《Master of Cards. *Reborn*》Chapter 53 : The Continued Walk.
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Kael was yawning the entire time as he continued his path from the north. Walking through the lush green fields of this world, a foreign world that he had no choice to participate due to otherworldly bullshit. The flames that he had lurking in his veins were unleashed with every step that he took. Leaving of burnt grass. Before his eyes, stood an army. They began shouting orders as the soldiers lined up their rifles, the tanks took their positions in a hefty formation. The roaring engines, as chaos was slowly blooming into view. Sparks erupted as he felt everything fly to his direction. Everything was supposed to be in a flash. For him though, it felt like it took forever. This lush field would be invaded by the fires of a war.
As artillery rained upon it, leaving nothing but clouds of smoke. The weapons however, didn't stop firing. It was continuing as if they had known if they fail, it would lead nothing for desolation to the armies behind them. The only patch of grass that was safe, was the one where he stood. Nothing more and nothing less. The Avatar of Destruction, that was Kael's reference to the Gods. To him, the entire battlefield was an offering.
The continous bombardment was a good idea. A lesson that Kael had learnt from the past. When he was executing a dragon, he needed to keep eviscerating it. If it falls for a moment, then cut off the head and rip out the heart. Better be safe than sorry. Making that mistake had caused Kael to lose his left arm. Lighting a cigarette in the midst of it all. The cigarettes that he had received from Etana's Avatar of Seaons was one that was immune to the wind. Even the shockwave of the explosions had not shifted Kael's position at all.
Does Kael have to wait for this to end? Or does he reply in kind? Either way works, because whatever decision he makes. Would only decide whether the army before him. Dies quickly or slowly. Decisions, decisions. How Kael had loathed the whole part of making these decisions. Burn them? Nah, the field would suffer. Turn them to ice? It would just be boring. Vaporize them with holy magic? Sounds good but then he'd be hearing their screams. Use dark magic? Corrupts the land. Use the wind? Leaves a mess. Pondering his thoughts as he stayed still in the smoke, tapping his cigarette.
An offering to Lucius, since he was the only one who could do so. When in doubt, just use the old fashion weapon. Kael wasn't that good with firearms, so the next best thing he had was a sword. Maybe pick out a random sword from his inventory. Shock and awe? Or just bored with using his magic? Left hand bringing out his other katanas, right hand grabbing the hilt. Taking up a stance. A deep breath as he braced himself for the draw.
Emptying his mind, clearing any thoughts of hesitation. Even the idle thoughts such as did he forget to switch off the stove or did he forget to help somebody with a university project or even if he had changed the diapers of his kids. Tightening his grip, as he drew the katana with a fast swing. Cutting the smoke, clearing his way. Seeing the fountains of red and scrap metal before his eyes.
Not a stranger to the battlefield, just walking ahead. Passing the corpses and all the damaged vehicles, seeing a survivor who was on his knees with the broken rifle. Looking up to see the monster that had caused this massacre. Meeting Kael's eyes was an omen to his doom. Either way he was going to die, Kael picked up a pistol from a nearby corpse. Offering it to the survivor. Confused to what was the intention, as the survivor glanced at the pistol, then back to Kael.
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Repeating the process at least 40 times or as long as Kael's cigarette lasted. When he finished the cigarette, he just flicked it to the survivor's head. Leaving a hole through the helmet.
"Shit. I was gonna ask him to shoot himself." Kael sighed as he threw the pistol aside, where it disassembled itself into the body of a corpse without a torso. This was messy, he should just the wind. Why did he waste his time with a katana when he could just literally sneezed them to death.
A waste of effort but not a waste of magic. Continuing on, Kael would find himself walking ahead. Just humming a random tune that was stuck in his head. A nursery rhyme of some ancient legend. One that he had forgotten which life he had heard it in. Accompanied by the setting sun, where Kael would just take a moment to enjoy the view. Unpolluted by skyscrapers that would normally haunt his view. Stars slowly make their appearance before him, as the crescent moon greets him on this fateful journey. What was on his mind as he walked?
In fact, there was nothing on his mind. Aimlessly walking without a care in the world. A simple pleasure that he had forgotten. Just thinking about nothing and going somewhere. Bliss. That was the word that Kael could describe. In all of his lives, Kael's walks were always with a direction. Never once, he could walk without thinking if there was gonna an angel attacking him from behind. Or a demon lurking in his shadow.
