Chapter 49: Prince and the day of reckoning (5)

Whether I remembered Narse, the Hound of Hyrios or not, This would happen eventually, I told myself. Rescuing Narik’s brother was just an improvised add-in to my plan.

I scouted my battlefield first, on my own, using my identity as Bloodbeard’s uncle to exam the dungeon needless of any excuse. However, I had a perfect excuse, “Security check.”

What could be a better reason?

The dungeon, which Bloodbeard used to keep his more important captives and pleasure toys, located on the western side of the keep which followed by a stairway to the basement, the opposite direction that leads into Bloodbeard’s chamber. The entrance to the dungeon lied at the end of the west side corridor, guarded by two of Bloodbeard’s worms. I relieved them of their post, telling them to go and find One-eye and Ironback, relaying my order to the two of them to gather all of their men at the bank of the reservoir.

“It’s urgent. Do it now,” I ordered them to leave, but not before I rewarded each of them with a golden coin, one of my beloved magic coins, my fourteenth birthday present that I have received from my magic mentor.

The worms left just like that, gleeful by the glow of the magic coins in their palms, barely had the time to look at the marvelous war paint on the face of Narik for just a moment before skittering away. The two worms probably have never even seen Narik. However, I did not put makeup on Narik’s face for them. The makeup was meant to deal with people who have seen Narik and knew his face, just in case my plan went extremely wrong and he was discovered by one of Bloodbeard’s worms.

The props I used to doll up Erinys were originally meant to put on Narik’s face at this moment. Narik’ war paint was predominantly white from the whitening powder, added with several strokes of black from the soot at the bottom of hearth and a few dots of red from the colored lip balms. Narik’s war paint made him looked like a smiling demon, my favorite kind of demon, the kind that I absolutely loved to break.

I descended the stairway alone, Narik stayed back to guard the entrance.

I met the warden of the dungeon, asking him a couple of some strange sociable questions, nothing important, nothing important to him that is…

I asked him his name, his friends, his best friends and any relative of his that was also a part of Bloodbeard’s horde. He was confused by my questions but he answered honestly. At that time, I thought to myself that I would reward his honesty with a swift death, a painless one.

Once, I have ascertained the information that I needed, I began to tour the dungeon. Then, suddenly, I erupted. I gave the jailers a good scaring. I talked down to them, acting as if I was displeased by everything that I found inside the dungeon. Then, I spoke in cryptic lines as if I was a prophet. When I have confirmed my target among the other captives, I bid the jailers of the dungeon a prophetic farewell in double meaning, not that the stupid worms would understand my words, but it mattered not.

I stabbed Enfermé on the dungeon wall, right at the entrance, acting as if I was furious. I told them I would leave it there and come back to collect it while re-examining the dungeon at morrow dawn.

As soon as I was out of their sight, I told Narik-my first pawn and cohort to time his attack. I wanted him to cut my head at the count of three. He was confused, freaked out by the order, thinking that it was another loyalty test until I have to explain my plan to him.

I snuck in the shadow of the stairway until I gained visual confirmation of the warden of the dungeon with the other jailers who were clutching their heads and arguing with each other, trying to make sense of my orders.

The maximum casting range of my was around ten meters. The distance between my target and I was around twenty.

However, can be cast in silence, which giving it the ability to be parallelly cast with my . When casting these two skills at the same time, I can bypass the maximum range limitation of and switch place with my target as himself. The moment that I learned that can be lined up for parallel casting, I knew it could be used in this manner.

I was the warden of the dungeon and the warden was dead. Nobody realized that. Only Narik and I knew that at that moment.

Too quick and too perfect of an execution!

I only feared that Narik would fail his task, but he did not. It was a quick kill, clean and in absolute silence.

This was the third time I used these two skills in this manner, once on an eagle and once on a bison, but this was the first time I have used them on a human target… That was an incorrect statement…worm target… now, that’s correct

The first thing I did while playing the role of the warden of the dungeon was doing something that he has never dreamed to do, considering how terrified he was.

Openly, I cursed myself. I cursed Fearless in front of the jailers.

“Who does he think he is?”

I began with that sentence, not so bad, not as terrible as the ones followed after that. Venomous words kept spewing from my mouth, envy and hatred, unadulterated malice that laced in madness. I kept talking while checking my new attributes, perks, and skills. There was nothing worthy of note. The worm had no perk and skill to distinguish himself. His Might was at 25, making me think that perhaps, physically I was not so much weaker than these worms after all.

I kept cursing Fearless while plucking Enfermé out of the wall. The other jailers, my audiences, petrified as they watched my performance, confused and afraid. I did not just talk shit about Fearless. I made my audiences became a part of my performance by making them nodded their head out of pressure.

“What can he do that I cannot do?”

I asked as the jailers became stupefied, unable to answer. I looked at one of the worms, the nearest one, the one within my arms reach.

Enfermé suddenly traced an angry arc in the air, a red arc. Blood flared up, splashing on the moldy wall of the dungeon, a grim red, an angry red. Despite not wanting to see that accused redness, somehow, my eyes were semi-conscious about it. They kept drawing to that redness of life.

Is this… this guy’s habit?

This dungeon warden probably had a love for blood. I told myself, trying to suppressing my urge to vomit.

Assaulted by the sudden pain, the worm clutched his eyeballs that were all but gone. He screamed and screamed and screamed.

The rest of the worms, all four of them were shocked, staring at me with their mouth agape. With just a single casualty at hand, their brainless skulls did not have the processing speed to update my status as an enemy of theirs at real time. I was quite sure that these worms were more of the Internet Explorer type than Chrome type.

The war pick hanging at my belt freed itself in a rude arc.

did not just copy my target’s appearance, skills, and perks. It copied the clothes and weapons that my target had on his body as well. That I have already known, but can I actually use these copied weapons? That question has been never answered until this moment.

The claw of the magic conjured war pick tore through the ribcage of the worm who stood next to me with a sickening crack. It did not help that he was wearing but a dirty tunic on his body. He grunted and dropped to his knees.

That war pick which my copied was not just an optical illusion, it was a physical copy, a physical manifestation of the original version. That left me only three more questions to figure out regarding the effect of this skill of mine.

At that time, I had no idea that the pick had punctured the worm’s heart. I only knew that I have broken his ribcage with the war pick from the noise.

It was then that the remained of the brainless worms have finally realized that I was a red dot on their minimap, an enemy, their enemy. It was about the damn time. They made me looked like I was Bruce Lee or Mike Tyson of the 2060s with their sheer incompetency alone. And I was never a fighter, at least not the confrontational kind of fighter like this.

The worms drew their weapons in a panic, but not before Enfermé claimed yet another victim among them. I lunged at that pitiful worm who was struggling mightily to free his sword from his sheath, Enfermé headlong. I felt the length of Enfermé pieced his heart with my fingers. His blood soaked my palms, spewing on my chest as soon as I freed Enfermé from his chest. The feedback I received from Enfermé suggested that the worm’s ribcage was made out of jelly, offering no resistance at all.

The remaining worms started screaming, asking if I have gone mental. I gave them a reply, telling them that I was brought by the witch hunters of the Great Temple all along. I was promised of wealth and position. I told them that the advisor, the great Fearless of The Alliance has already seen through my guise through his earlier inspection.

“He tried to give me a chance to redeem myself, to turn myself in. The nerve of him. Fuck him. Fuck his mercy. I will kill you all. And then, I will kill him.” I told them.

