Commencing Second Cour of Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero.
(Still) Waiting for Season 2...
Finger Count: 4/10
Eye Count: 2/2
Arm Count: 1/2
Leg Count: 1/2
Sanity Meter: 30%
Death Counter: 36
Let's burn it all to the ground.
Epic 31: The Escape Part Finale
"He who makes a beast of himself removes himself from the pain of being human."
Dr. Samuel Johnson
Switching POV: Back to 1st Person
... There are a few things in the world that piss me off the most.
Wasting food, violating the natural rights of people's freedom of choice and life, and waking me up before 6:00 in the morning.
Granted, I was no longer of considered to be sound of mind to be rightfully mad at them, but then again, people native to this shithole of a rock of dirt and water can't be bothered to, I dunno, knock on the door first.
On the plus side, my head feels a bit lighter, but the lightheadedness then immediately becomes all woozy and I guess this is what you call getting my supply cut off.
... Because as far as I was concerned-
*SHRUCK*
... It takes a fucking [Trident] to the gut for me to regain my 20/20 vision in a flash.
"Heeeey buddy." I called out to the terrified armored stranger with the polearm, trying to pull it out, but my left hand grasped onto the upper shaft, firmly locking it in place. "Can explain why you've come to our home dick-first, without a condom?"
The armored man says nothing, sans but the grunts of his struggle.
Watching the pitiful man, who didn't even pack a spare weapon around his belt, I simply pull out my [Grimoire Heart], load the six shots of rolled-up tome pages into the chambers, pull back on the hammer with my silver thumb, point the barrel at the young man's helmeted head...
*CLICK*
*BOOM*
... Gray matter, everywhere.
"... Malty, quick question, but whenever you do this kind of shit, is it normal for you to feel something weird between your legs?" I legitimately asked. "Because for me, I'm kinda getting a little-rock hard."
"LET ME GO, YOU PSYCHOPATH!" Malty screeched out. "HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!"
As if someone can hear her cries of help from afar, a [Wyvern Knight] comes charging towards me.
"Oh no you don't!" I cried out. "[Dritte Fireball]!"
... Nothing.
Oh right. My mana is being held under an interference.
"Goddammit muscle memory-"
Thankfully, Malty was there to take the most of the impact of the [Wyvern]'s tail lashing out at us, but in return, I was her cushion, and we both ended up with hairline fractures at our ribs.
"OHOHOWWW!" I yipped out. "... How are you holding up, princess?"
I saw her cough out a wad of blood at my face, on purpose.
"... Get used to being my meat shield, because that's the only job that you're good for!" I cheerly remarked right before we were both mounted onto by the [Wyvern]'s foot.
"DIE!"
I saw the [Trident] coming down towards my face, but at the last second, I bite down onto the spearhead with my [Silver Wolf Maw], snapping it off of the wooden shaft, and just before he retracted the polearm, I aim my gun towards his head, and...
*BANG*
*THUD*
... Thank you Banzai Chargers from WaW. Never thought that this would come in handy. Although that was just one problem solved out of two.
The [Wyvern] itself was snapping its jaws at both of us, with my left arm acting as the only thing between ourselves as the [Wyvern]'s next late-night meal and the snarling snapping maws.
"Aw shit shit shit shit shit!" I panicked.
"I AM NOT DYING HERE, ESPECIALLY AS SOME MONSTER'S DINNER!" Malty cried out.
"THEN SHUT UP AND LET ME DO MY SHIT!"
If I recall correctly, every reptile, whether from a common newt to a majestic dragon, every one of them, has a reverse scale.
Touch then, and the effect varies, ranging from mild discomfort to flat out apeshit rage.
Amidst the struggle, I spot one under the [Wyvern]'s chin, jutting forward instead of backward.
"Well, here's goes nothing!"
I then punch the lizard on its reverse scale, causing it go completely apeshit...
... And rip my artificial left arm off of my socket in its enraged state.
"OH FUUUCCCKK!" I cried out as the [Wyvern] took off on a rampage with my [Sibylline] in its mouth. "OH GOD! OH GOD! NOT AGAIN!"
Malty herself was half-laughing and half-shrieking at my misfortune.
"OH KEEP YUKKING, YA PROMISCOUS BITCH!" I retorted as I used her as support to pick myself up off of the ground, blood seeping out of my missing left arm. "I ONLY NEED ONE ARM TO STAB A BITCH!"
I then put her neck on a chokehold with my sole right arm, my gun aimed adjacent to her left cheek, and my thumb switch-blade pointed to her jugular.
"Be a lamb and be my spotter for anyone out to kill us, if you will?" I sweetly whispered into her ear. "Not a hard job, all I need are you eyes and ears open towards the enemy."
"WHY WOULD I-"
A crossbow bolt whizzes past the two of us, grazing her cheek.
"... The next bolt will end up in your heart if you don't cooperate." I threatened. "As far as I'm concerned, your survival is your own responsibility-"
"[WYVERN]!"
Behind us, the same [Wyvern] that I pissed off a minute ago came rushing towards us.
Using the knowledge I've accumulated from playing Monster Hunter 4, I pull the Superman leap, scraping Malty's face across the dirt as the bipedal lizard rammed its horned head through a tree, causing a camping [Sniper] to fall onto the [Wyvern], and contrary to video game logic, real-life logistics dictate that separate soldiers have their own roles that they mustn't deviate from unless the given circumstances force them to.
