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  1. Nurman

    Nurman ( ಠ∩ಠ) [Retired Ton]

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    Well I did say that this could take a few months, please thank @FuRen for pushing this months ahead of schedule.

    Short Story: A Pre-Prelude to a Bloody Banquet (Post-North Mountain's Ice Golem Raid)
    --- One Week after the North Mountain's Ice Golem Raid ---

    - At a tavern somewhere in the Great Plains -

    On a night like another night, an old but maintained tavern stood alone bathing under the moonlight. Although it barely stood out against the backdrop of the rolling plains, the noise and atmosphere coming from it were anything but serene. Upon entering this ageing establishment, one would usually expect the smell of rotting timber and stale alcohol, yet against expectations, one senses were instead bombarded with exotic spices and fragrant alcoholic spirits. In contrast to the cold and tranquil exterior, where mighty steeds and awe inspiring carriages lie still, the interior was a hub of vibrant activities.

    Eating, singing, gambling, dancing and drinking, disregarding all of the accustomed prejudices, this place brings out the excitement of diversity. A place where a noble elf can be seen drinking and discussing literature with a young hobgoblin, a beastman wooing a merfolk and hobos throwing money around like kings. This crazy place was the illusive Twilight Tavern, a place that fades in and out of existence, only to appear just beyond the horizon to those who are fated.

    At this time by the tavern counter, the gentleman who seemed to be the owner and bartender, was getting harassed by a child half his size. The child over enthusiastically rambled on about her prior achievements, "... so then I WHAMED! him, then KABAOW! the sword went flying off..." Nodding to the child that laid spread out on his counter, he continued to listen has he shook his signature Fall from Paradise martini cocktail. To the regulars, this wasn't an uncommon sight, this little fox-kin had always seemed to be able to find this tavern with little to no effort. So rather than blaming fate, everyone eventually just gave up.

    Unfazed by the crowd's unanimous acceptance, moving her arms to cushion her head and crossing her leg, she casually confirmed, "and that's why explosions are the best! It's a real shame that Aeternus' buildings are low quality..." Dropping a few cubes of ice into a clear glass with a *Cling* and pouring the sparkly martini, the owner finally look over to her and questioned, "Isn't that your fault in the first place?" Sliding the martini glass across the counter, he continued on while cleaning an empty glass, "You do know that Shadow occasionally sends me letters to keep me up to date with the mundane affairs, right? Well, I'll probably visit Aeternus soon." Fogging up the glass with his breath and giving it a final wipe, "The last time I visited the guild was before they made that huge floating city..."

    While watching the conversation at the counter from a quiet corner, Mei was seated with Sat'r and Nio eating dragon and pumpkin stew. Seemingly shocked, Mei asked an old man sitting across their table for the twelfth time, "He's THE Morningstar right?" The old man, trying hard to hold back his laughter, kept a straight face and replied solemnly, "Yes, the owner is Lucifer... and because he lost a bet with your Aeternus' guild founder, he's stuck running this tavern for another century- WAHAHAHA!" Finally unable to hold it in anymore, the old man started bawling his eyes out and coughing from laughing too hard.

    The slender lady seated over on his table gave a weary smile and apologised, "I'm sorry about Van, he's made it into a habit to tell this story to every new face that he sees." Worried about the Van's coughing fit, Mei asked, "Is he going to be alright?" Seemingly unconcerned, the lady just shrugged and declared, "He's not going to die from something like this, so there's no need to worry about him." Calming down, Van turned to the lady and with a tearful expression implored, "Lil' Joan's all grown up now, give me back my lil' innocent Joan!" Evading Van's hug attempt, Joan planted a fist into his face and flatly stated, "I left that useless thing along with my ideals burnt on a stake."

    Watching his companions playing out another scene, the final member on Van's table sighed. Getting out of his seat, he made his way towards the counter. Noticing that his companion moving away, Van rubbed his bruised nose and shouted, "Oi Pendragon, ask Luci for an ice-pack while you're over there!" Glaring back at his overly energetic friend, Pendragon was about to refuse when two bloody figures barged through the entrance causing the whole tavern to stop.
    Registering that both the young man and girl were wounded, one of the closer female patrons approached to check up on them. Noticing that they were both unresponsive to her calls, she stood over them and reached down, but before she could touch them a large hand grabbed her wrist. Entering the tavern and pushing the patron aside, the hulking figure laughed, "What's this? With all of my time spent on these northern plains, how come I've never come across this trashy tavern?" His eyes shifted greedily from one patron to the next, kicking the wounded couple aside, he announced "You moneybags won't mind me and my boys joining in on your little get together right?" As three more bulking men entered, aside from Mei who was nervous and the injured couple who were worried about the bystanders getting dragged into their mess, the rest of the patrons watched on in interest.

    Mistaking everyone's silence for fear and shock, the hulking man approached the lady he pushed over. Grabbing her shoulders and pulling her up, just as he was about to threaten her he was interrupted by a shout from the counter, "25 gold on Dusa turning that guy into stone and the rest of 'em wetting their pants!" Enraged that a little fox-kin interrupted him, he was about to call her up when a golem on the side also raised a bet, "Twen. ty. Gold. On. Du. Sa. Turn. ing. Them. All. In. to. St. one." Although he was still gripping onto the lady before him, he was utterly confused by the bets getting thrown at him.
    "100 on that Pendragon kid saving a damsel in distress!"
    "Oi, it's THAT Dusa we're talking about, 120 on Dusa kidnapping the brute and forcing him to be her husband!"
    "Hey, which idiot said that out loud?! She's looking this way now! Also 50 on Ton's bet!"

    Out of patience, he brought a knife to Dusa's neck and shouted at the tavern, "IF YOU DON'T DO AS I SAY I'LL END HER LIFE!" In response to his threat, the tavern exploded with laughter, some of the seated patrons even fell from their chairs clutching into their abdomens crying in pain. Dumbfound by their complete and utter disregard, he turned to look at the woman held by him. For the first time this night, he finally noticed that she wore a veil. Although there was a veil between their eyes, he detected that she felt no fear and even held him in contempt. Before anyone could stop him, he tore away her veil and turned to stone. Watching their boss turn into stone before their eyes, they backed away recklessly tripping over each other and with pale faces they cried, "Monster!" Scrambling and shoving each other, they sprinted through the door refusing to turn back. Startled by the thugs' quick escape, Dusa quickly retrieved her veil and approached one of the gamblers with a smile and stone bullets floating behind her.

    The beaten up couple sat clutching tightly onto one another in the corner shocked, they sat still watching the scene for them in astonishment. The dazed female asked, "Did we somehow make it aboard the Aeternus?" Helping his dazed companion up he shook his head, "Impossible, we were in the middle of the plains. Aeternus shouldn't have developed the technology to teleport their whole headquarters yet..." While the to were still coming to terms with their escape, next to them was a figure that was knelt over inspecting the puddle that the thugs made. The two finally noticing her also recognised her, simultaneously they called, "TON!" With her attention away from the puddle, Ton turned to the couple and greeted them, "S'up, welcome to the Twilight Tavern."
    --- Ton's Journal ---
    Entry No #00218
    After catching up with Liam and Yan, I introduced them to my current travel companions, Mei, Sat'r and Nio. However, after quickly getting bored of a discussion about forming some sort of group called the "Mellowing Echo" and Mei's character development, I made my way back to Morningstar to try and advance the plot.

    This part is called "Where's the Prelude?" after all, and unsurprisingly I received a letter addressed to Shadow. Although I was told not to read it, it probably says something like:

    "bla bla bla, there's something wrong in the underworld, bla bla bla, please send someone to take a look, bla bla bla, I'm so freakin' cool because I'm freakin' Lucifer Morningstar, bla bla bla, lunch on Wednesday?, bla bla bla, I'm sending Van to take a look, bla bla bla, hope to hear from you soon, bla bla bla, Love Luci..."

    Well... There's probably no "Love Luci" part but...

    I need new ships.

    Well, since we're gonna get kicked out soon because the Twilight Tavern will fade away in the morning, I'll end this entry soon.

    Hmmm, my future plans for now... I'll try and give this to Shadow as soon as possible and leave on a trip, this request seems too troublesome to be apart of. Maybe I'll take a trip to the new DLC area, or maybe I'll try travelling to Brascovia again. Hopefully I'll avoid getting dragged along into something bothersome...

    - Ton signing out
    @shad12ow @FuRen
     
    Kuma Desu, AliceShiki, FuRen and 3 others like this.
  2. shad12ow

    shad12ow 『Semi-Offline』

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    “….troublesome,” that one word escaped from his mouth.

    At the moment, he is sitting behind his desk with one hand supporting his leaning head. Visible frown could be seen on his face while his eyes were aimed at a single object in front of him. That object is a piece of paper. A letter, to be exact.

    “…very, very troublesome indeed,” said the man followed by a heavy sigh and a shake of his head.

    Before he could do anything, the sound of knocking came from the door to his office. After a short “come in” from him, the door creaked open. The figure of the ever familiar desert elf came to his sight.

    “Erdatiel, what is it?”

    “I would ask the same to you, Shadow,” she said to him while she looked at his frowning face. “But then again I suppose a Guildmaster has his own worry.”

    “…What is it, Erdatiel?”

    “Not even going to tell me what is the matter?” At that question, the one in question, Shadow, just looked at her without saying anything. That earned him a shake of her head.

    “….I will tell you when I judge the time is correct.”

    Silence filled the room after he said that. Then the sound of a soft sigh came from the desert elf. She smiled at him and then came toward his desk.

    “That’s a promise then,” said Erdatiel while leaning toward him and landed a quick kiss on his cheek.

    That swift action of her surprised him a bit, enough to make him widened his eyes for a second before clearing his throat, trying to regain his calm. Of course, that earned him a small giggle from his wife.

    “So what is it, Erdatiel?” asked Shadow to her. “Surely it is not just to visit me….Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

    “Nice save there, Shadow. But you’re right, I do have a reason. And it is about the whole rumor I’ve been hearing about.”

    “…Rumor is it now….”

    The rumor she mentioned is the rumor of nobles from the Holy Empire of Man that planning to attack the surrounding settlements with a large army or group of ‘heroes’. The report has come in and the Guild has put out a notice for everyone to keep a lookout for that kind of situation and report it immediately to the Guild. But so far, there is only rumor of it. Of course, the Guild itself has done their own investigation and found out that there is only a small skirmish here and there. But that is not anything out of the ordinary and the perpetrator is mostly just a bunch of bandits.

    “I know that it is just a rumor and the Guild has not found any other lead for that. But….I’m just concerned, Shadow.”

    “…I see…concerned.”

    “I mean, I’m just afraid that they will harm the innocent and we might be too late to help them…I’m just…scared, Shadow.”

    “…..Okay, it’s decided.”

    “Eh?”

    “Thank you, Erdatiel,” he grabbed her chin gently and then quickly pulled it toward himself, catching her lips. As expected, she was too confused to do anything and opted to just enjoy that show of affection from her husband.

    After releasing his lips from her, he stood up and then put on his heavy coat. While putting it on, he let one of his mechanical spiders crawled onto his shoulder. That spider then gave him a piece of paper in which he quickly signed. With that signed paper on its mandible, the spider crawled out of the room from the small gaps under the door.

    “What was that?”

    “A notice of absence. I sent it to my secretary.”

    “W-Wait!? You’re going away?”

    “Yes. I need to…deal with some trash…”
    -----------------------------------------------------------------​
    “Report, Arkley.”

    “Yes, Master Shadow. The ammunition we have on board is enough to maintain a constant bombardment from all cannons for 1 hour. All of the cannons has been loaded and the bullet loading mechanism is in prime condition. The ballistas are also in the same condition. The giant cannon has also been loaded with cluster bullets and we have ammunition enough to do exactly 50 shots.”

    “And the spider hives?”

    “They are fully operational and ready to be deployed as soon as you command them, Master Shadow.”

    “Good,” Shadow nodded after saying that. “Maintain altitude and speed until we get to the destination. Put up cloaking magic at level 1. Send the eye spiders to their position and report anything that is out of the ordinary.”

    “As you commanded, Master Shadow,” said Arkley with his usual mechanical voice and followed by his trademark mandible clapping.

    Finished receiving its command, Arkley retreated into the inner chamber of the airship to continue his task. Shadow, on the other hand, stayed on the deck while leaning on to the railing.

    Near him, his wife, Erdatiel, looked at him while wearing a very concerned expression. The scene of her husband clearly instructing his ‘army’ with such serious expression had made her feel even more worried.

    “….Why all the trouble, Shadow.”

    “Erdatiel,” called Shadow without moving his sight to his wife on his side. “This is….something I have to do.”

    “With this? The fully armed airship, complete with the giant cannon and also spider hives? You even sent Pyrhea and Chalusi to stay in the Guild headquarter?” she let out a sigh after that and scooted closer to him, enough for her shoulder to touch his. “This is like you’re going to go into a big battle,” said Erdatiel with a slightly shaky voice.

    “…..At some point….we are going to go to a battle.”

    “What battle? Tell me,” she said while looking at his unusually tense expression. “Or is it still not the right time?”

    Once again, silence enveloped them. Uncomfortable silence.

    “……You are right,” he then let out a heavy sigh. “This is the best time. I’m just….not comfortable telling it.”

    “…Now you are making me worried… and curious at the same time.”

    “…Let’s start with this,” he shifted his gaze to her, aligning his eyesight to the desert elf’s. “With….my past.”
    -----------------------------------------------------------------​
    A few years ago on the northeast border of the Holy Empire of Man, there was a small noble family that has a long history. The name of that family is Gardstein. They are considered to be one of the oldest noble families that ever existed in the history of the Holy Empire of Man. The family itself is known to be a source of many mages that is able to do a lot of things. With that magic, they can govern their land with ease.

    But the family itself is not known too much. In fact, it is not an exaggeration to say that only a handful of people know the existence of such family. There are a few reasons for that. But the most important one is that while they are a family of mages, they have no specialty. Being compared to the many mage families that have specialized in one or more elemental magic, the Gardstein that can only nurture average mages is sure to be forgotten. To make the problem worse, they are located in the most remote location that has not strategic value. That made the family has less and less value in the Empire’s eye.

    From that forgotten mage family, a son was born. Born as the 8th son, Hildebert von Gardstein is a boy with one strange condition. He has no talent in magic. To be exact, he does not possess even an ounce of magic power inside his body. In fact, being near a strong magic power for him is enough to make him nauseous and even fainted. Due to that, his father put him in one of their villa in the small village of Hatterhofen.

    In that remote villa, young Hildebert spent his days mostly in reading the many books in the small library built inside the villa. Reading one book after another every single day, he is actually content living in that small villa. Rather than being inside the main mansion filled with siblings and family member that don’t even see him as a human being, it is understandable why he can easily feel happy living in exile like that.

    Among the many siblings he has, only his two older sisters – Anina von Gardstein and Katrina von Gardstein- and his youngest brother - Detlev von Gardstein- see him as a fellow family member. The three visit him from time to time together with their parents. At that time, he would always show his brilliant mind over and over again. It is also very common for him to showcase his latest mechanical wonder to them.

    Thanks to his zeal in learning and brilliance, his parents feel relieved and actually support his zeal for learning. They showed that by frequently sending him some new books. Sometimes he even received a book as a present from his two sisters. With new material, young Hildebert kept accumulating knowledge and learn new things over the year.

    Sadly, even that is not enough to convince the rest of the family to accept him. For the majority of the family, Hildebert is a failure. A stain in their already bleak history. His parents tried their best to convince them but failed to even change their opinion a little. In their mind, what they needed is not a brilliant mind that can learn a lot of things, but strong magical knowledge and power to once again bring the family’s name into the eye of the Empire. And Hildebert is certainly not that.

    But to Hildebert, being forgotten and exiled is not a problem for him. Rather than chasing recognition from the family, he rather spends his time chasing after boundless knowledge the world has to offer. He kept reading and reading, until one day he realized that there is knowledge he can’t get just from reading letters written on paper. He needs something more.

    And that something more appeared in front of him in shape of a certain figure he met. The figure showed him that the world is a wide and vast place, filled with many fascinating things. And thanks to that figure, young Hildebert learn that even the one they called monster has kept their own share of knowledge of the world. With the help of that figure, his knowledge increased even more.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------​
    “And I am that-“

    “Master Shadow.”

    Arkley’s usual mechanical voice stopped Shadow’s storytelling session and that forced him to look to his back. His sight then fell onto the large mechanical spider that was tapping his metal mandible a few times.

    “What is it?”

    “We have detected a group of knight that appeared to be chasing a small group of rider.”

    “And?”

    “One of the riders possessed the same mana reaction that Master Shadow has shown to me.”

    “…It can’t be….”

    Shadow jumped over the railing and activated Nehebkau, ignoring his wife’s shout of horror for his sudden action. The large metallic spider legs extended in an instance and grabbed onto the airship’s hull. It then moved him to the down most part of the airship. While hanging onto the airship with the help of Nehebkau’s spider legs, he pulled out is spyglass and extended it right away.

    “…It is really true….”

    Finished confirming what he wanted, he crept up onto the deck once again, welcomed by his trusty aide and his wife that is clearly worried after seeing her husband suddenly jumped over the railing without saying anything.

    “Arkley, maintain our speed at the lowest, prepare to open fire onto the knight if needed, and also maintain cloaking magic at level 1. Do not change our course and wait for me.”

    “As you commanded, Master Shadow,” said Arkley with his usual mechanical voice. He then left after showing its usual mandible clapping, leaving the Guildmaster with his wife alone.

    “….Are you going to confront them?” asked Erdatiel as she walked closer to him.

    “It is faster that way…Besides,” he smiled at her, “I want to meet her…. as soon as possible.”
    -----------------------------------------------------------------​
    At the ground, the sight of a group of kobolds and goblins riding their horse could be seen. Behind them, one could see the group of fully armed knight chasing them. Although the demi-human riders have quite a big distance in front of their pursuers, they are still pushing their ride to go faster.

    “K-Knight! Catching up!!!”

    “Shut up! I know that!”

    “Horses! Too tired! Chief”

    “Shut up! I know that too!”

    Then suddenly the sound of whistling came through the air.

    “ARRGGHH!!!”

    What followed after that is a shriek of pain from one of the kobold rider in the front. But that doesn’t stop the rider that was hit by the arrow. Holding his bleeding shoulder, the rider kept pushing his horse to go even faster.

    Another whistling sound and then one of the horses in the front fell forward. The horse has been hit and it took the goblin rider with it, killing the unfortunate animal and its rider. The corpse fell in a way that it blocked the remaining rider from moving forward, halting them. Before they could do anything, the chasing knight has surrounded them while brandishing their sword at them.

    “Well, I guess this is the extent of my work, eh?” said the rider who is wearing a hood to cover the whole face. “That boy is so late.”

    The goblin and kobold riders quickly moved their horses to make a defensive circle around said hooded figure, brandishing what little weapon they carried. Be it crude sword or spear made from a simple branch, they all tried their best to put up what they could against the outnumbering force of fully armed knights that surrounded them.

    “Witch! Surrender and we will spare you and your comrades!” shouted one of the knights that seem to be their leader while pointing his sword at the hooded figure.

    “Spare us? ….kuku….kuh….Hahahaha! What lies!” shouted the hooded figure while brandishing a long cane toward the knight. “Your kind words are wasted on me, you wretched human drowned in their own pride! I rather fight to live, thank you very much.”

    Following that declaration, sounds of growl came from the surrounding goblins and kobolds, clearly showing their agreement to their ‘chief’.

