The battle… or rather, the massacre… was over.

Dozens of the small goblin corpses littered the cave floor in a line underneath where Grace summoned her Divine Barrier, their blood staining the cave floor. Chunks of viscera, disembodied limbs and eyeballs were strewn about from the sheer crushing force unleashed upon them. As the rest of the goblin village continued to burn, filling the air with the pungent smell of melting flesh and the smoke billowing out through the cave entrances, the only sounds left to be heard was the arguing of the adventurers within the cave.

Lu found himself absolutely perplexed as he argued back and forth with Diane.

“Our mission was to subjugate the goblins because they have been raiding and slaughtering our villages! And you just let some escape from your flank!”

Lu’s barely repressed anger seeped out as he seethed with rage.

“They were begging for their lives! I couldn’t… they… they weren’t even fighting back!”

Diane forcefully countered Lu, tears still raining from her eyes.

“Begging for their lives? Goblins don’t even have a proper language and are murderous, cowardly creatures with no regard for the value of a life! Do you think they showed any mercy to all the villagers they killed? By letting those goblins escape, you are endangering others.”

“I don’t need to know their language to look into their eyes! It was crying and desperate… it wasn’t even trying to save itself but its people!”

“Goblins aren’t people! They are dangerous monsters just like everything else out here!”

As the argument raged back and forth, Thistleman took a moment to quickly survey the burning village.

I need something… anything… why does human emotion have to be so complicated?! They did the goblins a favor by ending their miserable existence and suffering… and even if they are innocent, once you start something like this, you must completely tear it out by the roots. Creatures hold grudges and eventually someone always tries to come and take revenge, even if it takes them decades.

Searching quickly, Thistleman found packed leather and woven reed pouches full of crude supplies and tools. The huts seemed hastily cleared, and there was no sign of any human tools, prisoners, or corpses and body parts. Nor was there any sign of the wargs they heard about from the village.

Even quietly using magic to reinforce his vision, Thistleman could only find one lone goblin cowering in a secret alcove behind a small pond in the rear of the cavern.

All signs pointed to the goblins preparing to flee. Every. Single. One.

… This is very frustrating, but I will have to come back later to find out what is really going on here. Eventually, I need to figure out what the fuck is going on with me as well… How do I understand these languages I have never heard before?

Looking back at the party, unsurprisingly, Grace joined in with Lu admonishing Diane. Emily, having gone mute, was naturally unable to defend Diane, but her frustration was clearly plastered across her face as her muscles tensed up.

Damnit Lu… I really, really want to take your side… but… I gotta cover my best friends back, right? I doubt this will go over well at all…

With a defeated sigh, Thistleman trudged back to the party.

How can I get through to her?

The harder Lu pressed Diane, the more she seemed to break down in tears.

Even if she hates me for it, I need her to understand that goblins are out enemies and that she needs to fill her role! This is why I was hesitant to try and recruit her in spite of her potential, I can’t stand dealing with kids!

“Look, Diane… These are evil creatures. If anything, that goblin was probably just trying to manipulate you. What Lu is really worried about is that we all could have been put at risk if they took advantage of you and attacked our flank.”

Grace tried to interject with a calmer tone, her face strained as her eyes darted between Lu and Diane as she spoke.

“But they didn’t attack us!”

Diane remained defiant.

“Damnit child! Look-“

Just as Lu started to snap, Thistleman interrupted him. His voice was cold yet forceful, and in spite of how quietly he spoke, his words somehow cut straight through all other sounds.

“There are no wargs here.”

“… What?”

The sudden input of almost random information completely threw Lu off track, as his mind scrambled for a moment to catch up to what Thistleman was talking about.

“I said there are no wargs here. Nor are there any human prisoners, or corpses, or tools or goods. These are not the goblins who attacked the village.”

Thistleman waited a moment to let that information sink in, before continuing.

“Furthermore, they were packing to leave. These goblins were getting ready to flee from something. We just happened to get here first.”

