《Binary of Life and Death》Chapter 11: Demon Hero
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(Ashen POV)
I was unsure as to how, but before me, she had created a spell circle I was all too familiar with, a summon spell. Her spell circle glowed brightly, causing a large burst of ice to come from it and swarm around until it eventually coalesced into a large sphere. The dome of ice broke away and in its wake was now an ice dragon. Finally, some fun, as most of these elves would be more annoying to kill than enjoyable or worth it. It roared out with icy wrath, causing the very air around it to chill near-freezing temperatures.
“Stand down!” She yelled towards me, and as per usual, I decided against it.
“I suggest you leave before things become bloody,” I said in as blank a voice as I could get, to act as menacing as possible.
“We have declared war already! We know what to expect, It’s you that has no clue!” She said, frustration in her voice.
“Not with my nation, that’s why give you a full minute. Do as you please for the minute, but if you’re still around when it's up, that’s the end for you.” I don’t think she knew it was me, maybe due to the distance or the helmet, either way, it was helpful.
“Caro, attack!” She said, and her ice dragon rushed forward, oh great, she named it.
It slammed it’s claws down vigorously onto me, only stopping at the very top of the helmet, and only moving own when the ground itself started to crumble from the force. The earth under me splintered and sent fragments flying at dangerously high velocities, even hitting an elf and damaging the wall a small amount. The ice dragon doubled its efforts and I was being slammed down so far, I was buried to my breast. I still haven’t taken damage, and most likely wouldn’t for the foreseeable future unless something bizarre happens.
I surge of ice cascaded onto the land, causing an audible freezing of the moisture in the air. This was impressive, but nothing a tier 12 spell couldn’t do, so I countered with a skill, not even one of my spells. My [Body of Fire] activated and the surroundings became gradually warmer, until the frozen bits of ice melted and refilled the air with its moisture. The heat stacked many times, getting to a sweltering amount before dissipating, and crawling back towards me. My body seemed to absorb the heat and the ice dragon shriveled slightly from the exchange, my armor looking untouched if not for the water on it.
I slowly climbed out of the small crater, now that the ice dragon let me go, and stood in the same neutral position I did before, and just shaking my head from side to side like a disappointed parent. She snarled at me, her face twitched slightly, and her grip on her staff tightened. A single bead of sweat rolled down her forehead, leaving a small reflective trail behind before she wiped it with her long sleeve. Her staff stood still, but her robes moved strongly with the new breeze sweeping through due to the sudden changes in temperature,
“State your name and maybe you’ll be remembered as a worthy opponent!” She said confidently but with a hint of fear.
“None other than the demon hero, maybe you can write me down in your history books,” I said in a completely faked and fitting voice, filled with self-confidence, as I used a spell to mask my voice in that of a demon’s.
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She snarled again, “To think the demons would get one too, what reason do you have for intervening in a war?” She said, trying to buy time for something.
“I owed that king a favor, what else am I to do when he calls on me?” I said, giving her time for whatever puny resistance she could mount.
“Then may you crawl back to the depths of hell where you crawled out of!” She yelled full of fury and launched a large golden hand of light at me, to which I sent one of shadow and black to meet it.
The two hands wrestled in the sky, only moving a slight amount before going back to a neutral distance between us, “I should let you know, I was ordered to defend this place with my life, so you ought to leave while you can.” Arrogance and self-confidence filled every aspect of my voice, giving her more anger and malice than I’ve seen a human carry since coming to this world.
“And so have I! So one must die!” She screamed, and the hand of light exploded into many more of equal power, quickly taking the advantage over my shadow hand.
“Then let us see which one of us shall survive!” I acted so cocky even I wanted to strangle myself, but my words matched my actions as the hand quickly shredded apart into ever-increasing quantities taking the edge in the hand to hand combat in the sky.
She was having trouble maintaining her magic, but she didn’t stop, instead, she dismissed her magic and started chanting, strange as I’ve never heard her do that before. The words would sound like they were in reverse like most spells. Her spell casting was interrupted, and even I was surprised, a great green scaled dragon flew viciously overhead, one I knew well. His large scales gleamed like emeralds, and his underside like gold coins, his figure more than imposing enough to cause any trained veteran to reconsider their careers.