Ergo, a [Sniper], a long-range combat support unit, was ill-suited to try and ride on top of an enraged [Wyvern], and for his fallacy, gets the entire left side of his face gored by the [Wyvern]'s horn on its flailing head, his wound-back [Crossbow] coming loose and firing unto a friendly [War Mage] that emerged behind the thrushes with a bolt on his arm, right before he gets his entire lower jaw ripped off from the sheer force of the [Wyvern]'s barbed tail smacking him in the face, possibly killing him on the spot.
... All of that shit, in less than five seconds.
"Suddenly, I feel like I'm in Afghanistan in 2003 right now." I dryly remarked as I tried to formulate my next move.
Normally, I would consult Grimm for advice, but due to my flow of mana being interfered by an unknown source, I'm practically left on my own wits to survive the night.
... Also, worst timing possible, but I kinda have elevation sickness. And the sole cure of Gatorade and Red Bull doesn't exist in this world, so now, my woozy head kicks in at the worst timing possible.
"Goddammit, not now..." I groaned out. "... Come on, move!"
I grunt out as I try to get back up to my feet, and during my struggle to get back up, I spot Malty trying to escape, but thankfully...
... A comatose Grimm still made good snare, as she made the mistake of stepping into a chain loop before tripping over, allowing me to reclaim her as my meat shield.
"Come on, princess~!" I smirked out. "If we're gonna die, then we'll do it together!"
"THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU PROMISED ME, YOU CREEP!"
"Hey, plans change." I remarked as we both got up, and just in time to face the enraged [Wyvern] that I pissed off. "... Now princess, we're gonna play a game. It's called [Wyvern]-fighting."
"And what does that mean-"
The [Wyvern] then charges towards us on the ground, opting out of flying entirely, just to close into on us more precisely, just like the Rathalos.
"... TORO!"
I then evade the charging [Wyvern] using Malty's body as my fulcrum, causing the lizard to charge into the [Wyvern Knights] behind me, causing a pileup that caused several forced dismounts.
Then taking advantage of the scramble, I fire my [Grimoire Heart] at the dismounted pikemen, letting out [Fire Arrow], [Earth Bomb], and [Gale Cutter], even killing one non-pissed-off [Wyvern] in the process.
"Welp, time to fall back." I remarked as I slowly tried to get away, using Malty as my shield, the other end of the chain now clamped between my teeth, keeping her from running off. "Ome'n, les mve!"
And I make sure to keep in mind that I only have two shots left in my [Grimoire Heart], and knowing full well that reloading a gun with one hand (unless you're Revy) is a real bitch.
So, better for it to conserve my shots for now.
"Almst ther... almst ther..." I mumbled out through the chains in my mouth.
I eventually then make it to the center, where everyone else was fighting the main brunt of the invading force.
"Sup." I greeted at the fighting mob. "How's the party without me?"
I point my [Grimoire Heart] at one of the dismounted pikeman, before tossing my gun up into the air to fake him out by stabbing him with my [Sacrificial Dagger], transforming him into a [Giant Ant] as a diversionary tactic to lay off some heat from myself.
Then I toss the dagger towards another pikeman, transforming him into a [Giant Bomb Balloon], before catching my gun, aiming the barrel down towards the bloated bastard...
*CLICK*
*BANG*
... And the next five seconds, I've immediately regretted doing.
*KABOOM*
Everyone in the five-meter radius (myself included), were all sent flying into the air, killing several of the pikemen, one [Wyvern], and a few of the ex-slaves that I've taken under my fold.
Turns out shooting explosive barrels (or the medieval-fantasy equivalent of) in real-life aren't so cracked up to be.
"Hey fry-face, ya still alive?" I called out to Malty, which then I found her lying on the dirt next to a dead [Wyvern], with my [Sacrificial Dagger] embedded into her gut, albeit, nonleathally. "Cough out if it's a 'yes'."
"*Hack*" Malty coughed out a wad of blood.
"Alright then, up and at em."
I hoist up my hostage/meat shield to support by now-faltering pegleg.
After the explosion, both sides of the conflict (at least those who were the furthest away from the blast zone), resumed back to killing each other.
"Hey Spitznagel!" I called out to the level 120ish [Moleman]. "You mind filling me in on what's going on?"
"Well for one, these ain't like the small-fry mercenaries and adventurers, that's for sure!" Spitznagel bellowed out through his visored helmet. "They planned this through and through, even brought [Anti-Magic] and [Wyvern Knights] with em!"
"I CAN SEE THE LATTER!" I yelled out as he I pulled the knife out of Malty's gut before throwing at a mounted [Wyvern Knight]'s eye, transforming him into an [Orc] while's on top of said [Wyvern], causing him to burst out of his armor and clothes like an overbloated tick that drank too much blood, right before said [Orc] attracts three more [Wyverns] upon it (including the one that he was riding on), now engorging upon their former rider.
... And amidst the struggle, one of the [Wyverns] swallow my [Sacrificial Knife] via chomping off the [Orc]'s head.
"Aw sonnuvabitch..." I grumbled out in disappointment. "... Well, can't get any worse-"
Then the [Wyvern] that swallowed my demonic-looking shiv suddenly then grows three more copies of its heads adjacent to the original, right before it proceeds to go on a rampage, devouring through several other riders, mounts, and couple more of my own ex-slave infantry.
"What the hell just happened?" I remarked right before I got a memo in HUD.
Congratulations!
You've discovered [Sacrificial Dagger]'s hidden mechanic, [Mutate]!