The two of them shouted aloud, trying to alarm Bloodbeard’s worms who were standing guards at the entrance to no avail, amidst the painful groans of the blinded worm. I have made sure of that. This stage was designed by my own design, for me and me alone, no extra cast was allowed.

I smiled. “Don’t bother. They are with me. Right now, they are distracting One-eye and Ironback, removing them from the granary and waiting for my signal to burn down the granary. Well, after I’m done with you two. Let’s see how you all can fight Hyrios and his army on an empty stomach,” I cackled like a devil.

The two worms darted their eyes at each other for a moment, communicating a joint attack through their glance. One of them moved to my right, the other to my left, swords and dagger gleaming, reflecting the grimly red glow of the flickering torches on the wall.

I straightened my sword arm and solely focused on the opponent on my right. As a weapon, Enfermé was lacking in length. However, I can make up for that by straightening arm and leaning forward, creating an illusion that my weapon was longer than it actually was, a useful trick that Merleon has taught me.

I completely ignored the one on my left, prompting him to attack my flank. And he did exactly as I have predicted, his sword sweeping in a wide arc.

I timely undid my transformation and activated , switching my position with the worm on my right. The worm’s gleaming blade tore through the neck of one of his own, killing him in the process. It took him a few seconds to understand everything that had just happened. He let go of his sword, looking back and forth between his companion and me. He opened his mouth, trying to say something. I never knew what he wanted to say, Narik snapped the worm’s neck with a furious flash of his blade.

The worm did not fall to his knees immediately. He took a few steps, somehow, staggered as if he was drunk. His head hung to his chest. His mouth gaping, his eyes wide open with horror, staring into mine upside down. And then he toppled, heavily smashed to the ground.

I collected myself and pointed my finger, signaling Narik to finish off all the worms on the ground but the blinded one. He has already known the plan but I have to remind him again, just to be sure.

Narik nodded his head and passed to me the tunic of the dungeon’s warden, dripping red, soaked with the hot and sticky blood of the dead man. It took me two seconds, maybe three or four to gather my courage to grab it. It was the longest four second in my entire life. It felt like infinity.

I stripped and put on the bloody clothes according to the plan, cursing myself that I should have given Narik a fucking hammer instead. Less bloody, less nightmare fuel.

My sanity went down to negative values as I felt the blood of the dead worm sticking on my body. I smeared his blood on my face and neck.

After that, I walked toward the isolated cell, which Bloodbeard used to lock the Hound of Hyrios alone, ignoring the terrified look of the other captives. With Enfermé, I cut the chains apart. The Hound’s entire body was as hot as burning coal and soft as virgin tofu. He was unconscious, feverish. I tried to put his arm over my neck to bring him to Narik. However, his right arm felt strange. It was metallically rigid and ghostly cold. It was a world apart from the heat that emanated from the entire body of the Hound. I lifted the Hound’s long sleeve to check the condition of his arm. It was a grim black, from his barely connected shoulder to the tips of his finger. From that look alone, I immediately knew that this arm was already gone and beyond repair. I had no time to think, putting the Hound on my back and backpacking him to Narik.

I folded my uniform and put it on my arm and made Narik dressed the butt naked corpse of the warden with his bloody tunic. After that, I tossed him Enfermé, let him staging the evidence in the very manner I told him. Then, we split according to my plan. I headed for the rampart and Narik would bring his brother to my room to hide him.

Bloodbeard’s worms were already in a state of heightened alert the moment I arrived at the scene. One of One-eye’s worms was there to receive me, panic by the blood on my naked body. The worm’s face was pallid white despite the red glow of his burning torch cast on his face. I waved my hand and told him to lead me to where One-eye was.

5000 of Bloodbeard’s worms were there, standing in front of the rampart. The other 1000 spread among the camp, guarding strategic locations.

They stirred when they saw me half-naked and bloodied. The worms belonged to Ironback’s and One-eye’s unit had already roused the entire horde awake according to my plan. They were a buzzing swarm of angry worms, ready for blood, ready for combat. That meant that One-eye has already made them known of my little drama. They gathered in front of the rampart, the very position that I have made them stood when I delivered my speech. I can feel their eyes upon me as I climbed the rampart. Lit torches and braziers cackled, lighting my path to the top of the rampart with a furious red. Orange embers left their lit torches and braziers, drawing to my figure as they hopped onto an amorous nocturnal whirlwind, danced around me with every step that I took as they expired into the night.

The higher I was to the top of the rampart, the quieter the worms became. When I was on top of the rampart, there was no buzz in the air.

Ironback and One-eye were already standing on the rampart waiting for me, with them the rest of Bloodbeard’s commander. The two of them had already prepared a dozen of lit braziers around the podium according to my instruction. They noticed the blood on my body, became horrified and concerned. I told them that it was not my blood, relieving them of their worries.

“One-eye, have one of your boys brings Ashtorá here,” I told One-eye.

“I have already done that.”

“Good,” I nodded my head, saying no more, waiting for the final cast of this drama scene to arrive.

When Bloodbeard arrived at the scene, he climbed the stair in a hurry. That hastiness and urgency atmosphere that he exuded making him look bad to his worms because I have set a standard prior to this with my dramatic entrance. That urgency made him looked amateur and incompetence, especially under this circumstance.

When he saw the blood on me, he was freaking out, asking me the same question that One-eye and Ironback have previously asked me. I told him the same answer, except that I adopted an even more nonchalant tone this time.

“What happened?” Bloodbeard asked as soon as he heaved a sigh of relief from listening to my reply.

“Explain!” I calmly ordered One-eye and Ironback to do my job for me.

Ironback explained to Bloodbeard that I have predicted a night attack to the granary and secretly ordered him and his unit to guard it with their lives until morning comes while being extremely cautious of any trickery.

One-eye told Bloodbeard that I have given him the secret order to mobilize the entire army the very moment he was notified of an attack of some kind. I also gave him the permission to capture and interrogate anyone they might find guilty of espionage.

Without adequate provision, Bloodbeard could not fight a war. He can continue to raid for supply and provision, but that would not sustain his 6000 worms for a long time. His army mobility would be severely limited. He can only go raiding around the Golden Triangle Region. Without provision, Bloodbeard could not venture far into the Great Plain, much less reaching the Easter Border of Zard or fight a war.

Immediately Bloodbeard understood how grim the situation was from One-eye’s and Ironback’s report. His face darkened as he listened to the story of his commanders. “Uncle, how did you know that?” He begrudgingly asked me as if asking me why I did not let him into this operation earlier.

The fact that I let his commanders knew the plans and not him, it only confirmed that I had no trust in his ability whatsoever. I pretended not to notice that pain in Bloodbeard’s voice. “The same way I locate you and your army, the same way that I know about you before you know anything about me.” I calmly explained, “My Shadow whispered to me. He’s inside my room, guarding my apprentice at the moment.”

Bloodbeard, Ironback, and One-eye inadvertently turned the head toward the highest floor of watchtower where my room located.

“He commands my eyes and ears. He knows everything that happens inside this army and he would whisper what he has seen and heard to me.” I casually shrugged my shoulders.

“Since when?” Bloodbeard stared at me in disbelief. His question was too ambiguous for others to understand, not me.

“That’s the wrong question to ask.” I put on my lecturing voice, “The three questions you should have asked are: How many of your men that are actually your men? How many of your men are actually my men? How many of them are your enemies’ spies?”

Bloodbeard was stupefied. His face cold with horror and dread.