She stood in awe, and her feet trembled slightly, her ice dragon taking several steps backward. As he landed, the hands of light and dark vanished, and he stood tall on the ground over the large open fields, which were now covered with soldiers, and peered out over us both. If my disguise worked, and I hoped it did, even to my brother, he should have no clue it’s me. He gave me the most concentrated stare he had ever given to anything, at least, to my knowledge.
He was about to open his mouth when the ice dragon did something I’ve not seen before, it just straight up fell. It’s legs at its side like a dog, and it’s long neck and head laid on top of the ground. It just submitted at the mere sight of him, damn, makes me feel out of place, too bad he couldn’t hurt me though, would have been a great topic to start a little friendly fight over. The most surprising part of the whole exchange, besides the whole submitting dragon part, was that it betrayed its summoner, and that gave me a deep worry.
If something that I summoned could betray me than it leaves too many doors opened for unknown possibilities. I might have been known for my magic and even my unpredictability and strange outcomes, but this would be too much for me even. I don’t know if it were my spell or just my new body, but it gave me such a rush, not one of fear, or even adrenaline, but one I had not felt before, one of pure unknown. I looked forward to the future, even if it didn’t look forward to me.
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The elf hero, which at this point was nearly pale with fear, was completely flabbergasted at the sight, and couldn’t find words that could leave her tongue. I, however, sought to keep things mysterious between me and my brother, as we need not soil yet another set of disguises between one another. He looked at the ice dragon, then to her, then to me, and back to the ice dragon before unhinging his jaw. Inside came a spark of light green, which became ever-growing until it grew to the size of his mouth and started crackling with lightning.
The ball of green made enough noise to liven up the place and she started to move again, and any soldier that hasn't run by now started to. The ball came speeding out of his maw, slamming into the ground directly in between me and Melida, indicating he stood on neutral terms with us both, right where I wanted him to be. I paid him no heed, reaching upon my back to withdraw my sword from my hilt, it was more than just oversized, but it was still a sword.
She looked at me, then to the molten mush of dirt and rock that the green ball created, and seemed to prepare for melee combat as well, as she twirled her staff a bit and eventually got into a stance. I slowly went from a light walk on the beach, to that of a full-speed bear, getting to her in just over three seconds, enough time for her to plunge her staff forward, directly towards my head, only for it to slide into the small slit, and her grip to falter slightly. My head, the item, had a special condition when it was struck, this was that condition.
When it was hit by a weapon from an enemy, it would heat the weapon, and depending on its quality, would either destroy or even delete the weapon. It would also cause major fire damage to wreak havoc on the wielder, turning what would have been fatal wounds to me, into fatal wounds of my foe. Although it had its downsides, as it had a cooldown time, of a minute between uses, and every time it was activated, my magical prowess would be reduced until the cooldown was finished, it also gave a slight boost to melee, which was just a bonus.
She shrieked in pain, just as her staff seemed to crack, and glow brightly in a violet hue, before seeming to suck all available mana sourced from the terrain like a black hole. I was just fine, Aeyrs was as well, but the ice dragon, it was utterly shredded in mere seconds, it’s entire body falling limp like it had its skeleton removed. The staff kept glowing until it stopped, and in a single moment it exploded, causing a large sonic wave to rip through the ground, sending several segments of the wall to be crumbled in no time, and even the city was damaged.
She looked like nothing had happened, but at least she was unarmed, it was a difficult matter, but after I capture her or whatnot, all ought to be fine. I was preparing for my next move before Aeyrs seemingly took off for no reason, with the ice dragon in hand, I used some of my magic senses, and was alarmed, I quickly used as much of my strength, while restraining myself and took her along with me, and I leaped through the air several kilometers away. Eventually reaching a small stable patch of earth, I let her go and she slammed back to the ground.
“What the hell do you think you're doing!” She cried out, to which I held up a single finger, trying to quiet her.
“Why? Would you have rather been left behind and have been killed?” I said back mockingly.