Then… that means we just…

Lu shook his head fervently for a moment, as the blood began to drain from his face.

He’s right… even as I walked through the village, I didn’t see anything human…

As he was thinking, a powerful gust of wind blew through the main entrance of the cavern, countering the flow of smoke and forcing it out the back exit. Lu narrowed his eyes, and tilted his head as if listening.

“Fine. We aren’t adequately prepared to continue this subjugation mission anyways. My wind spirits are telling me that there is not much time before a storm arrives, and it is going to be a major one.”

Lu speaks quickly and forcefully as he strides to leave the cavern, before stopping momentarily, slightly turning his head to speak over his shoulder.

“Diane, I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

I refuse to accept having missed our mark, but our mission was to subjugate the goblins. Innocent or not, this was our job. However, continuing during a storm would not only be extremely risky, but it would put us at a distinct disadvantage. It is not worth the risk to continue unprepared like this.

“Awww, were done so soon? We were just getting started!”

Terra turned around sadly, fresh off of reveling in her handiwork.

“Hmmmm, well this means I no longer need to worry about rationing my ale. Hoooohohoho!”

“Ahusaka, no more drinking until we get back to Njord. We will be returning as soon as the storm passes.”

Lu doesn’t miss a step, answering the usual complaints almost mechanically. Whether they successfully finished a mission or not, those two were certainly pathological and consistent with their vices.

Diane still stood, crying, from where Lu left her.

Whether they catch up or not, that is up to them. I will figure out how to deal with this situation once were safely back at the city. I am done dealing with this for now.

Without any more hesitation, Lu and the rest of the Red Sun leave the goblin cave, with only Grace looking back at Diane, Thistleman, and Emily before leaving.

Thistleman felt trapped.

He was trapped by things he couldn’t understand.

As Diane continued to cry, her hands balled into little fists tightly holding the handle of her rapier, he could feel her pain. He could feel her suffering. As the minutes passed by, Thistleman’s eyes started to revert for a moment, his pupils narrowing like that of a savage predator.

It doesn’t make any sense at all… I have never had to worry about anything that got in my way before. I have never… felt… anything like this. Why are some humans so fragile? How… how am I supposed to make this stop? What can I do to not make this worse?! I can forge engines of destruction, shatter nations, and break the wills of my enemies. I have ended an entire world and fought with gods… Why can’t I figure this out!?!

Diane’s eyes open wide for a moment, as her tears begin to slow down.

Rage blended with despair, her emotions welling up and mixing violently with Thistleman’s.

Her arm started shaking violently, as she gathered all the mana she could muster into her fist. With a furious scream, she slammed it savagely into the ground! The impact caused the stone floor to crack outward from the force for a dozen meters around her.

Without a word, she stormed out of the cave with Emily quickly following behind her.

Absolutely unacceptable.

Thistleman looked towards the hidden goblin once more, unable to confine his seething anger, before turning to leave as well.

There has to be more that I need to know… that I will know…

The creature, in spite of how certain it was that it could not be seen, completely froze. For a long time after the gaze departed, it could hardly find the courage to breathe again, let alone peep out from its hiding place.

The trip back to Njord proceeded at a much quicker pace than when they initially ventured out. Between the pressure to hurry from the oncoming storm, as well as the heightened tensions from earlier, focusing solely on going back was almost a welcome relief.

In spite of his nigh perpetual drunken nature, Ahusaka remembered the path he scouted earlier quite well. They hurried without slowing for a moment back through the forest, across the rocky hills and dales and around various crevasses until they returned to the ruined town of Torp and the road back to Njord.

The party was not on the road for long before they came across a friendly traveling merchant, also hurrying to get to the city ahead of the storm. While they gladly accepted his offer to ride in the back of his carriage, the mood was both somber and quiet, aside from the growing howling of the wind. Nobody was willing to break the silence, and not a single word was spoken the entire ride back to the city.