Espionage and counter-espionage was the known specialty of the Zombie Dragon, the real brain of warlord Patocli’s army. He was the brain of that army while Regan was the muscle. The spy network that the Zombie Dragon created was one of the reasons why the Empire was so successful with their conquests.

According to the lore, one of the many the reasons why Bloodbeard was so successful with his raids across the Golden Triangle Region was tributed to intelligence he received from the Zombie Dragon’s spies.

“One-eye, your boy told me that you have captured them.” Bloodbeard immediately turned at One-eye and grimly asked.

“Yes.” One-eye replied.

“Have you interrogated them?”

“Yes,” One-eye nodded, “They are very stubborn. They refuse to speak the truth. However, I found these things on them,” producing two golden coins within his palm.

“Strange coins. I have never seen coins like these,” Bloodbeard examined the coins within his palms.

“They kept telling me the same lie, that Master Advisor rewarded them with these coins and told them to relieve our guard around the granary.” One-eye vexedly gritted his teeth.

Bloodbeard glanced at my direction out of reflex due to the sudden mention. His gaze harbored no doubt.

I gave Bloodbeard a shrug as if I found that statement amusing, “That’s cute. If they wanted to divide us, they can make a better lie than that,” I chuckled and extended my hand, prompting Bloodbeard to give me the coins.

They are definitely my coins. Of course, they are my coins.

“Oh,” I made a surprise sound the moment the coin fell into my palm, fully capturing my audiences’ attention on me with that sound. “I have seen these once.” I played with the coins, chuckling as if I have just found an interesting toy. These two coins are a little special, trick coins they are like the rest of my coins. Despite their weight, they are hollow inside, acting as cases for me to keep my other coins.

Of course, only I would know that. I focused on one coin and pressed my thumb on its hidden switch, triggering its secret mechanisms. The coins immediately split open and ejected a tiny roll of fabric. Bloodbeard and his commanders gasped. I nonchalantly repeated the process with the other coin. It produced another tiny roll on my palm.

I slowly returned my coins to Bloodbeard’s hand, which he tried to receive, then looking at me all confused as if asking why I did not give him the coins. I showed him my empty hands, both the one that I have kept the coins and the one that had the rolls on it.

“Ohhh…” Bloodbeard and his commanders made a sound as if this was the first time someone showed them this kind of sleight of hand, making me extremely confused. These lowlifes of all the people should have seen a sleight of hand like this once in their entire lifetime. Or perhaps, my distraction technique was so clean that they did not catch it? …And I was nowhere near the level of my mentor…

“Interesting things, right?” I asked, chuckling. “I'm surprised that you can find these little buggers on them, One-eye. It’s either that you are competent or damn lucky. Anyway, good job.” I praised One-eye while pouring my attention on the rolls after catching a glimpse of One-eye’s smug look.

I unrolled the first one, “No provision, no battle,” and tossed it to Bloodbeard, daring him to read the words for himself. If you can read them, I would give you a slightly less painful death.

Mày đang bị lừa- It wrote

I’m deceiving you.

But of course, there would be no way that Bloodbeard could read Vietnamese letters. I unrolled the next roll, “No leader, no army,” and again, tossed the roll to Bloodbeard, letting him figure the words on his own.

Đáng chết sẽ chết- it wrote

Deserve to die will die.

The same thing happened again. There would be no way Bloodbeard could read this one as well. He can only trust my bullshit translation. He squeezed the rolls within his palm and shuddered at the meaning of the phrases that I have read to him.

The schemes were my cunnings. Those writing were my arrogance, my trolling. But, they understood neither. Boring, someone relieves me of this boredom.

At the same time, a few of One-eye’s men came, reporting the situation inside the dungeon to Bloodbeard. I told them to bring the only survivor to me. They shortly returned with the blinded worm. I ended his suffering with . The worm blinked his eyes, suffering no more pain and realizing that he was able to see again. He got down to his knees, crying and worshiping me as if I was a living god. “Merciful Avatar of Sinintee,” he praised.

No God of War is merciful, fool.

I told him to quit it and described the event he has experienced inside the dungeon to Bloodbeard instead.

When the worm finished telling his story, I matched my story with his. Bloodbeard was furious. He roared and ordered a witch-hunt among his army, trying to find the rest of spies by forces or by tortures. His decision stirred his worms with anxiety.

I have already expected that, stopping Bloodbeard. Cruelty and fear were the right tools to reign these worms, but not like this.

I told Bloodbeard that he’s doing it wrong. Then, I showed him my method.

I spoke to Bloodbeard’s worms, telling them the entire story, everything that has transpired from Bloodbeard’s perspective.

I made them understand that the Empire had only intended to use them as sacrificial pawns and once they have outlived their usefulness, the Empire would eliminate them. Having Hyrios dealing with them just make it easier for the Empire.

I told them everything. I told them that the Empire was their enemy, Hyrios was their enemy and even their star was their enemy. I told them that they were fated to die. I showed them a grim future, their future if they had not met me. I showed them that I could read their stars. I showed them that I could save them from the malicious ploys of the Empire. I promise them that I would lead them to win against their fated undoer Hyrios.

Then, I spoke to the spies among the ranks of Bloodbeard’s worms as if they existed. I promised them that I would not conduct a witch-hunt to search for them. I promised them that I would be merciful. I spoke as if I was trying to convince to join me instead. I told them that their existence and abilities were more important to me than to the Empire. I promised them three times the gold they received from the Empire if they choose to work for me. I promised to free their families if they were held hostages against them. I promised to treat them better than the Empire could ever do. I promised many things, things that I could not possibly deliver, but I made them sounded believable. My promises were poison but they were sweet as honey.

But of course, that was unbelievable since the stories of my cruelty have been spread around the horde for two days. My promises sounded like empty promises.

I told them to freely desert Bloodbeard’s army at night. I forbade Bloodbeard’s worms to chase after them. But if they wished to work for me, I had told them that One-eye would erect a large blind around my watchtower soon. I would forbid anyone to guard or stand around the blind’s perimeter. All spies are welcomed my room through the guise of the night, with the blind aiding them. They would feel no shame from being exposed their identity to their friends and companions. They would suffer no repercussion. I gave them the freedom to make their choices. I showed them my kindness. I showed Bloodbeard’s worms my kindness, further cementing their loyalty toward me.

Fear was the instrument to instill discipline into Bloodbeard’s worms. However, it was definitely one of the worst instruments to instill loyalty. Loyalty cannot be instilled, but it can be inspired. To inspire loyalty, kindness and genuineness are the best tools.

I told the invisible spies among Bloodbeard’s worms that I could interrogate their compatriots who were captured by Ironback and One-eye and uncovered their identity, all of them. However, I would not do that, I told them. I would give them a chance to make a choice out of my kindness.

“A choice to be my enemy, my ally or stay neutral if you don’t have the courage to stand on one side.

But if you chose to be my enemy, if you killed my men, these men who I have sworn to protect, you shall know my wrath.”

I ordered One-eye to execute the two worms he has captured, setting the example for Bloodbeard’s worms to see. Two heads fell down and mounted on pikes according to my order.

With that, there is nobody can find the evidence of my schemes, whether they are gods or Demon Lords, at least until Narik and I went to sleep or passed out.

“Know that, I execute them to set an example. This is the fate of my enemies. Be warned.

Do not mistake my mercy for weakness.”

I kept talking, going back to address the worms of Bloodbeard. I assured them of their safety. I assured them of their future, that their fate can be changed as long as they followed me.