“By what? A few measly earthquakes? Yeah right!” Well, she sure knew her stuff but was still wrong.
“How about one that could annihilate a mountain? Or one that could send an entire town to the fiery depths of hell?” I said, trying to make her understand the actual danger.
“What? What are you saying? And why would you spare me anyway, I thought you were ordered to defend the town with your life?” She said, making me slightly less confident in my acting skills, as I forgot one of the most important things during our long conversation.
“Why defend a town when it’s not in danger?” I said in return, getting a confused look in return. “Your staff caused an explosion, and that caused the very world to retaliate.” Something clicked in her presumably small brain, and she pieced the details together.
“Wait, you’re saying that the planet itself was responsible for the tremors?” Well, no shit Sherlock, but it was just an earthquake.
“Yes, and it wanted our deaths in exchange for it’s suffering.” She looked blankly at the ground then back to me.
“Why did you spare me? You could kill me, given the circumstances, but yet you choose not to, why is that?” that is a fair point, but killing doesn’t solve every problem, but it does most.
“Why should I let my enemy die to their own doing? It makes the battle rather boring when all I have to kill are plain little foot soldiers, am I right?” Her eyes told me everything I wanted to know, but her head eventually nodded, and I knew she felt the same way.
I sheathed my blade, and in but a single moment I created another staff, one that looked much like her last, but wouldn’t have the flaw of causing a nuclear mana explosion upon Its destruction. “Here, just try not to blow up a mountain, alright?” I tossed it to her, and she caught it and examined it carefully.
“Why?” Just one word could lead to any number of answers, but I had one in mind.
“Why fight an unarmed fellow, it only makes for the battle to be boring and on top of that, I thought I owed you one for destroying yours. Consider it a gift of gratitude for all the fun I wish to have with you on the field, and try not to attack for a while, your troops could use the break for morale once in a while you know.” She seemed to get angry at my words but calmed herself.
“It’s not up to me, I’m just sent out here as a means to an end. I would love to give them all a break, hell, even let them quit, but it’s not up to me, I’m just a pawn, a lackey, a minion, a puppet! I don’t have much more power over these people besides telling them when to stop for camp or whatnot.” Tragic, treated like a saint on the field and treated like a fool off of it.
“Tell me something, why do you comply with their orders if you are so much stronger than they are?” I knew a thing or two about heroes, and in this world, they rivaled the demon lord, and compared to everyone else in this world, they were much stronger.
“I don’t know. It’s as if we were forced to comply with subconsciously or something. I could try but I’m not sure how far I would get.” She said solemnly. “Which brings you into question, how come you can disobey your summoning requirements?” She said turning her sorrow into a brief spurt of jealousy.
“Well, I-” She cut me off before I could even get two words out.
“Hell with that, what are your summoning conditions? Tell me that!” She didn’t seem like she would budge so I gave in and made up a story as quickly as my metaphorical ‘brain’ could handle.
“Well, it was said that when a great danger lurks for the entire demon race, a hero gets summoned, and with it, the chances of other races getting a hero also increase significantly as well.” I might pull it out of my ass, but it sounded believable.
“I guess that makes sense, and here I thought it was to defeat some kind of overwhelming good like we are here for overwhelming evil. To hell with the logistics, I best get going, I will do all in my power to spread your name, sir… Alright, you didn’t even give me a name, what is it?” She had a rather impatient and curious look upon her young face, and I had to give her one that fits.
“Satur, yours?” I knew her name but had to ask to avoid suspicions.
“I am Melida Sten, of the Onnonbrook Kingdom, the one currently at war with yours.” She said slightly sheepish, “I thank you for your generosity.” She said bowing her head slightly.
“Don’t make it a habit, we are still enemies in war, this was just a precautionary measure to secure my safety, you just so happened to get caught up in it. I will see you on the field again sometime, try not to die before then.” She seemed both nervous and at a loss for words.
