This story is pretty much a 'what if' where there is a different protagonist because Dark Schneider was always being a jerk. Anyway, this isn't really a self insert and I plan on mixing some stuff from the anime and manga and will eventually get all the way to the angel invasion. Will be an OCXHarem. Cool people leave reviews. No flames though. I don't like flames.
I only own my OC.
Bastard!! Alternate Reality
The Great Priest Geo paced around in front of the king of Meta-Rikana's throne, racking his brain for a solution to their dilemma. The armies of the Four Lords of Havoc had swept aside their allies in only two months. Now all that were left were them and Judas. Geo struggled to recall anything of importance in the scriptures that could give their small kingdom the edge they so desperately needed. He was so deep in thought he didn't notice the complete silence in the room as the King's eyes burrowed into him. 'I don't know of anyone who could stand up to the Lords of Havoc. Perhaps some type of spell . . .'
"Geo," the king started, "I've been hearing talk of a wandering mercenary from across the sea. Have you heard of him?"
It suddenly clicked for Geo. "Why yes I have. Many call him the Undying Warrior. The stories have been around for many years, they say he makes mountains disappear and causes the oceans to boil. He was one of the few warriors who fought in the war fifteen years ago."
Princess Sheila clapped her hands together excitedly, "Ah! So we should hire this mercenary?"
"I believe we should seek him out," Geo agreed, "But a man of such skill will not come cheap. In fact it could bankrupt the entire kingdom for years."
The king looked thoughtful for a moment, "There are those who wish to destroy the people of this kingdom. We will spare no expense. Understood?"
Geo bowed deeply to his king, "Agents will be dispatched to track down the mercenary at once your highness." Geo spun on his heel to give the orders to the necessary people.
"And please make haste High Priest," he heard the king say, "For defeat looms on the horizon."
James stepped into the large throne room of the king of Meta-Rikana. It was a little more impressive than the others he had seen on the continent. There were magnificent blue marble floors with elaborate mosaics decorating much of the area. There were beautiful engraved white marble columns holding the roof up as well as paintings hanging along the wall. And at the end opposite the door was the golden throne where James could see the wizened old king in his ornate purple robes.
He could sense the fear, and confusion the others in the room had. After all he was concealed by a large billowy black hooded cloak. 'They better make me a good offer after dragging me all the way here. There was an undead army on the way here too,' he thought to himself. He had been checking out the ancient city Inglehart, or what was left of it for anything he could use when their agents had tracked him down. James was over six feet and towered over most of the knights he had seen on the way. Most were no more that twenty. It was no wonder the kingdoms were falling, what with the lack of experienced fighting men.
There were many whispers among the mass of priests and advisers following behind him, though they were careful to give him a wide birth. He came to a full stop about ten paces from the king. He noticed a rather large man standing on the king's right who wore the white robes of a high priest. Recognition briefly flashed across both men's faces but they remained stoic. And on the kings left stood a very attractive young woman in expensive looking garments. She was quite a sight with raven colored hair and bright eyes that silently studied him. "What's the job?" asked James, his voice carrying a hint of indifference. Some of the guards voiced their disapproval over his lack of respect but he ignored them.
"As you know the Four Lords of Havoc are almost at our very gates," the king began, "I want you to protect the city."
"What's your offer?"
There was a brief silence in the hall as the king's advisors whispered to him. "We can afford to pay you three hundred pounds of gold per month of your service," the king answered, particularly satisfied with his reply.
The cloaked warrior sighed deeply, "What use would I have for that much gold? I believe the great priest over there knows what I'm interested in."
Geo thought for a moment. "You want magical artifacts, don't you?" asked Geo whose face turned grim.
"You guessed right," James replied, sensing that they wouldn't have what he wanted.
"But we don't have any artifacts . . ." Geo said sullenly.
James sighed once more. 'Then this was all a big waste of time.' "Unless you have another form of payment then I must leave," James said, turning on his heel, the crowd that had been following him parted like a knife through butter. Just as he turned to leave a soldier burst threw the door.
"Enemy troops are attacking! There's a wizard with a huge serpent who're routing our forces!" the man shouted before collapsing in exhaustion.
"What will you do? The enemy are knocking on the very gates of the city and yet you still hold out?" James said, not bothering to turn around. He waited a few seconds for a reply but none came. He started walking away again. There was mass hysteria in the hall as priests and advisers shouted at him or ran around in confusion.
"Wait mercenary!" a young woman's voice called out.