The goblin Rok wasn’t sure how long he stayed cowering in the hidden alcove. He had heard from Lok and the elders before about how terrifying humans could be, but those were all stories. Since even one of their villages was destroyed, he didn’t think they could be that bad…

And yet, seeing it happen with his own eyes… it held an altogether different terror. All while it happened, he couldn’t do anything other than flee and hide while his friend… his friend….

Rok accidentally choked out a whimper before immediately covering his mouth with his shaking hands.

… Nothing.

Rok slowly crawled out of his hiding place behind a small freshwater pond in the cavern. It easily stayed full from a small but steady flow of spring-water welling up, likely an offshoot from a larger system elsewhere. Its water sustained his tribe for generations, however its once clear water was now clouded with soot and blood.

The fire that burned through his tribe had reduced to little more than embers, while the smoke was slowly being pushed out by the whistling wind blowing in through the main entrance.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, and unable to see any more movement, Rok crawled his way back in to the tribe. Searching slowly at first, but quickening with desperation, he frantically checked each body for survivors, the horribly burnt and mangled corpses being branded into his memory.

“Damn them, damn them! Why, why humans! Why you do this?!”

Rok’s tormented wailing ceased when he finally found his friend’s corpse. Trembling, Rok collapsed before his friend’s remains, the sight of Lok’s head smashed in with a small hole piercing his chest overwhelmed what little emotion he had left.

All he could do was cry at his friend’s side as the wind howled outside and the crack of thunder and flash of lightning tore through the night sky, its illumination barely breaking in to the cavern.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been there, having lost almost all track of time while in mourning. However, he was brought back to reality by a feeling in his chest, and ominous pulsing… that same kind that drove him to flee and hide in the first place.

The smallest shard of a monster core within his body was reacting.

Unlike before, however, this time… it was worse… far worse… it… hurts!

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”

Rok gripped his chest and keeled over screaming in agony.

The wind that came through the cave entrance turned into a torrent of air blasting through the cavern, wiping out all the embers and erasing any traces of light.

Accompanied with it was a horrible scraping sound and the crumbling of stone.

Rok stared fixated on the cave entrance, unable to move no matter how strongly he wanted to flee… as if some force was rooting him in place.

“UnAcCepTable…! ThIs… tHiS WiLl nOt DO!”

The language was foreign… but Rok could understand the words. However, in the now absolute darkness of the cavern, he couldn’t see anything until the next flash of lightning revealed a grisly shape approaching him.

Something thoroughly inhuman.

A visage of horror…

*flash*

The arm of a boy…

*flash*

A half human, half-demon mouth, slowly morphing…

*flash*

The eyes of an absolute predator bearing down on him, with four horns growing from its head – all pointed threateningly at him.

*flash flash*

A partially transformed arm, with a blade-like bone growing slowly out of it.

Rok’s mouth opened and closed, as if attempting to scream, but no sound escaped his lips.

His legs twitched feverishly, but could not move to run.

His time was out.

*IT* was here, and *IT* was here for him.

There are things worse than the pain of loss to humans, and something even harder for me to understand.

An overwhelming sense of… emptiness? A hole of emotion? All I can think of right now are how… dead and empty Diane’s eyes looked by the time we got home. The emptiness that feels like it is draining all feeling from me.

An incomprehensible emotion. A dangerous emotion.

I could leave her be, and without a doubt in my mind, I know it will destroy her. If she were to kill herself… if she were to kill herself… would I not be free from my contract?

But what would that make me? To just… let my contractor die for something as pathetic as an emotion?

This situation… this is all… this is absolutely… I cannot… I cannot accept this!

What more do I need to know?

What should I do?

This is their fault.

If those goblins weren’t so pathetic… if they weren’t so weak… they could have been worthy kills to feed her growth!

I can see my mistake now… as long as she believes they were innocent, she will suffer. But what do I do? I need… I need to know more… they have to be at fault for something… there must be… some way… some way… I can turn this around…

In the darkness of night and amid the raging wind and rain, nobody could tell that I had quietly snuck back out of the city. I knew my mark, and I knew exactly where he was. As soon as I left the city walls, it was simple enough to tear open a gate back to the cave entrance.

