushed them a bit too much, so she kinda got a bad rep there". "Why?!?!?!?" Ellie sighed. "If I find out, I will let you know". In any case, as the day was closing out, Amyris finally arrived. Kaede gave Kuroki a hug goodbye, and the two promised to live healthily and properly as they search for what they need. And now, it was time for Kuroki to acquire a Magician''s Arcanium. Chapter 8: The Mages Guild A very strange trio was now walking down the street. An Elven Mage who appeared to be around his late twenties with silver white hair, a boy who appeared to be around thirteen years old at most with blonde hair, and a boy who appeared to be around ten years old with black hair. If anyone saw them, they would believe these would be their ages. They would also be woefully incorrect. Amyris was actually over two hundred, although one might be able to expect that from an elf. Had he actually been in his late twenties as an elf, his height would be somewhere inbetween Kuroki''s and Riza''s, probably just a smidge closer to Kuroki''s. Riza was in fact 64 years old. Not only has he had children of his own, but those children have produced grandchildren. At least by what he said, but Kuroki did not think he was lying. And Kuroki, who has always been abnormally short for his age and had a youthful appearance, was actually fifteen instead of ten. He lacked any body or facial hair growth, so if one saw him naked, they wouldn''t really think it either, aside from having a healthy growth down there. There was the least discrepency between his appearance and his age of the three, but the other two were likely supernatural in origin. His meanwhile, was simply due to genetics and bad luck. The fact that his home life was terrible thanks to his shitty father also was certainly a contributing factor. But by this point, although he held onto hope that things might change, he had likely passed his explosive growth period and would be forever condemned to be mistaken as an elementary schooler. At least, that was his fear. Incidentally, he had avoided the subject when he was with Kaede all that time simply because while they had grown close and comfortable with each other, he really didn''t want to have a talk about his boyhood with a girl, especially under those conditions. And he felt like naturally it end up would, especially if he started to vent. Despite their strong bond, it had still only been a day after all. Although, there was always the possibility he mentioned it when they were in the bath before passing out and he just couldn''t remember. At the moment though, they were heading to the Mage''s Guild. It was already getting late, the sun was setting, but there was still plenty of time left it seemed. "So the Mage''s Guild doesn''t close at night?" "No, like the Adventurer''s Guild and the Merchant Guild, it remains open all night" Riza said. Amyris just looked at the third person who decided to tag along. "And, why are you here? Don''t you have work?" "Mhm. I do. Investigating all those Fallen Stars, among other things. Anyways, I just needed to ask Ellie to come by my place later so she can get measurements from my own little star". "...I feel like that was some rudeness sent in my direction" Kuroki said, glaring at Riza. Riza just had a sheepish grin. Kuroki got the feeling that Riza could be quite cheeky. He also got the feeling Riza liked to exaggerate, lie, and play various pranks on people. "Sorry sorry, its just I am so used to dealing with people who tower over me, I just want to experience the other side myself you know? Anyways, my name is Riza Luminar. I am forever thirteen years old, and Captain of the Silver Wind. I am both technically a Royal Knight and an S-Ranked Adventurer. Also, I am a student of this old man right here". He pointed at Amyris when he said that, which caught Kuroki''s eyes. "Wait, you are a magician?" "Yep. All Knights in the Silver Wind Brigade are. Its a special unit though, so aside from certain circumstances, we all work apart from each other or in small groups. Right now I have some people investigating the rise of a criminal organization in Ruthil that has been targeting young boys far more aggressively than the norm, I have reports of some mad berserker up near Kothis, and then there is the recent disappearance of various magical materials from storehouses and markets. And then of course...I have the Starfallen situation I am dealing with personally". Amyris nodded, unsurprised, while Kuroki was a bit surprised still. "So you know then". Riza then replied in a voice that sounded just a bit exaggerated in being offended, but also just a bit whimsical. As if he was messing with them a bit. "Of course I know, why do you think I need a tailor to come to my estate? I simply can''t move that many naked people through the streets. Listen Kuroki, I am sure you have noticed a difference in culture and all that, but let me tell you. Leaving aside maybe a roving pack of young kids playing around by the waterways or such, there is no real reason that would ever be a thing. They are at least being compliant, even if they complain and get embarrassed a lot. But a lot of them seem...really weak. Or maybe Anna just skewed my perception". Kuroki heard a familiar name once more. "Wait, you knew Anna was well?" "Of course! She was my junior disciple you know? We both trained together under Sensei". This was certainly different. Kuroki had not expected that to meet someone who was a fellow disciple. "Wait hold on, then does that mean..." "Yes, all the stories are true. Including the one where she ran across the city butt naked to recapture all the run away clothes. As well as the fact that despite being a Starfallen, she showed none of their reservation and even was rather pushy. She would always want to talk with me before bed too, so we always ended up sleeping together. And yes, she slept like that too". "What about you?" "Well, I was a kid at the time, and my aging had not stopped yet, so I didn''t have any sleepware other then for winter either. But also, it would be strange as hell if only one of us was naked, and Anna was...well, she was very good at rendering others into that state. Not even for malice, but she liked the feel of it and thought it was healthier". "Well, she is right about it being healthy...but how about a different topic? Anna is certainly like that a lot and strange for sure, but...thats not even what she is famous for with the public". Apparently, all the stories Kuroki had heard so far were not Anna''s main reputation. To be honest, he was a bit thankful that Master''s reputation wasn''t harmed by such a wild child. At least by having that be her main reputation. "Well yeah, thats because what she lacked in common sense or ability to do chores, she made up for with combat ability" Riza admitted. "Even I barely won against her after a point despite being the senior disciple". "Wait wait, hold on, but I thought Starfallen didn''t get any powers that we might call Cheats or such?" "Yeah. She didn''t have any either" Riza nodded. "Indeed. She didn''t gain any of that from being a Starfallen" Amyris confirmed. "Wait, do you mean..." "Leaving her brazen and shameless personality aside, she gained all of her combat ability after she arrived here. In that respect, she was a monster. Despite having no unfair advantages, she was a true genius. She mastered being a spellblade in particular. As far as I am aware, the gifts she got from being a Starfallen were improved physical abilities, magical abilities, and inherent resistances and endurance. And I believe that while she always had a high learning capacity, that got boosted too. It might have been close to being a cheat level thing, as she might say, but it was just added to what she already had". Riza explained it, while Amyris was looking glum. It was a worsening look the further the topic of Anna went on. Seeing that, Riza decided to shift gears. "In any case, it doesn''t look like most of them will be able to do much. A few claimed to be office workers, one was apparently a construction worker, and a few said they were going to college, although they looked a bit old to still be in school to me. The only one with any real promise was some kid who said they were a second grader. He seemed to have some combat abilities, and he was the one who had the most life in his eyes. So once I train him and get him some clothes and gear, he should be good". Kuroki twinged a bit, however he looked back at Riza. "Are any of them an ill behaved tall muscular asshole who is bossy?" "Ah no, nothing like that. I want to say the physical appearance makes them sound promising, but those other adjectives make him sound like trouble". "...good" Kuroki said, sighing with relief. Then he went to his next questions. "Do any of them go by them go by the name Akano, Reiji, or Juno, or have they mentioned those names?" After that, he made sure to also add in the names of his friend''s parents and siblings, as well as their family names. "Sorry, cant say that I have". "...well, at least it wasn''t a negative". "There were over ten thousand Starfallen at least, and while its hard to confirm the identity of the corpses, so far we haven''t run across the corpse of a child yet at least. It appears all Children Starfallen were given the best starting points. It also seems like they developed the best abilities to survive in this world, although perhaps thats just my skewed perception regarding combat related abilities. The adults so far tend to have more steward based abilities". Kuroki was a bit surprised to hear this, but it gave him a bit of hope his friends were alive. Meanwhile Amyris decided to ask about something with a sharp gaze. "Does the royal family know about all the Starfallen?" "I don''t think they know for sure yet, but they at least suspect. I admittedly delayed my report a bit to gather more information, since we want to avoid a factional dispute. Especially since multiple Heroes ended up being summoned". "...what?" Amyris looked like he heard something impossible. His voice was full of a dumbfounded nonsensical tone that seemed to not understand what Riza had just said so casually. Riza meanwhile, rather than his usual playful smile, looked serious for a change. "Yes. Three heroes, two boys and one girl, appeared after our own summoning. Furthermore, we confirmed that the Empire also summoned at least one hero, a girl, but possibly more as well. And apparently, not just the Delathid Empire, but also the Nemulos Kingdom summoned at least two heroes, but it sounded like there might be more". "Considering how much cloth and second hand clothes they bought up, I bet the Heroes got quite the pick to choose from after their audience with the King". That was also why Riza had to get help from a tailor as well. As a noble, and someone with clear influence and power, normally he would be able to scrounge some up. But it had all been bought up on royal order, which left nothing left for even him to grab. A few carriages that should have been carrying extras also seemed to vanish or get run off the road, or mysteriously lost cargo all at once. Riza thought that these events might also be Starfallen related, since it was said Starfallen arrive near supplies that can help them get started, or people who can help them get started. For Kuroki, Akano, and Kaede, they were the latter. For Reiji and Juno, they were the former. The psychopath that had tried to stab him but then tripped and broke his own neck instantly was apparently a valid delivery mechanism for the former. Anyways, in regards to the hero, Riza explained some more. Technically speaking, heroes were not forced or compelled to serve the kingdom. They were free to reject. However, that meant the kingdom couldn''t spare any time or resources to aid them, and it always felt like that included clothes. Like the Starfallen, those who were summoned appeared naked as well, and with no connections in the world, it wasn''t entirely viable. That was one of the main negotation points mentioned when trying to convince the hero to join them. Of course, the summoning ritual itself was set to only target those who would be inclined to help of their own free will, so usually such a term never even needed to be spoken out loud or brought up. Kuroki thought that was a bit brutal. He understood the terms himself and why they could make sense, but the fact that they were summoned in such a state in front of so many people, including the king, upon arrival? And thrust into that sort of meeting at the start? In any case, it seemed like there were still a lot of unknowns. Apparently, Hero Summonings typically couldn''t be performed repeatedly one after another, and certainly not at the same time. Especially given how resource intensive they could be, as well as the nature of the magic itself. It also typically meant no new Starfallen would arrive for awhile. However, in this case the Summonings seemed to have summoned multiple people, multiple had been successfully completed at once, and a huge amount of Starfallen appeared at the same time. Simply put, there was something clearly wrong with all this. "Well, enough about that. We have arrived at the Mage''s Guild". The building in front of them was a rather large one, clearly incredibly expensive and well built. It appeared to have a rather large first and second floor with various windows, and then there was a bit of a large balcony surrounding the third and fourth floor which appeared more narrow, but was still quite large to be several rooms wide. Then the fifth and sixth floors were even more narrow, but still had plenty of space for a number of rooms at least. At top was a large glass dome. The entire building was round, but at what could be called the four corners of the property, which given the spacing of the pillars seemed to indicate there was a large lot in the back ot the building had an unnatural extention that way. Kuroki suspected the former, even if he couldn''t see to confirm himself. However, he could sense quite a bit of mana and noticed various spell arrays throughout the surface of the building And those were probably just the decoys. The building itself was purple, but its detailing and borders around the windows and doors were red. As for the big front doors in front of them, they were about five Kurokis tall, and ten Kurokis wide. Kuroki didn''t know the exact measurements. Or rather, he seemed to find it difficult to measure it with numbers, and had for some reason measured it using himself as a unit of measurement. Either way, the doors were quite large and grand, detailed with ornate carvings and magic formations. Very likely the building was warded beyond comprehension, which was probably what caused Kuroki''s strange measuring standards a moment ago. Amyris pushed the doors open, while Riza stepped in first. As they entered, their ears were immediately greeted with a pleasant array of music. It was quite nice and soothing, and seemed to stimulate the brain a bit. The main lobby was quite large, befitting its large doors. The ceiling was somewhere between six to seven Kurokis high, and it was an unfathomable amount of Kurokis wide. Too many to measure with the Kuroki unit of measurement. Partially since he was rather thin. While the lobby was mainly open with empty floor space, with clear room to bring large objects in and out, there was some furniture around for those waiting in the lobby. Furthermore, there was also plenty of bookshelves and books, with quite a few people waiting. With plenty of space behind them and wrapped around the far wall of the room was various receptionist counters. Kuroki had expected the stereotypical female receptionist here, but instead the receptionist was a thirty year old man with messy blonde hair. The receptionist seemed to have a slim but somewhat muscular build. However, it wasn¡¯t to the level of a bodybuilder, and it seemed more like he had been blessed with a large frame and a tall height. He also had a monacle, but there was no tie or bow tie Like business suits, such things did not exist in this world it seemed. He did have a white long sleeve shirt and black vest on, with a mages robe on over it. The moment he saw the trio walk up, he frowned. He specifically looked at Riza first. "What are you doing here, dad?" Kuroki would have done a spittake had he been drinking anything. "Dad?!" "Mhm. This is my son, Vartra. Ahhh, he used to be such a cute little boy who after a bath would run up to me saying ''Papa papa I am clean now, take a nap with me!'' Even at ten years old he still..." "Shut up dad! Stop bringing up my embarrassing childhood!" "Oh? But its one of the perks of being a parent though! That and having people take care of me in my old age". "You only say you are old when it¡¯s convenient for you" he grumbled. It seemed Riza was like this even with his family Kuroki noted he should try to avoid growing up into an adult with such a troublesome personality. "Well, in that case, how about you and your wife produce a few more grandkids for me so you can enjoy it more too? Maybe it might motivate Shinlu. To think he still hasn''t proposed yet. Does he plan to deny me more grandkids?" Hearing those words from a youthful voice, from someone who appeared thirteen years old at most, was rather surreal. "...so, why are you here dad? And you brought Amyris with you, as well as a new face, so I doubt this is a social call" Vartra said, trying to move the conversation along. "Ah, we are here to register Amyris'' new apprentice with the Mage''s Guild. I ended up joining along since I met them at Ellie''s. She just finished lil Kuroki''s order". "I am not little" Kuroki responded with some hostility in his voice. "Right. Anyways" Vartra said, moving things along again. "I assume that means he will want to register as Amyris'' apprentice then, correct?" Amyris nodded. "Yes, and we also wish to have him use The Chamber to summon his True Arcanium. Frankly speaking, we need to get it done soon, so I dont mind kicking someone else down the line". "The chamber isn''t available right now, but we should have something next month. You could always try the ancient methods, of course. But its inherently more dangerous and leaves one more vulnerable, and you would need to wait a week and a half for a full moon. But isn''t he still an apprentice? Isn''t it too early for him to have an True Arcanium? Even a lot of professional mages dont have one or don''t even use them". "...not as vulnerable as a mage without a True Arcanium. But I guess it would be Kuroki''s decision. As for it being too soon, there are some special circumstances involved..." "Well, first of all, none of you have told me what an Arcanium is yet". "Are you seriously? Even five year olds know what they are you know?" Vartra said, shocked. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Riza just gave Vartra an unusually serious look. "Taira". Once he heard that word, Vartra was surprised, but then nodded. "...understood. I will keep that a secret, don''t worry. There have been quite a few requests already though, so be careful. It will come out eventually". "Which is why we need to get him a True Arcanium first" Riza replied. "Why is the chamber unavailable?" "A huge shockwave of spacetime magic, that happened a few days ago. During the night of the shooting stars. All summoning chambers overloaded and are in the middle of being repaired and recharged. They say it will take at least a month before the chamber can be used again". Kuroki had no doubt this was related to him being pulled into this world. "I see. I suppose it can''t be helped. Anyways, to answer your original question Kuroki, a True Arcanium is like a focus for a mage. Its created from our mana, our very souls and being. While there are many spellcasting focuses and normal Arcaniums, True Arcaniums can be rather special. Of course, not everyone can summon a True Arcanium, but if Amyris thinks you can, then I am sure you can. Think of it as being like the object version of a Mage''s Familiar. There are also normal Arcaniums, which people use the most due to their customability and flexibility, things like wands and Grimoires and staffs, but they aren''t specialized for you like a True Arcanium is". Hearing that, Kuroki roughly was able to understand. "Its also either extremely expensive or extremely dangerous, so many mages dont get one until they advance. If sensei is already getting you one, he must think you are ready for it. Depending on how modest you are, it might be rough though". "Why?" "To summon a True Arcanium, first one has to learn how to manipulate and sense mana at a fine detail. You pretty much have to be able to create a spell on your own already. It doesn''t have to be amazing, just usable. Then you have to develop the skill to manually sift mana through your own body. You also need to make your magic strong enough to endure the ritual itself. After that, you strip bare ass naked, and sit in a place with lots of natural mana around you while under a full moon, typically some clearing in a forest or a field. Typically a place in the wilderness, since cities and towns have too many people around. And it has to be buckets worth of natural mana. After a lot of trial and error, The Mage''s Guild has created a room that can sort of do that purpose to make it easier, but it takes a lot of magical energy and resources to use so it¡¯s very expensive. It was very difficult but somehow they managed to make it so the space itself mirrors the effects. But it all has to be natural, nothing artificial can even be near you, or in the case of the room, be in the room. The room also takes longer and will likely cause it to take twelve to eighteen hours, so eat big and eat ahead of time¡±. ¡±Furthermore, no mage can even get close to you for fear of their own mana interfering. That means you have to walk at least a few several hundred meters completely naked to an isolated location full of natural mana, which very likely means monsters, cast as little to no magic as possible the whole time, sit there, and then meditate to a degree where you close off your perception of the outside world. After that, you focus upon your own mana, and sort of...dive into it. You search within yourself, through your knowledge and memories, and manifest an object that becomes based on that form that becomes your Arcanium. Typically Mage''s only get a True Arcanium when they are rank four or five if they do at all, so this is quite early. Anyways, once it finishes manifesting, you just leave your own mana, and then boom. That''s it. At that point you can do whatever you want to defend yourself or cast whatever magic you want to, but you are totally defenseless during this process and you cannot place wards or barriers ahead of time. That is part of why the Mage''s Guild created these rooms. Though admittedly unlike the original ritual, the room has a five percent chance of failure, and no you don¡¯t get a refund or credit for the next time". Riza gave a rather detailed description. "...I see. That sounds problematic". Kuroki could see the clear risks. However... "Personally, since there are so many unknowns, and we dont know who else might come after you, I think you should do it immediately. You already possess both skills necessary, although I think you should refine them a bit first". "Who else?" Kuroki did not miss that slip of the tongue. "...alright, in truth, we had a hit team of Demons appeared the previous night, when we suddenly made you and Kaede take a bathe together. They were after you and Kaede". ¡±Why?¡± ¡±Unknown. Someone else gave the orders. Paid them quite a bit too. And they kept their identity a secret too. A dead end for now¡±. ¡°So getting a True Arcanium will help me protect myself better from anything in the future¡±. ¡±That and the extensive defensive enchantments I had Ellie weave into it for you. Plus the cloak should help a lot¡±. ¡±Wait this cloak? The one you gave me when we met?¡± ¡±Yes. That thing is capable of flying on its own, intercepting arrow based projectiles, is resistant to all physical attacks, has some resistance to magical attacks, can automatically fly to you if you call for it, can adjust the length of its sleeves, can divide itself in two and create portals on itself connected between the two fragments, and then rejoin back together, although it can¡¯t use that ability too freely. It can also prevent mind control and all other forms of mind tinkering, or at least resist it. It should resist petrification as well. It can even be used offensively to attack, disrupt, and throw enemies around¡±. ¡±¡­so, the entire trip, I was wearing your ultimate shield basically?¡± ¡±Yes¡±. It was a straightforward answer. It appeared that with the cloak, Kuroki was far more safe than he realized. However¡­ ¡±Ahh! That meant I was totally fine going to the bathroom on my own!¡± ¡±Well, consider it a learning experience¡±. Riza couldn¡¯t help but laugh a bit at this. ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s for the best you get the Arcanium from nature. It is the faster method, even if it is more dangerous. It¡¯s also cheaper¡±. ¡±But what about monsters? Or assassins?¡± ¡±Assassins you might need it for anyways. As for monsters, honestly that won¡¯t be a big deal will it? All me and Amyris need to do¡­¡± Is use our full power ahead of time. The words never left Riza¡¯s mouth, and he never said them out loud. However, somehow everyone around them instinctively knew what he was going to say. The other receptionists. The other mages. Everyone near. A chill ran down their spines. Just how many monsters would lose their lives for the Arcanium of a single mage? Everyone there knew the power those two held. If they cleared the area ahead of time, there was no doubt it would be safe for Kuroki to perform the ritual. However, Varta frowned all the same. ¡°Such a disruption to the monster¡¯s ecosystems¡­thst will cause people no end of trouble you know? At the very least, make sure you check with the adventurer¡¯s guild first. Have them help you find a good spot to do it¡±. Monsters were a threat to humanity and needed to be exterminated. Everyone knew this. But if they recklessly disrupted habitats and changed the topography, more powerful monsters might move in and get closer to the roads, and it could end up disrupting the leylines when one considers the Arcanium ritual. But he also knew better then to try and talk his father out of something when he was like this. So instead he suggested a diplomatic compromise. "In any case, the nearest time would be in ten days, so until then, would he like a normal Arcanium or two?" Vartra asked. "I think that would be best. Can you lead us to the Archive of the Arcane?" "Sure, lets just get his registration done first. Shall I assume the Master is Amyris then? Does he have any other backers?" "I am standing right here" Riza pointed out. "Ellie is giving her support as well". Vartra nodded to Riza''s and Amyris'' words. "Then I just need him to fill out this form" he said, handing a form to Kuroki as well as a pen. He then waved his hand a bit, and a stool grew out from the ground for Kuroki to sit on, since he was just barely able to see over the counter. Writing on it would have been hard. He nodded in appreciation, climbing upon it and filling it out.
Family Name: Age: 15 Height: 124cm Hair Color: Black Birthday: Father:
Given Name: Kuroki Gender: Male Weight: 30kg Eye Color: Purple Master: Amyris Mother:
Talents: Wind Based Magic Water Based Magic Mana Manipulation Cooking Mana Perception
Enhanced Mental Learning Ability Time Based Magic
As expected, it didn''t ask for anything like levels or stats. Kuroki had figured this for awhile now, but no such system existed in this world. He didn''t know enough about the calandar of this world, so he wasn''t sure what to do about his birthday, and he didn''t want a family name on record just to be safe. He doubted his father would ever register with the Mage''s Guild, but if an employee heard his last name and decided to look it up, that might cause a leak, so Kuroki left that blank. Amyris told him what to add under talents. Cooking seemed a bit weird for the Mage''s Guild, but whatever. He handed it back to Vartra, whose eyes widened a bit. "You know this says fifteen right?" Kuroki stared daggers at the man. "...I see. Well, you three certainly fit in together". "Hey I am totally normal" Riza lied in a blatent manner and very non-chalantly. "Like hell you are!" the other three quipped, causing Riza to make an exaggerated shocked face. Vartra saw this would go nowhere, and just processed the paperwork. He then took out something new. It appeared to be a needle with a base. "Now, we need to register your ID with your body and your mana". "...my body?" Vartra saw his expression and chuckled. "No you dont have to strip. We just need a bit of blood. It should contain both aspects we need. Just prick your finger on this". "Ah, okay" Kuroki said. He wasn''t a fan of pain, but this was nothing compared to what he went through with his father. After pricking himself, Vartra took out a blank card and dripped the blood onto it. After that, he put the card into some sort of magic device that reminded Kuroki of a microwave. Only it was way more ornate and stylized. Honestly it looked way cooler and had all sorts of arcane symbols on it. It made a few noises here and there but nothing too loud, just some clicks and whirls. And occasionally a ¡°zoop¡±. After about two minutes, it finished and opened up, and he took out an ID. It appeared as a sort of purple card, and it was passed to Kuroki. He took it in his hand, and he felt it suddenly link with his magic power. The magic power in his body connected to the magic power in the card, and syncronized. It then displayed his name, his age, his height, and a photo of his head. The last one he didn''t expect. It was only a headshot, so one could only see his head and shoulders, but they were bare. So it recreated his image from his blood most likely. Once that was done, they moved into the back, with Vartra going in through a door behind the counter first and then opening the door for them. They all walked in, and headed down a hall before quickly turning left and going further into the guild. After going about halfway, they came across another T intersection, with a pair of big doors right in front of them. Unlike the front door however, these were only three and a half Kuroki''s tall roughly. They entered through it, only to come into what appeared to be a gigantic library. It had plenty of bookshelves, and they were all full of books. The entire room was probably one that reached into the third or fourth floor, or perhaps the building simply did not need to be limited by physical restraints. Each floor was already tall, after all. All the ceilings were high, and it was probably the same for the other floors. Still, this library still looked like it would reach the third floor at least, so that was just how big and tall it was. Not even a dozen Kurokis could reach it even if they stacked each other in a single line tower. Bookshelves as far as the eye could see, Kuroki briefly wondered if he was in heaven. However, as they looked further in, he discovered something that was both amazing...and disheartening. There were quite a number of tomes in this library that were even bigger then him. Even taller then him. He saw books with spines that were 150cm tall at least. If opened, he could lay down in one without a single bit of him being off the edges. Riza saw his expression and mused a bit. "If you do sleep on one, make sure you take off all your clothes. At the very least any cloaks, pants, jackets, ect. The books are resistant to water and sweat, but dirt or dust from clothes could still get on it, and the librarians would have a fit with you. At the very least, never wear your shoes on them if you take them out. The librarians will kill you". "If I take them out?" Kuroki asked, but then he noticed the other three removing their shoes. "Ah that''s right. This isn''t a thing in your world for some reason. You are not allowed to wear shoes in the library. You have to check them in with the clerk at the front desk right here before you set foot onto the carpeted areas. When you want to leave, you go back here. If you want to take any books out, you have to do that first before the librarian gives you your shoes back. When doing so, you use your ID to register that you took the books out as well, so if you dont return them, or if you mistreat them....well, it can end badly for you". "...what do you mean by that?" "They make you do some truly awful and embarrassing jobs as well as sticking you with a major bill. Like cleaning the slime pits" Riza said, a bit sheepishly. "Riza, just...dont let anyone rile you up" his son warned. "Yes, please. I just got out of trouble with the Guild yesterday, don''t get us back in trouble". Now that Kuroki thought of it, Amyris did say he was on bad terms with them. But it seemed like he did something to fix it while they were apart. They checked their shoes with the clerk, before heading in with their feet clad only in socks, except for Riza who had taken them off and stuffed them into his pockets. "...why did you do that?" "Because I have been working all day, my socks are covered in sweat. Thankfully they are highly absorbant so my feet are quite dry, but...well, better safe than sorry". Kuroki had these socks for all of an hour or two, so his was perfectly fine. Everyone else seemed fine too, but then again, Riza was a Royal Knight it seemed. So he probably did quite a bit of work today. As they kept walking, Kuroki realized that there were more then just books here. Wands and staffs were in display cases all around, and quite a large number of them. Eventually however, they reached an octagonal room in the back with bookshelves and drawers all around it, as well as various other sort of compartments. "Here. I think you are a bit too short for a staff, sorry, so I think either a Grimoire or a Wand would fit you best" Vartra said. Finally, someone who showed some compassion and didn''t say something rude about his height for a change. "I would have to agree" Amyris added. "What is the difference between the two?" "Wands are probably the easiest to use and the easiest to carry. They are a bit basic and you cant pack much into it ahead of time, not to mention using a hand to hold it. However, they are also fast, and help you get your spells out faster. They are also easy to carry and conceal. A Grimoire meanwhile is rather unwieldy, but at the same time it appears as a book. It might seem odd at times sure, but its something that people wont usually think twice about. It also contains the greatest amount of storage space for spellcraft, and is quite efficient. But you cant really aim it as well as a wand or a staff, and its harder to wield then a staff as well. Furthermore, Grimoires tend to be the heaviest, although mages tend to easily get around that through magic admittedly. That said, one might think the strengths still outweight the risks, and if that was it they would be right. However, Grimoires tend to hold the secrets of their users externally. So if someone manages to steal it from you, they would have the chance to decypher it and learn about your spell portfolio". Kuroki nodded and understood. He ended up understanding it all, but he could basically simplify it as this. Wands were easy to use but not as strong, while Grimoires were very strong but both a bit difficult to use and also contain risks towards one''s secrets. As such, he was able to form his opinion easily. The wand would be a stable and consistent tool for him that wouldn''t increase risk to himself from other mages. "Then I will go with the that then". He said that as he pointed to what he chose. What he had picked was clearly what he would need, and that was the Grimoire. That storm likely affected the whole city. When he and Kaede talked last night, he learned she had been living in a house further in the neighborhood area then in the urban area, over ten thousand people sounded like the right population for where he lived. In other words, his father was likely here. He couldn''t take the risk that he wasn''t. And if he obtained power from his desires, it could be disasterous for Kuroki. Thanks to what he learned about Anna, he learned that wishes were not things raised to set limits, but rather things added to what one already had. Juno proved this himself with his archery skill, though Kuroki had no way of knowing that yet. Furthermore, it seemed that people gained abilities based on what they desired. Kaede admitted how she learned of Kuroki''s injuries despite the fact someone as young as Kaede shouldn''t be capable of seeing them, at least not unless she endured something similar. So abilities clearly were granted from desire. This likely explained the difference between children and adults as well. As adults matured, their imaginations became more limited as they convinced what was and wasn''t possible. They lacked the creative spark and energy children had, their hyperness and desire for strength or magic. While surely some still had it, he suspected that was a minority. This was why Riza''s group of adults he found were more like stewards then fighters, like the boy he found. They probably had desires more focused on their work being easier for them. But that meant his father was a major risk to him. Honestly, Kuroki needed to power up as fast as he could. Because he could guess...no, he knew of three of his wishes and desires off the top of his head. One: To be an incredible fighter and champion who can use his skills to solve all his issues. This would likely lead to increased physical abilities, adding to what he had already which would probably put them at a superhuman level. Two: To always find Kuroki no matter where he ran off to and make sure he couldn''t escape his fate. This one terrified Kuroki even more then the first, because if they could form specific abilities, then it was possible he would always have a compass that led him directly to Kuroki. It would mean that at this moment, his father could be charging right towards his location, and could attack at any time. Three: The ability to make Kuroki agree with him and do what he said. This was also terrifying, since it would almost certianly rob Kuroki of his free will. It would almost certainly cause him to become enslaved to his father, possibly forever. That terrified him. And Kuroki knew his father well enough to know that these were three things he absolutely desired. To have might makes right. To never let Kuroki escape. And to control him and make him totally obedient. Other mages? They might become an enemy. But his father absolutely would become one, and that was what he had to prepare for the most. He would need power. The power to overcome and shield himself from his father''s abilities. The power to defeat him. To overcome his cruelty and authoritarian way. To no longer have bones be broken, even if that was rare as his father was quite careful about his level of control. And so Grimoire was the only option left for him. "I will go with a Grimoire for sure". Amyris nodded, having expected that. Riza looked entertained. Vartra looked a bit confused, but upon seeing Amyris'' reaction, let it go. "Alright then. In that case, expand and spread your mana outward into the room. An experienced mage chooses their Grimoire, but you are still a novice. So your Arcanium will choose you". "Understood" Kuroki said, as he focused on the mana inside of himself. He used his Echo technique, only instead of sending for mana, he spread his mana into the ambient mana of the room, using it to his advantage and then filling the entire chamber with it. It was like standing at the bottom of the ocean, only he can breath and was somehow fine. The other three however staggered backwards a bit, taken aback. They seemed to be talking, but Kuroki could no longer hear them. Soon after, the shelves shimmered with golden light. Similarly, streams golden light seemed to circle and twist around Kuroki. These golden streams seemed to dance around him, as the shelves began to become active, moving in and out as a golden light shimmered across all the shelves and drawers. "Oi oi" Vartra said, shocked. "What the hell is this? Why can he use Mana Pool and Mana Conversion?!" "It isn''t that odd is it? I mastered them both too really fast". "But within a week?" "Yes" Riza said outright. "That said, only about two hundred or so mages throughout the world are probably capable of this so early. Perhaps one of his Starfallen boosts is helping. They might not be ''cheat skills'' like Anna mentioned, but...they certainly are not useless either. No, they are always useful". "Shit. So this kid might be monstrous in his own way then, even if he isn''t quite another Anna". Certainly, Vartra could easily tell that in a serious fight, he would be able to defeat Kuroki ten out of ten times. His father trained him from a young age after all. But he didn''t possess this level of skill when he was Kuroki''s age. He just asked Kuroki to spread his mana out, not fill the whole room with it. Kuroki''s level of mana control exceeded when he was twenty years old. The boy might lack experience, but it was clear why Amyris had taken him as an apprentice. It wasn''t just guilt over Anna. This boy...was strong. Not just with mana, but mentally. His determination... No, thats not just determination. That is...desparation. The fact he left off his family name...and the names of his mother and father. I see, so that is what he is afraid of. Had Vartra seen Kuroki naked, he too would have noticed the minute signs and realized it sooner as well, but for better or worse, Kuroki was fully clothes now. So it had taken Vartra a bit. Kuroki, unaware of all that was going on just meters away, continued to spread his mana out until he got a reaction. A ping, for lack of a better word. Suddenly, a huge section of the wall began to glow, before bursting outward. Metal bars and chains were cast aside or ripped apart. A golden light focused from this part, its light raining down upon Kuroki. In the next moment, a Grimoire came flying from the light and flew towards him. It was a book that was chained up, clearly meant to stay sealed, and it had a lock with a large keyhole. A similar key appeared in front of him, with a string run through it and tied up. It put itself around Kuroki''s neck, as the Grimoire flew anround Kuroki, opening itself and surrounding Kuroki with its pages. It was filled with mystical energy annd Kuroki gazed upon it with wonder. After that, it came back together and attached itself to his shorts, using a chain to connect it to the waist section. At first, it pulled his shorts all the way down, although he saved his underwear at least. But when he pulled them back up, he found no additional weight, and the Grimoire appeared to have no weight or pull on his shorts anymore. It appeared bigger then his head, but seemed to not bother him or his leg and never seemed to get in his way even as he walked around and turned. When he went to put his hand in his pocket, it was as if the book had rested in a spot where it would be out of the way in the first place. Like it had anticipated the action. The Grimoire appeared old, ancient even. Older than this whole city, yet still in good condition It radiated with golden light for a moment, before finally coming to a rest. "Woah. This is great" Kuroki said as he turned around and looked at the three. Riza was amsued again, Vartra was baffled, and Amyris nodded. Amyris then looked back at Vartra. "I am starting to suspect the Mage''s Guild may have lowered its standards a bit over time. You might want to look into that, if this baffles you". "...I think you both just have a skewed perception of normal". "As expected of a Starfallen. They might not be overwhelmingly strong, at least at the start, but they do keep things interesting". Apparently, Kuroki had done something abnormal. "This still isn''t even the top five of wierdest Arcanium choosings though. Remember Anna''s?" Riza brought up. "...yeah, that was a weird one". Kuroki tilted his head. "Wait, she got a True Arcanium at the start right?" "Well yes, but in her case it combined with her normal one somehow. And when she entered this room and did what you did, she ended up...getting a sword". "...a sword wasn''t an option you gave me". "A sword isn''t an option period!" Vartra brought up, being the only one that had some sense of normalcy. "Well, enough about that. Lets head off to the Adventurer''s Guild now and get you set up there". Amyris seemed to be in a bit of a hurry suddenly, and proceeded to push everyone towards an exit before anything else happened, paying Vartra on the way for the services provided. For a moment, Kuroki felt a sharp gaze as they were leaving, but they were already out the door and saying goodbye to Vartra. Next stop, the Adventurer''s Guild. Chapter 9: The Adventurers Guild The trio now walked down the street, enjoying the crisp nighttime air. As some businesses began to close for the night, others did not. The usual chatter began to die down, but new chatter began to take its place. Less children were seen running through the streets, but there were still some here and there. Although none of the typical nighttime businesses one would think of were on this street, it did seem like there were some shops that remained open at night. "There are a lot more shops still open then I would have thought" Kuroki muttered. "Thats because this is one of the major streets of the city, Sarzon Street. A lot of these businesses have goods for adventurers and magicians as well. And they cant very well risk a medical emergency and have the clinics close down completely for the night" Riza replied, as he fumbled with the metal bracelets on his wrists. He had two for each wrist, apparently twisted metal that were turned into bracelets. He also had one around each ankle as well. Kuroki couldn''t quite see how he would get those off though, as he did not see any clasp. "That said, you will only really see businesses up during the night on the main streets, where they are guarenteed to get enough customers, or in the more...exotic parts of the city". "Exotic?" "Its nothing a little boy like yourself needs to know about". "I am not little!" "No, if you are fifteen, then you are little. You can only claim one you know?" Riza mentioned. Kuroki half collapsed into a drooping position. He knew. He knew that was something he couldn''t refute or ignore. However, he decided to jump into things. "No, its just everyone else is freakishly tall!" "That''s your comeback?!" "Kuroki, just...please. Don''t say such things if you want people to actually believe you about your age". Kuroki pouted. "You guys could support me you know?" "We can''t delude you though". "Please cope in moderation". Amyris gave a more upstanding mentoring answer, while Riza purposefully prodded Kuroki in a playful voice. Kuroki, desparate for a change, looking back at Riza. "By the way, where did your sword go? I heard from Master that there was no such thing as storage magic". "Ah, lets see if you can figure it out first. All I will say is that you are correct. There is no such thing as storage magic. I suppose there are technically pocket dimensions, but...those are stationary, and certainly could never be used in the way you Starfallen think". Indeed, Kuroki had asked about such things. While there was a highly expensive magical artisan method to expanding storage space of a bag, it wasn''t all that efficient and would only double its capacity at most usually as well as lightening it. However, there was no magic such as "inventory" or "storage" that did that, and certainly nothing that gave you infinite storage space. In fact, infinite storage space would require infinite mana, which was impossible. In other words, adventurers had to manually carry all their gear and belongings with them. That said, there were spells one could use to help reduce the amount of gear you would need. It only worked for those capable of using mana and learning magic though. Supposedly, all living things had mana in them, but that didn''t mean all of them could use magic. Only a small portion would ever learn how. Technically with enough studying and effort anyone could learn, or if they had enough money, they could have their children go through a ritual that involved expensive ingredients to imbue them with the ability to use magic. But the former required long and hard work and studying as a child, before they turned thirteen at least but really it was more like before they were ten or even eight years old. And the latter was so damn expensive the only people who could reliably purchase it are nobles and rich merchants. That was why most mages tended to be those born with the natural ability to do it. Of course, it also meant all nobles could use at least a little magic, having done the ritual on their children with each generation. But nobles didn''t often become adventurers, and when they did, it was usually the third born or below. Someone who wouldn''t really inherit anything. There were exceptions of course. But as a result of that, not all adventurer parties even had mages. Though it was said they often wanted at least one. Mages could light fires without needing to carry flint and steel or a lighter, they could create walls to help shore up a camp site so if there wasn''t a good place to set up, they could still have some protection. Leaving aside their attack spells, Mages could help make sure they could scale surfaces easier, meaning they only needed some rope as an emergency, instead of a lot of it. They could make camping stakes for tents as well. Of course, it was often known that mages tended to be physically weaker as well. Apparently, the same gland that produces physical growth hormone also produces magical growth hormone. The more of one that was produced, the less of the other, which was why mages were often known for being smaller and weaker then others. Hearing that, Kuroki was forced to swallow a bitter bug. "...so just to be clear, if I say I am fifteen in the Adventurer''s Guild then..." "Mhm. Yeah, you might get swarmed. Or rather, are you sure your world doesn''t have magic? Normally, when a Starfallen arrives, their whole body is actually deconstructed and then reconstructed to fit the physics of this world and have the right immune systems, but honestly given your growth...well Kuroki, honestly, it would make a lot of sense if your body was already producing magical growth hormone before your arrival". "I mean, there are legends of magic in my world, but no actual sightings of magic. The last time someone was thought of having magic, it turned out to all be false. Even if a lot of people died before it came to light". Amyris paused for a moment. "Wait, hold on. I heard a bit about this from Anna once...but to think, it was the last reported time? The Salem Witch Trials?" "The last one I am aware of. Although I dont think it was limited to just Salem, but also Europe as well". "...right, that one massive country. Europe". "Actually its a continent". "Oh, okay then. Was Salem on that continent too?" "It was a town on another continent. Why?" "So basically, you are saying that the last real time people claimed to have magic, huge hunts were had and hundreds of people at least were murdered unjustly?" Kuroki nodded. "Uh huh. So basically, its actually impossible to say if your world has magic or not, because after something like that, any real mage would have stayed in hiding and formed underground communities?" Kuroki twitched a bit. "...yes". "Right, so...Kuroki, I think you might want to rethink that". "Yeah...probably. Not that it matters anymore. I mean, its impossible to return to my original world after all" Kuroki stated. "Hmm? No, not entirely" Amyris stated. "Wait what?" "Its extremely difficult mind you, the odds are less then one percent of trying it permenantly, but its not impossible". "Less then one percent odds kind of sounds impossible. But what do you mean?" Riza looked interested too. "This is the first I have heard of this also". Amyris proceeded to explain as they continued walking. "You know how we have summoning rituals? Well, think of it sort of like fishing. We cast a hook into the water, and pull out whatever bites. Of course, the hook itself is designed to only get certain types of fish, those that meet the standards, like being willing to help out this world. But we cant actually set it for a specific hole, let alone a specific person. So the ritual can actually take hours, or even dozens of hours, which is rather rough on the mages. Especially considering how similar it is to gaining a True Arcanium". "Wait are they..." "Yeeep" Riza replied for Amyris. "At least it makes the heroes stand out less". Amyris then coughed to regain their attention, and continued. "Now, thats how you reel them in, but keep in mind there are many various holes. Now, we can pull the fish out into our world, but if one was to try the opposite, it gets extremely unreliable. Its like wildly throwing a fish into the ocean and hoping it goes into the right hole out of hundreds, no, thousands of them. You have no way of knowing even which direction is the right one, and the fish itself doesn''t know and cant really control where they go either. Who knows, they might even get intercepted by another fisher, or rather, summoning ritual in a different world before that happens. Its one thing to pull someone into this world, but we cant just push them so accurately". Kuroki nodded, understanding the explanation. "So basically, it''s because the summoning ritual, while it can set requirements for who is summoned, but it''s not actually accurate. It will just summon the first person it finds who meets those conditions?" "Yes". "And that''s why you can''t return people to their own worlds. It''s not that you can''t reverse the ritual, but it never had an aiming function to begin with. Just a filtering one". "Exactly". "But what about Starfallen?" "Honestly, no one knows for sure. They never appear around the times we summon heroes typically, so by all rights, it shouldn''t be connected directly. However, this latest event has shown that everything we knew clearly wasn''t hard fact. So anything we used to know is clearly wrong, or at least has exceptions to it". As they said that, they arrived at the Adventurer''s Guild. It was a huge building, but not quite as large as the Mage''s Guild and certainly not as uniform. It only had about five stories, unlike the Mage''s Guild which had six or seven, depending on if the glass dome counted as its own story, or if the building actually had huge amounts of interior expansion enchantments on it. The building seemed to be as if several additions had been made later. In the front there was a simple two story building, with then the larger parts being right in the back. Considering the difference in materials and size, it was clear it was built later. The back part looked far more study and nicer, while the front appeared to be nice but clearly had been remodeled and refurbished and still had some of its worn down charm. Unlike the Mage''s Guild which featured absurdly large doors, the Adventurer''s Guild just had large doors. The front doors was three and a half Kurokis tall, about a Kuroki and a half shorter give or take. The building also looked like it had been repaired somewhat recently. Notably, the sign had the words Adventurer''s Guild on it, but also there was a sign that showed a sword, a bow, and a staff above a cartoonish dead dragon. It even had a little X for the side of the head one could see. Even before they had entered, the smell of alcohol perforated Kuroki''s nostrils, making him want to gag. He had a deep hatred of alcohol, due to what his father would do to him when he was drunk. It was usually brutal, but also sometimes just plain weird. He was both an angry drunk and a weird drunk. Due to his experiences, Kuroki had formed an instinctive hatred to the stuff. Not to mention the times his father made him drink it, it tasted horrible. All while he said "real men drink like this and can handle it early!" As such, he immediately turned and began to walk away, but got lifted up by the arms. "Oi oi, we need to get you registered you know?" "This smells like a bar, not a reputable establishment". "Its not a bar...well it has one, but its not the primary thing. Also, bars can be reputable as well". "No, they cant. Any place with booze is scum and the enemy". "...Kuroki, I dont know the full details for sure, but whatever asshole drunk you know, its the minority for sure". Kuroki looked away. "I doubt that". "You really hate alcohol don''t you?" "Mhm. It makes bad people even worse". "Ahhhh...I see. However, there is always a chance your friends came here as well you know? Most Starfallen end up becoming adventurers after all, partially since you need need a referral, a background, a mentor, a sponsor, or anything like that to join, and they tend to come in with literally nothing, including connections. At most the person who found them might help, but no guarentee that person will be in a position to really provide aid". Hearing that, Kuroki stopped resisting. Certainly, he wanted to find his friends as soon as possible. "Fine. We can go in. But I hear conflict inside. You sure its a good idea?" Amyris looked at the rising moon. "Ah, its about that time isn''t it". Riza nodded. "It is indeed that time. Well, between the both of us, it should be fine. Kuroki, make sure you dont wander off okay?" "I know that!" Letting Kuroki back down on his own two feet, the trio walked into the Adventurer''s Guild. The interior had a slight smell of alcohol, and there were quite a number of adventurers there. About thirty or so, at various tables. The guild had various tables, big and small, all around, as well as a good central path clear. There were receptionist counters all around with various receptionists. This included one large main front one, but rather then being staffed by a beautiful girl or woman as is usually the stereotypical thing, this one was staffed by someone who appeared to be a fourteen year old boy. He wore glasses and had messy blonde hair, and ruby red eyes. He wore a short sleeve shirt, suspender shorts, and appeared to be busy watching two different events unfold in the guild. The first was what appeared to be an adventurer in silver armor and an adventurer not wearing any armor but a red shirt, grey pants, and black boots at a table. There were a few finished mugs, and the two glared at each other as they were competing. It was clearly some sort of drinking contest, which soured Kuroki''s mood immediately. There were a few spectators, but most did not care, seemingly bored or dissinterested in the drinking contest. Perhaps that was because there was an actual fight going on in an opening without any tables a few moments away. A bald man wearing armor clearly made from leather, probably monster leather, brought down a huge mace on his intended target, only for his intended target to dodge. It was a red haired boy with crimson eyes, who was holding a giant sword that looked like it could be just as tall as him in one hand. He jumped backwards, doing a backflip as he pressed his free hand against the ground to keep his momentum up as he got some distance away. He looked like he couldn''t be older then ten, the same age as Kaede, and he wore a black cap that was a bit too big for his head, a red sleeveless jacket, a black medium sleeve shirt, both of which were long enough to go below his waist by a bit, and black shorts. His boots were also black, but they had red detailing on him. His socks were also red. Furthermore, his sword was a black blade with red detailing around the hilt and guard, as well as some runic lines and symbols in his the weapon itself. Not only that, but he had red wolf ears on his head, and a red wolf tail sticking out of his rear. There was clearly a color theme going on here, so it was very clear this was a matching outfit. However, what was odd was his physical ability. Holding that large sword with a single hand, although it was clear he was having difficulty holding it properly. He was still able to block and parry however. "Flare Enchant: Incedia Rix!" Using magic suddenly, the boy''s sword caught flame, along with his free hand. The bald man charged right at him still, but then the enchantments also reached his shoes. He was somehow able to perform some sort of step technique, as he appeared behind the man suddenly. The man meanwhile collapsed onto the floor, his face heavily bruised from a blunt attack and slightly burned. Kuroki had seen it immediately. It was a suddenly burst move that involved tight muscle control and involved using rapid force to push off the ground at an angle. One would swing their weapon around in the process. Normally one was supposed to strike with the blade with an actual sword, but the boy had used the blunt side to avoid committing murder right in front of a crowd. He had managed to even pivot around at the end and slammed the blade rapidly. His physical abilities made it even faster then it would normally be able to be performed. He had never seen anyone utilize that technique before. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Yes, this was a technique Kuroki knew. In fact, he had once had it beaten into him over the course of a month, this specific technique. His father might have beat him, but he did teach other students properly. And this was without a doubt a Kyoudo Style Martial Art technique from his father''s dojo. It had some official name, but Kuroki and the students had nicknamed it Brilliant Flash. This boy was not only an Otherworlder, a Starfallen, but it was someone he knew. As the boy turned around, that was when it clicked. The two looked at each other and pointed. "Kuroki-sempai!" "Rikuchi!" "Gah, that is you...but could you please forget that embarrassing nickname?" "Ah, sorry Riku" Kuroki said. But he made no promises either. Amyris and Riza both looked a bit surprised. "You know him then?" "Mhm. You could say that...lets just say we helped each other out from time to time". "You could say we are peas in a pod!" Riku commented with a laugh. "Still though, to think we ran into each other here. Are you here to register as well?" "Yeah. You too?" "Yeah. I was about to, but then this guy kinda came out of nowhere and tried to rob me. Well, to be exact, he wanted to take all of my possessions, includiny my trusty sword, as an ''instruction fee''. Seriously". "That sounds super illegal. Riza, thats illegal here right?" Riza shrugged. "It should be, but its hard to say with Adventurers moving around a lot. There have been various scams in the past by bad seeds, so it might have turned into a ''he said, she said'' situation. Well, had he won anyways, which seemed doubtful. That guy had way too much pride in pure strength. Anyone could tell from those moves alone that you would win, Riku, which is probably why the Guild didn''t do anything to intervene. Well, that and also you are new and young, and that guy is probably a veteran of a year or two at least. His standing was higher then yours". "Ah, that makes sense. Still though, I kinda saw this coming, but you went the full on mage route didn''t you?" Riku said, sizing Kuroki up. "Yep. Looks like you went the magic warrior route. I take it then...your uncle isn''t here either?" "Thankfully not. That would be hell after all" Riku said. "I guess that means your dad isn''t here either then? Maybe we will get lucky, and they were both flung to the far ends of the planet". "That would be such a wonderful relief". Riku Ashiyama. A ten year old boy and a frequent visitor of the Kyoudo dojo. He started martial arts when his parents were still alive, but then they died about a year ago. His uncle got custody, but basically just kept him around for the money. After all, his parents had created a rather well made and intricate trust for him. In essence, only by properly taking care of him would someone get access to the money, and it would need to be properly spent on Riku, with the rest being all his when he became an adult. He was originally supposed to go to his grandparents house, who loved him a lot, but his uncle did some shifty things behind the scenes and got custody, and used every excuse he could to siphon money. He was also drinking buddies with Kuroki''s father, which should tell you all you need to know about his personality. Apparently they were together in high school too, and he also did martial arts. Both of them were pretty sure Riku was sent there to embezzle money or something, but its not like they could prove it. However, credit where credit is due, his father at least taught Riku properly. Although he did seem harsher on him then normal students, perhaps in part due to how friendly he and Kuroki were. But Riku was a very quick learner. He even was able to learn and master Brilliant Flash. He was clearly talented, it probably helped his parents helped to train him properly. His favorite animal was also wolves for some reason or another. Probably just because they were cool. "So Wolfkin huh?" "Yep! Pretty lucky!" "Where did you get the clothes?" "Well, after wandering around the forest for like a whole day, I accidentally fell down a hole into a secret underground ruins. There I had to avoid a few deadly traps as I tried to find a way out, but instead I found some old room with a few chests and journals in it. And that was where I found this outfit. From what I read of the journals, apparently it was made by some guy for his son ages ago, during some monster rampage, but it never reached him in time because before he could send it, the monsters overwhelmed the keep first. Let me tell you Kuroki, dungeons and such are really dangerous, but especially when you are butt naked. You appeared that way too right?" "Yeah. Happens to everyone who comes to this world. However, we are also supposed to appear near supplies to help us get along with our journeys or start us out, or near someone who will find and help us on our path". "I see. That sucks. And here I was hoping my shitty uncle would hopefully spawn butt naked in the middle of the woods surrounded by monsters with nothing to help him at all". "Yeah, that would be nice for my father too, though knowing him he would somehow manage. Especially if you consider one thing..." Kuroki told him about his deduction regarding three of his father''s desires. As well as everything he learned about Otherworlders so far. "Yikes. Thats...thats not good Kuroki. He could literally arrive any moment, either now or months away". "Yeah. Even if both of us fought him together, we would probably lose even with our new talents and strength". "Dude, that guy is obsessed. If desires take the strength of the desire into effect, anyone with obsession is going to be potentially a disaster. I know you said Starfallen dont get cheats, but lets be real. I mean, you said it yourself. This is not a normal situation. We cant be sure they didn''t get any, can we?" Amyris and Riza heard those words. They stayed silent during the reunion, but this made them think things through. "Shit". "Yeah okay. I cant put off my report to his majesty anymore. Lets get you both registered and then back to Amyris'' house first though. This could be serious". So far they had all operated under the assumption Starfallen wouldn''t have any cheats. And from what they saw so far, they still didn''t. However, they had no idea what Obsession would play into things. If the system wasn''t working as it normally did, and obsessions could create even more powerful Starfallen, that could be bad. After all, most of those with Obsession would probably be degenerates or terrible people. Kuroki''s father, Riku''s uncle. They could become serious threats. Neither of the two adults there could ignore the possibility, however small, of this happening. The two boys went over to the counter, with Riza going with them while Amyris continued to think about things. "Ah, I see the festivities are done" the receptionist boy asked. "My name is Ozlo. I take it the both of you want to register as adventurers?" The two nodded, and then he turned back over to Riza. "And you grandpa, please stop trying to make friends with kids my age and younger. I know you might look young, but please remember its weird when you make friends with people my age okay? Well, the black haired one is my age anyways. The red haired one is even younger". This caught both Kuroki and Riku off. Riku hadn''t even realized Riza was way older then he appeared, but that wasn''t even the most surprising thing. Ozlo had immediately recognized that Kuroki was fifteen years old. Even Riku knew that was insanely difficult for people, not that he had the balls to say that outloud when Kuroki was in earshot. Kuroki knew where he was ticklish after all, among other things. Still, it could probably be counted on one hand. The amount of times it was seen through so easily and instantly. "As perceptive as always, Ozlo. I am curious, how did you know Kuroki''s age?" "Well first of all, while they were too far to hear anything, it was clear that the red haired boy looked up to the black haired boy. Enough to know the black haired boy was probably older. It could have just been a year or so, but the way the black haired boy walked was more efficient, less childish. He had at least a few years more instinctive experience walking. If I had to guess, roughly fourteen or fifteen years old. You can learn a lot about people by how they walk. Well, aside from you grandpa. You are just a freak and an abnormality". "Hey! You got meaner as you got older. I remember when you would run out of the bath all excited and jump into my arms before even drying off, it was so adorable". Suddenly, an abacus was taken out. It was only then that Riza finally stopped talking, and abrubtly too. "Lets see, now how big was your bar tab again? Ah maybe I should just round it up. The guildmaster gave me permission to after all". "...I am sorry, please continue" Riza said sheepishly, backing down instantly. Apparently, he had some massive bar tab. Kuroki just glared at him. "Ah! I know you have motives behind it, but that isn''t justified and it really hurts Kuroki!" "Right, just ignore that idiot" Ozlo said, as he took out two forms. At the same time, he had someone else move two stools over so they could sit and properly see the counter and fill the paperwork out properly. "Now, can you both read and write, or do we need a scribe to do this for you?" "We are both good". "Yeah, we can manage". The two boys continued to fill out the paperwork. Unlike the Mage''s Guild, it was an incredibly easy form. They just wanted their names, a few combat related talents, hometowns, and ages. It took up perhaps half the page, and the other half was to add anything else they might want to add about themselves. Incidentally, aside from the names and combat related talents, everything else was entirely optional. Hometowns was just asked for in case they died so the guild could at least try and send a notice to their families. Needless to say, neither of them filled out that section. For a variety of reasons. Not filling anything in was fine, but they were warned lying on a form would be punished. Once that was done, then began a process similar to what happened at the Mage''s Guild. Both of them needed a bit of blood to put onto two blank cards, and once that was done they were put into a microwave looking like device. It made various noises and dings, as well as some wooshes. "Oi, Sempai. You don''t think that thing was made by an Otherworlder do you?" Riku whispered. "Honestly, it seems likely. Probably a Starfallen, but who knows, maybe it was a Summon. That said, apparently most get rich quick schemes like trying to use knowledge from our old world to influence this one end in failure. In fact, the previous hero did that and made a harem somehow, and then got executed even though he killed the Demon King. Apparently he caused huge amounts of business failures because everyone already has a set culture here, and they are used to their own flavors so the new ones brought in didn''t go so well with their pallets. And they already have magic and such". "Yikes. So successes like this Magic Card Making Microwave are probably like, less then one percent of what typically happens?" "Yeah, basically". "Really glad my desires were combat based and not production based. That could have been brutal". "Speaking of which, that Flare Enchant..." "Ah, I found a scroll detailing the process. Actually I think it at least partially transfered its knowledge to me by magic. You want to try it?" "Mhm". "Got it. I will let you borrow it when we are done here". "Thanks". "By the way...do you know a girl named Kaede by any chance?" At this point, Riku turned towards him with a red face. "W-why do you ask?" Ah, busted. "Kaede is here in this city as well". "For real?! We are in the same class!" Apparently they did indeed know each other. It was also obvious from his face he had a crush on Kaede. Their conversation was then interrupted by a ding, as the cards were removed from the rahter ornate and stylish microwave like device. "Here you both are" Ozlo said as he handed each of them an adventurer''s guild card.
Name: Kuroki Age: 15 Rank: H
Class: Mage Titles: Photo ID Here
Name: Riku Age: 10 Rank: H
Class: Warrior Titles: Photo ID Here
Where Photo ID Here was their actual images. Just like the mage''s guild, even though no photo was ever taken of them, it was somehow added to the card. Furthermore, both of them had bare shoulders and upper chests visible, although it was only partial since it was focused on the head. "The hell? How is this possible?" Riku asked. "Pretty sure its from our blood. I think they pull the genetic information off the blood and turn it into an image. Of course, this means if either of us had a disguise, we would be immediately found out". "Kinda weird, but okay. Seriously though, I got these cool new clothes, but they wont appear on the ID then? That kind of sucks". "Hey, at least its a headshot instead of a full body shot". "Yeah no thanks, id prefer not". As they had such a conversation, Ozlo then turned to look at his grandfather. "And here is your tab, grandpa". However, when the three turned to face him, Riza was already gone. "Tsk. Azami, Faustio, find that idiot and drag him back here!" Suddenly, two swirling vortexes appeared on either side of Ozlo, and two mini dragons emerged from it. One was white with red eyes, while one was black with blue eyes. They were about twice as big as Kuroki''s head, about the size of a small dog. Both of them immediately launched at full speed, rushing out a door. Cries and screams were heard from Riza soon after. "Did you just...summon dragons? To deal with a bar tab?" "Yes". "I see..." Riku and Kuroki made an internal note not to antagonize Ozlo ever as he went after his grandpa. However, it seems the next antagonization would be sent in their direction. Riku noticed something out of the corner of his eye and managed to pivot his body, grabbing and dragging Kuroki out of the way as a beer bottle came flying at them. "Oi oi, this is the adventurer''s guild you know. The place for people who are tough and can handle itself, not brats like you". "What the hell? Didn''t I already have my stereotypical registration fight event?" Riku asked. "Yeah, but then we arrived as a party, and I still needed mine, so its caused a group registration fight event". Riku and Kuroki had such a conversation, but they both had serious worries. The group in front of them was about six people. That well exceeded the normal size for such an event, which was four people. However, Ozlo had apparently stormed off to deal with his grandpa, while Riza himself had run away from his grandson. And Amyris was...missing. That left the two boys on their own against them. There were other receptionists, but it appears they didn''t command the same authority as Ozlo did or were otherwise busy. One did run into the back, likely to get help. One of them looked at the two of them while licking his blade for some reason. Kuroki doubted that was healthy, but why was now of all times that they ran into stereotypical events? Did such events only happen if they were negative bad ones? However, Riku scowled something fierce. "Bleh. These people smell of more then alcohol". "What do you mean?" "There is something unpleasant...no, poisonous? If I had to make a wild guess off instinct and their behavior with absolutely nothing to back it up, I would say drugs". "...that actually would explain a bit". If they were high, Kuroki could at least understand why that one guy licked his sword. A few seemed half dressed wearing no shirt too, and while clearly they had some alcohol, they didn''t look totally plastered. Unfortunately, they were just two boys, and this was a group of six adults. Kuroki didn''t sense a drop of magic from any of them, and they all carried around large weapons. It wasn''t impossible, but the situation was not in their favor. Especially the one in the back. He appeared the most clear headed, but rather then try and talk anyone down, it seemed he inteded to join in and cause trouble. "Lets see just how grown you both are" one said, looking at them in a revolting manner. Kuroki decided they needed to act first. "Riku...flash checkmate, jack''s gift for shields. Turtle and hare". Riku looked at him puzzled, before he put it all together. "Ohhh...right, got it". Riku started to charge for them. Two of them tried to jump him from either side. but then Kuroki slammed his foot forward and extended ice out from under his foot to under the two of them. They lost their footing, while Riku charged forward. Another two got in his way, but water balls sped into them both at high speed. At this moment, they started to take notice of Kuroki rather then the charging boy, including the one that appeared to be the most collected. And yet... "Flare Enchant: Incendia!" Magic circles appeared around his feet and hands, as his sword, hands, and feet were wrapped in fire. Before the enemy refocused on him, he used this window to act. "Brilliant Flash!" Suddenly, the man who had been in front of Riku lost sight of him, as the one behind him, the one who had been the most aware, fell backwards, with Riku standing behind him. His face seemed a bit burnt, and there was a huge bruise there from the sword''s flat side. A similar mark was also on the back of his head. The man tumbled to the ground, unconscious. Meanwhile, Kuroki was now surrounded by three people, while the other two went to deal with Riku. Kuroki had summoned a bunch of water from the air, and then had it float as it turned to ice the moment a blade crossed into it. The water and ice moved as his hands did. Magic Control Technique: Water Puppetry. This was what he named this magic. Although it made it so he had to move to do the attacks at the moment, it allowed him to free manipulate water and ice as he moved his body. Increasing tension in a limb froze the associated water into ice, while decreasing turned it back into water. He jumped up and twisted his body around in a spin, similar to a dancer''s. This caused the water to come up and twist around them. As he landed, he swept his foot across the floor while crouching low, causing the water to bend them over and knock them to the ground. One managed to get up instantly and slash at him, but he quickly moved his hand and shielded the approach with water that turned to ice, as he froze the other two on the floor as well. His attacker still came down at him, but he dodged, twirling his index finger into the air. Water circled around him and then bound him tight, freezing into ice and then restricting his movements. It was only light, so he broke out fast, but Kuroki got some distance already as he prepared his next attack. Meanwhile, Riku was fighting two people. One with a club, one with an axe. He parried the axe user, and just barely avoided the club. The speed of that club meant it would surely damage his bones if he got hit. He wanted to use Brilliant Flash again, but it did wear on his muscles a bit. It required a quick burst, but it still put strain on his muscles would every time he used it. Normally it would be something that one would only use once in awhile, not in quick succession. I already used it six times today. The first two were way earlier, but still. If it was my old body, id probably already be down. Still, I dont think I can muster another one. Not without leaving myself vulnerable afterwards. My toes already hate me. His current application of Brilliant Flash was actually two Brilliant Flashes in a row. The first was to deal a powerful strike to the front, and the second was to make a powerful strike to the back of the head. It was an unreasonable technique that took a toll on one''s body, but considering who created the technique, that should come as no surprise to either Kuroki or Riku. Apparently he thought something risky like that was properly masculine. Riku barried another strike as he thought about what to do. And that was when he had an idea. "Dancing Step Sakura". It was a martial arts technique his parents taught him. Using slight hops and keeping one''s legs in a bouncy state, one would appear to dance around the attacks. The unexpected movements and how fluid they were caught enemies off guard, allowing him to slip for a moment into a place outside of their perception. The fault of humans only having eyes in front of their bodies, and on the top of their heads. He stepped to the side and proceeded to cut the first man''s weapon in half, and then used that momentum to swing his sword around again and cut the second weapon in half as well. With that done, he proceeded to slam his sword into them both a few times rapidly while in this state, causing some rather brutal hits to them. Kuroki meanwhile shielded himself with ice when the man tried to make a power attack. The sword got caught in the ice suddenly, and then it proceeded to wrap itself around the man in a way similar to when a predator devours its prey. It was quite terrifying, and the man just dropped to the ground, encased in ice, as Kuroki walked past him. Kuroki and Riku walked up to each other and high fived, as suddenly cheers errupted around them. "Yeah. Three cheers to the little guys!" "Nice to see Velocifang cut down a notch!" "Hey hey, I wont the betting pool! Woo hoo!" "Damnit! I thought for sure Ozlo would intervene first! I lost!" "Yes yes, I will take my winnings now". Most of them were random people who had chosen to watch rather then intervene, but that last voice was clearly Amyris. So he had been here the whole time...and bed on their victory?! "...master, why did you not intervene?" "Eh, win or lose, I needed to see how you would fight for yourself. I handled most of the combat on the way here, and the enchantments on both your clothes meant that there was no way they would kill you instantly. Not without stripping you both naked first, but at that point, I would have intervened then". "...please intervene sooner then that". "...yeah, thats not funny". "Well anyways, its about time to head home. Ozlo, you can handle the cleanup right?" The two turned, and Ozlo was now back at his station. "First things first, I need both of their guild cards". "Wait, we aren''t in trouble right?!" Riku asked. "No no, you were both totally in the right and you didn''t kill anyone. No, its just I need to promote you". "Oh, because we showed our combat ability now?" The two handed their guild cards to Ozlo. "Yes. You showed enough of it that you can skip both of the ranks we could generally consider training ranks. Congrats on becoming F-Rank Adventurers!" Apparently they went up by a whole two ranks, because when they got their cards back, they had skipped G and went right to F. There was more applause. "Now then, Riku you dont have any place to stay right?" "Yeah. I only just arrived in the city today after all". "Well, then I suppose for tonight you can stay with us. Generally only my apprentices can stay in my place, but I dont mind a guest every so often". "Woo hoo! Thanks man!" And so the party of four departed and... "Oi, Riza, where did you appear from?" "Oh look, it''s the guy who ran away and made us deal with some thugs ourselves". Both Kuroki and Riku had sharp remarks for him. Still, it was finally time to leave the guild...of course, things wouldn''t be that easy. "Oi oi, what is the commotion down here!" a large bellowing voice came down upon them, causing them to stop. It seemed it wasn''t quite over yet. Chapter 10: The Two Guildmasters As the group turned to look at the bellowing voice, Kuroki and Riku suddenly felt an overwhelmingly powerful force. This went beyond anything they had felt before, even the feeling they got back when the rain stopped in mid air wasn''t like this. It was as if they could feel it instinctively, someone dangerous and powerful was coming. They felt forced to look right at the figure coming out of the door in the back. It was a large, muscular man. His face had been shaven to a degree, but it still looked a bit wild. He possessed a handlebar mustache too, and a thick head of brown hair. He appeared to be about 50 or 60 years old, but he still looked quite healthy and athletic. He was also quite tall, probably just a bit under two Kurokis tall. On his back he carried a large double bladed axe, and at his waist was two swords. His clothes looked rather fine, but also clearly durable and easy to move around in. His boots especially looked to be the most durable and finest things he owned. His shirt had no sleeves, allowing him to display his large and powerful muscles. Kuroki felt just the slightest bit of bloodlust escape him, due to who he was reminded of, but the guildmaster still reacted and looked at him, flashing a stupid smile across his face. He then looked around to the fallen adventurers, who others were moving to the storage closet so they would be out of the way until they regained consciousness. However, the guildmaster got a good look at them first. "You two, don''t put that one in the closet" he said, pointing to the one Riku had knocked out in the very beginning. The one the two boys had believed to still be retaining most of their sensibilities. "Put him in an interrogation room, and then call a doctor to treat him. Get Elsa to question him to, so we are guarenteed to get answers". "Elsa?" "Yes". "Understood, Guildmaster" the man said, running off while two others carried the guy into the back. "Now then..." he said, going and looking back at the two boys. Suddenly the two felt even more naked then when they had first arrived here, naked and cold. They could be tossed into a freezing blizzard naked, with everyone watching them and streaming them across the world for everyone to see, and it wouldn''t feel as cold or unpleasant as right now. It was like he was seen through at every level, poked and prodded. Like he was being sized up and examined on a massive level. Amyris sighed, stepping inbetween the two boys and the guildmaster. "Krazel, what the hell are you doing?" "I heard two interesting rookies got a double promotion on the first day they registered, and that they were both young as well. Still, to think both would be martial artists as well. That was unexpected, especially given how many problematic ones have appeared recently". "You clearly got it wrong. Only one is a warrior, the other is a pure mage" Amyris said. "He may have a Grimoire and appear rather short and weak, but..." Suddenly, the Guildmaster was no longer in front of Amyris, but rather in front of Kuroki. But even stranger, Kuroki had only seen his face for a second when his shirt and cloak were pulled straight up and off, revealing his upper torso. It was too fast for him to see, and his nose could smell the foul stench of booze. It seemed he was only slightly buzzed though, since he was able to shout commands clearly to other members of the guild. And it seemed he possessed reason, even if he seemed to be incapable of showing restraint at the moment. "Oh wow, thats some brutality here" the Guildmaster commented, seeing through the abuse easily. "Still though, with this sort of development, you are actually fifteen huh? And clearly you were made to endure some harsh training for martial arts". The Guildmaster carelessly spoke. "Furthermore, even your legs are like that, and you seem quite developed down there, despite the lack of it elsewhere. No body hair at all either? Fifteen, but with a strange growth pattern? Ah, perhaps a large amount of magical growth then? Still, overall its still quite healthy". When did he?! Suddenly, Riza, Amyris, and Riku all got in his way. Riku quickly started to help Kuroki fix all of his clothes, when suddenly he felt his own pants fall right down and his vision obstructed by his shirt. "You are certainly ten though. Not anywhere as trained as the other boy, but also not as much brutality inflicted upon you either. Yet it seems to have taken better on you. These are some damn fine muscles. Although you should probably get some underwear soon and dont rely on suspenders underneath your shirt". Somehow the Guildmaster got past Riza and Amyris, who turned around shocked. Riza attacked him immediately, his sword having appeared in his hand, while Amyris invoked a spell that made the wood twist and bend out of the ground, restaining the guildmaster while Riza knocked him to the ground. Riku and Kuroki quickly fixed everything, not even embarrassed so much as confused. No matter what they did, they couldn''t follow his moves at all. He surpassed them all. A sort of monster. One that was buzzed and was lacking proper sense. "Don''t harass guild members" Amyris said coldly. "Stop causing trouble, old man!" Riza growled at him passionately. Incidentally, Riza''s playful and aloof nature, which had remained consistent throughout almost the whole night, were nowhere to be seen anymore. His eyes, which typically darted around playfully, were now fully focused on the guildmaster. "BUt they are children you know? And very capable ones. As an adult, its my job to give them thorough health checks and see if they will make good sparring partners". "Consider the time and place, you combat obsessed freak". "I swear, why don''t you just croak and die already, you hundred year old fossil who is obsessed with muscles". "But you know, Amyris, you were the one who told me all about that boy, Kuroki. So it was something I did need to confirm myself, plus I wanted to check on the development of their muscles". It was becoming painfully clear that this guild master was a weirdo, although it seemed his interest was purely in their combat ability, as well as whatever Amyris had told him. Amyris glared at Krazel. Kuroki meanwhile glared at both of them. He had the feeling there was more to this though. "What do you mean? Why were you talking about me?" Amyris looked away. "Not here. If we need to talk about this more, lets go to a private room". The two boys looked at the Guildmaster warily. His aura still felt oppresive too, like they couldn''t deny him. However, in an instant that aura disappeared completely as a new one appeared behind the guildmaster. It was Ozlo. "Guildmaster, do I need to talk to your wife again?" "I gotta do what I gotta do..." "No more okay?" "...I will keep it within reason". "Good. Because I will be handling any necessary checkups myself. We can''t have the boss do that after all. Also, I will be taking away your alcohol". "B..." Before the guildmaster could get another word out, Ozlo silenced him with a glare and a smile that screamed darkness and malice. "...understood". "Glad you understand. Please make sure to be sober the next time you interact with them and apologize properly as well. Now everyone, lets go into the back so the guildmaster can apologize profusely for his idiocy now as well". "I have to apologize twice?!" Seemingly dragging the Guildmaster with him, Ozlo guided them all through a door in the back and down a few halls, until they reached a large empty room with a table and many chairs and stools scattered around. Once everyone was inside, he closed the door, and then looked at Amyris. "Now, explain to Kuroki what caused all this". "First of all, Kuroki...sorry. I wanted to wait until you were comfortable and okay telling me, but...I already know. Maybe not everything, but...a lot". Kuroki stiffened. "...when you say everything". "When I did that examination on your mana, it also doubled as an extensive physical examination. In the first place, one of my specialties is magic that lets me gather more information through my senses to an unnatural degree. When I found you naked and saw you, especially when I had you freeze there and stop moving and then did my examination, I knew you had been abused". Kuroki felt a bit stiff and afraid, but nodded. "I admit...I had a feeling, but I wasn''t sure how much". "After you called me dad, I knew there was something more going on, something bigger. From the fist size and the way you only asked about your friends, never your parents, I figured at least your father was probably an abusive parent. But that moment proved there was probably some really harsh psychological trauma or at least pressure involved. You had not seen a father figure in so long. Your brain was probably too used to your parent''s fathers to recognize them as your own, so you instead latched to an unknown and unconsciously considered me your father. At that point I knew this wasn''t something I could overlook, so I...I used a spell that let me experience your memories". "Wait, you read his mind?! Isn''t that kind of a big violation there?!" Riku asked, shocked. "Certainly, I never do it unless necessary, or when its on those who have done horrible and great misdeeds. But its not so much that I read them, but that I experienced them. Including every bit of sensory information". Kuroki paled. He understood what Amyris meant immediately. His cheeks also went a bit red, because that probably meant he knew about all the times Kuroki had been made to wet himself due to his father''s cruelty. He likely knew about the time Kuroki had been stripped and locked up in the yard like a dog, the time he and his friends had all been easily taken out, and the times he cried himself to sleep. And it meant he knew about all the bullying he had experienced at school as well, some of which was just as bad sometimes. And that meant...he also knew of the Elite Class. "...I see". "So let me be clear Guildmaster. Kuroki is a mage, and if you even so much as think about calling him a warrior or martial artist, I will end you". Kuroki had not expected that next line. "Master?" "What you saying? If he went through all that violence there, why not make use of it anyways?" "Because we cannot allow a single moment of justification for what he went through" Amyris replied. Kuroki didn''t expect that answer, but it moved something in him deep inside. Riku nodded as well. "Yeah. Leave the warrior stuff to me, Kuroki. I am sure Reiji-nii will help fill that role as well when we find him". "If I am around, I can see what I can do, but as a much higher ranking adventurer, I cant actually go with you on requests" Riza said. "After all, part of mentoring is letting you all fight on your own, even if it means risking your deaths, so you can learn and grow properly". If Riza went on requests as them, it might void any accomplishments they hoped to make. The Guildmaster looked at the three of them. "...it seems like such a waste though. I am sure he would make an excellent warrior". It seemed a large reason of why the Guildmaster examined them was to measure their worth as warriors. Still, he was incredibly pushy and thickheaded. He probably did it in the heat of the moment, without thinking at all of what it could be seen as or how it would obviously bother them. Ozlo then pinched his ear, and it hurt him like hell. "It would be fruit from the poisonous tree, I think is the right saying. And it wouldn''t be right, especially when its not what Kuroki wants either. Right?" Attention went back to Kuroki, and he nodded. He agreed completely. He did not want to use it, as he did not want to justify a single horrible thing his father made him endure. The only reason he had hope and still has light in his eyes was thanks to his friends and their families. Not to mention others like Riku, and a few teachers. The guildmaster sighed, apparently giving up. Although he did sulk a little. "...why is the guildmaster such a freak?" Riku asked. "Ah, well he certainly got more excitable then normal today, but he is a sort of battle maniac. He loves to fight" Ozlo explained, letting out his own sigh. "Honestly its such a headache. The reason he did all that was probably because he wanted to size you up and spar with you right there on the spot". "Its more then just that" the Guildmaster stated. "After what I heard from Amyris, I needed to check myself and we need to do proper documentation. Even if you came from another world, the laws of this kingdom still apply. We can easily charge your father with several crimes regardless on if it happened on our soil or not. However, to do that...we do need you to strip so we can document the injuries". "Wait, then what about me?!" Riku asked a fair question. "You two seemed to know each other, so I thought I would check you as well. And so that Kuroki didn''t feel so alone as well". "...you bastard". Riku clearly did not like the idea, but he also seemed to not reject it either. "Oi, language. Do I need to give you a spanking?" "THe only one who needs one is you, sir" Ozlo retorted. "Still, he is right about the documentation. If you go through with it, if we ever find him, we could have formal charges pressed and thrown into jail". Riku looked confused. "Wait, is it so easy? Even though you threatened spanking like it was so natural?" "It is natural. Spanking is a limited thing against one of the most padded areas of the body. However, Kuroki suffered from broken bones, countless bruises, and who knows how it could have affected his brain. Anything like that is completely unacceptable. Some people are even executed for such crimes against children". Riku didn''t really get the difference, but he supposed he understood enough. He compliantly accepted it being the culture of a different world and all. "I see...so that shitty asshole can be charged". "Yes. The only issue is that it might be difficult to have the guards of the kingdom actively look for him, but if he ever gets arrested or caught for even a minor thing by any guard of the kingdom, they should be able to find it out easily and levy charges against him. Especially those in this region of the kingdom. Think of it like a sort of buffer or shield at least". This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Ozlo provided some information of the perks, but he also explained it reasonably. While a crime that can even be punished with death in some cases, it would be difficult to get the guards to actively look for him on it, so it was by no means fullproof. "I guess we can only get Kuroki''s father on that too" Riku grumbled. "Yes. Why, is there others?" "Yeah. People who shared the same ideals and twisted nature of Kuroki''s father. His Elite Class. Even I ended up on their bad side a few times". Kuroki shivered a bit. "I hadn''t thought about them at all". "Yeah, because your shitty dad is an overwhelming threat by comparison. But make no mistake, those guys will cause trouble too. And probably come for you to earn your father''s favor. Besides, they are envious of you". To the Elite Class, Kuroki was a detestable existence. He was the son of a highly capable and great martial artist, but in their eyes he disrespected his father and refused to listen to his parents, and did so constantly. That he denied inheriting his father''s legacy. Envy and jealousy, as well as wrath. The Guildmaster then spoke up. "Thats another reason we need to examine you both. In truth, the past few days, various reports of young highly skilled martial arts seemingly arriving out of nowhere with no one knowing who they are have been coming in. The reason I know of them is because many had problematic personalties or caused trouble, although none of them had comitted a crime yet. It is only a matter of time however". Kuroki did not like the sound of that. "To be honest, other problematic people have appeared and caused other issues as well. Since they seemed to appear from nowhere and yet seem strangely capable and skilled, it''s actually been a huge problem for us. Not to mention the strange marks they had on their chest, at least some of them were seen to have them". "Strange marks?" The guildmaster took out a piece of paper and showed it to them. The two recognized it instantly, after all it was the very name of the dojo itself, and the symbol used as its logo. "Tsk. I dont remember them having that, but its certainly them". "Great. I hope they all stay really far away". "There is more news however..." the guildmaster said, a bit hesitantly. "We have yet to get accurate readings, but from an investigation...it appears over one thousand Starfallen that we know for sure are Starfallen have died in the five or so days since you all arrived". This hit them big. One thousand deaths within the first five days? Even if you consider accidents and really stupid actions, that seemed high. Starfallen didn''t get super powerful abilities, but they did get some power and ability. Enough that they are probably more powerful then actual F-Ranked Adventurers, provided any desire they had could be applied to combat abilities. Adults did get less power though it seemed, according to Riza''s observations. But still, that was just the ones they had confirmed themselves. "What scale of information do we have?" Amyris asked an important question. "We can only confirm cases well around our own kingdom, and only about six hundred of them. As for other parts of the world, naturally that is harder, but some of these confirmations did come from guildmasters I know from other countries, such as the Delathid Empire and the States. However, if we take what we do know and consider the world at large....I would say that if 600 is the average per nation, we could be looking at around 15000 casualties at least by now, provided the enemy was able to perfectly space out all their forces and they all worked with the same level of efficiency. It might be the group in our nation has been more effective then others...or less. However, for every crater we find a corpse in or near, we find another crater that is empty. And a few that had Demon corpses". Kuroki and Riku paled at that. From that, they could be sure now. Their city wasn''t all that large, it was like halfway between a city and a town. But the population should have been over 30 thousand total. Probalbly closer to 40 thousand. In other words, nearly half the people from their city had already died. This sudden news hit them hard. It wasn''t what they had originally come here to talk about, but it was an incredibly boon of information. And also a dark omen. "This is abnormal" Amyris muttered. "Agreed" Riza added. "What? Demons have grudges against Heroes, its not too odd is it?" "No, what is abnormal is how organized they are. Whoever hired them clearly knew the Starfallen were coming. However, they seem to want to kill the Starfallen rather then capture them, so it means that even if they knew it was happening, it seems unlikely they were behind it. Not unless something went so horribly wrong they changed their plans". "More then that" Riku butted in. "It means our entire city was brought here for sure". Children seemed to get more power and favorable positions, so it was likely their classmates were fine. After all, in any place, most of a population is adults. However... "I have a question" Kuroki asked. "Yes?" "Have any of them been babies or toddlers?" The Guildmaster nodded. "Good question. They have not. Not a single Starfallen has been under seven years old". "I see...thats generally the age when they really have more of a sense of self developed and start showing more differences. If I recall correctly, around six is some sort of brain development milestone. At least, if I remember correctly. I might be wrong on some details". It also meant that there was no horrific loss of young life. "If I had to guess, they probably got excluded from the summoning, although that could cause issues in its own way" Riku added. "But if they got left behind, wouldn''t that be problematic as well? Wait, if physical objects got left behind, I wonder what happened to all those airliners at the airport. We had one overhead when the transference happened". "Well, we cant do anything about them. We can only hope that first responders got to the city in time. I doubt it took long for people to go, an entire city disappearing would get noticed rather quickly, especially if an airplane fell from the sky". They got a bit more off topic then they should have. "Anyways. Thats why I wanted to check you both out. With everything going on, and with you displaying an ability some of them had as well, we needed to know if you were part of that group. But you are rather young. Still though, as I am always looking for more apprentices, figured it wouldn''t hurt to multi-task. Especially since I will need all the assistance I can get". He looked back at Kuroki and Riku, only for Riza''s sword to end up at his neck. "You shouldn''t bother people for your own amusement". "Oi. I have altruistic reasons". "Yes. And you also tend to be rude and inconsiderate. How many times have me and the rest of the guild staff had to carry you home when you were plastered exactly. Even now you are drunk. I will be taking away your alcohol again". "Listen, okay. About a hundred of the cases so far have had to deal with curses, so we do need to check them for those as well. And you know curses are my specialty". Amyris looked at Ozlo. "Ozlo, is this true?" "Regrettably, yes. I mean, the man has been cursed over a hundred times now, so I suppose it can''t be helped" Ozlo said, looking away for a change. Riza sighed. "Ozlo, really?" "You try working in the same building as him". "Ahahaha. Hard pass". "If you encounter him sober, it would be a lot better. Incidentally, I will try and have you deal with the Vice-Guildmaster or myself in the future. We rarely if ever drink after all, and the Vice Guildmaster prefers wine anyways". "Well thankfully, I am quite skilled at detecting curses too. So I can look them over at my house, at home, and none of the rest of you are invited. Besides, I need to at least start Riku''s and Kuroki''s laundry, unless they want to parade around naked all day tomorrow". "No thank you! I have things I need to do!" "I would rather not". Riku and Kuroki only had one set of clothes, and as Kuroki had discovered, the set of clothes Riku did find did not come with underwear. So they would need to take him to Ellie''s anyways. She was still making some more casual wear sets for Kuroki and Kaede, so this should work well. Plus then it would let him see Kaede. The guildmaster started to speak again, but then Ozlo hit him with some sort of magic that made him writhe in pain for a moment. "What is that?" "I reached my theoretical limit and used a personal magic of mine that sobers someone up". "He looks to be in incredible pain". "Indeed. If he wasn''t an S-Ranker and so tough, he would probably eventually die if I kept it applied. Magic that so finely deals with the body is difficult after all. I would have used it sooner, but he gets very irritated and I wasn''t sure we would have a productive conversation this way". "...the sobering magic can kill people?" "Yes. Thats why I am its only user. I also created it". The two confirmed Ozlo was very scary. After a few moments, it seemed the Guildmaster returned to his senses. "I wasn''t that drunk you dumbass!" "You were drunk enough that you harassed two kids in public just to check for marks, check their muscles, and do your own examination. In other words, for pure curiosity". "But I was clear headed enough to call Else in to interrogate that one guy! And to hold this whole conversation! I should be praised, not punished! And why doesn''t your sobering magic also remove hangovers?!" "Because its an unnecessary feature for you. If I ever develop a version that does also avoid the hangover, I will make sure everyone else aside from you benefits from it though". "Ozlo!" "I can''t believe you have such authority Ozlo" Riku muttered. "Ah, well. Despite my youth, I am the Sub-Guildmaster of this guild". "Is that different from a Vice-guildmaster?" "Yes. It means that in terms of authority, I am ranked third in this entire guild. The Vice Guildmaster is second, and then the Guildmaster should be number one but is too irresponsible so we boss him around instead". "Ahh...I see". With that, the group decided to leave. Ozlo and the Guildmaster decided to see them out, as they were done for today anyways and had their own homes to return to. But right as they made it to the street, that was when they had another encounter. "Well now, if it isn''t Amyris and Riza. And a few others as well". Talking in a rather haughty voice, they turned and looked over at a man wearing large green robes. He had long black hair and amethyst eyes. His hair even went all the way down past his shoulders, and his cloak and robes covered him from head to toe, and yet just barely avoided touching the ground. He had a few other people behind him, clearly all mages as well. Amyris scowled. "Well now, if it isn''t Guildmaster Sebas of the Mage''s Guild. What brings you to this part of town?" "Why, I was just enjoying the nighttime air of course. By the way, I heard you finally cleared your troubles with the Guild the other day and even registered an Apprentice. How wonderful. Would this little boy be the one in question?" Kuroki glared at him, but when he tried to speak, he felt a suffocating amount of mana appear around him. It even plunged into his mouth, into his throat. "Y-yes, I am that little boy". The words came from Kuroki''s mouth, even though he did not say them. Or rather, he had no intention of replying like that. "Are you a cute, adorable, very little boy?" "Y-yes, I am a cute, adorable, very little boy". "Sebas!" Amyris shouted, a wave of mana coming out of him that erased the feeling that Kuroki suffered from. He collapsed to the ground and gasped for air. "Kuroki! What the hell did you do to him, you bastard!" Riku went for his sword, when suddenly he felt a huge amount of mana stuff down his throat as well. "Oh, sorry, I am such a foolish, innocent, cute little boy as well that I made such a terrible mistake against a great and powerful person like yourself, my lord". Riku''s mouth said words, but it was not Riku that said them. Amyris pushed back again, and Riku joined Kuroki on the ground, panting as if he had nearly been suffocated. "Well now, since he admitted what he said to me, a noble, was wrong, how should I punish you?" Amyris glared, and the mages raised their staffs. However, it was not any of them that reacted next, but the guildmaster. "You done messing around, Sebas?" Sebas'' aura retreated further, as Krazel stepped forward. Fully sober now, he seemed a lot more dignified and respectable. His mere presence made Sebas'' mana retreat. "I thought I would say hello" Sebas muttered with a smile. "After all, Amyris rushed out with his apprentice before I got the chance to meet them. That was quite rude". Was that why he rushed us out of there at the end? To avoid this guy? Notably, even Riza found it hard to move. He coughed a bit, but he at least remained on his two feet. However, a sword had appeared in his hand, shimmering in the moonlight along with a single bracelet around his wrist which seemed to glow with magical energy. Ozlo had ended up down on one knee as well, and this was someone who could summon dragons. Even if they were small, Kuroki was sure that was no minor feat. Sebas'' hair fluttered in the wind, revealing a pair of elf ears. As well as a scar across his neck and by the side of his face. It was hidden by the hair and robes normally, but Kuroki was able to get a glimpse at it. Whoever this Sebas was, he was able to control mana to such a degree. Although it was basic, not even real spellcraft, it was absurdly strong. It seemed to pair with his arrogance, as he could force people to say what he wanted them to say, and to kneel before him. That was his power. The pressure was as if they were on the bottom of hte ocean. Still, it seemed like a powerful enough pressence by one''s side was enough to push it back. What was of particular note however was that the Guildmaster was able to do it even better then Amyris, who seemed to be about equal to Sebas. "Still though, he seems quite weak. To think he would succumb so easily to my mana". Riza''s sword then appeared at his neck, which alarmed even Sebas. His mages didn''t even react, only now noticing. "Lets not pretend that your actively focusing your mana on them just to make them do that. After all, it only hit them one at a time did it not? Then again, I suppose thats the only way you can feel important about yourself. Bullying children". Sebas glared at Riza. "Oh, you think you can take me on?" "Take? What do you mean? Legally, when you stuffed your mana down those kids throats, you basically committed assault. I could perhaps charge you with attempted murder". "You really want to get into a such a fight when I have yet to so much as lift a finger?" "And yet, you are speaking out of place. You came to my guild, and picked a fight with me and my people, and then continued to act arrogant in front of so many witnesses. Countless people saw you blatently flaunt your mana, and you have so far done nothing but speak disrespectfully towards those here. You sure you want to get into such a fight?" "I think that you underestimate my greatness" he said, as he took out a wand. "Ara ara, are you sure about that" a female voice said from behind. Sebas quickly turned around and made some distance, as a blonde haired women now stood there. Suddenly the mages fell down one by one, as she walked towards Sebas. "Don''t you think its about time to end such a farce? It''s time to let them go along with their journey, you know?" Krazel then nodded at her. "Else, I am glad you arrived". "Yes, I can see the Mage''s Guildmaster is being such a pain, and after you were specifically warned by the Council not to act in such a way and to become more approachable and kind" Else mentioned. "I will be reporting this infraction". Now Sebas seemed a bit panicked. "Tsk. We will see about that. We are going, everyone!" Sebas took one last look at Kuroki, sending a shiver down the boy''s spine. Sebas and his henchmen seemed to walk off, making distance between them. "I don''t like him at...damnit!" Kuroki suddenly dodged to the left as a roof tile slipped from a nearby roof and nearly hit him in the head. "Phew, that was close. Did he do that?" "As expected sempai, you have the greatest ability to sense danger of us all". "Alright, now lets get home before some demons spot us" Amyris mentioned. "Right!" the two replied, as they quickly ditched the others. Riza chased after them though. "Oi, I am not done enjoying my time with you guys yet! Lets go to a tavern next!" And so that was how they spent their night.
Back in the office of the Adventurer''s Guild Master, Krazel and Ozlo were sitting there, drinking some tea. "I gotta say Ozlo, you are a tricky one. Shouldn''t you trust people better?" "Now now, compared to what actually happened, I only planned a small portion of it" Ozlo said. "Grandpa probably knew even more about what would happen then I did. Although I will say he should have warned me about the Mage''s Guildmaster. Honestly, I hate dealing with that asshole. Besides, we only reacted to the drunk drugged people. Neither of us lured them in, we just let Kuroki and Riku fight them to test their abilities, and get them promoted faster". In order to get to F-Rank, it required quite a bit of demonstration of combat experience. However, special exceptions can exist. For example, clearly defeating a bunch of hoodlums like they did. "Furthermore, what was really scary was that they both identified the fact this was a group being manipulated by one of their own members, although he too was being manipulated by others. He was in the back, but they took him out first so that way the mob could not be organied against them. Honestly, that was kinda scary. Normal kids are not capable of that". "Says one who is even more abnormal, Mr. ''I made B-Rank at Age 10''". "Well, I cant deny that. In any case, their abilities are probably about....D-Rank, maybe occasionally dipping into C-Rank. Especially Kuroki''s defense. He was warding multiple attacks and using a magic technique I have not witnessed yet. It looked like unstructured magic, but I have never seen it be so fluid". Unstructured Magic was what people referred to as just using mana itself, while Structured was utilizing mana within a frame of an incantation, or with glyphs or symbollic equations. Incantations or Glyph Equations were always a stronger way to use magic, while mana was a faster and more instinctive way. Which just goes to show how powerful Sebas was, who could take control of someone''s voice with just their mana. That said... "Sebas relies far too much on his overabundence of mana by exchange. His technique is rather crap, but he used his mana and status to keep climbing the ranks. That, and quite a few suspicious deaths. Kuroki meanwhile doesn''t have godly levels of mana, but his technique might as well be godly. I thought Starfallen didn''t get any absurd skills?" "No, thats probably just a reflection of his intellectual ability. Without a doubt, he is the type who can think things through quickly and come up with clever ideas". Kuroki''s mana control had made it appear as if he was dancing around the room, while his enemies were forced to endure someone else''s attacks. "I suppose that means we will have to get them ranked up fast. The longer they stay at lower ranks, the more people will try to take advantage of them". "Agreed. That still doesn''t excuse your disgraceful behavior earlier though". "Sorry. But that was some nasty magic I got hit with. To think they would try and use that magic again, and on me. Good think I came prepared for the day that thing returned". Ozlo looked surprised. "Was the enemy that strong?" "If he is the one that has been hunting the Starfallen, it makes a lot of sense. Still, it means we are in some deep trouble. And that magic in particular is one we have to look out for, especially since I wasn''t able to completely shake it even". "So, the enemy that has been gone for several decades is back". The guildmaster nodded. "Yes. The one who took Anna from the world has returned".
At the same time, in the office of the Mage''s Guild''s Guildmaster. "That damned bitch! To think the Guildmaster brought her...was it that brat Ozlo''s doing? Did he see that far ahead?" He was furious. He had been shown up completely. Or rather, he was totally outmanuevered. He knew Amyris would be there, and he would have to endure a bit, as well as Riza. But of course, Ozlo and Krazel were also there. And then Else showed up. He knew what they thought of him. Just because he was clever and sneaky, they hated him and couldn''t understand his brilliance. He, who had so easily climbed to the top using his schemes. However, now he had an issue. Riza''s son had been stationed in reception, and the Vice Guildmaster came from another city and was just a mere boy, yet somehow was impossible to bribe or fool easily. He saw past everything that came at him, and was there by the Council to monitor his guild after a number of complaints. And unpleasantly enough, the Adventurer''s Guildmaster got on their good side in the process, even though he was probably also scheming something. Yet his hands were being tied because the Guild was probably filled with people who were against him. Blind fools! Siding with me is clearly the superior choice! I suppose I wont have any choice, I will need to punish them. Kuroki, huh? I look forward to seeing that arrogant Amyris squirm, and his pupils seem like a great way to do just that. Then perhaps I will finally get revenge on him for what Anna did to my beautiful neck and face! Decades ago, when he had been asseting his power and trying to get a higher rank by using his subordinates to speed things along, he ended up doing something that society would foolishly blame him for like some commoner. At the time he was able to erase the evidence, but Anna saw him and attacked him to defend a witness, a young boy. In the process, she had wounded his beautiful, beautiful face. Anna was gone, but his grudge remained. Amyris was the one that found her and taught her, so he had long harbored a grudge against him. But he was strong, and highly respected and loved as The Magician of the Silver Hour. Why is he so beloved when he raises troublemakers, while I am a brilliant and wonderful person and treated so bad! This makes no sense! But soon, he would become the hero. It was some ways off, but soon. Then no one would care about Amyris, and only about him. But he knew it would certainly help if he made sure Amyris wasn''t around when it happened. Still, he was sure his scheme would be absolutely perfect. Chapter 11: Putting Things in Perspective Rolling back time a bit, in a different city in the morning, a certain two boys were laying in bed. Reiji and Juno had found the inn they were looking for, had a bit to eat, and then promptly went to their room. Reiji was tired, while Juno, thanks to his Wish, was not. At least, not yet. As such, the boy had told Reiji he would get some things done and then promptly pass out from exhaustion in bed with him, so he should go ahead and sleep. Reiji just stripped, handed over his clothes since Juno said he would handle laundry tonight so they had clean clothes tomorrow, and then Reiji quickly passed out in bed. Reiji was now awake, and he had serious concerns. The fact that Juno was asleep so soundly was one of them. Juno should be waking up before him, so the fact he was still asleep suggested he outdid himself, or something very bad happened. That or they overestimated his ability, which seemed plausible too. However, it became clear to Reiji that Juno not only outdid himself, he went out shopping. There was now a simple handmade clothesline in their room, where their still damp clothes were drying in the morning sun since it was next to the window. It wasn¡¯t just Juno¡¯s clothes, but Reiji¡¯s as well. Both only had one set of clothes after all, even underwear, but during the warm months sleeping in the nude was common and expected anyways. But the water was outside, which means Juno had essentially been forced to spend at least an hour or two outside, hand washing and scrubbing all their laundry, completely naked, at night. Reiji felt rather guilty about all that, but they literally had no way to have clean clothes otherwise, and their situation was precarious. But not only that, but there was a cloth on the floor with all their possessions aside from their clothes laid out on it, including remaining rations and money. Apparently he counted it all, took inventory and stock, and even cleaned their weapons and Reiji¡¯s shields. He even wrote a task list for today, such as registering at the adventurer¡¯s guild and buying Reiji armor. As well as gathering information and looking for Akano and Kuroki. He did all of this last night, then crawled into bed and fell asleep half clinging to Reiji. His feet seemed a bit dirty too, suggested he had walked or ran outside barefoot quite a bit last night. His limbs had since kicked and moved around in his sleep, although he seemed genuinely unconscious right now. Reiji felt rather guilty letting Juno do all the work, but he still needed to sleep himself. Far more than Juno did. Still, he decided he would help pick up the slack. Not only for the small hardworking boy next to him, but for himself as well. Especially for his reputation. Reiji was like, three times as big as Juno overall right now. And he could see how people might misunderstand the situation, a large guy like him forcing a small, younger boy to even wash his underwear? Reiji would hate it if people thought that. The two of them were best friends after all. While thinking that, there was a knock at the door. Reiji tried to get up, but Juno had kicked the sheets off completely now and was clinging in his sleep. This made things difficult, so Reiji just decided to speak and hope he didn¡¯t wake him up. After all, Juno couldn¡¯t sleep easily anymore, but he looked quite happy right now and Reiji didn¡¯t want to wake him up. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡±I am Marla from the kitchen. Your friend came after he finished the laundry last night to place breakfast orders for you both this morning¡± she said as she opened the door. Reiji was technically covered in the right area, but only because Juno¡¯s butt was sticking up into the air in the way. She left them two trays inside the room, and then left. She had absolutely zero reaction to this, and Reiji realized this was probably a common occurrence for the staff. ¡°Mhm¡­I smell food¡± Juno said, stirring as he nested his head into Reiji¡¯s chest. He still looked sleepy. Perhaps his alertness only kept him so awake because they were in a forest before, and he could relax better in a city? Perhaps it was easier for him to sleep then they thought. It wasn¡¯t like they had a status window to open, and there were no skill descriptions to check. ¡°Juno, you awake?¡± ¡°Yeah. Is it morning?¡± ¡±Yeah¡­but you knew that already didn¡¯t you?¡± Juno nodded as he finally got off Reiji and sat up in bed, pulling his legs in as they lay sideways. ¡°Ah, the food is here¡±. Each of them had eggs, sausage, as well as some buttered toast. The eggs had some salt on them too. Juno quickly got both trays and brought them back, deciding they would eat in bed. The mattress was quite soft and stable, and moving around in it didn¡¯t even spill the glasses of juice on the side. Even when Juno jumped back into the bed and sat with his legs going off to the side. Seeing this, Reiji smiled awkwardly. ¡°Thanks for looking out for me. And sorry for not being able to help you last night¡±. ¡±It¡¯s fine. Besides, I wasn¡¯t alone the whole time. I met a few other kids, a few younger and one my age, at the same time while we all did laundry¡±. And so Juno began to talk about his night last night. Juno was sitting on the back porch of the inn, not a soul in sight. His butt parked on the smooth wooden porch that felt kind of like a well made and refined oak, but a bit softer and yet more firm and hardened at the same time. His feet were off it, with a large soapy basin bucket of sorts right on his lap while the other end was held up by its own stand. It was a bit chilly, but his beastkin blood meant he had a somewhat higher body temperature. Still, that didn¡¯t stop him from feeling chilly, though he was able to enjoy a beautiful starry night. Laundry had to be done outside, since the inn didn''t want people bringing water through the main hall and spilling it, and also the basins filled with water were insanely heavy. Juno also didn''t want to wake up Reiji anyways, and he had more or less started to get used to things here. Reiji always did so much for him, for everyone. Kind and considerate, and always thinking. So compared to helping Reiji out for a change, this was nothing. Juno knew part of why he was probably used to things already was because of the Compliance Effect. Without a doubt, something had affected their minds, but knowledge was power. By being aware of it, they could utilize its strengths. And right now, Juno was convinced it was best to go along with it. Especially with what he heard through the open door behind him, which led to a hallway which connected to the main dining area. He was a bit nervous being so exposed near such a crowd, but he had no clean clothes. He had a single outfit, and the tailor they had visited earlier today had prices that were...not affordable at the present. Well, they could afford it, but their reserves would be so low that it would put them in dire straits. Unless they wanted to go out and hunt for every meal and sleep under the stars, and not pay for any information or supplies, it was a non-starter. That was why Juno had to do laundry while nude, but apparently that was normal. Or rather, having lots of spare clothes was a luxury that typically only nobles and wealthy merchants had. Most people in this world had on average two sets of clothes, with many having just one set or at most three. At least casual average outfits. There were work outfits as well. Incidentally, adventurers often fell into the One Category, mainly low ranking ones admittedly, since there was no magic that would let them store things infinitely. One could get storage expansion on a backpack, but that would at most double interior space, and there were far more valuable things to carry then clothes, such as rations, camping gear, potions, recovered items from monsters. Magic had no super cheaty and convenient spells that just trivialized such things, same for laundry. The only thing that did more then double capacity was bags specifically designed to store corpses. However, they couldn''t store anything other then corpses. Try to put anything else in, and it shoots right back out. Apparently making it more specific made it better, but apparently one couldn''t use it to carry anything other then corpses because of how finnicky it meant by specific. Corpses were considered one thing. Juno thought maybe it was due to the genetic data all being the same regardless of the part. However potions, armor, weapons, even clothes are all collaborative. Actually made of many different things. Armor would be read as its metal parts and leather, or different various leathers, and even the stitchings would be considered its own thing. One could technically make a bag for just wood though, but those only worked well for lumberjacks. Adventurers didn''t really need those, so there was little demand for them. In short, there was no convienent way to have lots of storage space. The corpse one was the one adventurers got, along with their generic ones, and that was that. Incidentally, clothes actually were not as bland and basic as Juno might have thought. Business suits or swimsuits didn''t exist in this world, but apparently there were quite a few stylish hoodies and jackets that felt modern-ish. The material and quality felt like they would be better then one would have found during the coresponding time period of Earth. However, when he asked Reiji this, he just said "Well, this is a different world, so perhaps their technology developed in different ways?" While thinking such thoughts and starting his scrubbing, he heard someone come out. He was a bit startled, but when he looked behind him there were two boys. Both as naked as he was, carrying dirty laundry. This back area was basically reserved for people doing laundry at this time of night, and it was considered rude to stare or pry too much, but it seemed they also had laundry to do. One appeared to be about his age, while another was younger. "Ah, excuse me" one said, passing by on the way to get a washing basin, setting their dirty laundry nearby. For a moment, Juno was not sure why they said that until... "Ehk! It reeks!" "Sorry!" the boy cried out, as he began to fill his clothes washing basin. The other boy set down his huge pile of laundry, and also went to fill a basin from one of the faucets. The faucets were all located out here along with the necessary basins, so people just needed to bring their laundry and their soap and other cleaning instruments. Also, this was for clothes only. Armor had to be done elsewhere. Incidentally, that large pile stank even more. "Wow, I think you should wash yourself once you are done with that!" Juno complained. He might have been embarrassed at one point, but they were all boys and all in the same boat, so it seemed unnecessary. Incidentally, they were allowed to wash themselves off out here afterwards. The moon was just inching out over a large tree nearby, its branches rooting out from even low in the ground as if reaching out from all over to grab the moon. "Sorry, I get stuck with these kinds of jobs sometimes" the silver haired boy said, looking a bit sheepish. Juno and the blue haired boy both looked over at the massive pile. "Wait, isn''t that mainly adult''s laundry?" "Yeah...for my entire squad. I am Ellio, the lowest ranked Squire of a squad of knights from the Brigade of the Silver Wind". The ten year old boy said that as he looked at the huge mound of laundry, and let out a sigh. His bare feet tredding across the sea of grass, walking reluctantly with a filled basin in hand towards the intimidating pile of filth. "Good luck~" "We are rooting for you~" "Yes I know, it sucks! But this is what every Squire has to go with. At least its only a squad. Gods, I would die if I have to do everyone''s laundry solo". As he sat down, he moved the basin in front of him and pulled out a shirt, and got to scrubbing. Meanwhile the blue haired boy sighed. "I have quite a bit too, but...its kind of my fault I suppose. I put off laundry way too much, and I don''t have anything left to wear now. And while I might be an adventurer, no one tends to trust a thirteen year old who stinks like crazy, or anyone really". "Yeah. I had a fellow trainee in the academy get kicked out because he couldn''t keep himself in a state befitting a knightly position" Ellio mentioned. "Ah, my name is Rukia by the way" the blue haired boy said. "My name is Juno". "Ah, are we doing introductions out here already?" a fourth boy asked as he came in, levitating in a huge pile of laundry and as came out as well, just as exposed as the rest of them. He had the clothes land in a clear spot near the group and proceeded to get his own basin. He had brown hair, dog ears, and a dog tail. "My name is Jasper. Nice to meet you all". "That is quite a large bundle". "Its mostly sheets. Im doing this for a decrease in rent for the innkeep" he said, as he started to fill up the washing basin with the water he needed. "Too bad you can''t conjure the water or clean it with magic". "Well that would just render it all unusuable, for like weeks. Not really worth it". "Oh? I never heard anyone actually explain why that happens before, just that it can''t" Juno mentioned. "Its cause of mana intoxication. You cant make drinkable or bathable water with mana, and it really doesn''t clean you well anyways. Apparently mana particles get imbued with it, and trying to use force tends to just hurt yourself and your skin. And mana intoxication is dangerous, you can die from it. Incredibly easily". "That...is not good". "Of course, you still suffer if you slowly absorb concentrated mana over time even if it doesn''t kill you, it still hurts like hell and might leave you incapacitated the whole day. Although I hear some freaks actually enjoy that". "And for clothes?" "The mana from the water seeps in if you try and wash it. Of course, a single splash wont do it, but..." "You cant clean them with just that". "Yeah. In combat, you will die from spellwork long before any mana intoxication will kill you. Sometimes, dying soldiers who will die before mana intoxication will affect them are given a bath in magically produced water to ease their final moments. But that means they are basically dying any minute anyways". It seemed that unlike the isekais that Juno knew of, magic wasn''t some omnipowerful force that could solve all issues and recreate modern convienences. The mage, Jasper, continued to provide explanation for them. Apparently, Mana Intoxication also prevented someone from just guzzling down potions one after another. Potions were made with ingredients, and didn''t require a mage to make itself, but mana was utilized in it. However, it was the more natural mana, in far lower doses, and diluted by the ingredients themselves. However, traces were still there, so one couldn''t just use potions to solve everything. Especially since they could be rather expensive. In particular, mana restoring potions were especially dangerous, containing more mana than the average potion. Not only that, but there was no all purpose potion. There were various different types, especially when it came to ailments, diseases, and other things that in a game, one might put under status effects. Apparently the potion to reduce fatigue from running a lot, and a potion to reduce fatigue when staying up late, were entirely different, and using the wrong potion at the wrong time would provide little to no benefit. And there was no potion that could deal with mana intoxication. The best treatment for that typically involved just keeping them fed, hydrated, and naked, since the more exposed skin, the easier it was for the excess mana to leave the body. While chatting, Juno got to learn of the three of them. Ellio was the newest Squire of the Brigade of the Silver Wind, an order of knights that apparently were all magicians as well. He was hazed quite frequently, and he often had to do the other member''s chores, but this was partly due to the fact they couldn''t take him on many missions yet since he was still being trained. He was eleven years old, and apparently his parents had died. He had wanted stability, so he ended up joining the Knights so he could have that and put food on the table. It also gave him a place to sleep as well. Even though he did their chores for them, they actually paid for his lodging and his food on expeditions, so it seemed like overall they were decent people. They were also teaching him properly, and he even got medical benefits. Apparently one of the few organizations that did have something like that. He seemed hard working and honest, and despite having the largest pile of laundry of the group, he was keeping up with the rest of them in terms of pace. Rukia meanwhile was actually an elf, and apparently working as an adventurer. He was thirteen, but Juno realized he himself looked younger and was shorter, which was why he mistook Rukia as being the same age as him. He was actually tall for an Elf though, since apparently like Beastkin, Elves aged slower after reaching the age of nine or ten, only to a stronger degree. Probably because their lifespans were much longer. Apparently he never knew his father, but his mother was an elf. She was actually the Vice-Guildmaster of the Adventurer''s Guild in another city, and he was in the middle of traveling and adventuring himself. Also, apparently he was rank C. His ID card was the card connected to a small chain and was hanging around his neck. Jasper, the Dog Beastkin, was in fact also a member of the Adventurer''s Guild, but also the Mage''s Guild as well. He was fourteen years old, although perhaps due to his species, he looked closer to eleven or twelve. He certainly didn''t have any hair on him aside from the top of his head and his tail, although that was true for Juno as well. And leaving aside the tails, true for all of them really. Even without actively looking, Juno''s Gift caused him to notice these things easily since they were all had bare butts as they did laundry. Apparently it was normal. That said, there was typically a staff member nearby ready to help as needed, and to keep any drunks or perverts away from them. That said, the back of the inn was pretty well enclosed, and there weren''t many windows that faced out into it. An adult could easily see over if they were tall enough, but at this time of night only the night watch really passed by, which is why it was an excellent time to do laundry. While nudity was far more normal and common in this world, that didn''t mean people went out of their way to be exhibitionists. That was still considered very weird. It just meant there were many reasons for it, and they were accepted, but doing it outside of those could get you strange looks. Unless you were a child at least. As they were doing laundry, Jasper was noticably doing it all by hand. "Guess you cant use a spell to clean either huh?" "I can use magic to move the clothes myself, but trying to properly scrub them like that would be difficult, or risk infusing mana into the clothes itself. So its better to scrub. And no such spell can really exist to just clean things instantly. After all, even if it worked, it would cause some heavy mana contamination and they would probably be unusuable for like, a month. People always think that all problems can be solved if you have magic, but thats just not possible. Even magic has limitations". Ellio, who was somehow looking like he might finish before any of them, suddenly let out a groan. "Focus...levels...exceeded...losing...willpower". "Oh no! Ellio has been defeated!" Rukia let out a dramatic cry, as he held up the sleeve of a shirt from Ellio''s pile to declare it victorious. Ellio meanwhile dramatically reached for the sky. "Tell my family...I loved them...and that I want an extra portion of breakfast tomorrow..." Ellio then pretended to be dead, while Rukia, who had already moved to his side, played along. "Don''t worry. I will have both your breakfasts tomorrow so it wont go to waste". "Ah, I will take his eggs. I love eggs" Juno joined in. "I will take the sausage then!" "Oi!" Ellio said, reviving from the dead. "Its a miracle!" "Ellio lives!" "Aww. Couldn''t you have waited to revive till after breakfast?" "Breakfast is sacred! Stealing it is wrong!" The group burst into laughter at that. "Gotta say, seeing you wash all those huge underwear was kinda unreal. Actually, Juno, aren''t you washing some too?" If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Yeah. My friend, Reiji, is always working hard for me, but he needs to rest still. I dont need as much sleep, so the least I can do is help out with stuff like this. Seriously, I owe him so much. He has helped me out since we were little". "Ah. I have a friend like that" Jasper mentioned. "He always pesters me to eat properly, and that library books cant sustain a healthy body alone". "I am that someone to a friend of mine. She is kind of clueless and helpless if I dont make sure she takes care of herself" Rukia mentioned, his blue hair blowing in the breeze. They all shivered a bit though because it was nighttime and they were dealing with cold water. Ellio looked back at the inn. "I am grateful to have the knights. They might stick me with stuff like this sometimes, but they really look after me and treat me like family. Its very warm and fuzzy". The three nodded, approving of that. Another gust came by them, this time really sending them into a shiver. So far, the work alone and their idle chatter had kept their minds occupied, but now they were really starting to shiver. The buildup of cold water splashing on their skin didn''t help either. "Alright, I think we need to take a break. Ellio''s mind is basically mush, my hands feel a bit numb, Juno and Jasper both look like their penises are shriveling up from the cold and are desparately trying to wrap themselves in their tails, and I think all of our butts are getting sore from sitting for so long on a cold wooden floor". "Oi oi, we aint the only ones who are shriveling up!" Jasper countered. "Yeah! And why did you leave out Ellio too?!" "A random stray shot from Juno?!" "Well, he is ten. I dont know how much of that is from the cold". "And an even more damaging stray shot from Rukia?!" Ellio said that, but they were all clearly laughing and okay with this. Rukia looked around. "Hmmm, its grassy, but if we tried to spar here, we would probably still get dirty and such. And its not really flat enough". "Its pretty wide, so if we all had targets and bows, we could hold an archery contest". "You are the only archer here, Juno". When the others had introduced themselves earlier, so had Juno, although he did leave a number of things out like being from another world. Ellio shook his head. "I know how to use a bow as well, but if we damage the fence or anything, we will probably all get spanked into oblivion". Juno remembered his spanking from last night, and would rather not have a repeat. "Fair enough". "We could race" Jasper mentioned. "No magic, no mana circulation. The alley back there should be clear and smooth, and the fence is rather easy to climb over. It¡¯s a nice long straight shot. We could see who makes it there and back three times first". Juno wanted to suggest football/soccer, but they didn''t have a ball to use and Juno wasn''t even sure the sport existed in this world. After some other ideas got thrown around, such as dance contest and singing contest, both of which got vetoed by everyone including the one who originally suggested it, they ended up going with the race. Juno felt a bit embarrassed still, especially since he knew some people were nearby watching them, but everyone else seemed fine and he didn''t want to be left out. Plus, he had become friends with them. But also, his competitive streak flared up. He was someone who became the top archer in his region. Juno had a major competitive streak. He wouldn¡¯t back down just cause he was a bit chilly. Plus also they added a bet into the mix. "Whoever wins, the other three has to help with their laundry". As they were doing this because they got bored and tired of doing laundry non-stop, this alone served as the motivation Juno needed. But with all the other factors, he didn¡¯t even hesitate. Partially because he was the slowest one here in terms of laundry. The rest of them were far more used to and experienced with hand washing. He had always used a washing machine in his previous world, and had only been fifteen and lived with parents as well, so compared to them, who had years of experience, he was an utter novice who went much slower by comparison. That was why, despite starting first and having the smallest amount of laundry, he had not finished yet. The four boys counted together, and set off the moment they reached zero. The other three were faster, clearly more accustomed to running barefoot then Juno was. However, while the others seemed to be pushing themselves in terms of energy, Juno remained stable. Thanks to his Wish, he didn''t passively use energy. Laundry had been tiring him out since that was anything but passive, but he was in a better state then them in terms of energy. Plus, he was fast. However, as it turned out, so were they, so they all remained roughly even with each other. Juno did end up stumbling a bit every time his bare foot stepped on a nut or a pebble, while the others were able to brush it off far more easily. Not only that, but the wind chill and the thoughts of people seeing them didn''t affect them at all either. So this let them get a bit of a lead on Juno, who was not used to running barefoot, let alone naked. The first to slow down that Juno passed was Rukia. On their second lap, it seemed he was starting to lose. Although he was an adventurer, it seemed to be that he had done a lot today, so he was the one who had ended up feeling it first. He really psuhed himself to keep going, but it was clear first place was going further and further out of his reach. This left Ellio and Jasper tying for first. As a mage, Jasper should have a lower endurance then the knight trainee, however the mage had the advantage of being older then Ellio by four years, even if he only looked about two years older. He was also the more experienced runner. He kept himself stable and consistent, and his butt didn''t wiggle as much. He seemed to adjust his shoulders to be more aerodynamic, and maximized his stride as he ran. Meanwhile, Ellio had been at the point of brain melting, and while that had been mental exhaustion, it seemed that was might have also been partly physical. The running was stimulating his brain again, so color was actually returning to his face. Still, Jasper got into the lead. During the third lap, Juno had managed to close the distance at least, getting within sight of passing Jasper. But then at the very end he did a full force sprint, leaving Juno in the dust. Juno tried to sprint after him, but in the end Jasper crossed the finish line first. "Yes! Woo hoo! Now I can get the three of you to do some of the sheets!" "Damnit...to think as a Squire, I lost to a mage in terms of endurance..." "...I am an adventurer, I travel and run all the time. How?" "...I was the oldest and least exhausted here..." All three of the losers were recovering from their shock, sitting on the grass back in the yard as they processed their losses differently. "Now now, it was all fair. I was naked after all, so you would have seen me using magic". Apparently, mana would glow at least a bit where one used it usually, so in fact it was impossible for him to have hidden using magic from them. Clothes would usually be enough to conceal it, so it wasn''t that bright, but in pitch darkness with one being naked? It would have shown up easily. The four of them ended up collapsing and laying on the grass before they continued laundry, forming a sort of circle with their heads pointing at each other. "Tonight was fun. If we are all free, we should do a rematch tomorrow". "Sure" Juno said, agreeing unexpectedly. "I will win next time!" "As a Squire, I can''t just let this slide either". Ellio ended up tackling the group to the ground in revenge, and so they ended up rolling around a bit as they laughed and messed around. It was a sweet and wholesome sight of friendship. The cold winds returned, but thanks to moving around they had warmed up their bodies again. Eventually they stopped and got back up, and then Ellio had a look of eagerness. "I think...we should get something else done before we go back and finish the laundry". "Like what?" "How about we climb to the top of that tree? No contest this time, just for fun? See if we can reach the moon at the top?" Everyone giggled at Ellio''s suggestion. Obviously, the four of them knew they couldn''t, but they decided to try anyways. The tree had very thick branches even low to the ground, and many of them. It appeared to be a pine tree too. They all got up and began to climb, with Ellio and Juno taking the lead. The bristles tickled his skin, but he was able to hold in his laughter as they climbed to the top. Eventually once they reached the top, they found one large sturdy branch that they were all able to sit on together, although they basically had to squeeze right next to each other, hip to hip. They then gazed upon a beautiful starlit sky. "So beautiful". "Brilliant". "The moon looks so warm and inviting". "Such a great view". At this point, Jasper incanted a spell, and then suddenly a flash appeared behind them. Soon after, four photos materialized in his hands. "Woah, what is this?!" "Its a special magic I created. Its unfortunately really mana intensive, and it cant produce images larger then this, but still..." He passed them around, and it was a picture of the four of them from behind, sitting on the tree together, staring at the sky and the moon. The sky was especially captured in vivid and stunning detail. They sat there for awhile until being in such a high place made the winds particularly bitter for them, so they climbed back down and finished the laundry, before heading back inside to their rooms. And so, Juno finished his story to Reiji. He even showed him the photo. It started out as something rather embarrassing, but it ended up being a wholesome story of friendship forming between four boys. KInda reminds me of the four of us. "Well, glad to hear you had some fun. I take it all that helped to tucker you out" Reiji said as they finished breakfast. "Yeah pretty much" Juno mentioned. "I might actually get some sleep potions as well at some point. It''s not like I need to sleep, but maybe sometimes I will want to take a good long snooze without being aware of everything". "Although you did look rather peaceful this morning". Juno then caught him up on everything else, including the prices he found out last night and estimations on how long their current money will last with no additional increases. "So, about two to three weeks then". "Yes, provided neither of us gets injured, sick, or cursed. Apparently curses are a really big deal, but they should also be rare". "And so, anything else?" Juno nodded, a bit more grimly. "Apparently out of the dozens of craters they found nearby the city, about half of them had corpses in them. All naked, but also all adults, so it seems that none of the ones found at least can be Akano or Kuroki". "I think Kuroki will be fine. Even we got traces of magic, probably thanks to Kuroki''s love of magic rubbing off on us. So he should have recieved a good deal of magical ability. The one I am least sure of is Akano". Juno however shook his head. "Nah, if anything, Akano is probably more solid then Kuroki. After all, he desired the ability to protect Kuroki, and attack threats to his best friend. I am sure that translated into both defensive and offensive abilities. That should make him more balanced then either of us. You were always more protective, while I was always more aggressive. Together we are great, but separate, I think Akano will probably be better rounded individually. He also wanted to become a doctor sometimes, so I wouldn''t be surprised if he got healing abilities as well...huh". "What is it?" "I just realized Reiji, we are kind of an awesome balanced party if we meet up, and my predictions of Akano are right. Kuroki is our mage, I am our rogue, you are our warrior, and Akano will be our priest I bet. We have it all covered". "Provided you are right. But I think you are. That fits with what I remember about everyone''s dreams". Reiji seemed to be deep in thought, as he looked back at Juno. Juno looked rather adorable, but in truth he was probably one of the most lethal of them all. Not just of the four, but of all their classmates. And Kuroki will have magic. Looks can be decieving in this world. Eventually, Juno determined that their clothes had finished drying, so they got dressed and headed out. First thing the two did was go to the adventurer''s guild. "Ahhh, this feels great. Totally worth it" Juno said, spinning around in his freshly cleaned clothes. "It is nice. We will need to get spares though if we want to avoid doing laundry every day, or at least every other day". "Remember though, we will be traveling a lot. There is often a lot of space between major settlements, so we cant pack too heavy. I think we should put up with it until we meet up with Akano and Kuroki at least". "I suppose that is true, but at the very least we should get spare underwear and socks". "That I agree with. It wont take up that much space if we stick to a single spare pair of each. But when we travel, we prioritize rations. I dont want to starve on the road". "We should prioritize potions as well. Even if we cant drink a lot at once, they seem far too useful to ignore". The two were walking down the street while discussing their preparations. Juno walked with both of his hands overlapping behind his head as if to support it, his elbows pointed out and slightly upward and forward. Reiji meanwhile had his arms at his side, but occasionally used gestures when talking. "Reiji, should we have inidividual sleeping mats, or should we share one? I don''t mind either way, but if either of us have to pee when sleeping, we might wake each other up. Or at least, I will wake you up". "That is just more reason to get it. Remember, you are being targeted by the three women already...actually wait..." Reiji stared at him. "You didn''t need to use the bathroom this morning...alright, spill it. What else happened that night?" Juno froze for a bit. "Ahahaha..." "Juno. I am not afraid of giving you a spanking either". "What?! You can''t Reiji! Adults and seniors are one thing, but we are the same age!" Reiji was of course lying, he had no intention of doing that, but... "Fine fine. Yes, there was more to the story last night..." Juno began telling the rest of the story. The group of them finished up doing their laundry, and helping Jasper with the inn''s sheets, when they all realized something. "Ahh....all that moving around from before...dinner is finally hitting". "I have been feeling it for awhile now, but wanted to finish first" Ellio said in a panic. "Uhg...having that third glass of juice was a mistake" Juno admitted. "Ah, I should go before bed as well, so how about we do it together to cement our new friendship?" The three boys wanted to reject such an idea, as it was a bit bunch to say that, but...their bladders didn''t let them disagree. Ellio quickly ran over and got four buckets for them. It seemed they were enchanted and made out of special wood to prevent staining or from any gunk sticking to them. It was a bit too exposed out where they were though. Racing through the alley naked? That was fine and normal. Going to the bathroom in front of people, naked or clothed? That was considered rather embarrassing and indecent apparently. Running over to a corner in the yard, out of sight from any of the windows or passerbys, they put down their buckets and squated over them. There was a few trees nearby and a number of footprints, so it seemed this was a common shitting spot. Once they were in position, the four of them let loose. As they pooped into the buckets, they also released their pee, becoming arcs that soared out in front of them. Especially Juno''s, who had certainly had too much to drink at dinner. Pleasure and blissful expressions appeared on all of their faces as they did their business. To keep them stable, their backs were leaning against the wall. It was made of stone, so it was rather cold and chilly. Especially since at the moment they were losing a lot of mass and body heat doing their business, they began to shiver again. They ended up inching closer for warmth, especially as their business got a bit unpleasant. "Ah...I knew there was something a bit off with that sauce this night in the dinner special!" "You think it was....ahhh, yeah! I think so too!" "Same!" "No wonder it hit us all at the same time!" As they were distracted by this, Juno felt it right in the middle. Sets of eyes, gazing upon him. Not just him now, but all four of them even. "...how unpleasant" Juno muttered between moments. "What is it, Juno?" Ellio managed to ask. "We are being watched". "Tsk. You know where?" "No, somehow I don''t. They seem to be incredibly good at hiding and concealing their pressence. I can''t detect them at all". This surprised Juno, since he usually could. But they remained far enough away that he only sensed their gazes, and must have been experts at concealing themselves or using magic to hide themselves. The latter was probably another vulnerability to Juno''s awareness. "It might be that criminal organization. Lately, there has been one that targets young boys like us. I am sure they are sizing us up right now to determine who would be the most profitable to kidnap" Ellio mentioned. "Thats part of why my squad is here. We are investigating that organization and trying to take it down". "Either way, lets finish up and get out of here". Once they finished their business, they used some nearby leaves to wipe their butts, found the dumping hole for the buckets, and dumped them in. Then after a quick wash of the buckets, they returned them and headed back in... "And I swear, that is everything" Juno said, finishing his story. Reiji looked at him suspiciously. "You sure?" "Yes!" Reiji let out a sigh, and then looked back at Juno. "So they really don''t have any toilets in this world? How annoying. But Juno, you dont need to handle everything yourself". "Well...I just relied on you so much back in our old world, and even now I am kind of relying on you to protect me...I just dont want to bother you so much". "Juno, you are the one who keeps watch at night. So let me be the shield during the day, okay?" "Right...sorry". At that point, Reiji flicked Juno''s forehead. "Like I said, its not a bother. Just make sure you share stuff like this. So, how about right now?" "Ah, one of those women from the other day is following behind us right now" "Then lets take some precautions. Also, I would like to walk there faster anyways" he said as he lifted Juno up and gave him a piggy back ride. Reiji''s size and strength made that a rather easy task for him, while this let Juno get a better view of everything. This was similar to when Reiji and Kuroki did this to win the Sports Festival as well". After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at the Guild. The sign said adventurer''s guild on it, but there was also a sword, a bow, and a staff over a dead dragon as its icon. The little cartoon dragon thing was kinda cute, Juno had to admit. But his expression then turned serious. "So, odds of some kind of scheme prepared for us here?" "Its a public institution, so I want to say unlikely. But if this criminal organization is wide reaching, we cant be sure who is in their pocket". The two prepared themselves as they stepped through the door. There was a bit of an ale scent, but it was small and only Juno''s enhanced nose was able to detect it at that. It wasn''t all that rowdy, probably because it was morning, but it was still rather busy. There was a board full of paper notices, but there were also some that were carved into wood and hung off of hooks. From what Juno could see with his enhanced eyes, the wooden ones were recurring requests, things that often ended up repeating so they put them up over and over. Meanwhile, the paper ones were atypical requests, so rather then waste storage space with large blocks of wood, they used paper and put them up as needed. As for the receptionist, there was a young boy, who looked like he could have been around thirteen years old, at one of the empty counters. His sign said "Administrative Needs only during peak hours", so it seemed that he handled administrative needs rather then requests. At least at that desk. Since they were registering, that was probably where they needed to go. They walked up to the thirteen year old boy. He had white hair and ruby eyes, and noticably he had cat ears and a cat tail as well. It seemed he was arguing with a dark haired girl however, who seemed particularly arrogant and rude. "Listen to me, you freak!" Her voice was full of vulgarness and hostility. However, even more importantly was that Juno recognized it. He reached for his bow on reflex, when Reiji stopped him. "We dont want to get involved with her and have her notice us". "That...that person is the one who did that! She got expelled! How is she here?!" "Mhm. I want to punch her too, but we dont want to become murderers or cause trouble when we have no one to vouch for us. We especially dont want to draw her attention". The girl was around fifteen years old, the same age as them, and they both recognized her voice immediately. She was someone who they thought they were finally rid of, but it seemed their hopes that she left the city had been unanswered. Out of all the bullies, she was one that Juno hated the most. She had gone after all of them to degrees most bullies never would. There was a reason she was expelled, after all. Even she wasn''t able to cover up her crimes forever. In fact, Juno had hoped she had been sent to a juvenile facility. However, perhaps because she was a girl, they went easy on her in their old world. "You should be helping me! Its your job!" "Actually, my job is to handle administrative duties and punishments. And no amount of bribes, threats, or mocking my race is going to change that" the receptionist said. "And seduction like you tried earlier wont work either". "But you know I am stronger then those other dimwits! So why wont you rank me up and give me better jobs! I deserve to be able to afford nice things! What are you, a stray?!" Upon that word, Juno and the receptionist boy both twitched. It felt almost instinctive, an instinctive hatred and violation. Juno was not sure why, but considering it was both him and the receptionist, two Cat Beastfolk, who reacted that way, he wondered if it was something related to their race. The boy made a cold, rage filled smile. His face might be smiling, but it didn''t feel warm. And his eyes definently were not. It was more like a cool rage, with a huge fire being held back behind it. Several adventurers backed away, instinctively feeling fear. "Listen, Miss Kanako Amiya. While it is true you were able to rank up to F from H at the start, combat strenght is not the only thing the guild cares about" he scolded her with a cold, icy voice. "It also cares about reliability, skill, personality, and trust. I wont deny your power, and you completed the quest. However, the guild does look at the quality of what is turned in as well. They were just barely passable, according to the report I got from Mia. And you were quite rude and looked down on them the whole time, despite the fact they tried to overlook the fact you cut in line since you are young and didn''t know better. Furthermore, you have only done a single request so far. I quite literally cannot promote anyone who has only ever done a single request for us. And certainly I have no intention of making an exception for someone who is so damn unpleasant, that I want to glue their mouth shut and stuff them down a ravine". The boy got a bit venomous at the end, which seemed to agitate things further. However, she herself seemed to break off, clearly voicing a complaint. She took a request off the board, and took it back, despite the fact it wasn''t his job right now. However, he did it anyways, and then set her on her way. It was obvious he did that just to get rid of her. Either way, Kanako was just as the two remembered her at the end. She was cruel, mean, bossy, and calculative. But once someone showed her up, she often got flustered easily. Especially when it was done massively. Unfortunately, she was quite easy to set off. Like when Kuroki scored higher then her on that test. Or when Juno used her own plans against her. Or when Akano took down her boyfriend at the time in a Sports Festival. One might think its weird for three of the four of them to have done this, but that roughly showed the average percent of the school that ticked her off somehow. Either way, it was clear now, so they decided to approach the receptionist. "Excuse me, we would like to register as adventurers". The boy looked up, and smiled warmly at them. "Ah, I see. My name is Kyri. Both of you right? First of all, can you fill out these forms?" The boy passed two forms for them, as well as pointing to stools over there that Juno could sit on. Sitting on Reiji was a bit odd for when trying to fill out a form, but while he could reach over the counter, it meant standing on the tips of his toes, so this was more comfortable. Most of the form was optional, but it was still there. Both of them registered with their family names, as Juno told him that plenty of people in the cities had family names. That said, not everyone did, and especially not in more rural areas. They did this so that their families might be able to find them. Once they were done filling out the cards, Kyri then asked them to put a drop of blood on two cards. They did so, and then he took the blank cards and put them in what appeared to be a Microwave. Only, it didn''t microwave things apparently, but extracted and then infused the two objects together, imbuing them with complex spellwork to make it impossible to forge. Eventually it finished and they got the cards back, and saw the same thing that Kuroki and Riku had seen.
Name: Juno Age: 15 Rank: H
Class: Archer Titles: Photo ID Here
Name: Reiji Age: 15 Rank: H
Class: Warrior Titles: Photo ID Here
Apparently their cards were set up so they could make them reveal their last names only if they wanted them to, and not by default. It was there to protect children who might be trying to escape abusive parents. The last name would never display unless the card owner wanted it to. They could even change the first name if they wanted to. As they finished up however, suddenly two large guys approached them. "Whats this? A tiny little kitten signing up? Does he even have the ability?" "Hey, runt. You shouldn''t make your friend do all the heavy lifting for you, ya know?" Almost immediately, two thugs appeared and acted all thuglike. Truly, they were classic thugs. Juno had no other way to describe them. They even looked like thugs. However, Reiji just shook his head. "Come on Juno, lets find a request to do to earn some money. We shouldn''t bully the weak after all". "Hmm...ah yeah". Juno couldn''t help but notice the sharpness of Reiji''s tongue at the end there. Neither did Kyri, who chuckled a bit at those words. Unfortunately, the thugs also heard it and immediately attacked Reiji in retaliation. Reiji raised his shields, deflecting the blades and bashing them right in the face. Juno meanwhile darted around them and kicked them both in the back of the neck. This caused them to collapse right there on the spot, unconscious. "Well, that was..." "Yeah, that was certainly disapointing. Kyri, can we leave the trash here for you to deal with? We do need to start accepting requests after all". "Yeah thats fine. Its their fault. The guild will be fining them for littering. That said could you hand me your cards back first? I need to promote you both to F Rank, since you have clearly displayed the abilities required for it. Very efficient moves, good work". Apparently, they were trash. The two thugs littered themselves on the floor. Juno didn''t feel like getting involved and pointing out the paradox of the statement though, so he moved on with Reiji towards the board once they got their cards back. Unfortunately for them, they ended up gathering even more eyes on them as a result. But that would be something to deal with later. Chapter 12: The Perspective Damage of the Previous Hero Winding back time a bit once again, Akano was waking up in the Church. Today was the last day he would be there, as he was setting out on his journey this morning. In truth, he was happy to leave for many reasons. As grateful as he was to the nuns and priestesses who helped him, they were incredibly strict and even though Akano didn''t even have a stitch and was still in shock from what happened, they made him do chores. As such, he had rather forcefully been made to comply to the common sense of this world in just a few days. He also learned just how laundry was to do in this world, since there was no magic that just cleaned everything. In fact, magic couldn''t be used to clean, due to mana intoxication. That said, they also educated him a bit, bathed him, fed him, and even provided him with clothes for free, so he was still grateful. Embarrassed for awhile, but one could only feel that way for so long. However, he had other reasons he needed to leave as well. He needed to find Kuroki, Juno, and Reiji. He was most worried about Kuroki. Although it seemed almost a guarantee he would be able to use magic in this world, given what he learned about the Starfallen and how the Starfall process works from the head nun here, there were still concerns. Kuroki could be a bit shy, due to always being made fun of for his height. And while they all did have other friends Akano was worried about as well, Kuroki had the absolute worst luck. Akano wouldn''t be surprised if he had to make a multi-day trek to the city completely naked, or endure some arrogant or pervert guildmaster, or got targeted by a criminal organization that trafficked in young boys. He even heard from the nun that last one really existed. There was also the fact that tens of thousands of shooting stars were seen the night of the Starfall. It looked like the storm blanketed the whole city before everything went white. This could be especially problematic on if the outskirts of the city were in range. And it could mean Kuroki''s father was here in this world too. Kuroki is in grave danger. He had been willing to wait to learn and practice magic a bit, and supply up, largely the fact even he wouldn''t rush off bare ass naked helped. But he couldn''t dally. Kuroki was in grave danger. This world had magic in it. Kuroki loved magic, but shitty father hated that about Kuroki most of all. It was bad enough when magic was just fictional, but what would happen in a world where magic was real? Where he lost all the reputation and connections he built up, but was also in a world where violence was more often used to solve problems and disputes? Akano knew. Kuroki''s father will try to kill him. He will actively seek out his son to end his life. Especially since Akano was sure he would somehow blame Kuroki for all of this too. And that would apply for his essentially brainwashed disciples too. They would do it out of jealousy, out of envy, and most of all, to get in his father''s good graces. Even if they didn''t go for the kill, they might endlessly torment Kuroki, and hurt and kill people around him. The laws and order of their previous world and held Kuroki''s father and his disciples back. There was no guarentee this world would do the same. And so, Akano was setting out at first light. He got out of his bed, the sheets still a jumbled mess. He was still naked, but his clothes were carefully folded and out on the nightstand next to him. They had been freshly laundered already, so after doing some morning stretches and using the sheets and a towel to wipe himself dry for extra measure, he put them on. In addition to the normal traveling clothes, the nuns here after a rather unpleasant and embarrassing measuring system with him, had made him something as well. It was just a simple thing to throw over his other clothes, but it sort of made him look like he worked at an old shrine at his old world. His shorts were rather baggy as well, and it was all short sleeve. That would be fine though, since apparently they were just entering the warmer half of the year. Days would be warm, and maybe even hot, while nights would be cool and crisp. Another thing they gave him was a modified shrine maiden''s staff, which had been shortened to suit his height. When he touched it, he felt a similar pressence to what he felt yesterday. "Testing testing, can you hear me?" It was the voice of the young boy god he had met yesterday. "Yes I can hear you. Is this going to become a common thing, Talia?" Akano couldn''t see Tama, but it appeared that Tama was speaking to him remotely, or telepathically. That said, it felt a bit...like there was static in the transmission. Like there was effort being put in to make it go through. "So you intend to begin your journey for your friends". "Yes. I have to find them, before those people do". "That is fair. Those people are certainly making even us gods worry for the future a bit". "Then why dont you help more directly?" "Oh, I want to. But I can''t. The guy in charge is...well, if I can speak candidly, he is an asshole". The God of Friendship just outright insulted the God of Order. Even Akano was surprised by this, and this got the boy god flustered. "Sorry sorry, I let my emotions leak out there a bit. Thats unlikely me. Well, it is true that this world has become far too solidified, that recklessly using our divine power all the time would be...problematic". "Problematic?" "Does the words ''Multi-day continent wide storms'' give you an image? I mean, thats only if we go all out, it wouldn''t be like that if we did just a little. But we do too much of a little, and it could build up into that". "I see..." That sounded rather...consequential. "I am guessing these storms would be more then rain?" "More like flooding rain. And maybe some tornados. And a lot of lightning. And if we really dont hold back, soccer ball sized hail. That or people throwing up their organs". "...I feel like I heard something dangerous there, but okay. I get it. There are rules, and there are consequences". "Yes! Doing a few minor things should be fine, but the God of Order is not only restricting everyone, he is actively restraining the restorative power of the world to make us disinclined. Its quite vexing". "Anyways...so did you have something to say, or did you come here to vent?" "Ah. Well..." Suddenly Talia appeared leaning against the wall next to him. But even more confusingly, he was wearing a purple hoodie and blue shorts. They were quite blatently clothes from his world, and he even recognized the logos...actually... "...hold on, are those my clothes? From my room in the other world?" "To be exact, they are illusionary recreations. I had a little looksie, and I thought I would at least tell you this much. Your family absolutely did make it to this world...and it hit everything in the outskirts". Akano froze when he heard that. He finished getting dressed right then and there, and slung the bag overhead. "Take care! Keep in mind we won''t be able to talk that often!" Akano quickly made it out of his room and through the halls, hurrying to the front. When he got there, a carriage was already waiting, with the head nun on board. "Akano, you look ready" she commented, inviting him on board. The moment he boarded, she signaled the carriage to go full speed ahead. "I take it you got a visitor as well this morning?" "Are they normally this active?" "No. They are risking a lot. But that just shows how outside the norm this Starfall was. Its not the first time we have gotten multiple Starfallen at once, but its never had this many before. Its clearly an oddity. I wonder if the Demon King is somehow involved". "The Demon King? Wasn''t he defeated fifty years ago?" "He reincarnates, or his power does anyways, every fifty years or so. It would be around time for the next one, and I am sure that''s why everyone was summoning heroes. But from what I heard via the sparrows, the summonings went weird as well. Rather then failing however, multiple summonings succeeded, and managed to summon multiple heroes. That should be impossible, so it means we have to doubt everything we thought we knew. As such, my own god has asked me to head to the capital and look into things, as well as prepare support for those who might be our allies in the future. I sincerely hope you and your friends will join them. Considering this likely involves what brought you to this world and why, you are certainly involved". "First, I need to find them. Then, we will need to talk about it as a group". "Understandable" she said, giving a nod as the carriage picked up speed. The stage coach suddenly used some sort of magic in the horses and the carriage, and they began to pick up speed. It was far faster then a carriage should normally be able to go, Akano was pretty sure. She then looked back at him. "So, what news did you receive that made you appear so grave". "The area of effect on our side might be larger then I anticipated. And that is a problem". "How so?" "This would mean that a juvenile detention facility, that specialized in trying to help those with psychological issues especially, was likely in range. It was technically outside the city, but only by like ten minutes. And whats worse is on the other side, just thirty minutes away by car...was a prison. A prison with its own psych ward". "I see. Then this next news might upset you further. I heard from my contacts, and it looks like a lot of Starfallen have already died. So far its been mainly if not entirely adults, but it appears there might be 500-700 casualties that we know of in this Kingdom. If we consider the relative scale, we could be looking at 14 thousand to 16 thousand dead worldwide". "...that''s closing in on nearly half the total population of the city". Akano remembered from a sign near the highway that the population was estimated to be around 40 thousand, however it was an old sign. It might actually be closer to 50 thousand and no one bothered to update it. He doubted anyone knew of the true number, but knew a number of people tended to round it down for some reason. "It seems to mainly be the elderly admittedly. Starfallen are typically people under 30 or at least 40, and Summons are almost always in their teens. Something to do with the strength of desires and wishes being stronger. Its possible however that they need to be young to survive the shock of traveling between worlds. At least some could be natural causes...although admittedly, many were found clearly having been murdered". The amount of Starfallen in the world was drastically being reduced. "Its been slowing down each day however, and from what I heard, a few of the murderers died themselves. Apparently they were demons, which supports the Demon King revival theory. But I also heard Devils have been involved. So who knows what the truth is". The carriage shook violently as it went over a rough patch. "...this speed isn''t just for my sake, is it?" "You catch on quick. Yes, we are being chased. Apparently, gathing up children''s clothes in a hurry and bringing them back to a church full of women draws some attention. The ones who have been murdering Starfallen already are tracking us. It appears they intend to ambush you here and now". "So we are running away?" She shook her head. "No, I simply needed to make sure the others were out of the area of impact" she said with a dark chuckle. She then looked out of the opening, and saw various blue skinned humanoids with horns riding what appeared to be Raptors going after them. "Now perhaps I shall display you the power of my title" "Your title?" Akano asked, as she stood up and drew her holy staff. "The Witch of the Silver Moon" she replied. "But please, feel free to just call me granny". She raised her staff with such words, and immediately a huge amount of golden glyphs appeared. Akano felt a surge of holy power from her, but it was somehow mixing with her mana. He had practiced with both of them separately, but never had he heard they could be combined. "Feel my Golden Radiance, imbued in me by Astoria, the God of the Moon. Feel the Silver Light, which pierces through darkness and destroys calamity. Watch them mix together, brilliantly shining. The moon shines brightly even during the day, and abhors the darkness which tries to claim the night. And thus, it is known that those who worship her stand against such darkness. We are the shield and the sword of the Gods of the World, and we are the ones blessed to enforce their will and protect the innocents. From every elderly woman to every little boy, and all inbetween. We are the divine provenance, and we are divine judgement. And thus, I bring my sword of judgement down on you! Your darkness cannot escape from its light of truth! Celestial Retribution!" Suddenly, countless lights shot out of her staff, moving around as they charged forward, not heading straight but turning and zigzagging, and making sharp turns on a dime at some point. Their pursuers saw this and tried to evade, but it was no use. They were hit by countless beams of light, which turned and pierced through multiple people multiple times. They shimmered with golden light, and seemed to vaporize so not even any blood escaped their bodies, keeping the ground free of their fluids. It almost looked like they were being torn apart inside of a golden vortex, only they were pierced more then they were torn. And then, if that was not enough, a huge beam of silver came down from the sky, vaporizing not just them, but the trees they were near and the bushes which stood adjacent. "Whew. There. Got them all" Granny said, as she sat back down. "Now, if anyone asks, you are my beloved adorable grandson. By using such a fake identity, it should make it harder for them to track you down. After all, no doubt they will send larger and stronger foes this way after such a wipeout. There had to be twenty of them at least". Akano had only seen six or seven, but perhaps she had sensed others he had not. "Hold on, do you even have children for this to work?" "Little boy, I am over a hundred years old. I have great grandkids out there probably. No one is going to think twice, and besides...it fits, considering what you are". "Hmm? What do you mean?" "Hmmm. I wonder if now is a good time to reveal the truth..." "What do you mean? What are you not telling me?" "See, I have never actually seen something like this happen before, although I have heard of it". "Heard of what?" "I thought you might be too shocked by everything else to deal with it, so I used some advanced illusion magic to hide it". Akano was growing rather annoyed. "Tell me what?" In response, Granny waved her hand through the air. Akano felt a bit of mana surge towards him, but then it felt like something got clearer and his head less heavy. He went to feel it, when he noticed something. "Eh?" "Oho. Thats quite a reaction". "Ehhh?" "Uh huh. Come on. You can say it. The memory blockers should be gone now too" she mentioned. "I am an elf?!?!" Yes, Akano had the pointed ears of an elf. This was unexpected, but...not entirely unwelcomed. Having grown up short like Kuroki, even if his case wasn''t anywhere as severe, he had heard all the typical insults and got bullied as well. The various sexist remarks like "only girls should be that short at that age" or some other nonsense. In fact, some referred to them as Elves even, though he admitted he was not sure if they meant Santa''s Elf or Fantasy World Elf. Akano never had a meaningful discussion with those people after all. But it had made him interested in Elves. And the more he read, the more he got kind of annoyed how any elf character always seemed to be female. It wasn''t something he spent time obsessing about, but in the back of his head sometimes he thought "Why not make them male and mix things up a bit". And eventually that mutated a bit into being interested in being an Elf as well. In fact, none of his powers he gained were unwelcomed. He had been interested in becoming a doctor, so healing and support abilities were great. He also wanted the strength to defend his friends and attack those who would mean harm to them, so his combat abilities he seemed to gain and practiced with the last few days were also good. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "But still, why hide it? Also how?" "Honestly, a huge part of it is what happened 50 years ago with the previous hero. There have always been some otherworlders who showed unusual facinations with other races, but that last one really caused the issue overblown. To think he would end up inciting five rebeliions and six diplomatic incidents alone from just one moment of stupidity....haaaaa". "Was it that bad?" "Our relations with the Delathid Empire have continued to deteriorate to this day. And all because of his fascination with Elves". "Wait, how did that connect?" "Well, one of hte later additions to his harem was...the third princess of the Delathid Empire. The Delathid Emperor and all of his children are Elves, always have been to keep the purity of their Supreme Spirit Bloodline". Akano wanted to facepalm something major. "...so just to be clear, this otherworlder basically caused a world war with his harem?" "Yes". "Alright. I am still puzzled, slightly hurt, but I understand why you did it. Also wow, that guy..." "Indeed. Some of his wives still are plotting revenge against all who were responsible in his execution. Really gives me a lot of headache". Akano looked confused. "Why does it give you so much headache?" "Because I was part of the team who went to arrest him, and I read him his final scriptures before his execution". "...thats going to cause problems occasionally, isn''t it?" "Well, its been a few decades, so hopefully not. The executioner himself is still alive after all, and I think that would be their first target. That or the King of this Kingdom, King Azvalo. Or perhaps one of the five princes. The second one is abroad somewhere, and supposedly the third is holed up in some tower for some reason doing research, but any of the other three would make good targets for them". That was a relief at least. It seemed that he wouldn''t be immediately targeted which was a nice plus. And so, in the abnormally fast carriage that appeared to be going about 40-50km per hour somehow, they quickly made their way towards the nearby city.
It was only just with a lowering sun that they made it to the city of Vastria. According to the map he had, it was a city that was more or less a frontier city, although not as much as Darenthal or Azralia was. Still, this whole region could be considered a frontier, as monster activity had been on the rise in this whole region as of late. Apparently, this all resided within the Rizamal Woodlands. They had only recently ascended to the rank of Duke however. and apparently the previous two Dukes who governed this region both fell into disgrace and were wiped out. The current family was Duke Canathorp, while the last one was Duke Remia, and the one before was Duke Soriok. Vastria was apparently near the ocean, and had quite a bit of tourism. In truth, Akano was surprised this world even had tourism, although apparently it was actually somewhat helped by the kingdom to help encourage financial fluidity throughout the kingdom, and to also see if it could help spark the discovery of talent in those who had not yet realized it by getting more people to experience things. That said, naturally it was still mainly for those who could actually afford it. Apparently, Vastria was especially famous for its tamed beasts. Akano admittedly was always a fan of animals as well, so he was quite interested in seeing the variety. He had more then a few questions for "Granny" as they traveled. "So they prefer warmer envirornments, but are capable of adapting to the cold then?" "Yes. According to a specialist I talked to once back in my youth, apparently they can switch between warm blooded and cold blooded, and can even grow fur as needed, although they are faster without it". "Interesting". Apparently they were also called Velocifangs. They had an actual scientific name apparently, as well as a more serious name, but everyone knew them as Velocifangs. They were actually a type of monster, one that could actually be tamed, unlike Orcs and Goblins. As they made it to the gate, one of the guards came over and went to the carriage driver. "We need to see IDs, as well as anyone who needs to pay the entry tax". At those words, Granny just showed her smile and then showed her religious symbol. It glowed ever so briefly when she held it into the light. Akano did the same, and the guard seemed to nod. "I see. Sorry about that. We will let you right through then". He quickly dismounted and went back, telling the others to let them through now. "Woah. So we just get in?" "For those of us who have been given a blessing or at least the backing of a god, yes. Normal priests and priestesses could never do it. As a Shrine Maiden, you are inherently linked to a singular god who has given you their favor, which puts you above the average crowd. It also gives you benefits like this. And I have the blessing of the God of the Moon, Astoria, the little brother of the Goddess of the Sun, Greth". From what he had picked up, the Goddess of the Sun was a really big deal, so any sibling of hers was probably just as great. "Wait, doesn''t that mean you are incredibly high ranking for this area granny?" "Indeed I am" she said with a playful laugh. "What are you doing out here?" "An Oracle I know said he saw that I would be needed in this area four weeks ago and had me come here to oversee things while on a pilgrimage as an excuse". "I see...do you think he forsaw the Starfall?" "I think he knew something major was coming, but that boy is still green behind the ears. I suspect he was not able to interpret it as a Starfall event". "I see..." "While you look for your friends in this region, I will return to the capital and see if anyone has heard of anyone by the names you gave me. It may be some time after I depart before we speak again in person, but I will try to keep in touch using carrier birds and familiars. There might be those who try to intercept them though, so make sure you keep up the ruse to be safe, understood?" "Right, Granny". "Good boy". The carriage entered the city soon after. Apparently, they even had the fee waved not just for them, but for their carriage driver as well. Apparently even people with divine power normally didn''t get such privilege, which meant they were getting treated as high ranking people for sure. And so the first stop they made was... "The adventurer''s guild? Do I really need to go to one when I already have this?" "True, unlike most of the other Starfallen, you got lucky with that. It gives you some authority. But there are very few jobs that would take that as a good referral, especially given the scandal a few decades ago" she mentioned. "That said, the Adventurer''s Guild always needs healers, and if your friends are in an even worse spot, that means becoming Adventurers was probably about the only route for them to go. That or having someone take care of them, unless they got very lucky". "I see. So by joining, and doing requests, I might find them or hear about them that way". "Yes. And no one raises an eye when an adventurer travels around, and its not too uncommon for shrine maidens and younger priests and priestesses to become adventurers. It helps with their training, and also provides relief for people". "I see..." "Of course, such things are also encouraged, and in exchange for these regular cooperations, the Adventurer''s Guild always gives Church requests priority". "Ah, so its not just a training thing, but a politics thing as well". "More or less". As they spoke, they arrived at the Guild. "I am going to have a chat with the guildmaster, so how about you chat with the receptionist okay and register, sweetie?" "Right, got it granny". The two headed inside, but in different directions. Akano headed to the receptionist, while Granny went to the side door and talked to the guard, who let her in. The receptionist was not a beautiful young woman like was in all the stories, but actually a man in his thirties, probably late thirties. He had a sort of faded red hair, and crystal blue eyes. He looked rather muscular and brawny, and just a tad bit bored. "Welcome to the adventurer''s guild. Are you here to place a request?" "No, I am here to register". "I see. Normally there would be a fee, but it seems like there is an exception for this case". He seemed to eye the religious symbol, as if he could sense something inside of it. "Right then, I just need you to fill out some paperwork is all. Most of it is optional of course, but some of it is required". Hearing that, Akano decided to fill in a good bit. After that, he was asked to prick his finger and drip some blood onto a blank card. He did so, and once that was done, he took the paper and the card, and then put the card into some sort of microwave looking like thing. It quite certainly looked like a microwave, only it didn''t make the typical microwave noise. Instead it made "fwooop" and "zwooop" noises and occasionally some clanging and such, and he was pretty sure he heard thunder in there at one point. Eventually after about two minutes, it opened up and he was handed a card.