I waved my hand and walked off, gaining speed until I went off on a rapid dash forward. I briefly saw a smile upon her face before leaving, if only she would survive until I could capture her. Information was nearly priceless when it came to this new world, and knowing even the most basic things could help dramatically, like knowing the relationships between the races and countries. Never thought I’d get caught up in a war that I didn’t actively gain from though, but it did benefit me in the long run.
I tested my spell [Binary of Life and Death] and got enough data from that to accurately judge it’s abilities. The war also gave me information, some of which was useful for my plans, and on top of that, I now have a relationship with another king, and we are on even grounds. This is odd as he is a human and I am a demon, but still, he proved himself to be worth far more than the king from the bandarainian empire ever could, as he spoke to me nearly every day, and we were planning for the future of both kingdoms. We would become a sort of twin kingdoms, that act as one under two separate rulers.
He would help teach me how to become a proper leader, and in exchange, I would teach him some grand magic or give him resources that he would otherwise not have access to. A sort of symbiotic relationship, one that would help us both out to the point where we would be unrivaled if the rest of the world stayed the same. One of the NPCs was strong enough to conquer the world a dozen times over by themselves, let alone all the others and me and Aeyrs. In the end, his power would rise dramatically and my ruling power would raise greatly as well.
We were getting to know one another and would establish some immigration treaties, as the demons needed somewhere to go, and the towns are taking too long. I guess showing up like this and creating a large number of buildings would help them while keeping the identity of the demon hero lively. They also didn’t seem to warm to me, so having a clean slate could also help, but Aeyrs might have a problem with it, but before that happens I’ll talk to him about it. So it’s decided, I’ll go talk to the king for a little bit, and head off to the town for construction.
I walked, as much as I disliked it, in the full set of armor, and the face I had created started to sweat with small beads trickling down, leaving a trail until it was automatically cleaned off my face by my natural cleansing abilities. When a player reached level 50, they got an automatic ability that would clean their clothing and bodies over time, and the higher your level, or the more you use it, the better it gets, and faster too. The entire journey back to the town took me nearly an hour, and that was walking at one and a half times the pace of a normal human. Eventually, I got to the gate, and of course, I was halted by guards that looked almost unfazed by the recent events and stood strong near the gate, spears pointed towards me, the archers lining the walls readied their bows, and a few guards got ready to get reinforcements.
“I come not for violence, I fought on your side, the elves have departed, along with the elf hero. The victory is mine, the demon hero, scavenge what you wish from the deceased.” I said smugly and walked along the wall down south.
They didn’t try to respond or halt me, nor did they move an inch, they just continued their duties like I never showed up. As for me, I was able to feel heavily dampened emotions, most of which, felt like the ideology of what they were rather than feeling them. Of the few, I could feel, were excitement, joy, and to a certain extent, fear. I did not fear the elves, nor the human soldiers, but of the unknown that caused my adventure here. I see myself as just a piece in a game of chess, but my fate would not be one so easily written. If my life were planned, I’d force whoever made them into re-writing it endless times before I ever gave in.
I’ve learned that fate and destiny are two sides of the same coin, and that coin is always made by someone else, but only works if you believe that coin has value. If the coin ceases to be worth anything, then you effectively just changed your fate. It was something that could cause the world to sustain itself lavishly or thrust itself into the fiery pits of chaos. Both happened at the same time, yet neither was more correct or better than the other. But, my mind can only ramble about the same topic for as long as my interest is piqued.
By now, a dozen minutes passed whilst I was in thought, and it would take a few dozen more to reach my destination, so there was useful thinking to be done in the meantime. I stopped suddenly, opening and reaching into my pocket dimension, and retrieving a small water pouch of sand. It was a very fine grade and was a magical ingredient, but I’m going to use it for a more, primordial task. I took a handful, and with my hands was quite the amount of the stuff, and threw it in front of me, which then burst in the air and formed a dark cloud of dust in the shadow of a person.
The dust cleared, and a creature that looked much like a human male stood before me, naked, mature aged, grey-haired and purple-eyed, much like that of a young child with how it seemed so innocent. “You have called upon me, my lord.” It spoke with an average voice, but one that seemed to fit his face, if only he weren’t spawned from the magic item, he would disappear after an hour.