Where as using [Invoke] on a non-monster [Encounter], the skill transforms them into monsters. But, when using [Invoke] on a monster will instead activate [Mutate]!
[Mutate] causes monsters to forcibly [Evolve] by altering their own genetical coding beyond prior recognition, with a 90% chance failure rate to incompatible monsters, turning them into [Badass-] variants, causing them to become untamable as [Summons], and cannot be stopped until it dies!
Remember senpai, failure is the mother to a great success! Just try not to die, kay?
BB OUT!
"... Ah." I exclaimed in a deadpan manner. "That explains why it's so mad."
[Badass Wyvern]
Hungry 4 more.
The now-rechirstianed [Badass Wyvern] then continues its rampage as its four heads begin spewing out jets and fumes of both venom and flames in unison into the air before trying to fly up, only to crash onto a pikeman a few seconds later, likely due to its new body being no longer aerodynamic, and the added weight of three additional heads sprouted out from its body. Also, having multiple brains sharing one body?
... Not really a recipe for swan-like coordination.
"So kid, got any ideas before that thing over there kills us all?" Spitznagel remarked as he pointed is armored nail towards the four-headed [Badass Wyvern] literally draws and quarters a [War Mage] into a four-piece bucket meal.
But as that [War Mage] died right in front of me, my head started to feel... weighty again.
My mana was slowly regaining flow, as if a dam was slowly being lifted from a river.
... Then, lightbulb.
"... I got one." I remarked as my face creased into an evil smile. "We use four-heads over there to our advantage. Make it do our work for us, and if possible, the rest of our work cleaning up. Think you can goad it to your will?"
"I'm way faster then I look, pal." Spitznagel remarked as he ducked under a flying upper half of a served torso of a female pikeman. "Leave sloppy joe to me."
He then tunnels rapidly into the underground, trailing towards the four-headed [Wyvern] before emerging from beneath and scratching its four faces, not enough for a clean cut, but enough to severely damage its faces.
"IT'S MAD! IT'S REALLY MAD!" Spitznagel remarked as he tunneled back underground before popping up back in front of me. "RUN FOR IT!"
As one of its heads poked into the hole, the rest of the body running after us, pulling out the single head as it began its sprint, ramming through numerous pikemen and my own infantry out of the way.
I hop onto Spitznagel's back as he took off, taking a page from Red Steel 2, I use Malty as lure for the hungry hungry [Badass Wyvern] chasing after us, dragging her beaten and bruised body across the dirt and gravel.
"WHERE DO WE RUN, KID!?" Spitznagel asked as he continued to ran with his surprisingly fast, but stubby feet.
"INTO THE WOODS!" I cried out. "BELAY ALL ORDERS OF DIRECT COMBAT! HIT AND RUN! ENGAGE HIT AND RUN!"
"HIT AND RUN, KIDDOS!" Spitznagel bellowed out. "INTO THE WOODS!"
As everyone else received the message, we all evacuated into the woods, with the pikemen and a single remaining [Wyvern Knight] behind us.
"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!" I heard the sole [Wyvern Knight] bellow out. "CORNER EM AND GUT EM!"
"YOU HEARD THE MAN!" I bellowed out, using his own command against him. "CORNER AND GUT EM WHERE THEY STAND! CHARGE!"
Then upon my orders, the runners retreating reformulate into an improv-ambush, using the uneven terrain and the cramped narrow spaces to our advantage, taking the pikemen by surprise as their [Tridents] snagging from the foliage as my party just simply barreled through them.
... You know, I think those cleanup missions of taking out infiltrating adventurers and mercenaries helped out as improv-training sessions. How? Well, traversing throughout Kaido's shell for the past week helped my party familiarize themselves with the whole location, meaning that when it comes to fighting in a forest like environment, we held the home field advantage.
Case in point, Garou was taking out hidden [Snipers] and [War Mages] in the branches, even using one [Sniper] as a pincushion for any loose bolts coming his way, Fubuki was now making good use of her close combat with her [Gauntlets] that her [Monk] class offers, Fohl was now making good use of his CQC that Garou taught him, Rino, Rio, and Wyndia can only be described as apex predators in this cramped environment, with special mention going to the [Garmr] using a pikeman's own entrails for his own noose, and Rio covering Rino's back as the two of them cut their way out.
"Wait a minute..." I remarked as I tried to survey the situation, keeping headcount for my own party members as we ran while we kept the [Badass Wyvern] busy. "... Where's Suzaku and Seiryu-"
"[Godspeed Strike]."
In a hair-spilt of a second, I faintly saw Suzaku in a blur before everything around him were flung up into the air in a sudden burst of turbulence.
"... Holy hell, was that Suzaku!?" I remarked right before I heard screaming from behind us, and seeing that our little hostage was now having her heels nicked by all four, snapping heads of the [Badass Wyvern]. "OH SHIT! OH SHIT! HE'S COMING RIGHT FOR US!"
"CAN'T GO ANY FASTER THAN THIS, KIDDO!" Spitznagel barked out. "I GOTTA GO UNDERGROUND IF WE WANT TO GO ANY FASTER!"
But between us two, Malty, and the four snapping maws of the [Badass Wyvern], a horned silhouette dropped between us, its forearms glowing in golden tribal-looking tattoos.
"... Wait." I asked to myself. "... Seiryu!?"
"[Godhand Impact]!"
She strikes the earth with her [Rune Slayer] in its [Mace] form, erupting a titanic geyser of flung-up gravel and stone, sending the semi-grounded [Badass Wyvern] into the air...