    “Then you will only reap death, witch! Kill the-“

    The knight’s sentence stopped midway. The reason is due to the fact that his head has been filled with arrows. He then fell to the ground and stopped moving, clearly died.

    That sudden turn of event startled everyone there. Before anyone could even scream, another knight fell down from his horse. The corpse of said knight was on the ground with a bloodied head full of arrows.

    “Ambush!!! Be vigilant!”

    Seconds after the knight shouted that they started to fell down one by one. The attack was so precise to the extent that not one of the knight’s horses received a single scratch. But the fact that they lost their rider startled them, making them ran away in fear amidst the loud whistling sound of the flying arrows. The whole slaughter only lasted for a few seconds, leaving the ground littered with corpses of the knight that had their head destroyed by multiple arrow wounds.

    “…What in goddess name….”

    “C-Chief!” shouted one of the remaining kobold riders while pointing at a certain direction. “S-Someone there!”

    The whole group of kobold and goblin riders who had relaxed a bit after seeing their enemy has been completely slain regained their vigilant and pointed their weapon to that direction. Slowly from that direction, a figure appeared while carrying a crossbow in his hand. The crossbow itself has a rather strange mechanical look to it, making the group even more wary against that figure.

    “Aren’t you too old for this, you hag?”

    The hooded figure flinched when the crossbowman uttered that word of insult. That made the other goblins and kobolds started to growl at the figure. But the hooded one gestured them to back away and clear the way for the ‘witch’ to go near the figure.

    “Oh? Do you think you’ve become that strong, eh boy?”

    “Strong enough to fend off a whole knight corps with this toy,” said the crossbowmen while pointing to his weapon and showing the ‘witch’ a sly smile. But that sly smile then turned into a wry smile. “Yet….still not strong enough to save them all…,” said the man with a self-mocking tone as he looked at the fallen goblin rider.

    “…You still haven’t changed,” muttered the ‘witch’ under her breath.

    As the ‘witch’ said that, she dismounted her horse. As she walked closer to him, she opened her hood, revealing a face of a young woman. Her long white and gray hair were also let free as she opened her hood. She then looked at the man in front of her with a warm gaze with her heterochromia eyes, scanning him from top to bottom.

    “You’ve grown, boy.”

    “And yet your appearance has not changed even one bit from the last time I saw you, Witch of the Mirror, Sigilind.”

    “It’s been a while since I heard that nickname,” she said while chuckling slightly. “Well, thanks for rescuing me, Detlev von Gardstein. Or should I just call you Shadow for now?”

    OOC: Yes, I didn't make a mistake. He is Detlev von Gardstein.
     
  3. Osamaru

    Osamaru 『Shem's Best Pal ✧ Lexi's Ani ✧ Hamster's Keeper』

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    INTRODUCTION POST: Matthew Wren
    The small blue songbird sat in the old granny's hand, singing out a gentle song as the two watched the large building across the wide street. Though her back was bent and her once beautiful face now marred with time, a pure and gentle light still burned in the old woman's eyes. A mix of people from every race and creed formed a continuous stream as they walked in and out of the building's wide entrance. The old woman looked down at the small bird after a moment, her eye drooping and her voice low and sad as she spoke,

    "My little dove, Its time to go. I know you don't want to, but this is how things were meant to be. I've enjoyed the time we've spent together, the memories we've shared, but I'm afraid this is where we must part."

    The little bird stopped singing and turn its head to look up at the old woman. It stared at her for a long moment, before gently laying its head into her open hand. The old woman could feel the little bird's body shake as she petted its small head. A single tear slid down her wrinkled face, though a smile bloomed as she spoke in a soft voice,

    "Now, don't be sad, there is no time for tears. My time may be over, but there is still work to be done. There are still others that need you, just as much as I did, so long ago."

    The little songbird gave a mournful cry, a sad song that made those passing on the street stop and stare. The people that heard the sweet but sad song could not help but feel a slight pain in their chest, though they didn't know why. The old woman gave a sweet and loving smile then tossed the bird into the air. The little bird took flight, raising high into the sky as the old woman's word followed it from behind,

    "Now go, my little dove, and do what you must."

    The few people who'd stopped to listen to the song, watched as it rose and circled for a moment before flying off. When they turned back around, many were startled to see the small roadside bench empty, the old woman vanishing like a dream.
    -----
    The little bird flew through the sky for a long time, singing out a song of grief to the empty sky, before it finally returned to large building. It sat on the corner for sometime, watching the people pass by. The little songbird finally jumped from the roof after awhile, and into a dark alley beside the building. A young man walked out of the Alleyway shortly after; his short, jet black hair and sky blue eyes would have made for a striking combination, if it was not for the sad and tired look that played over his face.

    He stopped at the alleyway entrance for a short moment, readjusting the light brown leather armor and dark overcoat he wore, before stepping out into the crowded street. He walked a little way before stopping at the entrance to the large building; looking up, a large sign hung over it's door frame that read "Adventurer's Guild". He gave a soft sigh and walked through the large entrance way, approaching the front desk.
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2017
    Pyoo, shad12ow, Nurman and 1 other person like this.
  4. Balthazzar

    Balthazzar 『Reformed Member of NuF Society』

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    http://forum.novelupdates.com/threads/adventurers-guild-tavern.12815/page-5793#post-2380176

    Carving a watermelon certainly wasn’t the strangest request I’ve gotten but I can’t say it’s one of the most common either. In truth, it was anything but common but it wasn’t to the level of being strange. “Anything you want it as Blanc?” Directing the question over to the task giver herself, she gives me a blank stare before telling me to make whatever I please. There was a remark about her questioning my artistic talents but I ignored that part since it was of no importance.


    Shaking my head, I pull a small knife from the counter beside me and hold it between my middle finger and thumb with my index leading the way. Putting the blade to the melon, I pause slightly trying to understand exactly what I want to carve. Of course I can’t go small and have to do something well, big. However, I do believe that it must have meaning since I have been away for so long.


    Many subjects to choose from ever since I was introduced to the guild flew through my head at a breakneck pace. I could envision and create the first time I set foot in the hall, paint the scene I saw when the dragons tried to take over, do any number of the times the new members got instilled into the workplace, and I could even carve the scene of the battle against Morian.


    However, none of these things struck me as worthy for the scale that I was going for. What exactly does the guild mean to me? What place in my heart do the occupants here hold? Those two questions seemed to spark a fire in my mind and a small grin broke my previously pondering expression.


    Applying pressure, the resistance felt was small but the weight on my mind made sure I was as steady as possible. One stroke, two strokes. With every swipe of the knife, the surroundings were gradually tuned out until all that was left was me and my project. Every indent, every crease, everything simply had to be perfect. I lost myself in this small art project of mine and as I progressed further and further, the world faded away into nothing with this carving being the sole light to guide me out of the darkness.


    Sixty-Five, Sixty-Six, each stroke was imbued with my emotions, each stroke contained a memory that I had created. Time seemed to still as I worked, meticulously making sure not a single piece was out of place. One Hundred Thirty-Seven, One Hundred Thirty-Eight, and on the One Hundred and Thirty-Ninth stroke, the carving was finished. A small home made impossible lively sat in place of the melon. It was incomparably perfect, and yet incomparably pristine. The small building was perfect, it was something that anyone would be proud of to be called home.


    A genuine smile made its way onto my face as I looked at the finished product. Glancing towards the ‘bearer of the melon’, I could see a slight trace of confusion but I wasn’t surprised. I imagined my look to be quite focused but all that came out was a small and simple home. However, the significance behind the carving was known only to me so far, I believe that in time, anyone with the same feelings as I would understand what this carving symbolised.

    @BlancFrost
     
  5. Osamaru

    Osamaru 『Shem's Best Pal ✧ Lexi's Ani ✧ Hamster's Keeper』

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    History (Part One) Matthew Wren: Memories
    (Click for Part Two)
    Matthew spent the time waiting for his food, watching the other Adventurers and various staff go about their business in the large tavern. Some were meeting with friends, others were waiting on Party members, eager to set off on their next quest. There was even some like himself, sitting along as they ate and rested from their travels. Matthew tended not to like large crowds like this, but he had to admit; for all of the noise and rambunctious souls, this simple and modest place was quite….Warm.

    A strange expression began to creep on his face, like a smile crossed with a frown, as memories began to well up in his mind unbidden, memories he sometimes wished he could forget, while other times he clung to with all his might.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    The little songbird started like any other. He was born to normal parents, little songbirds just like him. The nest where he spent youth was no different either, a humble construction of twigs and grass built with the sweat of his parent’s brow (for what brow birds may have). Even the forest that he spent his days in, bathing in the warm sunlight and riding on the gentle winds, was just one of a thousand others like it.

    So, he never really thought, or even cared, about much other than if there were enough berries on the local bushes or where that mean old hawk hid. But today? Today was different. He didn’t know why the strange man had chosen this forest, or why he decided to stop under this particular tree. In the years to follow, if he’d ask the many different people he’d come to know, most would say it was “fate” or “destiny”.

    But the only thing this little songbird understood at this moment, was a single word. Fear. Not just fear, but an unbridled terror that gripped his tiny soul and froze the song in his beak. As he looked down at the strange, black-robed man staring up at him, the little songbird couldn’t even move, as if the air around him had become solid stone. The strange man stared at him for a long time, before a wide, dark grin spread across his face. And the little songbird’s world faded.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    The little songbird drifted through the dense world of fog. He didn’t know how long it’d been since he’d come here. Sometimes it seemed like he’d only been in this strange place for a short while. Other times he was not sure if he’d ever been anywhere else. Like a waking dream, he was only vaguely aware of his actions from time to time. Sometimes he’d find himself soaring through the foggy sky, looking down on gray landscapes of various compositions. Other times he would sit in a shining cage in a dark room, as a strange man in a black robe worked at a nearby table.

    Even the sounds around him seemed vague and muffled by the fog, and he’d only catch the faint whispers of words of those that came to visit. Only the words of the strange man, of the “Master”, we’re clear, though he thought it strange he could understand the words of a human.

    “@##@$%Time@$@#@%When$334”
    “I said it will be finished when it’s finished! The more that you bother me, the less time I have to fix the problems”
    “%*#&#@!! (@*$#@$It”
    “Yes, yes. I already know they know. But it does not matter at this point. We are nearing completion. They can’t stop us now.”
    “%*##%$&#&end(*(#@((%$%Its#^@^#^%&&%Lord@*#^%#
    “Do you think I’m a Fool?! I already know that! But don’t worry, I have my methods…”

    As the Master spoke, he looked over at the small silver cage sitting in the corner of a dark room. The small ethereal songbird simply tilted its head with a quizzical look. The Master gave a dark smile in response, one that brought a distant memory to the little songbird’s mind.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    [sometime later]

    The little songbird flew through the foggy gray world, looking down on at the ground. A lot was going on today it seemed. He was currently flying over a large forest near his Master’s small cottage. Surrounding the cottage was a sea of bodies, dull and gray. They didn’t speak much, but for the odd grunt or moan, but they were Master’s “friends”, so he didn’t pay them much mind.

    Instead, his eye’s turned to the distance, where thousands and thousands of tiny specks of light had gathered. If he were to fly closer, he could see that each spark was a human, a small fire burning in their chest. He didn’t know what those flames were, but that was not his place to know. His only job was simply to tell his Master when those little specks started to move. Sometimes a small group would break out from the rest and move towards his Master’s direction.

    If he got too close, the little flames would throw sharpened sticks at him and chase him away. The most dangerous time had been when he approached the largest concentration of flames far away. As he drew near, large balls of light flew at his from all directions. He managed to dodge most of them, but the ones that hit burned, as if his soul had been set on fire. He’d never tried to go further in since.

    The little songbird would then fly off and tell his Master, who would send a group of Friends to meet them. After a short talk, they would return, with new friends in tow. The little songbird did not know how long this lasted for, but in time, the large group of little flames began to shrink, and the sea of friends swelled, till finally, the group of flames moved away.

    The Master watched the retreating flames from a high hill overlooking the forest. His body started to shake after a moment, and as he looked over the newly gathered friends, he let out a low chuckle that soon turned into a mad laughter. The little songbird could only sit on the Master’s shoulder and tremble.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    The little Songbird watched the forest from high up. The Master’s friends had been growing by the day, and his new job was to search far out into the horizon, looking for new sources of little flames for him. While it was a rather boring duty, he did what he was told. Today, he had gone farther than he’d ever gone before, and already had a map of the area in his mind. It would soon be time for him to turn back and make his report.

    But before he could, the little songbird noticed something strange. While they were weaker than the flames he saw in a human, he could normally see the small sparks of the wildlife and lesser creatures dotting the forest below him. He only just realized that for a long time now, he’d yet to see even one. Now that he took a close look, even the trees and plants of the area seemed to be losing their light.

    While it was not very noticeable at first, the farther one looked in a certain direction, the more one could notice that something was a little strange. Eventually, there can a point where there was no more little lights at all, just a forest of dead and dried up trees. His curiosity peaked, the little bird turned and flew in that direction. If he was lucky, he might find something interesting.

    After a short while, the little songbird arrived at what seemed to be the center of the dead forest, and in a small clearing, sat a tiny hut. The little songbird was surprised when he saw the little hut, for through the roof he could sense the presence of a single, small light. He descended in a slow manner, before alighting on an open windowsill. As he did, the sound of light weeping could be heard.

    The little songbird looked to see the little flame, a small child, huddled in a far corner, their head down and buried in their knees. The little songbird felt a pang of sadness as he watched the small child crying all alone, and in an attempt to cheer them up, began to sing a sweet and melodious song.

    As the song started, the small child gave a jump and looked up at the windowsill, eyes wide in shock and fear, though as the song continued on, a small sad smile began to creep along their face. The little songbird turned and looked at the child, and his voice froze in mid-song. She was still young, no more that 8 or 9 years old, though her tiny voice was ragged and dry. The small rough dress she wore was dirty and grimy and her arms were nothing more than skin and bone. Her sunken cheeks and baggy eyes suggested she’d been here for a long time.

    But despite all of that, the little songbird could not tear his gaze away from her, it could only stare in wide-eyed wonder. He did not know why, but in this dark, cold, gray washed world, this tiny wasting girl was like an explosion of color. Whether it be her long brown hair or the dark green eyes, the little songbird could not look away. Even the various specks of filth and grime that marred her sun-darkened skin seemed to stand out. Though the world around her was still gray and dreary, colors he'd thought he'd lost long, long ago, clung to the little girl like a painting.

    The two of them stared at each other in silence for a long time. The little girl spoke out with a sad voice, though she gave a gentle smile, despite the tears,

    “You can’t stay here little dove. Or you’ll end up like all the rest. Thank you for the song, truly, but it’s time to go.”

    So went the first meeting between the little girl abandoned by the world and the little songbird who was not his own. Little did either know, that this meeting would become a catalyst that would soon change both of their destinies.

    And the Destiny of countless others.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    (OOC: EDIT; made some grammar and spelling changes. should read much better now.)
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2017
    shad12ow likes this.
  6. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    ((I actually wanted to do more things than that, but... Well, it kinda ended up taking a lot longer than I wanted and it's already at 11136 words, so... I think it's enough.

    Maybe I'll take another opportunity to write another SS to develop the Iceberg Sea, unsure... In any case, if anyone wants to read a bit of a big wall... Here you go!))
    A girl pierced the other, everything became black. The black cat showed an image, Mama hugged me and flew to space, she cuts a chocolate pie and gives it to me while we're on the tea room. I look again and see Okaa-san, "you're such a good girl Hikari" Okaa-san falls on the ground covered by blood, the beast looks at me and is vaporized by a laser. My laser kills Morian and it revives once again.

    *heavy panting* What was... Again...?

    Hikari was in the inn... Hikari doesn't remember coming here though... Hikari... Is Hikari forgetting everything again...? Will Hikari... *sobs* Need to learn... Their names and faces... Again?

    The-they were... Roz... Rez... Raso... Yaru? Yoro? Rarudo?

    Why... *sobs* Why doesn't Hikari... Remember anything...?

    Is... Is this why Hikari hasn't found her family yet? They don't want to take care of Hikari as she keeps forgetting everything? Is Hikari just... A burden everyone has to take care of...?

    Hikari doesn't... Hikari doesn't want to be an useless... Burden... Hikari would rather...

    It's enough! Hikari doesn't want this anymore! Hikari searched on her pocket for a sweet and prayed.

    "Yukari-sama, please, take Hikari somewhere far away... Anywhere is... Anywhere is fine... Please..."

    Why...? Why isn't Yukari-sama...? Then... Hikari will move on her own.

    There wasn't much to get, Hikari put the little things that were on her room on a bag, a cloak over her and left the inn through the window. So as to not be seen.

    Hikari tried to not seem too flustered and slowly walked towards the teleport gate, Hikari was scared of being seen, Hikari didn't want anyone to know... They seemed to care about Hikari... They would probably stop Hikari and protect her... Hikari doesn't want... *clenches chest* It hurts... Hikari feels... As if Hikari is hurting them... But Hikari will be hurt if Hikari remains...

    Hikari doesn't want to make memories only to forget them again...

    Before Hikari noticed, she was already at the teleport gate... Hikari took the one to Frontier Village... Hikari shouldn't remain here though, she would be found too easily... Hikari would rather stay away from... *sobs* The people that... Are too kind for Hikari...

    Hikari moved away, there wasn't really a specific place Hikari wanted to go, nor was there something Hikari wanted to do... Hikari just kept on moving.

    It was strange, Hikari knew this place wasn't safe, it was dangerous... But Hikari didn't find anyone sort of threat.

    Hikari ate, slept, woke and walked, that was Hikari's daily routine now, sometimes Hikari would find a rabbit or another and would ask for Yuuka-sama's help to kill those. And so, Hikari kept on moving. Being able to take a bath and refill the water canteen whenever Hikari reached a river was also nice, though Hikari didn't understand how there were no animals drinking from the river as well...

    It's been 4 days, there was a forest in front of Hikari now, Hikari thought about not entering, but... Staying in the plains was no good, was it? The forest might've been a better place to go through instead... It would hide Hikari at least...

    The forest was quite dark, there seemed to be a black mist on it... Hikari was scared, but kept on moving, even if she couldn't see much... Hikari wants to leave this place already!

    Sleeping on the forest was terrible, Hikari barely got any rest out of it. And Hikari was too afraid to eat anything from this place, so she only ate and drank what she brought with her, resources were running out quickly...

    Hikari wanted to run away, but Hikari didn't know where to go... "Ah!" Hikari tripped and fell... It hurts... It's dark, Hikari can't see anything... Why is Hikari here anyway? Why did Hikari leave...? Hikari already forgot...

    To forget... Hikari was afraid of forgetting again... Hikari doesn't want to learn again, only to forget again, Hikari doesn't want... To see the caring... And pitying looks on her again... Hikari will... Move forward...

    Hikari had already lost the notion of day and night, the forest was too dark... Hikari knew she didn't want to sleep on the forest again though, so Hikari kept on moving. By the time Hikari felt really sleepy and tired, there was a sudden decrease on the amount of trees near Hikari.

    Is this... An exit from the forest?

    Hikari felt happy! No more scary forest, Hikari could... Plains again...? Though these are... Full of ash? Hikari doesn't remember seeing something like this before... Though Hikari doesn't remember much in the first place... Still... Hikari is tired... Maybe Hikari should just...

    The bed is filled with red, I cry while hugging the woman in it. I rise up and look at the tombstone one more time, turning to the house, it's broken pieces of wood are coming back in place. I hear birthday wishes from everyone. Voices resound on my head "Is this alright with you?" "Just this is enough?" "Can this kind of life satisfy you?" I'm crying in front of the tombstone.