Something was completely off with me, this horrible emptiness I can feel draining from Diane… I can’t think straight… I can’t stand it… why has it come to this point?

Everything… everything that is in my way… it needs to be gone… but… I can’t… let… myself… do it… Unacceptable… this… this is unacceptable.

I can see the small goblin cowering before me. I need to know what he knows. I need something… anything to villainize them… to justify their deaths… something concrete…

Its hard… to walk straight… but I reach the little creatures position. I reach forward to grab the goblin by the throat with my right arm, hardly noticing it mutating back in to my original arm. My fingernails slowly sharpen into deadly claws surrounding its throat and cutting my hand haphazardly, as I lift it off the ground.

“TeLl Me… TElL ME… SPEAK, EVERYTHING THAT’S HAPPENED HERE. TELL ME ALL YOU KNOW! WHAT DO YOU RUN FROM? WHO ATTACKED THE HUMANS? SPEAK NOW!”

My voice gains its strength, shaking the very ground with the force of my shout. It clearly causes the goblin pain, and I can feel the shock of my contract reacting in kind to breaking one of the rules, but I don’t care.

“I DON’T KNOW! I DON’T KNOW WHATS HAPPENING!”

The goblin barely manages to sputter out a reply, however it immediately continues upon seeing my face contort further at its answer.

“We flee from others! We found a white bear, tribes try to hunt as competition to settle grudges! Many died fighting bear but we could not kill it… those who died… did not stay dead… they took the other tribes! We flee so we too don’t become others, but others angered humans! Now… now… just Rok… only Rok…”

… a white bear? The dead who don’t stay dead? Wasn’t there a shaman who was hunting a great white bear?! There is absolutely nothing they did wrong?!

My grip loosened on the poor creature as my mind began to reel from the pieces connecting. The moment he was freed from the pressure, the goblin began to flee the cave as fast as his legs could carry him.

Then what do I do? What do I do? What…. What… WHAT… WHAT DO I DO?!

I can feel it… my hands on my face… my claws piercing my own flesh. My own blood…. Flowing hot and fierce. My blood feels as if it hotter than dragon’s fire, filling my veins like it wants to burst from my body! A viscous black miasma begins to pour out from all over my body, slowly at first… and then exploding ferociously to engulf the cavern!

Rok couldn’t stop running. Terror overwhelmed each and every one of his senses. He couldn’t look back even if he wanted too. Even when he reached the slope through the cave that lead up and out of the cavern, he kept running. His body felt like it was burning, but he could see it! The exit before him… disappeared. His hand reached for it, then disappeared as well, swallowed by an absolute darkness.

“I cannot die… not yet… Lok… the elders… my family… I cannot die yet!”

SGT Dufount shot up immediately from his bed, his body breaking out in a cold sweat. He didn’t even need to say a word, as simultaneously both Theo and Marn sat up as well.

Without hesitation, he grabbed his sword and rushed to the window of their room.

An ill wind raged from the west, its onslaught mixing violently with the gale from the storm and spiraling into countless tornados and waterspouts around the city. The clouds themselves were being pushed back as if encountering a massive, clear mountain revealing the night sky… and a moon painted a vivid scarlet.

They didn’t need to try to use their mana perception. The source was beyond clear.

Reaching in to his pack, Dufount pulled out a small glass orb holding in a white ball of energy, before crushing it and releasing the energy. It darted off towards Archion at an incredible speed.

“Marn, Theo, I hope you enjoyed your meals. Looks like we got the short straw. Let’s suit up. No matter what happens… at least… we need to make sure it doesn’t come to the city.”

With a grim nod, each of them dons their weapons and armor. Before leaving the hotel, they each place a letter, a note, and some gold coins for postage on the nightstand.

The note simply reads “If we don’t return, please mail these letters with the postage provided.”