Name: Akano Age: 15 Rank: H
Class: Shrine Maiden/Priest Titles: Photo ID Here
However, right as he finished, three hooligans suddenly seemed to appear around him. "What is this? A brat like you wanting to register as an adventurer?" "What are you? Like ten years old?" "How about you go drink some of your mommy''s milk". Saying some stereotypical thug lines of mockery, Akano was pushed backward immediately, stumbling to the ground. He quickly was able to get up, dusting himself off as the three thugs surrounded him again. "Shove off". "Oi, you can''t speak to us like that! We are D-Rank adventurers!" "Yeah, we are new members of the Roaring Dawn". The receptionist rolled his eyes as they said that. It didn''t seem like he had high opinions of the group. Akano looked at the group. "Huh....is that really all D-Rank has got?" The moment they heard that, they drew their weapons. Akano seemed to be in a bit of a mood, since he found them quite annoying. He looked towards the receptionist, who gave him a thumbs up to go ahead. Immediately, Akano moved to the side as they swung down their swords. Their attacks are slower and have less force than Kuroki''s shitty dad. They are a lot easier to dodge and deflect. His work to try and punch that asshole wasn''t for nothing. Akano backstepped, and then used his staff to parry one of the swords and even knocked it right out of his hand. If these people were D-Rank adventurers, Kuroki''s father was probably more like A-Rank. Although in truth, he had doubts they got to their level through legitimate means. Something about them screamed "scam" and "phony" to Akano. As such, he fired a wave of light from his staff, knocking him the attacker back. He moved around the side as another one came at him, tripping him with his staff and then whacking him in the back of the head while the staff was charged with holy light. The third one looked enraged now, as he charged at him again. Akano proceeded to step to the side, tripping the man up again. At least he thought he did, but this last guy must have had some skill even while enraged. Akano briefly wondered if his class was Berserker. He charged his staff with holy light again, and hit the sword full force. A shockwave emerged from the staff, and threw the attacker off balance. From that, he struck the legs again to trip him up, making him land on the ground. After that, Akano whacked the man in the head, rendering him unconscious. "Well, that is that" Akano said. "Mhm. It seems you possess sufficient enough combat ability. If you hand me your guild card again, I will promote you accordingly". "Oh? Cool". He handed the card back, and after a minute or two, it was then returned, now saying F-Rank. Still though, he thought it was odd they just engaged him like that out of the blue. Was it set up by someone? No matter how you looked at it, it was strange that they just decided right at that moment to attack. "Ah, you look confused. Simply put, the guild treats attacking civilians far worse then sparring with fellow guildmembers. Adventurers fight all the time, and its usually not serious" the man said to him. "Well, we do have idiots like them though. Still not sure how they were promoted to D-Rank with those shoddy skills. Iv seen E-Rankers far more skilled than that". Akano nodded, understanding. So they were unusual weak. Seemed a bit out of it too, so Akano wondered if they were drunk. "Does this happen often?" The receptionist nodded. "Some get drunk off of their alcohol, others off their promotions or when they join an Adventurer Organization or Clan, and then there are others who just have rotten personalities. Though, it does feel like there have been more of them in the past few decades. Although, any newbie is likely to get into some sort of trouble when they register. After all, hazing and putting newbies through trials is something that happens everywhere. Its all about blah blah blah builds character, and maybe it does, but I am pretty sure part of it is also that they went through such trouble and humiliation, so they think other newbies should as well. Especially when they look so short and young like yourself". He then looked at the three unconscious hooligans. "Although, showing some of them up like this might make them target you in even more nasty ways, so I would recommend you be careful. But, the more you rank up and get yourself promoted, the more the guild can have your back, so that might be a good idea. Especially since those of the Churches dont have as stellar a reputation as they used to". "They don''t? Is it that thing from a few decades ago? Iv heard it mention, but no one ever told me it in detail". "Ah. Basically, it was actually three different incidents technically, but they all came about at the same time. Followers of the God of War felt like people were too weak for relying on summons, even though any soul that crosses through the dimensional barriers recieves some kind of power. Thats why they cant just grant the power Summons get to others. Their magic only pulls them through the barriers, they cant affect the barriers themselves". Akano had not heard this bit, so this was rather useful information. That was why they relied on Summons, although it seemed those who are Summoned recieve more power then Starfallen get for some reason. "In any case, they caused quite a few wars to errupt, which wasn''t difficult thanks to all the tension the last Hero created". The last hero, who created a harem, really caused a lot of issues. Apparently, that was the reality of what happened with harems. From what Akano heard on the way here, there were various internal conflicts between them as well, which escalated to their various supporters and factions. "This also revealed a criminal organization that had been operating in the shadows. They had already been partially revealed thanks to a young hero named Anna, who uncovered their connections in the Mage''s Guild fifty years ago. It was then exposed through investigations and other incidents decades later that they had a quite a number of people in the Church, manipulating things from the shadows. Apparently, this included the abduction of various young boys, and even connections to...well, prostitution slavery rings. And while a number of people got arrested, its still believed at least some of the leadership escaped capture and might still be operating and recruiting within the Churches". First what was basically a shadowy War Cult within the Church, then this? It was no wonder it had damning effects. "And then finally, there was the fact that the Church had been infiltrated by literal Devils. That was probably an even bigger black mark then the other two". Akano froze. "...say what now?" "Yep". "Devils...the same ones that came from another world? That actively try to kill or dominate everyone else to claim power?" "Yep". "In the Church, the most Anti-Devil organization out there?" "Yeeeep. If it makes you feel better, things have simmered down after a few decades at least". That only eased his concerns a little. Especially since Granny had told him that it was possible Devils were behind the hunting of the Starfallen, or at least had a connection to it. She mentioned it might not be so simple after all, since someone would have had to told them this was happening ahead of time in order to have such an immediate and successful attack on them. Once that was done, he waited for Granny to return. At the same time, he overheard some of the others chatting away. "An Elven Priest?" "He destroyed Murrok so easily". "Serves them right, getting all cocky even though I am sure they fudged numbers to get promoted". Some spoke of him in awe. "What a cheeky little brat". "To think he doesn''t know how to respect his seniors". "We should teach him some humility". Some seemed to want to embarrass and humiliate him, viewing him as prideful and arrogant. "Hehehe...I am going to enjoy teaching him a personal lesson". "Well what do you know, I was thinking the same thing". "Ara ara, he doesn''t need a young woman or a man teaching him these things. He needs an older, experienced woman". Some of them were looking at him with disgusting and filthy eyes and made Akano want to attack them right there and now. "..." And one of them just stared at him, his face covered by a black hood as he sat in the shadows. He looked to be about the same height as Kuroki, so unless he was really short as well, he was probably about nine or ten. He seemed unusually focused on Akano for some reason. His clothes were dark colored as well. He had black boots, dark blue shorts that seemed a bit shorter then average, a black cloak with a hood that was up, a black sleeveless shirt, and dark blue gloves. The Cloaked One didn''t make any aggressive moves, and Akano did not feel any malice coming from him. But he could feel the boy staring at him. Of course it could have been a girl as well, since he couldn''t see any of the Cloaked One''s features. Its not like there would be any chest development at that age really. However, it was clear Akano had attracted that person''s sole attention. And yet, that focus was broken by a voice that came shouting through the guild. Akano not only heard it, but recognized it. He briefly looked in the direction, anger and dread filling up with him. "Get out of my way, girly boy". The moment he heard that voice, Akano had a mind to blast him with several beams of light. Perhaps even try focusing them. However, the moment he saw that person''s face, he immediately looked away. He raised his own hood to be safe, to try and avoid trouble. After all, that person was something of a nemesis for him...and especially for Kuroki. Someone who was in the same grade as them, had tormented them and hurt them many times, harassed them. A highly talented martial arts prodigy, and someone who was a direct disciple of Kuroki''s shitty father. Torita Ogami. Someone who was in the Elite Class, and perhaps the seventh ranked from the top of them. He was not sure how much power he might have gotten from the Starfall, so for all he knew, he might be an incredibly bad matchup for Akano. In fact, if both of them had even just received equal power, he was no match for them. And while he had been stopped from going too far, usually, by the police and order of the old world, there were no guarantees it would be the same for this world. Unfortunately, Akano''s group had stood out to bullies a lot, so they had often been targeted. That resulted in him knowing all the bullies and troublemaker in the area essentially, for better or worse. In this case worse, since that also meant they knew him. It seemed he was kicking up fuss about some mage who had bumped into. Kuroki''s father was half brainwashing them with his own beliefs even as he trained them earnestly and normally otherwise. The Elite Class was essentially made of people who were similar in thinking and ideology to him as well. Which probably meant he would look down on Akano just as much, especially if he learned he wasn''t just a priest, but a shrine maiden. But even just realizing who he was would end up bad. Akano''s life could very well be in danger, so he made sure to stay off to the side and keep his hood up. This guy clearly was seen as a bit irritating, as even the people who seemed to agree with him were annoyed. After all, he was shouting and causing a mess. The receptionist he talked to before scowled. "You shouldn''t disrespect people like that. Young magicians like that boy are highly appreciated here in this guild after all". "The only thing a man needs is muscle". "Oh joy, another person affected by the Heretical Hero''s idiocy". "What did you say?!" "I said calm down, or do you want to forgo ever ranking up again?" His words seemed to take some of the wind out of his sails. Kuroki''s shitty dad had a ranking system in place at his dojo for those who wanted to participate, and all of the Elite Class did. There was in fact quite a bit of importance put on rank and hierarchy, so it seemed those words still had an effect on this boy. Interesting. "Besides, you are holding up the people behind you". At those words, the Cloaked One passed and walked around Ogami. Akano didn''t even realize he moved, let alone made it so far without him noticing despite having drawn his attention earlier. But even more noticeably, he didn''t make a single sound as he walked. Akano had good hearing as an elf, but he couldn''t pick up a single sound. With a single hop, the boy launched upward as he turned around, landing his butt right on the counter that would have been too high for him normally. He then took some things out of his satchel. A few wooden boards, and then a collection of green ears, tails from what were probably rodants, as well as a small pile of magic stones. Probably about twelve to fifteen. "I see you completed all your requests successfully. Please give me your Guild Card. I will be promoting you from Rank F to Rank E, due to factoring in the amount of requests you took, the shortness of the time you took to complete them, the fact you properly brought back evidence of your kills, and your previous contributions you made yesterday and the day before. Still, to make E-Rank at your age, and so fast. Splendidly done boy". Akano was sure now. That boy was almost certainly an otherworlder as well. And already E-Rank? Had he encountered a similar situation as Akano? Akano wanted to approach the Cloaked One, but he was right next to Ogami, someone Akano had to avoid. Furthermore, Ogami was glaring at the boy. He seemed to be irritated someone younger then him essentially cut in line, and lashed out with a fist. The boy however dodged it easily, moving around the fist as he landed on the floor. Ogami tried to kick him, but the boy ducked and dodged, avoiding the kick by taking up a table position before jumping back up and kicking Ogami in his boyhood. This naturally hurt a lot, but not before the Cloaked One somehow made it around him in the blink of an eye, and kicked the back of his head. Still, this did not knock Ogami out, but it did render him unable to do anything for awhile. The Cloaked One then looked at the crowd, and gave a thumbs up. This caused the crowd to erupt in cheers. "Yeah! Finally got that loudmouth to be quite!" "He has been here shouting rude comments at any male mage, priest, and rogue for the last two days! Finally, someone taught him a lesson!" "Good going, shrimp!" Even the ones that wanted to humiliate Akano were happy, probably because they hated that guy even more. At this point, Granny finally emerged from the door. She looked around, and smiled, but it was Akano who spoke first. "Granny, we should get going and find an inn". Hearing the level of warmth and emotion that Akano had in his voice, as well as the fact he gave her a hug and grabbed her hand, let her know everything. She figured it all out instantly. "I see. Let us go then, sweetie. Granny wants to make sure we get a good rest tonight". They quickly left the guild after all that, and once they were a good deal away, Akano began relaying everything that happened to her. Such a serious conversation happened as they kept up the ruse of being grandma and grandson. Chapter 13: Arrivals "Woah. It''s a real Wizard''s tower!" Kuroki and Riku exclaimed at the same time. Amyris, Riza, Kuroki, and Riku had all arrived at Amyris'' place. It was a decently sized place, certainly had more land than the other areas. It had both a front and back yard, and the building was made of stone. It looked a bit worn down, and was covered in moss in some places, making it feel less grand then it actually was. However, it was very well made. Kuroki spotted a few ward arrays already, yet he couldn''t sense any of them. Like the Mage''s Guild, something was inhibiting his perception. In fact, he and Riku had been incapable of noticing this tower until Amyris pointed it out to them. After that, they focused mana into their eyes, ears, and nose, and were quickly able to notice it themselves. There was not only a front yard, but a back as well. However, the back was connected to a back alley with buildings on every side, so very few people would probably see there, especially with the perception inhibitors. The stone wall was decently high, but not too high. It went up to Kuroki''s and Riku''s neck, and it had an old wooden gate. Riku went to open it, when Kuroki stopped him. "Kuroki?" "Master, what is the password?" "Oh, you noticed?" Amyris chuckled a bit, while Riku looked a bit miffed and pouted. "The password is Luxia Tenebris". "Right, got it. Luxia Tenebris". With those words, the gate made a clicking sound and opened on its own. "...I am amazed you caught that". "Just barely, Riku. Now Master, why didn''t you mention anything sooner? Exactly what would that spell array have done to us?" "Ah, I set my house defenses to the lower setting ahead of time, so it would have just made you both quite itchy for a few hours and shocked you a bit". "...I see. And if it was set to maximum". "Let me put it to you this way. I never set it to maximum". "Understood". "Now then, Riza. You go home. I will be raising the house defenses now, and you have your own work to do". Riza pouted and threw a tantrum. "But its more interesting with you! I don''t want to deal with boring paperwork!" "You need to send those reports to the king, don''t you? And go searching for more Starfallen?" "Geh. Fine fine. But I need to teach Riku more swordsmanship, so I will be back okay?" "Fine fine. Remember to bring gifts". Riza then extended both his hands and shook both Kuroki''s and Riku''s hands, the two bracelets on each wrist clattering a bit as he did. Though they otherwise seemed abnormally silent. "You both are fun and interesting! If Amyris gets too busy and I am around, feel free to come to me if you need help!" With a childish grin and an energetic wave, the grandpa who looked like a young thirteen year old boy said his goodbyes before skipping off into the dark. The trio turned to enter, when they heard something strange. It sounded like someone shouted "Hey brat, give me all your money! And your clothes too!", and then almost instantly the sound of stone shattering and cries of despair from that very same voice. "That reminds me. This might be a city, but it is located in the frontier in an area full of dangerous parts. It can get very dangerous, but especially at night, so don''t go out at night. At least not on your own, let me know okay?" "R-right". "Got it". And so, the trio went through the yard, which looked somewhat untamed but also worn and broken in, and they made it to the front door. Amyris opened the door for them, ushering them inside before coming inside himself and closing the door. Unlike the outside, which looked worn and old, the inside looked well kept. There were parts that could use some cleaning here and there, with dust or some books thrown around or such. However, there was no moss anywhere. The inside had a properly maintained carpet with none of the areas missing or peeled away. There was a coat rack as well as a place to keep shoes by the entrance, and in the main hall the lamps turned themselves on when they walked in. There was a few steps that led up to the carpeted area, and then doorways with no doors to the left and right. To the left was what appeared to be a living room, while the right appeared to be the same. Both had large glass windows that did not match the windows on the outside at all, suggesting that even when they had been allowed to notice the building, they had not seen through its proper illusion. A multi-layered disguise, so to speak. There was also a hall that led down into the back, with stairs on one side that led to a second story. Underneath the stairs that went up were stairs that went down as well, so there was also clearly a basement. The hallway up to the second floor was too dark to see what was up there, the stairs down they didn''t have a good angle to look down for at the moment, and at the end of the hall was three more doors. "Kuroki, Rika, make sure you take off your shoes and put them in the cubboard". Kuroki was pretty sure the word was cupboard, but perhaps that was how they pronounced it here. Or maybe that was Master specific. "Ah, right". They had already started anyways, having had a similar feature in their own homes. Once they had, they walked up the three steps to the main floor. That was when Amyris looked back and nodded. "Now, we should get those inspections done first before putting you two to bed, but first...how about you two explore the house? I will answer most quests as best as I can". "Wait, you won''t show us around?" Kuroki asked. "I could if you want, but I thought it might be more interesting for you guys to explore it first". Riku especially seemed excited. "Yeah yeah, let''s go let''s go!" "Alright then!" Kuroki replied, getting swept up in the excitement. He was a rather emotional boy after all, getting easily flustered and excited. The two checked out the front two rooms first. "These are basic living areas. Sometimes I will hold lectures here for those I am teaching, although typically I prefer to hold them outside". There were all sorts of tables and chairs, as well as some couches. There were a few bookshelves, as well as a painting or two. Almost all of them were scenery paintings, except for one which featured Amyris with a silver, translucent clocktower behind him, on a dark stormy night as he and his allies fought against monsters. "Ah, that painting is what we call a Historic Painting. They are used to depict historic moments". "Are there many different types?" "Most paintings reflect nature and naturalism, so you generally get a lot of scenery paintings, or nude portraits. There are some parents who have them made of their children when trying to court marriage partners, to show them they have a wonderful and healthy child from long distances away". "Ah, sounds like a noble thing". "Merchants and others in power use them a lot as well, but yes it was started by nobles. Also having a record of healthy growth in the family is considered a good thing". They moved onto the next room, the room behind the living room on the right. It had even more windows and glass, letting in plenty of sunlight during the day. It was probably a wonderful and warm room. It had some doors that were rather heavy to open and close. "Woah, is this an indoor garden?" "No, that''s where I grow plants. I will have you both take care of them while you are here, but I should warn you some of them are dangerous. Like the one in the center, it will try to eat you". "...wait what?" "I prune its vines so it has difficulty capturing its prey, and then I extract its sap to harvest. That said, it''s been a few days so..." The two boys exited the room and closed the door. "Yeah. I should handle it first for sure" Amyris agreed. "You two probably will be fine, but...you are also unfamiliar with them which could be an issue. I will need to teach you about magical plants and monster plants as well". The two boys ran to the other side of the house through the long way, where they came across what appeared to be a dining room. It had a door to the left, a door to the right which likely led back towards the center hall they saw before, and a door that led to the back. It was a decently sized dining room, and could probably fit about ten to fourteen people total. Seeing as how it was normal, they quickly moved to the left room, which ended up just being a storage room full of various things. Most of it was dishes or platters, but there were swords in there too, as well as a suit of armor for some reason, and apparently various ingredients. The containers had some enchantments like storage expansion, although given how small they were apparently only about fifty percent more space was possible. The room itself however had far more powerful enchantments. To be exact, it was clearly enchanted to keep the food fresh and prevent it from going bad. Perhaps that was why this room felt rather cold to the two boys, who were in short sleeves and shorts. This room was basically a walk-in fridge, or perhaps even a freezer. Before they left though, the two found something else. Wedged between two shelves was a book. When they pulled it out and looked at it, it was some sort of recipe guide. Or an instruction manual. Its title was "How to Cook, Super Beginner''s Edition for Anna types" on it. It seemed a bit rude, but from what Kuroki heard, she was a terrible cook. Apparently it didn''t interest her enough and she couldn''t stay focused on it, so that probably didn''t help at all. "Master, is this..." "Yeah. I didn''t realize that thing was still down there. It was a rather foolish attempt by me which never worked at all" Amyris admitted. "She was just too willful and uninterested in cooking. At least in taking the time to learn properly". Hearing that, the two left after having skimmed it a bit and then put it back where they found it. From the sheer basic instructions and the fact Amyris had put in pictures and images, making it partially a picture book, they had a decent idea of his troubles. They headed into the room in the back next, which was a large kitchen area. There was a smaller table with a few chairs. If everyone crammed in together, it might fit five or six people, but they would literally have their chairs touching each other''s chairs. It was a rather large and properly developed kitchen, complete with a sink. "Master, so you have plumbing then?" "...not completely. Right now I only have sinks. I used to have a bathtub, but it broke ages ago. That said, it might be an adjustment for you, but you will still be able to take baths here. Just keep in mind it''s a basin bath". Amyris then explained it to them. A basin bath was when someone filled up a large wooden or metal basin with water, and then would stand there during the initial rinse as they were scrubbed and rinsed off. Usually this involved someone with a brush or a sponge, and then afterwards they would sit down and soak in the water. Some soap was added as well, and it was sometimes placed over a light to keep it warm and blissful. That said, given that the water faucet that would let them fill it with any reasonable speed was in the backyard and there were no hoses in this world, like most others it would probably be done outside. "Speaking of which Riku, for someone who only arrived in the city today and who was on his own the whole time, you don''t seem too dirty". "Ah, the room I found these clothes in also had some other things. It looked like a researcher''s room...actually, I had found some soap and shampoo in a closet that felt cold like that storage room, and now that I think about it, there was a faucet on the wall and a large wooden basin underneath it. I guess the guy bathed where he worked. There was also a bucket in the corner. I looked inside and there was some weird gunk in it, but nothing else". "...but where did you bathe?" "Ah...I bathed in a river this morning. It was a...different experience. But not as strange as when this weird pack of rabbits nearly stole my clothes. Thankfully I was able to chase them down, although I had to use a modified Brilliant Flash to get the last one". "And you washed your hands right?" "Yeah I pooped right before bathing after all. I wish he had toilet paper, I had to use leaves from a tree". "Oh good. Did you also wash your hands using that faucet to try out the soap?" "Yeah, wh...wait, are you saying..." Amyris nodded. "Yeah, that bucket was his toilet. Thats normal though, you know. Only nobles, the very rich, or businesses that require it have plumbing for toilets and baths. Sinks as well. Plumbing is expensive after all. I only have it for sinks right now. The pipes for bathtub need to be bigger, and mine broke a few decades ago, so you will need to do the same". A reminder that this world was not some gimmicky convenient world seen in other isekais. It didn''t magically have all of modern conveniences. It was a harsh world full of reality. The only room past the kitchen was the back entrance heading to the backyard, which was where the faucet was. Kuroki supposed at least that meant they wouldn''t have to bathe in the front yard, and Amyris even pointed out some good spots to squat, since it was generally preferred to keep that nastiness outside. There whole a hole with a hatch where one could dump it into, and then they would need to wash the bucket. The buckets were apparently enchanted to prevent staining and make it harder for things to stick, so it was actually rather easy and would only take them a minute or so. Once they were done with that, the two boys headed upstairs. Like below, there was a central hall, although this one was larger. About three times as wide as the one below. The door right in front of the stairs was Amyris'' room. To the right on this side of the hall was the library, while on the left was an alchemy room where one could work on brewing potions. The door on the far side was one for magical engineering, while the door to the right of that door was for apprentices to sleep in. Apparently students who stayed here all slept together in one incredibly large bed. It used to be two rooms, but that was when the third story was accessible. Certainly, there was a set of stairs on the left wall from exiting the stairs that went up to the third floor, but it seemed like no matter what they couldn''t quite perceive where to get on them and the door up there gave them bad news. Across from the student bedroom was a guest bedroom that had two beds in it. "What happened to the third floor?" "A dangerous relic unleashed itself. Thankfully my home includes quarantine protocols against dangerous things. Ah, speaking of which, lets get you both registered with the house". He then led the two boys to a door on the opposite wall that the stairs were on, in the middle of the room. Somehow, both Kuroki and Riku had not even noticed this room until Amyris led them there. His house was full of tricks it seemed. Inside however, Kuroki could understand why this room was hidden. Complex ward designs were scattered everywhere, and there was an orb in the center that served as the main control unit. There were also two smaller orbs as well. All of them were on pedestals and appeared fixed in place. "Please put your hands on the orbs and don''t move or use any magic. I am going to register you both with the house defense system. Don''t let go no matter what". The two put their hands on the orbs, and suddenly metal prongs shot out of the pedestals and bound their hands to them. They were completely pinned, as the orbs began to heat up and feel uncomfortable. The two felt some of their mana getting sucked out, and it sent shivers down their spines in a different way then before. While before it was a sense of danger or fear, this time it was because some of their body heat was sucked out into the orb, which grew even warmer. "Just keep it going! It only takes a minute!" So Amyris said, but it was incredibly unpleasant. After the cold feeling, suddenly the two boys felt superheated instead. It was like both suddenly spiked fevers or such, and they wanted to discard their layers as soon as possible. It was just that warm, that hot. However, eventually a minute passed, and the orbs retracted their prongs and released them. The two fell backward, still feeling rather stuffy and hot as they took off some layers. "Sorry about that, but I thought if it caught you by surprise the shock would delay some of the unpleasantness". "It was still unpleasant!" "Yes, but it was necessary. Now the house will let you open the front door, and also won''t automatically target you if the defense system activates". "Well, that is good I suppose" Riku mentioned. "Now, we still have the basement to check out!" Pulling Kuroki along, Riku led the group to the basement. Amyris just had a bit of a concerned look on his face, but followed them regardless. Eventually, they made it to the basement hall. Well, they referred to it as a hall in their heads, but it was more a square general room. There were quite a few things of note. First of all, there were four doors, one on each wall. Secondly, all the doors were even more fortified than before. And third, and probably the most notable, was that they could hear the sounds of water from behind the door that would lead to under the front of the house. The two opened it, and saw what appeared to be an even more secure door. They were able to open that one just by touching it, the locks unlocking at their command. And behind that was...a wall. An actual wall. From what Kuroki could tell, it was a normal wall. But he knew better then that, and turned towards Amyris. "Press on the middle brick for three seconds". Kuroki did so, and suddenly the wall moved out of the way, revealing a sewer system and three goblins. Immediately, the goblins were set on fire. "Goblins this close? The Guild has been slacking in sewer subjugations. I will need to tell Ozlo about this tomorrow". They quickly sealed back up the secret passage. "By any chance, is this the other reason you didn''t get your piping installed?" "Certainly. Incidentally, its enchanted in such a way so even those that learn of it cant tell or show others it. At least not willingly, if at all". "Eh?" "For real?" Amyris nodded. It seemed the two just learned quite the secret. Either way, they moved on to the door that was at the right when you came down the stairs. Amyris opened it up, and they saw...a room full of chains and shackles. "This is where we keep any prisoners of ill refute. Also those who are suffering from magic that affects their mind, or when a child becomes naughty and such a naughty boy needs to be punished". Amyris notably had adopted a lighter, sillier tone for that last bit, but it still sent shivers down their spines regardless. Once that was done, Amyris headed towards the center door, but the two boys chose the left first. "...ah, are you sure?" "Yeah. It''s fine, right?" "...I suppose you will find out eventually". The two heard the strange remark, and grew even more curious. They opened the door, and saw a huge amount of magical tools lying around, radiating with mana. There were blackboards full of notes, and various paper notes scattered about. And in the center was a stone statue of a girl, naked except for a sword in her hand. The sword meanwhile was not made of stone, but was an actual proper sword being held by a statue. A look of stubbornness and resignation was on her face, and perhaps just a bit of sorrow as well. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "...you have this sort of statue? Of Anna, I am guessing?" "Correct. However, that is not a statue, but Anna herself. Her clothes just simply couldn''t withstand the magic that has been unleashed upon her as we tried to free her for the past few decades". "Wait, this is the real Anna? The actual real Anna?" Kuroki asked, alarmed. He had always thought she died, but he didn''t realize her fate was like this. To think she had been petrified into a statue...and that Amyris and everyone else had spent decades trying to free her without success. Amyris nodded. "And for over fifty years, I have been failing her. My greatest regret as her teacher. But thats just how dangerous curses are". "Even with all your power and knowledge, you can''t free her from petrification? This is petrification right?" "It is, but the issue is that I first had to take my time dismantling a rather powerful mind magic first, and her petrification isn''t normal. Certainly, if it was any of hte normal means of it, I could undo it by now. But...she inflicted this on herself, with her own magic. That makes it so much stronger. And curses are already incredibly resiliant and dangerous. If I make the wrong move, it might kill her instead. If I dispell it improperly, it might kill her. If we free her but it ends up reverting it so the mind magic returns as well somehow, then she will probably just turn herself back into stone again". "Wait, she turned herself to stone?" "Yes, to prevent herself from killing anyone. She was hit with a nasty and powerful cursed spell, that made her attack her friends and allies. It was cast by a powerful Devil, who we managed to just drive away with all of our power after removing a big portion of her power. Unfortunately, she fled and was able to hide after all this time, so we were not even able to kill her. We have however advanced our knowledge of her spellwork and found better ways to fight against her specific brand of Mental Magic. Still, the fact it was able to penetrate all of Anna''s defenses in an instant was...worrying. Not to mention the fact not a single one of us, or even all of us working together, was able to unravel the spell. And in addition to cursing herself with petrification, the curse from the mind magic seeped into it, further complicating it and making it even more problematic". From what it sounded like, this enemy was a very troublesome individual. "And now it seems like they are back as well". "Wait what?! When did you learn this?!" "Thats super big problem, isn''t it?!" Kuroki and Riku each had their respective reactions. "When the Guildmaster came after you. He is always problematic when drinking, and we didn''t want him to scare you away or anything...but it came clear to me and Riza that he wasn''t just drunk. He had been hit with the same curse. Of course, he is an expert at Curses. Part of that knowledge even came from helping me with Anna, and we had all made preparations for the day when she finally returned. As such, it seems that he was only hit with about one one-hundredth of the effect". It made him go after and pester his allies, and even embarrass them. "Was it really that reduced?" "That was an attempt by the Devil probably to have him kill us all". When they encountered Sebas, the Guildmaster was not only able to stand up to him, he was able to erase Sebas'' oppressive mana through his sheer pressence. He was undoubtedly stronger then Amyris or Riza, the former seemed to have a tug of war with him mana wise, and the latter only seemed able to protect himself from it. Even Ozlo had difficulty. What if such a force had come at them seriously? It sent a shiver down Kuroki''s spine. "Well, it is true sometimes he can be like that buzzed as well, no inhibitions or restrictions, but he was too on point I felt like. Ah, incidentally, the spell Ozlo used to get rid of his drunkenness can also be used to remove lower level curses, but it has a higher chance of killing anyone not able of withstanding the effects of the spell itself, or I would have had him check on you both to be safe. And the Guildmaster is an eccentric who loves to measure and record the growth of younger guild members. He is actually a bit of a health freak, aside from his love of alcohol. But otherwise he is a good and reliable person and if there is no one else, go to him for help". "...such a useful spell". Riku shrugged at Kuroki''s words, as he seemed to fixate on Ozlo''s spell. "If only it didn''t hurt like hell". That said, the guildmaster''s reputation, while somewhat restored, still got some dings from Amyris'' words. That said, his tone suggested he might hold personal issues with the Guildmaster. "By the way...does this mean Riza is weaker than Krazel, even though he is S-Rank?" "Ah, thats right. This always seems to mess up you Otherworlders, but S-Rank isn''t the highest. Its the third highest. There is SS-Rank, and then X-Rank". "...really? Why?" "Well, long ago it used to just be S-Rank. But then as combat and magic evolved, there were some gaps in power between different S-Rankers, to the point it was causing confusion and made it unclear what level of power it actually held. So the Guild ended up adding more Ranks. That said, pure power doesn''t mean everything, so this decision is still questioned a bit. After all, there is compatibility and various situations to consider. An X-Ranker could absolutely lose to an S-Ranker under the right conditions, not to mention prepwork done beforehand. But I can leave all that complex stuff for later. Just know Rank is moreso a demonstration of how much skill, trust, experience, and power an adventurer has acquired. That said, we did have a lot of power types back there. The Guildmaster is, of course, an X-Ranker. I am an SS-Ranker, although admittedly this is partially due to my most famous spell, The Silver Hour, and the rest is more about my level of skill then my power. Riza is an S-Ranker, while Ozlo is an A-Ranker". "What about Sebas?" Amyris scowled. "That backstabbing weasel relies too much on brute force mana, but because he has so much of it, he is powerful. However, keep in mind Ranks are not everything. Its an old system that was set up by the guild and has been reworked a few times now. Compatibility and tactics matter the most. Too many people focus on rank and think ''oh wow he is higher rank then me I have no chance'', but that is wrong. Tools, tactics, spell variety, those are what matter the most. If I exclude his tremendous mana, which feeds his ego, Sebas is much lower ranked. C, at most. But he uses that mana like a crude weapon, and I have not seen him cast many actual structured spells. But keep in mind again, Rank is just an average estimation of abilities, trust, and so on. I have seen plenty of A-Rankers defeat SS-Rankers, and even some X-Rankers. Certainly, I wont say its easy, but one''s Rank doesn''t necessarily equate to one''s strength. And there can always be bad matchups, or tactics and preparations, or things like that". Amyris snorted, and mused to himself a bit. "Sometimes we question if he can even structure a spell properly". This thought seemed to cheer him up a bit, before the elf continued. "Thanks to his ocean like mana, I would say he might be about S to SS Rank, if we really need to use ranks as a comparison. However, again, ranks dont mean much. I mean, that group of six you beat? They were all ranked D or E. The leader, who you surprise attacked at the start, was probably close to ranking up to C. And what rank are you?" "F" the two replied, realizing what he meant. "Exactly. So, an adventurer''s rank is not an absolute. This entire ranking system is simply a rough comparison, and a sign of how much trust you have earned from the guild. But, that also means you two might be in a lot of trouble right now. A lot of adventurers might see what you did as showing off, and you have yet to build up enough trust with the organizations in this city to defend yourself from indirect attacks and pressure. And I can''t handle everything for you. I would be a failure of a mentor if I stepped in too often, I need to hold back unless its absolutely necessary. Especially since I dont want my own reputation to be harmed, and risk my enemies coming after all of us". Amyris spoke of his reputation again, but this time it certainly was relevant and had a good reason. "So, with that said...why haven''t you been able to free Anna from Petrification?" "Because she did it to herself. Self inflicted spells like that are significantly harder to remove, especially the longer they are active, except by the caster themselves. But, since she turned herself to stone, I obviously can''t get her to dismiss her own spell. And curses are even tougher to remove than normal spells, despite the risks involved. And I couldn''t remove the Petrification until I removed the Mind Curse anyways, since then she would have just gone around killing people randomly. People she knew and cared about. Obviously, I couldn''t let that happen". It was Anna''s own wish after all to not do that. He had to respect it. "Why didn''t her clothes turn to stone?" "Hmm? Because she only petrified herself, not everything around her. She kept it simple so she could funnel more power into it. In the first place, there is no reason for it to affect clothes as well. As far as I know, no form of petrification affects clothes. It would be rather hell if it did, having one''s clothes turn to stone in the middle of a battle anyways". That did make sense, now that they though about it. "So then, how close are you?" "Not sure. Its not like I have a way to measure progress. I cant just partially do it after all, that would kill her instantly, or at least make her lose parts of her body...which would then almost certainly kill her from shock". "Ah right..." Riku said, realizing he asked a stupid question. Amyris seemed to be getting increasingly agitated and displeased the longer they stayed in the room also. "Now then, there is one last room to show you". He ended up dragging the two along with him out of the room, back into the central room and then to the door the stairs were facing. Pulling them inside, they entered the largest room yet. The ceiling was so tall it should have been overlapping into the first floor, but clearly did not. It was a large and simple room, but it was very sturdy. It was all stone bricks, except for a strange mat in the center. It looked almost like a mix of gym mats and tatami mats. There were a few benches at the side, along with an orb of some kind right by the door. "Here is where we do indoor combat magic training. This room is capable of simulating certain enemies that I was able to transfer sufficient memories of, creating illusionary beasts and monsters. It also has the strongest barriers and wards I have ever made, so you are free to go all out in here. Now...it is kind of past bedtime for you two, but we do actually need to check you both for curses. So strip. I need to at least begin the laundry anyways if you have any hope of getting them back before noon". "Is it really necessary?" "Its unlikely, but we need to be safe". The two didn''t quite understand how curses worked, but given the state Anna was in for decades, they figured better safe then sorry. They took off all their clothes and put them in a nearby basket for Amyris to wash. Once they had, Amyris began his examination. He used magical enhancements on his eyes, as well as a number of divination spells. He had them move around, raise their arms outward in a T position, stand on one leg, going between the left and right, and even hopping up and down. He even had them shake hands, hug, do jumping jacks, do push ups, dance around and sing. Amyris even had to give them a spanking. He then made them dinner, and had them eat it down there. It was a wonderfully cooked steak and eggs, with some apple juice. They had to eat while standing and moving a bit so Amyris could keep inspecting their bodies for any signs of curses, but even when they finished eating and drinking, there was nothing that happened. After that, the both of them do a lap around the arena to be safe, go back to back and then bend forward to try and push each other down, lay down on the ground and arm wrestle, and then lick the back of each other''s necks. After that they blinked twenty times in rapid succession, and then they picked their noses. Amyris then had them press their feet against each other, which was hard since they both had to do this while standing on one leg. As such they decided to lean against a wall for this one, but still nothing. He seemed a bit hesitant on a few of those things, but seemed to resign himself. "Is there something else we need to check?" "...there are triggers for curses we have not confirmed yet, but I doubt any of these triggers were used for any of those other cases. Still...I can''t be totally sure...but, safe than sorry is probably best?" Amyris sighed, and seemed to suck it up. "Okay, now you need to kiss each other. On the lips". "Eh?" "What?" "Its a fairly common curse trigger, meant to turn a moment of trust and closeness into one of misery and death. Its used a lot, especially by Devils...I just don''t see why they would use it against Starfallen, who seem unlikely to kiss any time soon, but we cant be certain. Especially for you Riku, who was alone and therefore vulnerable for several days. They could have cursed you any number of times in your sleep, or maybe you got cursed in that dungeon. And rather than have you kiss me, an adult, each other seems like the better option. Especially since it will make it easier for me to treat you if something does trigger". Amyris had standards. As much as he had put this off, he did need to check for this he figured to be safe. And since he absolutely had no intention of kissing a minor, especially a naked minor, on the lips, having them kiss each other was better. Especially so he would be better able to stop and dispel it. If would be one thing if the cheek was sufficient, or even the shoulders or belly. But the lips? Amyris would rather stab himself. Hearing that, the two faced each other and readied themselves. The two nodded as they had resigned looks. "Just to be clear..." "Hold it for ten seconds". The two nodded, and compliantly went in and kissed. They held it as Amyris counted the seconds, and once he reached ten, the two tried to separate. "Mhm?!" "Mhhmmm?!" "Wow. Erm....huh". Amyris seemed a bit shocked as he saw the two boys push against each other to try and separate their lips. However, their lips could not separate. No, it was even worse then that. Not only could they not separate, but it appeared their noses were suddenly stuffed as well. In other words, this wasn''t just a lock lips curse. It was a curse that was actively trying to suffocate them both! Amyris had honestly not expected this to be a curse. "I am detecting curse energy...from Riku. However, this level of curse...is not a Devil Curse. Oh, I got a few reactions. Apparently Riku has several dormant curses. Three, to be exact". The two boys couldn''t speak, but instead found themselves drawn closer into each other. Moving their heads and necks in a certain way, they wrapped their arms around each other as they went full hug mode, trying to make the positioning work as best they could. They were not holding back either, or rather they couldn''t. Thankfully they were both small and weak, but if they had been adults, they would be applying enough force to fracture some bones already. Everything was pressing against everything, which was not just unpleasant, it was painful. This would legitimately kill them. No, they would kill each other due to the curse, watching the light be snuffed out of each other''s eyes, and there was nothing they could do about it. In this position, neither of them could use magic. This was a lethal curse, meant to inflict death on the target and someone they cared enough for to kiss on the lips. "Alright, just hold on. I see it now. A bond broken, a bond forged. Let this petty rage become no more. A twist and a tap, unravel this spell. Free these two from their unjustly hell". Kuroki felt Amyris'' mana seep into Riku, and into him a bit as well, as he incanted a spell. Various glyph equations appeared as well, or at least what Kuroki figured they were, as it was the first time he saw Amyris use them to cast a spell. Furthermore, he used both them and an incantation, as well as direct mana manipulation. Either way, it seemed to work, because the two suddenly found themselves released and separated, both of them falling backwards onto their butts. "...what the hell kind of curse was that?" Kuroki questioned, gasping for air. "It seems that there were a few curses set up to apply to whoever the first person was to touch some chest, unless they were a blood relative to the original maker of the curse. Not only was it meant to make both the target and the one they care for suffer, but even it was meant to suffocate you both". "Ah...the stuff the guy made for his son". "Indeed. It seemed to apply three different curses. This one was probably a surface curse, meant to conceal the other two if someone did check for curses and would think they were safe after only dealing with that one. A second one was determined to stop your heart in a few days. The last one is...combat related it seemed, but I couldn''t identify it. I do know how to reveal it, and seeing as how it could trigger any time you defend yourself, we need to reveal it now. As such...the two of you will spar against each other here". Sometimes curses would activate only in battle, so it was necessary to see if it triggered. Thanks to his spells, marks would be guarenteed to show up somewhere on their bodies, so it should route it out. This was quite litterally the only thing left. If this didn''t bring out the curse somehow, then it was probably defective at this point. Amyris motioned both of them onto the training mat, and then activated the crystal. A barrier seemed to rise up around the area with the mat, and magic washed over them. A simulated sword appeared by Riku, while a simulated Grimoire appeared by Kuroki. When they saw both of these things, they both looked relieved. Indeed, Amyris had no desire to force Kuroki to do martial arts for this either. "Now then, this will make it so neither of you will actually be able to inflict real injury upon each other. That said, while pain might be simulated, it will still feel incredibly real and unpleasant. Now then, begin". The moment that word was said, Riku raced towards Kuroki. However, Kuroki was already a step ahead, as water appeared around him. Alright, let''s try this one out. Kuroki began to speak, as he tried something new. "Look in a puddle, look look look. The image you see is your own despair". Kuroki wasn''t as good as incantly fast like Amyris was, so Riku made it to him before his incantation was done. However, he used Water Puppetry to protect against the sword. It was identical to the sword Riku had before, so it seemed their specific weapons were being mimicked here. It was powerful, cutting through it much better then the ruffians at the guild. Or perhaps it was because his own power was not being boosted by Ellie''s clothes. Still, he was able to block it enough to dodge. However, that was when he saw Riku curl up his toes as he dug into the ground. Shit! I am still in range! Kuroki quickly side hopped, as Riku unleased his Brilliant Flash. "A myriad of mes, a myriad of times. Splashing in the ocean, kicking up a torrent. Moving back and forth. Set forth upon the waves, crashing down upon you". Riku quickly recovered, interrupting the last part of his Brilliant Flash and rolling on the ground, getting to his hands and feet as he charged forward. His toes curled again, which surprised Kuroki a bit since even with enhanced physical abilities, he was using them to improve the ability of Brilliant Flash, which meant it should still be wearing him down. However, when he attacked, this time he jumped up as he swung his sword down. Kyoudo Style: Overarc Slash. It was difficult because you had to slash as you jumped, meaning you didn''t have the same balance or footing as you might normally have. However, it was fast and incredibly difficult to block. Kuroki didn''t realize he was able to do it, but perhaps he only became able to in this world. Since gravity would not only bring his sword down but him as well, and given the size of his sword, it was a powerful attack. "Behold your own despair. Unfathomable Torrent!" Suddenly, a huge torrent of water rushed out of the ground from all directions, heading right for Riku. He still had his blade cut right through Kuroki, only for him to suddenly turn into water just like that. Kuroki then appeared well behind him, unleashing several ice spike attacks right at Riku. Riku sidestepped them, but still faced the powerful waves. And yet, he seemed to twist his body and moved in a way so that the waves propelled him forward, towards Kuroki. This caught Kuroki off guard, as Riku swung his sword to attack. Kuroki got out of the way, deflecting the blade with ice, but Riku twisted himself around on the force and managed to kick Kuroki in the right side of his torso. Their bare skin connected, and Kuroki felt the force...but not the pain. "Ahg!" Instead it was Riku who cried out in pain, as black marks covered him head to toe suddenly. Every part of him, even that which Kuroki had tried not to focus on despite it moving about as he did, was covered in the black markings. They already began to fade, when suddenly Riku was struck by a spell and they returned, along with the pain. Suddenly his body tried to spasm, as Amyris ran over. "Kuroki, hold his head and stop him from biting his own tongue!" Kuroki knelt down and kept Riku''s head on his lap, but then the black markings tried to spread to him, causing him pain as well. Furthermore, the curse from earlier seemed to rear its head again, as Riku''s body was sliding up his for some reason, and Kuroki''s arms were stuck in place. This caused one of his hands to get stuck in Riku''s mouth basically, which was really unpleasant. Amyris then got to work. He brought out a potion and used it on Riku. "There. It looks like this third curse could reapply both other curses, but that should stop any heart failure. I know its hard, but I need both your mouths clear to drink Anti-curse potions, so please fight any desire to lock lips with him. And it seems to be that the curse is designed to even make him spasm and die when someone tries to remove it. Honestly, curses are such rotten dirty things!" Amyris stuck a potion into Kuroki''s mouth. "Drink that! Don''t throw any of it up or spit it out. Since its only affecting you secondary, that should be more than enough, but you can never be too safe from curses". Amyris seemed a bit frantic, but then again he had lost Anna to a curse. Of course, it turned out she didn''t die, but petrified herself, but it still must have been a horrible experience. Still, it seemed he held an absolute hatred of curses as a result, to the point he wasn''t acting like his normal calm, collected self. This was the most emotional and out of control Kuroki had ever seen him in the past week. Even the cold rage he held for Kuroki''s father didn''t cause him to be this expressive. Amyris forced two potions through the open parts of Riku''s mouth, the liquid pouring in. It was a bit bitter, but then the taste of strawberries overpowered it. However, something about it still felt a bit unpleasant. Amyris then proceeded to cast various spells, stripping the curses one by one, step by step. The first two were easier, but the third was a handful. Riku spasmed a lot, and even though they were unstuck again, Kuroki couldn''t move at all. They couldn''t risk him suffering a serious head or neck injury after all. The floor appeared like solid stone right now, and it felt like that to Kuroki, so it probably simulated its hardness too. Eventually, the black marks removed themselves from Kuroki, and then finally were extracted into the air from Riku, before being outright obliterated. When it was done, the two felt their energy sapped a bit as they collapsed. Well, Riku already was collapsed, so it was really just Kuroki, but both were panting fierce. "That...was horrible". "Agreed". "That was a curse you two. Now you see why this was all necessary. Curses are no joke. And even when removed, they can leave after affects. You might experience side effects such as temporary loss of reason, extreme closeness to each other, occasional heart spasms, occasional bursts of pain, the strong desire to kiss each other, and more. That said, they should go away after a day or two since you weren''t cursed for too long, relatively speaking. Curses can remain dormant for months or even years just to make sure that even if they are removed, those side effects give you trouble nad potentially even could still take your life. And just so you know, that first one, the kiss one, could have forcibly triggered on its own while you two were asleep. If we hadn''t caught it...". The two boys paled a bit. They had nearly died in their sleep, since they would be sharing a bed tonight. It dawned on them that Ozlo himself said he once cursed the Guildmaster, which probably indicated he had been really pissed with him at the time. Although if the Guildmaster is an expert, that might have been less serious for him. Especially if he truly had been under the same curse as Anna but only experienced that little of an effect by comparison. Curses were scary things, not to be taken lightly. The two reflected upon that knowledge. "Now then, off to bed you two". They eventually got up, however Riku''s face went red. "What, you both seem fine now, and you dont really have a problem sharing a bed together right?" "No, thats not it..." Riku said, as he began to fidget. He was cupping his boyhood with his hands, however it seemed he was embarrassed for another reason. However, Kuroki began to feel it as well, as he started to do the same thing as Riku. "Umm, you see..." Riku said. "Right, lets head this way. And hurry! I don''t want an accident in my house! This is absolutely some petty curse thing again!" He quickly led them out to door at the back of the hall, opening it and ushering them through it. They found themselves in the kitchen. It was true both of them still needed to eat dinner, however that wasn''t what Riku needed at the moment. After that, they headed into the back hall, which featured quite a few buckets. He grabbed two of them, and then brought them and the boys to the door. He quickly removed his socks, and they went out barefoot into the back area. It was already quite dark, so Amyris pointed out a corner where the wall of the house and the wall of the back yard, which was also just tall enough to hide them when they squatted down. At least by anyone on that side. The two boys quickly took the buckets and went over there, leaning against the wall for support as they proceeded to relieve themselves. Two arcs of not-water also were released in front of them onto the grass, as their faces went from contorted pain to bliss. Eventually after about a dozen minutes and unpleasant pain, they were done. Amyris handed them leaves from a nearby tree to wipe their butts, and then they proceeded to dump the waste in the designated waste hole that Amyris showed them. "That was...terribly unpleasant". "Was that also the curse?" "Nah, thats probably because you are both small and you were so excited and distracted by everything, you forgot to go until now. That said, I do want you both to try going before going to bed, just to be safe". "Can we please just...go inside and not talk about it". "Sure, just a sec" he said, as he flicked them both on the forehead and got them to fall backwards into the grass. He laid down as well, as they looked at the stars. For the first time, they really looked at the night''s sky. Kuroki had passed out inside last night before looking, and both boys had been busy focusing on surviving and getting to civilization and being safe. So this was the first time they were really able to gaze up at the stars while relaxing. It was beautiful. Like a sea of gems looking down on them. A brilliant and colorful sky, uncorrupted by light from the world below. Kuroki and Riku ended up laying down in a star spread shape, as they were mesmerized by what they saw. "You both went through a lot of really unpleasant things, but remember this. These things are not the normal of this world. This night''s sky? This is the normal of this world". The sky dazzled them. They had never seen it so clearly before. It wrapped over their whole world, the starlight shining down upon them like a guiding light. Leading them to light. Leading them to happiness. Leading them to hope. "We are safe, Riku..." "Yeah...we really are safe..." The feelings of embarrassment washed away, as well as the despair and strain they had felt, as their hands reached out and held each other. Waterfalls errupted from their eyes, and eventually they even began to smile and laugh. They would not be safe forever. This world was not an easy place to live in like their previous world. But for now, for this moment, there were no shadows looming over them. No oppressive forces who ruled their lives. For now, for this moment, they were safe. And so like that, they ended up falling asleep under the stars, and Amyris eventually carried them in and tucked them into bed. For the first time, Amyris saw an innocent and pure smile on Kuroki as he slept. "Ten or fifteen, that is what a child''s expression should be when they sleep" he said contently, packing them in close together so they could share in the warmth, before heading to bed himself. "I hope one day, instead of a face of worry, that becomes your natural expression Kuroki". And so, the night continued on as those words rode the winds into the night. Chapter 14: Unusual Developments In Akano¡¯s dreams, he saw Kuroki. The two of them were standing in a misty, hazy field. They were probably naked for some reason, but while they appeared to wear nothing one couldn¡¯t see properly. Their bodies almost seemed to be made of ectoplasm and were blurred the further from the head one got, or something that wasn¡¯t solid and just hazy. The only thing truly clear was Kuroki¡¯s sleeping face, as only from the neck up could detail be discerned. It felt like they were only souls, so far apart yet somehow able to connect here. At first, when Akano had fallen asleep, he had suddenly been here, but elsewhere. He had been alone. However, a voice then spoke to him. It was strange and hard to hear, but it sounded like the voice of a young boy. "Do you want to save your friend?" That was what the voice said, as a boy wrapped in silver light appeared in front of him. He had perfectly clear skin that looked beautiful and amazing, silver white hair, and silver eyes. He too had been like the rest of them there, but he seemed to be far more aware and present. And most of all, Akano could feel it from him. Divine energy, and a lot of it. Perhaps that was why he came in so much more clearly, his body far less hazy. And yet, the boy himself was not divine. Whoever this boy was, he seemed knowledgable. "Who are you?" "I am afraid I cannot say. Just that I know what you are, and why you are here". This caught Akano by surprise. Even the Gods had skirted around admitting it to some degree, but the boy confirmed it outright. "You must save your friend. He cannot be delayed any longer...and he shouldn''t be made to suffer further. Please just follow". The boy reached out his hand and grabbed Akano''s, pulling him along. Akano did not resist, and followed him. Every step they took felt massive, as if they covered vast amount of terrain in an instant. Akano was not sure how far they came, but he knew this place was not connected to the physical realm. Eventually they found Kuroki, and then the boy began to depart. "I must leave now, the rest is up to you. But I will give you this freebee. You, Kuroki, Reiji, and Juno are all located within the same kingdom, while Kuroki''s father is not. But, before you meet up, you should become strong. You do not wish to risk drawing attention to yourselves by grouping up before then, that is a route that leads to disaster". And then, with those words, the boy seemed to vanish. Akano had many questions, but they could wait for later. Right now, he had to help Kuroki. Kuroki had an issue, there was this black smog circling him. It made Akano feel repulsed and disgusted, and it appeared as if it was sapping and harming Kuroki. Not only that, but another boy appeared next to Kuroki. Like them, no clothes, but everything below the neck got increasingly hazy. Akano recognized him as Riku, and felt relieved knowing that Kuroki was not alone. The same black smog appeared to cover them both, connecting the two. Whatever it was, it felt disgusting and reviling to Akano. His own power seemed to swirl forward, pushing him to act. ¡°Go¡± Talia¡¯s voice spoke ¡°I will supercharge you just this once, so make sure to learn this power properly. Consider this an exception, and a way for you to know a point which you must reach on your own one day¡±. Talia never appeared, but he didn¡¯t need to. Akano understood what was going on instinctively. What surrounded them was the remains of a rather nasty curse. Curses were powerful yet dangerous magic, with only one known weakness: Divine Power. Akano was surging with it right now, as he placed his hands on their chests. Both of them appeared to be in a trance, neither one reacted or opened their eyes. When he tried however, another black smog appeared from behind him as he began his purification. Rising from the unseen ground, it lunged towards him. But now that he started, he couldn¡¯t stop or defend himself. Even Talia felt shocked. It lunged at him, only to suddenly be cleaved through by a sword. In this world where no physical objects could be brought in or created, this sword appeared as the sole exception. A blonde haired girl held it, appearing around eleven or twelve. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡±My name is Anna¡± she mentioned with a grin. A single rogue tooth seemed to escape the smile, making her seem a bit wild. Unlike the other two, she was fully conscious and aware. Noticing his confusion, she smiled. ¡°No worries. Everyone says I¡¯m abnormal, then they usually sigh and shrug it off¡±. ¡±I-I see¡±. More black smogs appeared from the Foggy grounds. ¡±You keep it up! It seems your powers are quite supercharged, so it shouldn¡¯t be too much longer! I will defend you from these creeps¡±. "What are they?" "Fragments of the curse. This isn''t a typical way to remove curses, but it appears a major player involved in your situation has made their move". Unbothered by their lack of clothes or other physical possessions, or that Akano was a boy, she readied her sword. He couldn¡¯t clearly make out her body below the neck like the others, yet her presence felt stronger and clearer than Kuroki¡¯s, Riku¡¯s, or his own. And more than that, when he saw her¡­he felt a surge of hope. Something that gave him the mindset he needed. ¡°Purge! Septa! Royal!¡± Suddenly large amounts of light emerged from his hands, engulfing the foggy field. The shadows hissed and attacked, but this Anna cut through them with ease. In terms of combat ability, she far exceeded him. She felt overwhelming, an equal to Kuroki¡¯s father in presence, and perhaps even talent or strength. But where he emitted cruelty and despair, she radiated kindness and hope. Akano was certain now. She had far more potential than any of them. A true hero. And that bolstered his power further, as the world was consumed by light, erasing the darkness not just around Kuroki and Riku, but pushing all the darkness back and everyone there was engulfed in light. The curse being eradicated right there. And a sense of hope and courage taking its place.
While the two boys slept, and Akano was supported in the Spirit World to do something well outside the norm, Amyris made all sorts of prepwork. Curses were powerful things, and it was likely the two would end up suffering over the next few days. He had taken precautions, so death or anything permanent was off the table. Still, worst case scenario was them being stuck in bed wearing nothing but diapers in agonizing pain and randomly to constantly peeing and pooping for several days. Possibly even a week, but Amyris was sure he prevented anything more. Love was a powerful emotion, and this curse was made out of both malice and love. Still, he was pretty sure he got them to avoid either the worst side effects or the longest times, if not both. He especially tried to focus on removing the pain part of it. But he absolutely had to remove the lethal parts first. The aftereffects of a curse were usually lighter related versions of what the curse was, but it wasn¡¯t one to one. Organ failure probably turned into weak bladder, and possibly other organs were weakened as well. The connection and suffocated one probably meant both would suffer from it, and they might need to maintain physical proximity to each other. It had also intended to make it hard for them to breath, but Amyris had removed that part and focused on reducing or eliminating heart and lung weakness to prevent any problematic combinations that would kill them. Kuroki had guessed right. Amyris held a deep hatred of curses. Both the mind curse and the petrification curse had taken away his friend and student. He had learned all about them since, and the fact he was able to manipulate and weaken them on his own so quickly was proof of that. Of course, it helped that this was not a Devil¡¯s Curse, as those tend to be far more complex and difficult to dismiss. Still, all he would need to do was keep them inside for a few days and keep them away from anything eventful. Should their lives be written down in history books, then the next few days would probably be treated as a time skip, not really mentioning anything other then a brief summary. He was sure the boys would appreciate that. Running around naked for days was fine, but wearing a diaper and constantly peeing and pooping yourselves, possibly while in agonizing pain and stuck in bed? That would be humiliating for anyone. They would basically be reduced to being like infants. If their stomachs were weakened too, Amyris might actually be forced to resort to food that would be given to babies. But he had worked hard so they could avoid such a bad fate. With any luck, it might only be a day or two and not a week. If Kuroki heard that though, he would panic like crazy. He was a firm believer that he had terrible luck. There was also another concern. While monsters in the sewers did tend to happen from time to time, the fact that there had been three goblins right there worried him a bit. What were the odds of that happening? He wondered if it was a sign the Goblin population was on the rise. Goblins were tricky monsters, since they were humanoids, use tools, and depending on how evolved their leadership was, complex tactics even. He also wondered if there was a connection to the Starfall, but Goblin populations sometimes surged like this and it was something that happened here every year or two, so it could be something else. Still, that group was pretty far in to be at my sewer exit. I wonder if its worse than normal...not that I can check. Amyris was a skilled investigator, but his rank was simply way too high. The adventurer''s guild discouraged those from taking on quests that are much higher or lower ranked. They wont even give a request to someone if its too high for them, and they would sometimes do the same if it was too low. They needed to make sure there was plenty of work for everyone, so Goblins, which were typically considered F-Rank Threats, were far too low for him. He could get away with doing some Bs or maybe even some Cs, or if he was asked to because of some emergency or to help people train. In fact, if he provided too much help, they might even be restricted from ranking up or could even be demoted, which meant Amyris would need to stay away from a lot of their activities for awhile. You could only rank up based on skill alone to F-Rank, maybe even E-Rank but that was unlikely. After all, you needed to earn trust with the guild. Typically, most people capped out at D or C rank. The exceptional ones made it to B-Rank, and the truly amazing ones made it to A-Rank. As for S-Rank and above, they were rare. It wouldn''t be surprising if only one or two of them existed in a city. The reason there were a few in this town was because Riza was currently here, and because it was the Frontier. Additionally, Sebas was born with an idiotic amount of mana that made him around SS-Rank in theory, but in terms of everything else he was lower, and he also was not registered. Not everyone strong registered with the adventurer''s guild, and Guild Rank did not always necessarily indicate the proper skill. Of course, that was why Guild Cards had a Titles section. Depending on the Titles, one could get work they normally couldn''t. For example, an expert in Divine Magic or Necromancy would be able to receive jobs to deal with undead that would otherwise be too high for their rank. If one specialized in support magic, they might be allowed to join a quest with a more experienced party since they could end up being a great boon. If one had the Diplomat title, they would be able to take quests dealing with nobles earlier then they normally would. Potion Meisters would be allowed to participate in urgent gathering quests for urgent potion restocks, since they would have the knowledge needed to gather the right things, though a more experienced party would likely be dispatched with them. But in quests like those, usually a dozen or two parties were dispatched. If one was skilled in fire magic, then one might be allowed to tank Trent subjugations since tree and plant monsters were typically weak to fire. Similarly, those with water magic might be allowed to help deal with emergency situations like fires. Water produced or controlled with magic might not be good for drinking, cleaning, or bathing, but it was perfectly fine for things like putting out fires. A particularly skilled user might even be able to use it to treat burns. And anyone skilled enough for the Guild to grant a Beast Hunter title to would be allowed to take Beast Monster Subjugation Requests a rank higher then normally would be allowed. Typically, one could only take quests at their rank, with the Guild only letting you take quests from one rank higher if you start showing promise and reliability. The Guild was pretty cautious about this though, because information sometimes was not always perfect or accurate, or other things could happen, so any quest that was E-Rank could easily actually be D-Rank, or become D-Rank due to other factors. Many adventurers often lost their lives because it was hard to gather reliable intelligence, or predict the exact movements and numbers of monster swarms. Goblins are Rank F, so they might make good practice for Kuroki. Considering the Mental Enhancements, as well as the mysterious effect that all Starfallen seem to get that makes them more adaptable to the culture and way of life to this world along with the Enhancements, Kuroki should be fine. Though...part of it may be because he faced his killler every day in his previous life. Kuroki''s father might not have actually tried to murder Kuroki. If he had, Kuroki would have died a long time ago. But his abuse and beatings on Kuroki could have easily killed him. Even with how meticulous he was to avoid any damage that was long lasting or would be easily seen on his body, it all could have added up. And Kuroki honestly felt like it would happen one day. Amyris had noticed that while bloody scenes did affect him...their corpses did not. He didn''t even hesitate to look at the bodies of monsters, of the Starfallen either. Riku felt similar as well, but from what Amyris had heard, it appeared his parents died. Amyris guessed he probably saw them die in some accident, and was the sole survivor. That was what it felt like, but he lacked the data to be conclusive. That, plus the mental enhancements, was probably why both boys were adapting so well and being so well behaved. Well, Kuroki was quite resistant at times, but he seemed to be adapting well now. Too well, honestly. They are almost matching Anna''s pace, but their personalities dont make sense for that. In other words, something extra is there. Something that makes them...Compliant. Its not that they can''t disobey...but in the end, they don''t want to. Something makes it so that they dont want to. This is accelerating their adaptation to this world more than normal Starfallen, but if it had been used in a different way...I see. So that was this was all about. Amyris laid out the facts in his mind, as he realized something major. A huge piece of the puzzle. He had already suspected of course, perhaps even knew. But this confirmed it beyond a shadow of a doubt. This Starfall event was deliberately caused. This was an attempt at Summoning, disguised as a Starfall. An attempted summoning of tens of thousands of Starfallen. In other words, whoever the mastermind was, they wanted numbers. Starfallen were not all that powerful individually. But...an army of Starfallen might be a different matter. Kuroki had come into this world with about D to C-Rank adventurer level of natural talent in magic alone. Should he master it, becoming S-Rank was not impossible. Even surpassing it might happen depending on how well he used his talent and how much of it there really was. Riku had the same amount as well. This put them on the same level as the average well trained soldier. Normal soldiers would be more like F or E rank, but those with a bit of experience and were well trained would be more like D. And then there was the possibility of those with Obsessions exceeding that, or those who were already insanely talented and strong before coming to this world, like Kuroki''s shitty father. Amyris had concerns he might already be at B-Rank or perhaps even A-Rank strength, given his obsession with his own ideology. Suddenly, while deep in thought, he heard a knocking on his door. Oh dear, did the curse make them wet the bed already? I will need to be super nice. I was going to have them bathe in the morning anyways, but they should be more then willing now. WHile thinking such things, he opened the door, as the early morning light came in. Kuroki and Riku were standing there, apparently no longer embarrassed or ashamed. Well, after what happened, Amyris was glad to have earned their trust. However, it was already morning? Amyris was surprised they slept through it. "Looks like you two slept well. Let me guess, you need new clean sheets? Its nothing to be ashamed of, the curse is affecting your bladders after all. I am afraid to say both of you will probably need to wear diapers for awhile". When he said that though, the two boys seemed confused and a bit flustered. "Eh? Wait what?" "Erm, Amyris...none of that happened. We already relieved ourselves this morning outside with the buckets". "Hmm? Wait, you were able to go on your own? Impossible, you are both still cursed!" The two seemed confused. "Well I mean, it was only cursed traces. You feel fine, right Riku?" "Yeah. Isn''t that just because of how skilled you were?" When they went to bed, they still had the lingering curse fragments. They were nasty ones too, the kind an expert priest at least would be needed. He had no intention of relying on the Church, since that might bring more trouble to them though. However, then they woke up, and were able to go to the bathroom normally? On their own? They didn''t wet the bed, shit the bed, or need diapers? They weren''t in agonizing pain and suffering? They didn''t feel lethargic or weak? Amyris quickly knelt down and put his hands on their chests. He searched and searched, but the curse fragments were gone. Entirely gone, without a single trace. Even Riku, who had been the one cursed originally, was no longer harboring any fragments. In other words, the after effects were gone. They were completely gone. Kuroki and Riku had somehow been liberated from the curse overnight, just like that, without Amyris detecting anything. It was just too strange. "Alright. This is strange, but it looks like you wont be stuck in bed in diapers for the next few days. How strange though...I admit its good, but...its abnormal to have a curse resolved so fast on its own". "Isn''t that just proof of your abilities?" "Curses adapt to methods used to break them. And they are rather tenacious. Since my magic removed the curses themselves, it shouldn''t have been able to do much against the fragments. And in terms of being able to wipe it away like that, it requires someone with lots of divine power. Someone like the Oracle, or a Saint, or a really experienced Shrine Maiden would be able to. Perhaps even a talented Archbishop or Cardinal, although most get there through political intrigue rather than faith I feel like". "So wait, do you think a god did this then?" "Gods are not allowed to directly aid or help the world, due to agreements made and rules set by the God of Order. Most likely, someone somehow was able to traverse the Spirit World, where one can typically only enter as a soul, came to you, and used their divine power to help you. A God maybe boosted them, if it was within their teachings, but that feels a bit weird and forced. And they wouldn''t have led the party and boosted them, which meant...someone else, someone who could see a pathway there, led someone who was then boosted by their god to purge you of your curse". If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "...that sounds...complicated. And mysterious" Riku muttered. "Certainly. It wasn''t even a curse that was going to kill you both anymore, I did that much. Normally it would be unnecessary...unless that person somehow knew the future. In which case...it seems that we need to start both of your training immediately. But first, bath for both of you. By the time we are done and you finish drying, breakfast will be ready. By the time you finish, your clothes should be fully dry and I will have them ready". "Wait, we are having breakfast before we get dressed?" Amyris looked at them confused. "Well of course, thats how....ah, I take it the order was different in your world? Or did you both just go out to eat breakfast a lot?" Kuroki and Riku now looked unsure. "Hmm...." "Now that I think about it, ever since my parents died, I had to mooch off of friends or get breakfast elsewhere...but I think it probably depended on the household and person". "Well, since its easy to wipe a mess off of skin instead of valuable freshly cleaned clothes, most people have breakfast first, then get dressed. At least in their own homes". "...home..." "...thanks for welcoming me..." Somehow, that had a bigger impact then at any moment they had been embarrassed about being naked. Apparently, having a warm and loving home was considered more precious and a bigger deal then that to the two boys. Amyris was reminded once more that he should probably wipe Kuroki''s father off the face of the planet before the two encounter each other. Either way, he led the boys to the back yard, picking up soap and a basin along the way. This one was large enough for them both, and he quickly filled it with water and got them clean. During the bath however, Kuroki began to wonder on who would push for removing his curse. In the end, he could only come up with one answer. "...Akano..." "...I wonder who removed the curse...do you really think it was..." Riku muttered. "Yeah. Its weird, but it almost feels like...it was someone nice. Nice and warm. Like Akano. No, I am certain of it". "Do you think it was Akano?" "Its possible, but...he shouldn''t be that strong already. But thats how it feels to me. I am certain it was Akano. He is still helping me and looking out for me, even when we are so far apart". Once the bath was done, Amyris had them sit at the table while he served them bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, and juice, along with melon. The bacon looked sizzled to perfection, coated in wonderful juices and greese. The egges were scrambled, with just a dash of salt and pepper on them. The juicy was sweet and energizing, preparing them for a long day. The sausage was warm and filling, giving them the sustinence they would need for lots of activity. The toast, buttered and golden to perfection. Actually, while delicious, the toast was a bit weird. There was no toaster in this world, so how did Amyris make toast even? Did an Otherworlder spread toasters as well somehow? But in the end it didn''t really matter. The two dug in while Amyris went outside to get their clothes. They wolfed it down something fierce, apparently being quite hungry, so they were just finishing up when Amyris came back inside and handed them their clothes...as well as something extra. "I thought we didn''t need diapers anymore!" "Riku, you still need underwear don''t you?" "I would rather go commando then wear a diaper!" "Very well, but make sure you go to Ellie''s today. She is making a spare outfit for Kuroki as well, so you might as well have her make you underwear at least". "I will take him there" Kuroki replied, to which Amyris nodded. "Very good. In that case, go now while I prepare. We need to get you started on magic and combat lessons after all". The two boys got dressed, and headed out while Amyris prepared for the day.
At the same time, in a far distant city up north but still within the kingdom, there was a young boy who slept upon a massive round bed. Compared to a donut, he would take up less then half the space of the part that was cut out, it was that big. He appeared to only be about nine or ten, perhaps eleven, but unlike all other boys that age during this season, he did not sleep in the nude. Instead, he was wearing fancy and decorated robes as he slept, wrapped in them as if they were sheets. They took up more space on the bed then he did. The bed was large and circular, and in terms of height rather low. He did not wear any shoes or socks while on it of course, but he was wearing boxers. That said, one could not see them very well under his robes, which seemed to also be his shirt and perhaps even pants in this situation. The robes were ornate and clearly quite expensive. Commoners could generally only afford to own one or two full sets of clothes, as any more were considered a luxury. But these robes were probably worth the equivalent as a hundred sets of commoner clothes at least. Their length also indicated their position within the public. They were robes that even someone three times as tall as him would still have touching the floor. They made good blankets, but their length denoted how many people would have to hold them in Ceremonial situations. In other words, it was an indication this boy held an extremely high rank. His room was decorated with gold, silver, and gemstones. Heavy locks were placed upon his door, accessible from either side, though not a single key could be seen in his room. He did have many drawers and dressers, as well as a large standing mirror that was at least four Kurokis tall. A sceptor was nearby with a crystal orb at the end, as well as a book detailing the scriptures of the God of Order. Behind him were three huge windows, almost as tall as the ceiling, which was probably about eighteen to twenty Kurokis high. Furthermore, there was a walk in closer filled with robes and clothes, many of which appeared untouched, with Ceremonial Clothes used often but street clothes being near untouched. The room had various golden moldings, which almost gave the impression of a birdcage or golden lights raining down around him. The fact that his room was circular as well likely contributed to that. But what was most notable was his silver white hair and silver eyes. He was a perfect match to the boy who led Akano through the spirit world. As he began to stir and wake up, he let out a yawn, which was responded to with a dark chuckle. The boy scowled, but did not look at the voice as he sat up a little, using his arm to balance himself as he was still laying on the bed. "Well now, if it isn''t Tarkus Bain. Tell me, black dog, why are you here to visit little old me today? Come now, speak boy. Woof woof". His voice was full of rudeness and contempt, as well as hatred. Still, the man in pitch black armor let out a chuckle. He was a large man who stood tall, wearing jet black armor made of an unknown metal. He was over two meters tall, and had a scar above one eye. His black eyes gazed with contempt at the boy, and he was quite clearly antagonistic. The boy had responded to that with his own antagonism, calling him the Black Dog. He seemed rather rough and rugged, so perhaps he was more like a wild hound then a trained guard dog. "You have been sleeping quite a lot lately. And the council is concerned, since all of a sudden your predictions are starting to be wildly off the mark, Oracle. By any chance, are you trying to screw us over, those who shelter, house, bathe, and feed you?" He had a haughty tone, but his gaze was sharp. Still, the boy did not turn to match it. He did however pretend his free hand was his mouth, having it take such a shape and using it to speak to him instead. "The rupture of space and time seems to have drastically altered the timelines. I must say, this is the first time this has happened in these two decades" he said, his tone dramatic and rather emphasized in its dismay, before finally turning towards the man in black armor. He pulled on his collar a little, revealing his neck and the choker around it. He motioned the black dog forward, and then ran a finger across his neck. "If you are so dissatisfied though, you could always separate my head from my body, mutt". Incidentally, he was actually in his thirties. However, the power of Oracles were great. When one awakens their power, they typically do it as a preteen, and it burns out parts of their brain and body. He had lost the ability to grow, but there were some who lost their sanity, and others who ended up terminally ill. Some lose the ability to use their limbs, others go blind or lose their hearing or taste. The Oracle often got sick as well, due to their imbalanced body. It was the price they paid for the ability to peer into the countless potential timelines, and recieve information of probably futures. The sheer power of time they held, it was hubris to think one could keep it in their bodies so easily. So the fact that he had only lost the ability to grow was one of the better outcomes, although one could argue it is partially what gave him his current nasty personality, in addition to his current circumstances for the past two decades. He snorted. "You know, for someone who essentially gets treated like royalty, you sure do love to encourage me to kill you". "Please, dont say such false things we both know are not true. I am simple trapped within a Gilded Cage, and you are my warden, Black Dog. I cannot step foot outside this room unless you or the Council allows it, and my power is limited to this room as well". "You say that, but you have been here for over twenty years, brat. I am sure you have some thoughts on how to escape". The boy simply gave him an angelic smile, and yet the malice from it was palpable. Even the Black Dog snickered. "If only the people knew how much of a rotten personality their Oracle had". "It''s only like this because I am just a prisoner, a tool or a pawn to be discarded. I am sure the Council is already looking for a new Oracle to replace me. They probably see me as too dangerous...speaking of which, your friend Shugen went with Councilor Farzil to get a buried treasure. Have they returned yet?" At those words, the Black Dog finally got angry and threw an ornate chalice from the table at the boy. It was thrown with such force it would have been a serious injury, but a barrier appeared and stopped it before it could reach him. The boy simply shrugged, giving off a smile as he used his hands to invite him forward, once again bowing his head as he exposed his neck. "You bastard. You know how much trouble that caused us? Losing one of my friends, as well as a councilor?!" "Now now. You are clearly not thinking clearly. After all, you know this choker of mine protects me just as much as it keeps me a prisoner here. As for your question, I only obediently played my part. They wanted information on treasure, and the Oracle had been forced to comply. I am always forced to comply with your demands after all". The Black Dog growled, grabbing the boy by the scruff of his neck and throwing him across the room, causing him to hit a wall. The barrier prevented serious injury, except from the Black Dog directly. "Your mastery of sophistry is a pain. You knew they would die if they went there". "I have no way of knowing such details for certain" the boy replied, smiling as he dusted himself off. The two stared each other down, which meant the Black Dog had to look down, being over two meters tall, while the Oracle had to look up as his arms were crossed. "You bastard. You knew exactly what would happen". "I did not know. I would have been forced to tell them if I did. You know that, mutt". "You swine!" "What are you going to do, beat me again?" "Hmmf. As tempting as that offer is, I don''t trust you enough right now not to be pulling something". "Oh my? But I am trapped here, in this gilded cage, forced to obediently comply with all your demands. Why not free me then, either release me from the Ivory Tower, or take my head. I care not for which method you choose". He gestured with his hands as he said that, as he bowed his head forward his arms reached out and down, his palms opened as if inviting him in. it was a emphasized and dramatic display for sure, but the black dog did not take the bait. "...you know very well I cannot kill you without permission, brat". "Tee hee". "But you think the Council is going to let that slide?" "Oh, I am sure they wont. But, I am not their only worry right now either" he said, before shooing off the Black Dog. "Now, I have to get to my official duties for the actual Church, not those sleezy councilors, you know? Thanks to a huge shift in the timeline, I need to write all new prophecies and oracles. Ahh, such a pain. Especially about the Four Cardinal Cataclysms". The Black Dog kicked him to the ground, before storming out. The Oracle laid there for a bit, before getting back up. "Now then, before he sends someone to torture and interrogate me to extract any new Oracles I am keeping from them, let''s just edit and modify my memory a bit" he mused. "After all, I can''t have them discovering my little trips through the Spirit World just yet. And after all the work I did too, especially regarding the Starfall. Besides, I doubt I will be needed again for a few weeks by any of them". His ambiguous words lingered in the air as he placed a finger to his head. [Invoke Dual Mind. Hounds howl at midnight! Cloud Sky Sync. Let''s have some fun soon, kay? Redaction Replacement. Fog rolling over]. With a strange incantation in a strange voice, he invoked some sort of magic or power, and his mind was altered. "What was I...ah yes, I have to write down the new oracles" he said, when three knights came back in with the Black Dog as they barged through the doors in a hurry. "What is this?" "Just another friendly session of prying that head of yours open" the Black Dog said, unaware that he was a step too late. The Oracle stood there, glaring at him. "Prepare to be disappointed again, you paranoid mutt". "Says the thirty year old brat". And so the Oracle was forced into a rather painful interrogation, prolonged by the fact they never gained anything of note. But for now, the existence of the Starfallen, and the truths that were being kept hidden, remained out of reach from the Dark Side of the Church.
Meanwhile, Kuroki and Riku arrived at the shop. Kuroki did the proper opening procedure, when he realized something. Wait hold on, Riku has a crush on Kaede...but wasn''t Kaede still being punished?! Kuroki went to stop Riku, but he already entered. He raced in as well, only to see Riku already swarmed by women. Kaede had a bit of a red face as she was behind the counter, but she couldn''t look away. Riku''s clothes fell briefly to the side, and Kuroki felt awkward, being the only clothed one of them there, that he considered joining them...but they wouldn''t be there for long. He went over to Kaede. "Sorry, I forgot you were still being punished". "Ah, actually I am not anymore" Kaede mentioned. "Then why..." "Well, as of today. She said that Amyris mentioned that I had to wait for this next customer, and then it would be fine. She said that any longer was unnecessary because of what happened with Valiance". That had been a rather nasty thing. Amyris had mentioned to him Ellie tended to accept such excuses easily, so long as they were legitimate. Apparently she had to endure for Riku''s sake. However, her face still seemed red, and she seemed quite shy. Kuroki figured since Riku would get dressed again right after, and so would Kaede, he was fine not to strip, but he was curious on something. "...so, why are you red exactly?" "I mean, thats my classmate! Its Riku-chan! He is really popular you know? Everyone looks out for Riku cause of what happened to him plus his shitty uncle, but he is also super cool! He stood up to bullies who were mean to me and even older kids, and often helped everyone out! He was really cool and nice and cool! PLus...a lot of girls in my class thought he was cute..." Ahhh, the face you are making indicates you are one of them. Kuroki mused. It appeared that Kaede''s crush was reciprocated. Riku had a crush on her as well. Kuroki was enjoying quite a feast right now. He was surprisingly into gossip like this. Amyris must have told Ellie, who must have either told Kaede already and saw her reaction, or already heard about Riku from Kaede. She absolutely knew, that was why this was a thing. She probably thought that such a crush shouldn''t get such a one sided view, so now they both saw each other like this...oh, it seems like Riku is done. The army of women returned to the back, leaving Riku red faced on a box. "What the hell was that?!" "Thats how tailors work. By the way, Kaede...those women, are they projections after all?" Kaede shook her head. "Nope. I talked to them over lunch, and they have their own personalities. All six of them. So I dont think they are fake or automatons, though...Ellie is a master enchanter. Its possible". "Kaede?" Riku asked, confirming as he stepped off the box. He seemed fully entranced, but when he saw that she was as bare as him he blushed. "No worries Riku, you will get used to it" she said, walking over and shaking his hand. She was red as well, but she tried to play it cool. Afterwards they got dressed. As they all stood there, Riku felt something stir in his heart. "Now, this is more like it". "It kinda feels like we are an Adventurer Party now, right boys". "Yeah" Kuroki nodded. Ellie then came out, and saw the three of them. "Ah, there you all are. Now, Kaede still needs to register at the adventurer''s guild". "Wait, I thought she was staying here to help out". "That will be her main job, but I wont always be here. So she needs to be able to earn her own money, especially if something ever happens to me. Normally family would take care of that for an emergency, but we dont know where her family is, and they likely dont have the resources to spare right now anyways. Besides...her skills are more suited for combat then one would think". "Eh?" "But isn''t she a normal girl?" "I am indeed..." Kaede said reluctantly, before continuing. "I wanted to be better at cooking and preparing meat, so that wish translated into knife and dissection skill. I wanted to be able to heal my family, so it seems I got healing magic. I wanted to protect myself from the rain more easily, so I gained barrier magic. I wanted to always be healthy so I don''t bother my parents, so I got a more robust physical ability and more stamina. I wanted to be strong enough to support everyone, so I gained quite a bit of strength. I wanted to be able to hide from bullies, so I also seem very capable of being stealthy and sneaking around". They were all very normal wishes, the one any normal child would have. However, it seems that while absurd overpowered abilities were not granted, that didn''t stop very ordinary wishes from becoming exceptional abilities during the Starfall process. Or rather... "Wait, I feel like I heard a scary thing in there. Did you say dissection?" Kaede blushed a bit. She was more embarrassed about that then being seen by Riku earlier. It seemed to be a sore spot for her. "I seem to be able to just know how to cut and clearly target vital points, and effectively cut things up...living or dead". "Ah...well, thats...so you are a knife wielder?" She showed two knives holstered at her waist. They were large, more like daggers really. "Well, I guess we sort of have a complete party. Kaede has healing..." "Ah, I have healing abilities too" Riku mentioned. "...of course you do. Well, we have a Warrior with healing abilities, a rogue with healing abilities, and a mage. This seems like a well balanced party". "Alright then, lets have a normal register this time!" "Riku...I feel like that wont happen. I think its somehow set up so that any newly registered adventurer gets into a fight". "What? So that wasn''t natural?" "No way it was! I think if no one acts up, someone would find a way to pick a fight anyways". "...so thats why Amyris, Ozlo, and Riza all disappeared on us?" "Yeah, that was the biggest giveaway. The fact they disappeared like that makes me sure of it. Its some sort of adventurer tradition or hazing thing. THey probably let the rowdy members do it naturally, but if no one does, someone else would find an excuse to pick a fight I am sure". "So that guy I fought first?" "He was probably a plant". "Ahh! But he seriously came at me!" "I am sure he did. But I bet he would have stopped, or been stopped, before the final blow". "Wait though, what about you Kuroki?" "Ah...we kinda pissed off a group of six, and those guys were probably a natural encounter. To be honest, me and Riku were kinda flashy too...so someone might pick a fight with you for revenge". "...I feel like your earlier explanation was all an excuse so you wouldn''t get blamed for what is about to happen". "Nah nah" Kuroki denied...and pretty badly at that. Kaede pouted. "Fine fine, lets go". "Back to the guild! Woot!" "I hope we don''t get pulled into it. Kaede might not earn F-Rank if we help out after all". "You assume she will as well?!" Kuroki looked back at Riku. "You heard those abilities". "Ah, fair. I feel bad for Mob A already". And so they went to the adventurer''s guild. Ozlo was there, and naturally right after registering, Kuroki and Riku got pestered by Ozlo asking if they could be available to keep checking in for a few days. During that time, Kaede proceeded to defeat some ruffian that said she looked too weak and young to be there, rather decisively at that. And so, she got promoted to F-Rank like them, and was also asked to regularly check back in with the guild for the next few days. Kuroki. Akano. Juno. Reiji. Kaede. Riku. Everyone had been registered now, and was now an F-Rank adventurer. Their journey of adventure and magic had now finally, and officially, begun.
Meanwhile, in the sewers, scuttering sounds could be heard. So far, nothing major had happened of course. But people were creeped out, and the rogues and criminals who typically used them to travel around felt as if something was off, and tried to only use them when necessary. Perhaps they could sense it. Something was off. Something was different. Something had changed. Something was wrong. A pair of red eyes lurked below. The time was soon approaching. The moment was nearly here. And so was the horror.
Rolling back time to shortly after the Starfall in the north, regarding the Northern Cardinal Cataclysm... Hokoro Kyoudo had awoken in a crater, completely naked and rather confused, when a large group of clearly Not-Humans from his perspective attacked him. They were similar to humans, but they were clearly Not-Humans. He didn''t really care much more then that, but he did care what they used to attack him with. It was magic, clearly and plainly. And that...that was a problem. "Tsk. I cant allow someone of my own blood to be a disgrace to us. Magic is for girls, us males only need martial arts after all". Spouting such things, he could vaguely feel it. Instinctively, he understood the direction his foolish son in his mind was. But he also understood roughly that he was very far away, and the feeling itself was hazy. As if something was actively blocking it. Hokoro''s Wish to always find and control his son, and Kuroki''s wish of wanting to be free of his father was clashing. "Tsk. I will have to take some clothes from these guys. I will probably need to get some understanding of the area too, and...probably a mode of transportation. But I can''t dally. That idiotic son of mine, I have to show him that this is for his own good. Or make sure he doesn''t sully my name permanently". The Demons had been no match for him, as he stole their clothes and proceeded to make his way forward. The Cardinal Cataclysm of the North had begun to make his move.
At the same time back at the beginning, in the west, a man strolled past a few people, having already acquired their clothes. He was a lean man, but his body had a few scars on it. All within the past few months, too. "To think, I would lose all my assets and be sent to prison...only to lose them all permanently by being dragged into another world". Noticably, he kept passing by rather realistic golden statues of people. Yes, they looked very realistic...as if they were people who had been turned into gold. "Still, to think I would be given a power so suited and based on my desires...how lovely" he said, his gaze full of obsession. Of greed. The Cardinal Cataclysm of the West began to look and see what his potential profits were. Theft, assault, murder. Nothing mattered so long as he made a profit. That was why he had been sent to jail in the first place.
Meanwhile, in the south, a fifteen year old girl walked through a forest. She already seemed to have clothes, and it was a nice dress too. There was a bit of blood on it though, and as she walked by, a large sabertooth tiger monster appeared and tried to attack her. The moment it did though, it was pushed back by an invisible force and destroyed. "How bothersome. What do you say...what was your name?" A boy appeared behind her, wearing merchant clothes. He seemed entirely focused on her. "Azla, my lady". "Ah yes, Azla. You feel nothing, even though I murdered your family right?" He twitched a bit, but otherwise seemed entirely devoted to her. "Of course my lady. They wanted to make you work. I understand how bad that would be, such a wonderful lady like yourself". "Good good. Then let us find suitable servants for me. I wish to rest and have people wait on me to my hearts content after all". "Of course my lady. Its what someone like you deserve after all" he said without hesitation. She smiled at that. "Good. Now, show me to this town you said is nearby". "Of course, my lady" Azla said, as he began to lead the way.
And meanwhile, in the east, a old woman appeared from a crater. "Oh my oh my. This is quite the disaster" she said. However, there was a very strange and abnormal difference between her and the other Starfallen. For one thing, she was fully clothed. She didn''t seem surprised or shocked at all, but rather dismayed. "This is all quite bad. None of this is supposed to happen at all". She seemed calm, and yet in a moment, she flung a pebble with her cane, and it obliterated a boulder. A cold fury was in this granny''s eyes. "I suppose I will just have to teach them a lesson then". No one would know how things would end up. It might be a long time before these forces would encounter Kuroki and his friends. But they were making their moves. And the ripples from these events would have unimaginable consequences. Chapter 15: Assemble New Adventurers! Kuroki panted, laying down on the training grounds. He, Riku, and Kaede formed a sort of circle or triangle, all of them exhausted. "I never knew...magic practice could be so difficult". "That was some absurd simulations. To think its finally over..." "My whole body is tired". Amyris, who watched them with a smile, came over with three glasses of juice. They were currently in his basement, and they had just completed a training course. "Looks like you all passed. So how was it? Didn''t lose your minds right?" "I know you said this could simulate enemies, but I didn''t realize it could simulate entire locations and regions" Kuroki muttered. "So how much time did we take?" "Well, out here it was about six hours...which means, you were in there for six weeks. The maximum time one can be in there safely. Just remember, you cant use this again for another six weeks, and you should avoid using any spells or magic that involves accelerating your brain. It needs time to rest and should not go into an accelerated state again any time in the near future". "Got it. Whew. That was...intense". Amyris just smiled. "The more intense the training, the better the results. Now then, take a best to rest up. Its really just mental fatigue anyways. But after that, Ozlo sent word to here and to every inn. It seems that they are organizing a large scale hunt, so all adventurers between G and E are being asked to come". "If its just between G through E, it can''t be an emergency, can it?" H and G were seen as recruits or in training, F and E were seen as those just starting out, D and C were seen as the bread-and-butter adventurers, B were the elites, and A were the super elites. Anyone above that was just straight up special or a monster. "Will you be going as well?" "No, as an SS-Rank adventurer, I would disqualify any rewards you might get just by showing up, and it might even get us in trouble. That said, my other two apprentices, the two you have not met yet, will be helping as organizers it seems. Anyways, you had best rest up quick so you can get moving". The three nodded, and made sure to rest properly. It seemed there was something going on.
By the time the trio entered the Adventurer''s Guild, it was bustling with young faces. Countless adventurers had been gathered, and it seemed that they were all anxious, unsure of what was going on. The room was bustling with unease and excitement, and some seemed worried the floor would open up underneath them and gobble them up whole. The usual smell of ale was gone, replaced by a lovely lavander scent that helped to calm the mind. There were quite a large number of children there too. Of course, Riku and Kaede at least had no room to talk, they were ten. But Kuroki saw some who appeared as young as eight. There was no minimum age to register as an adventurer sure, but to keep up the card and its perks, you did have to complete a request or two every month, excluding the winter months. Requests were not required when it was so cold. You could also get an exception if you got injured while doing a request. If it was a request that was more or less forced upon you by the guild, you could even get compensation. It was possible they did requests inside of town, but there were not many, and he doubted they did that. After all, everyone here had weapon. Some even had more than one. As the crowds were massive and large, the three of them decided to sit at a free table in the back. Everyone was crowding the counters, so this seemed fine. It was then that Ozlo came out from the back door. Everyone cheered and ooed and ahhed. "Its Ozlo!'' "He made B-Rank when he was just ten, and A-rank when he was twelve right?" "Oh my gosh, he is both handsome and cute!" "I hear he unleashes dragons upon the enemy and can incinerate everything to a crisp". "When do you think he will become S-Rank? Any day now?" "He certainly is good at any job he does it seems". Apparently Ozlo was well known here, as the adventurers were all excited to meet him. Many voices of admiration and praise. Perhaps because he is accomplished despite his youth. Kuroki had heard that he actually does look his age, unlike Riza. And also that Riza''s son, Vartra, was not Ozlo''s father but his uncle. Kuroki remembered that Riza mentioned one of his sons not yet giving him cute grandchildren, which meant Riza had at least three children, maybe more. Kuroki had yet to hear why Riza had stopped aging at thirteen years old though. It seemed his family connections were a topic here as well, as some groups had less then nice things to say about Ozlo. "Everything thinks he is so great...its obvious he just used his family''s connections to rank up and get his position". "A brat like that, younger than me...no way he earned it legitimately". "I bet his father helped him out in secret". "I heard he is entirely weak and has to rely on summons to get things done. His family probably purchased those familiars for him". I suppose there are idiots like that anywhere. Kuroki sighed, happy that a certain grandpa was not here to hear that, when his gaze turned to someone else that was nearby...and he paled, quickly. A certain thirteen year old boy with two bracelets on each wrist, and one around each ankle, wearing some reinforced shorts and a shirt that appeared sturdy and padded, as well as boots, was standing right there, just a bit away. He didn''t appear to have his weapon on him, but Kuroki wouldn''t be fooled. Wait, why is Riza there?!?! Riza''s hair right now was brown, not blonde, and his clothes were average and normal for a thirteen year old adventurer. Plenty of others, boys and girls, were dressed similarly. However, simply changing one''s hair color wasn''t always enough, and it certainly wasn''t in Riza''s case. Amyris said the high ranks were disqualified, so wasn''t it a huge problem that he was here? Ozlo, when he stepped onto a box that was prepared as a stage, glared at him briefly when spotted, but just for a second or two, and then focused on the crowd. Kuroki was pretty sure Riza shivered a bit from that look. "Thank you all for coming. Now, as I am sure you know, we have been asking E, F, and G rank adventurers to check in with the guild every day. This is indeed related to that" Ozlo said, his voice carrying across the entire room. In an instant, all the muttering and chatting died down, as he was able to capture everyone''s attention. His voice had a sort of air of authority and importance, which seemed to be conveyed to everyone. It was clear he was used to speaking like this. "Lately, we have been seeing an unusual amount of Goblin activity in the nearby regions, and reports of groups as large as three or four goblins in the sewers even. To avoid unrest and worries, we have decided to organize a large scale Goblin Hunt. We have reports from scouts and familiars about the areas Goblins have been congreating in and their sizes, and we will be distributing zones for everyone to hunt in to avoid overlap. Please make sure to stay in your zones, this will be counted towards contribution and quest reward". Everyone started talking when they heard Goblins. "I am only G-Rank...my master did say I was ready but..." "Same. It has mostly been Corrupted Animals in the fields". "As an E-Rank, I will have to show you all the ropes!" "With all these people, will multiple parties be in the same zone? Are we grouping up with strangers?" Among them, one voice near Kuroki''s group seemed especially worried. "A Goblin Surge...at this time of year? And in the sewers in groups of four? There must be more to this then meets the eye". Kuroki was not familiar with this world, but he did remember seeing the pack of three a few days ago when Amyris showed them the secret exit and entrance. In other words, someone had since seen a group of four, and it wasn''t an isolated case? SO he had been wondering if there was something more to it. Suddenly, the boy who Kuroki had focused in on raised his hand. Ozlo saw it, and called upon him. "Yes, Riala? Ah, please introduce yourself clearly for everyone". The boy nodded. He had a shield on one arm, but he had a staff in the other. There was also a sword at his hip. He had a made robe on, but also had a breastplate. He had armguards and kneeguards as well. He appeared to be about thirteen years old, with dark red hair and silver blue eyes. He also had wolf ears on his head and a wolf tail, showing him to be a Wolf Beastkin. "Yes! I am Riala, F-Rank Adventurer, leader of the Soaring Shields party! My party members are Vio, Yethle, and Cairu". Behind him there were three others. Vio appeared to be a boy in a purple cloak. He had a grimoire with him, but also two daggers. He was wearing a dark blue shirt and black shorts, as well as black sturdy boots. There was a girl named Yethle. She also had a shield on her arm, and a sword at her hip. She seemed a bit stockier and sturdier then the rest of them, and also had a mace with her as well. Her armor was the heaviest of all, being what Kuroki figured was probably half-plate. It seemed like she might be a Dwarf, but she seemed a bit tall for one, and she had raven black hair and purple eyes. As for Cairu, he had a toolbelt that had some tools and a lot of vials, as well as both a backpack and a large satchel. It was obvious he used a lot of them, but he also had a small shield on each forearm. He also had the pointed ears of an Elf, not to mention the slender body of one it seemed. It would appear as if three out of four of them had shields, which made their party name make a lot of sense. However, that was not quite accurate. The Mage is a shielder too. Vio seems to reflexively keep a magic barrier around them and ready. I can roughly sense the trace mana. In other words, all four have good defense. But they have two mages as well, and one can also join their frontline warrior for two frontline attackers. Even their support can defend if needed. Their magic could use some work, especially in concealment, but...they are good. In terms of balance and defense, they exceed us easily. Kuroki''s party had three people who could use magic, but Riku''s was minor and Kaede''s seemed even less. It wasn''t that it was less powerful, but it was less flexible. They had certain specific things they could do well with it, but it couldn''t match Kuroki''s magic. That said, both of them had the ability to heal themselves and others with their magic, and Riku had some snazzy magic like his Flare Enchant. So it was best not to underestimate it. Riku served as their vanguard, but Kaede could as well with her reflexes and knife skills, and Kuroki could assist them. Still, both were far better for evasion then defense. And Kuroki was their only ranged attacker. They had exceptionally good defensive gear thanks to Ellie, but gear could only do so much. And the three of them could tell that while their raw power and talent was higher, the party next to them had both experience and wisdom. Frankly speaking, they might be F-Rank right now, but I think they are more like E-Rank. They might even already be closing in on D-Rank... That was Kuroki''s impression, although admittedly he was missing a lot of information, and might be inflating it a bit since he held them in high regards due to their insight. While having such thoughts, Riala began to ask his question. "Is this a Goblin Surge? Should we be expecting Hobgoblins or the like?" At those words, everyone began to murmur and be concerned. They had every right to, Goblins might be F-Rank, but Hobs could be E or even D rank. A lot of people used the rank system as a reference, even though it wasn''t perfect and had plenty of flaws. It was still the best system they had for comparisons though. "According to our scouts, not a single Hobgoblin or other higher form of Goblin has been seen. So far its just a lot of Goblins, but they appear to be acting independnetly and in small groups. No shamans or mages have been sighed, nor signs of organized leadership". Ozlo''s words spread relief to the entire group. Everyone...well, almost everyone...here was G to E ranked. If Hobs appeared, there could be casualties. The rank system wasn''t perfect, but the reason it survived for so long was because it was still useful and accurate for plenty of normal cases. G-Ranks hadn''t even proven their full combat abilities to the guild yet, but they had to some degree or else they would be H-Rank. They were still basically a trainee rank in the end though. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Asking them to fight Hobs would be entirely unreasonable. "What will happen is that we will have G-Ranks participate in no less then groups of six, under the direction of an E-Rank adventurer. Otherwise, it will be made of E and F rank combat groups, which will be given areas to work in. Multiple parties will be working in the same area, so make sure you introduce yourself to anyone working in the same sector as you and coordinate with them. Each combat group must be made of at least four F-Rank or three E-Rank adventurers, and needs to be well balanced. Furthermore, let me remind you that this is a long term over time mass subjugation mission. You will need to fight while conserving strength and resources for future battles. Unless absolutely necessary, do not pull out or leave your areas, and if you have to, notify other parties so that they will be able to adapt accordingly. I want everyone to have safety whistles with them for this purpose. You whistle once to request the status of nearby parties. Three whistles is to check in and say you are fine. Two whistles either means that you are in danger or need help, or you need to pull out due to exhaustion or injury. If you do not hear whistles from adjacent parties, a single long blow as loud and as hard as you can will be the signal for maximum distress, and you are to pull back to the city. That shouldn''t happen, but we are adventurers. We face danger every day, and unexpected monster attacks can always happen. There shouldn''t be any danger, but please excercise maximum safety". Ozlo then motioned two others to come onto stage as he continued with his explanation. "In addition, by request of Count Valiance and the City Council, on the first two days, the sewers will be handled only by E-Rankers". This caused quite a stir within the adventurers. "Hold on, if a Goblin Surge is happening, there will be far more goblins in the forest then in the sewers still! If they are just invading the sewers, the number in the forest will be even higher!" "What the hell is this farce?!" "Yeah! Why are we E-Rankers being sent into the sewers when we will be needed more in the forest?!" Ozlo just let out a sigh, and unconsciously nodded with everything they said. He clearly found it baffling as well. "...in addition" Ozlo continued with a low, monotone voice that showed clearer disdain then his expression did. "The sewer sweep will start in the Noble and Central districts, and head outwards, starting with the older more built up districts". "What the hell? Seriously?" "Come on Ozlo! Don''t let them boss you around! Show them who is boss!" "Those districts are the furtherest away from the forest entrances and any goblin sightings! ANd don''t nobles have their own security anyways? You drag them down and question them about this Ozlo?" Ozlo seemed to twitch a bit, as he heard such statements. He then slammed his hands down on the podium that had been brought for him. "I know, its completely stupid! Me, the Guildmaster, the Vice-Guildmaster, we all argued and pointed out how unreasonable it was! It is completely idiotic! Why on earth would they make us send E-Rankers into the sewers when the real danger is in the forest?! But no, Count Valiance is apparently a whiny little shit who thinks its beneath his guards to have them kill Goblins! Not only that, but he tried to make us do all of this for free you know?!" Everyone began booing, not at Ozlo but Valiance. It was only then that the guildmaster spoke up. "Ozlo, you are letting your malice get the better of you". "Oh...sorry, I just had to vent a bit. In any case, since this was clearly unreasonable, especially since I wanted E-Rankers in the forest to gaurentee all of your safeties, I will be having monitors help to oversee the region. Many will be the scouts, tamers, and Familiar users that we used to ascertain the threat level, while others will be volunteers. However, keep in mind they will not be engaging in combat unless necessary. Think of them like reserves for emergencies. Also, its not like I could get that many of them, since this is kind of a low paying job for them, so make sure to be grateful for their volunteer work". "Oi oi, you didn''t give us the option of saying no!" a rough looking man said. He was wearing a black cloak, a dark red shirt, and black short pants. They went beyond the knee but didn''t get close to the ankle. He had black boots that appeared light yet sturdy, and he had a bow slung around his shoulder, as well as a quiver. "Oh, but I think you had plenty of choices, Jay. Either do this to make amends or pay back the guild, or..." Face your punishment, from me directly. The last words were not spoken aloud, and yet everyone seemed to hear and understand them. Everyone in the room had chills run down their spines. Jay seemed to back off. "...right right, sorry". "Glad you understand. And remember, the rest of you, to take your monitor duties very seriously, or I will come deal with the issue myself. You are also to ensure peace between all the parties as well, after all. Whether you are here out of virtue, or to make amends, you will keep watch over your juniors properly. Unless, you want to save me money on dragon kibble". Some people were spooked, and a few of the monitors that were there seemed to get squirmish. But among the younger adventurers, the admiration only grew. "Oh man, that is Dragon Caller Ozlo for you". "He is so cool! Even his threats are awesome!" "I wonder if he is single...do you think he will go out on a date with me?" "Nah, I don''t think he is your type. Rumor has it he likes girls, dude". "I heard he doesn''t care about gender, only about personality and reliability". "Then maybe I do have a chance!" And apparently there were some who were just infatuated with him. Or rather, it seemed that there were a surprising number of people with gossip about his dating life. It quickly became a hot topic among them all, and Ozlo had an awkward look on his face hearing it. Actually, he might just be embarrassed because one adventurer proposed to him on the spot. Naturally he declined with a "Sorry, I am too busy with my work right now to date anyone seriously". Kuroki was quite surprised by this. Granted all of his knowledge came from fiction, but he heard that Adventurer''s Guilds were typically rough and rowdy. Certainly, it had been like that when he and Riku registered, and when Kaede registered. But apparently the guild was not so two dimensional. Love gossip was incredibly popular it seemed. "I am surprised. To think relationship gossip would be so strong here". "Yeah..." "Even the girls in our class never spoke this much, Riku". "Well, its probably because lots of people here know about the value of life" a voice said. Kuroki turned towards its source, and saw Riala there. It seemed his party had come over to greet them during the interruption. "Riala, right?" "Mhm. Yeah" the wolf beastkin boy said. "I don''t recognize you, are you three new around here?" "Ah, yeah. We just got to town recently" Kuroki said. "We registered a few days ago even". "Ah, so you are the group from rumors. The one who came in with the legends Amyris and Riza, and defeated a group of six troublemakers who were both drunk and high". "...exactly how much was that story spread around" Kuroki asked, concerned. "Enough that a lot of people have their eye on you. Its not that its rare, but...two of you are ten years old, and you are what? Fourteen? Fifteen?" The trio were amazed. Riala had apparently been able to figure out Kuroki''s age instantly. Only a very small handful belonged to that group. Rather, it was really just Ozlo and maybe Riza. "Are you really F-Rank?" "Ah, yeah. Some things happened. Anyways, its nice to meet you. Lets watch each other''s backs out there...although, it looks like you need a fourth member first". "Ah, I got that covered" a boy said. Riala and his party were surprised by the sudden appearance of a black haired Riza. "What are..." "Now now, is that any way to talk to your C-Rank adventurer friend, Myra?" Riza mentioned, showing his guild card. Certainly enough it said C-Rank and that his name was Myra. But Kuroki could figure it was probably a fake. Or rather, he was more interested in how the photo ID even had hair that wasn''t blonde. Did he know a secret way to change it, or did he somehow change his actual genetics to make it black, at least when the card was made? "...I dont recognize you either, and you seem hella suspicious. Also, those three look utterly baffled by you. Are you really their friend?" Riala was apparently quite perceptive, and didn''t even remotely buy into Riza''s lies. "Well, in any case, its not me who is joining you. See, there is a fresh adventurer who just made F-Rank last night. Apparently he is a knight trainee and kind of young, but he has potential. He doesn''t have anyone to go with however, and since their group needs another vanguard, its a good fit!" It must be the Starfallen he said had potential. Apparently he was a second grader before, so he would be the youngest of us all, but his combat abilities were apparently enough to impress Riza. I just have no idea what kind of person we will get. "I guess this was set up then. Well, anyways" Riala said, proceeding to ignore Riza. "Lets stay safe and make it back alive, alright?" Kuroki nodded. Before they could continue though, Ozlo''s voice broke through. "Anyways, enough with that" he said, as someone was being tied up and detained behind him. He was shouting things like "dont steal my girlfriend you freak" and a knfie had been dropped on the ground behind Ozlo, so apparently they missed something dramatic there. "Now, in addition to the scouts, I have recruited Myra, a wandering C-Rank Adventurer, as well two apprentices of the Magician of the Silver Hour, Lyrian Bell and Saphiril Danes". He introduced a boy and girl respectively. The boy, Lyrian, appeared to be around fourteen years old. From what Kuroki had heard, he was actually almost a B-Rank Adventurer in his own right, so it seemed odd he was still introduced as an apprentice. The girl meanwhile appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen. Both had ornate blue cloaks with silver trimmings, and Lyrian had a grimoire like Kuroki, but he also had a wand. Meanwhile, Saphiril had a staff with her, although the end of her staff was a blade. Kuroki was not sure how that worked, but it was probably for her combat style. "That said, we cant have everyone hunting Goblins. The Goblin numbers may have increased, but the other monster populations have not decreased. We have confirmed Izahara, also known as Horned Rabbits, are still prevalent throughout the fields through the forest, so we obviously cant guarantee a clear path to or from the forest. Also Giant Mantises, and Demon Cats. We have also reported a few slimes, so if you see one and you dont have a magic user, avoid them and try to get a magic user to come help you. In truth, I want a number of new F-Rankers and G-Rankers to focus in on these fields on the first day, thin them out and clear the path. Depending on how well it goes, G-Rankers in the fields will be asked to hold the line as F-Rankers move to the forest to help provide relief and hunt goblins". The city wasn''t so foolish as to leave a monster infested woods bordering it. Although parts of it got very close, and one gate was still located in a forested area where more dangerous monsters could appear, the rest were more open or had huge fields. Incidentally, that gate was the one Kuroki entered the city for the first time. "Now, I want groups to come up one at a time to the various receptionist desks. We each have a set number of areas to distribute, all arranged ahead of time, and there is plenty for everyone. Frankly, we could probably use more poeple, but of course we have to waste so many on the damn sewers". Ozlo let out another grumble, before everyone got sorted. At that time, a new face came in. "You are Kuroki''s party right? Thanks for having me!" An energetic, youthful voice spoke up. They turned and saw an eight year old boy, shortsword by his side, looking up at them. "To think though that everyone of us is..." At those words, Kuroki quickly put his hand on his mouth and spoke in a hushed tone. "Shh shh, don''t say that out loud. You never know who, or what, might be listening". The boy realized what he meant, and quickly stopped himself. Kuroki removed his hand. "Sorry sorry, I got all excited again". Since it was known there was something out there hunting Starfallen, they were trying to keep it under wraps. If Kuroki was being honest, he was actually a bit concerned Riala might figure it out considering how sharp he was, but he also seemed to have the knowhow to keep secrets at least. Still, speaking of it in a public place was certianly ill advised. "Anyways, what is your name?" "Ryuu Takahashi. But you can just call me Ryuu". Hmmm...now that I think about it, I feel like we all have been using our first names far more then our family names. I wonder if its an affect of the Starfall... While thinking of that, he had Ryuu explain his strengths. Apparently he didn''t really have much magic, but he could boost himself physically and create flying slashes and such. He could apparently radiate some sort of heroic aura too, but Kuroki told him not to do that in town. At least until he saw it for himself. "Alright everyone. Lets get to it!" "What is our party name by the way?" Ryuu asked. "Silver Storm" Kuroki replied. He did it in honor of Master''s title, Magician of the Silver Hour. And the fact they were brought here via a storm, technically. The party went up and eventually as the line decreased, they made it to Ozlo''s counter. It took about an hour though. "Ah, sorry for the wait. A few people just had to argue their assigned areas. Anyways...so what is your party''s name?" "Silver Storm". "Can I see your ID cards to register the party properly?" All of them showed their ID cards, and Ozlo recorded everything properly. He wrote something down in a ledger, and then looked through the maps. "Okay. So, I am going to start you guys out on field duty. That said, you all are pretty talented, so I am setting you up near the forest. If you manage to clear the area and get things done, I want you guys to go into the forest and provide relief for the parties that were fighting goblins, mainly the F-Rank ones. E-Ranks should have developed more stamina, but...you never know". "Understood. Can you tell us what is valuable about the monsters in the area? We haven''t heard details about it yet". "Ah yes, of course. Given your...circumstances...that makes sense. All the magic cores are good to get. They always sell decently well, even small ones from weak monsters you will be fighting. After all, they are needed to fuel magic tools and are used in some recombinations. As for their other parts...Horned Rabbits tend to not taste very well, except for their legs for some reason. And their horns can get some price, since they are used by artisans for things...and also for arts and crafts. I think they get ground down into the color yellow for paint. Slimes...honestly its just their core. The slime they produce can be valuable, but you need vials and containers to hold it, since its quite acidic. Supposedly they were created by the Evil God specifically to spite the logistics corps, who happen to be the main bounty placers on slimes. Since slimes eat through equipment and gear and make their lives hell. They dissolve cloth, metal, anything they can, but once defeated their slime becomes less acidic. There are also slimes that are non-acidic, but they make you very slippery instead which makes it hard to stand properly and fight, so they are also annoying. With either slime, any weapon you have and any clothes or armor you are wearing essentially become a detriment. And then they either dissolve you, or suffocate you. Even the slippery ones can dissolve people once they eat them by the way". So basically, slimes were incredibly annoying, but it seemed like unless you got surrounded by them, surprised by them, or if one managed to make it close to you, they could be dealt with. "Since that means any weapon that goes inside of them is getting slowly disolved, it ruins weapons you try to use on them, so while it is still possible to defeat them with weapons, magic is the best option. Giant Mantises are probably the most dangerous in the field. Their arms are basically blades, they blend into the grass, and they can jump and strike fast. That said...they have basically no endurance. A single hit will probably kill one. If you even accidentally step on one somehow, that will probably kill it. Its happened in the past. A lot". "How big are they exactly?" "They are about the same height as the grass in the field, which...goes to just above Kuroki''s belly button I would say. There are areas the grass is higher though". "Understood. And then Demon Cats?" "They look like cats, but are pitch black, have horns, and can breathe fire. When they mature, its said they can shoot beams from their eyes as well. They also have little wings on their backs. They also like to steal things. Food, weapons, water, clothes". "Clothes?" "If you go swimming, make sure you secure your clothes under a rock. You dont want to run through the forest bare butt naked while a cat has your underwear on top of its head. It happens more than you would think". "Noted". Kuroki didn''t plan on going swimming anyways, at least not in the middle of a request, and not in a forest in a world he is not used to yet. "Now, here. I have marked the area on your map, so please head there and start to deal with the monsters present. You only need to be out during the day, when the sun is starting to set, you should start returning. We need everyone safe and well rested to keep it up the next day". "Understood. We are heading out then". And so their first job as adventurers began. Chapter 16: Fighting Monsters "Everyone, surround it! It''s not getting away this time!" In the Azralia plains, the group of four adventurers were surrounding a group of horned rabbits. One in particular, which was larger than the others, was giving them quite a bit of trouble, so they were focused on it first. Normally, with their abilities, it would be easy. Kuroki and Riku had dispatched those six hoodlums after all. Sure they were drunk and high, but still. However, they were used to fighting people. Both were used to a world where only people were there. And they were people too, so they knew how humans thought. These Rabbits did not move like people, and they were harder to hit. They were faster, more agile, and used moves that humans never could. Kuroki froze the ground solid, but then the Rabbit suddenly rushed in front of him and kicked him in the face, knocking him down to the ground inside the tall grass. The moment he did, the grass itself tied tiself around his wrists and ankles, as the larger rabbit seemed to wave magic. Seriously?! Kuroki froze the grass, which had been enhanced with mana, to break free and get back up, as the rabbit lunged at him again. Riku this time intercepted though, blocking with his sword and repelling the rabbit into the air. It was a technique he learned while training in Amyris'' place. "Brilliant Flash". Riku utilized the Brilliant Flash technique, suddenly dashing forward while the rabbit was in mid air. He moved in to strike, but the rabbit used its ears to grab the blade and twist its body out of the way somehow. It also kicked Riku in the face. Kaede tried to sneak up behind to attack it, but it then kicked her in the face. However, that was when Ryuu appeared at its side, and slashed it. Or at least, he thought he did, but it managed to twist its body in mid air to avoid the slash and then kick him in the face as well. "What is with this thing and kicking people in faces!" Their rabbit hunt already hadn''t been as successful as they wanted. The rabbits were fast, and their horns were pointy. Riku got stabbed in the leg earlier, and Kaede had to heal it. Her healing powers weren''t all that great yet though, so she had to use a bit of healing potion to finish it off. Kuroki had been knocked out earlier even if it was only for five seconds, and Kaede had been tackled to the ground. It wasn''t an issue with ability, but rather, it was an issue with experience. Not a single one of them had fought rabbits before, especially these monster rabbits. At the end of the day, they really only had experience with people, not monsters. Amyris had tried to help with the simulations, but these had not been among them, and frankly they mostly learned survival instinct and how to dodge and protect themselves. Kuroki was able to figure out a few spells as well. "Kuroki!" "I am on it. Cling clang. The icy floor rises up to grip you. These chains of ice will forever grip you. As cold as can be, sapping your strength. These cold chains will forever remain. Snow Shackles!" Kuroki cast his spell, and in the next moment chains of ice emerged from the ground, finally clamping down on the rabbit. However, the rabbit had already moved towards Kuroki, darting underneath his legs and causing the chains to go through as well. It had then jumped up as the chains finally locked it in, but then the rabbit seemed to use them to entangle Kuroki, using his own spell against him. It made them all look like fools, and yet... "Flare Enchant: Incenia! Brilliant Flash!" With the chains hampering its mobility, Riku was finally able to execute his combo and charged at the rabbit. It wasn''t able to dodge like before, and the sword was on fire now, so it burned itself when it tried. Thus the sword cut right through the rabbit, finally defeating it. "What the hell was with that thing? Normally the rabbits just make us run around to exaust us, then attack, but that thing was super aggressive!" "Yeah. It was also larger then the others. It must be some sort of evolved version or variant". "My face hurts". "Same". Riku, Kuroki, Ryuu, and Kaede all voiced their complaints in that order. Indeed, that rabbit was far more troublesome then the ruffians they fought at the guild. Or rather, it felt like it was using martial arts on them half the time. Kuroki had been kicked in the face repeatedly and his own spell was used against him. He didn''t expect any of that, but clearly that rabbit was a cunning opponent. It could even use magic! "Hey, Kuroki, anything else in the area?" "Let me check. Wind and water, everywhere and everything. The empty space and the living things. Nothing exists beyond your sight. So let me tap into that hallowed might. Enhanced Echomap". Kuroki used a spell he created, an enhanced version of his Echo and Sonar. They were better when he needed speed, but this was better for sheer range, accuracy, and efficiency. It really was true: incantations made magic so much more powerful and better. He could even add effects not normally related to the phenoma he was invoking. "It looks like our area is clear. Which I am honestly grateful for, because I dont want to fight rabbits anymore". "And you want to fight Goblins?" "Given what I heard about them, I would have said no before...but after that martial artist rabbit, yeah. Besides, humanoids might actually be easier for us to deal with". "That...is very true" Kaede said, nodding. Kuroki took stock of them all. They had been beaten pretty good, but no one was bleeding anymore, and he was reasonable certain he did not have a concussion. Riku and Kaede healed his head anyways to be safe though. If they rested for a bit, they should be fine. "I think after we rest up a bit, we should be able to help out. Fighting humanoid monsters should be easier for us, ironically". "Plus you know, all the animal stuff they showed us in school..." Kaede admitted. Kuroki had been in middle school now, but he had gone to the same elementary school as Kaede and Riku went to now. They had indeed kept rabbits there, and also there were always those assemblies which mentioned things like animal abuse and violence being bad, and they had never taken up hunting. So one could say that monsters that appeared like animals, and especially rabbits, were a weakpoint for them. I wonder what happened to those animals. I hope the emergency services that went to the city made sure to go and take care of them. Kuroki had such idle thoughts as they sipped on some bottled juice, and sat down for a bit, taking a breather. At the very least, they were getting some good endurance training. But that last rabbit had been a doozy for them. Unlike the others, which had just been evasive and fast, it had clearly used some sort of Rabbit Fu on them. However, there was also another big thing. "...I never once fought an opponent that was smaller then me. That was a new experience". Kuroki was so used to opponents that were bigger then him, that this Rabbit was way outside of his reference base. If anything, its fighting style was probably something Kuroki could use against other opponents. He might have the height of a ten year old, but he was fifteen years old. Basically everyone his age was bigger than him. At the very least, he would remember how the Rabbit would constantly slip into and out of their field of vision, using the tall grass and its own shortness to its advantage. Still, they were seriously considering going after Goblins. Goblins were more dangerous then horned rabbits normally, but they were not as fast, couldn''t dart under their legs or easily move outside of their vision, and fight closer to how people fought. Kuroki''s time dealing with bullies, and his attempts to survive his father, and Riku''s time at the dojo, would all be better there. "I feel like its a bit messed up we are better against people then monsters" Ryuu pouted. "Yeah. That feels...very off..." Kuroki tilted his head a bit as he rested it upon his hand, pondering. "It''s probably related to how we are Starfallen, and the Wish Process. We had only ever been antagonized by people right?" "So your saying as part of our wish, it made us better adapted to dealing with people combatants?" "Some of the wishes are simple, yet some are strange. I mean, Kaede, not a single one of yours involved combat abilities, yet somehow they all translated to combat abilities". Riku nodded. "You are litterally using knife skills for cooking to dismantle enemies". "...that is true. Its impossible to go through life without being antagonized by other people at some point. So your saying it took that even?" "Likely so". After all, despite their trouble with rabbits, they were not weak. They weren''t crazy "lets burn down the country" strong or "remember every single little thing we ever learned" supergeniuses, but they did have a decent amount of intelligence and they gained some abilities from the Starfall. If they kept it up, they would likely become strong. Amyris said that with enough time and hard work, they could all easily reach S-Rank at least. It wasn''t easy of course. Even Ozlo, who had been an adventurer since he was six, and was insanely talented, was only A-Rank. And that was with his nickname, Dragon Caller, and him doing work as a guild receptionist. None of them could call forth dragons, at least not yet, and they certainly doubted they would have joined the guild at six years old. As they finished resting up, Kuroki did another search of the area. However... "Weird". "What is it?" "There was a lone rabbit on my radar, but when it saw us, it retreated almost immediately. And then every other rabbit pulled back as well". "Are the rabbits organizing like the Goblins? Is this related to the rumored revival of the Demon King?" "...possibly. We had best be careful. Lets head back to the road and see what the status is with the HQ camp". And so, they decided to head back and report their findings.
While this was going on, Reiji and Juno were having their own experience. Like Kuroki''s group, they too were fulfilling requests and hunting monsters, although they were not dealing with anything quite as urgent. While the Goblins were surging over by Azralia, around the city of Ruthil, they were dealing with monsters of their own. That said, as the two cities were roughly in the same region, it was about the same mix of monsters. However, apparently a dormant volcano was just a bit away from them, so occasionally Tinydrakes would appear in the area. They were actually a bit of a problem, since they could cause forrest fires and disrupt the monster ecosystems. And whenever the monster ecosystem was disrupted, unless they had plenty of preparations, casualties often ended up in the hundreds, or even the thousands. So they were always a priority hunt. Incidentally, Tinydrakes were classified as Dragon Type monsters, however they were the weakest of Dragons. They were not even full fledged Drakes, but Tinydrakes. Each one was about the size of a dog. Reiji and Juno had been notified of them by the guild since they were newcomers, but they appeared in the forests that led towards the Volcano, while they were hunting in the opposite side in the southwest forest. Right now, as two people, their formation was Reiji in front, acting as their vanguard, while Juno was their rear guard. Reiji seemed to have developed some sort of ability to attract attention of their enemies towards him. Supposedly, there was a technique warriors used where they tensed up and caused their pressence to seem bigger, drawing the attention of the monsters towards them since it was the larger threat that needed to be defeated first. However, that typically required training and experience, so it was most likely related to Reiji''s wish to take attention away from his friends so they would hurt less. Juno was rather concerned about it since he had already been being bullied himself for how tall he was, and deep down he didn''t want Reiji to get hurt, but he did have to accept Reiji was his vanguard. That was the best way for them to handle combat. Right now, the two were hunting Goblins. They had tried the fields before to start out with, however they ran into a bit of a problem. Demon Cats were the ones that came at them. Some of them attacked, while others just stared at Juno questioningly. Juno had great difficulties as a cat lover, so he was totally incapable of keeping a calm mind around them. Even with the Compliance Effect, it wasn''t like it totally overrode their personalities. As such, his affinity for cats, plus the fact not all of them attacked him, caused them to go to the forest instead to hunt Goblins. Reiji would attract the Goblins using his Hostility Attraction ability, and then as he defended them, Juno would perch in a tree and cover is back. That was how they dealt with the Goblins till now, but then a weird thing happened. A group of nine goblins came out of the woods, and right towards them. Six were immediately pulled in by Reiji, but three were able to escape his ability and went after Juno. Juno grabbed a tree branch and swung himself around, planting his shoes into the branch as he quickly took out a bow and fired an arrow, nailing a goblin that tried to jump up and attack the back of Reiji''s neck. The goblins were as nimble tree climbers as Juno however, and quickly leapt and swung from branch to branch after him. They surrounded him, forcing Juno to take out his blade. It was basically two long daggers, but Juno only brought one out right now since he used the other hand to help him move around the tree, along with his tail. Unlike normal tails, the Cat Beastkin tail was able to grab onto things like branches well enough and could support his wait for a bit, although it was painful. He couldn''t really hold a sword or a bow in it, or anything that required even some dexterity, but he could use it occasionally for fast maneuvers while climbing and moving through trees. "Reiji, one is going for behind again" Juno called out as his blade clashed with a Goblin''s stone dagger. It was a crude weapon, but it was sharp enough that it cut Juno''s skin when the Goblin shifted positions. Goblins can use tactics and intelligence. They can work in groups. I see, so this is why they were typically handled by F-Ranks. Goblins were weak and stupid in fact, but even they learned how to use pack tactics. You could trick them for sure, but they lived and survived in the wilds since infancy, so underestimating their ability to hunt prey was a mistake. In truth, G-Ranks could dispatch a group of goblins normally, since Goblins typically grouped into smaller groups to avoid attracting large predators who would want a large easy meal. But the group in front of them was much larger and abnormal. Reiji bashed one with his shield with enough force and at the right angle to smash him into a tree, breaking its neck and providing lethal damage. This resulted in four goblins on Reiji, and three on Juno. Juno deflected another Goblin''s club as they swung behind him on the branch, but Juno was able to twist under the branch, swung himself up behind the goblin, and stab it in the neck. This left two remaining on Juno. Reiji however used his sword as he swung around. The goblin it went for dodged, but then it suddenly found a stone dagger embedded in its back, thrown by Juno from a distance. Juno had simply combined his knife talent and his archery talent, and it was quite effective. He would remember to pick up throwing knives, since clearly they were quite useful for situations like this. Reiji meanwhile launched a barrage of attacks against the others, who got startled by this sudden development. In the blink of an eye, four became two, while Juno managed to maneuver behind another goblin that was targeting him and backstab him. The remaining three goblins in total were now panicked. They thought these two were easy prey, but instead they had the tables turned against them. They were already looking to flee, but the moment the one turned its back on Juno, Juno drew his bow and fired an arrow, hitting it dead on in the back of the neck, killing it. He then drew two more arrows and looked over at Reiji''s two, defeating them as well as he let them loose. The moment they tried to run, it had become the ideal situation for Juno. "Well, that went well. I believe its their...magic cores, or magicites, and their left ear is proof of subjugation". "Right, got it. We should get to work then, I think this is enough for tonight". "At the very least, we will be able to eat three meals a day and pay for our own room for a bit longer". When Juno had originally budgeted their savings, he had actually been forced to limit them to two meals a day in that estimate. However, they were now able to certainly eat three, which was good since they were used to three instead of two. It seemed like they would be able to barely get by hunting Goblins, but if they wanted to get more clothes, decent savings, and better gear, they would need more. Furthermore, they would have to work every day basically to meet this quota, and hope to have a good haul. Today was actually a better haul then normal, but it wouldn''t be enough forever. At the very least, they agreed that they would stay in a single bed room together and sleep in the same bed until they could at least become D-Rank adventurers. Then they could build up decent savings, which would let them afford such luxuries as a two bed room, or even just two separate rooms. At first, Reiji offered to sleep on the floor, at least sometimes, but Juno denied him, saying since he didn''t need as much rest anyways he could do it, but Juno refuted him, saying he already did so much for them. As they were done, the two looked at their clothes. "Guess I am doing laundry again tonight". Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "You know, I could do laundry. In fact, let me do it tonight. You shouldn''t have to do it every time" Reiji insisted. "Nah. Besides, you would stick out at my laundry group like a sore thumb. The height difference between you and them is just too staggering, people might find it weird". "But you have to work with cold water at night when its even colder. That can''t be good for your health, and there are people targeting you. Going out there naked to do laundry every night is a bit..." Juno shook his head. "No. Its bad enough I am putting you in danger with only me to back you up. But you need to rest. As the vanguard, you need the most sleep to regain your stamina and stand at the front. You need to be at your best so you don''t get hurt and can protect the party. I need less rest anyways, so I might as well tire myself out doing something productive. Its not like I have manga or books or web novels to read anymore". "Still...people from the main hall are getting glimpses of you right? There might be people there which are part of that criminal organization, who size you up. Not to mention the people who watch you every night while outside. Leaving aside the fact they are a bunch of perverts, the more this happens, the more dangerous it becomes". "They wont ever attack the inn though. They wont even attack near it" Juno replied. "They would have already if they could. I mean, I more or less broadcasted I could tell they were there after all. No way they didn''t notice that". Juno had basically dared them to attack, but they never did. Last night, he got so annoyed at them, he turned around while doing laundry and shook his bare butt at them, clearly motioning that he was cleaning it. It was clearly intended as a remark that he was using them as toilet paper, which Juno imagined would probably work well as an antagonizer. Reiji however frowned when he heard this. "You went way too far there". "Eh, its their fault for being perverts. Seriously, think about it. There is no reason to scout out my bare body every single night for these last five days". "Still, this makes me think I should do it even more". "No, if we change routines, the chances of them striking with even more force increase. Right now they probably just see me as some cocky kid. They sure do seem to love looking at my cock, though they seem more focused on my butt and back. Even when me and the others leave the backyard and race in the alley when we take a break from laundry, they still dont try anything. I dont know why, but something about this inn makes them afraid of attacking. It might be the owner. The one time I felt the gazes leave us was when he came out with his son, and they did laundry with us...truly, I learned the world was a large place". "...Juno, you seem to be having some mixed emotions with that last statement". "Sorry, its just...well lets just say the rest of my laundry washing friends reacted the same way. Anyways, they did not watch us at all while he was out there. The moment the owner stepped out, the fled like crazy. Although its hard to tell he and his son are related. His son was thin and pure like the rest of us, probably about ten or so. He seemed wicked smart though, and was able to understand the complex things we sometimes talked about. The father meanwhile was massive and muscular. He was larger then Kuroki''s shitty dad". "...that is tall and muscular". "Apparently he is a retired adventurer, who stopped at A-Rank". "Well gee, no wonder they ran away". Every rank in the adventurer''s guild was even harder to earn and took more time to earn then the last. The gap between D and C was about twice as big as F to E. C to B was even bigger, and then to get to A-Rank you basically had to perform some sort of heroic feat. And to make it to S-Rank, you basically had to become absurd ot become a regional hero, or even a hero recognized by the country. It would probably take them years to reach A-Rank. It might even be harder for them since they didn''t have any backers. Unfortunately, perhaps syncronistic thoughts caused them to atract trouble, as Juno heard a voice. He quickly made himself and Reiji hide, with Reiji hiding especially far back, as they both saw a girl around their age appear. She was surrounded by four boys, who appeared around fifteen, give or take a year, and they seemed to be smitten with her. Juno immediately sensed something was wrong and covered his mouth. He darted back towards Reiji quietly, as they listened in. "Now then, lets see if there are any good amount of money to be made here". "Good thinking. I bet we can really show the guild up this way if we hunt plenty of goblins around here!" "Yes yes. We have to show them up and show that freak who is boss". "Yeah, that stray refuses to recognize our greatness!" It seemed that she was leading them on and riling them up, but Juno could smell something strange in the air around her. It must be some sort of pheramone based ability. But it looks like its a low level charm that requires her to use words as well. The two noticed how they seemed to be rather smitten with her, but not really under her full control. It seemed they shared similar viewpoints to her, but likely Kyri had not recognized them because there was nothing to recognize. Their formation was sloppy, with sometimes their archer in the front, and they had various blindspots. Juno figured he could get a few of them before they could respond, which meant he could put an arrow through her heart. Reiji however stopped him. "If even one of them gets away, we could get charged with murder". "But if she discovers us, she will try to kill us you know?" "I know, but...we cant resort to that level. At least, not so easily". Juno glared at her again, but then let the tension go. "Alright, lets get out of here before they spot us. Though given how haphazard they are, I doubt they would be able to". And so, Reiji and Juno left the forest and called it a day, with Juno''s anger not yet reaching a critical point.
Meanwhile, Kuroki and the rest of Silver Storm made their way to the main camp. It was quite a large camp too, housing various support facilities, medical clinics, an imprptu bar, a repairsmith, and what Kuroki suspected might have been a brothel, but that was unconfirmed and debatable. Although the adventurers had a risky position and this quest was never meant to be safe, the guild naturally didn''t just abandon its members without any aid. In the field, three base camps were set up to serve as a checkpoint. It was also a medical treatment camp, where those who got injured could seek help. The teams in the forests couldn''t reach it as fast, but the ones in the fields could get there in just a few minutes. And there were three of them in total, strategically positioned. Even the furthest parties could reach one if they ran for about fifteen minutes. Kuroki decided to check in, and also inquire about the rabbits. They made their way back, only to see something that temporarily put the party on guard. Five pairs of Rabbit ears, all walking through the field. They briefly got ready for combat, before they could see them clearly enough. They quickly put away their weapons and continued onward. It was a group of five Rabbit Beastkin. Five boys to be exact. It looked as if they had two warriors, two mages, and a rogue. From what Kuroki could remember when they met at the camp that morning, they were all brothers, apparently quintuplets. They were the E-Rank party known as the Deep Dashers, known for their speed and agility. Considering they were E-Rank, they were probably coming from the forest to report something. Supposedly, this party was in charge of general support, shoring up weakened areas, and running messages, due to the fact that as Rabbit Beastkin, they were all incredibly fast. Rabbit Beastkin tended to be small, short, and quick. They also had good hearing though, and supposedly as they got older they could produce razor sharp whiskers as hard as steel from their faces to pull and use as weapons. Normally no whiskers were on their faces though, so it was an interesting ability. The camp itself wasn''t anything major. There was an old barn that seemed to still be standing in this part of the field, back when it was farmland, but otherwise it was all tents and the like. There were various people walking about, and everyone here had colored armbands. White armbands meant they were healers, black armbands meant they were guards, red armbands were guild staff, and blue armbands were messengers. Green armbands meanwhile belonged to the logistics corps of the Adventurer''s Guild, who were responsible for setting these things up and ensuring the stock of potions, arrows, and weapons remained good in case of an emegency. Incidentally, when they found the command tent, Ozlo was wearing both red and green armbands, meaning he was technically in both, but both of his armbands had a golden stripe through the center. This meant he was in a position of authority, and as such was able to order people around. That said, he looked rather displeased, as if he had an itch or an irritation that he couldn''t get rid of, soothe, or even scratch, but worse. It might be related to the various other people in the tent, many of whom crowded him. At least two were actively trying to convince him to help them out or work for them, while one seemed to be relaying yet another marriage proposal. They both made it back to the camp and entered the command tent at about the same time, but as the higher ranking party, Deep Dashers went first. Ozlo turned to give them their full attention, leaking out some mana to silence everyone around them. "We have ascertained that the Goblin numbers are mostly staying the same, except for a rare group of five. Out of all one hundred or so groups of Goblins encountered, about 55 percent were groups of three, 40 percent were groups of four, and five percent were groups of five roughly". "Hmm. If it is a surge, it sure is happening slowly" Ozlo muttered. "Of course, if we could just send the E-Ranks we had to send into the sewers, that would be fantastic and make me feel a whole lot better". "Are you refuting an order from nobility?" a pompous person said. In fact, of all the other people here dressed in a fancy way, he was by far the most egregious and gaudy. He had a ring on his index, middle, and ring finger on each hand, and at least two necklaces. All golden and adorned with gemstones. He appeared to be around twenty or so years old, and had two servants attending him. Something about him also seemed weirdly familiar to Kuroki, but he could not place it. Ozlo managed the most sincere smile he could force, which actually looked decently faked to be honest since there was no twitching or sense of malice in there. "I am just saying that the sewers did not need that many E-Rank Adventurers. They have the lowest sightings of goblins, with 95% or more being groups of three, and only a single group of four encountered. The encounter rate in there is also very low, we could have easily left it to F-Ranks". "You would dare allow the noble district to be put in jepordy?!" he said, outraged. That said, it was a rather unreasonable jump in logic. "If anything, you should send more in there! How about that group of Demihumans! The fact they are here instead of fighting means they cant be that much use". Is this guy serious? Kuroki was no expect in military strategy. He was smart and quick witted, and sure he could be strategic and clever. But he had no way of remembering every tactic from every book and tended to just make it up as he went. And yet, he certainly knew enough to know how important communication was. This was a group that had to go everywhere and anywhere. They had to take less breaks then others because they had to check out and support all regions. One could say they were one of the most important and active of all. If communications was not fast, and also strong enough to handle whatever they encountered, the cooperation between all the parties would fall apart. Ozlo seemed to sigh. "Tell me, young master. Have you been properly doing your homework?" At those words, he seemed to be enraged. "Don''t get all cocky because you finished top of your class..." "With grades skipped" Ozlo added in. "Just cause those teachers wanted to suck up to your grandpa, and overlooked my brilliance, doesn''t mean you get to act however you please". Ozlo however remained calm, and proceeded to remain calm and use a rather passive and appeasing voice. "I simply worked hard and remained diligent, and didn''t slack off or try to harm my fellow students" Ozlo replied. "After all, nothing is better for development then hard work". The noble however twitched, clearly irritated by Ozlo. He then looked over at Kuroki''s party. "Well then perhaps I should take that G-Rank party" he said in a nasty voice. "They look to be all little kids, so I bet they would entertain me far more, especially at night". At those words, Ozlo finally seemed to snap a bit, as his forced smile became clearly forced. "Actually they are F-Rank, and they also work hard. The guild looks after its own after all" he said, petting a dragon. Everyone took a step back, feeling chills down their spine. No one even noticed when he called the mini dragon out, yet it was now sitting in Olzo''s lap, as he stroked its back. The dragon looked right at the noble. "Do you know who my father is?! How dare you threaten me!" "I dont think I have said a single threatening word to you at all, nor made any aggressive actions to you, Young Lord Valiance" he said. Kuroki realized it now, that was why he seemed so familiar. It appeared he was as repulsive and annoying as his father, who had borderline tried to abduct Kuroki and Kaede right before they got their first clothes in this world. Needless to say, Kuroki was not a fan of this person. Deep Dashers meanwhile, looked at Ozlo for permission to continue. Ozlo nodded. "Soaring Shields is still doing well, pacing themselves and keeping steady as one of the main parties at the front of the deepwoods. So far nothing has gotten past them. They have yet to get a single scratch, but they will run out of stamina eventually, so we should send a group to relieve them. Anira''s Wrath, Blossoming Winds, and Swordbearers are all doing fine in terms of stamina, but they will need more potions. Devil''s Bane needed to pull back to recover at another camp, and Riftwatch and Torren''s Might will need parties to come switch out with them soon, as their stamina is spent". "I see. As expected of Soaring Shield, they will certainly qualify for the E-Rank test after today. Devil''s Bane was within my estimations, as well as Torren''s Might, but Riftwatch even? I didn''t see that coming". "It appears they encountered two groups of goblins back to back, before they could rest". "Even so, what type of Goblins? No Hobs right?" "No hobs. However, these goblins did have better weapons and armor then any other group I saw". "How? No one has died yet, no weapons misplaced, so how...tsk. Of course, the damned Black Market. What kind of weapons were they?" The leader of Deep Dashers shook his head. "We dared not to get close, my mage said something about them felt wrong". "Damnit. I was afraid of that. Its probably cursed weapons. Tell Riftwatchers to immediately withdraw and take their place until we send a relief party. I want them to head here, to this Clinic. Hopefully they didn''t get cursed, or at least only absorbed traces of it. Actually, in case its already setting in, take one of the carriages and have it bring them back. And then check in with other groups once the relief party comes and see if anyone else had any cursed weapon sightings or any signs of curses". "Understood. Then Deep Dashers will be heading out". The five rabbitkin boys all headed out, and quickly went into an incredibly fast sprint. "Alright. Now then, Silver Storm, what do you have to report?" "Sir, we cleared the fields by the forest as requested. No Goblins came after us, however we encountered an unusually tough rabbit that used martial arts". "That explains why you all look like you got kicked in the face...that is what literally happened, wasn''t it?" Ozlo said, adding a question to the end when he saw their expressions to his words. Kuroki nodded. "Yessir. We did defeat it of course, and retrieved its magic stone for examination. It was also able to use magic to manipulate grass, and was able to deftly avoid fast sword strikes". "I see. Today was your first day fighting rabbits wasn''t it? Did you get used to them at all". "Yeah". "Good to hear. They are fast, which can be annoying. But a martial arts rabbit? I have never heard of such a thing before, how peculiar". "Hmmmf. Why should we listen to such small children whose best purpose is to serve as our entertainment" Count Valiance''s son said, giving them a disgusting look. Ozlo and Kuroki ignored him as they continued. "Alright then. You guys are F-Rank, so I want you to clear a path towards the northern forest and go after some gobs. I want you to go to where Devil''s Bane used to be and shore up the subjugation search there". "You seem to be treating this as a siege". "Aye. That way, on the off chance it becomes one, everyone is in the right mindset...although it seems like most are not taking it seriously, and between that and some rather frivolous things and logistic shortages, I doubt it''s as good as I wish it was". Of course, there was also the fact this large scale hunt involved less experienced adventurers, but Ozlo wasn''t going to say that out loud in front of those very less experienced adventurers. To be honest, I would much prefer if we could get the help of more experienced adventurers, but until it actually becomes a Siege, I cant or it could get them into trouble and invalidate the efforts of the lower ranked adventurers. I understand why its necessary most of the time, since its necessary to make sure adventurers aren''t just carried on the efforts of much stronger parties, but its still a pain for situations like this. We can void it in emergency situations, but because its not considered an emergency yet due to the lack of Hobs or any high ranking Goblin types, and since the city is not under Siege, I can''t. Still, I dont like this situation. That said, Ozlo refused to just abandon everyone and leave them out there to suffer. That was why he was manning the center camp, the one with the largest coverage and containing the most people. Should any advanced types appear, and the difficulty rank of this mission increase, he had the authority to charge in to handle it personally. But he couldn''t do that yet, and certainly not under the watch of the nobles, who sent messengers and even came themselves or sent their children here. Even though most of them are in the way, they will claim somehow that they "helped lead the mass goblin subjugation" and use it as honors for themselves, even though they are not lifting a finger. Uhg... In fact, one such noble spoke up right there, the same one that has been giving Ozlo no end of grief. He was sure it was due to the encounter his grandfather had with Count Valiance a few days ago, this was direct harassment aimed at him. He was of course a noble as well, his grandfather was a Count too after all. But he was a grandchild, while the one in front of him was a child of the count, so technically he was outranked. Of course, that was why Ozlo had been given the gold bands by the Guildmaster. It raised his authority and status here, which meant he had more protection and leeway. "Hmmmf. THese brats are in no way capable on their own. Clearly they need my leadership" Lord Valiance proclaimed, which caused all sorts of panic for Ozlo. Oh hell no! I wouldn''t even allow this with a normal party, but absolutely not with this one! This is clearly some plot or scheme, and even if its not, he wont be taking credit from promising F-Rankers! Ozlo was about to speak, but then someone else beat him to it. "What are you thinking, you fool?! Don''t get in the way of the adventurers just to settle a grudge!" Valiance, Ozlo, and the others were a bit startled to hear the voice, as they turned towards the source of the booming pressence. It appeared to be a man in his mid thirties, with a seasoned military air to him. He had been standing there unnoticed the whole time, not making a peep, but now decided to step in. His pressence, once invisible, now overpowered the room, and various people got onto their knee and kneeled in reflex. Valiance was no different, and even Ozlo followed suit. Kuroki''s party did not, partially because they were still startled and were not sure who it was. Kuroki looked towards Ozlo''s face, and he saw Ozlo with a relieved expression. "Count Cremalis!" Ozlo said. "At ease. Especially you, Ozlo. Seriously, you shouldn''t let that dumb idiotic shitty guildmaster overwork you". Ozlo smiled at those words. "Yes, of course my liege". Compared to Valiance, in which Ozlo seemed to exagerate body expressions and used words layered with meanings, Ozlo was far more direct and positive with Cremalis. Cremalis meanwhile, had a bright expression when he looked at Ozlo. "Just so you know, the Royal Army is always willing to welcome you, even if its just aid and not joining. General Astris still fondly remembers your contributions during your time at the academy during all those emergencies and incidents". "Why thank you, but I am afraid if I leave, the Vice Guildmaster might quit and the guild will descend into chaos. Still, maybe our stars will align one of these days". "I suppose so" he said, then looking over at Valiance. His expression darkened in an instant, as he scowled at the man...no, the boy in front of him. Kuroki has seen that expression before. One of extreme disapproval. He had been subjected to it many times himself, although unlike his times which were unjust, this seemed rather justified instead. Still, it reminded him of a bitter memory. "Sir, I really think..." "Silence. I have heard quite much through the ale and the grape" Cremalis said, using what Kuroki guessed was an idiom of this world. "I do not feel comfortable leaving you around any child, especially ones you seem to hold a grudge towards". I knew it. He was targeting me. Kuroki had his suspicions, but now they were confirmed. "But sir, as a noble..." "If you call yourself a noble, then act like one" he growled, and Valiance flinched. A number of others there, who had been less vocal and less in the way, seemed to agree with Cremalis. It seemed that not all nobility was trash, and there were quite a few good ones here. "And you, Silver Storm was it? So that must mean you are the new apprentice of the Magician of the Silver Hour, Kuroki, correct?" "You know my name?" "You should bow and speak politely before a noble!" one of the others hissed at him, but Cremalis glared at him. "You lot should be ashamed of yourselves. I doubt newly minted F-Rank adventurers have even thought they would be interacting with nobility, they likely don''t know how beyond the very very basics. They are fighting with their lives on the line to avoid damage to our city, and you lot came barging in to try and steal their accomplishments for your own gain". "Aren''t you here as well?!" one of them quipped in their annoyance. "Nah. I am here to see if there is any talent to poach of course" he said with a sly grin. Ozlo let out an exasperated sigh. "Please dont steal our future prodigies. We need them to keep the monsters trimmed down". "Relax relax. Its not like I will just go around stealing anyone. Besides, they would need to display the ability to work in coordination and uniform with the military. A lot of your talented kids seem a bit too...individualistic to work for the army, but you never know when you might come across a hidden gem. Besides, I want to personally confirm also that this really isn''t a Siege". Ozlo actually seemed a bit relieved in Kuroki''s eyes when those words were said. Ozlo himself was having some very positive thoughts for a change. Thank the gods Cremalis was here. He can be a bit bothersome at times, but he means well and he is incredibly practical and wise. With him here, we might be able to respond in time to an emergency situation. He even brought his knights to help keep the camp secure. It really offsets Valiance''s stupidity, which would have made me station more guards here normally so I could have the force to counter any idiotic scheme he might be cooking up during a potential crisis. Cremalis then turned towards Kuroki. "Well, it looks like you got your orders, so you had best head out before anything else happens". Valiance looked like he was about to object, but before the words even came out of his mouth, Kuroki''s group was gone. They had picked up Cremalis'' hidden meaning clear with that last sentence. Better leave before this idiot tries anything else. "Its good to see that not all nobles are idiots". "Those guys were just their kids right? It seems like they might not have finished their own education yet". Kuroki then wondered something. "...I wonder if some of their families sent them out here hoping something happened, so that they might get a taste of reality and shock them out of their stupidity". "Thats...harsh..." "Maybe, but that might be normal common sense for nobles" Kuroki countered. "That is fair". The group then proceeded to head towards the forest, cutting through the plains as they did. Chapter 17: Goblins! Kuroki''s group had finally entered the forest. Unlike the forests they knew however, this one had a far greater tree density than normal. In the truly thick areas, it could serve as a barrier that was impossible to get through, at least without the branches stealing every last thread of their clothes and getting some cuts and scars. That was how thick it was, and how thorny the branches could be. Many of them had leaves, but some appeared dead or corrupted. "I hear this is an effect of monster blood. It can wither some plants and trees. No one is sure why its only some and not others however" Kuroki muttered. "It''s probably a sign that plenty of monsters have died here, but a lot of this looks recent". "Yeah. Most of this has to be recent" Riku muttered, "However, it looks like there is some really old stuff too". He directed everyone''s gaze to an old cobblestone road. It appeared to be some sort of ancient road, one that led deeper into the forest. "I heard rumors that an ancient city used to exist out here, and that the old ruins actually surrounded the city of Azralia in various directions". "I actually saw the ruins, there are tons by the west gate" Kaede added. Kuroki had entered the city through the south gate, but Kaede had entered from the west gate. As for this operation, it was mainly out of the north and eastern gates, as that is where all the goblin sightings have been. "I heard the ruins had an underground system, which is actually what the city''s sewer system was based off of. Supposedly its some fallen kingdom". Kuroki nodded. "I read in a book in master''s library that this area is considered the frontier, and has a lot of unknowns to it. Supposedly there was a kingdom here, and its capital might have been here, but no one really knows much about it. It supposedly predates the Great Demon King, which means that it''s apparently been lost to time". "Why is that?" Ryuu asked. "Because the Great Demon King nearly wiped out the world''s population. Supposedly, only about ten thousand or so people survived, and they eventually spread out and repopulated the world. But a lot of history was lost, which resulted in many kingdoms and secrets being lost with them". As Kuroki explained, they made it deeper into the woods. They found the landmark they were looking for was well, a large red boulder. "Alright, we just need to hold this area, and we should be fine". "What if something already got past this area?" "Then hopefully the others deal with it. We cant move from this spot because we can''t let anything, or at least anything else, get passed. Everyone still has their whistles, right?" Each of them pulled on a piece of string around their necks, revealing a whistle connected to it. Using whistles, this was how they signaled to other groups. Kuroki blew into his whistle three times, signaling that they are okay here. Soon after, they heard three more whistles come from the north, another three to the east, and a faint one from the south east. The goblin force seemed to be mainly coming from the northeast, and holding fortified positions would help. In their case, the region they were currently assigned had a lot of ruins. This Forest Ruins region was expansive too, with plenty of trees and ruined structures blocking sightlines. "This isn''t very good" Kuroki mentioned. "Sight lines are terrible. We could run into ambushes easily, and we could end up fighting multiple Goblin groups at once". "We don''t know what foliage here might be safe either. I would recommend we watch from the buildings then the treetops". Ryuu looked at him questioningly. "What, what do you mean by safe foliage?" Kuroki took out a book from his bag. Even though it was precious bag space, since they were only making day trips into the wilds, he had deemed it okay. Things like bags of infinite holdings didn''t exist, and there was no such thing as inventory magic either. The largest storage capacity possible were bags made specifically for corpses or wood, and apparently both were specific enough to include parasites and bugs as potentially invalidating them. In terms of general capacity bags, the largest would be up to doubling the interior storage of a bag, but those were the most expensive, especially on larger bags. Typically, adventurers their rank didn''t even have expanded capacity bags at all, or if they did, they were small and only increased it by about twenty percent. Then again, given that they hunted things like Rabbits and Goblins on average, they probably didn''t need that much space. Furthermore, it wasn''t like adventurers on average defeated hundreds or even dozens of monsters a day. In fact, it was generally just about a dozen or so monsters of their rank. At first, Kuroki thought that seemed a bit low, considering the battle they had in the Guild Hall, but after actually fighting monsters, Kuroki came to understand why. It wasn''t just the fights themselves, they had to constantly stay alert and on guard. They had to walk all the way to these locations, and keep enough stamina in reserve to make it all the way back, as well as deal with any encounters they had on the way home. That was why a number of parties from this area alone had to pull back or needed relief or supplies, and why Amyris had told them to take a break after every battle. Especially consume sugary things, since it would help the most. He was the one who got them their juice, and their bags, except for Ryuu''s. Ryuu had been supplied by Riza, and in fact Ellie had helped equip Kaede. Incidentally, Kaede was wearing her field gear right now. There was no skirt or dress, she was wearing shorts like the rest of them that looked different from the first pair Kuroki saw, as they appeared more padded and were green, a short sleeve shirt that was a darker brown, black boots with a purple unicorn stitched into the side, and a padded short sleeve jacket that had a hood and was more of a leaf green color. It blended in well with the forest, and seemed to have enchantments to help reduce heat accumulation, reduce negative effects of standing in the sun for too long, and the boots were designed to help cushion the feet in addition to the socks and make it so they were better for long trips through the forest. It even blended into the forest rather well. Incidentally, in the last few days, Kuroki and Riku had recieved some more clothes as well. Some were simple shorts and shirts, for practicing indoors or lounging around, some were simple clothes for quick in-city errands, and then there was spare underwear. That said, that was about all Amyris got for them, so laundry would still need to be done every few days. Incidentally, partially because it was hot and partially because they had compliantly gotten used to it, but they still slept in the nude. It was the norm for growing children to not get sleepwear since this world saw it pointless to get clothes just for sleeping that they would quickly grow out of. Clothes were very expensive after all, and they had only gotten this much so fast thanks to Ellie. However, apparently Amyris had gone beyond budget, and mentioned they would have to pay him back for all of this in the future as well as any future clothes needed. As such, Kuroki and Riku were fine with not getting any sleepwear. Especially when they saw the price tags for Ellie''s clothes, they visibly paled. Apparently, they were about fifty times as expensive as the average commoner clothes at least, with additional enchantment work driving the price up more. Amyris hadn''t set a specific date they had to pay them back, and noted that doing chores around the house and helping with his research would help just a bit. That said, if they wanted an allowance, it would take even longer, which was yet another reason to earn money at the guild. In truth, it was actually even more expensive then what they were shown, but Amyris wasn''t cruel enough to make them pay him back completely. He knew their situation, and wanted to support them, so he wasn''t even charging them for rent or for food, despite the latter being a serious concern for his wallet. At least Kaede and Ryuu''s food situation and shelter were taken care of Ellie and Riza respectively, but Kuroki and Riku were two growing(?) boys, so servings were always big. Not to mention when his other apprentices came over. But at the same time, he knew he would do them no favors if he just gave them everything for free and let them forget about the common sense of this world, so he had to make them endure some embarrassing things and things they were not used to. That said, Kuroki and Riku had figured something out some time ago. While Kaede and Ryuu scouted out some buildings, the two boys went over to a corner. "So, what do you think, given the way they are acting as well?" "Yeah. Its more then just mental fortitude that apparently every Starfallen gets. When I mentioned to Amyris, he said it was well known part of the Starfall made it so we would be able to adapt to this world better...but given everything, I think there is a secondary effect stacked up with it. If I had to give a word for it...Compliance, for sure". "We don''t have any real proof, but it explains a lot. We thought it over the past few days, and I think it fits. I mean, we became able to read, speak, and listen to the common language of this world as well". They had roughly figured out they were under some sort of low level Compliance effect. But Kuroki took it a step further then Reiji and Juno did. He identified that it was actually two different things. Adaptation, something that Amyris said had been noticed of all Starfallen and summoned heroes, but also something else. A Compliance Effect. It had influenced them ever so slightly back in the headquarters camp. Against the nobles, who seemed to use authoritive voices and who they knew had status and power, they felt like they it would be a bad idea if they didn''t obey. It was still a rather vague feeling, not too strong, but it was the strongest they had ever felt before. "I think our Mental Fortitude actually weakened the Compliance too" Kuroki noted. "It felt like it might have overwhelmed me normally". "Same. So then...doesn''t that mean the Mental Fortitude and the Compliance are not totally in sync then? Even though we gained it from the same effect?" Kuroki pondered for a moment. "...I think we cant assume we gained both from the Starfall. We already know the storm was abnormal, and that there was no reason for a whole city to become Starfallen. Apparently the cut off of gravity was a normal part of it, but not the storm. Which makes me wonder, if perhaps while the storm triggered the Starfall, it was actually...something else? Honestly, that''s just a very loose theory. I have nothing to back it up, we don''t have enough information". "Yeah...I don''t see how it could be something else and still trigger the Starfall. But what you are trying to say is...you think two different forces were at work?" "Yes. One gave Compliance, and the other gave Adaptability and Mental Fortitude". "We still lack enough information, but I think that''s the best theory we have so far. It explains why they seem to be conflicting. Still have no idea why or what happened though". Riku summed it up, they suddenly heard running footsteps. They came out from the alley, and saw Kaede and Ryuu engaged in combat with four goblins. They were hideous green humanoids, and were about .7 to .8 Kurokis tall. Once again, an opponent smaller than Kuroki. He wouldn''t be able to test out ideas the Martial Artist Rabbit gave him here. Instead, he quickly manipulated mana to form an unstructured magic attack. "Tsk. Fly, Stormbird!" Kuroki used mana manipulation to send out a bird made of lightning, which went after some of the Goblins. One seemed to dodge the attack, while another got hit full force and was fried. Ryuu blocked and parried a Goblin with a club, while Kaede blocked other with her daggers. Riku quickly used Brilliant Flash to get next to Kaede and behead the Goblin in an instant. In their old world, the technique wasn''t this strong, but thanks to their enhanced physical abilities, Riku was able to go much faster when he used it, although apparently the recoil was a bit stronger as well. Maybe even more than a bit. The Goblins were now down to two. Kuroki froze the ground under them, which allowed Kaede and Ryuu to each get a kill. And just like that, they were done for. These things were weaker, slower, and easier to hit then the Martial Artist Rabbit. In other words... "...so that Rabbit must have been F...no, E-Ranked?" "Seems likely. Also I think I hesitate less against Goblins" Kaede admitted as she responded to Kuroki''s theory. "Rabbits are supposed to be H or G Ranked...would one of them suddenly shoot up to E?" "I think its feesible...although I think Rabbits are still a poor matchup for us unless Kuroki uses wide area of effect magic". "That would be a real big waste of mana...we need to get better at reading their escape and movement patterns". Riku looked back at the Goblins. "At least we should be fine against humanoids. Thats something, right?" "Well, Goblins anyways. Orcs are even tougher. They are considered Rank D. And thats just base Orcs. Higher Ranking Orcs are C, and there are some threats among them that can reach B. Occasionally, an A-Rank threat can even emerge". "Yeah, but given how we have more trouble with rabbits then Goblins, I feel like we can''t rely on the ranking system that much". "But I don''t think we should drop our guards against Goblins either. For now, let''s rest and then see about a good position to keep watch from. This looks like a residential area that was overgrown, so we should rest inside one of the buildings". The group headed into one of the ruined buildings, and proceeded to sip on more juice. They also took out their lunch boxes and proceeded to have a bit of a late lunch, since it had passed noon about two or three hours ago. Each of them was a rather basic preserved food admittedly. A sandwich, some fruit, as well as some eggs. These lunch boxes were made by Amyris and Ellie, was well as thanks to a craftsman they knew. That said, since they were rush jobs, they were limited in scope. They would only preserve the temperature of food put into it for ten hours, and it wasn''t a perfect preservation. The eggs had gone in freshly hot, but now they were just decently warm. The meat in the sandwich was the same, and the fruits had only been partially chilled. Of course, part of this was due to the size of the lunchbox itself. Preservation spells were tricky. It couldn''t apply to the food itself, or else it would cause mana sickness from eating them. As such, it was the container that was enchanted to keep them preserved. As it was an indirect method, the efficiency depended on a lot, including the size of the spell. Since these were lunchboxes, naturally that meant that the effect was also small. Amyris'' pantry was much larger, so the effect was about a hundred times more significant. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Of course, this meant that a single lunchbox would only last for one day basically before depleting its power, so it wasn''t good for long trips. On long trips, they would have to use preserved food the entire way. Dried food, salt, the whole shebang. Something about food made it impossible to make a specialized bag for it, perhaps because of its variety, but even just for a single type of fruit was difficult. Some thought it might be due to the seeds and the juices, or perhaps because it was some other factor. That said, despite all these limitations, these lunchboxes were still completely a luxury item, proof they were being spoiled still. Normal F-Ranks would never have access to these lunchboxes, and would have to always eat normal preserved food. That or anything they hunted and gathered in the field, but cooking outside was dangerous since it could attract monsters. You had to set up a special cooking tent to avoid the smell getting out, and either do it around foul-smelling plants that would keep the monsters away or put up some sort of repellant of your own. Gathering fruits were far easier and better, especially since there was always fruit all year round somehow. It seemed there were many fruit trees that had evolved and adapted differently. They would produce fruit multiple times a year, and would even produce it in winter. There was also some fruit, such as Icybells, a fruit unique to this world, that only became ready to pick and eat in the winter, while others were spring, summer, or fall. This meant there were options all year round. Considering their clothes were also high quality that protected them far better then normal adventurers their rank, they were really having it easier in those aspects then other F-Rankers. That said, perhaps in exchange, they were having difficulty when it came to the experience gap. They had power, but they were only decently skilled at handling humanoid opponents. As they practiced more, they would be able to use their power better, but if they got too cocky and conceited, they would probably suffer casualties. As they finished up with lunch, Ryuu suddenly looked sad. "...I miss my parents". "...same". Unlike Kuroki, whose mom disappeared long ago and whose dad was someone he hated, and Riku, who had lost and grieved his parents long ago, Kaede and Ryuu had only recently been separated from their parents. Furthermore, since their parents'' fates were unknown and they could still be alive, they couldn''t just give up those thoughts or hope. The two were faced with such pain, and they would need to settle up with those emotions regularly since they lacked the closure or knowledge they needed. "Don''t worry. I am sure they will be fine" Kuroki said, knowing his words were hollow and baseless but trying to be sincere. "Frankly, the odds aren''t all that terrible for us. We have our mysterious Guardian Angel after all". "Ah, you mean whoever organized the two of you to no longer be cursed?" Kuroki nodded. "We would probably still be stuck in bed, in pain and shitting and peeing constantly if it wasn''t for whoever led Akano through the spirit realm to remove our curse". "What a nasty curse, being able to spread its aftereffects to anyone who got affected" Riku muttered. Both he and Kuroki had nearly suffocated to death, and its possible had Amyris not weakened it that they would have shit themselves to death or something. And then, Akano finished off the lingering curse fragments that Amyris was unable to, since the curse had adapted to his magic. This had allowed them to make progress the last few days. Its unlikely Kaede would have used Amyris'' simulation alone, so provided Kuroki and Riku recovered by today, they would have only started their emergency training. In truth, simulator training wasn''t as useful the more actual experience you got. It was best for getting people started, but the growth needed for higher rank adventurers would not occur without experience in the real world. One could think of it as also having diminishing returns as well, at least from how Amyris explained it. But it was true that if they had not had their curse broken, they would have probably just been recovering now, or maybe not even then. Amyris said at worst it would have taken a week. It was only day five. "Based on the theory, whoever set all that up may have set other things up as well. But Master thinks their biggest goal...was to make it so we would be able to take part in this mass subjugation". "So they are saying our presence will be important?" Kaede nodded. "I doubt I would have done this without the two of you here". "Riza said it was a good opportunity since the three of you were doing it, so maybe me too!" "Exactly. I don''t see how we would provide a major contribution, but...it might be a butterfly effect thing. Perhaps, by providing support here for after Devil''s Bane had to pull back, it stops Goblins from pressing damage elsewhere, causing us to have more people pull back or at worst, die. Which then snowballs further". "So your saying, it might be that we don''t have to do something big and flashy? Whew". Kaede was relieved, but Ryuu looked dissatisfied. "But it would be way cooler if we did something big and flashy!" "Coolness means nothing compared to good health" chided Kaede. Kuroki agreed with her. However, then she went a step further. "Besides, isn''t Riku the really cool one for remaining calm and being so reliable rather then focusing on flashy things?" "Hmmm? U-uh, yeah. Thanks, Kaede". "I wonder if we should have you both sitting in a tree" Kuroki mused, but Riku and Kaede didn''t get the reference. Once that was done, and they were fueled up, they each took a position on a different rooftop. They had practiced hand signals the day before when they first got assigned an area, so they had something to use for them, since the whistles were for party to party communication. One finger up meant Kuroki. Two meant Riku. Three meant Kaede. Four meant Ryuu. One finger sideways meant attack, two meant pull back, three meant hide or reposition into a new hiding spot, and four meant they all should group up. When it was down, it meant the number of enemies one had spotted. In addition, each one had a small mirror to use to flash at the others to gain their attention. This was how Kuroki organized it so they could communicate nonverbally. If it was an emergency, one was to flash their eyes once for a long period of time. Otherwise, the flashes were there to get attention mainly, since its possible they might accidentally slip or something and flash an extra time then they meant to. That said, the mirrors were also good for checking corners, which they did a lot in these ruins. This let them spot a rather large group of goblins first for a change. Kuroki saw them from behind an old belltower, signaling the others to look at him with flashes. He put both his hands with all his fingers stretched out down twice. Since it was hard for them to see if the thumb was down or not, they only used the other four fingers. Since he did it twice, that meant a major problem. Sixteen goblins in total. Significantly larger then any other group they had encountered. That said, not a single one was a hob. They were all base goblins, and all of them seemed to be around a fire, cooking meat. Thankfully, Kuroki could clearly tell from where he was that this was not human meat, but some beast. It became clear rather then being organized into a large team, the Goblins were just all here for food, not some larger organization. In fact, based on their movements and spacing, it appeared to be two groups of four, one group of three, and one group of five. They had heard about a five goblin group sighting, and that it was very rare, so that meant they just plainly got unlucky. This would make the sixth confirmed case out of over a hundred that Kuroki knew of. As the leader, Kuroki made the decision not to attack. The goblins had higher numbers, and there wasn''t enough cover to get close. Kuroki''s Water Puppetry was limited in its range, being a close-range technique. He couldn''t use his magic to reach that far yet, and they would undoubtedly see the attacks coming and dodge or attack with that big a group. Freezing the ground underneath them again required him to get closer then he was, and they were cooking in an open courtyard so they would again see him. Even Riku couldn''t reach it without using two Brilliant Flashes in a row, which would mean wasting one of them and risking serious strain. He signaled to everyone that they would be pulling out and gain some distance, and then they would do two long whistles. Two long whistles were what you did when you wanted to make a report, different from two shorter and higher whistles. This would have a group that''s working as a mobile force, such as the E-Rank Party Deep Dashers, to come to them to receive that report and relay it as necessary. That said, they had to wait until they were far enough away from the Goblins. Too close, and the Goblins would surely come to investigate. Just the right distance, and they might get curious, but they wouldn''t automatically go towards the noise. Once they made their distance, Kuroki used the whistle, and they held their ground. A goblin group must have been closer then they realized, because they emerged from a back alley to attack a few minutes later. Kuroki was charged at, so he used his Water Puppetry Technique to dance around them and then skewer them, in an admittedly brutal fashion. He took two down just like that, and Riku used his Flare Enchant Incendia to get through another. Ryuu tried to take one down, but he got a bit too overeager and overdid it, letting the Goblin dodge him. Kaede however got around behind the Goblin and assassinated it, taking them down instantly. "Nicely done, you guys" a familiar voice said. Kuroki turned around, and the leader of Deep Dashers was there, along with his brothers. "Ah. Thanks for responding. I am Kuroki, leader of the Silver Storm". "My name is Dia, leader of the Deep Dashers. These are my brothers Kia, Ria, Mia, and Lia". The others nodded politely as they were introduced. Aside from their rabbit tails and ears, they seemed rather normal. They actually were decently close to Kuroki in height, even though they were all fifteen like him, which made Kuroki feel just a bit more comfortable. "So, what is the report?" "We encountered a gathering of what appeared to be four groups of goblins having a meal break over there. There was a group of five, a group of three, and two groups of four, for sixteen in total". "Sixteen huh...but they looked like they were staying within their own groups, rather then totally unified?" "Based on the spacing I observed between them, their body language suggested that". "I see. It is worrying that so many gathered together, but I suppose if they are cooking food it can''t be helped. They probably wanted the extra numbers to discourage predators who might want to get them normally, and also in these ruins there should be less natural predators so it probably is why they did it here". "What should we do about it?" Dia looked at the sun. It was getting close to setting, which meant it was soon time to pull back. "With nine of us, we would have to almost take two goblins each. It should be possible, but do you have the stamina for it and to deal with any attacks as we head back? I think once we take this sixteen down, you should head back immediately. Its likely thats all the goblins in this area for today, or at least it would thin them enough that the other parties should be fine, and we will cover for everyone else as they pull back after you anyways". "In that case, I think we should be fine. It would be best not to worry they might think about grouping up like this tomorrow". "I agree. Can you show us the area you spotted them in?" Kuroki nodded, and they led them back towards the plaza. Kuroki and Dia climbed an old tower to get a good view of the courtyard or plaza the Goblins were in. Dia eyed them all, confirming what he saw. "No hobs, no archers, no mages or shamans. Just a whole lot of basic goblins". "So, what do you think?" Kuroki asked. "We stick with the plan. We will divide ourselves as we arranged on the way here. The two of us stick together. Kia will go with Kaede. Ria will go with Riku. Mia and Lia will go with Ryuu. This is based on my estimated skill levels and also party composition". "Yes, that should work. I will signal the others we plan to attack". "Yes. Very nice on the signals by the way. Me and my brothers use similar approaches" he said, taking out his own mirror. "Its nice to see you are not rushing off into danger just because you reached F-Rank so fast. That is how a lot of newbies die after all". "Yeah...I mean, the guys we fought were both high and drunk. I suspect if they had been sober, it would have been rough for us". "Indeed. I was actually there and saw the fight myself. You have skill and power, but you need more experience. You could have taken those thugs down much faster if you were more used to fighting with magic". "I would like to hear some details on that". "Well, admittedly I only have a theory on your magic technique, but I don''t think you were using it as effectively as you could have. You often did only one motion at a time, but since it was linked to your body movement, had you done simultaneous actions, I think you could have performed a multitude of attacks at once and defeated them faster". "I see...that''s a bit hard to do, but its certainly something I could learn soon. I didn''t think of that at all, thanks for the tip". "No problem. I am happy to help my fellow adventurers and juniors learn and become better". Dia gave off serious warm big brother energy. Apparently they were all twins, or rather quintuplets, although there were some differences with each of their faces or heights, if only by a bit. But Kuroki figured it was possible Dia might have been born first. Or he could be wrong, he could be the youngest but best capable of leadership. Age didn''t always mean wisdom or good leadership ability, so letting someone with the best leadership skill was always the best. And Dia definitely did have that. The four groups surrounded the goblins, and then Kuroki gave the signal for everyone to attack. That was Dia rushing forward with Kuroki right behind him. Two goblins immediately attacked them, but Dia drew his sword while using magic to cause spikes of earth to shoot out of the ground at one of the goblins. It killed it instantly, as he cut through the other one. Kuroki meanwhile was already incanting, using his poetic sounding incanting style. "A frozen field of icey death. Fear creeps up through your breath. Prevent them from resisting death''s cold touch. Bring them down upon the floor. Frozen Field!" Ice shot out from beneath Kuroki''s feet, stretching out and coating the entire ground underneath them with ice. Kuroki had already cast a spell on all their shoes earlier to prevent slipping, which meant that while they had good footing, the goblins did not. Several of them slipped from surprise, as Kuroki had made it close to the middle of the plaza and was able to coat the entire battlefield in ice. One goblin used a sling to launch a rock at Kuroki''s head, but he was able to dodge it, falling backwards in the process. He tried to get up, but he had difficulty. Shit! I only put the spell on our shoes! He realized his mistake, and called out to the others as they began their attack. "Don''t fall down!" One goblin launched another sling at Kuroki, but he was able to use a barrier to block it in time. Dia managed to cut the head off of another one, while Kuroki made an ice spike shoot up from the ground right into a Goblin using his mana. Everyone else jumped in as well, surprising Goblins on all sides with many being cut through. Kaede got around and assassinated one, and Riku managed to get two. Ryuu tried to get two, but only managed to get one and cut the arm off another, which Mia then finished off with a firebolt spell. Lia meanwhile got a Goblin that tried to get Ryuu from the side. Soon enough, all of the goblins were completely decimated by the ambush, and they had successfully taken them all down. That said, Kuroki''s group in the end only managed about seven kills, while Dia''s party got nine. Almost every kill after the initial ambush was done by Dia''s party, who was able to follow through with their next attacks better. A learning experience for Kuroki''s group to be sure. "Nicely done. You fight very well for F-Rankers". "Thanks, but we couldn''t hold a candle to you" Kuroki said as Dia helped him up, and Kuroki dismissed the frozen floor. "Well, it can''t be helped. In truth, me and my party are almost D-Rankers now. We will probably hit D-Rank after this large scale quest". "Oh wow. I heard Soaring Shields were almost E-Rankers as well, so it seems like there is a chance for quite a few promotions". "Yeah. Everyone is working hard. To be honest, my biggest concern right now is interference from jealous adventurers or those who are currently underperforming, like the party that was here before, Devil''s Bane". "What kind of party are they anyways?" "They are an E-Rank party with potential for D-Rank depending on their ability. However, they have a bad attitude and are not diligent like you guys are. Furthermore, they are absurdly arrogant and prideful. I mean, they called themselves Devil''s Bane. Honestly when I first heard they named themselves that, I was really worried if we would be okay. After all, that seems like you are just asking for the Devils to come and attack you". "Thats a fair point". "Honestly, adding Devils, Demons, Dragons, Krakens, or Leviathan to your name is a major taboo. At least while your low ranked and if you do it yourself. Now if someone else proclaims that for high ranking adventurers who earned it, like Ozlo the "Dragon Caller", that is different. He absolutely earned that name of his, as did his grandfather, Dragon Vanquisher. In those times its okay because they both earned it". "Right, makes sense". "There are some other taboos too regarding naming. Naming your party after a Demon King for instance is asking for trouble, and trying to use the name of a prince or a king without permission from the royal family is also super dangerous. In fact, using any royal terms like Kings or princes can go badly, although there are some cases where it got allowed. But a lot of arrogant people will probably target you to put you down and lift themselves up, so again, you should avoid it. Also, Gold. You should avoid Gold. Silver is passable though, especially given your connection to the Magician of the Silver Hour, most people should be fine with that". Kuroki was happy to hear this. He got worried when he learned Gold could be seen as gaudy or arrogant as well. Although apparently, there was a party who was named Golden Dawn that was okay, because their magic was a sort of gold colored fire and the leader had golden colored hair. They continued their discussion for awhile, but it was mostly just smalltalk. Of course, Kuroki avoided any talk about their origins. After obtaining the magic cores and the proofs of subjugations, Deep Dashers made sure to escort Kuroki''s party to the forest''s edge just to be safe, before returning to their duties. And just like that, their first day of the Large-Scale Hunt concluded with some mixed results and some successes. Chapter 18: Mana and Magic In magic, there were generally three ways to invoke it. The first is to directly manipulate mana into what you wish it to be, not using any incantations or glyph equations. This is considered one of the fastest and subtlest methods, but also the weakest. You really cant do much more beyond creating fireballs or fire tornados, lightning bolts or perhaps if you are talented at control, a bird shaped lightning attack. Ice spikes and waves of water, earth pillars shooting up from the ground, that sort of thing. All incredibly basic magic, and also the most inefficient way to use magic. Then there is spell invocation. This is the method Kuroki has been primarily taught by Amyris. It involves manipulating mana directly a bit still, but only to keep it contained as your invocation forms it into the spell you desire. With invocations, word choice matters. The desired effect will depend on what words you choose, what words you repeat, and the choice of adjectives and verbs matter just as much as the nouns do. In addition, how you speak it is another matter. Generally, choppy spells wont work as well as ones that flow well, although there are instances where exceptions can be had, especially depending on the type of spell you are invoking. Amyris and Kuroki''s style has invocations sound like poems or nursery rhymes. Others might actually sing the invocations, while others might make it sound like a captivating book. Others might just incant normally but focus on speaking clearly instead, to give each word more meaning and power. Invocations can also add various special effects to spells beyond what direct manipulation can do. It can create a flock of magically created birds to attack, both as manifested creatures or as elemental projectiles. For example, creating a hundred snakes of fire that fly through and coil around targets, evading and slipping through defenses to incinerate someone with maximum coverage possible. One could also create chains of ice that drain the very stamina and lifeforce of those who touch them, although as was seen before, if not done right could be used against you. Some might even be able to "split the world in two" and provide a sanctuary in the middle of battle. Finally, there are Glyph Equations. They involve projecting Glyphs through mana, all interconnected and forming them into specific patterns. One might also call them Spell Arrays. In truth, this method can actually be used alongside incantations, though invoking both methods at once can be extremely difficult. By creating these Glyph Equations and Arrays, one can invoke advanced magic spells like invocations, but without the vocal element. However, these are much harder to control and if you are unskilled and unpracticed in it, it could result in even slower then long invocations. It takes a lot of practice to figure out which ones work best for you and then execute them in battle. Amyris told Kuroki that his best chance in this world was to master all three techniques. He had some degree of talent with Direct Manipulation, but not only was it the weakest, but he was far from mastering it. Like Dia had told him, he wasn''t able to bring out the full ability of his Water Puppetry Technique. If he had, he would have decisively beaten those drunks much sooner. Meanwhile, he had some invocations, but he couldn''t be sure if they were optimized and polished enough. He probably needed to rework a number of his spells still. Furthermore, he had only really come up with water and ice spells so far. Enhanced Echomap utilized water and storm, but he was still lacking in usable spells. And that was his affinities. Amyris told Kuroki that he should also have spells outside of his affinity, and multiples of various types. Incidentally, Glyph Equations were his weakest so far. In theory, he was skilled at it, but he had so far focused on the other two and was not sure yet how to make use of them. So far, his only usable GLyph Equation spell was a bouncy barrier that would help repel enemies that got too close to him. He could invoke it quickly, and it was highly versatile and usable. But in terms of barrier spells, it was still rather simple. Reliable, but simple. An enemy spellcaster would be able to defeat it soundly. There were actually three forms of mana as well. Primed Mana, Expended Mana, and Natural Mana. The one that caused Mana Intoxication mainly was the second, Expended Mana. Mana that was utilized to use magic and spells. Even though its expended, its still there but in a more dormant state. It can''t be utilized, but it can be absorbed still, and it''s considered to be a higher density and more unpleasant then the other two types. It naturally dissipates and turns into Natural Mana over time, but this can take days to weeks. It''s also the type that can cause natural undead to appear as well, which is why battlefields that are not tended to properly can propagate undead like crazy, unless you somehow don''t have a single mage use any spell at all during that battle. But thats rather unrealistic. Primed Mana is the mana in one''s own body, or that in mana potions. Its in a state that makes it easier for someone to use. That said, if you deplete it rapidly and then try to drink too many mana potions at once to replenish it, that sudden rise can also cause mana intoxication. This is why mages cant just guzzle mana potions to continuously use spells non-stop. Eventually they would get sick, and even possibly die. Furthermore, Primed Mana can still cause mana intoxication if built up too fast, although it''s not as fast or easy as it being caused by Expended Mana. Natural Mana was mana that was harmless, all around them in the air. Well, basically harmless. In theory it could cause mana intoxication if a number of other factors went wrong or if it got supercompressed and forced down one''s throat, but there is not a single case of this happening in tens of thousands of years, and Kuroki was certainly not going to be the first. At the moment he was working on his spell equations. He was wearing a different set of clothes then before. Water mages and fire mages either practiced in something light that was easy to take off, or nude. While it would certainly take awhile, practicing in water drenched clothes would certainly eventually cause mana intoxication, although it might take hours if you were training seriously that whole time and drinking mana potions, and days if you just kept those same clothes on repeatedly that whole time. You would have to bathe in it, wipe a cloth wet with it, or drink it, for water created by or manipulated by mana to give you mana intoxication. Terrible for baths or even wiping oneself down, and even moreso for drinking, but taking a single waterball to the face was not going to cause it. Even taking about one hundred water balls to the face wouldn''t really do it, cause one would typically wipe it away immediately and it wasn''t being pressed into the skin, absorbed throughout all your skin, or being consumed directly. And aside from that last one, it generally had to be overtime. You wouldn''t get it for just a few seconds, and if it was hostile magic, Kuroki and gang''s clothes would actually protect them from the hostile mana to a degree. It only worked for mana from hostile entities though, and no one would ever take a bath wearing a full set of gear that would then be unusable for a few days if they did. If it was that easy to get mana intoxication, water mages would be scarily lethal after all. It was incovnient sure, but it wasn''t even guarenteed to be lethal. It could just make you from any range of sick feelings, from mild to extremely unpleasant, and so on. That said, mages practicing fire magic had it worse. They actually did have to do all their early practice and training in the nude. Especially those with poor control. Typically teachers wouldn''t shell out for fireproof clothes until they have proved themselves to a degree, so unless the apprentice earned it themselves, they wouldn''t get any. Thankfully, Kuroki was focusing on his strong suits first. By the time he would touch fire magic, his control would be to the point where such concerns would be unnecessary. In truth, they might already be, although he was having trouble with his current spell. He formed the Glyph Equation, also known as a Glyph Formation, a Spell Array, or a Spell Formation, in front of him. Amyris said it had been called many things throughout the millennia, and various regions and dialects had their own preferences, so it was best to use them all and switch between them to remember better. He formed a sphere of water in front of him, and was trying to get it to work the way he wanted...when the giant sphere exploded, the water launching Kuroki off the training mat and onto his back. "Well, that didn''t work" Kuroki muttered, as Riku came in and passed him a juice. He was also wearing some around the house clothes now, clearly inferior in quality to his usual stuff, but that stuff was now being washed and dried overnight. "Still working on that spell?" "Yeah. I have the form right, and I have made it so it doesn''t go plop, but it keeps exploding on me. The ''container'' has been perfected, but it seems ''alterations'' are more difficult". Riku nodded. "I have been working on something new as well. I realized it in the fight against the Rabbits, but I take too many steps. I tend to go ''1, 2, 3, 4'', but I need to find a way to condense my actions so they are faster". "Sounds rough". "Extremely. Why do you think it keeps exploding anyways?" "Probably too much pressure...I might need to reinforce the container, but that might cause a rip again. Still, I think its the best option. If I reinforce it, then alter it, I might be able to pull it off". Riku looked at the target dummies on the other end, which seemed to be mocking them. "Yeah, but if you do pull it off, it will be quite the decoy wont it?" "At the very least, it will really throw people for a loop. I doubt many of them understand the science I am trying to apply to the magic through magic, but it should be quite a force to be reckoned with. Also, I think I am almost ready to use my next storm spell. The only issue is that I need better adjective choices. The nouns and verbs should all be good, but the adjectives...I cant just repeat the same one over and over again, but its hard to get good adjectives for lightning you know?" "Ooh. Yeah that might be tough. Its bright, but I doubt that would help with your spell. Fast...but thats probably more into the verbs I am guessing?" Kuroki nodded at Riku''s question. "It is an adjective, but based on how it works, it seems to operate more like an adverb for some reason. I have no idea why, maybe its something to do with the language of this world which is automatically translated for us". "I think it''s less automatically translated and more a perception filter..." Riku mumbled, but Kuroki caught the words he said. "Perception Filter...I was unaware you watched that show..." "Given how long its been on, it''s gotta be good right? So I started it, and became a fan. Think you can make a magic device like that? Maybe I will call mine...the Riku Wrench!" "Ha. I will see what I can do". Riku giggled a bit, before turning towards his blade, which lay against the wall. "I have to say. Fighting, killing monsters...it was easier then I expected". "You noticed that too?" "Is it another effect of the compliance? Or is it the Adaptation?" Kuroki pondered a bit, unsure of how to answer at first. But eventually he came to a decision. "I think...its probably both". "Both huh..." "Yeah. Adaptation so we would be able to survive against the monsters of this world, and Compliance to make it easier for us to kill". Riku grimaced. "So, you think we were summoned to be someone''s soldiers? Someone''s pawns?" "I do. Do you have a different theory?" "Not so much a theory, but a contradiction. We all got scattered about. Now, I know we said we think two forces were conflicting over the Fate of the Starfallen...but, does any one nation in this world have the power to summon that many Starfallen? At least, from what I have read, they do not". Kuroki had to nod to that. "Yes. I admit it is a contradiction. But it explains the Compliance. They would want their soldiers compliant after all. Otherwise, all we have left is that someone wanted us all here for our power, or to cause chaos. The first is...probably gruesome, and the second doesn''t make much sense. Not unless the mastermind is insane". "And yet, both are still possible. Even if they have contradictions of their own". At the moment, any theory they came up with for "Why" was having issues. They couldn''t help but think about it of course, given their situation. How could they not think about the why of things? An entire city worth of people was brought here, to this world. It was a riddle that would plague their brains until they got their answers, but unfortunately for them, they were not aware of anyone who knew. Even if they did know of the Oracle, there was no way for them to reliably reach or communicate with him, given he was trapped within the Ivory Tower. That meant that he was forced to ponder it from time to time, but otherwise could not progress it, so all of them would have to sideline those thoughts as best they could. Still, Kuroki could see some pieces and fragments of the plan. Whoever or whatever brought so many Starfallen to this world, they had intended to make them obedient. Not exactly a great indicator of their intentions...but not actually compelling enough to say they had evil intentions either. Kuroki looked at the history book that was on the side, opening it up and flipping through a few pages with Riku as they sat on the training arena floor. "Thanks to this idiot, we cant even say if this compliance was truly malicious" Kuroki muttered, pointing to a specific section. "Ah yes, the previous hero. The one of fifty years ago". "Yeah. Considering all the issues this guy caused, it might have been added as a safeguard to prevent future issues". The previous hero had ended up creating a harem, which invited various domestic and foreign issues. That wasn''t to say nobles and royalty didn''t have multiple wives or husbands themselves, but at most it was two or three, and their long-standing history helped with that. Furthermore, they didn''t take a whole bunch from such varied backgrounds that caused such internal and external strife. If it had been that alone, maybe he might not have been executed...although given the reports, that seemed like it was impossible to avoid. No, he attempted to completely subvert the culture of this world with the culture of their old world. He probably came from the same country as Kuroki, going by some of the content. However, it seemed like it was possible the time he was taken was from their old world was sometime in the last decade, while he had been summoned fifty years ago. Either way, it was clear he tried to introduce technology haphazardly and also tried to subvert culture in pretty much every aspect of this world. Most of it didn''t even take off, since the royal family wasn''t willing to back him on this, but the culinary one was especially bad. It had resulted in several merchants going bankrupt because people tend to only enjoy foreign food occasionally, but much prefer their own original cuisine of their region, or in this case their world, that they are used to. As a result, these merchants were driven into losing everything, or were forced to turn to less legal measures, which resulted in a booming resurgance of criminal organizations. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. He had even tried to introduce swimwear, which gained zero traction, as everyone was already long used to swimming in the nude here. It was a basic part of culture, since perhaps due to the lack of division or segregation between sexes when it came to public facilities, not to mention just how their culture developed, the naked body was not considered inherently sexual. This was especially true for children''s bodies, who were shown off more to show their healthy growth and promote them as future marriage partners. Kuroki figured it was perhaps a sign there were not as many perverts in this world, although he couldn''t help but remember the disgusting comments from both Valiances. Still, whenever passing guards or others had seen him naked, they seemed to always make comments about his health, even if they were embarrassing sometimes, especially at the start. Although Kuroki was far more used to it now. In any case, because he did this and so many other taboos, he was considered an outsider by many of the people. Despite defeating the Demon King, most people didn''t have a good impression of him, and thanks to his tendency to take so many wives and female companions, and the fact he only everr targeted criminal organizations that went after girls and women, apparently not capable of understanding there were those that targeted boys and men specifically as well, their impression of him plummeted further. So when he sparked all those big incidents, he ended up being executed despite having killed the Demon King. A few other of his taboos included always insisting boys should be the one to do the physical and messy work, which angered everyone, but especially many women who were already quite capable, and especially female dwarves. He also had implied at various times that women were better in the kitchen then men, which upset the culinary world immensely. He even seemed to always indicate that people shouldn''t argue and point out when girls were wrong, accepting all the blame themselves, which upset everyone. Not just guys, but also any female with a sense of honor and responsibility hated that. He even implied that swords were a guy thing and magic was a girl thing, which made Kuroki''s opinion of him plummet to unbelievably low levels. He had actually tried to introduce farming techniques, but the farmers already had them as well as their own and were far more knowledgeable about it. Probably because they have had farmers for millennia, while the hero never farmed once. He had tried to get extra funds by creating various board games and such, however they either already existed or the people had their own they preferred more. In terms of the former reason, it was likely some previous Starfallen had introduced them, but it seems the ones that originated in this world were far more popular. And Kuroki had already pointed out the condiments/cooking fiasco earlier. He actually tried to bring guns into creation, but cannons and such already existed, and they were so expensive, difficult to create, and impossible to enchant properly. After all, since people would imbue trace amounts of mana when they handmade things, anything handmade in this world always turned out better then if they would use factory methods, and without those, it seemed they wouldn''t catch on as well. That, and people were worried about the loud bangs, which would attract monsters. Plus, as it turns out, he didn''t know enough about how they were constructed, like most people in their previous world. Kuroki had lamented at this before, but this world was not so easy you could gimmick everything and just ignore the culture of the world. He had to deal with embarrassment and hardship regularly. Since they had no family and not enough connections, and since they needed to become strong enough to look for their friends and family, they joined the adventurer''s guild. And they had quite the massive debt to Amyris, Kaede to Ellie, and Ryuu to Riza. Of course, it was a very lax debt, and they were still unaware the three of them had left a lot of things out. So actually, despite the fact he had to bathe outside, often with other people, and the fact he had to work hard to make money, Kuroki was actually having it easier then other Starfallen. In fact, despite all these past issues and embarrassing moments he had, they were pretty much on easy mode right now. Considering what they did know, in truth all the members of Silver Storm were starting to understand that. Still, although they were changing abnormally fast thanks to Adaptation and Compliance, they were still used to their old world in many ways. But it was because of these events, that might be why they had Compliance. Or possibly even both. "No matter how you look at it, given all that chaos, Compliance might have been deemed necessary by someone with altruistic motives". "Yeah...I still have concerns about it, but it might be making our lives easier also, so we cant deny its not being beneficial right now. Still, given that moment at the tent...I just can''t be sure". "You mean when we felt complied to adhere to authority, despite us hating the person it came from?" "Yes". "Yeah...if we didn''t have all this support, who knows what might have happened. Honestly, its hard to think about right now...but every time I realize just how much we are being helped out of the goodness of people''s hearts, I cant help but admit Ellie is right to call us spoiled brats whenever we make a fuss or get embarrassed". Riku had been a bit...feisty and bashful with Ellie before, so he had gotten punished a bit. Actually it ended up being all three of them, but that was digressing. Riki had thought of that since and realized they had been very lucky so far. These people weren''t their parents, but they were trying to fill those roles as well as the roles of being their guardians for them. Even if they made them pay for the expensive clothes and some other things, they gave them food and shelter for free, took care of their health for free, used their influence to try and ward off problematic people for free, taught them how to use magic and defend themselves for mostly free, and gave them peace of mind for free. It proved just how valuable starting with an ally was over just starting with clothes and supplies that were easy to find. Kuroki, Riku, Kaede, Ryuu, and also Akano were having a much easier time then Juno and Reiji were. Kuroki closed the book, content with the history lesson and returning back to magic. "So, Riku, what are your thoughts on mana?" "Hmmm...it kind of reminds me of what we learned in school. About the weather. The precipitation cycle. Primed Mana is like the water in the sky and clouds, ready to be used. The rain is like the expended mana, not really usable and more of a nuisance at times, although personally I love rain myself. And then, natural mana is like the water from rivers and oceans". "I don''t think that''s quite a perfect analysis, since people can make use of rainwater as well, but I suppose otherwise its accurate. It is an easy to understand comparison". Riku nodded. "It is kind of like recycling as well. I wonder though if anyone has ever thought about trying to use Natural Mana directly". "They have. Didn''t really work the way they wanted it to. Apparently its incredibly unwieldy and unpredictable, unlike Primed Mana within one''s body". "Ah, that is a shame". The two boys stood up, and looked back at the target dummies. "Hmm...Kuroki, I showed you that scroll right?" "Yeah, you know that. Why are you asking now? By the way, Amyris freaked out about that. Apparently its a scroll made from a production method the Great Demon King specifically targeted to destroy due to its threat hundreds of years ago. But again, why bring it up now?" "Well, I was wondering. If speed is an issue, what if you tried to use Flare Enchant to create the bubble faster? You still wont be able to surprise attack with it, but its not like you need to make a shell for long right?" Kuroki''s eyes widened. He grabbed Riku and kissed him a few times all over on the face, including once on the lips, and then hugged him. "Thank you thank you thank you! That it! I think I know how to finish both spells now! If I break down that technique, and use that...yes, I should be able to...lets try it out now!" "Wait wait, no! Kuroki calm down! Sempai! Niichan! Don''t cast again while..." Riku''s pleas fell on deaf ears as suddenly Kuroki created a huge blob of water in front of him. Riku quickly raised his arms, and right then it exploded even more violently then before, causing a huge wave that knocked them both to the ground, and both of them were now soaked. "Great...now we have to have these clothes dried and dry ourselves off with a towel, again, before we can go to bed now" Riku muttered. "Please stop casting when you get giddy like that". "...sorry. As the older one, I should probably set a better example". "Age has nothing to do with it right now!" "Hahaha..." And so, the two boys had to take off their clothes and add them to the clotheslines again, before crawling into bed and going to sleep. As punishment, Riku clung to Kuroki as they slept and partially used him as a pillow. It was still just chilly enough at night that even with all the skin contact, only a single layer of sheets was needed for extra warmth. Not as if they had any sleepwear anyways yet, since sleeping in the nude was also normal, especially for children since most were commoners in this world who couldn''t use extra money just to spend on sleepwear they would outgrow in a few years, instead typically just piling on more blankets.