“Please refer to me as Ashen, besides, your mission is to keep me company on our travels, make yourself a demon.” With my words, he shifted his head and created large horns, much like mine but smaller and more curved backward.
His skin shifted hue, and turned a deep blue, while he grew slightly taller, and he seemed to mature several years if only measured by his face. “Very well, what name shall you bestow upon me, Ashen?” I thought about it for but a moment, before an issue popped into my mind, he ought to call me by my name as the demon hero when he travels with me, otherwise, the whole secret identity would be wasted once again.
“You shall be Jolven, and as long as I travel with you in this state, you shall refer to me in every way by Satur, do not utter the word Ashen when referring to me alone unless required in conversation. For example, if someone asks about Ashen, what do you say?” I figured he would know the answer but better safe than sorry.
“To that name, I am unfamiliar with, please specify.” His voice sounded strong but inside he was possessing a neutral stance with every word.
“Ashen, as in the demon that rules the black castle,” I said, to fill his knowledge, in hopes of luring out any possibilities of failure.
“I harbor no knowledge of that man.” Once more he felt as blank as I did, but I overlooked it for now.
“Ashen, your lord, one of whom had created you. Point to him now.” I said, and neither of his hands moved, not a muscle. “As your creator, Lord Ashen, I command you to point to your lord immediately!” I spoke once more, much louder and threatening, but to no end. “Point to Satur.” That caused him to lift his arm directly at my chest, nearly touching too, then he lowered it. “Very well done, next is your equipment.” I paused and looked him over, probably needed a good set of armor fitting this world without lacking the quality.
“What class do you wish to take up?” I asked, trying to make the process flow better.
“I have no opinion to which I desire.” He said plainly, to which I felt slightly defeated.
“Pick one, I care not for which you choose, if you must at random, feel free.” IT mattered not for what he was, but I would have to make good with what it was.
“I wish to take up Nullomancy, have you any objection?” He said, and much to my shock and surprise too.
“Y-yes,” it was so shocking it had taken me aback, and my words loosely fell from my lips, “go for it.” I saw a flash of light that appeared before him, and it was the world system, his console felt bleak but as if I could read it, so I did, and without disappointment no less.
[Name: Jolven] [Race: Demon (Hidden)] [Level: 1] [Class: Nullomancer]
[Strength:16]
[Dexterity: 14]
[Constitution: 13]
[Intelligence: 12]
[Wisdom: 11]
[Charisma: 3]
[Vitality: 7]
[Willpower: 13]
[Luck: 1]
[Perception: 5]
[Spells: Blank Cast, Blank Bolt]
[Skills: Spell Negate, Spell Protection, Mana Rip]
I was impressed at the spells and skills, he was created less than a few minutes ago, and already had several of each. It was obvious that Nullomancy was the cause, but that leads to more questions than answers. Like, how did Null magic become readily available, and why was he capable of instantly learning of it without having to study like I had. Was it the world who did such a feat, or was it myself, surely the answer would come, but with due time and not soon enough. I hardened my resolve, and pressed forward, looking, studying, learning all I could of him before continuing.
"Very good, what are your combat abilities?” I had the feeling that it was close to nothing, but at least he was comparable to a being from this world.
“I am comfortable with magic, and physical combat, although my body does seem heavily weakened since last time I’ve been summoned.” He said plainly, and it made me wonder if it was a side effect of Null magic, but more testing would have to be done to reach a proper conclusion.
“I am going to need you to level up swiftly, let’s go and start our adventure.” My monotone voice paired nicely with his blank one, and we set off walking again.
I thought about easy ways to level up for a few moments before it came to me, leeching XP. Players had an option to give their XP to NPCs and they would be restored when the NPC gains more XP to replenish the lost ones from the player. It’s most akin to a loan type of system but I couldn’t exactly give him any XP as my level could decrease if I lost enough XP and I couldn’t restore it with the cash shop items that I bought. There was always the option of advance monster-slaying, where an underleveled being kills a higher leveled one and gains loads more than what the higher leveled one would be worth to a being of equal level.