Its been a while since my mind started to spiral… but… its calming now…

Yes… I know… I know what to do now.

I cannot forget… I cannot let myself forget again who I am… I am Sendrien Dagon! What do I do? Its simple! Its foolishly simple!

If the facts of the world don’t align to my needs, then all I need to do is to change the world to fit them!

If the goblins are innocent, then I simply need to make them guilty!

Whats best… is that the easy answer was in front of my eyes all along… Hahahahaahaha! There is one thing humans uniformly despise, and it is what I am… Demons. How easy… how simple! I just need to make it seem as if the goblins were allies of demons all along!

I will make them your enemy, and thus free your mind of its pain and guilt. What more could one ask from a friend?

I laugh malevolently to myself, causing the walls of the cave to shake once more, the strain finally causing the ceiling to give way and collapse around me.

“Fly. Disintegrate.”

I launch myself upwards through the collapsing ceiling, turning the rocks in my way to dust.

For I am Sendrien Dagon, and nothing shall stand in my way.

The collapsing boulders mix with pools of miasma and rupturing the underground currents from the spring. The entire hillside becomes a frothing spring of Miasma.

Outside, I noticed a lone creature sprawled next to the rear exit of the goblin cave. It was far larger than a normal goblin, and coated with my miasma, penetrating its flesh and filling its body.

Its body… was actively changing… its skin blackened into swirls across its body as its fingernails hardened. It even began to grow a singular small horn on its forehead.

Interesting…perhaps… perhaps he can be my actor…

I can see it now, the beginning of a story forming in my head… The goblins, allied with the demons who killed everyone she knew, were secretly plotting against the humans… such creatures would clearly deserve to die. Perhaps it would even encourage her to start to think like a good Daemon might? Hah! Best not get too far ahead of myself.

It might not be my usual way of handling things… but this… just might work.

Heh. Hehehe. Hahaha! Ahhhahahaahahahaha!

Hmm, whats this?

Just entering the edge of my senses, I noticed three distant knights rapidly approaching my position.

I guess I wasn’t very subtle now, was I?

Looking around, with the clouds driven so far back and… damn. How did I color the moon? I mean… the color is returning to normal now but… did my outburst mess with the sky that much? That’s obviously a yes.

No matter, this will work in my favor!

I slowly descend towards the goblin-like creature, who started to stir.

It turned its head slowly to look at me, the fear clearly deeply ingrained into it. Fear with rage.

“Tell me, pitiful creature, do you want revenge on those who took everything from you?”

It didn’t hesitate. Good.

“Yes. I would give anything for my revenge! To kill them… and to kill you!”

A malevolent smile fills my face.

No wonder some Daemons liked making contracts so much, there are some who thrive off of the suffering of others. I personally find it better to just wipe them out and save them from their misery… but I must work with what I got.

“Anything? Would you work for one you want to kill if it meant you could kill the others?”

Rok stared at the demon before him… its offer was sheer absurdity.

“Work for someone I want to kill? You would offer to help someone who wants to kill you? What reason could I have to help you!”

Rok responded with fury, yet he was so overwhelmed with the situation he didn’t notice the changes he had already gone through. His voice had deepened and become steady, and his sense of fear had greatly diminished, replaced with a rage born of despair.

“That’s simple. Because, as long as you say yes, I will tell you where the survivors of your clan are. You have already received some of my power, consider it a gift from me. All I need is for you to do one little thing for me.”

Technically, I am not lying. I am not sure how he got transformed… the miasma should have killed him… clearly something different happened with him? Why is everything so needlessly complicated?

Rok thought, but not for long.

“Fine. I accept your deal.”

“Hahahaha! Perfect! Wise choice! Now then, listen carefully, as in just a few minutes your debt to me will be repaid. You just need to do exactly. As. I. Say.”

And, I can make use of something I have always wanted to try!

Dufount, Marn and Theo were rapidly approaching the source of the disturbance.

Marn’s lance was at the ready, Theo’s bow was in hand, and Dufount had his sword drawn and his shield readied on his back.