The next day, Kuroki and Riku woke up, had a large and filling breakfast, before heading out to meet up with Kaede and Ryuu and then join the second day of the large scale hunt. Technically it was day two and a half, but the day they got the assignments barely counted since they were mostly just organizing and reviewing with everyone regarding the plan and placements of the camps. On this day, Kuroki''s team would again help clear the meadows on the way to the forest, so that the more experienced F-Ranks and E-Ranks could use less stamina and operate more in the forest. Given this operation was unclear in how much time it would take, they had to preserve their stamina and assign roles accordingly. Even though they were skilled and had the Starfallen Gifts, yesterday proved they lacked experience. "Today, we are going to not let those rabbits get the better of us!" Kuroki declared as they walked through the fields, shooting his fist up into the sky. Everyone else followed suit, and replied with a hearty Yeah. Yesterday, while they had hunted Goblins decently enough, Horned Rabbits which were less powerful had been more difficult for them to hit and hunt. Especially with their speed, but even moreso with that strange Martial Arts Rabbit that kicked all their asses, or rather, their faces, and made a mockery of them before they defeated it. Today, they were ready for that speed. Or at least, they believed they were. The only issue was the grass again. Kuroki was fifteen but was incredibly short, about the same height as the ten year olds Riku and Kaede. And Ryuu was even younger, being only around eight. The grass went up to or past their waists mostly, with only some areas being shorter. The fact the grass was this tall did help the Horned Rabbits. Considering this was their home turf, it did make sense that they had adapted to or chosen a place to make use of their talents and size to avoid being caught by predators. Which in this case, was Kuroki''s group. "So what is the word on large area magic Kuroki?" Kaede asked. "Best to avoid using it. When I used it yesterday, I could feel the drain. If I use it every time to deal with every rabbit, I will drain myself. However, if another martial artist rabbit shows up...I will use it then". Kaede nodded. "Alright". Ryuu looked enthusiastic meanwhile. "Sounds good. That means we can all have our revenge match!" "Just remember to enjoy it while we can. Ozlo also said he wants us to report back around noon so he can redeploy us as needed" Riku added, sounding a bit more reliable than in the past. The group nodded, as they looked out towards the fields. As they took a step further however, Kuroki raised his hand and had all his fingers up, signaling them to stop. "Enemies?" "Something weird is happening. I can sense some, but...others flickered out suddenly". "They did what?" "Yeah. Its...ambush!" Kuroki suddenly raised an ice wall in front of him, as two Horned Rabbits suddenly charged right into it. Their horns got stuck in the ice, but one came from behind, digging itself out of the ground and stabbing Kuroki in the back of his left leg, before pulling it out and stabbing a few more times. Kuroki cried out in pain, but Riku quickly cut through it. The moment he swung however a horned rabbit also emerged from the ground and stabbed him in the back of the legs as well. They are trying to limit our mobility?! Blood was coming out of all his wounds, so Kuroki quickly took a healing potion. Expensive admittedly, but it would take time for Kaede and Riku to heal and bandage the wound. The rabbits emerged from the grass, and Riku turned towards Kuroki. "Do it now!" "Right!" Kuroki slammed his foot into the ground, with special force on his heel. The moment he did, the magic he charged into it was released, and the ground became coated in ice. Their shoes and pants were charmed ahead of time to resist it, as well as the gloves they now had on their hands. The rabbits meanwhile were left helpless or trapped underground, so the group quickly began getting rid of them before they became a nuissance. Kuroki gave Riku a bit of his healing potion. Unlike in games or in many novels he had read, potions were not a single use all or nothing thing. In fact, downing a whole potion was likely to make you sick, or even induce mana intoxication depending on the potion. This let Riku heal his wounds with a dose from the same potion Kuroki used, before sealing it again as there was still some left. "What the hell, why did the rabbits organize?!" Riku asked. "Seriously. I never thought I would have to deal with this again" Kuroki complained. "Again?" "A bully back in elementary school. It wasn''t as severe as this, but he dug some rather crude traps in the ground by the rabbit cases when I was assigned duty. Although that wasn''t as bad as...the other things he did". "Oh...I heard about this. He locked you inside of the rabbit cages, sometimes naked, since he thought you were small like them". Kuroki winced at the memories. It wasn''t even the only situation like that he encountered, as he suffered something similar in middle school. Apparently, people loved to treat him like a small animal, especially sociopaths who were deranged enough to enjoy tormenting small animals. Akano sometimes stopped it...but sometimes was also forced to join him as well. The principal at their school was a sort of politician type who tried to hide all these incidents rather then deal with them. "Yeah. Even locked a collar around my neck sometimes. They would always squish me in with Flappy too, the rabbit they mistreated and made it hate me. My shitty dad even called it a ''good growing moment'' for me, saying that rather than being focused on a fantasy like magic, I should dedicate to martial arts like ''a real man''". "Don''t you think you got bullied way too much?" "I was shorter than everyone else in my grade, and even everyone in the grade under me. It wasn''t as bad back then, the difference, but it was still bad. No, it only got worse the worse my shitty dad treated me". "...pretty sure that was why it got worse. I heard people can suffer growth deficiencies due to trauma and an abusive home life" Riku muttered. "Anyways, enough about that. Lets talk about something more productive...like why did these rabbits ambush us?" "There were no martial arts rabbits, but...that was quite clearly tactics right? They set up an actual ambush and tried to take out our mobility?" If the group lost their mobility, they would absolutely be unable to deal with Horned Rabbits, which were much too fast for them. And they didn''t even want to think what would happen if they encountered a martial artist rabbit. "...Flappy huh. So he was around in your time" Kaede muttered. "Hmm? Is Flappy still around? I suppose its not that strange. He was only a few years old when I was there, and its only been five years since then". "Yeah. I really loved the rabbits, so I tried to look after him, but...he was always more bitter than the other ones. Do you know why his ear is burned by the way?" Kuroki looked away. "...yes. Its not a pleasant story". "Ah...sorry. We can talk about it later, if you want to at all". "Thanks". The group then once more turned their attention to the rabbits in front of them. Their behavior was strange. They showed none of that group coordination yesterday, and certainly not these condensed numbers. "Hmmm. Its an hour or so early, but lets go report to Ozlo. This could cause serious issues, especially for G-Ranks". The group decided to alert the others that they had to pull back using the whistle, and then headed right for Ozlo''s tent. When they arrived, a familiar party was there with them. The E-Rank Adventurers, Deep Dashers, were already there making a report. It was already mostly over, but they were able to hear the end of it. "The appearance of magic wielding goblins isn''t outside of our expectations, but these numbers are still low...it could imply something, or it could not. But I want to be safe. Deep Dashers, would you mind running around a bit more proactively and hunting the higher numbered goblin groups?" "In addition to our normal duties?" "Yes. I have concerns about what might happen if we just leave it be". "Understood". "That said, please wait. It appears another urgent report is here" Ozlo said, as he motioned for Kuroki''s group to enter. Once they were all in, Ozlo looked at them fully. "What is the situation". "Horned Rabbits organized themselves into an ambush while we were patrolling the meadows. In addition, they buried themselves underground and ambushed us that way. They targeted our legs to hamper our mobility, and somehow were able to hide themselves from my detection spells". Ozlo looked at them puzzled. "...what? Horned Rabbits did this?" "Yes". "Well shit. We will need to pull back all G-Rank parties and have them double up. That is serious. It must be some sort of unique mutation leading the group. At the same time as the Goblins though, really? How annoying". "Could there be a link between the Rabbits and the Goblins?" "Horned Rabbits are corrupted animals turned into mosnters, while Goblins were always monsters. There shouldn''t be any link or coordination between them, but I will admit the timing is odd. I will need to consider all possibilities. Hmmm....I want you go to back and switch out with the party I have assigned the forest area, including the forest ruins you were at before. You guys seem to do better against Goblins then Rabbits, so I will have those guys who have more experience with Horned Rabbits then you deal with this. However, I want you all to remain cautious okay?". "Understood. Is there anything else?" "Yes. Tomorrow, I will have you operate in the sewers instead. With these changes, I cant afford to waste E-Ranks in the sewers, and there are only Goblins down there right now, although occasionally slimes sneak in so keep an eye out. We need to adapt so that we can minimize any damage from further unexpected developments". "Understood. We will deploy to the forest then, and the sewers tomorrow". "Yes. I will have Soaring Shields join you in your area as well. While they perform well, I want them closeby in the city to gather more easily so I can use them against an emerging horde, and it would be bad to keep leaving the frontline to them". With those orders, they began to move out, when suddenly a rather obnoxious and familiar voice rang out. "Now hold on a moment..." It seems their meeting was not over yet. Chapter 19: Trouble "Well, what is it Valiance? They have important work to do" Ozlo said, acting a bit more forceful then yesterday. "Shut it, you are a simple grandchild of a count. I outrank you!" "But I am the only one actually supposed to be here. and there is no need to adventurers currently engaged in protecting the city to have to answer your trivialities". "Shush. It is simply goblins, the situation is not so dire you need these G-Rankers". Kuroki twitched. He got corrected on their rank yesterday, which meant he absolutely had to be doing this on purpose. Unless he truly was that dumb. "Silver Storm, proceed to depart at once". "Hold it. You lot are billing the city for this aren''t you? I find it suspicious these kids are being said to be F-Rankers, aren''t you just doing this to embezzle money from the city into your own pocket?!" Kuroki couldn''t believe his ears. Was this person actually trying to accuse Ozlo of embezzlement all of a sudden as well. Ozlo stood up from his chair, and a chilling aura filled the tent. Everything seemed to crack, as his mana exploded from his body. It was so dense, not as dense as Sebas'', but Ozlo did seem to have better control of it. Without making a single offensive move, he filled the tent with his mana, and everyone began to find it difficult to breathe. The rods holding the tent up began to shake and creak, and every step he took felt as if it silenced the area. Kuroki was forced onto his hands and knees, same with the others. Ryuu collapsed outright, and one of the servants fainted entirely. "...the Dragon''s Den..." One person named the phenomena that was happening to them. Dragon''s Den. Ozlo''s unique magical power, something born of his will. His special spellcraft. They were now inside of Ozlo''s domain. Kuroki had heard of Domains before. Supposedly powerful mages turned their own bases into their domains, and could even create a sort of mini-domain around them. But what Ozlo was doing was different. It''s as if he had changed the atmosphere itself. Made it inhospitable for humans, but perfect for dragons. Then what did that make him, who stood there unaffected? Had the Dragon Caller become a dragon himself, or was he simply able to exclude himself. Ozlo looked at Valiance, who had fallen to his knee. "Are you really attempting such an obviously fake rumor? What is your goal? You have been speaking in circles for ages now". "Trying to intimidate me into silence?" "What do you mean? I am just standing here, not doing a thing. Oh, by any chance, are you having difficulties standing?" Ozlo bounced up and down on his tippy toes, seemingly especially childish and "innocent" right now. Valiance glared at Ozlo, who refused to take his bait. At least the way he wanted Ozlo to. "Now now, Dragon Caller. I think that is enough" Count Cremalis said, being the only other person totally unaffected by Dragon''s Den. "I don''t recall doing anything" Ozlo said with a peaceful smile, as he reigned in his oppressive aura and restored the atmosphere of the tent to normal. Count Cremalis just scoffed. "Sure sure. You did nothing. That guy was just being an idiot again". Once again, Cremalis seemed to be putting Valiance in his place...and stopping Ozlo as well. There is definitely more history between them then we know about. While Kuroki had such thoughts, Valiance spoke up again. "Still, we nobles need to see first hand how they are conducting these operations. As well as evaluating them to see if they are worth the costs". A few other nobles spoke up and agreed with them. This wasn''t looking very good for Kuroki''s group. Valiance seemed insistent to come along with them specifically for some reason, and Kuroki was sure it wasn''t good. In the worst case scenario, they might claim Kuroki''s party did something to him and use that to press charges against them. Its not like they could use magic to show what really happened, since magically obtained evidence was generally considered inadmissible in the court of law. Kuroki knew there might be some flack due to their first encounter with his father, but this seemed just a bit odd. Did he also have a beef with Master as well? Ozlo meanwhile was internally groaning. Not only is Valiance clearly up to something no good, now he and the others want to make this an escort quest as well? We dont even let low ranking adventurers deal with nobles normally! That is the sort of thing that is D-Rank minimum! Are they that much of money grubbers?! Of course, Ozlo was actually a noble as well. His grandfather was made into a Count for his deeds. But due to various incidents in his past, he tended to not think of himself as a noble and more of a commoner. There would be some, especially the lower class, who might take offense to such thoughts, given that Ozlo was better off than them, but that was besides the point right now. Stupid stupid Valiance! But, I do have a counter... "So your saying you will pay for an escort request then". Suddenly, the nobles all stopped for a moment upon hearing Ozlo''s words. He turned to face them all. "I mean, you are asking adventurers to escort you into these monster filled areas, where there are more monsters than normal right now, and protect you. Not to mention that unless you all plan to go together, each individual noble will require their own escort request, so really you will have to pay for multiple escort requests. Ah, but as this is a city quest, they will have to prioritize goblins and themselves over you if you run into real trouble. After all, this is the negotiations done with the lord of this city already. He himself said these were the final terms, so anything outside of that you want to do, you will have to pay a separate request for. Course, your escorts would also have to be between E and G rank as well. Since you quite insisted it wasn''t dangerous enough to bring C-Ranks or above on standby, and the D-Ranks cant leave this camp unless its an emergency". Ozlo pulled no punches, and went right for their pocketbooks. Either they would back off, or Ozlo would make a killing in profits. The lord of the city had finalized the terms so that the Guild wouldn''t be able to move the E-Ranks sent into the sewers for the first two days at least, in order to appease the other nobles and force the GUild to do his demands. But now, Ozlo was turning that around against the other nobles. They couldn''t go against the city lord and try to add on new clauses to get things for free, and they couldn''t even bring in higher ranked adventurers. He even pointed out the danger, causing the more cowardly nobles to back off instantly. He had turned their agreement back at them in an instant. The agreement that the guild more or less got strongarmed into, Ozlo had turned into a weapon against the very people responsible. Cremalis just let out a whistle of admiration, as the conflict played out before them. How pitiful, these people are. And many of them are supposed to be successors to their houses? Did none of the competent noble families show up? Too many of them are still affected from the pressure Ozlo unleashed in the tent, when he turned this entire tent into a place with volcanic air perfect for dragons. Not all nobles were like this, and certainly not like Valiance. But everyone, even Cremalis, had to play the game to some extent. Otherwise the truly bad apples might take control. Still, one seemed stubbornly insistant on poking the sleeping dragon. "You say that, but how can we even be sure this threat is real, when you wont let us see what is going on. For all we know, you could be using the same goblin ears each day to pad the numbers! Everyone knows adventurers are greedy vagrants who will do anything for money. And now you are trying to extort more form us?!" Ozlo proceeded to grab Valiance''s neck, throttle him, punch him in the face repeatedly, and then bury him in the ground. At least, thats what happened in his imagination. In reality, he did none of those things, but he really wanted to right now. And then Valiance had to go and be a bigger idiot. "Besides, I am skilled in combat myself, and I have my knights as escorts". Gods, give me strength. Ozlo had seen his combat skill before, so he knew he wasn''t lying. At least, completely. The younger Valiance did have some ability in combat. But compared to many of the others Ozlo had seen, he wasn''t that skilled. Granted, Ozlo knew a lot of strong people, but he was able to keep a level head so his perception would only be slightly skewed at most. The fact that his grandfather could be stripped naked, have his hands tied behind his back, and would be able to defeat the Young Valiance even after letting him get a free kick or two in without getting any further injuries was something that did not skew his perception, because he knew his grandfather was just that abnormal. I mean, his grandfather had the physical body of a thirteen year old boy after all. The fact that Ozlo was taller then him, even if it was just by a smidge, at fourteen years old was a dead giveaway he wasn''t normal. "So, you brats will...huh?" When he turned around, he realized Kuroki''s group had left some time ago. "Why are you so surprised? I did tell them to depart immediately" Ozlo pointed out, a grin appearing on his face. Ozlo had taken so much attention on himself, Kuroki had slipped away without anyone noticing. Valiance growled at Ozlo, understanding clearly that this had been Ozlo''s true aim from the start. Kuroki''s group now had a few minutes of a head start, and unlike the noble in front of Ozlo, they already had a map marked with their new position. Valiance would be forced to look up a map and figure out the exact zone if he wanted to get there, and then go on his own, or at least only with his knights. With this, it should squash whatever Valiance had planned. And yet, Ozlo''s thoughts were upended. "Good thing I made sure to mark that same spot yesterday then as well. We can deploy and follow them immediately" Valiance said, leaving with his knights. That fucking bastard! "Yimi" Ozlo said, his voice as cold as ice as he spoke too softly for anyone else to hear. "Follow them. Intervene if necessary. Something is seriously messed up here". Ozlo knew there was no way the young Valiance could have outsmarted him here. He was far too desire driven, and far too much of an idiot. That entire time, Ozlo led him around by the nose. And yet, there was a weird persistence here. And setting things up ahead of time? Its not the first time he had used an ambush, but Ozlo honestly doubted the fool could have prepared a map like that and made such a decisive move. Ozlo had endured a great deal of humiliation and suffering thanks to Valiance. Which means, someone is manipulating him. Could it be...the Devil that attacked the Guildmaster? That thing was still out there. The Devil that managed to get the better of both Anna and the Guildmaster. Two people with rock-solid mental defenses, the latter having developed spells specifically to counter what happened to the former, and he still got affected to a degree. And he was the best at dealing with curses in the city. However, there were other options as well. Sebas is a viable option. And there could be others we just haven''t thought of yet, or don''t know that they are involved. Still...to be safe, I should send extra insurance all around. Ozlo secretly called forth three more dragons, having them remain cloaked as they flew off to various fronts to monitor the situation accordingly. Someone might be manipulating Valiance and got one over on him. But Ozlo wasn''t the type to let things go the way they wanted, nor was he the type to charge in recklessly and push himself into the frontlines. Ozlo had his own style, and whoever this enemy was now had Ozlo''s attention.
At the same time this was going on, Akano was walking through the market area with Granny. "So you are heading to the capital next? Shouldn''t I go with you?" "If the bonds between your friends are strong, they are more likely within one of the cities in this region, probably scattered throughout them in fact. Its possible they might all be in cities that surround the Cursed Woods. There is a sleeping disaster there after all, which was yet another reason I was asked to come here as well. Although, I know of others who check on it as well, but you can never be too sure. Hmm...when I get to the capital, I should try contacting him, but I also need to check on the Oracle. The Ivory Tower is a dangerous place, and he was the one who pointed me in this direction. Typically, Starfallen don''t appear in Oracles, as they come from another world, and as such they can cause changes within oracles and destinies when they arrive. But he is skilled, and I cant rule out he saw the distortion itself coming". The way she spoke of the Oracle indicated both sorrow and affection. Regret as well, as it was an emotion Akano knew all too well. He felt it himself, for continuously failing to get Kuroki away from that shitty father of his. In truth, Akano''s family had even been working behind the scenes to try and adopt Kuroki. He was afraid to give Kuroki hope when they were not even sure it would be possible though, but it was something they had wanted to do. And the way she spoke... "Who is this Oracle? Is he okay?" "I am not completely sure. Even I cannot meet him so freely. But the fact that he rarely leaves the Ivory Tower makes me concerned that the Dark Side of the Church might still be festering. As for who he is...he is the greatest known Oracle currently alive. He has one of the strongest timeline viewing abilities of any oracle, but there is a price for holding such power. He has some health issues, and he lost the ability to grow at age ten. He can be a bit sarcastic and self bashing, but I think his desire to be free of his situation is strong. I am just not sure how picky he is right now about the method involved". "The Dark Side of the Church?" "Any large-scale organization or government has a dark side. That doesn''t mean its all consumed by that darkside, but such a darkside certainly exists. Even after all that happened and all the investigations and purges, the Church surely has one still as well. Make no mistake Akano. There is no guarantee every holy person will be your ally". "Understood". They finished their shopping for dinner, as he looked over at the sun, which had reached the center of the sky. "You think this Oracle might have sent you here to find Starfallen...to find me?" "Yes. I think he likely knows far more than anyone else, including himself, knows and realizes. That boy has the potential to set in motion events that will pay off over a decade later. I have seen it myself. Still, he isn''t omniscient nor omnipotent. If he is truly trapped within the Ivory Tower as I suspect, it just shows even he cant so easily overcome the Dark Side of the Church. Its possible he might still be waiting for outside help. That he would need it, trapped in that gilded cage". In other words, his situation was also bleak. "So while you look into that, I should keep looking for my friends?" "First, work on requests for the adventurer''s guild. You have abilities, but you need to get used to fighting. You are no good to your friends like that right now. It might be best to find some allies as well". Akano thought back to the cloaked boy from the other day, the one he saw in the guild. He was certain the boy was a Starfallen too, he seemed unusually focused on Akano and despite his size and apparent age, he took down that scum who had also come to this world that was one of the regular bullies that targeted Kuroki. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "That is probably wise". "Thinking about that insolent brat from the guild again?" Akano nodded. Torito Ogami was someone who Akano considered a major threat. If he was corned while alone, Ogami would probably win. He had far better fighting skills in their previous world after all. Akano probably didn''t even stand a chance. This also made him remember The Cloaked One however. The mysterious boy who Akano was sure was a Starfallen. He had yet to see his face or hear his voice, but he was certain the boy was a Starfallen. If he had to guess, the boy was a third or second grader. He was probably a bit shorter then Kuroki. And yet, that level of skill was...it went beyond what Starfallen gifts should be able to give you. As Akano refocused on the road ahead of them, he then spotted the very person he was thinking about. He had black boots, dark blue shorts that seemed a bit shorter than average, a black cloak with a hood that was up, a black sleeveless shirt, and dark blue gloves. The cloak did have sleeves though. That said, he looked rather dirty, and although it looked like he cleaned up a bit, there was some blood on his shoes that he had missed. Akano figured he probably went to do a request in the forest again, and only just came back. But considering the time, either it was a very short time for him, or he spent all night out there. He seemed to be paying for lunch, but Akano still heard no words come out of his mouth. He used gestures and nods. When he was done, he got what appeared to be a meat skewer. When he started to eat it, since his hood was up, it just appeared to enter a black abyss. Actually, it was currently noon with the sun fully up, so Akano wondered why he couldn''t see under that hood. It was kept pretty far over, but was that really enough? He seemed to be happily chowing down, before turning to head down the road. Akano turned to look at Granny, who had an interested look in her eye. "Oooh, this kid aint normal". "So you think he is a Starfallen as well?" "Its certainly possible. Although I also question if thats really a child as well" she mused, intriguided. "What do you mean?" Granny watched the boy. Specifically, she eyed his bare legs. It lasted for a few seconds, before she nodded. "...what are you doing?" "Relax, don''t be so suspicious. I just wanted to confirm something. That boy is expertly controlling the force he puts into his legs, even now. I wouldn''t recommend trying to follow him Akano, its pointless. He already noticed us for sure as well". "Wait what?" "Tell me, is it normal for children to be trained as rogues or assassins or...what was that word? Ninjas?" Akano shook his head. "No, absolutely not". "Then if he is a Starfallen, he is quite the abnormal one. That boy has prepared his legs and is walking in a way where he can break out into a sprint in a moment''s notice. He is completely aware of us. Its possible he can even hear everything we are saying right now...no, perhaps that is a guarantee? Also, should you be forced to restrain him, provided you can manage to defeat him, strip him bare and make the restraints tight and use redundancies. That boy has at least six concealed weapons that I noticed, and possibly more I don''t. He has a dagger under the legs of his shorts, strapped to each thigh. He has another strapped to each arm near the shoulder, ready to pull out of those sleeves. He even has something hidden inside the pocket of his cloak. I only confirmed one side, but going by the pattern, he probably has one for each side as well". "...you could tell all this?" "When one has been around as long as I have, you pick up on things boyo" she said. "Now then, are you getting used to work?" Akano let out a sigh. "Honestly, it''s hard. Thanks to your help granny I am sure it hasn''t been as hard on me, but...as expected, its strange. Even though I feel like I am adapting well, and that complying to this world is the right and natural thing to do, it still feels weird being a full time worker all of a sudden. I was in middle school, soon high school. Now I have to work for a living hunting monsters and healing people, and find my friends along with that". In his old world, child labor laws would have absolutely prevented a lot of what he saw in the guild, including children clearly younger then him, a fifteen year old boy. Even if he was short enough to be mistaken for thirteen years old, he still saw those who were shorter and younger than him. And it wasn''t just the adventurer''s guild. He saw them working as assistants and apprentices to blacksmiths, merchants, working as receptionists, and other fields. There were quite a number of them who worked as messengers, running around delivering messages to and from places. Although, it was possible child labor law supporters might let that last one slide. "Starfallen, and Otherworlders in general, always take some time getting used to our world. But our world developed its own culture and values, and to try and assert your own and claim that your old world was right and this was wrong is just idiocy and foolish. Our world developed its culture based on its own series of events and the values that formed from it, and to try and assert that its somehow lesser isn''t just rude and arrogant. Its one of the highest orders of idiocy". "I guess that''s why the previous hero is so hated". "Yes. The heroes of this generation will have their work cut out for them. Now then, I need to make my departure soon, but remember what I told you. You should try to find allies to form a party with. To be honest, I actually have a promising lead. So lets head over to the Beastiary now to check it out, as well as the creatures that will be pulling my carriage". "A lead?" "Yes. Follow me". Akano followed Granny to the Beastiary. It was a place near their inn, where tamed monsters, such as those used to pull the more expensive carriages, were. Not just horse like monsters and mythic beasts, but also other creatures that were useful like dogs or dog like monsters could often be found there. That said, security was strict. There were quite a few people who hated monsters so much they would even try to go after these, and also it was to alleviate concerns the monsters might go berserk, rush out, and kill everyone. And they were going to the Sanctuary, where people helped to treat and wash such creatures. It was also a place of naturalism, since they held unicorns there, so most people had to enter naked the first few times so the creatures would feel as if they were equals. Unicorns were full of purity, naturalism, and innocence, to the point they often would not let people ride them unless they were naked or a child, or both. Unicorns were incredibly rare since they avoided civilization, and they were considered a protected species by the kingdom. Of course, this was only for the very secure back area of the beastiary where they roamed, not the countless larger public areas that were its main facility and held the more common beasts. Naturally security was still good for those places too, but one didn''t have to remove their clothes to visit them. This was just a sign of how valuable and protected Unicorns were. Akano was used to how this world viewed things however, so while embarrassed, he was able to enter with Granny. Of course, Granny was let in and allowed to remain fully dressed, while he couldn''t have so much as a stitch. But that was just how high ranking and trusted she was. Plus apparently this was a place she had been to hundreds of times in the past, and she had other merits, though Akano never heard what those were. "We have a new apprentice caretaker looking after the unicorns as well as a bunch of dogs. He should be the one who interacted with them last, so you can hear their status from him". Granny whistled. "You are letting him work alone? As a newbie? He must have made a very good impression". "Well...he actually arrived in town completely naked riding the very unicorn he is taking care of, who apparently got wounded protecting him. So he left a rather good impression on our boss". It wasn''t strange for unicorns to protect children, who were considered innocent. But for one to bring a child all the way to the city, a place they typically hate, indicated a lot. The two headed in further. They never ran into another person, but they did see quite a few creatures. A few dogs and cats, but also they saw a Pegasus as well. They even saw a unicorn or two, one of which came up and licked Akano all the way down his back, which was unnerving and cold and embarrassing. "Its a good sign. In fact, its said if a Unicorn gives you a bath, you recieve good luck". "...wait, with its tongue?" "Well, Unicorns can also use magic. Their horns are actually what inspired the creation of wands, and many of the first wands used Unicorn horns as a base. Unfortunately that led to overhunting, which is part of why Unicorns dislike civilization. But I have never seen so many appear so relaxed. Even if you are naked, they normally wouldn''t be this open and friendly". "I still think its unfair only one of us has to make this walk naked. Especially since there are pebbles everywhere, not to mention nuts, that I keep stepping on". Inside of the Beastiary was a giant forest and wilderness. The inside of the building was much bigger then the outside thanks to Space Expansion enchantments. Apparently, with large buildings like this, it was far easier, especially since it was stationary. On things like bags, they were far less effective, only being able to double the interior space at most. With a large building like this, it was even easier. The entire thing was like a greenhouse in a way. Eventually they heard a voice, laughing in the distance while trying to sound stern. "No, no! You have to accept your bath properly! Look, I am here with you, so come! Ah, don''t think licking me will work! Wait, no not there! Ahahaha!" They followed the voice until they came across an odd sight. A naked Dog Beastkin boy, who appeared to be eleven or twelve years old at most, was on the ground surrounded by wet dogs. One was licking him everywhere which he was trying to stop before he reached various ticklish areas and what not, but he seemed helpless and defenseless against them. Their cold tongues moistened his skin, and even the unicorn was joining in. This unicorn had a scar on its torso, but it looked like it had already been healed and was in stable condition. One dog even started licking his feet as well to make him drop his guard. He looked completely helpless against this onslaught. However, while Akano processed all of that, there was something more he realized. "Tamaki?" He recognized that voice. He recognized that face. Hell, he recognized that body. This was similar to how they first met after all, after his family had moved in next door several years ago. Akano and his family had gone to visit and welcome them to the neighborhood, but when the door opened, a dog tried to rush out followed by a naked boy, both wet and covered in soap. Akano''s dad was able to stop the dog from exiting, but then another tried. IT was a smaller dog that the boy quickly scooped up though, quite the puppy. Tamaki Tsukiko. While now twelve, he was seven at the time. He was an only child, but his family had four dogs. Apparently Tamaki''s father was a veterinarian, and some of them were rescues. But that was fine, because Tamaki really really loved dogs. He liked many animals. Not all of them, he seemed to be freaked or grossed out by sea life and bugs, but mammals like dogs, cats, horses, he loved those. Dogs were his favorite above all others though, so the fact that he was not only a Dog Beastkin but also surrounded by dogs who were licking him head to toe and showing affection for him was nothing new. Hell, this exact scene was one Akano had witnessed many times in his previous world. Tamaki''s parents worked nights a lot and a few afternoons, so his family was sometimes asked to check in on him, and Akano had shared a few baths with him even. But he was often taking care of the dogs, and bathed with them. Apparently, the dogs disliked it unless he bathed with them, and Akano had been pulled in a few times as well. Akano was never sure what they were saying, but Tamaki somehow always had a good idea of what they were saying. He was like a dog whisperer. As Akano and granny approached, the dogs finally stopped and turned towards them, looking as if they were protecting their favorite toy. Tamaki meanwhile tried to wipe some of the slobber off, when he saw Akano. "Aka-nii!" he said, jumping forward and giving him a full on hug, his tail wagging joyfully. "Ahh! Ew ew! Get off, you are covered in dog slobber! Great! Now I need to take a bath here too!" Akano complained. "Ah, sorry...guess its too late now" he said as he kept hugging Akano. However, he seemed to be trembling a bit. "...you okay, Tamaki?" "...not fully. Do you mind if we stay like this for a bit?" "MMhm. Sure, I get it. I haven''t found my family or friends either. You are the first person I have found that I actually know". "...that''s lucky. I...I found someone already, but..." Tamaki was already sniffling, on the verge of tears as the subject came up. "Sorry to hear that. It wasn''t..." "No, it wasn''t my parents. It was my cram school teacher. I didn''t really like her, she was way too strict, but...to see her dead in a crater like that..." Apparently, Tamaki had come across a dead Starfallen already, and one he knew at that. Akano had tagged along with Granny when she went to check on the crater corpses, but not a single person had been someone he knew. Or at least that he could recognize. Some of the bodies were burned beyond recognition. "I see...I suppose at least you found me then. That is some luck". "I am not so sure that it was. In truth, I was heading home from cram school when it happened. I had seen her just a few moments ago...and I actually saw you and your friends down the street when everything got weird". Now that was interesting information. They already theorized that people close together might have landed near each other, but apparently Tamaki might be a big piece of evidence proving that. This meant he came into contact with two people now he had been in proximity to. Still, clearly it wasn''t perfect, and it was at least partially random. Otherwise, Akano would have found Kuroki, Reiji, and Juno by now. They had litterally been standing right next to each other after all, while Tamaki had been down the street. Akano was reasonably sure they would have found each other if they were in the same town. A few of the dogs barked, and Tamaki looked at them. "Yes, he is a friend. I know him, so you guys don''t have to be on guard okay?" Hearing him, the dogs wagged their tail and seemed to drop their tension. One still came up and sniffed Akano''s rear however. "Oi! No, you are not allowed to mark him as your territory! I doubt he wants to have to take two baths and extra soap anyways". "Wow, you seem even sharper then usual...wait, can you understand what they are saying?" Tamaki nodded, finally releasing Akano from the hug. "Yeah! I could always kind of tell, but it seems a lot easier since coming to this world". Oh wow. Tamaki already had an almost supernatural level ability to understand dogs in our world, being able to somehow percieve the minute differences to understand them better. If that got improved further through Starfallen Gifts, perhaps he can perfectly communicate with all dogs...no, perhaps all animals, far better then before! Tamaki had once freed Akano and Kuroki from a rather humiliating bullying where they got locked, naked, inside of rabbit cages. Apparently, he was able to understand that a stray dog who had been nearby was trying to get help for people who were trapped, and rushed towards and found them before a crowd of people were brought over to "find" them by their bully. At least on that occasion. It was at a level where bullies actually had started targeting him as well. And this was responded by every dog who witnessed these events peeing on their shoes whenever they could. Course, given how good Tamaki was with animals, Akano suspected this might not have been a natural development, but that was besides the point. In the end, it always comes back to one thing. Animals, especially dogs, love Tamaki. And Tamaki loves animals, especially dogs, in return as well. Within this Beastiary, he might as well be invincible. Granny, who had let them talk between each other this whole time, finally spoke up. "Well, since it seems you two know each other, why not help each other out? COnsidering you have no background, if you haven''t already you will probably want to become an adventurer. This world is a vast place, and unfortunately you likely wont find your parents unless you travel around for a bit and make a name for yourself". "...this is true. Also, while I love sleeping with all the animals, I probably should get a proper bed and learn to defend myself against any more issues". "Wait, more issues?" "...apparently, I am being targeted by nobles. The fact that I seem to have tamed this unicorn and all these dogs so easily have apparently made some greedy one''s want to capture me and use me to capture unicorns! And get this Akano, they want to use brainwashing magic to force them to submit and become obediant! Thats just too cruel! They want to force the animals to do something so against their will! And they even want to do the same to me!" "Wait, you learned all this?" "Well, I was told by the guy who runs this place that is what will likely happen if I get captured. They tried to send a few ruffians in here the other day to kidnap me, but the Unicorns kinda...well they stabbed them all, or used magic to destroy them. Bastian also used a fireball to incinerate one". "Wait, who is Bastian?" "Ah, this little guy here!" Tamaki said, pointing to the corgi that tried to mark Akano as his territory. "...wait, he used a fireball?" "Yep! He follows me around even more then the others. In any case, I have been stuck in here for the last few days as a result". "The last few days?!" "Yeah. I did need to wait for the tailor to finish my clothes anyways, although I was told they got delivered yesterday". "I see..." "Apparently he was just a stray, so they said I could keep him! So I named him Bastian. Despite his size, he is faster than me by the way, even when I run on all fours myself. Also...he is stronger than me". "...right. Well, how about we wash this drool off and get going to the guild?" "Ah, but first I have to finish washing these rascals. Think you can help me?" Akano sighed, once again being pulled into bathing with dogs by his neighbor. "Sure sure". And so, Akano gained a new ally...and got cleaned up a bit earlier than normal today.
At the same time, Kuroki''s group was now at the ruins again. They were busy staying guard, and had already dispatched a Goblin group of four. It looked like there might actually be less Goblins here then yesterday, except of course they encountered a second group again. They promptly defeated them though, as they were far easier to deal with then Rabbits. The Rabbits had successfully injured them after all. "It feels very weird how we can handle Goblins decently enough, but not rabbits" Kaede muttered. "I mean, I know why we can, but still..." "That is just how it is. I think part of why Goblins are considered a bigger threat is also because they can work in groups and use tools and tactics though". "Yeah, if we had dropped our guard when that last group appeared, we might have been in trouble also" Riku added to Kuroki''s words. That last group had only partially caught them off guard, as Riku and Kuroki were litterally caught with their pants and underwear down, as they were relieving themselves behind a nearby tree. This had seriously messed with their formation, and also their minds. Riku got ambushed by a Goblin with a rusty sword who engaged him with close quarters attacks, and his mobility was terrible thanks to the fact that not only was his pants and underwear around his ankles, but he had been right in the middle of getting a poop out. Kuroki was in a similar situation, stuck in close quarters and forced to use mana manipulation for fast magic only. Had the Goblin got any closer, not only a magic fight, but a sword fight of sorts would have unintentionally happened as well. Kaede and Ryuu had been a bit away, but only a bit. They hadn''t seen the Goblins sneak up, they approached from a blind spot, but they saw the ambush itself happen. After all, Kuroki had learned from his trek to the city that one should have people stand guard when other members were taking a shit. Unfortunately, he had not fully adapted to this world and let them be a good distance away, which limited their ability to react and left Riku and Kuroki in a terrible position. Kuroki even fell backwards onto his butt to avoid a stabbing, quickly trying to freeze the goblin''s legs in ice. He tried to reach for his pants and underwear, but the Goblin broke out quickly and he was forced to stop and defend himself again. Kaede and Ryuu meanwhile got held up by the other two goblins, which delayed their response. Ryuu was eventually able to overcome his Goblin, and Kaede moved around and backstabbed hers as well. This let them rush over and help Kuroki and Riku. Riku had been knocked down and forced to roll to the side, which actually caused him to lose his pants and underwear entirely. The goblin tried to pick them up to flee, but Riku''s legs were now free, so he used Brilliant Flash and beheaded it, retrieving them. Then they got dressed again. After that had happened, Kuroki had raised their guards further, and implemented stricter bathroom protocols. Unfortunately for Kaede and Ryuu, it was their turn now, so they both ended up having to go with Riku and Kuroki basically covering over them, paying attention to everything. After they finished wiping, they kept up their guard when a group of four arrived. Only this time, it wasn''t Goblins. "There you brats are". Valiance had finally caught up to them. And now they had a whole new problem. There was no one around to help them this time, and they were still tired from their horrible encounter just a moment ago. Not only that, but he was surrounded by three knights. They had full plate armor on, were clearly adults, and already had their swords drawn. Not only that, but they were clearly far more skilled then anyone they had fought before. In other words, they were now in the woods, with no witnesses, with a noble who had depraved intentions for Kuroki and Kaede, and likely the rest of them as well. And that noble had people who were clearly on a level way above their own. There was no way they could possibly win a fight against these people, that was the sheer difference in combat experience and strength. Valiance''s father had strong influence and control over the regional knights as well, so these people were likely no joke. Kuroki''s voice only filled with even more dread as he heard the next words that came out of his mouth. "Now then, I think it is time we talked". Chapter 20: Gathik Valiance Gathik Valiance. The son of the current Count Valiance, Merik. Merik Valiance was the current Heir of a Count Family, which had formed due to the recognition of one of their ancestors who couldn''t inherit their previous title as the third son of a Marquiss family, so they ended up establishing a whole new house. This had given them quite a bit of sway since they had achieved such results, although there had always been a bitterness about not having been allowed to succeed the Marquiss household despite their achievements. It was the true goal of their ancestor at the time, and it had ended up passed down throughout the count family. Their ambition had only grown, but so had their desperation. Despite their merits, the original Marquiss family still stood on top of them, and despite the influence the Count Family had obtained, they had yet to be able to rise up the ranks. It resulted in them turning to darker methods, and indulging more to ease their woes. For the last few generations, though perhaps not everyone was aware, they had been growing quite despicable, despite history books being filled with nothing but praise for them. This, and other factors, had warped them into what they were known for today. Gathik and his father were the worst so far. They took genuine pride in the humiliation and devastation in their victims, and saw anyone who tried to show them up or embarrass them, or those related to them, as valid targets. Ellie was a renowned beauty in whatever appearance she chose to be in, and she was incredibly skilled. Obtaining her talents for themselves was something they sought, but their overdeveloped pride made them think she would simply swoon and be entranced by them just by entering their household. Of course, they had a number of other methods as well they planned to use, as they had not gotten this far by being careless. Gathik was highly impulsive however, but he wasn''t a complete fool despite appearances. He would never be capable of outsmarting Ozlo, but Ozlo had been forced into a variety of situations because Gathik could be hard to predict at time. One might refer to him as a Clever, Arrogant Fool. That said, no one around him had ever truly pointed out his worst personality traits, the staff having been handpicked by the count for their loyalty and lack of care regarding morals, or because they had means to silence them and make them obey. Even when he went to the Royal Academy when he was nine years old, he had ended up quite proud and arrogant. He grew a following under him and gained connections. The Royal Academy had at max a ten year program, but not everyone stuck around the whole time, and some joined advanced classes at the start or skipped grades. He had completed it all, though there were always rumors of him cheating. Typically, only really dedicated and exceptional commoners, and Marquiss or above made it through to the final year coursework, the hardest of them all. His family always had achieved that each time, showing they were the same as the Marquiss, Dukes, and royalty. And while he wasn''t a total failure in his studies, he clearly lacked wisdom, something that was tested just as much as knowledge retention and problem solving. Hence the rumors of cheating. However, those rumors paled in comparison to what happened some years in. When he was in his seventh year, a nine year old boy took the school by storm. Ozlo Luminar, the prodigal child who at the time was a C-Rank adventurer, closing in on B-Rank. Having joined the Adventurer''s Guild at six years old, its said he displayed uncanny talent but also incredibly intelligence and wisdom, rising to E-Rank in just a few weeks after joining. Throughout the whole world, even including children who were Starfallen or those born with special abilities and talents, a very small handful, perhaps only about 3-4 other children within the past decade, had accomplished this. All sorts of rumors were started about him. That his grandfather had his parents bathe in dragon blood when he was concieved, allowing draconic blood to flow through his veins. Others thought he might be an adopted Starfallen, and some thought he was actually a Demigod, or blessed by all of the gods of this world. However, soon a new rumor rampaged throughout the school, blazing through everything. It was that he was an incredibly talented, but also incredibly hard working individual. He took studying to a new level, combining it with his combat exercises to train his mind and body at the same time. That he had managed to negotiate with dragons and formed pacts with them after studying up about them and their culture, which most people thought were just myth. That he had endured great trials, with no less then ten assassination attempts to try and send a message to his grandfather. Of course, the rumors only grew more and more wild, but that first one was one people confirmed for themselves. He was absolutely a hard worker, with great wit. And with all the attention on him, it meant that Gathik had trouble standing out and making his achievements known. Especially when Ozlo started school in the fifth grade of the Royal Academy. It was said that no one had ever done that since the First Prince of the King who founded the kingdom, and the only one since had been one of the princes of the current king. He didn''t always get perfect scores, but he excelled and showed knowledge clearly beyond his years and talent that allowed him to skip grades anyways. This infuriated Gathik. Along with the rumors, which inflated and got outlandish, includine one claiming he was an actual incarnation of a god, he was making Gathik look bad. At least in Gathik''s perception. It was one thing if a higher noble did so, but this boy was just a grandchild of a count, not even him, a child of a count. Furthermore, to display such capability and to steal all the attention, Gathik''s ego could not take it anymore, and he eventually challenged Ozlo to a duel. He intended to show the brat his place, a child who was seven years younger than him. But that was when he witnessed the power that would one day give Ozlo the title Dragon Caller. Opening three summoning gates at once, the highest Ozlo was capable of at the time, he summoned two tiny dragons and one small dragon, but since he was only nine years old he could ride the small dragon perfectly fine. This infuritated Gathik even more, since he could only form a single summoning gate right now. Of course, he was also more focused on the knight courses, so that was even more unreasonable of him then normal. After all, Ozlo was agile and decent at sports, but his otherwise balanced courseload did include just a few more mage courses then others. Still, the result was obvious. He didn''t keep a calm mind, while Ozlo did, resulting in a total victory for Ozlo. But of course, that only made things worse. Beat downs, stealing his clothes, putting alcohol in his drinks, spreading malicious rumors, and more. Gathik went beyond normal bullying and went full on to humilate Ozlo and make him regret using what Gathik saw as "cheap and dirty tricks to cheat into victory". But when next year rolled around, things got even worse. There was an attack on the school, and a huge swarm of monsters got inside. Gathik was the next head of his household, so as he should, he protected himself. But Ozlo proactively helped everyone, saving countless lives with his dragons. This also earned him his promotion to B-Rank, and he got the attention of the Royal Army, including Count Cremalis, whose family history was even longer and more distinguished then Gathik''s own, and who even often had the ear of the King. Furthermore, apparently Cremalis'' son, who had skipped a few grades himself, became friends with Ozlo. It was infuriating. This had led to their conflict escalating, especially when Ozlo skipped grades into his year. As such, they both ended up entering the final year together, which was the only year Ozlo didn''t, or rather, couldn''t accelerate through his schoolwork. After all, that year involved a lot of critical thinking, considerations, and even simulations. Not Amyris'' magical ones, but thought simulations using paper and such to record progress and see how things developed. Seeing how well they adapted to changes as things went on, to promote long term thinking. The final year had almost nothing to do with knowledge retention, but moreso these critical thinking, problem solving, and future anticipation skills. It was the hardest year of them all, and yet while Ozlo aced them, even with Valiance''s "earned allowances", he just managed to pass. His hatred of Ozlo was fierce, but he couldn''t seem to ever successfully strike at the boy directly. Even two years after they graduated, Ozlo was this pressence that antagonized him just by existing, and yet he could do nothing about it. Nothing except strike at those that Ozlo got friendly with or took interest in. This led him to the two in front of him. There were four in total actually, but two of them specifically had shown up his father, who had taken an interest in making them his new toys. Gathik found it to be a good cathartic way to vent as well, and shared many of his father''s traits and habits. So the fact that there was a way to get back at Ellie, Ozlo, and enjoy themselves all at once? Gathik couldn''t help but jump at it and take advantage of such a prime opportunity. Especially since it would also let them get back at Riza and Amyris as well, who they did not get along with either. And from all his time setting up schemes to humiliate and harass Ozlo from the shadows, with some of them succeeding, he had various ways to pressure and manipulate people. In short, rather than learning his lesson, he had just become even bigger scum. Kuroki had actually been given this very explanation from Ozlo himself after what happened yesterday, so he was roughly aware of what this guy was like. Everyone had their guard up as well. The knights already had their swords drawn. The knights were clearly superior to them in strength, and their options and time was limited. If it remained just speaking, maybe they had a chance but that seemed rather unlikely. They were four kids who lacked enough knowledge of noble etiquette and schemes, and he was someone who had that experience in spades. Kuroki wished he could say "I activate my trap card, Trap Hole!" to get rid of them all, but sadly this wasn''t this kind of world. So instead, he was incredibly on edge. "Now, why don''t you come with us. You must be so tired of working right, especially kids as young as you. We can treat you to lovely meals, and you wont have to do any dangerous work ever again". For this party, who had not completely adapted yet and were still used to their old world, the offer in itself would likely be incredibly enticing. However, they could all hear the darkness in his tone, and the danger that he emanated. Not a single one of them was so foolish to accept, even Ryuu. "Somehow I doubt that''s the full story. Or that you would do something like that without getting something you want in return". "Ah see, I have been hearing rumors ever since the night of the shooting stars that some truly exceptional people have come to town. I suppose I would like to check some things out and answer a few questions, is all". Not good. It almost sounds like he knows about the Starfallen. They had been keeping it secret for now, since it was obvious that there were people out there hunting Starfallen and there was no reason to expose themselves to danger against a foe that was operating globally. But if this person knew about the Starfallen, based on what they heard, they could all be in grave danger. It wouldn''t even be impossible that he was working with them in some capacity, given the supposed shady dealings his family have had in secret for centuries now. The four of them backed away, as the knights took another step forward. However, they suddenly felt a stone wall behind them were it had not been before, with a magician standing on top of it. It was the same magical that had been working with Gathik''s father before. "Not getting away this time, little ones". This was without a doubt a bad situation. One of the knights took a step forward, to try and grab Kuroki''s arm, only for Kuroki''s cloak to grab it instead, and toss the knight away. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "Danger Level Greatly Exceeded Current Abilities. Cloak Tutorial Mode temporarily suspended. Full Combat Mode Authorized". It was a robotic way of speaking, although Kuroki swore he felt a bit of warmth in there. Amyris said he had made it so the cloak would slowly let Kuroki use its full power over time, since he was worried it might prevent him from growing. It meant his life would be in danger, but otherwise, Kuroki would never be able to handle a strong opponent such as the Devil that had attacked Anna, and he would never be able to face his father properly, so Kuroki had agreed with it. However, Kuroki hadn''t known that Amyris had installed a safety feature to temporarily disable those restrictions should they wind up in an impossible situation. Apparently, if they had a zero percent chance of winning, it would activate. That said, its not like it was some sort of super ultra legendary piece of gear that could stop all attacks, and get them out of every mess. "Well now, it looks like they gave you quite the gift. Tell me, what do you desire? I am sure I can find way to make it worth your while, telling me everything you know about this situation". While he made such an enticing offer, his voice felt like the audio version of honey. Sweet and wonderful, and oh so great, as if it would be worth anything they had. Certainly, a noble offering that would be quite the offer. But only if it was true. Kuroki and Riku snapped out of it quickly, and stopped the other two as well. "I am being quite serious you know? I do want to make sure you tell me everything after all". His voice still sounded like honey, but also with authority. Compliance was triggering, along with their desires. It forced them to waiver, to truly consider it. That was the sort of situation they were in, being compelled to listen to the request. Kuroki was worried that, if they were ordered to with the voice he was using right now, that they would be incapable of resisting. This wasn''t just Compliance, it had to be some magic or special ability. The cloak shimmered gold for a moment, and the conflict in his body eased up. One of the cloaks abilities was immunity or at least resistance to mental manipulation magic, and it seemed that it had worked in this instance. The mage looked quite interested. "Hey, I really want to see what that cloak can do" he said, looking at the cloak with great interest. Kuroki meanwhile, looked at the man with resistance. "I doubt I will ever trust someone who so easily resorts to mind control" Kuroki spat, as the knights all took a step towards them. They were wary of the cloak now, so it likely wouldn''t be able to pick them up and throw them away so easily. Besides, it was mainly defensive. And then in that moment, a growl resonated through the forest. It was a growl much different then anything they heard before. In an instant, all the birds took flight, and all the animals scampered away. Kuroki and the others felt fear, but not as much as the others did. The Knights whimpered, and one nearly dropped his sword. The mage suddenly layered several defensive spells on himself, and Gathik even used some sort of wrist tool to create a powerful barrier around himself. However, even still it almost looked like the color drained from their faces. It was as if they had selectively been hit with some sort of psychological attack. Kuroki almost wanted to call it targeted bloodlust, but there was no such thing right? Or did mana allow bloodlust to manifest as such an aura that it could exist as such? Either way, with all of them distracted, the four cut through a side alley in these old crumbling ruins, where trees were even breaking through the ground in some areas. The knights however almost immediately moved, and they were faster. By the time they were out of the alley, they were surrounded again. "Nice try, but you will be coming with us now". Indeed, the situation looked quite dire. Kuroki hoped that something would come save them. Anything would be fine. The knights drew their swords and closed in, having no qualms in harming them to secure them. But then, out of the forest, a fast shadow ripped through the woods. it charged into one knight and bit its arm, causing the knight to yell out in pain. The knight managed to shake it off, but his right arm was completely totaled and he had lost his sword. He quickly picked it up with his left hand, but it was clear he was right handed. "What the hell? What is that doing here?!" "A Shadehound? Why is a Rank D monster doing in these woods?" The knights seemed shaken by the appearance of such a monster. It appeared to be a dog like monster, but its details were hard to make out. Given the fact it was totally darkened by its aura, it was hard to make out, and it could be anything between a Rottweiler and a Saint Bernard. Kuroki would prefer the later to the former. He knew of a rather nasty former one owned by his dad, while the latter he had only friendly interactions with and it was cute. However, the mage was even more concerned. "Get your eyes checked, thats no normal Shadehound. Its aura is way too thick, and its eyes are way brighter then normal. Might be some sort of unique mutation or variant". "Then capture those brats with your magic and lets pull back before this thing kills us". These guys, how can they even think about capturing us still with this weird situation? Shadehounds don''t appear in this region after all, Ozlo would have told us if there was such a possibility. Indeed, right now, from further away, Ozlo was currently dumbfounded as he looked through the eyes of his familiar. Why on earth is there a Shadehound there of all things?! Just what the fuck is going on in this forest...wait a second... Quickly, Ozlo shared the senses of his dragon with the others. "Ah you can see, an emergency situation has appeared. There is an at least D if not C-Ranked threat in the forest. Due to this, I will need to go there in case it is in a pack!" "A pack of Shadehounds?!" "Furthermore, as you might have noticed, its not a normal one, but possibly a unique...or perhaps even an enhanced specimen. This could mean its a C-Rank threat. As there is a noble and various F-Rankers at risk, in accordance with the agreement, I am setting off now". Before anyone could argue or speak out, Ozlo slammed his palm onto the table as he pushed off it, jumping over the table and heading out of the tent. A small dragon, just big enough for him to ride, appeared out of a summoning gate in front of him. He quickly mounted, not even needing a saddle as it had protrusions that naturally became a seat for him, even supporting his back and giving him handhelds. He used magic as well to help keep him attached. "Rakia! Lets fly! We need to go assist them before any packs show up!" Hearing those words, the dragon set off, taking to the skies right in their direction. With this, Ozlo had managed to escape the stuffy noble atmosphere. He loosed his collar and removed the top button, making his neck and throat more comfortable. "Just hold on guys. I am coming!" At the same time, a cloaked figure saw him take off. Hmm. So that is the Dragon Caller. To think he would be able to monitor a familiar from so far away, and use multiple familiars so well. It seems I was right to keep an eye on him. But even more annoyingly, my magic earlier had no effect on him. It brought Anna and even the Guildmaster to their knees, but no reaction at all from him? The Cloaked Figure glared at Dragon Caller. I suppose a glancing blow just wont be enough. I will have to deep dig into his mind then, and learn his secrets as well. Dragon Caller, you will be among my next victims. And while that ominous declaration was made, things took a strange turn at where Kuroki was. The Shadehound seemed to shift through the shadows, avoiding two sword strikes. The mage sent forth pieces of rope, which seemed to become snakes to try and tie up the four of them. However, there was a big difference between now and then. "Brilliant Flash!" "Heroic Slash!" "Shadowslice". "Frostfall". Kuroki and Kaede knew how to fight back, and Riku and Ryuu were with them now. It was only natural that the same trick would not work twice. However, when the ropes simply seemed to attract to each other and reattach, it became clear the mage was no fool either. The mage threw some basic attack spells too, to keep Kuroki''s cloak busy. Kuroki responded by sending some ice spikes at him, but he has his own barrier bracelet and it deflected them all. Is this actually the same guy as before? I feel like the personality is different...maybe his apprentice? The magic shown by the mage had managed to restrain him and Kaede instantly, but this guy lacked the same ability. While Kuroki thought it was because they were stronger, he also thought this guy might be another mage. Probably the apprentice. If so, that meant they might have to worry about the master showing up if they were not careful. The Shadehound meanwhile bit down on another knight''s arm. He had bitten one at the start of the battle, and a second one at some point while they were busy with the mage. Now every single knight had their armor partially damaged, and their dominant arms broken. However, it wasn''t going for the kill. It...is a monster right? It was absolutely a monster, but something was off. It didn''t attack Kuroki''s group at all. It likely saw the knights as the bigger threat, but it never went for the kill. It was cautious, playing it safe. After all, they had knights and a mage. The Shadehound did look at them sometimes, but quickly looked away. Was it checking on their condition, or was it being scared off by whatever startled the knights before? The answer would soon come to them, as the mage tried to attack the Shadehound, only for it to dodge the attacks as it hurt the knights a bit more. However, as it broke the chestplate on one of the knights, it suddenly backed off and gained distance. But then as the knights took out potions and drank them, their wounds began to recover, although their armor did not. However unlike Kuroki''s group, they used them quite recklessly, not measuring their dosages at all. Perhaps they couldn''t in this battle, however Kuroki felt like they were using the right amount still. Was it their experience? Kuroki''s group couldn''t measure at a glance, they had to be careful and it could take up to a minute to apply a potion sometimes. A gap in the difference of experience between the two groups. Kuroki had to duck and dodge as Valiance came after him, unleashing a flame wave out of his sword as he swung it. Kuroki slammed his foot down and made a wall of ice, and then used Water Puppetry to attack while keeping a water shield on standby, displaying a perfected attack flow that kept his allies safe and his enemies at bay. This was added onto by the fact that he deployed several magical splinters of light into the air. "Shards of light, rain down upon my foes. Pierce the heavens themselves as you scour them all! Shining Rain!" The splinters and shards suddenly multiplied, before raining down upon Valiance with a fury. Riku used Brilliant Flash to strike at him, but was replled by the barrier. THe barrier also absorbed Kuroki''s attack, as they shattered into dust and particles of light upon impact with the hardened barrier. It was as if his shield was incapable of being harmed, as it stayed strong. Even Kaede could not penetrate it when she sneaked behind and backstabbed it. Ryuu however started to act on his own, as he became enshrouded by a golden aura. He then charged at Valiance, and for the briefest of moments, seemed to chip the barrier as his blade was also covered by golden light. This resulted in Valiance unleashing a powerful attack against Ryuu before he could recover, sending him sprawling and leaving him unable to help as he was sent a bit away. The mage meanwhile sent rope at them again, as it moved its way towards the group. Kuroki froze them again, but they seemed more resistant and broke free, so he switched things up. He moved his hands in a large circular motion, before pressing them into the center. A large glyph, with many glyphs inside of it, appeared. All the calculations were deployed, and then a magical effect was invoked. A tempest erupted from his hand, with lightning swirling around it. It arced between the metal armor, causing a great deal of pain to the already injured knights nearby. And yet right as Gathik tried to strike again, his sword got knocked from his hand as Ozlo appeared there, a dragon on his shoulder as he landed in from the sky. "Well now, what do we have here" Ozlo muttered, directing a cold gaze towards Valiance. "I believe I made myself abundently clear about starting causing trouble, did I not?" "Tsk. You bastard, this doesn''t concern you". Ozlo then looked over at the nights, and where the Shadehound used to be. Once Ozlo appeared, the thing took off at top speed, running away from him. Although Ozlo felt like it might have also been running towards someone as well. "Now then, with there being no witnesses here, perhaps I should settle things now, if you have gone this far off the deep end?" "My father would bring down hell upon you if you tried!" "But you have already been shown to be so stupid, its annoying to think I might actually do him a favor by getting rid of you...how bothersome". Gathik glared at him, apparently taking that as quite the insult. Ozlo however seemed not to care for his glaring, instead looking over to where the knights were. "Incidentally, I believe Cremalis will likely want to have a word or two. I am sure he has been reporting this whole situation to those in charge, and perhaps even the king". Hearing that, Valiance growled, but seemed to withdraw. "Everyone, we are leaving for today. But know this, Ozlo. You will kneel before me". "Have fun getting scolded!" Ozlo said in a cheery voice, causing Gathik to shoot him a dirty look. "Now then, you lot. Please make sure to avoid going out at night, and please try to avoid him as much as possible, but be warned. He is tenacious, foolish, and both stupid and smart at the same time. He is a fool like that". "R-right. So we just continue then?" "Yes. I should be able to help you avoid any more trouble tonight, but we do still need to work". "Right. Okay then. Thanks for the help, Ozlo". "Against that guy? Anytime. You should be thankful to that weird Shadehound though. If that thing didn''t show up, I never would have made it here. Although, rabbits, goblins, and now SHadehounds....I am concerned by this level of activity. Please take note of and report any more oddities you find, okay?" The group nodded, and with that, they got back to work. Chapter 21: Sewer Run After the encounter with Valiance, they managed to slay a few more Goblin groups. They encountered two groups of five, but they were able to defeat them, and managed to safely return to the city. Tomorrow would be their sewer run, and they would need to rest up and prepare accordingly. For Riku, that meant Amyris was concocting him something to suppress his sense of smell, since as a Wolf Beastkin now, his sense of smell was far more acute. Meanwhile, Kuroki was busy studying magic. He had been originally based in the library of Amyris'' house, but he had once again moved down to the training hall in the basement, since he wanted to test some things out. He was now wearing just a longshirt, which while did not reach his knees, was long enough to cover his body, as the clothes he wore on the expedition got blood on them, so Amyris was washing them as well as Riku''s clothes. He was also out of spare underwear for various reasons. He was pretty sure Amyris would make them do that themselves soon enough, but for now he wanted them to take the time to train and relax properly, especially during the large scale hunt. Ryuu had returned to Riza''s estate, and Kaede returned to Ellie''s shop for the night, so it was just Kuroki, Riku, and Amyris in the house. Kuroki and Riku had already taken their bath as well, and had started to get used to bathing and being bathed in the backyard. It was still a bit embarrassing when people passed and saw them, but they had seen other children occasionally around town in the same position as them. And after a hard day of work, sometimes they just didn''t have the energy to care. Although, when Riku and Kaede had to take a bath together that one time, Kuroki got a bit of a treat seeing their reactions to each other. Kuroki wasn''t a saint after all, and such budding feelings provided a respite from his worries and troubles. At the moment though, Kuroki was far more focused studying what Amyris had taught him. At the moment, Kuroki possessed four techniques thanks to Amyris: Mana Perception Mana Manipulation Incantations Spell Storage Those four were the techniques he was able to get down. The first three were basic techniques that all mages should know, while the final one was a more intermediate to advanced technique that Amyris thought would be his lifeline. It was the art of storing a spell within one''s body, essentially casting it ahead of time and keeping it ready to unleash. The more powerful the spell, the harder it was to store though, same for the more dangerous the spell. As such, not even Amyris could keep a cyclone stored up. Furthermore, stored spells only lasted a few hours before they began degrading, and eventually disappeared entirely. So it wasn''t as if an infinite amount of spells could be stored either. He had used this when they fought the Goblins on day one, and he made sure to keep two spells stored at all times for emergencies. That was his current limit. If he tried to store anymore, they would start degrading instantly and as they did, they would pump him full of Expended Mana, which would then result in Mana Intoxication. If the spells were strong enough, he could even die from it. I suppose, if one were to apply video game terms, Mana Intoxication feels almost like something that balances out magic and prevents it from getting too strong, but it seems not too solid of one and more natural than that. While thinking of such things, he turned towards the three things he was studying right now. The first was a basic technique that all mages develop, Glyph Equations. He had utilized them in an actual spell today, but he still had yet to master it. It was a bit difficult admittedly, and required a lot of something that was essentially mental math. Calculations and all sorts. But a bit more abstract and harder to understand the direct values of. As for the other, it was Quick Incantations. It was essentially just using a single trigger word or phrase for a spell. It was better then using a spell without any incantation at all, but it would lack the power and versatility of a full-on spell. Furthermore, in shortening it, you would essentially have to create new worlds, and it might not always make sense and take a lot of trial and error when it came to making stronger ones. So they were actually harder to figure out then normal incantations. All of this was a lot of demerits, but if he could really get a handle on this skill, Kuroki would have a lot more options in his repertoire. Incidentally, Riku''s Flare Enchant was something similar to a Quick Incant. However, it seemed the formulas themselves became inscribed into the mind of whoever read the scroll. It was like gaining a completely fixed and set spell. It was quite strong and useful, but in exchange, it couldn''t be modified at all anymore. That was the tradeoff. The scroll itself however was quite valuable. Apparently, such scrolls were created by magical constructs and tools that are now lost, as well as the technology to make them in general. This was no accident of course. The Great Demon King, when he nearly brought the world to ruin, had targeted that technology specifically since he understood the threat of them being able to make such scrolls on demand. There were still quite a number of surviving scrolls themselves, but as Demons and Devils tended to target them, they were typically kept secret and hidden so that no one would leak it to those powers. Apparently since then a few more scrolls had been created through hard work and highly expensive materials, but it was incredibly cost prohibitive. And would also draw the attention of Demons and Devils if one was revealed to be working on it. Though, it was like this for all their aces and powerful cards to play against them. Kuroki had wondered why the Demons and Devils don''t target the hero right at the start as well, but apparently as part of the summoning, the Heroes get an aura that weakens or potentially kills any Demon or Devil that tries to use their powers and abilities near the hero. This aura is temporary, and only lasts for anywhere between six months to a year before it starts fading. As it targets power itself, weaker Demons are not affected by it as much, while stronger Demons and Devils would have a much more...violent reaction. So they couldn''t attempt any direct attacks on the hero for quite some time, which allowed the Hero to train and become stronger and used to this world before they could take the hero out directly. Of course, Starfallen get no such luck, but Starfallen don''t have the abilities that the heroes do. They also don''t get as much support and help typically as heroes do. So one could say it was quite the contrast between the two of them. Kuroki pondered all of this, as he experimented with some more magic techniques. "I think I have perfected this spell...but, I probably shouldn''t use it here, since id rather not get soaked again". Despite saying that, he sheepishly looked around, rather excited. "Maybe just a..." "No! Kuroki, stop. Calm down" Riku said as he came in. At the moment, Riku was wearing just a shirt, although it was long enough to cover just enough. Due to his tail, he found it a bit more comfortable to lounge around like that anyways, especially since he spent the first week in this world with no underwear so he got used to that as well. He had been swinging his sword outside, practicing to adapt to the blade better, but it seemed it became late enough to come back in. That Riku was now here to stop Kuroki from doing some reckless. "Just a bit. Just a tiny bit". "No. I am so glad you don''t get like this in combat, but please, this still is not the time or place. You are too hyper, you are going to make it detonate again. And these are our last shirts, and I would like to practice in the morning without being butt naked". "Ah right...today was a trying day. To think we all went through pairs of underwear..." Between the panic, the fear of the roar, and the adrenaline from combat, not to mention other factors, they had all had a rather unfortunate accident. That was how they described it, but to put it bluntly, they had soiled themselves. The fact they had to resist Compliance so fiercely meant they were unable to resist anything else, and Kuroki and Riku had been sort of "primed" as they had not really finished when the Goblins ambushed, and didn''t get a good chance to again before Valiance showed up. And then the dragon roar scared all of them, distracting them, and then they ran, but got encircled again, and then a Shadehound appeared. Thankfully, Amyris and Ellie had foreseen such events, and had the group take their spare underwear with them in their luggage. Before, they thought that was rather rude, but after today it seemed necessary. In fact, they learned the reason Amyris got his hands on diapers in their sizes. Apparently, such situations were not all that rare in newbie adventurers who were not used to fighting monsters, or their emotions when fighting monsters. Monsters had this innate aura or ability to invoke primal fear in people, so while no one tended to admit it, plenty of newbies did end up using them. Especially since most newbie adventurers were kids. Poor families who lacked the ability to afford to feed and clothe all their children would often teach them some combat and then encourage them to join the Adventurer''s Guild to take up requests. In order to stay registered with the Guild, one did have to complete a few requests per month, unless otherwise given an exception for medical reasons like recovering. It also got more and more lenient the higher ranked you were. Supposedly, an S-Rank could take off for a year or two if necessary, and special compensation was given for new parents who were adventurers. But getting back to the main point, this meant there were a lot of kids who became adventurers. That said, they were taught and cared for properly by the guild. Most of the time their deaths came as a result of ignoring the guild and their own rank and heading into more dangerous areas, which the guild has a tendency to penalize to discourage such actions anyways. It is always tragic to be sure, but this was how the world was. It had its own circumstances to consider. Still, it had given them a reminder that they couldn''t really afford to let shame or embarrassment stop them. But he also thought that, so long as his party avoided any other unusual situations, they should be fine. They had at least lost enough modesty between each other that they were able to change underwear right there with Ozlo there to stand guard. Ozlo was the one who informed them about all these norms, incidentally. Riku seemed to be thinking of the same thing as he blushed a bit. "...Kuroki, mind me asking something?" "Yeah?" "...that wasn''t the first time for you either in this world, was it?" Kuroki paused for a bit, growing red, but eventually turning towards Riku and nodding. "Yeah...a bit after Amyris killed orcs right in front of me I realized it. Thankfully there had been a waterfall nearby, but...yeah. This world is...very scary and harsh sometimes". "...same. Before I found my clothes, when I was all alone, and especially dodging traps in that ruin for a full day. But also once after I found them, when I encountered a bear. I was able to defeat it, but...it was my first time you know?" They were not some isekai protagonist that immediately gained will of steel and became fully accustomed to this world. They couldn''t just kill things and feel nothing. Adaptability, Compliance, and Mental Fortitude had all helped them in their own way, so they were able to do it so quickly. But they had just been kids, one in middle school and one in elementary school. Short of an entire personality rewrite, they were going to suffer through things like this at the start. There was no snap of the fingers and making them instantly able to handle all of this. Time was still necessary. The two boys laid down on their stomachs on the floor of the training field, exhausted just thinking about it all. It had been a trying day for them, so all their reactions were justified. And they still were not out of the woods, because the threat from Valiance was still not over. Eventually, they would have to face him. Possibly sooner rather then later. But what was really scary was what Ozlo had told them next. "To think, in the grand scheme of things, he is actually a small player". "Indeed. They have been so focused more on merit then power...and they are hardly the sharpest villains out there, nor the ones who are most ruled by their desires" Kuroki responded to Riku''s exasperated comment. "So he is actually a rather mild one? There are actually worse enemies? This world is very vast". At the moment, they would probably lose to the younger Valiance. Kuroki didn''t even want to think about what would happen if Gathik''s father got involved. They would probably lose instantly unless Ozlo, Amyris, Riza, or another strong ally was there. But they couldn''t participate in the request outside of circumstances. Just as they were thinking that, a knock came from the door. "Is it safe to come in?" "Ozlo? Uhh, yeah it is!" Hearing that, Ozlo opened the door and saw them both. Both were quite a bit surprised. "I am amazed you came over...or rather, that you have the free time to". "Ahhh, it is even busier than normal for me" Ozlo admitted to Kuroki. "But I needed to check with Amyris for a request anyways, so I thought I would drop by to give you both an update. You can tell the rest of your party when you see them tomorrow". "An update? We are still going into the sewers right?" "Yes, but...you will be covering the area under the slums now. It''s essentially the most dangerous part of the sewers". "...interference from Valiance?" Ozlo nodded, sitting down next to them. "Its very likely he plans to kidnap or kill you down there. If I had to guess, the former. Had he wanted to just kill you back there, he probably could have. It seemed like he was focused on bringing you in alive. Also...I don''t think he is working alone". Kuroki''s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" "What I mean is, he came way too prepared to chase you down. I am not saying it has not happened in the past, but he was weirdly able to switch gears fast. And while he certainly lacks wisdom, this feels rather rushed even for him". "So you think someone else is manipulating him from behind the scenes?" Ozlo nodded. "It''s very likely. Considering the attack on the Guildmaster, it might even be that Devil, but it could also be whoever was behind the Starfall in the first place. After all, it seems like nothing is going to plan, even for our enemies". Kuroki''s vision wandered as he thought about many things. "Why won''t he come after us directly then, if he is so powerful?" "Because I am there. Perhaps he can instinctively sense that if he tried to use his power, or any significant level of it at least, and I would detect him. Devils are incredibly good at concealing themselves, but only when they don''t engage in combat. Once they do, especially if people are actively searching for them and try to detect them, they will get found out instantly. This would then result in me, Ellie, Amyris, the Guildmaster, and Riza all coming at him at once. He has no chance of winning or escaping from such a situation. It seems like he can still apply powerful curses without revealing himself however, which is troublesome. There should still be some requirement though, since curses are not that easy to wield. Speaking of which, would you mind showing me your backs?" Understanding his request, the two nodded, not even concerned that this essentially required pulling off their shirts and exposing their bodies as they laid on the ground on their stomachs. Ozlo was trustworthy, they were getting used to it, and also given the topic and their past experience, they knew how dangerous it could be. Ozlo put his hand on both their backs, specifically inbetween the shoulder blades below the neck, with his fingers spread out and extending outward, and circulated some mana. He was probing their bodies, searching for any signs of being cursed. "Amyris actually checked earlier". "Yeah, but this Devil has fought Amyris before. He might know their methods, but he doesn''t know mine" Ozlo replied. "Magic isn''t all about power. Method is far more important". As he said that, his hand almost felt as if it melded into their backs for a moment. He actually began to rub it a bit and apply pressure, creating a blissful massage. They both leaked out satisfied sighs. "Hmmm. It looks fine, but I have...an anomaly? To be exact, it almost looks like you have been marked by a monster. It''s not really a curse but more of a marker". "A marker? For what?" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "This magical signature...a Rabbit?" "Are you kidding me?" Ozlo shook his head, as he finished up. He still looked perplexed, but he continued to explain anyways. "It seems the Rabbits have a vendetta against you, even though you were the ones who got kicked in the face and ambushed. Its two days old, so you probably got marked by that Martial Arts Rabbit". "So the ambush from yesterday, that was thanks to the mark? Can you remove it?" "It will degrade eventually on its own. However, it''s incredibly weird. I have never seen anything like it before, especially from a weak beast type. It must be some sort of unique monster mutation". "...can you remove it?" "It''s similar enough to curses that my curse removal technique would work, but I am not sure you are strong enough to survive that yet". "Ah". "In any case, that''s one good thing about going back into the sewers. I will try to get you assigned there again for the next few days, and after that the marker should be degraded enough to disappear entirely. Still, did you antagonize some rabbit in a previous life or something?" "Not me" Riku mentioned. "I got stuffed into a rabbit cage, sometimes naked, a few times. Flopsy really didn''t like that, but that wasn''t my fault you know?" "Yeah. This might be some part of the Devil''s plan as well, although I cannot really understand the rational for it. But, that just makes it more concerning". "Could it be a false lead meant to confuse us?" "That...seems likely, but even for a false lead its odd. I will keep investigating. Ah, but before I go though, stay right there". Ozlo took out some sort of cream, opening it up and proceeding to spread it across their backs, and all the way down their legs and up to their necks. "What is this?" Kuroki asked. "It smells sweet". "Yeah, I am using a lot so you get used to the smell so it doesn''t distract you. The sewers are an incredibly smelly place. All of you will probably need this to some degree, but especially you Riku. Beastkin sense of smell is no joke. Make sure you apply this under your nose for the entire duration you are in the sewers. I am leaving the rest with you, but you two should adapt to the smell as best you can tonight. You are going to go to sleep soon, so you will probably unconsciously get used to it over night". "If we only need a little under our noses, why did you cover our whole backs in it?" Ozlo looked away sheepishly. "Ozlo?" "...I am a cityboy okay? I might be able to rush into forests and ruins and such, but in the end, I am a citykid". Realizing what Ozlo meant, the two boys blushed. "We took a bath already!" "Ahahahaha...". So even Ozlo had things he was not great at handling. Perhaps that was why it smelled so sweet as well. Either way, not even bothering to get dressed again, they saw Ozlo off before going to bed themselves, preparing for a long day.
"Fighting in the sewers is way different than expected!" Kuroki muttered as he killed another Goblin with an ice spike. "Agreed. Our footing is limited thanks to these waterways, and all these tight corners mean the goblins can ambush us from anywhere" Kaede muttered, as she backstabbed another goblin. It was now the next day, and the group had taken to the sewers. True to Ozlo''s word, Riku had to make full use of the cream. Not only that, but they all learned the true difficulty of the sewer earlier. It was already nearing noon now, but they had to pull back for an hour thanks to Ryuu. Ryuu had slipped and accidentally fallen into the water. He was soaked head to toe, but because it was sewer water, it meant the smell was all over him. Riku became incapable of focusing or operating as a vanguard, Ryuu was weighed down since he was soaking wet, and as the source of the smell, was almost as out of it as Riku. Even Kuroki and Kaede couldn''t operate with him being so close, to the point that they had to go back to the surface, have Ryuu strip right there immediately, wrap his armor and clothes up in a blanket, and while Riku went to get Ryuu new clothes and armor, Kaede and Kuroki had to borrow bathing supplies from nearby residences and scrub Ryuu head to toe with enough force to get the smell out of him. Soon after, Riku returned with new, clean, non-smelly clothes, and once Ryuu was dried a bit he put them on. No one seemed to find it odd or strange, and Kuroki learned from asking that apparently kids often played in the sewers and fell in, so this scene was actually normal in any city with sewers. That said, before Ryuu got dressed, Riku made everyone coat his entire body in cream, as he could still pick up a bit of it. Now that all that was done, they had headed back into the sewers, and were at where they presently were located. At first, Kuroki had actually wanted to freeze the sewer water, but when he tried, it failed completely. Any other type of magic was fine, but it seemed the sewers had enchantments to prevent someone from creating clogs or obstructions that would interfere with the sewers, at least with magic. As such they had to remain out of the water at all cost. Falling in meant they would need to stop again. One might think this made the job harder than the others, like the fields and forests, but that was hardly true. Most low ranking adventurers tended to stay in the city they lived and registered in, at least for awhile. And as mentioned, children often played in the sewers as well. That meant that children were used to what it was like down here, so they were far better at dealing with the terrain. This was once again a difference in the experience they had. Compared to kids who grew up here, and people who had spent time here training and getting stronger for months or years, they were vastly behind. Still, they were making good progress. "We are barely running into any goblins at all". "I guess that is what happens when they send E-Rankers in here first". Riku and Kaede both at their comments about the situation, but Kuroki was a bit concerned. Noticing this, the two asked about it. "Hey Kuroki, what is wrong?" "You seem a bit tense". "Sorry, its just...my Echomap isn''t working well in here. I thought maybe the smell was making me flub up the spell, but now I think there must be some sort of interference". "Interference?" "Yeah. Could Goblins be responsible?" Kuroki wondered aloud, to no one in particular. However, Riku decided to throw out his own idea. "Maybe, but maybe its part of the city ward system? Or perhaps the sewers have their own protections against information gathering spells?" Kuroki nodded. "That makes sense. Still, its why they can keep ambushing us. I would think it would work fine with all the water here, but....as expected, its not responding at all". "Could it be someone else used their mana to take control of the water already". Kuroki looked back at Ryuu. "Any dizziness? Nausea? Hallucinations?" "No signs of mana sickness so far!" Ryuu seemed to be able to realize what Kuroki was asking about. Ryuu had been in the water for about thirty seconds at most, not that long, but even a minor case could cause them problems if the mana density was high enough. That said, there was absolutely no way this was mana rich water as Kuroki would have noticed immediately, so he was just worrying for nothing. So the water wasn''t rich with mana, nor was it being controlled. Then the space itself was enchanted. Much like storage expansion on a building, these walls must have had spells to reinforce its abilities. These sewers were older than the city above it after all, coming from a much older civilization. Apparently, when Demon Kings rose, they experienced a sort of peak power for a bit, and they used that to destroy the most advanced civilizations. They didn''t always end the kingdom or empire itself, but moreso hobbled the world''s magical and technological development. Of course, most don''t do that much damage, but the Three Great Demon Kings did. Three times the world was brought to the brink of ruin, more then any other Demon King. Hence why they were known as the Great Demon Kings. It''s said that they especially targeted facilities and organizations set up by one of the first Starfallen. Not much was known about him, except that he spent a lot of time trying to make it back to his world...but apparently never succeeded. It was said he even touched "the stars themselves", and set up the Noble Astrological Star Association, also known as the Starseekers. Some say that in their pursuit, they even managed to build things like these sewers elsewhere, although it was believed they were long gone now. The Great Demon Kings couldn''t overlook them after all. While thinking of such things, Riku was staring at him. "What?" "You were thinking about random trivia again weren''t you?" "...maybe". This world was so fascinating and new to them, both their discussions and their thoughts often wandered quite a bit. It didn''t help that wandering discussions seemed to a cultural trend around here. While some of the things would be considered embarrassing for their old world sensibilities, that just shows that different places have different cultures develop. Something like the adventurer''s guild probably would never exist in their old world, with their child labor laws, but that world also didn''t have monsters either. This world also seemed to always have a need for more manpower as well. Perhaps due to the threats from monsters, demons, devils, not to mention other humans, from what they heard everyone always felt as if they were short staffed. Which was also why kids like them could become adventurers, most likely. Riku then tugged at Kuroki''s sleeve. "Can we take a lunch break early? I think I need to reapply the cream anyways". "...I think we should probably all reapply it, but okay. Is it getting bad?" Riku nodded. "Alright. Riza said we could return to the surface as needed, although he did recommend to try and get into a different area first". They had done the same with Ryuu. They were covering the slums after all, and they were all young looking kids with good looking equipment. Apparently good looks as well, given some of the creepy stares they got. And that was just the normal dangers. There was also the fact that Valiance had forced them into this zone, so without a doubt there was some ambush or scheme waiting for them. In truth, Kuroki wanted to avoid being down there for too long anyways. After all, if this smell seeped into his clothes, he would quite willingly strip, bag them all, and walk home naked rather than endure that. They were going through the cream faster than expected, and it was just that smelly. That said... Is this actually a sewer? I haven''t seen any pipe exits at all. Isn''t this actually an underground waterway? Kuroki had such questions, but the smell was 100% sewer. Plumbing was rare after all, so no pipes actually made sense when he thought about it. They probably just dumped buckets down here or such, since there were quite a few sewer access points. It seemed like the sewers connected all over the place. Maybe it was an underground waterway that became a sewer? Still, despite making progress in adapting to the world, Kuroki found the lack of pipe exits to confuse his sense of what the place was. Eventually they found an exit that wasn''t in the slums again, and left it. The closer one got to another district from the slums, the nicer it got. It wasn''t just some instant transformation, but gradually it just became less slumlike. They now appeared to be south of the residential area they bathed Ryuu in, and now were in a place with a few shops. Riku however was still crinkling his nose. "Please don''t tell me the smell is already seeping into our clothes" Kuroki groaned. "...it might be. Maybe it will go away by the time lunch was over, but for now..." "Lets...find a good place to rest first. And lets just remove the outerwear and hope that''s enough". Riku nodded. "Thanks". They quickly found what appeared to be an empty, abandoned lot behind a shop. It was near a district wall, and was off of a side alley of an alley, so it was pretty secluded, yet offered great sight lines to prevent ambushes. It even had a short stone fence that gave them some cover. Kuroki asked to be sure from someone nearby, and they confirmed that no one really used it and that it was fine for them to rest in. Actually she encouraged it, along with them taking a long bath with soap, forced a bar of soap on them, and then left. She had been a beastkin like Riku, and it seemed she could detect it as well. Once in the isolated and empty lot, Ryuu set up a picnic blanket they had, and the group removed everything except their shirts and underwear. Everything else was put to the side, and Kuroki rubbed some crushed Narias Root on it. Narias Root tended to help neutralize smells, and in its powder form was used as a smell nullifier. Of course, afterwards Kuroki and the others used a lot of cream on their clothes, before taking the time to sit and wait for the smell to go away while they ate lunch. In truth, they could have stripped completely naked and done the same to their underwear and shirts. But it wasn''t their old world sensibilities that made them not do this. It wasn''t even because they had been the least exposed to everything. It was because they were on guard about the people who were watching them right now, from shadows, from windows, and Kuroki spotted a poorly concealed familiar. They think I am ten don¡¯t they? Are they underestimating us for being elementary schooler age? That bird¡¯s flight path is clearly artificial! "Riku, how many do you count. Ah, pass me the syrup please". "Here you go. And I have noticed nine people watching us. However, some of them are weirdly close together and it doesn''t seem coordinated. Could there be two different groups watching us?" Kaede looked puzzled. "We only have Valiance as an enemy here, don''t we?" However, Kuroki shook his head. "There is another. Sebas, the guildmaster of the Mage''s Guild branch in this city". "Ah. Right you mentioned him". Riku let out a sigh. "I wonder what Akano, Juno, and Reiji would do in this situation". "Reiji is smart, despite everyone''s assumptions otherwise. He can also be quite sharp. I suspect he would probably ignore them without even remotely letting them know we are onto them". Kaede shrugged. "Pretty sure we already failed that. None of us can help but look in their directions every so often after all". "Akano meanwhile, would either try to shake them and avoid them, or he would try call the guards on them". "A sensible and balanced approach. What about Juno then?" Kuroki thought for a moment. "It might depend on how he adapted to this world, but...Juno would probably strip completely naked, and then shake his butt at their directions, to antagonize and annoy them". "...really?" "He isn''t the type to back down, but rather the type to defy the norm and their oppression". Riku nodded. "Yeah, that seems about right". Ryuu looked around. He seemed a bit anxious. "So are they just going to watch us, or eventually come and attack us?" While their clothes were lain out to help air them out as well, they still had their weapons close by. That was why they had not stripped completely as well. They really didn''t want to be butt naked when attacked, and their shirts and underwear all had some level of defensive enchantment on them. Of course, that made them far more expensive than normal, especially since they had to be made of better materials so the enchantments would hold better. Riku looked to the side. "A few have just gathered into a group and are coming this way. They are....uhg, ewww". "What is it?" Kuroki asked. "They are making a lot of dirty jokes. About us. I can hear them. I will leave most of it out, but two of them want to tie us to a bed and repeatedly...no, nope. Sorry, I don''t want to say that out loud". Riku looked like he wanted to vomit even more than before. Kuroki''s eyes meanwhile had gone cold as he muttered something so soft not even Riku heard him. "...so we can just kill them then". Kuroki compliantly gave into his cold rage, and was already formulating a spell when the group of five finally turned the corner and saw them. Maybe it was just Kuroki''s impression of them after hearing what Riku overheard, but they seemed unsavory and revolting. Kuroki was considering the method of eliminating them, already full of rage. It was one thing when it was just suggested. Depending on the expressions and the words and tones used, it could be seen as harmless, or creepy. Or it could fill him with disgust like right now. "Well well, look at what we have here. Four delectable little ones for us to play with". The man in front of them spoke like that, with a tone that immediately put him to the far reaches of the disgust category. Kuroki considered all the potential spells he could use to end their existence. He had never even considered killing another human being before, aside from one specific one of course. However right now, he compliantly gave into his bloodlust, which demanded these men die. They are scum. They are the enemy. Hold nothing back. Eliminate them all. One of them looked like he might already be ready to remove his pants. Kuroki planned to target him first. Supposedly, people like this were rare in this world, but they had gathered up so easily. Perhaps it was just a sign of how this was harassment artificially put together just for them. The moment Kuroki started to incant however, a giant sword appeared in front of him. There was a hand holding it, as a man had suddenly appeared in front of them. WHile Kuroki had been intending to slaughter the five aggressors, his focus had not been narrowed quite that much yet. Since he had been anticipating an ambush from the back as well, and Riku also knew that might be the case. However, not a single one of them had so much as detected this man. At first, Kuroki panicked, but then he realized the man''s back was facing them, and he was looking at the ruffians instead. "You lot. You guys are drug addicts aren''t you, currently high off of a banned and illegal substance in this city" the man said. He appeared slender, but his arms gave off a refined feeling. He was wearing some sort of thick smock or apron, and had what appeared to be protective and thick clothes on as well, although the sleeves and pants were rolled up a bit to provide ventilation. He also had a toolbelt around his waist. He had long green hair, but he also had long ears which came out through it. From all appearance, Kuroki could only come to one conclusion. This man was an Elven Blacksmith. "Get outa here! This doesn''t concern you!" "What do you mean? This is my shop right here" he said, pointing to the building the abandoned lot was behind and partially connected to. "I can''t just ignore crime right outside you know? Leaving morality aside, it might cause customers to think its not safe to come here and they might go elsewhere instead". "Who do you think you are!" "A blacksmith who can tell you don''t treat your weapons properly. Probably because you use that new drug. What was it called on the street again? Rithlik''s Bloom? Or was it just Rithlik now?" "You think you can just boss us around, shopkeep!" "Certainly, I am not that strong. However...I do think I can beat the five of you just fine. Or at least, hold you off until the guards show up with sufficient numbers to arrest and restrain you". He seemed rather confident. He looked back at their weapons again. "Looks like you only use rather crude weapons that you don''t maintain properly. Yeah, I think I got this" he said, picking up the large sword which made Riku''s greatsword look like a letter opener, and swung it around in one hand, putting his left hand behind his back. This guy...is skilled. He wasn''t as skilled or strong as Kuroki, but he was stronger than any of them. Comparing him to Ozlo, someone who even if the four ambushed and worked together to fight in a 4v1 situation they could feel instinctively they would lose, this was someone who they might be able to win through the same tactics, although it was probably a thirty percent chance at most under ideal situations and with them properly prepared with potions and fully rested. If Ozlo was A-Rank, this man was probably C-Rank. Although Kuroki was pretty sure Ozlo was closer to S-Rank then A-Rank at this point. When they attacked, the blacksmith was incredibly precise and sharp. While he knocked the first two around, he broke both of their weapons with a single swing of his sword, but without actually cutting either of them. They were sent back, sprawling across the ground. The other three all seemed to realize something was up and jumped him all at once, but he cut through their weapons with ease, again without leaving a single cutmark on their body. He then used the flat, blunt side of his sword to attack them, knocking them back as well and causing them some serious pain, all without actually injuring them. "You know, if you weren''t high right now, you might actually be putting me in a pinch. That, or if your weapons were of decent quality". Kuroki''s rage and bloodlust had been suppressed when the man came in, his aura and charisma overwhelming Kuroki. But now, it had been dissipated completely, as the enemies...no, the ruffians had been neutralized. What had I just been about to do? For the briefest of moments, Kuroki had planned to suddenly cross a line in a brutal and thorough way. He felt no disgust over it either, just confusion. The moment he realized what these people were about to do to his friends, his emotions had become overwhelmed. It had never happened to him before, but it felt like he was about to completely lose it and go berserk, like he couldn''t hold himself back and was going to give in to his desires. Still, he had been saved from that. The blacksmith then turned to face them. "You kids okay?" The four of them nodded. Kuroki spoke up for the group. "Thanks for saving us, mister..." "Vellia. Owner of Vellia''s Forgeworks. If you young adventurers ever need to work done on your weapons or anything else, feel free to come on by. My building is right here after all" he said, knocking on the wall next to them. "Speaking of which, I need to get back to work. Still...don''t you guys have better to do then watch and ogle a bunch of kids?" Vellia then looked in several directions. All of them were in directions of people Riku and Kuroki had detected watching them, except for one. One was in a direction neither of them had pinpointed a watcher, but when Kuroki expanded his echomap, and investigated closely, he confirmed another one. They had completely missed her, but Vellia had detected her in an instant. "How did you notice her?" "Well, I mean, I live here. I see these buildings and the people who live here every day. So things like a window that is open that never normally is open, or a face that seems a bit focused in a direction despite nothing being there aside from you, and the person themself being unfamiliar, stands out a lot. I have been living here for fifty years after all". In other words, it was his experience as a local. Once again, this was the gap in experience between them who had not even been in this world for two weeks, and natives of this world who had lived here and grew up here. That said, given his level of ability, Kuroki also thought it might be because he was strong. Or because he was an elf maybe, with good hearing and eyesight. Either way, this allowed them to finish their meal in peace, and then after they sufficiently aired out and removed the smell, they returned to the sewers with half a day left to go. They hoped the rest of the day would be peaceful and zoom on by. But they forgot that Kuroki was never so lucky. Chapter 22: The Looming Danger After having finished eaten and having gone back into the sewers, the group was making good progress. They encountered five groups of Goblins so far, and were currently in battle with the last group. They were also getting used to the sewers, and even Riku''s sense of smell seemed to be adapting. That or the cream was working even better than before, since he wasn''t as repulsed by it anymore. However, these goblins were also different than before. Riku jumped back reflexively, avoiding a wound from the unusual sword the Goblin was carrying. Kuroki saw that, and looked at him. "Riku, what is it?" "Its faint, but thanks to our...highly unpleasant...encounter with Curses before, I think I was able to sense it somehow. That sword is cursed". They had heard about this before. Another party had been hit by cursed weapons on the first day of the large scale subjugation, and ended up in the hospital. Not from wounds inflicted during battle, but rather the curse they were afflicted with. Supposedly Amyris and Ozlo worked together to remove them, but the party was still affected by trace remnants of the curse. Unfortunately for them, no one mysteriously came and purged the curse remnants like what happened to Kuroki and Riku. The two of them would possibly still be stuck in diapers in massive pain, although it sounded like the party was going through different aftereffects. Supposedly their bodies kept having mysterious injuries, as if they were attacked by assailants, appear on them every night. The actual wounds were appearing too, so pain nulling potions were not the only thing they needed. "Understood. I will go a bit overboard then" Kuroki proclaimed. "Dodge all their attacks. Do not block. The curse might travel through your weapon to get to you". Of course, since Ellie was familiar with what happened with Anna too, all of their clothes actually provided some protection against being cursed. An indirect transfer, especially when not directly from the curse placer but from the cursed object itself, should have no affect at all on them. Even Riku''s outfit, which he found in an underground ruin, had curse protection. The only reason it didn''t protect him was because the box it was in was cursed, so Riku, having been naked at the time, was already cursed before he put it on. Still, even with their protection, Kuroki and Riku especially were wary of curses. "A brilliant spark of energy, striking down with all it has. Watch as it travels and affects the land. This bolt which comes through fast and true. Watch as it travels through all of you. Chained Bolt". At Kuroki''s incantation, he stretched out his hand and opened his palms towards the goblins. When the goblins saw this, they recognized him as a threat and immediately charged him, realizing the danger they were in somehow. Still, it was too late. A crackle of energy emerged from his fingertips, as a bolt of lightning shot out from his hand. It pierced through one, but then snaked and swerved as it pierced through another, and then another, and so on. Soon, all five goblins were pierced through. One tried to hide behind a sewer wall, which was made of stone. it did not matter, the lightning went through it anyways and pierced him. It was slower then normal lightning and even other lightning spells they had seen, but it swerved and skewered them all. There was no respite, and no escape. The goblins fell to the ground, their weapons falling as well. One of them fell into the water though, which made them all wince. "Not it!" "Not it". "Not it!" Riku, Kaede, and Ryuu all spoke up. Riku had been the fastest, but Ryuu''s objection seemed even stronger and more desperate then even Riku''s. Kuroki glared at them all. They had to recover all the cursed weapons, but going into that water which smelled horrible was unpleasant. They were given special gloves and cloth that would prevent them from being cursed and could carry them safely, but that wouldn''t protect them from the stench. Kuroki considered overwriting them as the leader, but he had an issue. Ryuu had fallen in once already, Riku probably was actually incapable of remaining conscious or sane if he went into that smelly water, and Kaede was the one with the best awareness and ability to detect enemies in these sewers. And due to some weird enchantment on the sewers, Kuroki couldn''t just use magic on the water. Actually wait. I wasn''t able to freeze it, but I was able to probe it a bit. "Hmm. I wonder..." Kuroki used his mana sense, and scanned the sewers for... "Oh....uhg....eww..." Kuroki was utterly disgusted. Using his mana sense had gathered a lot of data on the contents of the water he did not want to know. The water itself apparently was actively being purified by the sewers, but there was still enough trash and disgusting contents in it to make him want to hurl. He endured it as he found the sword, and then tried to use water magic to get it back to the surface. In return, the sword immediately tried to curse him. It was such a shock that he got knocked backwards a bit forcefully, landing on his butt as his attempt failed spectacularly. "Stupid cursed sword". It looked like he would have to strip off all his clothes and go in there butt naked. Everyone swam nude in this world anyways, but frankly, not being used to that trend was the smaller issue here. The smell and filth that would potentially take days to get out. Ryuu hadn''t even been in it for a minute, but he would have to carefully pick it up, wrap it in the curse proof cloth, and it was deep enough that even if he could do all that standing up straight, the water would be up to his neck. That meant he would have to submerge his entire body, including his face. At least for this larger channel they were in. The stench would probably last for days, and he would probably be forced to do multiple baths before being allowed inside home. It would effectively disable him for several days. And thats provided this didn''t get him sick. But at the same time, if they left a cursed object in the waterways, who knows what might happen. If the curse leached into the water that people drink somehow, there could be hundreds of casualties. Thats just how dangerous curses were. So they couldn''t leave it. But Kuroki couldn''t move it with magic either. Still, there had to be some way they could move it without getting wet. "Wait hold on. I wonder...what metal is that sword made of?" "Come on Kuroki. Accept your defeat". "No no, I have an idea. If its magnetic, maybe I can pull it out with magnetism". "Magnetism?" Ryuu asked, confused. Riku seemed to get it however. "I see. You cant use magic on the sword directly, but if you use magic to make a giant magnet, perhaps you can use its metal properties to get it out indirectly?" Kuroki nodded. "Exactly right. It is just like Ozlo said, method is more important than power. We dont need to power our way through something, so long as we have the right method to deal with it". Kuroki then turned towards the water, as he looked for what he would turn into a magnet. His idea was great, but he had to word it right. Amyris had been shocked by how well Kuroki had adapted to making his own incantations, even if they were not always the best or well optimized. But Kuroki was still learning after all, and the fact he could make working original incanations on his own was apparently a sign of great skill. And a bit abnormal. However, he and Riku noticed something odd. "...the curse energy on the weapons is gone?" Yes, all of the weapons, including the sword in the water, no longer had any traces of curses they could sense. Riku had become especially sensitive, but he couldn''t even get a whif of it anymore. "The hell?" "How did that happen?" "Maybe you two were mistaken?" Kaede interjected the confusion of the two boys, who were still wary. They shook their heads however. Riku especially. Yet no matter what they tried, it was gone. Kuroki quickly got the sword out of the water using his original attempt at having the water move it. Using the sewer water was difficult and unpleasant, but he got it up. No curse reaction at all. "It''s like that night all over again". Yes, the time when Kuroki and Riku were spared from extreme embarrassment and suffering was when it had vanished from them as well. However that had been when they were asleep, and they were told it was highly abnormal and certainly shouldn''t be easy to repeat. But even more alarmingly, the curses didn''t even leave any curse fragments behind. But they heard curses tended to linger only on people then objects when broken, so perhaps that was normal. Still, before they could think on it further, they heard a whistle signal. It came from nearby, and it was a call for emergency support. Whistles weren''t quite as effective in the sewers, but they could still work to a degree so they made sure to keep them on hand. Thankfully, they were able to respond, so they let them know they were on the way and then headed in the direction. Had the curses not disappeared, however, they would have been forced to prioritize that to avoid it leaking into the water.
Meanwhile, in a far away city, within the heights of the Ivory Tower, the Oracle regained consciousness in his bed...no, rather, his mind returned there from the Spirit Plane. "To think there would be such a timeline shift. I can''t exactly let them get bogged down there after all" he muttered, reviewing the events that had transpired. He had been released from his "treatments" thanks to the fact oracles were infamous for being physically weak, due to the nature of keeping divine power within themselves. Thankfully he was released when he was from what was actually his interrogations and security checks that morning, as his memories returned early. He had to keep wiping his memory so they wouldn''t find them, utilizing incantations and magic that in theory he should not be capable of, certainly not without being detected by his warden or those who imprisoned him in there. "It must be one of the Hidden. They must have accidentally changed the timeline. I really wish they wouldn''t have changed it there. I am sure they had good intentions, but it resulted in a group of cursed weapon wielding goblins being in Kuroki''s path instead. If I had to guess, it was Green. He probably used an intermediary though". Although his methods of communication were limited, as was the amount of information he could tell people in general, as the Oracle who observed the countless potential timelines, whose brain burned out that he had lost the ability to grow, and possibly also made his personality just a tiny bit rotten. Although that was likely more because of the two decades he had been imprisoned, suffering at the whims of the Dark Side of the Church. But he would escape, one way or another, from this tower. He was incapable of even taking his own life, but recent developments had changed things. "Amyris'' party member will be coming to meet me soon. Several Starfallen have the chance to change the timeline into something in my favor. The Hero must be freed, but that''s already guaranteed now. I just hope it happens in time. The Priest and the Tamer have met, good. I am glad I was able to fix so much by having Akano dispel the curse. The Four Cardinal Calamities are all far away from achieving their dreams, and decently isolated. West could make some concerning moves, I will need to move someone to intercept him.....ahhhg, given their personalities, North and West fighting each other is a possibility, but North never strays that far, and West never leaves the Empire before North encounters Kuroki in any timeline. Damnit". The Oracle brought up what might almost be called a holographic display in front of him, only he was the only one capable of seeing it. It was a huge amount of threads, with various future memories there being displayed of various people. His power of Oracle let him do this. Normally, the Oracle''s visions were vague and unclear, however there were moments when they could come in crystal clear. That said, the clearer the moment, the more dangerous and harder to influence it tended to be. "The Trinity wont form for awhile, so they can be put off. I can''t let Kuroki meet his friends yet, it interferes with all their growths. Ozlo...I don''t need to do anything with him. Even in the timelines where he loses, his actions always end up helping. He won''t be the lynchpin. What about...Tori? Sora? No, both boys are busy. Reika? No, she is needed there...and I don''t think I have any thread to move her anyways". However, then he saw a rather alarming one...but also one that proved interesting. "I see. Of course. How could I have been so stupid". He grabbed one of the golden threads, looking at it. "What I need to do to increase the odds for the ideal timeline...is to move a conflict forward. Not a hero, but a villain. And this will provide the necessary catalyst needed to...wait what?" The Oracle looked flabbergasted for a moment, truly stupefied. "Seriously, the Shadehound goes THERE?! I mean, it really works well, but...hold on..." The Oracle then checked other timelines, and was even more confused. "What the hell? Seriously? I knew, but still...that''s just abusrd. To think that''s how that story plays out. Did some ancient dragon play a practical joke or something? How is that even possible, and from such a distance?" The Oracle let out a sigh, and then shrugged it off. "Well, it doesn''t hurt the future. If anything, it might actually help it. Still, they are going to be so surprised when they learn. I think both moments happen at about the same time too, with my current acceleration. It''s not much, but I can at least manage this much nudging with my powers". The Oracle intertwined two golden threads, and then the whole display turned to golden dust before fading away. The Oracle then put his index finger back to his forehead. "Now, there is no way they wont interrogate me again in the next day or so. So let''s do this again. If everything goes well, these sealed memories won''t return for about two or three weeks". If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. He closed his eyes, and then from his mouth came words that had meaning but sounded like gibberish, an incantation that should be impossible and would never work ordinarily. It sounded like a different language. [Invoke Dual Mind. Hounds howl at midnight! Cloud Sky Sync. Let''s have some fun soon, kay? Redaction Replacement. Fog rolling over]. A small beam of energy shot from his finger and into his brain, as he erased his mind yet again. With no one, not even him, knowing just how many times he had done this now. No one except perhaps for the bat which watched him through the window, despite it being broad daylight outside.
While this had been going on, Silver Storm made its way to the source of the whistle. It was Soaring Shields, who appeared mostly fine. Their mage was soaking wet from the waist down however, but smell was the least of their worries. "Oi, Riala! What the hell is that doing here? I thought the sewers were less dangerous!" "Less talking, more fighting!" he said, as he used his shield to not just block, but parry a Hobgoblin''s sword. Yes, it was a Hobgoblin, not a normal Goblin. "Riku! Do it!" "Right! Flare Enchant: Incendia. Brilliant Flash!" Riku moved fast, faster then a boy his age should be able to. In an instant, he appeared behind the Hobgoblin, and crashed into a wall. The moment Riku made his move, the Hob had moved his shield right by his neck as he forcefully sped it out, and Riku, being unable to change course in this situation, was repelled. For the first time since coming to this world, Riku''s Brilliant Flash had been blocked. "Frozen beaks to peck your eyes, frozen talons to slash your skin. These birds of frost are strong and cold, and will tear your body thin. Chilling Flock!" Kuroki created about a dozen birds made of ice, which proceeded to swarm and attack the Hobgoblin. These ice birds came at him from all directions, but several bolts of fire rained out from behind the Hobgoblin and intercepted them, causing only a few to make it through. They were able to distract it enough for Riala to quickly drink some of a healing and stamina restoration potion, which kept him in the fight, but he was still clearly in a bad spot as the Hobgoblin gave him no additional time, having already destroyed the rest of the ice birds. Kuroki checked out what was behind the Hob, and it was a Goblin with a staff. A Goblin Mage. This is the first I have seen either, and now they are together?! What the hell is this?! Kuroki quickly formulated another spell, but was interrupted by the mage shooting a fireball his way, while a Goblin wearing some pieces of armor came from the side. Ryuu intercepted it, while Riku attacked the Hob from behind. The Hob was able to parry his attack again, but it let Riala have just a bit more leeway as the potion healed his wounds. To suddenly run into a Hobgoblin. They are supposed to be much more dangerous then a regular goblin, and this was supposed to be the easier one. And add to that the mage, which we had no run ins with yet either, or any other advanced Goblins...oh no... "Kaede! Are there any others coming from the other tunnels?" Kaede looked around, and listened hard. "I can sense some presences moving about, coming to flank us from behind! I think they are Goblins!" "Tsk. This is a trap!" The Goblins had only used weaker Goblins, although sometimes equipped with Cursed Weapons. Still, that just warranted more investigation rather then concern, so the Guild would keep sending them out to be subjugated before they became a threat. However, it was clear now they were drawing out adventurers the first two days so they could take out a huge number today. The Goblins were organized, they had leadership. Riala understood what Kuroki was saying in an instant. This whole time, they had been concerned a Goblin Surge was happening, and that it would lead to a siege if not dealt with as it was happening. But they were wrong. The Surge had already happened, and the Siege was already underway. Phase 1 had been to lure the enemy out. Phase 2 was now to deal with the various grunts. In other words, the numerous E to G rank adventurers who they had led to believe would be all that was needed in the sewers and in the woods. They had been hoodwinked! Kaede quickly took out two normal Goblins that were supporting the others. Riala''s group had encountered a group of six Goblins. They had rarely found groups of five, but now a six had shown up? Another part of the Goblin''s trap. At the moment, the remaining Goblins in front of them were two Goblin Soldiers, one Goblin Mage, and a Hobgoblin. The Hobgoblin was simultaineously keeping Riku and Riala occupied. The mage took shots at either Kuroki or Riala''s party, especially the mage. The narrow ledges in this part made it difficult for his teammates to help. They could go through the water, but not only would it absolutely stink up their clothes and bodies, it would limit their mobility, making them easy pickings for the mage. One soldier was keeping Ryuu busy and occasionally making faint attacks towards Kuroki, and the final one had come from behind and was engaging with another one of Riala''s party members. Kaede however couldn''t engage anything yet, because the Goblins coming from behind would be totally unobstructed. Kuroki was the only thing that prevented the mage from singling out Riala''s party right now, which is what left them in their current bad state. He could try and support Kaede as best he could, but it would mean Riala''s party would start taking damage again, either from the mage targeting Riku who relieved some of the stress on them, or from attacking the party directly. It was a testament that they didn''t fall already. They must have been fighting them for several minutes now, but despite the enemy being stronger, having higher numbers, and being unexpected, they only had minor injuries. Those would stack up eventually, but they were still in a position where they could recover and continue patrol if they got through this and rested for a bit. Wait, I could try that... "Everyone, whatever you do, stay out of the water!" Kuroki warned, as he began to formulate his spell. However, before he could finish, the Goblins in the back appeared. Kaede ambushed their ambush, throwing them off as she sank a dagger into one of the two Goblin Archers with them. This was another group of six. A Hobgoblin, two archers, a mage, and a soldier. It was only five left, but they grouped up to protect themselves. There was also a group coming from a different direction that would be on them in thirty seconds or less. The Goblins charged at Kuroki, who visibly panicked. He rose his hand and fired a waterball of all things at them. It was only about 25cm in diameter, and the Hob easily intercepted it with his sword as it smiled viciously. And that was when it happened. The moment the bubble broke, suddenly a huge water explosion occurred right there. It was more than that however, as lightning seemed to arc between the water, zapping them and anything else that might have been in the water. The goblin mage died outright, as did the remaining archer. The Hob and the two Goblin soldiers survived somehow, but they were injured now and clearly in pain. This was the new spell Kuroki had been working on that Riku had to stop him from detonating in the basement each night. It turned out to be a rather tricky spell to figure out. Essentially he compressed, or rather, hypercompressed the water into a smaller sphere, making it look like a basic waterball. While it was effective at throwing people off and with the right levels of mana and experience, could carve out tree trunks and such with a single hit, it was generally acknowledged as a weak beginniner spell. But Kuroki''s Compressed Aqua Sphere was different. It was incredibly dense from the compressed water, causing it to do far more damage on a hit and even explode with violent force. He even added lightning to it for increased damage and pain, zapping anything that got wet with it. The spell was quite risky to use near allies, but it was rather devastating to enemies. That said, given how much mana it used, it was a waste to use it against singular targets as well. Those reasons are why he couldn''t use it against the Hob by Riala or the Mage that was more isolated in the back. He had to save his mana to deal with the threats coming at them currently, as well as any future skirmishes on the way back. Kuroki''s Aqua Sphere was useful, but also rather situational. He couldn''t just use it haphazardly. Still, it reduced the danger they were in. However, before the goblins returned, while they were still zapped, there was another opportunity. "Brilliant Flash". Riku had charged out from behind the Hob and used Brilliant Flash. This time, the Hobgoblin lost his head in an instant. Riku had to leave Riala to deal with the first Hob alone for a moment, but in exchange, he was able to catch the second off guard and completely routed him. He even positioned himself behind the two soldiers, which let him plant his feet firmly on the ground and swing, cutting off both their heads. Unfortunately, the ground was slippery, and perhaps one of the worst fates for Riku befell him as he slipped into the water. Before he went in however, a hand reached out and stopped him from falling in. It was none other then the leader of the Deep Dashers, Dia, and the rest of his team. Incidentally, they too had the same cream under their noses, as well as makeshift cloth masks covered in the stuff. All this as the third group of goblins appeared. "Good. Looks like we made it in time". "Dia! Great timing!" "It''s the Deep Dashers! Don''t lose hope everyone, keep pushing through!" "We need more barriers!" "I will help cover them!" The Appearance of an E-Rank party greatly increased morale, although they were more like a D-Rank party at this point. Deep Dashers, the party of five Rabbit Beastkin brothers, helped to turn the tides. Dia''s party immediately engaged the new group, while he assisted the rest of them against the remainder of the first group. They pushed back against the approaching Goblins, as Dia went right for the Hob''s head. It blocked it in that moment, however... "Brilliant Flash!" With his shield out of position and moving away thanks to the recoil, Riku used the moment Dia had given him and used his Brilliant Flash again. This made the third time in the last few minutes he used it, and he could feel the strain, but it was necessary. He cleaved right through the neck, separating head from body as Riala kept the Hob in place and locked down his sword. With this, Kaede was able to target the mage. It had to move to intercept, but in that moment Kuroki and the mage from Soaring Shield was able to take advantage of it and take him out with both spells. He was able to block Kuroki''s spell, but Soaring Shield''s mage used a spell that had a harder to predict trajectory, resulting in him missing the mark. Unable to protect against all three attackers, he was felled almost instantly. And as for the rest of Deep Dashers, they had drawn the Goblins into a struggle. There was a Hob, two soldiers, one normal goblin, one mage, and one archer. The normal goblin was already dead, and the soldier was missing an arm as it put up a struggle against Kia. The two mages turned to help them, with Kuroki freezing the ground under the goblins while Vio, whose name Kuroki had finally remembered, launched sharpened stones at them. As they had expected to ambush the other side, the Goblins instead found themselves overwhelmed, and were quickly defeated. The moment they were done, Riala looked over at Dia. "So they encountered Hobs in the forest?" "Yeah. We were sent to provide support and relief. It looks like the gobs got us good. That said, we are in a better position then they expected I think. D and C Ranks were allowed into the field, so Ozlo told us to support you guys over here". "Thanks...I don''t think we would have survived otherwise". "...my nose certainly wouldn''t". Although Riku made a remark that was a bit outside of the current atmosphere, no one really was going to blame him. ¡±So do we stay in the sewers, or report back to Ozlo?¡± Kuroki asked. Dia shook his head. ¡°We will remain and find the rest of the parties. You two head to the surface and patrol there. Link up with the guards. These sewers are officially enemy territory, and as people get deployed to the fields and forests, they might surge up through the sewers and catch us off guard. It would be best if you all fought in the city streets then down here anyways¡±. ¡±Understood¡± the two leaders acknowledged with a nod. Kuroki and Riala then led their parties up to the surface, where Vio then suffered through what Ryuu did yesterday. The city was mostly the same as usual, except more guards were out and everything looked tense. Not only that, but a few from the Order of the Silver Wind were out as well. Their leader was strangely absent: Kuroki thought he might use this as an excuse to check in on them, or use them to escape paperwork. And as if on cue, Kuroki¡¯s eyes were covered by a pair of hands from behind. ¡°You have an expression that looks like you are thinking of me!¡± Riza, in his Myra disguise, has decided to appear behind them for whatever reason. ¡°Ri¡­¡± Kuroki started, when suddenly Riza pinched his cheeks aggressively. ¡°¡­Myra, what are you doing?¡± ¡±Just checking in! I was your monitor today after all!¡± ¡±Then where were you?¡± ¡±I was nearly assaulted by some horrible thugs! Thankfully the Brigade of the Silver Wind and their charismatic and talented leader came by!¡± Kuriko couldn¡¯t contain the eye roll as Riza praised himself, and in such a dramatic and emphasized voice. He even went into detail about the valiant hero. That said, he didn¡¯t say anything. Partially not to reveal Riza¡¯s cover. But also because he could read in-between the lines. Those thugs had probably been another round of harassment at the group, and Riza eliminated them as a threat. Given the situation, that was extremely helpful. ¡±So now we are waiting. Gobs might not come out till tonight, but they should send people to cover us to let us rest soon¡±. ¡°Good. Because I¡¯m worried a bit about our stamina¡± Kuroki replied to Riala¡¯s comment. ¡°Same. We had to use a lot of energy in that last battle. And it¡¯s possible the main goblin force might come tomorrow so they will want us all rested. Looks like it¡¯s an all out war¡±. ¡±Then let¡¯s hope Ozlo is the general¡±. ¡°Agreed¡±. With that in mind, they then looked towards the sewer access point for this part. Right now it was silent, but could Goblins swarm up in any moment? "It probably won''t happen today...but it will happen eventually. And unfortunately, we can''t field an army in the sewers" Myra/Riza said, as he brought them to a nearby table and took out a map of the region. It wasn''t a normal map either, but a highly detailed one. Incredibly valuable, and certainly not something a C-Rank would normally have. But the two were more focused on the pieces he was putting out. Apparently he just carried that stuff with them. There were blue pieces, yellow pieces, and red pieces. He placed the red pieces in the forest, while he had the blue and yellow at the side. "So, this is what I figure. Their main force is in the forest. Its still their territory, but its territory we know as well, and both sides can field a large army. Now an army of goblins can be dangerous if one doesn''t realize its coming before its too late, so we will want to crush them in the forest, before too many make it into the sewers. This will likely be tomorrow''s operation". He then put a bunch of blue pieces in the fields. "Ozlo''s main camp will be the command point for this operation. I am sure the military leaders have already been informed and are gathering the knights. The knights will probably be split in between two areas". Ozlo put half the yellow pieces inside the city, and half of them in the fields. "They know the Goblins already found a sewer access point outside of the city, so they will have to protect the ones inside of the city. Most likely, the Goblins intend to divide us by attacking the city while our armies engage within the plains and the forests". Kuroki nodded so far, understanding things. He wasn''t an expert of military strategy like some isekai protagonists seemed to magically be somehow, remembering every reference in every textbook somehow. But he could see the logic in what was explained. "We will probably also need some adventurers inside the city as well. Otherwise the nobles might try to steal all the credit from us, so a good portion of parties will be there. If I had to guess, Ozlo will deploy the G and H Ranks, under the leadership of higher ranked parties. Considering this is now a city defense mission, he can use adventurers of any rank, so he will probably seed a few from B, C, and D ranks to join the E, F, G, and H rankers inside the city. That said, a good portion of you F-Rankers, such as your two parties, will likely be deployed in the field. I think you both would manage city combat fine, but given this is an army battle, we need those with high defense and those capable of large area magic to be in the fields, where they can utilize their skills the best. Deep Dashers as well will be deployed as a rapid response unit I am sure". He then put some red markers around the city. "The knights and the adventurers will proceed to deal with goblins wherever they arise, as well as any standard soldiers supporting them. They dont train to fight monsters too much, unlike knights and adventurers, so they will be acting in a more supporting role". "I see. Will Ozlo be the general?" "Nah, that will be the Guildmaster. Which technically, yes, means Ozlo is the actual general". Technically the Guildmaster was, but Riza explained that he would likely just declare that he will leave everything to Ozlo for now and let him make the initial plans. "Initial?" "There is a very good chance that Ozlo will take the field himself. Partially to vent his frustration for the past few days". Ah, yeah. He has been in a tent with those nobles. Considering the comments he made when he assembled all the adventurers, he probably has a lot of stress built up. I kinda feel bad for the goblins. "...do the goblins deserve such malice brought upon them?" Riza chuckled. "Well, they are monsters, so probably they deserve some or even most of it at least. That said, Ozlo wont be able to use his full power, so he will probably just make the opening move and then be on standby". "Why?" "Because now that its a Siege, War Merit Systems apply. If he just wiped out the entire army, he would deprive the knights and the adventurers of potential rewards. The Nobles would be furious and make his life hell, so I imagine he wont do that". "Are they really all that annoying?" Riza shrugged. "There are plenty of decent ones, however...even the decent ones have to play the game. Since its not always clear who is decent and who is scum. And you never know who might gain power. Because of that, all noble families are taught to prepare for such things by clawing as much power as they can. Which means even they will go after Ozlo if he just takes all the benefits". "Ah, I see..." "The fact he made a bunch of them crap their pants the other day didn''t help either". "Ah, was that when he let out his Dragon''s Den?" Riza nodded. "Yep". Ozlo did that to help them, but apparently scaring a bunch of nobles literally shitless had its downsides. "However, the real issue is if there will be any additional players thrown into the mix. Like that Shadehound you encountered the other day, or any Demons or Devils that have been rumored to be active lately....as a C-Rank adventurer, I hear lots of rumors, and let me tell you, there are a lot of people suspicious of the timing of this. There is even talk that this is under the orders of the Demon KIng, who has recently returned". In other words, there were actually quite a few suspects. But they would have to see what happens to know for sure. And so, as they stood guard, time ticked ever onwards. Chapter 23: The Looming Conflict Despite Ozlo''s initial worries, no attacks came from the sewers for the rest of that day. Perhaps it was because E and D Ranks swarmed the Sewers and forests, however Ozlo had some doubts about that. If anything, he was becoming even more anxious. After all, they had taken unexpected damage twice that day, through a twist that Ozlo had to admit was incredibly clever by their enemies. "Trolls? The closest ones are in the Burbank mountains to the north, and the Corrupted Forest to the southeast. But you found one in one of the larger chambers of the sewers?" "Yes, that is correct" the adventurer replied, as Ozlo was resting in his office. He was wearing just a longshirt, his work clothes folded on the nightstand next to him. There was bedding on the floor of the room, which was where he had been laying. Normally he wouldn''t wear a nightshirt when it was this warm, but he needed to be decent enough to handle any emergency work that came in. Ozlo was still sitting up in his bedding, but when he went to stand up, the adventurer, a B-Rank by the name of Kylia, had him stop. He was a twenty eight year old human male who appeared a mix of charming and rough, and had a sword sheathed at his waist and a shield slung across his back. Both looked incredibly well made, and Ozlo could sense a faint trace of magic from them. He was an incredibly talented person, but then again anyone who made it to B-Rank was. He acted as something of an aide to Ozlo at times, along with a few other veterans. "I really should get up and show some respect..." Ozlo muttered, but Kylia stopped him. "No. If anything, you can take off that shirt if you want. You are still a child yourself you know?" "Haha, yeah I know its not cold enough, but I never know when someone might come. Especially a noble, that would invite a huge amount of issues. And even moreso if its Valiance. I would rather not deal with those eyes gazing on my body". "If a noble tries to barge in, we can easily stall him long enough for you to get dressed, so why not sleep a bit more comfortably? As for Valiance, the Guildmaster will descend himself if that asshole steps foot. He is still pissed that they tried to make the adventurers work for free, or make the guild pay for it ourselves. But you need as best sleep as you can. You are already running on fumes aren''t you? When was the last time you slept properly? You worked an all nighter last night dealing with Valiance''s harassment, plus the night before. You had to attend several meetings with nobles and deal with their unreasonable demands, and you also need to meticulously plan things out every night based on the reports you get during the day. And now tomorrow, you will essentially be the general for the united adventurer forces right?" "Yeah. Managing to wrestle that away from Valiance was tough work, but I cant trust him with the city defense. Especially when he would probably use it to try and go after those kids again even if it meant risking damage to the defense efforts". "So please. Do what you can to rest properly". "...I will consider it. But before I do, I do need to draft a change. So I do need to get up". Ozlo shifted the covers off of him and made it to the desk. There were various maps and papers everywhere, and he had to look at them all. He even had various copies of these maps, which he was able to write on even, a sign of the resources he had available to him. Scribes created new maps for him every day, so he could plan things out better and see his chain of thought. There were also papers detailing their strategy and work. The room was warded beyond measure, so it was safe to have such documents in here. Still... "In the end, I think my theory will be right...I just hope it''s enough". "Theory, sir?" "Just some thoughts I had on the situation. Still, it means dealing with an unknown variable...but maybe that is for the best". Ozlo had some thoughts, but he didn''t seem to wish to elaborate, so Kylia didn''t press the details. "Too bad the shitty guildmaster couldn''t be more competent with paperwork. Well, he is, he just doesn''t want to deal with it, so he dumps it on me". This city was pretty far from the capital and bordered various monster territory along with several other cities, so it was essentially considered the frontier. And of them, they were one of the deeper ones. This was always said to be the reason why so many eccentrics gathered here, although Ozlo knew from his time in the Royal Academy that there were eccentrics everywhere. He could deal with most of them, but when women thirty years older than him started declaring their love for him and proposing, he got creeped out a lot. He had only been ten after all, so it was really disturbing. Ozlo then looked towards a crystal ball on his desk. "Well, you have anything to say?" "Ah, you realized I connected?" a voice from the crystal said. It sounded to be a young boy''s, perhaps the same age as Ozlo or younger, perhaps twelve or thirteen. "Yeah. So, you have any insights into what is going on?" "Well, about that first thing...you probably won''t encounter too many trolls during the actual fighting. if Goblins did somehow get them, even as a gift from another power, they wouldn''t be able to manage more then a few, and most not on the same battlefield as their own troops. The Goblin leader seems decently competent, so I doubt he will want to risk destroying his own forces. Still, the number of cursed weapons you found concerns me". "Same. No way Goblins just happened to find all these in the ruins first. Someone must be supplying them". "So it''s that Devil then, Ozlo?" "Almost certainly. I don''t suppose you will be able to make it to the city in time?" "Unfortunately not. Even if I rushed back, it would probably take me a week at minimum, provided I encountered no interruptions. Besides, although it seems like there are no more of those people who have not made it to a city or town yet in this region, I did still find a single person yesterday. No match to the list of names you had, but they did say they knew one of them...apparently, they were in a book club with that Akano''s mother". "I see. So there is still a chance then?" "A slim chance. But at the very least, the Demons and Devils of this region won''t be a problem. I was able to eliminate their hit teams around the city of Zalris. So their operations should be hobbled in this region". "Sir?" Kylia asked. Ozlo shot him back a look. "Don''t ask. And do not mention a single thing you heard about this outside this room, no matter what. You never know who might be listening, okay?" "Understood". Meanwhile, the voice with the orb spoke up again. "Ozlo, be careful. The Devil that you will face is no ordinary devil. She is top ranking at least. And...beware, House Caliace seems to be aware of those people and have made their moves. And those guys could even make Valiance look like a saint, depending on the day. Lady Farzek is not to be taken lightly, understood? She may follow her desires, but unlike Valiance, she can be far more sneaky and wields the power and influence of a ducal house". "Understood. I doubt we will encounter them any time soon, but I will add it to my overloaded work schedule. Also, its far sneakier". "Whatever. In any case, I look forward to meeting these newbies! Make sure they don''t die before I meet them, okay Ozlo?" "Make sure you don''t die yourself from one of your experiments". "Haha. I will do my best!" The connection was then cut off. Kylia looked at Ozlo. "Who was..." "Best not". "Understood, sir. In any case, if you are done working on that paperwork, go to bed". During that whole conversation, Ozlo had made the necessary adjustments on the maps and papers. "I should probably do a bit more" Ozlo said, reaching for a pen. Kylia grabbed his wrist. "Bed". "...fair enough. I will need my sanity to listen to Valiance''s whining. If anyone shows up, send them to the Vice Guildmaster". "Go to bed". "...my mom set you up to do this, didn''t she?" "No sir". "Ah, so my dad then". "Yes sir". "Fine. Good luck, Kylia". "I think you need it more then me, sir". Ozlo nodded, as he got back into bed. Kylia snuffed out the lamps as he left, letting Ozlo go to bed properly and rest for the next day.
At the same time, within the darkness of the forest in an old ruin, a large gathering of Goblins had gathered. Though most of them knew nothing of human tongues, they spoke goblin perfectly, so that was what they communicated in. There were all sorts of goblins then. Normal goblins with just loincloths or nothing, wearing clubs. Goblin Soldiers, wearing bits of scavenged armor. Goblin archers and mages, wielding crude bows and staffs respectively. And even Hobgoblins, who had some armor and padding as well. While the smaller goblins were just small, green, humanoidish beings, although given the way they stood and moved, it was clear their bone structure had quite a few differences. Also noticably they had a small tail like protrusion coming out of the back of their rears, although it was basically just a pointed stub. Hobgoblins meanwhile were larger. While Goblins would just barely reach a meter tall, Hobgoblins were taller by a lot. They could be anywhere between 150-200cm tall, and were a bit more humanlike in their posture, unlike normal goblins which appeared to be hunched over naturally. They did still look partially hunched over though, but it seemed more like habit then bone structure limitation. Their green skin was also a bit darker, and their eyes were a bit more bright. They were generally better clothed, better armored, and better equipped. While there were thousands of Goblins outside the room and the tower itself, inside it was just a few dozen. One sat in a throne, having taken a position above all other Goblins. It appeared to be a Hob of sorts, but perhaps even higher and more advanced. It was dressed in a more flashy manner, with rings and pendents, and wore what appeared to be a crudely made crown. And there was also another that was in this room. Except unlike the rest of them, she was not a goblin. Instead, she had red skin and red horns from her head, and her eyes were similar to those of a snake in appearance. She wore a cloak covering most of her features, and she did not at all look out of place in terms of behavior or body language. Instead, she stood next to the Goblin Lord. "So the attack will proceed as expected then, despite this hiccup?" she asked curiously. "Yes. That brat with the dragons is in the way however. Can you deal with him already?" "Hmmm. Yes he is rather annoying. Typically defenses don''t mean much against my magic, but he seemed totally unaffected. I can only assume he is using some sort of advanced defense. Perhaps it interfered with my very perception, and had me target empty air instead. Or perhaps his entire body was one big illusion. Maybe that wasn''t even his real body. No matter, if I touch him physically, that will be the end of it. But he always has people around him. Which is why you will need to cause as much damage from the start, to scatter everyone and draw them away. The main battle will be at the plains and the forest, but the secondary battle will be in the city itself. He will likely be located in the fields. I have scattered enough Dragonsbane around that by this time tomorrow, his dragons will start feeling weaker when they are out. As a summoner and a mage, he should be a lot easier to deal with. Just in case, I have prepared a number of Wyverns to provide air support. Some will be used around the battlefield, forcing him to scatter his dragon familiars, and the others will join me for the attack on Ozlo, the Dragon Caller. I am sure he will be expecting as much and keep at least one dragon in reserve. He may even never have used his full power in the past year or two, just to trick people for emergencies like this. He may not be my main target, but he is an eyesore that we should get rid of, a threat even greater than the Starfallen". This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Her targets were the new Starfallen, especially the ones who Amyris had taken under his wing. That Elven Mage had been a long time target of theirs, and she had personally seen to turning his previous Starfallen apprentice, Anna, against them all, and forced her out of commission. Although they had broken her own mind altering curse some time ago, Anna had petrified herself to avoid causing anyone damage. That was still in play, and a self inflicted curse like that would be incredibly difficult to break. Even if Amyris had chipped away at it, she had the Gifts of a Starfallen, so it shouldn''t be easy. Especially after all this time. Although the Devil, Chianthias, did think it would be better to finish her off, she had been secured in the one building even she could not sneak into. Besides, right now her focus was on the other Starfallen. Them, and Ozlo, whose potential had yet to peak she felt. The fact that he had ranked up faster then even his grandfather was concerning, despite the fact he should be a normal person. Sometimes it happened, geniuses who seemed to know and understand things beyond their years and this world, despite being children. Ozlo was certainly a genius. And given his connections, he was also a threat. The moment she even tried to make a move on the Starfallen, Ozlo would drop out of the sky, Amyris would teleport with Ellie, Karzen would charge at inhumane speeds, and Riza would probably pop out of the ground somehow. That was her impression. But Karzen, while his lifespan had clearly been extended, was still aging and getting on in years. Riza would eventually be forced elsewhere by his duties, and wasn''t all that clever as he made himself seem. Karzen was probably the slowest among them, and after her last attempt, decided to go after him last. Ozlo was actually the weakest of the five, but only right now, if she didn''t snuff him out soon. Still, they had made countless plans with the Goblins, and formed quite a few surprises. In truth, she expected the Goblins would likely lose. She did not inform them of that of course, she wanted them to go in with zeal, not despair. She wanted them to have high morale so they would fight for longer. That said, given the surprises she had planned, they had a chance, and would certainly deal plenty of damage. In the end, if she could get rid of at least one of her targets, and deal plenty of damage to the city, she would consider this a success. Of all her targets, the one she had set her sights on was a young ten year old boy who went by the name Kuroki. It was unnerving how fast he was taking to magic. In terms of combat talent, Anna was greatly superior to him when it came to fighting. But when it came to a talent in magic, Kuroki seemed to be far greater. His ability to come up with new spells and use new techniques was startling. I even felt a chill run down my spine when I saw his Exploding Electric Water Ball. That spell would barely even scratch me, but it still would scratch me. In terms of this world, he is basically not even two weeks old! Out of all the Starfallen I have witnessed, not one would have been capable of that so early. I will need to eliminate him before he can actually gain in power. Unfortunately, taking control of their minds isn''t so easy. I especially shouldn''t try to do it near that blacksmith''s shop, how did he even notice me?! He wasn''t that strong! Devils tended to place a great deal of importance on strength, so when someone who was clearly weaker then them was somehow able to surpass them, even if it did not require strength or tactics or cleverness, or especially when it involved none of them, it baffled them. The idea that a weaker creature could be so much more perceptive wasn''t a concept they were familiar with. As such, she harbored doubts that he was actually that weak. "Today, we will finally show great service to the Demon King, and the Evil God. And you will all get to feast and pillage. To that end, I have brought you a present". She snapped her fingers, and then the doors burst open. Two demons came in, dragging a human into the room. He had been stripped completely naked, and was battered and beaten. The demons tossed him before the Goblin Lord onto the ground, forcing him into a kneeling position. "We have finished our interrogations of this man, and passed the information to the strategists. They will use it to refine the invasion plan. As such, we give him to you. Use him to your pleasure, whether it be using him to produce more goblins, or using him to feed the goblins you already have". The goblins giggled and became jubilant, as Chianthias decided to take her leave. "Just make sure not to enjoy yourselves too much and not be ready. We attack at first light". "Yes. Don''t worry, we will finish our fun in time for them" he replied, as she closed the doors behind her. Now then, I should prepare a failsafe plan. Ah yes, I know. I will utilize that Criminal Organization and have them target those Starfallen as well. That should be a nice backup plan, should this invasion somehow fail. She mused on those thoughts, as she left the old keep. Her dark schemes continuing forward and onward.
At the same time, within the walls of a large and luxurious manor, the young Gathik Valiance schemed and plotted. He and his father had unusual more ambition then the rest of the house, but most attributed to the growing ambition that had been in their house for generations. However, it was twisting the two of them even more than others, and he had even pushed his own siblings out, who had been too soft to take up the mantle. Some had even fled. They would get everything they wanted. That was what they knew, that would be their path. No one would get in their way, and anyone who would help them, whether they wanted to or not, would do so, even if it was merely to relieve their stress. Gathik looked at the men he was assembling, when a woman entered in through the back. She was clad in dark robes, that made it difficult to tell her features and traits, and she seemed to possess a mysterious air about her that dissuaded looking too deeply at her. "I hear you would wish to place another Order, young lord" she said, a bemused tone in her voice. "Yes. Considering the beast we faced another day, I will need finer weapons. And, I need a situation set up so we can finally take what is ours, and get revenge on that miserable brat, Ozlo". "Ah yes, the young nuissance from your school days. You made quite a number of interesting Orders then too". "Anything to make him submit and for people to recognize who the true great one is". "Why, anyone could obviously tell that would be you, Young Lord. Are these still people who doubt this?" She feigned shock, rather badly at that. She clearly did not put too much effort into it, but Valiance didn''t seem to care. "So do you think we will have what we need to execute the plan in time?" "I had predicted you might need more Product, so I made sure to acquire quite a good number. After all, we only deal with the best, so we need to provide our best service to match". "As expected, you are as reliable as my father said". "Thank you for the flattery". Valiance almost seemed different when interacting with her, not that he ever noticed such a thing. "Now, how does the optics look?" "We likely wont have any issues. No one will be able to trace this back to us. But be warned, this means they wont be able to use your authority as protection either. And it all depends on how well the other side acted". "That brat just gets lucky. He isn''t that smart". "Considering his workload, I wonder if that is good luck, or bad". While she mused upon such things, Valiance took up a glass of wine and enjoyed it. He was just standing there basically, watching others work hard. A contrast from Ozlo, who worked hard himself to make things easier on others and get his work done on time, and the Goblin Lord, who had fought to earn his position as well as indulging in things like Valiance did. Still, there was something that weighed on the woman''s mind. "This...escalation seems quite sudden though. I dare not question too much about it, but I do have to wonder if this is the ideal time. Was this your own idea for moving out now?" "Yes. Using the goblin crisis as cover means everyone will be distracted. No one will notice what is going on elsewhere, and that means that our plans will go unnoticed. Besides, it might help us to power the Relic. You are the one who told me it needed the blood of those ''touched by the stars''. And you were unclear on that exact meaning, but it is not likely these potential Starfallen are the answer?" "I see...I do wish to see the Relic Opened. Every day risks its discovery. If these Starfallen are truly real, then utilizing them would be in our best interest. Just remember to be cautious, and do not let our ambitions bring us to ruin. Your enemies will use any chance they get, the vulturous scum they are". "Certainly. Do you plan to head out to make final arrangements?" The woman nodded. "Yes. Especially given this latest order, I need to prepare for a grand party. Especially if the Dragon Caller or Dragon Vanquisher intent to get involved. The latter seems like a fool, but he can be annoyingly sharp at times. Furthermore, I have lost sight on him today alone at six different occasions. Despite the utilization of various familiars too. It is quite vexing". "Wait, he was able to evade even you?" "Yes. Never underestimate that one. It was no coincidence he gained his unaging body at just thirteen years old, nor that he became an S-Rank adventurer. I suspect he is hiding a great many secrets, so do not underestimate him at all". "Do you know where he pulls his swords out from?" "I have a theory. I cant get close enough to confirm, but I believe there is a slight of hand element. That said, its possible those swords are manifested with magic, so it could be a deception employed by him as well. I know his bracelets are probably connected to the swords however". "I see..." "Well then, I shall be off. I must report to the Investors". "Hmmf". With this, she slid out of the room, and then smiled slightly. "Starfallen huh...the information has been contained for now, but other nobles will come for them sooner or later. After all, they are connected with Amyris, and grew up in a world that let them grow up without being injured easily. I am sure I can find quite a few buyers for that sort of merchandise". She then looked up to the ceiling, as if gazing beyond it to the night sky. "I wonder what the future will hold now".
However, this night did not simply end here. After all, there was one more mastermind. The Oracle sat within his Ivory Tower, gazing out the window and looking at the moon. He had a wonderful and lavish feast, sent to him by the various members of the church who either were pretending not to know or did not know his circumstances. And yet as he gazed at the moon, he saw his own reflection in the window. He reached out his hand, and touched the reflection as he pressed it against the glass. And yet then the glass shattered, and a pair of black wings emerged through the window, wrapping up The Oracle. He could not see anything, but he felt as if he was being thrown about. It was only for a few moments, before he was tossed onto the ground. The city was gone now, the Ivory Tower no where in sight. Instead he was in a forest, kneeling in murky waters as he quickly got up, his bare feet into the water at ankle high. "I see...so this is a dream is it? Or rather, a vision?" "No" a bellowing voice said, as a dark cloaked figure stood behind him. He appeared as a young boy of perhaps ten, but so did the Oracle so he put no faith. Besides, this was not reality, although it could have implications for it. "I must say, this is the first time I have had my mind invaded. And by a dragon no less" the Oracle said. "But tell me, where are you?" At those words, the trees rustled and shook. The entire forest seemed to part, as if the ground itself split in half. A brown dragon, gargantuan in size, appeared in front of him. Its legs and arms were thick and strong, its wings folded into its back. His green eyes met with the oracle''s, and at last they felt connected. "I am Gronkilius, the Continental Lord". "I am the Oracle". "Do not add a title without a name, human". "Unfortunately, my name was erased long ago. I am just The Oracle now, as annoying as it is" he said, as he pulled his high collar away and revealed the collar around his neck. "And for some reason, the sadist who made this thing ensured I would be incapable of remembering it or giving myself a new name". "I see. They seek to strip you of your very identity. Such a foolish thing. Certainly it will enhance your powers, but no such tool would work forever, and it would only build resentment. This explains why you keep slipping out in spirit form, the enchantment is already weakening is it not?" "Part of that, but I also found ways around it. It appears the tool its etched into my brain, but not so much my soul. Or at least, my soul can wiggle free of it". "Ha. Clever boy. Still, I have concerns about recent events. I am sure you are aware of the events of the world". "Do you mean the revival of the Demon King? The Starfallen? Or perhaps...do you mean The Hidden?" "The Demon King revives every fifty years, and dies every fifty years. Although he did go after a few dragon eggs a few hundred years ago, we dragons are bound by our Pact of the World. We must let the mortals handle things, or the lesser dragons at least. As for The Hidden, they never make such disruptions. But you knew fully well I meant the Starfallen from the start". "No, actually with your lifespans, for all I knew you thought fifty years ago was recent". "I see. The Hidden did stir up quite a bit then. To think that foolish hero would even put the HIdden, who do their best, at risk". "So, what do you wish to know about the Starfallen?" "You seem to be keep interfering with the south. Why are you interfering with those Starfallen so much? You keep having your magic pass through my domain, so I noticed it a lot, but are there others you are helping just as much?" "Yes. There is a Starfallen named Sai up in the north. If I do not guide him carefully, he will have a bad encounter with the Cardinal Calamity of the North, and it could have ripple effects that cause chaos across the world. I need to keep my eye on the Isles of Mysthall as well, because if I can get him to stop a plot happening there, it will have a ripple effect that will play a critical role in avoiding the destruction of a good chunk of naval ships needed to combat the threats. The Continent to the south has always had a way of being difficult to percieve, but the Starfallen there seem to be letting my vision to cut through in bits and pieces finally, so I am hoping to keep them alive long enough to get a good picture. As for the group you speak of, they seem to have gotten in the middle of events. The four friends quest to find each other, and their tragic pasts of being bullied, make them naturally inclined to take down scum who try to exploit and abuse others. Their actions can directly lead to the takedown of countless people, but...it looks like complete success across the board may be impossible. So I am trying to limit how much any failures happen, and the damage caused from them. These four, and the friends they make along the way, will have a huge impact. Furthermore, one of them is the biological relative in terms of being the one who recieved biological material related to his creation and birth from one of the Cardinal Calamities". "...that last bit was an interesting way of wording things". "Well, look into the memories, pasts, and futures I have seen". "Hmmm....ah, I see. Certainly, it is hard to call that a father son relationship". "Exactly". "But you know, you shouldn''t lie. Thats not the real reason you are helping him out so. Its because his own treatment minds you of your situation". "...guilty as charged. I suppose one of the Great Dragons can see through to the truth at an instant. I dont suppose you know how to escape?" "Hmmmm. It is unfortunate, but there is no way for you to escape". "...then can you just kill me now? I thought I saw potential in some of them admittedly, to release me...". "Oh no, make no mistake, you will eventually be free. However, it is not your actions that will precipitate it. There is a future in which you can leave the Ivory Tower. But rather then an escape, it is different. The human language...it makes it difficult to explain...but rather, you will be escaped? Possibly by your friend there". "Wait, the black cloaked boy? Wasn''t he your friend?" "No no. I created a projection of someone who is of great importance to you. Someone who you love most, to bring you to me for this meeting as a gesture of peace". "...but I have never seen him before". "Interesting. Then perhaps...he is your soulmate?" The Oracle looked a bit confused, although his cheeks did turn a bit red. "I dont think I have any hope with romance". "I think you may have more hope then you think. Are you not a princess locked away in a tower who needs rescuing?" The Oracle did not answer that question, so then the Dragon hit him with another. "Now, what is your name?" "I still don''t know it". "I believe your happiness will not come until you can. Until you can reclaim yourself. Oracle, as the one who always guides others, shut up and be guided yourself for once". The Dragon certainly had a way of getting directly to the point. "Whether your release is death, or from the shattering of your prison, know this. The moment is coming. And you will need to choose what you do when it does. You may be immune to curses with all the divine energy housed inside of you, but emotions and memories can be their own curse, their own prison. And losing even those memories, can make it impossible to find the key". "Thank you for the advice, honored Dragon". "Hmmf. I look forward to seeing what fun things you have in store next. Personally speaking, I want to see that entire tower shatter. Wouldn''t that be amusing!" And then, The Oracle found himself whisked away once more, as he awoke in bed. The next day had come. Chapter 24: The Looming Plots That morning, within the main command camp, Ozlo sat in the seat of honor at the table, maps and reports scattered in front of him. All sorts of details had come in, and things had gotten hectic. The situation had rapidly evolved, and now he was looking at the numbers their forces had, and the numbers of the forces that were marching towards the city. "To think this many Goblins had gathered secretly. Including a lot of high ranking ones they had been hiding, the enemy this time is clever. At the very least we are dealing with a Goblin Lord, but I don''t think he has been crowned yet. No, that will likely happen if he manages to even do significant damage to the city. That would be an issue, and yet..." He looked at the other report. At the same time, movement was detected and dark energy was coming from the Cursed Forest to the south, near where Amyris had found Kuroki. That was in no way a coincidence, and if Ozlo had to guess, it was some sort of deception. However, if it was actually being triggered to pincer attack them, then that would be an issue. As such, the few S-Rank and above people they had available would need to be ready to deal with that. The Guildmaster had to even take the lead on that defense, so all authority had officially been transfered to Ozlo. But it meant that he couldn''t count on any of them being there from the start. He hadn''t anyways, but it would have been nice. Besides, even with this situation, sending S-Ranks to fight Goblins, even a Goblin Lord, would have caused people to question the Adventurer''s Guild. That said, he still had a few A-Ranks, as well as a good number of Bs, Cs, and Ds, as well as anyone who was still able to fight from the Goblin Subjugation Forces of the past few days. However, when he heard that there might be as many as ten thousand, Ozlo became concerned. This might be brutal. And supposedly some Wyverns might be migrating this way at the same time, so I need to keep some of my familiars stationed elsewhere. This is a clear move to tie me down. Could they be targeting my life? Or just want to keep me busy as they went after the Starfallen? Perhaps both. It was at times like this he wished he had more reliable people around him. The Vice Guildmaster was busy dealing with the city defenses against attacks from the sewers. The Guildmaster was in the south, ready to intercept any catastrophic events there. ANd now Ozlo was covering this line of defense. The entire guild management was out in force. Separated and distracted. Thankfully I accounted for this, but this is still bad. The enemy was playing a lot of cards that Ozlo didn''t think they would have. This was an unusual amount of resources to be dedicating to this. Still, Ozlo wasn''t the type to just give up or despair. "Fine then, they want a fight. They will get one" Ozlo said, as he looked at the field. Due to the tall grass, they couldn''t rely on calvary too much so it might allow the Goblins to ambush them. In fact, the knights had provided almost no horses at all. Thankfully, Valiance wasn''t able to interfere much anymore, since the City''s lord was now concerned far more about the situation. Ozlo wasn''t sure if he would call the lord a good person, but they weren''t trashscum like Valiance. That said, they played the game rather well. But at the same time, it was also the lord of a frontier city. Needless to say, he understood large scale battle and threats like this. But they were fighting in a field and a forest with uneven paths and short enemies. Against this group of monsters, it was deemed calvary wouldn''t be able to help as much. Thats probably true, but it might be nice to have as an option just in case. "The Goblins will be arriving shortly sir" Kylia mentioned to him, helping to organize the papers better. "Kylia, thank you. However, I need you elsewhere today". "Elsewhere?" "I need you to bring me the head of the Goblin Lord. Thats about the only way you can reduce my paperwork woes right now". "So I take it you want me to go and rampage then?" he asked, his peaceful and handsome face shifting to the expression of a hungry predator. Ozlo nodded. "The Goblin Lord will be your responsibility. I will need the A-Ranks for something else, and I can''t use that yet. Besides, my opponent has already been chosen I believe, though I know not if she will truly come or not". "She?" "Pay no mind to it". "Sir, this is someone who intends to take your life. I think its not the time to hold back". "Unfortunately, my position prevents me from sharing this with you. Just know that I should be more then capable of defending myself from her". "...I don''t like it". "Then hurry and kill the Goblin Lord and rush back to my side". "I will do just that then". Kylia set off, apparently not intending to waste a single moment. Ozlo just had a wry smile on his face. "What a dependable assistant I have. Now then, this is a foe who bested the legendary Anna and even gave the Guildmaster a run for his money. Will I be her bane, or will she be mine? Only time will tell now". He moved some pieces around, and formulated a strategy. "Of course. That is it. Let us start the battle with that. I suppose its about time I taught them something as well". Coming up with his plan, he went into the back, into a personal room. Two servants were there, and they immediately began to undress him from his typical work clothes, and then dress him and have him fitted into some armor. It was light armor, made of specially processed materials, and was his combat gear. His normal clothes actually were sturdy enough to be used in combat as well, but these were specially made and enchanted by Ellie. It consisted of a thick brown vest and a white short sleeve shirt, with padded shoulders. His pants had two parts as well, the more comfortable and shock absorbing under armor, and the hardened yet still shock absorbing grieves. There were short pants though, stopping just halfway inbetween his knee and his ankle. They were black and very official looking. The materials used looked glossy and had scales to them, and as one might guess, it was indeed made with dragon materials his familiars had willingly provided. No harm came to them to get this, these were things they molted and discarded. The boots and socks that were put on, and even the underwear that he switched to, were all specially prepared as well. The boots were thick brown boots, and the socks were nice and comfortable and would absorb all sorts of shock and walking. With this, he was now in his battle gear. The only odd thing is that he still wore his glasses. He would wear them even into battle. "Now then, lets go and take the initiative". Declaring that, he stepped out of his personal room and out of the tent, summoning his familiar to fly into the sky and watch the battle. He was sure the enemy expected him to take to the sky, but it was still far better then remaining on the ground, and his own plans involved being in the air as well. Even as all these different plots loomed over the battlefield, Ozlo would not be intimidated so easily nor would he let the enemy keep the initiative. No, he decided to do something unexpected.
At the same time, Kuroki¡¯s group were sitting on a picnic blanket in a clearing. Well, he called it a clearing, but in truth there were many other G, F, and E ranked adventures doing the same thing. Right now they were surrounded by reliable and dependable D and C ranked adventurers who were keeping watch, as well as some knights. They were allowing the younger, less experienced adventurers a chance to rest and cool their nerves right before the fighting, letting them be at their peak. That said, aside from their shoes and for many their socks, which were off because they were on a picnic blanket, they were otherwise fully armored and equipped. So it almost looked like the resting area before some large scale LARP or cosplay contest. Riku looked around. ¡°There really are a lot of people here¡±. ¡±And this isn¡¯t even everyone. There are those who can¡¯t participate, or those guarding the sewer exits, not to mention the groups at the other camps¡±. There were three camps, the same ones from the beginning. Ozlo was in the main camp, organizing and preparing. That was main command. But all three also functioned as medical treatment areas, and had some basic defenses set up. Between that and the guards, any goblin detachment that made it there would be dispatched quickly unless it had sufficient strength. Their party was part of the main camp¡¯s force, directly under Ozlo. The right flank was under the command of the Vice Captain of the Brigade of the Silver Wind and A-Rank adventurer Selina Markius. As for the left flank, Valiance had almost ended up in command. He originally tried for Ozlo¡¯s position but was rejected, and then he got assigned to the left flank. He would have been in charge, except that someone with more military experience interjected and took command instead. Kuroki wasn¡¯t sure who it was, but he had been in the command tent a few times and Ozlo looked relieved when he spoke up. Still, things didn''t go as Valiance wanted, but Kuroki was still concerned. They were still in separate groups, but something about this felt concerning. Was he really thwarted? Or was this all part of some grander scheme? Unfortunately, Amyris had been busy that morning, so Kuroki was unable to ask him about it. It was then, as they were consideirng things, that an announcement came overhead. "The general will be taking the initiative! Everyone, prepare to sortie! I repeat, prepare to sortie!" Everyone started pulling on their socks and shoes and such, and then got up and quickly packed the picnic blankets away. At the same time, a small dragon flew overhead, but then two larger summoning gates appeared next to it, and two proper adult sized dragons flew out of it. They rained fire down upon the forest, aiming at the corrupted areas or otherwise somehow making their fires selectively burn things. In an instant the entire forest was engulfed in fire, and the screams of the goblins could be heard. It was only moments later that they frantastically charged out of the forest, clearly still sticking with the assault, but some also clearly fleeing the fire. Furthermore, their formations were already breaking up, which gave those in the front a bit of advantage against the numbers they held. Watching all this from a distance, the Devil clicked her tongue. "Seriously? All out from the start? My time to attack is already being shortened, and this is only going to get worse as it goes on. Did he see through my plan and take this measure to ruin it?" She needed her distraction to be long enough to find the right opening, but this looked like she was going to miss her chance entirely. He took initiative to ruin my timetable. I knew he wouldn''t just sit still, but to think he would go so far as to use Dragonfyre on the forest. But weirdly...it doesn''t seem to be spreading to other trees, just monsters. Can he control what all that dragonfyre burns and doesn''t burn? Thats not something you can just power through, just how much control does he possess? In truth, she hadn''t thought much of him. Of all the ones she was wary of, he seemed like the least powerful. But he was still someone who commanded dragons, so she had been wary of him and acknowledged his strength still. But if he was willing to use this as an opening shot, just how much did he have in reserve. This could be an intimidation tactic, but...no, not yet. I shouldn''t assume this is a bluff I can take advantage of. Still, I do have that card to play. She had many cards to play in truth, but the one she was thinking of at the moment was a rather insideous one. At the same time, Kuroki''s group was now ready to sortie. They had already gone to the bathroom and emptied their bladders not even an hour ago, they had rested properly and ensured they were at max stamina and magical energy. They had practiced a bit, worked on developing new moves and techniques and spells. Their party was now ready for what was ahead. They had even visited Anna''s Petrified Self, and asked her to wish them luck, even through they knew she couldn''t hear them. Still, they took a stone shard they found nearby, a product of some previous attempt by Amyris to free her no doubt, for good luck. Kuroki was keeping it in his pocket, as if to say that she was helping them. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Goblins had begun rushing out in droves, and the adventurers and knights on the front line were already engaging them. The goblins had been made to run and panic, their formations falling apart, but they had not fallen apart completely. Hobgoblins seemed to be able to rally those nearby to them and reform, causing strain on the adventurers. Not to mention the goblins rushing past individually clearly were zealous and would kill or even just injure them in exchange for their own lives, believing their backs were against the wall. The situation was better then if the Goblins had stayed in formation, and it accelerated events. But this did not mean the victor was already determined. Since their overwhelmingly powerful forces were in the south, safeguarding against the Cataclysm Beast, it was possible for them to lose in the north. Especially if the enemy pulled out a major surprise. In fact, the wyverns were already a concern. They were considered to be about C to B Rank, depending on the age and species. That had forced some of their adventurers of equivalent rank to go and deal with them, and Ozlo had sent a familiar that way as well. Ozlo pulled back to the rear, apparently not pushing it any more. If he did, he might steal too much credit away from other adventurers, and perhaps he was worried about a forest fire. His fire did seem weirdly controlled and wasn''t spreading to anything but the monsters after all. It was then that a group of goblins broke through and made it towards where they were. Goblin groups were breaking through other areas too, using the tall grass as a bit of cover but also just the sheer numbers. The battle lines had been breached, but otherwise seemed to hold on some level. They had not totally broken. The first group that dealt with the goblins that breached was Soaring Shield. They quickly used their shields to bash the goblins that charged at them, defending against the attacks while even doing some damage and disorienting them. They even seemed to push them back to reform the defensive wall for this area, but then two Hobs and several more advanced goblins came charging in. The next to move was the Deep Dashers, who rushed in to engage them. They had reacted instantly, but had let Soaring Shield take the first group so they could react to the goblins who reacted to Soaring Shield, covering them while throwing off any response with a sudden flank attack thanks to their speed. It was truly impressive, incredibly commendable work. But then, that was when a new group of Goblins rode out. Yes, that is right, rode out. Riding what appeared to be something that appeared like a wolf but had a stature and shape a bit more like a big in terms of body type, Goblins came charging out of the forest. These things are fast! They should have made it here first...unless... Kuroki quickly used wind magic to project his voice, enhancing it for all to here. "Warg Riders have just arrived! I repeat, Warg Riders have just arrived! The Goblins are not panicking as much as they appear, this is an organized battleplan!" Getting his warning out, the adventurers braced themselves and their expressions became more serious as they noticed the Warg Riders. They all knew enough to know that if they had truly been in a full on panic, the Warg Riders with their speed would have reached them first. In other words, the enemy''s plan had accelerated, but it had not been shattered yet. And they had fallen for the ruse. Goblins were pouring in all over. Two tried to go after Kuroki, to silence the messenger. Riku however cut off their heads immediately, while Ryuu and Kaede covered the flanks. "I am going all out as well! Keep covering me!" Kuroki said, as he raised several pillars of ice from the ground, creating what appeared to be stepping platforms. Kuroki ran up the pillars of ice, ascending higher into the sky. The Goblin archers tried to hit him, but Kaede jumped up and deflected them while Riku targeted the archers close by. Meanwhile, before Kuroki had started chanting even when he had been making the pillars. "A Shattering Storm Gathers Upon Us. Let these cold winds take all that there is, and form an strike of hundreds of spears. Divide them further, and shock the world with a snap of your fingers. A gathering of ice, and sleet of storms". Even as he neared the top, he was still chanting. Magical power was already swirling around him, as the pillars behind him shattered and flew into the air. "From my sky, I see below. Across this battlefield I will make it snow. This frozen sky, charged and ready. For now I shall hold it steady. I bring forth the frozen tempest, which will annihilate all who dare step upon thsi battlefield of mine!" He then jumped off from the last pillar, right into the air several dozen meters above the battlefield. "Wraith of the Frozen Tempest!" The ice that had followed him all formed sharp shards of ice, as if hundreds of daggers were behind him. As he seemed to float there, he unleashed his magic. These ice shards rained down upon the battlefield, aimed at the area where the Goblins and Wargs were advancing forward. Many of them were able to dodge, having seen him and realized an attack was coming. But the blades of ice seemed to rain down everywhere, and it was impossible to dodge them all. Especially the Wargs, being larger then Goblins, were hit far more easily. Not only that, but each shard of ice that hit the ground then froze it, making slippery patches in various areas. If someone got hit in an arm or leg, they themselves might get entirely frozen and still die even if it was a non-lethal wound. This spell, Kuroki''s most powerful spell that he had in his arsenal, was not actually his. Amyris taught him this one last night, just for this occasion. Admittedly, it took all of his control to use. The spell used a lot of mana, and had the weakness that the caster had to remain in place while it was going on. This resulted in Kuroki floating in the air like that as he was casting it and while it was playing out. He wasn''t quite skilled or advanced enough to learn flight magic yet, although he was told it would be soon at his rate. Still, the effect on the battlefield was clear. A large amount of goblins all perished, making their numbers easier on them. In truth, had those warg riders made it, their lines could have collapsed. This was especially bad as they were the center army, so a collapse in any of their lines would undoubtly force the other sides to compensate to guard their flanks on both sides, weakening their own front lines. Even moreso if they sent any help to the front lines. If they were in the middle or endgame that would be one thing, but this was the very opening salvo. Furthermore, Ozlo couldn''t do another attack like before since now the goblins were too close to the adventurers. Ozlo would never allow any friendly fire, although Kuroki thought he might make an exception if only Valiance was the one that got hit. Either way, the battle was already turning a bit into a free for all. The lines were holding of course, but with all the panic and surprise of the wargs, many other goblins slipped through and there was fighting all around them. It was chaotic and messy, with goblin heads and blood everywhere. For the briefest of moments, the four of them felt like they were going to be sick, but then something seemed to wash over them. Their sickened feelings went away, and they Compliantly accepted it was necessary and right to kill their enemies, especially on the orders of their general, Ozlo. Compliance again? It seems to be working even stronger then usual...it seems like this sort of battlefield situation fits perfectly for it. So perhaps we really were meant to be soldiers, compliantly obediant soldiers who killed their enemies, especially on command. While taking in this information, Kuroki''s spell stopped casting and he landed on the ground, as his party members circled around him. However, he wasn¡¯t done yet. He might no longer be casting the spell, but that didn¡¯t mean the spell was over. All the shards of ice were scattered around the Goblin¡¯s side. Kuroki snapped his fingers, and suddenly lightning arced from all the ice. In an instant, lightning pierced through countless goblins, reaping more lives and providing some relief for the frontline, who were able to use the time to deal with the goblins in front of them without fear of reinforcement. The battlefield became a brilliant array of lightning and sparks. That said, the Goblins could no longer ignore Kuroki who had used such a spell. Ten goblins surrounded them, and it was clear they were targeting Kuroki who had just unleashed such a dangerous spell. In truth, Kuroki doubted he could cast that spell again for awhile, as he quickly took out a mana portion and downed the whole thing. If he recovered all his mana, that might help, and he could use it again, but by the time that happened the Goblins would be far too mixed in with the adventurers anyways. Instead, he utilized his Water Puppetry Technique, and fought like that alongside the others. Ryuu unleashed his heroic aura, which seemed to startle and frighten enemies and rallied and motivated allies. Kaede watched for surprise attacks and rapidly defended against attacks, while Riku served as the main vanguard and attacked aggressively before the Goblins could make their move, leaving the defensive vanguard position to Ryuu. Riku cut through one while jumping up to avoid a sword slash. It was a perfect aerial swing, if one avoided that he didn''t stick the landing and landed on his belly. Still, he recovered fast by pushing off the ground and landing on his feet, so it was clear he was practicing properly. He then used a Brilliant Flash to cut through two Goblins at once, swing in such a way to help improve the force of the swing. It was quite impressive, and he was able to do so with ease. Unfortunately, goblins attacked him right at the end, startling him a bit and causing him to trip on himself, resulting in him falling down and landing on his face, although his sword did end up accidentally stabbing another goblin as he did. Kaede and Ryuu were dealing with their own goblins, so Kuroki helped him out by shooting out two lightning bolts and flying both goblins. One died instantly, but the other was only stunned. Still, Riku was able to get back on his feet again, and cut it down before it recovered. Kuroki meanwhile kept using his Water Puppetry technique as more goblins made their way. He grew out the ice under his feet, and then had various ice lances skewer from below. Another goblin got past Kaede and Ryuu and went for his head, but he moved his arm around to create a shield while his other hand seemed to go stiff, almost like it formed a blade. A blade of ice then emerged from the ground as he swung that arm, cutting through the Goblin. He saw the disgusting after effects, and nearly wanted to vomit and run away, but he Compliantly made himself get over it and all those emotions faded away. At least for the most part, as he could still feel some stress building. But it seemed like it was processing itself in the background as he fought. Kuroki had never seen so much death before, but everyone else was fine, so he couldn''t reveal that they were different also. That was what the enemy wanted after all. So he went with the Compliant Acceptance. As they fought and grew accustomed to it, some of the younger G-Ranks were starting to get freaked out. Most were fine, this was probably normal and they spent countless months as adventurers first at least before this. They had already been hardened to some degree, unlike Silver Storm which was being made to Compliantly Accept it through a supernatural power different from magic. That said, the battle was acquiring stress for everyone. They were fine now, since they had been resting right before the sortie to be in peak condition. But if it went on for too long, against an enemy with such overwhelming numbers and the stench of blood anywhere, experience or Compliance would not prevent them from building up stress, fatigue, and other negative things. Dia looked over at Kuroki. "How is your mana?" "Recovering! I wont be able to do that again for awhile, and by the time I can, they will be fully integrated among our own forces!" "Understood! Can you support the far flank then? You should still be able to use smaller scale area of effect spells there, and they look like they got hit by four hob squads right from the start and need relief!" "Got it! You keep Soaring Shields safe! Right now, you guys are the only mobile defense and offense that is working so well together!" "Will do! Stay safe yourself. Consider this an order from your senior! You will not die, understood?" The four of them nodded, no Compliance needed. They rushed off towards the battlefield, but it looked like the Goblins did not intend to let them go so easily. Several of them came around to block their back, trying to drive a wedge between the flank and the center. And yet, that was when a young adventurer ran out into the group. He has deep blue hair and purple eyes, and had fox ears and a fox tail. He was wearing a blue cloak but the hood was down, as well as purple suspender shorts, a red short sleeve shirt, blue boots that looked almost like rainboots, and he had a Grimoire attached at his hip by a chain, just like Kuroki. He also had a Yo-Yo right next to it for some reason. He looked incredibly cute, despite being in a battlefield. He was also holding two daggers, and stabbed through two goblins as vines suddenly grew from the wounds and attacked nearby goblins. He stepped onto the ground, freezing it before skewering all the nearby enemies with ice spikes that shot out from the icy ground, just like Kuroki had done earlier. They didn''t recognize him, but he seemed to be helping them. He nodded towards Kuroki, and saw recognition in his eye. Recognition, and sadness. That look...I have seen it before. A few times. He knows me. He knows what happened to me. And he regrets not being able to do anything about it. He is a Starfallen. That said, they didn''t have any time to talk. "We will speak later. Can you cover our flank?" "Mhm. Leave it to me" the boy said. The group ran past, as the boy proceeded to engage the goblins that tried to stop them and keep the two fronts divided. When one charged at him, he blatantly used a martial arts technique and looked like he was about to restrain the goblin, before stabbing it in the neck and moving on to the next target. Kuroki swore internally he recognized it, but it wasn''t familiar to him, so it couldn''t be from his father''s dojo. He had every flip and restrain technique beaten into him, literally, so he would have recognized it instantly. "Wait, Kuroki, do you know him?" "Not that I know of...but he knows me, Riku" Kuroki replied, emphasizing it in a certain way to get the message across. "I see...well then, for now, lets focus on the task ahead¡±. They continued forward, leaving the fact they had encountered another Starfallen unexpectedly on the battlefield. No, now that I think about it, there are a few other young looking F-Ranks that seem to be talented. I doubt they all are, but...could there be more Starfallen around us then we realized? Perhaps many are keeping to themselves to be safe. The corpses in the craters have probably been heard all around the kingdom by now, so its likely many of us are staying hidden to avoid being targeted. While having such thoughts, another group tried to intercept them. This time it was two hobgoblins and five Goblin Soldiers. At least out here, it was a winnable fight, but it would take them awhile. That was time they simply did not have too, as threats were coming from all around them. More goblins could end up joining the fray from behind to take advantage. And yet, it was in that moment that he appeared. A lone adventurer, a young and handsome man in his mid to late twenties it seemed like, cutting through the two hobs in an instant. The other goblins were surprised, so Kuroki''s group took advantage and attacked them before they could recover, eliminating four of the soldiers and leaving only one left. It tried to flee, but then another adventurer who was nearby cut its head off before rushing over to a different frontline. "Thanks for the help, mister..." "Kylia. My name is Kylia, B-Rank. Any chance you guys have seen the Goblin Lord yet?" Kuroki shook his head at the handsome, tall man. He was objectively hot, but Kuroki also felt quite a bit of envy. He didn''t have much of a height complex, since he had more or less accepted, he would always be short at this point. However, something about this man had reignited that long dead complex. Is it because he is just so damn hot as well? While people always call me cute and adorable?! But wow, I have never seen someone so hot! I am not even into guys, but this guy makes me super envious! What the hell is this degree of hot tallness?! Kylia seemed to realize what Kuroki was thinking, and chuckled. "Anyways, just be careful andm ake sure you come back alive, got it? That is an order. In the meantime, I need to make sure this Goblin Lord dies this battle, so our fearless general wont be in paperwork hell and can finally sleep properly". "Ahhh....good luck then". So he is loyal to Ozlo huh? He seems like a good guy...wait, so he is a hot, tall, good guy who supports his friends and works hard?! What the hell is this Superman?! This swimsuit model?! Ikeman?!?! While Kuroki''s thought process had gotten flustered and confused, they still chased towards the flank, arriving just in time to see various corpses from both sides around. A Hobgoblin which was far more armored then normal was there, and he knocked back a heavy shielder. It appeared this was where they were needed. All the while, no one noticed small figures darting around in the tallgrass, secretly moving around with swiftness and fervor. Chapter 25: The Looming Traps While a great battle was happening between the various forces over at Azralia, Akano and Tamaki were in a different, nearby forest. Both of them were adventurers to support themselves, and while Granny did leave him quite a bit, he knew they needed to make money to survive. As such, the two boys were now out in the woods, gathering herbs and supplies, and occasionally fighting goblins. It seemed Tamaki had no issues fighting monsters typically, since apparently they did not register as animals to him. The exception was the horned rabbits, and things that just were too similar. Horned Rabbits looked almost exactly like the rabbits their elementary school had raised, and as the one who looked after them the most, he had issues with them. So Akano decided they should sidestep the plains completely and focus on the forest. Incidentally, Tamaki was F-Rank as well. When he registered, three rough looking adventurers picked a fight with him, and that while he dealt with the first two, the last one who managed to get behind him had apparently been taken out by Bastian. The small looking corgi was also with them, and it was quickly apparent there was no way this was a normal dog, even for this world. Granny had confirmed that much with Akano. Bastian was able to shoot fireballs somehow, was incredibly intelligent and able to understand even complex commands, and was possibly the strongest one on their team. Tamaki was equipped with a long dagger. Well, it was either a long dagger, or a very short shortsword. He also had a bow with him. But Tamaki''s real talent was how he could get the aid of animals. Birds would let them know when danger approached, squirrels would help them gather up some spare seeds and nuts that were valuable, and normal wolves left them alone entirely. The two of them currently had an arrangement similar to Juno and Reiji, although they alternated between which one of them did laundry...usually. It depended on how much slobber Tamaki''s clothes had on him. Even if they had quite some savings left to Akano by granny, they had to be incredibly careful. They were just two kids, neither of them even high school age (although Akano would be next year). While kids seemed to handle far more responsibility and work in this world, they were unused to that, and they quickly learned just how much they had taken for granted. Akano personally wanted to curse out every single isekai he had read where a protagonist had it easy and just got everything handed to them, as living in this world for not even two weeks yet had made him realize just how trash they were. He would have preferred more like this, since he could use them as reference to know how to handle this new reality they found themselves in. Of course, there were people who actually lived with similar conditions or even worse, since that was how it actually was during those ages, so perhaps history would have served him better as well. Tamaki reminded Akano of his own younger brother. Akano was a middle child, with a younger brother who was a fifth grader in elementary school, and an older sister who was in her second year of high school. Granny mentioned that if she ever heard anything from any of her friends or contacts, she would let him know, but until then, he needed to focus on himself and those he could find. The Starfallen had scattered across the world after all. There was no guarantee they landed in the same continent, let alone the same kingdom. That said, she seemed pretty sure that they could rule out three continents. The Cursed Continent as they called it was the homeland of Demons and Devils apparently, and was hostile land. Then there was the Dark Continent, which rumor had it once held the most advanced and powerful civilization that ever rose in this world, until the First Great Demon King destroyed it. And then finally, there was the Wild Continent, which while had some settlements by one of the shores, was filled with monsters that were generally all C-Rank or above, and had more high ranked adventurers stationed there then any other location. Apparently, the guild tried to have them cycled in and out with most S-Rank or above adventurers being stationed there for at least a few years of their lives, and if they lived long enough, every few decades or so. That apparently left only about five remaining, so it cut down over a third of potential land. Apparently, Starfallen never appeared on those three continents, probably since it invalidated the requirement the Starfall process had to give them a start that gave them some chance to live. That was still a lot of ground however, and if they wanted to find their families and friends, Akano and Tamaki had to get stronger. They needed to adapt to this world and get used to it. Its culture, its dangers, and its power. However, as they made it through the forest, something weird happened. "Akano, we should head back" Tamaki said, as he stopped and looked around. "What is it?" "The birds...they are gone. Squirrels too". "Gone?" "I can''t hear any of them. They are all gone Akano. Or rather, they have been chased off. I spotted a bird''s nest here or there, but no birds. They had to abandon their nests..." Akano tensed up. "We got a good enough haul for today. We are pulling back out". Suddenly, Bastian began to bark. Akano also sensed danger, and quickly dodged as two crude arrows whooshed by where he used to be. He looked towards the darkened forest, and saw several pairs of hungry and depraved eyes looking at them. Many, many pairs. "Goblins...Tamaki, run!" "Bastian, we need to get out of here!" The two boys and one dog(?) immediately went to flee, but Goblins were racing on either side, swinging from tree to tree while also chasing from behind as well. It looked like they intended to encircle and surround them, but there were many more goblins together then there should be. It should only be groups of three or so, but this was at least twelve or thirteen and the number looked like it was only increasing. Bastian shot a fireball at one of them as they ran, but clearly something was off. So they kept running, hoping for something to help them out. Little did they know that the events of Azralia would end up effecting them here as well.