... Careening right towards the sole, remaining [Wyvern Knight] present.
"WHAT THE FUCK-"
*CRASH*
Both [Wyverns] plummet to the forest grounds, breaking through several branches with numerous [War Mages] and [Snipers] on them, forcing them to abort their positions, dropping themselves onto grounds right next to Garou, Fubuki, and Fohl.
... The next five seconds, all that was remaining was a massive shower of blood.
"Holy hell..." I remarked as we walked into the blood-soaked and corpse-littered clearing of the forest. "... And I thought that they smelled bad on the outside."
"Nah, that's just us." Spitznagel remarked. "... When was the last time we even bathed?"
I smell my right forearm before gagging at the rancid smell.
"... Home cannot come any sooner-"
*SWHIP*
*TWACK*
... A crossbow bolt nails onto my chest as I fell onto my back.
"KID!" I heard Spitznagel.
I lift my head and look ahead of me, spotting a half-dead [Sniper] with a shit-eating grin.
... But weirdly, I don't as faint as I should.
So upon curiosity, I pull out the bolt nailed onto my chest...
*POP*
... And on the business end, my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] was staked through, but destroyed and rendered non-functional.
"... Spitznagel, I have two favors to ask." I stated to the Mole Knight-expy. "First, can I call you Spitz for convenience's sake? Just a small favor."
"Uh... yeah, sure." The [Moleman] remarked. "What's the other favor then?"
I then spot the half-dead [Sniper], trying to crawl away from my sight after realizing that his little sneak attack failed.
"Spitz, can you drag that sunnovabitch closer toward me?" I asked in a monotone voice with a shit-eating grin. "Right next to me, if possible."
"Yeah, sure."
He then walks towards the crawling [Sniper], catches him by his ankle, and drags him back to me.
I then mount on top of the terrified [Sniper], pull out my [Grimoire Heart], flip my grip to the barrel, and proceed to hammer his face in with my gun's butt, putting him from near-death, to simply put...
*WHACK* *WHACK* *WHACK* *WHACK* *WHACK*
*SPLRT* *SPLRT* *SPLRT*
*SCRUNCH*
... To simply dead. Good ol' fashioned dead as a doornail. Or as dead as his gray matter spilling out of his now-ruptured skullcap.
Yeah, he's dead.
"You know..." I heaved out. "... I think I might be growing a little too attached to [Grimoire Heart]. I mean, I got blue-balled by [Anti-Magic], and yet, it didn't stop me from slinging spells. ... Or shootin' em."
"Might as nail that into your hand, if that's the case." Spitznagel pointed out.
"... Nah. Need a good hand for somethin'." I retorted. "That and well, I kinda lost too many."
"Huh, so that explains why your arm is gone." Spitz remarked.
"You don't seem that perturbed." I pointed out.
"When you're a mercenary as long as I've been, dismemberment is the least disgusting part of your career." Spitz remarked. "One time-"
"Okay, stop right there." I protested. "... Tell me more later. Right now, we got bigger shit to worry about. The [Anti-Magic] specialists, remember?"
"Ah, right." Spitz remarked. "... Where are they, anyway-"
I then hear thrush and branches snap and tear right before a slight gust of wind blows across us, with the comical image of a single [Wyvern Knight] flying away into the night sky...
... With roughly a half a dozen [War Mages] clinging/carpooling onto the [Wyvern]'s talons and tail.
"Found em." Spitznagel remarked. "You wanna finish em off?"
I open my gun's revolving chamber and find only one shot left in it...
"THAT BASTARD ISN'T EVEN HUMAN!" I heard the [Wyvern Knight] cry out right before he flew off with the remaining [War Mages] from a distance. "THE CAPTAIN CAN KISS MY ASS! I'M NOT DEALING WITH THESE DEMONS ANYMORE!"
... Using the moonlight as my illumination, I twirl my magical .357 Magnum in my hand, aim down the barrel towards the fleeing [Wyvern Knight] as the owl in the sky lets off a echoing hoot, and fire.
*BANG*
... And out came [Magma Bomb], splashing its red-hot molten slab of minerals onto the rider, the mount, and its desperate passengers, causing all of them to meld together into a ball of seared and melted flesh and bone as they all plummet to their collective, grisly deaths.
"Boo-ya-ka-sha." I yelped under my breath. "Flawless, victory."
"Says the person with one arm." Malty remarked with a muffled voice from her road-burnt face.
"Let me have this, choco-malt." I sighed out. "Come on, we need to find the others."
12, fucking, [Wyvern Knights]. All of them, averaging level 80, with one of them running off with my arm and dagger.
I then find the [Badass Wyvern], currently being eaten out by Wyndia, to meet her whole 10k-calorie quota that her [Garmr] physiology demands, with Rio and Rino just watching her eat the mutated [Wyvern] in silent awe.
"... So, how's the all girls night goin'?" I asked sheepishly.
"Holy hell, what happened to you?" Rio asked.
"You're not disturbed by the fact that I had my artificial arm ripped off by a pissed-off [Wyvern]?" I pointed out.
"I should be more terrified on the regard of how much blood that you're losing, but after the whole Vlad Tepes Dracula shit that occurred a few hours back, I've been now completely desensitized to gore and mutilation." Rio deadpanned. "Also, why piss off a [Wyvern], of all things?"