    What...? Hikari is... Ah... The plains... Hikari was... What was Hikari doing again...? Right, Hikari was running... From what? From... People? Smiles? Why was... Why was Hikari running in the first place...?

    *cough cough* It's dry... It's not good for Hikari to remain here... And the forest behind is scary... Hikari should search for some water...

    Hikari walked, the plains didn't have a single plant on them, Hikari's skin felt like it was losing humidity quickly, and Hikari's throat was really dry... The canteen is almost empty...

    For how long has been Hikari walking? Minutes? Hours? Hikari doesn't know... But It's getting cold... Hikari's clothes don't protect from the cold... The sun is still visible though? Why is it getting cold then?

    It's really cold now, Hikari might freeze if she keeps moving... But if Hikari turns back, Hikari might die out of dehydration... Dying is scary, Hikari doesn't want to die... Hikari doesn't want to see death... Hikari is... Eh? Is that...? "The sea! Hikari sees the sea!"

    Hikari ran towards it, ran more and more, Hikari's lungs were burning, her muscles were aching... Why doesn't... Hikari... Reach... The sea...?

    It took a while, Hikari had to pause and walk, then try to run on a slower pace, but Hikari got to the sea... It was freezing cold, Hikari's breath was sending smoke to the air, there were huge chunks of ice in the water...

    Hikari drank some... It was freezing... It went down Hikari's throat burning...

    "Yo! It's been a while Hikari! Nice seeing that ya're still alive! Ya gonna die if ya kept drinking freezing water, ya know?"

    Hikari heard a voice from above, looking towards it, there was a small girl in a light pink dress, her hair was blue and wings sprouted from her back... Ran-sama told Hikari about...

    "Re-Re-Remilia-sama?"

    "Look at ya, all freezing up to the point ya can't even talk properly." *nod nod* "At least ya got Ore-sama's name right!

    So, will ya come in or freeze over there?"


    "Co-come in?"

    "Bah, ya take too long!"

    "Hoe!?"

    Wha-wha-what is happening? Hikari's body was floating and... Being pulled towards Remilia-sama. She then flew above the sea with Hikari being pulled along.

    Hikari then suddenly felt a weird feeling, like she was going through a wall somehow...

    "What's up with that? Ore-sama found it really weird when ya offered Holy Energy to the great me last time, but this is stupid, ya're interfering with mah barrier kid. The hell happened to ya? Last time I looked, ya still had Mana within ya."

    "Hi... Hikari doesn't know..."

    "Doesn't know!? Just what...? No wonder the old hag contacted me after so long."

    "O-old hag...?"

    "Yep, your patron, right? She asked Ore-sama to lead ya here to safety... Really, ya took so long! Ya could've flown a bit at the very least!

    Ore-sama got some deity blood to drink though, so ya're forgiven, it's not everyday that there is such a nice treaty easily available~"


    "Hi... Hikari is not following-"

    "There we go! Welcome to the mansion kid!"

    Hikari saw a mansion floating up on the sea... It wasn't there before, was it...?

    "Whe-where did this mansion come from...?"

    "Where else? It was there all along kid! Ya went through mah barrier and still asks where the house was? Did time make ya go stupid or something?"

    "Barrier... Come to think of it, Hikari isn't feeling cold anymore..."

    "Of course, who could live in that kind of stupidly cold weather!? Ya're saying some really obvious stuff, ya know?"

    "So-so-sorry... Hikari didn't want to-"

    "What's up with that? It's as if ya became someone else entirely... Whatever, ya'll have plenty of time to explain it. Here we are."

    Remilia-sama barged through the mansion's door and went to a plain room with a bed, a cupboard a table, two chairs and a tea set on top of it. She sat down on one chair and Hikari finally felt her body stop being pulled.

    "Sit down girl, let's talk a bit."

    "Ha-hai!"

    Hikari sat down and looked at Remilia-sama's eyes... She seemed scary...

    "What's up with that? Ya keep staggering whenever ya reply to Ore-sama! Ya didn't stagger back then, why are ya doing that now?"

    "So-so-sorry! Hi-Hikari wi-will-"


    "Stop it!" *hits Hikari's head* "Staggering over and over again while saying ya won't stagger doesn't make things better! Just what are ya afraid of anyway?"

    "Hi... Hikari is sorry... Ran-sama told Hikari to be very careful to not anger other gods, so Hikari didn't want to say anything that Remilia-sama wouldn't like... But Hikari ended up angering Remilia-sama anyway... Hi-Hikari is very so-sorry..."

    "Ran-sama? Ore-sama thought that ya were just ackoledging how great Ore-sama am, but it seems like ya are actually referring to any deity like that? Ya weren't like that before, ya were a stupid girl that would hug the great me without a care in the world, what changed ya so much?"

    "Hikari... Doesn't remember... Anything... Sorry for not being... What Remilia-sama expects..."


    "Eh? Memory loss...? That old hag... Ore-sama did think the price to hamper ya fate was way too high! She was actually asking for the great me to babysit ya! Ore-sama wants a refund! How dare she tricks the great me!?"

    "Eh? Wha-what? Hi-Hikari is not asking-"

    "Whatever, it's not like Ore-sama was worried about ya after staying that much time locked on yer house anyway. So. What brought ya here? Ya seemed to be walking aimlessly the entire time, it's not something anyone without a few screws loose on their head would do."

    "... Hikari was... Fleeing..."

    "With that pace? And while emanating that much Holy Energy? Even a blind and deaf man could've tracked ya with no issue girl, what kind of escape is that?"

    "Hikari didn't... Expect anyone to... Go after her..." *sobs* "Hikari just wanted to... Not... Harm... Anyone..." *sobs*

    "Oi oi! Calm down! Ore-sama is completely out of the loop here! Explain things properly to the great me!"

    Hikari felt a warm thing surrounding her... Is... Is Remilia-sama...? Hu-hugging Hikari...

    "Tha... Thank you..."

    "Ya better be thankful indeed! Not everyone has the privilege of being hugged by the great me!"


    *giggles* "Well... The thing is..."

    Hikari explained what she knew to Remilia-sama, she just heard it while still hugging Hikari... Somehow Hikari felt quite comfortable around her...

    "And so... Hikari ran... And somehow... Arrived here..."

    "...Ya stupid or something?"


    "... Eh?"


    "Yer memories are confusing, so ya're thinking that ya are forgetting things over and over again. And because of that ya got scared of being with others and to keep on forgetting everything about them... That's basically it, isn't it?"

    "Ah-ah... Hai..."

    "Bakayarou!!" *hits Hikari's head*

    "Kya?!"

    "If ya were forgetting things, then why are the memories of what happened on the old hag's house so clear? Yer memory is just getting fuzzy because ya're fainting ya idiot! It's normal to not remember things properly when ya go through emotional traumas!"

    "I-is that so...? But Hikari... Got no answer when asking... How many times did we have a conversation... How could Hikari be sure then...?"

    "That is.... Ya actually have a point kid... Maybe the people from this guild of yers are just stupid though."

    "Hi... Hikari doesn't think they are... Stupid..."

    "Meh, whatever. Take yer time anyway, ya're welcome to spend as much time as ya want in here."

    "S-stay? But... Hikari wanted to stay away from-"

    "If yer memories are really disappearing again, then ya'll probably forget this talk in a few days. If ya do forget, ya won't remember why ya're here in the first place, so ya can leave whenever ya feel like it.

    For as long as yer memories of this stay in place though! Ore-sama forbids ya from wandering around aimslesly again!"


    "Eh-eh!? Bu-but Hikari is-"

    "No buts! Ore-sama said it and ya'll abide to it! Ya said ya didn't want to anger any god, right? Then ya'll have to obey the great me! Or Ore-sama will be really angry at ya!"

    "U-u-understood..."


    "Good, this is yer room, make yerself comfortable in it, if ya need anything, just ask Sakuya and she'll bring it for ya. Ore-sama will be going to sleep now, since it's been a few days since the great me took a nap."

    "A few days...?"

    "Someone had to take too long to come here after all! Ore-sama had to keep yer surroundings clean of dangerous stuff! Feel grateful to it! Ya've definitely died if ya slept on those crazy dangerous place without Ore-sama's help!"

    "Tha-thank you... Remilia-sama..."

    "Meh, Ore-sama only did it because the great me got a nice payment! Ya'd be gone otherwise! Ore-sama will sleep now, so don't disturb!"

    Remilia-sama left the room and left Hikari on her own... The room was simple, but it was quite comfortable... Although... What is Hikari supposed to do now?

    *rumbles* *blushes* Hikari is hungry... Uhn... Where to get some food...?

    "Wo-woah!?"

    A silver-haired woman in a white and blue dress appeared, the design of it was a bit weird though...

    "Here, some food for you, you seemed to be quite hungry."

    "Whe-where did you...?"

    "Oh, where are my manners, I forgot you aren't used to it. I'm Sakuya, a goddess of time. I just came through the door and set everything up for you."

    "Oh... Ah, right, Hikari remembers now... Ran-sama told Hikari about Sakuya-sama as well... Sorry, Hikari should have remembered quicker..."

    "Don't worry, I heard your circumstances, it couldn't be helped. Moreover, I'm just glad you are doing well Hikari, my lady may be a bit hard to deal with, but she truly was worried about you those last few years. Specially after she received your blood as offering last time. So she was quite relieved when Yukari asked her to bring you here."


    "Re-really? But... Remilia-sama seemed to be expecting Hikari to be... Someone Hikari is not... Hikari isn't sure she deserves the worry of Remilia-sama..."

    *pats her head* "Silly, you don't need to deserve someone's worry, nor do you need to worry about not being who they expect you to be. You are yourself and yourself only. The way people feel about you is their own matter, not yours. Hikari should think a bit more about herself, and less about the others. You won't gain anything from overthinking on the views others have on you."

    "Hikari shouldn't... Worry? But wouldn't Hikari hurt others if she doesn't care about their feelings? Hikari doesn't want to hurt anyone..."

    *giggles* "I never said you shouldn't care, just that you shouldn't worry. Care for them, do your best to make yourself first, and them later, happy. Help them with what you can, but most importantly... Care for yourself, don't go doing things that will harm yourself for the sake of others. It's what you should always keep in mind, okay?"

    "Um... Uhm! Hikari will keep that in mind!"

    "That is good, I'll send Patchy over later, she probably has a lot to talk with you about. Enjoy the meal, okay?"

    "O-okay? Ah! She's gone..."

    Hikari was confused... Why did she just come and tell those things to Hikari... And who was Patchy...? And... How did she hear of Hikari's circumstances, she wasn't here when-

    *rumbles*

    Maybe Hikari should eat first and worry about it later... It seems good enough for Hikari!

    After eating the meal, Hikari felt quite sleepy, looking through the window, it seemed like it was already night...? Hikari didn't remember seeing the sun set though... But Hikari doesn't remember seeing it when she met Remilia-sama either... Maybe Hikari should just sleep...

    Laying down on the bed, Hikari instantly fell her consciousness going away... Hopefully this will be a peaceful night...

    Planets passed by us, we landed in a frozen field and started a snowball fight, an iceberg flew with a kraken within it. I brought the food to his mouth and he did the same to mine, putting it on my mouth, I felt the feeling of his kiss. Time seemed to stop, and I saw him flying away.

    Hmmm... Somehow Hikari feels like this was a good night... Where is Hikari... Oh, right, Remilia-sama's mansion... Should Hikari go for breakfast now? But Hikari is using the same clothes as yesterday, and Hikari didn't take a bath... It wouldn't be nice to do that...

    Looking to the side, Hikari saw a rack with a few clothes on it... Hikari doesn't remember it being there yesterday. There was also a bathroom connected to the room, so Hikari could use that... Remilia-sama was really thoughtful of Hikari... Hikari should thank her properly later.

    After taking a bath Hikari changed her clothes, to a sleeveless white top and a yellow skirt that went about two inches above her knee. It looked cute and it was easy to move around. Hikari then left her room and...

    "Where to now...?"

    "Good morning Hikari, breakfast is already done, would you prefer to eat it on the dinning room or on your room?"

    "Sa-Sa-Sakuya-sama!?"

    "Oh, sorry, I forgot you're still not used to it."

    "Ho-how did Sakuya-sama know Hikari was getting out of the room now...?"

    "Well, I control time and space, so I was just checking outside of your room every few seconds."

    "Eh!? But... Isn't that tiring...?"

    "Not when you're used to it." *pat pat* "Don't worry too much about it, okay? You're hungry, aren't you? Let's worry about the food for now."

    "Um-uhm..." *nods* "Then... Could Sakuya-sama take Hikari to the dining room please?"

    "It's not a problem, follow me."

    Sakuya-sama turned around and started walking, and Hikari started following. She wasn't saying anything else though... This is awkward...

    "Ano... What was Hikari's relationship with Remilia-sama? It seems like Hikari was cared for, but... Not remembering it makes Hikari a bit lost..."

    "Hmmm... Both me and my lady didn't have that much contact with you actually. The one that was really close to you was Patchy... You can think of her as a distant aunt of sorts."

    "Hi-Hi-Hikari can't think of goddess-samas as her family! It would be completely out of place for Hikari!" >.<

    "Is that so...? You seem to be quite close to a fair amount of deities already though. Oh, here we are."

    Sakuya-sama opened some large doors and entered a large room, Hikari could see a large table and a big amount of decorations on the walls... It was really fancy!

    ... There was no one in it though.

    "Did Hikari arrive too late...?"

    "Not at all, my lady is still sleeping and Patchy decided to eat on the library, and Meiling is probably slacking of somewhere. The time you arrived is completely fine."

    "Then Hikari and Sakuya-sama are going to use this big room all by ourselves...? Isn't it a bit of a waste?"

    "Actually I already ate."

    >.< "Hikari should've just ate in her room then... It would cause less trouble for Sakuya-sama..."

    *giggles* *pats her head* "Don't worry, we never have any opportunity to use this place, so it's not a bad thing to ate here when a guests comes over. Consider it as bringing use to a pointless room."

    "O-okay... Then... Should Hikari get something in the kitchen?"

    "There is no need for that, just tell me what you need and I'll fetch it for you."

    "Hikari can't ask a goddess to do those things for Hikari! Hikari would feel bad about it even if Hikari had a proper offering to-"

    *giggles* "You worry waaaaay too much, you're a guest and I'm a maid, that's all there is to it. Now sit down" *holds Hikari's shoulders and puts her on a chair* "And tell me what you need, I'll get it for you, okay?" *tilts head into a smile*

    "The-then... A bit of rice, soup and fish please... Ah!"

    The things Hikari asked for instantly appeared in front of her... Hikari will need to get used to this...

    "Alright, I'll go back to work now, please ask anything you might need and I'll provide it for you. Enjoy breakfast Hikari."

    Before Hikari could reply, Sakuya-sama had already disappeared... She is a bit hard to deal with, but really nice at the same time...

    The meal was really well made and Hikari could enjoy it thoroughly... It was weird to be treated this nicely...

    Once Hikari finished eating, the things in front of Hikari disappeared and Sakuya-sama appeared again, she guided Hikari to the bathroom and provided a brush and paste of sorts for Hikari to clean her teeth. They were a bit different to what Hikari was used to, but they seemed to work well.

    When Hikari finished and got out, Sakuya-sama appeared again... At least it's not surprising Hikari anymore.

    "What do you want to do now?"

    "What does Hikari want...?"

    *nods* "You're free to do whatever you want, as long as you don't go running away again."

    "Hmmm... Is there something Hikari can help with?"

    "Something to help with...?" *tilts head* "Not really, I can do all the work here with ease, and you'd probably get in the way if you tried helping, not to mention you'd get really tired really quickly, and you wouldn't be able to do much anyway, since this mansion is humongous..."

    "I-is that so... Hikari is sorry for not being useful..."

    "I'd be very ashamed if my lady's guest needed to help me in maintaining the house. Think a bit about yourself, there should be some thing you want to do."

    "Hikari... Doesn't know... Hikari doesn't have a good idea on what she likes or dislikes... Could Sakuya-sama recommend something to Hikari...?"

    "Really now... Not even knowing what you like? You really are quite lost..." *puts hands on Hikari's shoulders* "You know, nobody really expects you to be who you were... Or at least, nobody shouldn't. In any case, you are yourself and yourself only, try to discover who you are and what you like. It isn't something I, or anybody else can tell you, but you should try to learn it and abide by it, okay?"

    "Learn who... Hikari... Is? To... Not try to... Copy her old self... Somehow, Hikari seems to have heard this before... Why can't Hikari remember it...?"

    "That means, you have people that care for you out there, and accept you for who you are. That's enough for now, isn't it? If it's related to the time after you lost your memories, maybe you'll remember it in due time."

    "Right... Hikari really is... Surrounded by wonderful people...

    Hikari doesn't... Want to hurt those people... But Hikari doesn't think running will stop them from getting hurt either... What should Hikari do...?"


    "Well, for a start, you're getting to know yourself. You know you don't like seeing the people near you hurt, it's something isn't it?

    As for what to do? Think about it, maybe something will come to you in due time, you don't really need to hurry, you know?"


    "Something Hikari herself dislikes... Right, Hikari really dislikes seeing the people close to her hurt! Hikari definitely wants to avoid it!

    Then... Could Hikari meet... Patchy? Since Sakuya-sama said she was closer to Hikari, Hikari thinks she might be more hurt from Hikari not remembering her... Hikari wants to apologize to Patchy."


    "Of course, I'll take you to the library then!"

    Sakuya-sama turned around and started walking again...

    "Ah! Sakuya-sama!"

    "Hmm? What is it?"

    "Thank you... For helping Hikari find a bit of herself..."

    *quick giggle* "You're welcome~
    This way."


    Hikari nodded and followed Sakuya-sama, Hikari wanted to do some small talk to avoid the silence, but no topic came to HIkari's mind, so the path ended up being basically silent.

    Luckily, it didn't take too long for us to reach the library... The mansion to be pretty big though, Hikari thinks it's a bit weird to move quickly within it...

    Sakuya-sama knocked on the door and waited a bit, after no reply coming, she knocked again, a bit stronger this time.

    "What is it!? I'm busy!"

    "Yes, you were busy for the last 3 months, but you have a visit now."

    "A visit...? Who would be visiting me in the first place?"

    "See for yourself~"

    Saying that, Sakuya-sama opened the door, and Hikari saw a woman with long purple hair and a white gown with a few purple trims. She was sitting on a table with piles of books surrouding her, and the expression on her face was really grumpy.

    Although... When she looked towards Hikari, her eyes widened and she jumped from her chair, flying towards Hikari in a hug.

    "Hikari! You're alive! And away from the house as well! I'm so glad you're okay! Me and Alice were so worried over you! Why did you take so long to make contact!? Is the house still okay? Have you been doing well? Are you eating your meals properly at least?"

    "A-a-a-ah..."

    "Patchy, I'm afraid Hikari has lost her memories, she doesn't know what you're talking about."

    She suddenly stopped talking and her eyes widened even more... She seemed out of breath for a moment and... Almost paralyzed, Hikari is...

    After a moment though, she seemed to get her composure again and talked in a small voice.

    "Hikari... Lost them...? All of it?"

    "Hi... Hikari is sorry..."

    *deep breath* "Well... Seems like I received a wonderful surprise, only to be hit with terrible news right after..." *sighs* *ruffles Hikari's hair* "You don't need to feel sorry though, some things just can't be helped... Then, please let me introduce myself, I'm Patchouli, I'm a witch and the librarian of this mansion, pleased to... Meet you again Hikari."