Back with Kuroki''s group, they were facing against the armored Hobgoblin. While all Hobgoblins had some level of armor, this one was far more armored then the others. If Kuroki had to guess, this was what was known as a Goblin Knight. It was a type of Hobgoblin. Apparently, those that earned power and strength were prioritized armor, since it meant the stronger goblins would continue to serve for longer. When they gained enough essence, the Evil God set it up so Goblins would evolve into Hobs, although there were other paths that could be taken as well. Some developed magical abilities, and others developed agility. Those were the types that often ended up becoming Lords and Kings as well, although Hobs could also achieve the role. And right now, they were facing off against one of those dangerous knights. Kuroki quickly tried to freeze the ground, but it seemed to have almost no effect on the Goblin Knight. He shot lightning at him, figuring his metal armor would make it even more effective, but he seemed to cut through the attacks with his sword, somehow cutting through the spell and making it fizzle out. "This thing...is strong". A few other adventurers rallied with them, but everyone could instinctively feel it. This Knight was unusually strong. He was barely affected by Kuroki''s magic, and the moment Kaede tried to dart into a blind spot, it turned to face her or just straight up attacked. Even Ryuu''s Heroic Aura seemed to do nothing against it. "This thing is B-Rank at least" one of the older adventurers said. "I was just barely able to deflect a blow, and it took a lot out of me. Even a C-Rank threat shouldn''t be able to do that to me, even if I am just a D-Rank". D-Rank was considered among the general adventurer forces. Probably about fifty or sixty percent of adventurers never made it past D Rank once reaching it. And about twenty to thirty percent never made it past C-Rank. That meant that of those who actually made it to D-Rank, only around twenty percent ever got any higher. And this included posthumous promotions. Apparently fifteen of that twenty capped at B-Rank, and keep in mind, this was only counting those who made it to D-Rank in the first place. These were also rough numbers, and Kuroki was told there was a chance they had been rounded down for morale reasons. Suffice it to say, B-Ranks were rare. Kuroki considered trying to call out to Kylia, who was hopefully still nearby. He was B-Rank after all. That said... "We have at least twenty people here. We should be able to beat him. And yet, he seems unusually strong and durable. Most people who attack fall quickly". "Wait, what did you say?" Kuroki asked, before turning to Riku. "Riku, can you sense it from here?" "Yeah...that guy is wearing cursed armor" Riku confirmed, causing everyone to become concerned. "Cursed armor huh..." an E-Rank said. "Thats bad. Depending on what it is, it might actually be A-Rank Danger level". Everyone braced themselves. That said, rank was not all important. They all knew that, but it was still something to be wary of. The fact the system still existed and was used around the world showed it was at least somewhat reliable. Kuroki quickly used magic to enhance his voice again. "We have a potential A-Rank threat over here! Support needed ASAP!" The moment he did that, the Goblin Knight moved. It was fast, faster then Kuroki expected a Hobgoblin to be, and was now standing right in front of him with his sword swinging down. As it did however, another sword matched it. The blade itself was covered in cloth so aside from the fact it was large, no one actually could see any details about it. And yet it seemed to not dilute the sharpness at all. The person wielding it was also hiding their identity. They were only a bit taller than Kuroki, but their head was wrapped in cloth preventing identification. The clothes and armor they were wearing also looked a bit big on them, but that didn''t seem to interfere with their swordwork. They deftly deflected the blade, pushing it back and even cutting its left arm, making it bleed. "Who are you, where did you come from?" They shook their head, not speaking. However, they then looked over at another threat. There were now four additional knights coming to assist. Not human, but Goblin. The figure looked over at them, before swing her sword across the air in the direction of the knight they were fighting. The knight quickly raised its blade to defend against the attack, but part of its large sword broke and it was clearly winded. The figure then ran across the battlefield, engaging the four knights and pushing them back into the forest. Now out of sight, their savior had left them with a weakened Goblin Knight. Their situation had improved, but... Who the hell was that person?! It was such an odd thing that happened. The way they covered their face and sword, were they some sort of spy or shadow operative? It was so sudden and random that Kuroki was puzzled, but he didn''t have the time to think about it. At the moment, he had to focus on the situation in front of him. Now that it was wounded and its weapon damaged, they had a much better chance. "Archers, pin it down!" one of the D-Rank said, taking command. The archers let loose their arrows, but either he blocked or dodged them, and the few that hit him either bounced off the armor or didn''t show any signs of damaging him. Meanwhile, the mages began to bombard it with all sorts of different attacks, figuring it couldn''t deflect or withstand all of them. Kuroki decided to join in as well, but not in a typical way. "This is exactly the type of situation for the spell Master taught me..." he declared, as magical equations formed around him. A huge spell array appeared under his feet, expanding across the entire battlefield against the Goblin Knight. "Regido. Markia. Savado". These three terms triggered magical energy to surge forth. "Mazia. Fragia. Telesu!" From this, the world itself almost felt like it was twisting. Kuroki felt his body at his limit. Formulas appeared not just around him, but on his very body. It almost looked like they were engraving themselves into his skin, and it was clear he was in pain. Whatever this spell was, it wasn''t normal. This was no simple water or storm spell. "I call upon the chrono leylines, the threads that travel through the timelines! These golden threads link across all of existence, to the eternal infinity of reality! We link forward, we link backwards. Let us repeat our moves, double our attacks. With no cost to us, and all cost to them. A doubled effort, a grand symphony. Show them our unity, our doubled army! Offense Duplication!" Kuroki finished incanting, before yelling out in pain. His body fixed in place, in agonizing pain but he couldn''t move. This spell required the caster to be completely still, but he was suffering all over. His body ached, his brain cried out. Even his very soul was strained by these acts. It was clear to anyone who knew of magic that this was a spell he was not ready for. But he was just barely able to cast it and keep it maintained, and its effect was obvious. Every attack launched at the Knight was launched twice. For every arrow loosed, a second would follow without anyone having fired again. For every spell slung, an identical spell would follow. Kuroki had created a localized warp in reality itself, causing all attacks by allies to be duplicated. The Goblin Knight realized the threat, and charged right towards Kuroki, having identified him as the caster. As expected, even the knight understood it would die if this spell continued on, as it effectively doubled the number of attackers. They already had twenty or thirty people, so to go to forty to sixty? The Goblin Knight was already wounded, it doubted it could win against the normal number. But it wouldn''t even be able to kill anyone if this kept up. Still, it had a rather dependable blocker to deal with. "Flare Enchant: Incendia! Brilliant Flash!" Riku unleashed his attack against the desperate Knight. Normally, it would have blocked or deflected easily, but in this situation, it had to deal with the projectiles as well. As it tried to sidestep the attack, Riku pivoted and cut right through its right arm, having targeted the spot where it was already wounded. Even Riku was surprised by the events, but those from behind saw it clearly. For a moment, there was an echo. An afterimage of Riku that had attacked as well. Offense Duplication did not just duplicate ranged attacks, but close quarter attacks as well. What had been one strike instead was two. That said, the fact that Riku was able to hit the wounded spot was still rather surprising as well. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Still, the Knight didn''t let that go unanswered, and had tripped Riku up, as he was unable to stop his own momentum. This let him charge towards Kuroki. Kaede however appeared behind him, stabbing him in both legs. She had tried to go for the neck, but it reacted too fast so she changed her targets instantly. A quick and precise reaction, but it was also strange. She didn''t have enough experience or precision yet to be capable of that much. That said, it didn''t slow him down much, and he still charged towards Kuroki. Ryuu came forward next, and unleashed his Heroic Aura. This time, he was able to direct it right at the Goblin Knight. This gave even the knight pause, which made him a sitting duck for several spells that went off. Still, he endured, although his armor was quickly becoming tattered and he was losing a lot of blood. But he knew he had to kill Kuroki. Now, before it was too late. And yet, the moment it took a step forward in front of Kuroki, an ice spike shot from the ground and skewered him, delivering a lethal blow as he was trapped there. His strength gone, and unable to attack, he just wailed as he began to die, slowly and painfully. "...h..how..." it managed to speak in the common tongue. Kuroki deactivated his spell the moment the D-Ranks told him it was safe. "Simple. I cast that trap in advance. I figured if you targeted me, you would charge forward, so I placed a trap ahead of time. You would get reckless with each attempted attack from my defenders, and more desperate and sure you would make it". Kuroki walked by him, giving him a look. "In the end, no matter how strong and brutish you are, intelligence and strategy will always win. You cannot punch your way out of every situation. You need brains, not fists". His words felt almost like he was scorning someone else, not the Goblin Knight, but no one felt the need to bring that up. That said, Kuroki was clearly weakened. He took out a potion and chugged it down. "Oi, is that okay?" a D-Rank asked. "Yeah...that spell took a lot out of me. Sorry guys, I know we came to relieve you, but can you hold here until the next group comes? I need to recover a bit, and then report back to command about these knights with Cursed Armor". "Sure. You took quite a bit of recoil from that spell huh? I think you might want to wait until you are at least C-Rank to use it, honestly. That thing was absurd". "Hahaha....well, it was an emergency. But thanks" Kuroki said, as Riku came over and supported his right, while Kaede got his left. "Stay safe". "I think we should be the ones saying that, but yes. Make sure you survive. We can''t risk losing such talented adventurers so easily after all". Kuroki needed time to rest and heal after pulling such a stunt, which he didn''t even maintain for thirty seconds. It was clear he wasn''t ready for a spell on that level yet, however there was another takeaway from that the adventurers did notice. To think at that age, he was able to pull off the spell at all...what talent. I wasn''t even able to really register even until I was fourteen, and I only made it to G-Rank just before my sixteenth birthday. That kid...no, all of those kids have serious potential. While they might not possess the abilities to fight dragons or change the topography of the region with a single attack, each one of them had potential. Even before coming to this world, and gaining the power they held, all of them had potential. The Starfall had simply given them the power to utilize it, and the mental reinforcement the power to adapt quicker. But for these adventurers, who thought defeat was certain, or that if they tried to attack the knight head on, had frozen in place, while those younger then them, one not even double digits in age, had charged forward. Perhaps...perhaps I have been too complacent about my rank. If children that young can do it, then I should give it my all as well. And so, the D-Rank Adventurer...no, Reveris, the D-Rank Adventurer, decided he would give it his all, and aim for the better heights he felt like he should have obtained long ago. Psychology can be so fickle sometimes.
It was at this time that a group of others began to make their moves. Watching from the shadows, a few knights began to follow the group, a sinister plot unfolding. Watching in a way that kept them out of focus yet not strange or out of place, they moved towards the children with dark intentions, their gazes as dark as the moonless night. They moved forward with their scheme, as Ozlo was busy up in the sky with wyverns and the ground was dealing with the wargs. While they were isolated was the time to strike. They unsheathed their blades, coated in a special toxin that would leave them paralyzed. There was a risk of nerve damage and it lasting forever, but that was hardly a concern for Valiance. It might even make it easier on him down the road. And with the mage out of play, it would be their easiest moment to strike. The father had already called dibs upon Kuroki and Kaede, but the others were still on the table, and they could probably share them. And yet as they moved within the grass to strike, a thread encircled the neck of the leader of an instant. This was no normal thread however, but the thread of a yo-yo. "You should leave those kids alone. Adults should settle things with other adults, not minors" a young and childish voice said, belonging to someone who was a minor himself. He looked about the same age as those four, but these people were professionals in the underworld. They knew how ages could be deceiving, especially with Riza involved, and they could feel a sense of the supposed boy''s aura. This foxkin boy was no child, the professionals knew that in an instant. The others who turned to look at him saw his gaze, and they were not the innocent eyes of a child, who was unburdened by the world and therefore was free to think and create in ways adults never could, ignorant of how it worked. No, these were the eyes of someone who had witnessed the darkness, and faced it head on. The light from them pierced through their shadowy veil, and they felt naked before his gaze. "...what are you, some sort of detective?" "Got it in one guess. Impressive" the boy said. "Meanwhile, your eyes reflect your darkest nature. Loyal to cash and desire, unbothered by darkness, and also see anyone and everyone as a price tag. Tell me, what price tag do you make out for me?" The man had no words to respond. Or rather, he couldn''t respond. He had appraised many things, and especially many people. He could roughly tell who was the most valuable, whose personality traits would go for the most, whose appearance would especially stroke the desires of the depraved. But the boy in front of him, every instinct told him that unlike those four, he was not for sale. Or rather, that he couldn''t be bought or sold. Too dangerous. Too unpredictable. Too cunning. Adorable, but the way he moves shows he likely already knows how to use that. He seemed unusued to his small frame, so he used to be bigger, but does that mean shapeshifting? His eyes could see through deception, and likely trying to imprison him would potentially be futile without lots of money poured into it. Enough that they would lose money on the transaction. In short, this boy was too dangerous to be used as goods. There were only three people who had ever given off an impression of "No Sale" to the man, that he had appraised himself. The Guildmaster of the Adventurer''s Guild. Sebas, the leader of the Mage''s Guild branch of this city. And Amyris, the Magician of the Silver Hour. He was actually able to put a price on Riza, however...antagonizing him meant bringing not just the cost of money of going after him, but of everyone in the Brigade of the Silver Wind. And that was more trouble than it''s worth. Incidentally, he had never even tried to appriase Ozlo. Supposedly, the last five people that tried were never heard from again, except for one who just went insane. He had always been mentally fragile though. So he never even so much as looked at Ozlo, since if he even so much as did so instinctively...it might end up with him disappearing. The boy wasn''t as strong as any of those people, he could tell. Unlike the four mentioned, it wasn''t his power or strength that was the threat. But something else about him. Something else about him gave this man that feeling. In truth, he suspected it might actually be similar to Ozlo. He was someone who should not be appraised, as he felt this instinctive panic and fear. "I see you refuse to answer. Then perhaps I will have to arrest you all...err, capture you all, and bring you back to the Commander. After all, I did find you out of position. DId you purposefully pull back in order to draw their group here, to get them to exhaust themselves against the Knights, and then planned to ambush them as they returned to report the situation to command? I must say, that''s rather clever". A chill ran down his spine. The boy...no, the person right there had figured out their plan in an instant. He knew right here, if he didn''t end him now, not a single one of them would be able to escape. The man whose neck was encircled by string tried to make a move for him, but the string tightened suddenly and he found himself gasping for air. He still tried to draw his blade to attack, which caused the boy to frown as the string snapped his neck and then returned, a Yo-Yo at the end of it. The boy was wearing short pants that ended about halfway between the knee and the ankle, and rainboots which covered his ankles. Despite the rainboots, he seemed to be able to move in them perfectly fine. "I, the E-Rank Adventurer Zak, will be your opponent today" the boy declared. Suddenly he slung the Yo-Yo out, and the end grew in size, becoming about as large as a car wheel. It impacted one of them, knocking them to the ground in pain, as he recalled it. "As expected, it''s hard to get used to a strange new weapon. I made sure to acquire something omnipurpose and useful, but it looks like I need to train better. I was going for a size bigger than that. The string too, I really wanted to restrain his neck and body, but it seems that I have a lot to learn". "Who...who are you?!?" "Someone who was powerless to do anything before. Someone who wanted a second chance to do things the right way. Someone who has endured time and time again". This time, when he took a step forward, the men felt the ground under them begin to liquify. "I know you guys are fast, so let''s keep this here shall we?" he started, walking across the ground perfectly while they slowly sank into it. No one was even sure when he cast the spell either. If Kuroki and the others were here, they would be surprised too. After all, he seemed weirdly skilled for a Starfallen. His magic and physical abilities seemed normal, but his talent and experience were on another level. His gear was also surprisingly high quality, although it did seem a bit mismatched. "While those kids go and deal with that, we shall handle business here like adults" he reported, with chills running down their spines as he approached them.
At the same time, flying out in the skies above, a different battle was going on. Ozlo was engaged in a dogfight, only instead of fighter planes it was dragons and wyverns, and his magic. As his dragon twisted around, he shot several rapid fireballs from his hand, which impacted several Wyverns. Two were turned to ash, but one was able to get away with just being a little scorched. Another flock of Wyverns meanwhile flew right past him, heading for the armies. "Gate, Open! Go after those wyverns, don''t let a single one strike the army!" He stretched out his arm, and two gates made of magical energy appeared, forming from magic arrays he created with his mana. As they flew out, another huge growl was heard, and he looked over to its source in a panic. Several larger wyverns were emerging from the forest. "Shit. Larger Wyverns? The A-Ranks should be engaging them soon, but that many..." He stretched his arm out again, and repeated the process of forming the gate and sending out his draconic familiars. He then had to hold on tight as his dragon spun around to avoid incoming attacks, which he responded to with a burst of fireballs and his dragon utilized its lightning breath to take down a few others. If that was it, perhaps things would have been fine. But then he saw a Tyrant Dragon emerge from the woods. That was incredibly bad timing, and Ozlo was sure it was intentional. Tyrant Dragons had no wings and small arms, but they had rough skulls, powerful teeth and tails, and strong and durable legs and bodies. Since it was on the ground, B-Ranks would be able to handle them better, but it was still dangerous. Once again, Ozlo stretched out his hand to summon more dragons. And then, he felt someone grab him from behind. "Well now, don''t you think you are interfering a bit too much, brat?" "So the mastermind finally appears". "Oh, aren''t you a cool customer. I wonder what is in that head of yours". "You won''t ever find out!" Ozlo jumped upwards and backwards off his dragon''s back as it spun around, sending them both into a freefall. Ozlo used that to twist around and hit her at point blank range with a fireball, but she just seemed to eat the fire magic. However, in that next moment she got zapped. "What the..." "Oh come now, disguising one spell as another is one of the most basic tricks of magic you know?" He was able to get free out of her grip, as a dozen fireballs and lightning bolts appeared around him and bombarded her. She created a barrier to deflect them and went after him. "It seems you really are after my mind. Unfortunately for you, my mental defenses are far better than anyone you have ever dealt with before". "Oh? I will look forward to shocking you then". As the two fell, tendrils of shadows reached out from her back and tried to enclose upon Ozlo. Ozlo however, was having none of that as he continued to create fireballs to defend as he chanted. "I call upon the draconic flame. The warmth of all dragons, the love of all dragons. The courage of all dragons, the might of all dragons. Let loose your draconic light upon the world at large. Create our never ending world of dragons. Let us show our majesty, our light. Let us show our desire, our might. Dragon''s Essence!" The parts of his exposed arms suddenly became scaley, and markings appeared across his body, forming all sorts of lines and shapes. Furthermore, flames seemed to errupt from his hand, creating a light that repelled the darkness and burned away all. Even the curses that existed within her spell were burned away. "You saw them coming". "You really didn''t think you would be able to use the same trick twice now did you?" "No. But perhaps this was all a trick". Suddenly, she was behind him, her previous self-dissolving into a vapor before disappearing. An illusion! He tried to turn around, but she placed her hand on the back of his neck. "Now then! Mindscape Delve!" The moment she said that, she became certain of her victory. She then found herself in what appeared to be a classic, sterotypical dungeon room of a dungeon, with old stone walls and floors everywhere. Parts were moving back and forth even, as if the place was constantly shifting. It was kind of freaky to be honest, and the whole place looked like it was made of perfect stone cube blocks. There were passages in the ceiling, on the walls, and even one in the floor. They appeared both ancient and new, set and yet in motion. It was a myriad of complex contradictions, as if someone had rewritten the rules halfway. Without a doubt, it was a complex construct, and she had landed right in the middle of it. And she was rather surprised by all this. "What the hell is this?!" "My mind, of course. Or at least the outer defensive layer of my spell that is around it" a voice said, when several dozen fireballs came from above. She took several direct hits, and saw Ozlo, swinging his legs back and forth, kicking the air as he sat one an upper platform that had a perfect view of the entire room. "Impossible! What did..." "...I do? I used your own power against you. It really baffled me you know? Why did you think you could go up against a skilled curse expert and win, and furthermore you actually did. You bypassed Anna''s defenses as well, despite some of them being from her being a Starfallen, making them both abnormal and quite robust. There was no way one could just get such power without there being some sort of limit, but then I realized. YOu must possess some sort of rare or unique special ability or attribute. And that was when it hit me...your magic, instead of being weakened by resistances and immunities, is actually strengthened by it. The stronger the resistance, the stronger your magic becomes. An inversion based ability". That was why Anna did what she did. And why the Guildmaster was unable to break it completely. "However, it looks like it still requires you to physically touch a target. If I had to guess, their head. Furthermore, you cant do it immediately upon meeting them. Otherwise you would have used it on me the moment you retrained me. If I had to guess, you have to be near the target for a good bit before you can use it on them. Then it lets you invade their mind, mess with their heads, and plant your curse. Is that correct?" Chianthias grit her teeth. As expected, this brat is just too smart. I need to end him now. "What the hell is this?" "Ah, this space? This is my ultimate mind defense magic, Infinite Mental Labyrinth. See, since your inversion makes your spell more effective, I figured I would actually be able to pull you inside without you meaning to. In other words, use your own ability against you. This let me trap you inside of here, where your power wont do you much good, and where I can utilize a few tricks I cant in the outside world". "So the spell I tried the other day at range..." "Mhm. If it didn''t run out of mana by now, it''s still running around lost in here. In order to reach my mind, my memories, you will need to both navigate...and survive...this place". "Survive?" At those words, a giant sword nearly took her head off. She just barely dodged in time, but when she looked, she saw someone she never thought she would see again. A girl whose very existence seemed absurd, who was carefree and idiotic and yet smart and a hard worker at the same time. Someone who the High Council decided would one day grow into an overhwelming threat, who had various prophecies of catastrophe made by the Dark Oracle. Anna stood there, smiling. "You can consider this our revenge match". "How...this is no illusion, but you can''t be free". "Indeed. She is still very much trapped in that statue. But, for the briefest of moments, for this singular battle, I have made it so she has gotten a temporary reprieve from that. After all, her mind was freed long ago. And unfortunately for you, thanks to the decades spent removing that first curse, she has an incredibly high tolerance for your magic" Ozlo explained, as Anna readied her sword and pointed it at the devil. "In other words, I am the very worst possible matchup for you". Ozlo hopped down, and then the two high fived each other with both hands while going "Yay!" Ozlo then turned towards Chianthias. "So you see..." "...this was our plot" Anna finished. The Devil grit her teeth in frusteration and annoyance. "You think you can outplot me? Do you think you have the mental capacity to spare on me?" "I trust in my fellow adventurers, and in the Starfallen". At those words, Chianthias'' lips formed into a smile. "Oh, but are you sure you counted all the Starfallen? I will let you in on a secret. The number was far more then whatever those kids told you". Ozlo narrowed his eyes. He could tell she wasn''t lying, and he didn''t like it. "What do you mean?" "You should have been wary the moment you realized...this Starfall was not like any others before it". Ozlo and Anna grit their teeth. "Sorry Anna, but can you end her as fast as possible. Until her spell ends, I can''t leave this place". "Right, got it. Dontcha worry, I want to help protect my new juniors as well!" The two nodded, as she radiated a brilliant aura. And so, a revenge match several decades in the making occurred inside of Ozlo''s mind, or rather, his mental defense layer. Chapter 26: The Looming... While Anna and Ozlo fought against the Devil, Akano and Tamaki were fleeing through the forest, occasionally firing attacks at Goblins as they ran to keep the Goblins guessing and slow them down. When they got too close, Akano bashed them away with his staff and unleashed a beam of light. Tamaki otherwise used his bow, and Bastian sent out fireballs. The three of them were rushing full steam, with many goblins on their tails. They needed at least one more fighter, but so far they had not been lucky enough to encounter anyone. As such it was just them so far. Well, that wasn''t entirely true. They did see someone, but it was just a few corpses that looked chewed up. It didn''t look like Goblins did that, but it also didn''t look like anything in this area did that either, so they were worried the Goblins might have wargs or something, or other beasts under their command. "Tamaki! I don''t suppose there are any animals nearby that can help us?!" Tamaki''s dog ears flapped around, but it seemed he was still able to ear with them fine. "Sorry, nothing yet...but we do have incoming! Another monster, heading right for us! It is coming from a different direction then the Goblins!" Akano''s eyes widened. "Different direction? Is this confirmed?" "Yes...why?" "Tamaki, which direction? Use clock directions, with forward for us being twelve!" "Its at ten o''clock!" "I see. Tamaki, we are changing directions. We need to turn to three o''clock!" "But that''s not toward the city! We might find more people that way!" "But if we can lead the beast into the Goblins, they might keep each other busy!" "I see! Use our enemies against each other! How did you figure that out so fast?" "...I once did the same thing in the past, to help get Kuroki out of danger". "I see. Alright, lets go Bastian!" The group turned, and headed off in the new direction. The Goblins were quick to change course, but Tamaki could hear the beast in the distance. "Ahhh...a nostalgic sound..." "Tamaki? The beast has four legs, doesn''t it". "Ahahaha...I think it must be a wolf or something, or are there wild dogs here? I kinda want to pet it, but if its a monster, I doubt it will let me". "Lets escape the goblins first!" "Right...oh no!" Akano and Tamaki had rushed this direction, so they didn''t notice the cliff wall just down the way after a minute or two of running. It was a dead end, and now they were sandwiched. No way out, and the Goblins arrived...just as another beast did. A shadowed beast, cloaked in a black haze. It stared down at them and the Goblins, crushing one of them under his paw that he had grabbed already. The Shadehound had arrived, and now the two boys and the small Maybe Corgi were literally trapped with their backs against a wall, as the Goblins and the Shadehound closed in on them from both directions. Akano could only pray for a miracle now.
Meanwhile, near the back of the forces but away from others, Kuroki''s group was resting as they tried to figure out what to do next. Kuroki especially was being run ragged in this battle, having used one spell he was just barely able to control and had the mana for, and another one he most certainly was not ready for. The fact he had even successfully cast it was a miracle in itself, but it had been necessary for that fight. He pushed himself way too much, and it resulted in his body taking on a part of the toll that would normally be paid with mana. He had used a recovery potion for his body and his mana, and was resting to help with not just his physical fatigue but his mental fatigue as well. He had built up quite a bit of it after all, dealing with everything and all his spells, but also the sheer scale of the fighting. The only reason it wasn''t worse was because of adaptability and mental fortitude, but most of all Compliance. It was clearly working the hardest to have them adapt to war-like conditions, far more then the other two. They were a bit concerned because unlike the first two, Compliance was clearly more of a brainwashing type of thing that was meant to be used for darker reasons, like making them obedient, but they didn''t have much of a choice in this situation but to rely on it. They would just have to hope it wouldn''t do anything permanent to their brains, it wasn''t like they could remove it anyways and the changes had already been done. I would like to say we definitively know what Compliance is for now, but...quite honestly, I can''t say that for sure. Its absolutely trying to condition us into obedient soldiers, but the Starfallen aren''t that strong individually. Whoever tried to summon us was trying to summon tens of thousands of Starfallen, maybe even more if the range was bigger then we realized. We all got gear supplied for us, Riku got his in a dungeon but it was still really high quality. The rest of us all got great gear from Amyris and Ellie, as well as Riza''s weaponsmith friend. But its not like this stuff grows on trees, so how would they handle logistics and supplies? And guaranteeing Compliance would work? Without a doubt, Compliance had clear soldier developing applications. There was no refuting this, so the idea they were summoned by someone who plotted to use them in a war was clear. There was no doubting this point. But summons typically involved a set place, while they were scattered across the world. Perhaps they had tried to get around the limitations of summoning, and made a mistake? But then how did the Demons and Devils learn about it so fast? Wait wait...no, I am probably wrong. I am almost certainly wrong, but what if...the Devils are responsible for the scattering? Kuroki''s eyes widened a bit, as he considered this new information. No no, that makes no sense. How would they learn, and no one else? Ahhh, I don''t have enough information about this world....speaking of information and Starfallen, who was that boy? Kuroki tried to redirect his thoughts, realizing he was making careless assumptions and going down a rabbit hole. Instead, he focused on the Starfallen they met just moments ago. The boy was clearly a Foxkin, and looked to be around ten years old. His clothes sort of worked together although also seemed a bit mismatched, especially the rain boots. His skill and abilities also seemed higher then theirs. Then again, Kuroki had noticed something about Riku as well. It was slight, but his abilities actually exceeded the rest of theirs Kuroki was pretty sure. Perhaps it was because of the martial arts he actually did learn from Kuroki''s shitty father, as well as having actual inherent skill before they arrived in this world. In other words, skill and ability were additive. It was almost like the wishes existed on a point buy system, but rather than starting from scratch, you started from an already developed character. Depending on how developed, your stats would be higher overall. It also likely depended on the compatibility of your wishes with your previous experiences. Kuroki was always intellect based, but while he wasn''t a super genius and he often got himself into all sorts of embarrassing situations and just outright trouble, he did wonder if perhaps he was actually smarter now. He was able to deduce things much faster then before and figure things out, and he was picking up magic faster then anyone expected. He was sure his obsession with magic made his wishes focus down on that, becoming a pure spellcaster while others had more varied wishes. But that wasn''t all. It would be a long time before he could get close to Ozlo, but at the same time...Ozlo felt like the path he was working towards. Ozlo''s greatest asset wasn''t his magical abilities or dragon summoning, but his sheer intelligence. He had apparently even seen through the plans being concocted by the Devil he believed was the mastermind of this incident, the one who provoked the Goblins and attacked the Guildmaster recently, and Anna in the past. He mentioned during the fight he might be unavailable, and that the way the forces were directed at them might be to separate Ozlo to attack him as well. Ozlo was almost always at the guild, surrounded by other experienced adventurers or by nobles with their own guards, if not near the Guildmaster himself. Ozlo was clearly intelligent enough to be dangerous, and this battlefield would be the singular moment he would truly be isolated. Apparently, he had found a reliable reinforcement he could not deploy elsewhere, although Kuroki had no idea who it could be. Kuroki thought it was unfortunate they couldn''t free Anna in time to get a revenge match in, unaware that is exactly what Ozlo did. Truly, Ozlo and Kuroki were similar types. People who dealt with the unreasonableness of others, highly intelligent mages, looked down on and bullied by assholes. And now this new Starfallen showed up, clearly knowing Kuroki''s past. The expression alone gave it away, a mixture of sorrow, regret, and recognition. Kuroki wondered who he was. He knew all their neighbors, having used any opportunity he had to use them as a buffer to make it so his dad couldn''t lash out. After all, he was unfortunately the type of asshole who had connections and covered things up well, so he knew exposing what was going on to their neighbors was a bad call. Not only that, but often children in the neighborhood mistook him for someone around their age and invited him to play. It was embarrassing sometimes, but he also sometimes used it to his advantage to avoid his father. This also was why he knew the boy wasn''t someone in the neighborhood. He knew a few of them had figured it out, not that the parents ever believed it since his dad had a "charming mode". But the foxkin starfallen''s face did not match any of them. A classmate of Riku''s maybe? He had never met them, but then again perhaps the appearance changed more then he thought, given that both Riku and the new boy had animal ears and tails. Hmm. Appearance changes? Kuroki paused for a moment on this thought. Maybe the reason I can''t recognize him...and the reason he is so skilled, is because he is an adult? Or was an adult? Kuroki pondered a bit, before finally speaking up. "Hey, you guys saw the boy who helped us out right? The one I think is Starfallen?" "You mean the boy who recognized you?" Riku asked. "Yeah. Do you guys recognize him? He looks like he would still be going to elementary school, so I wanted to check that before I say my theory". Kaede and Riku thought for a moment, while Ryuu just shook his head instantly. "I don''t recognize him". "Never seen him before. I didn''t get a good look at his face, but at the very least, I can''t recall him". "Same as Kaede. I can''t place him either. Maybe he is actually older like you?" "You are half right Riku, at least according to my theory" Kuroki responded, pondering with a serious expression. "I think he was an adult before coming here, but one of his Wishes reverted him back into a child". Ryuu seemed shocked, and Kaede was a bit surprised as well. Riku however seemed to nod. "I see...so you are thinking about those common wishes, aren''t you? It didn''t happen to me, but perhaps it doesn''t work in reverse or my other wishes drowned it out". Ryuu looked confused. "Wait, you had a major wish that didn''t get granted by the Starfall?" Riku nodded, facing them. "I really wanted to be an adult immediately so I was no longer under my uncle''s thumb and could be independent. Even before I lost my parents, I always dreamed of being an adult". "Oh, I did too" Kaede admitted. "Same! I wanted to grow big and strong fast!" Kuroki nodded. "Of course. Its a bit like the saying, ''the grass on the other side is always greener''. Iv often heard of my classmates and schoolmates and such wanting to grow up fast or be adults already, just like I have heard adults always wish that they were young and kids again. I think that is the wish the mysterious Starfallen we met had activated". Kaede seemed to follow along as she responded. "So, the kid is actually an adult? An adult who knows your past and what you went through then, and regretted not being able to help? But wait, why did none of us become adults then?" "I think...its probably a safety measure of the Starfall. If I had to guess, it wont reduce someone''s lifespan or ruin their natural development by artificially aging them up. You can only be aged and regressed down into a child, to give more time to develop and have a longer lifespan. These are meant to be gifts after all". "In that case, there are a lot more child Starfallen then we originally thought. I wouldn''t be surprised if almost every elderly person became a child, given how they always complain about backpain". A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Kuroki nodded at Riku''s assessment. Indeed, the amount of child Starfallen would probably be increased by a lot, but especially taking up that category. Kaede also seemed to agree, as she pivoted back to the original topic. "So, the kid there is an adult that was in a position to know the truth about your father and your relationship to him, but was incapable of doing anything to help you? I can only think of three professions that might work, a police officer, a teacher, or a doctor". Ryuu seemed puzzled though. "Why would a police officer be powerless?" "Because my father helped train a good number of them and were friends with a lot of them, including leadership. Its why I couldn''t go there myself to try and get their help" Kuroki answered, looking rather displeased. "There were a few younger cops who did seem tense when they visited though, and looked displeased when they looked at me. I always thought it meant my father spun stories to them, but...if what I saw was real regret for my situation, not for my father''s ''plight'', then maybe...sometimes officers did arrive unusually fast to my house". Riku seemed to nod along. "So cop is an actual possibility. As for teachers, wouldn''t they have contacted the board of education or something? Surely your father doesn''t have connections there, does he? You never mentioned any to me". "He knows a few of the gym teachers and one who practiced martial arts, but not enough that if I ever had proof, I could use that to get him arrested hopefully. To be honest though, that was unlikely to succeed, and things would have just gotten worse for me, so I was too afraid to try such a route". Riku grimaced. No, I think that''s just the psychological effect of being beaten and abused for years Kuroki. I think it was more viable then you realized. However, Kuroki did think of something. "...my gym teacher though, was different". "Gym? Not math or science or anything else, but gym?" "I always got along with them too, but they were more passive and I never developed a strong bond with them. I think some of the nastier bullies spread rumors about me to make people keep their distances too, so maybe that subtly influenced them. But...the gym teacher we had since he started late last year was different". Kuroki had not met him the day they were taken from their old world, and instead they had a substitute instead who was under his father''s influence. But the normal one had been different. Considerate of Kuroki. Ever since he started, much of what they did were things that almost seemed to accommodate Kuroki to some degree. Either a stool was already there, or Kuroki got a position where his height wouldn''t matter. It was subtle, he never said anything outright, but it felt like he was trying to be inclusive. But the first day was especially notable. It had been a particular rough and sweaty day, so he told them to shower off a bit before getting clean clothes on. Unusual, but not unheard of when everyone got muddy or dirty. He ended up coming in to check in on them. He wasn''t creepy or anything, more caring and concerned. But when he saw Kuroki, once Kuroki came out, he started to ask if Kuroki was okay...and a bit about his homelife. Even though to most people, no signs of abuse were visible, it seemed the coast was far more perceptive then most. Kuroki could tell instantly that he knew. Later on, he even taught Kuroki about not only first aid, but tricks to feign making it seem like he was more hurt then he was and how to pretend to take more force of a blow then one actually did. These things actually helped him out when his father beat him, and the teacher was always ready to listen to Kuroki. And recently, a few weeks ago, Kuroki finally let his walls down with him fully. Not only that, but this gym teacher was the one who cracked down on bullying the most. He was the one who cooperated with Kuroki''s group and when some of the worst bullies got exposed, had them expelled from school. It was proof that he was different, and why Kuroki was able to let his walls down with him. "However, as much as I would love it to be him, I think its probably unlikely. I don''t think he would have waited for later, not after all that". "I see. Well, hopefully we meet this guy one day. Sounds like a good guy. I am almost certain that shower thing though was him actually looking for stuff like that". "Yeah, I thought the same thing" Kuroki admitted. "So then, we think police officer is the most likely then?" Riku asked. "No, there is one more possibility, and this one would certainly know enough about anatomy that combined with combat skills, would be deadly in a fight. A doctor. Specifically, the emergency room doctor I had to see one time when the doctor my dad usually takes me too was unavailable, as was his backup. Both of which are his friends of course, but not this guy". Kuroki''s father was meticulous at not leaving any marks, but he wasn''t perfect and sometimes he was drunk, enraged, or both. This was the time Kuroki was most likely to be injured, and then he would be taken for treatment. Usually his father made it the most embarrassing and insufferable as possible out of spite, with Kuroki getting a full body exam each time his arm was broken. Probably also to try and make sure Kuroki wasn''t inclined to break it on purpose to try and get his father in trouble or something. But one time they had to go to the emergency room, and while the doctor didn''t seem able to say anything at the time, especially with Kuroki''s shitty father hovering right there, he couldn''t do much. But he did remember the regret and sorrow at that time. It seemed he at least suspected, if not outright knew. "So either a police officer, or a doctor? Makes sense". "We can''t fully rule out teacher either to be fair" Kaede added to Riku''s response. "Either way, it could be something else I never thought of. We wont know for sure until we talk to him again". Kuroki left it on that note, as they started to pack up and got ready to report back. If Ozlo was unavailable, he had a second in command there. Apparently it was something Ozlo found trustworthy, so the four of them felt like it would be okay. He did warn them that she was a bit crass and brutish and weird, but she was a good person at heart. Once Kuroki''s group had rested up in the back and finished packing up, they headed towards the command tent. There was a special communicator there to speak with Ozlo, so they could report their findings there or talk to this person. Unaware of what Zak was doing for them, nor of Akano''s plight in a distant city, they kept pushing forward. Perhaps if they knew what Ozlo was doing right now, they would have chosen differently, but the messenger had just barely missed them, having been slightly delayed due to a lack of a restful sleep last night. Just enough to miss them. As such, Kuroki had been directly crossing the plains, when suddenly he felt something strange. Chains and collars suddenly appeared around all four of their necks, and dragged them suddenly towards deeper into the plains where there were many hills and lots of tall grass. They felt themselves getting dragged across the ground which was unpleasant, but Riku managed to grip his sword after a bit of dragging, being pulled deeper in. He quickly managed to cut the chains the moment he got a good hold on his sword, and the moment he did, the collars around their necks dissipated into particles of light. "That was....rough". "Owww....what was that?" "We got dragged pretty far out. I sense a lot of life signs heading...wait, what?" Before Kuroki could continue his thought, while Ryuu and Kaede were complaining, he sensed on his echomap that several dozen signatures were heading their way. But among them, there were a few that were odd. Stronger and tougher, and way more dangerous. And furthermore, he recognized the feeling of these enemies. "A lot of Horned Rabbits heading our way!" The group raised their weapons and prepared, only to see upon a hill just a bit away from them, various Horned Rabbits appear from the tall grass. And it wasn''t just normal rabbits either. There were also ones that gave off a far more dangerous feeling. Martial Arts Rabbits for sure. However, there was one that drew even more attention. It seemed to be able to take a somewhat humanoid form, like an anthro rabbit. It was able to stand on its two legs just fine, but even moreso, it was wearing a sleek greaser jacket and sunglasses, as if he was some sort of stereotypical delinquent. The rabbit glared at them, its bushy tail slightly singed along with its right ear. Right for it that is. Yes, this was clearly the leader of the Rabbits. But also, it was weirdly familiar. "...that ear...that tail...is that...Flopsy?!" "Wait what?!" "No way...that ear...its identical to Flopsy!" Kuroki had rather unpleasant close up situations to Flopsy, so even if some things were different, he realized Kaede was right, while Ryuu was puzzled and Riku realized it as well. Kuroki stared right at Flopsy. "I see...we made quite the mistake. To think this Starfall affected not just humans, but animals as well". The Starfallen Rabbit, Flopsy, had taken center stage. "But why is Flopsy attacking us?" Ryuu asked. "Well, he was a rescue, and those burns probably are an indicator of something bad, but also...its possible that when he was a normal animal, he couldn''t realize it wasn''t Kuroki bothering and causing him issues, but the ones who did that to Kuroki". Kuroki grimaced. "This...is going to cause us a lot of issues". Everyone readied weapons, as Flopsy crossed his arms and took a step forward. He spoke no words, but his stance and his hateful rabbit faced gaze towards Kuroki. And so, one of the first conflicts between fellow Starfallen began.
At the same time, Akano''s group was also dealing with an unexpected situation. The Shadehound had thoroughly thrashed through the goblins in its way. Several other Goblins had broken formation, but more reinforcements were pouring in, although some appeared wounded or fleeing from something before joining the fight. The Shadehound was getting outnumbered and pressured fast, but even in all of that, it looked at Akano and Tamaki. Licking its lips, it ran right towards them. Akano readied his staff, but the way it charged at them suddenly caught Akano off guard. He tried to form a barrier, but the Shadehound was already in front of him and Tamaki, opening its mouth right at them. Akano was about to fire off a spell, when suddenly he and Tamaki got attacked...sort of. To be exact, the Shadehound gave them both big slobbery dog kisses. Enough so that both of them would have to park their bare butts in the back tonight and do laundry together, it was so much. It was also sniffing them like crazy, and its tail was wagging. The black smoke dissipated instantly around it, revealing its true form....a saint bernard. Yes, the shadehound was a dog known for its fluffiness. It was way larger then a normal saint bernard however, as it tackled them both to the ground and licked them some more. The slobber was already even getting into their underwear, but at least they didn''t need to fight. Tamaki especially realized something. "Wait a second...Atari, is this you?" "Woof!" It wagged its tail some more at the sound of the name, clearly recognizing it. Akano looked perplexed however. "Wait wait, Atari as in...your saint bernard from our world?!" "Yes! This is Atari!" "Animals got Starfallened too?!" This was a rather shocking turn of events, but unfortunately they were interrupted when Atari knocked down a goblin arrow with his tail. He quickly got off them and growled at the goblins, with Bastian joining in as well. The two dogs looked rather adorable doing this, but even moreso, even if Akano and Tamaki were covered in slobber practically head to toe, they were able to shake it off a bit and resume combat positions. This had just gone from a three way battle to a two way battle with their side getting reinforcements. It appeared Atari was no normal dog anymore either, as it unleashed a blast of wind knocking Goblins back and with some landing in bad spots that broke their necks. "Thats great! Atari, can you do that again?" "Woof woof, woof". "You can''t? It takes awhile to build up the wind again?" "Woof!" "I see. Well it helped us a lot to use it at the start, so thank you". "Woof woof!" "You have a few other abilities that use cooldowns as well?!" "Woof!" "That is great! So what are they?" "Woof woof, woof woof woof!" "Ooooh! Bastian, use fireball! Atari, use razorwind blade!" "Woof!" "Bark!" "Tamaki...I think if this world had classes, yours is definitely tamer". "I gotta agree! I wonder if I can be as good as that one legendary tamer I heard about in the Beastiary". "Legendary Tamer?" "Yeah, apparently he is a fourteen year old boy...who befriended Dragons".
At the same time, that very Tamer was fighting alongside Anna inside of his own mind. Anna swung her sword down at the Devil, but it teleported to her side, a black fireball manifesting in her hand. Ozlo however appeared behind her, kicking her right in the head. She caught both boots with her hand, but Akano''s feet were not in them as he appeared on her other side, kicking her with his bare foot. That said, some scales could be seen on it if one looked close enough, and the foot itself was coated in dragonfyre. This sent her sprawling backwards, where Anna was at suddenly swinging a sword down at her. She just twisted her body in time to avoid the blow, and even launched several black scorching rays at Anna. Anna cut through several and used a shield of light to block the rest, while Ozlo had two smaller dragons attack her from behind suddenly. The Devil got scorched, not expecting the dragons as she pulled back. "How, you cannot summon familiars inside of your own mind!" "But you see, I don''t actually summon them. What you see is just a special gate spell I developed. In truth, I tamed...no, I befriended them. And naturally, I developed telepathic communication with them. So..." "The dragons can use that to enter his mind as well" Anna said, adding a tee hee afterwards. This is bad! He got me! I thought I had forced his hand, but this whole time he had this trap ready! "This spell would take far more than a week to create". "Absolutely. Thats why I created it years ago, based on my theories about how your magic worked, knowing you would eventually restore your full power and return. I considered how others might act as well, so I created this, my new and original mental defense spell". "Wait, this...this was created years in advance?!" "Yes. And it''s far better than you can comprehend, cause we both know I am not dumb enough to give away all of what its capable of". Tsk. "You are one annoying brat. You knew that I suspected and knew that anyways, but said that to keep my mind busy worrying about anything else that might come, making me slower to react to what you do in this very battle". "I see now why you give everyone so much trouble. You are quite clever". Anna suddenly appeared next to her, forcing her to draw her demonblade to block. The force of the strike reverberated through her hand, making it go numb for a moment. "To think you were actually a Tamer, not using magic to summon but just to gate...how did you befriend so many dragons then?!" "Long story. You won''t live long enough to hear it". The Devil, Chianthias, backed up as she unleashed dark magic against Ozlo. It was clearly a curse, but curses shouldn''t be so easy to use normally. Still, Ozlo raised his hand, and suddenly made the curse evaporate. This shocked everyone, even Anna. "How do you have such a cool ability! I could have used that five decades ago! No, everyone across the world needs that!" "Sorry, but I am afraid its specific to her...or rather, her curse transmission vector, I believe the right words are". Chianthias widened her eyes, enraged. "You bastard! Dark Tempest!" "Ardis, Kalvi, burn away the cursed virus!" The two dragons returned to his side and unleashed their flamebreath upon the cloud of curse energy directed at him. He meanwhile attacked her directly with fireballs, while Anna tried to strike at her again. She raised a barrier to block the fireballs into dust, and used her sword to parry and deflect Anna''s blow. Still, her hand hurt anyways despite not taking the blow directly. In fact, it was shaking even more then before. Her eyes widened again, looking at Anna as she backed up and got some distance. I didn''t hear her incant a spell, but that shouldn''t be so basic to be done by direct mana manipulation. Did she incant before I even arrived here, or perhaps...did she secretly incant while attacking me with her sword!? What a monster! The Devil created several more black fireballs, and unleashed them alongside her black scorching rays. Even Anna was forced to go more on the defensive, as was Ozlo, giving her a moment to initiate another move. And to think he wasn''t a summoner but a tamer?! He was already with Dragon Familiars by age eight! And all these dragons by age fourteen?! Not to mention managing the magical bonds for all of them, and gate spells to bring them out as if he summoned them?! Chianthias was complaining a lot internally at this duo. One was obviously absurd and cared not for even trying to conceal herself, while the other had been very careful to avoid showing his signature moves. It was clear his bonds with his dragons let him tap into their power, given the way dragonscales had begun to appear on him and he utilized their magic. Still, she had some tricks up her sleeve, as she utilized another magic. "Nightmare Disaster!" "Mischief of the Phantasmals!" Suddenly her spell was disrupted, as Ozlo got in front of her, having finished incanted his spell while Anna had been disrupting the Devil''s. "Dragon Soul Force!" Suddenly, he unleashed a massive shout that caused the devil to go flying backwards, hit with a tidal wave of force that caused her to go flying like a ragdoll. She was just barely able to stop herself in time, but it was clear now that these two had come specifically prepared for her. They had incantations ready for her techniques, and they had an uncanny ability to work together. She decided that she would need to start using her powers a little more actively to fight this threat. "Alright kiddos. Fine. I guess I will be going all out after all". Several major battles were beginning to emerge all at once, as the climax began to near on these fateful struggles. Chapter 27: The Looming Climax As Ozlo and Anna continued to face the Devil, Kuroki and the others stared down Flopsy, the Otherworlder Starfallen Rabbit. "Kuroki, how big can you hit right out of the gate?" Riku asked. "Already formulating the spell now". However, Flopsy had no intention of waiting. It charged first, moving so fast it was in front of Kuroki in an instant. It would have landed a successful hit, but Ryuu''s Heroic Aura caused it to slow down and even stunned it a bit the closer it got, and then Riku blocked it and knocked it back with his sword. The other Horned Rabbits all came after them too, including four Martial Arts Rabbits. And yet, Kuroki finished his incantation first. "Stormfall!" Swirling clouds loomed overhead, but feeling much closer then normal. Lightning began to strike from above, as Kuroki downed another dose from a mana potion. Kaede got behind one of the martial artist rabbits, who sensed her and counter attacked instantly, but she dodged, having just held it off as Kuroki finished manifesting the spell. The spell meanwhile had the ground create frost and freeze over, and the tall grass wilted, providing the young adventurers with the visibility they needed for such a threat. Furthermore, while the frost made their opponents have to worry about footing, their shoes were specially enhanced with some runes they asked Amyris to make for them that would prevent slipping and conductivity. Their gloves and shorts had similar enchantments as well. "Stop this Flopsy! Its not Kuroki''s fault! We are not your enemies!" "Kyu kyu!" "For such adorable sounds I sure feel a whole lot of bloodlust coming from them!" "Damnit Flopsy!" Kaede was still trying to reason with Flopsy, even as she attacked the other Rabbits. She looked towards Kuroki. "Is Flopsy controlling them?" "I dont think its so dominating. It looks like Flopsy...tamed them, I think. Ridiculously fast to tame all of these so fast for a Starfallen, but perhaps as a fellow Rabbit, it held an advantage". Riku meanwhile had a martial artist Rabbit get behind him, but he smirked in that moment. "I activate my trap card, full spin slash!" He suddenly spun around, even pivoting so the center of the spin moved a bit. This caught the rabbits off guard, letting him knock back two martial artist rabbits and even Flopsy, who was stronger then the Martial Artist Rabbit. "I don''t like how Flopsy seems to have gotten so much stronger than any of us from the Starfall!" Riku shouted. Flopsy hadn''t been hurt a lot, despite taking a hit from a large, sharpened sword. Yeah, its certainly stronger...no, wait. Perhaps... Kuroki considered something for a moment. Did they actually know how much strength they got from the Starfall? They knew no Starfallen ever had A or even B or C ranked power right from the start, but some had D, and occasionally an exception like Anna came along. But they were having trouble with G-Ranked stuff. Goblins had been easy for them, but Horned Rabbits were ranked more like H then G. Psychology was part of it. Rabbits looked like animals of their old world, ones they even raised in elementary school. But perhaps it was also because, they had yet to learn and master the gifts they got? As Kuroki used his Water Puppetry Technique to help take on the Rabbits that came after him, and shield himself from Flopsy''s attack which almost broke through his ice barrier in a single hit, he had to consider these things. What did I want, aside from magic? Magic was a pretty big one all things considered. The more he was certain it was impossible, the bigger the desire got. But there had been others. To be free of his father''s influence. To escape his father''s power, gaze, and abuse. To live a happy life with his best friends forever. To be able to stand up for himself. To be able to protect himself, and those he cares about. He had no doubt his father would somehow find ways to go after his friends after all. Protect...but there was something else in there. Something buried deep. What was it... "Perhaps you are looking for this" a young boy''s voice echoed throughout his mind. The next moment, Kuroki found himself in a strange place. Had Akano been with him, he would have recognized it immediately as the Spirit Plane, where he had expunged the curse from Kuroki and Riku and saved them a few days of being stuck in bed wearing diapers. And just like then, a mysterious boy was there. The same one that had helped Akano. The Mysterious Boy that they would one day learn was The Oracle. They were both standing there in the mist. They both appeared to be naked, but it was impossible to see anything as their bodies became unclear and foggy the lower down one went. Kuroki could only make out the upper torso and up, more then Akano had been able to. "...where are we? I need to get back to my friends". "Ah, no worries. Time flows differently here. Which is good, because it let me leave this automated message". "...automated message?" "Across the countless timelines, that phrase caused the most understanding and the least questions. Even if time flows much, much faster here right now, its not like I had infinite time to leave this message. In truth, I wanted to talk to you in person. Of all the timelines I have glimpsed, you are the only one I seem to be capable of communicating with in the Spirit Realm, and as I am currently imprisoned, well, ''protected'' within the Ivory Tower, I cannot meet you physically. Not yet, and depending on how things play out, not ever..." He seemed a bit sad by that, but more melancholy than anything else. "Who are..." "The Oracle. Supposedly a high ranking member of the Church, but just someone who was imprisoned and exploited by its Dark Side. But we can''t talk forever about me. It disrupts the timeline, and you have things you need to do. Like your first Realization". "So this triggered because of that?" "Partially. I admit, I nudged this conflict to happen a bit. See, if I didn''t, your chances of death increased by a lot. All the timelines I was able to view before now showed that you were less likely to die if this happened here and now, rather then later, so I used what little ability to influence things that I could to have this happen now". "So wait, you..." "Yes, but enough about that. You want to figure out what powers you really got from your wishes. As you know, you got great magical abilities. That accounted for a good deal of the power you got from wishes, which is why you can already compose a few spells and picked it up so fast. You also got powers that shield you from your shitty father''s abilities as well, at least to a degree, although he is one of the Cardinal Cataclysms for a reason". "Wait what was..." "Sorry, no time. Part of what is holding you back is mentality. This is all so new to you, even with the mental fortitude, you are having trouble reconciling your new powers. Perhaps a side effect of your body''s stagnation of growth as well". The Oracle circled Kuroki, examining his body with scrutiny. Even if they were blurry from the mist, and he was getting used to the social norms of this world, as expected having his naked body looked at like that still embarrassed him. "Flopsy will not be the last enemy you face. He won''t even be the last Starfallen Enemy you face. But you must believe in yourself, and grow your powers. You will feel pain. You will feel sadness. Hell, you will be put in even more embarrassing and humiliating situations. But you will persevere, and you will grow". At those words, Kuroki remembered something. A desire he had, deep down. A revelation. "You will..." "...use my own strengths, my own powers, to help others. And most importantly, myself". The Oracle nodded, as Kuroki repeated what he said. "I will help myself. I will continue forward". "That is right..." "I will not let someone else dictate my future! Not my father, not Flopsy, not even the Demon King!" "Yes yes!" Suddenly, Kuroki found himself awash with light, and then found himself back on the battlefield. Oracle was gone, or rather, the automated message he made by predicting Kuroki''s future responses was gone. Kuroki dug into his wishes, and he knew exactly what to call on. A spell formulated in front of him, from his own mana. "Awakening, Destiny Driver". The incantation compressed itself for some reason, as if the energy overflowing from him let him omit it in this instance. Immediately, the four of them became cloaked in Kuroki''s magic. Two of the Martial Artist Rabbits had gotten around the others, while a swarm of normal Rabbits massed on Kaede and Ryuu. The remaining two Martial Artist rabbits joined with Flopsy for an all out attack on Kuroki, but Kuroki was already a step ahead. "Leave my opponents frozen and fickle. Stop their steps and make the cold tickle. Frostfoot!" Suddenly, ice rose up and trapped the feet of the rabbits. He mainly aimed it at the Martial Artist Rabbits and Flopsy, but Flopsy was able to see it coming and dodge, and the Martial Artist Rabbits coming after him and followed his lead. As expected of a Rabbit who tamed Rabbits, their compatibility was great. However, Kuroki hadn''t been prioritizing them, but the two going after Riku. Those two were caught off guard, not expecting such a spell from that range. And while it would take them a mere moment to break free, Riku knew what to do. "Brilliant Flare!" The Rabbits had been ready for his Flare Enchant Incendia and Brilliant Flash combo. However, this time Riku was even faster. It caught the two Martial Arts rabbits off guard and by surprise, and resulted in both of them getting cut to pieces. This was the new move Riku had been working on. It was a bit harder to control, but it let him bring out Flare Enchant Incendia while performing a Brilliant Flash, so he had purposefully held it back to catch anyone who had been watching them, like these Rabbits, off guard. They all expected the normal speed of his move, so this faster version ended up catching them off guard and worked to the advantage of Kuroki''s group as two Martial Artist Rabbits were immediately eliminated. Kaede meanwhile seemed to be compliantly fighting her enemies and killing the horned rabbits that attacked them. She Adapted to their moves compared to when they started out, showing that even just a little experience is valuable. Ryuu meanwhile was trying to fend off the other flank, but showed he was learning from previous encounters as well and was being a lot more effective. As he fought valiantly, he looked just a little more like the heroic knight of his dreams. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Kuroki meanwhile unleashed another spell, his arcing lightning from before. He managed to get one of the Rabbits with its surprise turn, but the other Martial Artist immediately adapted and dodged, and Flopsy was even faster. Flopsy got right up close to Kuroki, when Kuroki''s cloak wrapped itself around Flopsy''s arm and threw him to the side, showing its defensive power. The cloak was still under the effects of its limiter however, meaning that Kuroki''s group clearly had the ability to win this fight, even if there was a chance it might be a low one still. Only when it seemed hopeless did the limiter get released after all. Kuroki jumped back and this time unleashed several beams of light as Flopsy charged him again. This time it was even faster though, catching Kuroki off guard. He tried to dodge, moving backwards as the fist seemed to phase through him as he was dodging. A second fist then came, identical in path and speed to the first, but Kuroki was already out of the way, and that fist attack just disappeared somehow. What was that...it was almost like an echo, except it came before the attack, not after... When Kuroki had his Revelation, he had unlocked a new power. That was by helping to unseal and realize the true potential of his friends. But something else seemed to have been dislodged in that instant, or perhaps it was because it could also trigger on himself. I wish to be able to see all these attacks earlier so I can dodge them better. Deep down, this had been a wish he had every time his father beat him, or when bullies came after him. And when combined with his natural affinity for time magic, it formed a new ability. One he would find vastly useful down the road. Precognition. It would be some time before he truly came to understand it, and even more to master it, but the first step forward had been taken. The first step forward towards becoming stronger in his world, and overcoming what happened to him in his previous world. Although in Kuroki''s case perhaps it was a bit drastic and abnormal in how it came about, but like anyone else, he had the power to not be defined by what happened to him, but by who he was, is, and will be as a person. If this was an anime, some super heavy heroic turnaround music would be playing now. Kuroki took a step forward this time, catching Flopsy off guard. "Storm Sparrows!" He had secretly incanted that time, which was why he dodged instead of blocking with an ice shield. Ten birds made of lightning and wind manifested and flew right after Flopsy. Flopsy seemed to create a whirlwind from his ears, to try and block the attack, while the two martial artist rabbits went after Kuroki. However, they had made a mistake. They had left Riku all alone. "Brilliant Flare!" One of the Rabbits, the injured one, was unable to dodge in time, but the other one just barely avoided the blow, although he got cut rather deep it wasn''t fatal. This allowed them to now even the odds a bit more. Kuroki and Riku versus Flopsy and a Martial Artist Rabbit. However... We are running out of surprises. Brilliant Flare would have been better to use on Flopsy, but Riku never had an opening, and Kaede and Ryuu are tied down covering our flanks. Flopsy and the remaining one darted through the grass. Thanks to it being wilted due to Kuroki''s spell, it didn''t provide as much cover, but they were still cautious. Kuroki unleashed several wind blades before resuming his Water Puppetry Technique to fluidly adapt and counter attack. Riku blocked the attack from the Martial Artist Rabbit, but it quickly moved around him by grabbing the blade with its ears, despite the fact the blade was still on fire and burned it a bit. It was able to get behind and tried to deliver a blow, but Riku then grabbed its fist and diverted it using his tail. That is right. I have a tail now. This is part of my wish too...and it''s not some normal tail! Riku was having his own realization. He pivoted and quickly brought his sword down upon it. It dodged of course, but that didn''t stop Riku from diverting the trajectory of the blade to follow it. "Unending Slash!" Bracing his hands and tightening his grip, he adjusted the direction, angle, and exact grip position as he swung his sword, injuring the rabbit again as his blade changed directions to follow it. It had tried to move to the side to get Riku before he could recover and swing again, but the first swing ended up being persistant and following him. This was another thing he learned at the Kyudo Martial Arts School. A technique that let one adjust the trajectory of their slash. Riku wasn''t this good with it originally, but the Starfall enhanced his physical abilities so he was able to handle it even without having mastered it yet. A true Unending Slash would have been faster and stronger after all, and taken out the Rabbit rather than just injuring it again. "If I am going to take down my uncle one day, I have to at the very least be able to take down this damned Rabbit!" Surging with motivation and inspiration, Riku charged forward and unleashed another Brilliant Flare. The rabbit was caught off guard, and this time it was cleaved right through. That said... "Ack!" Riku''s continuous use of Brilliant Flashes and now this new upgraded technique, Brilliant Flare, had pushed his body to its limits. Even if he took time to recover, it was still building strain on his body. The Goblin Knight from before, and then all the ones he used now, not to mention the few he used earlier when protecting Kuroki after he attracted all that Goblin hate when he popped off a flashy spell. He felt his legs and ankles buckling, screaming out. Damnit! I need to help him with Flopsy, but...I already went past my limit! He quickly took a dose from a potion, hoping he could recover in time. But right now, it was just Kuroki himself against Flopsy. This was how it looked to end up. Kuroki had to admit, he had mixed feelings of this fight. So far, all his fights had been pretty clear cut. He was right, the enemy was wrong. Or doing something illegal. Or were monsters. But Flopsy, Flopsy might be misguided, but at least there was reason behind it. Reason Kuroki could understand all too well. BOth of them had been bullied and made to suffer. Hurt and humiliated, locked in a cage. So Kuroki understood Flopsy''s reasons, if they were directed at the wrong person. There was no true great villain in this fight, but this fight would only end with one of them killing each other. In the end, Flopsy was still a rabbit. Maybe if Akano''s neighbor Tamaki had been here, it might be different. The two had met quite a few times after all, and Kuroki had even been sort of forced to join them in a dog filled bath a few times. But that wasn''t the case, and in all truth, probably wouldn''t have helped all that much. This was a long, deeply seeded grudge after all. "Brilliant Spark". Unleashing a point blank lightning attack right when Flopsy came around, Flopsy was able to dodge in time. "As expected...but you forgot about something". Suddenly, a lightning bolt came from above and nearly hit Flopsy. It was just able to dodge, but then Kuroki got it with a second Brilliant Spark, using a close range storm spell to blast Flopsy. However, Flopsy twisted itself around and kicked Kuroki right in the face. "...whoever decided to build that school dojo next to the damn rabbit cages is so getting it later" Kuroki remarked as he recovered, and Flopsy got back up. Yes, the first spell he cast, Stormfall, was not just to freeze the ground. It was the source of the lighning bolt from earier, and now Kuroki was unleashing its force. It would help clean up the rabbits remaining, and several bolts would be aimed right at Flopsy. Kuroki had let just enough time pass before triggering its full power, so that Flopsy would forget about it and not realize its true danger until later. Because Kuroki''s fighting style was never just about using the raw power of magic. It was about using tricks and secrets within magic, spells within spells, or laying things in advance. His type of fighting was the opposite of his father''s, who tended to brute force everything, even with techniques it was all about utilizing more force or faster attacks then it was about strategy. But Kuroki was a fundamentally different person from him. "Frozen beaks to peck your eyes, frozen talons to slash your skin. These birds of frost are strong and cold, and will tear your body thin. Chilling Flock!" Several birds made of ice appeared and went after Flopsy, but Flopsy seemed to be able to counter attack and destroy each one that got near him. It was almost absurd how easily he countered, but Kuroki had expected it all the same. Ice spikes launched out of the remaining grass. Flopsy dodged a bit, but one cut its arm and the other stabbed its leg before shattering. Flopsy unleashed magical power raw and launched it at Kuroki. This caught Kuroki off guard, but he just barely used a barrier to protect himself against it in time. But this let Flopsy close in on him and unleash another, close range kick attack right at Kuroki''s neck. "Mystical Typhoon!" A huge torrent appeared around Kuroki, having secretly incanted his spell while Flopsy was dealing with the birds. This was something Amyris drilled into him a lot. Incanting ahead of time and hiding it so no one would notice. This allowed him to catch his enemies off guard and surprise them, and making it harder for them to realize what sort of spell he was incanting. Now caught in a perpetual vortex, Flopsy was unable to stop his next spell. "I am truly sorry for everything you went through Flopsy. I hope you have a better next life". The vortex was full of water and wind, and now Kuroki added lightning from his fingers to the vortex. And so, an unending volt struck through everything. Kuroki aimed it for the brain, to give Flopsy a painless death. And yet, that did not seem to be in the cards, when strange and wicked curse energy flowed around Flopsy. "I don''t think it should end like this! Lets keep the rampage going, little Rabbit!" "Who are you?" "Oh come now, you should know that already..." "The Devil who attacked Anna and the Guildmaster". "Yes...now, this time you will die! Cursed Mutation!" Suddenly Flopsy cried out in pain within the vortex, as its body began to be covered in mystical red lines and became to reshape itself and mutate. Infinitely crueler then Kuroki, who was going to kill it painless, it was made to survive and keep fighting while suffering incredible pain. It was being forcibly evolved past where it was, and it cried out to such a degree. "No...no, I wont let it end like this!" Kuroki created ice platforms and raced up to Flopsy, whose mutations were starting to become set. "I wont let this happen! There is another way!" Kuroki thrust his hand onto Flopsy''s forehead. "I am sorry, but it seems this is the only way. I doubt its what you wanted, but..." Kuroki was already invoking a complex magical circle. It was coming to him, a fleeting spark of inspiration. The two of them became engulfed within the magic, as the vortex around them became loaded with mana and magical energy. Something new was happening. Even Kuroki wasn''t sure what was going on, but something had shifted. The magic was forming. A new magic. Something out of nowhere. Not from Amyris, not from Kuroki. Not from the Devil, not from Flopsy. Suddenly, the gravity around them seemed to cut off, and Kuroki felt something familiar. It wasn''t just the lack of gravity, but it was something in the air. Something he recognized. It was the Starfall. For some reason, a localized event was happening. And it was within that vortex, which turned the myriad colors of the rainbow, which was now far more then water and wind but had become something unfathomable, that a miracle was being born. Flopsy''s jacket, what remained from his transformation, was blown into nothingness, that was the power building within this vortex. it crackled with power, the sounds reverberating through his body. Something was flowing into the vortex and amplifying it further, causing the vortex to become a nexus of magical energy. Within this place was everything and nothing, the leylines creating a nexus in this spot. Every fiber of his being felt compressed and stretched apart, and he could feel foreign mana filling this place up to the brim of bursting. Something from the north, something new yet ancient. A voice, or perhaps an impression or subconsious feeling of a voice, boomed throughout Kuroki''s head. It made what little body hair he had stand on end, and sent chills down his spine and warmth swell within his head. Suddenly, he was in a place like the spirit realm again, but less blurry and misty. There was mist around them, but it did not come close, flowing in a vortex just like the typhoon that Kuroki had created. All physical objects were gone, and Kuroki could feel that while his body was certainly visible, naked for all to see, it wasn''t his body but just a projection of his mind and soul. This place was like the spirit realm, but different. The power was similar, but different. Above them was not a foggy sky, but a clear one, full of stars and starlight. Only it felt so much more...colorful, and close. And then there was the contents of the voice. "Would you like to Invoke the Last Wish?" He felt a hand on his, a being from behind steadying himself. For some reason he felt more flustered and confused in this place, but this guiding hand helped him. Someone from behind, who Kuroki could not see, but felt warmth from. He did not know if it was a man or a woman, just the warmth of their body, their soul, filled him with courage. Kuroki decided already. Nothing about this wish was explained, and yet Kuroki could instinctively sense what it would do. "Yes, I wish to invoke Flopsy''s Last Wish". "Understood. Invoking Flopsy''s Last Wish. Be Warned, the Interloper has not given up. Have a wonderful life". "Wait wha..." Before he could finish, Kuroki found himself back inside the Vortex, as Flopsy was shining with light. An annoyed voice called out. "What is this?! What did you do?! There was no power behind that, but...what trick is it?! What trick did you do?!?!?" The Devil seemed enraged. She was properly pissed and everything. Meanwhile, Flopsy began to glow a brilliant light. Flopsy remembered everything. The human that always interfered with his habitat. The human before who hurt him so. The humans who would run by and train, and those who also made of him. At first, he hated humans. But deep down, he was always jealous of them. Even the humans who were locked in the cage, removed of their strange excess fur that served no real purpose sometimes, eventually were let out. But not Flopsy. They were able to be capitvated by strange things in their hands, using apendages Flopsy did not have. They could open the cages, and they could hold so many things. Flopsy''s anger grew with that, on how these humans wasted so much of what they had and took it for granted. But he also wanted to be just like them. To feed himself, to drink himself. Maybe even bathe himself sometimes. And so, within the light, Flopsy''s Last Wish, the one the Starfall couldn''t invoke as it exceeded what could be granted to a Starfallen when combined with all his other wishes, was finally invoked. The mutations changed. Rather then becoming more of a beast, he started to become more human. His fur receeded, until only a pair of rabbit ears and a rabbit tail remained. Instead of mutating into a beast that would be forced to suffer and kill, a new door was being opened by Flopsy. Kuroki wanted to take credit for it, however...within this vortex, he could sense it. Someone else''s magical abilities were at work. They set the stage. And then someone completely different helped him invoke the Last Wish. Flopsy emerged as a young human boy, who was probably around five or six years old. As expected of this world, his fur did not immediately mutate into clothes, so he was completely naked. From the fighting, only the sunglasses remained, which were a strange thing to have in the first place here. The other rabbits quickly fled, as the typhoon dissipated. The three ran over to see what was up, only to see the boy in front of them. "Well...is...is that Flopsy?" "He turned into a boy?" "How did you do that Kuroki?" Kuroki shook his head. "It wasn''t me. Or at least, it wasn''t just me. Someone, no, two people at least took advantage and interfered. And then, all I did was dislodge and have the Starfall invoke Flopsy''s final wish, one that apparently it did not have the capacity to grant the first time". "...the hell?" Kuroki nodded. "Yeah. It was weird. But I also got warned by...whatever was in charge of that place. It warned me the interloper wasn''t done with us". "...you think that means the person who brought us to this world?" "Yeah, I do. I didn''t learn anything about them, but it seems that we managed to survive...at least for now". Kaede looked the most relieved however. "I think...this is probably the best outcome then. Do you think Flopsy still hates us though?" "I don''t know, but I think at least in this current form he can be reasoned with. Lets...lets bring him back with us. I will think of some cover story, but we should get to safety". Kuroki looked into the sky. "...we certainly have earned a rest after all this". And so, the group of friends made their way back to the command camp, accompanied by a strange new addition. Meanwhile, the fights on other fronts also came to their climax as well. Chapter 28: The Looming Devils While this was all going down, Ozlo and Anna were in the middle of their own great battle. The Devil, Chianthias, had begun to play her hidden cards and hidden strenght, and was pushing them back a bit now. Anna tried to cleave off her head, but she just turned to mist and appeared behind Ozlo, kicking him into a wall. She caught fire from a dragonfyre attack he had done expecting that though, irritating her that he somehow saw through her move enough to counterattack, even if he still took damage himself. Ozlo however followed it up with his next move, where his dragons circled around her and breathed fire right at her. This was while he unleashed another salvo of Dragonfyre, and Anna came at her from behind. However, several rings of light appeared around Chianthias, deflecting the sword and swooping up the fire, moving it around her and at each other. Except for Ozlo''s salvo, which got in a few good hits. He even added normal magic into the mix, as suddenly crystals began to emerge from where tehy hit the ground and tried to skewer her, forcing her to dodge. She got cut up a bit though, and that was when she suddenly felt weaker. Poison? A spell within a spell within a spell? He thought this out hard. Ozlo''s spells were tricky, and he kept flanking her with Dragons, which was annoying. That said, she kept using spells that made him increasingly more reluctant, as he seemed to care for them enough to not want them to needlessly attack. His attachment to the dragons would be his greatest weakness she could exploit, but then Anna came in to either follow up attack or attack alongside them. This meant Chianthias was having trouble with timing, even if she did use her full power now. Ozlo struck with a lightning bolt spell this time as he reloaded his Dragonfyre salvo, with fireballs made of Dragonfyre appearing around him. She dodged, but then the lightningbolt arced suddenly and nearly skewered her. She hadn''t known about this spell in his repitroire, partially because he helped develop it with Kuroki. It was the same one he invoked in the sewers. Ozlo was a professional and very talented and experienced, so he always hid his incantations from her. She could never be sure when or where he would invoke a spell. She tried to close the distance on him, sensing he was weaker in close combat, but then the Dragons and Anna would flank her and get in the way, leaving her wide open at close range for him to use more dangerous spells. She tried to close in again, only for dragonbreath to be aimed right in front of her. Not at her but in front of her, forcing her to either stop or charge right into the attack. She was moving too fast to change direction, so she had to stop instead. This was when Anna appeared right next to her and tried to cleave her head off, only for her to use an attack to repel Anna and blast her into the ceiling. As she was prying herself out, she swooped up the fire and launched it at Anna while going right for Ozlo. Ozlo raised a barrier as the rocks below her feat opened up and tried to eat and chomp on her. She blasted herself back, just narrowly avoiding an attack as Anna managed to pry herself out and land right in front of her. "Sorry Ozlo, these clothes I borrowed from you got dirty". "Its fine. They are just mental projections in my head anyways". Naturally, Ozlo hadn''t been able to get actual clothes in here ahead of time, so what they wore were projections. For everyone else, it was projections of what they had been wearing before they entered, but Anna was a statue whose clothes had long since deteriorated. Refusing to just have her fight naked, he created special combat gear in his own mind and projected it for her. She claimed she would have been fine, but Ozlo was the responsible type and pointed out against such a Devil, every bit of armor and protection was necessary. Either way, they moved in for another round. The dragons came and attacked from the flanks again, while Ozlo shifted behind her and initiated a strike from behind. She quickly raised barriers, but some of the shots just phased right through and hit her directly, burning her. Anna appeared behind her again though, not giving her a rest, always darting out of her line of sight and into her blindspots. It was predictable, but annoying none the less. Of course, just because her eyes couldn''t see her, didn''t mean she couldn''t. She was far too advanced for that, and easily blocked the blade...only to suddenly get slashed at from behind, just barely held off by her magic barrier. For the briefest of moments, there had been two Annas. The one in front disappeared, but not before the one behind appeared. "You monster...how do you learn new techniques even while petrified? Or had you somehow known this and I never discovered it?" Somehow Anna had used a technique that despite all of her research decades ago, Chianthias had never discovered that she knew. However, Ozlo had to recall two dragons, and he only had two horse sized dragons out right now. She wasn''t sure how many more he had, since he was a tamer and not a summoner, he might have more then she originally theorized. Still, she was confident in her victory. That said.. THe hell?! What happened to that Starfallen Rabbit?! What interfered just now?! She sensed something going on with another battle she had been influencing indirectly. She had made sure to pit a Starfallen rabbit against Amyris'' new apprentice, sensing a link between them. It had also been an interesting opportunity to use a Starfallen to her advantage, especially one as strange as that Rabbit. However, someone severed her little surprise package and the minion itself from her domination network. It was more then just one person''s energy, but several different. One seemed almost divine, but not quite. There were clear differences, so it was only something adjacent. She thought of the Oracle, but she had heard from a spy that they had successfully fanned enough suspicion to have him being "cared for" this day, so that shouldn''t have been a factor. That room might augment his abilities, but he was a bird in a gilded cage. That thirty year old wouldn''t be able to leave that tower, and he shouldn''t be capable of using any magic without the Dark Side of the Church knowing about it. She still had information and secret influence there, so she would know if anything changed. And yet, something was eating away at her. These events almost felt orchestrated, as if someone was pulling the strings from the shadows. As if someone was pulling upon the Loom of Time, and had subtly shifted things to wind up this way. But if that was true, then that would mean she might be in grave danger. And if anything, it was the two in front of her that were in grave danger, as she fended off another round of Dragonfyre shots. Ozlo had kept her occupied with this tag team stuff he did with Anna, but she was certain Ozlo had to "reload" his Dragonfyre shots through his contract after he unleashed a salvo of Dragonfyre Fireballs. It explained the gaps in his attack patterns sometimes. And yet, just like the idea of him only having those two dragons left to call upon, she didn''t want to commit to that being the absolute reality. No, this was someone who had been rather witty and laid a trap for her, having figured out one of her most prized abilities. She had to assume that he was holding back some cards just like she was, and she had to play it safe. So instead, she opened a gate behind her. Suddenly, about twelve demons emerged, all very powerful. "What? Don''t be so surprised. If you can summon your dragons in here, then I can summon my minions as well". "Tsk. How annoying". Ozlo wasn''t surprised, although he wasn''t a fan of more people coming into his head. Furthermore, this wasn''t the Spirit World, the Astral Plane, the Dreamworld, or a realm like that. They didn''t enter completely naked with nothing, but equipped with high quality weapons and armor. "Still, this isn''t outside of our expectations" he muttered, when a huge gust of wind suddenly knocked several demons off their feet. Chianthias just barely blocked several blades of wind and lightning, as well as a huge green scythe that came down on her. The holder appeared to be a young boy of thirteen, wearing a verdant green sleeved cloak, white shortsleeve shirt, black pants/shorts that ended just below the knees, and brown boots. None of it looked spectacular at first glance, except for the Scythe. It was clearly a mechanical scythe, with machinery and clockwork elements to it. It also had several magic crystals embedded in it as well, making her doubt it was anything normal. Not to mention its sheer power had caused her feet to actually break into the ground, cracking the ground around her. And if that wasn''t bad enough, she recognized him immediately. Despite being a wind mage, he wore green instead of yellow. The Hero of Suthiak Valley. Someone who if she didn''t personally confirm was born in this world, might have suspected of being an Otherworlder. Someone who like Riza, reached a level of peak ability at a young age which resulted in a stagnation of his growth, making him appear childlike when he was anything but. A Half-elf who was shorter then other half elves even, known for being short. Ayazi, the Tempest. If the Guild''s ranking system were to be believed, he was A-Rank like Ozlo. But personally, she felt like he might be as dangerous as any SS-Ranker even. Then again, she could say the same thing about Ozlo. "Sorry I am late, Oz" Aya mentioned. "This devil tried to attack me as I was escorting a few more to safety, so I couldn''t enter your mindscape when I wanted to". "I see. Well, Chianthias? I dare say I think you wont be winning today". "I don''t know. Certainly, having someone who was called the Stormsage is annoying, but I think you might be underestimating my forces". She said that, but she was very concerned. Because she knew exactly where Ayazi had been, and who was likely responsible for attacking him. And if Ayazi won that fight, she wouldn''t have it easy. No, in all likelihood, he was stronger than Anna and Ozlo. Maybe not combined, but certainly individually. And evenmore, she had to be worried about Ayazi''s creations. His scythe was one thing, but if he brought that in here, in these close quarters, she was in serious danger. And yet, Ozlo and Anna had visible wounds, and their breathing wasn''t as stable as it used to be. She could destroy Anna''s mind here and now, and take Ozlo down by using her curse on him, once she navigated this detestable labyrinth. No matter how much she probed with her magic, she couldn''t find a way through. At least not with him currently here interfering with her. And with every passing moment, risked more of Ozlo''s dragons finishing their duties and becoming available for him again. "It seems like you are thinking of escaping. How cute" Ayazi mentioned. "Says the one with a name right out of a Naming 101 book". In this world, and at least in this country, boy names tended to include a lot of vowels, as well as often either the letters Y or Z, if not both. Riza, Ozlo, Ayazi, Amyris, Riala, Dia, were some examples. It wasn''t a hard rule, but it was a trend. Additionally, they tended to be three to five letters when starting out, although some added more to their names later on. So to say that Ayazi''s parents had done that was quite accurate. In this country, no one would ever think of Ayazi as anything other then a boy''s name. Even if everyone was equal, some naming conventions did still exist. So yes, his name was rather cute as a result of all that. However, it didn''t bother Ayazi at all, much to Chianthias'' chargin. Incidentally, even the most basic of devil and demon names tended to be four to five syllables, and almost seemed excessive. Dialathiama, Torvialithus,and Lucirafathim were all prime examples of such names they might have. That said, many noble families had their own naming conventions, so when it came to nobles, you could never really be sure on average what their name might be. She however was more concerned about the cubes that were attached to Ayazi''s belt. "Tell me, why are you hunting the Starfallen? What do you know about the summoning?" "Hmmf. Why should I answer? You won''t believe anything I say". "Truth Zone" Ozlo cast, not using any incantation at all this time. This surprised Chianthias a bit. "It appears you are full of surprises. To think you even incanted this ahead of time". "Why are you hunting the Starfallen? What do you know about the summoning?" She tried to resist the zone, but the truth just started to come out. "The Starfallen...are...a valuable and dangerous resource". "Yes yes, we all know that. Their blood makes for great catalysts, their bones can become legendary weapons, and other disturbing things. Thats how low your armies have stooped". "The one who summoned them...is both of our enemies...they cannot remain in play". She quickly thrust her sword into the ground, and shattered the Truth Zone. "Cheeky brat". "You were able to overcome that pretty fast. How annoying" Ozlo muttered. "Says the one who was prying out secrets in a cruel matter. You added an enforcement effect to a truth zone spell. That is an illegal spell you know? Casting it even once could land you in jail". "I doubt they will charge me, or even believe anything you say. Especially since the spell was cast inside my own mind". "I suppose. Still, I suppose the rumors are true. That you exterminated the entire dark side of the Guild that had grown in this region, at least in this city". "Wait, the adventurer''s guild had a dark side?" Anna asked. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Yeah. This was the Frontier, so things were not always as monitored. For a rather expensive price, they would sell the information of other adventurers, even post fake quests to get them ambushed or kidnapped by others who paid them for the service, stuff like that. Do you remember that one quest you got when you got asked to deal with ogres in the valley, only instead you got ambushed by like, fifty bandits?" "Yeah". "Those weren''t bandits". "For real?!" "Yep". "Huh. I did think they seemed unusually skilled for bandits". Ayazi looked at the devils meanwhile. "So, whatever this thing is...it''s got you afraid". The moment he said that, the Devils and Demons hissed at him as if he had cursed out their mothers, grandmothers, and lovers all in one breath. Ozlo meanwhile braced himself. If its got them afraid, it could be a threat to us as well. I mean, if this thing called down tens of thousands of Starfallen into our world, who knows what sort of craziness it possesses. But what is it? A nation? An elder god? Some sort of otherworldy abomination? There is still far too much we don''t know. Just like Kuroki, Ozlo was fixated on it as well. It was a perplexing mystery, and he wasn''t the type to let things go like that. He wanted to solve it as well. Still, they had a Devil and several Demons to contend with in front of them. Ayazi joining them helped, but its not like the situation was all that better. Ayazi had to come here in a rush after a fight, and while they might all be high ranking adventurers, its not like Ranks were some ends all way that absolutely determined who would win what. The two sides were at a standoff. After the brutal fighting between Ozlo and Anna against Chianthias, it had gotten into a staredown between the two of them. "Well, it looks like you have some worries, but at the same time, its clear you have no intention of letting me go. Perhaps...are you waiting for your allies to show up? I tied them down rather carefully. I admit, I did not expect Ayazi here, but that won''t be enough you know?" "You talk big, but you are just as worried as we are. Worried this is all a trap, right?" "I suppose your friend there probably cant risk destroying the Labyrinth, so he left the Colossus at home? Or perhaps...its too big for you to even bring into the dreamworld". Ozlo let out a sigh. "I told you that thing was too big to be practically used. You can''t use it un dungeons, dense woods, inside cities, inside towns, really inside any settled place, and you cant even use it here can you?" "Making it big was the only way to give it all that power! Besides, it serves as a good guard for my workshop. I don''t have to worry about the people I have rescued. After all Chianthias, aren''t my golems your natural enemy? After all, mind magic and curses don''t work on them". "True, but that won''t help you here". "Ehhh, I am not so sure about that" Ayazi said, taking out a small rod with a button on the end. He pressed it, and immediately explosions roared all around them. Chianthias''s defensive magic activated automatically, saving the core group, but some of the weaker and injured demons who had stood further back died outright as they were outside of the range, and even one of the stronger ones were badly injured. Even the strong could be felled by the weak if one used their strengths right, and used factors like the terrain, advance preparations, and tactics properly. And it seemed that, although Chianthias wasn''t sure what, Ayazi had done something in secret. She noticed fragments of small golems, and could roughly guess what transpired. But when did he release them, and how did they get so close? This brat...like Ozlo, he is just too witty and smart. "I think we will be pulling back here". "Do you think you can escape from this Labyrinth? You may have summoned people inside, but leaving is much harder than entering". "Yes, I would imagine so. We outnumber you nearly three on one, but it seems like you probably have more nasty tricks waiting. And now is not the time for our final conflict...not when my curse on your guildmaster still has a secret fragment that I just activated". "You are bluffing". "So long as we are both tied down here, you can''t purge it from him. My orders were quite clear. Deal with the Starfallen threat by any means I can, and also cause destruction to this city". Ozlo clicked his tongue. He couldn''t verify any of this while they were in there. If he left, she would not doubt be able to follow him out. Ayazi was still too far away to join the battle in the physical world, and Anna was still petrified in the physical world. There was a good chance she just wanted him to go back to the physical world, where she might have an easier time killing him there. And yet, if she was also honestly trying to escape, she could be telling the truth. She knew Ozlo had divination spells for truthtelling, and while he hadn''t used any for this part of the conversation, she couldn''t be sure of that. Which means she either took a chance with a bluff, or was actually telling the truth. But if he let her go here, she would come back again, and do even more damage. Worse, she would be ready for his various tricks, while she might pull more subordinates from other areas, Demons and Devils with other strange powers that could catch him off guard. ANd naturally, he wouldn''t be able to bring Anna into the fight unless he brought them to the Mindscape Labyrinth, which he doubted she would do again. And then there was the chance she wanted to trick him into staying here, using some sort of reverse psychology method, so that her plans elsewhere could succeed. That she was the one who was tying him down all this time. After all, her main target was the Starfallen. He was something she considered a threat too, but her orders were the Starfallen. No doubt, she was actually targeting them from the start. Keeping him busy here meant he couldn''t cover for them. However, before he could make a decision, Anna appeared next to the group of Devils and Demons, her sword suddenly larger and shining brightly. Chianthias just barely put up a barrier in time, but it cracked and shattered and they still took some damage from the sheer force and speed of the blow. This knocked them back a bit, although they remained on their feet. "Anna?" "Ozlo! Trust our allies" Anna told him. Hearing that, Ozlo understood immediately. Ayazi just chuckled. "Yeah, not everything depends on you Ozlo. You work way too hard. Though at least you do know it''s unreasonable, you still shouldn''t just let the guildmaster out of doing all that paperwork". Ozlo nodded, as he felt a revelation lift a great weight off his shoulders. "...you are right, thanks. I was about to do something stupid. We are not letting Chianthias escape". Chianthias froze. "...how do you know my name?" "Ah, I provided it to him" Ayazi said. "Impossible, even you shouldn''t..." "...Chianthias, born in the lower Rotted Valleys region. Your grandparents were farmers, but your parents were both soldiers in the Demon King''s army of two hundred years ago. You rose even further, becoming a high ranked member. That said, you had to face a lot of discrimination for your lack of a long lasting bloodline, and your relative youth compared to other Devils who can be over one thousand years old. You became an expert on curses and mind magic, but while trick y to deal with, your overall power isn''t that strong. Yet, one could arguably say you are one of the most dangerous, because you can utilize your abilities covertly far better than other Devils, and you can conduct such elaborate schemes. You know, as bad as the previous hero was, I find it odd that everything came crashing down so violently and so bad around him. The damage he did was his own, but...you are the one who set things up so he would have more chances to make those bad decisions, right?" Chianthias'' eyes widened with shock. Even the Demons were surprised. Information control was one of their specialties of their specific group after all, and yet Ayazi had learned that much about them. It seemed he didn''t know everything though, because she doubted he would have left that out or made that mistake. "By the way, that valley is so green and lush with nature, so why is it called Rotted Valleys? I wasn''t able to learn that" Ayazi admitted. "Like I would tell you". "Awww, but I am really curious you know?" "I swear, why are all of you immortal brats so damn twisted?" "Hey! I am normal!" Ozlo and Anna both looked at his weapon. "Erm, Ayazi..." "...normal people don''t typically use Scythes as weapons". "Eh? But its got reach, blade size, power, slashes and thrusts, multiple different ways to block, and is of the wind attribute". Ayazi swung it, and suddenly Chianthias created several barriers, all of which broke but the last which was heavily cracked when an invisible blade cut through them all. However, Anna appeared in her blindspot for her eyes again, so she blocked with her large clawed hand to prevent the damage. She then kicked Anna away, but Anna grabbed onto the leg, and pulled herself in to kick Chianthias in the stomach instead, knocking her back. Chianthias'' ability to remain on her feet even when getting knocked back was impressive, seeing as how they had yet to actually knock her over or down no matter what they tried. Meanwhile, Ozlo unleashed rapidfire Dragonfyre attacks at her, mixing up his attack pattern. She raised multiple barriers of different types, and the Demons used their magic to intercept some of the attacks. Chianthias teleported behind Ozlo, going for his neck. Yet her attack was deflected not by the armor, which she tore off with ease, leaving his upper body exposed, but by Dragonscales which had appeared there. His actual body was slender and thin, small, short, and not muscular looking. And yet, these dragonscales made it seem like she was attacking a tank. She quickly aimed at his pants next, but he blocked that attack quickly. "What, trying to strip me now?" "Its a viable tactic. Remove their defenses first, and it always makes people flustered when an opponent does it. Getting stripped against one''s will is rather embarrassing, isn''t it?" "You think that will work here?" "Despite your cool intelligence, I am guessing you are a rather sensitive and emotional boy. You set things up this way to have Anna have a revenge match with me after all, don''t claim that was done purely for strategic reasons". Speaking of which, Anna appeared behind her. She swung her sword down, but Chianthias suddenly teleported and switched places with her, causing the attack to go towards Ozlo instead. Ozlo however dodged out of the way while releasing more Dragonfyre Fireballs. The Devil had seen that move before though, and already dodged as she closed the distance, within killing range of Ozlo. She finally had him... And yet, she lost her footing at this moment as Ozlo unleashed lightning on her. The other Demons tried to jump in, but Ayazi kept them at bay by getting inbetween them. When she hit the ground, she felt ice. No, this isn''t normal ice....Dragonice?! So far, Ozlo had used only flame attacks. In her research, it showed he occasionally used Dragonfyre, but tried to keep it secret except for the truly dangerous battles. Very little information was there, but she had confirmed it none the less. But Dragonice was something she had no intel on. As far as she knew, he never used it ever, even when it would have helped him win in truly perilous times far easier. In other words, he had kept this card close to the chest as well. He hadn''t used it earlier to let her think her footwork would prevail, but in truth he had saved it for this moment. "Dragonice Lance!" Several spikes of ice suddenly shot out of the ground, piercing her all over. In an instant, there were at least a hundred different puncture marks, and it hurt like hell. Pain errupted across her body, and she screamed in pain. "I will kill you for this! All of you!" "Can''t do that when you are dead" Ayazi pointed out. Immediately, Ozlo grabbed Anna and pulled back, raising countless barriers as Chianthias'' body exploded violently. They were safe, but the explosion killed her own allies she had summoned. Their vision was blinded, and their ears rang out. They felt sore and in pain, the barrier having not been able to absorb the complete aftershock. They even coughed up soot. "Everyone okay?" "Yeah...what was that? Did she rig herself to explode?" Anna asked, after responding to Ayazi''s question. "Tsk, she got me good" Ozlo muttered, clicking his tongue. "Wait, what do you mean?" "That wasn''t her real body. The one that attacked me probably wasn''t her real body either". "Eh? So she was never here at all?" The three sat up, recovering from the shock and the fatigue. "Yeah. Of course, that is how she is able to cast curses undetected. She uses proxies. She uses her power far away so no one can sense it as easily. She cant go into full combat mode I am sure without us detecting it still, but it lets her have an easier time being covert". "So that is why I couldn''t sense her power until it was too late..." Anna muttered. "Yeah. She is exceedingly clever. That said, I dont think she meant to show us that last bit. Had she succeeded fully, she would have turned me and my dragons against everyone, but it looks like she even considers what might happen if someone somehow stops her. That explosion is probably a final failsafe, to take out anyone who learns her secrets". "And now she knows about your Dragonice. After you went through all that trouble to hide it". "Yeah, but that wasn''t my biggest surprise" Ozlo said. "Still, she got me good there". "I need to go back and handle the cleanup, and make sure everything is going well". "Yep, I got things I need to do as well". With the battle over, both boys just left, and Anna returned to her petrified body and slumbered once more.
When Ozlo awoke in the real world, Chianthias was long gone, and he was riding on the back of one of his dragons. And indeed, all of his clothes were fine again. "Well, that sucks. I thought I would finish her for sure, but I guess if it was that easy Amyris would have done so already". Ozlo had seriously thought this would be the time to end her, but while they had gotten the best of her and even some intel out of her, she had managed to get one over on them as well. "Still, a dopple like that can''t be easy to control or create. If she wants to do anything else here, she will have to come herself or wait a long time, possibly even decades. I doubt she will, which means its very likely the next time she arrives, either she will die, or she will kill someone. Perhaps even both". He looked down at the state of the battlefield. The Goblins were getting pushed back, and he noticed a few knights escorting people away. At first he thought the knights were causing trouble, but then he saw the people they were escorting. He recognized one from the wanted posters. It was someone he was sure was a Valiance lackey. "Looks like things worked out well there. Kuroki''s group is heading back to the command tent. The wyverns are done with, all the other threats I needed to worry about are...handled for now. Which probably means I can expect a Goblin Lord head from Kylia soon. Alright, lets get back. I have been away for too long after all, I need to make sure Valiance somehow doesn''t cause our entire army to crumble when we are just about to win". Ozlo went and returned to the tent, swooping down and entering. It appeared Kuroki was already inside, as his aides informed him there was a strange situation they had to report to him. He went into the back, and came face to face with a Silver Storm party, as well as a young naked Rabbitkin resting on the couch. Kuroki proceeded to sum up everything that happened. When he mentioned how a Devil interfered with the fight remotely and triggered that Rabbit mutation, Ozlo figured it was probably her real body doing that from far away. No way she could have done that from inside of his mindscape, so it didn''t surprise him too much. Still, learning that even Animals became Starfallen, at least this time, was a shock. That meant the number of Starfallen could be drastically higher. "...depending on how many had even the slightest feelings of jealousy or envy of humans, or even just apposable thumbs, the amount of Starfallen could be much higher. Though perhaps, only some were transported, those who had strong feelings or such towards people who became Starfallen. It makes me wonder how many we may have missed though. Well, there are still millions and millions of people in this world, and perhaps even billions, so it might be hard to spot them all". There was no world population census, and certainly not one that was reliable, so Ozlo could only make a guess. Supposedly, this planet was actually bigger then their old one, with far more landmass too. Not to mention the long lived races, the population growths couldn''t be said to be the same as those in Earth history, at least not exactly. Course, the population did see drastic decreases for the time after a Demon King appeared until his defeat, so there is that too. "I think its probably best if my family takes care of him for now. If he harbors hatred for Kuroki, it could end badly for you". "Yeah. That is wise, thanks". "Besides, given his age, he is probably too young to join you as a party member anyways. Maybe he can help out from time to time, but for now, lets make sure he gets treated properly this time". Ozlo placed a hand on the boy''s hip, as Flopsy was laying on the couch sideways. Ozlo used a bit of magic, and he seemed to breathe a bit more steadily and his expression softened a bit. "This should keep him in a nice, restful sleep until tomorrow. Thanks for all your hard work today". "So, how was the ambush". "She got away...or rather, her real body never came in the first place. But now she has lost her fake body, and she shouldn''t be able to maintain more than one of those things, which means the next time she shows up, it should be her real body...and given she no longer has to maintain that thing, she might be even more dangerous than before. Still, she had to use a lot of cards as well, so we can safely say she failed overall. But she did get me to reveal a card I was playing close to the chest, so that''s a bit annoying. It''s hard to say anyone had a true decisive victory here, but I think we did win for sure". Either way, it was clear that this battle was over at the very least. And so, as Ozlo was going to take care of Flopsy and handle the cleanup here, he told Kuroki''s group that had done enough for the request, and had them return to the city as he handled the end of the battle. And so, in the battle between the Goblins and the Forces of Azralia came to a close with the city having been successfully defended, and with a clear victory to the public. Chapter 29: After the Azralia-Goblin Conflict Chianthias'' mind returned to her body in her lair, a cave some time away from the city. Even Ozlo would take awhile to come here, and she knew that even if he did somehow trace the connection in that final moment, he would not be able to make it here even on dragonback by the time she was gone. She was assuming they would somehow still trace it anyways, and that this location was burned. Even if they did not, it wouldn''t hurt them. Bases like these were always expendable, and she could just as easily construct a new one herself within a day. The ingredients and documents of course they would take with them as they were far more important, but those were easy to move and deal with. The base itself was disposable, but that didn''t mean it wasn''t at least somewhat a drain on resources to keep moving. This was an especially well fortified and large cave that they had turned into a partial ruins, with some stone walls and pillars and even a stone floor. Countless wards spanned the walls, with it having been reinforced and shielded from prying eyes. The minerals itself within the cave walls were those that tended to disrupt divination spells, the opposite material used within the Oracle''s Chamber of the Ivory Tower. Furthermore, they were deep inside, and the walls were incredibly thick and sturdy, made of some sort of feldspar with lots of quartz inside as well to add to its hardness. It had very high ceilings and large chambers, giving them plenty of room to work, and even had a lab to keep some of their ingredients...including kidnapped people, especially children, to use as test subjects. It looked almost a half set up base partially constructed, but in fact it was just constructed enough to give them some comfort while also being easy to dismantle and move. She already had three other bases set up, so all they had to do was move what was important and destroy the rest. The emergency escape measures would go last, as she knew better then to disable those before anything else. She had never been caught before, and she wasn''t about to let herself be caught now. Still, she was fuming quite a bit. To run away from three brats, even if one was more like thirty or forty years old chronologically, irritated her to no end. Ozlo had seen through a good part of her ruse, but Ayazi...he had far more knowledge about her then he should. I will need to take careful consideration to eliminate him. Still, this will prove the danger of the Starfallen here. The Demon King will surely send me far more capable individuals this time. We had too many low ranking demons here since they were just here for numbers. Still...if Ayazi killed who I think he killed, that is problematic. At the very least, we can''t fight Ozlo in his mindscape anymore since Ayazi and Anna can join him in there, and who knows who else... Right when she was thinking about that, she had a grave revelation. Wait...where was...shit! Dread and fear instantly overcame her, as her eyes nearly burst out of her skull. It felt as if the dread would consume her whole, the panic in her heart would make it burst. She felt a fear she never expected, not in her own base, but she understood her revelation all too well. "Everyone, gather the documents and ingredients now! Get them out of here and to the new ba..." Before she had a chance to finish barking orders, the entire cave shook, vibrations permeating across the entire base. Something had just hit the mountain hard. At first they thought it was maybe a rockslide, but then a second impact came. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! The boom was so loud it blistered everyone''s eardrums and shook their bodies. Cracks began to appear on the walls that separated them from a large tunnel that led outside. It was a dead end, and there had not been anyone mining there before...and this was no mining equipment. Another impact was heard, and then a part of the cave wall was completely obliterated as a large sword came right at her. She just barely dodged it, the sword scratching her shoulder, as a second sword flew in heading to where she dodged to. She quickly pivoted, avoiding the blow, as she stabilized herself. She formed her blade claws and slashed forward, right at the time to intercept a third large blade, this time coming to someone with a bracelet on their sword wrist, and a bracelet or anklet around each ankle. It was a small figure, but it did not calm her at all. If anything, it felt as if she had been dumped into an ocean of terror and dread. "Found you!" It was Riza. The S-Rank Adventurer Riza, who had been mysteriously absent from today. She realized it just in time, and braced herself accordingly. Riza, who had been hanging around the group, was missing. She was sure she had successfully pulled him into the city, but it was weird she didn''t get a single report about him at all. Ozlo had kept her distracted with his own trump cards and surprises... He did that on purpose?! Just for this?! Did they actually know about my Dopple? No, this was Ozlo probably just anticipating my escape. Or perhaps...Riza is acting on his own. No, but the only way he could be here is if Riza did know about the dopple! It would take a very specific spell prepared ahead of time, to track all that without alerting my wards! "How did you know?" "That you would use a dopple? I knew the moment you successfully attacked the Guildmaster. Someone as careful as you, managing to directly curse our best curse specialist? I had extreme doubts you would purposefully get close enough to risk such a thing. You have been so cautious, so why did you make such a reckless move? Answer: It wasn''t reckless, it was to throw us for a loop and make us worry and second guess our own defensive abilities or to overestimate you, slowing us down and letting you act more freely". "Tsk. You seem smart for a fool". Riza and Chianthias clashed a few times, sparks flying. Every time the blades clashed, shockwaves emerged from the impacts and a crater formed under them. Neither one were holding back, using the full strength of their True Bodies. Occasionally a wind blade emerged from their battle and cut through a demon that was trying to carry away the documents and ingredients, especially if that ingredient was a human child. "I am just expressive and true to my personality. I will have you know, Ozlo inherited his brain from me". He suddenly changed sword styles, a second sword appearing in his hand. He did it fluidly too, catching her off guard. Compared to when Ozlo changed styles, there was no delay or Anna to cause a distraction. It shifted so naturally it looked like it wasn''t a shift at all, but as if it was always like that. Even Anna did not possess such skill with a blade, despite it being her main weapon. Riku didn''t even come close to either in this regard. Riza parried her attack right into a thrust of his own. When she slashed at him, he would block at an angle that let him slash at her immediately after. And furthermore... "Tsk". She grew out her tail and used the bladed stinger on it to deflect the two swords that rushed at her from behind, being remote controlled by Riza. Riza weakened the soil under her feet at the same time, giving her a disadvantage as she was on unsteady ground. This was the infamous Riza Four Sword Assault. The Technique that made him an S-Rank Adventurer and the leader of the Brigade of the Silver Wind. This was the terrifying power that had reduced one of the previous Demon King''s generals to mince meat during the end of the war. This was the power of someone who reached S-Rank, and gained an unaging body. Despite being at an age where he should be complaining about his back, he instead looked like a short thirteen year old boy. Despite being a grandpa, people would often mistake him for a grandson. This was nothing natural. The gods had certainly granted an enchantment, a system one could say, that allowed the people an increased ability to passively get stronger as they hunted monsters. It wasn''t odd for those who are especially accomplished to even start to age slower. But it wasn''t often they would be able to maintain this youth at that age, not without something else having happened that boosted it. Despite that, Chianthias couldn''t find a single clue as to why Riza was like this. What made him so special? What was his power? He shouldn''t be an Otherworlder. Otherworlders were a natural exception, thanks to the starting bonuses they got from the Starfall, and especially the summoning bonuses of the Heroes. But Riza was none of those. He had been born a normal commoner to a normal commoner family. Then when he was seven years old, he displayed incredible combat talent and saved his village from a large group of goblins. He registered as an adventurer soon after, and became one of the fastest in history to rank up to A-Rank. He learned magic from Amyris, he dueled with the Dark Knight of the previous Demon King army and won, and he rose to status, eventually becoming a count. But at some point inbetween all of his adventurers, he just stopped aging. And it was just like he gained a great deal at six years old suddenly. No divine intervention had been detected, and there was no good reason for this to happen. If Ozlo was a brilliant genius who utilized reason and logic skills beyond the normal person and put in more effort then one would expect, Riza was a brilliant genius that defied all reason and logic and bent such things to his whim. "Who are you!? What are you really?!" "Sorry, can''t tell you!" Riza declared, not even bothering to feign ignorance. He could tell from Chianthias'' voice that it wouldn''t sway her anyways. Suddenly, a huge spike in magical energy came from behind Riza. A Black Hawk, which was smaller then a normal Hawk, was flying there while invoking magic. Chianthias recognized it immediately, but was puzzled. After all, she had just seen that Hawk an hour ago at a location that was at least several dozen hours away from here. It was Glemia, Amyris'' familiar. And it was invoking his magic. Beams of light shot out of its wings, as Chianthias herself felt as if time was moving faster around her. No, it was more that she was moving a bit slower. Amyris had cast slow on her through Glemia, but there was something wrong here. When I got back, one of the first things I checked on was the location of Amyris and his familiar! They were on the far side of the city, no way that bird flew here! Don''t tell me...was it an illusion?! One with mass?! But we had that thing tagged a week ago! That would mean he conjured and kept an illusion up for a whole week, just to fool us! Damnit! Her irritation and rage could fuel a thousand furnaces right now, she was in such a foul mood. Her very aura had turned pitch black with hatred and darkness, and she desired nothing more then to get back at the people who had made a fool out of her. As capable as she was, she was not the only one who was capable. Ozlo, Riza, Amyris, Anna, even Kuroki and his party. They were all so capable as well. And in the case of Riza and Amyris, they had been waiting several decades to get revenge on Chianthias for what she did to Anna. They had gathered countless ingredients, formed a myriad of spells, prepared for so many contingencies. Chianthias could feel her lifeforce draining with each of their attacks as well, which meant they had somehow reverse engineed the Demonic Lifedrain spell that was supposed to be specific to demon and devil physiology, and and was using it against her. Furthermore, she could feel it. Amyris was right now probing inside of her mind, even during the battle. The one who invaded minds was now being invaded herself. At this rate, she might reveal even more damning information then what Ayazi somehow got his hands on. She unleashed a large pulsewave of darkness to try and shake them away so she could escape, but they were having none of that. Several of Riza''s attacks had already cut off potential escape routes. She tried to counter with a blinding flash, but Riza took an opening he saw to engage. Riza slashed at her again, his sword seemingly bending in just the perfect way to deflect her double attack combined with a magical burst. He managed to slash her, but she was able to reduce it to a grazing cut through evasion and magic barriers. And yet, the second sword suddenly changed directions and managed to cut off her right hand, causing her great pain. "You bastard!" "I am afraid this is it for you". "Lady Chianthias!" Two of the demons rushed out and attacked him, but Riza just looked at them for a moment and suddenly they were cut into pieces. And yet in that moment, Chianthias retrieved her hand and jumped back. A magic circle lit up under her, and she suddenly disappeared...as well as exploding. Riza just barely contained it in a barrier, but he looked dissatisfied. "Tsk, she got away. She has way too many escape routes. I destroyed three teleportation circles when I arrived, but to think she had a fourth? Those things are crazy expensive...that is, unless she used blood magic to create it. I wonder how many hundreds of people she killed?" Amyris'' voice spoke through the familiar. "Probably a great number. I wasn''t able to get much from the probe, just that she has a few plans in mind and she isn''t done with us yet...but, she did have some notes on petrification in there. I guess she was worried about Anna breaking free. I will need to make sure these aren''t a trap though first before I can use them to search for methods to release Anna". "I see...still though...teleport pads..." Furthermore, they were only one time use one way teleporters. It was even rigged with an explosive trap as well. "I went through all the trouble, and she still had some left over? These are even portable, what the hell? So she can just keep taking them to each new base? Uhg, if she has any more...waaah! What the hell! I was so close too!" Riza went into a full blown tantrum at the unreasonable caution of this Devil. "I am annoyed too Riza, but...there are children right there in cages you need to rescue. Please reign it in". "No wonder we haven''t been able to get her all these decades! This is absolute bullshit! Raaaaaaah! Next time for sure, I am taking her head off!" Incidentally, Ozlo might have inherited his brains from Riza, but clearly not his maturity...or lack there of, when taking a loss. Even Amyris could not soothe him immediately. "Well, whatever" Riza said, switching gears almost instantly once he was finally done rolling on the ground shouting. "At least we got a lot of documents, and looks like some of these kids are still alive. I guess I can say it was a tie at least". That said, Riza was still really bitter.
After all the fighting, Kuroki''s party had returned to the city, and things went well from there. In fact, inside the city, things turned out perfectly. Perhaps even too perfectly, to the point of it being weird. "So you had zero casualties?" Kuroki asked Amyris, who was taking them somewhere for a special reward for all their hard work. They were currently in the silver district. This was not the noble district, the market district, or even the gold district. This district was expensive, but anyone, even commoners, could hope to enjoy some of the shops or facilities here on occasion. It was like a place for luxury stuff, but something that was more affordable so more then just nobles could come here. Merchants frequented this district a lot, so it was close to the market district. In fact, when Kuroki had rested after their sewer run, the wall they were near was actually the border wall between the market and silver district. All the shops there were apparently prime real estate, although some were empty since not all could afford them. Kuroki was amazed they had zero civilian castualties. A few guards and adventurers did get injured, and one or two even died, but in terms of civilians, not a single one died despite goblins popping up all over the city. It was impressive, but Kuroki found that hard to comprehend. "Hmmm....I could spoil it for you, but considering that Devil escaped, I think you will be seeing for yourself soon enough". "...right..." "In any case, we will be enjoying a great place in the Silver District. It''s a bit expensive, so this is a very special occasion place, but they are doing half off for anyone who helped fight against the Goblin horde today, so I can treat everyone here tonight at least". "Woo hoo!" "Where are we going?" "Well, as much as you still need to get used to this world, I thought something like this would be nice". As he said that, he turned a corner and led them to a particular storefront. The moment the kids saw the sign, they got kind of excited and intriguied. Kuroki was only somewhat shy and bashful, but the idea was so alluring to him that resistance was futile. After all, it was a bathhouse. Not only that, but they could also get food and drinks here and it also had spa services. The scent of a wonderful bath scents and the sort of relaxing atmosphere that seemed to seep out of the doors attracted them all, regardless of age. That said, Kuroki could understand what Amyris meant by expensive when he saw the sign. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Bathhouse Cost Per Person: Elder: three large silvers Adult: five large silvers Older Child: (13-16) two large silvers Young Child: (4-12) one large silver. Younger Child: (0-3) Free They were absolutely being treated here, since they still lacked enough personal finance for any of them to afford this place individually. And they were actually better off than the average E-Rank adventurer, thanks to their gear. Furthermore, the group broke out into cheers. All of them were sweaty and dirty, and seriously needed a good bath. Amyris mentioned they have professional laundromat services too, which meant their clothes would get cleaned by professionals using state of the art tools. Magic couldn''t dry it directly, but this place had magic tools that could dry it indirectly. They were just expensive to use, hence the price. Still, after all the dirt, grime, and blood they had gotten on them today, they were all in desperate need of a bath. The four had thought they would probably all get bathed together in a far more extensive and longer bath, given how much was built up, but clearly they were being treated to a luxury bath. Apparently while commoners normally either had to get bathed in a river or stream or pond, or the canals, or in the front or backyard outside, bathhouses did exist. However, they also cost money, especially since they had to make the cost of plumbing, which was expensive in this world, worth it. Apparently it was even a large place where a large group could get together. Kuroki was confused at first, but Amyris explained that many traveling merchant groups made use of it. After all, they would accumulate the same fatigue for several days. Parties who escorted merchants also tended to use them when they were higher rank and made more money, which made sense. Apparently, the average D or C ranker could afford to make use of a normal bathhouse regularly, although they would still need to save a bit and pinch pennies if they wanted to go here regularly, which most adventurers would never do. All bathhouses were public though of course, as only nobles and very rich individuals had access to private baths, or could afford plumbing in the first place. Apparently part of the reason was that metals often went into weapons and tools and infrastructure, but also the sheer work of digging through it all was expensive, and could mess with a city''s defensive ward structure if the digging wasn''t done right. And naturally, swimsuits didn''t exist in this world, but the culture of this world didn''t sexualize things as much and nudity was inherently innocent in its own right. In fact, bathing was considered a social activity by almost everyone in this world, a place to let loose, exchange gossip, chat, play around, gossip some more, and things like that. And especially gossip. It ranked up there with taverns, schools, and market areas as being the leading source of gossip. And frankly, Kuroki and the others right now couldn''t give a damn. Even Kaede, the only girl of the group, didn''t. All of them had seen each other naked at least once already anyways, and they had worked hard all day and were tired and grimy and sweaty. They had been moving around all day, and the battles they fought together made them close and comfortable with each other as well. But also, they just had too much fatigue to care. Even Kuroki didn''t care about one thing about this. In fact, Kuroki took it back, this was just straight up a full on spa. It even featured rooms for the night, though that cost extra then the entrance fee. Apparently, additional things inside were cheaper, and it was mainly the entrance fee that was expensive, probably as a form of security deposit. They offered massages, rejuvenation treatments, skin care, muscle treatments, the works. Amyris briefly looked at Kuroki, and the two nodded. They soon entered the establishment, and went up to the counter. "One adult and four young children please. Here are our guild cards, as you can see we got rewarded with the title proving our participation". On all of their Guild Cards, the title of "Azralia-Goblin Conflict Defender" had been added, which would serve as proof. The receptionist, seeing that, nodded appropriately. Incidentally, the way Kuroki was holding his had his thumb covering up his age, but she didn''t have a second thought on that for a moment. Incidentally, all of the cards displayed E-Rank as well. Thanks to everything that happened and their timeley reports, as well as working with other parties, they were promoted to E-Rank. They were not the only ones either. Soaring Shields also made E-Rank. Though Ozlo did warn them that while they might make D-Rank fast as well, expect C-Rank and beyond to be much tougher and longer to acquire. "Alright, four large silvers and five medium silvers it is. Thank you for your service". The five of them put their guild cards away, and headed into the changing room. Although each city and region had its differences, genders were generally considered equal, and it was even accepted that some might not fit into either of them, so this place like many others had completely mixed bathing. The changing rooms and baths were not divided, and there was no swimsuits in this world. Wearing clothes into the bath was considered incredibly bad etiquette and possibly against the rules, as it was for this place, so those who would be considered shy in this world would just have to put up with it. Otherworlders would have to put up with it, but this was the norm of this world. However, Kuroki and the others were fatigued from the fighting, and they were on a blissful high of their achievement and payday, which had been rather satisfying in its amount, that they didn''t care as much. Naturally, Adaptability, Mental Fortitude, and Compliance were playing their roles accordingly as well. They stripped off everything, putting their underwear and all their clothes into the bin, and headed into the luxury establishment. The very smell felt inviting. There was an area for rinsing off one''s body, a large bathing area that already had a few people in it, including some they recognized. Soaring Shields and Deep Dashers were here as well, and so was Ozlo, Ellie, and the Guildmaster, as well as a few others. Ozlo had apparently invited Soaring Shield and Deep Dashers to make it more merry, while the Guildmaster had ended up forcing his way into being involved. That one noble who stood up for them and Ozlo and put Valiance in his place was also here. There were tables for eating, and some people had some drinks while in the bath or ate while at the edge of the baths. Ozlo himself was laying on a table, his back facing the ceiling, as he seemed to be getting a hot stone massage and also a normal massage at the same time. "Break time?" Kuroki asked. If anyone deserved a break, it was Ozlo. He managed a Devil ambush apparently, on top of leading the adventurers, and putting up with Valiance, and all the work he did the last few days. "Yeah...also, don''t touch the stones". "Don''t worry, I won''t steal any". "No, I mean, I have thermal resistance, so they have to specially heat up these stones just for me. If you touch them, you might get third degree burns". "Oh...got it, hands off the stones". "Mhm....mhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmm" Ozlo replied, although the latter part was a reaction as one of the ladies tending to him placed another stone on a spot while the other undid a knot. "This is bliss". Amyris just chuckled. "Yeah, he certainly earned this break". Suddenly, another boy...or rather, a grandpa who looked like a young boy, ran through the door from the changing room. His blonde hair was especially messy, and it looked like he was actually out of breath. Kuroki had never once seen him like that, even Sebas didn''t push him this much. "Sorry...I am...late..." "Honestly, I am amazed you got back at all" Ozlo pointed out, as one of the women got another knot out of his back and he leaked out a sigh of bliss. Ozlo didn''t even bat an eye, and explained once he caught his breath a bit. "I was able to salvage enough of those teleport pads to get me back here in a hurry". "...didn''t you completely obliterate them?" "Hence why I was late!" Ozlo let out a sigh. "I can''t believe...no, I am on holiday. Someone else deal with the idiots! I am not available! Ahhhhh...yes please, get that new one right there". With that declaration, Ozlo fully focused on his own treatment, while Kuroki looked confused. "Teleport pads? What are you talking about?" Amyris turned towards Kuroki. "Ah, didn''t you notice Riza was weirdly missing today? We sent him and my familiar to attack the enemy base". "...ah. Wait, Goblin or Devil?" "Devil". "Ahh...hey, Riku?!" Kuroki said, before Riku pulled him over and more or less threw him into the bath now that they were done rinsing off. Riku then dove right in himself, popping up his head soon since it was rather shallow. Kuroki wanted to be annoyed, but the water already worked its way into his body and joints, and the two boys let out a brilliant sigh. To them, the water was heavenly. Both of them so far had to endure being bathed outside the whole time. Of course, there were actually more people who could see them now then in that backyard, but the water was so much better it was so blissful. It was nice warm heated water, with neither one of them shivering at all. They were able to completely absorb the bliss of it all, and they looked so relaxed. Ryuu and Kaede joined them, and the four looked like they were in heaven. Deep Dashers and Soaring Shields had similar expressions. Although, none of them got close to how blissful Ozlo looked right now. It appeared to be relative to how hard they worked. Riza even joined them, and had a similar expression. They even lined up next to each other and let out a collective sigh of bliss, making it a symphony of sighs. But then a fool decided to open his mouth. "Haha, look at that. It''s a line of hills, their..." The guildmaster said that, apparently buzzed already. However, before he could even finish his idiotic observation, such a comment was almost immediately met with his voice suddenly disappearing completely as Ellie cast a spell. Furthermore, a dragon was now flying behind the guildmaster, the same small one Ozlo had summoned in the command tent. What appeared to be a magical projection of a guillotine appeared above the GUildmaster''s head thanks to Amyris, and even Riza was giving him the stinkeye. Yes, even Riza. "Guildmaster, if you don''t sober up and stop being weird, I will use that on you...and naturally, I will inform your wife as well". "It appears my boss needs me to use my sobering spell on him". "I will not have you tarnish my reputation by speaking such things to the people I am treating". "Seriously? Even I wouldn''t say that out loud at our first party with everyone". Ellie, Ozlo, Amyris, and even Riza made their statements accordingly, although Riza revealed he wasn''t all that different from the guildmaster in some aspects. The Guildmaster seemed to come to his senses fast, making gestures that he would do his best as fear seemed to sober him up a bit. Meanwhile, Riza was looking over at Ozlo. "You been eating properly?" "Better than you". "Ozlo, you know you can''t lie to me". "Tsk". "Hey, can you get him two portions of dinner please? Steak medium rare, mashed potatoes, aluvia sauce on steak and gravy on the potatoes, with chocolate milk on the side, and plenty of carrots?" One of the attendants nodded, and headed to get such food. "Are you eating too?" "No, I am ordering next. You are eating both because you missed lunch today". "What?!" "A grandpa knows these things". "How did...uhg". "Ozlo, I believe some other people told you already, but you can let others take care of you. You don''t need to handle everything and push yourself". "Easy for you to say when you were the cause for many of my problems...and how do you even know that?!" "Guess I walked right into that one, but it was written on your face. I am your grandpa, I can tell such things". Although they were bickering, Ozlo looked far more relieved as he did compared to before. Kuroki figured it was probably due to their bond. As much as Riza caused trouble for Ozlo, the two genuinely cared about each other and looked out for each other. Riza was very much a meddlesome grandparent type, even if he didn''t always act the age or look like it. "Looks like you have good people around you, Oz" Count Cremalis said as he came over, having had a few drinks yet still looking completely sober, unlike a certain Guildmaster. "I must say, I never thought a full fledged noble would publicly come to the silver district. Or share a bath with commoners". "Heh. An exception or two isn''t going to cause any real issues". Kuroki looked confused, and turned to Dia for answers. "What does he mean by that?" "Typically, Nobles can enjoy anything here in their daily lives easily. Of course, those would be private facilities just for them. And if they do go out, they would typically go to the gold district. Unless you win some sort of raffle or lottery, most commoners would rarely if ever set foot there. High ranking adventurers might though. Merchants, who have more wealth to them and occasionally need to attend and do business there to show off their wealth and prosperity, might frequent the Gold District occasionally as well, in addition to other middle class positions like city leaders and those with high ranking positions even if they are technically commoners. The middle class, if you will". "Ah, I see". So the Silver District to the general people was the Gold District to the more well off merchants, or the Market District to well established nobles. "Furthermore, one way nobles show their status is clothes. Typically, you cannot be dressed better then someone of higher rank. Its considered rude. Obviously there are exceptions naturally, such as surprise guests and all that. Its a difference between nobles and commoners you could say. Commoners might care a bit about fashion, but most don''t obsess too much about it, while nobles and the rich obsess over it. Its part of their status". Kuroki nodded, understanding the situation. That was why Ozlo was surprised to see the count attending the party. "That said, noble children have been known to frequent them a lot, unofficially or even officially sometimes. It depends on their status or allowance, but unless their parents are being very generous with them, they generally wont be able to afford going into the Gold District too often unless its on officially family business". "Wait, isn''t Ozlo also a noble? And Riza?" "Well, exceptions like them do exist. To be honest, Ozlo has barely any recognition of his noble status, and I think it''s only when he wants to take advantage of it". "...that does sound about right for him". Perhaps Kuroki was unfairly letting his imagery of Valiance obscure his view, but Ozlo seemed far more hard working and just then what a noble typically would. "There are plenty of nobles who do their jobs properly and have a sense of honor, but there are also plenty of scum as well. However, you can''t always tell by their personalities. There is one noble in this city who tends to be rude, makes commoners strip and do weird poses as punishment when they are disgraceful to him, stuff like that. But then he goes and donates huge amounts of gold for the orphanages, the public facilities, programs to feed the poor. For those who strip, he ends up paying for just the medicine they need, claiming ''such injuries or scars are a pain'' or ''I dont want such germs and filth near me'' or the like. I heard from a doctor that those poses are actually great to tell muscle, skin, and interior body health. He was the one that argued against Valiance when they tried to make the Adventurer''s Guild do it for free and make the Guild pay for this themselves. Although he did say ''how can we expect them to be properly motivated except by the power of our wealth for this?'', he ended up donating way more then the minimum amount". "So he acts all arrogant and cruel, but in actuality, he is actually incredibly kind and generous?" "Yep. But the point is, you can''t judge a noble on if they are scum or not just because they do or don''t act arrogant or impulsive. So make sure you take care on who you trust okay?" "Thanks. I guess that is the wisdom of a newly minted D-Rank adventurer for you". "Yep!" Dia seemed quite happy and overjoyed about his new promotion. It would let them earn more money and have access to more guild facilities and resources after all, and they were making money in order to help reduce the strain on their family. Apparently, they had four younger brothers, quadruplets, and one older sister who was already a B-Rank adventurer. "Only a single older sister?" "Happens sometimes, usually with girls. Some say its why our population doesn''t overrun everyone else. That and also we can be rather weak and die easily normally". "...you seem nothing like that". "Ahahaha...that''s fair". "I hear we are supposed to be on standby for awhile even as we complete new quests" Riala mentioned as he joined in on the conversations. "You think they are concerned because the Goblin surge happened so suddenly?" "Yeah. Especially since there are Orcs in the southern woods. If such a surge is happening to them as well, then the situation could be far worse". "But so far, there has been no movement from that, and such things take time. So we should be fine for awhile at least. Still, Orcs are way more dangerous than Hobgoblins". Still, Kuroki had concerns. This wasn''t a natural occurrence after all, something was clearly amiss. The Devils had made their move, but they were not out of moves. The Starfall was still a big mystery, having targeted even animals. And then there was the mysterious boy who had helped them out in their time of need. Or, as Kuroki suspected, an adult that had become a boy again due to his wish. And then there was that place, and the people who helped him. What was that place? How was he able to invoke the Last Wish? It felt like they were still small fish in a big pond, or rather, a big lake. And unless they got stronger, they likely would be at the mercy of these forces and would never find the answers they sought. Which means, the ritual in five days is more important than ever. Five days until the full moon, and Kuroki would perform the True Arcanium Ritual. And then he would be a step closer to finding those answers.
Meanwhile, far off in a different city, The Oracle was having his own bath. To be exact, two maidens were bathing him, scrubbing his body clean of filth. As the Oracle, he was far too important to be allowed to clean himself and required plenty of care. Once they were done however, they let him be to soak in the tub. He briefly mused about submerging himself in the water to deprive himself of oxygen, but he already knew it would fail. The collar around his neck would never let him die, under any circumstance. Not unless the Council themselves demanded it. Still, as he soaked, he did recieve a shock as his memories returned once more. He immediately checked various potential futures to see what happened. "I see. Flopsy is no longer an enemy, the Devil was defeated and wounded, but escaped alive, and the Orcs will invade in the coming weeks next, fueled by Devil magic. It would have been nice to take Chianthias off the board, she is still the biggest threat to them this early in the timeline, but...this is certainly among the better outcomes. Now Kuroki''s group is forging stronger bonds with some of his fellow adventurers, and...what is this? A new threadline? This was not here...was someone inspired and created a new figure of importance? Interesting". However, his gaze turned towards one thread in particular. "The Foxkin Zak. What an interesting individual. A Starfallen no doubt, but...he is defying predictions? Was it him, and not Green then, or one of the Hidden who shifted the future then?" The Oracle took a greater interest in Zak. He examined the boy''s...no, the man''s timeline. "Interesting. He has more knowledge then most, and a connection to Kuroki. I may need to find a way to chat with him, but...even my normal ways wont work with him". As he considered things, he took a look at other factors. "Uh oh. Looks like those organizations are going to be making their move. And unfortunately, the timeline we are now on has increased the spread of that new drug that makes people all weird and crazy. Seriously, licking your own sword? How unsanitary!" He reviewed a bit more, but then found something odd... "...there are blank spots. Someone is shielding future events from even my powers?" He tried to peer into them, but he felt blocked. "Someone is trying to stop people from viewing and changing the future. Is this the rumored power of the Demon King. No matter, I will not be detered so easily". The Oracle already knew the events that would come next. These seemed to be fixed, nothing could stop them, only determine the outcome. And yet, the Oracle smiled. Because he could still see it. The ideal future. A moment that would change everything, and proof that he had to hold out hope, without letting his captors know about this future. The Heroes. The Starfallen. The Oracle. All appearing on the same battlefield. It was off in the future, it would take at least a year or two to manifest. There was a future where he was free. And where he fought alongside the Heroes of this country, as well as Kuroki. This was not yet a fixed future. It could shape and divert, things could change. In fact, the odds of this future happening where low. But it was proof that he had a chance to escape the prison he was currently in. That he had the chance to leave the Ivory Tower. So many other futures existed, where he remained locked in here. A few where he died, but even that was preferable to the endless imprisonment and abuse he faced. But to escape...that was his ideal. This future is one where Kuroki lives. Perhaps there are ways to reach it without him. Perhaps he too is a replacable part that could be taken by any other. There should be endless variations of this moment, and there is no reason my escape depends on it. But that changes nothing. Kuroki has one of the highest chances to die of any Starfallen, thanks to his biological donor and his stupid students. Thanks to Chianthias, and those who hate Amyris. Thanks to his small size but great potential, which attracts weirdos and those filled with envy. He is not the most important, or the least important. He is not the strongest or the weakest. He has no cheat abilities or special powers he was granted. He will have to go on great adventures. But, just like everyone else, he matters. He is important. He deserves to live and be happy! The Oracle might not be aware of it, but the line between him talking about Kuroki and himself was blurring there, at that very end. The Oracle, for the first time in a long time, had tasted hope. For years, he wished for any end to his imprisonment. In fact, he still does. And yet...for perhaps the first time in many years, his desire to live was growing. And with this, his soul began to burn just a bit brighter. A single candle atop the white tower full of darkness. And so, the Moments of Fate ticked ever closer, as the day came to an end. Chapter 30: One Step Forward Diaboria City. A city north of Azralia, located next to the Crystal River, the pass through the Vanorith mountains, and with access to abundance of mines and mineral resources, its considered one of the main economic powers in the kingdom of Ronia. Comparable to the city of Ruthil in terms of merchant activity and economic prosperity, however Ruthil was more a frontier city. Diaboria meanwhile was in a different region, governed by a different Great House, and had its own complexities to it. As much as Ruthil was becoming a den of snakes with all sorts of criminal organizations taking root, Diaboria was even moreso. Due to the tall mountains surrounding it, it got a lot more shade and shadow then one might expect, causing the town to be a bit darker and more mysterious. But perhaps that is why a lot of criminal elements also moved into the city. The city wasn''t run by criminals, not yet, but they certainly had influential people in their pockets. Rumor had it that one of the Dark Three, a trinity of new criminal organizations, might actually be taking over, as the underworld had been going under some changes and chaos lately. And in a dark section of the city''s Undercroft, a man who appeared to be about fifty years old and was beaten and bruised was laying against a wall. The wall itself was made of cobblestone, dirty and damp, and it looked like it might be some overflow chamber for rainwater. The city seemed to get more rain then sunshine throughout the year after all. That said, the man himself was clearly injured. His clothes had various bloodstains, and blood ran from his nose. His attackers were three people who kept their hoods up and wore masks so they couldn''t be identified. Each of them held a sword in one hand, a book in the other, and wore blue raincoats that covered their whole bodies except for their feet, hands, and masks. Another seven joined them after, making for ten people in total now to assist with his "interrogation". One stabbed him in the shoulder, and twisted his knife. "Tell us about The Hidden. Who are they?! We heard you worked with them and know a lot, so tell us the details! Unless you want to suffer?" "Please no! I promise, I don''t know who these hidden are! I don''t have any idea what you are talking about!" "Shut it! We know the goods you have been buying up have been going to this group! Tell us what you know about them! Who are they!? What are they?!" "Like I said, I have no idea who or what you are talking about!" the man whimpered, but they did not believe him. Suddenly, they felt a presence outside. They heard two young voices talking, probably children. Sounded like they were far off, but their hearing surpassed a normal human''s. At the very least, they were not underground. "Looks like we don''t have visitors yet, but we should hurry the interrogation up" one of them said, his voice worried yet unempathetic. "We might not be able to remain Hidden ourselves if one of the Knights shows up". Another one stabbed him in the leg, twisting the knife again to cause the man a lot of pain. "Tell us what you know of the Hidden. You cannot hide the truth from us!" Suddenly, at that shout, they heard something again. From behind them this time. They turned and looked to see a boy, wearing a dark rain soaked cloak over his head to protect him against the rain, chasing after a bouncy ball that fell down the stairs and then bounced off the wall, rolling right into the entrance of the room. He had no shoes or socks and was wearing just basic black shorts and a white shirt otherwise, all looked baggy on him. He had messy white hair, ears that were slightly pointed indicating he was a half elf, and sapphire blue eyes. The man looked at the boy and pleaded. "No! Please! Get away!" he shouted at the boy. "Hehe...tell us what you want to know, or the boy gets it" one of the cloaked people said. One seemed to almost teleport next to the boy, drawing his sword and putting it around where his neck was. "You will tell us everything, or every single torture method we use on you, will be used on the boy as we..." Before he even had time to finish the question, he fell over suddenly, a sword puncture mark right in his center torso. The boy meanwhile looked at them with a glare that just was barely visible from under the darkness of the hood. "Go, Ashiko". The moment he said those words, the ground ruptured under his feet as a strange thing slid out of the back of his cloak. Coming out from under his shirt in the back, appeared to be some sort of sword whip. It appeared as if a large shining sword had broken into segments, with mechanical interior part holding it together and allowing it to bend and be controlled. It looked entirely mechanical, but it was obviously being controlled and likely powered by magic. Furthermore, it was coming out of literally nowhere. However, much like Riza''s Swords, there had to be a trick. There was no such thing as Pocket Dimension magic, and there was no way the boy had a magic bag hidden in there. This was commonly known in the world, and no amount of researchers, Starfallen, Heroes, mages, or such had over surpassed it. Rumor has it the gods did once, but one could not access such power without consequences. However, any explanation that the demons could come up with were absurd. They were theoretically possible, unlike some sort of storage magic or supersized magic bag, but it was still absurd. Was it miniaturized inside of his body? Was it just a magically created object, expending huge amounts of mana? Was it some sword of Godblade or Divine Artifact? Perhaps what they saw was not real, but in fact a macro-illusion? It pierced through three of the enemies with its first attack, skewering them as it dug into the wall behind them. Another immediately tried to attack the boy at his side, but a sword blade shot out from the ground and cut him in half, killing him instantly. The force was real and it was very solid, which immediately ruled out macro-illusion. The remaining five realized immediately what he was, and were filled with dread. "You are...One of the Hidden! And you have a Godblade!" Godblades: Weapons that were created by Godsmiths, a type of Divine Crafter. Less than ten Godsmiths existed in any generation, and not every single one of them was guarenteed to be able to create even one Godblade. Furthermore, they always had hyper extended lifespans, but generally could not utilize the Godblades they created as well as others could. They were said to be weapons that took a long time to master, but held great potential when they were. But also, each Godblade could be rather picky with who it chose as its user, to the point that it would probably refuse 99% of people at least. Furthermore, if a Godblade was too powerful, it would have to be destroyed typically. Sometimes the gods themselves would order such a thing. And one of the people they had been hunting was wielding one while they were cornered in this room, underground, where no one would hear them scream. "To think you lot finally learned of our existence. I won''t say its unexpected" the child spoke, although his tone and the weight of his voice did not match his apparent age. Suddenly, the swordwhip freed itself from the walls as they cast a spell...only for nothing to happen. "Oh, trying to run with teleportation? I already sealed that escape route before I even attacked". They all charged at him, desparation in their eyes. They knew now if they didn''t kill him right this moment, they would all die. Unfortunately for them, "too late" was before he even arrived. Cracks formed under the ground where his bare feet stood, and seemed to grow in the direction of the five, spiraling around the room in the process. At the same time, the sword whip charged forward to strike again. Blades shot out of the walls, floors, ceilings, skewering all of the enemies in one go and ruding their disguise to tatters, revealing them to be Demons. Not only that, but they even seemed to extend their length or grow in size, allowing them an alarming degree of flexibility in combat. Only one managed to survive the attack, but there was a broken blade stuck in his torso, and he was losing strength. He would be dead in moments. "Sebastian, you did well not to break. I thank you. I sense that even your Contract of Confidence was not even remotely triggered, which means you resisted them of your own free will, and not because magic has sealed your lips". "Of course, Master. I live to serve" the man said to the boy. "Unfortunately, it seems I was discovered. You should let me die here". "Nonsense. Don''t speak such foolishness, Sebastian" the boy said, using magic to heal his wounds as he removed the daggers from Sebastian''s body. Once that was done, he looked at the dying Demon. "Now then, mutt. It seems you hurt my friend a great deal. So you will tell me who sent you, and how you learned about The Hidden. Which Devil was it? Or was it an Archdevil, or perhaps even the Demon King himself?" "I...I won''t talk!" When he said that, the boy simply let out a sigh. He rolled his eyes as if to say "Really, you think you have a choice?" Next moment, blades emerged from inside the demon''s own body. Several of them all throughout, however they seemed to use magic to prevent the shock from killing him or death via bloodloss, making it a strange and obscure sight. He was still dying from his other wounds, but these blades only caused him great pain, while preventing their wounds from inflicting his death. "Tsk, to think you had this weapon..." "Answer me". The Demon tried to stop himself, but his own mouth began to speak as he died, with no control of what he said. He could not even move his body to try and forcefully seal his own lips, as the blades prevented his movement. "Archdevil.....Chiamathelerif....heard the Hidden....might be connected...to the Starfall. Was told...supplies directed here...linked to a Hidden operation..." "The hell?! Where did she hear that farce?! We have nothing to do with the Starfall!" At least, that I know of. "The Advisor to the....Demon King". "Tsk. What the hell? Who is this Advisor?" "Un...known..." He tried to get more out, but the Demon expired right then and there, so without hesitation he raised his hand. Flames ignited from it, gushing out in a brilliant blaze. He had to incinerate the corpses instead afterall. He engulfed the entire room in a blaze, as the blades that he produced released retracted from the ground, as if they never existed there in the first place. "Someone knows about us...and was able to track down you Sebastian. They clearly dont know much, but what they do know is too much. The name The Hidden isn''t as big of a secret as being able to track down one of our assistants, but the fact they decided to frame us for being involved with the Starfall is...too strange to be just a coincidence". Someone was playing a dangerous game, and they were getting heat for it. The boy...no, the man knew this, and he knew he had to act fast. "Sebastian, have we heard from Black?" "Not in a week, master. He said he was investigating the Starfallen in one region while going Devil Hunting. However, he did mention he felt a shift in the future". "A shift in the future? From the Starfallen?" "He wasn''t sure. It could be related, but...he said it was different from the disruptions caused by the Starfall. He said it was similar to that of an Oracle, but...different". The boy''s eyes widened, as he heard this report. "Shuuka vak''tan!" "Master, you shouldn''t curse, even in the fairy language". "It can''t be helped. Sebastian, any prediction we got before the Starfall is going to grow increasingly useless as time passes. That is a lot of predictions down the drain. At this point, the only one who can help us recover the Roadmap...would have to be the Oracle". "If you wish to gain the Oracle''s help, that will take time...and will require you to pick a fight with the Dark Side of the Church". "I know Sebastian, if we make a move, the Dark Side of the Church might discover us and crush us. Or try to find us and enslave us. I will see if I can just get a meeting at least. I should be able to hold a private conversation with him, but I will need a new ID...are you ready to become a grandfather, grampsy?" Those last words were in the tone of an innocent, cute little boy, and even managed to get the resolute Sebastian to snort with amusement. The boy then turned towards the Demons, and grimaced. "It seems that someone either very ambitious or very long lived and patient is finally making their move. Either way, it looks like we have work to do". "Of course, Master".
Kuroki was having another dream, stirring in bed as he clung to a sleeping Riku. The covers had long since been knocked off the bed, so their bodies were fully exposed to the night air, but it was a warm night so it didn''t much bother them. However, Kuroki''s dream, or rather, his nightmare right now, was bothering him. In it, he was fully clothed in his mage battlegear and there were destroyed buildings all around him. Destruction rained out all over the place, and the cries of innocents could be heard in the distance. Shouts for help, screams of pain and suffering. A sight even more brutal than the warzone he was in against the Goblins. Many of these buildings looked old and sturdy, and yet they had been shattered apart by some sort of powerful force. Some of the corpses around him had been cut, or ripped, to pieces, and dark clouds eclipsed the sun despite it clearly being daytime, creating an eerie darkness to it. This plus the smoke produced by the countless fires around the city caused it to take a murky, darker tone then it normally would be. There were some monsters running around, and warriors were everywhere, slaughtering people. Kuroki was taking them out, although he looked different. His height was still essentially the same, he was his petit self. However, Kuroki felt like this version of him was just a bit older and more experienced. The Grimoire he had at his side looked different too, and it felt like it had more arcane energy. Even if he didn''t seem to age, he just had that air that made Kuroki knew this was an older, future version of himself. Although he found it a bit annoying that in his dreams, he didn''t grow much at all in the future, but perhaps that was just the nature of dreams themselves. People tended to always dream with themselves as the age they currently were. Still, this did nothing to reduce the tension or dread he felt, as that person walked down the street, staring right at him. Shivers ran down his spine, and he felt colder then if he was tossed naked into the snow. That person''s eyes full of hate and rage, his face slightly scarred. A new feature that Kuroki had never seen before, but pleased him a bit. A large sword in his hand, and he threw something at Kuroki. At first, Kuroki didn''t know what it was. But then he saw it, and the moment he did, he became a maelstrom of emotion. What he threw was Riku''s severed head. Not only that, but he then tossed Akano''s skewered corpse at him as well, as the hatred became a tsunami that wished to crash down upon the hated man in front of him. Anger and rage boiled up all around him, and he wished for this enemy to die painfully and quickly. That man was Kuroki''s father, if one could even stomach describing him as that. A number went so far as to only refer to him as "biological donor" or just "Trashscum" when they heard about everything he did to Kuroki. It went beyond sense and reason, after all. And he had just killed two of Kuroki''s friends. Furthermore, he smiled as if to say "that isn''t all", but showed no signs of Juno or Reiji, forcing Kuroki to panic as he lacked the knowledge to know what happened to his other friends. All he knew is that his greatest enemy had stolen two of his friends, his shining lights, from him. "...I will kill you". And yet, he felt Compliance hold him back in that moment. Indicating not to kill such a powerful and useful individual. Kuroki fought it though, as he prepared his spell. "Looks like you need a good spanking. But first, I will have to strip you bare of those girlish clothes". They were mage''s clothes, and very much something any boy or girl would wear normally. But as they were full of magic, his father hated Kuroki wearing any of it. To his shitty father, he believed all magic was a girly thing for girls after all. The fact that Kuroki was not even a spellblade seemed to piss him off even more. And so these two glared at each other hatefully. Magical sparks crackled around Kuroki''s hands, and his father''s blade was so sharp the little sunlight that came through shined off its edges. The very air between them felt tense, full of pressure, as if it would burst in any moment. Ash and soot fell upon their battlefield. Kuroki unleashed spells in his dream that he had never cast before. Lightning that seemed to split apart and coil around, different from his bending lightning arc, this was more organic and controllable, almost like snakes that could divide and freely move. Ice that turned the battlefield into a frozen wonderland, and created countless ice spikes to fire at him. Even firing a beam of pure mana from his palm. And yet his shitty father seemed to cut through it all, as he quickly made his way towards Kuroki. All while raising his sword. And yet, as he did, he was able to shoot a Crystal spike into his torso, wounding him. For the first time in two worlds, Kuroki wounded his father. He landed a successful hit, and it was with magic, not martial arts. This threw his father into a rage. Kuroki deployed barriers, but they all shattered as the sword came down... "No!" Kuroki shouted as he woke up, a squirming Riku being crushed in this situation. "Sorry". Kuroki quickly let go, letting Riku gasp for air. It wasn''t the first time this happened though, nor was this situation exclusive just to Kuroki. Both of them had their fears, including their fears of what might happen to them in this world, not just enemies of their past. They actually had decided to keep sharing a bed instead of looking into alternatives because the nightmares lessened when a friend was there with them, and so they would always be able to talk each other out of any fear immediately. "It''s...okay. Your father again?" "Yeah, but...it was different this time". "Hmmm?" "Riku...you were dead...he cut your head off...and I managed to fight him..." Riku''s eyes went wide as they sat up in bed on their knees. It was still dark outside the window, although one could see traces of light in the distant sky. "That...must have been hard...but you fought him this time?" Kuroki nodded. Kuroki had always desired to defeat his shitty father. He always beat Kuroki for his lack of growth, even though it was almost assuredly a major factor in his stunted growth. But then his father was just generally a cruel, narrow minded person. It wasn''t the first time he had dreams of beating him. And these were just the dreams he could remember. But lately he had been having the same dream over and over. Ever since they made it to the city, and he and Riku had been roommates together. They felt unusually real, and so far, Kuroki had always collapsed due to his father''s aura and strength without being able to fight. This was the first time he knew he had the dream since their battle against the Goblins, and it was different this time. It was the same location, the same clothes he wore, the same warriors. But this time, he mustered the strength to fight back. And he even landed a hit. He never even landed a hit in reality. So for Kuroki, even if it was just in a dream, he felt as if the events of the past few days had helped him take the first step forward. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. It almost felt like the future was changing, even if only by a bit. Still, the fear, dread, and shock remained. Riku was just happy such a dream didn''t make him wet the bed. Riku couldn''t say confidently the same wouldn''t occur if their roles were reverse, although they did both pee right before bed. Riku understood that to Kuroki, his father was likely the biggest nightmare, the biggest enemy, he would ever face. And that he would likely only keep growing stronger and stronger in this world, as he tried to cut his way towards Kuroki. And they never knew when, so it was unrealistic...and also unhealthy...for them to have Amyris, Riza, Ozlo, the GuildMaster, or any others around them constantly. But he also understood that Kuroki needed to calm down. Biting his lip in frustration, he laid down on the bed. "Hey, Kuroki. Could you help me look at something?" "Yes?" "So, I know we have both been curious about it for awhile, so...how about you try and look and examine to see exactly how my tail and ears are connected to my body, okay?" "Wait, really?" "Yeah..." Both of them had been curious for awhile, but it was a bit weird for sure so they had not done it yet. Still, the two boys had boundless curiosity, and Riku would put up with it since he knew it would help distract Kuroki. Furthermore, the two had become entirely comfortable with each other now, and comfortable around Amyris. At the very least, aside from a very rare moment, they no longer got embarrassed being seen by each other or walking around the house naked, although that only happened in the morning until after they had breakfast, right when they were going to bed, or when they had no more clean clothes and had to do emergency laundry. Amyris had been only doing it sometimes lately, so the boys would get used to doing it themselves. Admittedly, when they heard the norms for doing laundry, they got embarrassed a bit, but they toughed it out. In any case, Kuroki began with the tail, since Riku''s hair didn''t obstruct it. It was connected to his tailbone, so basically right inbetween his waist and his butt. They suspected there was even some bone in there maybe, or at least muscle, given how Riku was able to use it. Although it looked fluffy, it was more then just an aestetic trait. It seemed their tails could be used to sense things somehow, although neither knew how it worked. If one circulated mana through it, it would become even more formidable, and could even be used as a weapon during combat. There was also a weird sense of pride between Beastkin and their tails, so threatening one was ill advised. Kuroki briefly wondered if in addition to being some sort of strange sixth sense sensory antenna of sorts, it also was something related to mating rituals as well, although Beastkin seemed more person then beast. As for the ears, Riku had demonstrated their use many times. For one thing, they did not in fact have human ears as well. So the ears at the top were their main ears, and they were far better then human ears. They could also close themselves in a lot of cases, to help protect them from sounds that harmed them. Kuroki also wondered if they had smelling organs of their own, and thats why Beastkin hated smells so much, or if that was just a general part of the enhanced senses and physical abilities they tended to have. Each Beastkin had its own various differences, but Wolves were a bit of an all rounder. They had strength, speed, senses. And they had an equal chance of being able to use magic as anyone else. As for how they were attached, Kuroki had to brush the hair out of the way to get a peak, but it looked like they had a lot of roots around them. Still, they looked firmly and organically attached, like wolf ears to a wolf head, only in this case it was to a human head. "And that''s my report". "Mhm. About what we expected then. Thanks" Riku said as he sat up again. "No, thank you for distracting me" Kuroki replied. He realized what Riku was doing instantly. "Right. I think I smell Amyris cooking breakfast, so lets go eat, use the toilet, and then get dressed". "...it seems you are getting used to this world faster than I am, to suggest those last two in that order. Well whatever..." The two of them now both could smell the aroma of breakfast, so they jumped out of bed and raced down the stairs without so much as a second thought or another action. Amyris was an amazing cook, and his food could easily lure the boys to the breakfast table no matter what they were doing. By the time they reached the kitchen, there were already three settings set, and the food was already on the table. Freshly sizzled sausages, wonderful scrambled eggs seasoned with a bit of salt, a bit of pepper, and a good amount of cheese, juice on the side for both of them, with four strips of bacon for them both. The juice was pulp free, which Kuroki still wasn''t sure how Amyris managed that. The bacon was also perfectly cooked, and the sausages had been evenly cooked throughout. There were also fruit slices as well, completing the breakfast. Not just that, but the slices were from a fruit that was clearly at its perfect peak for ripeness, making them look delectable and juicy. The juice was just coming out just fine, and yet not a single bit looked like it had rotted at all. Not too late or too soon. The two boys quickly took their seats. "Thanks for the food!" "Thank you for the food!" Neither of them felt out of place, but that might have just been Mental Fortitude, Compliance, and Adaptability at work. That or they were just used to and comfortable around Amyris, and were a starving ten and fifteen year old boys. It was fairly normal for people, especially children, of this world to not get dressed before breakfast, at least for commoners and merchants. After all, they could make a mess of their clothes during breakfast, so it was typically to eat and use the toilet before getting dressed. So while it was fairly rare, at least outside of summer, for anyone to eat lunch or dinner in the nude, for breakfast among the commoners it was an everyday occurrence. But that more showcased the difference in wealth then anything else. Commoners didn''t spend money on excess wardrobes, especially not for children who were still growing. In fact, it was common for children as old as Riku even to be given long tunics or even dresses (or something like them at least) as clothes, even if they were a boy, since they could be made longer so when they grew it would just be a short dress then a long one. Clothes were far more expensive after all, partially because while making them by hand, they tended to subconsciously imbue trace mana into them, making them tougher, more comfortable, and more resilient then anything a factory could make. Besides, factories often got targeted by the Demon King, and if they were built, often it was used for weapons of war and defense then clothing. "Now, I am going to be busy researching, but Kuroki, I left a notebook I want you to read through. Considering what happened, and how you tend to push yourself, I think you might want to pick up on learning wards right now. You should still continue your quickcast spell studies, but given we know how Chianthias'' magic words now, wards would probably be best. After all, it was proof that straightforward barrier and protection spells might not always protect you". "But will wards work against her or those types as well? Isn''t it another form of protection magic?" "Hmmm. There are some quickcast wards for sure, but generally, wards are different. Almost all wards are made through creating magical array formations ahead of time and imbueing them onto objects. Its yet another reason why standard protocol for capturing mages, or really anyone, is to strip them naked. See, wards dont need a magic user to activate. They are more passive, able to absorb ambient mana to power them. But you have to write them ahead of time, and you have to be careful with how you set it up. Keep in mind the surface must be smooth or flat, preferably both but smooth is actually the more important one. If its rough or bristly or a surface with lots of hair or fur, it would interfere with the equations. You need to balance wards properly. But because of that, wards are an atypical defense. Chianthias'' magic breaks through defenses and barriers, but wards are different beasts from those. Due to their complexity, they could redirect instead, like how Ozlo redirected it to force her into his Mental Realm. That was without a doubt aided by a ward setup". "Wait, so wards use ambient mana instead of personal mana?" "To power themselves yes. There are some that even use Expended Mana, although those can be risky and typically cant take too much, so you need to be careful with those. But yes. Wards are a passive form of barriers. Weaker, but they dont require one to constantly keep them active and fueled with mana. Some wards when they expend or are broken through might need time accumulating ambient mana to reactivate as well, keep in mind. Furthermore, advanced ward setups that take too much mana might still need mana or magic crystals to power them. So you should keep that in mind". "Is that true with the ward schematic of this house?" "Only if I switch it to the higher defense modes, but I have made sure I have plenty of fuel for that, to the point it would be able to stay in that state for a year non-stop". "...shiza..." "Yep. In any case, Ellie did a great job with the enchantments, but she left room on your mage robes to grow and experiment with wards. Eventually you should be able to make something that will really mesh well and augment those well, but for now, you should try and see what you can do and practice". "Is there a way to quickcast wards?" Amyris smiled a bit when he heard that question. "Maybe, but it depends on the person. You have a natural talent for wards though, so you might find ways to use your mana with making wards that defies the norm. A lot of actual spell and ward composition comes from someone''s personality and innate talents, so I can only teach you the core methods and then help give you feedback with your practice here". Most of what Amyris taught was not spells themselves, but rather techniques and core methods, since those were the true core of magic. Spells were the flashy end product, but what truly made a mage was mana manipulation, spell invocation technique, spell composition, an understanding of the optimal use of their mana and what it works best with. And those were all basic things. Then there was spell layering, multi-cast, remote cast, deceptive cast, fragmented casting, compound spells, and more. And that was just the medium techniques. When it came to advanced spellcasting, there was Multi-layering, Field Creation, Domain Creation, Realtime Spell Modification, Compact Spell Invocation, and more. It wasn''t just about elemental magic, or even spelltype such as transfiguration, evocation, or conjuration. Even those all depended on the techniques utilized above. What people see as just an ice spear or a lightning bolt or a beam of light, could actually be the result of countless techniques, and how well they are utilized will change how well the spell works, and how easy or difficult it is to counter. As such, Kuroki was still only beginning on his Journey of Magic. But to ask such a question shows you are on the right track. As I thought, you were born into the wrong world. You have a natural and innate talent for magic. At this rate, you will be able to face D-Rank threats on your own in no time, and perhaps even C-Ranks as well. And with your party, who will continue to grow with you? The future is bright for you. "Still Kuroki, with your talent, you should continue to follow your heart and experiment. I think that whatever you think of, will end up being amazing in the long run". Kuroki, who was still unused to such praise from a proper father figure, blushed even more then when he was embarrassed about being naked for any of the first few days. Apparently, he had been more comfortable with that, even on day one, then he was used to genuine praise from a proper father figure. He couldn''t help but squirm and fidget like crazy as he was on cloud nine for his hard work and interests being recognized by his dad, or well, the person who his brain had psychologically imprinted on due to various reasons, while Riku was feeling more nostalgic for his own parents. My dad would have said the same thing to me. I need to... "And Riku, I think if you work hard as well, you will become a great spellsword. It seems you have an unnatural affinity for Quickcasts too, and picking up premade spells. You even managed to bend one to combine it with your technique and created Brilliant Flare. I guarentee if you work hard, you wont be left behind by Kuroki at all". Now it was Riku''s turn to blush a bit. That was exactly what my dad would have said! Exactly what I was thinking too! Once they were done eating, and went outside to relieve themselves, they went and got dressed. They seemed extra motivated, as they decided to study and practice in the morning before heading to the guild. After all, they planned on meeting their friends, Kaede and Ryuu. Kaede would be staying in town, but Ryuu was under Riza''s guardianship and might have to leave with Riza eventually. There were thoughts to keep them all together, but they were trying to avoid any more attention towards them. It was one thing for kids to stand out and rank up fast. It wasn''t common, but there were precedents, Riza was one of them, Ozlo was another, and so was Ayazi and Anna. However, if four kids just suddenly came out of nowhere and stayed together, more people would probably realize they were Starfallen. By having them come from different people, especially with those people being friends, it looked more like their apprentices were teaming up, which was normal for this world. So that meant while Kaede would stay around with Ellie, eventually Ryuu would have to leave to maintain his cover when Riza had to go. That said, Riza was based here half the time, and was otherwise based in the capital, so he would eventually come back quite a bit. In fact, Riza barged right into the basement where Kuroki was practicing his ward fomulas and Riku was practicing new quickcast spells to help with his swordsmanship. "Riza, what are you doing here?" "Does Ozlo know you are skipping out on work?" "I am not! I am here to check up on you two! And also to deliver a message! Sheesh!". "...the commander, and not a subordinate, is delivering a message?" Kuroki asked, having caught onto his overly dramatic behavior and blatant lie. "Y-yes! I am! But also I wanted to see how you two were doing. Did Amyris give you guys a medical checkup after the battle already?" The two boys went red the moment Riza asked that. "...yes..." "...I never knew magic could be...like that..." "Ah. So he did it himself, with his personal magic. Well, I kinda expected it with Sebas around. He doesn''t want your abilities and mana signatures being leaked to him. Surprised you didn''t get mad or creeped out though". "I mean, he looked even more uncomfortable than both of us put together, and he looked like he wanted to throw up, so..." "...we couldn''t exactly fault him. Plus he explained why". Amyris used the same techniques he used to examine Kuroki, which included monitoring the old hidden scars on Kuroki but also checking them for curses, mana signatures, the like. That said, when he provided details on their background injuries and every wound they got during the Goblin War, they couldn''t deny how amazing it was. Noto nly that, but he was able to deduce just about every specific injury Kuroki''s father had done to him, even singling it out among the ones bullies gave him, and identifying roughly how they were given. Amyris seemed to get more and more angry as he did, to the point Kuroki told him he was convinced before he got halfway through. Amyris, being an actual decent human being, despised what happened to Kuroki, and seemed like he actively wanted to repeatedly murder Kuroki''s father. Kuroki had to admit, he had zero desire to stop Amyris. But right now, the bigger threat was the Devil, Chianthias. Following her was the Valiance Noble Family. And following that was Sebas, the corrupt leader of the Mage''s Guild who had a hatred of Amyris. And that was just the ones they knew of. Amyris warned them that there were other groups who might hunt the Starfallen, including those who felt they might be a threat to the Heroes for some strange reason. There were also those who might notice them standing out all of a sudden, and set their sights on them. Apparently, there were criminal organizations who targeted children, especially boys, who displayed great strength or capabilities, capturing them and illegally enslaving and selling them. Apparently, the more capable one was, the higher the price these scum could set. Apparently despite all their strength, they couldn''t just go around investigating and crushing these groups either. Otherwise it could be used as pretense by the nobles that they went too far, broke the law, and be used to bind them through legal restrictions and such, or even legally enslave them till they pay off their debts based on the damage they do. Plus, such organizations usually were competent enough to not be easily exposed, and anyone who seemed the most exposed was usually uninformed of anything, even the non-important bits, and could be discarded easily without even having to kill them. Among them, three organizations had grown especially powerful as of late. The Rose Garden was one that focused on human trafficking and smuggling. Supposedly led by a powerful woman, nothing else was known about her, even if she was an elf, dwarf, human, ect. They were also the source of the drug that was plaguing the region right now. Its said they even produce the drug themselves, and it gives people a pleasing high but also makes them uninhibited, and even warps their minds a bit. There are reports that some of them have even tried to assault, in various forms, mailboxes while on the drug. And for some reason they had this strange desire to lick cold, metal objects. Which in adventurers, tended to be their weapons. Extremely gross, to be sure. The drug was currently plaguing not just the Ronia Kingdom, but also the Empire to the west, and other countries as well, to the point a join constant request was posted for adventurers to bring in any information they found or any members of the Rose Garden they captured. The Shadow Coalition was a sort of all rounder organization that dabbled in everything, and saw opportunity anywhere. Smuggling, human trafficking, illegal weapon production, theft, murder, assassination, cover ups, frame jobs, the works. If its a crime, they do it. They are very secretive, but part of their growth is due to the fact they get targeted less often, with even smaller criminal organizations being prioritized over them. That is because during critical moments of the last three Demon King wars, they have provided help and services during the harshest of battles, as well as other disasters. In other words, they end up being useful when the stakes are high enough, so they don''t get focused on as much as a result. And then there was Blank. Also known as _____. They were an organization who was involved in all sorts of crime as well, but especially human trafficking, illegal slavery, assassination, grand theft, murder, and more. No real details were known about them, to the point some think they might be utilized by a mysterious group in urban legend known as The Hidden. However, those almost immediately get debunked, as its confirmed no one has any confirmed details about them. No one even knows their actual name, or even if they use one at all. All they know is the organization has only had three members captured within the last decades, and of those three, one of them didn''t know anything, and the other two died almost instantly upon capture. Its reached the point where the greatest Master Detectives in the world have been asked to hunt them down and bring them to justice. Among those who are hunting them, those people include: Riza himself, a boy/man named Ayazi who is both Riza and Ozlo''s friend, The Church''s best guardian, nicknamed Black Dog by some, the X-Ranked Adventurer nicknamed Divine Might, and among the Master Detectives, the most famous one, a woman named Chiara Cross. Even a Godsmith has joined in somehow, a Dwarvern woman named Karek Throst. "Wow. I am amazed you haven''t brought Ozlo in". "I will have you know, I can do my work on my own without troubling my grandson!" Riza said, overselling the fake rage. He calmed down instantly too. "In any case, there are also a bunch of smaller ones, including one we know is active here: Cherry Road". "Cherry Road?" "Yeah. No idea why they are named that, maybe it''s so ridiculous so people don''t think it''s serious and just a false lead. But that''s what we discovered. If anyone would target you first, it would probably be Cherry Road". "Understood. Thanks for the warning...." Riku however seemed dissatisfied. "Hold on, while we have you, would you mind telling us something. How do you store your swords? And what do you think we can do to get stronger? Especially me, since we both use swords larger then us?" "Hmmm, that is a fair question. The first technique however is a bit of a fraud. First off, Kuroki, have you figured it out yet?" Kuroki looked at Riza''s wrists. "Your bracelets, easily. You somehow condense the swords and warp them into bracelets and anklets, and then transform them. I noticed the number of bracelets tends to change when you summon swords". "Oooooh. Clever boy. However, that is actually a red herring". This shocked Kuroki. He was sure he had it right. There was no storage magic, so there was no way he could otherwise store them. And it always matched up. "The bracelets are important, and do serve as more than just decoys however. But think about it, that''s way too obvious, someone would see right through that. Its a clever trick so they would still be impressed though, and absolutely sure they got it right. Which means...." "...it''s the perfect decoy". "Correct". "Then how? How do you pull swords out of midair?!" Riku exclaimed. However, the words in his question gave Kuroki an idea. Kuroki''s eyes widened. He quickly went over to a magical textbook he had out on a table, and flipped through a few pages. Riza and Riku joined him, looking over his shoulder as he flipped to the pages he wanted. "Oh shiza...you are using a Transmutation Spell? Wait, that means you are using Multi-layering to...wait what? How? That doesn''t make sense! The mana potions required...you would die from this!" "Kuroki, tell me. What do you know of adventurer rank population numbers?" "That the higher ranks get rarer and rarer as you go up?" "Let me tell you right now, there are probably only four or five X-Ranked adventurers on the planet. Now, that doesn''t mean they are the only ones that strong or powerful. But it should tell you a lot. One of them is technically retired though. As for SS-Ranked Adventurers, there are probably only...two dozen or so? In the whole world mind you. Again, there are people who don''t register with the guild or take rank up exams who might be on their level, but you get the idea. As for S-Ranks like myself, less than one hundred in the whole world, while there are probably only around 300 or so A-Ranks across the entire world by comparison. That means that for every one city that has a single S-Rank adventurer, there are five more that don''t. Rounded up. And that is not including towns and villages. Furthermore, of all those listed above, some are stuck in endless combat on the dark continent, some are wandering around the various continents and lands of this world, some can only be deployed situationally, and some are needed to permanently be stationed around The Scar and The Grand Abyss". "The Scar? The Grand Abyss?" "Both are locations related to the Evil God. The first is where he first appeared and attacked this world. The second was...think of a dungeon from a video game or light novel or such. Only its way bigger. It formed from the Evil God''s corpse at the location of his death. Both locations are constantly churning out super dangerous monsters, including regularly producing A-Rank and S-Rank monsters, as well as those above, and there are fragments of the Evil God''s corpse that are sealed away but still might produce monster issues. In fact, one is in a forest near here. So not all of those guys are available. After all, each location needs at least around half a dozen SS-Ranks, give or take, and a good number of S-Ranks at each location just in case something weird happens". In other words, even if they existed, they were not all available everywhere, so their actual numbers stationed around the world were lower then their count at all times. Kuroki looked at him. "So...since you are an S-Rank adventurer..." "I am not normal. Yes I admit it. Look, you saw me naked. I was clearly lacking any body or pubic hair. Does it look like I am just small?" Indeed, from all appearances, he was a thirteen-year-old boy. He was actually like, sixty or seventy years old, a fully grown adult who was crass and lacked sensibilities. But despite his personality, he was 100% an adult. Although he could have found a better way to put it. "So, my body is clearly not normal. It happens a lot. It happens a lot to you Starfallen as well. It happens to....well, a lot of people". Riza stopped halfway during his last comment, clearly hiding something. But the moment Kuroki opened his mouth to ask, a wave of pressure went over him. It seemed to originate from Riza, and the message was clear. Do not ask that question. Getting the message, Kuroki redirected. "So in other words, people who reach S-Rank are not normal?" "People who reach A Rank are not normal. B-Ranks are basically borderline normal and abnormal. S-Ranks...we had shit happen to us. We might not all be immortal children...although you would be amazed how common that is...but every one of us and up are weird in our own ways. I think the universe just finds it ironic to turn the fast growing children into unchanging immortals. Anyways, moving on. Sometimes its extreme natural ways. Sometimes its inherent abilities. Sometimes its just raw genius. Hell, I know this one kid, Yuyan. He doesn''t have anything special about him in theory, but by the gods, his skill, talent, natural genius, AND he works hard. He is fourteen years old, and an SS-Rank adventurer. And he can actually beat up the Guildmaster too". "...I think we understand, although the idea of anyone beating the guildmaster is...hard to imagine". "Then you need to keep training. Because I think you both have what it takes to reach S and even SS-Rank. And I think you will want that Kuroki, because its proof of your efforts...efforts that will help you finally close the book on that shitty dad of yours. Provided I don''t get to him first that is". Riku looked at Riza, who had an air of malice to him. So much so that even Kuroki and Riku winced, despite it not being focused at them. Riku felt compelled to ask. "You didn''t see his memories or met the guy before. Why are you so angry?" "...I am a grandfather is why. And you both remind me of my cute, adorable grandkids. As a father, a grandfather, and a knight...I cannot let such an evil existence to exist". For the first time ever in the eyes of the two boys, Riza was completely and one hundred percent respectable. And thus, newly inspired by such a sight, they vowed to further their training. "Oh right, we got super sidetracked. Anyways, here is the message. Ozlo wants your party to report at the guild before noon today, so you should probably get going". And then it went crashing down, since their conversation took nearly an hour and it was thirty minutes to noon now. "Damnit Riza!" "Sorry, but you are the ones who kept asking questions!" "Less talking, more running everyone! We gotta rush to the guild! Ozlo is already overworked as it is!" And so, the trio ran at top speed to the guild. Chapter 31: Ranking Up While all of that was going on in Azralia, back in Ruthil, Reiji and Juno were looking at requests. Unlike Kuroki''s group, they were still at F-Rank, although thanks to their reliable formation and the fact they never started any disputes in the guild, they were likely going to be promoted soon. While they lacked experience, their skills and abilities were clearly above a normal F-Ranker. In particular, Juno''s Archery had more range, precision, and power somehow then some C-Rankers even. Reiji meanwhile was a reliable guardian, who would protect Juno and prevent anything from getting close. That said, they also had another nickname. "Hey you, what is a little brat like you doing in here" one adventurer said, as he approached Juno. "Don''t tell me you are just some brat, who needs to drink his mommy''s milk every night while having someone else carry him". Juno looked at the receptionist, who shrugged, and then gave them a thumbs up. The moment that happened, Juno let out a sigh. "Listen okay, we don''t want to cause any problems..." "What, afraid you might wet yourself?!" Whether Juno had or had not during their first combat encounter with monsters will forever remain a secret kept by Juno and Reiji. And it would continue to remain that way. Before Juno could react though, Reiji got inbetween them. "Juno, no, he isn''t worth it. We can''t help it when they are dumb like that". "You calling me dumb, you overgrown musclehead! Just telling the brat he shouldn''t hold real warriors down". Before he could say another word, Reiji gave him and uppercut and sent him flying, as he eventually hit the wooden floor behind him. "Don''t insult Juno. He works way too hard to deserve dealing with that crap". Yes, they had this one recurring issue. It seemed that there were a large number of people who took issue with Juno. First off, he appeared younger then he was, thanks to his wish of wanting to help Kuroki and Akano feel more normal and to also understand them more, among other things. Then, he was a Cat Beastkin. There were unfortunately sentiments of human supremacy still, and among all the races, Beastkin tended to get discriminated against the most. Apparently because they were very picky due to their enhanced senses, but also other factors or just from pure idiocy reasons like just cause they were different. However, there was a very weird third subgroup. The people who ostracized Juno because they wanted to chase him away to claim Reiji for themselves. And not just for his strength either, but also because he was hot. There were even some very strange rumor spreaders who claimed they were in a romantic relationship, but they did nothing out of the ordinary for boys and best friends in this world, so it was really just baseless gossip. Simply put, there were a surprising number of people, both females and males...and also others, who were attracted to Reiji. Then again, Juno did have his own share of fans as well. Unlike Kuroki, who was just too short for his real age to be even remotely recognizable except for a few people, Juno was at least tall enough for people to believe he is old enough at least, and Reiji was just many hotness who could pass for someone even older. Thus they got such looks from time to time, although admittedly it was mainly Reiji. Although, the archers in the guild were always far more focused on Juno for archery related reasons. After all, they could recognize at a glance from the way he carried himself, the callouses on his hands, and his eyesight that he was a talented archer. At this point, he was more concerned with the idea they might get noticed by problematic Starfallen by having this much attention brought to them. So far, they had already noticed two tragedies that were related to Starfallen. For one thing, someone got uppity and tried to enforce a law that only existed where they came from, and not in this current world. They even made a bit of a scene with things like rights and so on. They looked to be a man in his late 30s to early 40s, and Juno recognized him. He was some sort of police officer higherup for their city, although Juno remembered that he seemed more politician then police. Juno thought he looked easy to bribe, which was an issue. unfortunately, small cities like theirs were easy to get corrupt people in charge. Large enough that not everyone knew everyone, but small enough that it got overlooked easily. He was kind of a troublesome and problematic individual they had heard in their previous world, so it wasn''t all that surprising that he got arrested. He didn''t seem very flexible after all, and Juno had him a short list of people Kuroki''s dad probably bribed or was friends with, or both. The other incident, involved someone who appeared to be of high school age. Apparently, they tried to go around selling various ideas of the modern world, but ended up getting labeled as a scam artist and arrested by the city guard. Not only that, but at least some of what he suggested already existed or was in use. Juno was surprised anyone could even remotely remember any of that, but supposedly from what he overheard, the high schooler actually had far less knowledge about this then the merchants and farmers he tried to sell to, who already knew these techniques anyways, and he failed to come up with details about his master plans. Probably why he got labeled a scam artist. Meanwhile, they had identified at least two other Starfallen in their city, aside from the girl that Reiji and especially Juno hated. A pair of twins, they were getting by through...not so legal means, but they were surprisingly good at it. They had become adventurers, but they were also pickpockets. That said, Juno observed and tailed them for the better part of a day, and discovered they were very picky so far with their targets. They only stole from the rich, from the cruel and arrogant, or from other pickpockets and criminals. Juno felt that last one was dangerous, since they might come after the twins for revenge, but they were very good at keeping hidden and made it hard to identify them. That said, Juno wasn''t sure to reveal himself to them yet, and Reiji agreed, since they were still stealing. They were also of elementary schooler age though, but they had managed to reach F-Rank on day one just like Juno and Reiji had. There were also others who were deemed as potentially Starfallen, but the two boys couldn''t be certain. If they were Starfallen, they were blending in very well. Juno only clocked the twins because he recognized them from a time their school ran a program to help mentor and guide elementary schoolers, and they had been there. He never learned their names or talked with them though, but they were twins so they stood out to Juno. One boy, one girl. These others however included a man in his late twenties. He had also joined the Adventurer''s Guild, and seemed to know quite a bit about human biology. Or maybe the word was anatomy? Either way, it was clear he had medical background. Juno overheard him use terminology that sounded more like their old world then this current world, however he couldn''t be sure because this world seemed to have a decent understanding of the human body as well. Furthermore, he didn''t seem to stand out as much, and he joined the guild rather late compared to all the others. Juno considered he might have had a really isolated starting location, but he couldn''t be sure. Another potential one is a woman who also joined the adventurer''s guild. She was at least 40, and from what Juno overheard from his laundry/gossip group, that did happen sometimes, although it was rare. Sometimes it was a former soldier who retired to raise the kids, but now that they were grown decided to go out and adventure to make money and such. Juno did admit she seemed experienced with combat, which made him wonder if maybe she was with the military, however she seemed accustomed to swords as well. Juno still got chills when he saw her fight a few thugs when she registered. And then finally, there was a boy who had to be middle school age. Juno didn''t recognize him, but its not like he remembered every person in his middle school, and there was a second middle school in his city. He registered under the name Syli as well which Juno didn''t recognize either. He took down the people who harassed him when he joined easily, and with such precision. He looked like a martial artist, which had Juno go on guard even more as he considered he might be one of Kuroki''s father''s disciples, but he was pretty sure he had seen them all enough times to remember them, so that seemed unlikely. But the most eerie thing was, when this boy walked, he rarely if ever made a sound. He is using advanced walking techniques? He is only like fourteen, is that actually possible? Either way, none of them were in the guild today, which was good. Shortly after that first man was arrested, his cell mysteriously had a sink hole open underneath and he got crushed by rocks and debris that fell in. The high schooler just got arrested yesterday, but Juno suspected that the death of that Starfallen was no accident, so the high schooler was probably next. Whoever did it though was leagues beyond Juno and Reiji, and they knew it. As much as they wanted to prevent a murder, the guards were already on high alert, apparently not buying this perfect sinkhole story either. Between that and the corpses they found inside of craters, its no doubt that someone is hunting us. From the research I did in the Guild''s research room, it appears people who fall to this world from other worlds through the heavens are known as Starfallen. So someone is hunting Starfallen. Perhaps these Demons and Devils I read about? Juno had heard things from other sources as well, like his laundry group, which had more or less turned into a gossip group at this point. By now they were all really comfortable and open with each other, although Juno was sure there were still a few secrets they all had. But with their emotions and dreams, as well as interesting gossip they heard, and their likes and dislikes, they talked about them all the time. Juno was the type of person to make friends easily, as well as go after those who threatened his friends. Reiji often refered to him as a Spitfire of Emotion, and apparently that might have been amplified in this world. Reiji meanwhile has been socializing in the guild as well, and forming his own connections. He was already on good terms with all the receptionists, and he had started chatting with some of the veteran adventurers even. A lot of people always thought he was older then he was, partially since he was so tall and smart and mature, and partially because they naturally contrasted him with Juno. Which was why the receptionists knew how to give them the go ahead when someone picked a fight with them. "At least he was alone today" Juno mentioned, as he took a request off the board. Reiji then picked Juno up, and put him on his shoulder. Juno got a bit flustered. "Really Reiji, this again?" "It''s faster this way. Just think of it as me doing my best to help you out, so I am not dragging you down". "Like I keep telling you, if anyone keeps dragging anyone down, its me dragging you down". "While I was asleep, you cooked me breakfast yourself, did all the laundry, organized the schedule for today, cleaned the weapons, restrung your bow, somehow managed to adjust my armor to fit me better, and managed to go potion shopping...not even sure how you did that when no clothes were available". "And you are always pulling all the weight while you are awake. I have to do something, no matter how hard, embarrassing, or tedious". "Juno..." "Reiji..." "Yes yes" the receptionist said, interrupting them. "You are both wonderful friends who care for each other. Lets not get stuck in the same loop as last time". "Sorry". "My apologies". Although on one hand, everyone in the guild didn''t want such a conversation to keep looping, on the other hand, many had warm fuzzy feelings about seeing the strength of their friendships, and wondered about their own. "...maybe I should invite my old childhood friend out for drinks sometime. He and I haven''t spoken much recently sine we both got busy, but...we should make the time". "Its been a long time since I wrote to my brothers. I should let them know...that im okay, and just random gossip as well". "Mei, lets never let anything come between our friendship". "Agreed, Kai". Such a pure friendship seemed to rekindle something in the adventurers, both old and young, that were present, something the receptionist there was happy about. I am glad its having an impact at least. We cant let them just stand there forever on that loop, but...the more healthy bonds adventurers have, the more mentally stable they tend to be overall. That is good for the guild, and it lets them come back alive far more often. Just goes to show how important mental health is. She had such thoughts while watching the heartwarming scene. At the same time though, another person left the guild, after having carefully watched the two boys. Unlike the receptionist, he had more insideous thoughts. The big one will be a pain to deal with, but the price we could sell the little one for is astronomical. The fact their inn is borderline impossible to even get close to is annoying though, as is the fact the small one seems to always know where we are. He isn''t even hiding it anymore, not that it would matter if he did at this point. They knew well enough that Juno was onto them. His taunting of their men every night at the inn, acting as if he was rubbing his bare butt all over them, was drawing increasing hostility and impatience. And yet they couldn''t move so easily. Sure, one could try and jump them while in town, if they wanted to get caught and have the guard come down on them. They never once wandered into any abandoned alleys, no shady stores, none of their fronts. Any time they are about to, the small one, the prime product that we were requested to find, seems to notice immediately. It was as if he could sense them...no, it was exactly like that. Not only that, but thanks to the other brats he did laundry with every night, more heat came down on them. THe Order of the Silver Wind was now snooping around them for some annoying reason, apparently willing to listen to the pleas of their squire. That order was always a pain for any criminal organization to deal with. They were outright immune to bribes, they acted with honor, they were all crazy strong and could use magic, they were able to sense even the slightest trace of evidence, and apparently they were experts at analyzing evidence as if they were forensic science masters. It wasn''t even a matter of power. In terms of power, they could easily outclass the two in a heartbeat. The issue was that they would never be able to do it covertly. And trying to do it in public was a great way to have the guard crack down on them with extreme prejudice, taking a child off the street with violence in broad daylight. Of course, they did go into the forest, but despite the training of their men, they always were evaded. Often times, the small one would talk to the guards, and then suddenly the trained stealth experts tailing them would suddenly get pulled over for questioning. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Why do the guards listen to him so easily?! What the hell is this farce?! What the criminal didn''t understand is that the guards of Ruthil were already on wits end. Sure, the organization he was a part of was avoiding the spotlight, but over a dozen boys had gone missing in the last three months, children as young as four and as old as fourteen. This would naturally get the guards on alert, so when a child mentions they saw strange people following them, in this current climate they were always going to listen. Either out of duty, or empathy, or as decent human beings. And considering Juno currently had a one hundred percent success rate the guards had found, they acted faster and with less hesitation each time. But the criminal couldn''t understand duty or empathy, let alone being a decent human being. Such motivications were beyond him. Money, selfishness, and doing whatever he pleased to enjoy his life. That was what this criminal understood. Still, this time I spotted which request he took. We can set up an ambush and lay in wait at the target spot. While the criminal was thinking of this, back in the guild Juno without even looking at him noticed that the man was gone. Letting out a sigh, Juno put the one he had taken previously back on the board, and took a different request instead. Finally that creep is gone. Did he seriously think I wouldn''t notice him staring right at us? His desires and greed give him away way too easily... Normal adventurers their rank, or kids their age, likely wouldn''t have noticed, but thanks to Juno being a Cat Beastkin and also having enhanced awareness, was easily able to pick these things out. Trying to covertly ambush him was quite difficult, and they were still treating him with kid gloves in essence. Until they got the real hardcore pros, it would likely be impossible to avoid Juno''s watch. He was in essence a long range surveillance system, with sniping ability thanks to his skill with a bow. One could argue it was borderline cheating. "So, the location..." "Yep, I will make sure to tip the knights off" the receptionist said with a smile. "Thanks". "By the way you two, should you turn in these quests successfully, along with other things you have done, you will have earned a rank up. When you get back, I will explain the rank up exam to you. I assume you will want to take it right?" "Really? Thanks. We will make sure to check in when we get back this afternoon". The two left the receptionist, and began to head out of the guild as they conversed. The guild had been happy about the criminals getting arrested lately, so that and their reliable turn in of quests and materials, seemed to have made them eligible for a rank up already. Reiji smiled. "I think you have already got twice as much worth out of your perceptive abilities compared to any others". "Haha, seems like it" Juno said, as he put on a pair of glasses. "There, feels right at home". "I would think you would just get used to not having any". "Well, I mean, that last guy who tried to ambush us had these things I guess for a disguise, since they aren''t prescription, so I figured hey, why not?" "Fair enough. A sharpshooter that wears glasses though....that has to be a new one". "I am sure there have at least been a few before me. Besides, snipers use scopes, so I think it''s not that odd". "True". And so, while having such a conversation, they went out to take their quest, not knowing the chain of events that were about to unfold.