"Let's just say that it was either lose that or my throat." I replied. "And before you ask why I'm still standing while profusely bleeding, might be adrenaline rush from all the abstaining usage of magic that the whole [Anti-Magic] has been doing me a number on my brain. Speaking of which, where is the rest of the [War Mages]?"
"I think I saw Garou drag one away after killing about eight others in front of him." Rino pointed back towards base camp. "Also, the [Homunculi] were keeping all non-combatants in a safe house."
"Thanks for the heads-up." I remarked. "But first, Wyndia?"
The [Garmr Demihuman] turns her head towards me, a single slab of reptile meat hanging from her mouth before she slurps it into her mouth and swallowing it.
"... I need to fish out something from your midnight snack's gut." I requested. "Think you can cut its stomach open?"
She then rakes her claws through the [Badass Wyvern]'s scales, spilling out serveral liters of digestive juices and my [Sacrificial Dagger], now half-melted to a semi-recognizable slag of a weapon.
"Aw dammit." I whined in disappointment as I sheathed my now-useless shiv into its sheath. "Be sure to finish that quickly, kay? Need to rally up the party later."
"Almost done here." Wyndia mumbled out as she ate her [Badass Wyvern].
We then walked through the woods, I met Suzaku, Seiryu, and Genbu in a road littered with dead bodies of friend and foe alike, looting both for anything useful, with Genbu carving out drawings of dicks on their cheeks with his now-broken [Silver Shortsword].
"Dude, seriously?" I remarked towards Genbu's antics. "This is the high school bathrooms all over again..."
"Oh come on, boyo. Gotta enjoy the small stuff." Genbu rebuked. "And besides, it's not like anyone's gonna need it later on."
"Well, out of consideration for everyone else, I rather not have their meals be reminiscent of bathroom walls that smells like burnt-out weed and used condoms." I rebuked. "Please, cut that shit out. Some of us happen to eat those."
Genbu moves away with a scoff before he swigged on his flask.
"As for you two..." I remarked towards Seiryu and Suzaku. "... When in the actual hell did you learn how to do that?"
"Oh, you mean [Godspeed Strike]?" Suzaku answered. "Rubicante and Aabidah taught me how to do that skill! Now I can help out the family even better than last time!"
I blink for a moment at the realization of Suzaku technically going behind my back, but out of respect for his valor and commitment...
"... You did great." I stated as I ruffled his crimson-hair. "Just be sure to let the others know, kay?"
"Don't worry, they already knew." Suzaku remarked. "Speaking of skills, where did you learn that skill? You know, where your physical blows got even more powerful for a brief moment?"
"Oh, Gaelion taught me that." Seiryu remarked. "After seeing you working hard for not only for our sake, but also, for mine, I knew I couldn't just sit back and let you do all the heavy lifting, so I decided to put in some work myself. Gaelion taught me [Godhand Impact], a skill that he'd learned a few centuries back from a former [Gauntlet Hero] that he fought back then, and he passed it onto me, and I'm thinking of passing to that Hakuko kid."
... So while I was completely out of it, mulling in my depression, they were growing stronger without me, all for the family's sake.
God, I'm such a dick... Then again, I've never been that attentive to other people's personal affairs, both here, and back home.
"... Well, get back with the others at base camp." I ordered. "We need to reassess the situation before they come back with something bigger."
The three of them make their way to the center, with me, Spitz, and Malty trudging behind the three.
"... Is it just me, or did tonight just suck balls?" I asked out.
"To be fair, kid. You kinda rely on your monsters a bit too much." Spitznagel remarked. "The only reason why you survived is probably had to do with the fact that you're good at fighting dirty, using your own enemy's strengths against them, like with that [Wyvern] back there, pissing it off to make it not only get off of ya, but also to bring the hurt to those buggers back there. You're as cutthroat as they come, kiddo, kinda remind me of a proper mercenary."
"Oh please, anyone with an IQ above 100 can figure that shit out." I remarked. "... By the way, my IQ is 128, and I pretty much blazed through academics at the cost of me having a social aptitude of a drunken ant."
"I can see that." Malty snarked out. "No wonder why these freaks are attracted to you. Your whole party is that of a literal circus."
"Says the literal freak show." I replied, cutting my words into her.
All three of us remain silent as we make our way to the base camp.
"... Man, you guys really hate each other, doncha?" Spitznagel pointed out.
"She's my personal torture doll at this point." I remarked. "I'm the only one who will love for what she truly is; a legitimately disgusting sin of all creation packaged into one, incorrigible sow of a woman."
"... Oh just fuck already, ya two sadomasochists." Spitznagel remarked before he went ahead.
"LATER!" I yelled back before turning to Malty, who now has a look of horror on her face. "... I need to get in the mood first, you know. The whole carnage back there only got me up half-mast."
"You're unbelievable." Malty grumbled out.
"I aim to displease. Now move it, princess."
We then make it to the clearing, where I find the captured [War Mage] hogtied up to a tree branch, with literally everyone else surrounding him.
"Yo!" I remarked. "... You guys checked for anything on him?"
"Just a few [Advanced Mana Potions], a [Sensory Awareness Powder], and his weapons and armor." Byakko remarked.
"No I mean something like this."
I then slash his cheek open with my [Bandit's Silver Thumb] and cram my hand into his mouth from the back of his molars, catching something and throwing it out of his jugular.
On the ground was a red and blue colored pill-like object.
"The hell is that?" Garou asked.
"Poison, most likely to avoid being interrogated." I pointed out. "So, now that Mr. [War Mage] just failed to play his last card..."