Though that bliss was short lived as a tank round. Hit him dead on. Kael just stood there in disbelief, as he realized there was another army in front of him.
"Mother f-" Kael's curse was interrupted by another volley of tank shells. He could barely think as his silent mind was invaded by all these tank shells flying into him. Kael was just wondering, should he just. Snap this entire army out of existence? Or should he just use a fire spell that would melt whatever it is ahead of him to ash? Gunfire invaded his personal space. Like he could barely have a single second to think as bullets were flying. Whatever they were made of, was questionable. Due to the fact that a bullet hit his face, and it melted. Kael was wondering which card was currently in use. It's quite rare for bullets to melt when they hit his face.
Rustling his pockets, Kael was thinking about what to do next, as he found the card. The 10 of Swords. It seemed to have coated his body in translucent flames. Grabbing a set of cards as he thought about what to do next. Should he use them? Or should he just snap them to death. Feeling a bit upset at the interruption of his blissful walk. So, Kael decided to just snap them out of existence. Whereby the gravity of the area in front of him, would begin to pull them to the ground. Crushing them slowly. Hearing metals screaming as the bolts and nuts flew out of their places. Engines were being pushed to the limit before breaking down. Ammunition went under an extreme pressure, as if the primers were about to set off by a hammer.
Everything was going unpleasantly for them at least. Bullets began to fire away. Bones cracking as they were slowly being broken. Nothing was going to be left here, as even the flesh was being pounded by the gravity. Even the blood was being pushed into the soil that the corpses were on. Leaving not even a trace of flesh as they had fed the soil with their corpses. Kael then proceeded to continue on his walk without giving a damn.
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Scratching the back of his head as he kept thinking about how far was he supposed to go. Ice Reaper, floated into view with a map showing their current position.
"Damn. Looks like I still got a long way to go." Kael groaned as he realized that he was only halfway there. Ice Reaper then returned to scythe form, floating by Kael's side. Kael was going to just keep moving and if he sees anything. He's just going to sneeze at it. The armies of this world were plenty, and he doesn't even know what's the purpose of this damn war. Just an Outsider who decided to make his reign in this place but as per rules. Kael cannot engage the Outsider. That is up to the one who is the representative of the Gods in this particular set of worlds. All he could do, was merely aid them. But everything else, was their actions. The actions of the representative.
A few tanks appear and on cue, sneezed at the tanks. Where they were frozen, with a bit of his mucus forming the ice. Another sneeze, and they were gone. Literally flying into the air, crashing down on their allies that were behind. Truly a cursed way to die, from a man sneezing on them. Soldiers charged with their bayonets, Kael would also. Sneeze on them. Turning them into ice, then looking past the horizons. Seeing a bigger army. Roughly, maybe... 2 million?
Kael let out a sigh.
"How the fuck do they have 2 million people? I think I slaughtered about 5 million just now. Is this a country that has a few billion people or something?" Kael complained as he shook his head, tapping his feet impatiently as he was trying to figure out. What spell to use. A light bulb appeared on his head.
"The fuck is this? A literal thing that appears when I have an idea? The fuck is wrong here." Kael stretched his limbs as he realized, he was going to use a gesture spell. One that he kinda needed to be careful about using. It's not a killl everything spell. It's a spell that ERASES whatever that is in the path. Ice Reaper appeared again, showing the map. The indicated areas where his allies won't be present.
So, the best thing to do. Was give them the finger. Kael raised his fist, showing his middle finger to his enemies. Whereby they see giant spheres forming above his head. slowly combining into a single sphere with the elements of lightning, ice, water, fire, earth, wind, light and darkness spiraling like serpents clinging to their prey. Now he just needed to say the words. The spell was armed and it needed the final touch.
"Turn everything before me, into nothing and FUCK YOU." Those were the magic words, that activated as the sphere began to open up a portal. Whereby a gigantic ray would just shine down to the armies in front of him. Kael would take the time to just enjoy himself with a short reprieve. Of just standing still, and not giving a damn about anything. Such things were just rabble in his eyes.