As soon as I finished my speech, Bloodbeard’s worms clapped their hands and cheered to show me their support. Their volume spoke of their support rating for me. If I convinced them to vote for me as their President at that moment, they would all vote for me, that, I was sure. If I were to tell them to take on a dragon, they would.

“If they refused to be my ally, my Shadow would track them down and assassinate them in secret,” I told Bloodbeard and his commanders in a volume, which only they could hear.

Bloodbeard and his commanders watched me in awe, realizing just how awesome I was again. But, even this was not enough, I wanted to reinforce that fact inside their head and even their subconscious. The best way to do that would be the repetition method. I would remind them just how awesome I was again and again.

I would make them hopeful and remain hopeful until that hope was snapped inside them, torn and destroyed, lost as they died in the most painful manner. That included every single one of Bloodbeard’s worms.

“Now, for real, sleep well and have a good dream, all of you. I’m not talking to those having nightshift tonight, of course.” I shouted my final orders to Bloodbeard’s worms.

The worms laughed at my most boring joke.

After that, I dismissed he worms, telling One-eye to do as I bid. Only Bloodbeard remained on the rampart with me. He showed his worry about the fact that I might meet the spies of the Zombie Dragon on my watchtower. However, I told him to worry about his homework instead. I told him that I can protect myself and I have my super bodyguard Shadow to protect me.

Then I asked Bloodbeard of his opinion regarding my l speech and method. His reply was “How can I be like you?” A question, a very genuine question that reflected his admiration for me as well as his wounded pride as a leader.

Gid Gud.

I meant to say that. But no, “It’s a process. You have to learn it, slowly, each and every day. Slowly, you will improve. But first, you have to watch and to learn from a good teacher, someone like me for example. You have to look, but not just looking. You have to observe my behavior and question the meaning of my every action and behavior.” I told Bloodbeard.

Then I probed a few more questions, which left me a bit disappointed.

People said that the longer you stay by someone’s side, the more of their weaknesses you would uncover. I have only been around Bloodbeard for two days and I had uncovered a lifetime of his weaknesses.

You are not even a second-rate schemer. You are a third rate.

This entire drama was an illusion, a triple layers illusion to reinforce my speech at dusk. The fact that Bloodbeard can only see the first layer of the illusion made it extremely boring to me. Anyone could see that first layer of the illusion because it was designed like that.

A real strategist, a real schemer on my level and FY’s level and perhaps the Zombie Dragon would have seen through the third layer.

The second rate ones might or might not crack the barrier between the second layer to the third layer, but they would definitely crack through the second layer of this illusion. They would have seen through my lies regarding the spies of the Empire and they would admire me even more.

I created an invisible enemy from nothing, an invisible enemy for them to fear and dread, an invisible enemy to show the worms of Bloodbeard my ability as their Messiah. I would not just speak as if I were their Messiah. I acted like their Messiah by defeating this invisible enemy as if I was fated to save them. I made full use of this chance to show them my kindness to win their loyalty. I made the second speech to reinforce my first speech. All the worms that died during this event, they died with their blood on my hands so that I can be a Messiah.

The second rate schemer would see this through this layer of my illusion, believing that this was my ultimate intention and unable to see further. They could not fathom the fact that there was another layer to the illusion.

I’m thorough, more thorough than Ekar ever was.

I inwardly told Bloodbeard. But of course, the bandit lord could not read my mind.

Suddenly, I was reminded of that incident where Misery was tricked, humiliated and mocked for his dyslexia.

That time, it was also a triple layers illusion. Nobody could see through the end of that illusion of mine other than FY.

People saw what I have done was an act of revenge, most of them did, and they were correct, mosstly. That was what I meant for them to see. But, revenge, there were a thousand and one directions for me to avenge Misery, what I have done was not one of them. That asshole got away without being truly punished for what he has done, neither his fans nor his team. If I really wanted to avenge Misery, I would have broken them, all of them, all those who participated in that shit and the originator and still making myself a sympathetic hero in the end. I won’t be a villain because it would be a proper revenge.

Misery was smart enough to see through the second layer of my illusion. He saw what I did at the time was an action to put myself in the headlines and removed him from the target of the media at the time.

In a way, he was correct.

The media did not care about what kind of turmoil it would stir. It did not care how much damage it would cause to a person’s life. It did not care about anyone else in specific. It existed to give its audiences what they wanted. Therefore, I created a scandal, a real scandal for the media to hop onto and forgot about Misery’s story, effectively removing him from the spot line.

My team owner, manager and the league officials all gave me a stern warning in the regard of what I have done. Some of them could see through the second layer of my illusion, giving me a sympathetic kind of warning.

But FY was the only one who understood the real reason why I did that. He saw through my illusion and scheme, even though he has never approved of that action of mine. If Thùy Dươn was alive at that time, she too would have understood.

I made an example out of that asshole who started that bullying shit. That asshole sold a fucking war and what I did was buying it. I bought that war and returned a favor.

What I have done was unpardonable in any civilization or society. It was horrifyingly disgusting. It was excessively cruel and I made it known. But I needed to show people that I was the kind of person who could do that against an enemy of mine without remorse.

There is an ancient Chinese proverb, which summed up my strategy quite well: Kill one to warn a hundred.

It has been a legit strategy since ancient time and still even in modern warfare. The first strike at the beginning of a war must always be the most devastated and the most lethal to set an example, thus allowing the attacker to gain a mental advantage over his enemies.

I fought only one battle to win all the wars that might or might not happen in the future by making an example of that asshole. It’s a simple method but effective. A warning to all of my potential enemies that might or might not exist of what kind of monstrosity I could be. If Bloodbeard a dear person to my heart, this would be the first lesson that I would teach him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The three waning moons of autumn shone above me, one red, one silver, and one gold, reminding me again that I was no longer on Earth as if I had not known that by now.

A nocturnal wind blew by, frivolous and playful, amorously caressing my naked chest like a lover, just the way I liked it. I took a deep breath, welcoming the frigid embrace of my invisible lover just before I poured yet another bucket-full of water over my head.

That water bucket was recently drawn from the old well near the keep. It was cold as ice, probably unforgivingly cold for most people, not me, never me. I drew yet another water bucket from the old well and splashed upon my head. I felt reborn as the well water violated my skin with its frosty touch. My headaches flushed down to the ground with the water.

Taking a cold shower has been one of my daily enjoyments. I took shower twice a day, sometimes three and four if I can. Since the day I has arrived at this world, I only managed to take a shower once and I was nearly killed for that.

This world is shitty.

A world where you cannot even enjoy a good shower is a shitty world.

There is nothing that anyone can do to convince me otherwise.

I scrubbed my drench body with my long fingernails, literally clawing out the dead skin and dirt. I thought that as soon as I reached Madukat, the first thing that I would buy would be a nail clipper. After that, I would definitely search for a shaver and a hand mirror.

I can tolerate the growing stubble on my chin to an extent, but never my uncut fingernails. They had to go as soon as possible. I trimmed them regularly when I was an aspiring pianist and even after when I became a pro-gamer. If I left them uncut for long, they would get in my way when my fingers hitting the keys. However, now, even when I had no key to play and hit, having my nails grew long and uncut for such a long time felt gross still.

My nails were so long that they actually drove me insane. There were so many times that I have thought about biting them off or cutting them with Enfermé, both sounded like a disaster to me personally. For a moment, I thought that the legendary Titan King Aramogóth and even the dark god Naharis would weep red tears, knowing that I have used Enfermé like a Swiss knife and useful tool for my daily purpose.