I then grab him up by his hair to get him my attention.
"... We'll begin with the interrogations." I remarked. "First, I assume that attack we just had was merely the vanguard, correct?"
He then spits on my face, a mix of drool and blood.
"... How droll." I remarked. "I'll take that as a yes. But first, anyone getting nails? Or anything that's sharp, pointy, non-lethal, and disposable?"
"On it."
Byakko then runs off towards one of the wrecked huts around the camp, pulling out old nails from the wreckage before coming back to me with a handful of them.
"Ah, these will do." I remarked. "So, onto the second question, you and your possy were the ones behind the little stunt that caused my [Summons] to pull a disappearing act, correct?"
He says nothing.
"Welp, no time like the present!" I remarked in a chipper tone. "Byakko!"
"Yes, master?"
"Nail."
He then snatches one nail, and flicks that sucker into the [War Mage]'s foot, causing him to let out a pained shriek.
"Did you know that there was such thing as the man called 'The Butcher' in a certain war-torn region?" I remarked. "Apparently, the military took some ideas from that guy when they were interrogating his own men. Now with that out of the way, here's the million-dollar question, how do you work [Anti-Magic]?"
"I AIN'T TELLING YOU SHIT!"
"Nail."
Another rusty nail stakes into his other foot.
"The [Anti-Magic]?" I asked. "How do you do it?"
"GO TO HELL!"
"Already there, pal." I remarked. "Nail."
This time, the nail goes into his knee.
"God this is getting pitiful, dude." I remarked in disappointment. "So, if you don't want to say anything, feel free."
I then give a look towards Malty, watching from behind me in sheer horror.
"... I'm only at half-mast, pal." I stated back to the blubbering [War Mage]. "I, need, this. Because as far as I'm concerned, we've already progressed from interrogation to torture. So if you're not going to use that thing between your ears, I'll simply ask again: how do you use, [Anti-Magic]?"
"Keep doin' it all you want, ya bastard..." The [War Mage] stated. "... I ain't afraid to die from the likes of you."
"Cute." I scoffed. "Nail."
Byakko nails him in through his toe, causing a spasm of agony throughout his body.
"Kid." I heard L'Arc from behind. "I don't think he knows shit. You should probably stop-"
"Or what!?" I retorted. "... Look, I've been rudely woken up before 6 in the morning, and as far as I'm concerned, he at least knows something, so the least he can do, is well... actually, you know what, I got nothing."
I flick my switchblade from my [Bandit's Silver Thumb], and cut him down.
"So... a more, humane approach will be settled-Byakko, what's that thing glowing in your clothes?" I stated.
"Oh, this?" The butler remarked as he took out the [Sibylline], now all chewed up like a dog toy. "I recovered your severed arm from that [Wyvern] you've enraged, sir. With some time, we should be able to repair it-"
Then my glowing [Sibylline] starts beeping as it was now glowing on and off.
"... Byakko. Get rid of that arm." I ordered.
"Wait, why-"
"THAT SHIT'S GONNA BLOW! EVERYONE, GET BACK!"
We all scrambled away from it as Byakko wound his arm back as far as he could, vein-like red lines glowing through his clothes from his muscles, and in a single swing of his arm, throws the glowing arm into the night sky, leaving behind a sonic boom as the arm simply flew away like a rocket.
"... Welp, that's one issue down-"
*BOOM*
Further away, I saw my left arm explode, but not in the fiery way.
... But rather, in what can only be described as a "blood-colored and space-distorting" way.
"... What the shit?" L'Arc remarked. "IS THAT A [WAVE]!?"
Then suddenly, the skies began to rain lukewarm blood from a distance, the air tasting like raw, liquid iron.
"... I think that's no ordinary [Wave]." I bemoaned.
Switching POV: Faubley's Captain of the [Wyvern Knights], 1st Division
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THE VANGUARD WAS COMPLETELY ANNIHILATED!?" The captain barked out in an enraged manner.
"We haven't heard from them for the past half-hour, sir." The [Wyvern Knight] remarked. "Not a single one has returned, and we've just recovered one of the corpses about 2 miles away from our position, sir, but we're unable to identify them."
"DAMMIT!" The captain slammed his fist onto the table. "PROCEED TO PHASE TWO! THROW EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT AT THEM! IT'S EITHER THEM OR US, YOU HEAR ME!?"
"SIR, YES SIR!"
"THEN MOVE OUT, DOUBLE TIME!"
All of the [Wyvern Knights], [War Mages], [Snipers], two elderly level 115 [Necromancers] began to move out towards the Demon King's position, mounting their [Wyverns] and beginning to take flight towards the mobile [Adamantortoise].
"LET'S GO!" The captain barked out. "TO BATTLE-"
Something then hits his head lands on top of his lap.
"... What the... an arm?" The captain remarked as he looked at the metal arm with a broken chain and pages around its forearm, glowing and beeping menacingly.
The arm then floats up into the air, runs its fingers through the air, rending through reality, and opening a spatial chasm akin to a [Wave].
"EVERYONE, BELAY PRIOR ORDERS!" The captain cried out. "WE'RE IN A MIDDLE OF A FORMING [WAVE]! EVACUATE-"
From the other side of gap, something else stared back.
Upon simply gazing at the eye searing and smoldering with nothing but raw hatred, a pair of blood-red and bulging arms of muscle and brimstone burst out of the breach, forcibly widening the gap with its bare, blood-soaked, hands.