“First we must go to the castle, I’ll have Premium train you while I take care of some other issues, let’s give ourselves a week before we set out on our real quest.” He nodded and I teleported us to the castle and set off for my work.
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Tankards, mugs, cups and all other containers of alcohol clashed in the air in rejoicing, celebration filled the air in the small village of Donnade in the Faerie’s Twilight forest. Beer, wine, ale, and all other liquids spilled into one another, causing a small rainbow-like mist to fill the air, giving a gleaming streak of light to constantly fill the open areas in the tavern. Cheers of celebration and joy-filled every nook and cranny of the village, as it was a great day. On this very day, the final chain snapped off of the great wizard’s tower and was reclaimed by the village.
The wizard’s tower was sealed off by an eruption of mana just nearby, from the Bandarainian empire over four hundred years ago, back when the village was but a handful of runaway slaves from the Riwick, they were supposed to be sold but they managed to seize a golden opportunity when the guard turned his back when they were unshackled. Of course, blood was spilled by every one of their hands, all twelve of them. Time seemed at large to them when they entered and their desires seemed to both increase and decrease at the same time as they were at peace in their bodies but their minds felt uneasy.
There were only a hundred or so people in the small village, living off of the forest’s bounties by harvesting the fruit and vegetables, seldom hunting down the large game nearby. They were more adept at magic than most elves were, and for normal humans at that. Normal could be wrong for them, as they didn’t know that the Faerie’s Twilight affected them in such a way as to make them comparable to Fae, but at a cost, one that would be seen soon, when the tower’s fall was destined to happen. But that is not now, and these people have every right to celebrate, as the tower held their old history and vital information on magics, which were these people’s new life.
With cheers of endless varieties, and plenty of alcohol, their party soon came to an all-time high, and they would continue throughout the night until the last moon were all but set. But when they awoke, a great catastrophe has occurred to them. The mana in the air grew ever thinner, the smell of ash and dust spread throughout the entire village, the forest was alight! Wild flames of purple hue and pink smoke towered over the horizon, and like moths to a light, the villagers looked up at it like it were hell.
Panic shot throughout the village, leaving chaos and destruction in their wake as they tried so desperately to either take what they can before they fled or those who went to combat the flames took all their equipment, leaving nothing behind. A group of 17 capable men and women alike, young and old, large and small, strong and weak, all aligned together to turn the tide of destruction that the flames have caused. Unbeknown to them, they weren’t alone in this matter, as a very certain Dragonoid had spotted the flames and came to investigate as well.
The great green dragon came ever closer to the flames, circling the pillar of pink smoke nearly a hundred meters in the sky. He slowly descended upon the ground where he stood upon his legs like a mighty and proud creature, and with a puff of his breath, a green patch of energy seemed to seep into the forest, repairing some of the damage done. The villagers saw this beast but failed to think twice, for they were in a panicked rage once they saw a dragon and the fire next to one another.
They readied spells of all kinds, although the mana in the air had dwindled to a minimum, the mana they had in their bodies far exceeded the cost of the spells. Spell circles of all different colors and complexity appeared before each person’s set of outstretched arms, and all pointed towards the great green dragon. Yet they couldn’t fire their spells, the cause was unknown but something deep within them wouldn’t allow them to attack this creature. The effect was of course from the dragon’s skill: [Hesitant Rage], which forces any opposing creature to fail if they are in a state of rage which is targeted at the user.
All but one spell failed to be cast, and the spell itself was an emerald green jet of lightning that struck the right-wing of the dragon but seemed to cause it no harm, most likely from its large stature or great endurance, but after all, the spell was ineffective. The dragon stared deeply at the small boy who cast said spell and only darted his eyes around after a moment. He flapped his wings as hard as he could muster, which quenched the flames, gave him flight and knocked back the villagers several dozens meters in all directions, the little boy being flung so far he nearly ended up back at the village.
The villagers eventually got together and held a meeting for many days, and many nights, working endlessly for plans, ideas, actions and so on. Eventually deciding that the forest was too vulnerable to magical disasters, as seen thoroughly in the village’s past, but they would not abandon it. Instead, they planned to create constructs, like golems and treants, and the like. Only after three days and nights of every able member constantly utilizing every spec of mana they had at all times did they finally complete their goals and decided to have a much-needed rest.