In the lore, Enfermé was the first divine relic that was forged by a mortal. It took the Titan King Aramogóth one hundred years to forge this blade, a ceremonial dagger to use in a ritual dance to worship Naharis. The blade of Enfermé was forged from an alchemical alloy that contained meteoric metals, Titanite and diamond dust. Even the heat of the Divine Flame could not damage it. How Enfermé was forged, it was an arduous journey for the Titan King Aramogóth, a long story.

Pleased by the workmanship, the Dark God Naharis gave the blade his blessing, a unique blessing, the only one of its kinds. Enfermé was given the ability to seal away the abilities, magic, and miracles regardless of purposes, natures and scales of anything it cut. There were only twenty-four items in the world of Escana that Enfermé could not cut, its closest brothers and sisters, divine relics of the same rank.

In the game, Enfermé conferred an additional 20 Might points to the character who equipped it. It also granted the attribute to that character melee attack, allowing the character to seal his targeted enemy’s abilities for the duration of five seconds with his normal melee attack.

Enfermé, when equipped by a character with lots of Might like the Hound of Hyrios, Hyrios, or the Sword Saint himself, it became one of the most cancerous items in the game. It rendered the opposing and enemies generals completely ineffective in melee situations against the owner of Enfermé. But then, Enfermé was far from being the most cancerous item in the game. That title belonged to another divine artifact.

In the hands of mine, Enfermé was a multipurpose tool, a kitchen knife most of the time.

Well, Aramogóth is already dead, so is Naharis. Also, it’s better to be used by my hands than be left forgotten in that dark temple.

As soon as I returned to my room, I asked Narik regarding the condition of his brother. I pretended not to notice the reason why one of the women in my group greeted me with her face knelt close to the ground.

Damnnnnn Erinys, you actually manage to do that.

I was actually surprised that Erinys was able to execute that order of mine. It’s hard to believe that it was only yesterday that she was a broken and beaten dog of Ekar.

Narik told me that his brother was extremely feverish and his condition would worsen if his right arm remained. The festering wound that the Hound of Hyrios had on his right shoulder had killed off his entire right arm, that explained the rigidness that I felt earlier. If this right arm were not surgically removed, the Hound would definitely die from infection.

Narik asked my permission to lend him my Enfermé. His face gravely bitter, knowing that this would be a very difficult operation.

I pondered for a full second. This was one of the “What if” scenarios that the fans of ROC just loved to discuss.

What if the right arm of the Hound of Hyrios remains intact? Would he become even a better swordsman? Or would he never achieve the same level of swordsmanship as he was without his right arm?

What if the Hatchling Dragon never dies?

What if Craxus were never killed?

It was one of those “What if” scenarios, except that this time, there was no need for that.

I raised my hand and activated . Fireflies filled the room, swirling around the body of Narik, his brother, Erinys, the women and me with their golden glimmer.

Tears traced two flowing streams on Narik’s cheeks, messing up my masterpiece of a war paint. I told Narik that he had no need to thank me or reaffirm his oath. It was only natural that I would save his brother. “That’s a perk for being my pawn,” I told him, thinking that I had to reapply makeup for him in the morning. If somehow I could see Narik’s loyalty rating for me during this moment, it would show the sign of infinity instead of any numerical value.

Then I approached that woman who Erinys punched on my instruction. “What happens? Did you slip and hit your face against the floor or something?” I asked her in a kind voice.

She shuddered, could not provide me with a reply. She did not dare to nod her head, which made me inwardly glad. At least, she was honest.

I played along, cupped her chin to make her look at me in the eyes. I gently brushed her bang with my fingers.

“Don’t make the same mistake next time. Be careful where you tread.” I warned her, a smile on my lips.

“There is a limit to how much you can depend on my kindness. DO not test it. The reason that I did not hug you, kiss you, love you and treasure you like Erinys is due to your eagerness to betray one of your own. All of you had the option to put that water bag to the ground or returned it to me, but you did not. You push it to Erinys, believing that it was another trap similar to what Ekar has devised for you. You betrayed one of your own to save yourself. I will not criticize that decision. I will not blame you for that. I did not go through the same pain and suffering that you all did. I don’t have the right to judge you for that, but even if I did, I would not. That’s why I am still extending my kindness to you all. However, I can say that I do not admire that decision. I don’t like it. Thus, your current treatment.”

With my long fingers, I combed her unkempt hair gently and slowly as I spoke to her and her group. Despite my fingers were touching her hair ever so gently, they spoke a different language. They robbed the girl of her freedom. They were oppressive as tyrants. They told her of my authority and power over her life. This girl alone would feel the brunt of my authority and power over her group.

“Erinys, she was your weakest, wasn’t she? But no longer. If she can be that strong just in two days after Ekar’s death, you too can. All of you. I gave you a two days deadline but that was a lie. I made that lie to test you. Now, that I have seen what you are capable of, I don’t need to keep testing you. You are a part of my group as long as my business with these worms is still going. That’s a promise. If you are strong enough to band together and slip on this floor together, you are strong enough to reclaim your identity and humanity together. You don’t need me to baby you. You don’t need my help. Act as you wish, live as you wish. Let nobody tell you what to do, how to live. Live properly and strongly like a human. That’s all I have to say to you.” I warned the woman and the rest of her group in a low voice, low as I could possibly be. “One last time, be very careful with your step next time. Don’t hit your face against the floor again.”

I was sure that they would never try to gang up on Erinys again, no matter how jealous they were. I thought that once I was done with Bloodbeard, I can unload these women to Ice. From what I have seen, Ice was a great leader. She was strong enough to organize her clique within that village in order to survive it. If she could handle a life inside that worm breeding ground, she can handle these women as well.

Only when I have finished my businesses with the women and Narik, I gave Erinys my undivided attention. I held her hand and planted my lips on her fingers before pulled her into my chest. I squeezed her within my arms, rhythmically stroking the back of her head. I can feel her fear and relief. I released Erinys of my bear hug, staring into her clear eyes. They were no longer dry and hollow or without emotion and warmth. I rubbed my nose against hers and kissed Erinys on her quivering lips. Her eyes moistened. “It’s only natural that you are afraid. If I was you, I would be afraid as well. You have done well, sweetest Erinys. Remember this, fear exists to be conquered... Do you know what’s that mean?”

Erinys shook her head. Her tears flew.

I brushed her teary eyes with my thumb, drying the tears. “Hold tight to my magic coin. Find your courage within it. One day, you might perhaps find out the meaning of this phrase,” and kissed Erinys again.

You see? It is difficult to be with me. Your luck is the worst sweetest Erinys. The only women who can stay around me long are either the crazy one or the strong one. But you are neither….

I tucked Erinys into our bed first and hung my jacket next to the hearth to dry it. I joined Erinys in our bed, gently cuddled her inside my arms, thinking of all sort of things while stroking Erinys’ head and lulling her into a deep slumber in lesser than ten minutes. Soon, Narik and I were the only ones who were still awake in the room.

Then my ears picked up the sound of footsteps coming from below the tower. Slowly, the sound of footstep got louder.

I loudly snapped my finger twice to alert Narik and then pointed at the door. Narik was not too dulled to understand my signal. He unsheathed his sword and readied himself into the position for combat.

Eventually, my ears could hear no footstep. A knock on my door.