Kuroki, Riku, Kaede, and Ryuu had all assembled at the guild. Ozlo was at his usual position at the receptionist counter. He was glaring at the paperwork with such force Kuroki wondered if heat beams were going to shoot out of his eyes and melt his glasses and burn the paperwork. Incidentally, it wasn''t just them here, but the Deep Dashers were here as well, but not Soaring Shield. The nine of them in total were watching Ozlo, who looked like he was about to blow a gasket. Riza was just standing behind him. The usual carefree expression he had was gone in an instant, and instead, he had a scowl on his face that could rival Ozlo''s. He was clearly and visibly displeased, wearing a serious expression that did not usually suit him. "...the hell is this farce?" "...yeah, this is....yeah..." "So...why did you need us all?" Dia eventually worked up the nerve to ask. As expected of the most experienced party leader there. Ozlo let out a sigh, rubbed his temples, and then looked right at them. "We are getting some...unusual activity from the other guilds. For some reason, some stink has been raised about your promotion". "...but I thought it was okay?" "It absolutely should be, there is no reason to, the rules were very clear on this matter. But apparently, whatever asshole is behind this...almost assuredly Valiance...is being a petty little shit". Ozlo started to leak out his true thoughts about nobles with some curse words, which was the classic sign he was being made to endure unreasonable situations and was being overworked. Kuroki meanwhile was confused. "Wait, why would other Adventurer Guilds be causing trouble over an E-Rank and a D-Rank promotion? I know getting to D-Rank is a big deal, but didn''t you approve it yourself?" "Yeah. See, normally one has to take an exam to reach the higher ranks. There is an exam for E-Rank, D-Rank, C-Rank, B-Rank, A-Rank, and S-Rank. SS and X don''t have rank up exams due to their rarity. However, there are conditions that let one skip the exams. For example, participating well and contributing highly during a large scale conflict. Even if it was only a few days long, we essentially did have a war between our city and a Goblin Surge, and no one doubted that you both earned your positions. It is a practice that has long since been allowed in the guild, with quite literally tens of thousands of precedents. However, for some reason, someone managed to rile them up and claim that this wasn''t allowed". "Basically, they said it''s not kosher" Riza told them. Kuroki wanted to ask how he knew that expression, but considering the amount of times he worked with the Hero of the past, as well as various Starfallen cases he investigated, and the fact he currently had custody of a decent number of Starfallen, it seemed like it would be more difficult for him not to learn of such things. Plus, Riza probably did it on purpose just to try it out. Kuroki could see him doing something so unfathomable. "Now of course, we have tons of adventurers here that saw what you did and will vouch for you. Hells, it seems you even managed to light a fire under Reveris, very nice. But those idiots who can be so easily bribed...ahem, ''swayed'' by such stupidity are being a hassle, and its not like I can talk them all down". "Nor can we punch them all in the face" Riza added. "Well, yeah, that is kind of a given. We can''t just go around using violence to solve all our issues either". "Says the one who wants to do that most of all right now". Ozlo scowled at the response, but didn''t bother trying to refute it. Kuroki got the feeling that he actually really did want to do just that. "In any case, it ended up being a huge big thing. Guildmaster zoned out like ten minutes in, forcing me to deal with the whole negotiations. As if I didn''t have enough work as is. It was mostly just bickering anyways, but still, he could have helped intimidate them at least!" "Hold on, aren''t you an A-Rank? I know they are Guild Staff and all, but surely your track record speaks for itself". "Mhm. Thats why I was able to hold my own so well. Anyways, the meeting is about to dissolve, the idiots have their heels firmly planted in the ground, then the Guildmaster, after making me deal with it all the whole time, comes back into the room, and then ends up mentioning detailed numbers when looking at everyone through the crystal orb. They went pale after that". "...wait what?" "That was almost assuredly the amount those guys were bribed. I have no idea how he got his hands on that information though, but it didn''t end things completely. We pointed out they had no authority intervening in another guild''s business over E Rankers, and then somehow Deep Dashers got mentioned. Valiance did see them, so I am sure he did it out of spite, plus maybe he got the funding for this bribe by Human Supremacists". Dia groaned at those words. "Seriously?" Ozlo let out a sigh. "Yeah I know, its stupid. Anyways, they said you two had to take the exam, especially Silver Storm. Apparently a whole party making it to E-Rank in a few days without an exam is something they just wont let me do. And unfortunately, despite your long track record which they had access to, you have to as well Deep Dashers. Sorry about that". "It''s not your fault. Valiance is the shitty one". "I wouldn''t be surprised if Sebas got involved as well" Kuroki mentioned. "So, are they going to spy on the exam then?" "Yeah, basically. They will have familiars monitoring it. The first is your basic medical examination. You strip everything off, do some exercises, stretches, get checked for curses or signs of illegal drug use or such. Will take like an hour or so in the back of the guild, tops. Amyris already gave you both a clean bill of health, but they need to see it themselves and they need an ''objective examiner''. As if we just ignore the health of our own guildmembers to push this through or use drugs that could get them killed! What absolute idiotic assholes! Because apparently, they think we are showing you guys favoritism. Frankly, if this were a book, unless someone was plotting something dastardly during the exam, it would probably get skipped over completely. Naturally, this means we do need to make sure the objective examiner isn''t a pawn, even though they claim we are playing favorites". Ozlo scoffed at that last part, before continuing. "After that, the real exam begins after that. Once your health and physical abilities are confirmed, you will need to spar with the examiner. Naturally, even though he will be a high ranking one, he won''t be allowed to use his full power, and you are not seriously expected to win against him, but you do have to fight as hard as you can and be serious about it. After passing both of those stages, you and the other participants will go on an excursion overnight in the northern woods. You need to demonstrate you know how to set up a camp and stand guard, as well as finding a good camp spot in the first place. All while hunting and dealing with any monsters you come across. That said, those woods are fairly light on monsters, and they are only going to be things like Goblins and whatnot. Still, its something that would certainly be more of an E-Rank thing to stay out there all night. Anyways, next morning, you will need to bathe in a river to clean off, making sure to be safe and alert in the process, avoiding the risk of luring any monsters to the main roads via smell. Plus, this is important to make sure you know hygine, and wont bring back diseases into the city. Then you disassemble camp, and get back to the city. Once you are through the gates, the exam is over, although you still have to go to the guild so that all the notes can be compared and then those who successfully rank up will be announced". From what Kuroki had learned of this world so far, it sounded like a basic camping experience, but with monsters. Well, plus the whole bathing in a river thing and the mock battle beforehand. "So the E-Rank exam is basically to make sure we can stay out overnight properly?" "Yes. Even if F-Rank adventurers are full fledged, generally all the requests will only take day trips to complete, no matter where you go. Even if its not in-training anymore, there is still a lack of experience when you first make it. E-Ranks may need to make overnight stops, not to mention the possibility of traveling on caravans occasionally. This test checks for that. Its also to make sure no one is using combat performance drugs as well, since those are not allowed to be used for Rank Up Exams and generally are ill advised to use in general, since reliance on them at all often leads to party wipes down the road. Furthermore, the guild needs to make sure they dont have any injury which might impede them from doing the exam properly, as the guild has no interest in throwing away the lives of its members. Adventurers die everyday, so its up to the guild to do its best and make sure to try and keep that number as low as possible. Both for the sake of its members, and to make sure the monsters dont eventually overwhelm and kill us all". The Adventurer''s Guild was quite a benevolent organization. Course, as Ozlo mentioned himself, there were some bad apples who might take bribes or such among them. But it seemed to have good bones, as one might say. "You could say it has good bones!" Kuroki twitched, briefly wondering if Riza could read minds. "Grandpa, please dont use weird expressions you keep picking up from the Starfallen. I doubt you actually understand most of them". "Rude! And to someone who changed your diapers no less!" Suddenly, a dragon hissed behind Riza, as Ozlo glared at him. "I will be good! I promise!" Ozlo decided to leave the idiot alone, and focus back on the two parties in front of him. "As for Deep Dashers, they will be taking a separate D-Rank exam. Which is..." "Bandit subjugation, right?" Dia asked, although he seemed certain already. "Yes. After all, while criminals tend to usually be handled by Knights, a lot of times escort requests for caravans will result in fighting not just monsters, but bandits might try to attack as well. One needs to show the resolve necessary to kill a fellow person. I somehow managed to find a bandit hideout for everyone too, which was a lot of work. I deserve lots of praise for this you know?" Dia patted Ozlo''s head while sincerely thanking him. "Yes yes, well done Ozlo, nice job". "Wait, for everyone?" Kuroki didn''t understood why Ozlo said that. "Well, not everyone merited a full rank up from the last war, just enough to take the exam. Some got taken out earlier and had to rest and recover while the big event happened too. And since entire parties were involved, it got a bit chaotic. Typically, people tend to take the exam as individuals. There are milestones, and the guild occasionally makes people shuffle up with other parties for a quest or two. This is to help form connections with everyone, but also to see who is able to do their share and who isn''t. Especially as you get into the higher ranks, entire parties ranking up is rare. Normally we would have less taking the exam, but again, stupid interference". In other words, sometimes they would need to take quests with others. This prevented from someone being ranked up just by leaching off their party members. The Guild can''t give promotions or endorse such behavior. Clients, people in general, need to know the rankings are as accurate as possible. "That said, its not a total loss. Due to the sheer amount of parties, we were able to force...I mean, get them to agree that we need our own examiners as well. I will have a friend of mine, Kylia, looking over the D-Rank exam. Meanwhile, the Vice Guildmaster will be monitoring your E-Rank exam". The Vice Guildmaster. This person was the only one of the top three people at the guild here who Kuroki and friends had not met yet. They did not even know if it was a he, she, they, or something else all together. All they knew is that they were actually responsible, unlike the Guildmaster. "So when is this exam happening then?" "Tomorrow, so make sure you get anything you might need. Tents, sleeping mats, all of it. That said, you do have to figure out the rest yourself. You could say this too, is part of the rank up exam". Kuroki nodded. Ozlo might not like this interference, but he was trying to teach them properly instead of giving them all the answers. "Anyways, right after breakfast, come to the guild before Second Bell, or 9AM". They had clocks in this world, but they were also expensive. Sundials were made as well, specially designed to be as accurate as possible. But naturally, there was also a Bell Tower in the center of the city, which also happened to be a clocktower. That said, it was hard to see the clock from a number of places in the city, so most people relied on the Bell Tower. First Bell was 6AM, Second Bell was 9AM, Third Bell was 11AM, Fourth Bell was 13PM noon, Fifth Bell was 2PM, Sixth Bell was 4PM, Seventh Bell was 6PM, and Eighth Bell was 8PM. At least that was how it generally was for this kingdom, and how it was for this city. Other kingdoms had their own counters. Supposedly, there were places in the Empire to the west that the Bell rang every hour between 6AM and 6PM. Incidentally, this world also had a 26 hour day, and a nine day week, as it turned out. Kuroki and the others were still getting used to that one. Kuroki was also glad about the timing for this, since he was going to get his True Arcana in just four days. This meant that this wouldn''t interfere with that, so he saw no reason to object either. "Okay. We will be here". "Good to hear. Incidentally, I said that normally, you wouldn''t be able to seriously defeat the examiner...but if you see the chance to, go for it. It would really make those idiots who let themselves be influenced think again about their actions". "Got it...no guarentee, but we will do our best". "No problem with that. Thats what I want the most". "Just consider it a bonus objective" Riza added. "Riza, how..." "Ah, that one is on me" Ryuu admitted. Oh...yeah, that seems about right. With that done, Kuroki''s group moved out of the way so others could talk to Ozlo, as they began to think things through. "So, we need to get good camping gear...do you think we can ask Amyris and Ellie?" Kaede asked. "Nah, the way Ozlo said it, I think we have to search for it and buy or acquire it ourselves. If we came with camping gear normal F and E Ranks couldn''t afford, it would probably be seen as favoritism and being given an unfair advantage. After all, high quality tents tend to come with monster warding...but they also cost silver, and sometimes even gold coins". They probably wouldn''t see gold coins until they made C-Rank, or at least were in D-Rank for awhile. Adventurers tended to make more money then other professions, but that was due to how dangerous it was, and they also spent more money than other professions. It wasn''t unusual for adventurers to both be equipped with great gear, but also short on cash and needing to be frugal. They naturally had the same challenge, although they didn''t have to pay for lodging. All they had to do was clean up after themselves, help keep the place clean for guests, do dishes after breakfast before they pulled their underwear on and got dressed, and made sure they kept up their efforts to work hard and get used to this world. "So no super tent then?" Ryuu asked. "Nah. We will have to get a small one. It might be a bit cramped with four of us, but one of us will always be standing watch, so really it just needs to hold three". The fact that Kuroki was a small as kids five years younger than him was becoming an asset here for sure, since it let him take up less space for the tent. They would need enough room so they could quickly get up and get ready to fight quickly. Unlike in the city, they would sleep in their gear or something protective at least, but the question was what. Half gear? Just padded longshirts? Or even full gear? That last one probably wasn''t all that comfortable, but it would mean they would be ready for combat immediately. That said, Kuroki figured half gear was a good middleground to go with. After all, they would probably count the quality of sleep as part of the exam, so it was best to be careful about that. And then, leaving aside sleep, there was food and water. "We cant make drinkable water with magic, so we will need plenty of water bot...water skins. Each one of us should have two, to be safe, and they should be filled completely. We will also need preserved food for dinner and breakfast I would guess, since normal adventurers wouldn''t have the lunchboxes Amyris gave us". "...we really do have it easy huh?" It didn''t feel that way compared to their old world, but compared to other F and E Rank adventurers, they absolutely had it easier. Even moreso once they got used to the common sense of this world, and understand that a different culture is just as right and acceptable as their own. "We mentioned tents, but what about sleeping bags? And how will we carry it all?" Kuroki followed up on Kaede''s questions. "I think we will just have to use sleeping mats for now. Bags would hinder us if a monster attack came while we were sleeping after all, and they take up less space. Plus, I am not sure sleeping bags actually exist in this world". "Will we at least be getting a tent that can set itself up easily?" Ryuu asked. "I don''t think those exist in this world". "Oh...I thought maybe they might, since adventurers are everywhere". "...hmmm, that is not a bad thought. If they are within our budget, then maybe". And so, as they went shopping, they continued to think about everything they might need. Chapter 32: Shady Dealings In a dark room, a few people were gathered. The lighting was dim, and each one wore a hood and a mask, their cloaks being large enough to conceal not just their bodies but also their attires. Nothing distinguishable could be noted from them, and even their voices seemed generic and unremarkable. The robes and cloaks were equally dark but a generic sort of dark, appearing to look like those one would find anywhere. Truly, aside from the fact that they wore masks with them and also had gloves on their hands, there was nothing at all that was really distinguishable. Even the way the spoke was done in a way where they could have come from nobility or among the commoners. The room itself was an underground room. Its walls were completely cobblestone, a sort of generic type that one would expect of any cellar of any inn, tavern, or other sort of establishment. The furniture was worn, not quite fancy but not quite cheap, with no distinguishing marks at all. Truly, if such a place was used for criminal plots, should it be uncovered there was nothing there to lead back to who used it, or what it had been used for. But perhaps that just showed the professionalism and diligence of the criminals there. "We have received quite a few ''special requests'' lately" one mentioned, with just the tiniest tinge of excitement in her voice. "Especially regarding Ruthil, Azralia, Siymic, Ordon, and Vastria". "Not Diaboria as well?" a man with an inquisitive tone asked. His voice made his very question feel as if it was five question in one. "Diaboria has too much competition. Besides, business is always good there, thanks to the number of travelers that pass through it" a younger man said, letting out a sigh as if such an answer was obvious. "Did the clients ask for all of them to come pristine? There are a few of these I would love to ''sample'' before we sell" an unsavory woman mentioned, with clear no good in her voice. "You sound like the Influence of the Demon King is already getting to you. Do not cost us money" an uptight voice said, as he glared at the woman. These five were the ones who had gathered in this room in secret, as they discussed their next plans. A number of papers were scattered across the table, as well as some sketches. Some of them clothed, some of them naked. Among the latter were various individuals, including a lot of children. Numbers were written below, the estimated prices they were going to advertise for them. Incidentally, on average the ones with sketches of them naked were priced higher. Because these no good scum could prove and assert that they were "untouched" and therefore deserved a higher price. Apparently, the more they could confirm about the quality of the ''goods'', the easier it was to find buyers. That said, a few had been singled out for another reason. "These three have had multiple requests made of them, so we may need to hold an auction to see who will be the highest bidder". They dare not name who they were, but for Kuroki and Riku, it was likely obvious. They had run afoul of Valiance and were staying with Amyris, and so both Valiance and Sebas had dark intentions for them. As for Juno, certain individuals had requested "lesser beings" to make use of for their pleasure and for venting. It was not the first time these clients had made such a request, nor would it likely be the last either. Their informants had tipped them off about Juno, so they had been monitoring him carefully. But the boy was unnaturally aware, and there was another group after him as well which kept his alertness at full. So far any attempt to even set the stage had failed, and they were clearly better then the average adventurer their rank. At the very least, they were D-Rank rather then F-Rank, but possibly even C-Rank. Some of their spies, the best of the best, had yet to be detected however, and were even able to complete these sketches. However, there was one mark upon these sketches that gave them away. For the signature authorizing them, instead of a name, was a stamp in the shape of a cherry with a road in the background. These people were members of Cherry Road, a criminal organization that had sprung up in the Frontier recently. Although still a relatively new organization, they were established within the various frontier cities, and had eyes and assets everywhere. Their network had taken a bit of a hit in recent years when a brat named Ozlo joined the adventurer guild staff in Azralia, but they were still able to operate in that city. They just no longer had access to a corrupt member of the Adventurer''s Guild administration there. They were also aware of the current events that were going on, such as the E-Rank up exam. They had made sure to throw stink on another party as well, so this looked like petty retaliation. The funding from some clients also helped. But in truth, it was just setting the stage for their operation. They wished to kidnap the requested brats while on the exam, hopefully before some other organization got less patient and decided to strike. As for others, this included Juno as well. The boy was beginning to be a pain, and they were going to cost them more then he was worth if they didn''t act quick. And he was worth a lot. There were also two new potential targets as well. Unlike Juno, Kuroki, and Riku however, only clothed images of them were available. It was a Dog Beastkin and Elf pair with no known connections to the city, yet were quite good looking and would sell for a lot. Low risk, high reward. At least, that was what it should have been. But the two dogs the Dog Beastkin Tamer had with him were always on alert, and often noticed their agents. And the Elf must have been a priest with some level of divine favor, because as much as he experienced misfortune, the three times while he was on his own, misfortune befell the agents that went after him. Furthermore, it seemed that knights were now patrolling the city more frequently, as well as experienced adventurers. Apparently, a quest for high rankers to patrol the areas near the dark woods had been posted, and it was a perpetual repeating quest, so that meant there were more high ranking adventurers that might decide to step in if they acted too blatently. "I see I see, so it seems like we might need to actually get a bit active and involved then" the excited lady said. "Personally, I am more interested in the guard for that catboy. I wonder if they are actually secretly from some noble line, or maybe fallen nobles. He looks like he specializes in defense, but I wonder if that is really the case? Fighting him might be interesting". "Do you realize the level of trouble that would be?" the inquisitive man asked. "The one we should focus on is obvious. Kuroki is the one with the most potential buyers right now, and the most funding to go after". "But what about that one brat recently making a name for himself? Lania?" "I wouldn''t mind any of the younger ones, so long as I get to be the one to make them fall into despair" the unsavory woman commented. "Uhg. Can you just focus on business? In any case, they are scattered in different cities. So I don''t see why we have to choose just one. Lets try and get them all with the resources we have in each city, plus a bit extra sent to each, and make a huge profit all at once". The uptight man suggested something that then got them all into agreement. He wished he had co-workers that were easier to deal with, but they did traffic in people. The demand for kids especially has gone up lately, and it was hard to find normal people who were interested in such work. Especially those who held a passion for it that made them excel like the five of them had. As annoying as the others were, they were also passionate. And that passion motivated them and increased the efficiency and successfulness of their work. A motivated worker would go far. As such, he had no choice but to endure it in the name of profit. And so the five of them began to get to work.
At the same time, within the Ivory Tower of a far away city, The Oracle sat upon his bed. Although born a commoner, he was the Oracle, and therefore had an almost ridiculous amount of clothes to wear, even just to sleep in, so he did not lay on his bed or sleep in the nude. Plus, he was thirty years old, so he was not a child anymore and no longer grew anyways, he only looked like one. His burden to bear in exchange for hosting the divine power that made him an Oracle. He had been pondering the recent shift in predictions and the timeline. He currently did not have all his memories, so he had no idea the full extent of things, but even his current self was someone who could figure enough out. Is the shift in timelines due to the arrival of a new Demon King? This has never happened in the past after all, so I dont see why it would happen now. Then, is something else going on? Perhaps...a time traveler? While he pondered such things, he viewed the various timelines. Unlike his Awakened Self, the number of lines he saw was reduced when he checked the Looms of Fate. The golden threads revealed much, but he still felt as if something was hidden. Of course, he had been "questioned" about these changes too, as his masters made sure to pry that information from him when they could. But in the end, they only had as much as his current self did. His current robes were long, but not as ridiculously long as some of them. They only went to his knees, making it unclear if he was wearing anything else or note. He had taken off his shoes and socks as he was on his bed, and watched as the setting sun. It was a sort of peaceful night, in no small part due to how busy the church was. Especially when they heard a rather famous and influential member was coming here, to see the Oracle personally. Supposedly, she would arrive tomorrow, so the Dark Side of the Church was just as busy, dealing with various background checks and beefing up security. They seemed almost afraid of her, or rather, the risk she could pose. Perhaps that was why he heard commotion outside right now. It sounded very busy out there, but despite the fact he was basically a slave, he wasn''t made to do the work since they had to at least pretend that everything was okay and normal. The Oracle was a public figure after all, and if it was discovered he had been frocibly enslaved for twenty years, both the Church, and especially the Dark Side of the Church, would suffer for it. That was why, using poor health due to holding in such divine power as an excuse, he was almost never allowed outside the Ivory Tower, and rarely even outside of his room. He got to his feet and walked to the window, placing his hand on it as he gazed upon the city below, and the lands in the distance. "...how I long for my suffering to come to an end..." His bitter, melancholy voice was lost to the commotion outside. The window shocked him a bit, a little "warning" from the security system of his room. It was designed to make sure he would never leave this room without permission, no matter what. It would rather kill him even then see him escape. As he considered all his potential methods, the commotion grew to a point where it was quite blatently outside of his door. The Oracle was incapable of opening the doors himself, so he didn''t even bother to approach them. His voice would never make it out of the barrier after all. The door had enough defensive enchantments to stop a highly evolved troll variant from battering it down, so without authorization, it wouldn''t budge anyways. He daydreamed a bit that it was someone who had come to rescue him, or to end his life. Either one more preferable then his current situation, even if he did have his own plans set in motion. And yet, to his shock, the doors were thrown open in a huge show of force. The barriers around the room recoiled a bit, but still remained stable. And yet, the doors were blatantly open, giving The Oracle quite the shock. Within all the time he had been here, not a single person had ever done that before. And furthermore, he had never seen such a thing happen in any potential futures. In that moment, something was triggered, and his full memories returned to him. Hmm, what the...wait, what the hell is going on?! But even with his full memories, this was still an anomaly. These events never occurred in any potential future. The Oracle could only guess as to the reasons these events were hidden from him, as seven figures entered. The first was a dashing blonde haired boy who appeared to be about eleven or twelve. Even for noble standards, his dress was fancy, and this was his travel armor. He had half plate on, but while it had a few chips and signs of repair, it sparkled brilliantly. The sword as his side was similar, it looked a bit worn but repaired, and made to look as fantastic as when it was first forged. He even wore a cloak, and his sapphire blue eyes radiated with energy. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The next was a boy who appeared a year or two younger. He wore a dark raincoat, but the Oracle could sense the magic within it. That said, he couldn''t learn specifics s it clearly disrupted those who tried to inquire about it. He wore rainboots as well, though they were a bit short and looked like he could possibly kick them off his own feet if he wanted to. He had silver white hair that seemed a bit messy, and sapphire blue eyes as well. His ears also gave him away as a Half-Elf. But furthermore, the Oracle sensed an almost divine presence within him. Who is he? This presence...a godblade? He then looked at the two people behind each of those first two. One of them was clearly dressed like a butler, the one behind the price. That said, he was only fourteen years old, and his attire was clearly changed for the shorter weather, with the long pants being shorts and the sleeves being shorter as well. Meanwhile, the other was an older man who looked like it could be the white haired boy''s grandfather. The Oracle wasn''t sure why he thought of that before father and son, but that just felt right to think, that they were grandpa and grandson. However, he did recognize the person. Sebastian LeCross, the current butler for the head of the LeCross family, who supposedly helped to deal with spies and deal with criminal organizations and enemy agents in secret. Very loyal and connected to the crown. And supposedly, the butlers for the heads of the LeCross family were all loyal and strong. Its a family that had risen to power in just the last generation or two as well, so there were many secrets and rumors about them. However, the last three people surprised him most of all. "I see. Not just a Prince, and representatives for the LeCross family, but even the three heroes summoned to this world. I am honored by such attendence, although I am sorry you had to see me in such a state. We were not expecting anyone to come today". The Oracle greeted them with grace, making sure to curtsy properly. His collar was already invisible to view by others, another safeguard of it that activated on its own. "This was an unplanned, impromptu visit by us. You need not worry. Although I am surprised the people here would so boldly stand in the way of a prince". He was the Fourth Prince of the Ronia Kingdom. Prince Astazia Regaliaz. Known by some as the Heroic Prince. "Allow me to introduce my companions. My butler, Leoas, and then a representative and his attending grandson, Sebastian and Aruu. Then, of course, the three heroes of our country". The three heroes seemed a bit shocked when they saw the Oracle. There were two boys and one girl in front of him, but it looked like the girl was the one who typically took charge. "I thought the Oracle was around thirty?" "He is. The divine power tends to burn through one''s body. He actually got out relatively unscathed by just losing the ability to grow and age" the Prince told her. "In fact, he might be one of the longest lasting Oracles as a result, even if the Church is overly cautious with this one it feels like. It looks like he barely even leaves the room. What is this, a prison?" The collar discreetly gave him a little buzz at those words, a clear warning to sway him off, or else. "My small frame makes me weaker than most, and unfortunately it seems like it likely won''t change, at least until you defeat the Demon King. They wont let any risk come to me while he is on the loose". "I see. You have quite a gift with words. I would love to continue this another time, but unfortunately as you said, we must prioritize the Demon King right now". Wait, what? Does he know? I haven''t seen any futures about this though...I wonder if its just the protection the Royal Family gets, but also... The Oracle looked at Aruu, the boy who radiated the presence of a godblade. If The Oracle was right, this boy might have the power to even go toe to toe with the Black Dog. Possibly even beat him. However, there was another, far more concerning thing. I can''t see his future...at all?! For some reason, he was entirely incapable of reading Aruu''s future. In this room, with these leylines, and under the moonlit sky at that, his powers should have been great. And yet, the boy in front of him...he wasn''t even able to get a sense it was being shielded from prying eyes, like the Royal Family. No, it was just one big blank. I see...he is one of the Hidden. Between his power as a Godblade wielder, and powers as a Hidden, that would explain it. Godblades are always annoying to try and get Oracles for as is, since they are considered equal to my own power. As both came from Divine Sources, it was as if they canceled each other out. It was not the first time the Oracle had experienced such a thing. However, he had never once experienced a total blackout before. It just meant resistance or difficulty, or the feeling of hitting a sort of wall. But this was more like a gap, an abyss, one that can''t even be looked at. With others he would eventually be able to glimpse something, even just distorted fragments. But for the first time ever, he couldn''t see so much as a single image of someone''s future. For the first time, the Oracle honestly could not be sure about anything that could happen here, since he was imprisoned within this room. This room, which was connected to a huge ritual setup that enhanced his powers, which already were more powerful then those of a normal Oracle. And there was no way the person in front of him didn''t know that. This was not something born of accident or coincidence. Their words earlier hinted that they knew of his situation. They likely stormed in here, knowing the Dark Side of the Church would be actively controlling him if it was a normal, scheduled encounter. And they held a power which also prevented him from glimpsing the future of someone entirely, or at least the half-elf did. Wait, then why did I assume he was one of the Hidden? I see...perhaps only his future is hidden from me, but my Divine Intuition isn''t being negated? In these short few moments, the Oracle realized all of this. "I take it you came here with the heroes, hoping for a prophecy that will foretell what the Demon King is up to? Or perhaps one to best utilize the powers of the Hero?" "That is part of it yes, we need knowledge of many fragments of the future. As many as you have, in fact. We would also like to formally ask you to join the Hero''s Party to help stop the Demon King as well, since your holy powers are unmatched and you could provide real-time predictions potentially. We also need to ask you about some more...private matters. I am afraid we will need to use a special type of magic to wipe your memories afterwards". "Memory wiping magic huh?" The Oracle said, as the noose around his neck made it oh so clear he was not to accept any such offers of joining them on their journey. "Yes. Things that can''t be made public, after all. We also want to know of other potential allies to recruit". The prince seemed to know something major, and even knew the Oracle had his memories checked by the Dark Side of the Church regularly. Naturally, this was against the law of this kingdom, but the Oracle had no way of telling anyone thanks to his collar. Before their conversation could go on any further however, a few others busted into the room. "What the hell is going on here?!" the Black Dog barked. "Why are you all in the Holy Oracle''s chamber?!" an important looking man shouted. "He isn''t even fully dressed! You didn''t even let him put on underwear!" The Oracle sort of wanted to punch the important looking man in the face, given he was blatantly a pervert. The Oracle''s shortest robes, even the casual ones, nearly reached his knees. Most just straight up were too tall for even a 3 meter tall giant, their length to show his prestige and worth, so there was no way in hell anyone could tell that normally. Apparently the prince didn''t notice this. "Oh, how would you know that? His robes are so long, it''s impossible to even tell if he is wearing shorts or not, let alone underwear. What a peculiar ability you have to be able to tell that from a glance just now". While the important looking man became flustered, the Black Dog tensed up a bit. It seems he recognized the cool headed knowledge the blonde haired boy had, yet his gaze often directed towards the white haired boy. Even though he was about ten meters away from the boy, and the boy himself didn''t seem to have a visible weapon on him, he was on guard. The Black Dog seemed to sense that he was within the boy''s attack range. And he recognized the danger he possessed. "I am the fourth prince of this kingdom, the Kingdom of Ronia" the blonde haired boy said. The moment he did, the Black Dog and the important looking man both had shock on their faces, but then got on one knee and bowed their head. Even in this situation, they could not ignore being in the presence of royalty. The Oracle smirked at the Black Dog, who seemed to get even more irritated. "We simply need an extensive list of all future events that he can get for us, especially regarding the Demon King and allies we can recruit to fight them, and then the eight of us will be on our way to form that party. Having three heroes is either a good omen or a bad one, so we need the best, as well as real time updates about the future. YOu understand all this of course, as it is necessary to protect humanity and defeat the Demon King". The prince unleashed his words, each one full of confidence and ability. It was obvious he was not joking. Only one hero had ever been summoned in the past, but this time, multiple heroes were summoning by multiple kingdoms. It was unusual, odd, and almost certainly was a herald for a great conflict. And yet, the two of them realized he meant to take the Oracle. And that was not something they could do. Both belonged to the Dark Side of the Church. They knew if he got out, and somehow found a way out of his collar, or if the collar was found, it would be their heads. After all, what they used was a far more dangerous and painful illegal enslavement collar. With modified and advanced functions as well. The moment it was discovered, and the Oracle freed, all of their heads would go straight to the chopping block. They might even investigate how previous Oracles died, which would be incredibly problematic. They had never expected the fourth prince to just charge in like this. It was incredibly unlike royal etiquette, but The Black Dog found it hard to bring up a counterpoint too, as the white haired half elf seemed to be giving the slightest of cues that he might attack. All faints of course, but given the danger he sensed from the boy, it was incredibly distracting and unnerving. The grandpa wasn''t much better either, and the young butler felt dangerous as well to the Black Dog. "The Oracle is very sickly! And his powers don''t work as well outside of the Ivory Tower, or even his room. I am afraid he cannot make such a journey!" "I dunno, maybe he just needs more fresh air. He has been cooped up inside all this time after all". "Hmm. Only a fool actually thinks such nonsense actually has an impact on health. If anything, its full of bacteria, which given his weakened state could just make him sick, or worse". The important looking man seemed to be biting back, unaware of the danger that Aruu possessed. Either way, a crowd was beginning to form, and they were starting to hear things. Many of them not being connected to the Dark Side of the Church, which meant the Black Dog and the Important man had to be careful with what they did. "And yet, staying in here, away from everyone, doesn''t seem to be helping either. If anything, it only seems to be hurting". "And you overstep your bounds, my prince. The Oracle is under the sole care of the Church. Your own laws clearly state a division between Church and State". The important looking man wasn''t just there for show. The Black Dog was happy for this, even if he couldn''t actually remember the guy''s name right now. Still, their opponent was a prince, and someone who was extremely dangerous. They needed to tread carefully. The Heroes meanwhile looked a bit unsure of what was going on. They had ended up taking a backseat to all this, but it was clear to them that there was tension between them. The prince was sure that there might be some trouble, but what is this? Are they fighting over The Oracle? And why...why do I see those here? When she turned around, she could see them. Countless chains within the room, though apparently visible only to her. They were translucent, and everyone seemed able to walk right through them. But when the Oracle moved, they moved out of his way or with him. They seemed to all eventually lead back to his wrists, ankles, and neck. Especially the neck, it was as if he had a noose made of chains, with so many of them wrapped together and merging into one another. She could tell something was abnormal here. Something strange and wrong. And it looked to her like The Oracle was more of a prisoner here then in their care. The room itself gave her the impression of being a gilded cage. Everything he could want was in this room. He even had his own bath, something most people in the world did not have. And that was despite this room being near the top, meaning they had paid hundreds of gold coins just to have it so he could bathe without leaving his room. It wasn''t even a basin bath but a proper marble tub bath too. And yet, in the corner of her eye, she swore she saw the tiniest of cracks. She then looked at the Black Dog. The Oracle seemed to smirk ever so slightly when he saw him forced to bow and be humble, which probably spoke a great deal of their relationship. Neither did anything overt though, and the Oracle never said a word. No, perhaps he is under some sort of spell that prevents him from saying anything about his situation. Considering that, she felt like they had entered a rather dangerous situation. If they were not careful, they might end up getting burned bad. Still, it appeared that all this time on their home turf wasn''t exactly the best idea, as more people came. They wore armor, had swords at their waist, and had the holy symbol of the Church engraved upon their armor. "Come now Prince, you know you can''t do this" the leader smugly said as she walked forward. "The Oracle must be cared for here. We will accomodate you in any other way we can, as we too seek the defeat of the Demon King, but please be reasonable". The moment he said that, a smile flashed across the Prince''s face and light sparked in his eyes. "Then we will just need some private time with him to talk out all the details regarding confidential matters, since we cant risk them leaking after all. There, we have an agreement". The moment that was said, the commander seemed to hesitate for a moment, reflecting upon her words. She realized instantly that this had been his true aim from the start. He knew they would never let them take the Oracle, so instead he forced them to say those words. Shit, he got us good. I can''t just take back what I said either. I mentioned the Demon King to show our devotion and direct him towards more serious matters then fighting with us, but he was looking exactly for that. This fourth prince, the rumors were really true then. He is a negotiating prodigy. Perhaps the rumors of him forcing the Empire into taking a deal where they clearly did not come out on top were true then. "Come everyone, we must leave them to their private talk, so that the Oracle can get an extensive rest sooner" she said. The Black Dog looked annoyed, but he relented. He knew this was the best way they could end things at this time, since they were absolutely unprepared for them and didn''t have the people, or the forces, necessary to cover this up using darker schemes. Still, the way that deal was made was quite shady. How did the Prince know exactly when the Crusaders would show up and what they would say? It seemed like this group would be made of those who they would need to be wary of. The Prince, and Aruu. What shady deal did they make? Why did such a powerhouse come here? And how did they go unnoticed by everyone? These were all questions he would need to have answered, especially to avoid the Oracle being taken from them in the future. It seemed that there was a lot of information he was going to have to hunt down. Chapter 33: The Vice Guildmaster The next day came upon them, and Kuroki and his party were just arriving at the guild. Since it was still early in the day, only about one or two people were drinking, but they didn''t look drunk yet. Ozlo still look dissatisfied however, as he occasionally glared at them from the counter. From what Kuroki saw, shivers went down their spines each time, and it almost looked like it kept sobering them up. Most adventurers had already taken requests and headed out for the day, so anyone left was either taking the day off, preparing for a quest, or some other reason Kuroki couldn''t imagine. However, there was something that caught his eye in the corner. There was one person looking after a group of young kids, younger then any of them including Ryuu. The oldest might be five or even six, but on average they appeared to be between 0-4 year olds. A few adventurers were looking out for them as well, and unlike the ones drinking, they looked totally sober and committed. In fact, they occasionally glared at the drinking group as well. It wasn''t quite tense, but it was certainly a wary look. Since it was otherwise sparse and not really filled, Kuroki was able to walk up to Ozlo''s desk immediately. "What is with the kids?" "Ah, we lost our temporary daycare place, so we had to move it back here for the time being. Hopefully we can get the room in the back finally fixed up". "The Guild has a daycare service?" "Of course. We dont want to lose adventurers to the tolls of parenting after all. Just like how we have diapers for new adventurers who will undoubtly soil themselves the first few times they fight monsters, especially ones that are clearly very dangerous for them, we also have services to help experienced adventurers as well as new ones. For example, we have swordsmanship training classes that some of the local schools have their students sign up for, we have banking services in case adventurers are unfortunately around family who might steal their money for more booze or drugs, we have inn referrals and we always keep a few rooms booked in case someone needs an emergency sleeping place, we have a day care so parents can continue being adventurers, and much more". Ozlo stopped it there so he didn''t keep talking on so they could get to business, but Kuroki''s interest was already peaked. "Hold on, what do you mean much more?" "Well, as you know, to keep your adventurer''s card, you need to do a certain number of quests minimum or you risk demotion or it being revoked entirely. That said, if you get some sort of terrible disease or get petrified into a statue or such, naturally such matters would be taken into account". "...so Anna is still an active member of the guild?" "Yep. Rank B, but she was close to making A-Rank. Skill wasn''t an issue, but we do need proper quest completion, and trap quests sadly do not count. I should note the higher your rank, the longer you have until the deadline, and the more flexible the guild will be with your circumstances. To help us keep and encourage the higher ranked adventurers. We don''t have the budget to give everyone every service right from the start, and do keep in mind some of these services may still end up with you having to pay something". "Right. What about these classes?" "We have classes on camping, classes on how to safely take a bath in the wilds, classes on how to cook monster meat, classes on how to use weapons, classes to help people get used to the smell of dead bodies, classes to help teach basic reading and writing and math skills, classes on party tactics, classes on monsterology, and more". "Huh, that is a lot". "Of course. The Adventurer''s Guild exists to help support and unite all Adventurers. We aren''t just a middleman for monster materials and requests. We aren''t like the various divided mercenary groups. People keep coming to us because the more they rank up with us, the more services we can give them. Adventurers get support, nobles get to be able to choose skilled adventurers based on their rank and how much they are willing to pay, and the guild gets to ensure that not only can our friends and family live in a world that gets safer by the day, but we even get paid and make more money the more successful we are. Some might claim that is monetizing good deeds, but tell me, is there anything better then paying people for those good deeds? For giving money to those who work hard every day and help keep people safe? No! It is something that should naturally happen, in fact our budget should be increased, and we should be paid more! More support, more services as well!" "Erm, Ozlo, your true feelings are leaking out again" Kuroki mentioned. Ozlo paused for a moment, and quickly gathered himself. "Sorry about that...we have had a few budget meetings lately with headquarters, and they actually wanted to slash our budgets during this crisis! With a Demon King reawakened no less! What the hell are those idiots thinking?!" Ozlo kicked his legs and seethed, his anger boiling over once more. "They even wanted to cut some of our student loan forgiveness programs for promising young adventurers! That program helped me so much since my family needed to use a lot of money to retrain a lot of knights after a recent scandal! And I was on Scholarship to begin with! And if it was important for me, imagine how many others its absolutely vital for? What if they have to skimp out on armor and potions?! No, I won''t let this slide. I will find out where they are trying to move that money. I am sure its some sort of embezzlement or money laundering or whatnot. Maybe even someone forcing them to hand over money, or maybe the coffers got stolen and they don''t want to risk reporting it and having a loss of faith in them. Whatever stupid reason, I will dig it up and expose it!" Kuroki went wide eyed. "Wow, even Valiance didn''t piss you off this much". "Well yeah, with Valiance, I was able to show him up and humiliate him in front of everyone there. It was straightforward. But do you know how much paperwork hell these budget issues create? Especially when investigating them? There are tens of thousands of documents to go through, tens of thousands! Waaaah! You know what, I should go find the nearest Demon Stronghold and raid it, and then sell everything off to make the budget. Yeah, that could work". Ozlo began to get a dangerous look in his eye, when suddenly he got chopped on the head by a woman. No one noticed she had even walked up behind Ozlo, let alone delivered a chop to his head. Ozlo yelped in pain as he rubbed it, turning around to see who it was. She was wearing some sort of sleeved cloak jacket, and she was quite tall. She was over two meters tall easily, and looked like she could even be two whole Kurokis tall. She had two swords on her waist, a shortspear on her back, and she had two small hammers attached to her belt and hanging off. She also had pointed ears, revealing she was an Elf. Most Elves were shorter then humans on average though, with only rare exceptions. High Elves. "Its rare for you to act up Ozlo, although I will admit as helpful as you are, it is refreshing to see you act your age". "Sorry, VG. This budget bullshit is trying..." "Didn''t those Starfallen your grandfather have specialize in this stuff? Why not use them to help you?" "Because they don''t know our financial laws or norms yet. They are still getting used to our currency. Once they do, they will be a great help, but gramps probably plans to use them for his Knightly Order so he isn''t stuck doing paperwork as much". "Ah, I see. Well I am sure he will lend them to you sometimes when they are ready. In the meantime, send me a summary of the situation so far. Once I get back from this exam, I will look into it and help as well". "Thanks. Can you make sure the E-Rank Exams get smoothed along?" "I am not sure things will go so easily, but I will try my best. They offloaded quite a troublesome adventurer onto us". Ozlo groaned. "Who is it? They had to send someone qualified after all. Wait, please don''t tell me its Maysel. Please please. I don''t have the time or patience to deal with...that individual". "That individual?" Kuroki asked. "Ozlo is pretty good and tolerant with almost everything, and respects peoples wishes and identity when it comes to who they are, who they desire to be, who they are interested in, all that. Except perhaps...when the person they are romantically interested in is him". "Even then its normally fine, I do know how to deal with that to some extent. But he...she...is extra hard to deal with". "Wait, is this person a boy or a girl?" Kuroki asked. "Depends" was both of their responses. "Now, that is fine and all on its own, no issues with that, swapping between genders on a whim is fine...but they are also incredibly affectionate with like, everyone. Furthermore, they can decide that someone is a love interest for them regardless of gender, age, race, height, weight...now all that is good and all. Just keep in mind its quite literally regardless all the way. Also regardless of the interest of the other person, even if they are totally non-interested, and regardless of ettiquette or if they have crushes on others. No, sometimes, Maysel might pursue them both. The only ones he...she...leaves alone are married couples and engaged couples. Apparently thats the sole strike zone there. Also they aren''t a stalker, but they are annoying observant and pushy. Also, Maysel is a good two decades older then me, although she is a Half Dwarf supposedly..." "She is indeed a half dwarf, known for having lifespans three times as long as humans at least. However, she is also taller than me" the female elf added. "And she is really touchy feeling obsessive. What is worse is that he goes way too far without realizing it, somehow. Completely oblivious to social norms. And when they are interested in someone, its even moreso". "The person has no boundaries" the elf added. "Uhg, the fact she is coming is terrifying. That was one big reason I didn''t remain in the capital". "Oh, sorry, I should have mentioned this sooner. It''s not Maysel". Ozlo twitched a bit, giving her a look. "You should have told me that sooner!" "Sorry, sorry". "Umm, Ozlo, who is she by the way?" Kuroki finally asked. "Ah, right, you haven''t met you. This is our Vice Guildmaster, Venessia Thorn". "I am also Ozlo''s future wife" she teased. The group seemed shocked by this revelation. "Wait wait, really?!" "No way, Ozlo has a fianc¨¦?!" If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Congrats!" "Eh? Seriously? At fourteen?!" Ozlo let out a sigh. a minor blush on his face. "You shouldn''t confuse them like that with that old joke". "Sorry sorry, it was so adorable I doubt I would ever forget. We aren''t actually engaged, at least not yet considering noble politics could still have us get engaged". "I wish you would just forget it. I was four years old you know?" "But the way you just walked up to me and cooly proposed moved my heart you know? The fact that you just went ''Those guys are bothering you right? They will keep hassling a beautiful rose like you. I have been told ill eventually need to marry as well, so lets get engaged so no one will bother us about this again. I would love to have someone as wonderous as you anyways''. He even had a ring and everything, as well as a bushel of roses". "...that was ten years ago, I didn''t really know any better at the time". Kuroki blinked. "No no, hold on, that seems like you were way more aware then a normal four-year-old. And what the hell was with those lines?" "Ah, don''t forget, it was a four year old that delivered them". "Yeah, that''s the part that seems the most implausible!" "Even for Ozlo?" Kuroki pondered Vanessia''s words. "Actually, no, that sounds very on brand for a young Ozlo". "Right right! Besides, I wouldn''t mind it if its him. He is an actual hard working fellow who is cute, isn''t a pervert, is very loyal, and has a good moral compass. Probably why since he was four, he has gotten marriage requests from noble women of all ages". Ozlo burried his head in his paperwork and moaned. "Yet another reason I left the capital". "Wait, when you say marriage requests, you mean with their daughters". "No. There were those as well, but not just those. Plenty of widowers as well. And a few grandmothers". Kuroki looked at Ozlo with sympathy. He understood the pain of getting hassled by a lot of people, even if the way they suffered was different in this situation. "Well, in terms of grandmothers, they probably just wanted another grandson as well as connections to be fair" Venessia said. "After all, generally you want one to be of child bearing age to produce heirs and all that. And by having the bloodline of a great mage like Ozlo, who is the grandson of Riza, who is basically a legendary hero, would increase honors tremendously. Any connection, any excuse to put you in their family tree, will be taken advantage of completely". "Oh gods, please no. I have no issue with large age gaps if there is true love, but for a political marriage? Spare me. In fact, spare me from them in general. Can we please move on?" "Very well. It''s a pleasure to finally meat you, Silver Storm. I have heard quite a bit about you". "Ah, its nice to meet you as well!" "A-ah, yes its very nice to meet you!" "A pleasure to meet you!" "Very nicsh to meesh you!" Everyone in a fluster. Everyone, including Kaede, found the woman incredibly beautiful, but also something about her height and just her very nature caused them to revert momentairily to total formality. They bowed when they greeted her, and their words were about as polite and formal as one could expect from kids. Well, Ryuu bit his tongue accidentally which made his words come out strange, but that''s besides the point. Even Valiance with Compliance didn''t ellicit this, it was just something natural that happened. Something about the elf seemed to have invoked this when they actually tried to speak with her, even if they held more respect for Ozlo due to how much they have seen him work so far. Ozlo even gave a slightly confused, slightly bemused look. "I suppose its good you have improved manners a bit, but...I am feeling a bit hurt here you know?" "Its probably because you still have a childish streak like your grandfather". "I am way more mature then him!" "Not with the way you run your mouth when you start complaining". Ozlo didn''t fire back, a sign that it was usually right. Indeed, although he held it in to avoid voicing such complaints when it would be problematic, he absolutely would let loose the moment the nobles or the administration were gone. He didn''t even say anything particularly venomous, but all the same, the fire he had when he spoke of it was...notable. Course, such a trait made him very well liked among adventurers who wished to voice similar complaints when unreasonable people asked for unreasonable things. "Now then, Vanessia, who is actually the protctor for the exam?" "Gavic Fisto". Ozlo moaned audibly. "Why!? Why does everyone hate me?!" "Who is this Gavic, and why does Ozlo dislike him?" Kuroki asked. "Because Gavic is the one that got away". "No way, Ozlo confessed to this person?!" "Ahh, I meant that litterally. He was believed to be heavily connected to the Dark Side of the Adventurer''s guild here in this town. Ozlo was never able to find the proof for him specifically, but there was just enough that Ozlo more or less ran him out of town. Rumor has it he is the type of adventurer that gives others a bad name. He is greedy, petty, and is willing to do just about anything for a bribe. At least, according to Ozlo". Ozlo had a dark aura around him as they turned to look at him. He was chuckling a bit as well. "So he wants to go round two huh? Fine then, he wants to play? Lets play". "Ah right, so, just letting you know now, Ozlo can hold a grudge for basically ever. At least if its serious enough. He wont hold them over everything". "That is...very good to know". "He has a lot more spite then one would expect". "I feel like that might just be a side effect of being overworked". "Woah! A real, visible dark aura!" Kuroki, Riku, Kaede, and Ryuu all had their various reactions to this situation. "So, I take it this person is a problem?" "He is a B-Ranked adventurer who dishonors all adventurers, especially B-Ranked adventurers, just by breathing". Vanessia then interjected. "There is no actual evidence he ever did anything wrong or bad though, to be clear. No indications he worked with slavers, sold out adventurers, assisted in the drug trade, murdered men and women, beat up shopkeeps, extorted merchants, and illegally stole the gains of other adventurers to rank up. Ozlo needs to avoid him too, considering what you did to his guildcard and how you got in trouble for it". "Worth it" Ozlo nodded. "What did Ozlo do?" "Put ''Unproven Criminal'' and ''Fishy Villainous Guy'' in the titles section of his card, in a way that is impossible to remove apparently. They still want to know how you did that". "Not telling~" "Anyways, needless to say, he was probably chosen since he is the one person Ozlo absolutely cant interfere with due to their prior history". "Yeah. Its very annoying. Still, I did a little scheme of my own". Vanessia sighed. "What did you do?" "Oh nothing much. Just fired my own warning shot is all. Don''t worry, you will very much approve of it. I cant guarentee you will enjoy it, but you will approve of it". "I see...well, I will look forward to it. Hopefully". She then motioned the party to the side, so that Ozlo could continue dueling with his overwhelming supply of paperwork. She took them to what appeared to be a calmer side room of the guild, which appeared to be a sort of break room. The walls were thicker, and probably soundproofed, which made this area a more relaxing place to be. That said, it was also much smaller and a bit cramped, even for four kids alone. It was clearly more of a place for individuals, so they were kind of all stuffed in there. "Sorry about the tight space. I put up a barrier against those who would use magic to eavesdrop on us, but that wouldn''t stop people from physically eavesdropping, so I figured it would be best to do this conversation in here". "Wait, it can''t do that?" "Well, some can, but you should avoid having barriers overlapping. Putting up both would be quite risky, and frankly, there are still ways one could get around either. Very few barriers are perfect, and those that are either involve Fortress Class Devices, or are the stuff of legends and gods". "I see. So what is it you wanted to talk about?" "Simply put, I think there might be a plot or two within this harassment plot. Ozlo is right that Valiance wouldn''t normally think that far ahead, but its clear he is working with someone. And whoever it is, is incredibly capable. Ozlo knows this as well, but...well, he is overworked enough as it is. We do need to settle some things without him. I mean, I wouldn''t be much of an adult if I had to rely on a fourteen year old for everything". "So what is it you dont want to worry Ozlo about?" "Well, a few things. See, the other reason we need to do this on our own is because I have to assign a lot of people to Ozlo''s security detail. Whoever the Devil that attacked him is, she might be involved with Valiance. Of course, if Ozlo knew I put a security detail on him, he would probably throw a fit about me wasting resources...he isn''t reckless, but he does hate it when people fuss over him like this. He is...not a solo lone wolf type, but he is very independent". "Sounds complicated". "Well, people are complicated generally. At least, the best ones are in my opinion. So anyways, be warned we will be without backup". "Wasn''t this supposed to be a normal E-Rank up exam?" "Yes. Hopefully, that is all you will have to deal with. Just try and leave the complicated stuff to me, and whatever this surprise Ozlo arranged is. In any case, he might make up some excuse on being tardy and dock points on you, so let''s get there early". "...did you just mom voice us there?" The way she spoke to them at the end sounded very momlike. She blushed a bit. "Ah, sorry. I may have spent a bit too much time with my four year old lately. Only good thing my ex-husband left me with". "Ex-husband?" "Yep. Been married nine times. six of them political. It''s been very annoying". "Wait wait, nine times?!" "Yes. Three are dead, three are in prison, one is missing, one is alive but banished to another continent, and the other is a lord of a nearby city. Used to be a whole region, but turns out not only did he force a poltiical marriage on me despite the fact I am engaged to Ozlo, but he tried to use it to curry favor with people he ended up oppressing. The crown did not like this, and well, they let me divoce him, get a huge chunk of his assets, and sole custody of my child". "You had a child with him?" "Its stupid noble bullshit. Iv had a child with all of my exes. I mean, you have met one of my children I heard". "Eh?" "A blacksmith in the market district?" The group then remembered that Elven Blacksmith. But their confusion only grew. "Wait, he was a noble?!" "He is your son?!" "Wait wait what?!" "Huh?!?!" "Yep, that''s about the reactions I expected. Most elves aren''t as long lived as I am, after all. My tribe has an...abnormally longer lifespan. In any case, don''t bother asking me how old I am. I quite honestly cannot remember anymore". "I see..." She was being cryptic, and the group didn''t think she would elaborate further. They ended up thanking her politely and bowing again. "Thanks for all your help! Please lead the way!" "Thank you very much for the insight!" "We appreciate your insight! We hope you will please help us further on!" "Thank you for the help!" "Ah...no problem". Is it me, or when they all speak, do they always go in the order of Kuroki, Riku, Kaede, then Ryuu? She made a strange observation while taking them to the back courtyard. It was a fairly isolated place. There were places passerbys could look in on, but it was also wedged between two buildings with a few random pillars all over the place. There was also a few half walls here and there, although they were either shorter then Kuroki''s neck or Kuroki''s waist even, depending on the wall, and they looked like they had actually been broken. And as they arrived, there were two people already there, waiting for them. One of them was in shiny armor that looked like silver, but seemed more durable and was also a bit worn. The other was wearing more of what a clerk in this world might wear. Some fancy robes and garments that are meant for working in, rather then extravagent ones nobles use for parties. However, it seemed padded and protected, and weirdly enough Riku felt like the man was far more dangerous, despite the fact Kuroki could not sense a whiff of magic from the man. The moment she saw the two Vanessia groaned in a similar fashion to Ozlo. "What is it, Vanessia?" "Accept it my foot. Ozlo, yeah sure this works out fine, but did you honestly need to call him of all people?" "Wait wait, who did Ozlo bring over?" "He brought in the most irritating, annoying person possible. Someone who diligently checks everything, isn''t afraid to point it out for you, and is punctual about every single rule. He is weirdly obsessed with rules and regulations, but as a result the Kingdom loves him since he is a high ranked Adventurer who doesn''t give them various legal issues and isn''t some sort of a freak. Well, honestly that last statement is debatable given his obsession, but you get the idea". "Wait wait, he is a high ranked adventurer?" "Yes. Riku, you seem able to sense it?" "The moment I stepped onto this field, I got the feeling I was within his guaranteed kill range, and he was at a position to guarantee a kill on me from". Riku''s senses were hightened as a beastkin, so those words were not just for show. If he felt that, then whoever it was over there was stronger then them. At the very minimum, they were B-Rank. But they might even be A-Rank like Ozlo. It seemed the two people waiting for them were arguing however, so they just decided to listen in for now. "I was the one assigned to this, not you!" "But your past history with Ozlo raises some concerns about your objectivity. You are claiming Ozlo favors them too much, and yet they bring in you, someone who has on record threatened to ''stuff Ozlo''s underwear down his throat and choke him to death on his own shit'', and that is just the least vulger thing on here. Furthermore, you have been at the center of no less then seventeen guild investigations and twenty four criminal ones. Your credibility and objectivity are both in question. Thus, under Examination Rule 44, if there is a conflict of interest or possible cause for animosity between two parties, then Guild Staff is allowed to appoint a second examiner who has been given the title of Trusted Unbiased Official or higher. And as I possess the highest rank of all for that title, that makes me the best suited for this". The man looked like he was going to seeth. But more importantly, the Guild had a rulebook? This was the first that Kuroki heard about this. He felt like he would need to read this at some point to make sure they didn''t accidentally get in trouble or anything. He would have to ask Ozlo about that later. Either way, this man, Gavic Fisto, was not thrilled that this other guy. "Argux Baxter, you annoying little weasel!" "If anyone is the weasel, it is you". "Fine, but you may only observe". "Of course, I will observe and make sure you grade them fairly and properly. These promotion exams need to be held properly to ensure the intergrity of the guild. Anyone who messes with them will need to be dealt with, quickly and properly". At those words, the other parties began to arrive. And thus, the E-Rank exam officially began. Chapter 34: The E-Rank Exam Begins The first part of the exam went mostly about as expected. They were made to strip, and undergo a variety of exercises and various examinations to ensure they were healthy enough. A few laps around the field as well just to be safe, as well as some in depth close up exams as well, especially regarding the eyes. Apparently the eyes were a good indicator of drug use. Of course, the moment Gavic Fisto tried to go too far, the combined gazes of Vanessia Thorn and Argux Baxter. This caused him to be checkmated several times over. Granted, that still didn''t make Kuroki feel better about this situation. He was getting used to the culture of this world, which on an occasion or two caused him to deal with embarrassment like this. But this time was different. Among the gazes on him as he had to do this, were those judging him. It made him feel rather self conscious about his body, but he was used to that so as bad as it was, and as much as he hated it, it was something he could push through. It didn''t help that there were a bunch of other adventurers watching them either. Lower ranks that wanted to see what they should aim and prepare for, watching them with great interest and a bit of idolization. Then there were higher ranked adventurers as well, wanting to see if any of these new rookies might be worth recruiting. Not everyone here was in a party after all, at least all the time. There were plenty of solo adventurers. So these higher ranks really wanted to see what their juniors were made of. That said, right now they were mostly drinking and chatting. They didn''t care about this part at all, which helped. No, they wanted to see the mock battles. That was their main goal and prize, and it was what they truly desired. Watching the mock battles would be the best way to see who has potential after all. But the fact that there were people in the distance that he could sense, examining his naked body and determining its value...it''s worth. That creeped him out immensely, and rightfully so. Suddenly, a dark feeling festered in his gut. I should kill them, right here and now, before they have a chance to strike. Before the thoughts were even over, he was formulating a new spell...when Kaede grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. Almost instantly, the dark feeling of pitch blackness dispersed. "You okay Kuroki? You had a grim expression there". "Oh, sorry. The gazes are getting on my nerves" he said as they ran. "They are rather unpleasant. Lets just hurry this up" she said, as they continued to run around the courtyard with the other E-Rank examinees. What was I about to do? Was I...about to try and kill someone? Shaking off that unpleasantness, he continued to run. That was about the only thing that notably happened during that phase. Perhaps if Gavic Fisto hadn''t been restrained, it would have been even more humiliating and terrible. But he had, so they were soon able to finish up and get dressed again. Once everyone was dressed and geared up, the second part of the exam began. The first part was really just to make sure they were healthy and not cheating, the second and third parts were the main grading portions. Their equipment had naturally been examined while they were waiting as well to make sure nothing was hidden inside as well. That was apparently unusual, technically within rights if someone suspected something, but as far as they knew never enforced. This just led the examiner to feel scorn from everyone as a result, since obviously singling out Kuroki''s party would be against the rules, and basic etiquette. There were five parties right now taking the E-Rank Exam, and Kuroki''s party was up second. Kaede throught it was lucky they were not going first, but Kuroki disagreed. "Right now, we still have some adrenaline left. But by going second, we have just enough time to relax, without actually recovering any stamina from the tests before. If anything, its the worst position to be in". "Really?" "Yeah. This match won''t last long enough for us to get any real rest, I am sure of it. Just long enough to cool off our adrenaline and let the fatigue seep in". It was a rather nasty strategy all things considered. Their original plan had been to try and use this as some cover for an abduction for one of Amyris'' enemies, which was largely why they had drawn so much hate. Riza, Amyris, Ellie, Valiance either went after or hated all these people, either father or son, and then there was Sebas, who hated Amyris so much he was more then willing to target his apprentices or anyone that was friends with them. Either one of them had connections to shady business. It was even expected for staff of the Mage''s Guild to have connections to smugglers. Apparently, dangerous magical contraband, like Cursed Objects, were occasionally traded in by criminal groups via smugglers, and part of what the Mage''s Guild did was deal with such objects. As such, nearly all Mage''s Guild staff as well as their upper ranks had to have criminal connections. Because it was better that, then risking some sort of highly dangerous curse, or perhaps an out of control golem, or evil magic that involved human sacrifice to be making the rounds. It was a necessary evil sort of thing. Though, from what Kuroki heard, the closest analogy he could think of was smugglers basically trading in bioweapons and nukes for protection and profit, so he had to admit arguing against such an arrangement sounded difficult. That said, it was especially harder for most people, who didn''t have magic. Kuroki was around a lot of magic all the time, and could use it himself. Even the other three in his party had some magical abilities. But most people in this world were not really capable of using magic. Sure, anyone should be able to if they really practiced and tried hard enough, but not everyone felt that attached to doing so and focused on other crafts as well. Those with magical abilities tended to either join the Mage''s Guild, the Adventurer''s Guild, the Royal Institute of Magic, or were highly independent. You wouldn''t actually find all that many magic users in the army proper, and while mages sometimes did fight on the battlefield, generally it was the efforts of soldiers and generals that were the key to a battlefield victory. Mages could play a pivotal role as well, but they couldn''t go around crushing entire armies. Well, maybe X-Ranked could, but they were generally required to stay near the really dangerous areas. The Guildmaster of the Adventurer''s Guild was largely here in his position in order to remain on standby in case something came out of the Deep Woods, from that dangerous spot he heard mentioned. Apparently, A-Rank and S-Rank monsters could be found there, and groups of B-Ranks were regular occurrences. And while the Rank system was subjective and not perfect, it was still used because it was just effective enough to be useful for reference. It was better at indicating monster strengths then Adventurer strengths also. The first party was made of two sword and shield users, an archer, and someone who seemed to use a sling. That last one caught Kuroki off guard, but they actually seemed to be the most skilled member of their party during the mock battle. He repeatedly tried to use it on attacks that would either hit the sword and throw it off target, or hit the examiner''s face. That said, he was a bit reckless with some attacks as well, which showed he still had a lot to learn. That said, the sling combat itself was interesting. Kuroki''s father had forced him to learn all sorts of weapons, but never a sling. Never staff fighting either, probably because he hated the idea of Kuroki holding anything that reminded him of being a mage. Eventually, that group finished, and surely enough, it was their turn. They were still fatigued a bit, but the adrenaline was gone...and yet, their condition seemed to shock Gavic Fisto. Ha. Eat that. All kids in our world always want to stay up more, so naturally we have all at various points in our lives wished for more stamina and faster recovery! The way the Wish Granting Worked could be odd and obscure at times. But also sometimes, it was easy to figure out. This also got them good marks from the other examiners. "It seems they are very good at rapidly cooling down and resting. A good trait we don''t usually see except for C ranks, maybe some D as well". "At least, not on the scale they did". "Indeed". You hear that Gavic? That is the sound of people demanding a refund on that bribe money. The group got into position, and Gavic also got into position. Kuroki felt like he was a bit more serious now then he was before. Still, with two others here, especially Baxter, he couldn''t be overt about it. Kuroki figured he would probably enhance his strikes at the last moment, during angles they couldn''t see. Anger and rage swirled within Kuroki, as the man looked down at them and gave them the creeps. Kuroki had lived his whole life with people looking down on him, often physically, but then mentally as a result as well. His father, the one who should have lifted him up. His father''s scummy friends. His most loyal of students. Not to mention the bullies he had to deal with every day. When he took a step forward, the darkness returned briefly, but then Riku quickly entered his vision, as he stood in front as the party''s main vanguard. The sight of his friend helped to calm him down. However, the fact that Gavic was emitting such a powerful aura to try and intimidate and suppress them was annoying. His armor was among the best Kuroki had seen yet. It was only quarter plate in some areas, half plate in others, his chest piece being quite protective. And yet, what really gave him a bad feeling was the shield Gavic carried. Something about it called out to Kuroki, and seemed to almost...encourage...his darker impulses. He had a feeling that shield was bad news. Not cursed, but...it certianly was not made by someone with good intentions in mind. It was likely made to be used for offense, not just defense, and had a myriad of other tricks at its disposal. I need to vent some of my stress. Its messing with my head. But then, what to...ah, I see... "Just to confirm, we are allowed to go all out right?" Kuroki asked. Gavic just chuckled. "Of course. Not like you will be able to do much, a brat like you". "I see....heh. How wonderful". The mood shifted ever so slightly, and even Gavic was taken aback by Kuroki''s change. Kuroki then smiled, as if the stress had made him snap instead of relieving it. "Then that means I can test out all the spells I cannot normally use on you". Vanessia seemed to go wide eyed, as well as the other E-Rank applicants. Some of them were visibly seen taking positions further away, and motioned to their friends, the other parties, to do the same. One actually told someone to get Ozlo fast. The ones who reacted had seen what Kuroki did during the Goblin conflict, when he unleashed those two large spells: The one that doubled attacks, and the one that rained down ice charged with lightning. Even Gavic felt alarm bells go off in his head. He might be corrupt and greedy, but he was an adventurer. He could feel that something had shifted to a dangerous level. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The moment combat began, Ryuu unleashed his aura at full force. This threw Gavic for a loop for a single second, but in that second Riku utilized his combo move, Brilliant Blaze, his combination of Brilliant Flash and Flare Enchant: Incendia. Kaede appeared behind him, looking to go for his neck. All of them were moving fast. Too fast. Remnants of an array were on each of their backs, and any mage realized it was time magic. The three had been accelerated. The question was when? When they had been doing the exercises and running around, they had all seen his back, and they knew it wasn''t then. But they never once saw Kuroki cast the spell, meaning he had somehow stealth cast it. Not only that, but while it was far from masterwork, it was stable enough that it would last for a t least a few minutes. It was well beyond a normal apprentice, and indicated he had a very good teacher, a very high talent, and had put in a lot of hard work for this spell. Speaking of casting, several ring shapes appeared from Kuroki''s hands. It appeared to be some sort of Framework, but it wasn''t anything any of them had seen before. Various symbols were visible, but no one recognized any of them. Furthermore, the spell appeared to be taking an entirely new form. Gavic knocked Ryuu back first, but was grazed still by Riku''s Brilliant Blaze. He protected his vital spots from Kaede, and then kicked her backwards as well, so he went after Riku before they recovered so he could go after Kuroki. Riku blocked his first strike, but the strength and power behind it was immense. He actually skid across the ground a bit, but his feet remained planted enough to not fall over. Meanwhile, Kuroki activated his spell, as several rings of magic appeared around his arms. He thrust one arm forward, and a ring fired at Gavic. Gavic dodged the attack, but then a portal opened behind him. Kuroki then cast ice lances at him, and he dodged, only to get hit from behind as the same spell came out of the portal. This was a lesser version of Amyris'' Offense Duplication. It was called Twinning Portal, and it would cast any spell he cast. It didn''t do it for free however, it took 50% more mana for each cast, and it could only emerge from where the portal was currently located. This spell was cast using intense array construction and calculations, but compared to what he used during the Goblin conflict, this was far easier to cast and control. Another limitation, and a major one at that, was that it was limited to just his spells. Offense Duplication would work on allies spells and even normal attacks as well, but Twinning Portal would only duplicate his spells. And they had to come from the mirror. It did allow it to be a remote casting point, which wasn''t a negative, but it meant that if one wanted to really prevent someone from charging at them, it might not help so much. So it was a far lesser version, and yet still a rather impressive spell in its own right. He let loose another ring, and this time seeing what the last one did, Gavic went to cut through it. This time however, it split down the center on its own and coiled around him. He was still able to dodge it enough to get his sword into position and cut through it, but now the other three recovered. He raised one of his arms, and a projectile shot out of a gap in his gauntlet, going after Kuroki. Kuroki sidestepped, seemingly blurred a bit in the process, as he unleashed another three lightning bolts. Twinning Portal unleashed the same, as Riku utilized Brilliant Blaze. Ryuu also went from the front, but Gavic first slashed at his own shadow...or rather at Kaede, who had planned to use both attacks as cover for her own. He got a good strike on her, knocking her back, but felt pain jolt in his leg. At some point, she slammed a dagger into his leg, stabbing it into a major flexibility point and reducing his movement. Kuroki meanwhile formulated a spell, more symbols appearing around him. "Mirror mirror in the air, tell me in your words so fair. Tell me where to strike him best, so that I may bring this battle to rest. Reveal to me his weakest spots, let me connect those important dots. Reveal to me the path to take, so that victory is what I make. Guidance Timelines!" Using the mirror he created as a catalyst for his spell, he utilized even more advanced magic. This was a technique that was very hard to control and utilize, since it required prior spells to set it up. If they were disrupted or destroyed, or done in the wrong order, and things would end up failing. Or worse. The mirror reflected Gavic''s image, and let Kuroki see the various openings that would let them strike at him. Riku meanwhile got around his shield and struck at him, only for him to parry the blade and then bash his shield into Riku''s face. Ryuu charged from behind, but Gavic twisted around and did some sort of back kick that knocked him back, while Kuroki was busy formulating the spell. He created countless threads, but hardened and sharpened as they layered into needles and were launched at him. Twinned Portal duplicated them, sending dozens of needles forward. Gavic used his shield to block, and then charged at him with greater speed then before. Kuroki made an ice pillar rise under his feet, getting him away from Gavic as he luanched another spell, having completed the incantation as the pillar went up. Several snakes made of lightning appeared, going downwards to attack and coil around him at fast speeds. Kaede appeared in that moment, managing to finally get a good hit in. Everyone thoguht that last attacked knocked her out of the fight, but she had just enough grit to make this attack, getting a good blow to his shoulder. Kuroki meanwhile created his icy chains, following up spell with spell. They came and wrapped themselves around Gavic as he bashed Kaede away with his shield, sending her sprawling, but Riku''s Brilliant Flash was already at him, forcing him to take the hit. Unfortunately, his armor, training, and experience let him endure it quite well, and he backhanded Riku, knocking him to the ground as he smashed the ice pillar Kuroki had been standing on. He swung his shield around again, and slammed it right into Kuroki, sending him flying and sprawling across the ground. He went in for more attacks, when Baxter stepped in. "That is enough. You are using too much force in your attacks, and it is blatantly obvious they cant continue fighting. Still, its also obvious they pass as well". "What? But I didn''t..." "No, at the end there, they made you get serious. If they make a B-Ranker get serious, it proves they have successfully displayed their talent. Or are you really claiming that combination attack you just did was not you being serious?" "Tsk". He had clearly gone all out when he went after Kuroki''s group at the end there, in particular with Riku and Kuroki. Both required some potion treatment, which Vanessia was already administering. Normally, examiners would never press an examinee that far unless he was forced to get serious, or even went on the defensive. Either one would automatically result in pass basically. As such, he knew he couldn''t argue back about the ruling. Especially since he had passed the first group, who didn''t do as much as they had. He had been completely routed. The other aspiring E-Rankers also clearly agreed they had passed. And so, the rest of the mock battles continued, although none got nearly as chaotic as that.
At the same time, Kuroki''s group wasn''t the only one taking the E-Rank Exams. So were Reiji and Juno, who had already dealt with the various excercises as well as the mock battle, so they were preparing to leave for camp. There were a few individual F-Rankers, but also two whole parties, for a total of thirteen people. One party of four, one party of three, Juno''s party of two, and four individuals. Unlike Kuroki, no crooked examiner had come this way. This was in part due to the fact that Juno and Reiji had the favor the guards surely, as any attempt as corruption or getting someone unsavory would have had them fully vetted by the guards extensively. Simply put, it was a risk that Cherry Road was unwilling to take, even as eager as they were. It was traces of how actions could influence events, and how support would make a difference. They were now heading for the carriages that would take them to the campspot. It had to be sufficiently far enough away from the city to serve as a real test after all, so they would take carriages for at least part of the way there. Once they were at a certain point, they would go the rest of the way by foot, with veteran adventurers staying with the carriages. if for some reason there was an attack, and the monsters were far more powerful then they should be, they would step in to deal with the emergency situation. The carriages the guild provided were quite large and spacious, and there were three in total. The examinees would be in the first and last carriage, while the examiners would join them, and the veteran adventurers would stay in the center, where they could adapt as needed. Furthermore, the carriages were not pulled by normal horses, but KIarins. They were a sort of large fluffy four legged creature. They had black fur with white spots, large flat and fluffy tails, and looked quite wonderful to hug and ride. Juno could only best describe them as being similar to this one creature in a popular show involving the four elements and spirits, the one that had three kids ride something that looked like this but could fly as they traveled across the world to stop an evil empire. That didn''t matter much right now though so Juno pushed it from his mind. Instead, he focused on keeping their gear close so that they had it ready. He had enough arrows to last him awhile, especially if he kept recovering arrows, as well as a few other tricks. Reiji had new shields and better armor, and Juno was wearing some padding under his clothes. They had everything they might need, and so they embarked the carriage. As they entered, a boy introduced himself to them. He was one of the indepenent adventurers, and a bit unique. He was a mage, but rather then using the staff he had with him, he had a floating orb, as well as a dagger. The examiner had actually shed blood, thinking getting close to a mage was a great way to show their weakness, only for said mage to magically bring a dagger into his hand and cut him. The examiner decided to pass him right then and there, noting "he was already well aware of his weakness, and even set a trap. Well done". Incidentally, for their examiner, he decided for everyone to do solo battles. It was their choice of course, one could do team or solo battles. In that case, all the solo adventurers would have teamed up together. But he decided to do individual matches for everyone. His battle with Reiji had been particularly noticable. Both of them were shielders, and in fact they both had a shield on each arm. As a result it became a contest of endurance. The examiner won in the end of course, but admired Reiji for his defense, noting that any ranged combatant in his party would be well protected, especially with his counter strikes should they try to pass him for others behind him. As for Juno, his battle had pushed him. He often liked to let ranged combatants get one attack off before charging, so Juno decided to triple strike with three arrows at once to make it so he couldn''t block them all. That failed, he dodged one and blocked the other two, but Juno used that to scurry up a pillar and then fire down at him. He even chose an angle where the sun would be right in his eyes, decreasing his defensive abilities. In return, he knocked the pillar down, forcing Juno to run from high ground to high ground. It ended when he managed to get a slight cut on the examiner''s cheek, praising Juno''s acrobatic and climbing abilities, as well as his accurate archery. Although he did note that sometimes that accuracy betrayed him, since it could make it easier to predict his arrows and where he would try to strike. In any case, the boy seemed to be quite anxious. "So, my name is Aira. How about you two?" "Juno". "Reiji. Its a pleasure to meet you". "Likewise" the boy said. He looked to be around twelve years old, and was one of the more socialable people here. Although part of that felt like it was his anxiety. He seemed to remain alert at all times. "So how long have you been an adventurer?" Juno asked. "Ah...just a week or two now". A week or two? Is he Starfallen....he doesn''t seem like it. Could he just be exceptional then? Juno had heard of other kids his age, or younger then him, advancing even farther then they had. Apparently in a nearby city, just a few days to a week away depending on how you traveled, there was a fourteen year old boy who was an A-Ranked Adventurer, with the title of Dragon Caller. Apparently he could summon dragons of all kind, and even could summon their power within himself, using draconic attacks and abilities. Supposedly he led a force against a Goblin surge, and that Goblin surge was why the Goblins in their area had acted up as well. They got pushed out by the more powerful Goblins, and other cities in this large region had also been affected. "Huh. It is the same for us as well. How did you earn the chance to take the E-Rank so fast?" "Ah...its...the story is a bit embarrassing....but lets just say I had an unpleasant run in with something and managed to survive. Thankfully, my master made sure I was well taught before he let me join the Adventurer''s Guild". "Well taught?" "Yes. My master only lets apprentices who develop enough skills to be on par with D or C Rank adventurers at least join, since he said that you never know what could happen out there". In other words, his master cares about and is so protective of his apprentices that he makes it so they will be welll over the skill level necessary to earn F-Rank upon registration. Juno felt bad for whatever hopeless saps picked a fight with this kid. Of course not realizing that he and Reiji had effectively done the same. Either way, they were heading into the forest, when suddenly Juno felt a shiver run down his spine. It felt like it just got cold for a moment, yet no one else seemed to notice. He looked outside of the carriage, and it felt like the forest was just a bit darker now. He looked to Reiji, but he didn''t seem to notice it either. He then looked to Aira. "Is there anything weird in this forest?" "Weird? There are some barrier stones, to keep stronger monsters from getting out...and also, to keep the corruption inside as well. But the corruption is only really an issue deep in, the palce we are going at is a place where E-Rankers set up camp all the time. Concerned?" "Just...felt like we just entered something strange". "Are you unusually perceptive? Its possible you sensed the barrier itself then. Or the mana that gets stuck in here". "Yeah, maybe..." Juno didn''t want to confirm his perceptive abilities so easily to others, so he left it at that answer. He did have to wonder though, was that really what he felt? Or was there something else at work here? If their enemies were making a move, could it be related to them? Either way, Juno would find out soon enough. He checked on his bow, making sure it was properly strung and everything. He had a feeling he would be needing it soon. Chapter 35: A Lesson The carriages were heading full speed even as night was encroaching upon them. As the light began to fade and darkness set in, certain monsters became more active, and most of all, people would end up getting more and more tired. Although they had veterans at their side, they would only intervene if necessary. The creatures which pulled their carriages, the Klarins, were quite fluffy, but apparently as soft as they were, they were also quite sturdy and strong. In fact, their fluffy fur was able to absorb great shocks, and it was difficult to slash or stab them as the fur could also be quite durable and strong, not to mention it was easy to misjudge the reach. The adventurers guild raised and bred them, and some nobles did as well, although they otherwise still used horses, believing them to be the most noble of steeds. Kuroki was admiring that, but he couldn''t help all the ruins that they passed. Their architecture was different from the ruins they encountered before, and seemed almost older, and yet also seemed more solid and sturdy. There were clear remnants of a city in these woods. "What are these?" Kuroki asked, watching the ruins. "Ancient Elven Ruins. Supposedly from before the Demon KIngs, let alone the other ruins the current city is built over" an adventurer by the name of Clyde responded. He was riding in back with them, but he was actually a veteran. A C-Ranker who was here as an escort. The Adventurer''s Guild had ten senior adventurers here just for guard duty, in addition to the examiners themselves. He appeared to be Elven himself, and wore glasses with his long red hair. "Ancient Elven Ruins? First I have heard of them". "Supposedly they might even predate any human kingdom. Some believe it might be the remnants of Elas''hathul, the legendary Elven City that was said to have been destroyed by darkness. The legends don''t specify what darkness this was though, but it was said that large chunks of it were swallowed up into the Shroud, while others were buried into the Below. Some even say it was tricked by spirits, by demons, not what the evil god turned them into but what they originally were, and the city itself was corrupted and destroyed itself. Whatever the truth, apparently this was beginning of the end for the ancient elves, who are said to hold magic far greater then that of normal people, and whose lifespans could be thousands of years long". "Wait, but don''t elves still exist today?" "Hmmm...technically, pure blooded elves do exist, but also technically, they are not ancient elves. Scholars often debate what these differences were, but apparently they are two different things. Supposedly elves are descendents, but not True Pure Bloods, or something like that. Ancient Elvish was a lost language, and people are still trying to decipher it. So far, the most that survived was the works of poets and playwriters, so everything is riddled with symbolism and vagueness, rather then detailed accuracy. Then again, if you live for thousands of years, I suppose you don''t feel a pressing need to write history books". "I see..." "In any case, these ruins have been picked through, so it should be safe, but be careful. Ancient Elves used ancient Elven Magic that they guarded with various secrets, since it made a huge part of their empire and power. They didn''t spread its details, and each caster and artisan is believed to have their own individual styles on top of that, and they really liked traps and puzzles and riddles. Supposedly it was some show of superiority, that they were such intellectuals they could so easily live freely and control their magic despite being surrounded by volatile elements. Or maybe it was a cultural thing, to teach them how to be careful and control their vast powers...or else. The exact reason is still debated by the scholars of the Illuminarium to this day". Kuroki nodded as he peeked at the ruins again. They dotted the landscape here and there, making it far more interesting then just some random forest to him. He was never much of a camping person. In fact, before coming to this world, he was absolutely more of an indoor person. This Illuminarium sounded interesting to him though. "What is this Illuminarium like?" "Think of it like a giant library, mage''s guild, debate hall, and research labs all rolled into one. Many prominent researchers across the continent gather there. Apparently the Empire has their own, and continents have their own version, but I think the Illuminarium is among the most famous, except perhaps for The Sky Citadel. And perhaps the Isle of Mystero, forever surrounded by mist". More interesting places. Kuroki might need to visit them soon, but first he needed to learn more about magic. He was only a beginner, and even if he made good progress, he was already starting to hit walls when it came to his intermediary stuff. He was able able to use his new Ring Casting method, and he was sorely lacking in understanding of actual theory. Amyris was prioritizing the practical to help him learn how to protect himself, but apparently theory would be invaluable later on for that as well. Amyris gave him plenty of short term help, but theory was more long term help. They had dabbled in it of course. For one thing, every mage has something inside of them, known as a Spark. This Spark was part of what helped them do and learn magic. Sparks could be something you were born with, but also something you could gain through a variety of means. Sparks could also differ in quality, size, and so on. Kuroki''s wish had granted him a major spark, due to his intense desire for magic. But even Riku and Kaede had gotten sparks, but the size of their sparks were smaller and more specific towards certain things, which is why their magic was more fixed. Supposedly, this was likely related to how the Starfall Process worked, since they had been born with artificial sparks in this world basically. Amyris noted that Kuroki''s Spark felt more natural by comparison, but that likely had to do with its quality. That was part of why magic came easier to him then most, but in the end, its not like he was given unfair abilities, and he was starting to hit walls. Trying to cast multiple spells at once was difficult, and if he tried to maintain more then two continuous spells at a time, they would quickly destabilize. Even just two was hard enough that it could impede his spellcasting ability, and he had to be careful about focus and not getting distracted. Furthermore, an intensive spell like Twinned Portal was even more demanding then normal. It might as well take two spell worth of concentration, or at least one and a half. Kuroki would need to learn how to control his powers further, but he was making progress, and if he continued to work hard, that would help. He wasn''t some protagonist who could rely on something stupid like guts or grit, he would need to rely on hard work and wit to overcome his challenges. As he thought about that, he looked at Riku and Ryuu, who were taking naps and leaning on Kaede, who was reading a book. She seemed not to mind, and they agreed to let it happen since they would be standing guard at night first. Kaede was standing guard second, and then Kuroki was with the third shift. They had all agreed to this ahead of time to be prepared, which likely earned some points from the examiners, who knew that preparing beforehand was a good idea. They made sure that each guard time would have four people in it, with a few in reserve for emergencies, in case anyone ended up not being able to, or to have some fully rested people. They also looked at maps to find suitable campsites. They were heading towards a more rocky area. Could obstruct their view a bit, but would also obstruct the view of monsters. Furthermore, it was around an area noted for having large patches of Narias herbs. Their roots were very useful at neutralizing scents, and their leaves held an almost aerisolized version that came out of them, meaning that scents in this area would be heavily obfuscated. It would be impossible for any monster lurking at night to smell or see them, and the rocks would muffle their noise apparently, although Kuroki also planned to erect a barrier for safety reasons. This would limit sight, sound, and smell. Monsters could be lurking on the other side of the ruin walls and rocks and would be none the wiser of their presence, not that they were so populous here that it should happen. At least regularly. This was about the best they could do, but the examiners looked impressed. Even Fisto seemed genuinely shocked by their ability. Of course, this wasn''t all Kuroki''s party. Kuroki offered up the sound barrier, but it was the others who found the perfect spot to evade sight, and another that had mentioned checking on areas known for Narian Root picking. It was a coordinated effort where everyone contributed. Either way, they were now out of the carriages and making it to the site. Everyone had to keep an eye out, since monsters would appear in greater numbers here. This too was part of the test, and why so many veteran guards came with them. After all, the equivalent of four to five parties was here, so if there wasn''t some risk and challenge, it wouldn''t make for a very good test. Along the way they encountered a variety of monsters, including something known as a Vrak''shalen. Apparently it was first named by Ancient Elves, its a beast that seems to be able to hide within the shadows of trees and attacks people who enter its territory. However, while listed as one on investigation requests, it''s not actually a monster. Apparently a natural beast of this world instead, its a territorial and fickle beast. Its almost exclusively found near ancient ruins, mainly Elven but plenty of Human, Dwarf, and Beastkin ones as well. It is currently unknown why, but some think that ancient civilizations actually tamed them and used them as guard dogs basically. They appeared almost like six to eight legged long, giant ferrets with claws, and could perform a short range "shadowshift" that let it seemingly change positions near instantly, leaving a smokey shadowy trail in its wake. One might think that would be a good indicator to help, but sometimes they dart around to make a smokescreen, hindering those who tried to fight them. Indeed, when they got ambushed, Kuroki had to use wind magic to clear the air, which resulted in all of the immediately targeting him. So clearly, the creatures possessed intelligence. Either way, they had finally made it to the area where they would be looking for a campsite. "We should keep an eye out for any remaining Goblins. They love to infest ruins as well" one of the party leaders, Ezeri, called out. He was a young Cat Beastkin of about sixteen years old, having joined the guild just one and a half years ago and started at G-Rank. "Not in Elven ruins though. They seem to avoid them mostly, usually if Goblins are there, then something attracted them or they had no choice. They probably learned not to deal with the Vrak''shalen" another, Themist, mentioned. She notched an arrow and kept an eye on the distant trees. She was a Dwarf, but didn''t slow down the other party members. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "We just had a surge, so we should be careful. They might not be operating like normal still" one of the independent F-Ranks, Zarka, said. He had about two dozen daggers, but it wasn''t for strange reasons. They were enchanted throwing daggers, apparently they could be combined to cast spells. They were weak though, hand me downs of failed daggers from some magic school, so he got them for cheap and he mentioned a few had some strange effects to them so one had to be careful. "I don''t sense anything coming, but I couldn''t sense the Vrak''shalen either. Its possible something else is concealed within these woods, so everyone stay on alert" Kuroki added, as the adventurers kept pushing forward. "Don''t feel too bad about it" Ezeri said. "Vrak''shalen can''t be sensed by normal means. I hear it requires really advanced and powerful detection magic to pick even one up, let alone multiple". "Any other infamous things to look out for in Elven ruins?" "Well, we won''t run into any here. E-Rank exams have been held here for ages now, several times a year. And no one has fallen into a secret crypt or building for over a hundred years now, so I think they finally triggered them all". "Wait what?" "Oh yeah, in the past, people often fell into holes and found secret rooms here all the time. But because the monsters were not too difficult, and because it was this close to the city, this place got swarmed by researchers and adventurers. As a result, they went over this whole place with more intensity then a hungry Vrackiodon. No way they missed anything. At least, anything we could find easily". That made sense to Kuroki. He felt a bit better now. It almost felt like something they might get pulled into, based on recent events, but this made him feel more sure they were fine. Or at the very least wouldn''t encounter Elven Ruin shenanigans on this trip at least. With that said and done, they kept watch. The clouds were getting dark overhead, which did seem rather threatening, but being prepared for any bad weather was also part of the exam. And yet, that was not what they were most worried about. The puddles shook ever so slightly, something that the scouts quickly noticed. "Hey, we got tremors". "Intensity?" Themist asked her rogue. "Low, but increasing". "Shiza. Okay, everyone, we need to get into cover now!" The Dwarf girl hurried along, and the others seemed to pick up on the danger. Kuroki wasn''t sure what it was, but judging by how everyone reacted, it was clearly something they should avoid, so his party made sure to stick close to them. He also placed a slight barrier around them to muffle their sounds, but maintaining a moving barrier while dashing was difficult. In fact, it was even more difficult than just normally maintaining a twinning portal. Maybe if it was a personal barrier it would be easier, but even with it just being a slight muffle, trying to cover the entire party was a massive pain. As they took cover behind some large rocks, the vibrations were strong enough for them to feel now. The sounds could be heard, coming closer and closer. The deep thuds and bounces off the ground, the reverberation across the ways. Clearly something was coming, and something large. Way larger then Kuroki had ever heard of. Given they were at a fixed spot, he turned his barrier into a fixed barrier and increased the muffle, so any noise of theirs wouldn''t get out. A safety precaution, to be sure. What they saw next was beyond Kuroki''s expectations. At first, Kuroki thought someone had thrown or knocked aside a large tree trunk. There were many insanely tall trees in this forest, and no way to get around them. And yet, then that trunk began to move back up, as it was connected to a giant tree. A giant, large, humanoid shaped tree. "A Sylvan...what are they doing here? They are not native to these forests". "Just more proof that the Demon King has returned, Themist. This is likely due to the Demon King''s Influence" Zarka mentioned. Kuroki however looked puzzled. "Is the Demon King really capable of this?" "You haven''t heard the legends, or just doubt them? Well either way, its true. The Demon King has this unnatural effect upon the entire world you see. It amplifies the darkness in people and monsters, causing their dark desires to increase, and even creating new ones in people. Of course, they usually have to have something happen to them to allow such a thing to happen in the first place, or maybe just be messed up in the head, or some other factors we don''t know. But they definitely happen. Always when a Demon King rises. In monsters, it tends to cause them to act with more insideous natures, causes them to attack and be more violent, and can also change and alter the way they move and where they make their habitats". Zarka explained all of this, but Kuroki was still a bit concerned by something. "So, it''s possible these Ents..." "No no, ents are good tree spirits who inhabit trees. These are Sylvans". "Right, sorry. These Sylvans are being influenced by the return of the Demon King?" "Its the only reason I can think of as to why Sylvans would be here. But this one is unusually large at that". "Still, it doesn''t seem to have noticed us. Will the exam be continuing?" Fisto nodded. "Yes. Its heading far away, and a monster of that size probably doesn''t even care about us. It might attack a large caravan, but we have experienced adventurers there who can handle a sylvan, even one of that size. The only issue will be is if it takes root near the river, then we will have to skip that bit. But otherwise, we should be fine". Perhaps because of the two monitors, or because it was involving everyone, but he was doing his job properly now. Although Kuroki felt like he occasionally spied a small dragon watching them from a distance as well, but perhaps that was just his imagination. Still, even after the Sylvan left, there were other issues. Pieces of branches broke off as it had swept against the trees, raining down those pieces of wood upon them. And for every piece of wood, something new was created. Everyone braced themselves, as they saw the wood bend and shape, forming something new...it looked honestly horrifying, seeing wood twist and deform like that into the humanoid shape. "Shiza, we got Sylvs! Sylvan babies! And these things are small enough to notice us!" "Everyone, combat positions!" Warriors went into the front, with rogues in the center. A few however manned the rear, in case of a flanking maneuver. In the middle of it all was Kuroki, a mage from Ezeri''s party named Sooto, and the archers. There was a third, but his magic was more close range, so he was on the frontline with the warriors, and had a shield with him. He was a solo F-Rank. "Are we doing this? Is this part of the exam?" "We cant take on a full blown Sylvan, but Sylvs like this are just F or E Rank threats, and these are fresh, so they might even be G-Rank. We can handle them! Just make usre everyone works together!" Kuroki cast his spell, as rings formed around his hands. He then formulated another. "I am using Haste to speed everyone up! Make sure you take a test swing and move a bit to know your new speed!" "Got it, thanks Kuroki!" "Try and keep the battle away from the trees so I can use fire magic!" "Understood, Sooto!" "Don''t move around too much, or you might get hit by an arrow!" "Got it, Nook!" Everyone communicated and coordinated with each other. It took some degree of combat ability to make F-Rank, and to make E-Rank, you would need to show some ability to cooperate with others as well. So they should at least be capable of this much if they were taking the test. The Sylvs were essentially lesser Sylvans, while the one that passed them was bigger then even Greater Sylvans. They figured it might be a legendary Grand Sylvan, but that would mean they would need A-Ranks or up to deal with it, which exceeded the rank of everyone here by a lot other then the Vice Guildmaster, who was herself an S-Rank. Riku took the front, using Brilliant Blaze to start with. Fire worked very well against the Sylvs, but they also had to be careful with it so the forest didn''t catch fire. A forest fire could be bad, but not as much as what would happen if the spirits got riled up. And no one wanted to risk what sort of ancient magic could trigger or awaken if an Ancient Elven Forest caught fire. One of hte situations involved them getting transported right into trees themselves, and dying of suffocation. Kuroki altered the barrier a bit to protect against the Sylvs long range attacks, which was where they pelted the forces with bolts of magic. The relentless onslaught of the Sylv attacks was strong, so Kuroki raised some ice barriers to help limit their approach, and also the risk of a forest fire. "Slither and Shock, creatures of mana. Go forward and coil. Coil around my foes and make them suffer and toil. Shock Snakes!" Kuroki also created several snakes made of lightning, which proceeded to go towards the Sylvs, coiling around them one by one and taking them down. Occasionally the Sylvs managed to destroy them or make them use up their power. But it helped decrease the numbers further. Sylvs might be lower ranked normally, but there were so many of them that it was still very much dangerous. A few sylvs did try and get around, but they were summarily stopped by the rear guard, the warriors who decided to cover the flanks. Thanks to this, the mages never got interrupted, as Sooto brought down flaming rocks upon his foes, using a combination of fire and earth magic. Meanwhile a shielder named Chimnial used a shield with jagged edges, able to cut through the Sylv bark and as such turned it into a sword of weirdly shaped sword that was also a shield. It was certainly a shield first though Kuroki was pretty sure, but it was a shield with aggression in mind, clearly able to cut through things with extreme prejucie. A few of the Sylvs let loose shrieks that disoriented anymore near them, but their comrades helped them recover fast and kept the lines up. Kuroki unleashed some more ice and lightning, making sure to bring the full power of a mage upon the battlefield, and to score as good of a response as possible. After all, the more he did, the harder it would be to tank his results. Either way, soon the Sylv threat passed them over. They made sure to check for any stragglers, disguising themselves as trees. However despite a rather thorough check of all the foliage and making sure none of it was a Sylv in disguise, they were all clear. With this, they survived their first strange encounter with the forest. "Well then everyone, best we all head out to the camp site" one said after they finished collecting the magic cores. "We should secure it before we lose all our daylight". And so, they continued on their way.
All the while, Ozlo was watching from his office, through his stealth minidragon, a familiar he had. Ozlo was also not quite alone, as a crystal ball was on his desk, quite active. "You are such a worrywort Ozlo" Ayazi said through the crystal. "Sorry, but I just want to be sure. I know I got us a pretty damn good failsafe, but better safe than sorry". "Again, they will be fine. More importantly, did I hear that right? Are you saying your grandfather fought Chianthias single handedly, and got one of her hands even. Literally. You two fought her in ideal situations while she was shocked and unable to use a lot of her abilities, and still only made off with a draw. And he just defeated her and made her run single handedly?" "Yep. I know, its annoying, but he is S-Rank for a reason". "Just how! That means you and Anna combined are weaker then him! He fought her in her own base too! She had allies and the home field advantage. The fact that Riza still beat her like that....that just isn''t fair!" "I agree. He wont even tell me or anyone else how he gained the power he did, he just said he went through some things. Its annoying I know". "I am amazed he ever found a wife, especially given his personality more then his appearance". "Well, grandma was grandpa''s childhood sweetheart, so they knew each other for like, 17 or so years, since they were like six, when they started dating. So that probably had a lot to do with it". Riza looked like a child, but certainly, if someone is around them for so long, it made sense they would know for sure his true age. Though the fact they were still willing to date him after those years is another story, at least from Ozlo''s opinion. While their relationship was good, he also found his grandfather to be annoying and a bit insufferable at times. So there was that as well. Ozlo then looked at the Crystal. "So, what are you working on?" "Right now, upgrading the defenses on my workshop. I think I will be relocating soon through, or I might just stay on the move for a bit. It seems like I might end up being targeted soon. I heard a report from a friend that some information leaked, so I had best make myselve scarce and make sure they cant get me so easily". "An information leak?" "Yeah, apparently someone attacked a certain associate of an associate of mine. There are investigations ongoing, but suffice it to say, we are taking extra precautions. I also need to find a safe haven for those I rescued". "Are you going to come down here? THis is the only city that has really been able to get rid of the demon and devil threat facing it. At least to a degree". "Maybe. It might also make us a target for the Demon King however. In any case, we have a lot of work ahead of us". "Yeah...good luck, Ayazi". "Good luck, Ozlo". And so, the night began to creep in. Chapter 36: A Night At Camp They managed to just reach the campsite before nightfall. The battle with the Sylvs had ended up taking up their time, not to mention stopping so the unusually large Sylvan could pass without noticing them. But now that they were there, they were reviewing camp protocol. Thankfully, it was warm enough they didn''t need to make a fire, as making one would only invite trouble. While certainly cooler at night, it only got to about 15 degrees Celsius or so, at least as far as Kuroki could tell. He had yet to see a thermometer in this world, but it certainly felt around that. That was why, when indoors at least, it was still quite comfortable to sleep the way they did, especially with covers. Naturally though, they would only remove some of their gear when they slept out here, not all of it. A few of them ended up having to be reminded of that fact, as they nearly took it all off the moment they set up the tents. This was the first time camping outside for most if not all of them, and they were used to the norms of this world more than they were as adventurers. As monsters could appear at any point, it was important to be ready to defend at any point if the lookout raised the alarms. As such, most people would just remove their outer layers, their shoes and socks, and their packs and bags. They would sleep with their weapons nearby or even in hand, although the latter was really only for those who did not use bladed weapons. They would use tents to help provide some shelter and maximize the effectiveness of their rest, which would make it easier to stand guard during the night. It would be a bit rough of course, but that''s why adventurers always brought energy pills with them. After all, Kuroki''s group had the youngest members, especially Ryuu. The only reason they were able to keep up was thanks to the Gifts granted by the Wishes. Kuroki himself was fifteen, despite his lack of height or any notable body or facial hair yet, so there were a few people in other parties younger then him, but also many older. In truth, his party was abnormally young, which was why the guildmasters were so easily bribed surely. Although there were plenty of exceptions, the average F-Ranker was probably about 14 to 15, although there were plenty of E-Rankers who were that age as well. But seeing a D-Ranker that was under 17 was apparently not too common in average. However, the Frontier was different. The monster population was higher, and that put strain and increased cost on food supplies even though they could serve as food themselves sometimes. As such, more kids became adventurers when they were younger. Not only was it a job that was constantly in higher need in the frontier regions, but they could make money for themselves and their families. H-Rankers only saw combat if some stray rabbits encountered them though, and typically just stuck to training, herb gathering, and the like. G-Ranks were still in training too, but they could handle the normal horned rabbits that were usually around. Horned Rabbits were only difficult to deal with Kuroki''s party thanks to Flopsy, and the fact that they had even less experience fighting them then H-Rank adventurers. For them, who had known a world of humans for so long, trying to fight monsters had ended up being far more difficult then human and humanoid enemies. So that was why no one found Kuroki''s party too out of place for F-Rankers. But there were quite a few who did not witness the battle who questioned why a party made of adventurers who had only just joined not even two weeks ago was being promoted to E-Rank without and exam. Course, at the same time, E-Ranks didn''t get scrutinized as much, and they had many adventurers and even knights who witnessed the battle vouch for them. Had Riza attested himself, it probably would have been fine, but he had been away, chasing down that Devil. Or rather, one sidedly pushing her back. I guess his S-Rank isn''t for show. He was able to overpower a foe that Ozlo and two friends of his had trouble with together. Kuroki hadn''t been told who helped specifically, but apparently Ozlo had called upon two others who were also A-Rank adventurers. That meant that Riza was stronger then three A-Ranks put together. Speaking of Ozlo, naturally being A-Rank at fourteen was incredibly rare. Not impossible, since apparently Anna was at B-Rank and near A-Rank when she had to turn herself to stone so she didn''t go berserk and kill people. And Riza apparently ranked up fast as well. While thinking of such things, there were other stones Kuroki was also focused on. As they had planned, their campsite was surrounded by rocks and ruins. There were only a few choke points into it, and the entire area was overgrown with Naria Root. Ryuu had tried to pick some, but Kuroki stopped him, mentioning it was left alone on purpose by others so this place would remain a great camping spot. Indeed, although their fellow adventurers had done a great job cleaning up, there were still some signs that someone had set up camp. In fact, there was a clearing in the center with a large stone, that was probably used to tend to a fire. They were not making one themselves, but when it was colder, especially near freezing, adventurers would make one for warmth as they stood watch. That said, monsters were less active in the winter as well, so it was safer to do so. But the stones Kuroki was focused on was the Wardstones he had made. He would be creating a large barrier ward around the camp, to prevent noise from leaving. This did not stop outside noise from entering through, so while the noises they made would be muffled outside of the camp, the noises any approaching monsters made would be perfectly hearable. At least if they made any. Kuroki had been working on them for awhile now. Normally a mage would have to maintain a barrier actively, but Wards were another story. They could use ambient mana, just for a reduced result normally, unless you had a major setup or such. But to create one that would cover this camp, even as they were sleeping, meant he would need to have something anchor it even as he slept. That was where Wardstones came in, but one had to be very careful. In truth, Kuroki had only learned a little about Magical Artificing and Enchanting so far from Amyris. That wasn''t from a lack of teaching, but rather the subject was complex and difficult, and took people years or decades to really get a grasp on. Right now, Kuroki could really only make Wardstones. And that was due to specifically focusing on them, since Amyris mentioned he would need them to camp normally. To create a Wardstone, one first needed the right materials. The stones needed to be very well made, smooth and well crafted, and very even and symmetrical. They also needed to be made of the right stone. Just random stone wouldn''t cut it, you needed one that would be able to hold mana well, but not be overflowing and supercharged with mana. Too much, and you risk an overload, especially if you are unskilled and not careful. Too little, and the wards would be weak and not very usable. Thankfully, Kuroki was able to get some Precut unused Wardstones. Or rather, Amyris had gotten him a lot, probably like a hundred, since that was more mason work and easily available on the market. Some people had wardstones premade for sale as well, but it was better and more effective for a mage to make his own. Then there was the paint. One would have to use a special paint that was good for imbueing mana, but again, they had to make sure not to use one that involved more power then they could handle, or else they would risk destruction. With that in mind, Kuroki worked hard to paint the magic symbols on each one by hand. Apparently the mana would flow and balance itself based on these symbols, and the less perfect it was, the less the effects would be. It was a per flaw thing, and it was something Kuroki had trouble with. His father had never so much as let him have a paintbrush, determined to make him a "man''s man" as he called it. So while fascinated by art almost as much as magic, he only had what he did in school to go by. Still, in the end he had created seven working Wardstones, and twenty two failed attempts. That was about a 25% success rate, which Amyris praised him on, since apparently it was usually much lower for those just starting out. He had wanted to get at least eight successes, but Amyris made him go to bed. Literally had to force Kuroki into bed to get him to stop, Kuroki was so single mindedly into it the night before. Kuroki loved magic after all, so he had become enthralled in the process. Naturally, Amyris caught him at it again in the middle of the night, and dragged his naked butt back to bed and sealed the door with magic this time. Kuroki could be truly stubborn when it came to magic, and Amyris realized he wouldn''t be able to teach Kuroki advanced magic seal picking until much later to prevent these sorts of episodes too often. In any case, Kuroki was only using six Wardstones. Wardstones had to be used in even numbers, and they needed to be placed symetrically and equally, or at least as much as possible. However, Wardstone placement wasn''t always so easy. Kuroki had to account for any minor traces of leylines going under their feet, as well as the mana concentration of the plants, rocks, and such near each location. Furthermore, it took all three mages working together to really get them placed evenly, because you needed to balance them quickly when setting them up for camp to avoid accidentally creating a feedback loop and sending out a mana pulse, which might attract monsters instead. Furthermore, each location had to make sure the mana nearby wouldn''t overload them or interfere, and they had to be very careful andm ake sure no one accidentally left their own wardstones behind. If it was still active, it could disrupt the new ward setup, which would make it fail and possibly attract anything that was mana sensitive. Only after making sure they were all as evenly aligned as possible, with everything set up right, was Kuroki able to use them as anchors for his Anti-Sound Ward. Of course, it wouldn''t eliminate all noise from the camp, so they still had to avoid being too loud, but at the very least, it would help and make it so any light conversation they had wouldn''t cause them trouble. Once all that was done, Kuroki was finally able to go to the tent, take his shoes and socks off as he took off his cloak and overshirt, leaving him with in just his shorts, undershirt, and his Grimoire. He lay down and stretched out his feet and toes, wiggling the latter. "That was a lot of walking, even for us". "I am glad we have enhanced stamina and all, but that was rough. It was different from the plains which were flat" Kaede agreed. "Plus the location was a lot closer, even if we factor in the carriage". Riku let out a sigh as he laid on his side. "When are we having dinner?" "Soon. Though it''s not going to be warm mind you". "Yeah, I know". Without a fire, they couldn''t cook anything, but this was normal for adventurers. Besides, while they had the smell nullifying Naria plants around, there was no guarentee the smell of cooked meat wouldn''t get carried by the smoke and wind. Plus, this was a test. They could take risks on their own normally, in safer environments. But not here, and not now. And especially not with that Overgrown Sylvan around. To be honest, the vets were concerned that there might be other dangers lurking about, and they had every right to be. Everyone was a bit on edge, but that just made this more important. They had to know who was skilled enough to be taking harder jobs, and who needed more training, given the potential dangers of the newly risen Demon King. Even if it was unlikely any of them would ever face him, his influence effected the world. Monsters got riled up, territories shifted, and people''s darkness could get amplified without even being near him, but just be existing on the same world as him. Kuroki looked out of the tent opening at the twin moons above, watching them rise into the night''s sky. He wondered if the Demon King had anything to do with their arrival to this world. The timing was a bit too notable to be coincidence, but this was a phenomena that happened all the time. There was no indicator this time was any different, and most of all, it was predictable. Kuroki couldn''t rule it out, but personally, he thought it might be a red herring. Still, there was always the chance more elements were involved. And the Devils that served him clearly knew of their arrival. Yet they tried to kill them, not capture them, which made it seem less likely they were involved with the summoning. All in all, it was very weird. Eventually they all started to eat. As it turned out, there was no set dinner time, and actually they couldn''t all eat at once. If they got attacked mid-meal, that would be bad. As such, they took turns standing guard and eating. Their meals consisted of dried fruit and meat which was easy to keep and transport over long periods of time. Of course, it was also possible to have brought fruit you purchased this morning, but this exam had more considerations than that. While it was true it was testing them for E-Rank, that was not the only thing the guild looked for. They also considered their futures, how far these adventurers were thinking ahead, how much help would they need in the future and how well they would do. That was also a reason they had come to this more dangerous section. It wasn''t just the fact that all these F-Ranks would be overkill for weaker areas of their equivalent rank. It was also for them to see stronger foes, to see what they had to work towards and how much they needed to improve. Show them the threats, and give them the goals. Witnessing the giant Sylvan had been beyond their expectations, but the battle against the Sylvs and the Vrak''shalen had been insightful. If it had only been their individual parties, against the Vrak''shalen would have been difficult, but the sheer number of the Sylvs despite essentially being newborns meant that they really needed them all. Especially for those who were taking the tests individually, as the other members of their party were either E-Ranks or above, or did not qualify for E-Rank yet. And this too was part of that. Preparing food for longer adventurers, or having preserved food that would last awhile already on hand in case an emergency quest happened, like another Goblin invasion. By showing that they were thinking ahead, everyone would do better. Interestingly, every single one of them seemed to be on point on that approach. Kuroki wouldn''t say they were all very buddy buddy, and Ezeri and Themist seemed to have a bit of a rivalry going on. However, everyone was making sure to get along and cooperate, which had caught Kuroki a bit off guard. At the very least, he was certain the average person here was more mature then they would be at his age. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Now that he thought about it, Ozlo, Dia, and others also seemed way more mature, so perhaps kids got mature faster. However, there was also the Guildmaster and Riza, so he questioned if perhaps adults somehow got less mature in this world for a moment. Vanessia looked his way. "You just thought something incredibly rude, didn''t you?" "Not at all!" Kuroki lied, wondering how she knew. Besides, he realized there was a plethora of examples for that in his old world as well. Either way, dinner ended without a hitch. The Wardstones were in place, and people were taking shifts on watch before night fell even while everyone else relaxed a bit. This wasn''t them lacking caution, but rather making sure their bodies got proper rest so they recovered stamina properly and were ready for combat. People took their boots and socks off and laid or sat down inside or outside of their tents, or even just walked around barefoot. A few of them dug a hole that was their makeshift toilet. There was absolutely no cover for it, so everyone would see you poop, but they couldn''t put the toilet outside of camp because that would be far too risky, and along the way a few of them had to do it in front of others anyways. After all, adventurers couldn''t wander off away from their parties in forests that contained monsters, and certainly not during an exam. That would hurt their score. Of course, since no one really had toilets inside aside from the rich merchants and nobles, this was something they were used to. Even Kuroki''s party was getting used to this. It was also encouraged they go regularly to avoid absolutely having to go when battle started and soiling themselves. A few adventurers even had special clothes for dealing with such things, as Kuroki remembered the guild did even offer many services, including diapers for new adventurers. Anything to make it easier to deal with and adapt to emergencies and combat, and prevent humiliating themselves by ruining their clothes. Kuroki felt it was a bit strange when thinking of his old world, but he had grown up in a world where there were not terrifying monsters with strange abilities sometimes who might try to hunt you down and consume you. Considering he himself had been scared shitless a few times since arriving already, and how close he got when he thought that Giant Sylvan might attack him, he decided not to judge them. He briefly even reconsidered his previous hesitation towards them, but at the very least shelved that thought for later. Or possibly never. Eventually, after everyone ate and relaxed and such, night came over the camp.
The first shift was manned by four adventurers. Riku and Ryuu were among them, and they seemed to still be able to keep themselves awake just fine. Perhaps because they somehow managed to sleep during the carriage ride over. There were a few others with them, including Eiza, an Elf boy from Themist''s party who seemed to be an archer, as well as one of the independent adventurers, Leo, who appeared to be a spear user and was a Dog Beastkin, floppy ears and tail and all. However, the way he fought with a spear surprised Riku. With him, it wasn''t all about stabs, but slashes played a big part as well. He would use the length to increase the distance between the blade and himself, increasing the centrifugal force and making it quite deadly. Furthermore, the metal used was clearly of a stronger alloy then most of the metals used in the other''s weapons. Perhaps because it was only a spear tip, he could afford it more easily, rather than an entire sword made of it. "Who taught you to use a spear like that?" Riku ended up asking him. "Ah, its a bit self taught, but I was inspired by the adventurer known as "Combat Hero" Yuyan. Apparently, he uses a combination of spear tactics, martial arts, bo staff fighting techniques, and some magic. Rumor has it his magic can penetrate any defense, and that no matter how strong or powerful you are, none of that matters against him. Only being skilled will save you, raw power means nothing. At least, thats what the legends are". "Legends? How long have they been around?" "Not long. He is only fourteen after all, but already a very high ranking adventurer". "Woah". Riku had seen Ozlo''s ability, so it didn''t surprise him too much, but it sounded like he might be a higher rank then even Ozlo. That seemed like quite the feat. They maintained a light conversation while keeping watch not just to pass time, but also out of necessity. During this, not a single one forgot their main job. However, they also had to keep each other awake. Talking helped with that, so their chats served to help keep them engaged and not drifting asleep. "Your party seems really strong considering how young you all seem" Eiza mentioned. "Actually, Kuroki is fifteen". "Wait for real?!" "No way!" Eiza himself was only fourteen, and Leo was twelve. Incidentally, Eiza was the youngest in his party too, so he was also used to being the shortest, especially since he wasn''t a High Elf but a Wood Elf. But both were absolutely taller than Kuroki. "Yep". "Was his father half-dwarf or something? Cause that would explain a lot". "Nah...and before you go thinking of questions to ask him, don''t ask about his family anyways". "...I see. I think I understand his lack of growth now". "Mhm". Leo picked up on it immediately, while Eiza seemed a bit confused. "Hold on, what do you mean?" Leo just gave him a look. "Not everyone has a happy home life. We should just leave it at that". The way Leo looked, Riku could tell Leo knew all too well about what Kuroki had gone through. He was taking the rank up test as an individual when he was just twelve. Riku had the benefits provided to him by the Starfall, so he and the others were outlier cases. However, Leo had none of that, which likely meant to get here, he overcame a lot. Riku suspected some of it was before he became an adventurer. Ryuu however, only picked up on pieces of it all. He was the youngest here, so more things tended to fly over his head then others. Although it was true he wasn''t exactly the sharpest eight-year-old either way, there were probably far more that were smarter then him that would have put the pieces together. Eiza looked over at the wardstones, looking for a less somber topic. "It is pretty impressive he was able to make so many Wardstones himself. I hear they are really hard, despite being one of the more basic and beginner projects for mages". "Yeah. He complained that he never got higher then a twenty five percent success rate". "...from what I have heard, that''s fantastic for a beginner though?" "Yeah, Amyris said the same thing. But Kuroki can get a bit...obsessive...in what he loves. And he loves magic". "Ah, I know the type all too well. Still, it probably helps the Magician of the Silver Hour is teaching him. He might be one of the greatest mages on the continent after all". "I have been wondering....why does everyone call him the Magician of the Silver Hour?" "I heard its because he has some sort of ultimate spell he used to defend a city''s population, known as the Silver Hour. Apparrently, its full nature made it absurdly powerful in terms of protecting people. While active, its actually impossible to harm any civilians, and his allies will never lose anyone while its effect is active. Furthermore, its area of effect is wide enough to cover an entire city and the surrounding area". "That...that sounds amazing. Do you know any more?" "Unfortunately not. For better or worse, it hasn''t been needed in some time, though I heard if the battle in the city ever took a turn for the worse, he was ready to deploy it immediately. The only reason he didn''t was because everyone already had been brought to safety, and because it was impossible to cover both the city and the battlefield in the plains, so he had to choose to stay near the civilians". "Ah...that makes sense". In other words, the fact there was no casualties inside the city was likely Amyris'' doing as well. Riku had to admire the mage, he was an incredibly good person.
When the second shift came around, it ended up being Kaede, Themist, Sooto, and Riyzi. Sooto was the mage from Ezeri''s party, while Riyzi was actually a sort of magic user as well, but not so much a mage but a magic tinkerer. He was busy at work, while Sooto was busy with their calibrations to their staff. It seemed to be the equivalent of a warrior having her sword sharpened. Sooto however, was busy making sure their staff was also ready for combat at any time. "I hate the second shift. It''s absolutely horrible and annoying" Themist complained, yawning a bit. "At least it gives me time to tinker with some things" Rizyi said, working on a device. He seemed to utilize magical devices rather then magic itself, although it seemed like he could use some magic at least. However, like Kaede and Riku, it seemed not enough to count as a mage. "ANd while you do that...its time for gossip!" "Oooh! Gossip? Wait, but with Rizyi here?" "I think I will just excuse myself..." "No, stay! You are an important part of our guard and we need more opinions on this! Mainly, on who Kaede has a crush on in her party!" "Um, what?" Themist was going right for the metaphoric throat right from the start! She seemed grounded and sensible normally, but it seemed she had this side to her as well. "Hold on, but all of the sudden...what if one of the boys wakes up and listens". This comment by Themist caught Rizyi off guard. "I am a boy!" "Shush! You look enough like a girl, and you are so innocent it doesn''t matter anyways! Besides, you have like four older sisters so you have more experience then the rest of us". "Geh?!" "Besides, everyone knows gender doesn''t matter, especially when it comes to gossip!" "Its because of my siblings I want to avoid being dragged in!" "Well too bad. Now, spill the beans! Or we tickle you, who do you think Kaede is into in her party?" Under threat from Themist''s glare, the independent adventurer Rizyi was not given a choice. Not that she actually would have carried on with it, but he was caught too off guard to realize this. "Fine! Then...none of them! She is probably in love with Ozlo instead!" "Booo, that is too safe. Sooto, hold him down while I take it off!" "Wait wait, fine! Uhhh...Kuroki! That why she follows him!" "Oooh, admiration turned to romance!" "Guys! Thats not even...you just wanted to make stuff up!" Kaede glared, realizing Themist was absolutely messing with everyone. However, Sooto ended up going next. "I think its Ryuu! He is innocent and cute, and only two years younger then her!" "Oooh, Sooto thinks Kaede prefers them younger!" "Stop saying such insinuating things!" Themist however ignored Kaede''s pleas. "I think its Riku! She definitely has a crush on Riku!" "I do not! Shut up shut up shut up!" Kaede got really riled up, but that only made them even more certain they nailed it. "Ooooh, I got it right. You love Riku". "Waaah! Shut up!" "Well, this is over, so you don''t need me anymore" Rizyi said, trying to leave. "But now we have to guess who you have a crush on Rizyi!" "I am far too busy with my studies and adventuring for such a thing!" "That sounds like you might be protesting too much there!" "I had to endure it Rizyi, now its your turn". "Hold on Kaede! I didn''t want to participate at the start, don''t get revenge on me!" Such a conversation unfolded. Vanessia, who was watching in the shadows, let out a chuckle. "I am not sure what is scarier, this conversation, or the fact that Themist reacted each time I shifted the shadows while talking about this so passionately. This must be the first Rank Up Exam I proctored where they had a conversation about love interests and didn''t drop their guard. At least, not completely. "Oh, and we gotta know how you rate their cuteness, both faces and full bodies! Especially their butts!" Incidentally, Kaede never did figure out if Sooto was a boy or a girl.
And then, eventually those four went to sleep as the third shift came in. This was Kuroki, Ezeri, a shielder girl from Themist''s party named Grelles, and the close quarters mage named Aiaza. "Looks like it''s been all clear so far" Kuroki mentioned as he sat down on a log. "Yeah. No signs of any combat. Looks like everything worked perfectly. Monsters don''t like it when their smell is taken away, so they tend to avoid fields full of Naria plant if they can help it". "That makes sense. They are hunters after all, losing one of their senses probably discomforts them". Naria fields sort of acted like a repellent in that capacity, only it didn''t repel them directly but indirectly instead. It was a clever little detail to notice. "It looks like they snacked a bit" Ezeri noticed, brushing off crumbs. "Knowing Sooto and Themist, I am sure it became a den of gossip. I hope they didn''t get any points taken off as a result". "I wonder what they talked about..." Kuroki muttered, unaware he was better off not knowing all the topics, especially the later ones. Ezeri averted his gaze. "Probably about monster killing techniques and famous adventurers, surely". Ezeri wasn''t entirely wrong or lying, since famous adventurers ended up being relevant to the later topics as well. "Sounds like hell" Grelles mentioned, seeing through Ezeri''s words. As they kept an eye on the approaches, Kuroki decided to use his mana to actively scan the area using his Echomap technique. "Looks like nothing is approaching so far, but I couldn''t sense the Vrak''shalen, or the Giant Sylvan, so unfortunately my confidence that it was a perfect detection technique has faded". The Vrak''shallen was one thing, they hid inside of shadows so it was possible that there was no way his sensory abilities could detect it when it relied on air and water. But the Giant Sylvan had gone totally unnoticed by him, and he was not sure how. Somehow, monsters were able to initiate some sort of stealth that made them much harder to detect. He thought it was weird, that it didn''t make sense, but apparently much about monsters was still unknown, in part to them being alien to this world. They had learned some things and developed basic rules and knowledge, but there was a lot still cloaked in mystery. While they sat, they passed around some juice to drink. They hoped the sugar would help them stay up for their shift, and began to chat some more as they did to help stimulate them. "So...anyone else''s first time camping?" "Mine". "Mine too". "I think its the same for all of us right?" Kuroki had been forced to go camping by his father a few times, so Kuroki had negative feelings about it right from the start. Still, this was camping with magic, so he felt it was very much different that he just said it was. Besides... "After all, its not like anyone goes camping recreationally". "That is true". "Maybe in areas with more peaceful forests, but only crazy people. Who would want to go without comforts to relax?" "The wilds are dangerous even in the safer regions after all". This was a world full of monsters, so naturally no one really camped recreationally. Only for traveling or work. Ezeri looked at the wardstones. "Those must have taken a lot of work. Nicely done". "Thanks. I wanted to make an eighth, but I ran out of time...or rather, master forcibly dragged me to bed...twice..." "What did you do, pretend to go to sleep, then rush out of bed the moment it was safe and get to work again?" "Yeah. He was...really mad. Especially since making Wardstones can be dangerous". "Ah, you didn''t even bother to get dressed and did it naked? Yeah that was dumb of you". "I was really into it and I really wanted to make an eighth you know!" "You must really love magic". "I do! I want to master it all. Divination, battle magic, magical constructs, magic creation, barriers, wards, manipulations, summonings, everything!" Kuroki was clearly quite passionate about it, as his eagerness was laid bare before them. It looked like a borderline obsession, but if it helped them survive the ordeals here and helped make the world safer, Ezeri wasn''t going to complain. "So I guess you became an adventurer to make money and for training then?" "Yeah. Also, I am trying to find some people. There was an incident, and we got separated. How about you?" Ezeri blushed. The sixteen year old looked more bashful and embarrased then Kuroki had been in his first few days in this world. "Come on Ezeri, you should tell him. It is only fair, he answered you after all" Aiaza mentioned. "Oh fine! I became an adventurer...because even if I never do it myself, I wanted to help people and...and...be someone who helped save the world". Aiaza mumbled that last bit out. Everyone heard it, but it was quite the statement to hear all the same. "Sounds like a story behind that" Aiaza said. "...a few years ago, when I was ten, my parents who were merchants traveling to set up a new shop in a new city were attacked by monsters. One of them was an usuaul one, known as the Devourer of Worlds, known for consuming everything and anything, especially people. I thought we were done for, but then...he appeared". "He?" "A brilliant adventurer, who looks youthful despite his age. His easygoing personality sets people who are in danger at ease, and he is extremely skilled at rescue missions. Able to seemingly pull swords out of nowhere, and able to wield many blades at once, including using magic to do so. The one with several nicknames, including Shining Hope. Riza Luminar". Kuroki heard a name he was not expecting. So apparently Ezeri had been personally saved by Riza? Also, he had such a nickname like Shining Hope? Either way, their watch carried on as Ezeri accidentally went into a fullblown explanation of Riza, which made Kuroki regain some respect for the young looking grandpa once again. Apparently, Riza did his job properly. And so, the next day approached. Chapter 37: The Night Watchmen The forest became quite as the night progressed, its air switching between an unnerving wind to a peaceful rest. The darkness encrouched it from all directions however, with only the light of the moons to guide it. Yet due to the nature of this forest, the blight of darkness that was thrown upon it, and the large trees that many monsters made their homes inbetween, it remained dark even with the moonlight. Every corner contained shadows that flickered and shifted, and no matter where one might go, there was an unpleasant feeling of being watched. At least for those who had not found a safe place to make camp. While Kuroki was snoozing away, a group of individuals cloaked under the cover of darkness was heading towards the camp from a different direction. Their mission was clear. Abduct the targets, and anyone else that looked valuable, and call back. They had acquired many expensive objects, including Sleep Spheres, an object that when shattered would spread fast acting deep sleep gas over an area. They were all dressed in dark clothes, and had no issue dealing with the monsters that got in their way. They were just approaching the interior forest, still upon its outskirts, where not even the giant Sylvan could get near thanks to the ancient barrier stones. All twelve of them were professionals. They were not like the ones Kuroki and the others had faced before, the thugs that attacked them in the guild or elsewhere. These were true professionals, each one knew how to work efficiently and carefully. One could say it was an overkill measure, but these were certainly not the types of people that a bunch of F rankers or E rankers could deal with. Even with the others there, they had ways to grab their targets and flee. Even if they could not take on someone like Ozlo or Vanessia in a straight up fight, they had illegal tools and dark tactics. They could break the wardstones and draw every monster in the area upon the group. They could put them all to sleep beforehand, something they planned to do while they were already asleep. If necessary, they could use them as human shields or hostages against Vanessia. They could even throw explosives all around, seriously injuring many of the ones they were not told to prioritize, forcing the others to try and save the injured and think about rescuing the others later. One might not be able to totally discount power, but there was more then one way to win. SImply being powerful did not make one undefeatable, and these people had overcome many strong people in the past. Their strength especially came from their covert nature: generally, people were a lot easier to take down when they did not see you coming. The leader was particularly ruthless, but within the past week or two, they had even become vile. At first it was all about money and the occasional whore, but now he was growing fond of making their targets victims too. Whether this was his fall into even more degenerate behavior after being around it for so long, or more likely, due to the revival of the Demon King, was unknown. Still, as they crept with the dark woods, something didn''t feel right. He had made sure to keep track of all of their surroundings. They had avoided the monsters they couldn''t deal with, and quickly eliminated those they could that didn''t make them waste their time. And yet, they found themselves being unsure. The leader especially thought that he and his ten men might have reached this camp by now, but the forest was proving to be unusually difficult to navigate. Wait, ten? They had twelve when they left, and yet one of them had disappeared somehow. Even more strange, it was without his noticing. He turned around, weapons readied as his men did the same. Surely enough, the one who was in their rear was no more, missing. "Shit. Everyone, stay in formation. We have company out here" he said. The man who disappeared was their weakest, but also one of their most perceptive. For him to disappear like that was unnerving. It wasn''t the first time lately that some of their accomplices had disappeared either. "Ahk!" They heard a noise, only to see one of their members grabbing at his neck as he seemed to be pulled into air, his body eventually stopping and bouncing about as it lay there, hanging next to another. The first missing man. Two deaths by hanging. It was unclear what caused it, as none could see what had gone around their necks. Just that they were clearly broken, and both were already dead. And yet, the man seemed to know immediately who was behind it. "So, what are you, a detective, or a serial killer?" he asked the darkness. In response, a beastkin boy emerged. With fox ears and a fox tail, he appeared delicate and cute. And yet, there was an unknown lingering around him. The leader threw a rock at the boy, but it passed right through him. He scoffed, unsurprised. "I heard rumors there was a foxkin boy who was appearing around our bases. I wasn''t entirely sure if it was you ruining them, but they all thought you might make a good prize. Yet clearly, you are more dangerous then you are worth". "Oh, so you are saying you cannot place a price on me?" Indeed, the man was a professional, even more then the last one Zak had appeared in front of him. But this atmosphere, this feeling. He got the same response as the last guy, when he tried to find the value of this boy. It was a feeling that it was an existence to be wary of, something that was their very bane. Something that they could not and should not try to sell. This boy had eyes far more experienced than he should. It was obvious he was no child based on his expression and skill. He had managed to pick two of them off before being detected, and even then, this was all just a distraction. It was an illusion before them, as he was far too skilled to reveal himself in this location against this many people. He might have picked two off secretly, but this boy was not so blind as to think he could take on ten experienced members of the underworld without tricks of his own. He had however proven the risk of his existence, which meant... "So, will you retreat, or will you continue to try and go after innocents, knowing I will pick you off one by one, slowly if I have to. You will not reach them in time and ward me off. You must choose one or the other". "Tsk. You are the one who got us lost, didn''t you?" "Not directly...I just negotiated with someone who could" Zak mused, being vague about the whole thing. "Now, what do you choose scum? Retreat, or failure?" His words had a particular scorn to it, which made the man think he actually hoped they would continue so he could keep picking them off. He was remaining neutral and vague, but hints of scorn and rage at them could be felt. It was clear that whoever this was, they did not appreciate their line of work, or the targets they tended to go after. "You say that, yet I can''t help but feel like you will try and pick us off anyways as we leave. Or try to get us lost in this forest forever, and end up monster chow". He knew better. This very offer was a trap, and a diversion. A trick within a trick, that was what this boy was doing. The boy just let out a sigh. "I suppose it was too much to hope this hastily thrown together plan would work fully. Despite my desire to get rid of you all, I really am not a big fan of senseless murder you know?" Despite his words, bloodlust oozed ever so minorly out of them. It was like he was trying to pick a fight with them. "You don''t care about the outcome, so long as we can''t make it to the targets before they leave". "Of course. My victory condition is easy. Yours on the other hand, is so much harder under these conditions. So I don''t need to rush you". "You can just take your time, picking us off either way. We retreat with our guards up the whole time, warding you off, and they will make it to the city before we can make it back to our own carriages. Is that about right?" "Indeed". "Even this conversation, you use it to buy yourself time to weave your magic about. Or whatever you used to hang those men". "Once again, you prove why you are the boss. Such an annoyingly perceptive one. I wonder how long ago you realized that". "Once again?" What does he mean once again? This is the first time we have met. Unless....oh shit, has he been watching us for way longer then we realized? How long?! He wasn''t sure who this detective was, but he knew it was no boy. An immortal at the very least, or perhaps even... Could he be a Hidden? The man tensed up. He had heard whispers of The Hidden. There were many rumors, some likely spread by them themselves. In truth, The Hidden was just a nickname given to them, as no one knew their true name. Even they supposedly might have started using it from time to time. Some say they are a group of immortals who secretly banded together and influence the world, controlling key aspects. Others say they are Otherworlders summoned in secret, but then broke free of the nefarious individuals who carried out such an illegal act. There are those that claim they are the reincarnations of previous Heroes, souls the gods would not let leave because they were too valuable, and have them be their agents in the world. Others claim its just another name used by the Criminal Organization Blank. There are even those who think they are just a myth, but this man knew better. He had seen it once. Not directly, but indirectly. A small shadow in the distance, after he heard the other group mention that they knew he was no normal child, and proclaimed them to be one of "The Hidden". He still remembered the chilling voice he heard respond to those claims. It sounded like a child''s voice, but like the detective in front of him, the way he spoke and carried himself revealed his true age. Especially with those words. "I see you finally figured a piece out. What a bother". In other words, this Hidden, who he never even laid direct eyes on, butchered a dozen strong fighters because it was a "bother" for them to discover his identity. Not because it was a threat, no he heard that tone quite well. Nothing about it sounded like it was actually an issue for him, but more like he butchered them just because he would get nagged for letting them go. This reminded him of that moment. He might just be someone who had the body of a child but the mind of an adult, a great detective who fights crime in the shadow. But the man could not discount the possibility he was The Hidden. He was showing himself in a bit of a flashy way however, which meant he knew it was unlikely. But if this boy was a member of The Hidden, this was not the time to fight them. Especially since they lost their main advantage, surprise. "It appears we are at a disadvantage here". "Aww, so you don''t want to play?" For a brief moment, he actually did sound like an innocent child there. It unnerved him, to the point of being creeped out. Whatever darkness was growing inside of him, this chill seemed to make it shriek back as survival instincts took over. And they told him to get as far away from this boy as humanly possible. That this was his element, not theirs. He was a professional after all. He was fueled by greed, but he knew better then to let it consume him. He was not as foolish as others had been before him. He signaled his colleague, and moments later, the two hanging bodies were set alight, two flying torches. He saw shimmers in the air in that moment, and he realized what had happened...and how far it had spread. "Wires...it appears we will be taking our leave now". The moment he said that, vines began to grow out of the ground from below, trying to entangle them.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "I see you didn''t take the bait. Well, I must admit I expected this. Fine then, let us see if you can survive the wraith of the forest then". "Shit shit...I knew he was doing something! Everyone, staggered retreat!" A few of them ran ahead as the others fought off the vines. Once they were far enough away, they used ranged attacks to clear the vines, letting the rest run to them. Zak could already see what they would do. They would keep this up, and the fact not a single one abandoned each other had nothing to do with comraderie. It was because they were professionals, and they understood that separating would result in all of their deaths. And because professionals dont just casually abandon each other so easily either, as they worked off their reputation. And yet in the end, whether they escaped or got away, they would still never reach Kuroki''s camp, nor their inside man who had been waiting for them all this time. I must admit, I was surprised they sent anyone when they heard about Vanessia and Baxter, but then again, these guys had the means to handle the situation. They would never win in a straight up fight, but with their inside man and their tools as well as the element of surprise, they could have succeeded. Cherry Road...I can''t risk depriving Kuroki of growth, so I cannot prevent everything that I suspect will come. But I won''t let any loss of life or unnecessary moments happen either. Cherry Road must be his stepping stone on the path to defeating his father. Provided I don''t take him down first. While thinking just thoughts, Zak decided he had best keep watch from a distance. He would also hunt some monsters around here, to help him with ranking up to D-Rank, since he acquired his E-Rank already. Besides, I couldn''t let the E-Rank exam get interrupted this time, let alone the casualties that could have happened. Leaving the practical reasons aside...its the duty of adults, and especially of those like me, to protect children. While the one with the body of a child mused himself about this, he continued his assault on the group, pushing them back and picking them off whoever he could. For every one of them he took down, innocents would be saved in the future after all.
At the same time, within a different forest, Juno let out a sigh as he drew a bow again and fired an arrow. And yet, like Zak, the target he fired at was no monster, but a human. "I had a feeling it would be something like this. Bad enough this entire forest gives me the creeps, but its not just the trees watching us...judging us". Juno did not need the same amount of sleep as others, and he had successfully managed to sneak away a bit after he noticed there were people following them. Naturally, these people were criminals who came after him, but they were tougher then most. Occasionally they could dodge his arrows, but unfortunately he had learned to apply magical effects to his arrows. Perhaps due to the influence of Kuroki''s love of magic, but he and Reiji had picked up some magic as well. Perhaps not quite on the level of a mage, but it was more flexible then they had originally believed. These people were quite skilled, but unfortunately not enough. Not for Juno. He was the worth matchup for nighttime raiders. His sensory and Alertness let him need far less sleep. He could sense all sorts of things, including gazes and hostility, so much easier. And his wish and his magic combined with his inherent archery skills meant he was actually one of the best fighters of the four friends. His Archery skill was essentially at the level of a B-Rank adventurer, so while he lacked the same level of skill elsewhere, it made him an absolute nightmare right now when combined with his sensory abilities. Of course, he learned that they were not perfect. He had only just barely noticed the Vrak''shalen before they attacked. He was the best scout of all the F-Ranks here, so he was rather surprised by it. They were completely able to bypass his senses, and even some of these Elven Ruins felt like they gave off blank spots and empty feelings. Some he didn''t even notice until he passed through them. It was unnerving, and it made him extra paranoid. That was why Reiji was waiting near him, as he ambushed the first two that got close to Juno and drove them into the ground. A few tried to get behind, but they were set on fire as a flying dagger slit one of their throats. "Shiza, what did you do to piss these guys off?" Aira asked, as he set another three on fire while walking up to their watchpoint. "Ah, Aira, we can explain..." "That these guys are members of that human trafficking organization, one of a few that specialize in child products, and that they are here because you keep pointing out their tails to the guards and getting them caught, and so now they dont just come after you for a price tag but for revenge as well?" Juno was shocked by Aira''s knowledge of the situation, and that put him on guard. "How do you know all this..." "Because, they took someone precious from me once..." As he said that, ice extended out from his feet, freezing several of them, including the ones on fire, from the neck down, trapping them within ice. He also seemed to place magic bands around their wrists and ankles, and even around their necks as well. Non-elemental bands, something different. "Would you mind if I interrogated a few once we are done dealing with them?" "I don''t mind, but is it safe? Wont they notice if we have all left the camp?" "It''s fine, I put up illusions for all three of us. The examiner might notice if the illusions had to be awake, but they just need to sleep, so I doubt it will be discovered for a few hours". Juno felt like there was a bit more to this, but decided not to press the issue for now as they had to finish up with this group. Still, having Aira around did help. Even with Juno being the worst matchup for these guys, their numbers had been starting to press them a bit, so it was helpful to have an ally around. Although Juno suspected that this ally had more to their ulterior goals then they had stated. As they took down a good number, the others began to retreat. As for the others, a few had taken their own lives rather then talk, but Aira seemed to prevent a few of them from doing that. "It looks like its over...still, you really did piss them off a great deal". "Yeah. But it looks like you were expecting this?" "Mhm. I would have warned you, but it seemed unnecessary since you were expecting it yourself". It seemed Aira had noticed their behavior ahead of time. Juno really had to wonder who Aira actually was. He looked around the bodies and let out a sigh, before turning his attention towards the living. "Now, talk". The captured scum refused to answer at all, or even react. Aira reacted by summoning some sort of green energy onto his hand, which made the criminal react finally. React in fear. "You understand now right? We do not need you alive to get information from you". "You fucking necromancer!" The scum spat at Aira, who seemed unphased. Juno couldn''t help but notice the word he used, remembering it well. Necromancer...wait, is Aira using Necromancy magic? Juno remembered. Depending on the fiction, it was either used for pure evil, horribly misunderstood, or both. It appeared that Aira intended to extract information from them, living or dead. Adaptability, Mental Fortitude, and Compliance couldn''t even erase their worries at such callous behavior. "Do you really intend to use Necromancy to make them talk?" "Yes, but not in the way they think I am" he mused. "The way they think you will?" The scum looked confused, but Aira just smiled at him. "Tell me, how many people have you killed?" Those words sent chills down all of their backs, and the scum panicked as he tried to escape his magical bindings. "I will only do what is fair. I shall give your victims a chance to inflict the same pain on you that you have on them. Any soul unfairly taken by your actions, I shall let through. Any soul you wronged so horribly, will be allowed to even the odds upon you. For all the pain you caused others, such will be delivered upon you. And it will only stop when you tell us everything you know, and answer all of our questions". A truly nasty spell. Juno was not sure to call it fair or unfair. The man might even expire from this spell, but if he did, Aira might just raise him again and have it continue. "I am not a fan of using Necromancy this way, but I suppose I have no choice. Ah, but don''t worry. It will build up, in ranking of being the least harmful to the most. It will only get worse the longer it goes. Oh, and I do hope you have never done anything...indecent...to anyone". The man panicked and pleaded. He understood immediately just how screwed he was. He was a professional, and had escaped capture many times. But this was different. This was so much worse. Aira''s rage leaked through to the two boys, as they saw his hidden anger. The man experienced what seemed to be terrible torment immediately, so clearly whatever was going on was quite painful despite no wounds appearing on his body, and began spilling the beans as fast as he could, knowing it was the only way to make it stop. Unfortunately for them, the organization was not so stupid as to let anyone know critical details go out on such an operation, so he only knew fragments here and there. A few fronts, some other agents, things like that. It seemed that Juno was the primary target of the organization, and that they went by the name Cherry Road. However, there was also another detail that was odd. "Who is the one responsible for the Moonlit Massacre at the Church in Tal Mirias?" "I...don''t know...the name...goes by...Red Raven". "Tsk. Do you know a face?" "No..." "What about where they are?" "Last heard...they were heading...south. Another...target". "Tsk. Zavasha!" It seemed that was all there was to it, as the spell ended. The man did not have any visible mark on his body, yet he was willing to talk so much. "I am surprised. Not even a stab wound?" "The guy was bigger scum then you need to think about. There is more than one type of suffering" he said, as he released the now corpse. "Wait, what? When did he die?" "Some time ago. I could do an autopsy to confirm, but it was probably poisons used for interrogations that came first. That or...other unspeakable crimes. In which case he died in a truly disturbing way, to match his disturbing crimes. I trust we can leave it at that?" None of them wished to say the words allowed, but they all quickly understood. "Just...how did they make him suffer?" "Not the normal way, if that is what you are thinking. Best not to think about it". "...right. Wait hold on, autopsy?" Juno finally picked up on what Aira said earlier. Aira nodded at him. "Indeed. Autopsy. Plenty of coroners are necromancers you know? It really helps detectives investigate after all". "Ah, I see. So you use necromantic arts?" "Normal autopsy techniques as well, but yes. Usually spirits cannot say too much about their own murders due to the traumatic nature of things, but elements can be gleamed from them. From this, we provide guards and detectives clues to help them solve mysteries and catch murderers. It is also up to us Necromancers to help troubled spirits and have them move on". It sounded like Necromancers in this world did not fit into either category Juno knew of. Perhaps they were still misunderstood, but clearly they were accepted enough to be used by city guard to help solve crimes by investigating the corpses. It was a truly brilliant use of Necromancy, plus it sounded like they helped soothe spirits and aid them in returning to the afterlife as well, which probably made them even more favorable. It probably let them perform tests and things that would have taken modern science and medicine normally, meaning that crimes were not so easy to get away with in this world. Although, it sounded like detectives were also a thing. "Do you know any detectives?" "I have various contacts" Aira said a bit evasively, although he added a bit more detail afterwards. "My master made sure to set me up with some, and I have already made some work with a few others. It seems like you might have need of my services as well". "Thanks, we will keep that in mind".