He looked back to see the girl stepping forward. She suddenly looked very bashful and her face flushed. "If you fight for us . . .you can . . .you can do what ever you want with me . . ." she said, eyes downcast. There was an instant uproar.
"Princess! You mustn't allow this heathen to even touch you!"
"Princess, think about what you're saying!"
The king was the most outspoken. "Sheila! What's gotten into you!? I will not allow it!"
She tried to support her decision despite the mounting embarrassment. "W-well the safety of the people is far more important than me, so I just thought . . ." The king looked at his daughter thoughtfully for a moment before finally surrendering to the fact that giving her to the mercenary might be necessary for the survival of the city.
James was almost shocked. He had never gotten an offer like that before. And she was pretty hot too. There was only one little problem. "Before you make your final decision princess, there's something you should know. I'm a vampire."
Everyone within earshot gasped, soldiers lowered their spears into attack position and the priests prepared the bombard him with holy spells. 'Hm. I expected a little more than that.' It was dead silent, except for the distant explosions and noise of battle threatening to spill into the city. The princess looked fearful even as Meta-Rikana's elite Holy Sword bodyguards took defensive positions around the royal family.
"My offer still stands," she said, trying to keep calm.
"Then I accept milady," James accepted as he bowed at the waist. "Well, then," he said turning to walk away, "I'd better get started."
"Mercenary! Before you go . . . could I see your face?" Sheila asked, trepidation evident in her words.
He smiled slightly at her nervousness. He drew back his hood to reveal a round handsome face with striking red-green eyes, and long brown hair. The crowd was obviously stunned, half expecting some wretched undead monstrosity. "Not what you were expecting princess?" he said with a small smile. She could only shake her head in wonder.
Vibrations rattled the castle suddenly, causing many to fall to the floor. James used one of his many vampire powers to sense nearby life forms. The Detect Life spell had proved invaluable in the past, especially when he went dungeon diving. He could sense the sorcerer and his Hydra who proceeded to blast the doors open with a jet of flame. The following explosion sent thousands of pieces of shrapnel racing towards the onlookers. James quickly threw up a force field to stop them to great effect. Out of the dust came the massive creature with the sorcerer riding on it's back.
The five-headed Hydra was covered in dark green scales and and was so tall that it's head could touch the ceiling of the ridiculously high roof. It had the body of a large lizard with muscular legs and a long spiny tail. The sorcerer was dressed in mage armor, had long black hair and was kind of ugly James thought.
"I, the invincible sorcerer Kebidabu have come to destroy this puny kingdom!" he shouted as the Hydra stormed into the chamber. James alone held his ground while the others retreated back towards the throne. "What's this?" Kebidabu asked while laughing, "A lone warrior dares to stand against the might that is Kebidabu?" James merely chuckled at the mage's boasts. The fool's power level was nothing compared to opponents he had faced. "Hydra! Destroy this impudent human now! Kill him a million times over!" the wizard commanded, sending all of the beasts heads racing for him at once.
"Ancient's of Maconia," James began reciting a spell, "make my fists burn with the heat of a thousand flames, make them my swords to cut a path through the darkness that would stand against me!" A sudden cry erupted from the onlookers as one by one James cut the Hydra's heads off in five lightning fast moves. The gory stumps spewed blood by the gallons as the dead animal collapsed to the floor.
Kebidabu looked on in horrified disbelief, "No! My hydra! You killed her!" he shouted on the verge of tears.
"And now it's your turn," James said smiling. "Demons and serpents come forth from the pits of hell and claim your kin! Take this lowly wretch back to the place of darkness," James began reciting the death spell much to Kebidabu's horror. "Take him and drown him in the black seas of misery and despair!" The evil wizard's scream reverberated throughout the castle as he was engulfed in black flames and vaporized almost instantly.
The onlookers were deathly silent. When the smoke cleared there was nothing but a gory pile of ash soaking in the blood of the slain Hydra. James glanced towards the gaping hole where there had once been a door and saw several of Kebidabu's demi-human troops looking on in disbelief. "Be gone!" he shouted, sending a powerful blast of pure energy, killing all foolish enough not to escape. James stepped through the now smoking hole, hearing the hall erupt in cheers.
There was still work to be done. Meta-Rikana's soldiers could mop up what was left of the enemy soldiers. Without their magical support and leadership, the enemy troops would flee like cowards. Looking out from the palace walls gave a perfect view of the tiered city in the waning sunlight.
"Spirits of wind and air, lend me your powers of flight!" He began to float for a moment before he flew off into the city, putting out fires here and there and healing the wounded that littered the streets. By the time he returned to the palace things had calmed down and the enemy were defeated for the moment.