Once more, the village celebrated and mourned the recent events, and looked forward and was scarred for the future, and the village would have many issues and hardships to come, but before they would occur their village might be receiving two guests of honor later in their reconstruction. Those times are still ahead of the present though, and it seems the king of the bandarainian empire, Erik von Ranznedese, has finally gotten in touch with the fateful Ashen Fur, and their discussions could change the very fate of the world if handled poorly.
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(Ashen POV)
It was a long week, but my many tedious tasks of micromanaging of the demons lands and Wheatberg and many other tests with Null magic, as I just couldn’t help myself but explore it further, and I barely progressed, even being able to cast it. Although I must get on with my business like a true leader, at least to play my part as a guild master. The next objective on my agenda was with the king of the band-whatever empire, the name confused me, it sounded and looked like it was meant to trip people up.
Bandarainian, pronounced: band-er-ain-ian, of all things, would be my number 1 pick for countries to rename, at least I didn’t know it that kind of naming was common or not in this work. While I’m thinking of it, it isn’t much of an empire, more of a kingdom, right? It has a king, not an empire, and on top of that, it also doesn’t seem all too big, from what Misfortune has shown me, and it’s population didn’t meet the requirements of an actual empire, so was it once an empire, planning to be one, or just named that because it sounds better?
I would sigh, but as per usual by now, I am unable to. The sun stood still at the very top of the sky, as I left the castle, and teleported to the outside of the king’s castle, where I seemed to have scared off a few merchants with my sudden appearance. I saw a single man which I recognized, a young man, nearly 20 of age, and he was more or less immune to my looks as he was one of the few in Wheatberg who saw me as a promising lead for the city. I talked a little to him, but I did know he was a hired hand when it came to selling farm goods.
I gave a small wave and he gave one in return before finishing up his work and heading off, which the guard looked more unhappy than scarred, which I take to be an improvement. It took much longer than expected to talk with the king, as something strange happened to him, a sickness of sorts they have no clue of. Of course, I could always heal him to full and perfect health but I’d rather keep the extent of my magical prowess under closer wraps than I did in the past with him. I was eventually lead to what I could only presume to be his quarters, and it was filled with maids and butlers roaming everywhere getting different things done and him lying in his large golden framed bed sickly.
His skin was pale, sweat constantly fell from his forehead, his body flashed between hot and cold, and he coughed blood every passing minute. I secretly pulled a scroll from my pocket dimension, [Cure All] to be more precise. It could cure any sickness or debuff, so it should work, and I used a scroll to add a mystery factor of my healing capabilities. I held the scroll tightly in my hands as many men and women stared me down watching their king in case I was to attempt something against him. I created a small dome of light around the bed, and all of them jumped at it, but it stayed strong, I unraveled my scroll and laid it on his chest, my hand on top the scroll, and I poured a hair of mana into it.
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The Courting of Life and Death
Buy the books, or cross-post your RR review, please and thank you! ❤ Clandestina is a realm of secrets, fairies, and dark magics. Among the nobles there is talk of a goddess of death, and a forbidden magic she grants to those that follow her-- cræft that can heal injuries that should be fatal or even bring back the dead. But she asks for much in return; blood and sometimes even life itself. Pierre Salvador has just returned to court after finishing his studies and becoming a surgeon. But as he flirts with his childhood friend Elizabeth Anne, Mora, The Lady of Death, waits for him.I do not take my books down from Royal Road. I do edit, polish, and rewrite things for the published release. (Vol 1 is just short.)
8 190White Lich
A very unfortunate girl dies, and then gets reborn as a pale lich in a different world. Her misfortune does not end there; She gets captured, enslaved and finally sold to a hero. Or so he call himself. He prides himself on only having his party full of girls and he adores his harem he created over the years. But because she is a strong willed girl she do not easily give in to his ideas of love. She is still faithful to her boyfriend from before when she died. Whether she will be able to accept her loss and build a new relationship will be impossible to say. Her journey is filled with danger from both ancient civilizations to humankind. Will she find happiness in her new existence as a slave to the idiot hero? Or will she find never ending despair?