    "Ple... Pleased to meet you again... Patchouli-san... Hikari... Wanted to apologize for... Not being who Patchouli-san wanted Hikari to be..."

    "Didn't I just say to not feel sorry? Why are you apologizing then? Come here, sit down, we can take our time talking things out.
    Sakuya, could you leave us alone for a bit?"


    "Of course, enjoy your chat~"

    Hikari turned towards Sakuya-sama, but she had already disappeared. Patchouli-sana let go of Hikari and held Hikari's hand instead, slowly flying towards a seat on the table. Hikari followed her by walking and then sat down in front of her.

    "So... Lost your memories... There must be a lot of things on your head. Do you want to ask anything? I'll try answering the best way I can."

    "Patchouli-san won't... Ask Hikari about how it happened?"

    "Does it matter much? I'm pretty sure you already talked about this issue a fair amount of times, and you're probably tired of it, aren't you? I wouldn't want to bring up a topic that you are already tired of.

    It would be a lie to say I'm not curious, but I don't think I need to know it."


    "Tha-thank you... Hikari appreciates it..."

    "You don't need to be that shy, you know? I understand that it must be hard to deal with the expectations of someone that is a stranger for you... But I did care a huge lot for you in the past, still do actually. So I would prefer if you tried feeling a bit comfortable around me."

    "Hi-Hikari will try!"

    "How can you even try to feel comfortable? Seriously now... Well, let's not worry too much on it, you'll get there with time."

    "Um-umu... Then... Could Patchouli-san tell Hikari what was our previous relationship?"

    "That? Well... I guess you could say I was the lover of your late sort of adopted mother."

    "... Eh?"

    "Well, basically, you lived back in the Rainforest Vale, your parents were killed and you started being brought up by Marisa, which is a woman I was in a relationship with. We ended up being pretty close until the day of Marisa's death. The distance between us got wider after she was gone though.

    I guess you can think of me as a somewhat distant aunt? It would work out somehow."


    "Hi-Hikari sees... Hikari is sorry for bringing bad memories up..."

    "Silly, I'm just happy you're alive and well!" *hugs Hikari tightly* "You have no idea how worried we were back when you insisted on staying there every day..."

    "Hikari... Did something bad in the past...? Did Hikari hurt Patchouli-san?"

    "Oh, no no, nothing like that... Just... Wanted to preserve something that was no longer there."

    "Is that so...? Hikari... Wants to know what happened to her in the past, but... Hikari doesn't necessarily wants to go back to it... Somehow Hikari feels like she is very different to how she was back when Hikari still had her memories... Hikari doesn't want to stop being herself to recover this old self that isn't Hikari anymore... Is this weird? Should Hikari actually want to go back to how Hikari was?"

    "Weird? Why would that be weird? You're just trying to preserve your own self? What could be more normal than the instinct of self preservation?" *distances herself a small bit and looks Hikari on the eyes* "Look, you may not be the person I knew, but you're definitely Hikari, you're still yourself, and you should live as yourself. Never let anyone tell you that this is weird or that this is not what you should be doing. Promise me that."

    *blinks a bit* "Hi-Hikari understands... Haha... Hikari feels like she has heard this kind of thing a lot on recent days... Maybe Hikari should start paying some heed to it..."

    *raises herself* "Hmmmmm... I know, let's go on a trip!"

    "A trip?"

    "Yep! A trip!

    You seem to be thinking a bit too much on who you were, and not on who you are. Apologizing for the things you had done, trying to understand how people viewed you and what was their relationship... You don't need any of that! What good will it do to you to dwell in the past anyway? It's not like it's coming back.

    So, we'll go on a trip! Let's do something for Hikari. Not for the past you, not a remembrance of things that we did back when you weren't your current self. Let's do something for the you that is here, right in front of me."


    "Something for... Hikari?

    But Hikari doesn't... Know what Hikari wants for herself..."


    "All the more reason to do it then! Don't you think we all need something we want for ourselves? We should all try to fulfill our goals in life, but how would you that without a clear goal in head? You need something you want for yourself!

    Let's try to find that out Hikari!"


    Patchouli-san extended her hand to Hikari after saying that...

    "Hikari... Hikari also wants to find what Hikari wants for herself!"

    Hikari grabbed her hand and Patchouli-san smiled a gentle smile towards Hikari.

    "Then, let's go!"

    While holding Hikari's hand, Patchouli-san started flying away from the room while dragging Hikari. Hikari's arm quickly felt painful for having to endure the entirety of Hikari's weight.

    "Wa-wha!?"

    "Oh sorry, I forgot that you don't know how to fly, I'm too used to everyone knowing it... Here, better?"

    Hikari felt her body becoming a lot lighter, the pain on her arm was also gone.

    "What did Patchouli-san do...?"

    "It's a levitation spell I could teach you if you want, it's not that hard."

    "Uhn... Hikari is only able to use Holy Magic though... Is there a way to levitate with Holy Energy?" *tilts head*

    "Holy Energy? That wasn't... Well, there are Holy Spells that talk about flight, but I only know the theory behind those, since I can't use them myself. If you want, I can lend you the book about it later, you could try learning it through that."

    "Really? Hikari would love it! Thank you Patchouli-san!" *pulls her into a hug*

    "I... It's nothing... Rather, le-let's go on our trip already! Can..." *deep breath* "Can you move around on your own?"

    Patchouli-san was acting weirdly... When Hikari distanced herself a bit, she could see Patchouli-san looking away with a bit reddened face... Could Patchouli-san not be good in handling physical contact? But she hugged Hikari a while ago so easily... Weird...

    "Moving...?
    ...
    ... Hikari doesn't really know how to move herself through the air..."
    *tries moving arms and legs around for no avail*

    "Just try imagining your body moving how you wish, it will work out."

    "Just that...?" *imagines going forward* "Wo-woah!? Hikari is really flying!"

    *giggles* "You are indeed~
    So, let's go?"


    "Hai!"

    Patchouli-san started flying again, this time Hikari followed her while still holding hands, instead of being dragged. We left the mansion through one of the windows and started going around the surroundings.

    Although... This is a bit weird, isn't it?

    "Patchouli-san-"

    "Just call me Patchy, it feels weird hearing you call me Patchouli-san every time..."

    "Then... Patchy-chan?"

    *turns head away blushing* "Yeah... That works..."

    Patchouli... No, Patchy-chan's reaction is strange... Hikari doesn't understand... "Hmmm... Right! Why are there no animals nearby, nor are there any big chunks of ice... Hikari thought they would be on the whole lake."

    "Oh, this? It's Remi's barrier, it protects against the cold, so no icebergs, and also against pretty much anything that tries getting close, be it living or not. So we don't have to worry about being bothered by rain or a bird pooping on the window, it's pretty handy."

    "Oooohh... Hikari thought that it was only blocking the cold from coming in..."

    "That would be kinda dumb, barriers are meant to hide or protect after all. This was more of a last minute add-in than anything."

    *nod nod* "Understood! Hikari will keep it in mind!"

    "Alright, so... Here we go!"

    Hikari felt like she was going through some kind of wall... Didn't Hikari feel something like this yesterday?

    "Hmmmm... Seems like your Holy Energy is interfering with Remi's barrier... Well, I guess it's expected since your natures are direct opposites... Still, it's surprising you have enough in yourself to mess with her barrier. Considering how much Holy Energy would be necessary, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you could create a miracle."

    "A... Miracle? What is that Patchy-chan?" *tilts head*

    "Basically, you would be directly borrowing a god's power in exchange for Holy Energy, the destructive potential of it would be amazing, but an absurd amount of Holy Energy would be necessary, so it's really rare to see someone able to perform miracles."

    "Eh? But... How else was Hikari supposed to cast spells then?"

    "The usual way of course, by... You... Don't know how to cast spells, except like that?"

    *shakes head* "Ran-sama told Hikari to do it like this... Now that Patchy-chan mentioned it, Hikari does seem to remember hearing something about Holy Energy usually copying the way a god's power manifests itself, but Hikari doesn't know how to do that, so Hikari just borrows the power of the gods instead... Should Hikari do it differently?"

    "No no, the way you do it is fine... It was just... A bit unexpected I guess. Seems like that book I told you about won't help you much then, since it expects you to be able to cast spells without borrowing a god's power."

    "Is that so...? What should Hikari do then?"

    "Whatever you wish! You don't need to ask me for what you should do! Just do it instead!

    If you want to learn how to copy a god's power, learn it! If you prefer to rely on them, rely on them! You are free to do it as you choose! You don't need to have someone telling you what to do, Hikari!"


    "Hikari should... Choose...? Then... Hikari wants to... Remain... Relying on the gods... At least for now...

    Hikari doesn't feel like she should use a power that connects her to the gods as her own... It feels wrong."


    *nod nod* "Alright then! Make sure to make good use of your Holy Energy!"

    "I-is it really alright like that...?"

    "Why wouldn't it be? It's your power in the first place."

    "Hikari just... Thinks Patchy-chan would prefer her to cast her own spells instead..."

    "Well, I'm a witch, so it's kind of a given that I would prefer to not rely on an outside source for help. But you're not me, your life is your own, and you should do what you feel like doing. Didn't I just say that seconds ago?"

    "Ri-right... Hikari is just... Unsure if Hikari isn't making a mistake..."

    "If you think it's a mistake, you can always change it later, it's not like all of your decisions are final anyway. You don't need to decide how you'll live the rest of your life in a single day, you know?"

    "Hikari is... Free to change?"

    "Of course, why wouldn't you be?"

    "Um... Uhm! Hikari will keep that in mind then! Hikari will do what Hikari thinks is right!"

    "That's the spirit!
    Now, shall we get going?"


    "Ri-right!
    ... Where to?"


    *giggles* "Just follow me, I wanna show you something."

    Patchy-chan kept on holding Hikari's hand and started flying again, the weather quickly got colder once we finished going through the barrier, so Patchy-chan made a red bobble around us that made things warmer again... That was nice.

    After a while, we reached a particularly big block of ice and landed on it, Patchy-chan's bobble changed shape to fit our bodies as we got there.

    "This way."

    Hikari started walking after Patchy-chan while she slowly floated forward, it was a bit mysterious as to why she didn't say what she wanted to show, but Hikari wasn't worried about it... Just... Curious.

    We entered into a hole within the big ice chunk and kept moving forward, the place seemed like a labyrinth in which Hikari could easily get lost in. Patchy-chan seemed to know her way perfectly though.

    "Here we are."

    "What is...?"

    At the end of the labyrinthic path, there was a huge open room, and in the middle of it, there was a really gigantic white wolf held in place by very thin chains... It had a terrible complexion...

    "That's Fenrir, a demigod... Well, actually half god half giant, but we don't need to go into those details."

    "A... Demigod? But... Why is he locked?"

    "Well, prophecies say that he'll grow large enough to the point that his upper jaw will touch the sky, and the lower jaw the earth. And on the end of the world, he'll bring great harm to all gods... Or so it's said, hard to be certain when it's related to those things."

    "Then... Patchy-chan locked him here...?"

    "Me? No, it was the work of some other deities, I merely know the place he is in."

    "In that case... What did Patchy-chan want by showing this to Hikari?"

    "Well... Doesn't he look pitiful?"

    "Pitiful...?"

    Hikari looked at him again... His eyes were lifeless, as if any hope of leaving this place had been completely lost long ago...

    "For how long has he been here?"

    "Dunno, a few eons maybe."

    "That is... Isn't it terrible...? Like... Hikari doesn't think that... Someone should be locked in due to something saying they'll cause trouble in the future... Specially not for this long... It's horrible..."

    "You think so? But what if it really happened? If he really did end up killing gods and more gods... Would you feel happy if he roamed free, and ended up killing Remi or Ran?"

    "No! That's not-"

    "But you said it was terrible, didn't you? Isn't it a good thing to keep a dangerous threat locked down like that?"

    "Hi... Hikari doesn't know... But Hikari... Hikari doesn't think it's nice to keep someone locked due to something they didn't do... Hikari doesn't understand how prophecies work, but Hikari doesn't think it's right anyway!"

    "Hmmm... Then, what will you do?"

    "Eh?"

    "Well, you said you didn't think it was right, so... What will you do about it?"

    "Can... Can Hikari do something?"

    "I don't see anything getting in your way."

    Hikari wasn't really understanding what Patchy-chan wanted... She didn't seem to want Fenrir-sama released, but she told Hikari that there wasn't anything in Hikari's way... Does that mean she won't interfere? Why though...?

    Even though Hikari doesn't quite understand, Hikari thinks there is a reason behind it, so Hikari approached Fenrir-sama.

    "Excuse me... Fenrir-sama?"

    "What is a child doing in my prison?"

    "Hikari wanted to know if... Was there anything Hikari could do to help Fenrir-sama..."

    "Pfft, pitiable, as if one such as you could release me from those shackles. Don't waste your time."

    "Hikari... Hikari's time is used in whatever way Hikari seems fit! Hikari wants to help! So tell Hikari how to help!"

    "Oh...? No, it is useless, go away."

    He turned his head away and looked to the other side... Hmph, Hikari doesn't like this!

    Hikari bit her finger strongly and let the blood flow from it and started a chant. Fenrir-sama's head turned towards here, but Hikari didn't mind it.

    "Goddess of fate, answer my plea. Accept this sacrifice in blood and grant me thy blessing! Make my fate clash with that of Fenrir, let his path ahead be freed by from the shackles that were put on without the rightful reasons. This is my prayer, this is my will, let thy will be done, and let fate always guide our steps."

    Ugh... The pain from this is terribly bigger than last time... The amount of blood Hikari lost was also a lot bigger... Yet, it disappeared, just like last time, and Hikari felt her body being pulled by a force and a reasonable amount of her Holy Energy disappearing.

    "Thank you once again Remilia-sama, your help is greatly appreciated..."

    Hikari followed the force that pulled her towards the back of Fenrir-sama, he seemed to be looking towards Hikari curiously, but didn't move to stop her... Patchy-chan also seemed to be just looking, but not interfering...

    As Hikari got behind of Fenrir-sama, she saw a strange mixture of things... The chains that binded him seemed to come from here, but... They merged strangely, into different things that constantly changed into one another

    The force pulled Hikari close to it until Hikari could see the fusion properly... Rather, it kept on pulling Hikari... Stop!

    "Wah!?"

    Hikari was pulled into the vortex in which they were changing, Hikari felt strange. She heard the sound of a cat's footfall, saw a feminine beard, a mountain deeply rooted into the ground, a bear showing its sinews, then a fish breathed into Hikari and a bird spittled towards Hikari.

    As soon as that happened, Hikari felt her body being pulled away and fell back into the ground... What was all that?

    "You. Did you just enter Gleipnir?"

    "Gleipnir...?"

    "The chains, those are their names."

    "Oh, right! Hikari entered those!"

    "And came out alive to tell the tale... Unexpected. Not something most mortals should be able to go through... What did you find in it?"

    "What Hikari found? It was confusing... There were a lot of strange things moving around, some sounds and.... Well, Hikari didn't understand it very well, why would those things be on the place those chains... Gureipunir? Are coming from...?"

    "It's the essence that made Gleipnir that you found there. Whatever it is, it should be hard enough to withstand me."

    "Hard...? It was more like confusing... Things like bird spit and mountain roots were there..."

    "What? This is just... Impossible...
    ...
    Of course... It's made of something impossible... And therefore, it's something that is impossible to exist, and so, it cannot be broken. As it can't even exist in the first place... Yet it exists... To think it was something like this that was used to bide me... I curse my own foolishness."

    "Isn't there anything Hikari can do to help Fenrir-sama?"

    "Help? No, you might be able to do things normal mortals wouldn't, like directly summon a god's power, or survive entering Gleipnir, but this is not something one such as you can handle. Leave me. To regret my own foolish decisions."

    "Hikari doesn't wanna!"

    "Impudence! I ordered you to leave child!"

    "Or what!? Hikari said she doesn't want to leave, so Hikari won't leave! Tell Hikari something she can do to help!"

    "Why are you being so annoying!? Begone!"

    "Because Patchy-chan brought Hikari here for a reason! And Hikari wants to find out what it was! Patchy-chan said that there was a prophecy regarding Fenrir-sama causing trouble to other gods, so Fenrir-sama was locked for their protection, but Hikari doesn't buy it! Hikari doesn't feel it's right, so Hikari feels she should do something about it!"

    "You say you want to understand, but then you give your own selfish reason... Do you even know why you want it in the first place?"

    "Uhn... Probably not? Hikari isn't sure, Hikari barely knows anything about herself, so Hikari isn't sure about what she wants or what she doesn't... But Hikari feels like she wants to help Fenrir-sama, so Hikari decided to help until Hikari can't anymore. Is it that strange to want to help?" *tilts head*

    "Strange? Perhaps. It is just something I have not seen in a long long time. Though I have not seen much in all this time either..." *breathes in and out* "If you really want to know, I don't particularly mind receiving help, but I doubt there is anything that can be done about it."

    "Right! Then... Hmmmm... Fenrir-sama, do you think an Elder God's power could break through these chains?"

    "An Elder God? If something like that could be summoned, then it might be possible... It would need to be on that can make the impossible possible though."

    "Then... Hikari has an idea... Hikari will make a chant and then she'll talk about Fenrir-sama being locked... Please try to go out once Hikari does that, Fenrir-sama, as quickly as possible."

    "What are you planning...?"

    "Hikari isn't sure, it's the first time Hikari is doing it, so the results will be wild... Hikari only knows that she won't be able to try again, and that Fenrir-sama won't have much time... Does Fenrir-sama want to give it a shot?"

    "An idea that not even the one that came up with it knows much about, and that the result is wild, with limited time, and with only a single chance to handle it... Of course, I have been through worse, bring it kid."

    "Then... Hikari will start."

    Hikari reached her bag for a feather, and a bit of water. Hikari put a small drop of water into the feather and let it flow, and when the drop was about to fall from the feather, she twisted it upside down, making the water flow on the contrary direction. Repeating the process once again when the drop reached the other side.

    "Goddes of reversal, grant Hikari's wish. Lend your powers to Hikari, make use of Hikari as your vessel, and allow Fenrir-sama to reverse the situation of his imprisonment! Let Hikari be the one that carries your words and wishes. Oh Sagume-sama, Hikari pleads you, descent upon this realm for a moment, let your power flow through this mortal body that undeserves you.

    By thy wish, Hikari prays. Descension!"


    Hikari clapped her hands with the feather between them, the place the feather was started to shine, and soon its glow spreaded towards Hikari's body.

    It hurt, it hurt a huge lot, Hikari felt like puking, Hikari's Holy Energy was being drained at a crazy fast speed and Hikari couldn't even move... Hikari needed to say something though... Hikari opened her mouth, but the throat was dry... Just... Come out...

    "Fenrir-sama... Is... Loc... Ked..."

    That was all that came out, Fenrir-sama understood and started moving, trying to break free of the chains biding him. Hikari felt her entire body burning, Hikari could barely see what was happening...

    A sound, something broke, Hikari saw a jaw near the vortex, the vortex wasn't there. Pain, blurry, a movement, the ground... It's noisy... Stop... Hi... Hikari...?

    "Hikari, snap out of it! Cut the connection!"

    Connection... Ah!

    "Sa... Sagume-sama... It's enough... Thank you for the help..."

    Hikari's body stopped burning, and the little amount left of Holy Energy stopped being drained... Hikari feels...

    A burning sensation filled Hikari's throat, it's coming...

    Ugh...

    "So... Sorry Patchy-chan..."

    Hikari puked... It was... Red?

    "Do-do-don't mention it..."