“It probably already knows were coming, so there isn’t a moment to waste! I will hold it at the front, Theo provide mobile support! Try and bombard it with arrows and magic from the flank! Marn, stay behind me and keep your eyes sharp for an opportunity. Your lance rush can kill even mid-class demons, so we need to make sure it connects!”

“Sir yes sir!” Marn and Theo shout in unison.

As they approach the source of the disturbance and leave the tree-line, their horses began to whine uncontrollably and refused to ride another step forward.

“Damnit, what the hell is getting into the horses? They should be trained against this! Dismount! We will take them on foot!”

With a wet thud, their boots hit the crumbled rocky ground, and a viscous black fluid splashed from their feet.

Miasma!

“Blessings of the divine, grant us your protection and shield us from darkness! Holy Resistance!”

A white light shines from Theo’s hand and encapsulates the trio.

“We must hurry, Holy Resistance won’t last that long in this kind of environment!”

“Thanks, and good thinking Theo!”

The knights rushed forward a few more yards, before they saw a lone, massive goblin-like creature standing on the far side of the miasma field.

The creature stared at them, eyes bulging in anger.

Its words sounded broken, as if they were just recently practiced, but clear enough to be understood and packed with venomous hatred.

“DisGUst! YoU HU-mans MUst pay! FoR YOUr sInS, I gIvE DEATH!”

The goblinoid raised its hands towards the sky, as if in prayer, and the Miasma throughout the field began to boil rapidly. A terrible ball of energy began to form in the sky.

“Theo, don’t let him finish his spell!”

SGT Dufount’s voice was frantic.

DAMNIT, HE’S TOO FAR!

“Range boost, Precision shot, Blessed arrow!”

With a rapid swish, Theo let loose an enchanted arrow that pierced the goblins shoulder.

Withholding a grunt of pain, it took its hands and brought them back down to touch the ground again.

The ball of energy came crashing into the pool of rock, miasma and broken trees. Absolute silence filled the air, before everything began to quake violently. The earth, the air… everything.

“GET OUT OF THE FIELD!”

“THE FUCK YOU TALKING TO, YOUR GOING TO GET LEFT BEHIND!”

Marn, you bastard! Sassing me at a time like this!

Black tendrils began to erupt and combine from the miasma field, before diving back in to the earth. Then, a tremendous groan rumbled through the air.

For a moment, it felt as if the earth itself was standing up.

Boulders, trees, bushes, and the very land they were fleeing on…

Dufount could see an edge of the earth rising above the tree tops. Following behind Marn and Theo, he swiftly lept over the edge. Looking back as he fell, he could barely keep a grasp on the sheer size of the being… a monster that is no different than a walking hillside! Its sheer height cutting into the sky, tall enough that as soon as the clouds return, the low-flying clouds would engulf its face and upper half!

A Colossus! A demonic Colossus!

“GRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

Its howl was so powerful, it could be felt all the way in Njord.

DAMNIT! DAMNIT! DAMNIT! HOW?! HOW DO WE FIGHT THAT?!! DAAAAAMMMNNIIIIIITTTTT!

GUILD CERTIFICATION CARD: Terra

Growth Potential: B+

Aptitudes:

Mana Capacity: 430

Melee (Martial Combat)

Melee (Great Axe)

Mana Regen: 6

Healing Factor: 1.75x

Mana Reinforcement: 1.1 x

Viking’s Legacy

Skills:

Rage

Evasion

Mighty Stance

Power Step

Hardening

Reinforced Strike

Brutal Strike

Furious Blows

Ki Wave

Shattering Palm

Crater

Rend

Overpowering Aura

Blood Frenzy

Euphoria

Sunder

Fell Swing

Ravager

Contract Capacity Available: 1

Contracts Held: 0

Power: 210

RANK: Gold

Issuer: Njord A.G.

Exam Proctor: Bjorn “the Brute” Halfdan, Orichalum Rank