A victory banquet was being prepared. Two large curtains had been hung to temporarily replace the destroyed door and James noticed the scent of all manners of meat and pies and the like as he entered. The chamber quieted almost instantly as James was approached by the king.
"Ah. We've been awaiting you. Word of your deeds has reached us. You have my deepest thanks for saving and caring for my people," the king said solemnly with a slight bow.
'He reminds me of my father,' thought the vampire warrior.
"You never did tell us your name," the king said, James figured it was his roundabout way of asking.
"James. My name is James of House Vallis," he said with pride.
The king turned to the still silent throng and in a loud voice, said, "All hail Lord James, the hero who has vanquished the sorcerer Kebidabu!" Everyone in the hall cheered wildly, chanting his name over and over again.
The king dismissed himself and a redheaded teenager stepped up to him. He recognized her from the crowd earlier. She was very pretty and dressed in the fashion of a rebellious adolescent with a short skirt and popular clothing designs that went well with her blue eyes. She got right in his face and scrutinized him for several seconds.
"Uh. Can I help you miss?" he asked, bewildered by her lack of respect.
She pulled back, saying, "People say vampires are evil, but I don't sense any evil in you."
James smiled at her, "Where I come from, most vampires are good. What's your name?"
She smiled back, "Tia Noto Yoko. Just call me Yoko."
A group of young noble women who had been eyeing him and laughing girlishly approached the two. They began tugging him away from Yoko to the dinner table, much to Yoko's dismay. They asked him questions like "How old are you?" "Do you have a girlfriend?" Lots of stuff like that. It reminded him of the girls back home. James sat with the many young women who took it upon themselves to keep him entertained for the evening. By the time the party was over it was past mid-night and the hall was almost empty. The king had some servants show James to his room, which was on the top level of the palace; the same level as the royal chambers and was richly furnished.
He stepped out onto the balcony and basked in the cool darkness. Being a living vampire, or Daywalkeras they liked to call themselves, he could venture out into sunlight but his eyes were sensitive. He could see perfectly as he gazed out at the sleeping city. In the distance the campfires of the enemy forces could be seen. His sensitive ears heard a light knock on his door. James went back inside and opened the door. It was Princess Sheila. Her face was slightly flushed and she wore a purple sleeping gown that accentuated her form perfectly.
"Lord James," she said shifting nervously, "I have come to fulfill my side of the deal."
He would have laughed if she hadn't sounded so serious; it was obvious what she was offering him.
"Princess, come sit down," said James, ushering her to a couch. She sat down tentatively while James sat next to her.
"Look, just because I'm a vampire doesn't mean I'm some kind of monster okay? You don't have to be afraid of me," said James, looking her in the eye, she just listened. "And my job here is not yet finished so I won't take payment yet. And another thing, you're just a kid! Don't go offering yourself up like this. You're better than that, I know."
She got an earful and was momentarily stunned. "Just a kid!?" she exclaimed, "I'll have you know that I made my decision for the good of the kingdom!"
'Uh-oh she's mad now.' "Hey, hey, calm down, I just meant that I don't feel comfortable doing that kind of thing with a sixteen year old girl."
"I'm seventeen," she countered.
"Whatever. You must really want a piece of me, huh?" James asked with a sly grin.
She blushed profusely, "How can you say such scandalous things!?"
He laughed out loud, "I'm just playing."
James was shocked to see tears welling up in her eyes. "You don't understand. Ever since my brother disappeared fifteen years ago, the man who marries me would become the heir to the kingdom," she explained while still fighting back tears.
'Fifteen years ago? The battle against Anslasax's followers. Her brother, Prince Lars died that day. Poor girl' thought James, momentarily frowning as an image of his fallen friend flashed through his mind.
"But to save the kingdom I have to give myself to you. And when you go, who will want me? My body will no longer be marriage material!" she shouted in-between sobs.
He understood her dilemma as he had seen it before in his own lands. The lack of an heir would throw the kingdom into chaos. He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing her to meet his gaze. "I suppose . . . that I could forget about the deal."
She shook her head, "No. I made a pact with you and I must oblige."
There was a moment of silence as James wiped her tears away, "Then, when the time comes . . . I promise to be gentle."
She managed a small smile, "Thank you."
He helped her up and walked her to the door, "Good night princess."
"Good night," she replied as she managed to smile again. Her puffy eyes showed no more fear.
After she left he closed the door and walked back out onto the balcony to meditate. "Oh James. What have you gotten yourself into?"