At the same time, Akano and Tamaki were fast asleep in their room, having worked hard and finally are elligble to receive their own E-Rank promotion exam. As they slept however, there were those who were going after them as well. They crept through a dark alley, making sure not to be seen. They were clearly professionals as well, judging by the way they moved and hid in a way in which even novice adventurers, such as Tamaki and Akano, would not spot even if they were wide awake and looking right at them. And yet, the moment they got closer to the inn, all of them stopped dead in their tracks. None of them said a word, but they all unsheathed their blades as they saw a cloaked boy holding a lantern, right in their path. Furthermore, they got the feeling the boy was looking right at each of their hiding spots, even though not a single person could actually see the figure''s face with the shadows draping over him. It was the same boy as from the guild and the market, the one Akano thought might be a Starfallen. He stood there, even in the cooling night he was perfectly fine in shorts, likely because it wasn''t all that cold but the men felt like it was different. As if the cold didn''t bother him at all. He was clearly waiting for them too, as he reacted the moment they approached. He snapped his fingers, and immediately the alley lit up for a moment. Wardstones activated all around them, a barrier forming around them. But this was far different then a normal barrier. Instead of the blue glow of mana, it was purple, and it formed a hexagon pattern that trapped them all inside. From the outside, no one could see a thing, but inside it was clearly visible. A clear cloakign effect that was added to it, and another major concern. These were people who worked in the shadows. They benefited from going unnoticed. The enemy knew this, and yet sealed it off anyways. Which meant it was even more advantageous for them. Shadows began to emerge from the "boy''s" feet, and for a brief moment, a large figure of a man was seen in his place. It appeared Demonic in origin, and clearly beyond the normal realms of this world. As the shadows began to creep towards them, the lights began to be snuffed out one by one. Every lantern, every lamppost, even the dim glow of lights from far away was snuffed out and erased, and even the stars in the night sky began to disappear from their sight one by one. "Impossible, you are...ghhk!" Before he could finish his words, shadows charged up and strangled him, causing him to start suffocating. Everything seemed to grow shadows, attacking him and his men. This was not the same as Juno, Reiji, and Aira. It is not the same as Zak. Both groups looked far more reserved then what was going on here. Bodies were torn apart by shadows, and others were dragged into the shadows whole, screaming and begging for mercy. They were dragged into spaces they should not be able to fit in, let alone hide in, and soon their screams were also snuffed out. One had their heart torn out by the shadows, while another had themselves be stabbed at various points, and yet the wounds were coated in a black flame that prevented any blood from dripping out. "Fucking...monster!" The boy walked towards them, and his mouth finally came into view as the leader was brought to his knees. Within his mouth, two small fangs could be seen protruding from it. The man was forced onto his hands and knees, as the shadows restrained him thoroughly. And then, the boy knelt down and bit into the man''s neck. Intense pain and pleasure went through the man''s body, coursing through his veins as the man found himself being siphoned of his blood. The boy...no, the vampire held nothing back, feasting upon his blood. There was no mercy, no holding back. This man could tell, this would be lethal. He would be sucked dry of blood, and then the shadows would dispose of his body. He was quickly losing consciousness, but he understood something right now. The way this vampire was, he might be an even bigger threat to society then they were. Because he didn''t hold back when he wanted something. Those were his last thoughts, as he lost consciousness...and eventually died of blood loss. The vampire stood up, wiping the blood off of his mouth, before looking back at Akano''s inn. Inside, he and Tamaki were snugly sleeping, cuddled together unconsciously for emotional support, a source of rich blood. The vampire took a step forward, but then stopped and shook his head. "No. Need to control myself" he muttered to himself. "Starfallen blood is rich, I need to control myself". Was that the voice of a predator savoring a meal, or a good person resisting his darker impulses? Only the moons knew that answer, as they watched the cleanup below. Chapter 38: Morning at Camp The next morning, and everyone was getting up and checking things out. They had no issues overnight thanks to their preparations, and no monsters had come near their camp. They did not agitate any monsters either, so the forest was still and silent. Everyone had successfully been able to rest well, although Kaede seemed unusually wary of Themist for some reason. They were able to get up, getting the rest of their gear on and starting by scouting out the entire area to see what was going on in the area. They had to make sure the camp was secure. This included checking on the wardstones, and looking for tracks. Checking for tracks was something all adventurers had to do, as they had to make sure that they were able to notice the signs of the monsters they were hunting, as well as showing a general awareness of their surroundings. This also let them notice when dangerous monsters were getting near cities, where they could fire reports for the guild to investigate and confirm, and then put out a bounty for it. Things like the Giant Sylvan for instance. Even if the Ward and Barrier Anchors were in place that caused discomfort in and repelled stronger monsters due to their higher mana density, they had to make sure they were working. Investigating and ensuring that these Anchors were working was a key part of Adventurer work. They are much more advanced then the Wardstones, which are a weaker type of Spell Anchor, then the one Kuroki made. Spell Anchors are essentially objects imbued with a spell, typically barriers and wards, but there were others. Its not like enchanting however, enchantments were things that were applied to already made objects essentially. Spell Anchors were essentially made with traces of basic spell construction in them, which was like a basic form of artificing. For Wardstones, you put in the basic construct of a ward. This allowed them to be Ward Anchors, which let them anchor wards to the spell without the caster needing to keep maintaining it themselves. Its especially useful for mobile wards and barriers, since there are other techniques one can do as well. Kuroki had no idea which techniques Amyris used to create his house''s defenses, but they were advanced and massive. Highly complex. He never saw any anchors, but he saw traces of the wards. But those were also covered by wards, some of which could be disguising them. Furthermore, he even saw fake wards in place just to throw people off. It took Kuroki a bit to figure out they were fake, but he realized it once he realized the ward essentially stated it would throw a pie in your face if you tried to break in unlawfully. Of course, given who the house belonged to, there is an actual possibility that such a ward was real, but Kuroki was reasonably sure that was a fake ward meant to distract people. That, or it had been disguised into that and was actually a different ward. Furthermore, all the wards were connected in ways that baffled Kuroki, especially since at least two of them were supposedly impossible. He had to assume those were obscured from their true form as well, as Amyris seemed to be very cautious with his house. Even if the rest of the city was destroyed, his house would probably stay standing. It was doubtful that anyone could break in there, although there was the concern of the third floor which apparently got devoured by...something. At some point, they really should deal with that. Either way, it was important to check on them. Adventurers did this all the time, since it was a vital part of safety and making sure cities were less likely to be threatened. Of course, there were times when monsters somehow slipped through anyways, or they somehow managed to ignore them. Usually this involved a Stampede, like the Goblin Stampede. It appeared that being hit with lots of monsters at once could overload them potentially, and occasionally something was able to slip through, especially if an Anchor accidentally got damaged or wasn''t maintained properly. Still, everything looked good, and they started going over the report from each party. According to everyone, thanks to their dilligence, no monsters caused any issues with the camp, and everyone was able to successfully stay safe. They went over any reports that came in, and while some tracks had been found, nothing serious had been detected. Just the usual culprits. The only real incident happened in the fourth shift, but Kuroki''s party hadn''t covered it so they only heard vague second hand accounts. All they knew for sure is that it ended with a boy and a girl being totally covered in mud. There were enough rumors of how that happened that no one was sure what was truth and what was fiction, and some people just decided to leave it be as it didn''t involve them at all. That said, it did result in them having to do the river part of the exam sooner then anticipated, due to how muddy they were. Adventurer''s jobs were messy. One could get blood and mud all over themselves, and one couldn''t just walk back like that. Not only would the irritation cause issues with focus and ability on the way back, but it would also cause adventurers to look worse to the public. As such, it was important to know how to clean yourselves off in rivers, lakes, and ponds, as well as your gear. This doubled as making sure you didn''t bring any strange diseases back, like some sort of flu, smallpox, or lycanthropy. Kuroki thought that last one was a joke, but apparently there was an actual real life example of it happening in the past, twice. Not to mention it was important to make sure your smell didn''t attract monsters, which could result in the taking of your own lives. That said, it wasn''t like you could just carelessly bathe in the river. You would be completely naked, bare butt and all. This would naturally put you at risk of being attacked by monsters, which meant that you had to have others join you for safety in numbers, or watch over and protect you as you bathed, and everyone would do it in shifts. Given their amount of people, 4-5 five people would bathe, while everyone else would guard. When the first group was done, they would lay in the sun to dry off while the next group washed. Once the first group soaked in the sun and dried out, they would get dressed and join guard duty, usually around the time the second group was finished and the third group went to wash themselves and each other. Bathing was considered a communal and social activity, so it was rather normal for this world. Still, to bathe in the nude while being surrounded by people who were fully clothed who were there to watch over you was...very odd and unnerving, especially when they were also being judged. Even the people of this world found it all a bit embarrassing, but to not be hobbled by such a thing was also part of the test to ranking up as adventurers. They had to be open, accepting, and trusting of each other, to at least some degree. That said, Kuroki was able to get some joy from the situation. He didn''t know why, but for some reason, the piece of shit that Ozlo hated with a passion was completely bewildered. He hid it very well, but Kuroki could feel that he seemed a bit confused. What puzzled Kuroki however was that Vanessia was equally confused, and Baxter seemed indifferent, which seemed to feel like neither of them were behind his confusion. Kuroki didn''t do anything either, and no one else in Silver Storm seemed to know what was going on. Did Ozlo protect us from the shadows? I get it. He can''t claim Ozlo was there interfering without admitting he knew of something to interfere to, which means if Ozlo made them all disappear, he can''t use it as a reason to know. Very clever Ozlo! Kuroki had the wrong idea of what had happened, but no one was around who could both read minds and could correct him, so this naturally was never pointed out to him in any case. As such, the misunderstanding would last for quite awhile. Either way, something unexpected did end up happening, as Ezeri ended up being in his group as the first bathers. The Cat Animan boy seemed quite interested in him. Naturally, he had no idea why. "What? Is there something on my back?" Kuroki ended up asking. "Ah, no. Just...surprised is all. You really are fifteen". "....I feel like you just thought something incredibly rude". "N-no!" Either way, when that was done, and everyone was washed off and got dressed, they proceeded to head back to have breakfast. However, that was when Ezeri had them stop. "Hey, is that a fruit tree?" he asked, eyeing a tree that was covered in fruit. A few of the scouts moved over to check it out, and confirmed it appeared to be a fruit tree. And yet...everyone was wary. Kuroki looked over to Ezeri to confirm. "Do you think it could be a Snareroot?" "We have to consider it. There are fruit trees here, and I am not familiar with this area enough to say this isn''t one, but given the Sylvan we saw...there is a chance this is a Snareroot. Which means carelessly going over to it could result in casualties". Snareroots were a plant type monster. There were three general types. Snaretrees, Snaregrass, and Snarebush. They were also trap type monsters, because they made no hostile actions until it was too late for their target to escape. They were among the top ten most common new adventurer killers. They would ensnare their targets, stripping them of everything, and then toss them into their stomach. This served as a twofold issue. The subject had nothing they could use to break out of the hidden stomach, and the equipment left behind could be used as bait for more adventurers. However, they used other forms of bait as well. Such as fruit. Furthermore, due to their nature, Echomap could not differentiate between them. It lacked the ability to determine things in such detail, possibly a limitation of Kuroki''s own current skill level. Because of that, there was a very real risk that this tree was in fact a tree which could end up killing them if they tried to pick the fruit. However, if it wasn''t a Snareroot, then showing their ability to collect fruit efficiently from such tall branches would be a merit for their examination scores. As such, they couldn''t just ignore it. While they had been doing well so far, at the same time "well" wasn''t the criteria they were trying to meet. They were trying to show they were so capable they should be promoted. Rank Up exams had a lot of moving parts involved. As such, this tree represented the greatest obstacle they had to date. "If we attack it, will it react?" Kuroki asked. "Nah, they are crafty. Snareroots will absolutely fake non-reaction. It might also send its roots deep underground to attack us if we do as well". "Really? Even if we set it on fire?"The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Ezeri paused at that. "That would not be good, we might start a forest fire". "But we can just extinguish it right?" "Depends on the forest, and the tree its used on. If this is a Snareroot, it might be affected by normal attacks, but it might absorb anything used to extinguish it as strength as well. Or it might wildly spread the fire in a panic. Can you douse the entire forest?" Kuroki frowned. "I see your point. Still, there has to be some way to make it reveal itself". "Mhm. Each situation with these things needs to be handled in a different way. We have to approach this scientificially". "What if I created blades of wind to cut off its roots?" "Oh, if it was a monster that would piss it off. But if it''s just a tree, it means it won''t produce as much fruit next time". "Ahhhg. So we can''t attack it at all, can we?" "Pretty much. We lose the fruit if we do". "Yet we cant risk its a Snareroot either". Ezeri nodded. "And we cant ignore the possibility it is a snareroot and leave it unreported". Kuroki wanted to throw a tantrum. This was ridiculously annoying. "What are the usual ways of identifying Snareroots?" "Usually, they are found when one of your party members gets attacked and then the rest of them notices and defeats it. Thats the typical MO". "...of course it is". "It can somehow cloak itself in a way that makes it impossible to tell the difference between it and a normal tree". Kuroki groaned. "And it can sense lifeforms within the area around it". "So we can''t try to sneakily take the fruit". "Well, those fruits would all be fake and be sort of supertraps. They respond to stimuli very easily". Kuroki hated these things so much. But it also gave him an idea. Ezeri had it at the same time, and they faced each other. "That is it, the fruit!" If the fruit was a supertrap, it should react. By picking just one of the fruits safely, they would be able to tell if it was true. If it was so responsive to someone picking the fruit, it would likely be unable to hide it. "Themist! Notch an arrow! You need to hit one of the fruits!" "Nock, join with her! Take down another fruit as well!" The two archers nodded, taking up their bows and arrows and notching their arrows. Each one aimed carefully, bringing their arrow in line with their eyes as best they could, lining up their shot. For Themist, she did it by instinct and experience. For Nock, he seemed to almost see lines and calculations, spacial distances in his mind. No exact numbers, but more like a detailed understanding of calculations based on references he could make and prior experiences. They used arrows that had been sharpened, made of Anderstone. It was a type of stone that tended to be sleek and aerodynamic, very fast and good for arrowheads. The shafts were made of Tiribog Trees, a common tree in this area which was flexible yet sturdy, and could endure the pressure of a bow well even when made into an arrowshaft. As for the tails, they were specially processed Nirivak feathers. Apparently they were a common G-Rank bird type monster during the fall and winter, but could be found in some areas still even in the spring and summer. Their feathers were nice and decorative, and archers liked to use it so they could recover their arrows easily. Apparently, finding them was usually the hard part. Some archers even specially decorated their arrows to make it distinct. Supposedly, arrow detailing culture existed within many archers, and they would work on them togehter and compare their arrows. Sometimes, arrow making contests would even be held by the adventurer''s guild to let them compete in such things. Yet another aspect of the ever complex guild. Kuroki had to admit, he had never thought of the guild too much in all the novels and games he experienced and such, but it seemed obvious now such media had not properly portrayed it as well as they should have. The Guild here was no tacky add on or popular concept forced into this world. It was a necessary feature, like unions for workforces. It was why monsters weren''t a bigger threat, why adventurers could get stronger and get the support they needed without being taken advantage of, and why nobles and merchants could find trustworthy people to hire so easily, among so many others. In any case, they loosed their arrows and let them fly. Themist''s arrow actually hit the stem, letting it fall to the ground, while Nock got it right in the center. In both cases, the fruit fell to the ground...and nothing happened. "Yes! Its real fruit!" Ezeri said, pulling out his knife. "Adventurers! Let the breakfast harvesting commence!" "Yeeeeaaaaah!" Everyone pulled out their knives and thrust them into the air. They all wanted fresh fruit with breakfast. While the dried food they had was not bad, nor was any of hte preserved food, they wanted some nice fresh tasty fruit. Had the tree truly been a monster tree, it might have actually been terrified by the display of 20 or something adventurers, or hell, 20 or something children, all with knives out charging it as if it was made of gold. Perhaps, sensing the danger, it wouldn''t have attacked them at all. The three judges who watched all of that nodded along. Vanessia was a little taken aback. "That is...always a terrifying sight to see". "Hmmf. There were better and faster ways to tell" Fisto mentioned. "True, but they are only F-Rankers...no, I think they have all passed at this point, although we should issue some warnings" Baxter replied. "A large snareroot like that might have been bold enough to go after them all at once, but with them all holding knives like that? It would have faced an uphill battle". "Still, we have to deduct some points off Kuroki. As a mage, he needs to know the danger of fire without it being pointed out to him" Fisto added. "That is a concern, however he was asking about it as an option when it came up, so it would be a minor demerit is all. Overall, he still passes with flying colors" Baxter pointed out. "I suppose I can''t argue with that". Fisto said that out loud, but his thoughts were different. I am sure they will complain, but they shouldn''t have let Baxter come along then, and that kidnapping team should have arrived as well. At this point, there wont be enough to prevent the rank up, and frankly, I don''t care all that much about what happens to that boy myself. In the end, it couldn''t be said that Fisto did everything he possibly could have to tank the exam for Kuroki''s party, even if that was what he was hired to do. That was only natural though. He was a selfish person who only looked out for himself, who did this for money, not out of revenge. He had no personal grudge against Kuroki himself, and he had no need to risk himself for a child. He may have been absolute scumtrash, but he wasn''t some depraved person who directly worked in human trafficking himself. He might have sold out others for coin, but it was this detachment that was why he had yet to be caught. Had he truly gone all out, as if he was working for his own desires and not just because he got hired, he could have easily prevented the young party''s rankup. He had done everything possible to make it as tough for them as possible, but they handled it all. In fact, he knew they should be ranked higher. D at least, maybe C for certain situations. So he was not pushing it any further. The kidnapping party had failed to arrive, that was on them, not him. They had been unable to prevent Ozlo from getting Baxter to oversee as an independent party, once again on them, not him. And Vanessia watched him like a hawk the whole time and was there to prevent any unexpected issues that came up, which again was not on him. Had they not wanted her interference, they should have prevented her from tagging along in the first place. "That said..." "...yes, we should issue warnings to everyone. But I suppose baby E-Rankers like them still have plenty to learn after all". "Yes. It can''t be helped after all". "Agreed. I doubt any of us were much better than they were when we were E-Ranks" Fisto mentioned, and the other two nodded.
The hike back to the carriages had been mostly uneventful. Waiting for them there was the usual escort group, however another had joined their ranks as well. Kuroki noticed him instantly, but it was Themist who spoke first. "Isn''t that the kid who made E-Rank within a week of joining the adventurer''s guild?" "I heard it was just six days it took him" Ezeri mentioned. "That has to be some kind of record right?" As the others joined in and began to gossip, Kuroki seemed to know that something else had absolutely happened now. He just wasn''t entirely sure what. But he was certain that boy was actually a Starfallen, probably an adult, who was quite skilled. As Kuroki was thinking that, Vanessia took notice of him as well. "Zak, what are you doing here?" "Was in the middle of doing a quest to gather Versigan mushrooms. They grow all over this area, when I spotted you guys here when I was just about to head back, and figured I would hitch a ride. That isn''t a problem right?" "Ah, no. I see. Did you get a good haul?" "Yep! I heard a rumor they were about to go into really high demand after all". "As perceptive as usual I see. Well, thanks for that. We don''t have many pickers for that these days, so its a great boon that you took it up". Vanessia seemed to drop it there, seemingly not want to look a gift horse in the mouth. Kuroki looked to the other two party leaders. "What are Versigan mushrooms?" "They are a common element in many mana replenishing potions. I did hear a lot more of those were being used lately to stocks went down and demand increased. To be honest, my family runs an apothecary, and my parent''s main business are these mushrooms, so this is a relief to here. Iv been being bombarded to rank up and make more money because they are concerned about this". Now that Kuroki thought about it, Ezeri did mention his family were merchants who were setting up shop. That said... "Hold on, if they had the freedom to open a new shop in a new city, shouldn''t they have plenty of wiggleroom?" "This concerns one of their main products, and they always believe there should be more then enough wiggleroom. They were always worried about what would happen to me and my siblings, so they always want to provide well while also making sure we have plenty of spare change for emergency funds as well. They are quite thorough on this". It sounded like they were a bit overly cautious, at least when it came to finances. Ezeri had good gear however, so they clearly were not cheap either. One had to admire their determination to be responsible parents. But Kuroki was surprised by his name. Zak, as he confirmed was spelled Z-A-K, was a popular boy''s name. From what he learned, at least for this kingdom and especially in this region, boy names often had mostly vowels and Zs and Xs and such. Although it only had one vowel, it had a Z as well, so it was well within the norm for a name of this world. And yet, Kuroki was certain the boy was a Starfallen. It was far more typical in this world then where he lived. Unless...did he take a new name to blend in? Which of course begged the new question. Why? As they started to head back, Zak let them know about a few other things he had noticed along the way. He mentioned that apparently someone had riled up the spirit of the forest, and that it lashed out a bit last night. He also mentioned that they found traces of lamis bait, which caused several adventurers to go pale. "Lamis Bait...are you sure?" "Yeah. I heard it was useful for hunting monsters, but...I also heard it was banned for being too dangerous?" "Its banned in this country yeah. Lamis Bait caused The Great Stampede, which wiped out an entire city in the past". Kuroki had never heard of this before. "Wait, what is the Great Stampede? Or this Lamis Bait for that matter?" "Lamis Bait is an illegal creation in this kingdom that can attract various monsters. Its typically poisoned a bit, but its easier to cook out the poisons used typically. However, the issue is that it can attract some powerful monsters depending on where its put, and occasionally it attracts them too mcuh that they ignore the wards and barriers to get to it. This can play havoc on the monster ecosystem, and cause widespread chaos among the adventurer ranks as well as put countless lives in danger. Supposedly it was still legal in the Empire to the west, as well as some areas in the north. But here, in this country, it was considered highly illegal. "As for the Great Stampede, it was a Stampede of multiple different types of monsters. This has never happened before, not unless some Demon King was pulling the strings, but the Great Stampede happened twenty years after the defeat of a Demon King. Simply put, there is no way that it could be responsible. It was discovered that at the source, there was a large amount of Lamis bait. ANd this Stampede...it wiped out everything. Not a single man, woman, or child escaped supposedly. The city itself was raised by every monster in the area from Goblin to Orc to Kobold to others. As such, it was now considered taboo to even consider making. That is how dangerous it was deemed". "Oh wow..." Kuroki was at a loss for words. It sounded very serious. "Now you know why I had to report it" Zak commented. "If it is really Lamis, heads could roll". "Thats a rather cruel expression..." "Its not an expression, Kuri. That could actually be the punishment". As their carriages began to head back, Kuroki processed that information. However, he did notice that one thing. "Wait, Kuri?". "Yeah, its a nickname". Kuroki swore it sounded familiar, but he had trouble placing where. This ended up vexing him the entire time as they returned to the city. Chapter 39: As Things Begin to Shift As Kuroki was returning to the city, something else was shifting among the forest. Something was watching the caravan as it left, observing and waiting. Shifting between the walls of the old ruins scattered about, it observed and looked at the caravan...and especially at the children. It was a presence that seemed to go unnoticed and unseen, but it had been there the whole time. Watching. Waiting. Evaluating. Contemplating. "Time has shifted. Something has happened". "The old magic has allowed us to awaken". "What shall we do? They are all quite valuable". "The Forest Spirit is not so malleable". Two voices spoke in whispers, although no one could comprehend them. They were sneakily watching, but they could not chase after. "The Ancient Ones bar our way, preventing our progress". "We remain sealed here, thanks to their madness". "Our influence grows from within our prison". "They are ripe for the taking, thanks to our reason". Was it one being talking to itself? Or multiple beings talking to each other? Or was it something more, or something less? But the disturbances of the forest, along with those who had entered it, had awoken it from its ancient slumber. A bit too late, but not late enough. It eyed Zak and Kuroki especially, watching the two. The beings seemed to perceive them for what they truly were. But in that moment, Zak turned his head and looked right back at them. And in that moment, they shrieked and pulled back. "The Time Torn Child..." "...shall not take from us!" With those words, the voices retreated into the ruins.
Eventually, Kuroki and the others made it back to the city. They all headed to the guild, including Zak who needed to report his findings. When they made it back however, the guild was unusually packed. All sorts of adventurers were watching them, of all sorts of ranks. H and G ranks, those who were already E-Rank and above, as well as fellow F-Ranks who had yet to make the cut. All were gathered to watch and observe. Everyone here knew what would happen next. Kuroki wasn''t naked, nor was there any reason to strip here, but given the stares on him it almost felt like he was. No, it was even more uncomfortable then if he was. That was the sheer amount of pressure and stares heading his way. There had to be at least a hundred around, so the guild was packed. Ozlo was waiting at the center receptionist counter, looking mildly amused. "I see everyone has returned safely. What a relief". "Yes, despite the fact a giant Sylvan was seen within the forest. Someone will need to go and deal with that thing by the way, its way too dangerous to leave there". "I understand. I shall form a hunting party to take it down as soon as possible. Now, how did the exam go?" "Alright, everyone line up shoulder to shoulder". The examinees lined up as requested, as the examiners watched them all. "First of all, the good news. You have all passed!" This was met with cheers, both from the examinees and the audience. The newly minted E-Ranks jumped and hugged and high fived each other. Some of the adventurers seemed to cry in despair or dismay, as others were collecting money from others. Kuroki had a pretty good idea of what that was about, but he decided to ignore it. It probably wasn''t illegal, and was even normal around here anyways. "That said, there are some things we need to make note of. After all, some of you did have some demerits that need to be addressed. Themist, while you did remain alert all throughout the gossip you were going, and noticed the shifting in shadows...you did distract others from noticing the same. You need to reign it in regarding your tendency for gossip". "Ah...right". "Furthermore, you might not notice anything that was really trying to remain hidden, not just the tests we threw at you. As a party leader, you are responsible for your party as well, so this is something you need to work on". "Yes ma''am". As Vanessia finished talking, Baxter spoke up next. "Kuroki and Silver Storm, you did very well considering your youth, not to mention you were able to provide good cover for everything and asked good questions. However, at least some of that should have been research you did ahead of time. While it is commendable that you sought insight before it became an issue, you should have done some of that research ahead of time. You did a great job preparing the objects you need, but the mind must be prepared just as much as the body, and that is something you need to work on". They had asked many questions and not known many things. While they covered the core topics well enough, they were still very new to this world, so this was an inevitable criticism for them. Its not something they could help, but it was a reminder they needed to work harder on that. Fisto then looked at Ezeri. "Ezeri, you and your party did a very good job overall. You remained reliable and well rounded, and continued to stabily support not just your own party but others as well. You remained alert and stable. However, while they are just acceptable for E-Rank, you need to improve your combat skills more. During combat, you never really stood out. While you showed great leadership, you need to be able to defend yourself to not hold your party back. You should keep this in mind and focus more on combat training". "Yes sir". After that, they went into the other members, before finally having them hand in their guild cards, except for Kuroki''s group, whose already had been upgraded to E-Rank. With this all done, no one could complain anymore about their rank up, and it would be harder for anyone to throw stink at them in the future as well. Overall, it was a very successful operation as a result. Then Kuroki had a thought, and went over to Ozlo. "How did Deep Dashers do by the way?" "Ah, they returned a bit before you did. They completed their assignments, and got a lot of praise as well. The examiner was also very happy with them as well, so things went well on that front". "Ah, good to hear". The Deep Dashers got caught up in this issue as well, so Kuroki had wanted to make sure things turned out okay. With that done, their business at the guild was done. And so, Kuroki walked right up to Zak. He went in a straight line, with not even so much of an attempt to disguise his focus. "We need to talk". "I suppose we do. But not here. There are too many people around". Kuroki grabbed his hand, and dragged him over to the side room Vanessia had taken him to before. It was soundproofed in an unusual way after all, and no one would be able to overhear them there. Riku, Kaede, and Ryuu all came along as well. Once they were all nestled in, Zak couldn''t help but noticed he was totally boxed in. "Ahh, I see...you really don''t plan on letting me leave until I explain, do you?" "No, we don''t. But I suppose we can hurry this along by letting you know, I already figured out you were an adult". "Yeah, well...I haven''t done much to obfuscate that. I suppose that is my own damn fault. But to figure it out from a single interaction...as expected, you really are quite clever". "And you are delaying. Now, who are you?" "I suppose you dont fully remember the nickname Kuri then?" "...it feels familiar..." "Ouch. I didn''t think my uncle''s curry was that unfamiliar". "Uncle''s curry...ah, wait...hold on...are you that one detective?!" "Bingo". There had been one policeman that treated him to curry long ago. He was low ranking on the totem pole, while all of Kuroki''s father''s friends were higher up. He looked like he wanted to do more, but he was forced to be unable to. "So you became a detective?" "I had to rise up the ranks. Blind eyes shouldn''t be so easy to turn like that, after all". "I see...and then all this happened". "Yes. But you should know, things are not so simple as they appear" Zak said, looking a bit sorrowful. "Nothing about this appears simple" Kuroki countered. "We still don''t know why we were brought here, unless you figured something out somehow?" "Ah...nothing concrete. I can''t quite say how I know, not yet, but I have learned some things. I don''t know how well they will be useful though, since things keep shifting and I cant be certain everything will stay the same". "...I believe we told you not to be cryptic". "Sorry. Unfortunately, I can''t avoid some crypticness. And I mean that quite literally". Kuroki narrowed his eyes. "A restriction?" Zak nodded. "Is this related to you taking a different name?" "Ah, no. I did that to avoid being hunted. Be warned, Devils and Demons are not the only things hunting us. Unfortunately, I don''t know what else is behind it. But I know this. Its something immensely powerful, but at least at the moment, restricted in its influence. I still don''t know the full details though, but it seems to have had designs for us. Now, I need to ask something in return. Have you felt a certain...pit of darkness flare up from time to time, when you feel intense hatred or disgust?" Kuroki was confused at first, but he quickly remembered what Zak was mentioning. It was his murderous impulse. He wasn''t looking to kill people normally, but sometimes he felt this overwhelming urge to kill. By the time he realized what was going on and stopped himself, he was already in the middle of casting a spell. A particularly lethal spell, which he came up with on the spot somehow. Riku grimaced as well. It appears he had felt something similar. Even Kaede had an unpleasant expression, but Ryuu seemed to only have a minorly vexed one. It seemed he had the least experience with it.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "Do you know what it is?" "I believe the best word to describe it would be...Compliance". "So it was related to that then". Kuroki and the others had similarly named it that. "Yes. I do not know the full details, but Compliance is more then just listening to authority and complying the Rules of the World. It is also meant to twist us, all of us, into servants who have fallen into darkness and are okay with murder". "It is meant to normalize murder and killing for us?" "Yes. And eventually, it will try to make you kill people". "Yikes..." "Exactly. It especially is prevalent in those who have grudges and plenty of spite, or reason to have spite. Someone like you". "How do you know all this?" "I cannot say". Another wall. "Is this part of your restriction? Can you at least tell us about that?" "If it''s about why, when, who, or where, I cannot say. As for what, I cannot talk about any information about those topics, the restriction itself, or the sources of that information". "You do know how this is supposed to work right?" "Sorry, but things are complicated. Forces are at play, and even without the restriction, I made a promise to someone, and a plan". Kuroki clicked his tongue, but realized this was getting nowhere. "Alright, what can you tell us?" "Your father is not currently within this kingdom or any of its neighboring countries". Kuroki slammed his hands on the table, and looked him right in the eye. "Now how the fuck do you know that?!" Riku put his hand on Kuroki''s shoulder, and Kuroki started to calm himself down again. "Sorry. You can''t say, can you?" "I cannot. All I can say is that this is confirmed. My sources really wanted to keep themselves hidden you see. I can say that given what he has done, he will likely have to deal with a Devil on the level of the one that went after Anna, Ozlo, and the Guildmaster. I suspect you will start hearing rumors about a mage discriminating berserker in the north soon". "...berserker?" That word caught Kuroki off guard. His father was an asshole in every way possible. A child abusing, alcoholic, prideful and arrogant misogynist would be one way to describe him. But, as brutish as he could be, as much as he got lost in his anger, Berserker did not quite fit. His father, even in a rage, only rarely lost precision and did something that would leave an actual mark on Kuroki or give him a broken bone. That didn''t really line up with Kuroki''s image of a berserker. "Yes, well...let''s just say you are handling things way better then your father is. Although, I suspect once he adapts, he will become an even more dangerous threat". Kuroki remembered the dream he had. Of the corpses and heads of his friends, being tossed at him by his father. Of the look on that person''s face, and the rage he felt. And about the feeling of something that tried to hold him back, deep down. And then, Kuroki realized something else. About why he might be called a Berserker. "How long?" "Seeing as how he didn''t start after the Starfall with an ally to help him? I would say...a year. He has the ability to vaguely sense the direction you are in, but you possess the ability to protect yourself from abilities that try to locate and control you, especially from your father. Your wishes directly clash and fight against his. And he has to make a long journey, across an ocean and through several kingdoms. And he has to earn money for food, clothes, weapons, shelter, and passage". "No, he won''t. Not for that last one. Not if he got even more physical abilities. He probably is an incredibly dangerous frontline attacker". "...I see, so that was what went wrong with the timing..." Zak mumbled to himself. "Wait, what?" "Sorry, just thinking things through. In any case, I suspect due to his obsession with strength and physical ability, he is probably one of the most dangerous Starfallen. He likely has power that exceeds what any of us had at the start, so you will need to focus on honing your magical abilities. I can try to support you as best as I can, but I will be traveling around a lot. There is a lot I still need to investigate and prepare". "Like what?" "The actual Starfall ritual. From what I heard, there is no reason this many Starfallen should be here. Apparently the Starfall is a natural process that can happen randomly. People are not summoned by it, its a natural phenomenon. And yet, with this many people, and with Compliance, its clear we were summoned. Someone forced an artificial Starfall. One of the oldest, natural phenomenon in the world. And there is clear evidence that it was artificial too. You heard about how the world experienced a strange wave and spike in spacetime magic right?" Kuroki nodded. It was mentioned when he first visited the Mage''s Guild. Its why he couldn''t use their chamber to get his True Arcanium at the moment, and why he had to do it the old fashioned way to get it as soon as possible. "Unfortunately, despite my expansive investigation, its not like I could be everywhere all at once and look everything. Plus there are criminal organizations to crush..." Zak just said something dangerous very casually, but Kuroki let it go as he kept talking. "...and ancient threats to deal with..." Kuroki really tried to hold in his questions. Someone should really praise him you know? "...not to mention the rest of the Four Cardinal Cataclysms". "Wait wait wait, what?! What was all that?! Especially that last one, what do you mean by rest?!" "Ah, you haven''t heard? There is someone known as The Oracle, located within the Ivory Tower of the Church''s headquarters here on this continent. The Oracle has produced some new prophecies recently. One mentions the Four Cardinal Catastrophes. ''In the north, a prideful man who uses force and muscles, who will destroy entire cities to seek the one he wants to make follow his path. In the west, a greedy man who would kill and torture, who wishes to see himself surrounded by a sea of gold. In the south, a lustful young woman, who will make servants of those enchanted by her, and butcher those who defy her. And in the east, a wrathful old woman will rise, seeking to destroy all who get in her way and interfere with the Grand Plan''. The North is clearly your father, when corroborated with my other hidden sources. The West...I think I might know who that is too. There was this corrupt businessman. He killed people for profit, even for just thousands of dollars. He arrested him, and he was found clinically insane, so we have him incarcerated in a mental ward...unfortunately, it wasn''t too far from the city, so it probably was within range. I am not sure who the South is, but the East...". Kuroki noticed it too. "The East sounds like she was involved with the Starfall". "Yeah. I have yet to confirm it at all, but from what I heard, she actually started with clothes and a full understanding of her abilities". "What?!" Not a single Starfallen had started with such things. Every single other Starfall, from what Ozlo said was thousands he had roughly confirmed, all started with nothing. Completely naked with no items of their past world. This was because they were not physically transfered. Their souls were brought over, and then their bodies were reconstructed on this side. That was the general theory at least, but apparently it had enough evidence to be considered confirmed. And yet now he was hearing that there was someone, of the tens of thousands of years of history of this world, who was the first and likely only exception. He wasn''t even jealous, he was just baffled. "Does this mean..." "Most likely, her clothes are a part of her body...probably some artificial form she generated. I don''t know who she is, but I think the better question to ask is what she is. Cause I don''t think she is actually human. But, that''s about all the information I did have on her. Anything else is pure conjecture". "If this is true, then..." "Yes, its likely all four Cardinal Cataclysms are Starfallen. Thats likely not something we can ignore. One of them has a connection to you, one is a criminal, one has a connection to the Starfall, and the one in the south is a mystery. And it''s said more prophecies and oracles are being created every day now, as if a surge of new activity is coming. This might cause trouble for all other Starfallen too..." "Is that why you took a new name?" "Yes. Please only call me Zak now. It is also to help me hide and avoid the Devils, so they don''t see my movements and plans as I work. But its also to avoid discrimination against me as well, should the views of Starfallen go down and people start suspecting others". "You might want to try channeling your inner child". "...you do know that feels creepy and wrong to me as an adult police detective who investigated countless cases of child abuse and crimes against children right?" Even Zak had his weakpoints, and this was one of them. As much as he could change his name, and work in the shadows, changing his behavior was tough for him. Especially to act like a kid, given how many creeps he arrested who did the same to go after their targets. "Well, we all have to adapt to this world. That is part of blending in right?" Zak groaned. "I know. I really do know. I need to make a bigger effort". To be honest, as much as Kuroki knew what he said was truth, he appreciated Zak''s straight-laced feelings and responses. It was nice to know they had such an honest and morally responsible policeman in their city. "Incidentally..." Zak muttered. "Yes?" "Can you please, please introduce me to the place you got your clothes from? Please? I really need better socks and underwear!" Yes, that was another reason why people often slept in the nude. The average quality of underwear and socks in this world wasn''t as high as the modern one. It wasn''t bad, but the better ones were absurdly expensive or were in shops you needed references for. While the people of this world were actually better adjusted to them, as those with modern world senses, they had to appreciate the quality of Ellie''s crazy expensive clothes. So naturally, they would introduce Zak to her as well. They had once tried other kinds as comparison, and well...they would rather sleep nude then try and sleep in those. Which probably spoke to how much the modern world spoiled the people of the modern world. In ancient times, clothes were not only more expensive, but on average were not as good as the ones of the modern world. This world reflected that as well, and it was something they would just have to live with. After all, the science for the science to create the machines and techniques needed to make such clothes more common didn''t really exist yet. "Speaking of clothes and belongings...what is with the rainboots? And the Yo-Yo?" "Ah, these? These are actually high-quality magic items I found in a secret underground ruin. The Yo-Yo, which I am sure was made by a Starfallen long ago, is actually an incredibly powerful magic weapon blessed by the gods. These boots might be similar as well, though maybe not blessed by the gods. They were created with Anti-Snare magic built in using artificing techniques, and having surprisingly good grip as well. Furthermore, even if they are removed, the magic remains applied to my feet for a period of time, which is good since they can also be used as ranged weapons. With a kick, I can launch them forward with the speed and power comparable to a cannonball, and even more if I charge it with mana ahead of time. The only thing is that I can''t wear socks while im fighting, since they can interrupt the connection...and also, walking around outside is better for bare feet or shoes, socks is just weird". There was a bit of a preference there at the end, although Kuroki could understand the sentiment. Still though... "They do that much?" "Oh, they do way more then that. I can also push off the air twice before needing to land on the ground to recharge the effect". Riku blurted something out. "Wait, you can double...no, triple jump?!" "Basically, yeah". "What can the Yo-Yo do?" "Well, I can manipulate the direction, speed, hardness, and sharpness of the wire, as well as its length. I can do this to hang people, break their necks, so on secretly while they don''t notice. That said, its rather slow for the heat of battle. But I can make the actual yo-yo part shrink and grow, and manipulate its weight to get heavier or lighter in an instant. Furthermore, it''s almost entirely invulnerable and has a self-repairing feature, supposedly even if its totally destroyed it can repair itself eventually. Not only that, but I can even recall it back to me. Same with the boots. Incidentally, both are bound to me now, so no one else can use them until I die". "I see. Alright, is there anything else we should know?" Zak thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes. Based on my understanding of the wishes, as well as some information I collected, your friends are within this frontier region. It appears the Starfall even interpreted your mutual desire to be ''Best Friends Forever'' as a combined wish. I am sure that it will be one of your most powerful and most helpful wishes, as well as one that gives you some grief at times. I suspect it will only be months until you find each other, provided nothing unexpected comes up. It seems that the younger you are, the more powerful the wishes could be on average. There are exceptions of course, but...I think you will find you all have great potential within that you still have not unlocked". "How could you know all that?" "The gut instinctive of a detective, obviously" Zak lied, although it was an obvious lie he made no effort to hide. It was clear there was more to the story sure, but it didn''t seem like he planned to tell any of them any time soon. Kuroki figured it might have something to do with the agreement he made with these sources he mentioned, but he also suspected he was deceiving them about just how much he couldn''t tell them. And that all of this likely had something to do with his own Wishes.
Once the group split up, and Kuroki promised to refer him to Ellies and told him to go there tomorrow, Zak was walking down the road. Once he was clear, his expression became quite sullen. "I had to lie to them. A lot". "It can''t be helped. You couldn''t contaminate things too much" a voice spoke to him, but no source was visible for it. "I know. I have to let certain events play out the way they are supposed to. It just kills me inside, not giving them the full warning". "Frankly, I think you spoke a bit too much. Kuroki might figure it out, given how much you spoke of his father". "I know, but I needed to maintain his fear, while still making sure he knew he would be safe to get stronger for a good while. Balancing motivation without panic is really hard". "That is fair. But, you must keep walking forward. The events that are about to transpire must happen still. Without it, arrests will be delayed, and that organization will cause more damage and drive things down a worse road". "I know I know! But it is just so infuriatingly terrible!" "Besides, if it makes you feel better, you will be joining them" the voice told him, and Zak froze. "I see, so they came for revenge huh?" "Yes. You won''t be able to fight your way out of this. But fear not, they have been told to capture you to sell, not kill. It looks like there are fools among them". Zak spotted a few of them now. These guys were true Cherry Road Elites. And the more he checked, the more he realized there were thirty of them. "Well, this wasn''t supposed to happen". "It looks like you got a bit careless. Kuroki was right you know? You need to play the child act better. And more. Otherwise they had to notice the strange adult like child watching them and would take action against you". "But since they know that much, I should put up some of a fight right?" "Don''t reveal your trump cards, but yes. At least this way, you aren''t making them suffer through this next part alone". "Sometimes, being a detective sucks". "But aren''t you more of a private detective now rather then a police detective?" "Shut up. Don''t fret about semantics". And as he said that, he decided to go somewhere more isolated so innocent people didn''t get caught in the crossfire. At least they will probably use a sleeping drug to put me to sleep. I got absolutely no sleep last night after all... He thought that, as he purposefully walked into an ambush to control the situation. Cherry Road was making its move. Chapter 40: Backtown Brawl While things were going on over in Azralia, the Oracle was sitting at his desk within the Ivory Tower. It was a large and magnificent desk, clearly intended for someone who was bigger then himself, but also clearly meant to be bigger then anyone to show the prestige and honor of the Oracle. Its a whole big show of course, especially given how far the corruption in the Church has gotten. And especially for this Oracle. As The Oracle pondered a few things, he thought back to the talk with the prince and his friend. Whatever was going on there, it was obvious they were far more in the know then the Oracle expected. At the very least, they knew about details that they shouldn''t have known. At least not yet anyways. ANd the way they spoke... Is the prince truly as young as he claims? The boy that was with him...he had a Godblade, and perhaps was even a Hidden...I can''t confirm that last part of course, but is The Prince a member of the Hidden? I only know of Green myself, but could they be aware of me? Perhaps the Oracle had grown overly suspicious in the two decades of his perpetual imprisonment and occasional torture, but he knew that there was more to this story that he couldn''t see. And coming from him, that was quite the statement. The Church had already made this room to amplify the abilities of the Oracle, and his power was one of the strongest yet. But the Dark Side of the Church had used illegal rituals and depraved magic to amplify it further, all so he could spy on their political enemies and rivals and use it to grow their own power. And this led him back to his visitors. His so called "guardians" had been in deep discussion. It was well known they had used some sort of extremely rare memory wiping magic on him, and that he had no recollection of what they talked about, so they hadn''t even bothered trying to ask him. Instead they were worried about some of the ominous things that were said, such as their apparent knowledge of his situation. It was not the first time someone had kicked this hornet''s nest, but it was the first time royalty had. He had to wonder if it would lead to anything different? Typically, those people were assassinated, and the blame placed on someone they had angered or such, or occasionally a serial killer. But he had to wonder if this time, they might actually do him in? He imagined the cool steel coming to his neck, the pointed blade causing a crimson river to run down his body. Or perhaps they would go with poison? They would want to probably make it look like natural causes, so perhaps Tenabri Trisidia? It was a rather effective poison for such desires, due to the fact it wasn''t easy to test for and determine. At least as far as he knew. The local necromancers were probably in their pocket already, at least any of them with any real reputation or pull and would get invited to the Church. For a building so determined to being a beacon of light and cleanliness, it sure did have its share of dirt and darkness on the inside. Like dark chocolate wrapped inside of milk chocolate, it looks sweet and nice at first glance, but it can be surprisingly bitter on the inside. Only, at least chocolate, especially milk chocolate, was tasty. As far as The Oracle was concerned anyways. Still, he had plenty of work to keep him busy. He had to rewrite a whole bunch of prophecies thanks to the Starfall, and especially those regarding the Four Cardinal Cataclysms. If he had to order them in terms of danger levels, he would probably say the Eastern Cataclysm was the most dangerous, followed by the Western Cataclysm. In third place was the Northern Cataclysm, and in Fourth Place was the Southern Cataclysm. The Southern Cataclysm''s power at least is limited to a degree by distance and duration spent in her pressence. The Northern one is going to cause a lot of issues for mages, and disrupt various efforts made by the Starfallen, but they should leave the average person alone. But the East and West...both of them are going to ignite as many conflicts, and even wars, as they can, to fullfill their desires. Especially the East...she doesn''t seem to care if the entire world burns, at least according to what I have seen. And every time I peak at her, I feel like she looks right back at me. Its concerning. She is without a doubt the most dangerous one of all. And the prince had been very much focused on these four, as well as others. They were particularly interested in the movements of the Demon King of course, but also they asked a lot about Blank...and The Hidden. Considering that no one ever formally acknowledges The Hidden as existing, in large part because there is no evidence of them existing, that was quite the surprise. And another reason why he thought they might be connected in a way, but it was hard to say. Even with his Sight, the Hidden obscured their movements and identities. They were an abnormally careful lot, taking great pains to ensure no one, not even the Demon King, could ever fully believe they existed. To most, they were just a boogeyman, a rumor that people spread. So when a prince comes asking about them, that raises alarms. Of course, the only reason he knew this is because before the memory wipe, he made sure to use his magic to preserve his memories, in the same way he does so when the Church''s lapdogs come to interrogate him. This wasn''t his first time dealing with people who knew how to extract truth and memories, though both magical and mundane ways. Still, there was a benefit for him too. He met the heroes, and was able to tell them about certain locations to search to help gather equipment and information they would need. Additionally, they should get involved in certain events that would help out the world overall, as well as someone to meet to help them out. Things should go well, he didn''t see much deviation chance when they get set on this path, but as someone who has seen so many futures, he knew all too well the future was not set in stone, and it is very much malleable. The past was too, for that matter. But there was one last thing they asked about which caught him off guard. "Do you know of any leads regarding the Truth of the Ancient Elves". He had not seen that happen in any potential timeline. This meeting had blindsided him sure, but that question specifically was one he kept watch for. The entire period of the Ancient Elves was something no Oracle had yet to be able to view successfully. Or if they did, none of them had any memories of it. Oracles typically dealt with the future, but the past wasn''t totally inaccessible. But when anyone tried to look into the Ancient Elves, the Ancient Dwarves, or the Ancient Beastkin, all one hit was blanks. Sometimes time would even pass by, with no memory of what happened in that time. Occasionally notes in a language different from any of the ancient languages would be near them as well, and to this day not a single one had been deciphered. Some think it might just be gibberish, something the body produced as it was going mad from looking at these things. Others think it might be some ancient curse that was blighted upon those entire time periods. And others think the very moments of time itself were destroyed by one of the Great Demon Kings. If so, did that mean when another Great Demon King appeared, would it destroy the Ancient Human civilization timelines? What would happen if all were destroyed? It was chilling to think about, and he had to consider all the possibilities. Including the ones that were rather grim for the world. But right now, he had his own issue to think about. Mainly, what the Dark Side of the Church would do about him after all this. Needless to say they were upset about someone just galavanting into the room, and confirming that the Oracle was not stuck in bed all day from his condition. He doubted they would execute him yet, they would want someone to take his place first. But considering his actions, along with this, they might decide to take the risk. Of course, he would be happy with being free from this imprisonment, but he had to admit, he would have liked the option to live. But if he wanted to escape, he likely had months, or perhaps even weeks left. That seemed unlikely, which meant he might just be doomed. Then again, with what he forsaw recently, he might be doomed either way. "This new prophecy is...concerning..." He looked upon the pages he had written, the illustrations he had made. He had entered a trance like state as his brain calculated the sheer number of possibilities, and what he saw when he returned to his senses was...concerning. The Ivory tower, blackened and in flames. The city being crushed and destroyed. The vision did not say what happened to him, but he doubted it was a coincidence. Perhaps they wanted to stop him from spreading a prophecy. Perhaps they wanted to capture him for himself. If he was lucky though, they would just flat out kill him. But he didn''t like relying on luck. Thankfully, this was a prophecy he didn''t have to worry about sealing away in his mind, and could reveal it freely. Even the Dark Side of the Church wouldn''t want to suppress the fact their headquarters and golden goose were under threat. They would have to support the Church proper and take action against this, and in doing so, hopefully avoid any future where The Oracle suffers. If they could save everyone in the city, that would be an even greater achievement. "It looks like you are doing quite well, Oracle". A familiar voice went into his ears, and he turned around to see an Elven woman who looked as beautiful as she did wise. "Granny. Its pleasant to see you". "Sorry I got so delayed. There was all this fuss about a prince coming to see you?" "Ah, yes. The fourth prince of the kingdom. Cheeky kid, but dont underestimate him. He was able to see through everything it felt like". "Interesting. It seems you have foreseen quite a tragic place for this residence. Perhaps you should consider moving". "Would if I could. I don''t suppose you have any good news for me". "The Dark Side of the Church keeps growing in power, no matter how much I prune away. it is unnatural. They have a powerful advisor. If I had to guess, a Devil, an Evil Starfallen, or something worse. Can''t even get near their core members without having a dozen knives pointed at your throat, even if they are well hidden ones". "As I thought. Well, at least you are trying. Though I wish you could teach me how to suppress the Speech Suppressant". The moment she appeared, it was as if the restrictions upon his tongue were loosened, and he was able to speak more freely. He didn''t understand why or how, but it was something similar to how it was when he was in the presence of that dragon. Perhaps it was just a natural aspect of those who were inherently powerful? No, it felt like it was something special with those two. "I did however manage to find and escort a rather important Starfallen. I believe you already met him though". "Ah yes, Akano. I used him to weaken and break a few curses. I am monitoring that group closely, as well as Kuroki, Reiji and Juno, Chihiro, Zushi, Zak, Maybell, and some others. All these Starfallen do have me concerned, but I am also interested. The future has gotten so exciting". "I suppose given you are prevented in enjoying the present, the escapades of the future is your version of escapism". "...I feel like you phrased that in a bit of a rude way at the end there, but yes. Unless you are here to tell me you are here to break me out?" "Please. The moment I got near the city, they doubled the guard. Hell, the Black Dog right now has about twenty assassins ready to join in with your guard, and proclaim I am trying to kidnap you. We wouldn''t even make it twenty feet. No, whoever is to come and rescue you, it will need to be someone who sneaks in, without being detected, yet is able to get you both away in the shadows while also being flashy. Thats kind of a tall order for an old woman like me".This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "I suppose so...by the way, there is something else I should probably tell you. Someone came around recently, asking about the Hidden...and the Ancient Elves". This caught "Granny''s" attention almost immediately. "What did you just say?" "Thought that would be interesting. Before I go and erase my own memories again, since the Black Dog will absolutely drag me in for a little chat after all this, shall I let you know about these recently developments?" "Yes, please do" Granny said, as the two began to talk about various matters.
At the same time, Kuroki and Riku were just heading home. Ryuu had gone back to the Knight Brigade, and Kaede back to Ellie''s, so it was just the two of them now. THe sun was only just starting to set, and yet the two were on high alert. "How many exactly, Kuroki?" "At least about two dozen. Maybe three dozen". "I guess we kinda pissed them off huh?" It was obvious this was whatever criminal organization had been hired to try and kidnap them. They didn''t know exactly what happened, but no attack came while they were camping, when it would have been easier for them to get away with it, so it seemed that this might have been their backup plan. Needless to say, this was a very serious situation they found themselves in, but they thought they would at least wait till nightfall. They planned to be back home by then, but these guys were apparently planning to come after them while it was daylight out. The numbers were also an issue, and they had not seen any city guard for awhile. And this was a nice area with some stores too. "This...isn''t looking good, is it?" "No, it isn''t. Frankly speaking, we are absolutely going to get attacked aren''t we Kuroki?" "I mean, their bloodlust is already palpable. Even without my Echomap, I could sense them". It was a situation in where it was clear what was going to happen. Even with the sun being out, they were going to have people come after them. "If we stay near people, that might help right?" Kuroki shook his head. "No good. Some of them are hiding within the crowds. I am sure they have cloths drenched in sleep chemicals ready for us". "Yikes. Criminal organizations are scary!" "Indeed. So I think our best bet would be to rush home while launching off powerful magic". "Not lead them into an isolated area to avoid civilian casualties?" Kuroki bit his lip. As good natured as he was, he had to refuse that idea. "No. We need to prioritize ourselves here. I am sure Ryuu would refuse this, but we aren''t heroes. Thankfully they only came after us after we split. If we make it very flashy, it will raise questions and pressure on who ordered the guards away. This will make it really awkward for Valiance, who I am sure is behind it. Especially if kids are attacked in broad daylight. It will really give them hell". "Alright then, so when do we start running then?" "Right abou...shit". Riku looked concerned as well. "More guys blocking the street up ahead? Seriously?" "Now we have to take the back alleys". "They really thought this through. They are getting their people into position all over. Its either we walk right into them, or we walk into an isolated area for them to ambush us easier". "And we can''t make the first move, or they can pretend to be guards and come and arrest us, is my guess". This organization was clearly on alert, but Kuroki and Riku had no way of knowing this was because they lost three whole teams in the span of a single night. One was repelled by Zak and currently missing, one had their corpses found by their scouts already after they tried to go after Reiji and Juno, and one team just vanished inside of a city. Their scouts lost sight of them when they entered an alley, and nothing came out afterwards. At least nothing they could see. It had them all really freaked out. That was why they were going overkill in terms of force to go after their targets. Even using hired thugs to bolster their ranks, and they were not being subtle either. This wasn''t just about profit anymore. They were under the impression that they were being targeted, and embarrassed. They had concerns some rival was trying to move in, and they needed to confirm capture so they could sell the "goods" to stock up on the coin they would need to fight off such an invasion. Though perhaps, they were already being influenced by the Demon King as well. That was well within the realm of possibilities. As a result, Kuroki and Riku were being targeted by all these people right now. They had no intention of letting themselves be captured, that was for sure. "So, the plan?" "Step ring Santa, wire burst, blast through charge, plate run". Kuroki knew they were listening in, so he avoided using words they would really understand. Step ring santa meant he would use ice in a wide area, and then wire burst was meant to be electric burst, or rather, lightning burst. Then Riku would blast through using Brilliant Flare, including through some walls if necessary, as they made for home. Plate and run were both meant to symbolize that. Homeplate, home run. Baseball terms. It was a bit tricky at times, but it was the only way they could communicate their plans without being overheard, so they practiced it a few times now. The moment they made it into an alley, the thugs all attacked them. Some of them sprung out from side alleys, others jumped down from rooftops, and some came at them from behind. There was no warning or words given, and these guys had cloths and knives out. Not only that but they coordinated their rush, which caused the two boys to feel a bit overwhelmed. Kuroki immediately unleashed the large scale ice attack he had been building up, as the entire world became surrounded in a huge ice. However, he had been chanting that spell for the entire walk over. This let him add quite a few verses to it. Ice spikes began to branch out of the frozen areas, skewering some of them and smashing others into walls. A few of them went flying into the air before landing in the ground, and some just got frozen solid. But many others managed to avoid the direct attacks or having their feet frozen to the ground, which vexed Kuroki. Still, this was when he unleashed his second part of the plan. Water conducted electricity, and while it was only effective thanks to magic, ice was just frozen water. This let him send out electrical snakes throughout the ice. They spread and spread, hunting down their prey and delivering to them enouch voltage to render them unconscious. Not enough to kill, but it certainly wasn''t a pleasant experience by any means. ANd yet that still did not deter them, despite seeing their allies foam at the mouth and collapse along with all the ones trapped by ice. This caused Riku to get worried, as he utilized his magic. He used Brilliant Flare to cut through several of them while breaking through a wall, leading them into a warehouse. Kuroki ran after him, and then Riku did another to break out through hte other side, all while swinging his sword upward and creating a huge pillar of flame into the air. With this done, it was a huge beacon for everyone nearby. The guards couldn''t risk ignoring that, especially given it could possibly cause arson. In their modern world, arson was a serious crime. But in medieval Europe, which was sort of what this time was like, it was considered even worse. Kuroki and Riku didn''t know this, as Riku would have refused to use any fire attack inside of a city to avoid even the risk of an arson charge, but generally speaking arsonists got executed. It wasn''t like they had fire engines or the like, and all buildings tended to be closer together for safety. As such, fires could be devestating. And so someone who purposefully set fires, who committed arson? They were a threat to a great many people, and caused massive amounts of harm. As such, they got executed. As such, a fire pillar appearing inside the city? And not by the Mage''s Guild or training grounds? That would result in an automatic guard investigation, and that is if the giant ice tower Kuroki made beforehand didn''t do the trick. That wasn''t some child''s prank or playing with magic, those were massive and serious. And they would get a reaction, one way or another. Kuroki just hoped they wouldn''t get in trouble for any of it. And yet the moment they broke out of the warehouse, they found giant nets cast in their direction. Kuroki immediately created a field of ice from his feet and had ice spikes shoot upwards to intercept them, while Riku cut through another. Somehow, there were already goons there to intercept. Impossible! How did they know?! Riku cut through several more nets, using a technique to spin around in a circle with a blade, meant to be used against multiple attackers from all directions. Kuroki meanwhile summoned floating crystal arrows and had them launch out in all directions, piercing several of them and knocking them into various things. He wasn''t really able to aim to well, because of the flurry of attacks that came their way, but he was focused on at least making it so they couldn''t follow or chase them. This was way different then a few drunk and high adventurers in a guild. This was a coordinated force, and while they were holding their own, they were outnumbered forty to two. It was not good odds for them, which meant they had to keep moving closer to Amyris'' place. The security there was top notch. The moment they made it inside, they would be safe. But right now, getting there felt like it was a tall order. A swarm of arrows came after them. Kuroki''s cloak sprang into action, deflecting them as they came. It had already entered full power, but in the end it was just a cloak. It had a lot of features, but it couldn''t just one sidedly secure their safety. Not to mention, a few of the arrows still got through. Most missed, but one hit Kuroki in the leg. He used magic to remove it and seal the wounds so he could keep running, but it hurt with every step. Riku was just barely able to dodge at their swords and daggers came at them, and cuts were appearing across his body from almost near misses. Kuroki put up wall after wall of ice behind them, to slow them down as his cloak grabbed one guy and threw him into another. It then split in two, with half of it going on ahead while the other went in front of them, swallowing them. They were spat out at the other end, several dozen meters further along. They were only just entering a residential area now. People were shouting and screaming, others were closing their doors out of fear. It was a large force after all. This was blatently being too forceful in public. Kuroki was surprised they had not run away or scattered, but then again, he did not know of their current circumstances and mindsets. If he had, he would not be as surprised, but he still would be surprised none the less. After all, this was a rather big and flashy battle. Criminal organizations liked to stick to the shadows, so law enforcement couldn''t go after them. This was absurd, the way this was happening now. It was almost as if the one driving this whole situation was off their rocker, and yet at the same time, one couldn''t ignore the fact that none of the guards were around. Which meant they had clearly planned ahead and set things up ahead of time. And that was dangerous for them in their own right, since it implied whoever was responsible really knew what they were doing. And then, just as they were rounding a corner, vines swirled around their legs and tripped them, before dragging them into a different side alley. Kuroki quickly froze them, but more came from the ground and proceeded to bind them. Riku tried to burn them all out, but the vines quickly held blades to their necks. Kuroki however froze them all instantly, as they both got up and jumped into the air. Riku used Flare Enchant on his feet to give him a boost, while Kuroki was using wind magic on his feet to increase his ability. Kuroki then utilized Frozen World on this area, freezing the ground and everything else in the area, purposefully trying to prevent any of those vines from breaking out of the ground using hardened compressed ice. He even triple layered the compression, folding it in on itself using magic to create ice that was as strong as steel at least. And yet the vines were able to break through all the same, coming after them with an increased fury. Riku was up next. "Incendia Slash!" Using a new move he created, he swung his blade as he unleashed a slash of fire. This fire slash however was not so simple as it appeared. The moment it caught onto something, it traveled down the vines, burning each and every one of them in its path. With this, all of the vines should be eliminated. And yet, immediately afterwards, more broke through the ice again. "Kuroki, this vines are not just being controlled by magic!" "Yeah, they are being created by it!" They landed on a rooftop, as the atmosphere felt like it got a bit...red. It wasn''t from the setting sun, but it felt like something shifted. If Kuroki had to guess, they just got isolated into a separate space. In other words, they had been totally cut off. "Not good". "They really are not pulling any punches here!" Kuroki was already chanting a spell, as more vines came after them. Kuroki spun around, using his Water Puppetry technique to finish them off as he finished chanting his spell. "Frostfall!" A huge blue magic circle appeared above them all, as a giant glacier came falling down along with several ice spikes. The thugs that had followed them into this isolated space had to dodge, while the mage who had been controlling the vines directed the vines to attack the gracier. At this point, Kuroki was able to trace the mana back to its source, and locate the mage that had been hiding from them and attacking them remotely. "Found them! Inside that building there!" The two immediately rushed towards the mage. They couldn''t keep doing an endless battle where they were the only ones being targeted. And it was likely this mage set up the isolated space, so they hoped defeating them would bring it down. Riku smashed through the ceiling, as Kuroki unleashed his Frozen World spell upon the building. Everything became encased in ice, and Riku immediately went to defeat the mage. "Now now, little boys...resistance is futile, you know?" Those were the words they heard when suddenly huge vines sprang from the ground, totally restraining them. Unlike the previous ones, they seemed far more impervious to fire and ice, and restrained them completely instantly. "As expected, I let you follow the trail, and you came charging in right into my trap". That entire trick had been her wanting them to try and charge in, just so she could trap them like so. It seemed she had thought this out ahead, reading their moves before they had even made them. Perhaps, she was the most terrifying opponent they had ever faced yet. And she had captured them completely. "Now then, lets get you ready for transport and selling. Ah, those clothes and weapons looks like they will make us quite the pretty penny too! How exciting!" she said, a tinge of excitement in her voice as they were choked out and their consciousnesses faded away. Chapter 41: The Silver Wrath In this world, kidnappers and human traffickers could generally get paid twice. The first and most obvious one was the person themselves. However, this actually tended to be what they sold second later on, unless they had set up a buyer ahead of time. The second was the clothes and belongings of those they kidnap. Clothes were a valuable commodity here alone, not to mention anything else they might have that could go to a trading post, general store, pawnshop, or other similar shop. As such, any kidnap victim was stripped bare almost immediately and then restrained by tying their hands behind their backs and their ankles were tied together too, and then their arms were tied around their torsos and their thighs were tied together as well. Sometimes these knots were then tied together to restrain their movements further. After that, their belongings were collected to be evaluated by whatever criminal contact the criminal had to determine their value, and then they would be sold, typically to someone who didn''t ask questions if not an outright fence. This was also to serve as a way for them to evaluate the goods. Making sure there was no sickness or blight anywhere on their bodies, as well as overall evaluating their appearance to see how much they can mark up the price. Examining the quality of their skin, their muscles for physical labor, seeing what they were sensitive too. Plus it made them easier to clean up and wash to make more appealing and presentable to their sellers. Naturally, the victims themselves had no say in the matter. That was what Kuroki and Riku had gone through before they were thrown into a cage in the back of the wagon. There was some sort of magic that prevented sound from getting in or out, and seemed to create a fake view of ordinary merchandise if anyone looked in. Furthermore, in addition to the usual restrains, they each had a collar placed around their necks. The moment they were thrown into the cage, the driver decided to do a test. In an instant, it zapped them with a furry and intensity that made them cry out in pain and spasm, before it was finally deactivated. A warning to try not to escape, surely. The two of them were not the only ones in the cage either. There were three other boys, one of them being Zak. The second boy appeared to have orange, messy hair that looked like it was supposed to be a bowl cut, and the other boy had long blue hair that went well past his shoulders and just went past his nipples. He also had pointed ears that Kuroki got a glimpse of through the air, indicating he was an elf. All of them were restrained in similar fashions. Given the sun had already set, and that the cage wasn''t covered and the wagon didn''t really provide any thermal insulation, all of them were feeling a bit chilly right now. All of them were completely naked as well, and most of them were very much afraid of what was going to happen. Zak meanwhile, just looked uncomfortable by the whole situation. Even though he had a body of a child, and even the physical brain of one, which caused him to be more expressive then he probably realized, he still had at least some sensibilities as an adult. And his adult, police officer who specialized in crimes against children mind was extremely displeased by being locked in a cage naked with four kids who were also naked. Even though he surely went to bathhouses various times which surely also had kids there as well, Kuroki figured he was just that kind of person. Well, at least it let Kuroki know he was at heard a good guy. Maybe a bit too much of a prude since the situation was way too serious to think about this stuff though. Kuroki was way more worried about what might happen when they arrive at wherever they were being taken to. "You know, there are other things to be concerned about..." Kuroki pointed out to him. The other two boys were crying, and even Riku was really afraid and worried. Unfortunately, the collars around their necks prevented them from using magic, so Kuroki couldn''t do anything either. He kept trying, but then it would shock him rather violently as well as stop him from using mana. "Says the one who keeps trying to use magic knowing what will happen" Zak mentioned as he saw Kuroki writhe on the floor again. "But its okay...well, probably. Actually I am concerned for a different reason then you are thinking. Well, it might be both, but still". "What exactly did you do? I was as flashy as possible and no help ever arrived". "Yeah. Cherry Road reacted stronger than I expected. I guess they didn''t like failing on two fronts". The other boy, the blue haired one, looked at them confused. "Two? I overheard three". This caught Zak off guard. "Wait three? Then did...oh...I must have missed something. Certainly that might explain things, maybe. I need to know the details though". Kuroki frowned as he managed to get himself sitting up again. For better or worse, he was used to getting himself back up while being both in pain and unable to use his limbs fully. His experience with his shitty father was thanks for acquiring that strange skill. "You are way too calm". "Well, I am worried on if he will reach us in time true. If our rescue doesn''t arrive before the Auction is over, we could be seriously screwed". "The Auction? Rescue?" "Yeah. They are in serious moneymaking mode. They were only paid to kidnap you by this point, but they got permission to do as they pleased with all of us after the abductions. So they plan to auction us off in a black market auction in secret. Its horrific, demeaning, and violates so many laws the people behind it will probably get executed if they survive". Kuroki frowned, but even moreso when he looked at Zak''s smugness. "You are getting a bit too smug there, given the situation". "...listen okay, revealing the truth and crushing criminals, especially those that target children, happen to be some of my favorite things in the world". "But we are literally about to be sold by those people to others! We can''t even do anything right now!" "Ah, but I already did something". "Exactly what did you do? Who is coming to rescue us?" "I sent a letter to your teacher, Amyris, ahead of time of course. I made sure to add in plenty of details of what they might do to us. Granted I didn''t expect them to come after me as well, nor for them to go after you the way they did. That will probably amplify things". Riku and Kuroki immediately looked at Zak in horror, as they recognized just how much anger and spite he might actually hold right now. "...you...you sure that was wise?" "We wont die in the crossfire right?" "Nah, we will be fine. Oh, and for safety reasons, I sent one to Riza as well". Kuroki and Riku both went pale, while the other two boys had glimmers of hope. "The Magician of the Silver Hour and Shining Hope?!" "Yeah. So long as they make it there before the Auction concludes, we will be fine. I didn''t actually know its location, cause they keep moving it, even after all my investigating, but yeah. This is why I am so calm. I think the odds are in our favor". "But how will he find us?" "Honestly, I don''t know how...but keep in mind who we are talking about here. Frankly, I am more concerned they will forget to hold back" Zak said, as he sat back and relaxed a bit.
Amyris was looking at a letter sent to him by an anonymous source. His face showed no sign of expression, and yet that in itself gave an uneasy feeling to the two senior apprentices behind him. "...to think they got kidnapped when we were finally able to meet properly" the fourteen year old boy magician, Lyrian Bell, mentioned. Like Kuroki, he had a Grimoire, but he also had a wand as well. He was wearing a blue cloak with silver trimming, as well as a green shirt, black shorts that went past his knees, and nice and sturdy brown boots. "Still, we should act fast. If they get sold before we get there, we might never find them. Course we still need to find the auction itself". "Lets just kick in all the usual places and beat down anyone who might know till they tell us!" his counterpart, the sixteen year old girl said. Her name was Saphiril Danes, and she was wearing a similar cloak, along with a silver-white shirt, long black pants, and crimson boots. She had a staff with her, but the bottom end was also a blade, so it was also a spear. Amyris meanwhile seemed to stare at the letter for a moment, before standing up proper. "We will exterminate them all". "Teach, capturing them alive will let us get information from them that could lead to other human traffickers, and free children in other cities as well" Lyrian said, using both logic and emotion to calm his teacher. Amyris processed what he said, and then nodded. "Very well. We will leave some of the grunts and leadership behind. Mainly the ones who might actually talk. The clients...well, we wont go out of our way to kill them, nor spare them". Lyrian let out a sigh of relief. He had managed to avoid the worst case scenario. Still, he had to be sure of one thing. "Perhaps you should open with that spell, to ensure no hostages can be taken?" Hearing those words, Amyris nodded at Lyrian. Meanwhile, Saphiril looked ready to go. "So, shall we smash in doors till we find them?" "This letter mentions informing Riza as well, so that will be easy. We just need to find him and see where he rampages". "Awww, can''t we rampage as well?" "Riza has an uncanny ability to find people and appear at the right time, unlike myself who always seems to be late" Amyris said, sounding depressed. When Anna got cursed, he had been too late, and she had to petrify herself. It was a major weight on his conscious, and it fueled his rage. He then turned towards the door. "We are departing now. Lets see if we can find Riza first, or the Shadow Auction first". Those were his words, as the ground beneath him seemed to freeze. He was already beginning to cast and layer spells. Saphiril looked ecstatic to get some action in, while Lyrian sighed and resigned himself. "Very well. I guess its up to me to make sure no one goes overboard then...provided I can" he muttered, as his own magic began to be formulated and layered ahead of time.
At the same time, Riza had jumped up to the highest point of the city. The Lord''s Tower, the tallest watchtower from which a city lord had loyal watchers keep watch over the city, looking for any sign of suspicious people looming throughout, as well as covering the approaches to the manor itself. It had perfect vantage points on countless different crossroads, as well as all paths that led to the manor. If one wanted to search a city quickly, and they had either telescopes or eyes that could see from countless meters away, this was the place. And Riza was one such person, who had used magic on his eyes that he learned from Amyris. This spell, Raven''s Gaze, would let him see through darkness and from incredibly far away, and his natural eyesight was already good, which made it even more effective. "Now, its likely they have already been brought to the building by this time. The letter was sent in advance, but the signs of conflict I saw were an hour old. Certainly, this is a large city, but its not the largest. With a carriage, they could have gone from the ambush point to any point in the city. So, where would I begin?" He doubted he would see them. These people were illegally capturing children to sell, there was no way they would operate in the open. Considering no one saw the capture or the final part of the battle, they had at least one mage working for them. He figured they probably utilized some sort of Isolation Sphere, or perhaps even a full blown Realm. "This is a criminal organization at work, given the numbers I heard about. Which means, they are skilled enough to operate undetected for decades. More then likely, they wont be easy to spot. Even I regularly go against these organizations, and yet they always slip through my fingers. Amyris too. They dont need fancy magic to be elusive after all". Yes, that was the major problem of his. It wasn''t like he, Ozlo, and Amyris just ignored these people before this. They had fought these kinds of people countless times, but they were good at compartmentalizing information. Even Necromancers couldn''t get much. If they made such easy mistakes, they would have crushed Cherry Road long ago. And yet, because it was Kuroki and Riku who was taken, they couldn''t just ignore things. However, the letter he had gotten from his anonymous source had mentioned some things. While the location and methods keep changing, this detective sounding person had mentioned a few things of note. For one thing, apparently Baron Rizlit was involved. And one of the Logistics auditors for the Merchant''s Guild, Emilli Froyst. Furthermore, there was even a plant inside the City Government''s Property Management Office. Also known as the Tax Office. The exact person wasn''t clear, but it was narrowed down to three names. This made Riza''s objective far more clear. He cross referenced properties the merchants guild had been asked to refurbish but not sell yet, compared it to the tax records audited by those three, and find out which vacant properly was being kept in limbo at this moment. By having the building appear to be repaired and taxed, but without anyone actually claiming it, if you did the purchase and sell orders right, you could make it effectively invisible from records and taxes. Basically, someone would purchase it but then immediately foreclose on it and it would go back to the tax record. But if the purchase order gets processed after the forecloser notice, then it enters a state of legal limbo. According to records, it was shut down and returned, but then purchased afterwards. However the purchaser was the one who foreclosed it first. This caused the fire to be audited normally, but if you had someone in the office, it could get "misplaced". It happened all the time, so no one would think twice, especially if the property was in a more isolated backstreet location. If it sounds confusing, thats the whole point of this little scheme. In truth, there were other aspects as well, but Riza couldn''t be bothered to think through it all. Especially when he found his target. "A theater. Four stories, and a basement. The property is in legal limbo, even more complex then normal. Apparently, its been maintained to avoid a fire...but it was handled by a private third party. So that is how they did it. We cant access government documents that are currently under dispute, but with no one actually disputing the case, it just gets stored away. No one would bother to look for it since its not an active or abandoned property". Riza lamented this annoying bureaucratic sized hole in their investigative ability, but this was the kind of thing one would only be able to notice if they checked every file individually and then also went around and checked every location in the city individually, and compared it to every single aspect of paperwork. But for someone to point us right to it, they must be one hell of an investigator. And that was when he spotted something. A few people who had connections to some of the suspects. They were not moving together, but they were moving in the same direction. The direction of the theater he uncovered thanks to the tip. To make matters more interesting, there were fresh carriage tracks leading to a large door meant for wagons to be moved in and unload cargo. Probably meant to be used for large props for the theater, but this also let them unload human cargo out of sight.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "Found you" he muttered as he stood up on the very top of the roof of the watchtower. He spotted a familiar bird passing by, and nodded. "Try to keep up Amyris. These criminal organizations have pissed me off a bit too much. I can''t promise my stress relief will leave you with anything to do". He jumped forward with almost superhuman strength, mana particles coming off his entire body as he landed on the rooftop of the manor and ran across it. His target was in his sight, and he was able to leap across entire streets with a single hop. His physical abilities clearly defied both logic and reason, and yet he was clearly controlling it. He never did any real damage on landing, maybe cracking or displacing a tile or two at most from tiled rooftops, or leaving a minor crack in wood and stone despite the force and gravity of his landings. To anyone watching, they would have been baffled by this superhuman display. Even Amyris, who watched through his familiar, was alarmed by this. His abilities truly do exceed himself. He should really stop putting off the Rank Up test already. While thinking that, he and his two apprentices used magic to close the gap, and meet up with Riza. If Cherry Road saw this, they would probably piss themselves, but they used magic to block perception of them. Now all that remained to see was if they would make it in time.
At the same time this was happening, Kuroki and others had ended up being shoved onto their feet. The bindings around their ankles and legs had been removed, and they were forced to walk onto a stage with bright lights shining upon them. There was quite the crowd in what appeared to be a theater, but it wasn''t totally filled out. That would have been absurd after all. While the number did indicate there were a severe number of truly depraved and disturbed people, or those representing them, it wasn''t like every single person like them had the connections to this group. There were other criminal organizations that existed after all. And those who were unable to attend due to being busy at the moment. Still, all of the victims were very uncomfortable and disgusted by this. It was one thing to strip of your own free will, but to be stripped and put on display was considered very embarrassing in this world still. Something about the difference between free will and it being taken away. Kuroki right now was having his own issue. The Darkness inside of him was surging forward, he had a strong urge to kill. And given the situation, the Darkness inside of him wanted him to go on a murder rampage. Kuroki was not sure if it was fortunate or unfortunate right now the collar around his neck prevented him from using magic, because as much as he wanted to escape, he didn''t want to give into the Darkness. He didn''t want to submit to this artificially enforced murderous impulse, yet he was having a hard time arguing against it right now. The criminals wasted no time either, as they brought the blue haired elf boy on stage first. There were now twelve of them in total, and apparently being an elf jacked up the prices a lot. It quickly went into gold coins in no time, before finally the bidding ended at 16 medium sized gold coins. The moment that was done, Riku was dragged onto stage next. As a Beastkin, the price also went quite high for him rather quick. Kuroki was seething, while Riku who was in the spotlight just felt worry and despair. Eventually, the price settled at 18 gold coins, and he was dragged away. After that, Kuroki was brought onto the stage, and everyone oohed and aahed. "He looks quite healthy". "I wonder if he is older then he looks, given that". "What an interesting specimen". Kuroki went red in the face, half from embarrassment and half from anger. That anger fueled the Darkness, especially as he heard Riku being dragged away still, to be packaged into a box as they tried to make him take a sleeping drug. Chills went down his spine as rage swelled within. He was standing completely naked on a stage as well, and the temperature was still going down after the sun had set, so there were normal chills as well. Even his breaths full of white hot rage became visible vapor as they exited his mouth, as he felt like it was freezing. Wait, hold on...it can''t be THAT cold. We are approaching summer! So this means... Before Kuroki could complete his thought, the doors from the entrance behind the audiance seats were smashed open with such force that they went flying. They actually went so fast they hit two guards, killing them instantly with their sheer force. At the same time, ice began to spread among the room, as it began to cover the floors, walls, and ceiling. The mage that had captured them seemed surprised, but quickly adapted. She had her large vines come out of the ground to attack them, but then several rings of light emerged from behind and cut through them all instantly, vaporizing the parts that were cut off as Lyrian Bell stepped forward. "If you all surrender right now, you won''t die. At least most of you. Mind making this easy for us?" Naturally, everyone here knew that this was a bad look for them. At minimum, some of the leadership would be executed. And that was the minimum. Crimes against children could be punished with very harsh and brutal punishments. There was no guarentee their executions would be immediate or painless. They might be stoned, beaten, tortured, or such into giving information, and then killed. Or if someone else talked and gave all the information they had, they would be forced to suffer such treatment until they died. Perhaps some of the leadership would make deals and reveal sufficient information to get off with imprisonment. Also if they were not directly related to the harming of any child. The buyers at least could claim they just wanted servant labor. But the guys in charge? Crimes against children were punished with extreme prejudice, and they took a good look at the motives and considerations of each case. In this world, justice was not blind, and could see quite well. And of course, that was provided they survived the actual arrest. The other three didn''t look particularly merciful. "So, Amyris, it looks like there are about eighty people here in total. How about we each kill twenty each?" "...please at least give them the chance to surrender first" Lyrian muttered, as a guard came at him from behind. However, in the next moment, several swords made of light appeared from behind Lyrian and flung themselves into the guard, despite completely being in his blindspot. Each one held enough force to pierce through his body completely, spilling his blood and whatnot everywhere as he got hit in the head, torso, lower torso, and each limb. The others also raised weapons, apparently having no desire to go to prison or be killed. One of them grabbed Kuroki and put a blade to his neck, and several others took Riku, Zak, and the other children hostage. "Make any moves, and we kill the children". "No, you won''t" Amyris said, as mana surged from his body. It intimidated everyone, but what happened next sent them into despair and dismay. A large Clocktower was constructed in the air in front of them, floating. The hands both pointed upwards, indicating midnight. The Clocktower was not solid, but a blue translucent that could be seen through. Furthermore, it was something they all recognized. Amyris had already chanted his spell ahead of time. Kuroki looked on the tower with wonder, instinctively sensing the power and complexities it held. He was so eager to see what would happen, as Amyris chanted the final trigger. "Silver Hour". The Magician of the Silver Hour utilized his namesake, and Kuroki''s world was engulfed in light.
The moment the spell was triggered, things changed drastically for the worse. Suddenly, Kuroki and the other children had all disappeared. Every hostage they had was gone, and magic seemed to seal away the exits as they became frozen shut. Furthermore, they now knew who was here. They knew who was after them. A famous adventurer and knight who had saved countless people, who despite being an old man in his sixties or seventies had the appearance of a young thirteen year old boy. A cool headed young magician who appeared around fourteen, who seemed to be the voice of reason and yet had as much of a habit of going overkill as his master, given the fact he used multiple swords against a guard that only needed one. He seemed like the type who took responsibility a bit too easily too. A hot headed sixteen year old female magician whose staff was also a spear, who seemed ready to fight everyone here without holding back. And then, of course, the one they feared the most. Amyris, also known as the Magician of the Silver Hour. A famous adventurer who had protected all the civilians of entire cities during crisis, using his signature spell, Silver Hour. While it was active, the innocent could not be harmed, and could not even be present on the battlefield. It allowed him to not only resolve hostage situations in an instant, but it also let him protect civilians who were in danger and let knights and warriors focus on defending themselves rather then others. The Blue Translucent clocktower was something that filled allies with hope, and enemies with dread. After all, it confirmed everyone here was an enemy now. "So, don''t you all want to surrender? If you do, I am sure only a few of you will get executed" Lyrian told them. "We might even keep it as low as fifty percent!" Despite his cheerful voice, that number raised concerns with everyone. One even had to question that. "Hold on, they rarely execute that many for this kind of thing!" Lyrian however just looked at him with a shrug. "I mean, I saw their bodies you know. I am pretty sure I saw evidence that you dosed them a bit to make them more appealing, that confirms, as proof, that you intended to sell them for sexual reasons. That is an instant death penalty. Furthermore, any buyer who bought them will likely be found guilty as well, which means instant death penalty. Their security will probably be arrested, but depending on what is found at your residences, such as other children you have purchased in the past, and any signs of those activities forced...well, again, death penalty. Granted, the more you give up and testify, and the more money you have to pay for reparations, might let you avoid a death penalty, but honestly? Everyone is going to hate your guts. Some of your cell mates might kill you, and then they might get released early for good behavior". Lyrian told no lies and they knew it, but that last one concerned some of them. He did omit that was only if they all got the maximum sentencing, which was unlikely, but he wasn''t in a good mood after seeing that many kids like that. Still, he more or less just confirmed they might even get killed if they went to prison. "Of course, keep in mind that if you resist, at least eighty percent of you might die. So you know, you have the odds of being in that surviving thirty percent". Lyrian was actually a bit pissed off, so he was inflating the numbers to the worst possible case for them, but he didn''t care. He normally stayed cool headed, but this scene brought up unpleasant memories for him. He remembered when he stood on a similar stage, for a similar reason. Riza meanwhile looked at the clients. "Tsk. The targets I really wanted to see aren''t here". "No Valiance at all?" "Not a single member of his house. Even the errandboys". He plunged a sword into a nearby guard for one of the buyers, pissed off. This action caught them off guard. Another tried to go after him, but a second sword appeared in his hand and he cut the man''s head off. A few more guards of the criminal syndicate came after them, but Amyris simply took a step forward and suddenly they were all encased in ice. It was much faster than what Kuroki did. In fact, no one even saw the attack happen at first. They were just instantly encased in ice. Riza charged around and began lopping off heads, focusing on anyone who looked like they didn''t know anything. He was using his intuition, but his intuition had gotten him out of danger many times and was honed from decades of experience. Saphiril meanwhile seemed content with just cutting through them in any which direction. She seemed to not have much personal motivations, but she clearly wasn''t a fan of them and was a fan of action. Perhaps a bit of a battle junkie, she was careful to leave anyone who looked important alive for questioning. Of those that survived, Lyrian restrained them, although the restraints hurt like hell. Any time someone restrained directed rage or anger at them, or tried to take any action to run away or fight, the bands of light that had come around them gave them a healthy electric shock. This was matched to the exact same duration and intensity that the collars they put around the children''s necks had been, so it was giving them a taste of their own medicine. Including the fact he sometimes shocked them just cause he felt like it, just like they did to their illegally acquired slaves. Lyrian didn''t do too much of an excess despite his rage, unlike the others. One might say "Isn''t he so nice and fair". "Silver Hour is so nice" Riza said, as he gutted someone who he had spotted licking his lips at the children earlier. "I don''t think Kuroki and Riku are ready to see such a sight yet". "I agree completely. While we should prepare them to kill people eventually, they need not witness such a bloodbath so soon. For now, killing the monsters who are enemies of all humanity is sufficient". "Certainly, we wouldn''t want to show them their heroes covered in blood, talking so casually, as they butchered a bunch of lowlives, perverts, and illegal slave owners" Lyrian agreed with Riza and Amyris. "I guess that might be a biiit too much of a first impression". To the criminals, this was a horrifying conversation that sent chills down their spines and made them understand how screwed they were. The more people who ended up corpses, the faster they ended up surrendering. Lyrian would then restrain them with his magic, creating countless rings of light to fully restrain them. The fact that he made the bindings way tighter then necessary was total coincidence, incidentally, and certainly not intentional. Wink wink. Lyrian was a good and responsible boy after all. Saphiril meanwhile was diligently making sure to clean up the trash. While she was haphazard about her strikes, her spear would twist into a sword, and then occasionally just bend and strike at her foes. Occasionally she impaled them with flaming lances, and other times she had the earth eat them whole, their screams echoing from the abysses she sent them into. Whenever an attack was made against her, a magical hexagon barrier appeared, blocking it rapidly and precisely despite the fact it was clearly a reaction after she noticed the attack. The reaction speed was just that fast. Wasn''t she so diligent with her combat training? Truly someone should praise her! By the time the battle was over, blood was everywhere. They had let it spray all over the place, except themselves. All of them were eerilie clean around this, and the only ones left alive were those who surrendered or who they wanted to keep alive to question. "Riza, the spell will end soon. Can you drag them into another room for questioning?" Amyris asked. "I need to clean up this room for when they return". "Ah, sure. Make sure you get rid of the smell as well! Riku is sensitive to that". "He isn''t the only one" Lyrian chimed in. "Ah, Lyrian, can you help make sure my questioning still remains within dubious legal guidelines?" "Sure" Lyrian said, following him out. The prisoners were not exactly happy with how that was phrased however. Amyris looked at the room they had thoroughly messed up, and then the clock. "Alright, time to get to work".
By the time the light faded from Kuroki''s gaze, they were still in the same room as before. They were still naked and collared and tied up, and nothing about them had changed at all. Furthermore, the room looked exactly as it had been. Nothing changed with any of the seats, they all looked completely undamaged. The carpet was all there, with no signs of blood or anything. A few spots were damp though for some reason. However, there was one big difference. Everyone other them Amyris and Saphiril was gone. No corpses, no prisoners. Everyone else had vanished. Amyris quickly went onto the stage, knelt down, and hugged Kuroki. "Its okay. It''s all over now". "R-right. Master, what happened?" "First things first" he said, as he touched the collar. It sparked a bit, hurting Kuroki, before opening up and falling to the ground deactivated. He then proceeded to do that to all the other captured children, freeing them instantly. Most collapsed into tears of joy and relief, some went and hugged Amyris as they were full of gratitude and joy. Zak did neither, instead just sighing with relief. That guy really needs to improve his acting skills. Leaving that aside, Lyrian came in soon after, levitating a huge crate. "Hey, I think I found everyone''s clothes and such, but let me know if not everything is here! There is a lot more crates in the other room and its possible they didn''t keep it all together!" As he said that, the children immediately went to reclaim their belongings, including Zak and Kuroki. Everyone tried to cram in all at once of course, which got a little chaotic and shovey with everyone slamming into each other. The sight caused awkward looks from the three older mages. Eventually however, they got their stuff out, and they all got dressed. However... "There are some sets of clothes in here that dont belong to any of us" Kuroki noted. Yes, the numbers did not add up. That meant there were others who were sold recently, before their belongings could even be sold off. "They must have been capturing and selling people off in a hurry. But to do it so brazenly...they must be trying to build up money desperately for some reason". "Ah, I think I can answer that" Zak mentioned. "I heard now from a few people, including other victims, that multiple kidnapping attempts failed last night. Apparently, three whole teams went missing or were outright butchered. It seems they are under the impression a rival organization is coming after their turf, so they must be securing funds to use against this perceived threat". Kuroki stared at him. "And, tell me, what were you doing in the forest last night again?" "Just doing some nighttime requests is all" Zak said, but Kuroki didn''t buy it at all. Amyris meanwhile seemed more concerned about the missing children. Going by potential outfit combinations, there were at least seven of them still out there. This stuff usually got sold to a pawn shop fast to avoid leaving evidence, so this was recent, within the last twenty four hours. "If the buyers are in town, we wont be able to trace them so easily" Lyrian said. "They could have sent intermediaries or changed hands. However, if they were selling to locals during this auction, chances are they might have not been sold, but transported to a bigger commercial city to be sold there. In which case, they should still be in transport. There isn''t any city within a day''s travel from here, even if they kept moving all day and night". Riza came rushing in, wiping something off of his sword before making it disappear. "Its transport. They had already promised their ''goods'' to another city. No way they would hold two auctions in the same place normally, this second one was an emergency set up. To gather funds locally". "You got it from the suspects?" Amyris asked. "Yes. I also confirmed what route they were sent on. Apparently, they left twenty two hours ago towards the city of Rithil". "Damn it. That is way too far away". "Certainly, it would be...if we had anything to worry about". Amyris looked at Riza''s smile. "What do you know?" "A division of the Order of the Silver Wind is stationed in that city". At those words, Amyris smiled in kind. "I see. Shall we send a few carrier birds then?" "Just what I was thinking as well. They will be able to meet that caravan in advance and show them some wonderful hospitality". The two began to laugh a bit, but a scary laugh that sent shivers down their spines. Kuroki looked over to Lyrian. "By the way, what happened? You all disappeared, and then the battle was over". "That is the effects of the spell, Silver Hour. For an hour, all civilians and non-combatants are removed from the combat area. This allows all defending forces to not have to worry about them, and provides relief for the forces during a monster invasion. Furthermore, when the spell ends, if the areas they were in before are not safe, they will be sent to the safest area possible in the range of the spell". "Wait, so basically he just excludes people outright for an entire hour?" "Yes. This spell has let him defend this city against countless threats. A big part of city defense is civilians you see. Especially during the first breach. By removing that issue for a full hour, everyone can make full use of counter attack measures without having to worry about civilian casualties. Furthermore, if its really necessary, he can just cast the spell again. He has enough mana for a few casts in a row". "...yeah okay, I can see how that would help a lot". It reduced the burden on the defenders when all the civilians and non-combatants were no longer a factor. Furthermore, even if it ended and he couldn''t recast, they would be guaranteed to reappear at safe locations. Silver Hour wasn''t so much a combat spell, but a utility and support spell. But the effects were so amazing, Kuroki could understand why it became a core part of his title. Magician of the Silver Hour...it was a title bestowed upon him because he could keep an entire city population safe using such magic. Kuroki hoped one day, he might be able to use such grand magic as well. Chapter 42: The Various Perspectives Of Various Sides Five people met in a dark, rather generic room. It had cobblestone floors and barrels and crates all over the place, with an table in-between them all. These five were those who led the organization known as Cherry Road, each one donning clothes and a mask that made it impossible to identify them. Only their voices could be heard, although it was possible they were purposefully disguising them. None of them held a drop of trust or certainty, as the tension in the air was palpable. "The Magician of the Silver Hour you say?" a serious man asked, as uptight as usual. "Yes. I was able to get clear in time thankfully using a dopple, but it was clearly him" a woman said, some excitement in her voice. "He found us instantly, and obliterated any and all defenses we had there. He rescued everyone not yet moved, and he was quite pissed off. I had heard stories of his wrath, but to see it first hand". "The old elf has many tales, but some of them sound ridiculous. Did you know some claim he is actually a spirit that is over a thousand years old?" an inquisitive man asked. "Still, it seems that he possesses a great power. Rumor has it he once froze an entire city for conducting illegal experiments on children". "An entire city? Surely you jest!" An unsavory woman mentioned. "He is capable of utilizing his Silver Hour magic upon a city, why not freeze it? One cannot underestimate that magician, you should already know that" a younger man said, stating things as if they were the most obvious facts of all. The five of them were in a bind. They realized they had angered someone they should not have, but at the same time, if they did not find a way to hit back, others would view them as weak and would consume them. And they were still concerned about the threat of being overtaken by their rivals and enemies, so they could not rest on their laurels. "We should poison one of their associates. I believe one of Riza''s grandchildren works in the Adventurer''s Guild as a receptionist, why not poison him?" "You want to poison Ozlo? Do you not know he is known as the Dragon Caller? We would be neck deep in dragons for generations". The unsavory woman backed off at the Inquisitive man''s remarks, clearly understanding the threat. No one wanted to be dealing with hostile dragons for several decades. Kingdoms have been destroyed by such wrath. "We could poison Amyris'' apprentice". "We got hit from targeting him once. Do you want to be frozen?" The serious man pointed out the flaw of the young man''s idea. "How about we burn down his house then? If targeting people is no good, why not things?" the woman with slight excitement in her voice suggested. The young man shook his head. "You think that place isn''t enchanted up to the heavens itself? Its likely to set us on fire, even if we send our lackeys instead". Yes, they were at a loss. They had to hit back, but hitting back was also suicidal. Not doing so meant destruction, yet so did doing so. That was the trap they were caught in. That was giving them no end of troubles. "What of Red Raven?" "He is already heading elsewhere, to deal with whatever force stopped us from obtaining our prizes in a different city on the other side of the ancient woods. It would take him a week at least to get to them". "Tsk. That is far too long. If only we had sold off those brats before they arrived, we could have counted that as victory enough". The group did not care who they hurt, so long as they could preserve their power and gain more of it. Not to mention the money. "Why not make another deal with those that wanted to see them harmed in the first place?" "True, we still have our contact. He was even sending an agent in disguise to the bidding, but it seems like they got captured. If we inflate certain details, wont he send his own people to go after them?" "Certainly, he might feel arrogant enough to deal with it for us. He has been such a good customer, and I doubt he will expose himself too much, but better him then us". "If even bigger news makes waves, then we will be fine". "So we should stir up someone else to cause trouble, therefore enacting our revenge, and letting someone else take the fall for us? How lovely!" It seemed they all agreed on a plan of action. The benefit of a criminal organization is that they did not need to make moves directly, or with any true connections. Those in the know would be able to infer instinctively they were behind this, and know that they were not to be trifled with. It could even fail, but still succeed in their books. This was why Cherry Road had been around for decades. They knew how to get things done while keeping the blame off themselves. And thanks to their most serious of upper echelons, they knew how to poke and prod people.
Twenty five year old Marzi Booker had a serious problem. It wasn''t that his desk was an effective mound of paperwork, not was it the fact that he was still single while his younger brother, Thaxius, bragged about his girlfriend to him constantly despite the fact he was four years younger than Marzi. It wasn''t even the fact that his usual breakfast place was out of chocolate croissants, his favorite, when he went there this morning. Nor was it the fact his boss was an effective lazy and worthless individual whose specialty seemed to be pushing all the work onto others and then slacking off. None of that was the serious problem that Mazri had. If those were his only problems, then he would just be a slightly unfortunate person who just hadn''t found the right person yet. Nothing wrong with that, especially that last part. No, his big issue was the paperwork nightmare that recently came to light. An anonymous letter had recently come to the attention of various administrators, which as a result had a huge amount of paperwork dumped on him to deal with. What this involved was various properties which had apparently been improperly filed by his coworker who worked at another location in the city, and now he had to verify and check all this out. Furthermore, due to the seriousness of the crimes, he would need to work with knights and the guards, who were very intimidating people. Intimidating, and stubborn at that. In other words, a nightmare for him who was only a civil official, basically a civilian and a paper pusher. What would he do then? In the end, he knew what would likely happen. His bosses would force him to do this, then the guards and knights would force him to go along with their whims, then his boss would get angry at him for not representing them well, which means in the end he will get yelled at no matter what! He doesn''t have the authority to stop them, nor go against them, not when there are clear criminal intent from these documents and from their offices! All he could do is hope that maybe, just maybe, they will be reasonable with their demands so the amount of yelling he has to endure is minor. That was quite honestly the only hope he had left, and that was about it. And so, here he was, waiting for such important people to come stomping in and drag him off, as he desperately tried to complete the ever accumulating pile of paperwork. Normally it would be at least somewhat manageable, but there were all sorts of weird things lately since all those shooting stars raced through the sky. Now the Demon King is returning apparently, and it was already having an influence on the minds of those in the fringe of society. As a result, he was now deep in paperwork hell. Suddenly, a knock came from his door. Could it be Tamlit with some coffee? "Come in!" He heard the door open, but couldn''t see it over the literal stacks of papers in front of him. He was busy examining documents, and then signing off on them or sending them to where they needed to go. He had to make sure everything was done right, or they might end up back on his desk again. "Tamlit, can you just put the coffee next to me? Thanks" he said, as he adjusted some things. "Erm, we aren''t the one who went for coffee. We are from the Guard Barracks and the Knight''s Order". That made him suddenly freeze and look up, to see four figures. Vice Captain Desris of the City Guard, as well as Captain Lessrid LeFont. Both women were well known for being highly accomplished city guard, as well as being tough on crime, especially Desris. They were also quite beloved throughout the city, but also known for their ferocity when they wanted to get things done. As for the two knights, one was a young boy, while the other was also a woman. That said, the official quickly noticed the boy''s armor was more decorated, indicating he was the higher rank. Furthermore, his emblem was that of Silver Wind. In other words, he was the Knight Commander of the Order of the Silver Wind, Riza Luminar. "Guard Captain! Knight Commander! How wonderful to meet you both!" He quickly stood up and bowed, as he was just a civilian official while the other was a noble and the Captain of the guard, and their vice-captains. He had heard plenty of legends of Riza, the S-Ranked Adventurer and Knight Commander of the Order of the Silver Wind. Supposedly he is several decades old but has a youthful appearance, that he has been praised by three generations of kings, and been given a myriad of awards. That he held the line against the Empire in three wars, including the seemingly impossible defense of Izaria. That he summons swords from thin air somehow, and that he gained his unaging body by bathing in the blood of an ancient dragon he slayed. That he once crushed several boulders with just one hand, and he is able to rewrite spell formula of others on the fly. Frankly speaking, the legends got even more outrageous the more they went on, but there was enough to know he was a great and powerful figure within the kingdom. And that he held a level of authority that could bypass his rank. But his vice captain, who was also his vice commander, was just as famous. Andrea Valmont. Rumor had it she once protected an entire village from a group of rampaging ogres, slicing through them with both magic and sword. That she once single handedly saved a group of children from Orc clutches, and that she exposed an evil noble''s plot to sell out various kingdom secrets and strategies to the Empire and the Union. And that she even destroyed the rampaging golem of Hylath, which protected a highly important mine for the kingdom from danger. She was considered to be kind, loyal, and extremely harsh against her enemies. Rumors has it that traitors who harm innocents of the kingdom are her most hated targets, and that her parents were murdered by one such traitor in the past. There are even rumors she might become engaged to one of the princes in the future, that was the kind of merit and power she held. These four figures, two famous in this town and two famous nationally, were now in front of him. Considering the timing, it could only mean one thing... "...don''t tell me, you four are the ones who I will be going around to all these properties with?" "That''s right! So let''s get going already!" Riza said, clearly impatient but also seemingly having a bit of fun.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Sheesh...why me? This was his thoughts as he ended up dragged out of his office and onto the streets, to deal with all this madness that lay before him. And so began a very long day for Mazri.
At the same time, Izziri Raycast was dealing with his own issues. He was a merchant, one who often made the trip between various frontier cities and the Capital. And yet, he had recently learned of something quite troubling. He was looking at his young apprentice, who had recently gone missing along with their horses. Normally one might think he stole the horses in some get rich quick scheme, but Izziri was not so foolish as to hire someone like that. The boy he had hired, whose name was Izilin, had apparently been kidnapped by a criminal organization known as Cherry Road, but was thankfully rescued just last night. The issue was however, that this same group was also the one who stole their horses. Apparently, they even used them to move slaves out of the city. "The indignity of it all...Izziri, are you okay at least? That has to be rough, being kidnapped and stripped by human traffickers twice in a row now...I wonder if its the same group?" "Y-yeah, probably" Izziri said, looking away. The merchant figured the elven boy didn''t want to talk about such tramatic events, but there was a truth he had not quite realized yet. To think my lie would end up becoming true! I knew when I appeared in this otherworld as an elf naked in the forest, I would need a backstory, but to think this ended up actually happening! Yes, Izziri was in fact one of the Starfallen. Starfallen tended to make easier targets since they had no family. In Izziri''s case, he used to be a thirty five year old office worker who had just endured extra overtime, and ended up going to sleep in the office. When he woke up, he was naked, in the middle of the forest, inside of a crater, and also an elf. Needless to say, he has been in danger if not for the kind merchant''s help. Thankfully he knew just enough about economics to lend some occasional advice and show promise, so he got taken on as an apprentice by the merchant. "Still, better stay close to me and the others for a bit to be safe. You never know who might be around". "Right". They sent five guys to kidnap a child. These guys are no joke. Thankfully those four came to save us, although I shudder to think about what they might have done to all those people who were gone when we got back. I guess they didn''t want to show children whatever they were doing. I am kinda glad about that to be honest. While thinking of such things, he ended up thinking about something. "Hey master, those horses...what breed were they?" "Pure bred Royal Stallions from the stables of the royal capital, why?" "Wouldn''t those be rather rare around here then? Couldn''t the guards maybe..." "Track them to find the shipment and rescue those kids! Of course, excellent thinking Izziri!" "Just wanted to help! I am sure they will give us our horses back, especially if we let them know about this!" "Yes, not having to buy more horses is a nice boon! Alright, quickly! Lets head back to that guard station so they can let the people responsible know!" "Right! They said they would be around this area I think, the ones in charge! Something about a property hunt!" Hearing that, the merchant took off with a vengeful look in his eye, while his Starfallen apprentice tailed behind him.
At the same time, a certain receptionist of the Mage''s Guild was busy with his own work. Yes, Vartra was hard at work, dealing with his own paperwork. He was the hardworking backbone of the Mage''s Guild, which despite not seeing as much activity as the Adventurer''s Guild lately from the war or the Rank Up Exam, had been doing its own work in the background. Making sure everyone''s contributions and merits were recorded, researching the strangeness regarding how quick the Goblin Surge happened, as well as looking into possible magical causes regarding the large Sylvan that was spotted earlier. The Mage''s Guild had various practical merits for ranking up, but also a lot of research. As such, there were countless papers that had to be gone through, and as a receptionist, he had to memorize not only the filing system but anything that seemed like it might come up a lot. In that sense, they were quite well versed on all sorts of magical research, from Artificing to Zylists. Everything had to be checked and double checked after all. And right now, he was looking into some recovered magical tools that were used for sealing magic and enforcing obedience. By all accounts, it was without a doubt a standard in the criminal underworld when it came to human trafficking. He had seen hundreds of these pass by his desk. However, that didn''t mean there was no merit to looking into them. Each maker had its own quirks and traits in their designs. Even if they were just using another''s design, it could suggest the general region it came from. For example, from the Empire, they tended to be a bit more forceful and heavy handed. Some might even affect one''s mind and force them to obey. There were far too many crimes using smuggled Empire collars then anyone would like to admit, but connections to the Empire were carefully monitored and looked into. Other collars, such as those from the south, might drain one''s mental abilities while enhancing their physical abilities. They were barbaric in their own right, as they would make one not only dumber and more docile, but also more dangerous. Their slave armies, something heavily looked down on not just by the various Kingdoms but even the Empire, was not something to underestimate. However, these looked like the typical ones found within the kingdom. Officially, they were only to be used for criminal slaves. The kingdom did not have the luxury of being able to jail all its criminals, and therefore needed to put them to work. They would have them do taxing jobs, and these were criminals found guilty of murder, rape, crimes against children, and the like. Basically, trash scum. It was not a perfect system, and moralists would be right to point that out, but it was what best fit their current situation, resources, and times. Still, there were clear laws. And that included that using any such collar on anyone who is under the age of fifteen is considered widely illegal, to the point that its a capital offense. Clearly that had acquired theirs illegally, likely bought on the black market or stolen, or acquired from some collapsed mine maybe. Either way, there would be a reckoning. Without a doubt, heads would roll to find so many children forced to wear them. Low ranking administrators could count their blessings that so many were captured alive, since it would mean they wouldn''t get blamed at least. But without a doubt people would talk, as the threat of a headman''s axe had a way of loosening tongues. The fact that the collars were local though at least meant they would likely not need to worry about Empire interference. And yet, that made him wonder something. "Lyrian, I am not sure Valiance is behind this". "Why? He should have plenty of access to those collars, shouldn''t he?" "Yes. But he should also have plenty of access to the Empire''s slave collars as well as the South''s slave collars as well. They might be impulsive, but they know how to implicate others and keep themselves clean. The fact that the trail doesn''t lead elsewhere makes me think its someone whose access is more limited". "Really, are you sure?" "Positive. Valiance may be an asshole, but we think he made his move by bribing that B-Rank adventurer. However, that guy has a lot of contacts. By all accounts, if one person bought him off this much..." "...someone else could have too. Shit. So Valiance caused the harassment, but you don''t think he was behind the abductions?" "I don''t. I think we are looking at two different masterminds here. Someone who may have even planned to use Valiance as a decoy for himself". Vartra looked around, and then went closer to Lyrian and whispered something into his ear. "The Mage''s guild recently performed some tests on collars like this last month, and all were reported as destroyed due to various experiments. However, these experiments were part of the Guildmaster''s personal research". "Wait wait, are you saying this might be Sebas?" "The collars being destroyed in experiments isn''t odd, it happens a lot as we develop ways to help the illegally enslaved. The Mage''s Guild leader also being involved with them isn''t odd either, since they are marked as dangerous materials. However, lately investigations have turned up the possibility of illegal human experimentation". "Shit. So it might be Sebas who made a move". "Indeed. And he has secret labs all over the place. I think you might want to save those kids sooner rather then later. If I had to guess...some of our staff have traced moved resources and shipments westward. If you were to go off in a direction from the city, I would recommend checking that area. There are various ruins there that could be used to hide a secret lab". "Interesting...very interesting. I will let the others know. Thanks, Vartra". "Yeah. Too bad I can''t go myself. Watching my dad go wild against whatever defenses the lab has would be...really cathartic considering what iv had to go through lately". "I would bet. Good luck on your own work". And with that, Lyrian went to tell everyone about the lead he uncovered.
At the same time, Mazri was leading around the delegation to various buildings. Right now there were looking into a huge, old stable building. It was meant as a stage coach stables, so there was a huge interior area, and since it was in the city, it was built with its entrances having a big set of doors, a small room, and then another big set of doors, so no one would hear the horses neighing or other noises that might be happening. Mazri had taken them all over the place, but it was this building that seemed to attract their attention. "Hmm. This is by the northwest gate, very isolated. You could fit wagons inside here, and it would be easy to load and unload humans, especially children, in here. The fact this building is designed to muffle sound makes it all the more likely. And we have fresh horse tracks, as well as horse poop and carriage tracks. They were here, possibly just a few hours ago even". Vice Captain Desris of the City Guard, as well as Captain Lessrid LeFont looked especially interested in some of the work done on the building. "It looks renovated. We might be able to identify the carpenter based on their handywork. We should have some experts grab some samples, we might be able to make some good arrests off of this". "I agree Desris. We should investigate in full. What about you two, Riza Luminar and Andrea Valmont?" "We know they are outside, as well as the likely gate they took. Mazri, can you tell me what carriage was used? You look at details like length and design all the time right?" "Well, I mean...I do verify a lot of documents, but...I mean..." "Come on, this is highly important to finding those missing kids!" "If I had to guess, I would say...hmmm...given the spacing, and the thickness of the wheels, we are looking for a standard carriage...but based on this swaying, they have not done maintenance on it in some time. And it was dealing with quite a lot of weight, probably from the cargo they use as a cover story. If I had to guess, you are looking for an extra large standard carriage, designed for cargo rather then passengers, that has a wheel that will need some work in the next month or so". "Alright. We have a description of the carriage, and we have the gate they used. Now we just need some leads..." "Excuse me, I have some people who are here to see you all!" a guard shouted right at that time. They quickly came out, only to see the merchant they escorted one of the children back to earlier, as well as Lyrian Bell. They took no delay, and quickly talked to them both. Afterwards, they found out exactly what they wanted to know. From the merchant, he described the horses in great detail, including their breed. The fact they were more common in the area around the royal capital and not the frontier would be a big help. And from Lyrian, he mentioned the likely direction they went in, as well as a general area there might be a lab where they were taken too. They had a description of the horses. They had a gate. They had a carriage. They had a likely direction. With all of these facts, they quickly regrouped with the others. Amyris was there, as well as Saphiril, and also Kuroki and friends were there. Kuroki had a look in his eyes, a sort of fire that Riza didn''t quite expect. I guess everyone is capable of growing. I thought, given the situation with his father, he might have wanted to run away...but it looks like he doesn''t want to run this time. or at least, not abandon others to such abuse. Kuroki had indeed planned to run away from his father, but right now his instinct was something else. It looked like rather then flee, he wanted to fight. He wanted to take down whoever might be responsible, even if it put himself at risk. Desris meanwhile talked to the gate guards, who then confirmed the details and reported that the exact carriage and those exact horses had left just moments ago, heading westward towards the forest, and that same forest had various old buildings and ruins in them. Not just elven, but human as well that was built later and then abandoned afterwards. The entire place was rather creepy. Naturally, Riza had his own carriage summoned to help him. This carriage was pulled not by horses, but by something that appeared to be similar to Velociraptors. "These Fangdrakes will help us reach them. They are twice as fast, and run three times as long, and are able to protect themselves if we are attacked by monsters. Everyone, get in and hold on. The rescue operations begins now". And so, the group of adventurers began to set off.
Meanwhile, in the city of Vastria. Akano and Tamaki were busy dealing with some guild paperwork. They were officially registering for their own rank up exam, as their achievements and notifications regarding the Goblins had finally earned them enough. At that point however, they felt some eyes on them. It had been rather unpleasant lately, however there was something strange today. There was significantly less eyes on them than normal, which sort of freaked Akano out a bit that he had gotten so used to it he could tell such things. He wondered if it would get any stranger or if that was it. He hoped that was it at least. There was one figure he did recognize however. A young boy in a black cloak, whose face was always hidden from his view. Even when he used some magic, he couldn''t see under that hood, it was just darkness. He was often watching them, and Akano had to wonder if he was something who was also a Starfallen. It was kind of weird he had not made contact yet, and any time they tried, he ended up disappearing around some corner. Ultimately, they decided to give up on that for now. But as they were finished registering, Akano heard a rather unpleasant voice he had hoped to avoid. Torita Ogami. The moment he heard that voice, he grabbed Tamaki''s hand as they finished their business and went to the side, trying to avoid contact. Akano had warned him already of this one. Someone who would no doubt be hostile and try to dominate them. As a priest and tamer party, they were a bit all over the place in terms of combat balance, so they had to be especially careful with a dedicated vanguard who was both skilled and a hostile piece of shit. Akano was sure they just managed to avoid them as he heard the boy get in the face of the receptionist, bragging and complaining simultaneously about how he completed a bunch of monster subjugation requests so it was time for him to rank up. Oh gods, please no. If he ranks up at the same time as us, he will definitely notice me. Unfortunately, the guild was a merit based organization, and E-Rank wasn''t that high. It was fairly likely that he would end up being able to rank up that much even with his rude manners, or at least take the exam. Hopefully the examiners would help keep the peace, but Akano just knew this would not do well down the road. Perhaps because he was so distracted by this however, both of them failed to notice a new set of eyes watching them...one with far more malice then any who had come before. Chapter 43: Assault on the Hideout "So, you managed to gather all this information from all these various people?" Kuroki asked, amazed at the information gathering skills of Riza, who he thought was probably an idiot who was just really powerful. Not that he voiced that sentiment out loud. That could invite trouble after all. In fact, Riza was currently giving him a look that he knew exactly what Kuroki was thinking, so maybe even thinking it was dangerous. Still, Vartra gave his dad a look. "Stop assuming what people are thinking". "Is it really an assumption when I am always right?" "Yes. And you are not always right". "Really? Name one time I was wrong". At that jab, Vartra had no counter to his father''s words, and just gave out a disgruntled grunt. Amyris just let out a sigh. "So we think this is a lab owned by Sebas?" "We have no evidence its linked to him, but the guy is so shady I wouldn''t put it past him. To him, everyone else is just someone to use to gain more power. The guy is a complete and total egomaniac, and experimentation on people is one of the best ways to get the best results unfortunately. Living Weapons especially, but also research into homunculi, magical abilities, and so on. Biomagic is one of the biggest unknowns out there, and unfortunately this research might have been discreetly sanctioned by someone. After all, the Empire, which is constantly looking to invade us and gain more territory, is believed to be doing advances in it at great length in secret. As well as Monster Blood Science". At those words, Riza scowled. It was very rare for Kuroki to see Riza show a negative emotion, and it made him and the others tense up when he did. "What is Monster Blood Science, and just how bad is it?" "A long time ago, it was created by Knights who wanted to be superior and dominate mages, who were getting more attention due to how much more flashy magic is. As such, they did not want to use magic at all, and instead began to experiment with monster blood. They created various elixers that, while making it harder to use magic, would give them greater strength, agility, and endurance. However, they took it way too far, and they became mosterous and threatened the world. Countless knights forced it upon civilians to add to their ranks, and they tried to enslave all the mages. Thankfully they were defeated, and those exliers became taboo, however...they are in fact still around". "No one in my order uses them, but we have caught signs of others using it. A single dose or two is safe, but the issue is these guys always want more and more, to feel strong and powerful and dominating. So they keep using it. Its like steriods, but way more potent and addictive. To use a term I heard Starfallen mutter". Silver Storm winced when they heard that. The way they talked about it, especially their tone, showed a certain level of disgust and hatred. People already seemed to be able to gain physical abilities beyond the norm in this world, especially by slaying monsters and training, so he didn''t even want to think what they would consider potent in terms of physical enhancements. He was also deeply afraid his father might end up using something like that, so he would need to train even harder then before and learn more magic for when the two would finally face off. Zak seemed certain they would in the future, although it would take awhile, which was good news for Kuroki. He still had some questions on how Zak knew so much, but he realized probing any further was pointless. Whether his tongue was sealed by magic, or he was simply secretive, he doubted he could get anything more out of the detective who tried to handle his case properly. The fact that he was unwilling to share despite feeling guilt hinted that it was serious enough of a reason not to share, so Kuroki had to respect it. At least for now. Incidentally Zak had joined them as well. After he heard all the clues, he got out a map and deduced the most likely spots among the ruins for a secret lab to be held. Kuroki wasn''t sure if any of the others knew he was a Starfallen yet, he had asked Kuroki and the others not to say anything after all. Apparently, he was hiding it. Likely related to him being secretive about his sources too, but Kuroki couldn''t say for sure. While Kuroki was thinking about that, Zak had his own thoughts. Things are progressing differently then I intended, but at least its better now. Kuroki is out of danger, and now his story wont include a slave arc. Still, one of the leaders of Cherry Road should have been caught. It is all very vexing. And this lab getting discovered so soon...it should help assemble the case, and will avoid future tragedy. But with this, I won''t be able to predict Sebas'' movements as well. He may crack down on any potential leaks, so getting information on future movements will be all but impossible. And...I don''t think I can avoid the conversation much longer, which means I need to do it while the others are distracted. So long as I word it right, I should be able to keep things under wraps for at least a little while longer. The more I remain unmarked, the better odds we all have to survive what the enemy has planned, whatever this enemy is. Zak was being especially cautious and a bit cryptic, even in his thoughts. A habit of his old job, and his new situation. Perhaps his head was also being jumbled whenever the carriage hit a bump and they all shook around, such as right at that moment. He grabbed hold of someone and just barely held on tight. His victim ended up being Amyris, who seemed to be using magic to not be affected by the high speed carriage ride. "Sorry". "No problem. I will spread my spell to everyone else". "Please do!" Kuroki pleaded. "Yes! This is very difficult!" Riku added. "I wanna hurl..." Ryuu moaned, as he leaned outside of the carriage for a bit and did indeed hurl. Vartra held onto him so he didn''t go flying off however. Incidentally, this carriage did indeed have a shock absorption and suspension system, but it was also being pulled at about 40-50 kilometers per hour, which well exceeded the normal speed of a carriage. This was due to what was pulling the carriage, and this was meant to be a rapid response rescue raid, which Kuroki was sure was not named like that by chance. That was a bit too much alliteration after all. Once Amyris used his magic to help, it was a lot less shaky and they were able to handle things a lot better. Apparently they would be using old roads soon, so this was absolutely necessary anyways. "So..." Vartra started, looking around. "Are you sure you should be taking the kids on this? This is a rather high level mission". "For combat or support? No. But they should see this, to learn how to fight the darkness...and the resolve they will need to save people". Vartra seemed to understand what they meant, and nodded. "I see. I suppose after these events, you are expediting things?" "Considering we don''t even know who or what caused the Starfall yet, we have to. The true force behind it has yet to make their move, and I doubt we will be able to tell what is going on before it happens. We need to get ready, faster and stronger". As they were talking, they were approaching their first destination. It was the closest one of the few Zak identified as likely targets, so while it was unlikely, it had been quite a long distance away. Had they not used a high speed carriage with high speed creatures to pull it, they probably wouldn''t have made it this far so quick. And yet, Amyris frowned when he saw the ruins. "Can''t believe we got it right on the first try". "Eh? For real?" "I can sense an unusually high amount of magic from my detailed active scanning. There is a facility underground that is shielded, normal magic probing would never pick it up, mine just barely registered it. That should tell you just how well its been hidden". "I don''t suppose you can tell anymore?" "No. This magic helps me sense things despite concealment, but in exchange, I cannot sense too many details about anything. It is the widest range possible though, and given how deep its underground and how well it has been warded, whoever is behind this is incredibly careful. More then likely, they will have some rather nasty security around to keep us occupied". Riza suddenly called forth two swords. "So, its up to me to be the doorknocker then?" Kaede looked confused. "Door knocker?" "Its a term for someone who goes in first into a ruin or structure. Conversely, any main entrance to a ruin or structure is nicknamed the front door even if it probably doesn''t really apply in a sense. Front door can often be used as a term to describe the first line of defense, which you might hit before you ever reach any actual door". "Oh, I see". Riza took a step forward, when ancient elven runes appeared all over the various rubble around him. In an instant, beams of light began to sweep the area. Riza cursed, dodging the beams as he took out a mirror, and used it to reflect the beam back at itself. In an instant, the rune and the piece of rubble it was on just straight up disappeared, as if it was erased from existence itself. Or at the very least, teleported. Riza proceeded to dodge the beams, desummoning his swords as he used his hands sometimes to dodge the beams, and then using the mirror to reflect them back at each other. Their eerie green light left nothing it hit remaining, it was just erased with no evidence of it ever being there. Not even ash to indicate anything was vaporized. No sound was made either, which made it incredibly spooky to those who watched. Eventually, Riza successully got all the beams to hit themselves or each other, displaying countless acrobatic movements in the process. "Looks like we are clear...is what I want to say" Riza muttered, when he held out a palm to get them to stop. "But be careful where you step. I am sensing minute traces of mana on the ground underneath. I somehow managed to avoid them when doing all that dodging, but they are probably a separate system of traps rather then the trigger for that trap". "Indeed. The first trap was frightening, eerie, and startling. The perfect distraction for the true trap. This is quite the nasty layout". "Remember, Sebas has been in the guild this whole time, which means someone else likely accepted the shipment" Vartra said, as he looked at the ground. "There are wagon tracks heading through here, same kind, heading into those old elven ruins over there. It matches what we saw before". Amyris quickly stepped forward, and coated the entire ground in ice. "This should neutralize any remaining ground traps. Now we can head towards the ruins proper. Thanks for dealing with the front door, Riza". "My pleasure, teach. I suspect the interior might be simpler, since if its that arrogant Sebas who set this up, he probably thinks that the first and second lines of defense he came up with is far too superior for laymen magicians like us".Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "Maybe, but this place absolutely has guards. Living ones too". Amyris made a valid point, but Riza seemed concerned. "Then perhaps I should just break the ruins". "Please dont. There are children inside, underground. We cant risk some weird magical chain reaction sealing the entire place off". "Awww. Thats no fun". Kuroki looked over at Amyris. "Is it too late to ask Ozlo or Vanessia to come join us?" "Yes. They are handling matters back in the city while we do this. We can''t all go after all".
Meanwhile, back in the city, Ozlo and Mazri were side by side, dealing with a giant paperwork snafu. "I swear! Why do they even need these redundant forms! This is the sixth one!" Ozlo shouted, his frusteration boiling over. "Thats what I keep telling them, but they say its important to have a variety of data and forms everywhere so its easier to find things". "BUt now we have to match up each form with each other, and then sign our own forms for each group of forms that we checked out, and then Mazri, we have to make sure it all gets filed at different offices!" "I know! Its a major pain! I have no idea why they spread out our offices and paperwork like this, but its absurd!" "Uhg! If only my shitty guildmaster could actually do his own paperwork properly". "I know! My boss shoves his work on everyone else as well!" Mazri and Ozlo looked at each other, as if they had found a longtime friend and companion who they had been missing for over a decade. They gazed into each other''s eyes and found the same great pain they themselves had suffered through. They held each other''s hands and gave them a firm shake, their expressions full of relief of finding a companion who understands them. No words needed to be spoken, for no words could truly describe the pain and suffering they had endured. The guildmaster, who watched this unfold, felt a bit perturbed. "I feel like my character is being attacked". "Only by the truth" Vanessia muttered, retorting his claim. "Mean!" "Accurate". "I just have a lot on my plate as guildmaster!" "Patroling the southern forest is the task for adventurers, not the guildmaster". "Its litterally why I was assigned here". "But you still should do your actual work instead of forcing me and Ozlo to handle it all". "I don''t see you doing any paperwork right now". "I did the night shift while Ozlo covers the day". The scorn in her words went right for his gut, since it meant there was paperwork continuously getting done between the two of them, and it just proved how terrible he really was at doing his own work. "Maybe I should hire a secretary". "You are paying Ozlo the money from that". "I am?!" "Ozlo is currently getting paid for three different jobs. Your secretary, a guild receptionist, and as the third in command at this Guild building. I mean, we kinda have to, he is way too capable". "...well, as a guild master, I can have two secretaries I think, so it should be fine". "Maybe then Ozlo can take some greats. Might need to have a chat with Booker''s boss too, it seems like he is getting worked way too hard also". "...I do work hard too though, I just want to make that clear". Vanessia glared at him, and he sheepishly retreated back upstairs to his office. She then walked over to Ozlo, and knelt down and whispered something into his ear. "You have a dragon on Sebas?" "Yeah. He hasn''t moved yet". "I will go and monitor as well. Keep it on him though, just to be safe". "He is a him, not an it". "Right, sorry". Vanessia quickly left the Adventurer''s guild and began to make her way towards the Mage''s Guild. Its possible he might expect some sort of counter surveilance, and might not make any overt moves. If he was that easy to take down, the Vice Guildmaster and Vartra would have taken him down already. Still, maybe we will get lucky. Vanessia wasn''t as optimistic as the others. She didn''t think they would deliver a final blow against their adversaries today. She thought they might hurt them and give them a run for their money sure, but she doubted they would deal any meaningful impact against any of them from this. They were reacting, and the enemy tended to prepare for their reactions. No, they needed to find a weakpoint and make the first move, catch them off guard. That was the only way they would be able to deal a decsive blow she felt. At least not without someone making a monumental mistake. There is a reason criminal organizations and people like this were not things they could just take down so easily. It wasn''t a matter of power, but of connections, caution, and secrecy. They couldn''t take anything down without evidence, and when they went after places without evidence, it only weakened them for future encounters. That was why she knew that this was by no means an easy task. But while the others had been antagonized by the kidnapping attempt, she was taking her own measures. She disappeared into the crowd, and vanished completely from sight. By the time that the people who had been watching her tried to look for her, she was far away and unfindable.
At the same time, Riza kicked down another door as they ventured deep into the ruins. "Dad, you could just try opening the door normally" Vartra mentioned, scolding him. "I need to vent to this degree so I stay calm". "Yeah no, thats a total lie. You are just doing that because you think its cool". "Well if you want to appease me in other ways, give me some more grand kids". "...that might take time". "Then get to it". Such a conversation was had between father and son as they explored the ruins. Riza had gotten them past a plethora of traps, and now they were heading down into the deeper levels. "Looks like the carriage went this way" Amyris mentioned. Vartra and Riza came over to check it out, and they confirmed the carriage tracks. Kuroki was a bit impressed, and also terrified, about the abilities he had seen. Riza seemed to not just be adept at magic, but was agile and possessed absurd combat techniques. He was basically a magician, a rogue, and a warrior all in one. Frankly he was probably too capable, but perhaps that was what happened when you kept a youthful body even when you were like 70 years old. Riza seemed to like taking...colorful...approaches. Kuroki wasn''t sure if he was suppposed to be respected or not. Often he acted like a loon, or someone with very low self control, but then other times he would be really inspiring and helpful and heroic. It was hard to get a real read on him, he was flashy but tended to really think things through, but never acted like it. Frankly speaking, he seemed like he would either end up saving the world, or getting them all killed in some ridiculous way. Kuroki went up to Amyris and Vartra. "Do you have any idea what he is hiding? No matter how I think about it, there is a lot about himself he is keeping a secret right?" Vartra nodded. "Dad absolutely is keeping a lot secret, including how he gained his immortality, or at least his unaging nature. Some say it was just because of how many monsters he slew at a young age, or some divine blessing of the gods, but I don''t think that is all. He has an almost terrifying information network that rivals the royal spymaster if not exceeds it, he uses techniques and magic no one can place, and he has knowledge no one else can place. If it wasn''t for the fact I have met my grandparents and confirmed they gave birth to him, I might think he was a Starfallen like you". Not all oddities were otherworlders. Riza and Ozlo were clearly exceptional, but both were also clearly born in this world. Vartra knew this about his dad and nephew, but while Ozlo''s talent could be traced, Riza''s was this unfathomableness. "Riza is something we may only get a few of every few hundred years. A true genius and innovator. That is about the best answer I can come up with. He doesn''t just copy, but is capable of being entirely new. Getting inspiration beyond what we see and hear and experience". Still, Kuroki couldn''t help but feel that something was off with this. As if there was a missing piece to the puzzle. And he felt like Vartra was holding out on him. "What aren''t you telling me?" Vartra looked away at first, but Kuroki could see he was conflicted about something. Even Amyris was able to pick up on it. "What is it, Vartra?" "Well its just...it is probably a coincidence. Dad is always doing weird stuff after all". Amyris gave him a look, and so Vartra decided to continue. "Its just, the day before the Starfall, he was preparing to be busy a lot. He called his entire Order to active duty, had them all prepared and ready to go. He was launching a big investigation into the human traffickers that have given everyone no end of grief, but rather then focusing on a single city, he spread them out across the kingdom. Not just the frontier, but the whole kingdom. He even got word to a famous artificer for assistance, and he seemed to almost know something was coming. And then, the night before, I met up with him to give him some documents he asked for, and I noticed traces of very old and powerful magic...and that he was bleeding". "He used some form of Blood Magic? Why?" "I don''t know. I didn''t see any signs he was doing anything dangerous, but he also didn''t tell any of his family anything, including me, his own son. Aside from family related things and dark rituals, I can''t think of what else he might have used it for that night. I didn''t see any signs of Biomancy or homunculi creation either. He might have used it as a catalyst for a ritual, but...this was moments before shooting stars lit up the sky". Amyris scowled as he heard that, looking back to Riza who was cutting through various golems that had come into their way. "Are you saying...he might have had something to do with the Starfall?" "Thats the thing. Whatever he did, the ritual shouldn''t have had that much juice. Its impossible for him to have caused the Starfall. He doesn''t have the power, or the support. I would have noticed, because he would need about a hundred mages all together performing the ritual". The Starfall transported tens of thousands of souls across the boundaries between dimensions. There was simply no way Riza could do that covertly, even Amyris knew. But the timing was suspicious. "Now you understand why I hesitated to say anything. It looks like he might have known about the Starfall, but it was also true he received orders from the crown just that morning, and its impossible for him to have caused it. Maybe, maybe he learned about it, but he would have no reason to hide that I think. It just seems like...a weirdly timed coincidence is all. My dad has always been secretive though, so its possible there is more that I don''t know". "...it is stranger then you think" Amyris muttered. Vartra and Kuroki turned to him, confused by what he said. "The one who mentioned the possibility of seals acting up, and sending me into the forest was Riza. He is the entire reason I was out there when I found Kuroki. And he met up with us rather quickly, now that I think about it...he knew that if I found a Starfallen, id take them to Ellie''s...and would have a perfect excuse of his own". "But that isn''t guaranteed" Vartra pointed out. "No, it''s not. And it is far more odd then it all being a coincidence". Riza was always mysterious, but it seemed like he possessed a surprising clue to the puzzle of their current situation. Unfortunately, getting that out of him might be harder than defeating Chiamthias. Still, it was suspicious. Did Riza know something was coming? Was he involved in invoking the Starfall? Where does his power come from? These were all questions Kuroki would need answered. Riza meanwhile cut down a large door, and then looked back at everyone. "Why do I get the feeling you all are gossiping about me behind me back?" "No no dad, not at all". "Riza, you know I am not one for gossip". "Nope! No way!" Riza let out a sigh. "You are all terrible liars". As the pieces of the large, stone door collapsed down around them, they entered a rather strange place. The ruins so far had been all stone walls and pillars, all rather generic. It looked more like some random human castle. However, once these large doors had come down, the grey stone was replaced by blue and gold. The tiles had intricate geometric patterns all around them, various lines going everywhere. In the middle of each wall segment was a glowing crystal still providing light, and everything had a shine and cleanliness to it unlike the dusty ruins above. It even had its own set of doors right inside, and there was writing upon the floor in front of them. "Someone built a human structure on top of elven ruins to hide them...and then it was abandoned. And now we have writing that says ''For the future, we go to the greatest depths''. Shit". Amyris readied his magic, and placed barriers over all of them. Whatever this was, it had him spooked hard. "What is going on? Is there something wrong with that quote?" "That quote was used by a group of Ancient Elves. It represents those who would seek out the greatest mysteries and advance science and magic, regardless of the cost. Especially the people cost. They especially used humans as test subjects due to how many there were, but also fellow elves and Beastkin as well. Even Dwarves when they were available". Everyone went tense at these words. "So, this place might be a place that..." Riza nodded to Vartra''s question. "Yeah, this place could have produced a great many nightmares. Everyone, be at your highest guard. Whatever defenses Sebas has prepared down here, it might have the power of the Ancient Elves behind them".
At the same time, down and deep below in the ruins, a certain something was stirring. A darkened room began to spring to life, as lights flickered on, revealing what appeared to be an ancient laboratory. A sort of blue glowing liquid went through many of the tubes, as things began to power up one by one. This blue liquid went flowing downward, through these tubes and into what appeared to be several large suits of armor. Strange metal spheres were pushed up as the facility came to life, and these spheres, these cores, were placed inside of openings in the back of the suits of armor, before they were sealed shut. Liquid then ran out of the tubes and into the suits of armor, but instead of spilling out all over the place, it remained inside of the suits regardless of the apparent gaps within the armor. As the liquid spread itself around, it created a sort of body around the core that filled the armor, as they all began to come to life. Each one was over three meters tall, and they all had various weapons. Swords, staffs with bladed tips, lances, axes, even some bows with bladed edges. All of them began to creak to life, the metal shaking and moving as they stood up together, in a uniformed way. Almost like it was a cohesive military unit. A few of the mercenaries who saw this went into the back room, and seemed to activate some sort of large, ancient parchment that was hung upon the wall. They placed a crystal into the receptical, and chanted a few words in front of it. In an instant, it became a living map. It would show the ruins, and everyone who was moving within it. Not only that, it even gave most of their names, although a few of them were obscured somehow by some power. Still, it showed their positions, and this let them know where the intruders were. The mechanical, fluid filled knights began to move out, and head towards the intruders. They had only one goal. Eliminate all intruders, eliminate all threats, protect the labs. Twenty four of these knights headed out, an impressive force that could even make armies pause in fear. Sometimes, secrets would do whatever they could to remain buried. Chapter 44: An Army Built Upon The Bones of Innocence The ruins felt almost grandiose, full of splendor and beauty. Brilliant engravings adorned the halls, and crystallic lights illuminated the way. On the way they encountered more ancient Elvish, although only Amyris and Riza could actually read them. Apparently however, it was mainly lines that advocated for advancement at any cost. "The lives we use shall help to advance the lives of people everywhere". "People are the most efficient fuel to creating a better future for everyone". "Through our new designs, we shall proper forward a golden army to safeguard us all". Those were the various translated quotes, although some of them required paraphrasing due to no exact translation. Supposedly, what they paraphrased into safeguard, Val''shiar, was actually a far more detailed and specific word that had a true definition that involved words like retribution and "using one against oneself". Considering the level of spite that seemed to be in that, at least from Kuroki''s interpretation, what they might find in here was probably going to be quite nasty. Still, it did invoke a question into their minds. "Sebas is a human, not an elf right?" Kuroki asked. "Yeah" Riza confirmed as they headed deeper into the ruins. "Why would he be using Elven ruins like these as a base? Maybe its just from past experiences and things I have heard, but this place seems like it would be rather...anti-human as well". Amyris seemed a bit shocked by Kuroki''s deduction. "What made you think that?" "Well, for one thing, humans went and built their own fort over it, as if trying to erase it. Or at least conceal it. I can''t imagine that was because they were getting along. But also, the way those quotes were phrased...well, somehow I doubt they would have had as many people join them if they were using their own people right?" Amyris nodded, remorse flickering across his face. "It is true that they mainly used others, and being that humans were the most populous, they were used a lot. But they did also use Elves as well. Elves, Dwarves, Beastkin, Humans, ect. All were valid...especially children". Chills ran down their spines the moment they heard that. "Why children?" "Their brains and souls are the most adaptable, making them produce more results with a lower death count compared to others. Probably because they were still growing. As they created their armies and soldiers of magic, their research was propelled forward by corpses. And despite that it was more efficient because death happened less often, it still happened...so their research was in fact pushed forward by mountains of corpses". "No wonder this place feels like a tomb, despite how pretty it looks" Zak commented, his voice layered with disgust. "This is a den of misery and evil" Vartra muttered. "Sebas must be more far gone then we thought. I wonder if he has already become a Majaris". "A Majaris?" Riku asked. "Its considered one of the apex of magics, but only if you completely lack empathy. Its a method to gaining immortality, but it requires becoming highly proficient at various fields of magic...and a lot of human sacrifice". "That man tends to bulldoze his way through, I doubt he has the proficiencies necessary to carry out the ritual" Amyris scoffed, while Vartra continued to explain. "While true he tends to use his extensive mana to brute force things his way, I don''t think we can underestimate the possibility that he has gained access to something that will let him cheat it. He has had access to the Guildmaster''s Archive for a long time now, and he has connections. And while you have to do the ritual yourself to become a Majaris, somehow I don''t think he cares enough to at least try and get around that. Though perhaps his overinflated pride and ego would stop him". "Its true there have been exceptions, and that a few Majaris have been created through such exceptions or abnormal situations. But if that is his goal, it makes me think it might be best to end him sooner rather then later after all. Very few Majaris are decent people, and notably all the ones that are typically are the exceptions we have mentioned before". Riza shook his head at Amyris'' words. "He has connections to some powerful people, and kept up a number of beneficial and symbiotic relationships to those people. Taking him down suddenly and without evidence will cause them to lash out at us, and as much as I would love it, we need to do things properly to make sure it all goes well". As they talked, they soon came into another room. It appeared to be some sort of grand foyer, and it featured a huge chandelier hanging from its high ceiling. It was adorned with all sorts of crystal figurines, showing various elves and creatures upon it, all lit up like a Christmas tree. It was a shining beacon to be sure, a display of wealth and grandiose that usually accompanied someone with a massive ego, or someone or an establishment that tended to love such architecture and design. Not only that, but large metallic suits of armor and statues seemed to adorn the walls, all of various elves. Each one had a plaque as well, with one especially large statue in the center with an extra big plaque. Amyris quickly read it to them. "We honor the creator and master of this facility, Arasia Lesara, the Elven Lord who has helped us advance the merits of our work and find true advancement and wonder that will help sustain our empire and our capital". "Bloody hell...this place was backed by Arasia the mad?" Vartra muttered. "We should expect the worst within. The magic I sensed should be just below us now, we should hurry". "Another Arasia ruin? This old man remembers the last one he visited, it was hell too". Everyone rolled their eyes a bit at Riza''s exaggerated comment, but they could tell his concern was real. Mainly by the fact he already had two swords out, and was looking ahead. He held is hand to have them stop, and signaled to Kuroki''s group to back up and take a defensive stance. In that moment, Kuroki suddenly felt a surge of mana all around them. It was almost like Sebas'' mana, it was so overwhelming it almost felt like it was invading their bodies. That was how dense it was. Thankfully since then all of them had learned how to defend against it, including Zak apparently. "Just how bad was this Arasia?" Riza didn''t look back as he answered Kuroki''s question. "Arasia is an absolute psychopath who created countless Elven magics and creations that were extremely lethal and could essentially keep themselves powered indefinently. Powered by everything from actual brains to extracted souls, when the Elven Empire fell a lot of what he had made apparently went berserk. Sealed within ruins and within various wilds and run down places, an Arasia creation on average is an S-Rank threat, but honestly the ranking system is even less good at determining its threat level then anything else. Entire kingdoms were erased by his elven mechanical horrors, and The Tempest is still an active threat that has a bounty on it funded by every nation in the land. It would be subjugated already if it didn''t appear and disappear at random, leaving entire towns destroyed in its wake". Vartra chimed in next. "Simply put, if Arasia was alive today, there would be a kill order placed throughout every guild in every country, as well as by every royal family in existence. Arasia''s threat level would exceed that of even the Demon King potentially, although at least he would need a workshop to display his true horrors unlike the Demon King. But that also means that his damage and threat persists for far longer then the Demon King. Rumor has it that he and the first Demon King once battled to a draw even". "Ironically, Arasia''s creations have had a beneficial impact once. We had five hundred years of peace from a Demon King because someone launched one of Arasia''s more deadly creations into the spot where the Demon King tends to always incarnate around. Eventually the Demons and Devils destroyed it, since no one other hten them can survive on that continent for long term, but it gave five hundred years of peace. Other attempts to do that were made, which occasionally gave one to one hundred and fifty years of peace, but trying to move them is incredibly difficult even with magic, and its hard to keep one fully functioning while teleporting it". "I see. I was wondering how people were still able to build up cities like that if they truly attacked every fifty years, especially after the Greater Demon Kings, but I guess that would explain it". "Yeah, that really helped a lot. Also, some heroes sometimes defeat Demon King''s very quickly, like within a year. Its very rare, but it happens. The one from one hundred years ago did that. The one from fifty years ago, as much as a problem maker he was, took two years, which was still sort of fast. Its a shame his personality was so shit and he couldn''t think things through and avoid causing everyone problems". Demon Kings tended to target the more advanced kingdoms mainly as well, since they were the greater threat. Apparently, Demon King''s had some strange power which let them unilaterally wipe three cities off the map almost instantly per year. It was always three per year, no more and no less, nothing could stop it and no one really understood how that even worked, but that was what happened. Still, it was a clear sign of things that were strange. Before anyone could say anything else however, a few of the suits of armor began to glow, as the walls opened up behind them and tubes emerged. This blue liquid went flowing downward, through these tubes and into what appeared to be several large suits of armor. Strange metal spheres were pushed up as the facility came to life, and these spheres, these cores, were placed inside of openings in the back of the suits of armor, before they were sealed shut. Liquid then ran out of the tubes and into the suits of armor, but instead of spilling out all over the place, it remained inside of the suits regardless of the apparent gaps within the armor. Not only that, but things got even more strange. As the liquid spread itself around, it created a sort of body around the core that filled the armor, as they all began to come to life. Each one was over three meters tall, and they all had various weapons. Swords, staffs with bladed tips, lances, axes, even some bows with bladed edges. All of them began to creak to life, the metal shaking and moving as they stood up together, in a uniformed way. Almost like it was a cohesive military unit. And if that was not enough, the statues themselves also began to move, their eyes beginning to glow as they fired a beam of mana. Amyris quickly blocked all the attacks, while Riza summoned even more swords which proceeded to fly around him. There were now six swords present, all of them blocking weapon attacks or part of his own assault as he cut apart a statue. The suits of armor meanwhile seemed to be tougher, as they deflected his attacks with the sheer density of his metal. His swords, which were able to break through a mountain wall, were deflected by this armor, and then they proceeded to attack him as well. And if that was not bad enough, spectral wolves began to appear. Appearing to be something inbetween Ghosts and Mana Constructs, Vartra quickly summoned etheric shards and had them cut through the wolves, as they seemed to be the weaker opponents. Amyris meanwhile summoned forth his familiar, whose wings began to cut through the rest of the statues and allowing Riza to focus on the suits of armor. Even more suits of armor were now emerging from the doorway on the other side, bringing them even more danger. Kuroki decided to support by freezing the floor under them so they had no footing, but the suits of armor were entirely unaffected by his magic. "What the hell?" "Stay back. We can handle this" Amyris mentioned, as he shielded several attacks that went their way. The suits of armor appeared to be capable of the same beam attack from the eyes as the statues, so Amyris used some sort of magic to fold space and make the beams hit themselves, tearing apart the armor a bit and weakening the soldiers. Still, they had avoided any critical damage, and they were all still charging forward to attack. Amyris twisted his wrist around as he moved his hand, invoking yet another spell. Ice began to coat the soldiers, as their armor began to freeze and become a bit brittle. Once that happened, Riza''s swords were able to chip away at it, albiet at a slow pace, and Vartra was even seeing some success with penetrating the defenses and getting them to open up.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Still, as they continued to pour it, it was becoming clear this was a difficult fight. Kuroki wondered if they were just a hinderance and should pull back, but when he tried to look back, the way they had come had disappeared. There was only a wall there now, and they had lost their way out. "Master!" "I see! Tsk, this place has some nasty security measures!" Riza deflected several attacks with his swords, as four of them flew around him while the other two were in his hand. For a moment, Kuroki thought he saw his eyes glow yellow, and then in the next moment, several of the soldiers were sent flying backwards into the walls, giving them some breathing room. "Fine then. I guess I have no choice in the matter" Riza muttered, as he took a step forward...while not stepping forward at all. Suddenly, there were two Rizas, and then three, and then four. It finally stopped at Six Rizas, as they all charged forth and fought in separate areas. Now the stalemate had returned, but it was only temporary as more of these armored soldiers were coming in. It appeared to be nearly 30 now, but a few more were seen in the distance. There had only been eight in this room to start with, but now they were severely outnumbered. Even Amyris looked concerned, especially when the crystal figures of the chandelier began to move, flying down to attack them and put pressure on them from another direction. The entire ruins reverberated at that point, as the battle continued to rage on. Still, the Rizas seemed to adopt a new strategy. They were getting pushed back, but they began to focus on the most damaged soldier first, to finally take one down. It appeared they planned to take them down one by one if necessary, to help give them the breathing room they needed. The suits of armor were clearly the greatest threat of all. They were both tough and numerous, putting them at a level that even Amyris could not defeat them so easily, and a lot of his attention was on protecting Kuroki''s group so he couldn''t go on the offensive as much as they would have liked. But when Riza finally managed to break one open and exposed the core, Amyris took one look at it and paled. "Riza! Do not destroy the core! Open it carefully!" "What? Why?" "There is a child inside of that core! These soldiers...they are being powered by children!" Riza paled as he looked at the core, the armor around it already beginning to regenerate. "Shit. Can I extract them from the suits of armor?" "Yes, but be careful! The two are tied! Furthermore, if the armor takes critical damage...that core is designed to self destruct! You have to extract the core safely, then quickly extract the child, and then disable the core!" "Shit! That will require my whole focus!" "We can''t let these children die!" "I know that Amyris...just...shit! Can we actually do that without dying ourselves anyways?!" That was the truth behind these powerful soldiers. Each one of those cores contained a kidnapped child, the power sources and brains for these mechanical soldiers. If they wanted to save them, they would need to carefully extract each core without severely damaging the soldier or the core, to avoid triggering the self destruct fail safe. However, they would likely all die before they managed that, as they were continued to be pushed back and they were trapped in a dead end, a wall right at their backs. Still, they continued the battle. Riza proceeded to try and prepare for extraction as his clones fought off against the soldiers. The Elven Constructs were strong and powerful, made with something much stronger the steel and apparently capable of even deflecting the metal within Riza''s swords, which looked like it wasn''t steel either. Their mechanical marching intimidated all those who stood before them, and even Amyris was feeling the heat as they marched forward, launching attack after attack without pause. They made no efforts to block any attack made against them, in part due to their mechanical nature, but likely also because of their programming and the fact the materials made to use them seemed to be impervious to anything but the strongest and most well set up attacks, and that was while the material itself was being weakened. And each of their swings was both fast and heavy. Any time they brought their weapons down, or shot an arrow, it zoomed far faster then a normal arrow and hit with the impact of an eighteen wheeler. Its cold steel metal felt dangerous to even get close to, so Kuroki and the others avoided any arrows that landed their way. Their swords and hammers hit like fright trains, and they could see Riza flinch every time he had to block an attack. It even appeared as if his arm was broken at one point, but it seemed to instantly return to normal immediately after. As for their axes, they seemed able to cut through any defense that one attempted to use, forcing evasion to be the only recourse against those attacks. But to make matters worse, they would work together. Launching one attack to make someone evade a certain way, as another attack came down in the spot they would evade to. Amyris manipulated time itself, altering the timing of these attacks to throw them off and occasionally get them to hit each other. Riza deflected some of their blows, trying to knock them into each other or use his strange power to launch them away occasionally, but given the limited times he did that, it appeared to be something he couldn''t do often. Vartra was the most diverse meanwhile. He would teleport around them, hit them in their weak spots, and then teleport again before they could react. From what Kuroki had read, this was actually pretty standard for mages capable of teleportation. It was not a common magic to be able to develop, and especially difficult to master, but from what Kuroki knew he was clearly an expert at it. Furthermore, he would occasionally create a barrier that even their weapons, including the axe, could not penetrate, but he seemed to need a few moments to prepare it, and it only lasted a few seconds. Still, the fact it could block their attacks at all spoke highly of his skills. Kuroki was not sure how skilled he was compared to Riza and Ozlo. He was pretty sure he was the weakest of the three, but perhaps he had underestimated Vartra''s ability. Kuroki and the others had tried to launch an occasional attack from a distance, but the mechanical soldiers didn''t even once register them as a threat. Zak remained in a defensive stance, apparently deciding to hold off on using his own combat abilities. He did however deflect a few arrows that came their way with the Yo-Yo, indicating that whatever it was made of was strong enough to deflect such arrows. Still, while Zak''s actual skill level was unknown, the rest of them did not possess sufficient enough combat skills to turn the tide of this battle. All they could do is watch, wait, and hope for the best. But like all battles, eventually a breaking point would be had. Unfortunately, the other side appeared to be immune to fatigue or frayed mental states. And yet, it was not them who started to break first...but the wall behind Kuroki. Pound. Pound. Pound. These noises were heard from behind, as the wall behind them began to crack and crack. With each thud, more damage appeared on these beautiful and ornate walls, which seemed to try and repair themselves with magic. The walls themselves threw barrier after barrier up to protect themselves from the damage, and to prevent whoever was trying to break in from getting in. And yet, resistance was futile. The walls soon began to crumble, as a familiar face came in. "Guildmaster. Took you long enough". Those were Amyris'' words, but he said them with a smile as the hulking figure casually walked into the room through the hole and assessed the situation. "Well, this all looks rather terrible". "Guildmaster, you can''t severely damage the cores or the soldiers! They are being powered by the kidnapped children!" The guildmaster nodded at those words. "The cores in their bellies?" Riza nodded, but he looked concerned. "Guildmaster, are you..." "Riza, prepare for extraction". "Shit I knew it!" Riza cursed, as he worked hard to finish prying out the core he had already exposed. Once he got it out, he cut it open carefully and pulled a child out. It appeared to be an eleven year old boy, naked as the day he was born and covered in some sort of weird liquid or gel. It appeared he was in some sort of state of suspended animation, but once he was out it appeared he came to, or at least he began coughing a bit. Meanwhile, the Guildmaster drew his sword and attacked, cutting one of the soldiers in half across the belly, and opening up their armor instantly. He then moved behind it at crazy speeds, all while swinging his sword as he was moving and hitting it in the back with the flat end. The sheer shockwave from it seemed to pop the core out without damaging it at all, and one of the Rizas proceeded to begin extracting as he moved on to the next one. It was all very fluid and fast, as he seemed capable of taking multiple actions at once. He was so fast, not a single one of them could follow his movements with their eyes. Even Riza had difficulty doing so, that was just how fast and fluid his movements were. The guildmaster had no issue cutting through the armor that even Riza had difficulty chipping away at, and his presence let Amyris take some more offensive actions as they began to pick apart these soldiers one by one, prying them open and getting the children out. Each one appeared to be powered by a child, and it was clear that whatever was going on here was not some short term operation, but a part of something bigger. After all, there was no reason to assemble such a large and powerful force unless you planned to take on an entire city, or perhaps even an entire nation. The question was, who would it be used against? "No matter how you look at it, if Sebas is behind this..." "Yeah, this could be interpreted as treason against the crown. This is just too dangerous. Had it been any other city, or if these soldiers had been fully equipped and refined, these things could have done real damage. Possibly even destroyed an entire city". "Yeah. We have you and the Guildmaster, as well as myself, but that''s because of the terror that lies within the forest seal. Most cities dont even have an S-Ranked adventurer, let alone an SS or X Ranked adventurer. And certainly not all three". A good number of cities did have at least one A-Ranked adventurer, but a single A-Ranked adventurer typically wouldn''t be able to deal with this. There were of course exceptions. Riza knew Ayazi could help even the odds against this force, but that was because he also employed mechanical soldiers for large scale battles. It was similar to how Necromancers could be way more useful for large scale conflicts then normal because they would be able and allowed to raise the bodies of the enemies back at them, although typically only a very small amount of them would be able to do something like raise hundreds all at once. Still, even a few dozen over the course of the battle could have great benefits. "To think an entire army was being raised down here though, without anyone knowing...that is truly terrifying" Vartra muttered, being the only "normal" one of the group of him, Riza, Amyris, and the Guildmaster. As they were prying the last core out and saving the last child, Amyris kept his guard up. It appeared they had defeated all the defenses, but he refused to drop his guard for a second since they knew Arasia was behind all this. "There might be more children up ahead. Guildmaster, can we leave it to you to protect everyone? That should be everything, it felt like they sent all they had after us, but make sure they stay safe. Kuroki, your group can come with us. Whatever we find, we should be able to handle it so long as we keep our wits about us". "Yes, Master". "Rodger that, Amyr. Just make sure you capture those mercenaries alive. We need to hear their testimony". "Of course". And so, the group decided to head downward into the abyss, to go and capture the ones who brought the kids here and who had to have been looking over the facility this whole time. They eventually found the large room where twenty four of the thirty two soldiers they fought had come from, the tubes and whatnot being clear indicators. What truly terrified them all however was the other suits of armor there. At least one hundred or more of them were there, all standing at attention, but clearly deactivated. They didn''t have that blue fluid in them or any cores, a relief to be sure since they were not sure they could go one hundred more rounds. They eventually found what appeared to be a control room, however... "They are all dead" Vartra noted, looking at the corpses, which were dissolving into goo even as they spoke. Amyris used magic to shield them all as he investigated the air. "It appears the moment they activated the soldiers, something was triggered in this room, a sort of gas, which proceeded to eat away at them. Leaving no one to testify against who it was, and given the state of the corpses, not even a Necromancer could get answers out of them. The gas is even coated with Holy Water too, to expunge the spirits just to be safe. There is no way we will ever be able to get answers out of them". "Shiza, this guy was willing to do that to his own men just to make sure they couldn''t testify against them?" Vartra shook his head. "That is why we have yet to arrest Sebas yet. The guy is very careful. Even when he had those people go after you and Riku, he must have had them purposefully put you in a separate shipment, just in case we were able to link it to him somehow and then would be able to link this facility to him. Remember this Kuroki, this is why you can''t ever hold back against scum like this. Especially if it means protecting the lives of you and your friends, you have to make sure not to hold back and take the lives of others. Because if they get away, then tragedies and bodies will just continue to pile up". "Right..." "That said, don''t go murdering people in cold blood either. That will only lead to trouble for you and those you care about. You have to let them start the fight, and then you have to end it. That is the best way to go about things like this". Vartra gave them some advice on how to deal with things in this world, as they watched the corpses fully dissolve into goop.
Meanwhile, Sebas was frowning as he sat in his office. "So they found the facility, and survived? How disappointing". He muttered that to himself, as he looked at the crystal ball on his desk, which had shown him everything that was happening there. "Still, I made sure to leave nothing there that links back to me, so in the end, I won''t take any direct damage from this. It appears our business can proceed as planned, Relias". He looked at the Elven woman who stood across from him, seemingly blended into the shadows themselves. "It''s a shame we lost such a useful facility, no doubt there will be people watching and keeping an eye on it from now on. But there is still some useful information we got from it. We are one step closer to Legacy or Arasia, and perhaps even the Truth of the Demon King will soon be in our grasps". Sebas had a despicable smile when he heard that, as did Relias. "Its a pleasure doing business with you as always. I believe I may need to call upon you again soon though. Leaving those people around is just getting far too risky". "I agree, but we need the right circumstances for it. We don''t want to risk exposing ourselves after all, not after all the hard work we have done to leave a history full of blank pages". "Of course. Still, they are becoming just far too much of a threat...we need to snuff them out sooner rather then later". "I will discuss it with some of the others. I look forward to hearing an update on some of our other joint ventures when I return". After speaking those words, Relias melded into the shadows behind him, disappearing entirely. And so, the day ended on such an ominous note, as plots and plans continued to be propelled forward towards the future. Chapter 45: An Adult Matter After the events of the day, when all those who could still be considered children were asleep, Amyris, Ellie, Vanessia, Riza, Vartra, and the Guildmaster gathered within the living room of Amyris'' house to discuss matters. All of them had relaxed a bit, but still had serious expressions on their faces. Even Riza, who was normally aloof, wore one. "Riza, you have been especially on edge since the ruins. Did you notice something?" "Sorry, just...this kinda stuff irritates me a great deal. I much prefer to just bust down walls and go for a direct attack when it gets this serious". "Dad, there is more to it then that...what do you know?" Riza looked over at Vartra, and shook his head. "Sorry, but I cant say. Not yet. Not at this time" he muttered, looking off into the distance. I am going to need to keep an eye on this Zak...
A few hours ago, right before they were planning on leaving the ruins. Riza entered a side hallway, and watched Zak who was looking at some runes upon the walls. "You made it, Riza". "Well even if they were obnoxiously subtle, you did clearly want to talk with me" Riza muttered. "Exactly who are you? I know you are a Starfallen, that much is obvious. But there is more to that, isn''t there? You knew it was this exact ruin even before we left the city. How did you know? Where are you getting your information". "You, of all people, should understand that there are things both of us cannot go into detail about". "Oh, I think I am an open book you know?" Riza said playfully. "Meanwhile, you shroud yourself in darkness". "Open book my ass. You just shroud yourself in light instead of darkness" Zak mentioned. "Tell me, does your son and grandson know?" Riza tilted his head questioningly, not sure where this was going. "Know what?" "That you are one of The Hidden". At those words, Zak felt himself telekinetically flung against a wall, pinned there as Riza clenched his fists and his eyes glowed yellow. "Where did you hear such things?" "Relax, I have not told anyone. Besides, we both know that you wont actually kill me". Hearing those words, Riza released Zak and let out a sigh as he dropped to the ground. "You are a really annoying bastard, you know that right? Still, you showed a bit of your own naivity there". Zak seemed surprised this time. "What do you mean?" "Because now I am certain about one of your wishes, specifically about what you did to gather this information". Zak gulped as Riza walked over to him, and leaned right up next to his ear and whispered something into it. Zak froze, going white as a sheet for a moment when he heard those words. Riza then leaned back with a smile. "You are not the only one who can figure things out". "...truly frightening. That isn''t something someone can figure out normally". "Neither is any information about The Hidden. My guess is that this time is just so different things slipped through in the confusion". "...well deduced. Still, Yellow of The Hidden, I suppose it would be odd for anyone to realize normally. After all, you really are not hiding at all. If anything, you attract too much attention". "Well as you said, I shroud myself in light. So, what else did you figure out then?" Zak let out a sigh. "I know you are connected to the events of the Starfall. I even know why, to a degree, although I don''t have all the pieces yet. A lot of the specifics were kept wonderfully shrouded. But if I were to hazard a guess, you did something the night of the Starfall. You knew it was going to happen ahead of time, and you went and manipulated it. Maybe you knew the original caster, or maybe someone tipped you off, but you did know the Starfall was going to happen ahead of time...and you used it for your own personal gain". Riza listened to Zak''s deductions, and let out a slight chuckle. "Oh, you think so?" "I know so. I know about the Third, Riza. I know the truth about you that you have kept buried and hidden for all these decades. I even know about that name". Zak leaned in and whispered into Riza''s ear this time. It only took a moment, but this time it was Riza who was overcome with shock. "...you really work hard huh. Still, for you to know that name...there is only one circumstance where you could..." "Perks of being a Starfallen I suppose". "Indeed. It has been a long time since I heard that name. Still, to think you really do know about the Third. You understand that you can never utter that truth aloud right? If it were to be learned of by the wrong people..." "Yeah, the chaos it would cause would be immense. Still, there is one thing I need to know. How did you know the Starfall was coming? Do you know who was behind it?" "Unfortunately, as I have been telling you, I cannot tell you how. As for who...even I don''t know that. But know this. The Empire, or at least a few powerful people in it, were involved in some way. At least, that is one possibility. But we have equal reports that the southern continent was also posssibly involved. Apparently both were using a huge ritual with Starfallen blood at the time. The timing is too great to be a coincidence". "...a ritual using Starfallen blood?" "Yeah. Starfallen have their bodies reconstructed during the Starfall process, not actually transfered over, which is why they always appear naked. Because of that, their bodies are rich in celestial power that helps to grant their wishes. But it also means its good for rituals and such". "Yeah, I know that, but what ritual specifically?" "You don''t know?" "Haven''t gotten access to it yet". "Well, unfortunately I don''t know the specifics either. Everyone The Hidden has encountered that was involved in the ritual was already dead. Their throats were slit, except for one...the one we refer to as Crimson encountered a single person turned to solid gold". "...shit. Fuck shit fuck!" Zak became deeply concerned by this news. "You know the cause of this weird golden statue?" "The Cardinal Cataclysm of the West, he can turn anyone and anything he touches into gold. He has complete control of the power too. He basically has unlimited money and wealth, as well as the ability to instantly kill anyone he touches in a moment". "So that was what he gained from his wish...that''s going to be a problem. Leaving aside it could upset the balance of wealth and the worth of gold, that makes him absurdly dangerous". "Indeed. For now, I think its best if we keep the kids within the kingdom right now, although this guy is cautious and methodical. Any Starfallen police officers and prison guards still around will be going after the guy, since they will understand quickly the danger he faces. So barring no unexpected developments, we have a hear or two". "Then lets hope for the best...".
Riza knew Zak was still holding out on him, but he couldn''t risk pushing it at the moment. He had hoped to gather more information, but the fact that Zak knew that threw him off his game. And he was certainly holding on to more knowledge, as he seemed to be extremely careful. Or maybe Zak was mad at Riza. Considering he knew about that, he knew the reasons Riza did what he did. Riza had even mentioned to him what would have happened otherwise, but...as expected, it probably wasn''t something he or anyone else could swallow. Since it was, after all, Riza''s decision to do what he did. Riza knew what he did was the best decision for everyone, but...it would certainly be a bitter thing to swallow for everyone involved. A lot of Starfallen would hate his guts should they learn about that truth. He had to wonder how his family would take it. It might be hard on them as well. Ozlo would probably side with him, and he would help the rest settle down. Vartra would probably be emotionally distraught for awhile, but he would understand in time as well. No, they are all so amazing. I am certain they will all understand in time. About everything. Although I am sure my wife will poke fun at me non-stop forever, and then she will probably gush over various new details. Understanding the futile conflict, he considered telling them ahead of time, but decided against it. The information would leak, and it was...it was too early. For many reasons. Right now, things are fine the way they are. At the same time, Amyris was busy concluding the various magical details of his findings. "So, we can probably expect Sebas to lash out against us over what we did today. Not soon though, he is far too careful to be overt like that". Vartra summarized that based on the significance of the findings. "He also won''t want to attract attention with royal investigators on the way". Riza naturally had reported this matter to the crown. Since it was sensitive material, he couldn''t use magic transmissions, which was too easy to tap. The adventurer''s guild used them, but as they were used to fight monsters, not people, they would transmit more non-classified material. Powering them was still rather expensive though, so it was used for business only, with carrier birds setting up meetings ahead of time so they could activate them in advance. There were private crystals as well, but they were expensive and were specific to pairs, but still had a risk of being intercepted if you knew the right methods. As such, any information that was even remotely sensitive had to be hand delivered. This was the same for important documents and the like, and naturally commoners relied on couriers as well. Still, Riza had used a Razorwing hawk to deliver the message. They were capable of flying on average of up to sixty kilometers per hour, and bursts of speeds for a few seconds of up to one hundred and twenty kilometers per hour. They were outrageously expensive to use, partly due to how rare they were, but they were able to deliver messages to the royal capital fast. He was certain it would arrive before the sun rose on the capital, and he knew a confirmation would arrive soon after, followed by an investigation team sent by the royal family themselves. After all, the accumulation of activated Elven mechanical soldiers, and ruins connected to a mad elven alchemist, would raise enough alarms everywhere. Especially with the dormant armors still held within, it was going to be a hot mess. At the very least, it was unlikely they would use it themselves. Based on the notes found, they needed the young adaptable brains and souls of children to power. Theoretically adults could work as well, but they would lose some of their power, magical ability, and communicative ability. All of that was part of what made them so terrifying, although perhaps someone could find a way to use the materials themselves for something useful. The biggest worry was that the Empire might try to obtain and steal them away for themselves, and use them against the Kingdom. In fact, they couldn''t deny the possibility that this was a plot by the Empire, as all the witnesses were dead, and the Kingdom would certainly leap to that. Even with the Demon King''s revival, there were other places that would get hit harder first, especially since these kingdoms summoned the hero. And given how many heroes got summoned, a lot of people would be under a false sense of security. Combine that with the bad blood between the two nations, and it was likely a war would start. They didn''t even know if the Demon King would be a big issue for them this time around. Supposedly, the maritime nation of Rakazia had one of its major port cities closest to the continent the Demon King should have revived in completely destroyed, and rumor had it that one of the great cities of magic, Zaknaktar, was destroyed. Both were likely due to that mysterious "three times a year" city destroying ability that the Demon King had, but since no one even understood how the ability worked, it was hard to say. Still, according to legend, it was incapable of targeting a nation''s captial for whatever reason, and it couldn''t target the area the heroes were summoned in. All that is known is that when it happens, a brilliant beam of light shoots up into the sky, and it only ever happens at night.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. So yes, conflict with the Empire was indeed a possibility. Despite everything, it was not something they could just ignore. And that guaranteed the presence of royal investigators as a result. "By this point, they should also know about the Starfallen too. They will be looking for them as well, given the alarming number. I can hide the kids fairly easily, but fully grown adults? Its really hard to make up excuses as for why they lack common sense". Riza gave his frank opinion on the matter. He would have to send a report to the royal family, and they knew hiding the existence of the Starfallen completely was impossible. Typically, royal families didn''t go after or do bad things to Starfallen. There were plenty of documents that even confirmed their existence to the public, although given how rarely they appeared and how they were not as important as heroes, it wasn''t odd for them not to draw as much attention and for people to just not know about them either. However, this situation was different. It was clear there had been many, far more then normal. Riza bit his lip for a moment, before he decided to bring up a point. "I will be honest, we got lucky". "How so dad?" "I have heard them talk. The city that was hit, had a population in the tens of thousands. Apparently, there are much bigger developed areas with populations in the millions. Places like New York City and Tokyo. Had either of them been hit..." "...the world would be littered with Starfallen. The situation would be beyond severe" Amyris agreed. "People would absolutely view that as some sort of invasion. I agree dad, it could have been so much worse. Why did you hesitate to say that then?" "Because, it makes no sense why they didn''t aim for a more populated city. Someone or something must have stopped them, but it also begs the question of why. There is no power in our world that could ever hope to harness and control that many Starfallen. Which makes me wonder...what was their true intentions? Did the Starfallen really scatter across the world by accident...or was that done to hide their true intentions?" "You think there is either a play, or a player, we can''t see?" Amyris asked. "But maybe thats why they didn''t target a bigger city? Because they couldn''t?" "Maybe, or maybe...something went wrong. Someone somewhere interrupted the ritual, and something went wrong, and that is what caused this. It went well beyond their expectations. Both the caster, and the one who interrupted their ritual. Perhaps even a third party who hijacked it, tried to manipualte it, had no way of knowing just what would happen. Because I don''t see how it could make sense otherwise". "Unfortunately, there is just far too much we don''t know. I think we need to change topics, we wont get anywhere at this point" Amyris concluded. "Right, the royal investigators. I don''t know who they will send. Since they are hand picked by the royal family, on average they are generally pretty good. Thankfully the kings keep selecting good heirs in this kingdom, but there is no guarantee that they are all incorruptible. Still, while likely not corruptible, they will do their due diligence, which could be bad for those of us who try to keep the peace in the background". "Which means we will all be working overtime to keep everything in check" Ellie muttered. Vartra let out a sigh. "I am too busy keeping watch over the Mage''s Guild. And try not to burden my nephew too much either". "Still, Sebas is the bigger issue. I don''t know what he is up to, but the fact he never appeared himself and never left any trace of his name there...a prideful man like that?" Amyris questioned, worried. "I think to him, even that location was disposable". "Disposable? With that level of security?" Riza responded, getting a bit pale. "Yes. I suspect that whatever he is really after, its happening elsewhere. And I worry that if we wait too long, it will be too late when we discover the truth. He uses brute force, not elegant magecraft, to get his way, but he is annoyingly secretive when it matters. Up until now its mainly been petty stuff with some serious illegal stuff mixed in, but now I have to wonder...has he been playing us all along?" Ellie shot a look out the window. "You think he might have been hiding his true abilities? With his arrogance?" "I think we should question everything we think we knew, because I never thought Sebas would be capable of the technical work those soldiers needed. So either he has been playing us, or someone is manipulating him from the shadows. Possibly even both. And in any of those cases, the situation has gotten way more serious then we realized". All of them nodded, agreeing with the assessment. The Sebas they knew shouldn''t have been capable of making the Elven Armors work. It was at a level they thought was beyond him. He had always acted arrogantly, but now they wonder if they had let such a perception cloud his true threat level. Vartra seemed particularly worried. "I will be letting my superiors know about this possibility. They already knew he was corrupt, but if they learn he has been secretly concealing just how capable he was...well, that is not a good combo. They might get involved with us too, but I think its worth the risk". The others agreed with Vartra''s words as well. Still, Riza felt uneasy about everything. "I don''t like the way this is headed...damnit..." "Riza..." "Dad..." "Ri..." Everyone had known Riza for a long time now. Amyris, Vartra, and Ellie even longer then the others. So they knew he was holding something back, but they also knew how well he could keep a secret. If he didn''t want to tell you something, you would never hear a peep out of him. From the way he was clenching his fists, to the point his nails were digging into his palms, they knew he had a burden he couldn''t share. But seeing their old friend of several decades, the normally aloof grandpa who acted the age he appeared to be, childish and quirky, in such pain, they wanted to help as they could. "Damnit...sorry, I think that has to be it for tonight. So Kuroki, Riku, you might as well go to sleep as well" Riza mentioned, resulting in hushed gasps from the other side of the wall. Kuroki then peeked his head out. "So you noticed huh?" Riza seemed to almost burst out of his seat, and hug Kuroki. It was such a big hug it actually caught Riku as well, as Riza cried into their shoulders a bit. "R-Riza?!" Kuroki was deeply confused. It seemed so sad, yet so warm. It was a familiar feeling he had not felt in a long time. Not since his mom disappeared, it felt like that last hug. Where she had been upset over what was going with him, but couldn''t stop it. And then she just vanished. Kuroki reflexively hugged back, remembering the painful memory. "Don''t disappear Riza". "Eh?" Riza seemed a bit shocked. "Please, just don''t. I was abandoned once by my mom, when she disappeared. She was the good parent, and my dad pushed her away. So please, dont disappear. I don''t want someone I care about to just disappear again. No. Don''t disappear again". Riza seemed shocked by those words, but instead he just held it for a bit longer before releasing them both. "Listen to me Kuroki. There was no way your mother would ever abandon you". Riza suddenly said that, leaving him baffled. Riza seemed to see that, so he kept talking. "I may not have met her, but if she was such a person to give you that a reaction, then her love for you was real. And that means she would have never, ever abandoned you. But of course, I do understand...the truth this probably does reveal..." Kuroki gulped as he heard Riza''s words. He wasn''t sure why they were cutting so deep, but it sounded like Riza was speaking of experience. That while there was no way he could have been there, he knew the truth. But if that was true, if she didn''t abandon him...but she did disappear...then that would mean... "...my father is truly a shitty person who hates losing..." As much as he hated his father, this thought was so terrible and tragic, he couldn''t say it directly. Certainly, he had thought about it a few times. But while he was a child beating scumbag...was he also a murderer? But Kuroki felt like he knew that answer too. Because as careful as his father had been, Kuroki could have died from his torment if there had been a bad accident at the wrong time. "...he killed her". "Sorry...I need to go" Riza mentioned, heading out the door. Riku looked at Riza run off, a confused expression adorned across his face. "Why did he run off? What is wrong with him?" Vartra looked sad, as he turned towards Riku. "My dad...he witnessed his own grandma be murdered, protecting him when he was four years old. It seems to have left a mark on him. It probably stirred up some old emotions of his. Decades later, and any time he feels like he failed, this can happen". "We saved everyone though, so how did he fail?" Amyris shook his head. "Riza likes to play the aloof child, but that''s because he is an incredibly sensitive person. That hasn''t dulled with age, even after six decades. Its why he always gets involved, why he likes to stay in the center of the action, why he always moves around from place to place. He doesn''t have a hero complex thankfully, that would be too great a burden given how he can be...but while he has learned to manage most days, sometimes things like this happen". Vartra knelt down and whispered into Kuroki''s ear. "And if he did know about the Starfall ahead of time...its possible he blames himself a bit for not being able to do more for everyone who forcibly arrived in this world". "Right..." Riza Luminar. Was he truly a great liar, or did he just understand people? What is the truth behind his facade? Only time would tell, but Kuroki was sure of one thing. No matter what, there was more to Riza''s story then any of them knew.
The Fourth Prince of the Kingdom of Ronia looked at the letter in front of him with great interest. "Well now, it appears the Oracle''s predictions were right" Aztazia Regaliaz mentioned, as the one who went by Aruu LeCross sat in the chair opposite of him. "So the mechanical soldiers appeared in the south? With the Empire clearly up to something in our western regions?" "Yes. We have detected movement from the small nation of Krankel that sits inbetween our northern western borders. The Empire has yet to conquer them officially, but I wouldn''t be surprised if they were being manipulated to move against us as well". The fourth prince of the Ronia Kingdom let out a sigh. Sebastian LeCross set down tea for them both. "Master Aruu, His Royal Highness, what do you plan on doing with that letter? Which royal investigator will you assign to the area?" Azta looked over at Aruu. "Yes, tell me, head of the LeCross household, also the S-Ranked Adventurer known as Tamoya, don''t you have a friend there? Riza Luminar?" "Indeed. Although I believe you know him equally well, given he taught you how to hold a sword straight". "True. Well then, I think given the situation, the royal family should handle this directly, backed up by the LeCross family". "What a wonderful idea Azta. As expected of my best friend". "Indeed, bestie" Azta replied, as the two smiled at each other. "So, you both intend to go. I do hope you don''t plan on going alone". The two shook their heads. "We will take the royal guard. Also, the city of Azralia has plenty of good practice areas for the heroes, so lets have them join us for a bit". Sebastian let out a sigh. "I see you two are up to no good. As expected of White of the Hidden, and the newest member of the Hidden, Garnet". Azta frowned when he heard that. "Why am I the gemstone?" "Because you are a prince, and because you are new. And because Yellow is already taken by Riza". "Right right. Well, anyways, the Oracle said the people down there could use our help. Apparently a rather nasty devil named Chianthias is plotting something in the future, and we would be best to be there when it does. Improves the odds of something going right". "Yes. I will let Green know to handle things, and as for Black...once he finishes up where he is, I think I will ask him to look into the Oracle''s situation. With the Demon king running around, I am a bit worried about what the dark side of hte Church might do, and...I think we might not want to leave the Oracle in the situation he is in". "We can''t do too much to save him. Not unless its an emergency. We are known to the public as ''The Hidden'' for a reason''". "To avoid them realizing who and what we truly are" the prince said, looking somber. "I hate lying to my family, but I understand its necessary. Very well. I will get some investigators and knights prepared. If we are going, we might as well make it official so we can throw my name around as needed. This seems like it will be an extended trip after all". That was what Aztazia Regaliaz, also known as the Heroic Prince, and also a member of The Hidden, decided.