    Her entire body was shivering... Hikari did something bad...

    "Ra-rather, you puked blood, you shone, what was all that you crazy girl!?"

    Hikari puked... Blood?

    Looking at Patchy-chan, Hikari saw a huge red stain in it... That came from... Hikari?

    "So-sorry Patchy-chan... That was..."

    "You became an avatar, correct? I sensed a divine presence within you while you were doing that."

    "You did what!?"

    "It is what... Fenrir-sama said... Hikari temporarily became the avatar of... Sagume-sama to... Reverse the situation he was locked in..."

    "Using a human's body to become a deity's avatar...? Seriously Hikari, think a bit more before trying to suicide! At least become a youkai or something before trying something so reckless! What would've happened if you ran out of Holy Energy to feed her!? How would your body sustain it then?!"

    "Hi... Hikari is sorry... But Hikari couldn't think of any other way to handle it... Just borrowing Sagume-sama's power, or Remilia-sama's power wouldn't be enough... Hikari needed something more... Direct."

    "Idiot. At least warn me in advance before that, I could've prepared some countermeasures!"

    "Bu-but Patchy-chan didn't... Seem to want... To help Hikari..."

    "I just wanted you to decide by yourself idiot! I didn't want to see you almost suiciding!" *hugs tightly* "Don't go worrying me like that... Please take care of yourself... I lost you once, I don't want to lose you again."

    "Hi-Hikari is... Sorry... Hikari will... Take better care of herself..."

    "Promise...?"

    "Hikari... Promises..."

    We kept hugging like that for a while... Without really saying anything... Hikari likes this feeling... But Hikari doesn't like Patchy-chan's reaction... Hikari doesn't want to cause this sort of thing again...

    "Apologies for interrupting, but... I would like to thank you... Hikari is it? I had, since long ago, given up on leaving this place. You have my gratitude. And apologies for the doubt."

    "No-no! Hi-Hikari shouldn't-" *cough cough* "Receive apologies from-" *cough* "A deity like... Fenrir-sama..."

    "Is that so? If that's how you see it, it's fine. In any case, you have my gratitude, if you ever need my help. You can just spread a bit of wolf fur, and I'll lend you my power. I'm a demi-god of the cold by the way."

    "Hi... Hikari is... Thankful..."

    "Don't be. I am.

    I'll be leaving now, take care young girl."

    Fenrir-sama turned around and left... Hikari wonders what he'll do now... Hopefully that prophecy won't fulfill itself...

    "So... How do you feel?"

    "Hi... Hikari is fi-" *cough cough* "Maybe... A bit tired..."

    "Right... I'll bring you back to the mansion, we can talk on the way."

    Patchy-chan floated Hikari towards her arms and took Hikari in a princess carry, then started flying away from the cave. As we got out, she started talking.

    "Look, I could scold you for an entire month about how reckless you were, but..." *sighs* "I'm just glad you're fine, so I'll skip that. You already promised you'll take better care of yourself, so that's fine... I'm going to need to punch Ran for teaching you how to become temporary avatar though."

    "No-no... It's not Ran-sama's fault... She taught Hikari as it could be a last resort in case everything was falling apart... She told Hikari to not use it unless there was no other choice, because it had drastic consequences... And she also told Hikari to avoid doing it for anyone other than Yukari-sama..."

    "And you did... Seriously... Talk about recklessness... At least you learned your lesson, right?"

    "Uhm! Hikari won't-" *cough cough* "Do it again..."

    "Right... So, how do you feel about all this?"

    "Hi.. Hikari is sorry..."

    "No, not that, I understand you're sorry, I won't keep on poking you over and over again on that... I'm wondering how you feel about your decision, of freeing Fenrir."

    "How Hikari..." *coughs* "Feels?"

    "That, you did something out of your own free will, fully aware of the risks, and you did it by yourself because you wanted to. It's a first for you, isn't it? How was that?"

    "It was... It was nice..." *cough* "Hikari felt... Like she finally started moving a bit..."

    "Uhum. I'm happy to hear that, then please try to keep up with it, alright? Try doing things you want to do. Move for yourself and find out what you want. You can't live on if you don't know what you want to do, right?"

    "Uhm! Hikari will-" *cough cough cough* "Work hard on it!"

    "Well, for now you need to rest, you can work hard later, okay?"

    "Right... resting feels... Like a good idea now..."

    Hikari felt the feeling of passing through a wall again, which means we already went through the barrier, then...

    "Here we are, home sweet home."

    Patchy-chan landed on the mansion through a window and kept on carrying Hikari.

    "I guess I should take you to the bathroom first, then you should get some sleep and-"

    "What the hell did you do girl!?"

    "Remi, not now."

    "The hell's with not now!? Ore-sama felt a stupidly big amount of Holy Energy just a while ago! It was as if a god had descended with full power into the world!"

    "Not now Remi! She is tired, let her rest first."

    "Patche. Ore-sama sensed a deity going all out in the middle of the mortal's world. Ore-sama needs to know exactly what happened. Right. Now!"

    "Remi..."

    "Re-Remilia-sama, Hikari is deeply sorry, Hikari just-" *cough cough* "just needed the full potential of a deity so... Hikari became a temporary avatar of-" *cough cough* "Sagume-sama..."

    "Oh, so that's what it was? Well, it's already a relief to know it wasn't nearly as big of a problem as Ore-sama thought... But look at yer state kid! Ya're looking terrible!"

    "That's why I said she needs to rest!"

    Remilia-sama looked at me with a grim face.

    "Ya're right... The kid definitely needs some rest. Ore-sama will her to ya Patche."

    Saying that, Remilia-sama turned around and left.

    "Tha-thank you for-" *cough cough* "Your kindness..." *cough* "Remilia-sama."

    She waved her hand without stopping, Patchy-chan then talked to Hikari.

    "I'll help you take a bath, you must be tired."

    "The-there is no need Patch-chan!" *cough* "Hikari can-"

    "Can you even stand on your two feet right now?"

    "Tha-that is..."

    "I thought so, don't worry too much about it, just try to rest."

    Hikari nodded and Patchy-chan carried her to the bath, Hikari felt somewhat embarrassed by being washed, but... During the whole time Patchy-chan seemed really worried about Hikari, so Hikari didn't find it possible to refuse... Hikari really messed up this time...

    By the time we ended, a change of clothes for both of us was already waiting on the changing area of the bathroom... Must've been Sakuya-sama. Hikari's clothes were already a sleepwear, even though it was still early afternoon.

    Patchy-chan carried Hikari to the bedroom and laid Hikari on the bed, kissing Hikari's head, she said.

    "Good night... Please rest well and try to get better, okay? You really overdid it today."

    *nod nod* "Uhm... Hikari will..." *cough cough* "Rest..."

    Patchy-chan's silhouette was becoming blurry, things were becoming darker...

    *cough cough* A turtle was destroying the house. *cough cough* The rubble was cleaned by the adventures. *cough cough* Voices kept asking me to return. *cough cough* I hugged her frail body saying it's alright. *cough cough* Her hair turned into butterflies. *cough cough* The butterflies became a portal, and a mermaid fell from it. *cough cough* The portal became darkness and the darkness filled the room. *cough cough* The light was lit, and the bed was full of blood. *cough*

    *pant pant pant* What was...?

    *cough cough*

    Ugh... Hikari feels sick... What should Hikari do now...? Looking outside, it was already early morning... Hikari surely slept... Then... Breakfast first...?

    *cough cough cough*

    Hikari tried leaving her bed, the moment she did, Hikari felt really dizzy and fell on the ground... Ugh... Hikari will...

    "Hikari! You should have just called if you woke up! Don't try doing anything reckless!"

    "So-sorry-" *cough cough* "Hikari thought she could-"

    "Well, you thought it wrong. I'll take you to the mistress, you can't really go on like this."

    "Not breakfast...?"

    "Later, the mistress first."

    Hikari didn't really understand it, but Sakuya-sama didn't stop to explain, she just held Hikari in her arms and...

    "What? Where?"

    "I moved you while time was stopped, this is the mistress'-"

    "What do you mean with sending her back!? You can't expect her to go away at this state!" From behind the door in front of Hikari, she could hear a shout.

    "What else do ya think we should do then Patche? Let her stay until she rots and dies? Marisa was enough, wasn't it? There is nothing we can do for her. If she's sent back, she'll at least have some hope."

    "We can try searching some more, there must be something-"

    "Again!? Search yer entire library again!? How many times did we search it Patche? Beat it. There is no cure, her days are counted. Let she at least try to meet her family before her death, with some luck they might find what we didn't in 20 years of search. If not, she'll at least be near the people that want her the most."

    "Bu-but....... I as well.......... Love........."

    *a pause* "Patche, I understands. You know I do, don't ya? But you aren't the one she's looking for... As much as you might want, the past won't come back, those days are gone..."

    *whispers* "Wha-what should we do Sakuya-sama? We shouldn't be-" *cough cough*

    *silence* "Sakuya, bring her in."

    "As you wish my lady."

    Sakuya-sama opened the door, Patchy-chan and Remilia-sama were both there, Patchy-chan's face looked as if she was crying, Remilia-sama simply looked tired and... Sad...

    "Ya probably heard more than enough kid, so Ore-sama will be pretty direct. Ya're sick, and ya're dying. The backlash of directly bringing a god inside yerself is not something that should be taken lightly, ya messed up badly this time.

    Ore-sama will try to postpone it for ya, but yer time is still limited. Try to enjoy what ya have left."


    "I... Is that so...?" *cough cough* "Thank you then... Remilia-sama..."

    "Hi-Hikari... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought you there..."

    "Don't be... Hikari is happy that Patchy-chan helped Hikari understand how it feels to-" *cough cough cough* "To want something for herself... Hikari is thankful for that..."

    "Idiot... You can blame others every once in a while you know?"

    *shakes head* "But that would make Patchy-chan sad... Hikari doesn't want to make the people close to her sad..."

    "Still... I'm going to get sad anyway... It wouldn't be too bad if I could be someone for you to blame at least..."

    "Hikari-" *cough cough* "Doesn't want someone to blame... Hikari knows she messed up, and Hikari is happy to understand a bit more about herself... It's enough."

    "Hikari..."

    "Blaming yerself will change nothing Patche, ya just want to wallow in self-depreciation due to not being able to save her... Again.

    Try to say goodbye with a smile instead, it will make the kid happier."


    Saying that, Remilia-sama approached Hikari, Sakuya-sama sat Hikari on the ground and Remilia-sama touched her forehead on Hikari's.

    "It might hurt a little, try to endure it, will ya?"

    "Uhm..."

    Remilia-sama closed her eyes and held Hikari's shoulders with her hands.

    "Thy fate is not one to end yet. Thou life will remain for as long as time allows thee to. For my words are the words of fate. Thou shalt now be one that has fate guiding thy steps."

    Hikari felt something go through her forehead and spread to her body, there was a strange feeling in that, as if Hikari felt something similar before... She wasn't sure what though.

    The thing spread over, and settled down somewhat, Hikari then started feeling a bit of pain, as her body seemed to gain strength, and Hikari felt she would be able to move by herself again.

    Then, Remilia-sama distanced herself from Hikari.

    "It's done. It will delay the inevitable for ya."

    "It is... Still hurting a little..."

    "That can't be helped, rather, it will only get worse. What ya're feeling is mah blessing forcing yer body to move through the threads of fate that give ya the biggest time alive. Ore-sama can't see any fate that will save ya though."

    "Hikari... Is thankful, but... Doesn't understand?"

    "Think of fate as a really big and complex interwoven web, it has tons and tons of threads in it, and all of those are possible paths that ya might go through. As ya move through one thread, ya get access to new ones, and lose access to some old ones.

    What Ore-sama did, was to force yer body to move through those that made ya healthier, even making ya skip through some that should be unavailable already. But Ore-sama can't change the line of fate ya're in to one too far away, so Ore-sama can't solve yer problem, only postpone it.

    Fate will keep on yer side though, the threads of fate are forever changing. If there is one that will help ya out, Ore-sama will do her best to bring ya closer to it. The final decision to which path ya'll thread is always yers though. Fate can't force yer actions, only point ya to safer paths."


    "Understood!" *cough* "Thank you very much Remilia-sama!" *hugs*

    "The hell girl!? Don't go jumping on Ore-sama like that!"

    "Hi-Hi-Hikari apologizes!" *distances herself and bows*

    "... Mah bad, it was a joke, ya shouldn't feel sorry for something like that." *turns away embarrasedly*

    *raises head* "That was a... Joke? Hikari doesn't quite understand it..."

    *giggles* "My lady was just being a bit tsun, Hikari."

    "Oi! Sakuya!"

    While Sakuya-sama and Remilia-sama started some casual banter, Patchy-chan approached Hikari.

    "Are you... Really going?"

    "Uhm... Hikari thinks... She might have worried the people from the guild... Disappearing suddenly like that... And..." *cough* "Hikari also wants to meet Hikari's family... Hikari isn't sure what she should feel once she meets them... But Hikari knows she wants to, so Hikari will go after that.

    It is strange... Hikari felt really worried about forgetting them, but now... Somehow Hikari doesn't seem to care much, maybe it's because Hikari doesn't have much time left, so... Even if Hikari ends up forgetting, Hikari won't be able to cause them trouble for much longer.. Hikari isn't sure... But... Hikari knows the feeling of wanting to stay away isn't there anymore. That's enough for Hikari."


    "I see... I guess that's goodbye then?"

    Patchy-chan's eyes became a bit watery...

    "No... Hikari will definitely come back here. At least one more time, Hikari definitely doesn't want this to be our goodbye."

    "Right... I'll keep on waiting then... When you come again, I might introduce you to our gatekeeper, she was a bit busy this time, so you couldn't meet her, but she'll be happy to see you alive."

    "Okay! Then Hikari will come back, and Patchy-chan can show a lot of other places around here as well!"

    "Of course, I'll definitely do that Hikari." *hugs* "Take care and... Try to enjoy it..."

    "Hikari will... Hikari will definitely-" *cough cough* "Make the most of the time she has left."

    We kept like that for a while, just enjoying the hug... Hikari felt calm around Patchy-chan... It felt a bit sad to go... Hikari wanted to enjoy it a bit longer.

    Alas, time doesn't wait and we separated again.

    "Are ya ready to go?"

    "Uhm! Hikari is ready!"

    "Alright then, Sakuya, take her to her room and let her get changed back to her own clothes, ya can ask for the old hag's help to go back to yer home, Ore-sama will grant her permission to make use of her powers on mah domain."

    "Eh? But Hikari is pretty far, isn't she? Hikari won't be able to travel this far... And wouldn't it-" *cough cough* "Put a big strain on Hikari as well?"

    "... The old hag told ya nothing then..." *sighs* "Ore-sama will never understand what goes through that lazy idiot's head. Whatever, she'll explain to ya when she feels like it. Just keep in mind that ya won't really put a big strain on yerself by travelling all that. Rather, it's the easiest way ya can do it."

    "Bu-but how does that-"

    "Sakuya!"

    "Of course my lady"

    She caught Hikari in a princess carry.

    "Shall we get going?"

    "Ah-ah, thank you for everything, Remilia-sama, Patchy-chan! Hikari will come visit again!"

    "See ya later!"

    "Take care Hikari!"

    They both waved to Hikari and Hikari waved back. Then they disappeared and we were back on the room they lent to Hikari.

    Hikari's clothes were already separated, Sakuya-sama left the room and left Hikari change. Once Hikari did that and fetched her bag, Hikari got out of the room and said goodbye to Sakuya-sama.

    "Feel free to come again whenever you feel like it. We'll be sure to receive you, Hikari."

    "Hikari will surely come!

    Then... Stay safe Sakuya-sama!"


    She just nodded and stepped aside to give Hikari some space, taking a cookie from Hikari's bag, Hikari asked Yukari-sama to bring her back to the guild, which promptly created a rift connecting to it... Hikari once again didn't feel much loss in Holy Energy... Strange.

    Going through the rift, Hikari got back to her inn room, and from there, she moved to the tavern to eat breakfast.
     
  7. Osamaru

    Osamaru 『Shem's Best Pal ✧ Lexi's Ani ✧ Hamster's Keeper』

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    History (Part Two) Matthew Wren: Touched by Death
    (Click for Part One)
    (Click for Part Three)
    As he paused to let his story sink in, Rhialla thought over some things, like who that dark clothed man was, as well as the girl. Feeling like she had to respond to his opening up, she said:
    "That sounds like you had an unfortunate time...that man sounds like a necromancer...a bad one at that. Who was he? Was he a known figure, or someone forgotten by everyone? Also, that girl...who was she? Did you learn her name?"

    Rhialla looked earnestly at Matthew as she asked this, wanting to be as gentle as possible in her approach to him telling her about himself...

    Matthew wrung out a bloody washcloth into a bin and replaced it with a new one, gently wiping away the dried blood and sweat as he examined the wounds. Who was he? that was the one secret in this world he'd never been able to uncover. That man, whether it was from paranoia or something else, he had never let others know his name, never left any clue to his past or goals. Matthew doubted if even the man himself remembered, near the End. There was a handle he used though, when working with his contacts, just a single word. Matthew spoke up after a moment, his voice low and unsure,

    "It's a story from a long time ago, one that was wiped from the books for various reasons. There may be some that remember that time, but I doubt more than a few remember what part that man played in it all. He ever called himself one thing when asked, a Witness".

    Witness to what, Matthew never found out. For all he knew, it was a random word picked to hide himself. Though nothing that man ever did was so simple.

    Matthew hands froze at the mention of the girl, as he cleaned Rhialla's wounds. It was only for a split moment, but when he started to move, his hands trembled slightly. When he spoke, his voice was soft and sad, though there was a smile in his eyes as he remembered the face of someone dear,

    "As for the girl, have you ever heard the name, 'Death Witch Caroline?' "

    Death Witch. Lich of the Ash Forest. Great Calamity. Demon....Monster. Names all given by the World to a innocent little girl, forced to bear a burden she never asked for. But to Him, she was only Caronline. She was at times a Teacher, at others a stern Mother, and sometimes a loving older Sister. She was his Friend, his Companion. His Family....

    As he told the little girl's story, one she'd hadn't even told Matthew himself until her Twilight Years, Matthew felt a small tear roll down his cheek and fall. She'd bore more than he'd ever imagined, both before and after. He'd always questioned himself, wondering if he could have done more, taken up a little more of her burden on his own shoulders. But the time had already passed and his couldn't change that. All he could do was keep those memories alive, never forget the warm years they shared. And he had an Eternity to do so.

    "The little girl sat in the dark hut in silence. Her eyes were dull and light-less, barely registering the dull flickering of light as the sun set through the small window that was little more than a hole in the wall. She didn’t know how long she’d been there. Not that she cared at this point.

    Her Brother. Her Mother. Her Father. They were all dead. By her own hands even. The rest of the village had already left long ago, too afraid to even touch her. At first, she had been determined to survive, her anger and resentment to those who’d abandoned her, called her a monster, drove her on. But as time passed, and the food ran out, those feelings waned. The little she could scavenge from the forest like her Father had shown her, did not last long and she couldn't hunt on her own; in the end, she was just the 8-year-old daughter of a carriage driver and a weaver.

    In time, she stopped going out altogether. Her “curse” grew stronger with time and soon, even if she had wanted to search for food, there was nothing left alive for half a day’s walk in any direction. As her strength waned, the fire in her heart dimmed and flickered. She'd started to think maybe the villagers were right? Maybe she was a monster. Maybe it was her fault. Her mind began to wander back in time to when it had all started.