What? Really?

I stared at the termite-eaten door in disbelief.

I invented that part about the Empire’s spies trying to destroy Bloodbeard’s army and did not expect to meet one myself.

The reason was that Bloodbeard was so much of a scrub that I wouldn’t think the Zombie Dragon could dispatch his spies to watch out for this army.

But then, the Zombie Dragon was known for his thoroughness as well. He was the type that allowed no potential mishap on his overall grand scheme. Therefore, I would not be surprised that he has installed spies in Bloodbeard’s army.

However, I was more surprised that his spies, the spies that the great Lanxer de Craxus Aurus Ertònios had painstakingly trained would be willing to betray him this readily. If all I needed to make his spies turned against him was a speech, I would be damned. If that was true, I would be very disappointed at how the Zombie Dragon trained his spies.

Narik crouched, readying for a lightening lunge attack.

And I was surprised yet again.

At my doorstep stood one of Bloodbeard’s women.

“You are…?” I asked. Bloodbeard only introduced her to me as one of his women but he has never bothered to tell me her name or theirs.

“Atuc, milord,” she replied.

Her name was directly translated as a name of a flower in a Nord dialect. Iliva’s pearl of Universal Wisdom has just input another new set of language into my head.

Her long lashes quivered softly the moment I came into her view in my half-naked state, flickering a feverish haze. Her lips red as a blooming poppy curved into a bewitching smile.

“My husband tells me that you are missing a tender at your side… He tells me that One-eye is useful but he is not the sharpest tool around … And he is not a woman so he doesn’t know a man’s heart…so my husband sends me here to take care of your needs…. I make some late night supper for you and your companions… I thought that you would be very famished by now…” She stuttered, staring at my naked chest. Her breath abated. Her face flushed brightly.

She revealed a wooden basket at her thin waist while leaning forward, consciously teasing my eyes with her bouncy chest. The tops of her exquisite white breasts practically spilled out of her tight gown. Her grey hair spilled as she leaned, revealing her sexy white nape thick with sweet inviting pheromone.

“I see,” I absently replied.

Her words contained no lie, not that I can detect one while my eyes became lost in the bottomless depth of her cleavage. However, I was sure that Bloodbeard certainly did not mean for her to attend my sexual urges…

I tried not to gulp but boys I did, trying to put my lust and my plan on a balance. But, it seemed that the scale tipped into the direction of Atuc’s rich and bountiful chest.

Shit, this is never a part of my scheme.

One more day… one more fucking day… don’t mess it up now… don’t fucking mess it up now.

Fuck, ambushing me with a honey trap at this moment should be considered a foul move. Bloodbeard, that devil, to think that he is capable of making such a move.

Earlier, I have told Bloodbeard that I did not need anyone to protect me despite his constant nagging. I have thought that he has given up on that… but to think that he would use this move instead.

I blinked, finally made it passed Atuc’s breasts, only to be lost again within her inviting jaded eyes. Within the depth of her eyes, I saw my reflection. I was already smiling a charming smile, an inviting smile that struck a match in Atuc’s heart. My eyes feverish, lost in the haze of passion, mirrored Atuc’s steamed eyes.

Everybody's got plans... until they get hit.

Suddenly I was reminded of that Mike Tyson’s quote.

Shit.

Bloodbeard was merely trying to be a busybody and yet, this is a fucking genius move.

Atuc was anything but a good woman even if Bloodbeard was a good husband of hers in reality. And I was anything but a good man. I am bad. A very bad man.

I can never reject passion, especially when passion came searching for me.

That’s who I am. If the person who stalked me in my dreams has seen my memories, he/she would know that I was not the type to reject this passion.

If I rejected this passion, I’m definitely not Fearless.

Worse, I might give them a hint to what I am after. If they were on Bloodbeard’s side, I’m fucking screwed this time.

Suddenly, I was lost at what to do. I could barely think. I was not sure if I should chase Atuc away, denying Bloodbeard’s good intention. With her being around me, my mobility would be severely limited.

While I was still thinking, my hand, guided by the will of passion reached out for the basket on Atuc’s hands. Fuck me. I was a slave of passion, a puppet stringed by my own desires. “I’m very thankful,” Our fingers touched for a short moment, not accidentally as it may look, and she reflexively withdrew her hand as if scalded. Then regret clouded her jade orbs, angry at her impulsiveness. I chuckled mischievously, extending my hand to her, waiting. The other hand I put at my back, waving it around, hoping that Narik would understand my intention. Luckily, I heard the sound of him sheathing his sword around the time Atuc shyly gave me her hand.

“I’m glad that it is you, Atuc” I ambushed her with a few cryptic words, staring into her jaded orbs. Atuc’s eyes revealed that she was genuinely confused by my words. I affectionately planted my lips on her fingers once and then twice, before slowly bringing them to her white neck, suggestively hinting a kiss. Her long lashes closed, quivered with desires. I took my time and sniffed her exquisite womanly perfume, “You took my breath away the moment I first see you. You are the most beautiful woman I have seen yet.” I whispered a white lie into her ears.

She blushed furiously, her eyes glistened with delight.

If Bloodbeard sent the others, I would tell them the same white lie. I just cannot flirt with any woman by telling them that Alice was the most beautiful woman in my life and Iliva have already shattered the standard of how I viewed beauty.

I turned, pulling Atuc into my room. I introduced Narik to her. His war paint scared her at first. He looked like a smiling demon with tears trickled down on both corners of his eyes, a demon who cries and smiles at the same time. Narik remembered to stick to his role, pretending to be mute, only conversing with a bullshit kind of sign language that only he would understand, allowing me to interpret it however I wanted.

And then, my eyes fell on Erinys’ sleeping face.

The haze inside my head slowly lifted, replaced by a whirlwind of white. My thought suddenly became clear as the surface of a frozen lake.

I remembered Ekar and his unforgivable atrocities. I remembered my promises with Erinys and Narik. I remembered Ice and her people. I remembered what I had to do.

I looked at Atuc again, more opened to her passion this time, thinking while maintaining a charming smile on my lips. My free hand unconsciously removed from the familiar touch my magic coins and reached for Enfermé’s handle, fidgeting on its smooth hilt for seconds, pondering as if it had a mind of its own.

This might be a great opportunity in disguise.

“Will you stay here with us or will return to Ashtorá’s place tonight?” I knew that I have just asked a stupid question, but I intended to go through with it.

“….my husband commands me to stay here and serve you….” Atuc replied feverishly, apparently did not offended by that question. She confirmed my reasoning.

Only then, I pretended to notice my unbecoming dress code and apologized. I turned and pointed my finger at my jacket, which Narik immediately understood my intention, he grabbed it and passed it to me as if he has been my personal butler for years.

As I was receiving my jacket from Narik, I leaned, pretending to fumble my step and dragging Atuc with me. I caught Atuc when she was about to hit the floor, pulling her into my chest. “I’m sorry. I should have watched my step,” I softly whispered, more amorous than apologetic as my arm tightly wrapped around Atuc’s waist.

Before she could say anything, I suggestively put a finger on her lips, “I know a very beautiful flower that blooms by the lake. But it only blooms at night time so people rarely know about its existence. Will you forgive my mistake by allowing me to escort you there and show you of that flower?” I brought my lips closed to her cheek and whispered.

She blushed furiously. Her long lashes shivered as she nodded her head once. I smiled charmingly, helping her to stand up.

I don’t have a habit of saying no to passion especially when passion comes searching for me. I only blame my star for this.