... No, they weren't simply hands.
They were instruments of pure murder.
As the breach widened, the monster from the other side fully revealed itself to the world of the living.
Reeking of blood and fire, armor adorned with shattered skulls and scrap metal, around its waist were a pair of hand axes-no. The blades were too serrated, too inhumane, and too macabre to be considered mere hand axes.
... Around this demon's waists were simply Slaughter and Carnage itself taken physical form.
As it continued to breach through the gap, its tattered and shredded wings jutted out through its back, and its face, now fully illuminated by the moonlight, a demonic, horned, blood-red face permanently contorted and twisted in rage, fangs and teeth more akin to a row of blades and silver stakes, its eyes were like the sun, only burning and scorching in sheer, unrelenting ire, and its voice, oh god almighty, its voice wasn't even close to discernible speech, rather, they were a cacophony of roars and cries of the damned.
... It wasn't simply a monster from a [Wave]. It was a physical embodiment of hate itself.
And from this... thing, catching its attention, the following words were the last thing he heard before everything went simply black and upside-down.
"SKARBRAND HATES AIR TRAFFIC!"
... Suddenly, he missed the endless caws of human-sized crows back home.
Switching POV: Back to 1st Person
... A bellow of pure hate echoed throughout the land, bringing forth war and slaughter anew.
We all simply watched, as the Exiled Daemon of Khorne itself entered the stage, turning the main force and rearguard into ruby-red puree of blood, bone, and guts in an instant.
It's roars and screams of hate only said "Hate. Hate. HATE".
Hate. That's what the Chaos Daemon beneath us was.
That's what Skarbrand was. He is simply pure hatred. He is Khorne's hatred itself, now rampaging throughout this now-damned world.
"... So, let me get this straight." I whimpered out. "... My... left arm... happens to contain... a spatial singularity... and evidently... whoever made that arm... happened to be worshipping Khorne... the Blood God."
In hindsight, the fact that my [Tome]/[Gauntlet] hybrid weapon was able to punch through marble like tissue paper now kinda made sense now.
"... So, Mr. [War Mage]." I asked while on the verge of losing my nerves. "The [Anti-Magic]?"
The [War Mage] nods in terrified agreement, which then he shows me a specific rune circle coming from his hand.
"Well, that changes things." I stated as I used [Analyze] on that circle.
"[Anti-Magic] Skill learned." My HUD announced.
"Awesome." I remarked. "Now, normally, I would [Summon] back the rest of my family and try and fight that thing... but a few problems, most of them regarding that guy over there."
"... Okay, what is it?" L'Arc asked in a frustrated tone.
"One, that's a Khorne Daemon over there." I remarked. "That sunnovabitch HATES magic, all of its passives revolve around canceling all forms of magic, except buffs. We're lucky that guy is ignoring us even though Kaido is a [Summon], but I rather not take my chances of testing his nonexistent patience."
I then raise another finger.
"Two." I stated. "I tried to take a read on the guy's stats... only to find out that he doesn't have any."
"Wait, WHAT!?" L'Arc barked out. "ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT FORTH AN UNSTOPPABLE ABOMINATION TO THIS WORLD!?"
"Now now, hear me out." I remarked. "He's only registered as a non-monster, not invincible. Ergo, I have a theory."
I then look out towards the Daemon heading towards Siltvelt.
"Skarbrand may be alive and yes, he is a living being..." I stated. "But according to the rules of this world, he's not. He's an object, a crafting material, a projection, a copy. So, with that in mind, here's a pop quiz: what do the [Legendary Weapons] do when they come into contact with a mundane object, such as a herb or an ore?"
The [Heroes] present begin to mull over it until they get the hint.
"... They get absorbed, transforming into a unique weapon." L'Arc answered. "Don't tell me-"
"Consider that a test for my dear friend heading to Silvelt." I grinned. "... Assuming if Skarbrand over there doesn't get too tunnel-visioned over destroying the surrounding environment."
"SKARBRAND HATES POLLEN SEASON!"
Then his signature [Bellow of Endless Fury] sets the entire forest right in front of himself on fire.
"... That or if Mr. Iwatani survives the encounter to begin with, but I assure you, he's been through worse." I assured. "For his sake, I hope Mr. Iwatani figures out the whole 'Immortal Object' loophole very soon, otherwise, I might have to claim responsibility for causing this mess in the first place. Oh, and his next of kin."
"How are you that confident that he'll survive this fallout?" L'Arc asked with a look of concern for my mental health.
I simply smile before answering.
"... I made sure of it, L'Arc." I answered with the utmost confident. "For what good is a shield that breaks? To combat that, a shield can only get stronger through substantial abuse. Previously, this bitch tried to ruin him, paint him as a monster. But what she didn't realize were the things waiting beyond her so-called throne..."
I drag Malty by her hair and closer to my face.
"... Melromarc, ain't shit to what lies beyond the void of spacetime, girly." I stated menacingly in a faux-Southern drawl that I got from Blondie and Angel Eyes from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. "For someone with dreams of grandeur and worship, your dream was too small, little girl. I dream a bit bigger than an entire kingdom built to my name. My dream? Basically watch as your hopes and dreams burn to the ground, and let ya wander around the ashen wastes, to see if that does any good to ya head up there, just sayin'."
I then let her go, dropping her to the dirt.
"One last question..." L'Arc asked. "... How the hell do you even recognize him in the first place?"