    The girl had grown up in a tiny logging village. Her Father was a carriage driver that would bring the workers to the site and back every day, and her mother was a humble weaver. It was a simple life, and while they struggled from time to time, it was a happy one. When the girl turned Five, the family welcomed into their home, her baby brother. He was a tiny thing, small and fragile, but the little girl loved him from the start.

    One day, she entered the nearby woods to gather some simple edible plants and other such things, when she happened upon a strange glowing light. It was a small flickering flame, like the light of a lantern, but burning in the air on its own. The girl was mesmerized by the strange flame and reached out to touch it. The little flame would just move away as she did and then bob in the air for a little bit, before bouncing back.

    The little girl gave a giggle of delight, and before she knew it, she was chasing the little flame farther and farther away from the village, lost in her play. In time, the little girl lost sight of the little flame, and in a panic, realized she’d strayed far away from her home. Looking up into the darkening sky, the little girl cried and wailed through the night, unsure of where she was or how to get home.

    Either by fate or by luck, her cries drew the attention of a band of wandering Adventurers, who took the little girl in. She explained her story, and the group, seeing it was not too far away, decided to bring the little girl home. When they arrived at the village the next day, they were given a shock. As they approached the village some of the workers saw the group approaching with the girl. They went wide-eyed and ran to the village. At the village entrance, the group was met by the girl’s parents and a throng of other villagers.

    The little girl’s parents ran to her in tears, wrapping her in a deep embrace as they wept. To the girl, only a few hours had passed, but in reality, she had been gone for over a year. If it was not for the small toddler in her mother’s arms, she would not have believed it herself. The village threw a grand celebration that night, both to welcome the little girl home, as well as thank the adventure’s who’d found her. But despite the smiles and laughter, the little girl did not miss the whispers and looks of fear as others stared at her from the shadows.

    Some time passed, and the village seemed to settle down and life returned to normal. Until the day her baby brother fell ill. The village doctor could not tell what the cause was and nothing they tried showed any results. He simply grew weaker and weaker as the days went by. On the day they buried her little brother, the little girl turns 6, and the rain that fell seemed as if the heaven themselves were weeping.

    She’d never seen her parents cry more than on that day and if felt as if there was a whole in her heart that could never be filled again. They say time heals all wounds, but that is not always true. Sometimes they fester and rot. And sometimes they burst open again.

    Shortly after her brother passed, her Mother fell ill as well. It was the same strange sickness that had taken her child. The little girl could see the strain and dread on her Father’s face grow with each passing day, but never once did he leave her Mother’s side, holding her hand until the very end. While before the whispers and looks had been hidden, now, even as they lay her Mother into the grown next to her brother, the villagers were not shy is speaking their views at the cause.

    Monster. Cursed. Changeling. Demon. The looks and names did not stop, and in time the little girl didn’t even dare to leave her home. Only her Father stayed with her, holding her in his arms as he gently rocked the crying girl to sleep each night, telling her to ignore the words of others, that it wasn’t her fault. In time, the little girl thought that it would be all right, that they would pull through, her and her father. But fate is cruel, even to a child.

    When they finally laid her Father to rest beside the rest of her family, felled by the same sickness as before, the villagers fear and murmuring turned to open Hostility. As the little girl knelt beside the graves of her family, the villages stood behind her, speaking without care if she heard or not. Some suggested they kill her, before the curse spread. Others suggested simply banishing her, and letting someone else deal with it.

    In the end, the village spiritual leader spoke up. He declared that it was already too late, that the very land had been corrupted and twisted, pointing to several dead trees at the edge of the Forest. In order for the village to survive, they would have to relocate to a new settlement. The Little girl would obviously be left behind. With the leader’s words, the villagers quickly abandoned the place they once called home, leaving the little girl kneeling by the graves, all alone. And thus the little girl who only ever wanted to be happy with her family, found herself alone, in a world of Death.

    As the memories flooded back, the little girl’s focus returned to the old dirty run-down hut. As she watched each corner of the home, overlaying the memories of her parents and the time they’d spent there onto the room. Unbidden, a heavy pain began to spread from her heart as she felt large tears begin to run down her dirt-caked face. For a long time, she sat there, weeping tired and alone.

    But as she did, something strange happened. As the sunlight started to fade, a soft and sweet melody began to float through the air. The little girl stopped her singing as she raised her head and looked towards the open window. There on the ledge, sat a small songbird, staring at her with wide eyes. Its light blue feathers gave off a slight glow in the dimming light, and while it seemed strange, the little girl could not tear her eyes away.


    Getting her wounds and body cleaned made Rhialla feel refreshed. His soft touch was comforting and warm. When he told her of Caroline's past, she felt a sadness grow within her, having memories of her own childhood with Draillr.
    Why must children have to suffer in this world, so? Why can they not keep their innocence? Why must the adults corrupt and condemn?
    Anger and rage briefly flashed through her eyes as she remembered 'Them' and what 'They' had done, were doing...
    "Death Witch Caroline...I cannot say I've heard of her before...then again, the forest kingdom I lived in tended to not focus on external events. She sounds like a misunderstood person...I would have dearly liked to meet her."


    Matthew smiled warmly, as the young woman spoke of Caroline. He spoke after a moment, wrapping the new bandages around her body,

    "You'd be one of the few. We don't know how the rumors started, but every so often, there would be some fool or another, come again to "Challenge the Witch". The weaker ones never even saw her face. Once her "curse" had grown in strength, only the strongest could make it past the midway point. Even then, only one in a thousand ever saw her face. Of those that did, those that learned the truth, a few held sentiments of wishing to help. But nothing ever came over it, they were just empty promises that couldn't be fulfilled. Even I may not have been able to do so, if If not for the blessing of fate.
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2017
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  8. Osamaru

    Osamaru 『Shem's Best Pal ✧ Lexi's Ani ✧ Hamster's Keeper』

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    (OOC: dear God. I need to proof read these things next time before i post. I'll have to do it tomorrow. Sorry for anyone that reads it before hand.)
     
  9. Bielt

    Bielt 『Planets Eater』『The Sin of Animosity』

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    ToumaNorstein, Kysil, Pyoo and 17 others like this.
  10. Nahrenne

    Nahrenne Sister|Daughter|Niece|Aunt|Mummy

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    [OOC: This is the first part to my character's past, who she is and why she has 2 identities. More will be released over time, but for now this will keep you guessing~
    Enjoy~!
    (^_^)
    X]
    Running in a forest, laughing and giggling, a little elf-nymph hybrid girl was seen. Her long, red hair flowing, her pale, white skin untainted by the sun for the trees' shade. A small elf-nymph hybrid boy was chasing after her, laughing as he wielded a branch with blossom on it. His short, green hair moving slightly in the breeze as he ran.
    "Rhialla! Hold up! Hahaha!" Shouted the boy, laughing as he was catching up to her.
    "Hahaha! As if, Draillr! You'll do something with that branch of yours!"
    (^_^)
    She smiled as she turned and slowed slightly to speak back. The Draillr took this chance to speed up and grabbed her arm, pulling her close to him.
    "Caught you~!"
    (^_^)
    He said with triumphant glee, tapping her on the head with his branch then placing it in her hands. Rhialla took it and smiled, before trying to struggle out of his hands:
    "Nooo! I've been caught~! Hahaha!"
    The boy doesn't let go and embraces her in a hug.
    "Of course you have, Rhi-Rhi! You're so slow! Hahaha!" He pinches her nose as he says that and lightly pats her legs, emphasising her slowness. He looks at their surroundings and looks back from where they came, a concerned look creeping onto his face.
    "Hey, Rhi-Rhi, we went a bit far this time...'They' might get angry with us...Let's go back now..." He rubs her arms as he says this, trying to show his concern, constantly looking back in worry.
    "NO!!!" She struggles out of his arms and calls a spirit of wind to make her run a little faster, her nymph abilities still yet to fully develop, her spirit quite weak and young.
    "RHIALLA!!!" Draillr gives chase, a face full of worry and fear now showing fully. Yet, his abilities are not as developed as Rhialla's and so he begins to lag behind.
    ...
    After a few minutes, Draillr had lost sight of Rhialla, slowed down and stopped. He bit his finger to draw blood and called for more wind spirits to form blood-pacts with him. Once formed, he sent them in different directions, searching for the girl, but also to send one back to 'Them', to inform them of the situation.

    After no longer hearing Draillr's voice calling for her, she slowed and came to a halt. She immediately called the several pact-spirits and started playing with them, her face full of joy as she immersed herself in the nature surrounding her....
    ...After roughly an hour of playing, she couldn't help but feel the air grow cold and the spirits started quivering in fear.
    "What's wrong, Fi-Fi?" She looked confused and felt uncertain about the situation. She stood still and communed with nature to feel what was wrong. No sooner had she done this, she opened her eyes wide and began stepping slowly back, a look of trepidation falling upon her small, round face. A dark figure appeared not long after and slowly made its way towards her position, an ominous air surrounding it.
    Rhialla fell to her knees and started crying:
    "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"...over and over again. As if saying it once was not enough. The figure was almost on top of her position and its hand reached out to grab her. 'They' had come to bring her back to 'that' place.
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2017
    Hatchy, Razogul, Osamaru and 5 others like this.
  11. Lord Dragon

    Lord Dragon Well-Known Member

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    Ohhh this seems interesting, do you do D&D style questing or accept & post completion?
     
  12. Osamaru

    Osamaru 『Shem's Best Pal ✧ Lexi's Ani ✧ Hamster's Keeper』

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    OOC: Questing is normally done through PM, with the story submitted for review at the end. the Style that you do it in, is mostly up to you, from what I've seen, but don't quote me on that. Personally, I prefer a narrative style, rather than as a game. Other's may differ.
     
    Lord Dragon likes this.
  13. Quaesitor

    Quaesitor [Scholar]

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    A short story I should have written long ago that I now used to get back to writing stuff. Finally finished it.
    Eternal Negative Ice Shell Robe​

    If the raid taught me something, then that I am lacking in defensive abilities. And that some enemies are way too strong to handle, but I can only do something about my defensive abilities.

    There was my attempt to protect myself with negative energy that was... err... partially successful. But now that I have the Eternal Ice Shard, I should be able to make good use of that spell! Which I haven't even named yet, I think. Well, as impractical as it is, I'm not going to name it anyway.

    So... for this experiment I need:
    • 1 Eternal Ice Shard
    • Negative Energy
    • An imitation of the spell I cast back then
    • Arachne Silk
    • My own robe

    And a place where I won't be disturbed. I really want a house, but a borrowed room in the guild will have to suffice for now. Sadly.

    But this is no time to get sidetracked. Utmost concentration is necessary now.

    I lock the door and take the Eternal Ice Shard, the Silk, and my Reactor out from my item box. It would be better to review my theory before the experiment once again...

    Stillness is death, and if something is frozen, it can't move. Alas – it's dead. This means that ice (magic) and negative energy have similar points, which also means that they can be fused together with my Reactor. As I found out at the raid, negative energy can be used as a shield, although that's not healthy. So what if fuse the spell with the eternal ice shard? It should allow me to create an improved version of the spell under consumption of the shard; a shield of ice and negative energy that can protect me from everything I should face in the next few months. And because it's a spell, I can imbue it in an object. Meaning: I will take the Arachne Silk and imbue it with the spell and then sew it into my own robe, creating an artifact that I can use to cast the spell.

    Sounds easy enough, I can do this. I put the Eternal Ice Shard in the reactor and carefully create a shell made of negative energy around it. Then, I start fusing both while maintaining the shell form of the negative energy.

    Soon, I have a shell made of dark ice splinters that doesn't look very durable, but I know that it is extremely durable, more than any metal I know. Sad thing that I don't know many... but no normal weapon or spell has a chance of scratching it. It is eternal.

    I slowly add the Arachne Silk and fuse it and the spell together, bit by bit. Relieved, I sense that it remains fused. Seems like this silk is compatible with the spell. It takes some time but I manage to fuse all of the spell with the silk.

    Now I just have to sew- actually, I can just fuse my robe and the silk together. Way easier. Said and done, my robe doesn't look any different. But I feel a connection to my robe. If I just reach out to it... a sphere of dark ice covers me, impossible to see through. This works well. Very well. I like my new robe.
     
    Razogul, shad12ow and Hatchy like this.
  14. Razogul

    Razogul [Flag Raiser][Rald's and Carm's Senpai]

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    So, this is the 1st part for the tournament. Any feedback is appreciated!
    “So the place on the map is...here?” Razogul said as he was following the letters map. The location of the tournament he was forced into. “If it wasn’t for that damn life and death contract, I wouldn’t be here right now!” Him ranting out loud due to this unforeseen event.

    Walking towards an area by the edge of Verdant Forest, there was nothing there. Just the entrance to Verdant Forest.

    “This can’t be right...the map says it’s right here?” Making sure he didn’t mistake it, he looks again at the map.

    “Yeah...it’s here. What a joke, I bet I came he-” Before he finished his sentence, he vanished from the spot instantly. Looking as if no one was there in the first place.

    “Here for nothing…!?” He said this while viewing around him.

    Surrounding him were hundreds of people. Races of every kind that could be seen gossiping around him. Not noticing him and looking as if they aren’t interested.

    Seeing that they aren’t noticing him, he looks on the ground and spots tiles. Surprised by this, he looks further around and spots the benches outside the arena. Golden in color and with cushioned seats on all the benches.

    Sweat starts appearing on his head, noticing how lavish the person is. “This guy is rich...spending all of this on just a tournament! He could’ve used that for part of the reward!” Cursing in his mind that it could’ve been put to better use.

    A few meters away from him, some of the challengers come to greet him. A human, a foxkin and a demon.

    The human introduces himself first. “Oh? A new challenger has come already. My name is Gale.” He puts his hand out for a handshake.

    Shaking his hand, he reciprocates. “My name is Razogul, I didn’t want to come here. Who are the two beside you?”

    “The girl there is Lan, and the demon there is Thuzad. They’ve come from the same world as I am. Go on, greet yourselves!” Encouraging them and pushing them towards him.

    “...My name is Lan, pleasure to meet you.” Bowing her head and immediately heading backwards.

    Seeing her back away, Razogul just wryly smiles. “Pleasure to meet you, but I don’t bite you know?” Making a joke to get rid of the tension.

    “My name is Thuzad. That is all.” After the short introduction he goes back.

    “I see...anyway, do you know what this tournament is?”

    Looking surprised, Gale just laughs at his response. “You don’t know? Wow...I guess on your planet you must be uneducated.”

    “To be honest, I’m from a world that doesn’t have magic. I was summoned to my current world and have made a living there.”

    Lan being curious, asks him. “A world without magic? How do you survive in such a primitive world?” Bashing his homeworld unintentionally.

    “Um...technological wise, it’s very advanced compared to the world I’m in. While it does not have magic, we have made high advances in science. I only got my magic when I got summoned.” Answering the question knowing she didn’t mean it.

    All of them look at him flabbergasted. Not believing a world can survive like that.

    “Is it really that hard to believe it? Well...magic is very convenient. So I can understand why you ask that.”

    Finally done explaining, he looks towards the podium at the end of the arena.

    “So, all of the people who are summoned here are from multiple worlds? I’m impressed at whoever had done this. Must be pretty powerful.” Razogul said this as soon as a storm suddenly appears.

    The storm surrounding the entire arena, with nowhere to go. A lightning strike goes down to the podium and everybody is blinded by the flash. After recovering a bit, they spot an old man at the podium.

    His beard and hair were completely white. His skin was wrinkled and looked as if he could fall at any second. However, everyone stopped gossiping and looked at the old man attentively.

    Smiling, the old man loudly speaks. “Welcome! This is the tenth tournament to happen in 10,000 years! You should know me by the name Heavens Judgment! As you can see, some of you have been forced here against your will. Now, now there was a reason for that! I was bored!”

    Blankly staring at the old man for hearing the words “I was bored” Razogul sighs.

    “I can’t believe that was the reason...” Thinking in his head as he continued speaking.

    “The ones who came on their own accord were from previous worlds that came here before. There are currently a 1000 of you at this tournament, so be vigilant! Now, for the events, they’re not like regular tournaments. Only 4 of you will go to the semi-finals!”

    When he says this, everybody is shocked and one person speaks up.

    “That’s no fair! That’s too low of a chance to enter it! Give us a better chance!” Seeing the anger on her face, the old man glares at her.

    Slowly raising his hand, the girl tilts her head in confusion at the gesture. Instantly, gravity crushes her entire body onto the ground. Only the remains of her body were left, shocking everybody present.

    Razogul seeing this is disgusted. “She was just saying her piece...and he kills her. I knew this tournament was bad new, but this? It sickens me!” Before he release any dark energy, he keeps it in. Even though he was a necromancer, he still valued life to a very large extent. After all, being by death you can appreciate life all the more.

    Smiling again, the old man speaks. “Now, I don’t like it when people think it’s unfair. Whoever speaks up will have that happen to them as well. With that there are 999 people...oh well. The preliminaries don’t need a set amount to accomplish.”

    Seeing how he smiled right after, everybody got the creeps except 2 people on the arena. One being Razogul and the other being a girl in blood red armor. A crimson sword by her side. Her eyes blood red and hair the same color.

    Resuming his speech, the old man continued his one-sided conversation. “Now, I’m not saying the preliminaries are a free-for-all. You will be testing your aptitudes for magic. Only the strongest shall pass the test and proceed to the semi-finals. I will prepare the means for this a day later. Any last means of practice you want to do to improve just for a fighting chance!”

    Going into his sleeve, he pulls out an orb. “There will be an orb for each and every one of you tomorrow. This will test you and if you fail...well, you’ll find out later! I have made accommodations for the next few days you spend here. There is a hot springs for you to bathe in, beds, food, drinks. If you even want to, you may interact with each other!”

    Some of the guys salivating in the background and girls looking in disgust at them. The old man just smiles at the look of this.

    Razogul just frowning at this. Knowing that it’s too good to be true.

    “With that being said, my servants shall send you towards them!” At a snap of his fingers, 1000s of maids appear surrounding him. All having a symbol on their head in the form of a chain.

    “That’s a seal in the book...one that seals their mind. Able to brainwash like a slave...what a bastard.” Razogul thinking in his mind at the events that just happened.

    A maid goes to every person and guides them towards their rooms. “This way Brandon...”

    “Yeah, yeah I’m com...what did you just say?” His eyes wide open at the maid. Only the maid not responding to his question.

    “Shit...nobody knows my real name except the world I come from. This was just a name I came up with when I got summoned here. This is bad...”

    After going through a hundred rooms, the maid opens the door. Inside the room was a bed, a stove, desk, chair and a practice room outside. Seeing she has done her job, she exits the room and Razogul sits on the bed.

    Noticing that he hasn’t had a bath yet, he decides to go to the hot springs. Getting a towel, a basket and heading towards there. On his way, he spots Gale, Lan, and Thuzad going there as well.

    Razogul seeing them, he greets them. “Hey everyone, going to the hot springs?”

    Gale glaring at Razogul and responding aggressively. “You should be worrying about yourself. You’re not one of our friends, nor do I think we ever met. Get away from us.” Razogul just standing there for a minute confused on what happened.

    “Uh...what the hell just happened? I thought we were getting along earlier? Even Lan and Thuzad looked at me like that. Something is wrong here, oh well, time to go to the hot springs.”

    Arriving at the changing room, he covers himself and looks for the guys hot springs. Seeing that there is only one entrance way, he wryly smiles.

    “Um...is this the so called mixed bathing? Well now...if any of the guild members were here they’d call me a riajuu. That or most of the girls would look at me with blank eyes. Damn...no choice.” Razogul just steps through and sees everyone bathing.