8 101War Slaves - [Writathon Participant]
Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge When humanity was summoned to another world and forced to fight a war they never asked for due to a slave spell; Aron, a man with a dark past, will do everything to ensure the safety of his pregnant wife, even if it costs him what is left from his humanity.
8 108Thorns of Jade [A Progression Fantasy LitRPG Adventure]
[participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] Solo Leveling meets Chainsaw Man in this fun new LitRPG Series To become the king of Kissen, Noah Hearts trains to become the strongest swordsman in the world. The only problem — he can’t use Aura at all! Everything changes when he’s left for dead in a forest on the Kissen Fields… In a world where horrific creatures known as “demons” terrorize mankind, those who wield the mysterious force known as “aura” are the only ones who can fight them. These fighters call themselves the “Wolves of Haven”, and strive to create a world where demons no longer roam their lands! Though Noah Hearts is an exceptional swordfighter for a young man, his total inability to use aura means he could never hope to defeat the demons! Despite this major setback, he still hopes to become the king of Kissen and create a better world for those in his country! As he walks home from his daily training, his world is shifted upside down when he sees a few familiar faces in his home… This is the first draft of what I want to be a 9 volume series. I'll be editing, rewriting, and releasing the volumes on Amazon once they're finished. I'll admit, I'm finishing chapters in sprints because I want to participate in the writathon (Apr. 2022) so I apologize if there are some issues with the prose. Point them out to me and I'll fix them! Anyway, I have no backlog, but I plan on uploading chapters as I finish them. I don't want to spend weeks re-editing and never publishing like I used to, so I'm just gonna post when it's done. Like I said, this story is my take on a mix between solo leveling and chainsaw man. Specifically, the MC is the only one that can consciously level up (sort of), and the plot is fast paced and emotional just like chainsaw man. There are plenty of other inspirations, like HxH, Jojo, JJK, Cradle, and even FF6, but the first two are the biggest. Basically, if you don't like Shounen stuff, this probably isn't the story for you. Regardless, I hope you all like the story!
8 194The Choice of Twilight
Growing up has always been difficult. It's even worse when you have to do it all in one night. On the eve of his thirteenth birthday, Ty awakes to find himself in a dreamworld, one-so he is told-that exists to pit him against his greatest fears and insecurities. And to ready him for a final choice. Luckily, Ty is not without friends. He soon meets Gentry, a wooden puppet his grandfather made for him years ago, walking and talking, ready to help Ty learn what he needs to return home in one piece. But that won't be easy when a cruel and abnormally tall skeleton dressed in mockery of Santa Claus and his suit hates Ty's guts. San wants nothing more than to best Ty and do what none of his kind has ever done before: defeat a child that has made "the choice." But Ty will stop at nothing to fight back against everything San's got in order to face his fears and grow up. Because, if he doesn't, he will end up a kid forever. Or, worse...never wake up again. This story is perfect for you if you are a fan of Coraline and Kingdom Hearts, both of those stories greatly inspired this one. I have recently added the Isekai tag after being unsure if it counts or not. I've decided it fits the description of what it is but not the current trends in the genre. If you go in with Coraline in mind I think you will have a better idea of the kind of Isekai this is. And I've also added the Slice of Life tag, that is only for the first five or six chapters though, then Ty enters the dream world and it pretty quickly becoms a progression fantasy, a mix of more traditional fairy tale like trappings alongside more anime action and acquisition of slowly increasing powers. With all that out of the way, please enjoy! Updates every Tuesday and Thursday! What time of day? It's a mystery! (For now)
8 152The Brains of the Operation
iZombie fanfiction~Liv eats the brains of a dead private investigator that she used to go to school with. As she, Clive and Ravi try to find the killer, Liv is swept with a wave of bad puns, a strong urge to binge NCIS, and lots - LOTS - of sunglasses and suits.Let's go, zombies.[Updated Wednesdays]
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