I passed the food basket to Narik, telling him to leave but a single portion to me. I tucked a red potion vial into Narik’s palm, telling him to administer it to his brother if his condition suddenly took a bad turn. I then gave Narik my prediction very quietly and affirmed his responsibilities again so that Narik was sure of my intention.

After that, I held Atuc’s hand and escorted her down the watchtower. I asked her if she wanted to see a miracle. She absently nodded her head, her thought was lost in the haze of her passion.

“Close your eyes. Don’t open them until I told you so,” I whispered into her ears and she obediently closed her eyes, biting her lips to contain her excitement.

With a dozen of , I whisked Atuc away from Bloodbeard’s camp without anyone noticed. Teleport and Swap, teleport, teleport, and swap, I kept repeating the process until the two of us stood side by side at the lake.

I told her to open her eyes and introduced her to that flower that I have mentioned. I did not lie about it. I made that flower bloomed under that moonlit night.

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When the sun was red on the eastern sky, I acted according to my schedule despite my entire body was literally screaming at me. This marked the third night in a row that I have remained sleepless. My hip was killing me. I wished for a hot mug of coffee or a can of energy drink to make through this day… but it was just wishful thinking. I dapped my face with a splash of cold water, desperately to stay awake.

There was no spy came knocking my door last night, as I have expected. If a spy of the Zombie Dragon was that useless to be moved by such tricks, I would be extremely disappointed.

Erinys was by my side with her hollow gaze as I went to inspect Bloodbeard’s troops. They hailed me this time rather than submitting themselves to fear like the day before. Their voice mixed of fear and admiration. They feared me because they had known my cruelty and they revered me because of my abilities.

FY, this has to be a new world record.

It’s either that I was too great and too perfect or these worms had never had a real leader in their entire life.

I truly have become the leader of this horde in just two days according to my schemes.

From the moment I met Ekar, I had no intention to be recognized as Bloodbeard’s uncle, the person who became the leader of these worms through nepotism. If I led these worms, I had to be their leader and not just a person who was assigned to be their leader.

It’s more painful to be betrayed by someone you admired and looked up to, someone that you recognized as your leader.

The result of my scheme fully displayed before my eyes. I’m sure that the great Niccolò Machiavelli would have approved me if he were to witness my entire plan. However, he might criticize me for dragging this battle longer than it should have been, which increased the risks of failures and mistakes, making me more vulnerable.

When I crossed the courtyard, I noticed that Ekar’s unit has already stood in a square formation before the rampart in attention, waiting for me. I pretended not to notice them again, going straight for my morning appointment with Bloodbeard’s commanders. I nodded my head, showing the least amount of approval to the result of their reports. Again, I gave them assignments and deadlines. To the commanders who have failed to finish their assignments in the day before, I told them to finish theirs at dusk.

After that, I went to meet Bloodbeard in his chamber. He asked me if there was any spy visited me last night, I replied to him that the only spy that knocked on my door last night was his.

Bloodbeard chuckled. He told me that Atuc was the most attentive of his women, therefore he commanded her to be my attendant.

Indeed, she has attended my needs and hers very well…

“She’s a lovely lady,” I replied mysteriously when Bloodbeard asked if Atuc has served me well.

If you had given her the password for a nuclear launch…you have already been vaporized by now

“However,” suddenly, my voice became stern, “Instead of worrying about me and my need, you should have invested that time to complete your homework.”

Bloodbeard stared at me and helplessly sighed.

“You won’t be given extra time to complete your homework. The deadline is still at today dusk.”

“Yeah… I know…” Bloodbeard sighed again, doing his very best to cope with my antic.

“Today, you don’t have to stay here. You are free to go around. See what you wanted to see. Ask whomever you wanted to ask. This is the last hint I will give you, no more. At dusk, if you don’t have an answer still, don’t even bother talking to me about war or battle.”

Bloodbeard sighed again.

I have realized that sighing was how Bloodbeard was coping with my unbearable arrogance.

After that, I paid Ekar’s unit a visit. The new leader of Ekar’s unit reported to me of his unit’s situation and everything else I demanded, but the answer to my question, “Why are you being treated like this?”

No one among Ekar’s unit dared to answer that question.

“Then you will stand like this. From morning to dusk, today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and even the days after that, until someone among you give me an adequate answer.” I coldly spoke to them before I turned around, leaving.

“Our previous leader has tried to kill you and we also took part in that…”

A voice shouted out to my back.

I turned, looking at the direction of that voice. The fact that the worms of Ekar all turned to look at the worm who shouted that answer helped me to identify my target.

I approached him slowly, a smile on my lips. Ekar’s worms flinched and made way for me. A mismatched smile on my lips, my eyes was stern but my smile was warmth. I stood in front of the worm, clapping my hands to set up an eerie mood.

I kept clapping my hands without saying a word for over ten seconds. The longer I clapped my hand, the more terrified the worm became. I was sure that it was the longest ten second in his entire life. It felt like ten seconds to me, but for him, it must have been an eternity. The worm was sweating an ocean where he stood. If his sweats can be purified and used as a drinkable source of water, I was sure that I have solved the water shortage problem on Earth. His face drained of blood, a sheet of pallid green, sickly as fucking vampire. His eyes fell to my shoes and remained there.

“Finally,” I said, still clapping my hands, “Finally, someone is brave enough to give me an answer.” My tone switched from jolly to stone cold. “What’s your name, brave man?” I stopped clapping my hands.

“Rrrrrrr,” the worm opened his mouth, “Rrrrrrrrock, Mmmmmmasttter Advisor.” It took him almost twenty-second to make that reply.

I did not blame him.

“I am convinced that you must be the bravest man of this unit Rock. How should I reward your bravery Rock?” I asked.

The worm hit the ground in a flash, groveling. “Please, I don’t dare. I have made a mistake.” This time, he did not stutter.

“No, you weren’t. Stand…” I grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him up, “STAND!”

The worm stood up in a hurry. His eyes met mine for half a second, a mistake, he knew that immediately and dropped them to my shadow on the ground.

“You were right when you tell me that the reason why I made you stood had to do with the fact that you and your leader has once tried to kill me. That’s correct. But that is still not the answer I’m looking for. Tell me Rock, what is the purpose? What am I after by making all of you stand like this?”

The worm turned himself into a vibrator. He shook his head for dear life, with his head, his entire body as well.

Of course, if Rock could answer this question of mine, he would not be here, standing like this. If that was the case, he has already fled this place and this horde a long time ago. I have given all the warnings and second chances that I had to give. Any smart person would have realized that a long time ago.

“Hmmmm. Since you are only half-corrected, I will give you a half-reward. How does it sound, Rock?”

The fact that I asked Rock this question made his prospect even more terrifying.

“I don’t dare. I deserve no reward, Master Advisor.”

“I’m a fair man. I treat my subordinate fairly. If I don’t give you a proper reward, I have already failed my duty. Come.” I grabbed his sweaty hand and pulled him out of the formation of his unit.

“Stand here in a minute. I will come back,” I made Rock stood in front of his unit, facing them. I went to get a wooden chair and a large sack of water and a chunk of jerky of some unknown source as well, which I saw among the camp. I did not even know the identity of the owner of those items, but I did not care.

I returned with them, making Rock sit on the chair, giving him the water bag and the jerky.

“Drink when you are thirsty. Eat when you are hungry. But you are not allowed to stand up from this chair until you or someone among this unit gives me a complete answer to my question. Don’t even think about sharing food or water to your unit.”