At the same time, within a large workshop full of moving gears and various mechanical elements such as pistons, not to mention countless tools, a young boy was working on what appeared to be a large automaton. He was Ayazi, also known as The Tempest, the mechanical prodigy who assisted Ozlo in the fight against Chianthias inside of Ozlo''s own mind. As he was working, a young girl of similar age came into the room and passed him what appeared to be a wrench, only it was three times as big as any wrench from Kuroki''s world. "The last of the Starfallen with little to no inclination for combat have been safely moved. At least, those that wont be helping run your workshop at least". "Thanks, Bellra. So I should be free to make my preparations to head towards Azralia then". "Indeed...I would be happy to accompany you into battle this time as well" she said, a bit antsy. She appeared to be the same age as him, only she was wearing a pure white dress. Her blonde hair was let down, and her crimson eyes gazed at him with a great interest. Ayazi seemed to sense this as well. He rolled out from under the golem, and raised his arm. "I still need to work, so please just make it quick". "Oh, thank you!" she said, as fangs emerged from her mouth and she bit into his arm, beginning to suck a bit of his blood. After about a minute, she let go, seeming rather satisfied. Thankfully Ayazi was not wearing long sleeves either. He was wearing only a pair of overalls and nothing else, as he was even barefoot. The thirteen year old boy found it more comfortable like this when working on machines in his workshop, his green hair drooping down on his face. "Still, I wonder if perhaps I should give him a call. I have been working rather hard on my creation after all, and I would love for him to become a beta tester". "Isn''t it still really hard to make them though? That is only the fourth successful prototype you made" Bellra asked, concerned. "True. But I already planned to make one of them a beta tester, so might as well make Ozlo and Riza both do it. I would like to see the differences the two come up with". He stood up and walked across the floor towards the workshop table, with Bellra in tow. She gazed down upon the magical device in question, looking very curious. "Still, this is design is quite curious...why did you go with it?" "It just...feels right to me" Ayazi mused, as he picked it up and held it into the light. "Yes, it definitely had to be this design". Had any Starfallen seen it, they would have been shocked. After all, what he was holding shouldn''t exist in this world. Or at least, what it appeared to be. After all, what Ayazi was holding...appeared to be a fancy, ornate, decorated version of a smartphone. Of course, it wasn''t a true smartphone. That was impossible. There was no way anyone could truly recreate a smartphone in this world. It was just a series of spell anchors, a lot of gemstones, all put together into a strong case that was made of material similar to what the Elven Mechanical Soldiers were made of, and the glass was fairy glass. It had been given the ability to do an absurd amount of trivial functions, some card game functions, and all sorts of other things. It was also a magic casting medium, but that and its durability was probably the only things it had over regular smartphones. It obviously had no internet, and it required magic communication methods, which would be only risks. Even if he had an encryption system in it, no encryption is perfect and it would eventually get cracked and need to be reset if someone broke it. But for Ayazi, it appeared to be enough. "It took me ten years to update the specs, after twenty years of initial development. The costs and materials needed to make this probably put me in the red several times over. I will be lucky if I can ever even shorten it down to making a single one per year at this rate. But, finally...this invention will put me in the books for sure". "Put you in the books?" "Sorry, figure of speech". Yes, it was a figure of speech...in another world. "Now then, lets prepare for our journey". "Yes!" she said, as she raced out of the room and down the hall. Ayazi meanwhile went over to a window and looked out, gazing upon the clouds as he held a smartphone in his hands. "Forty long years...to think that smartphone addiction can''t even be broken by that" Ayazi mused to himself, as he watched the clouds and sky at eye level...as he stood within his gigantic flying workshop, The Grand Aerial Forgeworks known simply as The Skyworks. And so, another step was taken towards the future. Chapter 46: An Arrangement of Fate The Full Moon hung upon the night''s sky, its radiant glow illuminating the surroundings for all. Its light bathed upon the forests and fields, and provided just enough light for the common person to see well this night. Its twin was even in the sky as well, as full as the other. One snow white, and one crimson red. The twin moons, Alamari and Ysoder, supposedly formed from the corpses of two gods who were killed by the Evil God. It was on this night that it was finally time for Kuroki to gain a True Arcanium. He walked across the field, shivering a bit as he was exposed to the cold night air, towards a rock that sat in the center of the field. It was clear of monsters on all sides, curtesy of Ozlo and Vartra doing a dedicated sweep beforehand. Riza and Amyris had helped a bit too, but Ozlo and Vartra took up the main role out of fear the other two would overhunt and cause further disruption of the monster''s ecosystems. To obtain a True Arcanium, mages could either use a specialized chamber in the Mage''s Guild that could artificially recreate the conditions necessary, or use the original ancient way. Unfortunately, it seems the Starfall this time disrupted every chamber in the area, if not the world, and they would not be ready again for at least a month. Considering the movements of the enemy, Amyris felt waiting too long was far too risky, so they had opted for using the original way. Besides, according to him, it tended to produce better results anyways, and its been confirmed by documentation that this way produces better True Arcaniums on average. As such, many mages still opt to do the ancient and original method, despite the conditions that needed to be fulfilled. First of all, you must be alone. No other mages, magic tools, or even artificially created objects can be nearby. To delve into the natural form of your own soul, and come out with something purely you and untainted, you must head into a natural location, like a field or a forest, exposed as you plan to expose your soul, on your own and find a place under a pure full moon. Only the first moon, the white moon Alamari, needed to be full, but some think its best if they are both full. You also cannot be under the effects of drugs. Pure of body, pure of mind, pure of spirit. Being under the effects of drugs or alcohol would interrupt the first two if not all three. Once you find the place, you must sit down and meditate. All mages have a stronger connection to the planes then most, but that doesn''t mean they are more sensitive to them and can perceive them easily. By meditating, purifying your spirit, you strengthen that connection and sensitivity, and form a bridge to the spirit world. Naturally of course, he did not actually come to this forest butt naked and alone. Amyris and the others were waiting over a kilometer away, watching from a distance in case anything went wrong or he got attacked using non-magical methods. He did have to make that entire kilometer walk from where he left them naked and alone however, and Vartra, Ozlo, and Riza were stationed elsewhere, also over a kilometer away, making sure to dissuade any monsters from heading in his direction. Besides, he was told that while it might take awhile in the spirit world, it would probably only take a few moments in the real world. However, he would undoubtedly face trials of his own soul, shaped from his experiences and life, when getting a True Arcanium. That he should expect anyone and everything to show up, but that he would likely be made to face his fears. At least some of them. Still, as he sat upon the rock and meditated, he could feel it. Perhaps it was thanks to Amyris'' training, especially in the art of perception based magic, but Kuroki could feel the leylines running below him. This spot held a great amount of spiritual power it seemed, and it resonated with his soul. He could feel it reaching out, as well as other things as well. For a moment, it felt like he was connected to the world itself. He felt everything, as his own memories began to wash over him. His bare body bathed in moonlight, absorbing it directly, as energy seemed to flow through him. He became a part of the world itself, a natural being in a natural world. He felt the breath of every tree, the song of every blade of grass. He felt the flow of the creatures of this world, not the monsters but the original natural creatures. He felt the wonder and the glory of it all, flowing through him, as he also flowed through it. The leylines spread throughout the world, a harmonic resonance. There was no shame or embarrassment, no fear or danger, no difference between the physical and the nonphysical. All of it was connected, a brilliant myriad of connections and sparks. Not just mana, but energy itself flowed through all. Connected all. It was a brilliant network of all, everything linked together. All of existence, eternal. And then as he felt himself sink deeper, a bright light overcame him as his mind and soul went further into the spirit world. Bathed upon this light, he felt pangs of familiarity as all around him shifted and changed. He felt overcome with a sense of wonder and amazement, before the light finally began to fade. Suddenly, he found himself standing on an empty street. A very familiar empty street, in a very familiar city. His city, the place where he lived. The place where he had been right before he was transported to another world. "No way...did I go too deep and go to another world?" "Nope, this is just a recreation from your memories" a familiar voice said. Kuroki turned around, to see Riza sitting upon a mailbox, although his legs were crossed strategically. "Riza? What are you doing here?" "What do you think I am here for?" Riza asked plainly. However, Kuroki narrowed his eyes. "You are not Riza, are you?" Riza...no, the fake Riza smiled. "Correct. I am just a reflection of him in your mind. I suppose you can say I am a part of your trials. Think of me like a guide, to help you along. How did you know though?" "The real Riza would be far more playful". "Ah, I suppose that is fair. Well, its not like this world mirrors everything perfectly". "Why Riza though? Why not Amyris? I thought it would use my strongest familial connections". "Hmmm, good question...perhaps because you see him both as a dad and as a master and as a teacher? Meanwhile, Riza reminds you of someone else, funny enough. Sort of like a mix of your mom, an uncle, a grandpa, and a grandma even". The Fake Riza just offered him a smile, as he looked around the city. "Your world has nice cities. You will likely face at least three trials. But, it appears that you are not as alone as you might think". "What do you..." Kuroki started to ask, when he heard another familiar voice behind him. "Kuroki? Is that you?" "Eh?" Kuroki knew that voice instictively. He turned around, to see a face he had not seen in a long time. "...Akano?" Akano was standing there, as naked as he was, although he was a bit different. He seemed a bit thinner, and he had pointed ears now. Still. Kuroki ran right into him and wrapped his arms around him, which Akano did as well. Both cried tears of joy, happy to see each other in so long after all they endured and all the worries they had collected. "Akano! It has been so long! I have been so worried, I haven''t heard from you at all!" "Kuroki! Same, I have been looking for you as well, but I couldn''t find you at all!" "I have been in...in...why can''t I say the name of the city?" The Fake Riza shook his head. "The Spirit World clarifies matters of the soul, but obscures matters of the real world. It is hard to speak of material locations here, although exceptions have occurred...in any case, the first trial for you three will take place at your school. I will let you three catch up and meet you there. Just make sure you walk as you go. You do not want to linger in this place for too long". With that, the fake Riza disappeared, but Kuroki was left wondering. "Wait, did he say three?" "...no way. Kuroki, Akano, is that you?" From this, they heard yet another familiar voice. The two finally released each other, to see two other familiar figures. Juno was there, in the same state as they were. Though not that they could see all that much, since it was the spirit world and the further below the neck you went, the more it was obscured and harder to see. Still, to see their friend again gave them great joy, as the three boys entered a group hug. Afterwards however, Kuroki had to ask why they were there. "Ah, I sort of got pulled here by a divine intervention. Something about facing trials to help increase my power and ability". "I got the lead from someone that tonight was the best way to form a soul bound with my weapons, and that I would face a few trials" Juno admitted after Akano. "Reiji is actually guarding me right now, but he is still fully conscious and awake, which is probably why he is not here". Their plan had been to take turns protecting each other, since they had to meditate completely naked with only their weapon by them, and no one else nearby, for it to work. That said, it sounded like the range that needed to be clear was significantly less for what Juno was doing then what Kuroki was doing, but Juno was a bit regretful now. "Had I known this would happen, I would have had him join us". "It''s still nice to know you both are together and doing well" Akano said as they walked down the street. Although barefoot, this was the spirit world, so it didn''t bother them as much. Still, it was getting a bit annoying and distracting. They were even passing by a clothing store, or at least the recreation of one in the spirit world, so it was on their minds... However, that was when Juno stopped them. "Hold on, as much as I have gotten used to anything, I think it would be best if we don''t do the trials bare ass naked". "Its the spirit world. We can''t bring clothes in, we are just souls". "Yeah, but this clothing store is already here" Juno countered Akano.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Akano however let out a sigh. "What, are you going to steal us some clothes?" "I don''t think you can steal things that are kind of just a projection, and none of this is even real". Akano seemed to realize Juno had a good point, but he still wanted to protest. Juno noticed where his gaze was pointed. "You just wanted to see me naked with my new tail and ears, didn''t you?!" Kuroki looked away, as if he was trying not to get involved. Juno noticed it however. "You too Kuroki?!" "It''s just so cute, I can''t help it okay?!" Akano let out a sigh. "What if this is part of our trial also?" Ah right, I see now. This is about tests isn''t it? Akano had an almost pathological need to not fail tests. He didn''t need to get the highest scores, so its not like he was always studying all the time and a workaholic, but he did need to pass. He had been like that since forever, so it was a bit refreshing to experience once again after being separated for almost a month now. Kuroki decided to change his approach to suit the situation. "Then we can just strip then when they give us a clear message is it. I don''t really mind either way, but...id rather not take a test naked. Especially at school. I have had too many nightmares of that exact situation, which I think have caused us all to do worse on tests". It was a fairly common nightmare for students in their world. Realizing that, Akano decided to go along with it. Kuroki put on a purple hoodie and black shorts. Juno put on a green vest, a red short sleeve shirt, and grey shorts. And Akano put on a red short sleeve jacket with a hood, white T shirt, and black shorts. Of course, since it was a clothing store, and not a shoe store, they were still barefoot. There were socks, but wearing just socks outside just felt off to them. That, and they noticed their feet didn''t get sore or dirty it felt like no matter how much they walked. "Maybe because it''s the spirit world?" Kuroki theorized. "Maybe". Either way, they walked through the empty city. It had been their home for fifteen years, so they felt a bit nostalgic. Still, it felt almost like they were moving through it faster then normal. Kuroki was sure there were more shops then this, but he couldn''t remember them. Or perhaps, it was because he couldn''t remember them that they did not appear. Everything was a bit foggy too still, so apparently the fog of the spirit world was always there, it wasn''t just tactical fog to hide their private parts when they were naked. Eventually, they arrived at their middle school, or their junior high school. Out in front, Riza was waiting for them, wearing a yukata this time. "Welcome, Kuroki, Akano, and Juno, to the first trial. How rare, usually one must complete trials alone, but it seems the spirits are letting you three have an exception just this once". Akano seemed relieved, but also suspicious. "Why are we getting such special treatment?" "It appears your god did some negotiating, as well as another. He will also be serving as a guide from here on out. Kuroki might not remember him, but Akano, you should be able to..." "I can speak for myself, Fake Riza" a young boy''s voice said as a new figure walked out. He was already clothed as well, wearing special white robes that went down to his knees. It was impossible to see if he was even wearing pants or underwear, that''s how long and covering the robes were. His blonde hair and blue eyes, along with his soft features, made him seem almost angelic. However, the way he looked at them felt as if he was older, very likely an adult chronologically. "Welcome, Starfallen. I am The Oracle". Akano froze the moment he saw those words, and paled even further when the boy spoke his identity. "You...you are the one that helped me banish the curse on Kuroki and his friend in the spirit world". "So that was you! Wait, so he helped?" The Oracle nodded. "Indeed. It was important to shift the future. I could not have you sidelined during the Goblin Conflict with curses. Although I will say, the curses in the canal were far more troublesome". Kuroki noticed it instantly. The way the Oracle spoke...while it was more direct and up front, it reminded him of Zak. "So you cleared those too..." "Yes. Major events are unfurling all over the world. I am doing my best to influence them as I can, but unfortunately my current ability to act is rather limited. That said, things are beginning to spiral well beyond even what I can see. Even without the shift in timelines brought upon by the Starfall, actions are becoming so chaotic it''s getting more difficult to keep track of events and find the ones I need to nudge in the right direction". Riza nodded. "The Oracle is kinda in a shitty position because the Church has a major corruption inside of it, in addition to its own shady dealings. He can''t even die at the moment, just trapped in a gilded cage. And the more things spiral out of control, the harder it will be for him to help you". The Oracle beckoned them into the school. "Come, we can talk as you handle the first trial. Be warned though, this will take everything you have to overcome". The group followed the Oracle into the school, as they proceeded to walk down the hall. "My father, is he..." "Yes, he has the ability to track you. However, he got flung into one of the farthest spots possible for a Starfallen to land from you, and your own Wishes are interfering with his ability. It will take awhile for him to find you" The Oracle told him. "There are other dangers, greater dangers. Dangers even I cannot see". "...the ones who caused the Starfall". "Yes. They have taken great pains to obscure themselves from me. Their goals and intentions are unknown, but I do know this. Whoever or whatever is behind this, they intend to play the long game, but don''t expect them to remain silent. There is even the possibility they will attempt the ritual again, and it''s unclear if anyone will be able to interfere with it this time". "Interfere?" "Yes. I do not know why they did what they did, but several different groups seemed to learn of the Great Starfall right before it happened. The Devils tried to block it outright, but failed. Others tried to twist it for their purpose, and failed. At least one tried to interfere with the spell and make it fizzle out, and failed. At least one person tried to change it for the better, but also failed to a degree. That said, he weakened Compliance''s Effect on all of you, so it wasn''t a total failure. And one...one who has remained especially hidden from me changed the target location. Not that I know why they did such a thing, and I don''t know which world''s target location he was changing". It seemed no matter who one was in this world, the information of the one responsible was blocked at every turn. Whoever was behind it had gone to extrodinary lengths to keep themselves hidden, as if they were not even in the world itself. Kuroki decided to keep that in mind, on the off chance that was actually the case. Soon, they arrived at the doors to the gym. "The First Trial lies within. Each of you will face your own challenge, and by overcoming it, each of you will be stronger. Just know that this is something you must face alone. Kuroki, for his True Arcanium. Juno, for his spirit bond. Akano, to solidify his soul and spiritual power. But be warned, these trials are by no means simple". The Fake Riza spoke up next. "These trials may test anything and everything. They will hit you where it hurts, and make you face your greatest turmoils. Each trial will test you differently, but there is no singular right answer. Trust your heart. Trust your soul. Trust your love". The three of them nodded, as they stepped through the doors into the gym. Instantly, each one of them was alone, isolated into a separate space. Kuroki found himself in front of the very enemy he had faced before the Starfall, the substitute gym teacher. He felt like he was looking up at him, but also watching the thing unfold as a bystander. The Kuroki in front of him was naked, surrounded by students, and wet, as they and the teacher made fun of him. Calling him an "infant" and "shortie", and various other cruel things. "Little boy" and "shota" and such were common as well, even though his growth down there was about normal for his age, unlike his height. Lacking in body and public hair sure, but otherwise normal. Still, because he was just so damn short, they didn''t even care. They didn''t even bother seeing him for who he was, or who he was trying to be. Because of how he looked, because of how he appeared, they made superficial judgements and ridiculed him. Kuroki could feel the darkness swelling inside of him, despite the fact he knew this was just a projection. But something about it made him feel like he was forgetting that, and he hated this so much. He was used to it, but something about this was digging into him. This moment had happened in reality, but not with this substitute gym teacher. He knew this was fake, but it was making him boil over with rage as the darkness swelled within him. Murderous impulses flashed across his mind, but he stood there, glaring. He also was on his hands and knees, crying. Surrounded and alone by those who would put him down. "No". That was what Kuroki said, as he both lived this and watched this. The one that was him stood up in front of the crowd, not hiding anything. The one who was watching took a step forward. In an instant, the two became one, with Kuroki wearing the clothes he had been wearing moments ago once more. "I am not ashamed of who I am" he told the crowd, the darkness subsiding as something else surged forward. As he took a step forward, the crowd backed off a bit, surprised by the aura he radiated. "I am not embarrassed by my body, and I am not ashamed of my lack of growth. I am short. But I am also smart. Smart enough to know that you idiots wont go anywhere, judging based off of appearances, while I take a step forward". He took another step forward, and the generic crowd of students seemed to dissipate into a black mist. "You think you can stand against me? A teacher? All by yourself?!" "So long as my friends have my back, I am never by myself. No matter the distances between us, we will never back down from bullies like you. Your kind doesn''t get to win, ever". The man seemed to become frustrated, as he tried to punch Kuroki. Only a magic barrier blocked him, and his punch generated a great deal of magical static from the barrier as it seemed to supercharge itself. The energy surged forth, and he was repelled backwards into a wall by the rebounding force emitted from the barrier. "I am Kuroki, the Final Frost". The moment he said that, the shadows receded from the room, as he found himself back with The Oracle...
At the same time, Juno stood above that very same gym teacher, in his own instance of the trial. "H...how..." He was badly beaten and bruised, and was collapsed onto the ground. "I suppose even the spirit world isn''t all knowing. Certainly, I do have an inferiority complex. But I knew it from the start. Trying to face it...certainly was something. But I have always been a cheeky asshole who might not be all right in the head" Juno mentioned. "But I am willing to try and overcome anything, if it means I can help out my friends. And now that I know they are alive and well, my determination has been rekindled. So if you want to trip me up and trap me in here, you are going to have to try a bit better then a substitute gym teacher". "Fair enough..." the figure said, as he and the arrows in him all began to vanish. Juno then was returned to the others, where Akano and Kuroki were there waiting for him. "Ah, was I the last one?" "Yeah...you okay? You seem a bit tense". "These trials know how to get under our skin. Shall we go to the next one? How was yours anyways?" Akano nodded. "I suspect I am not quite done with what I deal with in my first trial, but we will have to see what happens". "I think I settled mine pretty well". "At the very least, you all passed. Of course, the trials will only get harder from here on out" The Oracle mentioned, as they walked down the hall. It was a bit surreal seeing as how they were all barefoot, but it was the spirit world so perhaps that didn''t matter all that much still. The Oracle seemed to notice something. "It looks like we have some gawkers. Someone is trying to spy on these trials". "They are?" Juno asked. "Yes. They might even be trying to interfere. Me and the Fake Riza here will run interference, but lets try and get to the next trial as quickly as possible". The five of them started to head towards the stairways, which the Oracle found fascinating. "I must say, this school is very oddly designed. Even if it is just an amalgamized projection in the spirit world, having so many students for a single teacher in each classroom seems terribly inefficient. There must be an average of two dozen desks minimum per class. And it feels so impersonal, especially that physical education facility. Not even a single dragon skeleton to help inspire and motivate people?" "Ah...we generally don''t have those". "Huh...how dull sounding. Still, seems terribly inefficient to have one teacher handle all those students. Or just straight up ineffective. Or do you have multiple teachers per classroom? But wait, that would just be too chaotic, going in all sorts of different directions". Kuroki, Akano, and Juno were not sure how to answer these questions, since they lacked sufficient knowledge on how other schools worked, especially the ones in their new world, to know what to say. So instead, they just did the best they could while satisfying his curiosity. Riza meanwhile, seemed to just be nodding along or finding the questions interesting or amusing. "I don''t suppose you can tell us anything at all about this second trial?" Kuroki asked. "The trial is different for each individual. For a normal apprentice, they would usually be simpler, but...you all are not normal. Juno, how did you even hear about this?" "A Necromancer I met told me about how to do this, said it would help me a lot in the long term". "Huh....interesting...that would mean...a shift on that axis? Well, it should help improve the odds in...hmm...I will have to think on this afterwards". "R-right..." "As for the trial, I will say this. It will want to challenge you mentally, physically, and spiritually. The ritual you three are doing...well, its not done by everyone. Only a few ever try to accomplish each year, whether it be for Soulbound weapons or for a True Arcanium, or whatever Akano''s god is up to". Akano seemed surprised. "You don''t know?" "Gods see things differently than we do. There are workings upon the divine we only ever can theorize about. Still, he has been helping me with something, so giving him some help here is the least I can do. Now then, all of you". As he said that, they soon arrived at the next door. This one led to the principal''s office. "Round 2! Fight!" the fake Riza announced, as the second trial awaited them. Chapter 47: Reach Out With Your Hand The moment they stepped through the door, they became engulfed with light as any feeling below their feet disappeared. Everything seemed to swirl and change, and Kuroki just barely caught onto a ledge and stopped himself from falling. Suddenly, he was atop a large skyscraper, or rather hanging off the side of one. From a brief glance, he appeared to be dangling several dozen stories above the ground level, and he just barely was able to hang on. Furthermore, Akano and Juno were in a similar position as him, in all the various ways. The wind beat down on them, as if trying to get them to fall. They hurried and pulled themselves up onto the roof, although it was clearly a fictional roof. After all, no roof of a building this tall, or possibly just in general, that people could walk on would lack some sort of guard rail or barrier. When they got up, they saw Riza and the Oracle as well. The Oracle was wearing the same clothes as always, while Riza was now wearing a fedora, a white shirt, brown pants, and for some reason he had a whip at his side. One could only fathom why Fake Riza was dressed like that now, and frankly Kuroki did not want to know. "What the hell is with this? And why are we still together?" "It appears the second trial is a bit shy...it''s both started and not started. Well, it happens sometimes" The Oracle mentioned with a shrug. The Fake Riza meanwhile just looked rather amused. Is he actually just a projection of Riza, or is Riza actually just pretending to be a projection? Kuroki found his mannerisms to be quite different earlier, but now Kuroki wasn''t so sure. Incidentally, there didn''t seem to be any door to go back through, so they couldn''t go backwards, only forwards. It appeared they had been taken out of the school, but this was part of the second trial. Or a lead up to it. "It''s possible your trials might take place at different locations for this next part, and that''s why you are here. Do any of you see anything of note? Any place that might be significant to you?" Kuroki immediately looked from the top of the building, trying to find it. This was still their city, the place they grew up in, but due to it just being a reflection or a projection, it wasn''t perfectly accurate either. However, Kuroki did notice something that was missing. "My house isn''t here". "You are right. Given it has a dojo attached to it, it''s pretty big and noticeable" Juno mentioned. "I guess that is the location of trial number three?" "Of course it is...it''s not like its a secret after all" Kuroki groaned, as he looked over the area. "However, I think I do see a place that might be significant. I just am not sure how it would be my personal demon. But perhaps this is just a teaser of what is to come". "Not all trials involve internal turmoil, but some may just be an enemy that you will need to face and overcome. They are not meant to be cruel or difficult, but instead like a puzzle you must decode and solve". Kuroki looked towards the mountain. While he could not find his house, he could find the mountain that was just ten minutes away by walking. A place where he had been forced to go many times to train, after his father discovered his love of magic and girly things, and where his apprentices had at times made him wear a dress or do other things to torment and humiliate him. "If its personal demons, then I think I know where I need to go as well" Juno mentioned, eyeing the shopping mall. "Assuming of course, that she is the one I must face". "She?" "...yeah. Unfortunately, in the city I first appeared in, she appeared as well. That detestable person I had hoped had been sent far far away. Kanoko Amiya". Kuroki and Akano both scowled the moment they heard that name. "Seriously? Are you okay?" "Yes. For now, me and Reiji have avoided catching her attention, but it will only be a matter of time. The fact that she is in the adventurer''s guild and is at least F-Rank means that she has some combat ability too. But given how twisted her personality was, her wishes might be seriously bad news for any of us. Honestly speaking, she concerns me the most out of everyone". "She was an absolute menace. There were actual criminal charges pressed against her, I thought she was sent far away". "Yeah, me too" Juno said with a nod. "But that was the place where I fought wits with her last...it was my victory, all of ours really, so without a doubt that is where I need to go". Akano then looked out over the city for his own target. That said, its not like he had it as bad as Kuroki, nor did he get into as many conflicts as Juno. He knew the third trial would undoubtedly be at the dojo as well, if one considered that person as their mutual enemy. But there had to be another. A place where he would face his own demon. Or perhaps... "I see...I think I know where I need to go". "Really?" "Yeah. You two go on ahead, we will meet back up before the third trial" Akano said. Kuroki seemed to pick up on his strange behavior, however. "Everything okay?" "No. But I suppose that is the point of this trial" Akano admitted honestly. "Its something I have to face myself, we will meet back up when we are all done and your house appears". "Okay then...stay safe, and remember. No matter what, you are my friend, and I will always be there for you" Kuroki told him. "But uhh, how are we supposed to get down?" "Oh, that is simple. Don''t worry, the distance is shorter than it looks" The Oracle said, as suddenly various floating platforms appeared in the two directions the two needed to go. "...please don''t tell me..." "Ahhh...is this..." "Don''t worry. This is the spirit world. Your jumping ability is magnified since gravity isn''t fluid or fixed here. Have fun!" "I knew it!" The two groaned as they jumped forward, leaping several dozen meters in a single bound and landing on the first platforms. Meanwhile, Akano looked behind him...and saw an elevator door appear. "Oh? You found it already?" "Its the building we are standing on" Akano replied to the Fake Riza''s questions. At those words, the wall behind them suddenly seemed to melt away, and instead an elevator appeared there, open and waiting for him. "Was that supposed to..." "Probably, yes" The Oracle mentioned. "Now, are you truly ready for this trial?" "No" Akano admitted. "But I don''t think anyone is ever truly ready to face their regrets". Akano entered the elevator alone, as he pressed the singular button on the panel. The doors closed, and the elevator descended. As much as his mood did, with each and every second that passed, he felt his worries increase and deepen. He had suspected this might happen in truth, but he had held out hope that this wouldn''t happen. The dread just increased until the elevator reached its intended floor, and the doors slowly slid open. He was now in the exterior passageway for a large amount of apartments, and he stepped forward off the elevator as he went up to a particular apartment. The door seemed old and worn, but at the same time it appeared to be decently maintained. A fancy lock was on it, but it wasn''t locked, or even closed. It was left slightly open. He pushed it open and stepped inside, and saw the sight that scarred him more than anything else. Something that still gripped him with fear to this day. Something he had encountered as a child long ago, but overcome with fear for his own safety, never spoke of. Something that then seemed to disappear, and by the time he thought he could, it was already too late. The evidence was gone. Inside of it was the corpse of Kuroki''s mother. Strangled to death, after the head was bashed in. Clearly there had been some kind of struggle, and the first part of the name of Kuroki''s father written in her blood, by her own hand. It was dried into the floor itself, a crimson mark that could have determined who the killer was. "I see...so you knew. You knew this whole time" the Fake Riza said, walking out from behind him. His tone was neither disappointed or judgmental, but instead empathetic. "Yeah..." "How long ago was this?" Fake Riza asked. "Several years ago, when I was just eight years old. I got so scared I pissed my pants...because I knew who did this, and that if he could do this to Kuroki''s mom, he could do this to me and my family as well". "You were just a little kid. I...I am sure she forgives you". Akano shook his head. "That is irrelevant. Its not like the dead can come back to life or reincarnate. But...I haven''t told Kuroki yet. I was just so scared, and now I am so ashamed. How do I tell him? That I knew the whole time, and said nothing?! I betrayed him so badly...the next day, this was all gone and cleaned up, so I didn''t even have any proof". Of course, it was unreasonable to ask a child that young to have reacted properly, especially given everything. If anything, such reactions were normal. But to Akano, he considered this his greatest betrayal, and to his best friend of all people. It was something that he couldn''t reconcile, although it had fueled a healthy relationship with Kuroki as well, that likely would have happened anyways. Riza couldn''t help but keep staring at the body however. "How did you find it?" "Hmmm?" Riza turned around to face him. "Why were you the first one to find the body?" "This is near where I live, and she asked me to meet her here in secret in a text. Worried about something or another..." "...a text huh. And she was dead like this when you found her?" "Yes...why?" "Something about this isn''t right. No one just asks a child to meet them, she should have asked your parents. Someone else lured you there...someone knew how you would react, someone who wanted to drive this conflict to divide you". "What do you mean?" Riza shook his head. "She clearly died awhile ago, and was left dying. However, the blood was dried. Akano, there is a very good chance...she was already dead when you got that text". "What..." "Someone killed her, but then left her here? What was this place?" "An abandoned apartment near where I lived". "Right, so she came here to hide, someone tracked her down, killed her, and then what? Left her body there for hours, only to then clean it up the moment you ran away in a panic? Who probably watched to see if you would call the police...and likely would have killed you if you had". "No, no you can''t be saying..." Akano realized what Riza was getting at, but he didn''t want to believe it. "All of this was done by Hokoro Kyoudo. He did this....just to torment you, and maybe even tried to drive you away from Kuroki to isolate him more. Although, obviously that second part failed miserably". Riza paled. That meant that bastard, he had been watching. He knew this whole time, and he would have known every time they saw each other. All the times he mentioned her in front of him, it wasn''t just to torment Kuroki about his mom''s disappearance, but also Akano as well. "He wanted to isolate Kuroki to make it easier to manipulate him into what he wanted Kuroki to be. I suspect the only reason he never went any further was because he was failing so terribly at that goal". Akano looked at the corpse, and clenched his fists. "This guy...why? Why would he do this?" "Because he hates anything and anyone who interferes with his hopes and dreams" Riza responded. "To him, he was getting too old to achieve his own dreams himself. He was just about to enter his fourties right? It wasn''t just Kuroki''s growth, or lack of physical growth, and his desires that antagonized him. It was time itself, and he was helpless against it. So he decided to force Kuroki to become his proxy, and by doing so, achieve his dreams by burdening it on his son. But the more Kuroki deviated from his ideals, the worse it got. To the point he used anything as an excuse to hit him at this point. And this developed into other obsessions, as his mind panicked from age. Thus resulting in his hatred of all things magic". "That...how do you know all this?" "A combination of your memories, Riza''s experiences, and Kuroki''s emotions. Remember, I am just a projection created in the Spirit World". Really? I mean, it did create an entire city from our memories, but this thing feels more...sentient and independent then just some projected reflection. While thinking that, Akano looked at the corpse. "So, in short...he made us feel small..." "Because he is a bully, an aging bully who can no longer achieve his dreams on his own, so he feels the need to make everyone who goes against him or helps them feel small, while making his friends feel good and big and better than everyone else since that helps him feel the same about himself". "So its vanity". "Indeed. This was a murder due to his vanity. He couldn''t stand his wife was leaving him also, it felt it would humiliate him. He was only getting progressively worse after all, and it declined faster after she died. Not sure the specifics on why or how regarding that though". The projection knew things that Riza shouldn''t know, but it shouldn''t have had magical knowledge of the crime scene either. This place was a reflection of their minds and memories after all. So why was it seemingly able to see so much more than them? Did it have access to their world?Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. All of these things went through Akano''s mind, as he began to work through things in his head.
At the same time, Kuroki made it to his own trial, although he wasn''t entirely happy with how he had to get there. He came rushing into the mountain inside of a minecart that had tracks that stretched into the sky. Clearly, the spirit world had decided to take some...liberties...when it came to these recreations, or perhaps they were just recreating that one terrifying ride from the amusement part he went too once. Now that Kuroki thought of it, it was identical to that, so it almost assuredly was. That said, what was also strange was that it was raining upon the mountain. It had been sunny on approach, but the moment if foot touched the ground, a downpour began like one could not believe. It was raining heavy and hard, and thunder roared in the distance. Lightning flashed down upon a tree nearby, as Kuroki quickly took cover. "I see. So that is what they want me to relive huh?" And yet, Kuroki''s expectations were shattered when a few goblins emerged from the mud. Kuroki wasn''t sure why they were there, but they came after him with a rather tenacious look in their eyes. Kuroki quickly adopted his Water Puppetry Technique, using it to quickly adapt to the situation and go on both offense and defense, switching between the two flawlessly and sometimes doing both at the same time. He blocked the clubs with a stream, freezing it solid with the goblin''s weapons still inside of it, before launching it as a projectile right back at them to take them all down at once. One of the goblins managed to dodge, but Kuroki was already right next to him, using a spear of ice to pierce through it. He then froze the corpses of the goblins, just to be on the safe side. "Goblins...why are there Goblins in my trial?" "Because the path to gaining a True Arcanium would never be so simple and easy" The Oracle said, appearing behind him. "Still, they usually hold some level of significance. Perhaps...its because even if they aren''t actually people, Goblins are humanoids and they are the first humanoid things you killed? Or perhaps because they were used by one of your greater enemies, like Chiathias". He just barely nodded to the Oracle, as he was clearly displeased by this current situation for a variety of reasons. "This weather is a bigger menace then the Goblins though..." Kuroki''s feet moved through the sloshy mud, sinking partly into it as the mud got in-between his toes and made it difficult to walk. His clothes were quickly getting drenched which was incredibly uncomfortable, which combined with the sloshy mud that seemed to be attempting to cover his feet now, was incredibly unpleasant. "You could always strip~" "As much as that probably would be less unpleasant physically, no thanks. I have zero desire to do battle in the nude if I can help it". "Fair enough. That is considered highly embarrassing, even in our world". The Oracle seemed to almost teleport, as Kuroki never witnessed him walk and there were no footprints made by him in the mud. But it only ever happened while Kuroki wasn''t looking at him, and he would always appear again in a place Kuroki wasn''t looking either. Not that he wanted to look around a lot, and risk slipping in the process. The mud seemed intent on getting into every nook and cranny possible in his feet alone, feeling unnerving and unpleasant. He wished he had rain boots or at least shoes, but nothing was there, and socks would be a terrible idea since not only would they do nothing at all to stop the mud, he would actually lose friction and fall down into the mud way more. Still, he continued to climb upwards and forward. He remembered this trail a lot, and there was a sort of small clearing where some people camped occasionally. It wasn''t an actual proper campground, but it was more like a local, unmarked place that people in the area used for a variety of reasons. There were quite a few of them, but this was the one closest to his house. By the time he reached it, Kuroki was half covered in mud. He had ended up falling three times after all, and there was mud in places that he would rather not talk about. Also, a snake somehow ended up inside of his underwear. Why a snake even appeared in the spirit world was anyone''s guess, but it made for an extremely unpleasant reaction from Kuroki. Still, he did finally made it...only to see a rather unpleasant sight. There were photographs everywhere, posted on the trees. Some of him in girls clothes, some of him naked, some of him in diapers, but all of him from the past few years. "So, it was you after all" Kuroki muttered, as the Captain of the Elite Class came out. Obito Wakina. He was a high schooler, an abnormally tall and well built one at that. He looked half handsome youth, half rough thug. He was going to graduate this year, his wild black hair unkept and his body mass, which was mainly muscle Kuroki felt like, being well over twice as much as Kuroki, who was short and thin. He was at least two meters tall, making him taller then even Reiji, but no one messed with him due to the intimidating aura he gave out. "Oh look, the infantile brat is back" the projection said in a threatening tone. "I am looking forward to finding you in reality, and making you suffer an even greater series of embarrassments". "Yeah yeah, because my father taught you and so on, yada yada" Kuroki said, displaying a mixture of contempt and disinterest. "Oracle, just to be clear, I can just blow him up right?" The Oracle shrugged. "I am just an observer and a guide, I don''t know what the trials want of you. But I will say, he has a face that looks like it would love a giant hailstone smashing into it". "Yes yes, I have to agree with that" Kuroki replied. "Why you..." Almost instantly, the moment Obito took a step forward, giant ice spikes shot out of the ground and headed right for him. He quickly dodged them, and even shattered a few with his fists by striking from the side, but the sheer amount of them had surprised him. After all, there had been over a dozen there. At the same time however, Goblins began to emerge from the mud, as well as a few Orcs as well, and even some Sylvs. Kuroki took position however, lifting up one foot and driving it into the mud as he gained a more solid footing position. He had already been chanting a spell. "Frozen Guardians!" Several ice sculptures emerged from the ice, all in the image of the Elven Mechanical soldiers from the ruin. Obviously they were not nearly as powerful, but the sight of a dozen of them emerging from below was quite the sight, as they established a protective line around Kuroki. "Learned recently the important and dangers of numbers". "Mhm. That was a good lesson to learn. Even an X-Ranked adventurer could be overwhelmed if outnumbered by strong foes". The Oracle nodded along with the lesson, as the fight commenced. The enemy tried to rush immediately with its superior numbers, but Kuroki''s ice creations were not just for show. They had a solid defense and decent offense, and even moreso, they were able of limited cooperation with each other. It was not to the point that the actual Elven mechanized soldiers had been, not even half the skill they had. But for a beginner like Kuroki, it was a major achievement. And yet, the Oracle''s eyes widened when he realized something. I see...so that is the point of this trial. But will Kuroki figure it out in time, is the question. I suppose I will just have to wait and see...story of my life. While the Oracle came to a revelation, Kuroki''s battle continued against one of his nemeses as the rain continued to pour.
Juno meanwhile arrived at the mall, entering the large entrance room that led to so many different stores and services. It was exactly how he remembered the shopping mall from their city, which probably indicated just how much he had been there. Or perhaps it was because he remembered it like this that it was like this. The spirit world was truly strange. "So, why don''t you come out already?" Juno called out to the presence he could just vaguely sense. Even with his alertness, it was mostly hidden. He could only vaguely make out that it was there. Still, he drew a bow. The bow was not there before, but he was able to call it out somehow. He had been practicing archery for eight years now, so this was something he was used to so much that in the spirit world, it was as easy for him as breathing. He didn''t even know he could do it, it just happened instinctively. "Ah, busted am I?" A boy''s voice was said, as someone Juno did not expect entered into his line of sight. The boy had bright red hair and ruby red eyes, and smiled peacefully as he entered into Juno''s line of sight. Juno was left speechless the moment he saw the boy. "No, that''s impossible...what are you doing here?" The boy just smiled and shook his head. "You already know the answer to that, Juno. Who else did you think would appear here? Any unresolved issues are up for grabs after all, and you must face them all the same. Conquering them...well, that might be more optional. But you must at least face them". "What sick joke is this, why would you use his face and voice here" Juno growled. "Its not the Spirit World who is doing this" the boy said, shaking his head. "The one who manifested me was you...and the Starfall". Juno held his breath for a moment. "...my wishes..." "Naturally, the Starfall cannot grant all wishes one has. Besides, its for the best. Your regret right now fuels your determination to stand up for whats right. Maybe you get a bit more zealous then you should, but you always try to be clever about it when you can. I am glad that you are so inspired by me. I am proud of who you have become...and that you were my friend". "It''s not fair! It''s not fair at all!" "Hey now, its not like I was murdered or anything. Unless you consider cancer my murderer". "...its not that simple is it?" "I made that choice, not you" the nine-year-old stated. He took another step forward, coming more clearly into view. He was wearing a black jacket over a red hoodie, and black shorts. His overgrown bangs were held out of his hair by a hairclip that looked like a purple lightning bolt. "You just gave me one great final day". Juno had always been a crusader. But something like that, sometimes it takes something as fuel. "That said, you didn''t have to scold them all so much". "It wasn''t right that everyone made fun of you just because you were sick". "Hey, at least in the spirit world, I have this luscious head of hair right now. I was bald thanks to all the chemo". "Maybe you could have lived though, they could have found a way..." "There was no way to save me in that world. Not even the Starfall could just bring me back. Everything has its limits". "Then we just have to push past them!" Juno called out. "Hey now, there we go. Now you are sounding like a true fifteen-year-old protagonist". Juno shook his head. "Please, I haven''t done anything near enough to be called a protagonist. Not like Kuroki". Riki just walked up to his friend and gave him a slap in the face. "And here I thought you said you wouldn''t let your inferiority complex rule you". "Its the truth". "Juno, you are just as capable of anything Kuroki is. You need to believe in yourself more" Riki scolded him, when there was a large crashing sound on the other side of the mall. "Looks like our talk is over now". As Riki said that, several large wolves suddenly began to come out from behind various corners. "What is this? I thought for sure it would be her..." "Oh make no mistake, you figured out who you would face. But its not all that simple. The ones you are facing, they are alive in the real world. And the spirit world is a fickle thing. Furthermore, this isn''t a pure spirit world. Its also the inside of your very soul. It won''t be so straightforward". Juno notched two arrows and released, taking out two wolves at once. "Oh, you have gotten better. Your eyesight is a lot better too". "Someone had to pick up the slack. Those other guys weren''t doing enough" Juno mentioned. Riki then drew his own bow, and notched his own arrow. "How are my parents?" "...its hard to visit them, since I remind them of you". "I see. Sorry, that was a dumb question". "Its only fair to want to know what happened to those you care about after you die" Juno said as he put another arrow into a wolf. In the spirit world, it appeared he had unlimited arrows as he and Riki pulled them out of nowhere. "But you know, the role of an archer is more then just ranged combat" Riki said, as suddenly blades appeared on the tips of his bow, and he used nimble footwork to navigate around a bunch of charging wolves. In an instant, several of them were stabbed in various vital points, and fell to the ground as corpses. Juno nodded, as he backstepped as a wolf lunged at him, then pivoted strong as he lifted his other leg, delivering a powerful kick right into its jaw. It went flying to the side, letting out a death rattle in the process. "Sending lackeys to do your dirty work! You never change, Kanoko Amiya!" "Seriously, who did you piss off after I died!" "A bully who liked to torment people! She went too far, and we tricked her into exposing herself and getting herself arrested" Juno admitted. "Thats just how bad she is". "Wait hold on, the same Kanoko Amiya who stole our chocolate in the first grade, and put a snake inside your underwear in the boys locker room during our swim class?" "Yes, her!" "So your saying she never mellowed out? Thats...wow". "She picked on Kuroki a bunch...right, I met him after you died, so you never met him". "Mhm. I would like to ask you about him, but I doubt ill have the time" he said, as he then noticed an attack. "Dodge!" A large signboard suddenly came flying at them, and they just barely moved out of the way in time. However, once they did, she arrived. "You smell like old fish!" Riki shouted. "...Riki, that insult really has very low effect outside of elementary school". "What?! No way! Its a really good one!" "Shut up, both of you!" she shouted, as she tossed a trash can at the two of them from an upper level, glaring at them. "There are no cops to save you!" "Oh, that is your mistake" Juno said, instantly firing two arrows. She just barely blocked them in time, but their targets had been obvious. One aimed at her heart, another at her head. "You are just a projection after all, and there is no rules or laws protecting you here". Riki looked a bit alarmed. "Juno, even so, that was...really fast". "I really despise her that much" Juno replied. "So this can act as therapy for me. Every time I see her, Compliance acts up and gives me some massive murderous urges. That said, it also appears to be stopping me as well a bit, aside from Reiji, and the rules and laws". "Juno..." "She just continues to spread misery and mayhem in her wake, getting her kicks off of making people suffer. A psychopath and a narcasist through and through". "Juno, don''t let this bully corrupt you!" Riki said, headbutting Juno with a jumping rush headbutt. "Ow! What the hell!" "Juno, she isn''t worth throwing your life away!" "Wha..." "You are far more important and special then she will ever be!" "Hey now..." "Juno, show her what a true hero is! Together!" Riki held out his hand. "Riki...I don''t..." "Shut it! Stop putting yourself and your efforts down all the time! What would Reiji say!" "Reiji takes on too much of the burden though..." "Uhg, you are both the same!" Riki used psychokinesis to create a barrier that stopped Kanoko''s next attack. "Shut up you two! This is my show! Not yours!" "No, you shut up you minor, two-bit tertiary antagonist!" Juno wanted to comment that Riki was making very odd insults again. Unfortunately, his friend always had a habbit of using very mild or old seeming insults, or very irregular ones. His ability to insult people was...unique, to say the least. Riki meanwhile summoned several shards of glass to go after the interrupter. His bare feet slid across the ground, creating a line of magic. In the next instant, crimson energy emerged from the line and began to shoot out various beams that chased her around, while he looked back at Juno and offered his hand again. "Juno, you need to stand on your own two feet, but more then that, you need to become the person you want to be then let people like that pull you down! Don''t let Compliance influence you!" "Thanks. For a projection, you are pretty good". "Like I said, I am not a projection. I am the aftereffects of a failed wish...a fleeting existence if you will". "Are you sure? You don''t feel so fleeting to me". "No, I am sure of that much. Just a ghost, an echo, never actually accepted by the wish. So lets have one last round together". "Very well..." Juno mentioned, as he grabbed Riki''s hand and pulled himself up. The moment he did, power surged between them. A sort of green energy that felt almost vaguely familiar to Juno coursed between them. In the next moment, Juno''s bow began to glow red...along with Riki. "What the...what is..." "I have no idea!" Suddenly, a bright light occurred between them, blinding all as the power surged forth.
Meanwhile, outside of the spirit world, Aira watched Juno who was in a meditative trance, or at least Juno''s physical body, as he was engaging in a ritual spell. The young necromancer watched both Juno and Reiji. "Alright, lets see if the information I got from Zak works the way we hope. At the very least, I can sense my ritual was a success. The rest is up to Juno and Riki now" Aira said, nodding. Aira looked back at the letter he received, written by Zak. It was all strange and spoke in riddles, but Aira was able to decode it. This let him know to suggest to Juno to attempt a Soulbound weapon ritual, using his bow at the base. It had been Zak, acting through Aira, which prompted this turn of events. Of course, how Zak knew of Aira would be a mystery to both Kuroki and Juno should they discover this. At least for now. I nearly gave it away back there, letting slip Necromancers work with detectives. Juno is a bit too hotheaded, but if he told Reiji, he would absolutely figure it out I am sure. But this is necessary to bring about a better future. Juno needs more then just Reiji if he wants to grow. Well, mentally at least. Aira had made the whole point of making contact just to make sure that he could casually mention the ritual to them. It had been a risky move, but he got unexpected gains. Zak hadn''t mentioned Cherry Road would attack them that very night after all. Either things are changing, or it just shows Zak''s information network is still in development. Maybe both. Aira then focused on his ritual. "The rest is up to you all..." "...so you were up to something" Reiji mentioned from behind Aira. Aira looked behind him with a look of shock. "Oh come on! You can''t be that far away from Juno! What if something happens!" "I realized someone, likely you, helped to clear the forest ahead of time". "...damnit". As Aira expected, Reiji was way too capable. "So, what are your plans for Juno. What are you hiding from us?" "Sorry, but I can''t tell you that. Literally, it would only cause problems for all of us". "You really think that line would work on me?" Reiji asked. "...eh, I mean its the truth, but no I didn''t think it would be that easy. You know better then to just blindly believe people you barely know, even if I know plenty about you, Starfallen". "...how much do you know?" "Your parent''s given names are Shizuku and Yuki. And both are still well and alive". "What..." Aira shook his head. "Sorry, thats all the preview I can give you". "You think that will be enough?" "I was sworn to secrecy. But know this, my ritual is of great benefit to Juno". "How so?" "He will finally be able to resolve things with Riki...depending on his own efforts, of course". "You sure do know a lot of names". Aira looked away, back towards the field. "Aside from the Devils, another power is at work, going after Starfallen. Somehow, they are able to recognize Starfallen...and has been killing them. The victims are scattered in terms of age range, gender, and so on. Iv examined several corpses so far as a local necromancer, and I was able to realize something by talking to their spirits. Each and every single one is a Starfallen. Whoever is doing it is strong as well, its unclear that even if you and Juno work together, you would survive an encounter with him. But he is in the area, and he is killing Starfallen. Its gone unnoticed so far because Starfallen don''t really have friends and family in this world at the start, so when they disappear or die, no one kicks up a fuss about it. That is also why you need to power up just as much as Juno does. They will need you, Reiji. And we don''t have time to be at each other''s throats". "But why do you care?" Reiji asked the most important question. "Sorry, but we aren''t close enough yet for me to tell you that. Now then, you don''t need to stand around here right now, do you?" Reiji thought for a moment and then nodded. "Fair enough. In that case, I just have one more thing I need to ask". Aira smiled. "Fair enough". And so, the night continued as events in the Spirit World advanced forward. Chapter 48: The Ties That Bind As Juno and Riki faced off against Kanoko Amiya, the energy that brought forth from them joining hands surged throughout the spirit world. And within one far off corner of the spirit world, a sleeping dragon stirred, interested in what was disrupting his nap. It was Gronkilius, the Continental Lord, one of the Ancient Dragons of the world who predate some of the gods themselves. He briefly looked across the endless stretches of fog and shifting terrain, everchanging as the spirit world reacted to the mortal world. In the distance, a huge beam of light shot into the sky. It seemed to tear through The Fabric of The World, and for the briefest of instances, felt as if it was supported by the Origin Tree, also known as the World Tree. He could feel the very nature of the land twist and change to accommodate it, as if the Origin Tree was supporting this unnatural event. And yet, it appeared such an unnatural event was born of coincidence and chance, it was not the act of some depraved individual, but something born of kindness and friendship. It had a warm feeling to it, like a warm summer breeze brushing against one''s cheek. "Oh, what is this I sense? A rending of space and time, a spiritual energy most unusual. Nothing overwhelmingly powerful about it...but it is quite unique". He pondered what he sensed, mulling over the energy. It surged and satiated, as it soon began to fade. The Fabric of The World soon repaired itself, and thus the damage was all but erased in an instant. "How interesting. It appears to be quite the irregularity. Perhaps too much of an irregularity...for it to tear The Fabric, not even the most powerful of powerful beings can do that. Which means, one of them may possess some sort of unnatural ability". The Dragon briefly considered moving, when a silver dragon suddenly put its claw on his arm to stop him. "Belliarla?" The silver dragon shook her head. "You must not act, Gronkilius. This is what we have grandkids for". "Hmmf. Those brats are barely even five hundred. What about our kids?" "You know very well, once us Ancient Dragons get old enough, we must avoid impacting the world. That is what we agreed to in the Pact of the World". "But there are exceptions that exist, such as this irregularity. It tore through the Fabric of the World, and yet the Origin Tree supported it? It is far too strange". Belliarla looked over in the distance, as a beam of light shot into the sky. She shook her head. "No, not this time. Not this irregularity. Besides, I need your help quelling the dissenters". "This irregularity is not something we can leave to others, Belliaria. My sweetest of dreams, this is a matter for us Elders among the Ancient Dragons". "No, I have seen the future weave. This is something we must not get involved in yet, and it won''t be an issue for us. We have to let events play out, while monitoring the players involved. Thus, we will send our grandkids to investigate. I will tell them to remain disguised as merchants the whole way". "Who will you send? Riothalius? Mizrivarli? Toraloria? Its hard to see any of them taking the merchant job seriously enough to actually pass for one". "I was thinking Azmaria". "That boy? You know how emotional he can get". "He is also the one who will least upset the Ancient Pact. You only complain because you dote on him way too much". "He only just reached four hundred years old!" "He is capable. Besides, we have other issues to look into..." "Very well..." He looked over at the distortion. "WIsh I could have seen it myself. It looks so interesting over there".
Juno was standing in the middle of what appeared to be a strange vortex. It almost felt like the spirit world, but it was different. His clothes had disappeared completely, and in the middle there appeared to be a transparent screen with writing on it. It was identical to the situation Kuroki found himself in at the end of the Azralia-Goblin conflict. When he invoked Flopsy''s Last Wish. This time, Juno stood there. He walked up to it, and for him, the screen said something completely different. As he read it, it felt like it spoke directly into his head. Would you like to invoke The Last Wish? He felt that it wasn''t his wish it was talking about this time, but someone else''s. In this case, it was talking about Riki''s Last Wish. Even though Riki should be dead, and should have only been here as a projection, such an option was presented to Juno. Could this happen to anyone? Did Riki somehow count as a Starfallen? Juno felt like this was a once in a thousand years situation, something that should never normally happen. He instinctively sensed that, and that something else was causing it. The only reason Riki was even here was because deep down, Juno wanted his friend back. Even though his heart had healed long ago, thanks to Reiji and everyone else. But this loss had driven him to who he became, and thus was a core part of him. The Starfall resonated with that, but it could not bring the dead back to life. And yet, here Juno stood, having met Riki, and now looking at the ability to invoke Riki''s Last Wish. Riki''s spirit was brought forth by a wish. He was a projection, but his spirit merged with the projection before it could fade away. Still, this was the spirit world. It would eventually fade away anyways. But because Riki''s spirit was only here thanks to a wish in the first place, and because of the enormous power that was used to trigger this Starfall, some of that power soaked into the spirit. And thus, before it faded away, it acted as a pseudo-Starfallen. Because this Starfall was breaking a lot of the normal rules anyways, something like this happened. And thus, although none of Riki''s wishes were granted, the potential was there. Surging. So much that his Last Wish could be invoked. Juno had been there when he died as well, he heard his last words. He knew what the Last Wish was. And so, he put his palm on the screen and hit yes. "I invoke the Last Wish!"
As the light faded, Juno and Riki found themselves still together as the world became clear to them both. They looked up to see Kanoko Amiya, looking kind of irritated. "I don''t know what that was, but I will just kill you here!" She jumped down as several flaming bolts rained down at him, clearly some form of magic as she wielded a giant signboard as a weapon. Riki meanwhile raised his hand instinctively to brace, but instead somehow created a magic barrier around them, blocking all the firebolts. "Woah, what was that? And what...is this?" Juno now had a new bow. It was a bow that was red and silver, with some purple designs on the red parts. The ends of the bow were bladed, and the string appeared to be made of some strange material he could not identify. It appeared the bow could be split in half by the handle as well, turning it into dual daggers, which seemed to make the string disappear when it happened. When it reconnected, the string appeared again. But even more then that, Riki felt like he was bound to the weapon, and to Juno. He felt more solid as well, as if he had been. And he was able to use magic and spiritual energy, far more then he could before. He also felt like he had gained more weapons he could summon. Juno fired two arrows, which went faster and stronger then any he had fired before. It shattered the barriers Kanoko set up, and while she was able to cut through them, a fragment of one cut her cheek, spilling out a tiny bit of blood. Riki meanwhile summoned various flamebolts around himself, and unleashed a barrage on her. She cut through some and dodged others, but Juno lined up his next arrow and fired. She stepped to dodge, but the ground where she was going to step was blasted away. Riki had apparently done that when she wasn''t looking, and it messed up her footing. This let Juno get a good hit right in her heart, sending her flying back as a corpse. "Such a shame this won''t remove the threat she poses in the real world" Juno muttered, as her projection disappeared. "Still, I was a bit worried just outright killing her might make me fail". "No. I believe this trial was testing your combat skills while under mental duress" Riki mentioned. "I am pretty sure I only manifested here because it was to make you face your regret, and see if you could push past it in the heat of battle". "Right...really?" "Well, I don''t really know. I kinda...broke off from the norm. But it looks like the trial was completed?" "It kinda feels like everything is going wonky". Riki frowned, and suddenly summoned several firebolts as he looked in the direction of the mountain. "Its possible these trials have been enhanced and corrupted by an outside force. I can sense one side having memories twisted and implanted, to make an illusion and make them suffer. But most of the malice...I feel from the mountain. Something strange is happening, we should regroup with the others, and do it fast". Juno grimaced. "Is it that bad?" "If you think this got a bit weird, well...I feel like its affecting the other two even more then us. We have to run and hurry!" And so, with those words, Juno and Riki raced out the doors.
At the same time all of that was going on, Akano was sitting on the floor, thinking about everything that has happened between then and now. How many times he could have told Kuroki but didn''t. All the reasons, and all the excuses. An impossible scenario for a child to deal with, and yet one he felt like he should have long ago. Riza spoke the truth to him. He knew that. And yet, the faintest part of his voice felt like he was judging Akano as well. And that there was something Akano should know, should realize from this. But the guilt was clouding him, eating away at him like an alien parasite inside his stomach. He felt so terrible, and yet he also knew that he was too young to have made the right decision. That perhaps there was no right decision to begin with. So he tormented himself and toiled, as he thought about everything. His parents, the fact that the bastard knew the whole time, the fact that he had been played for a fool all this time. Something in his head was buzzing also, an ache that was adding to the pressure he faced. All of this was hitting Akano, and yet there was something else. As he sat in the room, his knees tucked into his chest, he felt like something was off. He knew something was off. And yet, he couldn''t quite place what it was. Something was nagging at him, like an itch you couldn''t figure out where it was, or a smell that you just couldn''t locate. Something was off about this whole thing. But what was it? "Something here is wrong" Akano spoke aloud. "What makes you think that?" "This whole scenario feels...off. Out of place. Why did I know it was this building? When I couldn''t even see it? Is that really the power of the spirit world?" Riza watched him as Akano started to speak, standing up from his spot finally. An amused grin plastered across his face, he offered no words or advice. Nothing to bring about the solution. From this point on, Akano had to work it out on his own, while Riza''s projection stood there, now dressed like Sherlock Holmes for some strange reason. "Is this what I am really remembering...is everything here actually the way it was..." An impossible scenario...for an impossible crime. Kuroki''s dad is a shitty person, but... "...is this really the truth? The spirit world obscures and clarifies both. It reflects, but also...it refracts. Its not a perfect duplication, its a fragmented duplication. Doors on the second floor can lead to skyscraper roof tops. Objects can float, elevators can appear. The physical of this world can shift, but what about the mental?"If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Akano swept away the dust in the air, and as he did, the room widened as well. Boxes were pushed to the side, and the empty apartment was now cleared. "What is wrong with this scenario". Akano knew now. He knew what was bugging him. Something about his memory was corrupted. But then how? And why? "Kuroki''s mom is dead. This is the one fact I can say for certain is true". Riza nodded, agreeing. It wasn''t a question after all. "And without a doubt, it was Kuroki''s dad that killed her". Riza nodded again, a bit too vigorously. "And he loves to torment those who interfere with his dreams, to punish them for getting in the way of his desires. He wanted to be a champion, and now he wants to live that vicariously through his son. And the more he was rejected, the worse he went down the rabbit hole". Akano didn''t even need to look at Riza to know he was nodding, and giving two thumbs up. "However, he isn''t an idiot. He wouldn''t do anything to expose himself. Which means...this memory can''t be right. In this abandoned apartment, there are too many people around. Too many potential witnesses. And even if he was watching me, even if he used her phone to message me...there is no guarentee I would have come alone. Again, Kuroki''s father knows enough to avoid self destruction". Akano paced around the room, thinking. "Which means...a lot of things. My arrival probably wasn''t planned. But I did witness something. Something traumatic enough to get jumbled up in my head". Akano turned around, and looked right at Riza. "You...or rather, the real Riza. He knew somehow. He figured it out, based off of just how Kuroki was acting. That''s why you are following me right? Because you figured out she died already. Maybe even figured out the whole crime already". "Well I can''t answer fully for the real Riza, but yes...he likely did figure out a good bit. He knew quite a lot by this point. That is all I can say however. This is your trial after all. So, why not try to figure out the case?" Akano paced around. "Unraveling what happened all those years ago...that is my trial. Because I got something wrong. I have been getting something wrong for years. My memory got jumbled up, which caused me to misremember things. But I did get a text on my phone..." Akano looked at his elementary school phone, which had appeared in his hand. "The text was sent after she died...but perhaps also after I witnessed what was going on. Witness...wait, hold on. That is it!" Akano realized the next inconsistency with his memory. "I wasn''t with Kuroki. His mom wasn''t with Kuroki. His dad wasn''t with Kuroki. Based on my memory, Kuroki himself was missing. He was only eight, if no one was with him, on the day his mother disappeared, then he would have known! He would have noticed something was off, especially if my behavior changed!" He doubted his father would allow such a flimsy alibi as well. He isn''t around when his wife goes missing? Something doesn''t add up there. But that was where Akano hit a roadblock. "The text...wait, if there had...uhg...what is going on?" Something was wrong with this. Akano knew this. The more he questioned, the stranger it got. Like a square peg into a round hole. He knew Kuroki''s mother was dead. He knew his father did it. He knew, he knew, he knew. But was this really how it happened? Did he really see it like this? He had been a young boy when this happened. He witnessed something that traumatized him. He witnessed something that made him shut up out of fear. But then what happened? "Getting rid of the body...something happened. If she disappeared, there would have been an investigation..." Riza nodded. "Indeed. And if there was an investigation, they would have asked you these things. And they would have noticed your turmoil. But she did disappear, so there was certainly an investigation...they never found the body however, and Kuroki never heard of it. So the body wasn''t found, and he never heard you found it". The room seemed to reverberate. Akano knew he couldn''t remember something important. Something vital. "...I witnessed her die..." "...and?" "...and I forgot. It was so traumatic that I forgot. The text never existed, the turmoil inside my heart made it up. My subconscious created all of this...because I couldn''t remember the truth. None of these things happened, that is the answer!" Riza clapped. "The thing about fake memories and dreams created from trauma is that, if you really pay attention instead of avoiding them, you notice things don''t add up. What you said about Kuroki''s father, being pathological and a narcissist is true. If he wasn''t so cautious, the things you remembered might have actually happened". "Why did this place construct a fake memory and make me go through that?" Akano questioned. "Because by deconstructing the fake, you can reach the true memory. Nothing is left to chance, not a thing". Suddenly, the two of them were in Kuroki''s house, in Kuroki''s room. A young Akano and Kuroki were sleeping soundly, an empty glass of milk next to each of them. However, right outside the door, loud shouting could be heard. "A sleepover..." "Yes. Both of you fast asleep. But..." "I can''t believe we slept through this racket". Riza shook his head. "Put the clues together. Remember who you are dealing with". "...the clues...the milk...wait, were we..." "Indeed. Sleeping drugs". "Wait, I can''t possibly know that for sure" Akano argued, causing Riza to give out an exasperated sigh. "Listen okay, I can only narrate for your subconscious as best as I can. Yes, maybe you can''t know for a fact. But we can infer based on what we do know. One of the things we know is that Kuroki''s father is not a doctor, so while careful..." At those words, Akano got up. Who could only say why, as Akano remembered none of this. Still, he went to the door, and peeked through the cracks, looking mostly asleep still. Likely the drugs still in his system. And that was when it happened. She said that she was taking Kuroki and leaving, tired of watching him descend into what he became, from the person he used to be. He, descending into his obsession, attacked her...and murdered her right in front of Akano, without realizing it. Akano retreated back into bed, and hid there, unfortunately with the drugs in his system he actually did go back to sleep. "The drugs prevented your brain from fully processing it, but it processed enough. And then as you got older, and it tried to, it created fake memories that tormented you. Thus leading to the current scenario. Well, that, or the spirit world actually created it all from scratch just to lead you to this truth. Frankly it could go either way". "I can''t tell if you are actually trying to be helpful or unhelpful". "Well, I am just a projection. When you meet the real Riza, ask her". "Uh huh". Akano would need to find out what city they are in first, although he had hopes that given they were all able to meet up in the spirit world so fast, they were not too far apart physically. Still, he had faced the truth of this place, and learned the truth. His guilt was built upon a truth and a lie, a snowball that went out of control since he couldn''t process the truth. And also, while they were indeed arguing...the murder was premeditated. Without a doubt, he murdered her according to a plan. That was a crime no matter how you looked at it. And since Kuroki''s house was just a short distance from the mountains...it would have been easy to quickly drive there and hide the body. Finally, it felt like his head was clearing...while Riza watched him from behind. It appears he is finally making progress. That is the tricky thing with memory. They are just so malleable and fragile. I wonder though, if he will soon figure out that secret. While thinking such things, Akano was still bugged by something. "Then why wasn''t there an investigation still?" Riza let out a sigh. "There probably was one, you just don''t remember it. I mean, you were eight". "I think I would remember speaking to the cops about it". "I doubt the cops would speak to a child when they don''t even have a body. Or any witnesses. Especially one who is eight years old. Plus, didn''t he have friends in the police?" "Oh...I see. Right, yeah. So his friends probably just took his word with it". "Exactly". With that last question cleared up, a door appeared in front of Akano. "It is time to go to the next stage". And with that, Akano pushed the door forward.
At the same time, Kuroki was at the mountain, fighting off a horde of monsters as well as keeping watch on Obito Wakina. He did not attack himself yet, but instead ordered others to. He did the exact same thing in reality, so Kuroki wasn''t overly surprised by this. The goblins and orcs appeared to be mirrors of their real world counterparts. Kuroki had far less issues dealing with goblins now, having experience fighting and killing them in the fields around the city during the big battle, as well as inside of the forests and sewers beforehand. However, as he pierced through several goblins with lightning bolts, he had to create an ice shield suddenly to block an attack from an orc. The orcs were by far the more dangerous ones. They were at least a threat the guild would list as D or C rank, and being humanoids, they could use weapons and armor. That said, they were only humanoid in the terms of general body shape, nothing about them looked human, and not even pig. They just appeared ugly and gross, and were large walking piles of muscle that saw humans as food and prey. Kuroki''s ice shield was shattered, and the orc managed to hit him. Kuroki reinforced that side with a quick mana cushion, a technique Amyris taught him that was essential for mages who found themselves in close quarters. Thankfully, the ice shield and the cushion avoided any serious damage, but his arm was throbbing from the force of the impact all the same. Kuroki''s ice warriors were holding the line however, so only a few monsters got through to Kuroki. He would have been dead already if he let them keep the numbers advantage. Still, he couldn''t drop his guard clearly. The muddy ground was playing havoc with his footwork too, but he once again slammed his foot down into it to dig past the mud and take up solid ground, supporting himself once more. "A misty step and a misty eye. I am afraid I am much too shy. You cannot attack what you cannot find. Within this mist, you will be blind. Hazy Mist". Kuroki managed to get out another incantation, this time for a new spell. Suddenly, a fog seemed to roll over the battlefield, covering and coating all around it. It seemed to consume any and all attempts to escape, and within this misty fog, Kuroki seemed to disappear completely. The monsters could no longer find him, and even his very presence was erased. Suddenly, the orc found itself with a spike of ice plunged into its chest from behind, stained with the blood it had spilled when it skewered it. The orc fell down, a corpse among them, as other monsters soon met the same fate. However, the spikes of ice seemed to come from any and all directions. North and south, east and west, above and below. Each attack had a different origin point, as if Kuroki was firing from the mist itself. As the monsters began to dwindle, falling from the ice spikes and the frozen soldiers, Obito suddenly let out a roar. It was such a mighty roar, even the mist was disrupted by it, being blown away as if pushed back by the very force of the roar. It revealed Kuroki, but it also revealed the corpses he had created. Most of the monsters were already defeated now, unable to overcome being one sidedly attacked. This included all the orcs, which appeared to have been targeted first. In other words, while they had zero visibility, Kuroki apparently could see perfectly fine during the entire encounter. It was at that point that Obito launched himself towards Kuroki, shattering an ice soldier in his way. Kuroki quickly put up a barrier while also launching attacks from his blindspot, but he took out a sword and deflected all the attacks with the wind up for his swing before bringing it down upon the ice barricade. The sheer force shattered it almost instantly. Kuroki raised another to shield himself, but thanks to the mud, he slid back and the defense wasn''t perfect, getting a grazing cut on his arm. Damnit, this mud is just so damn slippery! Kuroki quickly dodged the next strike, temporarily going on all fours as he rolled to the side in the mud, before springing up back onto his feet. "What a little boy you are, rolling around in the mud" Obito taunted. "Says the one who is throwing a tantrum because he listens to a narcissistic bastard!" "Don''t talk about your great father like you, you lucky fool!" "Lucky? Oh how delusional you are". Kuroki however then felt something mighty unpleasant, almost breaking the tension of the fight. He felt a bug crawling around, inside of his underwear. Apparently it got there when he had avoided the last attack by rolling in the mud. He quickly wiped his hand off and then reached it, grabbing it and throwing it right at Obito. This even caused Obito to panic, since it was kind of disgusting and very strange. "Maybe you should find in the nude like a good little boy after all". "How about I wipe that smirk off your face and bury you in mud". Kuroki hated this guy''s guts, and he could feel that pit of darkness swirling around in his stomach as he faced him. That feeling like he should kill the person in front of him, removing him from being a threat forever. That dark feeling that came from Compliance. Kuroki suppressed it once more, as he launched more ice spikes at Obito. Obito meanwhile cut them all down, but Kuroki had been incanting as he did. "A little give and a little take. Tripping as one runs around the lake. The fleetest of feet, the ground they cannot beat. Let the currents that carried this forward, work against the one I look toward. Soggy Earth". He completed his spell right as Obito rushed toward him again, only to suddenly find his footing disrupted as he began to slip. Kuroki counter attacked with lightning and ice, bringing down the strikes against his opponent. He tried to deflect and dodge, but the ground was working against him now and he slipped up a bit. Kuroki then saw exactly what he expected, he was wearing specialized cleats that were meant for muddy terrain. That was why the mud wasn''t affecting him at all. And here I am meanwhile, barefoot. Kuroki realized his mistake just moments ago. Mud was considered wet earth, but wet is a big key word there. As someone who seems to have a strong ability to use water based magic, Kuroki should have just manipulated the mud from the start. In a way, this entire mountain was one big advantage for him. He simply had to realize it. Mud is both water and earth after all. That was what his last spell took advantage of, it used the water to effectively cast an Earth spell. Kuroki could actually cast earth and fire, and plenty of non-elemental spells, but his water and storm were just easier for him. So he crafted a new spell on the fly. Frankly, he wasn''t sure if it would work, but it seemed Kuroki had a knack for Spellcraft. With this, he felt like he took one step closer to becoming a true and proper mage. Still, Obito wasn''t the top of his class for nothing, as he quickly recovered faster then Kuroki expected and attacked. However, his leg suddenly got trapped within a wall of ice. Kuroki looked at the shoe. "A shame, it''s way too big for me". Kuroki proceeded to launch a massive attack, where several ice spikes launched themselves right at Obito. Kuroki thought that would end it, however he suddenly took out a sword and cut through most of them, although his sword arm and trapped leg did get injured. He also shattered the ice wall, and went right for Kuroki''s neck. Unfortunately for him, one of Kuroki''s frozen guardians blocked the attack, as they had finished up with the monsters. The others then attacked at the same time as Kuroki, finally finishing off the projection for good this time. "I did it..I beat Obito..." he muttered, partly with satisfaction, and partly with relief. And yet, a dark energy burst forward from Obito''s body. It consumed Kuroki whole, but then was fought back by a brilliant light. The Oracle stood between them now, a great light appearing from his hand. "Who are you...what are you?" "Hold on, this is my trial..." The Oracle shook his head. "I do not know what this black thing is, but it is not natural to the spirit world, and is most certainly not a trial. Its not native to your soul either". Kuroki tried to get a good look at it, as the black mist began to take form. It almost appeared to be taking the form of a bird, but one made of malice and hatred. A creature made from the darkest of emotions. But that was not all. Kuroki recognized it. He had met it before, he knew of this bird. "Wait, that thing...its what attacked me when I was doing Amyris'' wind attunement thing!" "He had you do that already...I see though. It appears to be hunting you". Amyris said it was probably sent by an orc mage, but...why would it be hunting me specifically? "What is it after?" "It appears that it either wants to kill you, or corrupt you...but interestingly enough, it appears to be made of similar energy to whatever placed that Compliance within you". "...was it sent by the one who sent us all here?" "Yes, that is likely the case. It appears to be tracking you specifically though for some reason...something about your blood I think is calling to it". "My blood? Why?" "Who knows. But this is not part of your trial, which means..." The Oracle stepped forward, a mischievous grin on his face. "I finally get a chance to practice my combat skills". Chapter 49: What We Strive For Kuroki barely raised a barrier in time as he blocked an onslaught of attacks, warding off the threats sent against him by that detestable malice entity. The bird that appeared to be made of shadows fired off countless arrows at him and the Oracle, but the Oracle blocked them all with a shield of golden light, before firing off several beams of energy from his hand. "Its so nice to have something to vent on, both an enemy and a place where my restrictions wont stop me" The Oracle said, as several golden magic circles appeared around him. The bird fired feathers at them, breaking some of them before they activated, but the others activated successfully and launched golden swords made of light at the bird. It tried to dodge, but it got hit a few times in its wings and legs, as well as the strange tentacles made of pure shadow that grew out of it. However, any damage it took almost immediately regenerated, and it showed no signs of slowing down at all when it did get hit. The Oracle dragged his bare foot through the mud, creating a line that surged with golden energy. Somehow, none of his clothes seemed to get muddy at all, although Kuroki could only see the upper robes. His shorts and underwear, if he was even wearing any, could be muddy for all he knew. But on the surface, the Oracle appeared prestine even as he walked through the mud. Various golden lances appeared this time, as The Oracle summoned more magic circles. This time beams of light shot out of them as the golden lances launches themselves right at the Darkness Bird, or whatever it was called. According to the Oracle, it was a creature made of pure negative emotions, but he did not recognize it as anything he has seen before, suggesting whoever made it was either very special and unique, or had powers from another world. It launched another barrage of feathers right at Kuroki, but the Oracle''s barrier and Kuroki''s ice wall blocked them all. Its attacks seemed nearly constant, as they came even when it took damage, when it was flying around, facing away from them, ect. They never stopped coming, but they did intensify further occasionally, such as the barrage just now. "Tsk. This guy is weird. It keeps making moves that prevent me from engaging in the ideal future for this battle". "What do you mean?" "I am using my powers to see the future to pick attacks and combinations that would defeat it quickly, but it keeps moving in ways that seals those futures. it must have foresight or is connected to someone who has that ability. This is exactly what happens when two people who can see the future fight each other". The Oracle countered every surprise attack it sent their way, but it avoided all of the Oracle''s most damaging attacks. ANd light or even moderate damage didn''t bother it at all. Even heavy damage didn''t seem to phase it, it would just act with no pain at all and regenerate right after. In other words, they could not whittle it down over time. Meanwhile, The Oracle and Kuroki actually did have limits to their mana and regeneration ability, which meant it looked like it had the advantage in this situation right now. Shields were raised across every attack point that got focused on, creation a bastion that kept it back. The Oracle seemed to be drawing upon something, and from what Kuroki saw it didn''t seem like he was getting exhausted, but he was human, so he should have limits as well. "How vexing. In this current situation, it will kill us for sure eventually. Still...it''s not like we are at full strength yet either". Suddenly, the Oracle had a golden glow under him, as the hard earth buried underneath the mud cracked as he clenched his toes and dug into the earth. He jumped up suddenly, taking to the air as golden magic circles appeared around him. "Dance of the fairies, revised edition!" "Wait what?!" Was that a quickcast?! But this looks way too powerful and customized for that! Suddenly, the Oracle shifted directions as if he kicked off the air, as two large golden circles appeared on either side of him, moving as he moved his hands. They went flying towards the bird, aiming to cut off its wings entirely. Even if shouldn''t be able to fly then, probably. And yet it seemed to dodge at just the right angle to avoid it and all the attacks the Oracle had hidden behind himself, as beams of golden light shot out to try and overwhelm it. Avoiding all of that, it temporarily swooped down at Kuroki...only for an arrow clad in golden light to hit it right in the neck. This arrow then exploded in dazzling golden light, and while the bird recovered quickly, the force caused its attack to be knocked off course, saving Kuroki''s life. Kuroki looked to see where the arrow came from, and on a distant tree, he saw Juno, as well as a boy floating next to him, as he held some sort of new bow. Juno notched two more arrows, and aimed it right at the bird. "Let''s see how you like this. Arrow Arts: Razor shot!" Those two arrows suddenly went flying with way more force then normal, going at speeds that were much faster then normal arrows could. It didn''t appear to be magic, but something to do with how Juno shot the arrows, or perhaps the arrows and the bow itself. And yet, Kuroki felt traces of mana from the attack. The bird avoided both arrows this time, but they got so close to grazing it. No wait, they both missed, but it still took damage?! Kuroki realized that somehow, the bird had taken damage despite successfully dodging both arrows. It appeared as if the wind itself that was generated from the spinning arrows was so fast, it formed blades that cut it. Kuroki realized that he too, needed to step up his game. It was like what he was realizing before, he was binding himself from his own fear and limits. Obito was stronger then himself, because Kuroki expected him to be stronger than himself. He failed to realize he could use the mud, because it wasn''t something he normally used. He was failing to realize how to grow stronger...because deep down, he expected his father to always win in the end. That had been his experience for all his life, being beaten down by him. But now, he didn''t have to use martial arts which he held no interest in or desire to use, especially what was taught to him by his shitty father. No, now he had magic. And that meant, like what he did with Obito, he could be resourceful. Magic wasn''t about raw power, not increasing some number value of magic power or mana capacity. It was about creativity, of bending situations to help you, of finding impossible solutions for impossible situations. And it was about having fun. And Kuroki, even in this life and death situation...was starting to have fun. In that moment, he began to glow, as his world changed around him. He found himself in a familiar place suddenly. Naked once more temporarily, he was also in the place where he had invoked Flopsy''s Last Wish. Only instead of some voice or screen, there was a second Kuroki there, mirroring him. It was almost like looking in a mirror right after a bath, seeing a naked reflection of yourself like that. "So I guess I am not invoking someone''s Last Wish this time..." "No" the other Kuroki stated. "You are simply acknowledging a wish you made. One you made long ago, and has amplified every time you suffered". "Acknowledging a wish?" "By realizing a wish you made, not just with thought but with your very heart. This is nothing more then awakening a catalyst you yourself have already sparked, you could say. Starfallen do not get great powers that let them smite powerful people with a single strike, but by awakening their true potential, they can grow. At least a little bit. But sometimes, a little bit is all you need. One does not need tremendous powers of mountains and oceans and dragons, to become a major power in the world". Suddenly, the reflection took a step forward, walking right up to Kuroki until mere centimeters separated the two of them. "Now, what is your wish? What is the wish you have realized?" "I wish to have fun, be carefree sometimes, and enjoy life with my friends, forever and ever. That is the promise we made to each other". The other Kuroki nodded. "And now, through realizing your wish, you will manifest its power better. And so, we begin the next chapter". The reflection of Kuroki then smiled at Kuroki, and then it all disappeared. Kuroki was wearing the clothes he had before, and he felt a surge in power. His hair grew longer for some reason, growing all the way past his shoulders. The hair in the back he felt even went all the way down to his waist now. He felt mana surging through it, and through his whole body. Vitality too. It felt like he had been reborn almost. He briefly wondered if this meant he also grew a bit taller, but if it was, the change was so small he could barely notice it. Kuroki had awoken to the power that dwelled within himself this time. His mana felt as if it was overflowing from his body. It felt like he was completely naked and mana was sweating out from every centimeter of his skin, oozing out around him. The entire world went black for a moment. This was not some surge of mana, some large increase in his capacity. His mana had improved, but he was in such a dopamine high and excited state, his control had weakened. It was difficult for him to contain and control his mana that had increased a bit and improved in quality a bit, while also handling a temporary drop in control. That is what caused his current situation, as his Grimoire fell to the ground under him. The bird tried to attack him, but the Oracle intercepted with a barrier, and Juno kept disrupting its charges with his arrows. "Barrier, triple!" And also, Akano and Riza finally joined them. "Sorry we are late. It took time to navigate out of the building. It got filled with goblins somehow!" The Oracle blocked another attack, as he saw more goblins climbing the mountain. However, their eyes were unusually black. "Shit. Don''t tell me every time it attacked, the feathers that went into the forest were spawning monsters under its control?" As The Oracle said that, Riza pulled out two swords. "I can help attack the bird, but I can''t protect them from monsters and help you finish off the bird at the same time". Juno fired a few more arrows, watching them splinter in mid airs and kill multiple targets at once. "Tsk. Riki, we can''t keep doing this. I can pick them off as best as I can, but we need The Oracle and Riza to focus on the bird, but they cant in this position. Can you help them?" "I can''t empower your bow with the arrows you need to pick them off and go help them. And we haven''t practiced enough yet where I can go that far from you anyways!" "Shit!" he cursed, notching two more arrows...as he saw two orcs maneuver outside of people''s perceptions and around a building, and went right for Kuroki as he was facing another direction. "My arrows won''t make it in time!" The orcs raised their weapons, and swung them down on Kuroki as he turned around...but neither of them connected. Because a tall shield bearer had appeared, wearing just a red and green sweatshirt and black shorts. "Sorry I am late everyone". "Reiji!" "It''s Reiji!" "You are not late, you are right on time!" Kuroki, Akano, and Juno all cheered at Reiji''s appearance. Meanwhile, Riki nodded. "Reiji has grown up well. I want him to see me with a full head of hair too!" Naturally, since Riki went to the same elementary school as the two of them, he knew Reiji as well, although certainly not as well as Juno did. And so, The Mage, The Warrior, The Rogue, and The Priest reunited at last for the first time in this world. The Oracle smiled and nodded, as he knew he could leave it to those four. He and Riza''s projection then looked at the overgrown bird. "Now we can focus all our attention on it". "Indeed" Riza said, summoning four more swords which floated around him. He launched them in a salvo, as The Oracle followed up with hundreds of golden magical circles, each one firing different types of attacks on different angles at the shadow bird. Golden flames, golden lightning, golden swords, golden lances, golden beams of light. Normally that much gold might like gaudy, but with The Oracle, it appeared to be more noble and honorable, protective and warm. Shields of golden light appeared, but they were not simple translucent barriers this time. They appeared to have bolts and heavy plates among them, even though they were all made of translucent golden magic. It didn''t look like a recreation either, but something in a shape that was new and unusual. At the same time, Kuroki picked up the Grimoire that had fallen to the ground. It didn''t arrive with him into the Spirit World, so why was it here now? Something was different about it also. It was radiating an energy Kuroki had not felt in a long time, not since he first acquired it. He wanted to open it, but the staff in his other hand made that difficult. "Wait, a staff?" Kuroki was, for some reason, holding a staff with a blue sapphire the size of his fist embedded at the end. No, perhaps it only looked like a Saphire, since in truth he could feel a great deal of mana from it. Not only that, but he felt like it was connected to him...like it was a part of him. The staff also had strange symbols and lines and geometric shapes all over its body, which seemed to spread to Kuroki''s body when he held it. It was all written in blue ink, or perhaps blue energy, but it was perfectly made. The rod part itself was silver in color, and the part which held the gemstone appeared to be gold. The staff was noticeably taller than Kuroki, as if he held it up completely straight, it would stand at 150cm easily. That said, Kuroki felt like when it wasn''t fully active, he would probably be able to make the handle shrink a bit.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Did I get a True Arcanium somehow? But when...maybe when I realized my wish? Wasn''t it supposed to come at the third trial? Or maybe, overcoming all this, and fighting against this bird...and reuniting with everyone was enough? "That is indeed correct, my sweet shining star" a familiar voice said to him. Kuroki looked behind him, but there was no one there, not even a projection. But he was certain of it just now. That he had heard his mom''s voice. A voice only projection...still...perhaps its time for me to combine the two. Kuroki swung his staff around, as mana gathered within it. It almost felt like the gemstone became the center of a giant whirlpool, as mana swirled around it like flowing water. Kuroki almost felt like he himself would get sucked in. At the same time, his Grimoire activated. Something about this had awoken something inside of it, as the chains came off on their own and the pages flipped open. Words felt like they were flowing into Kuroki''s head, as he began to incant. "Morias. Renevis. Caltia. Razatanius!" At those words, the mana became a sphere of water filled to the brim with light. It shined brightly, as beams of light shot out of it and cut through the monsters. Kuroki swung his staff and sent the sphere flying, the beams of light cutting through all of their enemies while leaving everything else intact. Even Kuroki''s new overly long hair, which had gone past his shoulders and was filled to the brim with mana. It was kind of messy and unruly though, so if it stuck around, he might have to do something with it first. The Oracle meanwhile noticed the spell, and figured it was time for another one of his own. "Rizivi. Theoraza. Altio Miristh. Eniozala Ruukazia!" Using the same strange words, he suddenly brought forth golden wings onto himself and took the air, as even more magic circles appeared. Riza meanwhile cut through its wings, using his six blade style to force it to go where they wanted it to go. At the same time, golden feathers shot from the wings, and counteracted the bird''s feathers of malice. Each golden feather felt like it was full of warmth and compassion when simply gazed upon, and it seemed like the very emotions were the opposite of what the bird was made of. Furthermore, the wounds began to regenerate more slowly when hit by these feathers, meaning that they could finally whittle down the bird and defeat it. But it wouldn''t just rest on its laurels like that. As Reiji guarded against another attack, Juno shot an orc that tried to ambush him from behind. Juno swung his own staff around, creating barriers of golden light himself, although they were not as golden or magnificent as The Oracle''s dazzling barriers, nor did they look as sturdy and strong. He also applied healing to Kuroki and Reiji, letting them recover from the injuries they received earlier. "How did you even get here Reiji?" "I had an associate help me out" Reiji said. "Turns out, in this world, there are good necromancers as well". "Oh, that makes sense then" Juno said as he nodded, staying upon his high perch above them as he fired off arrows he called out one after another. This was something he could only do in the spirit world, or perhaps it was because of Juno''s new bow. Whatever the answer, Juno had unlimited arrows to work with, every archer''s dream as it meant he could stay up here and fight. Well, mostly. He quickly grabbed a branch and swung himself around, avoiding a few black feathers that came his way. "Oi, keep him off me!" "Sorry!" "He is increasing his output! He must have been holding onto some trump cards!" The Oracle apologized, while Riza gave an explanation while annoyed. More monsters appeared from the forest, and in greater numbers then before. Kuroki normally might have frowned, but he just looked towards the other three. "No matter what comes our way..." "...no matter how many bullies, how many creeps..." "...we stand together, we have each other''s backs..." "...so long as we are together, we never lose hope and we continue to smile!" Mana and stamina seemed to surge from all of them, as they seemed to get even better at combat as the fought. No, that was not exactly right. The Oracle watched them, and realized they were getting stronger, better, faster, and smarter as they fought alongside each other. In other words, something was empowering them when they were together. Something that stemmed from their friendship, their hopes, their bonds. The power of friendship, made manifest through a wish? To have such friends...how wonderful. The Oracle couldn''t help but admire it and get a warm fuzzy feeling from it, although not as much as the one plastered across Riza''s face. "...oi, sword idiot, help me finish this thing while they work hard down there". "Hey, I am not a sword idiot! I am a mage who uses swords!" "You are a projection of someone who is a knight. Aren''t you a knight who uses magic instead?" "Knights can be mages too!" While bickering, the two utilized some of their strongest techniques against the bird. Golden lasers tore through its wings, while Riza used a special enchantment on his swords that seemed to block even the bird''s regeneration. Whatever this thing was, it was clearly not ordinary. Even if he was just a reflection and might not be on the same level, Riza''s Reflection was still a copy of an S-Ranked Adventurer, and the Oracle was brimming with divine power and magic. In fact, because his real body was still trapped inside that room, which served as an amplifier for his abilities, all his abilities in this battle augmented thanks to that. The collar around his neck prevented him from fighting against his tormentors, and no one else who was hostile ever entered the room though, so people had only seen his passive abilities improve. They had no idea he was using it right now while projecting his spirit outside of his body, to fight in the spirit world against such a threat. And given that he could temporarily mind wipe himself until it was time to recover his memories, they never would. Riza unleashed a hexagon flying slash attack, which was outright impossible for the bird to evade. With the golden aura affecting the flying slashes, it would do tremendous damage as well. it fired feathers to intercept one of the blades and pull off an escape, but then a dozen golden lasers came at it. It fired feathers in all directions, as if to show that it would not be overwhelmed so easily. A few of those feathers that seemed to miss changed direction mid air, and went after Riza in his flank. And yet, the feathers were deflected by a golden sword. A seventh sword, that seemed to come out of nowhere. All six of his bracelets and anklets had already disappeared, but now a seventh sword appeared out of nowhere. Even The Oracle was not sure where he pulled that blade out of, and he knew the mechanisms behind the other six. He must have hidden one in a weird place. Or he has more trump cards then I realized. Not only that, but Riza blocked the attack without even looking at it. He just reached around and blocked it with the flat side of his giant blade. The feathers had no pressence at all, no mana to detect, so even Kuroki was confused how he had detected the attack. "I suppose I should get a bit more active..." he muttered, as the bird finally was brought down after being damaged by his hexagon slash. "If I recall correctly, he did it like this..." Riza bent his knees down, and had his toes dig into the earth. In the next moment, Riza seemed to go fast he might as well have teleported. He was on the other side of the bird, and in fact to some it appeared he did teleport. And yet, Kuroki and his friends recognized the move instantly. It had been used against them far more times then they could count when they tried to fight Kuroki''s father. "Brilliant Flash". It was the same technique Riku managed to actually pick up. Brilliant Flash, a technique that lets you have a sudden burst of speed. And Riza had just used it flawlessly. His was even stronger then Riku''s, it reminded him of his father''s in an eerie way. And as the head began to roll off, it suddenly sprouted wings and flew away, as the shadowy corpse exploded. The Oracle just barely was able to contain it, but in doing so, it forced him to be completely distracted from going after the head that ran away. Furthermore, the corpse was not just exploding a single time. It appeared to be exploding repeatedly, so he had to keep up the barrier. "Riza!" "I will chase the head! Keep that weird perpetual explosion contained!" At the same time, Kuroki''s group was in battle against the huge amount of monsters the malice creature had spawned. "A brilliant spark of energy, striking down with all it has. Watch as it travels and affects the land. This bolt which comes through fast and true. Watch as it travels through all of you. Chained Bolt". Mana swirled through his staff as his Grimoire seemed to focus the chant and enhance the words. Kuroki wasn''t holding back with this spell, adding extra mana to it to enhance it further. A bolt of lightning shot out of the crystal, and zig zagged its way around allies and piercing through enemies. About two dozen of them suddenly found themselves skewered, a severe increase in power compared to what he used back in the sewers. That said, many of the later half only had grazing wounds, since they were able to see what happened to the others and dodged in time. Unfortunately, it was slower then a natural lightning strike, although it was still difficult to see because it was still fast on its own. Reiji seemed to be an unstoppable wall, who often would block multiple attacks and then counter attack, using his sword to remove the heads of goblins and bring them to their deaths. He seemed almost unstopable, and this was especially true since Akano was there to cast healing spells any time he did get injured. The enemy was unable to break through wherever Reiji positioned himself, and since The Oracle''s shields he created earlier were still in effect, he didn''t have to be everywhere at once either. Speaking of Akano, he was doing well with quickcast barrier spells, and occasionally even launching a magical attack or a staff attack on his own. He had mentioned he had found and partnered with his neighbor, Tamaki, but it felt like Akano could hold his own just fine. He supported anywhere he needed to support, relieving stress in critical areas and covering for angles no one could could cover for. Juno meanwhile was high on his perch, unleashing arrow after arrow upon his foes. It seemed like he would never run out, and occasionally he even used special and enchanted arrows to further magnify the damage he did. He attacked rogue units and those who tried to flank the others, keeping watch on the battlefield and monitoring movements, calling them out as needed when he was busy with another area. With a reliable field monitor, they were able to focus better on the enemies in front of them. Akano typically moved according to Juno''s callouts, which let Kuroki focus more on casting spells that took time but would kill or injure more enemies. Should they meet in the real world finally, and group together like this, it would be this sort of teamwork and tactics that they would have to face. Certainly a rather unappealing situation to be caught in, unless you had sufficient numbers to overwhelm them or some other way to break through. When the big bird finally went down, the enemies stopped producing reinforcements too, which gave them a real change to finish everything off. "Cover me, I am using a big one!" Kuroki said, as he created several ice pillars as stairs and ran up them as he began to chant. "A shattering storm gathers upon us. Let these cold winds take all that there is, and form a strike of hundreds of spears. Divide them further, and shock the world with a snap of your fingers. A gathering of ice, and sleet of storms. From my sky, I see below. Across this battlefield I will make it snow. This frozen sky, charged and ready. For now I shall hold it steady. I bring forth the frozen tempest, which will annihilate all who dare step upon this battlefield of mine!" The ice pillars he jumped off of shattered and its fragments flew into the air as he chanted, as he got higher and higher into the sky. The moment he finished chanting, he jumped off the last pillar, as it did the same as the others. A huge amount of mana was swirling around him and his staff, as his grimoire seemed to open up and have several pages fly around him as he was casting. And then, he spoke the trigger words to bring down the chaos. "Wrath of the Frozen Tempest!" This was the same spell he had used during the battle with the Goblins. The ice that had followed him all formed sharp shards of ice, as if hundreds of daggers were behind him. Like the last time, he floated there in the middle of the air as he unleashed his magic upon the goblins and orcs. The brilliant beauty of the sparkling ice decimated the battlefield below, aimed at the center of the largest goblin and orc formation. The last time they had many which managed to dodge to a degree, but it seemed Kuroki was able to make them a bit faster this time, so less of them dodged. Or perhaps he had just created more projectiles. Not only that, but each shard of ice that struck the ground then froze that very spot, making icey fields which would make good footing impossible in various areas. If someone got hit in an arm or leg, they themselves might get entirely frozen and still die even if it was not in a vital part of the body. All the same as last time, perhaps even more decimating. Still, the issues with the spell persisted. Not only did it have a much longer chant, and was a mana glutton, the fact he had to remain in the air to make it rain down left him open to ranged attacks. He could only use this if he had enough cover or was far enough back, especially since it was a spell that was continuous, not just a cast and move on like others were, such as Kuroki''s frozen guardians. However, it still held its secondary power as well. The moment they tried to charge through the field of ice shards, Kuroki snapped his fingers. Lightning bolts shot out between all the shards of ice, becoming lethal lightning rod pillars for dozens of seconds that wiped out even more of the goblins and orcs. The orcs actually had surprisingly good resistance to the spell, but they were left vulnerable enough for Juno to shoot through the eye to finish off. It seemed Kuroki underestimated the vitality of orcs. That concerned him in a number of ways. Either way, by the time the spell was over, only stragglers remained. The group prepared to finish them off, only for a wave of golden light to soak the battlefield, destroying every monster that got in its way. its source was The Oracle, who seemed to have finally finished containing the perpetual explosions. "What the absolute fuck was that" The Oracle complained. "Still, that should be it". "...to think we still need to go through a third trial after this..." The Oracle however, shook his head. "That is no longer necessary. It appears it has been decided that you passed". "Wait really?" "Yeah. You manifested your True Arcanium, Akano resolved his regret and gained more power himself, and Juno and Reiji appear to have gotten their own boons, although they may not be totally obvious until you grow more". It appeared that Reiji somehow had earned something, despite showing up only at the end. Then again, mentally he was already really put together, or maybe he had done some trials on the way. In fact, if Kuroki had to say, Reiji was probably the most emotionally stable of all of them. He was kind of their rock, a very tall, very smart rock. Well, that said, no one can go through life without some regrets and sadness. But when it was time to support Reiji, the three of them would be there for him, just like he was for all of them. Unfortunately, it seemed as if their time was up. Their bodies appeared to be deteriorating, turning into particles of light. Of course, these were never their real bodies in the first place, just the manifestations of their souls with some clothes they found along the way. It appeared it was time for them to go back to the real world now. "Guys, I am still looking for you all. I joined the adventurer''s guild and put in some feelers". Akano however looked surprised. "Wait, I did the same thing". "We did as well" Juno confirmed. This caused everyone to be puzzled. If they had all done this, they should have heard something by now... Someone is purposefully blocking the information?! But who?! Unfortunately, they had no more time to discuss it, as their vision was consumed by a brilliant light.
When Kuroki woke up, he was laying naked in a field, his body having collapsed when his mind when to the spirit world, and inside his very soul. However, things had changed since he last went in. His hair was still quite long, with the back and some of his front bangs going all the way down to his waist or even a bit further. and his body felt a bit lighter. He had hoped maybe the process that gave him vitality would let him grow, but if he did, it was by a small amount and was hard to tell. Perhaps one or two centimeters at most, but he might just be imagining it. Or it was wishful thinking. However, he was still holding his staff. His Grimoire too was right there with him, despite having left it with his clothes far away so it would not disrupt the ritual. It was peaceful and quiet, but his staff felt like it hummed with power and resonated with his Grimoire, which seemed to have become active now for some reason. Did it have some hidden secrets he was unaware of? it seemed like something he would need to investigate. I also need to figure out why contact with each other is being blocked. Someone is clearly at work here. However, he pushed those thoughts out of his head as he sat upwards, and hugged his staff tight, overcome with cheer and bliss. He finally had his True Arcanium, which was a major achievement for a mage. Not every mage got one, so it was a sign of great talent and ability. Not only that, but he would be able to utilize even more complex magic now. He would need to test his layering skills especially. "With this, I take one more step forward towards my goal" Kuroki muttered to himself, as Amyris, Riku, and the others came into view, running towards him to see how it went. His hope rekindled into a brilliant inferno, his determination became sharp and focused.
At the same time, Kuroki''s father, also known to some as the Northern Cardinal Catastrophe, awoke from his slumber in an inn. "I can feel it...something is wrong...making me sick. Some bastard is tempting my progeny down the wrong path. I am so far away, but I will need to increase my efforts, even if I must cross the ocean on my own". With such words, his anger and rage were boiling over into determination as he felt that something, to his point of view, was incredibly wrong and twisted. He could tell instinctively that all his hard work, his goals and desires, were being pushed further away, tainted and destroyed by some influence he found revolting. And while he would need to deal with a lot to get to where he needed to go, he would make sure not to slack off either. "This world tramples upon my ideal...I may need to destroy it to show it the light". With such ominous words, he got to work early that day. All so he could raise his adventurer rank, make money for food and travel, and go in the direction he sensed his son to be in. And he would let nothing stand in his way. Chapter 50: An Emerging Foe "What are we going to do about this?" It was early morning on the next day, as the sun had not even peaked through the window in the room of two boys as they sat in bed, completely naked as they had not even gotten dressed or even had breakfast yet. At the moment, Kuroki and Riku were focused on a different issue, one that was rather unexpected and puzzling. And that issue was Kuroki''s hair. Thanks to the ritual last night, Kuroki now had his True Arcanium along with his first Arcanium, but as a side effect of everything that happened, his hair had grown significantly. While the hair in the front had remained relatively the same, the back, the sides, and the bangs had grown to waist length. It waved and flowed, and it was very thick and healthy. Every bit of his hair coursed with vitality and mana, and almost seemed empowering. That said, it seemed that this was no simple hair growth. This was made clear by the two pairs of scissors and one knife Riku had tried to use to cut it since it was kind of in the way, and all of them had failed. As such, Riku was here supporting Kuroki emotionally as Amyris was doing some research and looking for some tools. Whether from the increase in mass, the vitality and mana surging forth inside the hair, or perhaps from realizing his wish, Kuroki now felt much warmer and hotter then normal. It was a good thing children as young as them typically slept in the nude in this world, and they had gotten used to it, because with Kuroki the way he was now and with temperatures still going up as they had not actually hit summer yet, the two had expressed some concern he could have gotten heatstroke. At the moment, Riku was now brushing Kuroki''s hair to help make it more manageable. That said, there were about ten broken brushes to his right on the bed, and three unused ones to his left. The one he was holding currently seemed to be creaking and cracking as well, which indicated the difficulties they were facing right now. "Hey, at least it means you did succeed" Riku said, trying to keep Kuroki focused on the good things. "I know. I don''t mind long hair, but I can''t even get dressed in my current state. The hair gets everywhere and it makes it incredibly irritable". Kuroki had tried to get dressed, but even putting on underwear as a major chore currently. Not to mention his increased body heat currently was making things even worse. He was actually sweating quite a bit, but most of it seemed to be absorbed by the hair, so as long as he didn''t wear anything until this wore off, he wouldn''t actually get sweat on anything. And for some reason his hair never got damp despite absorbing it all. But obviously, the situation was still distressing and kind of embarrassing. Kuroki had no issue with long hair. In fact, he quite enjoyed having longer hair. His father always made him cut it though since he thought longer hair was too feminine, but plenty of guys have had long hair too. Kuroki thought it made him look more mystical also, but obviously he never said that out loud for fear his father would make him get a buzz cut. Still, when it was acting wild and uncomfortable like this, it was unpleasant. Riku had even endured letting him bring his staff into bed, even though he had forbidden Kuroki from bringing the Grimoire into bed almost immediately after they started staying here. But right now, he needed the emotional help. So the staff could say. The grimoire however, with all its chains and general discomfort, was still not allowed in bed though. Riku needed to be able to actually sleep, and as nice and understanding as Amyris was, he was hesitant to let children, who sleep naked in this world outside of the cold seasons, sleep in the same bed as him. Riku was pretty sure he was wearing him down though. They trusted Amyris after all, and leaving aside gender segregation wasn''t even really a thing in this world, they were all boys anyways. While thinking that, Amyris finally got back, but when Kuroki and Riku turned to look at him, his expression made them worry. It was not one that brought good news, but a grimace that indicated it would be trouble. "What is it?" "I looked through the archives, and it seems...it seems that this has happened in the past. A few Starfallen even, but also just exceptional young mages who were born here as well. It seems that this can happen sometimes when the ritual gets interrupted or targeted, or when one ends up overcoming more then was originally supposed to happen. Your brain produces additional magical growth hormone, but because of all the extra energy coursing through your veins and brain, it needs extra mass to help process and settle the energy. That said, since the brain can''t produce physical growth hormone due to all the magic growth hormone being produced by the same organ, this results in just the hair growing absurdly, to compensate for the extra energy that you normally wouldn''t get". In other words, his hair grew to compensate for all that excess energy, since the ritual ended up generating so much extra thanks to the attack from that malice entity. "Simply put, we can''t cut it off. Leaving aside the density would break most blades that tried, if we used something too strong, it could just kill you outright". "That would not be ideal". "Yes. Furthermore, your body would experience increased heat further. You would basically have a fever across your entire body. It would also throw your mana and magic out of whack, and cause you to lose control and essentially hurt everyone around you at random intervals, especially if you get emotional. Incidentally, supercharged emotions is also a symptom". "Of course it is". "So, since all that would happen if we cut your hair right now, we absolutely cannot do that". "What will I do today then? I can''t get dressed like this!" The two had already tried, despite being abnormal. Kuroki couldn''t get any shirt on, and even pants were difficult. The hair always got in the way somehow and made it uncomfortable, since it was heavier and thicker then normal hair. The only saving grace is that he had no pubic hair, or if he did, the growth did not affect that, so he could at least still go to the bathroom, although he would need Riku''s help keeping his hair out of the way when he peed or took a shit. They both already did that earlier in the backyard and confirmed that much. "Yeah, while the hair is that charged with mana, it might be difficult. It might act like it has a mind of its own for a few days at least. I think if we tried some braids, hairclips, and a ponytail, we should be able to make it managable...tomorrow". "Tomorrow?!" "At the earliest. We won''t be able to cut it for even longer. That said, you likely wont be able to get dressed till the day after, short of another miraculous recovery, so you will need to stay inside the next few days" Amyris added, having not wanted to shock them too much all at once. It didn''t help Kuroki much though, and suddenly Riku began to shiver as the temperature dropped to below freezing suddenly, and he was still as naked as Kuroki was. "Kuroki, your mana is going out of control. Don''t freeze Riku to death". Hearing that, Kuroki noticed the chattering teeth of Riku, and quickly reigned it in. "Sorry Riku". "It''s...its fine". "As much as I loathe to tell you to take a page out of Anna''s book...while not just lounge around naked in the house the whole time Kuroki? For various reasons, whether from the fact your hair seems to interfere with clothes, or the fact that you might accidentally freeze someone to death, you shouldn''t go outside today". "Why is it doing that? Is it really because it''s just so wild that it gets everywhere? No matter how many times I pulled hair out of my underwear, more somehow found its way in". "Its likely...its trying to form a protective shell around you" Amyris mentioned. "You faced a lot in the trial, but not your father right? I think on some level, you are still scared of him, and your hair is reacting to that, because you feel your current situation will only antagonize him further and make it worse for you". Kuroki nodded, unable to deny anything that was said. That was almost certainly the case. His hair was trying to shield his body, even if it was highly uncomfortable and inconvenient. Because that''s just what he perceived his father as. He was that dangerous. "Riku, you should get dressed and..." "No. If Kuroki is stuck like this, then I am too. He needs such a show of support right now". "Riku, its okay. I don''t want to trouble you with this". Kuroki was a good friend. "No, its okay. We need to be here for each other after all". Riku was a good friend too. Amyris just nodded. "I will go make breakfast and bring it up to you. Good nutrition should help your body adapt faster, and you should focus on resting and conserving your energy". "Thanks". "It''s the least I can do". Amyris was a good friend also.
At the same time, Juno was facing similar issues. "This is absolute hell" Juno mentioned as he looked in the mirror they had. It was a full body mirror, so he was able to get a good visual on all the hair on his back and how far down it reached. "It''s like a makeshift sensor bar. It somehow covers my butt perfectly no matter how much I move". Reiji glanced at him, as he was dressed already. He had gone out to do some research on Juno''s condition with the necromancer boy, and came back with some answers. "It looks like trying to cut it won''t work...and its too risky. Its overflowing with your mana, your spiritual energy, and your very lifeforce. We need to wait for your body to regulate these things again and adapt to your new state". "Right". At those words, Riki appeared right next to Juno, floating around while holding a pillow strategically. He was also naked for some reason. Reiji let out a sigh. "Riki, why are you..." Juno puffed his cheeks and replied instead. "Because its not fair if I am the only one stuck like this!" Riki nodded. "He is right. Well, only you two can see me...I was a bit surprised since I thought only Juno would be able to see me outside of the spirit world, but you can too Reiji? Quite unexpected". "Really?" "Well, in all fairness, I am not an expert at this, but thats how it usually is right? I have a contract with Juno only! And the person who brought us breakfast couldn''t see me! Also, the food looked so tasty! It is so mean I can''t eat any of it!" Even with the strangeness that happened during the trials, and the invocation of the Last Wish for Riki, which was only possible thanks to an unfullfillable wish the Starfall tried to grant and failed for Juno, Riki was still only brought back as a spirit. To be exact, he was Juno''s contracted spirit. Reiji had looked it up, and confirmed that normally, a contracted spirit should only be visible by its contractor aside from certain circumstances, but Riki himself said he wasn''t trying to make himself visible right now. In truth, the situation itself seemed to be unprecedented. Then again, so was a massive, large scale Starfall. Reiji believed they likely wouldn''t find answers about any of this at the library, they would need experts. "Maybe you should ask your laundry group?"The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Juno nodded. "The back porch is right next to the stairs, which are right near our room. Besides, its not like anyone else gets dressed to do laundry, so its something I can actually do! Sorry for being such a burden". "You are not a burden!" "You already work way too hard as it is". Riki and Reiji both gave their responses. Riki himself had seen this exact conversation play out this morning. Both Juno and Reiji seem to feel like they are leaving way too much of the work and effort to each other and always try to take on more to help. They were very good friends, but if Riki didn''t help to break up their chains, he felt like it might last for a long, long time. "Anyways, Reiji, Juno might need more food to help him overcome this sooner". "Got it. I will make sure to get a good amount of everything". "Extra meat please!" "It will be a good, balanced diet with plenty of everything". "But extra meat right?" Riku let out a sigh. "Juno, just how long do you want to stay cooped up in this room?" "But its not like I am asking for less of the rest. I am just asking for more meat". Riki and Reiji both looked stumped. It was true, Juno didn''t ask for mostly meat, he asked for extra meat. He did not request any less fruits or vegtables or dairy. "...fine, I will keep an eye out". "Yay!" "I feel like this is some sort of trick or scheme, but whatever. Good luck Reiji". Juno began humming a makeshift meat song as he continued to examine himself in the mirror. Riku then looked him over. "This is so weird". "Says the ghost who died in another world". "Yeah, that''s weird too!" They were all very good friends.
At the same time, someone who was not a good friend was plotting and scheming on her own. "Amyris'' apprentice gained a True Arcanium? So soon? He has not even been in this world for a season yet. What is that damned elf thinking?" Chianthias pondered such questions. True Arcaniums could be rather difficult to get, and plenty of mages never got one at all. After all, normal Arcaniums were quite useful and the really expensive ones could outperform them and be customized very well. Of course, they could be used together, but still. It puzzled Chianthias to no ends. "Amyris is plotting something. How soon can we eliminate the apprentice?" "It appears that he may be holing up inside of Amyris'' home. At least for the next few days". "Shit. Did he know we were planning our next operation? Or is this just the result of his own rushing and plans?" Chianthias looked at the demon that served her, and motioned him to continue as she sat in her chair of their new lair. "It is unknown. However, we have confirmed that other forces are on the move. The fourth prince is heading to this region, and we have reports that the flying workshop is on the move towards this region as well". "Tsk. Ayazi and the Prince are both difficult opponents. We might need to move up our own timetable. How long until they arrive?" "Presently, over a week, but less then two weeks for the flying workshop. However, the Fourth Prince has prepared multiple transport methods. He seems to be hiding his itinerary". "Thats a problem. He knows about our spies then". As she said that, she looked over at the planning board. "How goes the Orc accumulation?" "It is going well. We should be able to launch an attack on the city soon". "Good. They should still be recovering, repairing equipment and looking for the more serious injuries to heal from the goblin invasion. It was a shame we could not get rid of that Dragon Caller brat or the Starfallen then, but even with their results, they were not able to prevent taking damage and even casualties that day". The fact that she had given the goblins poison had helped to enhance that as well. Chianthias was after all an incredibly cautious person, to the point that she even used a dopple for every operation. There was no way she would have relied on goblins alone. In fact, she had considered the possibility they goblins would fail, as well as Flopsy, which was why she had been preparing these Orcs. With them, while the city was still recovering from the Goblin attack, this would let her do some critical damage and would guarantee the elimination of one of her targets. Of the ones she considered the most dangerous, would be the top three members of the Azralia Adventurer''s Guild. Krazel, Vanessia, and Ozlo. Amyris of course as well. ANd naturally, Riza was a major threat. By this point, Ozlo had probably used his defensive spell on everyone, so trying to go after them using her same old method directly was far too dangerous. Especially if Anna could just pop in whenever she wanted. She was probably already nearly immune to her magic now, given the resistance she likely built up thanks to being cursed all that time and that previous battle. Chianthias would have to stick to normal attack spells and not attack her mind. After all, no amount of internal resistance would protect her from standard attack magic. While thinking of such things, she quickly picked up a knife and threw it at the doorway. A figure, covered by a black cloak and who was masked in shadow to the point that she couldn''t even tell their gender or build. The dagger stopped in mid air, freezing suddenly in front of him. "The advisor to the Demon King, I presume?" She stated that as a question, and yet her tone suggested she was already certain of the answer. The figure replied in a shadowed voice, strangely distorted and impossible to tell their gender, age, or nature from. "I heard you have been having difficulties with our quarry". "Yes, operations have stalled. We know there are Starfallen in this city, and quite a few of them are strong, so we cant spend too much effort elsewhere and let them get even stronger. Besides, most of them have found cover or support by now, so its the long game". "I see" the advisor said. "Do you know why I am here?" "Because the Demon King wants an update, I would presume?" "Not just that. Veledukix is dead". Chianthias paused, clearly in shock. "What? How?" "Unknown. We detected a particularly powerful Starfallen in the east, and sent him to investigate...and just yesterday, we found his corpse riddled with holes, his internal skeleton crushes, and his limbs torn off his body". "That is absurd...what group defeated him so one sidedly?" "Reports say it was a single individual...an old woman". "Impossible! No singular Starfallen should be so powerful yet! Hell, few of them could ever get that powerful at all!" "Regardless, it happened. He was next in line to become one of the Twelve Generals". Chianthias broke a sweat after hearing this news. "I take it this means we need to accelerate our timetable. Will you be helping?" "Not directly. The champions of each kingdom, their first attack to slow us down and buy the heroes more time, has already begun. As one of the strongest of our number, I will be busy fighting them for at least a year. They are extremely capable who reached the pinnacle of their fields of combat and magic. But I shall not leave you unaided". He then set aside what appeared to be a cube covered in runes. "This will allow you to quickly increase the Orc forces. I do not know if you will make it in time before the 4th Prince arrives, but you must eliminate at least some of the targets you have before that blasted brat with the flying workshop arrives". "Understood. Who is the highest priority?" "Ozlo. He might be tied to the adventurer''s guild here right now, but he could easily be redeployed elsewhere. They can''t move Krazel, they need him to watch over the forest, and Vanessia needs to be stationed in the city so that should the city get attacked during a time the forest becomes active, since Krazel wouldn''t be there then. That said, if you get an opening...eliminating Amyris would take priority". "What about the Starfallen?" "The Starfallen in this city are showing unusually remarkable growth, but its nothing really out of the norm. Not like that Anna was. Eliminate them if possible, but those two are the priority targets". "I don''t suppose you have something to help deal with those damned dragons of his. And what about Riza". "Ah yes, the grandpa brat. We have gotten someone new to go after him. As it turns out, he made quite a few enemies. We manipulated a few of them into sending a rather dangerous blade after them". "Understood. I will focus my efforts on those two then, as much as I would have loved to ring that asshole''s neck". Chianthias was still furious of Riza, but she was also wary of him. He had conducted a surprise attack on her hideout and real body, somehow tracing the connection without her realizing. He had deduced that she used a dopple even somehow, despite the two of them never having a direct confrontation before. Riza was a dangerous enemy. She had briefly wondered if he might even be one of The Hidden, and while she was right, she found it doubtful due to just how energetic and attention seeking he seemed to be, not to mention how peculiar he tended to be. The Advisor nodded however, apparently reacting to her thoughts on The Hidden rather strongly, despite the fact she never vocalized them in this conversation. "The Hidden will be our most dangerous enemy this time around I believe. We do not even know the true name of their organization, or their true nature, but they have spread far and wide, and we cannot underestimate them. Whether Riza is a Hidden or not, they undoubtedly have one...no, two of their members in this city right now or on the way. They surely have noticed the oddities, and I am sure they know of the incident with the Elven ruins as well". "We never even confirmed the Hidden truly exist. They have been likened to a boogeyman by many in the Demon King''s army. How are you so sure they exist?" "Because I have encountered one. The fight nearly cost me everything, but I am certain of it". Although his emotions could not be discerned, Chianthias felt his way of wording suspected a grudge and rage. She also suspected it might have been more then one encounter. Then again, she suspected this advisor was far more dangerous and suspicious, and believed they were either planning to manipulate or betray the Demon King for their own purposes and goals. It was clear he didn''t care what happened to the world itself, just so long as his goal was achieved. She was certain of that. The question is, what would he do after achieving his goal? And what was it? The elimination of The Hidden? Revenge against a powerful individual? Whatever it was, the Demon King likely knew to some extent, and was expecting it. But that still didn''t quite sit right with her. She just knew it would be a mistake to trust this person in the long run, but at the very least, his relic and support in this battle should be genuine. That said, she would take precautions to keep herself safe and alive. "Have fun on the front lines". "Hmmf. I will show them why they should not mess with the Demon King''s forces". Spouting such a line, the advisor seemed to fade out of existence, as if he was never here in the first place. She then looked back at her subordinate. "Prepare the relic. We must make our own preparations at once". "Understood". They were all most certainly not good friends.
At the same time, Akano and Tamaki were going over some notes. To be exact, they were writing down some thoughts while they were sitting atop a bed in just shirts and boxers, opting for maximum comfort to help them think things over. And, and also because they didn''t feel like leaving the room in their current slightly paranoid and wary state. "So someone has been stopping us from meeting up?" "I doubt its just us. I think the entire guild''s communication network might be contaminated". "But they don''t typically use magical communication right?" Akano nodded. He did his research, and guilds used fast moving birds to deliver messages. Magical communication was too easy to link into and tap apparently, not to mention it required powerful magic stones to operate. As such, unless it was a large scale meeting where secrecy didn''t really matter, they were almost never used. As such, all requests to find and look into people would have gone through birds. Now, if every Starfallen was making such requests, its possible those services were simply overtaxed. That was why Akano thought they had not heard back yet. But if they had all been searching for each other, that should have changed things. Furthermore, he got the feeling they might be closer then they appear, so there should have been a response back rather quick. After all, if two people were looking for each other, the guild would more happily divulge this information to both parties. If it was just one way, they would need to do verification first, to protect their adventurers. So, this begged the question. Why did they not hear back at all after nearly a month now? "Someone must be interfering with the system, at least locally". Tamaki nodded. "But that would mean that they have someone either intercepting and stopping, or at least rewriting the physical messages right?" Akano pondered this point. "Yes, it would, and its very bad news. It means that someone who is working against us, or perhaps all Starfallen, is going around and nixing all these requests to find people". Tamaki grimaced. "That would take more then one person. And there is no way he can pinpoint every single request of only Starfallen". "You are right...that is impossible. But that would mean entire batches of requests are being stolen. Guilds would notice subjugation requests were being taken, so it must be specifically related to finding people. But are they doing all this to keep the Starfallen isolated, or are the Starfallen being isolated because of a plot targeting someone else?" "If we think like that, then I think we should rethink things". Akano nodded, agreeing. The two of them knew how unrealistic that was, for every request around the world like this to be made to disappear. It just was not feesible, not in the slightest. There was no way they could pull that off. "Which means, its this specific region". Akano then remembered something he overheard at the guild. "I have heard rumors lately that crimes involving human trafficking have been on the rise. What if someone related to that is responsible?" "What, and they destroy every request?" "No, they intercept every request, and then probably destroy. These requests are just basic guild service, they are low priority and I doubt they get them often, and given the surge of goblins that happened in the region lately, and the revival of the Demon King..." "They are distracted. In other words, its the perfect time for them to quiet these requests, and perhaps even use them to find good, isolated targets". Akano gulped. "That includes us. Iv made several now, probably screams desparation". "I have too..." Akano quickly took some deep breaths, and Tamaki invited his dog onto the bed to give a hug to. "Okay, so...we are almost certainly being targeted right now" Akano noted. "We probably are being watched every time we go out of the room". "They just need to wait, watch our schedule...and then when we are alone..." "They strike". Akano and Tamaki both nodded, certain they figured it out. Tamaki thought it was time to take action. "We need to tell the guild. They need to know someone, or a few people, in their ranks betrayed them to human traffickers and kidnappers". "Yeah, but what if the person we talk to is in on it?" "If we tell the receptionists, all of them, even they can''t hide it". However, there was still one issue with their plan. One Akano pointed out. "We don''t actually have any evidence". "Ah..." Yes, they lacked the decisive evidence, and its not like they could just say "it was confirmed in the spirit world". No way they would accept that as a valid reason. "So, do we need to wait for them to actually ambush us Akano? I don''t like this idea at all!" "Yeah, neither do I. To be honest, I am a bit surprised they haven''t yet". Little did the two of them know such an event had already happened once, but was thoroughly crushed by someone acting as a Night Watchman. However, it had been done out of their eyesight, in secret, by a third party, under the cover of darkness. And all the corpses were disposed of. And so, they continued to run through ideas, but without some sort of new development, all they could hit was a brick wall. They didn''t want to expose each other to unnecessary danger, or themselves even. They were all good friends. And the fluffy dog was a good boy. Chapter 51: An Unfortunate Reunion While Kuroki and Juno were still recovering from their new conditions, Akano and Tamaki were hard at work in their own city. "We managed to make it to E-Rank, and we have completed some requests since, but it likely wont be as easy to make it to D-Rank". "Agreed". Every rank was harder then the last to earn, and also took longer. The first seemed obvious, but the second had a deeper meaning then one might think. One could easily make it to F-Rank provided they displayed sufficient combat abilities. Akano and Tamaki had done that already. In fact, they demonstrated combat ability on par with D rank adventurers, perhaps even freshly minted C-Ranks, when they joined. However, Rank was not a hard measurement of strength. There were plenty of others, including plenty of other children in this world, that had done that. In fact, children younger then them, younger then Riku and Kaede, and occasionally even Ryuu, had all done this before. Fact was, reaching F-Rank upon joining was nowhere near unheard of, even for elementary school age children. One wouldn''t say it was common, but it was something that didn''t raise too much alarm when it did happen. Even making it to E-Rank in just a few weeks wasn''t unheard of even, especially for those that make F-Rank on their first day. However, once one got to E-Rank, that was where the real challenges started to begin. To make D-Rank, you had to earn trust with the guild. And that also meant earning trust with clients. In other words, if they wanted to Rank up, they would have to occasionally meet with people who posted the requests in a meeting, in order to ascertain details about the quest, what was needed specifically, the parameters and timetables, and things of that nature. Of course, being E-Ranks, it wasn''t like taking E-Rank or even D-Rank requests required overly polite formal talk. The most basic of basic manners and conversation skills would be required, but there was plenty of scum who were both idiots and extremely rude and unsociable, who still managed to get past this rank and reach higher ones. Even scum had managed it. However, because Akano looked like he could be thirteen despite being fifteen, and Tamaki was in fact actually twelve, they would have a chance to be looked down upon due to their age. It was something they might have to endure and overcome if they didn''t want to wait a few years to rank up. Still, it wasn''t like it was some insurmountable gap. Akano figured they could probably make D-Rank in a month or two. That said, he wasn''t sure how long they should stay there. Someone was intercepting requests to find people or be found by people, which meant there was a good chance they had been marked and were now sitting ducks for whoever was behind it. It wasn''t a situation where they could wait so freely anymore, at least not without trying to find out what was going on. That was part of why they wanted to rank up. if they went to the guild now, with no solid evidence or trust, and no way to explain how they knew in a way that seemed believable, they would not only be ignored, the ones behind it would surely come after them to silence them. Akano could go to the local church also. As a Shrine Maiden, even if he was a very recent addition, his status did have some pull. Unfortunately, his divine patron was unable to tell him anything. That was in the literal sense, he was quite literally forbidden by something called The Pact of the World to provide information so freely. And Granny was still off investigating matters it seemed, so they were on their own. As they turned a corner however, they ran into a sort of familiar person. A young child wearing a black cloak and hood, that always seemed to keep their face concealed in shadow. Wearing shorts, boots, gloves, and various other clothes, given the conversations from the receptionists he seemed to be a boy. He made it to E-Rank almost two weeks before Akano and Tamaki, and seemed to pop up sometimes wherever they were. Akano thought he often was starring at them, even if it was essentially impossible to see his face. He also thought the boy could be a Starfallen, and in fact very likely was. It felt like he recognized them somehow. "Sorry" Akano said as he stood up, offering a hand to help the boy. The boy took it, pulling himself off of the ground, and then dusting himself off. He then gave a polite, apologetic bow. Akano swore it felt like he was apologizing profusely, despite the fact he never actually said anything. "My name is Akano, what is yours?" Immediately afterwards, he produced his guild ID and showed it to them with another bow. It reminded Akano of his mother when she would give a professional greeting. He looked at the ID, and saw it said Ciel. It also said his age was 11, but something about Akano''s instinct made him question it. As for his Rank, he was actually already a D-Rank now, which meant that somehow he had advanced to D-Rank since he first saw the boy. Akano had heard of people making it to D-Rank in just a week or two, but he had never seen one reach it that fast. However, there was something else that caught his eye. He already had two titles, "Rescue Specialist" and "Medical Specialist". That wasn''t something so easy to acquire, which made Akano start to think he might have been wrong about him being a Starfallen for a moment. One title maybe if he was exceptionally skilled in their previous world, but two? Actually wait, there is a profession that would be both. We had a lot of mountains around our small humble city. Rescue teams would have medics with them...so maybe he was a rescue medic? Or whatever their official job title was? I can''t really remember what they were called, but they would come in on helicopters and such. Still, the Guild didn''t just hand those specialist titles out. One had to take exams and several quests related to them and prove their knowledge. Had he done all that and acquired D-Rank? That seemed rather difficult, even for a Starfallen, but he couldn''t be sure. "You aren''t hurt are you? Can you count up to five? Need any help?" The boy shook his head, and then counted up to five using his fingers in front of them. He really wont respond verbally at all. Still, I am super curious... Akano had yet to see the boy''s face or hear his voice, but it seemed like it wasn''t going to happen. The boy had so far refused to answer verbally at all, but it was only making Akano more and more curious. Between this and everything else that has happened, this sort of thing was a needed break for Akano. Ciel seemed to sense this, and nearly tried to escape. Akano quickly grabbed his shoulder though. "Hold on, we got you all dirty now, so lets all take a bath and get washed up. It''s the least we can do". Ciel shook his head far more vigorously. Was he embarrassed or something? That might make it even more likely he was a Starfallen, although it could just mean he had a bad case of social anxiety. Tamaki seemed to cut him off, his playfulness and curiosity having overtaken him as well. "Come on, lets have fun and get cleaned up together!" Ciel quickly got out of Akano''s grip and ran up the side of a building suddenly, grabbing onto the ledge of a roof and pulling himself up. That said, misfortune happened to decide to come his way, because Tamaki''s Atari was already there. He was not even sure when he got up there, but he pushed off the roof and landed on the other side of Akano and Tamaki, escaping the encirclement. "Awww..." "That was kind of cool...and cute..." Tamaki''s off handed comment caused Ciel to wave his fists in annoyance and beat Tamaki with them, although there was no real force behind them so it didn''t really hurt. "Sorry sorry!" "Well, we should probably get back to the guild. We need to turn in these completed quests" Akano said, deciding that was probably enough indulgence. Both Tamaki and Ciel nodded, and so they decided to all head towards the guild before the sun set. Maybe we will get lucky, and the wind will at least blow his hood off. Well, Akano had not totally given up, but that was besides the point right now. When the group finally made it to the guild, it sounded unusually rowdy in there. They came in, only for the stench of some particularly strong alcohol to assault their senses. Tamaki grimaced especially, being a Dog Beastkin, and Ciel was rubbing his hood with Toria leaves so that the sweet smell could block it out. Akano quickly took out some Naria leaves and had Tamaki and Atari wipe it all over their noses to help them endure. The trio went over to the counter with the receptionists. Their usual receptionist wasn''t there, and instead if was a gruff, older man with plenty of muscles and who was probably over two meters tall. Akano wondered what the story was with someone like this becoming an adventurer, but knew better then to ask. "We have some requests to turn in. Also, what is with the stench. Its never this bad or noisy in here". "Ah. A famous B-Rank adventurer party returned today from a particularly long quest, so some people are celebrating their return. Anyways, I will take those, and update your records. Here is your reward". The three of them each got paid for their own requests. Akano and Tamaki''s reward was the same, but Ciel had his own separate one since he took his own requests as a solo adventurer. "Still, its getting quite rowdy there. We do need to do actual business here, so maybe I should go break it up..." The old man receptionist said such a thing, looking at the group in the corner. There had to be twenty or thirty adventurers there, and there was a lot of booze. Sure it might be afternoon by now, but Akano wondered if it was really okay to make such a ruckus so early. Even Ciel and Tamaki seemed focused on it, so much that they had missed something that they really should not have missed.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Right as the old man went to go settle things over there, Akano heard a rather familiar voice from behind them. It was one he hoped never to hear again, one that he knew all too well. Someone he had been purposefully avoiding all this time. Torita Ogami. a member of Kuroki''s father''s Elite Class. And a general asshole bully who did not hold back at all when it came to tormenting Kuroki. The two groups saw each other, although calling Ogami who was alone a group seemed a bit wrong. At first however, he eyed the smallest of them Ciel, who had shown him up a few weeks ago at the guild. "You again! You will pay for embarrassing me twerp!" Ciel didn''t seem to react at all, although Akano thought he heard a cute sigh come out from under that hood. Perhaps he just imagined it? But it definently felt like Ciel sighed just now. Either way, he shook his head, clearly denying the allegation. "No, its definitely you! No one else hides their face and voice like you do!" Ciel took a step back, one hand covering where his mouth should be, and suiting body language as if he was genuinely greatly shocked by such a revelation. Wait, is he exaggerating, or did this actually shock him?! Akano honestly couldn''t be sure. He couldn''t see Ciel''s facial expressions after all. However, Ogami wasn''t having it, apparently feeling like Ciel was making a fool of him. Which, to be honest, Akano thought Ciel kind of was. No way could he actually be shocked that no one else hides their face or voice like that. Ogami raised his fists and went to punch Ciel, but Ciel dodged it by the narrowest of margins. Not accidentally, but on purpose. He left just a centimeter or two between them as he stepped around his fist, and kicked the guy in the leg right behind and under the knee. It looked like it hurt a lot too. Ogami persisted however, as he somehow kept his footing and swung his leg around. Ciel ducked in a limbo style, dodging the attack while making sure to then grab the leg and push it aside with all his force, sending Ogami off balance and stumbling backwards. Still, he never actually fell down. Ciel then blocked a fist that almost seemed like it came out of nowhere. Ogami had made up the distance in a moment. Was that...Brilliant Flash? Ciel seemed rather surprised by the attack, but dug his heels in and pushed the fist upward. This caused a chain reaction which threw Ogami incredibly off balance, causing him to tumble backwards and to the right. Huh?! Ciel had used a counter for Brilliant Flash on reflex, despite being surprised. But that would indicate... Has he experienced Brilliant Flash before? Or something similar? That looked almost too refined to just be lucky chance. That is the exact same way Kuroki''s dad deflected his own student''s Brilliant Flash. That said, he had seen enough of this world to know that plenty of people, particularly those with combat related jobs, could possess physical abilities well exceeding the norm of his old world. Certainly, with this world, it was not impossible to deflect such an attack. The way Ciel did it though felt very refined. Although he hid his face and voice, he wore a sleeveless shirt and shorts, so his bare legs and arms were quite clearly visible. His legs and arms did not look tanned at all, although they weren''t so white that they looked pale either. Perhaps a little pale, but that was it. However, from that, he could see his limbs were quite thin and scrawny. Akano wondered where the physical strength and stamina Ciel seemed to possess came from, since he seemed totally fine tossing this boy around and deflecting his attacks, despite the fact Ogami should have more weight and muscle to them. Ciel was also surprisingly agile and springy, able to move things around. Akano had thought he might be a mage or something, but it seemed that he was more of a rogue. The way he could slip into an opponent''s blindspot and nimbly dodge attacks, as well as even manipulating the opponent''s attacks to suit his needs. Ogami was getting really heated and pissed off now. It felt rather one sided all things considered, as Ciel danced around him. As he went in for another attack, Ciel slipped behind on the attacking side, temporarily going back to back with Ogami, before turning around and pushing him forward, causing him to go head first into a support. That was when Akano realized something else Ciel was doing. Oh, he is very clever. As Ogami got back up, that was when he finally noticed Akano there. It was obvious he recognized him as well by the way he was scowling. "You!" He got up and raised his fists, preparing to punching Akano. At that moment, Atari grew three times in size and got between them and knocked him away with his tail. He landed on his feet, and pulled out his sword. Only this time, someone grabbed his arm from behind. "Alright, I think that is enough there" the receptionist from before said as he stopped the attack. "This is clearly going way too far. And Ciel, don''t think I don''t realize you were trying to indirectly beat him black and blue and make a mockery of him at the same time". Indeed, during their fight, while Ogami undoubtedly got hurt in various spots, Ciel had never made a single offensive attack. He deflected, he dodged, and he avoided. Every injury Ogami sustained was from his own momentum, and not from a single thing Ciel did. Even in their previous world, Ogami would likely be unable to press any charges against Ciel, because all of his injuries were directly from his own actions and Ciel never retaliated once, at least with physical force. He did however make a number of moves that made Ogami look like a fool, but when the other party was already attacking you, that hardly counted as anything. Still, Akano was not thrilled that Ogami now knew he was here in the same city as him. It make Akano think that perhaps it would be better to move cities then take any more risks. He and Tamaki could try and make the journey north, to the merchant city of Ruthil, or the port city of Alasian that was near it. Either one would have transit to the various other cities in the region, from Azralia to Zanastu. Akano was certain he was in a main city, and if they kept traveling around to them, they might find him eventually. But cities were large places, and there was no guarantee they would run into Kuroki at the guild even if they waited all day. Because of that, it had a pin put in it for now, especially while they figured out what to do about the intercepted messages and how to handle them. But the situation was changing radically. There were a lot of different things to consider. The situation was extremely fluid, and frankly speaking they were not sure what to do. All they could do is adapt the best they could. Either way, Ogami stormed off before anything was done, and the old man looked and sighed. "Sheesh. That guy really needs to know when to cool it. He seems to be so aggressive and angry all the time. Ah, that''s right, its nice to meet you both. I am the Vice Guildmaster of the Guild, Armiaas Rell. I hear you three have been ranking up quite quickly, glad to finally meet you three". "Wait, the vice guildmaster?" "Yep. Our guildmaster is just some old crone but she is always busy lately, so I get stuck with a variety of jobs. Usually our new sub-guildmaster would take up a spot in reception as needed, but right now he is at a birthday party for his mom, so I am here instead". Woah, this guy is the submaster?! But Akano decided to probe this a bit. "Hey, what about our request for finding out where our friends have gone. We haven''t heard back yet, but they should very much still be in the region. Know what is going on with that?" "Oh, the requests? Now that I think about it, we haven''t gotten any replies back. They kind of take a backburner usually unless someone asks about them, but now that I think about it, its weird we got none at all...maybe we should check and see if some paperwork snafu happened at the Aviary". "The Aviary?" "Yeah. The guild has someone stationed there to handle guild business, who then makes copies and has them sent to all the guild offices. Its possible they recently let some things slip through the cracks, but its certainly not normal. We had best go while there is still daylight to burn". This was an unexpected but very much welcomed development for Akano, so he nodded along, and he, Tamaki, Atari, Bastian, and Ciel all decided to go to the Aviary. Perhaps they would be seeing developments sooner then they anticipated.
At the same time, within the Ivory Tower, The Oracle sat on his bed, letting out a sigh. "I have gotten so busy now. Dealing with the memory erasures and restorals is getting to be a pain" The Oracle stated, as he looked over at the latest prophecies he had officially transcribed. It did not possess all of them, but it would possess all that he was willing to share. Even if they used magic to probe his mind, he would always make sure to remove those memories ahead of time and keep them saved. Still, it wasn''t like he had anything else to do. He was locked up in this tower, his only way to be released is if someone removed the cursed collar around his neck, or if someone removed his head from his body. Frankly, he would not mind either option at this point. "I had to get involved there though. The future shifted so suddenly...and even I can''t avert my eyes to the coming tragedy". The Oracle was not a heartless person, although perhaps everything he had gone through had made him a bit callous at times. There were plenty of people he could try to save, but that could endanger the futures he was trying to bring back. The Starfallen however were a special case. It was not just Kuroki''s group, others he was keeping an eye on as well. "The Eastern Calamity still eludes me, but the Western one...the ripple effects have already begun. He is well on the far side of the Empire, in the nation on the opposite side, but he will start making waves. Perhaps one could say he already is. And then there are the three scions of despair....but I can ignore them for the time being". The Oracle plopped himself onto the floor, as someone came bursting in. "Oh, the Black Dog is here to beg? Or have you finally come to remove my head?" "Shut it you! Tell us why you didn''t say anything!" he snarled as he tossed a newspaper down to the ground. It had a clear title on it, and it had three of the council members for the Dark Side of the Church dead from an attack upon a city just north of here, apparently an independent scout force by the Demon King''s army. This came as a surprise, as he had legitimacy no idea what was going on. "I have never forseen anything to do with them...what?" He picked up the paper, and read it with various interests. "They didn''t destroy the city, but they caused a lot of harm. Oh my, well at least it looks like no one that mattered died". "Yes, it was only our people that died! Dont say you didn''t hide it! You have been hiding things and trying to have us killed since the start, you bastard!" "If you feel as if you cannot rely on my oracles anymore, either solution can be found around my neck". He prodded the Black Dog even now, partially because this was The Oracle''s only real joy lately. The two hated each other with the passion of a thousand stars. Should The Oracle ever get free, he was the first he planned to hire assassins to kill. "Still, it sounds like you made an enemy. A rather clever enemy. Surely you understand right, the difficulties of having such a large group attack such a small group and kill them out of everyone in the city?'' The Black Dog grit his teeth as the Oracle laid out the facts. He made it clear someone had targeted them, but he truly did not know which. Even the Black Dog was starting to realize the truth. "You actually didn''t know". "Indeed. Says a lot about who is behind it though. Looks like you don''t have time to mess with me mutt, so how about you go back to your master and beg him for a chew toy?" The Black Dog clenched his fists, but simply let them go. "You bastard. You would think after twenty years, you would become more compliant". "You would think after twenty years, your people would eventually grow a heart". As the two pairs of eyes faced off, something else strange that occurred. A map fell down from the desk, as did an ink bottle. The map had somewhat degraded, but the ink landed perfectly...upon four locations. The royal capital, the fortress city, Ranazia, which was the one just attacked, the Trade City of Irasil, and the Frontier City in the South, Azralia. "Calamity approaches" The Oracle stated, entering a trance. "The great ones arrive, the Hidden makes their move, and the dark shadow sweeping across the lands. The darkness is coming, the danger is real. And soon, the pinnacle will fall. And so will the lighthouse". And then, with that, the trance ended. "Well shut. That is a new one?" "Transcribe it now, whelp". "Fine fine". What the hell is going on?! What new threats are these, and how were they shrouded from me for so long? Something has gone very wrong...I need to find a way to look into this. It appears that the Oracle was getting increasing concerned about all that was going on. Chapter 52: A Shaded Perspective The Aviary. Different from the Beastiary that Tamaki frequently helped out in, this location is made for tamed and domesticated messenger birds. In truth, there were several throughout the city, and nobles usually had their own private one as well, but they were going to the main one. It was close to the guild, which meant it was the one they mainly used, and it had the best variety of birds. The ones the guild typically used were the fastest and most reliable, which allowed them to send and recieve messages with incredible speed. The birds were almost impossible to intercept and shoot down, and even intercepting them at the Aviary would be difficult since three different sealed documents would come regularly from each other city, detailing correspondence successfully received as well as summarizing what they sent. If they did not get this summary at all, that would indicate an issue. And yet despite all this, somehow these requests to find people had fallen through the cracks. That said, it was possible they were listed in the summary but were not noticed to be missing yet, since the requests themselves typically were not high priority for the guild. It was easy for them to be listed on the document but not be noticed. Unless they were marked and paid for as high priority, or if they gave a specific region, especially one filled with monsters. Then they would often be noticed. That said, due to all the squaking, the Aviary was rather isolated. It was placed on top of another building, a civil servant building incidentally, and was fairly isolated. Perhaps unfortunate for civil servants, although their building was decently insulated, but they would always end up having squaking of birds near the windows, as well as bird poop often around the outside of their building. Once the three of them had arrived at the building, the birds were already rather excited, which caused Atari and Bastion to start barking. Armiaas Rell looked around, and seemed a bit disaproving. "The Aviary sure is acting up. Not sure how they can stand this place". "There might be something wrong" Tamaki mentioned. "They are really bothered by something about this building". Akano looked over at Tamaki. "You sure?" "Positive. They are warning us that there is something wrong here". Rell unfastened the sheeth of his sword as he heard this. "Lets progress carefully then. Lets take the back way up to, so we can avoid being noticed immediately". Hearing the vice guildmaster''s words, the group decided to take the long way around, but the three dogs of the group if you included Tamaki could sense something was wrong immediately. As two dogs, and a dog beastkin, enhanced by the power of the Starfall, they had a sense for this. Tamaki prepared his dagger and bow, and Akano had his staff ready, as they ascended the back steps. "I can kinda feel it too. Something about this place is given me the creeps". "YOu didn''t notice this before?" "I send H and G Rankers to pick up the mail, like any other guild. The higher ups are far too busy to pick it up themselves". "So they probably didn''t notice something seemed strange then". As they were ascending the stairs, they eventually came to the reception counter of the Aviary. A man was there with a slightly creepy customer service smile. "Hello and welcome to the Aviary! Are you here to pick up or drop off?" "Pick up. It appears some requests didn''t make it to the adventurer''s guild regarding requests to look for people. Additionally, it seems our own were not recieved, so we are here to check ourselves". "Oh. I am very sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, with the birds so agitated, I am afraid no one can enter unless they are an Aviarist right now. Please come back later". It was a very calm and customer service like voice that replied, but something about it didn''t sit right with Akano and Tamaki. "Hey Tamaki, doesn''t it kind of sound like one of those automated response machines for a phone?" "I was thinking the same thing. It sounds exactly like that". "I have no idea what you two are talking about, but we need to check on this ASAP. We can''t just leave requests, even low priority requests, unattended. Where is your boss? I am Vice Guildmaster Rell, and I need to speak with your boss at once". "I am sorry, but my boss is currently sick and resting. Unfortunately, no one with the authority you desire is currently available". Bastian proceeded to run around the side, and began barking at the man from behind the counter. Tamaki went after him, and that was when he saw it. It was hard to spot immediately, but there was a vine coming out of the ground, going up behind his pants leg, and seemed to run right up to the spine and neck under the clothes. "Guys...I don''t think we are talking to the customer service guy". "I am sorry, but it appears it is time for my legally mandated break. Good day". At that moment, he lunched across the counter and grabbed Rell, screaming some sort of hideoous and violent screech. Something seemed to flicker, and in the next moment, he was gone. Tamaki and Akano both raised their weapons, and Rell already had his out. "What the hell was that?!" "I have no clue. I have never seen anything like it..." Rell muttered. "Looks like it gave up trying to hide itself from us though". Tamaki then looked back the way they came, and spotted something disgusting looking on the ground. It was almost like a large pile of something pitch black, that was inbetween looking oily and mucasy. Obviously, it was very much disgusting. "I wouldn''t recommend trying to go back down that way". "It must have established a Domain or Overlap. We are in its territory now...that is probably what that scream was. It wasn''t that it disappeared, but we did". "That fast? It was able to bring us all here in an instant?" Akano found that hard to believe, but Rell just nodded. "It would have taken a long time to set up, but yeah. If this is the case for our Aviary, when we are not even an important city unlike the merchant city to the north of us, or the far more major frontier city of Azralia...they probably have set this up in multiple spots across the region. That said, I doubt they were able to expend it much further. No way they could set this up in multiple major cities without anyone noticing". "How long do you think it would have gone unnoticed if we hadn''t arrived today?" "Not long. Eventually it would have been noticed. Still, best we show caution". Ciel was already ready, with a dagger in each hand. As the group advanced forward, the Aviary came into view. Right now, all of the birds were quietly watching them. Akano felt a bit disturbed. "They really dropped the facade fast". "They knew we already knew and wouldn''t be tricked or dissuaded. They had no reason to hide, and instead decided to chip away at our psyche by creeping us out like this. They are trying to weaken us through psychological attacks now, before they attack us head on" Rell mentioned, as they reached a sort of entrance hall. The aviary might have had mostly glass windows, but it did have some parts that were a building proper, like the Beastiary. As they pushed through the doors and entered the entrance hall, they came face to face with the severed head of Akano''s mother, put on a spike. Akano flared up with rage, while Tamaki recoiled with shock, and Rell immediately cut through it instantly. The moment Rell did, it turned into a sort of black gas and disappeared. "An illusion that invades the mind as well. How sickening". "...that was an illusion? It seemed so real..." "That was...horrifying". Not only that, but when they were distracted with that, the doors had sealed shut behind them. "This is a trap, isn''t it?" "Naturally. They want to maintain this as long as they can, so they plan on eliminating us here and now. I am sure they hope to keep this up for at least a bit longer. Although I must admit, I have no idea what could be the reason for this". Akano pondered something. "Me and Tamaki thought some human trafficking organization was behind it, keep everyone isolated and find prime targets who are isolated, but this seems rather extreme for that". Ciel nodded, clearly agreeing with that statement. The Guildmaster gave him a look. "You know Ciel, if you see something major, you do have to speak up and describe it to us right?" Ciel seemed alarmed by that. His face was hidden under the dark of his hood, but somehow from his body language alone Akano was perfectly able to imagine an exclamation mark and a question mark appearing right above his head. Either way, the group of four people and two dogs continued forward. The entrance hall was eerily abandoned, and it looked like no one had cleaned up here in a long time. The group continued forward, and everyone felt a chill run down their spines. It was clear that something had gone horribly wrong here. As they pushed forward, it felt like each step they took was heavier, as if they were trudging through thick snow. The only one totally unaffected was Ciel, and Rell was only somewhat bothered by it. They went through the next doors, only to see a sort of large grandiose room. It had a spiral staircase in each corner of the room, located an equal distance away from the walls they were closest too. The middle of the room dropped down a bit, with steps bordering it one could walk down and up, although the incline was rather shallow in the first place. There was a second story to this room with rails and bannisters, and the walls were adorned with all sorts of bookshelves and filing cabinets. It also had various cubbies for other purposes. That said, everything was in a mess, and plants were starting to take over the room somehow.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. However, their eyes were fixed to a humanoid shape, sputtering something they couldn''t make out or comprehend. It seemed to totally ignore them at first, but once all four of them entered the room it suddenly turned to them. A black mist covered it, with only its glowing red eyes visisble from them. "Starfallen! You stole them!" The shout put everyone on edge, for obvious reasons. The thing lunged at them with beast-like movements, its eyes bright and full of hunger. The fact that it had said Starfallen had caused Akano and Tamaki to freeze up for a moment, but Ciel jetted forward before they had frozen up even. Perhaps even before the shaded figure lunged at them. He drew his daggers and clashed with the shaded creatures shade claws, sparks flying as the two collided. Rell then move to the side and and tried to cut its head off, but the figure sensed the attack and hopped backwards to avoid it. It released some sort of black smog wherever it went, which Rell avoided so he couldn''t give chase and follow up. Whatever it was, they all figured it wasn''t anything good. Ciel however ducked below it, running at it and slashing at it with both daggers in a flurry of blows. It deflected the attack, releasing a sort of smog from its mouth. And yet, a powerful wind seemed to sweep up the surroundings, capturing it all and sending it upwards as Ciel continued his attacks. Bastion released a fireball, while Atari grew in size and used its tail to blow away the smog that tried to creep towards them. The Shade avoided the fireball with even more speed then it avoided Ciel''s attack, looking off balance for the first time. Ciel used that moment to cut through the smog surrounding it and stabbed it. As he did, his daggers erupted with light that rivaled the sun itself, blowing away the smog and shaded figure, who became a corpse that fell onto the ground. "The hell...why does a D-Rank Kid have High Quality Solarite daggers?" "Solarite?" "Supposedly the stuff is a special metal that is soaked in sunlight on high mountains. It is said to absorb sunlight from its surroundings during the day, and then one can unleash it at night. They are weapons often used by Vampire slayers, but for it to shine that bright...that is high quality Solarite. They must drain lots of sunlight around him constantly to be able to emit a flash like that, and that was a directed flash. He actually directed the sunlight away from himself and purely into his enemy. They must be enchanted with something special. There is only one place you can get Solarite at all, and that is Mount Reilnar in the north. And High Quality Solarite is an especially rare acquisition. Those daggers would fetch a high enough price to afford a high quality inn for several years. At least a hundred gold coins". That was alarming to them all. As they had been pinching pennies, Akano and Tamaki truly marveled at the weapons that were so far out of their reach it was mind boggling. "Still, we cant stay here gawking. Its a good thing he has them, it looks like these things dont like bright light, especially when its focused like that". "In that case, here, I have a spell that Granny taught me" Akano said, as he placed his hands on Rell''s sword and Tamaki''s weapons. "From the grace of the gods, who bathed the world in the light of life. Let these objects glow with their brightly warmth. Solar Enchant". Suddenly, their weapons began to glow, enriched within the light of the sun itself. "Perfect. Now we can keep going". "Fire might work well too. Bastion, make sure you can fireball them at a moments notice! It really tried to avoid your fireball fast!" "Woof!" And so, the trio pushed forward into the dark building. The entire place was creepy, but they had to clear the entire thing, and they all knew better then to split up in such a situation. Ciel seemed almost hypervigilant, as he turned his head so much it looked like it might twist around a full 360. "Have you ever seen anything like these shaded people?" "No. I have never heard of anything like this in all my years as an adventurer. Whatever they are, they are probably extremely dangerous, but also something caused by some magic that someone especially developed for this occasion. Be warned, if this is the work of a truly dangerous mage, we could be entering a very dangerous territory. However, this doesn''t feel magic. More...supernatural. And different, almost alien. And I have been to Runecrest Forest". Apparently, it didn''t feel even remotely natural, even by his standards. Akano was a bit curious about this Runecrest Forest place, but that could wait for now. Either way, they soon made their way into a large, central room of the place. This time, something new was there waiting for them. If the first was a figure shaded in smog or black mist or whatever, then this was just black mist and smog in a humanoid form. There were various gaps that could be seen through, where it was obvious that there was nothing physical under there. It was just black smog in a humanoid shape. It turned to them again, and glared right at Akano and Tamaki. "Starfallen! You thieves! You stole them!" it hissed violently. "Alright, we clearly need to have a discussion about this later" Rell mentioned, as he took the lead. The figure began to walk towards them, but in the span of a blink it seemed to teleport a bit closer to them, and its walking looked distorted and wrong. As if it was a program bugging out. Rell tried to slash at it, but it teleported behind him the moment it did, and reached towards Akano and Tamaki. Ciel intercepted again, unleashing another beam of light. This time however, it dodged the beam, but it was pushed back. Tamaki then fired an arrow right into it, imbued with light, which seemed to harm it, while Bastion unleashed a fireball which it purposefully avoided. Rell had turned around by this point however, and he cut through it...only for it to reform right in front of them. This spooked them all, which gave it the chance to grab Akano and Tamaki. "Reclaim! The thieves shall pay! We shall reclaim!" "Whatever you think we stole, we didn''t steal it damnit!" Bastion unleashed a fireball, forcing the shade to drop the two boys as it dodged. This time, Rell cut it straight down the center, while Ciel unleashed beams of light at it. Both attacks seemed to work this time, as it evaporated instantly...but some of the smog seemed to run off into a vent and disappeared. "That thing seems far more resiliant then the shaded corpse". "Its a straight up shade" Tamaki muttered. "But what the hell? Who does all this just to get back something stolen? What could even be stolen that was so valuable to do all this?" "That is a good question, Starfallen" Rell mentioned, clearly acknowledging it this time. "Can we get into this when our lives are not in peril?" Akano asked. Rell nodded, and the group shaped up. "This isn''t good though. This is clearly and blatently an issue that is far greater then we realized". Ciel nodded to Rell''s words, and the group decided to figure out where to go next. "How do we break this spell and return to reality?" "Typically, there should be a core or center to the spell. An Arcane Anchor, that anchors the spell to the world. For a spell this big, you would absolutely need at least one if not several. If I had to guess, we will find the central anchor within the Aviary proper. Destroying the central anchor should break the spell, however it will be the most heavily guarded...and it looks like that fight drew some unwanted attention". As he said that, several shaded corpses began to emerge in the rooms around them. They were already rushing right at them in a beast like state, clearly intending to capture or kill them. Rell cleaved through a few with his sword, while Ciel darted around to get various targets in rapid succession. Akano meanwhile used holy power to charge up his staff, releasing a beam of light that the Shaded were having absolutely none of, as they bent themselves in weird angles to avoid. This left them vulnerable to rapid attacks from Ciel and arrows from Tamaki however, as well as the occasional fireball from Bastion. It was finally revealed why they went out of their way to avoid fire, as the moment the corpse was lit up, the fire weakened the other shaded bodies around as well. It didn''t quite kill it yet, but it left a whole lot of them weaker from being near the burning light. Even though they might has well have been clad in thick yet translucent smoke, fire was not their friend. Furthermore, when they were on fire, any weapon attack, imbued with light or not, worked on it. Their best defense was basically negated. While light was clearly more effective at ending them, fire was not bad either. After all, a single hit from Akano''s light beam or Ciel''s Solarite daggers were enough to essentially turn them to ash. Had they been up against normal adventurers, they would have undoubtedly won. But Akano was a Shrine Maiden, Bastion was a fireball shooting dog, and Ciel had crazy expensive Solarite daggers. There was also the fact that Ciel was a vampire, but among those there, Ciel was the only one that knew that. This meant though that his reflexes and strength were beyond the norm, even if he was hiding it from the others. It did not take long for the entire group to be defeated, although it had been rather grueling. After all, even if they were well set up to face them, these things were still ridiculously fast and strong. Still, there was a possibility they might reform if they just sat around there, or that more Shades would appear, so they had to push forward. Charging through the dark, they quickly made their way into the Aviary proper. All sorts of dark birds watched them, their eyes clearly hungry. And at the center of everything, there was a strange, floating black crystal radiating a dark aura. It seemed almost protected by it. Furthermore, there was a figure there. It was a Shade, but it was different. It was wearing a dark robe, and a skeletal translucent face was visible underneath. It was also floating in the air next to the crystal, watching them from above. It made no move to communicate, but instead just glared at them with glowing red eyes. It flickered in and out of existence occasionally, much like the other Shade they encountered. It raised its hand, and spoke words that not one of them could understand or hear. Yet in the next moment, Akano and Tamaki fell to their hands and kness in extreme pain. A voice spoke inside of their head with fragmented orders. Atari as well collapsed onto the ground, unable to resist the power at all. "Obey me. Kill the other two. Serve". Something inside of them raged forth, demanding they compliantly obey with all commands. The very power of it was greater then any other time Compliance had been triggered by sheer magnitudes. Already, despite their resistance, they could feel themselves preparing to attack Rell and Ciel from behind. Ciel noticed the oddity first, and rushed towards the Shaded Mage. His daggers radiated with sunlight, as he went to strike at the creature. And yet, the creature just held its hand out, and suddenly Ciel was frozen in the air, unable to fall or move in any way. He wasn''t petrified or anything however, as he could still move his hands and legs, but it was like his body was locked into that space. Rell however had already moved behind it and brought his large sword down upon the creature. It raised out its other hand, and the sword this time was what was frozen in the air. It was unmoving, even after Rell let go of it, it remained still within the air. Locked in place. However, that was when Ciel raised out a palm towards it. At the same time, the very shadows underneath it began to try and consume the creature. This finally seemed to alarm it, forcing it to break its concentration and freeing its hold on Akano and Tamaki, who had been about to attack their allies. "Whew...that was too close". "Bastian, Atari, attack that thing!" Tamaki released an arrow of light, while Akano released a beam of light. FInally the creature raised a sort of shaded barrier to block the attack, but the moment it did, it lost its hold on Ciel, who came right towards it with his solar charged daggers. It got in several slashes, harming the creature as it howled, but not defeating it as easily as the other shades and shaded creatures. It raised its hand again, and Ciel was lifted into the air again and locked there once more. Clearly, it was most wary of Ciel, who seemed to hit all of this things weaknesses. Two more Shades appeared behind it though, joining the attack. Ciel manipulated the shadows once more, having shadowed tendrils rise up and grab them, pulling them into a dark abyss. They tried to escape, but their teleportation abilities did not work while restrained by the tendrils. The Skeletal shade sent a ball of red energy right at Ciel, but Ciel just swatted it away with the back of his hand. Noticably, even the Greater Shade looked almost perturbed and freaked out by such a thing. Unfortunately for it, such a move had freed Rell''s sword, which he now grabbed and used to cut through the Shades. Apparently while restrained, a single slash was enough to wipe them out, as they were turned to dust instantly. It glared at Ciel, before raising its hand and snapping its fingers. In the next moment, the Hooded Shade...or rather, the Greater Shade, teleported away. Clearly, it had no desire to continue this fight. It had forseen its own defeat, and instead decided to escape to terrorize them another day. Rell and Ciel immediately turned the anchor to smithereens, which suddenly released the spell. The air became brighter and fresher, and the birds returned to normal. They found themselves standing inside of the Aviary, which was now back to normal...or rather, they had returned to normal space. "What the fuck was that..." Rell muttered. "One wrong move, and we could have all died...and Ciel, how the hell did you backhand that attack away?!" Ciel just made an X with his arms, probably indicating he had no intention of telling. "...And you two, what is this about Starfallen?" "Ummmm..." "...its kind of a long story..." "Talk. Now. We have time". The moment Rell said this, bird poop landed on his shoulder. "...okay fine, we can leave the Aviary first". "Thats probably for the best" Tamaki said, as he was already being swarmed by birds vying for his attention. In that moment, Akano thought he heard the giggle of a young boy when he gazed upon the scene, but all he could see was Ciel. Was that his voice just now? With that question, the group decided to move elsewhere in order to continue this conversation in a more peaceful and less dropping filled environment. Chapter 53: What Lurks Beneath The Bones Back in Azralia, it had been a few days since Kuroki had obtained his True Arcanium. He still couldn''t cut his hair, but it was no longer as big of a pain or obstructive as it had once been. Using some hairclips and bands, he now had most of it contained via a ponytail and bangs, and he was able to get dressed and go outside. His control over his mana and magic had also improved so he was no longer a threat to himself or others if he as so much as sneezed. In other words, it was officially safe for him to resume his training and doing quests. "Alright, which quest should we take next? I have a whole bunch of spells I thought up that I need to field test". Kuroki was clearly raring to go, as he was filled with energy. He probably was really eager to put his new staff to work, which made everyone a bit worried. "He won''t go out of control with his magic right?" Kaede asked. "I don''t think so..." Riku replied. "The look in his eyes is scary" Ryuu commented. Supported, or perhaps worrying, his party, Kuroki charged forward towards the guild. It did not take them long to reach it, as they were familiar with the trip there. And when they arrived, they saw the usual sight of Ozlo at the center counter, looking overworked and under appreciated. They made sure to approach his counter, knowing he could use a friendly face that wouldn''t try to bullshit him. "I see you are doing better, Kuroki". "Yep! Which is why, I need to test out my spells and get an idea for my magic in the field. Using the training arena only lets me measure so much after all". "In other words, you need a request that will net you some fights. Then you came to the right place. Truth is, I need some reliable E-Rank adventurers right now. We have had reports of a surge of Fang Wolves in the forest. Normally they would be considered F-Rank, but their numbers have me concerned, so I wanted E-Ranks at least to check it out. You guys up for it?" "Yeah!" "Fantastic. Just be careful of their varients, and dont get carried away and cause issues for others!" Ozlo had to shout that last part as Kuroki practically rushed out the door. His three party members apologized for him, and then ran after him. Ozlo knew they were good kids, so it would probably be fine...but he also knew about Kuroki''s passion for magic. "It should be fine...probably...yeah. Just to be safe though, I will send a mini-dragon to keep an eye out on them". Ozlo quickly summoned a small dragon no bigger then a basketball, and then had it fly after them once it turned invisible. "There we go, that should do it".
At the same time, Kuroki''s group did not take long to get to the forest. Riku had become much faster and gained more stamina overall compared to the others, and the others had new boots that would help boost their speed and even could let them move incredibly fast for a few seconds, although it would take time between uses. Their standard formation was Riku and Ryuu in the front, Kuroki and Kaede in the back. This was a reliable formation, since Kuroki could use magic to sense attackers, at least usually. There were occasionally those who were able to bypass his detection somehow, as if they had some sort of sneak or stealth skill, or some sort of immunity to detection based magic. However, that did not discourage him at all. It did not take long for them to encounter the Fang Wolves mentioned either. Usually they were in the forests south of the one they were in, but recently they had been pushed forward and were making more appearances in the northern forest. However, the number they encountered was larger then expected. They were told scouting parties were only about five or six, but this was clearly at least ten. "Kuroki?" "Yeah, I got this". Kuroki incanted a spell, and magical energy swirled through his staff. Its sheer power seemed to accelerate the incantation, and it was finished before it was even done. The raging whirlwind of frost and snow glistened for all to see, as it was unleashed upon the wolves before him. "Racing Icewind!" Unleashing the spell, waves and blades of frost emerged from his staff. They raged across the battlefield, and while the wolves tried to dodge, only four were able to successfully evade the spell. The rest were either turned into frozen statues, or cut to pieces. The ground became covered in frost and snow, and not a sound could be heard from any of the spell''s victims. Fang Wolves were only an F-Rank threat, but for Kuroki to silence so many so easily was a testament to his increased ability. "Looks like I better ramp up as well". Riku got inspired from it as well, and quickly engaged his new technique. "Blazing Hop!" A varient of Brilliant Blaze, this covered shorter distances, but it let him quickly slash around multiple targets since he was able to do it rapidly, and with less strain. This let him behead two Fang Wolves instantly. Kaede meanwhile cut through another one with her daggers, severing the vital points and leaving its corpse to collapse on the ground. It did not even feel pail as she had carefully dissected it cleanly and quickly. Ryuu meanwhile seemed to overrun with power, easily smashing through his wolf and ending it right then and there. "Looks like I am not the only one who has been busy" Kuroki noted. "We can''t just leave it all to you. We are also improving after all!" Riku exclaimed. "Yeah. I wont let you boys be the only ones to progress". "I might be the youngest, but I wont fall behind either!" As they all said their piece, Kuroki observed some of the trees. It was not consistent, but several of the trees were wilting already, and had their leaves changing color even though it was not even summer yet. Some of the branches were rotting, and others had already fallen off, with some rotted parts and some healthy parts. "This forest looks almost...sickened". "We should report this to Ozlo". Kuroki nodded, when suddenly he got a signal on his magic senses. A lot of signals. "Enemies, coming from all around us! They just showed up out of nowhere!" As he announced that, countless arms began to spring out of the ground. That was, if they could be called arms. As other figures began to become appararent around them, the arms...no, the limbs of bone began to pull up their corpses from under the ground. "No way...it can''t be..." "Goblin Zombies...shit!" "Why? Why is it always us?!" "AN undead attack!?" Kuroki quickly took command. "Everyone, we are pushing back towards the city! This is an ambush! We are not prepared for a lengthy encounter against undead, so we have to keep attacking as we move!"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Most of hte horde is betwene us and the direction of Azralia!" "Are they being directed by some sort of intelligence?" Kaede questioned after hearing Riku''s observation. Kuroki meanwhile, was already working on a spell. "A nimble light runs true and quick, it shines so bright unlike a flick. It radiates energy and life itself, it cuts through undead with no sense of self! Undead Slaying Light!" With his incantation done, he cast a standard undead spell that magicians had at their disposal. It was easy to cast and generally everyone could cast it, although it was situation and a bit weak compared to others. It did however proceed to cut through a plethora of undead directly around them, but it only lasted for a few moments before fading away, and bought them just a brief moment of respite. Kuroki quickly charged up a few lightning bolts, and unleashed them in the general direction of the city, hoping to weaken the undead horde. Meanwhile, Riku used his magic to wrap his sword in flames, and proceeded to cut through the undead goblins as best as he could. Several of them fired arrows at him, but Ryuu blocked them with his new shield, and Kaede intercepted a few others with her dagger techniques. "Heroic Blaze!" Ryuu used his strange special technique, which seemed to increase his abilities and reduce the abilities of all his opponents. Kuroki figured it was a good time to use it, as he whipped his staff around and sent a lightning bolt into an undead goblin. "This many undead goblins...it has to be her!" "You mean Chianthias, Kuroki?" "Yeah Kaede. It has to be". This had her work all over it. They knew she was still a threat and they were not done with her, but this was certainly unexpected. Kuroki raised several barriers as Goblin mages sent spells their way, and he raised ice walls to impede their process as the group was trying to flee from the forest. It was only then that they noticed the left flank had not recieved any attacks at all. They looked over there, and saw a small dragon burning goblins like crazy, tearing through the undead horde on that side. Kuroki let out a happy chuckle. "Thank the gods that Ozlo is so cautious! Reinforcements should be heading our way, so we just need to keep pushing everyone!"
At the same time, the guild was in an absolute panic. "Undead hordes? In the northern forest? What? How!?" Ozlo was questioning that as he was making various preparations for himself to go out into the field. He already had his armor on, and was about to head out. "Vanessia, I will go handle the north. But if this is just a move to distract us..." "Understood. I will keep the south gates safe, and the Guildmaster will handle the city itself?" "Exactly. This has to be Chianthias'' doing, but I have no idea why she would raise an undead hoard now of all times. Get Amyris to be on standby, we will need him ready as well. And get as many of our reserves as you can!" "Several parties have already been dispatched to rescue and bring back Kuroki''s group". "Yeah, but I need to go myself to be safe. This might be part of her plan, but we should assume its far more complex then this". Ozlo summoned another dragon through the gate he opened outside as he stepped out of the guild, and quickly mounted it. "Just to be clear, you do know this is a trap right?" "Yes, obviously". "I just needed to confirm it again. Good luck". "You too" Ozlo said, as he flew off and out of the city, riding his medium sized dragon.