Lighting another cigarette as Kuro Hana, who appeared in her human form. Gave him a flask of water, which Kael was a little annoyed that it was scalding hot water. But then again, he can't give a damn because he's too lazy at this point. So taking a swig of it, his throat would have melted if he were just a normal human being. Or worse, his insides beyond damaged. Looking at the destruction ahead of him, Kael decided to see the view. So he took out the Temperance Arcana from his pocket, crushing it as he began to float. Flying into the sky, whereby he looked down. Nothing remained. It was as if everything ahead of him, did not exist at all. Just the way he liked it. Nothing was going to bother him which is a blessing in disguise.
Flying higher, as Kael realized. That it was literally a gigantic middle finger that was etched violently to the ground. This should have been considered as a warcrime at this point, but the Gods have done nothing. So it means they are either amused by his childishness or they are just amazed at his pettiness. Gliding through the skies, Kael would not find any life within the distance. Admiring his art, that was just part of it. Avatar of Destruction, he has to admire his own work sometimes.
He's seen cities fall, he's seen empires turn to dust. He's seen the cries of a child, begging for his mother to awaken from her slumber. The eyes of a woman who had been told, her loved one is not coming home. Immune to such things, that was just what it means to be the Avatar of Destruction. To always offer destruction in some way. Lighting these cigarettes, were part of Kael's ritual to Lucius. Not that he would complain as now, he had cigarettes that were worth their taste.
A deep sigh as he flew, just wondering when was it. Was he immune to all this chaos? It wasn't a curse nor a blessing. Merely an aspect that he had wondered as the Kael of many lives, perhaps his first life as Kael prior to his ascension as an Avatar would he be disgusted by his powers. Yet, ideals without power are just that. Ideals that can never come to life.
Scanning the area with his eyes, seeing Joshua with Seijuro. Now that's a face he had not seen for a while, Seijuro the Wandering Swordsman. Or rather to Kael as Ronin. One of the very first beings he had met that had taught him the techniques with a katana. Knowing how spartan the training with Seijuro would be, this would be a chaotic situation for Joshua. Because Seijuro does not teach by speaking, he teaches by forcing one to learn his techniques with the fiber of their being.
Meaning, one must experience the fight against Seijuro and not for nothing. The brawl was in the middle of the Drusken Empire's base. Kael would just stay still for a moment, just seeing how their brawl had led to the destruction of the base. It wasn't even intentional because Joshua must have been so busy trying to fight off Seijuro to think about the enemies in the base. Good times that was, Kael had remembered how his training was done during a fight with the angels and demons. Roughly half a million on both sides. Seijuro was twisted in that sense but his training and the techniques, truly fitted the name of 'Edge of the Worlds'. A beautiful sword technique with power to match its grace.
In the meantime, he was just gonna keep watch. This was going to be entertainment for a moment, so he pulled out some popcorn to just watch Joshua go through whatever he had went through earlier. Mood kindred, and perhaps a person worthy to be Kael's rival in the future. There was grit in Joshua's movements but it lacked precision and intention. Whereas Seijuro was perfection with the blade at its truest state. If Kael was thirsty, he could just pull out the flask of scalding water, so in the meantime. This would the best place to watch.
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Ignis
The duaghter of a Navigator house, with all of the obligations and connections that imples, and a few more besides. House Dannan has many obligations and competing interests, and you get to play a part in resolving at least some of them. How much trouble couly one yopung Navigator possibly get into? Quite a lot, as it turns out.Part 2 of the Aegisverse Saga. As to the Sexual Content warning: precisly one chapter will have such content, and it will be clearly marked in the title and description of the chapter. the chapter in question is entirly skippable from a plot standpoint if you do not want to read such content. Second Person is used throughout. If that isn't kosher with you, best to back out now. A Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader fanfictionComplete, with a total of 44 chapters and ~45,000 words. On the series - This series was first written as a Choose Your own Adventure (CYoA) on the /r/HFY forum. The between chapter votes have been omitted, as they are not part of the story, despite their influence on it. On the the Author's notes - These were included in the original document, and are included here for the purpose of completeness. Spelling, grammatical, and formatting changes have been made in the process of archiving this story and re-formatting it for publication on Royal Road. None of the contents of the story has been substantially affected. Cover by gej302!
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