After that, I left Ekar’s unit standing for an entire day again. Rock became the most hated worm among that unit, whether he has realized it or not, just by sitting in that chair, eating and drinking while the rest of his unit had to stand. I directed the hatred that they had for me toward Rock with a single move.

I did not visit Ice and the captives inside that accursed village. I merely asked Moss regarding of their situation. I told him to keep fattening them and telling them to wait.

Wait for what?

I never told that to Moss. After that, I spent my time overseeing various unfinished constructions of Bloodbeard’s worms.

I had them demolished a few hundred houses among the ghost of the abandoned villages, using the materials from the demolished houses to make new constructions.

I made the worms to move their provision to a safer location, easier to guard.

I made the worms reworked the enclosures and the defenses around the abandoned villages according to my instruction. Some part of the enclosures were completely torn down, others reinforced to the point that they could potentially withstand the brunt of siege engines. I made the worms completed the long ditch that spiraling around the ghostly villages per my designs since yesterday.

The smell of tars filled my nose as I was doing my inspection. Carts and wagons filled with a haystack that slathered with black tars were being moved into specific positions base on my instruction.

I looked like a master foreman with years and years of experience. However, the sad reality was… I knew a jackshit of what I’m doing. I had a design in my mind but I had no experience with this shit. Back in the game, I only had to left- click on the command to fortify a specific target. I needed no engineering knowledge and whatnot to do that.

For the first time in my life, I was grateful for the life-changing dart that landed me on the History major in my college. At the time, I was already a full-time pro-gamer and a world champion. However, my adopted parents were very concerned about my future and career. They have done a ton of researches about the life of a pro-gamer and they were clearer about that than I was. After all, a pro-gamer’s life and income are never stable. It’s full of up and down.

One moment you are at the top of the world and the next moment, you could be on the street and unemployed.

A ROC Pro-gamer has to live from paycheck to paycheck, and the decision of the organization that he represented. You don’t know when you would be traded for another player from another team or worse, waived by your own team and no pro-team would even consider to pick you up. The average life of a ROC pro-gamer can be very short, from five to ten years. After that, if that person could not land a manager role for a pro-team or a coaching job or a career related to the world of ROC pro-league, it’s unemployment.

Knowing that my adopted parents convinced me into picking a college course as insurance in the case that my career as a pro-gamer derailed. At the time, I had no idea what course I wanted to pick. I thought about music for a minute and decided not to enroll myself in a music course. Music was still a curse, a painful reminder and nothing else at the time. Therefore, I used a dart, a blindfold and a spinning circle to decide my future path. That dart landed on History and my sister held her stomach, dying with laughter. History was the least suitable subject for me. I initially intended to give it a trial runs for the sake of it, after a few months, I would consider something else. Looking back, it was a miracle that I made it through those four years to earn my bachelor.

Thanks to those four years, I had at least a generalized picture of what I was supposed to do with these worms of Bloodbeard. I gave “Take the plain away from Hyrios” as a hint to Bloodbeard and with that in mind, I had to make it looked like I was going for that end game with my preparation. That’s the hardest part.

I gave them these laborious assignments to instill a sense of purpose and unity into them. However, that was not the only reason. These assignments must be able to give Bloodbeard the idea of how I would strike at Hyrios, serving as a distraction, taking his attention away from my magic tricks that already happened. Last but not least, I wanted to soften these worms through their labors, thus allowing my final strike to happen.

At noon, Atuc came to deliver my lunch, pouring honey words into my ears. I playfully pinched her nose, telling her that I would give her my reward at nightfall.

When dusk settled over the horizon, I relieved the worms of their assignments. To those that were unable to meet my deadline, I made them work for some extra hours to ensure of their job completion. Then, I dealt with Ekar’s unit before approached Bloodbeard.

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“We will ambush Hyrios in this place.” Bloodbeard firmly stated his thought.

“You don’t expect that I would nod my head with that kind of answer, don’t you?” I asked mockingly. My expression betrayed an open disgust toward such blunt reply.

“Certainly not. You gave me two days to figure out. That means you want me to be specific,” A smirk floated on Bloodbeard’s lips. The bandit lord continued, “You have set up a perimeter defense around these villages. However, your defense has an obvious flaw. If I can see through that, Hyrios can easily break through your defense.”

You are only half-right. My defense has flaws because I don’t have a fucking clue how to set them up in the first place.

I gave Bloodbeard my poker face while remaining silent, prompting him to keep talking.

“That is because you intend for him to charge straight into this Bastion with his army. Once his army is at the foot of the Bastion, you would trap them, lighting those villages on fire. With his retreat cut off, Hyrios would have no choice but to enter this Bastion.

Once inside the bastion, his horses would do him no good. He had to fight on foot. We have the keep, watchtowers, and the rampart. My archers will have a great advantage against his. My army, you have cut off their retreat, thus, they had no other choice but to fight Hyrios and win. Therefore, they won’t desert or surrender. We have a better chance of winning this battle over Hyrios.”

This is the only part which you got right…

Still wearing my poker face, I raised my voice a little bit, “And why would Hyrios enter the bastion? He can open a blood path through the burning villages, escape and return another day. Before that, there are a thousand ways to fight you and your ill-discipline troops. Would he not consider that flaw in the defense a trap? Would he not realize my plan when he charges through those villages? That’s recklessness and foolishness, why must he fight like that?”

“He’s honorable, prideful and protective. You have said it yourself. I will use my captives as baits and shields. I will torture them. I will make them suffer in front of him. Because he’s an honorable man, he will try to end the battle as fast as possible, to save his people. Furthermore, because he’s prideful, he only sees me as a mere bandit lord, not an accomplished general like Regan, he would not suspect an ambush especially when facing someone like me.” Bloodbeard took in my questions as confirmations that he was correct, elaborating his plan to me.

Again, you are only half-correct… But the fact that you can come up with a disgusting plan like that… means that you are just as disgusting as Ekar... though not nearly as disgusting as me...

“Hyrios would definitely enter the bastion because he sees me. I am the bait. You give my personal guards and me the great shields so that we can act as bait. Once Hyrios see me, he will go straight for me, believing that he can end the battle the moment he kills me.”

I blinked my eyes, still revealing no emotion on my face.

The location was different, the people involved were different, the prelude to that battle was different as well, yet that plan was mostly the same. This was the gist of one of the ten great battles that the Zombie Dragon and Hyrios have fought each other in the canon history, which Hyrios was thoroughly beaten in this one.

Hyrios was too honorable for his own good, putting his people as his priority over victory. Being honorable is a good virtue, it commands respect from your peers and people around you, thus commands loyalty. However, being too honorable is the epitome of stupidity; it brought only dooms and failures. Being too honorable makes you extremely predictable.

Many fans of Hyrios loved to debate that the Zombie Dragon’s method was detestable and if he fought Hyrios fair and square, he would lose. I am too, a fan of Hyrios, but I was not in that naive faction, never me.

There is no such thing as fair and square in war. There is an English proverb: All fair in love and war. It beautifully summed up everything that is needed to say about how a person should fight a war.

Anything is legit, as long as you win the fucking war.

Any student of history would know that.

The easiest way to win a war is by killing, destroying one’s enemy, through physical means, or mentally, or socially, or all of the above.

A sword is no different from a knife, a whisper, a kiss or a lie.

Anything is legit, as long as you win the fucking war.