At the same time, Kuroki''s group was still drenched in undead goblin horde. They seemed to have no end, which just went to show how many they killed during the previous battle. And yet, with this many, they were having a tough time. Zombies were weaker versions of the living creatures they used to be, which meant this mob was basically all numbers, but there were some stronger varients among them. And if they evolved at all, then Kuroki''s group would have real trouble, so they had to be careful. Barriers were constantly formed and raised, and Kuroki used magic to coat the ground in ice behind them to reduce the effectiveness of the zombies ability to chase them. Still, they came dwarming in like a swarm of insects, unstopping and unending. Riku cut through a dozen in a matter of seconds, but two dozen came to take their place. "Twinning Mirror!" Kuroki used his magic to double his output, understanding it was the only way he could clear them a path in time. He overcharged a lightning attack, and used Twinning to duplicate it, sending out chain lightning in two different directions at once to help open up a path. "Why did the undead goblins come out now?" "It must be part of some plan, but I just don''t see why it would happen now. It doesn''t make any sense". "If someone is trying to get at us, wouldn''t they have shown up by now?" Indeed. The appearance of the undead so suddenly, it was clearly a directed force. It was also blatantly organized, and it was coming for them with extreme fury. No matter how many they downed, more took their place, and they would soon be overurn. They would have been already without Ozlo''s dragon there, and Kuroki''s True Arcanium. "Multi-laser symphony!" Suddenly, countless beams of light shot out of his staff, occasionally bending in hard turns as they pierced through countless goblins. Kuroki was panting now, as the spell had way more power then was needed. Damnit. This was supposed to be an easy test run. My control isn''t good enough yet, I am exhausting myself way too fast. Kuroki thought this as he unleashed another Frozen Earth, covering the ground in ice and frost to hinder their chasers as they headed towards the forest edge. Riku used Blazing Hope to let loose a furry of flaming slashes, and some of those slashes even flew farther then the blade, incinerating the undead goblins in its wake. Kaede was doing her best, but zombies were far less affected by vital attacks, so she was focusing on defense and support, keeping attack waves off of hte others so they could focus on area and multi-target attacks. If Riku went too far into the horde, she would help push back a few and give him an escape route to rejoin the group. Ryuu''s indimidation also didn''t work all that well on the undead, but his own abilities were still enhanced, which mattered. However, despite him heroically blitzing into the fray, the enemy showed no signs of slowing down to give him a breather. As the youngest, even as a Starfallen and a Vanguard, he was still vulnerable to this, especially given how overeager he could get. "Ryuu, pull back! Riku, cover the right! Kaede, support his six!" Kuroki shouted, as he then finished incanting his spell. Soon after, his Frozen Guardians spell was cast, but it wasn''t at the same level of power as in the Spirit World. Instead, only about three Guardians were formed. Kuroki this time and underpowered the spell, a sign of his worsening control, especially in this situation. Still, even three Frozen Guardians had a nice effect, as they helped shore up their weak points and keep more of the horde''s advances in check. With tangible enemies to fight, the undead horde even seemed to break off a bit, but nowhere near enough as Kuroki had hoped. The sheer numbers heading towards them were still gigantic, and they were including some of the higher varients of goblins that became Zombies, including Hobgoblins. And that was when Riku decided to try something new. "Here, lets try this out! Manifest, Flare Chains!" Riku decided to use a new magical ability he picked up, which caused flaming chains to errupt out of the ground and ensnare targets. It seemed he had trained a bit in magic as well, but he seemed to be better at quickcasts then long incantations. The chains wrapped themselves around the stronger and more dangerous targets, holding them back for a moment and giving them just a bit more time. Kuroki made ice spikes shoot out of the ground, skewering several goblins as he raised barriers to help protect his friends. Kaede meanwhile displayed a new ability as well, as her daggers were bathed in golden light and cut right through some of the magic attacks heading their way, causing the attacks to be deflected into other opponents or in some cases reflected right back at the casters. It seemed like something she couldn''t use in rapid succession however, but it was clear that she had been learning some new skills as well. Ryuu meanwhile seemed to perform some interesting techniques with his sword, often cleaving multiple enemies in two. It was clear he had practiced his swings to take on multiple targets at once, and he recognized the origin of that technique. Kuroki had seen Riza use that very same slash back when he had been pretending to be lower ranked adventurer. It made sense, Ryuu was under Riza''s care, so naturally Riza would teach him about some techniques. Kuroki meanwhile shielded against another attack, as a group of Goblin mages began bombarding them from afar. The small dragon went to deal with them, but they were quickly getting overwhelmed and fast. Their endurance was fading, and they were being mentally taxed as well as physically. They had adrenaline pumping through their veins, basically the only thing keeping them up and powered, but it would not last forever. Ryuu unleashed another golden aura, and this one did seem to affect the undead a bit...somehow. It was some sort of heroic aura, but Kuroki couldn''t even remotely guess how it worked. Some weird Starfallen wish magic stuff, which none of them could remotely figure out or explain. But it let Starfallen have very out of hte norm powers and abilities sometimes. As they raced through the woods, the goblin horde ahead of them just seemed to get thicker and thicker. They were quickly running out of hope, but Kuroki refused to accept that. He had learned his friends were alive and well recently, and he wouldn''t let anything get in his way. His hand began to glow with power, and his staff and grimoire resonated with it. His eyes seemed to glow blue with power, as he unleashed yet another spell. "Perpetual Distortion!" At this spell, it was almost as if space itself temporarily fell apart. From these gaps, a countless barrage of magical lasers seemed to pour out and pierce through countless enemies, clearing the way forward if only for a moment. They ran and ran as they saw the front close up, entrapping them within the horde once more, but they had made significant distance. Kuroki wasn''t even sure what spell he had just pulled off, it felt almost like it came from something inside of him rather than him himself, like it had been planted inside of him for the future to take advantage, but it didn''t seem like something he could do often. The goblin horde was already dwarming them, the frozen guardians had fallen, and their numbers seemed endless. And they were running low on stamina, and out of new tricks that could help them out of this situation. And yet, it had been just enough, as they heard a voice they had trully wanted to hear. "Blaze, Dragonfyre!" Chapter 54: The Darkness Within Ozlo''s Dragonfyre burned through countless undead in an instant. The blaze seemed to scorch all undead in its path, yet it left the trees and even the blades of grass untouched, only incinerating what Ozlo wanted it to and nothing else. As expected of someone who had made a pact with Dragons, and of someone with his diligence and work ethic, he was unrivaled when it came to his control over Dragonfyre. As it rampaged, Ozlo came to confirm their condition. "Are you all okay?" "Barely. That was way too much undead for us to handle". None of them were protagonists with OP abilities, so none of them had any ability to suddenly defeat an entire undead horde. Even if it was mainly goblins, the sheer numbers were just too many. "This has to be Chianthias right?" "Maybe, but that''s not guaranteed. It could be something else" Ozlo mentioned, burning through another wave of undead. "There are way more of them then I expected. This is especially concerning". "Is there anyone else who would set something up like this?" Ozlo grimaced. "Don''t you remember? This forest is full of ancient ruins. And when the massive Starfall event happened, there was a massive flux of spacetime energy. This caused damage to the room used to safely acquire True Arcaniums...but it wouldn''t have limited itself to just that. The fact that the Elven Facility came online, and who knows what else activated or was affected. Which means...the state of the undead may be something buried beneath the ground here. And it also means that these may not be the only undead we have to face". Everyone had a shocked revelation to Ozlo''s words. Indeed, all of those facts had been established. For the fact that the Mage''s Guildmaster had only just started to make use of the elven mechanized soldiers, they had no idea how much of the facility was working before then. But if it only became truly activated when the spacetime energy wave hit this world, then that meant there could be countless other magical artifacts being affected. "Furthermore, some time ago a strange wave of purified energy hit the city as well. The cause is unknown, but that could have triggered something as well. Kuroki, Riku, you both should know exactly when this happened". "...when our curses got lifted". "Indeed. That was a little too strange. Even if we know that Akano was behind it, and that he was being juiced by some pact he made with a god, we don''t know how much divine energy was released into the spirit world then, and then leaked into the physical world. Assuming that it targeted all curses, then there could be ramifications. The curses that were not at the direct point of impact but just in the surrounding area could be especially problematic, because rather than disappearing, its possible they just degraded, or even mutated. We also don''t know if the spacetime energy had an impact on that as well. And finally...Chianthias has never utilized undead before. Its not impossible she was given a relic to utilize them, but there is a good chance there is a relic undiscovered in these ruins that is the true cause". Ozlo said that, but there was something he had not said yet. I also heard about that Shadow thing that attacked you as well. If I am right, that Shade Bird is part of something bigger. I know a lot of magic, but its abilities and powers...it sounds abnormal, unlike any creature I have ever heard of before. And I have been to the Spirit World many a times. I cannot ignore the possibility that when it got defeated, they made another plans to go after Kuroki...but why him? Kuroki has magic sure, but its not like he is especially powerful or shows any hidden destiny or special talents. His magical growth, while great, is nothing out of the normal when it comes down to it. There is no reason to be so wary of him... Stumped by this, Ozlo couldn''t say it out loud. There was no definite proof, and he wasn''t even totally sure of it himself. But he believed that it was at least vaguely on the right path to figuring things out. "Everyone stay with me. We cant let this undead horde reach the city. I will burn us a path through. Gramps, you there?" "Of course!" Riza declared, jumping from the shadows. Four swords charged forward, flying through the air and cutting through the zombies and skeletons with ease. Whatever force that reanimated them didn''t seem to work when Riza cut through them, as they lost all their power. For the first time in a long time, Ozlo and Riza had both taken the battlefield at the same time. Riza''s swords seemed to cut through the very necromatic powers itself that bound the undead, as they flew around the battlefield cutting everything in their way. The swords glowed with runes engraved upon them, as they sliced through the very fabric of mana itself. "...those swords, just what are they? He claims the bands are just a decoy, but its clear they disappear when the swords appear. What are they truly?" Kuroki asked. "They are swords made of Soulsilver. They were created by the Arcanists of Arc Haria, a bastion of magic that has existed for thousands of years. When he says the bands are decoys, that is a half truth. It is true that they do not transform into the swords he uses. What they contain are spells that he uses to obscure their nature. While the spell is invoked, the bands disappear. When it is uninvoked, the bands reappear. All to hide that the swords are made of an Ethereal metal". "Soulsilver? Ethereal metal?" "Soulsilver can only be produced by forging it from a fragment of one''s own soul. The process is painful, long, and delicate. Its not something artificers can even make, or any normal mage. They are bathed within the full moon at the summit of Crater Mountain, where mirrors and crystals are used to focus the power, empowered by the moonlight. And then, during a time when the sky is moonless, they are finished. They exist and yet they do not exist. The only things more difficult to produce are Spirit Swords and Godblades when it comes to magical weapons, some say. The techniques used are ancient, and a great deal of ritual and ceremony goes into each one. The wielder must lay naked upon the worktable during the entire process, as their very soul is used as an ingredient and so their bodies must absorb an equal amount of moonlight and starlight". This was a level of magic Kuroki was not familiar with, but it sounded powerful and fascinating. "What level of magic is this?" "The magic that you are familiar with is what has been found easy to manifest and control, and therefore has been spread around. One could say its simplified. But when you got your True Arcanium, you got a taste of it right? The power that lurked within that ritual? That would be Sorcery, the advanced form of magic. There is more nuance and ritual involved often, but in exchange the benefits are greater. Often times it can be a bit more specific and harder to use, but you can create truly special things such as Soulsilver Blades. They are able to cut through strands of magic itself, and a Soulsilver blade is capable of cutting through even the most powerful locks. But outside of a very few exceptions, the only one who can use a Soulsilver blade is the one whose soul was used to make it. There are other applications of Soulsilver however, that dont involve such specificity, although one would still have to use fragments of their soul to create them in the first place. But Soulsilver seals also exist. These seals are so strong and powerful, only a great and powerful magical tool invoked with the greatest sorcery can penetrate it. Even Gramp''s soulsilver blades would be unable to scratch one". In other words, Sorcery was the more advanced version of magic. While magic was easier to use and understand, Sorcery took more time and patience. Kuroki was excited to explore it as well, but it sounded like something that was not so easily accessed. He might need to take time before he could fully grasp it, although apparently the ritual to get a True Arcanium is actually a form of sorcery. This made sense to Kuroki, compared to when he used magic, it felt different. More advanced and ancient, and also something that had more nuance and steps to it. Either way, the army of undead was incapable of stopping these two powerhouses. The normal goblin army would have been impossible for them to face alone, but zombies and skeletons were weaker versions of their living selves. It was said they dropped in power by one or two ranks in terms of estimations, but still. "Are you going to wipe out the whole undead horde?" "No. We would run out of stamina before that happened" Ozlo mentioned. "Yeah. This sea of undead? It''s kinda everywhere right now. There are others chipping away at it in other areas, but this isn''t something we can handle ourselves" Riza added. "Are you sure? To me, it looks like your slaughtering them all with ease".If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Yeah, I am sure it looks that way, but their sheer numbers make that impossible. We are just pushing through. The center of this undead swarm should be around where the relic will be, although I am sure it will end up being underground inside some sort of crazy ruins" Ozlo pointed out, as he got a handful of Dragonfyre in his hands and seemed to toss it as he swept his arm across an area, causing the fire to jet out and incinerate everything in a flaming wave. "Looks like we are getting close too, good". "Again, can''t you summon dragons to deal with this all?" "I don''t call upon the big ones unless absolutely necessary. Especially in the forest. Even I wouldn''t be able to stop the forest from being incinerated, and I need to keep them on standby for bigger threats. Like if Chianthias suddenly pops out to attack. I don''t think she is behind it, but she might take advantage of it". Riza cut through with his dual sword style, as they saw what appeared to be ruined stairs leading underground. There were a lot of undead around, but the four swords flying around him went in and helped clear the way as the six of them ran into the ruins. "Ozlo, these ruins..." "Yeah, I noticed too gramps". "Wait wait, what? Dont leave us out!" Kuroki complained. "The ruins in this area, they should be human, but this stonework here, the smoothness...that''s Dwarvern style. However, the markers and writing, as well as the style of torch holders, are all human. Might be they hired Dwarves to make this, but...the ceilings are a bit short for humans". Everyone there was short and not at the height of a fully grown human. Riza seemed to stop growing entirely fifty or sixty years ago, Ozlo was just fourteen years old and the tallest, but he wasn''t tall by any aspect, he was on the shorter side of fourteen probably, but perhaps maybe just average. Kuroki had his strange stunted growth which made him seem a lot younger then he was. Riku and Kaede were both ten years old. And Ryuu was eight years old. None of them were particularly tall, so the ceilings were not an issue for them, but for a fully grown adult, they would certainly be a bit cramped. They would probably be able to stand straight up, but the ceiling would be very close to their heads. Humans typically didn''t like it when the Ceiling was that close. "These ruins don''t make sense at all. Typical Dwarvern architecture would actually have higher ceilings and bigger doors usually. Not sure why, but that''s what a lot prefer. There are exceptions, but I have never heard of any in this area. I suppose this could be a very Ancient Dwarvern ruin that used human writing, but that would be rather unusual". "Usually, when ruins are unusual, its never a good sign" Riza finished up Ozlo''s observation. "What concerns me also is that the undead didn''t follow us in. I was prepared to unleash Dragonfyre in these halls, but they seemed like they really wanted to avoid coming in no matter what". Riku looked uneasy. "I don''t like how closed in we are. It will be hard to fight or use weapons in this enclosed space, especially for me and Riza whose weapons are large". Kaede meanwhile was more concerned about what was ahead. "If the undead wanted to keep us out, but could not actually enter, that means something about this place is forcing them out...but it let us inside?" "This is not going to be good" Ryuu muttered. As they said that, they made their way through the ruins that got creepier and creepier. There were murals on the walls that at first showed kings and kingdoms, of prosperity and happiness, but then eventually destruction and dismay at the hands of a Demon King...and the allies that did not come to help them. At that point, a lot of them had died...but then the king, who died in a previous panel, got up, but he seemed to don a robe...and his head was a skull now. It then showed him conquering a neighbor Dwarvern nation, and having them build secret facilities for him that would be incredibly difficult to have armies enter, where he could operate in peace. And then of course, right as they got to some rather large stone doors that took up the entire hallway, they saw that engraved upon them was an undead army, ready to reclaim its kingdom. And at the center, the Undead King holding a strange crystal inside of three rings, floating in his hand. Fearing the worst, they pushed forward and getting the doors open brought them into a large chamber. It appeared they were at the top story, and it went twenty stories down. There were hallways all over, as well as stairs that led down to various other levels. The ancient stonework, despite all the passing of time and age, still seemed to be pristine, and it was without any cracks or blemishes. Not only that, but it was perfectly lit up by glowing crystals and torches both. Lit torches, that were glowing green for some reason. And hanging like a chandelier in the center was a large plate filled with some sort of liquid that was producing purple fire. "...the hell is that purple fire? I am not familiar with any magical fire that is purple" Ozlo muttered. Riza however had a grimace on his face. "I am. Green Fire is typically Soulfyre, but Purple Fire is Divifyre. Its infused with divine energies. Extremely rare, and extremely hard to get. And to have such a large thing in this entrance chamber...this entire room is probably part of some massive ritual. A ritual we will find the answers for the deeper we go in, but we cannot be sure what else we will find. Everyone, stay together and absolutely do not get separated". Ryuu was confused by what was mentioned. "Hold on, is it even possible for Divifyre to be in the same place as undead?" Ozlo thought for a moment. "It is probably why the undead cannot enter. That fire is powering something, but it also keeps them away. Thats why the undead can''t get in. The question is what". As he said that, Riza started to look around. "We are being watched..." he said, when suddenly the stairs turned into a slide under his feet, and he slid down. A moment later, a passageway opened up in a wall in front of him the moment he would have slid into him, and then sealed itself behind him. "Shit, its a trap! Everyone stay together!" Ozlo warned, when the green fire of a torch suddenly blazed around him, isolating him from the others. Ozlo tried to burn through it with Dragonfyre, but the green fire raged uncontrollably, pushing him back instead. The raging green flames felt both hot and cold at once, sending chills as well as burning any who tried to touch it. It was forcing him away from the group. At the same time, chains wrapped themselves around Riku and Kaede''s legs, and began to drag them away down another passageway. Kuroki tried to freeze the chains, but a giant skeletal arm grabbed him and Ryuu, and threw them down into another passageway, splitting them all up from each other in a moment. Once everyone was pulled away from each other, the passageways closed, leaving Kuroki and Ryuu, Kaede and Riku, Ozlo, and Riza all separated from each other. Kuroki created a ball of light to see where they landed, only to see about a dozen old coffins. Each one seemed to be quite well made, as they were well preserved, but more disturbing was what was done to them. Silver chains wrapped around each one, and giant wooden stakes were impaled into each coffin. Not only that, but the coffins themselves were somehow soaking wet with an unusual water. Kuroki could sense traces of divine power inside of it, suggesting that somehow it was holy water soaking it. And weirdly enough, an aqueduct ran all around the coffins, with water racing around them all. The only exception was the middle coffin. It was smaller then the others, but it was long since broken. This wasn''t something that happened last month either, when they first arrived. Based on the rust of the broken chains, which apparently only started rusting once they were broken, and the rotting of the wood, it appeared this thing was broken out of more than thirty years ago. In other words, it long predated the spacetime wave and the zombies, so it was likely unrelated to what they were going through right now. "Just to be clear, these are...vampire coffins right?" "Probably. It looks like one got free, but given the rot and rust, that happened thirty years ago at least. Its likely long gone now. And the others...their seals look intact. So long as we don''t remove the stakes or the chains, we should be fine...however, we can''t shed a single drop of blood inside this room. If blood is spilled, and they become active..." "The vampires wake up and we might die. Got it". "Yep". Kuroki did not think he could take on ancient vampires that someone sealed away to this degree rather then killed. He would just ask Ozlo if he could incinerate them all later. That seemed like the far more intelligent and thought out solution. However, something deep down was screaming at him to do something else as well. Harvest the blood. Become more powerful to take them down. It was that darkness at the pit of his stomach. He felt the murderous impulse, but this time it did not just want him to kill. It wanted him to become stronger. It wanted him to kill Ryuu and absorb his powers. No! Ryuu is my friend and companion! Shut up! He had never felt the Dark Seed react this way before, but it was unusually strong. THe desire for Ryuu''s blood and empowering himself with it was a bit overwhelming. It must be resonating with the Vampires! In his resistance, he half collapsed against a wall. Ryuu seemed to be holding his head as well. "We need...to get out...of this room". Ryuu tried to open the one visible door, but it was locked. Kuroki didn''t even bother trying to check for wards or traps, the situation was too serious. He summoned his staff into his hands, and he blasted it with pure arcane energy, blowing up a chunk of the wall. The two of them staggered out, and once they were outside of the room, the Dark Seeds within them began to weaken. "What the hell...was that..." "I never felt it react like that before..." "It has never resonated with anything like that before...but the vampires shouldn''t be capable of that, especially while dead...there might be something else in here as well". "Yeah...it felt like the source of it came from...lower?" "We have to find Ozlo or Riza. It might get worse the deeper we go, and I don''t think we will like what happens if we do".
Meanwhile, in the central chamber... A skeletal figure dressed as a mage looked upon various images projected by the crystal, showing the various intruders of the ruins. With him was a strange diamond like crystal floating in the center of three rings, which was floating in the air beside him. "Hmmm. First I become awakened once more thanks to the strange energy charging my masterpiece, and now we have intruders? How vexing. I assume at least some of them are the ones you wanted?" He turned towards the figure with him...a Shade. It nodded to him, and spoke into his head. "The four youngest, make them submit. The rest...do as you wish with them. Hand the four to us, and we shall grant you your wish". "Very well, I shall honor my end of the bargain". Yes, after he had awoken, he had quite the visitor. Using such a strange being as a medium for negotiations....whoever they are, they clearly have the power to conjure such beings. I wonder just how much I will be able to augment my own lich powers and finally accomplish my wish! He plotted and schemed, as he looked towards his skeletal minions. "Capture the four of them, bring them closer to me and the Shade so that they will submit. As for the other two...keep them busy, and kill them. They seem to be the strongest anyways, so send the elite forces to kill them". Being so close to his desire, he would not let anything stop him now. He would get what he desired, and nothing would stand in his way. Chapter 55: Self Reflection When Riza finally got back on his feet, the passageway closed behind him. He immediately attacked it with his blades, but the stone repelled them all perfectly. Not a scratch or a dent was made within them, and not a single mark even could be seen upon the stone surface. Whatever this was made of or protected by, not even his swords could pierce it. And perhaps, it might not be wise to carelessly destroy things anyways. He could not be sure his grandson or the others were not on the other side, or that the entire place would not collapse if he got too reckless. Realizing this, he decided to stand down, although he kept his blades ready to be called at a moment''s notice. He summoned forth a ball of light to illuminate the way around himself, trying to find some way out of here and back to the others, or perhaps some clue of what was going on here. There were murals and etching everywhere, retelling the story from the entrance hall, as well as other stories and tales from long ago about this kingdom. It showed various individuals, from someone under a shooting star, to that same person receiving a golden crown. There was one of descendants and what seemed to be inheritance, as well as one about the building of the original city that this place had been built around the ruins of. It also told the tale of various challengers, who gazed into a mirror, and faced great challenges. And lastly, his eyes gazed upon a mirror identical to the murals that were across the room. It sat in the middle of the room, undamaged and unrusted. The glass was perfectly clear and polished, and he could see his own reflection in it. As he and Anna walked up to it, it glimmered a bit...and that was when Riza turned around and faced Anna. She was wearing nothing but a smile. "Interesting place, isn''t it?" "Anna, why are you..." "Oh come now. Join me. You always did have a crush on me after all, so lets go with it". Riza frowned as he heard that. "I am happily married now. And Anna, my Anna, my friend, someone who was a sister to me, would never speak like that. Walk up naked sure, she sees me as a friend and a brother though, not a lover". "Are you sure you are not rejecting it,,.just like how you rejected responsibility for what happened that day?" Suddenly, Anna was now in her adventurer''s gear. Nothing flashy or fashionable, but reliable and sturdy instead. "After all, when we faced Chianthias that day...the reason I got hit by that curse was you" she said, whispering into his ear. This time, Riza had no response. Instead he just paled, looking a bit worse as he faced those words. "When Chianthias attacked, you were the one who saw first that day. But she was so powerful, and you...you panicked". Anna then disappeared from his right side, appearing at his left instead as she whispered into the other ear. "You froze, and made me take the hit, the curse, for us both. The reason I suffered and became trapped all this time, frozen but conscious, was because you failed to act in time so long ago. You are the reason I am still trapped as a damn statue, and perhaps I have already died mentally! Because of you!" "Shut up! Anna would never say that!" "How do you know what Anna would have said, when you never gave her a chance to grow up!" Riza clicked his tongue, as he felt the pain in his heart begin to increase. For every time he could not refute, the weight and darkness grew stronger and stronger. He could feel it in his gut. And as it did, Amyris appeared from the mirror, stepping out right behind Riza. "You took her from me. You took a child who had so much potential from the world, who had suffered so much before she came to this world! She was like a daughter to me, and you took her away! I loath and hate you, Riza!" "Shut up! Amyris...he would...he would..." Riza wasn''t able to get it out, and the pressure on him and his body only grew from there. Shit...this thing plans to kill me with truth! "You murdered her! You broke apart everything! I hate you Riza!" "No! Amyris is far more understanding then that! He blames the Devil, not me! Don''t you dare insult his intelligence and kindness! He is far kinder, and smarter, then you could ever comprehend or simulate!" "And yet, you know what we say is the truth. You cannot escape the truth Riza. Even your true identity, the one you have kept hidden for decades, will not stay hidden for long. One already figured it out...and soon, others will know Riza. About how much of a horrible person you are. About just how desperate you are trying to run. About why you don''t mind never growing up, if it means you can avoid dealing with that truth ever again! Because you know you are a failure as an adult!" In the next moment, the projection of Amyris was cut through by Riza''s blade...only for himself to end up injured. Amyris just reappeared behind him. "Why have such a short temper towards the truth?" "Honestly, you using Amyris'' face disgusted me so much with those words, I just wanted to vent a bit" Riza said, some color having returned to his face. Mirror Amyris was a bit surprised by that, and Mirror Anna went on guard. "...you are a far more perplexing creature. Right when you suffer pain, you rebound into this more confident version of yourself. Not denial, not quite coping...adaptation? I see, from your past as..." "Shut up" Riza said coldly, as his sword was wrapped in silver light. "Don''t you dare use another word out of my teacher''s mouth". "Then perhaps someone different then myself should speak...someone who feels the fresh sting of your abandonment". "Try it. I won''t let anything get in the way anymore. I will protect and save everyone! I won''t lose anyone, not ever again!" "You really are selfish" a third voice announced behind him, one that surprised Riza. He turned around and saw a boy there, who looked far younger than he actually was. The third figure to appear was none other then Kuroki. However, this Kuroki was different then the other Mirrors. His skin was pale, and body looked cold, despite being dressed in his adventurer''s clothes. His neck also looked weird, as if it had been snapped. "No..." "You see Riza. You already failed. Because while you were trapped in here, before I even knew it, I had already been killed, and my spirit left to roam this place". "No...no no". This shook Riza to a new level. It was only then that he heard a woman''s voice in his ear. "You changed so much, to try and become someone better...and someone entirely different. And yet, in the end, you will always fail them. Always fail him, always fail her. Again and again". The voice was so familiar and nostalgic to Riza, but he didn''t focus on that. As the weight increased from every statement, he was unable to immediately refute, his health deteriorating once more. "You failed to save me, you..." At those words, charged forward...and kissed Kuroki, or rather, the Fake Mirror Kuroki, right on the lips. In that instant, there was a burst of light that seemed to come from them, and the Fake Kuroki fell backwards. Something had happened in that flash of light, as Riza suddenly was regaining his health, while the Mirror Kuroki almost seemed weaker. "I see now. I had heard legends and tales, but to think it was so close for so long. The Inflective Mirror. It doesn''t just reflect your soul, it inverts it. It makes it so the people who could harm you the most are made to appear. It makes you face your fears, your darkness, but this Mirror specifically has been altered. Its no longer a tool for education or bravery, but one of death. Designed to kill someone no matter how strong they are, by using their own past and emotions against them". Kuroki stood up and glared at him. "I am trapped here thanks to you. You brought me here. You made it so I can never go back home. You brought us all here, me, my friends, everyone". Riza grunted a bit as he got up. The truths he stated helped remove some of the effect, but he still felt some of the pressure upon him. "Still though, you are lacking. You think this is enough to make me falter? How many times do you think I have fallen in the past? How many times I stumbled and messed up? How many times I was too slow, too weak, too embarrassed, to save those that were within reach? I suspect it would be hundreds. Isn''t that right...Mirror Ozlo?" From the shadows behind Riza, Ozlo appeared now. "Gramps. You were expecting me". "Of course I was. Because one of my greatest failures...involves you". Ozlo let out a sigh. "Such a dramatic person you are. But I suppose it can''t be helped. However, isn''t it more accurate to say that I am one of your greatest failures?" "Of course not! I never intended for that to happen! To burden you with such things! I never once meant to make you inherit such power and responsibility! It''s all my fault...its all my damn fault!" Ozlo sighed and walked up to Riza, punching him right in the face. "You are a failure of a parent. You couldn''t save one kid, and you couldn''t save one grandkid. You died twice already now, and only are still alive through miracle and chance. But you will never, ever be able to atone for what you did. No matter how hard you try". Mirror Amyris came to back up Mirror Ozlo''s words. "You will never be forgiven for your failures, you will never be released from the punishments of your actions". Mirror Kuroki stepped up next. "I will suffer, and die, and suffer even more, because of your failures. Because of your actions. You brought me here. You will never change the future, nor will you change the past". And then it was Mirror Anna''s turn. "You stole everything from us. Our happiness, our light, our futures".Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. However, there was one more. A final figure, shrouded in darkness. It appeared to be a woman, but it was impossible to make out any of her details. And yet, Riza understood perfectly who she was. "Tell me Riza, do I even need to speak? Do I need to say how you failed me? The ones I loved? How you failed yourself?" "Of course not..." This felt as if a blade of shadow was stabbed through his heart. Still, he gritted his teeth as he pushed forward. "To Anna, I will make things right. Soon, you will be released from your prison. You have no prophesized destiny, and yet all the same...it will be you, and not some summoned hero, who will be our chosen one. And this time, we will be there for you". Anna staggered back, as she drew her sword. "Do you think that will be enough?!" "Yes, it will" Riza said confidently. He then turned to Amyris. "We have had our disagreements and arguments in the past, but we already moved past them and made peace. But this does not mean we have settled our emotional baggage. As grown adults, we work past it...but perhaps it is time we dig through it, for a change. But I will save Anna, and Kuroki, and everyone else. Especially since, when it comes to this, I have a bigger personal reason then you could ever know. And one day, I will share with you my secret, and we will finally move forward in our friendship". Amyris growled at him. "Too little to late don''t you think? You claim to trust me, and yet you will not tell me your biggest secret? The truth you have hidden from everyone all this time? The truth that involves the events unfolding even now, including the Starfall itself?" "Yes. Because this secret is connected to a far bigger one, one that is not mine alone, and one I cannot so freely share. And once you hear it, you will understand. I know this to be true". As he took a step forward, both Anna and Amyris staggered backwards. It was then Kuroki who faced him, standing between him and the Mirror. "I won''t ever be able to forgive you, you know? No matter what, you will always fail, and it will always hurt". Riza shrugged. "Perhaps. But perhaps not. But that is up for you, not some shade of you, to decide. And I think you will understand once you hear my reasons...and my truths". "Even after so long?" Riza looked at him with a smile, and tousled his hair. "Yes. Because while I failed you, while I did such horrible things, when the full truth and reasoning is revealed, I think you will be satisfied. Besides, I will make it up to you by beating the shit out of your crappy father". "..." Even the Shade of Kuroki, something designed to torment Riza no matter what, couldn''t argue with what was said. The words "beating the shit out of your crappy father" were super effective even against an artificially made reflection of Kuroki. Perhaps it was Riza''s imagination, but Anna''s and Amyris'' shades seemed to give a thumbs up at that comment also. And then it was Ozlo''s turn. "You won''t be strong enough. You will never be able to earn your forgiveness". "Well duh. Thats why I became the leader of a Knights order, plus that is what friends and family is for. Forgiveness is a road one must walk, but it does not need to be walked alone". "Even with the person you are trying to have forgive you?" "That is what you magical artifacts wont ever understand. You have reflected my guilt and my doubt, but not what Ozlo feels. He is my grandson, you seriously think this is how he feels? That despite my own messed up emotions, that I don''t know he accepts and forgives me already? That is what makes this eternal. I am trying to seek forgiveness from a version of Ozlo who blames me, when in truth all I am is blaming myself". He walked right by Ozlo, who just stepped aside with a nod. Even if they were corrupted by a mirror and artificially made, they were still reflections of these people. It appeared they had picked up some of their habits and personalities as well, or at least as Riza viewed them. And then, he faced the woman who was shrouded in shadows. "So tell me, who are you?" This made the woman twitch a bit. "I know how this works. Past, present, future. Anna and Amyris are my past failures. Kuroki and Ozlo are my present failures. But this form you took is my past as well, not my future. And my past certainly wouldn''t come after my present, especially when it was already visited. So again, I ask you. Who are you?" At those words, all of the Mirror people disappeared, their forms blurring as they seemed to swirl through the air and be absorbed by the woman figure. She also changed, and the shroud dissipated as the woman figure disappeared, and a new one appeared. It was a young girl of around eight years old, wearing a pure white summer dress, and whose wrists and ankles has bruises on them as if she had been in chains. "You are no fun you know?" "Still hiding behind forms I see...so let me guess, whatever was done to corrupt this mirror, this girl was the sacrifice then?" "Clever clever Riza. But no one knows the truth. Tell me, how strange was it, suddenly being swapped like that?" "Shut it you. Even now, you try to pry into me. I am ending things". "But, I am just a victim as well! Its not fair!" Riza frowned. "You truly are twisted. That girl is long since dead, and you are just using her form to try and get me to release you. But if I do that, you will spread your chaos around everywhere, using any reflective surface in range. You will cause chaos and misery until a hero stops you. Do not think you can trick this old man so easily". "Even if I can tell you things you wish to know? Things even you don''t know yet? Like who is behind the Starfallen? What their intended purpose is? What they plan to do to your grandson? Your son? Even your wife? Starfallen or not, it doesn''t matter anymore. Not when they were interfered with like this. I could tell you so many things if you release me!" Riza paused for a moment, as he heard her offer. The Mirror offered him the answers and the plans of his enemies in exchange for releasing her. All the secrets that might take years to uncover, and they were offered right here and now. He could not deny that he was tempted. "You sure do claim to know a lot..." "I suppose I can give you this much for free. The master of this place made a deal with something, something that knows about the Starfallen in great detail. Knows a lot of things. I overheard everything! Release me, and I will tell you all of it!" "You could be lying. How can I possibly trust anything you say...you cant even show any evidence to confirm anything you say". "Fine then...a little teaser I suppose. But nothing else until after you release me! The Starfallen were summoned for multiple purposes, including to use cannon fodder that one''s own people won''t care about as much since they are not their friends, family members, or countrymen. But also...their goal involves something far more dangerous...and grander in scale". "I see..." "That is just the tip of the iceberg! Release me, and I will tell you everything!" At those words, Riza summoned magic into his blade...and destroyed the mirror. "To release something reflected, something else must take its place. Did you really think I did not know to release you, I would become trapped myself? Even if everything you said was the truth, that truth would be useless to me...and I would be incapable of stopping you afterwards. You might even destroy the mirror, destroy me, to avoid ever being trapped inside again. So yeah, no deal". Riza was able to get a fragment of knowledge. Something confirmed, for a change. He had to admit, he had wanted to goad more out of her...but it was too risky. She could see into his soul, his deception would fall apart very soon. It was only the fact he truly was overwhelmingly tempted that she missed his scheme. "And now, you wont be able to reveal my secrets to them before its time to" Riza added. "Now then, I suppose I should get moving".
At the same time, Ozlo found himself exploring the main chamber alone now. Something had tried to grab him as well, and even a second thing from behind, but he incinerated it completely when it started to pull on his pants and underwear. That, and no one else was around anymore, which meant he didn''t need to hold back. "This room is quite large. First a small entrance tunnel, and now a large grand central room? What the hell was the designer thinking? It seems so haphazard...unless perhaps, they were not thinking at all". At this point, based on what Ozlo had seen, he had to consider the possibility the creator went insane. He could tell as he walked down the stairs that this place was being warped by the mind of its creator. Sometimes Ozlo thought he went down a single flight of stairs, only to discover he went down three, or up two. What he could see and what was happening was totally disjointed in this room, the very dimensions were frayed. "Perhaps...the Divifyre? Could it be messing with space and time? If so, this could be a problem...but we have Soulfyre here as well. It appears to be protecting our souls and bodies from being warped, but why keep it up when intruders are around? Or can it no longer be disabled? Perhaps none of it can". As such, he was now burning through the very space itself, removing the ambient magic and supernatural elements so he could progress. This was not a normal application of Dragonfyre however, but something that Ozlo came up with. "I learned this technique to try and pry into what gramps was hiding from me...to think I would need it for this". The fourteen year old boy mused a bit as he kept going down. Occasionally, armors and skeletons that moved by magic appeared to fight him. Unlike the undead outside, they were not actually necromancy but puppets, which is why they could operate in here. That said, they were not all that strong as a result, even weaker then if they had actually been undead. In other words, Ozlo was having zero issues dealing with them. As he finally reached the lower levels, he felt something strange. It was almost a sense of dizziness or vertigo, as he felt like he passed through an invisible barrier made of jello. Whatever it was, once he was through it, space seemed to return to normal, as he suddessfully made it to the bottom. "So, what is this about?" Ozlo asked. "I know you are there, so you might as well come out now". "So perceptive. How annoying of you" Chianthias said, as she emerged from the shadows. "Did you know the whole time that I was here?" "Naturally. My dragons picked up the sound of your devil wings outside. But you already knew I knew you were there. After all, you made it to Kuroki''s group before I did". Chianthias frowned. "So you realized even then? Does this mean you saw through my invisibility, but then chose not to attack me? But, I suppose this explains why you knew I wasn''t behind this". Ozlo nodded. "Of course. Thats why I changed tunes so quick. Had you been behind it, given your relative strength and experience, you could have slaughtered them if you wished. But you didn''t. Because you wanted me and Riza to save them and be invested in finding the true source. But like I said, I know you knew this already". Chianthias sighed. "Oh well, I hoped if I kept you occupied with the other topics you would forget. But it seems that you are not faking it, you actually did know I knew". "Of course. Why else would you stick so close to us during this whole mess. I must say, you are quite agile to dodge all my attacks". Chianthias had been the real reason he had been using such wide range attacks so much back then. It wasn''t just about burning through the horde, several attacks had gone right at her. "And yet, you never counter attacked once. Which means, whatever is behind all this is even a cause for concern for you. Or rather, whatever is going on here, you consider it just as threatening. And so, you intend to let us fight it, have us kill whatever you are so worried about, and then you plan to kill us off while we are weakened from the battle right?" "I suppose you won''t believe me even if I do deny that last part. But yes, I received word from an...informant...that a dangerous individual who had great details of the Starfall was about to disrupt my plans and hard work here, and might even kill me if I am not careful". Ozlo leaned against a wall, letting out a sigh. "Liar". "Says the grandson of a liar, and a liar himself". Although the two were conversing, their expressions indicated their true desires. Both of them were ready to attack and kill each other at a moment''s notice. Neither trusted each other, and both of them knew this was no alliance or start of a friendship. They knew their sides would always be enemies. But they also understood that right now, whatever was behind the Starfall was something that was a threat to them both. A far greater threat. And that was why neither attacked each other outright. That, and they didn''t want to risk weakening themselves in the home territory of whatever was behind all this, and who supposedly had a connection to this Starfall event. Of course, that also required Ozlo to believe Chiathias in the slightest, but had her objective been to kill Starfallen, Kuroki''s group would already be dead. Given her previous failure, she couldn''t afford to mess that up for an uncertain chance of attacking Ozlo or Riza. That said, they both understood that simply put, there was no way they would be able to fight alongside each other either. It was too much of a risk, and they would be too on edge for the inevitable betrayal to properly focus on the fight. Which meant one of them had to pull out, or they had to find separate battlefields to fight. And that was when Ozlo realized why she decided to appear. "...I see now. You want whatever is connected to the Starfall itself, and you want us to fight the Necromancer". "We both know that with the Necromancer, you will need numbers, which oh so unfortunately I don''t seem to have". "I seem to recall you having that portal ability". "You think given how space and time are warped here that is a reliable option? And I think we both know that when it comes down to it, I who have more information on the other opponent then you do I am better suited for it". Ozlo grit his teeth in frustration. He knew she was right. But that was the opponent he wanted to fight the most. It would have far more details about the Starfallen. And yet...they both also knew given their contact, the necromancer might have some. In other words, she still had to risk them learning something, but she would stop them from learning everything. And given the situation, they had to go along with it. "...fine. But if this is a double cross, know this. I have ensured that if we lose here, this place will still be destroyed". Chianthias frowned the moment she heard that. "You little shit..." "Yeah. I doubt you are willing to let yourself die, you are too ambitious for that. So best be careful, devil. Take aim at my heart...and it''s you who will get burned". Chianthias flinched. She could tell, he wasn''t bluffing. As someone who did a lot of deception work herself, she knew when to spot a lie, and the look in his eyes told her he was being entirely serious. If he has a powerful enough Dragon tamed...this placed is held up by the Divifyre. This place shouldn''t be capable of being destroyed so easily, but...shit, if I go in carelessly he might just do it. And then I will die without being able to report back on any information I can acquire. He knows that too. "Very well. I will keep that in mind". I can''t even do nothing and let him die. He is forcing me to fight fully against the thing and not abandon the fight to screw them over once I have what I need. Fucking bullshit brat! And so, Chianthias left, and both of them were now in a bitter mood as a result. And so, Ozlo continued his search for the others, and for answers. Chapter 56: A Phantom at the Feast When Riku and Kaede finally found themselves no longer being moved and shifted around, they soon found themselves in a large sort room. It appeared rather fancy, with a wonderful and large chandelier, adorned with the brightest and most spectacular crystals. It appeared to be solid gold as well, and in the center of the room was a large, ornate dining hall with a table that was decorated to the level of royalty. Crystal glasses and decorated plates, silverware made of the purest silver, and chairs made of wood that looked more expensive then all of the stuff in their rooms combined. One could probably afford to feed a hundred families for a hundred days with the wealth poured into these creations. Unfortunately, it appeared their purpose had been twisted slightly. When Riku and Kaede had been placed into the chairs, magical bands went around their wrists and ankles, and their possessions were horribly out of reach at the moment. They were strapped to these chairs with no way to escape, and no matter how hard they fought they could not break through the bands. The chairs were too tall as well, so their feet could not touch the floor. Instead they just dangled off of them, helpless and incapable of escape. It was only then that a figure emerged from the shadows. It wore a metal mask that covered its face and head completely, with a person''s face on the front. It had a neutral expression, although it seemed a bit stern and rigid. It wore fanciful robes that were adorned with rings, one for each finger except the thumb, but from what they could see, its skin appeared old and dried, like an old zombie or a mummy. "I see we have new guests" it spoke in an excited sort of way. Its tone seemed a bit flat at times, but they were fairly certain there was excitement in there. "It has been ever so long since we had guests. And I suppose, in the end, they were never guests to begin with. After all, they became residents of this place just like me. Ah, but like them, we should get you fed!" Riku and Kaede didn''t feel all that great about this line of thinking. Or rather, they had no intention of also becoming residents here. "Kaede, any closer to breaking free?" "Not at all". "Breaking...changing...oh wait a second, how foolish of me. We can''t have guests in such shabby clothes". With a snap of his fingers, the bands bent themselves around their wrists and ankles and made them stand up, before their clothes magically came off on their own accord. One by one they removed themselves and walked off to a corner of the room, until they were both as naked as the day they were born. The figure then made them walk closer to him, as he revealed his hands. They were boney, with just a thin layer of skin upon them, but noticably his fingers were incredibly long. Each one was at least a meter long, with who knows how many joints. Both of their bodies became wrapped within his fingers as it felt their skin, their muscles, their everything. "I see, so those are your measurements. I shall go fetch some proper evening attire for you both. In the mean time...you two should practice your ballroom dancing". Snapping his ridiculously long fingers, the two of them were forced to take each other''s hands and pull themselves close, close enough for their chests to push against each other. Both of them blushing like crazy, in part because they both had a crush on each other, not that they knew the other person had a crush on them back. Although they had seen each other naked plenty of times since coming to this world now, this was different. Leaving aside the forced nature of this, they had also never been made to be so close like this, nor made to ballroom dance in such a condition. "Ow!" "Sorry" Riku said, as the music changed and they learned in close. Given their current states, this caused a rather unpleasant situation. As a result, stepping on each other''s feet were common among other annoyances. "...sorry, for ummm...that too..." "It''s fine" Kaede said, only slightly in pain and embarrassed. "I don''t suppose you have any way to break us out?" "These bands seem to have right control on our movements, we are in that guy''s clutches until we can break free. And I think he will come back soon, and hopefully he doesn''t kill us when he dresses us, so we are better off escaping soon". "Thats good...to be honest, as embarrasing as this is, I am rather concerned on what he might return with more. Iv heard stories about these corsets, and somehow in this place, I get the feeling we might not survive them". "I get the feeling we might end up as dinner at this rate" Riku added. Unfortunately for them, things did not look so easy for them to deal with. It was only then that the figure returned, carrying a whole variety of fancy looking clothes. The clothes seemed to flow out like magic, flying around and then putting themselves on the two ten year olds. These clothes were fancy and wonderous, with one being a lovely yellow dress with some moderate frills, with the shoulders and arms exposed and the edges of the dress stopping just before the knees, as well as a rather comfy pair of panties and some lovely matching yellow shoes. The other was a rather dashing noble suit made for children, with a lovely red velvet overcoat, black pants, red bowtie, and white collared shirt. The dress shoes were comfy enough to be good for dancing as well. "Ah wonderful! Perfect!" "Wh-what?!" "Seriously?" Both of them were shocked by their new clothes. They were clearly super expensive luxury materials that high nobles would use. The creature was so overjoyed, tentacles came down from under the mask and wiggled with what appeared to be joy. The fact it also had tentacles kind of freaked them out, but they were also glad they were not used to measure them earlier. Suddenly it snapped its fingers, as spectral guests began to flood into the room. However, there was something clearly wrong with these phantoms. Like the two of them, they had bands of light around their wrists and ankles, and many of them while dressed in a fancy way appeared to have been brutally murdered, possibly slowly and over time. This just reaffirmed their need to escape as soon as possible, as the way this thing acted likely was some form of delusion. The phantoms seemed to grumble and speak incoherently, and a number of them just randomly screamed in pain on occasion.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "This is not looking well for us...we need to break free". "How? None of us have the power needed. Maybe if Kuroki, Riza, or Ozlo was here". Kuroki might know a spell to break them free, Ozlo could probably burn away the bands with Dragonfyre, and Riza could probably cut through them. Any of them could help them, but they were a warrior and a rogue. They were severely lacking in the magical restrain breaking category. "Didn''t you learn how to pick locks from Ellie?" "Yeah, but do you see locks on these things?" "Fair enough". It was obvious the creature was controlling all of this, but so long as these bands were on, they could not do anything about it. As music began to play, everyone began to dance. "...may I have this dance, Kaede?" "...you may, Riku". With nothing else to do, the two decided to play into it a bit to get their minds off of it. However, they were still scared for their lives, and trying to figure out a way to get out of this somehow. Riku really wished he had his sword with him. it was across the hall, resting against a wall, clearly in view, but with the bands controlling their movements, they were basically puppets on a string. "Puppets...hold on, the rings on his fingers. Those fingers are way too long for rings, so why does he wear so many?" "They were probably shorter before". "Or maybe, one of them contains the spell being used to control us". "I see. So we just need to cut off his fingers then, but we cant even freely move. How will we do that?" "He wants us to dance right? What if we got really into it...it might be a bit embarrassing, but our best bet is to go all in on the dancing". "Very well. Lets do it". Kaede took his hand as they began to dance. With proper footing and clothes, they were much better this time, and the music was slower...and rather romantic. The two began their waltz, knowing just enough from what they have seen in TV to know what they are doing. No, it was actually really messy, but for ten year olds, it was brilliant. They were taking it slow and steady and keeping to the music very well, as they gazed into each other''s eyes. Their feelings flowed over, as they danced their danced. Many of the other phantoms danced as well, and the room became a beautiful sight of dancing and music. Even if no one was here by choice, Kaede and Riku had each other. They were only ten years old, but after everything that happened, they have done a lot of growing up lately. And in the background, some things had been building up. They danced and danced, forgetting about the dangers, the troubles, all of it for a moment as they gazed into each other''s eyes. "Kaede..." "Riku..." As the two danced and danced and as the lovely music flowed around, it was then that something changed. Suddenly, two of the phantoms were skewered by the creature''s claws, and they shouted in pain. "No no no! You two should not be dancing together, you are not comatible with each other! No no no!" "Oh no..." Unfortunately for the two of them, he was heading their way. With the bands, they would be helpless. No savior had came, and they were doomed. "Kaede, sorry. It looks like this is it". "Would...would you mind doing one last thing for me?" "What?" "I...never really kissed a boy before..." Riku blushed, but then he just went right in and kissed her on the lips. Suddenly, with their emotions in a flurry, their mana surged as well, and a strange pulse of white renergy resonated within them before errupting outwards. "That was...electric" Riku said as he pulled away. "Yeah, it was..." Kaede said as she wiped away a tear with her hand...and that was when they noticed it. They could move their hands and feet again. "What, how the..." "it doesn''t matter how...hold on! Brilliant Flash!" Picking Kaede up briefly, Riku used his Brilliant Flash stepping technique to get them out of the way as the Host almost skewered them, saying they danced too clumsily. He brought them right to their gear as well, and they quickly got their weapons. "No! Cannot...must stop! Cannot let rebellious children ruin the party! Must educate!" "We don''t need any education from you, creepy thing". The Host was certainly creepy, as Riku had started referring to him as in his head. It was clearly some sort of combined creature, and Riku had a feeling its stench it might have been an undead. "Brilliant Flare!" Riku charged forth. It immediately moved to counter, but then a bomb landed at its feet. It errupted into smoke and a bit of napalm, setting it on fire as Riku cut through it with a burning sword. Unfortunately, the Host seemed to move away, avoiding any critical damage although it did lose a finger and part of one of its four legs, as Riku managed to cut through its clothes. It suddenly created several red spheres around him, which it proceeded to launch at them. The violent magical attacks seemed hellbent on ending them, and they ripped apart the very air itself. As they moved to dodge, the attacks followed after them, like a relentless bloodhound chasing its prey. Riku threw a chair in its way, and it was utterly obliterated. "Nothing seems to stop these things! And we are running out of room!" Had they been faster, the two of them would be dead already. Right as they accepted their fate though, a golden barrier protected them, as the phantoms shielded them from harm. The phantoms too no longer had the golden bands of light on them, meaning they were free...and glaring at The Host with a lot of anger. It had been the one to kill them here, and then imprison their ghosts. They were absolutely pissed off at the creatures. Unfortunately, whatever this Host was, it was overpowering them. The barrier successfully blocked and prevented the projectiles from going forward, causing them to detonate. However, it was just creating more, more and more with even more power. Its long fingers spread themselves out, magical energy pouring out of them from the rings. "I must educate and lead you all, so you can truly enjoy your time here!" Suddenly beams of light fired from it. The two of them took cover as the ghosts tried to block it. They were protected from the worst of it thankfully, but their allies had dwindled a bit, using up their power. The beams scorched and obliterated all in their way, and resulted in lots of death and destruction, although it was true a good number of them were already dead. There was nothing they could do about that however, as the Host charged up another beam, looking forward to ending them for good. "I must ensure the Crown''s guests are treated properly! I shall serve forever, I shall help him teach and train his guests! Hehehehe!" Its strange laugh made them even more unnerved, as the creature summoned tentacles out of the ground to try and ensnare them all, so that way they would be unable to dodge this time. They had several turnarounds, but this appeared to finally be the end... "Reversal counter!" Suddenly, someone new burst through the sealed doors and cut through the beam with his sword, then turning the flight side towards it as it fired back at The Host, blasting him backwards. "Sorry it took me so long to get here guy...pfft! What the hell are you wearing?!" "Sh-shut up and kill that thing so we can change back!" "Pf...hahahahaha!" "Shut it Riza!" Yes, it was Riza who had arrived and found them. Riza nodded, understanding the situation now. However, there was one thing he needed to know. "The ghosts, are they hostile or friendly?" "Friendly and long term victims! They need saving...and to be avenged". Riza narrowed his eyes, his tone dropped to a more serious level. "UNderstood. I will handle this quickly then". And so, Riza went and faced The Host. Chapter 57: Those Who Rise The Host looked at them, occasionally tilting its head as magical energy was weaved around its hands. Riza meanwhile staired back, the magical energy seemingly avoiding it like the plague itself. "A new guest has arrived. Do not worry, I will relieve you of your things and make you comfortable". "Yeah, that ain''t happening" Riza declared, holding his sword out. The Host however just looked at him, and gave him an odd look. "...hmmm, what am I supposed to call you? What fancy clothes do I get for you? Young Master? Old Miss? %$#@$%&%?" The last word it uttered repulsed their ears, its very sound dealing them a bit of harm. When it looked at Riza, it became confused. "Riza Luminar? Or..." Before it could utter its next word, several blades came out of nowhere and attacked it. Each one struck with precision, calculated to the extremes of lethality. The Host deflected them all with ease, but it was cut on the arm despite all that. Its barriers appeared to be magic, but they also felt different to Riku. Something older...and more dangerous. "I see, you are one of them. Ones who hide their own truths, The Hidden" it muttered to itself. "To think, we would have another hidden guest like yourself! How joyous!!" "...what do you mean?" "My master made one of them feel right at home, gave her a permanent position here. She wishes to see the truth of people''s souls, so he turned her into a special magic mirror! I think her name was...Alice was it?" Riza narrowed his eyes, recalling what he endured just a moment ago. Don''t tell me...no, she was long dead. It was just using her face! "Riku, Kaede, has this guy been making this little sense this whole time?" The two ten year olds nodded, and Riza sighed as he glared back at The Host. "Be warned, this thing can get into people''s minds. It can toy with us easily, so you two just stay still and defend yourselves. Do not attack, you will likely just end up attacking me instead". The two nodded, as Riza took a step forward. "You are a terrible Host. Don''t you know restraining your guests is against ettiquette?" "You are wearing improper evening attire! I must take them!" It tried to reach out, but then its arm got cut off. No one saw a sword appear at all, and in fact, all of Riza''s swords were manifested. At least as far as Riku knew, Riza had six of them, yet all six were deployed when something sliced off one of the Host''s hands. He regrew it immediately, but it had everyone a bit freaked out. "I will need to educate you, you naughty boy" the host responded, making a motion with his hands and knees that he intended to spank Riza. Riku was pretty sure Riza was going to kill him first or that The Host would kill Riza first though, given its absolute incapability to acknowledge reality. Riza then disappeared right in front of their eyes, only to appear behind The Host. The Host suddenly lost three arms, and one of its legs went flying. Magic seemed to be used to support it as it remained upright, its limbs already regenerating. Still, the more it was cut up, the longer it seemed to take, and while it made no signs it felt pain or shock from these attacks, it did seem bothered that blood and decayed flesh were ruining the floor. "You know, a real host would have taken us to meet with the lord of this place" Riza chided, summoning countless fireballs and launching them at The Host. The Host blocked with a magical barrier, but then some of the flames seemed to burn through the barrier. These purple flames seemed to ignore the defenses entirely, and the moment it got on The Host, it severed away that part of its body and flung it away, regenerating soon afterwards and also exposing more of its grotesque, patchwork body. It was clear this thing was made from more then just human corpses, but that was apparent by its hands alone. Instead, it appeared to be a patchwork of human, elf, dwarf, beastkin, and various monsters. Not all humanoid monsters either, but some just straight up monsters. Honestly it was a bit hard to tell just how many things had been grafted together, although at least it didn''t have like eyes and mouths sewn in weird places. No weird hidden faces under the clothes, just an obvious amount of surgery. Riza grimaced however upon looking at it. "No fucking way...some of this was self administered". "What?!" "For reals?" Riku and Kaede were shocked at the revelation. "Yeah. This thing works on itself. I wouldn''t be surprised if a good number of ''guests'' are added into itself". Finally, Riku threw up a bit, having apparently hit his limit on the grotesque thing in front of him. And this was a limited boosted by Adaptability and Mental Fortitude, so it was much higher then the average ten year old. "What are you? You curious thing?" The Host looked at Riza, puzzled as it swerved around him at fast speeds, observing Riza like a child would a curiosity. "I cannot fathom you. You are like me, yet not me. Combined, yet separate. Multiple, yet individual. Two sides of the same coin, you and I. A clever creation we both are. And yet your presence...your aura...it feels familiar, like a memory or a dream". "I am nothing like you" Riza growled, as he entered full blitz mode. Holding an oversized sword in each hand, the four others flew around and struck at The Host. The Host created that strange barrier again to deflect them, but Riza''s swords suddenly began to burn in purple fire and strike at the barrier, and Riza was infuriated as he sought to end The Host as soon as possible. For some reason, The Host''s words appeared to affect Riza more then anything else they had seen before. Whatever it was, it had ticked him off to no end the moment it called them the same. No, even before that, it was when he mentioned the mirror that Riza''s attitude began to shift. Something must have happened to Riza while he was here...it seems he might be easier to antagonize. Normally, Riza was an aloof person who never seemed to let anything phase him. But the Riza that Riku and Kaede were witnessing right now was different. He seemed genuinely angry and irritated, and seemed to want to destroy The Host for more reasons then just its repulsive way it treats people. No, it was as if he simply wanted to destroy something right now. Its like an adult tantrum. It was one of the rare moments that Riza, despite his appearance and personality, truly seemed like an adult to Riku. While children tended to unleash everything instantly, the older you got the more you tended to bottle things in and relieve it in increments, which arguably made children healthier at handling things right now but that could be debated another time. Right now, Riza was simmering with a bottle that was ready to burst at any moment, and he was relieving that pressure by going all out against The Host. Suddenly, The Host was cut up again, despite having seemed to deflect or dodge all six swords. Riku and Kaede watched from a distance with the other ghosts, behind the spectral barrier. "Riku, what is Riza doing?" "Its unclear. It might be some sort of magic, but...I don''t see how its bypassing the barrier without him incanting or drawing a single formula". Riza''s attacks started to get faster and faster, a truly blitzkrieg assault. He moved behind the Host faster then their eyes could see, but the Host was able to adapt to it. "Having so many brains lets me be a serious taskmaster!" "Too bad you didn''t gain any intelligence or sense of reality from them!" Riza suddenly stepped backwards for a change, as his swords took up positions all around The Host. He snapped his fingers in that moment. "Arcia Ralia!" Each of the swords shot out beams of light, just as powerful as the beams The Host used. It rained down upon his barrier and pierced it at several points, but secondary barriers appeared behind them to help block it. And yet, Riza then teleported right under those barriers, and was at a point blank range. "Explosion!" he shouted as he snapped his fingers, and suddenly a torrent of flames erupted from them in the direction he was facing. The Host took this at point blank range, an inferno that raged and threatened to consume all. The flames seemed intent on staying, and purple flames were mixed in this time. Wait, purple flames...isn''t that Divifyre?! He can use Divifyre?! Riku finally remembered what was said before, and realized now that Riza had yet another mysterious element to him. Riza meanwhile brought both hands forward this time. "Explosion times two!" With the flames inside the barriers this time, this allowed him to get much more on The Host. He would have to cut away his entire body to be spared from such a blast. "Ohohohoho. How indecent of you!" It reached out as it tried to either claw Riza in two or shred off his clothes with its freakishly long bladed fingers. It was hard to tell with this thing, given how detached from reality it was. However, Riza had dodged, sparing himself from both injury and humiliation, and even deflected some sort of claw shaped projectile that went after him when he dodged. Riku was honestly impressed. None of them had seen that claw ability before, yet Riza anticipated and blocked it. His fighting style is really advanced too, and his instincts. The longer he fights, the more he predicts what The Host will do.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. And yet, The Host survived that last attack...as a head. It was a floating head now. But right as Riza planned to attack, something new appeared. It came storming down from the depths, a large hulking four armed body with a dragon''s tail. The head floated right on top of it, still hidden by the mask, and attached itself to the body. "...what the absolute fuck is this thing?" Riza growled as Riku asked a question. "Something new. And something old". The Host simply laughed. "I am the caretaker of this place! I am one who has been born again! I who was once an enemy, now has risen again". "I should have realized it sooner. This level of vitality, this level of magical control. Even as an undead abomination, there is only one thing that could possible be maintained and still hold this much power after becoming an undead and being treated as a patchwork. A power so great, that chooses a new vessel every fifty years to try and bring down this world. A power that even lets him invade the minds of all the world passively, but even in a weakened state, can still be used on those near him. Something that requires the efforts of a Hero to defeat" Riza said, growling. "The undead bastard who controls this place...he went and stole the soul of the very Demon King that destroyed his city, and punished it by making it his minion!" "Ahahahahaha! Once I was a King, now I am a Host. From one to another, just like you, Riza Luminar! You may call me Carafax!" "Demon King Carafax...also known as the Mind Render. One who was said to have been defeated by a hero while an undead horde attacked his castle" Riza muttered. "Die!" Countless orbs of light appeared around Riza, and they all fired out beams of energy right at the Demon King. The Host, who was in truth a patchwork that contained a fragment of the Demon King, blocked them all effortlessly. Riza hated that he didn''t realize it sooner, all the clues were there. The passive ability to affect people''s minds. The fact that undead were weaker than their original selves. The fact that the soul could withstand being made of so many beings. And the alien way of thinking that could surpass logic and reason. But the biggest clue was the Divifyre. There was no way a patchwork could have withstood Divifyre, but a Demon King was a different story. An undead fragment of one still held some of its power, including its innate resistance to the Divine. Which was why, the gods couldn''t just smite the Demon King whenever it appeared. It brushed it off because it didn''t have its full immunity, but only a resistance, an effect of becoming an undead. But it allowed it to walk these halls unimpeded. And Demon Kings were also known for being able to adapt and change their bodies, though not quite like what was seen here, it would have been adapted to the undead form. And most importantly of all... He said we were similar. I hate to say it, but knowing what I know now, he nailed it perfectly. We both came back from the dead after all. Riza had many secrets, but that was one he never told even his family about. Even Ozlo didn''t know about this particular truth, a necessary measure to keep them all safe and preserve the order of the world. And when it connected to the other aspect that Riza and the Demon Lord, or rather, the power that created Demon Lords shared, it made sense when Carafax said they were "two sides of the same coin". "Fine then Carafax. You whose mind has been warped by your wretched master, who lives in this horribly pitiful state considering what you once were. I will take you on. I am Riza Luminar. This is the name I use, although I trust you understand if I don''t introduce myself using my other name". "Ahahahahaha! Excellent, wonderful!" "It appears you might be regaining your sanity here". "Of course. Seeing you here, how can I not? Tell me, when you fought against the last Demon King''s army, did you ever fight that fool?" Carafax appeared to be regaining his mind now. The fight between him and Riza was triggering things for him. Even the fact he remembered his own name was an issue. Kaede shouted out with worry to Riza. "Hold on, isn''t this really bad?!" "It can''t be helped. The magic of this place...its shifted. The master of these ruins must be up to something, and my fight might be too stimulating". "Entertain me more, let me consume you!" "The one who will be consumed is you by my blades! Awaken, Caliomarios!" The moment Riza said that, cut marks seemed to emerge on the ground and walls around Riza, and continued to appear rapidly heading towards Carafax. Carafax tried to block with barriers, but the attacks bypassed them all and cut up his new body. "And now, Ascend! Caliomarios!" Every cut mark that was just made glowed with light, before light shot out violently from them all. This included all the marks upon the Demon King''s body as well. In addition, one of Riza''s swords now looked different. They had appeared just as generic swords before, but one had transformed into something new. It was as if the old appearance unraveled itself, revealing itself to be ribbon and wrapping paper that had concealed the true sword. This sword was a sword of gold and silver, with an orante handle with curved ends. The pommel had a ruby in the center, and golden lines of energy eminated from the blade itself, as if it was advanced and futuristic technology. Invisible cutmarks! Like before! "I see...that is quite the nasty thing you have there. To think, you came into possession of the Holy Sword used by the previous hero to slay the Demon King". "Wait...what?" Riza however shook his head. "It''s just a fragment created from a spark. A copy if you will, forged in moonlight". "And to think, despite its amazing power, its not the source of your immortality". "I am sure you want to know that, but you won''t find me giving up answers or letting you into my head. You might have gotten some things, but my immortality is something you will never possess. I have no intention of allowing a second Demon King to revive itself while the first is still being dealt with". Riku frowned. "Does this guy have his full sanity back?" "No, but he is fighting for control now that someone has that he has been looking for. He plans to devour me and take my immortality for himself, as well as my other abilities. All Demon Kings possess the ability to gain some fragment of power and ability of the souls of great enemies they defeat. He was probably biding his time in the deep recesses of his mind. But, he can''t maintain it for long. Eventually the magic of the necromancer will take control of you again, Carafax. How does it seem, serving one who you wronged so badly?" "How bad does it feel, knowing you will watch your children and grandchildren die from old age while you watch? Except perhaps Ozlo I suppose, it seems like he is bordering on that potential as well". Carafax simply laughed. "You know you won''t be able to defeat me. Tell me, why do you think that even after all this time, even if the ruins were sealed before, that not a single person has reported this place? I AM a Demon King. You cannot simply kill me. I am an Undead, and a Demon King". Riza growled, but he knew they were right. "And while you are busy fighting me, I wonder how those other three are doing?" "Tsk. Don''t let him psych you out! Don''t move, it''s too dangerous!" "It''s dangerous for you to stand still!" Carafax attacked Riza the moment he looked back, but Riza disappeared right in front of Carafax'' eyes. Riza then got behind him and hit him with green fire this time. "What?!" "You may have once been a Demon King, but now you are just some patchwork zombie. And thanks to your blunder, you revealed your Necromancer''s weakness. You are severely weaker than a true Demon King. A true one, I would have only had the wiggle room to just escape by myself maybe. But you can''t actually do it can you? You can''t risk ignoring me, can you?" This time it growled. Riza in that moment began his full on assault, but occasionally using invisible slashes. Carafax was wary now that he was fully aware, although it didn''t always seem to be the case. Occasionally his Host personality would slip out when he did some lines here and there, and frankly speaking everything about this thing was creepy. Riza created countless orbs of light, all while doing his six-slash blitz and using the power of Caliomarios to keep the Demon King on edge. Riza slammed his foot onto the ground, and suddenly crystallic shards shot out of the ground, impaling the body at several points. "As expected, you are severely weaker than a normal Demon King. I wonder just how much of your strength has been lost over the millennia?" "All in service to the master, I will just need to put in more effort to host my guests better". This thing''s brain is absolutely fucked over. It can''t maintain a single persona other than The Host. Still, the moment Carafax notices this, the moment he will turn his power into a giant explosion out of spite. I can''t let him realize how degraded he really is! Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. If I used all my swords, I could do this a lot better...but that would put me and everyone else at risk, especially down the line. Not to mention the recoil... Plus, Riza wanted to save some trump cards for the final boss. This thing wasn''t a real Demon King anymore, but if the Necromancer was actually able to utilize such a corpse, then they must be someone of incredible power and ability. Riza would need all the firepower at his disposal to fight him potentially, and he never knew when he might need something later. Going all out against an enemy was always a terrible idea, because you never knew what might happen in the climax itself. I need to defeat this guy here and now. The Necromancer is the main threat. His blade clashed with Carafax''s claws. The fact that he did not rend the blade in two right then and there was telling in its own right. Against a real Demon King, even his swords wouldn''t be able to trade constant blows like this. They would get shattered for sure, even blades like these. And yet he was pushing the Demon King back. Even if Riza was infuriated, even if he was fighting only a diminished version, he was. Riza had not noticed it yet, but even if physical he seemed to be frozen, he could still grow. Both as a person....and a fighter. "Eclipse Slash!" "Nightmare Teller". Riza used a new move, but Carafax unleashed a black smog that seemed to consume the slash of light that came from Riza''s sword. However, several swords attacked from behind. And yet, arms grew out from its back and projected barriers, blocking the attacks. "Ascend, Caliomarios!" And yet, the slashes that were blocked suddenly glowed again, breaking through the barrier as the beams of light pierced the barrier and harmed Carafax again. "You may be quite special and unique, RIza Luminar! But you are no hero! You don''t have the spark of heroism! Only those who have been summoned through the dimensional field with the ritual can possibly do such a thing! Hahahahaha!" This guy is just an undead...undead Demon Kings have been recorded before, always much weaker then their original selves, and never needed a Hero in the past. But this thing isn''t just a normal undead it feels like. Its still weaker, but...its almost like The Host...Carafax...borders between life and death. Riza could tell there was an anomaly to this. The way it moved and acted felt both alive and dead. Not just undead, a middle ground, but more of a paradox. As if it existed both as alive and dead at the same time. Existing in a parallel state. However, he didn''t have time to figure it out. He had to defeat this thing fast, and then the three of them had to find the others and group up. They couldn''t allow this to go any further. And yet the Demon King, while harmed, had yet to truly suffer a mortal blow. Riza had always wondered why it was a Hero that was needed, but figured it was a matter of power. After all, the summoning ritual requires a great deal of mages, effort, and time. But if there really was another factor, and somehow this thing still had it... No. This is just it trying to invade my mind and slow me down with doubt. I will just have to take a risk for a change, and utilize another hidden technique. Only then can... The moment Riza was about to do something, he spotted something lurking in the darkness in the hallway behind Carafax. He was left dumbfounded for a moment, as this something...no, this someone, clad in a dark robe and with a hood drawn over them, simply put a finger to their lips. Impossible...unless...wait, could it... As he had these thoughts, this figure created an X with their arms, and then put their finger to their lips again. I see...so this must remain a secret. However... "Can you do it?" Riza asked. Carafax seemed to realize there was someone new there as well. "What? Who managed to get in here?" The figure nodded to Riza, who then proceeded to back up and reach Riku and Kaede. "We are leaving". "Why, who is that?" "No one. In fact, speak nothing of this moment ever". "But..." "Never. We are leaving". "Do you think I would let guests leave early without taking proper care of them?" It appeared The Host personality resurfaced, the moment Riza took distance from him even there was a noticeable shift. Even Riku and Kaede noticed the uncanny change. "I am not the one you need to worry about. Go get him, hero". The moment Carafax heard that, he turned to face the cloaked figure...only for an arm to immediately be cut off by their sword. Furthermore, regeneration was inhibited completely, and Carafax coughed up blood for the first time...it was weird black blood, but blood none the less. "What, how...why are you here, yet I cannot sense your physical presence?" The figure did not answer him, but simply drew their sword and went at him. He blocked with a barrier, but it was shattered instantly. Still, he had sensed the danger and just barely dodged in time. "I see now, you are that person. The oh so legendary..." Before it could finish, the figure appeared right in front of him, having moved with a burst of speed that even surpassed The Host''s perception. He had successfully perceived all of Riza''s attacks, but the figure had managed to move just a bit faster. And so the battle between the Cloaked Stranger and Former Demon King Carafax began, as Riza, Riku, and Kaede rushed towards to find the others and regroup...after the latter two got changed in a hurry, of course. Chapter 58: Legacy of the Damned Kuroki and Ryuu were busy making their way through the maze like halls of the ruins, still trying to find their way. Leaving that room had reduced the power compulsion had on them, but they could feel it crawling at the back of their minds. Like it was trying to burrow in deeper, and take control. It was failing so far, but if they were not careful, Kuroki had a feeling it might start succeeding a bit. So they had to push forward. Upon the walls they passed were more murals however. They showed a history of long ago, one that normally would not be relevant to their current time. It showed the abduction of a corpse from a far away land, along with a soul, brought back here and patched together into something new. Kuroki couldn''t understand the ancient words at all, but he could see that it was something horrific and grotesque. It also showed a girl with a mirror who did battle with them at one point, but was defeated. Still, one of the girl''s companions, in their final moments, fused their power with hers, and sealed away these ruins entirely. It looked like some sort of magic, but it was depicted in a mural, with no real concrete details, and only from those who remined behind afterwards. Then the ruins fell into a deep slumber, and the walls began to show other events instead. "This doesn''t make any sense" Kuroki muttered. "What doesn''t?" Ryuu asked. "These murals...if the ruins were sealed and put into a slumber, then who made these murals? And when?" "Oh, yeah...isn''t that impossible?" "It should be. Purple and green fire....the fact that undead own the ruins, but the main chamber prevents them access. Something doesn''t add up here". Kuroki took a look at the stone. It was immaculate and perfect, and the ceiling was short for average sized adults, but not for any of them. Dwarvern made, but with human elements and made for humans. A small tunnel into a large chamber. The vampires sealed away, and the one that left perhaps two decades ago, although Kuroki could be off on that. The fact the fires remained lit after all this time, and the fact they had all been separated, but Kuroki and Ryuu had not been ambushed. They had no idea if the others had been, but they hadn''t. Instead, the room they were left in was used as a medium to try and seize control of them. And the goal of raising so many undead, now of all times. If this place has been active since the Starfall, then nearly a month had passed before it did this. The timing was weird. It was only when Kuroki''s group was truly vulnerable to it. Chianthias apparently was not the cause, but wasn''t it all too strange? And then, there was these murals, made from witnesses of the event, yet carved after the event. The timeline didn''t match up. Hmm...hold on... Reviewing everything, Kuroki began to have his own epiphany. He then reviewed all the murals they had spoken of and seen so far, every single one from these hallways and the ones from the entrance. Every scrap of knowledge and power, every morsel of information they had gained so far. He remembered all the murals as well, everything there...and not there. "It''s not here". "What isn''t, Kuroki?" Kuroki leaned over and whispered what he realized into Ryuu''s ear. Ryuu quickly went wide eyed as Kuroki explained things to him. "Wait hold on, but doesn''t that mean..." "Yeah. We need to get down there fast, but how do we..." As Kuroki was speaking, the pressure of Compliance suddenly disappeared from them both. Their minds became clearer and more fluid, and it felt like a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders. "Perfect. Come on, we have to hurry. If we don''t, the worst possible outcome could occur". "Are you sure of your deduction though? "Yeah. I am". The two boys quickly started to run, hurrying to avoid the cataclysm...unaware of one who had been watching them from the shadows. Yes, as they ran deeper in, Zak appeared from the shadows. "Good, it looks like they realized it. This is an important stage for their growth after all. Still, I should keep watch to be safe". He looked back to the undead that was around the corner out of sight, the lich. However, this undead had been returned to death already, having been thoroughly cut through somehow. He quickly raised the hood of his cloak, when he sensed another source of magical energy. A rather powerful one. "What? How? But...could it be, someone else meddled as well? Must be The Oracle, only he could have put that card into play early". Zak''s words disappeared into the darkness, with himself following them.
At the same time, Ozlo was going deeper in. He had a premonition that he didn''t have long before something bad would happen. And as much as he would love to see that devil burn, he had to go through with the plan for the sake of everyone. Whatever was going on here, was bad enough that even when she had the chance to attack him while he was alone, she didn''t take it. He knew how much she wanted to kill him, and this would have been her best moment. She had even taken the risk of appearing herself, since Ozlo didn''t think she could get a fake shell back that quickly. Unfortunately, it appeared the master of this place was not a fan of Ozlo''s arrival. As he made it into the main corridor, a huge amount of golems and animated armors came at him. The armors would be a bit problematic, but the bigger issue was that the golems were made of stone. Dragonfyre was able to burn through things normal fire couldn''t, but even it had some disadvantages against stone and rock based enemies. And he needed to conserve some power for the actual fight, so going all out wasn''t exactly an option either. Ozlo had some ideas of what was going on, but unfortunately he was lacking a lot of information. Without that knowledge, he couldn''t have a good number of strategies prepared in advance. The enemy is too much of an unknown. But, if my theory is right, they should be after one of us, if not multiples. But their specific target might be... While pondering things, he summoned forth two dragons. Both were about the size of motorcycles but longer, and along with his own flames, they began to incinerate the hallway that would lead to the master of these ruins. "My name is Ozlo Luminar! I am not only the Dragoncaller, but the Guardian of the Starfallen...and of the Luminar legacy! You cannot stop me!" As he melted through another wave, laughter began to reverberate throughout the ruins. "Hahahahahahaha! Well met, Ozlo Luminar! I am the master of this fortress and castle, and the king of these lands! I am the Great Necromancer and Artificer, Filivellia! Or was that the name of my wife? Ah, names are so hard, especially since people these days tend to call me Master....or The Underking". "Underking Filivellia! Isn''t it rude to attack us like this without first sending missives at least?!" "If you want an audience, then feel free to prove yourselves! I await you up ahead, for the final confrontation!" "A challenge is it? Very well...I hate having to work so much overtime lately, but I suppose I might as well get problematic people like you out of the way". Ozlo took a step forward, as dragonfyre encircled him. It blazed around him, becoming an overwhelming shell and aura, before rushing forward. It proceeded to burn anything and everything in his way, regardless of material or thickness. It was like a raging inferno that could not be stopped, even scorching the walls and the floors as he walked forward. The dragons stayed at his side, increasing the flames as they walked forward. The clacking of his boots could be heard across the stone floor, echoing through the blazing heat and crackling fire. Each step more ominous and heavy then the last. It was at this point that he felt something in the air shift. "A pincer attack? How naughty of you" the voice echoed through the tunnel. "Says the one who is letting his pets outside make a mess". "Those things? Those are just recent acquisitions...and rejects" the voice said as Ozlo entered another room. It appeared to be some sort of transition hall, as the tunnel continued on the other side. And yet, there was something that was standing in his way. Ozlo narrowed his eyes, as he looked at the creature. It appeared to be a completely grey humanoid, but with nice and thick skin that wasn''t rotted at all. It was completely naked, but any method to tell what gender it was had been lost. Furthermore, it was large and hulking, and very muscular. "But this, this is a grander work! It was created from a Vampiric Thrall you know! Incredibly useful!" Ozlo took another step forward, and his flames reached out and grasped the creature. They spread all over, incinerating it completely. But as they did, it began to beg for mercy. This gave Ozlo pause for the first time. "What..." "Tee hee. I even restored the mind of the original person so he can be along for the ride and still experience things, isn''t that wonderful? They will still obediantly attack you, but they will feel everything and retain their sanity no matter what! No army will be able to stand up to hundreds and thousands of these things! Muhahahahaha!" "...you disgusting creep". As he said that, two more of these things emerged from the hall. They shuffled towards him, begging to be saved and pleading for help and mercy. However, Ozlo knew already. He knew it was impossible to save them from this. He clenched his fists, and glared at the hallway behind the shambling corpses. "Rakia. Celestio. Torum". He invoked draconic words of power, as he produced a great deal of flame behind him, propelling him forward. "I am sorry" he muttered as he charged past the corpses, incinerating them in such a way that not even ash would remain. Fire seemed to explode from his shoes and hands as he charged forward. He knew there was only one way to end this nightmare, and that was to kill the boss as quickly as possible. Behind his glasses, Ozlo''s eyes contained a rage that felt as if it would blaze through his very soul.
At the same time, Kuroki could sense Ozlo''s magical power. Normally, his dragonfyre was very discreet, and even standing next to him it could be difficult to sense his magic at all. But right now, Kuroki felt his magic so clearly he could actually pinpoint him inside of the ruins. Furthermore, the way this magic was blazing...Kuroki could feel the emotions within it. It was the first time he felt such anger from Ozlo, who always remained so cool and composed. "We have to hurry" Kuroki mentioned as they turned a corner, and ran into three others running the same direction as them. Riza looked relieved to see them. "Oh good, you two are okay". "Yeah! And we figured out the truth of these ruins!" Kuroki responded as they kept running. "Really? So you know about Demon King Carafax?" "Yeah, we found more murals. But we found something else as well, that is extremely problematic. If Ozlo doesn''t know, he is almost certainly walking into a trap. They might even be trying to manipulate him". "Normally, Ozlo can''t be manipulated...but right now he is far too angry that its not a normal situation. It must be Demon King Carafax. He is trying to whittle down our mental defenses. It explains how that cursed mirror got me as well, and why fighting Carafax was draining me. Although, it seemed like he only awakened because of me..." "Its a red herring maybe, or perhaps your presence weakens control?" "...of course, I keep perpetual mental wards on at all time...ever since the Anna incident. Somehow, being near me must have let my wards protect him as well and regain his mind. Still, he was just a puppet". "I wouldn''t be too sure yet...it all depends on what we find in the final chamber" Kuroki muttered. "I have three different ideas, but I think one is far more likely then the others". Kuroki then told the others his deductions. When he finished, Riza was wide eyed. "...shit, that does make everything add up". "So its true then?" "Yeah, you got that right. They aren''t like that at all...and given the level of danger, Divifyre would be possible too. Especially given how much time they had". "But why make the murals?" Riku asked. "I suspect the ruins themselves make them automatically. This place clearly operates on its own, it kept the fyres alive after all, among other things". Riza nodded. "Yeah. And I agree, that deduction you think is the highest chance very likely is". Kaede paled. "Doesn''t that mean that Ozlo is running headfirst into a trap?" "Maybe, but my grandson isn''t so stupid as to give into his emotions this easily. So long as we make it in time, everything should be fine". Kuroki saw as a few golems seemed to be getting up, damaged but apparently still operational as they reached a hall. He had already incanted a spell, and suddenly an icy wind emerged from behind them and froze the golems solid. Riza and Riku both cut through two of them, and Ryuu smashed through the third, not even slowing down. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "So what is the plan? Are these things as dangerous as we think?" Kaede asked. "Yeah, they are" Riza said with a nod. "To be honest, id rather leave you all behind and go in myself...but we cant be sure that''s not what its waiting for, given it definitely went after you for being Starfallen". Kaede then lowered her voice. "And we seriously think he might be able to do this?" "It''s possible, but its absurdly dangerous. Unless you are a highly powerful undead that is". "...understood". Kaede was a bit down and anxious from that, but she steeled herself all the same as they kept rushing forward.
At the same time, Ozlo entered a large central chamber. Flames were whirling around him, coming out of the ground around him. There was a rather large circular table with restraints in the center, which was lower and dipped and seemed to have a drain, and above there was a giant blade. It was clearly rigged to cut whoever was strapped to the table in two, and one could see the marks of the previous uses. Furthermore, ancient runes were etched into the sides. On the other side of this room were steps that led up to a throne, and a robbed skeletal figure waited there, resting his head with his arm that was resting on the armrest. His robes were rather fancy and elaborate, and contained a great deal of magical energy. So great, that Ozlo could barely sense anything else about them. It was like staring into a magical supernova. "So I take it you are the leader here, Filiv". "A nickname? Should I be insulted? Or charmed?" At those questions, a firebolt went flying at him. He moved his head slightly and avoided the blow. "You seem quite angry at me. Did my experiments hurt you that much". "...those were fresh bodies, weren''t they?" "Oh, so you noticed?" "A few adventurers we thought died during the Goblin Battle while scouting the forces in advance...you are the one that took them?" Ozlo had been one of the commanders of that battle. He had naturally sent adventurers out to scout, focusing on those who were incredibly skilled and talented. People he was sure would make it back alive. And yet, not all of them did. Ozlo had thought he made a mistake, overevaluated them, or underestimated the enemy...but when he saw those things, he couldn''t help but picture those faces. "Oh. Do you feel responsible, Ozlo Luminar?" "No wonder you reacted when I said my name. You had heard it before...from them". "Yes. My lovely Host told me of you from a few he was given, and I got the rest during my interrogations and experiments. You know, they fully believed you would come save them? They were sure you would come for them". Ozlo clenched his teeth, as his hands were balled into fists. "Ozlo Luminar, the Dragon Caller. I wonder what sort of lovely experiment I can create from someone bonded to the souls of dragons?" "So what, you want to rebuild a kingdom that is long gone?" Ozlo asked. Finally, Filivellia glared at him, the lights in his eyesockets blazing brightly. "My kingdom has not fallen! Not to that detestable Demon King I made a minion! Not to some Hero with their self-righteous values! Not to anyone! My eternal kingdom will rise, and all shall bask in its glory!" "You have no living subjects left. You are just rubble and dust". Filivellia just gave him a look. "Oh no. See, once I hand over those Starfallen to my partner, they shall give me access to the magic to travel across the dimensional rift. Then I shall be able to access not just the afterlife, but countless worlds. I can gather resources from all of them and become the most powerful empire of all, stretching across countless worlds!" "What?" There was only one possible being Ozlo could think of that could mean. It meant, this thing was in touch with whatever caused the Mass Starfall incident. It meant Chianthias hadn''t lied to him, but it also meant that she had really gotten him good. She had gone to deal with that entity, and that meant the magic that could have helped so many Starfallen was already out of reach. He couldn''t turn his back on this thing after all, and none of the others knew yet. Worse, because he was here, they would undoubtedly come here instead to help him out instead of go after the other entity. His own rage had been used against him...just as Chianthias had probably intended. Using people against themselves was her common method. Damnit! I knew this was a bad idea, but she really got me good! Still, Ozlo could at least make sure it wasn''t a total loss. He was looking at a potential source of information right in front of him after all. It wouldn''t be direct knowledge, but anything that could be extracted might help. That was, if he could nail this guy down. Filivellia just looked at him, probably smiling but it was hard to tell when he had no face. "And you...you should make a good new vessel and servant for me". Suddenly, scattered chains across the room came to life and went at Ozlo, wrapping around his wrists, ankles, and bodies to restrain him. However, he utilized his Dragonfyre to burn them all away. And yet, the chains didn''t burn so easily, instead absorbing the heat as they restrained him. "Thanks for attacking me before. Once an attack is made, my throne, and anything connected to them like these chains, becomes resistant to it in the future. Isn''t anger so damn useful? Now, kneel". The chains made Ozlo kneel. "Now then, I want to see what my new body looks like. I will need one to rule here while another fragment searches elsewhere". The chains began to coil around the clothes, only to suddenly be turned to cut up fragments as a new figure appeared. "Get off of him. No one touches my grandson like that except me" the new arrival growled. Ozlo looked baffled however. "Would you mind at least trying to word that a bit better..." Ozlo said as he stood up, the chains no longer restraining them as the other four arrived. Filivellia just looked at them with an unamused expression, "You arrived sooner than expected. Shouldn''t Carafax have kept you busy?" "He has someone else keeping him busy" Riza muttered. "Now then, we will have you explain a few things to us". "Ahahahahaha. Do you think I will tell you anything about the secrets my kingdom...my empire possesses?!" He waved his hands, as a bunch of living armies and golems emerged from the other passageways. There were a few more undead as well, clearly patchworks, but like The Host they were far different then normal patchworks. They were quite capable. "You will all become pawns for my empire. The Starfallen will be given for power, and you two shall make such fine vessels for me". Riza closed his eyes for a bit, and let out a sight before he opened them again. This time, a magic circle appeared in each eye. "I invoke the Third Cataclysm: War". Suddenly, all of his swords began to glow with a golden light. Filivellia frowned, at least as far as they could guess his expressions, when he saw this. "I see...that is quite the power. But do not think that will scare me. I am far older than you, grandpa brat". "At least my mind hasn''t been being eaten by his own pawn. I wonder, do you even still possess any reason left? Or has Carafax eaten through all of it? You should know better then to try and chain a Demon King". "I am in control! He is my minion, and he cannot use his powers on me! I even overwrote that personality of his, though he seems to get mixed up a lot as a result". Riza unsheathed one of his swords. Kuroki had never seen a sheath for any of them, but it had strange appeared suddenly. The sheath gave off some crazy magical readings. But the way Filivellia reacted the moment Riza suggested his mind was actively being devoured was interesting to Kuroki. Kuroki quickly moved next to Ozlo, and whispered something into Ozlo''s ear. The moment he heard that, he went wide eyed. "Shit...alright, I agree. Good find. I need to stay on guard, so I will leave the timing to you". "You sure?" "Yeah. Go for it, Kuroki". Kuroki nodded, as he began to formulate a new spell. Meanwhile, Ozlo looked to the others. "Be warned everyone. That throne and these chains have some sort of weird power to become resistant or outright immune to any attack that hits them. It''s likely it extends to the bastard himself, so keep that in mind". "Rodger". "Kay". "Understood". "Thanks". "Good to know". Riku, Riza, Kaede, Ryuu, and Kuroki all answered Ozlo''s request, as the six now knew everything each other knew. "Awaken, Caliomarios!" Riza immediately unleashed his sword, devastating the chains and the throne. A barrier rose up to protect the main part of it however, not to mention its current occupant. Even Riza''s slashes were warded off by this barrier. "That is a heavy barrier...he must be using Spell Anchors!" Kuroki realized immediately that this was no normal barrier. If it could repel Riza''s attack with that transformed sword of his, then it meant that it had been beefed up and stabilized. And considering the level of expertise this caster had, it was absurd not to realize he had spell anchors. Especially given how meticulous the mastermind had been so far, with this level of control. Right. Magic isn''t a battle of pure power. Its a battle of wits with a power element. Even the strongest spell can be unraveled by a weak spell if you choose or create the right spell. Kuroki stored three spells inside of himself now, ready to cast on a moments notice. It was incredibly unpleasant and without a doubt his upper limit, and it was using the full support of his staff and grimoire to support the spells he created. He was certain the Necromancer had realized, but Kuroki placed a barrier around himself just now that would make it so the mastermind wouldn''t be able to sense them any more, including what they were. Holding his staff forward, Kuroki imbued it with magical energy as he began to chant. "Imbue our arms with the chaotic element, let them be everchanging and ever adapting. Release the stored power within the universe itself, let its everchanging nature continue to strengthen us. A necessary measure, using chaos to bring order. The contradiction will be thy enhancer for such power, as the universe itself will wish us victory so our contradiction comes to an end. Everchanging Armaments!" Suddenly, the entire party''s weapons were imbued with energy of some kind. As the chains and the minions drew closer, after a few hits the weapons then changed to a different energy or weapon, thereby bypassing the Throne''s adaptation mechanic. So long as their weapons and magic continued to be effected by this, they would always be able to do damage to them. The Necromancer frowned, at least probably, as he saw that spell. "...that is a bit too talented for a six-year-old". "I am fifteen! And I definitely look older than six! At least make the same mistake everyone else does!" "It''s a shame that you are already slated for another. I would have loved to make you my thrall". The necromancer, Filivellia, raised his hand and shot a green beam at Kuroki as two golems charged at him. Kuroki deployed a barrier against the golems, while his cloak moved on its own and absorbed the energy beam. Filivellia raised his head in shock. "...that cloak...impossible...how does a brat like you..." Wait, he recognizes my cloak? But he lived like over a thousand years ago, and this is master''s cloak...furthermore, that sounded like his voice got stronger, and his eyes brighter...is that good, or bad? No matter, stick to the plan. Riku meanwhile seemed to step it up into high gear. "Brilliant Flare!" Cutting through dozens of zombies, he executed a well timed brilliant flare. But furthermore... "And now into...Nova Mine!" Everything that didn''t die but got hit from his sword suddenly had spheres of solar fire appear and enlarge from the points of impact. Like mini-stars going supernova, this was a new technique Riku had been developing. The only issue is that in exchange for being an instant cast, it had various pre-requisites to use. Still, it was a sign he was advancing as their vanguard, and as a magic warrior. Kaede meanwhile took down two golems without anyone seeing. She had managed to cut through the armor like one might cut through a steak, and then pierced its core, disabling it and causing it to collapse. She did this to two at the same time, showing her resolve. But more then that... "...Riza, what happened with those two. Why do they seem to have powered up suddenly?" "Ah, its probably a combination of things. Fighting something impossibly strong like a revived Demon King..." "...wait what?" "...and then also being protected and blessed by the various ghosts that had been its victims". "...just what did I miss?" "...and then of course they acknowledged their feelings for each other". Kuroki just paused for a moment and gave a blank look at Riza. "Wait what?! I missed such an important milestone of their development?!" Riku and Kaede both went red faced at those words. "Could you two focus and not obsess over us and get distracted?!" "No no no, I refuse to accept I wasn''t there to witness this!" "They also had their first kiss". "Noooooo! You bastard Filivellia! You made me miss something super important!" Yes, Kuroki had this surprising side to him. In addition to being a magic nerd, he actually did love gossip like this as well, and had been secretly enjoying watching Riku and Kaede''s relationship and feelings for each other bud. Of course, if they were back on Earth, he never would have said such things outloud during battle in the past, but apparently Mental Fortitude and Adaptability, and perhaps even Compliance, had an effect where he could process and react to these things while in battle. None of the Starfallen were normal kids anymore, not just physically or magically, but mentally as well. Although it could be hard to tell what would and wouldn''t play into these moments, but that is just the messiness of life in general. Kuroki proceeded however to cast his next spell as he formed some pillars of ice. That said, the tone of his incantation this time had an unusual fire and rage to it. Riku and Kaede pretended to not notice their friend''s clearly irked mood, for the sake of their own sanity. "A Shattering Storm Gathers Upon Us. Let these cold winds take all that there is, and form a strike of hundreds of spears. Divide them further, and shock the world with a snap of your fingers. A gathering of ice, and sleet of storms". He once again took to the sky, jumping atop of ice pillars he had just formed beforehand or that he formed as he ran, making it harder to predict where he would move. Magical energy swirled into his staff, layering upon itself as it condensed into a powerful spell. "From my sky, I see below. Across this battlefield I will make it snow. This frozen sky, charged and ready. For now I shall hold it steady. I bring forth the frozen tempest, which will annihilate all who dare step upon this battlefield without my behest!" He then jumped off from the last pillar, much closer to the ceiling now then the floor and looking down even upon the throne itself. His spell fully charged, his incantation finished, he pointed his staff below as the magical energy surged. "Wraith of the Frozen Tempest!" He unleashed one of his strongest spells, Wraith of the Frozen Tempest. The shards of ice rained down upon the dozens or perhaps hundreds of golems and undead and other creations. These frosty projectiles were as strong as ever if not stronger, and they pierced through some with enough force to destroy them instantly. As Kuroki floated above, an effect of the spell, another green beam was shot at him but his cloak blocked it, seemingly absorbing or dispelling the energy. Once all of the spikes of ice had fallen, Kuroki snapped his fingers and bolts of lightning shot out between them all, decimating the enemy''s forces. "What a vexing child...and yet oh so foolish". Before Kuroki could land back on the ground, several winged creatures emerged from the halls and rushed towards Kuroki at fast speeds. They appeared almost stonelike, but they had bat wings and were able to move at speeds that were highly unexpected, given their large stone-looking bodies and the fact their legs didn''t look like they could support them at that speed. With their wings, they flew into the air to strike at Kuroki. Ozlo however jumped up there first, and threw a fist full of Dragonfyre at them while spinning around in the air. The Gargoyles seemed resistant to it, but not immune as it burned through quite a few of them, giving Kuroki the time to assemble a magical barrier before the rest made it to them. And yet, that was when a large skeletal arm emerged from the wall itself and swatted them down to the ground. Kuroki''s barrier absorbed most of the damage, but they didn''t get out of it unscathed. They felt pain all over, and it was a truly horrid pain as well. Ozlo was able to get up to his feet however, and soon Kuroki was as well. Yet, Filivellia was right there next to them when they did. None of them had even noticed him leave the throne, nor that he had been incanting for quite awhile now. Kuroki hadn''t even noticed his magical energy until he was right there next to him. "Dredging of Souls". He slammed both his hands into them, as necromatic energies and magic coursed through them. Suddenly, it felt like something was trying to drag them down into the underworld itself. Countless spirits seemed to be around them now, trying to drag them into the abyss below. They attempted to fight against it, but it felt futile as the spirits were too many. Seeing this, Riza charged at the Necromancer, only for him to disappear suddenly and reappear right behind Riza, as more chains came to entangle him. "Lost Nightmares". With this spell, Riza would be trapped as well. Filivellia smiled confidently and victoriously...only for a light to shine in his face. "Now, Alice!" Hidden within Riza''s hand was a fragment of a mirror. Filivellia realized what it was, but it was too late. The power of the mirror took hold of his magic, reflecting it back at him. The young girl''s face appeared in the mirror as well, and the magic itself rebounded. "You blasted child! How? Your personality should have been consumed, and destroyed when he broke the mirror!" "I use Caliomarios to destroy the mirror, and therefore cut her out of it and preserve it inside of one untainted fragment. My swords are quite clever you know?" "...even if you keep a bunch of things about them a secret" Riku grumbled. With the magic reflected back at the necromancer, the spell around Kuroki and Ozlo faded away as well, as now it was the Necromancer who was suffering in pain and fear. "Thanks for the help" Riza mentioned. "Its the least I could do, you already sacrificed the information that thing had" Alice replied. Unfortunately, she did not have the knowledge the mirror itself had from before she had been overtaken, and so only had some very limited abilities while trapped in the mirror fragment. "I know an expert we can talk to about getting you your body back in another city, so I will make sure to send you their way after this, Alice Liddell". "Appreciate it". As they spoke, the Necromancer seemed to recover suddenly and glare at them. "You will pay for this...fine then, I wanted to save this to conquer the kingdoms above, but I guess I will just get more after breaking you brats!" "...I am actually a grandpa you know?" "Shut it, brat" Ozlo countered, causing Riza to pout. Still, the two didn''t just stand there trading lines. Ozlo unleashed a torrent of Dragonfyre, and Riza unleashed all six of his swords in a blitz attack. Riku used Brilliant Flare, Kaede snuck around to the enemy''s blindspot, Kuroki was already formulating a spell, and Ryuu was charging up on heroic aura somehow. And yet not a single attack landed on him, as he took out a gemstone and crushed it, creating a magic barrier around himself. At the same time, the power of his magic spiked a lot. Way more than normal. Magic might be more about creativity and wit, but certainly it didn''t hurt to have overwhelming magic either. And this went well beyond overwhelming. The entire room became a torrent of magical energy, flooding everywhere and making them feel more pressure and weight. "I am the Underking, and I will not go down so easily" he bellowed, as all of his defeated creations, including the golems, began to rise and be regenerated. "Now it is your turn to know fear and suffering". And so, the next stage of this fight commenced. Chapter 59: Strung Along "Orbialias!" Ozlo cast, creating a gigantic wall of translucent shields in front of him and Kuroki as they endured the first barrage. There seemed to be dozens, maybe hundreds of shields, making up this defensive magic, as countless projectiles of death rained towards them. They only appeared like black chunks that were radiating smoke, but anyone who looked at them got a major sense of the creeps and a major feeling of danger, so they all tried the best they could to evade and survive the attack. Riza meanwhile was slashing through the projectiles as he chased after the target through the air. He would bounce off of walls at lightning speed, and since they were underground, the ceiling and floor as well. The fact that the big bad was flying was bothersome to Riku, Kaede, and Ryuu, but for the others, it was nothing special. Granted, that was half their group, but the other half included the two powerhouses, Riza and Ozlo. "Awaken!" A huge amount of cutmarks blasted the wall behind the Underking as he barely dodged the attack. "Draconic Blaze!" And Ozlo''s fire roared from below, burning through any defensive magic the enemy tried to use. That said, he still has his undead army, which had ended up being the priority of those three right now as Kuroki tried to support both sides. He finished drawing a spell sigil in the air, which was actually a compressed spell array balanced in a certain method, to help invoke a support spell Amyris had taught him. "There, I gave you all increased speed and power! Make use of them!" "Thanks, Kuroki!" "Ozlo, I am reinforcing our barrier, but could you add a bit more to it when you can?" "I need to keep burning his defensive barriers so gramps can hit him, but I will see what I can do. If I can keep his defensive magic down long enough for gramps to get a decisive blow, that should help us out immensely!" But it won''t be the end of this. If Kuroki''s deduction was right, they were missing the most important and critical element. And in order to draw it out... "Riku, its on you and Kaede!" "What?" "Seriously?!" The two ten year olds complained, but they still grit their teeth and prepared. "You owe us a ton of ice cream after this, boss!" "...you say that, but your being playful in how you are speaking" Kuroki said, sliding his foot around and creating a dozen shields at various points. THey seemed random, but they all blocked attacks that appeared to be invisible. The necromancer growled at seeing this. That brat. Riza Luminar and Ozlo Luminar should be the only threats to me, but what can he see? What wishes were granted exactly? His gaze had fixated on Kuroki, properly seeing him for once. He incanted a powerful spell, and spirits of the dead swirled at Kuroki''s feet to consume him. But then light emerged from his feet, banishing the spirits and even firing several beams of light right back at him. Filivellia easily blocked those shots, but that wasn''t the point. Kuroki was looking right at him now, and it was obvious he realized exactly what was coming, incanted a spell ahead of time, and countered his magic in an instant. All while throwing up more barriers. Furthermore, with Alice flinging the occasional magic back at him if he wasn''t careful, he couldn''t just throw things around willie nillie to deal with them all, so he was forced to endure this puzzling situation. Just what can he see?! Kuroki watched the fallen king with a bit of disdain and dislike. "As I thought, I hate being watched. I hate being caught unaware by those in power. Bullies are scum". As he had been thinking this just a moment ago, something had clicked inside of him. As if it was a revelation he needed to realize, he suddenly began to see. No, perhaps it was his deductions earlier, or the fact that Kuroki''s confidence had recently increased. Kuroki had been bullied. At school and at home. He had friends who stuck up for him, but deep down, he knew that while he was smart, he was also weak. He was aware of his weakness...but perhaps a bit too much. But after fighting alongside his friends and having formed a golden party in the Spirit Realm, his subconscious realized first that he had become someone who they depended on too. That he was stronger then he realized, so much stronger. His willpower had always been growing, from his dreams where he finally was able to do something against his father, to his ability to speak his mind and put his thoughts into action. And from that, the power of the wish, the thing that empowered all Starfallen, had awoken within him a new ability. Or perhaps he had it all along, but was mentally unable to utilize it till now. This guy...perhaps its because of that reason, but his movements are very straightforward. With most people, their nature was reflected in their attacks and magic. But he was a shade of his former self. Barely even a shade at this point. This made him easier to read. And to a mage, being easy to read was disastrous. "Ozlo, he is making a move". "I see it. I will take the left. You take the right?" "Need any info?" "Nah. Just keep up that spell". "Of course". And unfortunately for the Necromancer, this new ability to "see" worked very well with a type of magic his teacher specialized in. Magic that gathered information. The same he used on Kuroki when they first met, enhancing senses and using the knowledge to gather clues. Kuroki had combined the two with great effect. He wasn''t going to be able to repel dragons with it, or clash with mighty warriors. But as a mage, the ability to see into the magic and souls of his opponents along with being able to enhance that sight would go a long way, should he master it. "Riku, Kaede, I am going to create an opening. Get to the back, and find what we need. Just be careful". "Understood". "Rodger that". Filivellia however wasn''t going to let that slide. As he dodged and repelled Riza''s latest attack, he glared at Kuroki and Ozlo. "Rakiovellia!" "Dragonfyre!" "Deflection Ward!" Ozlo burned through much of the attack, while Kuroki created a special barrier that deflected the rest, sending it right into the forces between Riku, Kaede, and the door. Some were still left standing, however... "Brilliant Flare!" Riku cut through them all, as Kaede backstabbed a few that were just out of range but reacting to Riku''s attack, before they headed through the door. "Ryuu, keep the minions off us. Feel free to release a bit of steam here". "Wait really?!" "Yeah. Go for it". Ryuu looked around as a glint appeared in his eyes. Ozlo looked over at Kuroki. "Exactly what did you mean by that?" "Well, you see, Ryuu is the youngest of us...so to avoid anyone taking advantage of him, and to leave him as a powerful trump card for situations like this, I told him to save his full strength and power. Riza should be aware of it. Riza?" "I am a bit worried about cave ins, but yeah, I know of it" Riza muttered as he launched another attack on Filivellia. Several magic circles appeared around him, and released several beams of light. Filivellia deflected them all, but then Riza appeared right next to him. A giant skeletal hand appeared right out of the wall near Riza however, so Riza was forced to cut through it instead as Filivellia gained some distance. Filivellia briefly looked towards the passage the two others fled down, but then immediately was barraged by beams of light before he could invoke a single spell, incantation or no incantation. Those eyes...so long as he is looking at me, he can read when I am going to cast a spell. The caster was Kuroki again, who was watching him with his newfound ability, enhanced by his master''s magic that he learned. Filivellia unleashed a torrent of magic, but Kuroki deployed shields, which Ozlo then followed through with even stronger barrier magic. And that was when Ryuu unleashed a golden light around himself, his strength and speed increasing as he cut through the undead and the golems with ease. Kuroki fired a few shots at the walls near Riza, right as skeletal hands were about to emerge from them. Right after he cast the spell, but before it fully materialized, Kuroki was aiming for those moments. Ozlo would burn through everything he successfully cast, and Riza was in charge for going after him to keep him from doing anything major like invoking multiple spells at once. Still, this was not a foe they could so easily underestimate. Filivellia had his own plans and schemes after all. He dodged Ozlo''s second wave of Dragonfyre as well as he engaged one of them. "Everyone, he just popped off a hidden spell!" "Tsk. Annoying brat". Suddenly, Filivellia appeared behind Kuroki. "You will die first then". An attack spell that was fast, he invoked it instantly and at point blank range at maximum power. There was no way someone like Kuroki could defend against it, it was simply impossible to react in that moment with a powerful defensive spell. And yet, Filivellia was hit with his own spell instead, despite the clear difference in power between them. His spell had been warded and reflected against, but wards were among the hardest and longest to create of all defensive magics. It would be different if he was using Wardstones, a type of Spell Anchor, but that was not what he did. Don''t tell me...he stored a spell inside of himself?! Spell storage at his age?! But that wasn''t his only problem, as water flooded the ground under him. Kuroki moved his fingers and adjusted, and suddenly the water rose up as he raised his hands and froze as he clenched his right fist, while the left was manipulating still unfrozen water to attack. Filivellia quickly teleported away, but Riza appeared at the teleportation point, as it was marked with a splash of water. Kuroki pivoted his foot around, and several ice spikes and beams of light came at the Undead King at the same time as Riza''s attack. He warded against them all, but then Ozlo appeared on the other side and ignited a wave of Dragonfyre. Filivellia was forced to evade again, but this time he went quite a bit back as he successfully completed another invocation. Behind him, a giant four armed skeleton emerged. That said, it appeared to be incapable of standing up fully, and not just because the room wasn''t so big to prevent it. "You think you can defeat me? That you can slay me?! Did you think that you could beat a god?!" "You are no god...but clearly your mind is still being eaten away". Kuroki readied another spell, as he tapped his True Arcanium, his staff, onto the ground. Ice appeared instantly where it tapped, but then an icewall appeared as a new figure appeared. This was different then the other corpses, Kuroki had barely sensed it in time despite keeping his Sonar on at all times. But this thing didn''t register until the moment it was right next to him. It appeared to be some sort of Shade, a humanoid figure made of black smoke that wielded claws. His wall had just barely stopped it, but the black smoke was something he recognized. Ozlo tried to fire Dragonfyre at it, but Filivellia launched an attack again so his attention demanded him to deal with that first. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "That blasted bird...you are connected to it". Kuroki growled as he launched an attack at it, sending it backwards but only by a bit. "Ozlo, you have any idea what is that thing?" "Not a clue! It looks wrong...it gives me the creeps!" Riza looked at it, and paled a bit. "Thats...what the hell is that thing?!" "Gramps, what was that? Do you know something?" He shook his head. "I have theories, but not ones I can share until I investigate further. But kill that thing fast! Its too dangerous, it will keep corrupting everything!" Ryuu quickly rejoined Kuroki, having trounced the minions enough to leave the rest to Ozlo''s summoned dragons. "That thing...it gives me the creeps. And its digging into my head". "So you noticed it too". The two Starfallen grit their teeth. It was already in their heads, trying to make them submit and stop. To try and make them surrender and kneel. Both of them fought it, but it was a major pain. It wasn''t as bad as the room full of coffins, but it was still rather painful and unpleasant. The pressure that had existed before disappearing suddenly had returned with this thing. Whatever it was, it was clearly linked to them as Starfallen. A piece of the mystery. And even more shocking, no matter how much Kuroki looked at it, he could not discern its magic or nature. It was completely impervious to his new power. It was like it was an unfathomable abyss he could not see the bottom to. Summoning several magic circles, he began to attack with basic offensive magic. It wasn''t much more then pure magic that was fired at the enemy, but that meant he could fire it faster and stronger with no need for an incantation. While quick incantations was something he was still working on, unlike Riku who seemed to master them almost instantly, he was capable of things like this. Especially the more he practiced. "Form a beacon of light to ward off the shadows, show them the benevolence of light and song. From harmony''s path, we meet our fortunes. From kindness to warmth, let us bask in the light and repel the darkness. Sanctuary Square!" While casting the more basic magic, he incanted a spell at the same time and put an area around him and Ryuu of pure light. Not only that, but Compliance weakened while they were inside the square, and the Shade itself weakened as well. As if the light was its enemy, it hissed at them and backed off a bit...and that was when Kuroki struck. A beam of light shot from his staff, piercing it right in the center. Or at least, it would have, if it didn''t seem to almost rapidly relocate to a spot behind them. It wasn''t teleportation, they saw it move. Instead, it was more like that it was a short term rapid movement ability. It seemed to only work in a straight line, for a second, and one couldn''t attack while using it, but it was still quite the threat. Kuroki quickly raised a barrier against its claws, but it started to crack them all the same. Still, thanks to Sanctuary Square, it couldn''t penetrate them completely. And that was when Kuroki pierced it with a bunch of ice crystals, formed from the water at his feet. The entire area was wet now, the floor covered in water. Filivellia noticed this as he appeared behind Kuroki, attacking him the moment he launched his offensive spell. However, that was when Ryuu slashed at him, and Kuroki fired a beam of light into him. Filivellia dodged it, only to get hit by it in the shoulder from behind before it hit another reflective surface and continued its attack on Filivellia. All of the water Kuroki had spread around was frozen now, and Ozlo and Riza appeared on either side of him. The beams of light reflected off of all the water that Kuroki had made, now frozen into ice, so it had become a deadly cage of light. Each attack hurt intensely, and it was weakening him each time. Filivellia teleported away, but as he did something almost felt like it snapped or shattered. He let loose a howl of pain. "What was that?! What did you do?!" As he shouted this, suddenly Riku appeared next to him, swinging his sword around and catching him off guard. Filivellia still dodged, but he put more mana into it then he meant to, and he was somewhat knocked back as Kaede stabbed him in the back at the same time before jumping away. The beams of light from earlier came after him again however, and they continued to harm him. "What the hell...what did you..." "We found your phylactory and smashed it to bits!" "Impossible! No one could find that!" "I used my magic to backtrace it through your strings, not that you seem to have realized them" Kuroki taunted. "My what?" He seemed confused, but still seemed to move instinctively in the confusion. He launched several attacks on all of them, before moving to another spot again and without any invocation, he tried to teleport away. Riku attacked the area he had teleported away from all the same without hesitation however, and that was when something surprising happened. He reappeared and shielded himself from the wide slash that was difficult to dodge. "As I thought. You weren''t really teleporting around. You were actually just projecting illusions while hiding yourself". Teleportation magic was hard, and while it was his homebase, it seemed strange that he would let himself appear so close to his enemies, even if they were predicting his movements. Especially Riza. Unless of course, he had already been there from the start and just couldn''t help it. "That was why that last spell I secretly incanted a part to harm you through a projection. Caught you by surprise there huh?" Kuroki said with a smile. However, it was in that moment that Riza got into position. "Caliomarios, awaken!" Suddenly, an attack went after Filivellia from Riza, but this was different from the last. Riku and Kaede quickly joined up with Kuroki and Ryuu, and stayed inside of the Sanctuary Square as Kuroki deployed more barriers. Filivellia meanwhile fell to the ground, wounded and beaten up, the life and light in his eyes significantly weakened as well. "So wary, even as you deal the finishing blow" Filivellia muttered. "How vexing". Even as he said that, Kuroki only added another barrier. "How sad, you don''t even realize it do you...that you are a puppet, dancing on someone else''s strings" Kuroki mentioned, as Riza and Ozlo remained in battle positions. "What? No I am not! I am the Undead King, Filivellia the great! I shall reclaim what is mine!" "You aren''t even allowed to focus on the topic are you, a way to prevent you from breaking free I am sure. It appears the strings Riza just severed were also supplying you with extra mana, they tried to hide it in the power up though". "No, impossible! No one is powerful enough to..." "Shut it, worm" a voice declared throughout the room. Its coldness sent shivers down the spines of everyone there, and no one was exempted from that. Even Riza became wary. They looked towards a balcony up above, where there was a dark haired handsome gentleman standing there, watching the battle below. He looked to be about thirty at least, and was dashing and mysterious. Still, Kuroki got nothing but a sense of danger from this guy. The man meanwhile looked at them, before his gaze rested upon Kuroki. "You aren''t surprised at all. No, you came in here already expecting me. How did you know?" Although it seemed like a simple question, the atmosphere and aura in the room prevented Kuroki from lying or remaining silence. It was a pressure unlike any other. "The murals. Either the ruins made them itself, or someone came in afterwards and made them. That tipped me off the ruins were not totally in stasis all this time. Furthermore, given the Divifyre, there was no way that fire could have remained in stasis indefinently. But also...we found the room full of coffins. One small vampire escaped maybe twenty years ago, but despite the pressence of coffins, not a single mural depicted vampires. Vampires seem like a pretty major thing, but not a single record despite all the vampires that were sealed? I don''t see how that could be a coincidence. Which meant that someone, or something, else had taken control of these ruins, and were using them instead". "Tsk. I should have hid those better. One escaped though? Interesting, that somehow eluded me" he muttered to himself. "But then, how did you know about the puppet?" "Riza actually gave me an important piece of the puzzle there. It was thanks to his information about Carafax, and we absolutely confirmed it when we fought Filivellia here. There is no way someone could dominate Carafax truly if he was this weak, which means you took control from quite a long time ago...perhaps, the relic he used was not made by him, but given to him by you?" The man laughed, as vampiric wings seemed to appear from his back. "That wasn''t all, was it?" "Of course not. His entire kingdom was in ruins, and yet he had the time and resources to create something like that? That struck me as odd as well, but not as odd as the fact he survived. This is someone who the Demon King had attacked his city with that mysterious city obliterating power. Only a being of immense power could have had his pawn survive, isn''t that right?" Once again, he laughed in amusement. "Excellent! Truly excellent! To think someone finally realized the truth! I had kept myself hidden so well, but it was getting kind of boring you know?" "No, no!" Filivellia muttered, unable to accept the truth. "Yes. You have been my pawn, my minion from the start. It helped that you never even realized it" he said gleefully. "Still, I suppose this means I wont be able to use them to take control of this kingdom now. What a shame. Still, maybe I can still obtain my rewards by finishing you all off now. You should be on your last legs, right?" Everyone glared and braced themselves for a fight. And yet, he took a step back in this moment. "Or perhaps not. As powerful as I am, it appears I ran out of minions. To think that bastard had enough schemes in place to break free the moment he could. Carafax truly is a dangerous opponent. And I would rather not face that one in particular, I doubt he can beat me in strength, but to make it here and sneak around that even I can barely detect him...that is truly terrifying". Wait, what? Just how many people entered aside from us. "Oh well, looks like I can''t honor the deal. It would be a bit too much of a drag, and you lot are way too unpredictable. Besides...I am not a fan of staying in that brat''s eyesight after what I witnessed". He looked right at Kuroki when he said that. "Plus, it looks like some Devil Bitch killed my contact just now, and since my necromancer puppet is also dead, there is no reason for me to take a risk right now. Its a pain you all saw my face, but in a hundred or two hundred years you will all be dead by then, and I can just start something new in that time. Ahhh, I love how short lived you humans are. If we do end up seeing each other again, maybe I will treat you all to a cup of tea. Laters". He then snapped his fingers, and disappeared right in front of them. They all were on guard, but he seemed to actually be gone. "...looks like he left" Riza muttered as he landed on the ground. "I honestly dont like fighting unknowns like that, but I wonder who he meant by Devil Bitch?" "Chianthias is here. She apparently was after the contact. It was so much of a higher priority to her that even when we encoutnered each other alone, she made no effort to kill me". "For real?" "Yeah. But, I still don''t trust her, so lets get topside. But first..." Ozlo scorched the device that Filivellia had, destroying it. At that moment, all the necromatic energy was released. "There, the undead army should be dead now. We can go back". "In the end, we didn''t learn anything about the ones behind the Starfall though" Kuroki muttered. However, Riza shook his head. "No, we learned more then they meant to. That Shade...it was probably made with magic or some other supernatural power, but it wasn''t anything that me or Ozlo could immediately recognize. In other words, they have access to something Otherworldly potentially, or some lost magic. And the Necromancer mentioned that he wanted magic to travel to other worlds right? Assuming the vampire wanted that as well, then that means they triggered the Starfall intentionally. However, whatever it is isn''t a physical method, but a soul based one. Thats not a magic or power one can find easily in this world. If I had to guess, they either know something about the Evil God and the First Demon King, or they have connections to some sort of Eldritch entity. Or...another Otherworlder". Ozlo narrowed his eyes. "That is still a wide net, and full of conjecture". "That is fair, but there is one thing that is certain. They want the Starfallen for something, and are trying to reclaim them. Which means, whatever their plan is, with Compliance, and bringing a city''s worth of people here, it has yet to succeed. Up until now, we were not sure if they had even failed or not. Now, we know for a fact they have". Ozlo had to nod to this point. "In other words, there is something they still want". "And they cant act so openly. That Shade was probably a last ditch effort, but that was all. They likely cant act so openly and freely as they want". "No, that is more than likely. Its certain. They had the power to drag so many people to this world, but not enough to reclaim at least a few of them on their own? I suppose that is just another lesson of how raw power isn''t enough to get you places". Kuroki nodded along with them. "Let us get out of these ruins and back to the city then. Its possible this place might be easier for them to act in, so we shouldn''t linger here". Riza and Ozlo nodded to Kuroki, and the entire group left to return back home.
In a nearby area, Chianthias sighed as black wisps evaporated in her hands. "To think, even I could not get everything about them...but I got enough. I was right to use Ozlo like that, had he turned things around and gotten this information, we would have been at a serious disadvantage. To think, that was part of their objective...no matter, he cant get the information now. Which means, I can finally turn my full attention back to crushing that fourteen year old brat once and for all". She looked towards the sky above, now dark as the sun had set. "And once I deal with him and those Starfallen, preparations against them will be needed to be made next".
Zak let out a sigh. "So the worst outcomes were avoided, huh? And Kuroki even seemed to gain a new ability. Well, did this go the way you wanted, Oracle?" Zak turned to face a boy, or rather, his projection that was in front of him. "Yes. It appears we may benefit from some cooperation, but understand I cant risk this connection too much. Otherwise..." "The Black Dog will appear right? We need to get you out of that tower. It might weaken your abilities, but given how things are rapidly evolving, the situation requires you to have more freedom and adapt". "With my Foresight, we would indeed be able to get ahead of the enemy without a doubt. But neither them, nor the Demon King, seems to intend to do that". Zak looked over at the Oracle, worried. "So the attacks will be starting soon?" "Yes. Which is why I need to warn you. The timing needs to be just right. Too soon, and Chainthias will adapt. Too late, and Chianthias will kill a vital ally. Neither can be allowed to happen". Zak paced around, pondering. "I will handle that, but...if its happening so early, then don''t you..." "Yes. My fate may soon be decided. Listen, it will be at least a year before Kuroki''s father makes it to this kingdom, but thats only based on how things are going now. And it depends on Kuroki remaining alive". "Or his father". "If his father managed to die by that time, we would be living in such a better future, but those odds are low. Besides, some of the growth he needs are there. Well, I can leave most of it to you, since I have to watch over all of the Starfallen after all". The Oracle might be aiding Kuroki, but Kuroki was not the only one he was looking after. There were dozens of Starfallen who could make impacts on the future, and he was trying to aid them all. The fact was, if the Oracle could leave things to Zak, that would actually help him focus on the others. "Then I guess we should all prepare our next moves then. And, Oracle, for what its worth...don''t give up on living". Those words caught The Oracle off guard. "I know you expect to die, and that you would prefer it then to endure your imprisonment any longer. But please don''t. You are trying to help so many, even now. Staying true to the role that imprisoned you. So please, don''t give up on life. Find a way to escape, to live. I am certain of one thing. Help will come for you as well". The Oracle let out a chuckle. "I will keep that in mind, but Zak...you can''t save everyone. There is no way to get me out of this tower before the Demon King''s army arrives to torch the place, and thats provided the Shaded let me live that long, given the interference I put into their plans. So please, know this. Just because you can''t save me, you can''t save everyone, isn''t a failure. Do everything you can, and I am sure that effort will be rewarded. Good luck, Detective". And with that, the Oracle''s projection disappeared. Zak however balled up his hands into fists. "No Oracle. I had far too many bittersweet victories in the police, in my first run. I won''t accept that at all. I know I wont be able to save every single life, but...I wont let the story end without you even giving yourself a chance". Zak turned and began to walk back towards the city. "This time, I am going to be greedy as fuck and take it all". Chapter 60: Calm Days "Thank you for the business!" a young storeowner said as he waved Juno off, who was heading back towards the inn. The last few days had been quite calm, aside from taking jobs at the adventurer''s guild, and they were gaining experience and money at a steady rate. They had been here for over a month now, and they were finding their footing. They had found a variety of reliable contacts, from the guard captain, to Juno''s laundry group, to a young and capable Necromancer who seemed to know more than he was letting on. Not only that, but Juno had a spirit ally he could call on, although he seemed to sleep quite a bit to maintain his energy, in case of emergency. Juno wondered how spirits could sleep, but perhaps it was due to the strangeness of how he was called forth. He was a spirit that formed from a Starfall, and also in some technicality a Starfallen himself, so it was a strange order of events. Furthermore, the people who had been trying to come after them had dwindled recently. Whether they were just running out of minions, or if they finally decided it wasn''t worth the cost, Juno had no idea, but it meant that they didn''t have to worry about ambushes every day anymore. "Going to enjoy some sweet bread, its a luxury we can afford~" Juno hummed as he made his way back to their inn, when he noticed someone was looking right at him. It was someone behind Juno, so he didn''t turn around to get a look and clue him in, but Juno was a bit startled. Where did he come from?! His Starfallen gifts had been helping him to detect and thwart surprise attacks and pinpoint people looking at them. However, this one had totally slipped by his detection until he was within ten meters of Juno. For a moment, he thought his calm days was about to be interrupted, however the individual made no offensive action towards Juno. He was just following him, but it was creepy. Furthermore, the person was making no such efforts to even hide that he was fixated on Juno. It was clearly blatent, and given the level of skill that came from that concealment, Juno wasn''t so confident he could take the man in solo combat. As such, he decided to turn around and look at the man. "...what?" "I thought so! That is you, isn''t it Juno!" The man he was facing had jet black hair and obsidian eyes. His face had a few bandaids on it, and his hair and clothes were a bit messy. Going by his outfit, he was clearly an adventurer who had seen some success, but was still a rookie. His expression was soft and warm, and Juno felt a warm familiarity to it. Naturally, how could he not? It was someone he knew. "Uchida-sensei?" "I see after all these years, you still remember me". "Well, your face is still covered in bandaids" Juno said with a sort of deadpan stare. "Don''t tell me you still haven''t gotten rid of that clumsy streak? Did the classes after mine slack off?" "Ah...you always could be quite harsh, Juno. Well, it was the truth though". "Please don''t tell me you are an actual adventurer. You don''t have the hand eye coordination. Or the foot eye coordination. Kuroki was able to beat you in arm wrestling. You are way too accident prone for a third grade elementary school teacher". "Ahahahaha...this is all true. It seems you have changed quite a bit in some places, but you are not as tall as I expected". "Its a long story. We should probably not stand out in the road to talk. There is a cafe nearby, but just so you know, I already bought bread for me and Reiji, so you are buying". "Ahhh...I see time has not dulled your negotiating edge. No matter, this time you won''t be getting a ride in my car!" "Your car isn''t in this world, and we both know I will still somehow get that out of you anyways" Juno retorted, as the two headed into a nearby cafe. They quickly got settled into a corner, as Uchida got them some tea. He moved a bit more gracefully then Juno remembered, and he now had a sword by his side. Once the two got settled in, Uchida was the first to talk. "Have you found any others yet?" Juno froze for a bit, thinking things through before replying honestly. "I met up with Reiji fast, and I know Kuroki and Akano are somewhere in the region. And...I met up with Riki as well, sort of". The teacher''s face hardened when he heard that. "But didn''t..." Juno nodded. "Aye. Riki came back, half from my own wish, half from his own, although has a spirit guardian rather then a human. Even Wishes have limits I suppose". "I see...I am not sure whether to be relieved or concerned". "Also, I cant go into details on how, but I know of a few others. One however, is inherently hostile to us the moment she finds out. Kanoko Amiya. Also, there are two fourthgraders, but I only know their given names, Riku and Kaede..." "Ah, if they are who I think they are, I know of them. Especially if they get mentioned together". "As well as a second grader called Ryuu". "Ryuu? Would you happen to know if his family name is Takahashi?" "Hmmm, it didn''t come up. Sorry. I don''t know why, but it just feels more normal to use given names around here". "Yeah, I noticed that as well...anyways, Juno. I guess that means you haven''t encountered any third graders yet?" "Sorry, not a one. Why? Looking for your class?" "Well, I am the teacher, so yes. I am trying to find various individuals and build a network, although none of the messages I leave with the guild seem to bear any fruit". "Ah...yeah, we recently learned the messaging system by the guild has been hijacked, although we don''t know by who. When me and Reiji went to approach it, there was already a fuss so we couldn''t get close. Apparently, a few others had already gone in there and fought something. No clue who..." But if I had to guess, it was probably a Starfallen. Juno kept that last part to himself. He wasn''t sure of it yet, and also he realized he was being weirdly open, even if he did recognize the guy. And even if the teacher was fine, it was possible someone else might be listening in. "So, who have you met so far?" "So far just two high schoolers, who were very misbehaved and naughty, and a man in his late twenties or early thirties who seemed rather business savy. Seriously, we are all in the same boat, so we should be working together, not trying to exploit and harm each other". "...you really are unlucky. In more ways than one". "Ahahahaha. How about you? Have you gotten pretty strong?" "A bit. But you must be strong too, to have made it this far already". I don''t sense any malice within him, but I could barely sense him at all until he got close. Is he doing this intentionally, or unconsciously? Or perhaps he is just worried and cautious like the rest of us. Either way, its something to keep in mind. They ended up chatting about trivial stuff for a bit, before Juno decided to make his way back to Reiji casually. Still, Juno wondered just how long these peaceful days would remain. And what was going on with that teacher. Even if the days were calm, that didn''t mean they were worry free. It was like the calm before the storm.
Meanwhile, far away from this kingdom, in the small kingdom of Aiaster to the northwest, there was a port city called Glaim. It was a nice port city, but well away from any of the action at the moment that others were facing, and seemingly entirely unrelated to the woes of the world, whether it be the movements of The Empire or the chaos in the kingdom to the east of them. Three individuals were sipping tea. One was a rather well dressed man, another was a lovely and beautifully dressed women, and the third one was a rather well dressed boy of about fourteen years of age. They were in a wonderful and lovely cafe, watching the ships move in and out of port. "It appears Belial''s long winded plot has finally been foiled within his little ruins, that lazy fool" the boy mentioned, letting out a sigh. "Why do you tolerate that lazy piece of shit, honored elder Razathel" the woman asked the boy, or rather, the ancient vampire lord, one of the original vampires. "I was kind of amused by such a plan. It was kind of clever, but far too slow, and he took a few too many risks then I would like admittedly" Razathel mused, as he watched the tea in his cup let out some steam. "Still, this is quite the unusual situation we have found ourselves in. What do you think, Grand Marshall?" The two looked over at the well dressed man, who simply shrugged. "I think the bigger question is what we will do now. I do not think we can remain idle in this conflict forever". "This is true. Something has shifted. A few of the vampires have gotten unusually restless, moreso then the usual Demon King Awakening. And the mass Starfall...I just can''t help but wonder if one of us were involved. Starfallen Blood is so rich and delicious, isn''t that right Grand Marshal?" The Grand Marshall shook his head. "I wouldn''t know. I don''t feed off blood, certainly not my own". Simon Fitzgerald, AKA the Grand Marshall of the Kingdom of Aiaster, and a Starfallen, said this as he took a sip of his own tea. "I will say, the Royal Family has made a request in accordance with The Pact. They wish for us to try to find and recruit as many Starfallen as we can find, to train their power so we can resist the Empire''s advances". "The Empire plans to advance during the Demon King''s rampage? I don''t recall them being that stupid when I visited them...what was it, fifty years ago?" "One hundred and fifty" the woman corrected. "Ah, thank you Lilian" Razathel replied. He then looked over at the Grand Marshal. "I am surprised they came to us with this though. Our consortium doesn''t typically deal with such perishable goods like people. Does the Empire truly have him so worried so?" The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "There are rumors...that they might have had something to do with the Starfall. That they are planning something big, and using the Demon King emergence as a distraction. Obviously this is unthinkable, even the Empire will suffer damage from this, but they don''t seem to care. They are moving irrationally, and rumor has it, they also have had more gold on the market lately". "Now that I have heard. Someone uncovered a bunch of golden statues, and now are melting them down or just outright selling them" Razathel mumured. "Maybe there is a new player we should be watchful for. Well, whatever. If he is invoking The Pact, then I suppose me and Lilian will play our part. However, we will need an advance". "We just ''executed'' three people for plotting treason, they were trying to smuggle children and sell them to the Empire. You can pick them up at the usual spot". Razathel smiled. "Oh, how fortunate for us that they got caught before they could slip away. I am sure they will make for a lovely few meals". "And what of Belial?" "Hmmm. It appears he plans to take a small nap or at least remain inactive for the next few hundred years, although I suspect he wont be able to keep it up. Observe for now, and we can deal with him if necessary. He isn''t some lower vampire after all, and we should never assume we know all that goes on in his head". "Understood". "Grand Marshal, you may tell your king that I will look into it". "Thank you". "No problem" Razathel said, as he mused inside of his mind. So this kingdom is making a move as well? How juicy.
At the same time, Akano was showing off a bit. However, it wasn''t in battle or through advanced knowledge, at least not the kind you would expect. Right now, Akano was cooking his best dish. Indeed, Akano could cook. And he could cook very well, delicately adjusting flavors based on what he knew of people. And right now, he had determined that Tamaki would greatly enjoy his scrambled egg rolls with beef and cheese in the middle. Well, there was more to it then that, but Akano wouldn''t dare let his recipes leak like that. It was a nice change of pace to do something normal like this as well, which gave him some satisfaction and all that. Of course, their room in the inn didn''t have a kitchen of which to use, which was why he was currently using the kitchen of Armiaas Rell, the vice guildmaster, at the moment. "That table better be set by the time I finish, if either of you want some of this food. And I cooked, so whoever has done the least work will get the majority of the dishes" Akano warned, as Lucilith Rell, Armiaas'' wife, let out a giggle. "That is right. And I am in the clear because I already got all the ingredients, so you better hop to it". "I am on it!" Tamaki quickly claimed, taking to the plate location instantly and beginning to set the table as the vice guildmaster just made it to the room. "Tsk, damnit". "It looks like you get the short end of the stick, dear". "Damnit...I have paperwork to do you know?" "And everyone else is working hard too, doesn''t mean you get to slack off during mealtime". "Especially when we have guests over who are working when they are guests". "Uhg....fine". Armiaas surrendered to the assault on his conscious, although it appeared to mostly be him surrendering to his wife. Either way, Akano was cooking up quite the meal. Of course, this was a dinner meal for everyone, but that didn''t stop him at all. In his own words, "food isn''t meal specific truthfully. Its just labels people assigned to them", and that was that. He wouldn''t accept any refusing or rebuttal, and he was immediately backed up by Armiaas'' wife, so resistance was futile. As for why they were here in the house, after Ciel had vanished, and the Vice Guildmaster had to investigate things, today was the day they decided to explain things to him, but they chose to do it at his home rather then at the guild, where they might run into that one creep. As such, they had ended up staying for around dinner time after giving the vice guildmaster the most lengthy, detail filled answers they could. Of course, there was a lot they did not know, so there was that too. "To think it really was a mass Starfall though" Armiaas mentioned with a sigh. "You know, I think you might be wrong about something. I don''t think the guild message areas were gone after just to keep you all isolated and perhaps identify you. In fact, that was very likely only a side result. Their real purpose...must have been to keep us guildmasters isolated. I think they were probably rewriting any messages sent to and from guildmasters and other guildstaff as needed, to hide the truth about the Mass Starfall and keep things under wraps as long as possible. So this may be far more wide spread then you realized". "Would they really use so much effort and resources just for that?" "Perhaps its because they are not so free in their actions. Perhaps they are bound by some sort of Seal or Oath, or are trying to work discreetly in their own way. Those things...the Shaded, they were not something I had ever seen despite my countless decades adventuring around. Nor have I heard of any of them from my children or grandchildren either. Besides, they have clear weaknesses, and they seem to set up lairs...perhaps because, they have to set up those parallel spaces in order to be able to exert any real power or force, or maybe they need permission or influence from a location''s owner or manager before they can take root in a place" "You think so? Then...all of this, its just for them to take root?" "And to find something. They hijacked a natural occurance in the world and forced it to happen to an entire city''s worth of people. Although, given what iv heard from other Starfallen, it seems they are either incompetant at making choices, they didn''t have much of a choice, or someone else took the choice away from them". Akano looked confused by his words. "What do you mean?" "I met a Starfallen once, decades ago. And he told me of the great cities of your world, with potentially millions of people. New York City, London, France, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Beijing, New Delhi, and other various cities. But instead, they went after a rather small one...that doesn''t really make sense at all". Akano paused for a moment, realizing the ramifications of what was said. It was true. Out of all the cities they could have picked, if they were going for such numbers, then there was really a number of better cities. A lot of them. Of all the ones even remotely in his area alone, there were various ones. Even places like Mikado City and the capital of Hawaii would have been better. But instead, they chose a location that didn''t even have a hundred thousands. It made no sense at all, unless of course, there was some reason for it. "There is no guarentee they would have been able to pick out an individual, could they have been going for one specific person?" "I cant deny that, but to juice it enough to take an entire city when your target is one person? Seems really unlikely, besides they were in a different world. Unless they used Blood Magic or Soul Magic to find someone they were familiar with, it wouldn''t have been possible. And if they did, they could have narrowed the scale to that individual if they were the caster. So no, the caster absolutely wanted to go for something large scale". "Which means they either messed up, or something interferred with them...and the Devils knew about the Starfall before it happened it seemed". Armiaas nodded. "Yes. That is what gave it away. It makes no sense for the Devils to have cast the Starfall, given all their actions so far. But it does make sense if they were the ones who interrupted or disrupted the Starfall somehow. Although, I cannot be sure it was only them. There are still clues missing, but it would make sense. Even if they could not stop it completely, limiting the Starfall by forcing the ritual to target randomly instead of a highly populated city would make sense". Akano finished cooking, and began to serve the good as he processed this information. "So, we weren''t the original targets...some other place was, and we were just collateral damage". Tamaki grimaced. "That...really sucks". "But it explains everything. In which case, the Shaded are minions of whoever is behind the Starfall...and it might be that the Devils are also trying to keep us isolated by intercepting the mail as well, plus it probably helps them identify us. Ironic, since the Shaded and the Devils are apparently enemies of each other, that they both are doing the same thing". Akano finished serving, as everyone began to dig in. "So the Devils are probably intercepting messages in some areas, and the Shaded in the other?" "Yes. They are probably contesting each other sometimes, but it would explain a lot. In other words, we might just be facing the calm before the storm. I suppose we don''t have much choice then...we will need to head for the largest and most important of the Frontier Cities. Azralia. There are a few people there who will be able to help us a lot, including the Guildmaster, who is an X-Ranked Adventurer, as well as a mage that lives there who is an SS-Ranked adventurer, an S-Ranked Adventurer who should probably be higher ranked, and one who might as well be strong enough to be considered an S-Ranked as well. And finally, an A-Ranked Adventurer who might even be S-Ranked at this point, who goes by the name Dragon Caller. If there is anyone who will be able to help us, its them. The issue is...making it to the city won''t be easy. We will have to go around the forest at least, as well as some other obstacles. And I will need to send word to another city in the area that should have forces to spare, the frontier merchant city of Ruthil". "But how will you contact them when they are intercepting messages? Even if ours is cleared up, theirs probably isn''t". "Well, when it comes to Ruthil, I have an idea of who could run the message for me personally...Ciel, you are there right?" At first Akano was confused on why Ciel''s name came up, but then his head popped out from behind the corner. The guildmaster set a place for him as well as some spare food, which lured him to the table. "...how long has he been here?" "I found him before you and got some details from him. He was a lot less in the know then you though". Akano was a bit surprised by this, since he was sure the boy was a Starfallen. Noticably he tried to get a good look at Ciel while he was eating, but Akano was starting to think that hood was enchanted by powerful magic. His face wasn''t visible at all under that hood, and this was a well lit room. There was no way that was normal. "So then, this will be the last time we see Ciel for awhile then" Akano mentioned, causing Ciel to pause. "Thanks for all the help you provided. We will miss you, you know". Ciel nodded at those words, but still seemed to pause for a moment. Tamaki took the next step. "You make sure to take care of yourself okay? You are strong, but we will have the guildmaster with us, so you will be on your own. You need to be careful and take after yourself. And make sure you pack some spare underwear and socks". Ciel listened to all this, and just nodded along, but he seemed to hesitate a bit. He quickly took some more food and stuffed his face, at least judging by the size of the food and his hood, but he was trembling a bit. "Hey now, you wont be gone forever. You will see them again". Ciel nodded as he smiled, meeting Akano''s eyes. "...thank you" a soft, innocent, warm voice spoke, as if it was the pure essence of kindness and hugs itself. "You are welcome" Akano answered on instinct, before realizing right now he could finally see Ciel''s face. It was not a face he recognized, but Akano didn''t know every Starfallen. However, the way he said thank you had an overwhelming amount of emotion rush to him, as if the words themselves carried a level of weight. Ciel hah a soft looking face, but that was not the only thing that was clearly visible. There were some teeth that were rather distinct, and said more then words ever could. Vampiric teeth. "You have a really cute face Ciel" Akano said. Ciel blushed a bit, smiling shyly. "Thanks...for not mentioning that first. It was all anyone ever seemed to do for so long". "No problem. I take it thats why you hide your face?" "Yes. As for my voice...it holds power I never wanted. Even now, its like trying to hold back a tsunami". So, a vampire with a cursed voice... That was why Ciel kept his face hidden and communicated in gestures. "So you don''t know of a cure?" "No, I know of one...but its impossible for any vampire to reach, even the most powerful of elder vampires". "Where is it?" "The very top of the Ivory Tower...The Oracle himself is the only one who can remove my curse". Armiaas grimaced. "Yeah, thats not going to be easy. The Church considers vampires a heretical plague upon people. Probably because while there are exceptions, most vampires anyone encounters are evil". "But...I think I am going to try and give it a shot. Besides, I don''t have anything left to do here now. But be warned, he won''t let you leave before you face him. You will need to have a showdown with that bully". "Understood. But at least for now, we can enjoy some calm days as we prepare...aside from that foreboding incident". One could see some strain on Ciel''s face, probably a sign of how hard it was to hold back his own curse. But at the same time, he was...incredibly chatty. Then again, he learned to communicate in pure body expressions, so maybe that was a sign he was actually quite social. "I will say this though, if you find Riza Luminar in Azralia, let him know that I sent you his way. He should provide you decently with that". Akano flinched when he heard that name. "Wait, Riza?" Wasn''t there a boy there, with Kuroki in the dreamrealm named that? I swear it sounds familiar, but its so hard to remember specifics of dreams, so I guess the dreamworld is the same... "Yeah. Despite looking like a thirteen year old boy, he is pushing 70 or 80 or something and has grandkids". "Wait seriously?" "Yep...ahg!" Ciel clasped his throat, and muttered a word on instinct. "Pain..." In an instant, everyone in the room began to feel pain. It wasn''t a great pain, but neither was it a minor pain. At that moment, Ciel quickly spoke again. "Relief". Instantly, the pain that gripped them all was gone...as if it had never been there to begin with. Ciel just looked at them apologetically, but he didn''t say another word. His expression itself was pained for a different reason. "It appears that is all the aid I can provide him..." Akano''s patron god, Talia, said to him in his head. Talia had been silent for awhile, apparently busy with divine matters, but it appeared he spared enough attention to intervene here. He was the God of Friendship and Light after all. You did? Wait, was he able to hold it back that much because... "It was a small miracle, but I was still pushing it. Worth it though, but...its not a curse I can remove like last time. This is older, ancient. His soul, so young yet so old...who did this to him? Who hurt him so?" The god of friendship said nothing more then that, but perhaps that was all that needed to be said. Not all calm days were happy days after all, as this one ended on a melancholy note. Chapter 61: A Royal Pain While all of that was going on in faraway places, Kuroki and Riku were using the training room to test and hone their magic and fighting skills. The latest expedition into the dungeon had shown they are still woefully underprepared. It wasn''t even a matter of strength or skill even, it was a matter of experience. Plus, Kuroki needed to test the new ability he had awakened. To be frank, he wasn''t even sure when he awakened it. It sort of just happened and he naturally went into it. When he thought about it, as much as he loved magic, he also weirdly got into that easily as well. He wondered if the Wishes had anything to do with it, although Amyris mentioned that his Grimoire seemed to be acting unusual as well. Speaking of which, Amyris didn''t want them going on any jobs for a bit. That latest incident had him worried and in a fit, and since then he had been giving him, Riku, Kaede, and Ryuu various lessons, although Ryuu got most of his instructions from Riza actually. It made sense, since those two seemed to have similar fighting styles and abilities. Ozlo meanwhile was trying to clear a huge chunk of paperwork hell so he would be free to assist more, complaining that he might just burn it all down if the overtime hell got too strong, for which Vanessia chided him and said that minors were not allowed to work overtime, even if he barely was one at this point. Apparently, they were hiring more receptionists too, so that would reduce his workload. As the Sub-Guildmaster, Ozlo had a lot of other duties he needed to do anyways. Furthermore, they couldn''t leave an A-Rank as young as him tied to a desk anyways. Perhaps all of that was why they seemed to let him go out so much when there was trouble that needed to be crushed. But that wasn''t the only issue. Valiance had been making waves, gathering influence and power lately. His son, Gathik, also seemed to have it out for them, due to some weird hatred and rivalry he had with Riza, Ozlo, and the entire Luminar family. It seemed like they might also be doing something shady in the background, and Amyris was concerned there was a risk they teamed up with Sebas, the Guildmaster of the Mage''s Guild, who was still under covert investigation and observation. Ozlo''s uncle, Riza''s son, was a receptionist in that guild, and was currently monitoring him, along with a few others. This had all prompted Amyris to accelerate their training a bit as a result, which was why Kuroki was currently working on layering. It was the act of putting spells over another. Even as he incanted one spell, he would create the spell formula for another, and hide it within the spell. For more simple layering, he could even just directly manipulate the mana itself if he was familiar with both spells enough, but that would only let him layer simple spells. Even if he did both incantation and mana manipulation, the mana manipulation would be a simple effect, while the incantation would be the more advanced and powerful one. For Mage''s, it wasn''t raw magical power or Arcaniums that were their greatest assets, but wit and deception. A weaker mage could easily unravel the spell of a far more powerful mage if he could figure out its composition and nature and affect it before it completed its effect. Of course, mages could make their spells incredibly stable and durable to prevent that, but that would take away from its power and might be easier to defend against. It was also possible that if they were extremely skilled, they might find another way to counter it. An all purpose counter spell did not exist, but one could create one based on what the spell was and what it did. That was why layering was an important aspect for a mage to learn. By doing so, one could hide a spell inside of another. It was difficult though, and one had to make sure the spells did not unravel each other or conflict in any way that could be disasterous, which is why Kuroki needed practice. "So, how well is it going?" Amyris asked as he entered the room. "Only about half my layered spells blow up in my face now" Kuroki declared proudly. "That is much better from a few days ago already, when they all blew up in your face". "Some of them are such big explosions they blow up in my face too though" Riku muttered. "Well, thanks for enduring. How are you doing anyways?" "I think I am getting a handle on the fire, but the other parts are giving me issues. I am not a natural at it like Kuroki is, but I made some progress. Plus, I think my endurance has gotten better as well, because I can handle more Brilliant Flashes then I used to be able to". "Good to hear. The next time we face Chianthias, she wont hold back. I have no idea what she is up to, or why she is after Starfallen still, but we can''t let her win or underestimate her...not again". The two nodded, understanding his determination. Anna was still petrified in stone, trapped by her own curse and spell. She did it out of desparation, so she wouldn''t have to kill any of her friends, and they wouldn''t have to kill her. "Also, you haven''t been playing around too much in the examination room right?" That was what he called the room Anna was in sometimes. The two shook their heads. "We went into it a few times to check, but that is it". "Well, I found pebbles and whatnot on the ground inside the room and on the door right outside for the past few weeks now, and its been tracked elsewhere as well. Please be more careful". "Sorry". "Our bad". Amyris nodded at the two, accepting their apology. "In any case, just keep that in mind in the future. I dont want to risk someone slipping or accidentally damaging something, especially Anna herself". "Speaking of damage, Ella sent of a new set of clothes for Anna while you were away. Something about her needing something to wear. She even begrudgingly made underwear that Anna liked instead of something girly, in hopes that maybe it might somehow trigger her to break out somehow. We left it on a table in the room. And Riza came by and sharped the sword she was holding again". Only her body turned to stone, not her clothes or weapon. The clothes had degraded long ago from the various tests and magic done, and the weapon no one could remove without breaking off her hands, which they did not want to do for risk that it would kill her should she ever be restored. As such, the sword was carefully left as is in her hands, suspended in a way to make sure the weight would never cause strain on the stone, without removing it and damaging anything. And Ella apparently sent new clothes occasionally, although Amyris also felt guilty and bad and seemed to make them disappear out of sight or such. But he hadn''t been here the last time they visisted, so they had just accepeted them and put them in the room. "Yes, I saw...she always said it was bothersome to get dressed around the house when she would be staying inside all day, despite being rather active in the end even she had days where she wanted to laze about. What a troublesome apprentice..." Even though he complained, he looked rather sad and melancholy. Then he looked up again, with a fire in his eyes. "Still, I asked a friend I know to look into a new option, so maybe a new lead will come to light" he mumbled to himself. He then looked at the two of them. "Keep up with training and improving yourself. Layering will save your life one day, you need to master it as soon as possible. Chianthias learns from all her failures. The next time we face her, she will account for everything you did in the ruins. Frankly speaking, in the next battle, I doubt we will be able to get away without at least one of us dying. She knows our allies, our positions, she probably knows our schedules at this point. And...she knows of our enemies". "You think she will use Valiance and Sebas against us?" "I am sure she will. Valiance would be child''s play for her to manipulate, and Sebas she could easily tempt with dark knowledge from the Devils and Demon King regarding magic. Plus, Sebas is surely looking to stamp us out as a threat after we raided the Elven facility he co-opted. Only low ranking trash to be sure, but annoying all the same". "Low ranking?" Kuroki asked. "There are nobles with far, far greater influence and pull, with far more connections and far harder to detect dastardly plots. Valiance has become desperate, and are not all that great actors truly. Make no mistake, their only winning point is being able to hide his corrupt and deplorable nature from the rest of society, and there are those that do it much better then them. There are corrupt nobles with contacts among much higher ranked criminal organizations, and assassins who would do well. Some may even be capable of infiltrating my house''s magic, although it wouldn''t be easy. We may not have any critical evidence, but we sure have gotten quite a bit suggestive evidence. Far more then a normal noble would leave around so easily. I mean, we haven''t even truly investigated anything yet beyond that facility because of everything else that has been going on, and searching for other Starfallen. It would be one thing if we ran a proper investigation, but we have not had the time to do that yet". This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Kuroki could see what Amyris meant. Typically, they wouldn''t have reason to suspect unless they had some clues or evidence at least. Well, they could theorize, but thats a different matter entirely. Although Valiance made sure they didn''t have any hard evidence, it wasn''t like he kept himself out of being suspected at all. "In truth, I wouldn''t be surprised if Chianthias or someone else was already behind the fact the Valiance''s haven''t been caught yet. Its without a doubt weird...unfortunately, even now I don''t have time to look into it". "Because you need to make regular trips into the forest?" "Yeah. The thing that sealed within the depths is really quite brutal. Both me and the guildmaster check on it, because if it ever got close to town, that might just be it. Azralia may not survive what would come next". "Surely, it can''t be worse than a Demon King" Kuroki noted, but Amyris shook his head. "The main threat of the Demon King is its strange abilities, mental corruption aura that seems to passively effect random people across the entire world, and the fact it can lead all the Devils and Demons. The fact it has immense magical and physical abilities is a problem too, but...there are things that are even more powerful and dangerous. Hell, one was once forcibly relocated to the place the Demon King incarnates to, which gave us a few hundred years of peace long ago, and let people build up quite a bit. But that''s not something that can be done easily, it could take thousands of years for the right conditions, creature, people, and resources to come together for that". "Right....so what is this thing you need to be wary of?" "Apparently, a prince is coming to town. The fourth or fifth I think? A twelve year old boy who apparently is quite talented. He wants to meet all the various important and notable people in town, so that means I have to go to the guild and deal with that. Make sure you don''t leave the city today, everyone is going to be too distracted by this royal visit, Chianthias might take advantage. Of course, she might also try to have the prince killed, and even make one of us do it". "Ah, that does sound like a hassle". "Yeah. So be extra careful today. A prince arriving in a frontier city? Uhg...its going to be a huge amount of assassins to deal with. Professional ones too. If anyone from Blank appears, who knows what might happen". "Blank? Why does that sound familiar?" "We probably reviewed it before. Its the name of a large scale criminal organization. They don''t go by any identifying name or symbol, and some think it might even be a fairy tale. Since it has neither of those things, its annoyingly and notoriously difficult to track. After all, how do you chase an organization with no name to use when searching, no symbol to look for when searching, and they are adept at going undetected, erasing any evidence if they even left any in the first place, and silencing any connection to them. So yeah, we have a lot to cover today. As such, you really need to try and avoid trouble today". "Kay. In that case, can we have some money to go on a food tasting spree?" "Done". Amyris tossed them a bag with some coins in it, and then headed out. Riku however seemed puzzled. "Was Amyris distracted? Those pebbles and dust have kinda been around since we got here in that room, and down here in general. Pretty sure he is tracking it in". "Maybe? We take our shoes off at the entrance after all. Well, he is really busy, so lets leave that for much later". The two nodded at each other, and decided to go pick up Kaede and Ryuu and enjoy a lot of yummy food today.
At the same time, Ozlo was currently behind held back by Vanessia. "Come on, just let me burn it a little!" "Ozlo, no! Come back to your senses!" "Do these idiots think I am made of time?! Valiance, so help me..." "Ozlo, calm down!" The source of this feud was a bundle of documents currently on the desk in the reception area, where Ozlo usually sat. The other adventurers seemed to be ignoring or steering clear, showing some consideration, while Ozlo was fuming. "Lets burn it all! Lets burn all paperwork down! See how they like that!" "Don''t give into Valiance''s schemes! You know better then that!" "But this is absurd! Cruel! Abusive! I think its the bane of office workers everywhere! The bane of receptionists everywhere!" The huge stacks of paper were all various request forms, verification forms, interview schedules, not to mention reward adjustment documents. It''s not even just for the road the prince is arriving on and leaving on, its for all of them. Each one with far more paperwork then necessary. "This may not be Valiance, but assassins who are warry of you as the Dragon Caller also". "Grrrrrr....stupid assassins, stupid royal visit, that''s it! I am burning it all! We never got them!" Vanessia proceeded to hit Ozlo on the head and pinch his nose, which seemed to snap him out of it. "Ahhh...sorry about that". "No, its no wonder. You had to be reaching your limit. You have to worry about greeting the prince when he arrives right?" "Yeah. My grandfather is going as representative as Order of the Silver Wind, and given Sebas, my uncle cant represent us. My father is out on business in another city, my mother is dealing with a curse inflicted upon my younger brother by a rival family, my older sister is currently away training because she is annoyed her younger brother is a higher rank then her, my other older sister is currently assisting the guild with a survey of some lands, and my older brother is busy on an expedition inside of uncharted lands gathering rare ingredients, so right now I have to be the one to greet him". "As usual, your family takes on way too much work. Which is why...you are taking a day off today. I have recruited a bunch of guild members for a special quest to deal with the hellpile, so you go relax and do whatever you want on your days off so that you can deal with the prince properly when he arrives this afternoon". "Ah, you sure?" "Yes. Go relax now" she said, as she literally kicked him out of the guild. A barrier appeared over the guild immediately after, which specifically would keep Ozlo and Ozlo alone out for the whole day provided he didn''t try to burn it and the guild itself down. "Ahhhh...I guess I got a bit crazy. Well, its good to take some time off as well" Ozlo said as he got to his feet. He put his hands behind his head and proceeded to casually walk down the street. He started to humm a tune, as he soaked in the sunshine and decided to traverse the town aimlessly. In truth, between the Starfallen, the awakening of the Demon King, and other aspects, Ozlo hadn''t had a lot of time off. Originally he was only supposed to help out at the guild part time while they were understaffed, but that had ended up going further then originally meant to for quite a bit. That said, a bunch of receptionists were just about finished with training, and so perhaps his busy streak was near an end. The corrupting in the guild had been cleaned out, and everything was nice and organized again. "Hmmm. Maybe I should take up some requests then. I am sure there are some bounties that need completing, we have so few high ranked adventurers as it is, and I have been sidelined for way too long". While pondering such things, he ended up running across a group he didn''t expect. "Zak? Kylie? And Lilith too? What are you all doing together?" "Ozlo? What brings you out here?" "Ahhh, some harassment happened, I threw a fit, Vanessia called in reinforcements and then kicked me out, telling me to take the rest of the day off till it was time to greet the prince". "Ahhh...yeah, that sounds like what would happen today" Zak muttered. "Still though, to think you actually did leave. I guess that means you have overcome a lot of hurdles successfully". "Yeah...so, what are you three doing together?" Kylie nodded. "I proctored Zak''s rank up exams. Thats how we got to know each other. And Lilith here said she needed a break from the Mage''s Guild audit". "Yeah. Sorry we haven''t seen much of each other lately, but the audit is driving me crazy. You would think for a guild that has a library in it, they would fill out forms properly. And have legible handwriting. I am convinced the reason we keep losing arcane and magic secrets is because Mage''s cant write a legible sentence to save their own lives". Lilith was a sixteen year old girl and incredibly talented mage. She went with Ozlo to the Royal Academy, but didn''t skip as many grades as him so it took her longer to graduate. Still, she did skip grades, which indicated her overall ability to be well above the average. "I wasn''t aware you knew either of them Lilith". "Yeah. I tried to get in touch with you a few times, but you were always busy. Kylie here offered to help me out. And Zak, bless his little heart, is indispensable for me. Seriously, can I have this kid?" she said as she grabbed Zak, hugging him from behind and resting her head on top of his. "His investigation skills are absurdly high, he has a great mind. Thanks to him, we have been able to make a lot of progress on the audit, and discrepancies that even I would have missed have been found". "Just a few days ago, we discovered that one mage has been embezzling funds that were being embezzled by someone else. Double embezzlement! And another guy was selling Wardstones. Now, they were actually wardstones, but they were of much lower quality then they appeared, so still fraudulent". "Seriously?" Ozlo asked with a shocked expression. "I suppose they at least did a decent job of hiding their crimes, but that seems really blatant...and wait, if you caught them in the middle of a sale, does this mean they tried to do it while the guild was being audited? Seriously?" Ozlo was having difficulty comprehending such stupidity. They at least tried to have a lower quality instead of just selling junk, but to do it while an audit was going on? That was absurdly stupid no matter how you look at it. "How many arrogant mages have festered under Sebas?" "I think he did it on purpose, to hide his tracks. But enough with that! You are all off! I am off! Let''s make a day of it! Let''s head to the area with all those scammers and use our skills to win the games anyways, reducing them to tears!" "Oh! That sounds fun!" Zak jumped in, excited. "We could test and see who can figure out the correct way the scam is done the fastest!" "A competition like that sounds both fun and very much like a vacation. I am in. How about you Ozlo?" "Yeah sure. I haven''t nearly had enough fun lately, and watching people like that get crushed would be great stress relief". "Then we are all in agreement! Lets do this everyone!" Lilith said with a raised fist. "Yeah!" """Yeah!""" If the people who ran rigged games and scams heard this, and knew who those four were, they would probably already be evacuating...but they had no such organized unity or organization. So only tears and despair awaited them.
At the same time, a different group was making their way towards the city. All of them appeared as ordinary people, of various ages and backgrounds. The only exception was that they were all adults, and not a single child was among them. That and all of them had that same focus and thought in their eye, as they were looking through various papers. "The prince arrives later today. We are to make sure everything is set up by then. Does everyone understand their objectives and priorities?" The group nodded to the carriage driver in front, who had asked this of them. "Good. Then you all know what you need to do. Make sure you complete your tasks and uphold the mission, whatever the costs". "What about this list of secondary objectives? Should we truly be concerned about this group?" "Take no chances, engage in no half measures. Complete if you get an opening, but not at risk of exposure. The primary objective must be completed, at all costs". "Understood". And so, this shadowy group approached the city as well. Chapter 62: Festivities "Alright, what is next on the list?" Kuroki asked everyone, being the oldest member of them. The group of them were currently walking around town, tasting the various foods and enjoying other sights. They had been working very hard lately, and given everything that happened, this was a necessary break for them. And after everything they had gone through together, they all had formed strong bonds after watching each other''s backs. The city of Azralia was a city in the heart of the frontier, one of its greatest strongholds and footholds into a region that was eaten up by time. Well, time, a Demon King, and a necromancer who was actually the puppet of a powerful and ancient vampire. Needless to say, it was all rather much, and Kuroki''s head was starting to spin. So this was a good way to refresh themselves also. The streets themselves were packed. The sky had only started to darken, although it seemed that sunset took at least twice as long here for some reason as it did in their own world. Something about the mana obscuring light, causing the skies to darken earlier then they should, but also making for fantastic sunsets. The four of them had decided to go and sit upon the west wall tonight after raiding a few food places, and watch the glistening golden sun set beneath the horizon line. Thanks to the city walls, which helped protect the city from goblins and other monsters, it was difficult to see a sunset in Azralia unless you went up high. It appeared that there were quite a large amount of people setting up various stalls for games and other activities as well. Apparently, any time royalty visited anywhere, it always drew crowds, and there were also the crowds of servants and guards that accompanied them. Nobles also tended to flock to these places, with their own servants and guards. Merchants would flock as well, to try and get great deals. Any traveling performers in the area would therefore also go there, since increased crowds meant increased profits for them. There were probably other factors as well, but Kuroki wasn''t an expert on it. He just knew what Kaede heard from Ellie, who deals with said merchants hounding her every single time this happens. "Anyways, I was told we should avoid any stalls that sell magical or divine energy infused objects, since almost all of them are scams, and any that aren''t would be lesser then the gear we have right now most likely". "I swear, festivals are the same regardless of world. Scammers always rigging games" Riku muttered, a sharpness in his tone. It seemed he had a bad experience with festivals in the past. Already, there were all sorts of lanterns, both paper and metal, decorating the streets, keeping everything well lit already even though there was still plenty of light and visibility left. Still, it would help dissuade crime. Kuroki himself had warded all of their pockets anyways, and then Amyris had supercharged them a bit, so woe to the pickpocket that tried to steal from them tonight. They would not meet a happy fate, that was for sure. This, among other things, was Amyris way of helping them out. Even with the various magical and supernatural effects that had been infused into their brains and minds, all the combat and stress lately had taken their tolls on the four of them. So this was the adult''s consideration to helping them destress and relax for a change. Granted, they couldn''t relax too much and risk being unprepared or under trained for when a real fight began. According to Amyris, they had yet to fight anything alone that was a serious threat. ANd so, they were hitting the town. With all these festivities, there was plenty to enjoy and see. "Come on, I heard this place up ahead has some of the best pastries in the city". "Oh, Riza took me there after arriving in the city!" Ryuu shouted, drawing in Kaede''s attention. "Ah, is that where he got those weird shaped croissant like things?" "Yep!" Kuroki nodded at the two. "Alright, lets try out some of their food then". As they headed over, the sweet smell of pastries wafted into their noses. Their delectable taste, the smell of freshly baked break, enticed those who caught a wiff of it. Like moths to a flame, they were drawn in by the alluring enchantment of freshly baked break. However, that was when they ran into a familiar face. "Wait, you...you are the kids Amyris is looking after?" "You...are that really nosy gateguard, Desris?" "...you could at least say thorough instead of nosy. Right, it was Kuroki I believe right?" They came across the female guard who had been the gatekeeper when Kuroki first arrived at the city. She had been kind of forceful with him after he accidentally repelled her magic. "Well, you did totally overreact". "Shut up! That is standard practice for the southern gate?" "Why?" Kaede asked, having entered through a different gate. "Because dangerous magical artifacts and monsters who can disguise themselves as people try to enter through that gate. Thanks to the ancient seal that keeps something incredibly dangerous sealed away down there, the forest has all sorts of crazy magic in it. Honestly, you are lucky the Magician of the Silver Hour was with you kid, and he vouched for you. It could have been worse...and frankly, you could have easily died in that forest". Kuroki remembered the orcs they came across. In a good number of fictions he had heard of, Orcs had quite the libedo, but that wasn''t the case for Orcs of this world. While they could use people for increased breeding, that was just to increase their numbers, and they were far more likely to kill. People were their enemy, and they would sooner kill them and get them over with, unless they had use for hostages or were trying to build numbers, but the latter only happened when they had someone powerful enough to be a leader for them. Orcs were created as shocktroops by the Evil God. They were designed to slaughter, kill, and keep their numbers up as they slaughtered and killed. Even with the Evil God dead, their instincts had been programmed into their DNA, and their intelligence actually made the influence on them stronger. Beast-types could be subdued, and even tamed, but not humanoids. Either way, that wasn''t really important at the moment. "Given everything that has been going on, if you are so dutiful, shouldn''t you be at your post still" Kuroki jabbed. He could hold grudges for a long time. "Even guards need breaks, otherwise how else can we catch delinquent children who cause nothing but trouble?" "I do hope you are not referring to the incident downtown, perpetuated by the failure of you having quality, unbribable guards to prevent those criminals from going after us and forcing us to defend ourselves, as trouble?" "Oh, I was thinking more about the fact your spells have been generating enough noise complaints to drown us in paperwork, making us unable to keep normal patrols". "Considering I practice underground, in a sound proofed room, warded to the heavens, that would be quite impossible. Maybe you should actually do your job, standabout". "You picking a fight with me, runt?" Riku and Kaede, who were watching this go on, were a bit shocked. Kuroki wasn''t the hostile type normally, but clearly these two were water and oil. They did not mix. ANd while their tensions were flared, a few ruffians had decided to approach them. After all, Kuroki looked like he could be in elementary school, and Desris was a woman, so it appeared these guys believed them to be easy prey for a shakedown. Also, thanks to Kuroki''s hair he could be mistaken as a girl far more easily. It was still impossible to cut thanks to the ritual and the fact he had gotten exposed to an intense amount of magic, had seemingly fortified itself further. He had at least managed to trim the edges a bit to make it look neat however, and used hairclips to keep it out of his eyes. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Kaede and Riku locked eyes, and the 40th 10 year old conference was immediately had and concluded immediately in that look. "I will put ten coppers on unconscious but not too badly harmed". "Given Desris'' personality and profession, I am putting my money on awake but roughed up". "Nah, I say they run away after pissing themselves". Ryuu joined in on their bet. The safety of their friend and the guard, you ask? The idea of them getting harmed didn''t even cross their minds. For better or worse, this was a festival, and lots of people came to them. Including bad apples. Then again, perhaps given the fact they were betting on how their friend would deal with these ruffians, perhaps they would be considered bad apples as well now, corrupted by the ethics of this world. "Hey now, lovely lady, little girl, how about you come and play with us..." "Frost Nova". "Flare Gideon". In an instant, all of the ruffians had their legs frozen to the ground, followed by Desris summoning a bunch of swords made of light into the air around her and having them hit the ground right in front of the ruffians. All of this without Kuroki or Desris even looking at them. "See brat? You are a trouble magnet?" "Oh, I am the trouble magnet? You sure about that? If you are such a capable guard, why did they stick you on the southern gate exactly?" "Guards actually are supposed to seek out and deal with trouble, adventurers just gather ingredients and hunt monsters". "Oh, so we actually provide a useful service and stop problems before they happen, while you go around dealing with problems that you already let happen?" Yes, the two were still bickering even after dealing with the ruffians. The crowd nearby, who saw this, began to laugh. Some believed this was a show, an act being put on for entertainment. Others realized immediately these ruffians were outclassed, and those who had planned to intervene sheathed their weapons, realizing the only threat was if the ruffians somehow managed to piss off the two and get themselves injured. The ruffians however, seemed to become enraged after being embarrassed by such a thing. "You...you think you can mess with us, you two?!" "Woah...he is checking all the cliche boxes!" Riku observed, having taken out a card he had made. Ryuu and Kaede had similar cards. "And thats another square for me". "Come on, come on...draw weapons in a public space like idiots" Ryuu pleaded. "Tsk, why wont they brag about themselves yet?" Kaede moaned. Yes. They were playing bingo with this encounter. Kuroki glanced over and sighed. I can''t believe Riza made something so asininely stupid for us...or that its actually getting used right now. Yes, it wasn''t them who made this, but it was Riza. As expected of someone prone to doing entirely stupid and useless things most of the time, Riza made various encounter bingo cards for them, and even made special bingo cards for tonight. Still, he was also kind of their hero, so Kuroki had held in as many of the retorts as he could. Especially when he heard they were Anna''s idea at first. Seriously, Anna? Kuroki questioned if that girl was even sane, as he continued to glare down Desris. Meanwhile, the ruffians finally pulled out knives and daggers. "You will regret antagonizing someone as great as myself! You should have come with us while you had the chance!" Kuroki might have cast a spell right then and there, but he was distracted by Ryuu and Kaede cheering at making progress on their bingo cards. Incidentally, Kuroki had one as well, but you weren''t allowed to do it for your own encounter since you could guide it towards a bingo of your own. Riza mentioned that would be cheating. It also put anyone at a disadvantage if they went first, so picking fights wasn''t ideal either. Either way, Kuroki sent lightning through the ice and zapped them all. However, they were surprisingly sturdy, as they remained conscious, as Desris drew her sword and put it against the leader''s throat, while flaming blades appeared at the throats of his men. "You should know better than to antagonize a member of the city guard on their day off". "And especially know better than to antagonize a mage". Mana began to leak out of Kuroki and swirl around, becoming visible. Meanwhile, Desris produced an aura so intimidating, that combined the guys all wet their pants and ran away. Well, maybe not all of them, but no one wanted to really check, and Ryuu wouldn''t allow any other interpretation despite the fact they had all been wearing dirty, dark colored pants already and in theory it was impossible to be sure. "Nope, its my win! I win the bet!" "Uhg, fine!" "You were the closest anyways...I was so sure they would get annoyed and knock them out". The ten year old duo gave Ryuu his winnings as the bread they were waiting for was finally ready. Fresh out of the oven, filled with cream, and flaky like croissants. They were straight and not curved though, but otherwise it was basically the same thing, but a bit larger then the average croissant. With food, even Kuroki and Desris stopped fighting and the five of them ate in peace.
Once they were done, they went different ways from Desris (or rather, Kuroki and Desris made sure to walk away in opposite directions) and they were on their way to another shop. This one was in a slightly more expensive part of the market, but there were plenty of stalls and prices were a bit down to help encourage purchasing and business, to draw more people in and therefore gain more attention from any nobles or royalty, or those with connections to them, more easily. "Our next target is a sweets store". "Ah, is that the place that Ozlo goes to a lot?" "Yeah. He is the one that recommended it to us. Said the sweets helps his brain work better when he is dealing with annoyances". "That tracks with him". As the four of them dreamed about the various sweets they might try, enough to make any dentist scream in agony and despair, they soon came in sight of the shop. The windows were filled with a delightful amount of images, all of various sweets. Chocolates, caramels, hard candy, lolipops, and everything inbetween. It was truly an amazing sight, and yet... "...I thought otherworldly food didn''t sit with their taste buds?" Kuroki wondered. "Maybe this world invented it as well, on their own?" Kaede indicated. "I think it was mainly the condiments and spices that were said not to go well. And sea food". "...Riku, I think your own biases are showing up in that last one". The four had such aimless chatter as they approached the shop, only to see a sight that could only be described as dangerous and foreboding. "Ozlo? And Zak? And you are that one guy we met during the Goblin War, the one who took the Goblin King''s head!" "Oh, Kuroki, Riku, Kaede, and Ryuu. I see you decided to take advantage of the festivities as well?" "Yeah. By the way, your grandpa..." Ozlo rolled his eyes. "Save it. He gave them to us as well". "Right. Anyways, what is going on here?" At the moment, Zak was engaging in what appeared to be a festival booth where one would shoot down the prizes they wanted to win. The booth was on a side alley of the street, and you had to pay a coin per shot. This one reeked of being a scam, and yet it wasn''t Zak that was frusterated and in tears...it was the booth owner. This was because Zak was successfully knocking down every high priced item one after another. "So...this is your idea of relaxing, huh?" "Well, it is very enjoyable" Ozlo said sheepishly. "Its Zak''s turn right now. I already made the cup guy run away in tears". "So where did he hide it?" "Ball was magnetic, cup had a toggleable magnet base and a spell to form a false bottom". "And how did you make him cry?" "I burned out the magnet with a discreet and precise use of Dragonfyre". "Of course you did. And burned through the magic too I am guessing". "Yep". Ozlo said that with zero regret or hesitation at all. It was kind of terrifying. "So you came to try out the sweets as well?" Kuroki nodded to Ozlo''s question. "We are on a food tour right now. Figured might as well try various tasty treats. We hit up that bread place Riza told us about before, as well as a hotdog place, and something that looked like beef jerky but thicker, freshy, and absurdly tasty". "We avoided one kebab stand though, because it smelled kinda weird and I think they had bought ''discount meat''". "Ahh...I heard that place changed hands recently, that''s too bad". As they chatted, the stall owner seemed to collapse into tears as Zak came over, his arms full of his haul of prizes. The prizes in fact looked like they might rebel against him and consume him, that was the amount he had won. It looked like he got everything that was on the top shelf. "Ozlo, mind if we make a stop at my inn real quick?" "Sure, I am good with it. No problem. Well, see you all later Kuroki". "Um, Zak, just to be clear...you know some of that stuff is fake right?" Kuroki was not an expert, but one of the bracelets that appeared golden with a ruby in it...was just golden painted, and it was colored glass. "Yeah, I know. The guy was ripping people off big time. But hey, I might find a use for all this stuff". The mage gave another look at the towering stack. "...by any chance, are you a hoarder?" "No! How could I possibly be a hoarder and an adventurer who travels all over the place?! I just like having stuff in case it ends up being useful, ill sell it for gold before I leave". "Riiiiight...not sure how much you will get, but sure". Zak pouted a bit. "I am the adult here you know?" "Adults don''t pout!" "We totally do! Adults are just children who hide it better!" "I feel like you just contradicted yourself in a big way!" "Whatever, I am the adult, I am right, you are the teenager, you are wrong, now excuse me we have loot to drop off". And so Zak left with such a statement, causing Kuroki to twitch a bit. "That...that is such a mean and asshole thing to do! And entirely unfair!" Riku proceeded to start dragging Kuroki into the shop before he started incanting a hex spell. "Come on, lets cheer us up with some sweets". "Fine..." Kuroki decided to relent, and the group headed inside the sweets shop to enjoy themselves. And so, the revelries continued.