    All around is the enormous hot spring able to have all of them in there. Some people acting normally and others flirting with each other. A vein on his head, Razogul goes to wash his hair and body first.

    While he’s washing, the girl next to him was the one he spotted back then. The girl who showed no fear when she saw what the old man did. Curious, Razogul attempts to converse with her.

    “So...are you changed like those people? Because I feel like something has happened to them somehow.”

    “No...I feel no different from when I came in.” Stopping her speech there, she resumes washing.

    “I see...anyway, my names Razogul. Can I ask what your name is?”

    Looking annoyed, she responds. “My name is Nel. Now are you going to keep washing or be a chatterbox.”

    Razogul just sighs at this and finishes washing. Going towards the hot spring to wash himself.

    “So it wasn’t just me...strange. Those maids probably did something to them without them noticing.” Seeing there’s a suitable spot, he sits down soaks in the bath.

    “This is bliss...I should’ve brought the guild members here.” Looking around and seeing everybody. Slowly getting embarrassed at the scenery he gets up and leaves.

    Seeing him leave, Nel looks at him for a second and goes back to bathing.

    Arriving at his room with new clothes on from his storage ring, he brings out food. Not trusting the food or drinks here, he decides to cook by himself. After a few minutes, there is a knock on his door.

    Busy cooking, Razogul just answers from where he is. “Come in, doors open!” Arriving inside the door was the maid carrying a tray of food. Putting it on the bed and leaving shortly without saying a word.

    Seeing that she left, Razogul stops cooking for a second and destroys the food. Slowly coming off of it was green gas. However, due to him catching this, he got rid of it with his dark energy.

    “Poison huh...is he trying to test how smart people are at night? Seemed pretty potent...just to be safe.”

    He reaches his hand out and casts a barrier around his room and infuses it with dark magic. Ensuring that nobody can interrupt him later on.

    After cooking his meal fully and eating it, Razogul drinks a mana potion. Going to the practice room carrying the 5 spell books. Opening them fully showing where he was currently left at.

    “I only have a short amount of time left...a few hours at most to practice. Hope I can master this in time.”

    On another side of the hallway, blood encompasses the hallway. The three people on the floor were Gale, Lan, and Thuzad. Their arteries exploded and pained looks on their faces. Nel seeing them on the floor and walking away.

    “...Idiots ate the food. They should’ve known not to eat when they don’t know what’s in the food. Time to go to sleep.” Entering her room and going to sleep shortly after.

    Shortly came morning and Razogul woke up. Getting out of bed and stretching his arms.

    “God...what was the bed made out of? I fell asleep almost instantly. Hmm...what’s this?” Looking at the barrier he made at night, he noticed it diminished a little.

    Smirking to himself, Razogul laughs at this. “So I was right! I truly can’t let my guard down here...I wonder how many people died last night?”

    Not wanting to find out in the end, he went towards the arena. On the arena were not as many people as before, most likely due to last night.

    Looking around for Gale, Lan and Thuzad he doesn’t spot any of them. He frowns at this and sighs.

    Seeing Nel, he just waves at her. However, all he got in return was her looking for a second then turning around.

    “Jeez...what did I do to make her hate me so much?” Looking towards the podium, the old man appears once again.

    “Now, this is unexpected. I expected more people to survive the first night? Only...250 remain? What a shame, less entertainment for me.” Laughing at the stupidity of the people who fell for his tricks.

    “With that said, it’s now time for the tournament to finally start!”
     
  15. Razogul

    Razogul [Flag Raiser][Rald's and Carm's Senpai]

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    “Now, before we begin, I will be broadcasting this event throughout your worlds. The means through this is a magic transmission occurring in your respective areas! Any hope of tracking however will be futile since it has a concealment magic on it. Don’t expect help from your friends...at all.” After he says this, his hand gets covered in dense mana and activates the spell without a chant.

    “With that covered, let’s begin the preliminaries!” Suddenly, 100s of stands appear on the arena. Lying down on them were 3 different orbs. From left to right, their colors were red, blue, and green.

    “I want all of you to go and test yourselves! You must pass all of them or you fail. The three things it will test are magic aptitude, affinity, and strength. What happens when you fail...well, you’ll soon find out.” The old man creepily smiles at the end.

    Soon after he instructed them, everyone went to each stand. Placing their palms slowly on the orb. Seeing that everyone has started, Razogul places his hand on the red orb.

    “So, this one tests our magic aptitude...I wonder how good mine is?” After saying this, the orb starts flashing suddenly and then a check mark appears on it. Looking at the check mark, he blankly looks at it.

    “That’s all that happens if you pass one? So...anti-climatic.” Before he continues, screams start coming from some of the contestants.

    “AAAHHHHH!!!!!!!” Looking behind him, Razogul sees parts of their body blown off. On the ground flailing about.

    Seeing this the old man starts laughing maniacally. “Wow, I didn’t think over half of you failed just from the first orb! Jeez, who knew I summoned a bunch of failures. Oh well, continue.” Becoming silent once again as everybody is afraid to touch the next orb.

    “I said...continue!” He raises his hand and everybody’s hand goes on the next orb. Only a few did it voluntarily due to it not affecting them.

    Slowly looking at the orb he touched, he saw it fill with black. Endless darkness spreading around the orb. Eventually the orb starts cracking.

    “Well now...this can’t be well!” Razogul goes off to the side and the orb explodes. Enshrouding the surrounding area in darkness.

    “Hmm? His dark magic destroyed the orb? That’s not possible...unless he has an immense amount. Interesting...” The old man whispering to himself at the sight of this.

    Shortly after, an orb is shattered and blood encompasses the surrounding area.

    Seeing that another person broke it, he frowns at this. “What are these people...monsters?” Lifting his hand up, he disperses them after a minute of trouble.

    Everyone looked and saw the 2 people who broke them were Razogul and Nel.

    Seeing the stares, he could only smile at this. “My bad...I guess it was defective? Did I pass or fail?” Directing his question towards him.

    “Yes...it just means your very powerful. Now, it seems like everyone else survived but didn’t have the same problem. Now...for the final test.”

    Knowing it’s almost over, Razogul puts his hand on the orb and the orb crumbles immidately. He was not the only one to do this, as Nel quickly did this as well.

    Seeing the orbs remains, she only tosses the remains away.

    Heavens Judgment looks at the 2 people who did this and wryly smiles. Thinking to himself “These kids are monsters. Just plain monsters!? This is not good...”

    “Yes, you both passed.” Finally answering Nels. “Now, 2 more people to go.”

    Immediately everyone besides 2 people still standing are dead. One of them being a foxkin and the other a demon.

    Seeing that everyone is accounted for, he announces the winners. “With that, the people who won are “Razogul,” Nel, Jin, and Kars! With all this done, we can now give you a break!”

    Seeing their confusion, the old man explains right away.

    “You can go back to your worlds for a day and come back the next. However, don’t be late!”

    With all the corpses on the ground, everyone turns away in disgust. The old man seeing this smiles.

    “Well, I shall teleport you to your respective worlds. Also...don’t think you can run away. It won’t work.”

    Bringing his hand up, all of the contestants are sent back to their worlds.

    At the entrance of Verdant Forest, Razogul appears once again. Finally seeing that he’s not there, he vomits. Continuously doing so for a few minutes.

    Seeing that he’s finally done, he stands back up and starts gathering dark energy.

    “What a sick bastard...that’s not a tournament, that’s hell. He must be mentally deranged to think that this is funny.”

    After saying this, a dark portal appears and he arrives at the tavern where his friends are.

    “Hey guys, I’m back for a while!”

    In the meantime, in a certain dimension.

    “Son of a bitch! Why did 2 insanely strong people get put into the invitations! They’re more trouble than they are worth it!”

    Looking at his maid who sent the letters, he decapitates her instantly. “Useless piece of trash...can’t even listen to basic commands. Then again, they are gone mentally and are like puppets.”

    “Now...what to do now to get rid of these nuisances?"
     
  16. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    This ss doesn't involve Hikari directly, but the NPCs that care for her instead. Thought it would be nice to show things from a different POV for a change... Nothing really important happens on it, but I had some fun writing it.

    ... I'm not really sure on the exact time-frame that this happens in, but it doesn't really matter much.

    Maybe I'll make some other similar things for other characters, it will depend on my mood I guess.
    "Gahahgkjaelvheuivhsai!!!"

    "Saying incoherent noises won't really help the situation at hand Yukari-sama."

    "Gah! But what else am I supposed to do!? The girl is stupid! Stupid I tell you! You told her to only become my avatar didn't you!? You said it, right!?"

    "Yes, yes Yukari-sama, it's the 17th time you ask, I did tell her to only do it as a last resource and only with you as the goddess to intervene... Sadly, it seems Hikari cares far too little for her own well being to listen to me..."

    "Seriously... Is it that hard? It can't be that hard to simply leave a giant wolf there to rot, is it? He has already been there for eons!"

    "No, it's not... Repeating the same questions over and over again won't solve anything either though."

    "Bah! How do you act like that!? The girl is dying, you know?"

    "Yes, I know it perfectly well, and I'm also quite saddened by it... But I'd rather try to think of a solution, than to try to run away from reality by questioning Hikari's sanity."

    *sighs* "I don't know if I should be amazed by how cool-headed you can be, or by how optimistic you can be..."

    "Is there no way to cure the after effects of becoming a god's avatar?"

    "If there was, do you think I'd be behaving like that!?"

    "How am I supposed to be sure on it? You were the one that kept avoiding the topic for the last few days..." *sighs* "So, how bad is it, Yukari-sama?"

    "You should know it yourself, it's not like you aren't a goddess, Ran."

    "The gap between me and Yukari-sama is as big as the heavens are to the earth... Besides, you know it perfectly well that my ascension was recent, and I never had an avatar, so I can't really know it if you don't tell me..."

    "Ugh, do I really need to say it? I'm tired..."

    "You could always keep grumbling about how Hikari decided to become a temporary avatar of Sagume instead... And before you ask it the 18th time, yes, I did tell her to not become an avatar of anyone except yourself."

    "Fine, fine... There is no cure, as simple as that."

    "Nothing? Like... Absolutely nothing?"

    "Yep, just like that... You happy now?"

    "Of course I'm not!"

    "I know, I know... It's just... Ugh, it can't be that hard to follow some simple instructions..."

    *pats Yukari's head* "You ended up getting quite attached, didn't you?"

    "Muuu, of course I did! I have been stalking the girl since before she was born! How could I not get attached to that!? I nearly had a heart attack whenever she almost killed herself!

    Non-intervention policy is such a pain, why do I have to just keep on looking while the girl gets closer and closer to death?"


    *twitch* "Then... If there was no no-intervention policy... You could do something?"

    "Naaaaah, I could've avoided things getting even near the point they're in now, but I can't simply magically solve Hikari's problems like that. I'm a goddess, but I'm not omnipotent."

    *sighs* "So... We can only keep watching in the end?"

    "Yeah... Galvaelurnwçufçwefiuwf! Stupid girl! Just ask for help if you're unsure on what to do! I can give counseling if you ask, you know!?"

    "If you hadn't tried to keep an image of someone indiferent and simply behaved like you usually do, she might've felt comfortable enough to ask you Yukari-sama..."

    "As if! Even I have some self-respect, Ran!"

    "I find that hard to believe Yukari-sama... Rather, the mere fact that your usual behavior is shameful enough to make you close yourself in your room while Hikari was here, is plenty to decide you're completely shameless Yukari-sama."

    "Raaaaaaaaaan... Don't be like that..."

    "You reap what you sow Yukari-sama."

    *grumbles* *sighs* "Please go make dinner Ran... I'm feeling tired now..."

    "Seems like I failed in cheering you up Yukari-sama. My apologies." *bows*

    "Don't be like that, I know you were also hit pretty hard by it Ran, you were incredibly attached to her while she was here... You don't need to put up a strong front for me."

    "I... I see... I hope she can find something that helps her Yukari-sama... Maybe there is something that not even you know of?"

    "Perhaps... She never ceased to amaze me after all... You never know..."

    "I'll go make dinner, if you'll excuse me Yukari-sama."

    "Yeah yeah, I'll go take a nap, wake me up when you finish, will ya?"

    "Of course, Yukari-sama."
     
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  17. The Forever Distant Victory

    The Forever Distant Victory Well-Known Member

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    “You can use this space here...”

    The innkeeper looked at me with a complicated face as he guided me to the back of the inn. He left us at an empty space that existed there.

    The reason for that, is that we asked him where we could find a good place to ‘eat’. Of course, we needed to explain to him our exquisite preference for food.

    As I judged that the space was enough, I started taking out the corpses and loot from the latest quests. 34 Goblin corpses, 32 Kobold corpses (though one was damaged), 44 Slime cores, 11 Bandit corpses, 12 Orc corpses, 10 Lizardman corpses, 1 Large Lizard-mount corpse and more than 50 useless weapons and other equipments.

    Among those useless weapons, there were some of the weapons my goblins used. As I can only create low quality items, they broke easily. Mainly when used by Grom.

    Ah, by the way, Grom is the new name of Gobby. I decided to name him after the quest, since the old name was a bit…

    In any case, I started to ‘eat’ the corpses that filled the room to the brim. It took four entire hours of pure corpse melting until the room was finally empty. When I checked my mana again, my jaw dropped.

    Mana Absorbed: 1621/500

    The mana had surpassed the limit!! How? Wait, is this a limit, or is like the monster’s exp? Well, we’ll only know by trying.

    [Requirements Achieved: Raking Up I > H
    Mana Absorbed: 1121/1400]

    Oh, so that’s how the Rank Up works!

    Ah, talking about Rank Up…

    Name: Grom
    Goblin Apprentice Warrior
    Rank H (73/100)

    Name: Metch
    Goblin Apprentice Warrior
    Rank H (34/100)

    Name: Lela
    Goblin Apprentice Magician
    Rank H (27/100)

    Name: Hatch
    Goblin Apprentice Archer
    Rank H (7/100)

    Name: Miha
    Goblin Apprentice Soldier
    Rank H (5/100)

    Name: ---
    Clay Golem
    Rank I (32/50)

    They’re leagues above the rest of the goblins, so they will be probably my main battle power. Though I can’t slack or underestimate the power of numbers.

    The spear goblin, Miha, and the archer goblin, Hatch, had also met their requirements to evolve, so I quickly did so when we came back. The only one that was still crawling was the clay golem, since, as our temporary body, it didn’t fought that much.

    In any case, there wasn’t much that I wanted to do now with the mana, so it was better to store it until I finally started building the dungeon. But, for now, I had two things to do.

    I called the kobold that we had found in the quest before and checked his information again.

    Name: ---
    Kobold
    Rank I (49/50)

    The kobold oozed some kind of aura, probably due to the fact he was about to reach the requirements to evolve. His existence confirmed one thing to us. It was possible for monsters to accumulate mana and grow, but looking at the aged kobold, I can guess that is harder if you’re not a dungeon monster, like Grom and the others. In any case, I used 19 units of mana to evolve both the kobold and the clay golem.

    The golem had some options that seemed a bit different from the goblin ones, seeming a lot more like a proper evolution. The kobold, though, was like they. Well, aside from the fact that the number of classes available for him was greater. In the end, I spent some time thinking over it before choosing.

    Name: Gen
    Kobold Squire
    Rank H (0/100)

    Name: ---
    Earth Golem
    Rank H (0/100)

    The kobold, now a kobold squire that we named Gen, grew until it reached 150 cm tall. His body was slender, but seemed strong enough. It still had his beard-like fur in his chin, but his face looked a bit younger.

    The earth golem was a 180 cm tall doll made of dirt. Although you might think that his resistance and strength had diminished for going from hard clay to dirt, it wasn’t like that at all. The strength was a bit lacking, but in terms of defense, it as more than enough. And it was also able to use basic earth magic too.

    Satisfied with the results, I went to the next experiment.

    [Are you sure about that, Eris?] (Laura)

    [I am. The worse thing that can happen is me dying, hahaha~] (Eris)

    [Don’t laugh at that!] (Laura)

    Ignoring Eris’ remark, I started the experiment. From the bandit corpses, we gained the possibility to summon humans, though I wasn’t keen on creating humans to be dungeon monsters, this could have other uses. Like creating real bodies for the two of us.

    And that was the objective of that experiment. I started the monster creation and tried to push Eris’ consciousness into the body that was being made, while manipulated it to abide to her preferences while the mana was forming the body.

    It was a bit - no, a whole lot difficult. But in the end, the body was formed without great problems. I also felt Eris going away from the orb. The problem laid in whether she managed to settle in the body or not.

    The body created for her was tall, at least 170 cm tall, and slim. Her face was pretty, while a bit wild, and her silver hair went all the way to her back. She opened her eyes, revealing grayish blue irises.

    “Laura. Did it worked?” (Eris)

    It was definitely Eris’ voice that was coming out from the girl’s mouth, so I sighed in relief and answered.

    [Yes, it was a success!] (Laura)

    She smiled faintly at my answer and said.

    “Now is your time. Well, it might be a bit difficult, no?” (Eris)

    I started to create my own body, trying to create him the nearer of my old body the possible and then finally I started slipping my own consciousness into the body. Usually it would be impossible to do so, but I felt someone supporting me, making the process easier. I was sure that it was the third consciousness that resided in the orb, so I thanked it as I entered my new body.

    “Uh… ah… eh… Testing, testing.” (Laura)

    Good, my voice was normal. I smiled and looked at Eris happily. But then I remembered something and my expression turned a bit sour. One single human costed 100 mana, so we just spent 200 mana units in those two bodies. Well, it wasn’t a waste, but also wasn’t really a good way to spend mana at the moment where we didn’t even started.

    “Laura, we’re now dungeon monsters too, right? Not against it, but it feels a bit weird.” (Eris)

    “Haha~ That’s true. Oh, talking about that, let me check a thing.” (Laura)

    Name: Eris
    Human
    Rank H (0/100)

    It seems like humans are a special race, as they start from H rank rather than I rank. And, as goblins, I think that the evolutions will probably be only classes. Well, Eris’ informations weren’t that unusual, while mine…

    Name: Paradise
    Human/Dungeon Core
    Rank H (0/100)

    Aside from the dungeon core part, I didn’t get the name. My name is Laura, so why is the name different there?

    I looked back at the golem that still had the orb in his face. A small green light shone inside the orb, hopping around as if it was celebrating the results of its mischief. I smiled wryly at it.

    “This guy has a terrible naming sense...” (Laura)

    “What was it, Laura?” (Eris)

    “Well, it seems like the third gave me a new name. Paradise.” (Laura)

    “What? He did? When?” (Eris)

    “Just now… though I didn’t heard his voice, I could feel him helping me get in this body.” (Laura)

    “So… will you use this new name or what? It sounds cool, though.” (Eris)

    “Well~ For now, I guess. He did helped me, so I should at least use as nickname.” (Laura)

    I created some clothes and checked our remaining mana, that was a bit below 900, and we got out of the borrowed room. The innkeeper was startled when us two got out of the room, asking who we were. We had to give a ton of explanation before we were finally released.

    We went back to the tavern to greet our friends with our new bodies.

    [OOC] A bit foreshadowing, but the third won't be acting that much for now...
    And, finally human body!
    Shouts out to the death bandits that allowed it to happen. \o/

    BTW, if curious about the mana gain by eating, they gain roughly half of the mana they would spend to summon something. Meaning that humans are the perfect prey~~
     
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  18. Osamaru

    Osamaru 『Shem's Best Pal ✧ Lexi's Ani ✧ Hamster's Keeper』

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    History (Part Three) Matthew Wren: A World for Two.
    (Click for Part 2)

    The little songbird hopped on the windowsill and tilted his head at the little girl's question. It had been a long time since he'd understood anyone but his Master. The Little bird found it's curiosity peeked. It opened its little beak and spoke out in the voice of a small child asking a question it didn't quite understand,

    "Why?"

    The little girl's eyes went wide and she backed away till she bumped against the far wall. She pointed at the little bird and said in a half screaming, shaking voice,

    "Y-You Talked!"
    "I did? I did!"
    "H-How can you talk? you're a bird!"

    The little songbird tilted its head again and spoke,

    "I don't know? I just listened to Master."
    "Master?"
    "Ya. Though everyone else seems to be really bad at it. You're the only one other than Master who's talked to well!"

    The little girl stopped and stared wide-eyed at the Songbird for a moment, before letting out a light chuckle that soon turned into a loud laughter. The little girl laughed for a long time, and though the songbird didn't understand what was funny, it hopped on the windowsill, happy to see the little girl forget her tears. When the girl finally stopped, she looked up at the little songbird and asked with a smile,

    "What's your name, little dove?"
    "Name?"
    "Yes, what are you called?"
    "Master calls me Ghost!"
    "Ghost? That's not a proper name."

    The little girl looked down in contemplation, as the songbird tilted its head in confusion. She looked up after a moment and spoke in a loud voice,

    "I got it! Your name will be Matthew."
    "Matthew?"
    "Yes, it's an old name. Mother said it even comes from another world, just like mine. It means 'Gift of God'."
    "I like it!"
    "Hahaha, I am glad. It's nice you meet you, I'm Caroline. It's a name just like yours. Mother said it means 'Joyous Song'."
    "Hi! I'm Matthew!"

    Again, the little girl burst into laughter, as the little bird tilted his head in confusion. The two spent the next few hours simply talking. The Caroline speaking of her life in the village and the good times she'd spent with her family, and Matthew about his travels and the places he'd seen while working for his Master. As the two talked, time slipped by and before they knew it, the Moon was high in the sky. Matthew looked out with a nervous glance. He'd never been away from this long before, Master would be angry. He looked over at the little girl with downcast eyes and said with a sad voice,

    "I have to go, Master is waiting"

    Caroline looked down and spoke softly, a small tear falling into her lap,

    "I'm sorry, I kept you for so long"
    "No! It was fun! I've never talked to someone else before. Master just tells me what to do, or keeps me locked in the burning cage. Everyone else only ever throws things at me. I was Happy!"

    Matthew spoke up in a panicked voice as he watched the little girls' tears fall. The two sat in silence for a little longer, before Caroline spoke up, asking in a soft voice,

    "Will you come again?"

    Matthew stared wide-eyed for a moment, before chirping out in a cheerful voice,

    "Yes!"

    The little girl looked up, and though there were fresh tears visible on her cheeks, the smile she wore was bright and beautiful. Matthew stared for a moment, before turning and opening his wings. Before he could fly off, Caroline called out, her voice stern and serious,

    "Matthew. Please do me a favor. Don't tell your Master about me."

    Caroline may have just been a young girl, but she was not stupid. She could tell that his Master, whoever he was, was not a good person. She understood that if he found out about her, about what she could do, then it would not end well. Matthew paused but didn't say anything, as if in deep thought. After a moment, he gave a light nod and flew away into the night sky. The little girl rushed over to the window and watched as the soft glow of his wings disappeared into the distance.

    And so 10 years passed.

    -----------------------------------------------------

    The small rabbit rushed through the undergrowth, weaving back and forth as it desperately tried to avoid approaching shadow. The shadow stuck close behind, however, flying swiftly through the air as it chased the prey. As the rabbit left the underbrush, it entered into a small clearing. The Shadow took the chance and swooped down, burying its sharp talons into the rabbits' side, before quickly breaking its neck with its sharp beak, ending the struggle.

    The large hawk sat on the body of the rabbit for a moment, observing the surrounding area as if to make sure that it was safe. As it looked around, a gentle wind blew through the clearing, softly ruffling its feathers. Seeing that the coast was clear, the hawk bent down to enjoy its meal. As it did so, the hawk's head slid forward, cleanly separating from its body. It stood erect for a moment before falling over next to the dead rabbit.

    From a nearby tree, a small Songbird looked on, tilting its head and it chirped happily. It flew down towards the two bodies and quickly examined them. Judging them to be fine, there was a light flux of magic and the bodies began floating in the air. The little bird gave a small nod, before taking flight and heading towards a certain small cottage a long way away.

    -----------------------------------------------------

    A young woman of 18 stood next to the old wood burning stove, throwing in several small logs as she stoked the flames. Her task done, Caroline stood up and wiped the ashes from her face. The last 10 years had flown by in a flash, and with Matthew's help, she'd turned from an emancipated bony youth, into a beautiful and well endowed young maiden. Maybe a little too well endowed, the young woman worried as she pinched the slightly plump belly at her waist.

    The young woman gave a resigned sigh and walked toward the table, beginning to set the plates. Matthew should be here soon, so she had to prepare. He didn't get to visit often; his "job" meant that he could be gone for months at a time, but when he visited, he always brought supplies with him. Because of her power, even disease-causing organisms could not survive around her, thus she didn't have to worry about sickness or storage.

    As she thought about these things, there was the light flutter of wings and Matthew landed on the Windowsill. Caroline gave a bright smile and walked over to greet him, gently stroking his small head. Matthew closed his eyes and leaned into her hand, giving a joyful chirp. He shook his head after a moment, and pulled away in a daze, before flying out the window again. Caroline gave a light chuckle, and soon, several small canvas bags began to float through the air. Some contained vegetables, fruits, and grains, others were filled with several unprocessed bodies of various small animals.

    As Caroline watched, she felt a slight pain in her heart. He only ever brought so many supplies when he would be gone for a long time. As the last bag flew through the window, Matthew returned to the sill and gave a "please praise me" look, his small chest thrust out and his beak held high. Caroline gave a chuckle but just started to organize the bags, causing Matthew to deflate with pitiable eyes. As she worked, Caroline didn't look at him, but asked in a sad voice,

    "How long will you be gone this time?"

    Matthew was silent for some time, but finally spoke,

    "I'm not sure. It may be a long while. Master is finally starting his march on the Eastern Kingdoms. They've trying to put up a fight, but Legion has grown far stronger than when we were first created."

    Conqueror's Legion, his Master's "Army". It was an entity formed from the collective souls and minds of countless undead, the "perfect" army that needed no rest, no commands, no training. Matthew may have been naive and innocent when they first met, but he hand learned much in the past 10 years. Experience and Caroline's teachings had brought with it understanding and Wisdom. Though no matter how wise he got, he was still just a Tool, not able to break away from that destiny.

    Caroline gave a sad smile and spoke in a soft voice,

    "I don't care about that, Just....just come home safe."

    Matthew stood still for a moment, before nodding his head in reply.

    They spent the night talking, till the Moon was high in the Sky. When at last it came time for Matthew to go, the young woman looked down with sad eyes and asked,

    "S-since you'll be gone for a long time, Can't you stay here for the night? just this once?"

    The little Songbird tilted its head and looked out into the dark night. After a long moment, Matthew jumped from the sill and flew over to the nearby bed, perching himself on the headboard, and spoke out in a gentle voice,

    "Sure. Goodnight"

    Caroline's smile was brighter than the bright moonlight that shone through the window, as she answered,

    "Goodnight, Little Dove."

    ______________________________

    Matthew awoke to the soft ruffle of fabric, as Caroline stood and slowly walked out of the dark room. She gave a light yawn as she stood and made her way towards the nearby doorway. Matthew looked up from his perch and gave a sleepy-eyed stared before ruffling his feathers a going back to sleep. Before he could close his eyes, however, a scream pierced the night. Matthew took to the air and darted off the headboard, flying towards the open doorway. He passed the boundary, only to give a cry of pain, as a silvery net quickly enveloped him. He tumbled through the air, and hit hard, skidding a few feet. The silver net began to squirm and move as he came to a rest, forming itself into the shape of a bird cage. HIS bird cage. He struggled to raise on his small wings when a frighted cry sounded out,

    "Matthew! No!"

    Matthew's vision was still burly from the fall, but as he looked up, he saw Caroline standing in the middle of the room, a shadowed figure grasping tight into her wrist. The young woman struggled desperately to get away, tears streaming down her cheeks. Matthew arose and threw himself against the bars of his cage, only to give a scream as the pure silver bit into his undead flesh. He fell back to the bottom of the cage, as the shadowed figure, his Master, gave an old, dry laugh and spoke,

    "Ghost, you did well in raising the Girl. But it is time to move along with the plan. I'm afraid it's time this little 'Game' came to its end."

    Matthew rose and charged the bars again, the same result, as he cried out in a loud voice.

    "Game? what game!? How did you know about this place?!"

    The old Necromancer was silent for a moment before he burst out into a deep laughter,

    "Have you really not realized it? You, My Unseen Ghost from who no secret is safe? All this time? You really and honestly thought you had hidden this from me? Hahahahaha! Stupid bird. I've known from day one, from the moment you laid eyes on her! You are my Eyes and my Ears! You are my Tool! There is nothing, NOTHING you can keep from me! No. I LET you go about your little game of house, turned a blind eye to your 'secret'. All for the girl."

    The Necromancer looked down and Caroline with a dark, cruel grin as he spoke, gently stroking her soft cheek. Caroline froze, her eyes wide and terror as her body began to shake, the Necromancer smile laughed and spoke again,

    "Her power was not strong enough for my goals before and she was already starting to fade. It is good that you happened to her when you did, or I would have missed out on a true treasure. But she needed time to mature into her power, so I let you go about your little game, for ten long years, waiting, watching for just the right moment to reach out and pluck the fruit at its ripest moment. Yes, my dear, I have big things planned for you. Big things indeed!"

    As the Necromancer gave out another vile laugh, he turned, as if to address someone, speaking in commanding voice,

    "Stalker! Take Ghost back Home. Be quick about it, we have much to plan in the coming days."
    "Yes, Master"

    From the shadows behind the cage, a dark, indefinable figure materialized. It gave a deep and picked out Matthew's cage, then headed for the door. As they did, the young woman and little songbird called out to each other,

    "Matthew!"
    "Caroline!"

    The Necromancer simply gave a deep frown and waved his hand,

    "Enough of that! Sleep."

    Caroline instantly slumped to the ground in a deep sleep. As Matthew struggled against the sleep, the last image that played over and over in his mind before the darkness took him was the Necromancer grinning vilely down at the young woman.
     
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  19. Osamaru

    Osamaru 『Shem's Best Pal ✧ Lexi's Ani ✧ Hamster's Keeper』

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    Did some Editing with Grammerly on all three parts of the history so far. Really surprised at how well it works. Does not catch everything, but it finds far more than I could alone.
     
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  20. Razogul

    Razogul [Flag Raiser][Rald's and Carm's Senpai]

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    “I feel like I’m forgetting something...”

    These were the words said when Razogul was eating at the table in the tavern. Thinking it was nothing, he goes back to eating.

    “Man...I’ve outdone myself this time! The barbecue this time is delicious!” After saying this, space distorts and a withered hand grabs him. Forcing him to drop his food on the floor.

    “You’re late...” A voice was transmitted towards him and all the guild members look towards Razogul. Seeing him being pulled into the distorted space.

    “Raz!”

    Before they can do a thing, he was already sent into it and vanished. Food splattered on the ground where he previously was.

    Meanwhile in an alternate dimension…

    Razogul is thrown towards the bench and collides with it. Breaking all of the furniture in his path. He stands back up without any difficulty. Looking as if he didn’t receive any wounds at all. He looks behind him and sees the old man.

    He looked furious with his eyes a crimson red, as if showing his rage. The ground being pressed as if it was under tons of weight.

    Seeing how angry he is, Razogul frowns.

    “I see...I forgot I was in a tournament. So, what do you want Heavens Judgment?” Inquiring on why he’s so angry just because he was a few days late.

    “No one defies me! No one!”

    He stresses every word said and the magic power around him exponentially increases.

    “Where are the others? Shouldn’t they be here as well?” Changing the subject due to remembering they’re not here.

    Hearing this statement, Heavens Judgment just laughs manically and grins. Saying only a few words in response.

    “Watch this.”

    He snaps his fingers and a screen appears in front of him, showing them at the arena. All battle ready and in front of the podium.

    “Where’s that old man?” The challengers say before lightning strikes down with the old man standing there. Looking at all 3 of them.

    “All 4 of you are here! Now we can...wait, where’s the other challenger?” He looks around the arena confused and sees that Razogul is not there.

    Jin goes forward and speaks. “It seems like he forfeited, does this mean we go up a round to the finals?”

    Before he can say anymore, Heavens Judgment only says one word menacingly.

    “No.”

    Not understanding why he said this, he looks confused.

    “This is unacceptable, after all he’s gone and I’m here. Just let me proceed to the finals so I can-” Before he can speak the rest, the old man thrust his palm out.

    What happens shocks Nel and Kars as they see a huge palm appear. Instantly reaching Jin and being crushed to the ground. All of his bones shattered from the force that was used.

    “Why...” He says this before passing away.

    “I see...my fun has been ruined. After all of those calculations I did, for this to happen. Why...I thought this tournament was perfect! Who would ever miss the chance for this to happen!?”

    He starts mumbling as if he was wronged in all ways. Not even caring that he just killed an innocent challenger. After calming down a bit, he looks at Nel and Kars smiling creepily. A chill envelops them as they have a bad feeling.

    “So...since this farce is over, I’ll just kill you both. After all...you’re just my entertainment.”

    After he says the word entertainment, Nel and Kars look at him. Instantly getting charging him with their immense speed and force.

    The old man smirks at this and puts both palms out, uttering a single phrase.

    “Destroy.”

    Instantly, a ray comes towards them and engulfs them. Debris shooting upwards into the air. Smiling the old man sighs.

    “What a shame, I guess I have to search for more heroes to play with. Now to-” Before he finishes, a battered Nel swipes her sword at his body and dings off. Shocked at this, she stares into the old mans eyes.

    He smirks at this and instantly punches towards her, crushing her skull and killing her.

    “What a shame...she only took 2 hits and died.”

    After that, the screen disappears and Razogul glares at him.

    “I see...so they’re dead. You treat life as if it’s insignificant in the universe. However...you did one thing that you shouldn’t have done.”

    “You pissed me off.” Instantly Razogul unleashes all of his dark energy that he stores inside and the area surrounding him corrodes. The ground being reduced to dust as he stand there. Pulling out his sword and activating all his abilities.

    “Reinforcement, Hardening, Darkness, Detection, Concealment, Darkness.”

    Further strengthening himself and his surroundings being distorted from the sheer power.

    As Heavens Judgment sees this, he has a fear enveloping him. Shocked at how much power being emitted. “Impossible...I thought Nel was a monster...but you...”

    “Shut up.”

    Razogul instantly goes towards him and punches him in the stomach. Making him go outside the entire stage before he balances himself. He immediately coughs blood from his organs being destroyed.

    “Impossible...how...” Before he can finish, Razogul appears above him.

    “Are you holding back?” He questions Heavens Judgment as he stares at him heavily injured.

    “You...a mere mortal...hurt me. Impossible! I am a god!” As he says this, his body starts enlarging at an immense rate. Encompassing the entire area as he becomes the size of a mountain.

    After fully transforming, his original bodies features are gone. What appears now looks like a giant demon with wings on it’s back. Horns on it’s forehead and immense power emanating off him.

    Razogul sees this and is surprised at the circumstances. Seeing that he’s immensely powered up, a voice comes from inside his body.

    “Use me...”

    “Huh? What was that just now?” Razogul focuses on the inside of his body and sees the dark spirit. Fully matured over the days it’s been developing.

    “I see...problem is...how do I use it!?” Putting his hands on his head and acting frustrated. Acting as if nothing is happening outside.

    “Die.” While he’s caught up, Heavens Judgment makes hand seals and energy starts gathering.

    “Shit...uh, open sesame! No? Well…shit. Why does this have to happen! Well, I guess I should just admit that I’m a riajuu.” As he says the word riajuu, the dark spirit engulfs his sword. A dense dark energy enveloping it.

    “...” Seeing this, Razogul has a bad feeling.

    “Riajuu.” The dark spirit goes back into his body. Making tears appear on his face.

    “God damn it...I’m being screwed with even now! This was all planned wasn’t it!” Cursing his bad luck, he says riajuu again and it appears in his hand.

    “I’m going to give Rhialla a piece of my mind when I get back.” After raising a flag, Razogul unleashes everything he has and the space starts distorting around him.

    After finally gathering enough energy, Heavens Judgment unleashes the energy towards Razogul. The energy encompassing his entire eyesight. He does the same and unleashes a dark ray the size of a mountain towards him.

    Seeing that none is dissolving, the dimension starts shaking and cracks start appearing.

    “Give up, you should be proud I used this form. You’ll die nonetheless.” Raising a death flag, Heavens Judgment laughs.

    “You think so? Well...I’m going to try something that may be dangerous. I’m going to erase your existence from this universe. Not even your soul will remain.” After saying this, Razogul starts trying to incorporate soul magic with the dark ray. Slowly raising it’s destructive capabilities and pushing back the energy ray.

    Shocked at this, Heavens Judgment stops his attack. Focusing all of his power on defense. Putting countless protective spells on him. On the final spell, the beam starts breaking through each spell effortlessly.

    “This can’t be! You aren’t human!”

    “You’re dead.” Putting all of his power into the attack, Razoguls attack engulfs Heavens Judgment and eradicates him. His body and soul gone forever.

    Seeing that it’s over, Razogul plops down on the ground.

    “Dear god...that was probably my most powerful opponent yet. I have barely any energy left...haha.” He laughs to himself at the outrageous situation that happened.

    Seeing that it’s over, the dark spirit comes out and appears in front of him. Looking like pure darkness. Razogul smiles at the sight. “I didn’t need your help you know?”

    “Without me, you would’ve died....” After saying that, the spirit in front of him starts fading away. Shocked at this, Razogul tries to pour in dark energy to help. Before he can do anything the dark spirit vanishes. He slumps down and wryly smiles.

    “You just had to open your mouth Razogul...you raised a damn flag.”

    He starts getting depressed and looked over towards where Heavens Judgment was.

    “Strong bastard...really strong. I would’ve probably died countless times before I got this powerful. Hmm?”

    As he’s walking, he hits a metallic object on the ground and picks it up. “A ring?”

    Using his mana, he looks into it and is shocked.

    “You’ve got to be kidding me…hundreds of random boxes with labels on them. Let’s see what some of them say.” After looking at some, he spots a select few and puts them in front.

    “Heavens Fruit: Fruit that can restore a persons body to a previous state. Huh...well, this could help Hikari probably?” Closing that box, he stores it back into the ring.

    Opening anther box, it shows a mana crystal. “Heavens Crystal: Immense mana gathering crystal that can produce infinitely. Seems like this could be a souvenir for shadow. After all, he uses a lot of mana contraptions.” He stores it back into the ring.

    Seeing that the rest are items for everyone to use, he stores the ring into his item storage ring. Ensuring he doesn’t lose it accidentally. After looking around at the area a bit, Razogul sees the destruction he caused.

    “The dimension is still stable, so we can research what’s here.” Opening a dark portal, he looks back at everything and bows in respect to the people who died. After maintaining it for a minute, he goes through the dark portal.

    Appearing in the tavern, Razogul slumps at a table.

    “Ugh...my body hurts. Hey, bartender. Get me a drink.”
     
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