"There was a board game I used to play, and let's just say that Skarbrand was one of the most biggest pieces available." I stated, remembering my short time playing 40k as the World Eaters. "Word of advice, steer clear from him unless you want to lose whatever empathy and rationale you have left. His mere presence literally screams for war and drives even the most suicidally-pacifistic sheep among men to outright murder."
"Kinda like what's happening to us right now?" Rio deadpanned.
"Hilarious." I deadpanned back. "But, silver lining, at least the raid is over. So... uh, give all the [Advanced Mana Potions] to Glass. I think she's a bit on the fritz, just sayin'."
"Oh dear." Theresa sighed out as she hastily took all the [Advanced Mana Potions] she can in her hands, being careful not to drop any of them.
The rest of us continued to stare at the carnage unfolding before us as Chaos Daemon continues its rampage towards Siltvelt.
"... Mr. Neutron Star was right." I commented out of nowhere. "When you become strong, you forget what if feels like to be weak."
"Who are you talkin' about, kiddo?" L'Arc pointed out.
"Eh, just some blockhead who couldn't notice that roughly half a dozen women wants to ride what's in his pants." I remarked. "Now if you excuse me... I need to pass out from excess blood loss and loss of adrenaline-"
*THUD*
... And back to pitch black, my sole sanctuary in this mad world.
"[Infernal Gate] (地獄の門) Skill learned."
... I'm playing with fire, am I? And why did it take me so long to realize that?
This is what going insane feels like, huh?
Switching POV: Naofumi
*THUD*
Naofumi stirs himself awake, all groggy and aching all over after yesterday's assault on Reinchott's village, gradually opening his eyes.
"Filo... Raphtalia..." Naofumi moaned out as he slowly opened his eyes, only to find them nowhere near him.
Immediately, he snaps awake trying to move only to find himself blocked behind bars, and nowhere near the girls.
"FILO! RAPHTALIA!" Naofumi screeched out as he banged against bars of his cage. "LET ME OUT DAMMIT-"
*CLANG*
On one of the bars, a black sledgehammer banged against it, causing him to reel back.
"WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!?" A gruff, almost butch female voice barked out. "JUST SHUT YOUR DAMN TRAP UNTIL WE GET HOME!"
The voice came from a female with a lion's mane and tail, wearing a sleeveless white shirt and blue jean short-shorts, with her shoulders draped with a black coat with a puffy fur lining around the collar, and in her hands was a one-handed warsledge, a barbed handle guard at the bottom end of its extended shaft, and a hammerhead fashioned with barbed wire wrapped around the squared end.
"Sigrun!" Another female voice chided, coming from a short girl with pointed ears akin to a rabbit's but coming from behind her dark-gray hoodie and ultramarine-colored skirt was a long thin tail with a brush at its end, like that of a donkey's. "I know he's human and all, but he's the [Shield Hero]! Also, we're under orders not to harm him!"
"Tch." The lion-girl named Sigrun scoffed as she walked away with a grimace.
After Sigrun makes herself scarce, the donkey-tailed girl clears her throat before speaking to him.
"I do apologize, Sir [Shield Hero]." The girl apologized. "Sigrun had a... bad history with humans, which sadly, isn't uncommon among my peers..."
"Yeah, whatever." Naofumi brushed her off. "Where the hell am I and where are Filo and Raphtalia?"
"Well... first of all, we're under orders from out client to transport you three to Siltvelt in an orderly manner..." The sighed out. "As a safety measure, we've been ordered to keep you separate until we reach Siltvelt-"
Another clanging sound was heard from a distance, most likely coming from Sigrun's temper getting the better of her again.
"... Provided if we can all cooperate." The girl sighed out. "... If you wish to call be by anything, it's Amiya, Sir [Shield Hero]. Now if you excuse me, I have to go check on the damages..."
Amiya then runs off to another carriage in front of Naofumi's.
"... Great." Naofumi groaned out. "I'm penned and shipped like a circus animal elsewhere. Worst of all, we're separated."
He plops onto the floor of his cage, now worried sick for his party and the rest of the villagers with Melty and Reinchott.
"I assure you, Mr. [Shield Hero], they're alright." A gruff male voice spoke out towards Naofumi.
Next to him, a large and muscular man with a pair of bull horns and cow ears, with one with a single gold hoop earring, sprouting out of his mullet, wearing a black leather jacket with black jeans with kneepads and steel-riveted combat boots. In his hands were a massive black-colored tower shield with several scratches and dents signifying its wear and tear, and in his left hand was a massive [Kukri], it's matte-black blade gleaming from the morning sunlight menacingly, as if that thing can cut through diamonds.
"Who the hell are you?" Naofumi asked. "You with that girl, Amiya?"
"We're in the same Volunteer Division for this mass expedition force." The bull-horned man stated. "I am Alps, a level 99 [Gladiator]. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Iwatani."
"Okay, first of all, how the hell do you know my name?" Naofumi asked. "People usually just call me something related to my title, like Shield Devil or Sir [Shield Hero]."
"Our client has been extremely well-informed of you and your party down to their names." Alps stated. "Also, do forgive me for being extremely pretentious. My days as a guild-associated adventurer required me to practice formalities when dealing with other people, from clients to targets, none are exempt from manners."
"Yeah, explains the cage." Naofumi grumbled.
"That was the request of our client, citing it as safety measures." Alps remarked. "I apologize if this causes any discomfort, but orders are orders. Our client even sent his own men to keep an eye on everyone, including us."
He then points to an extremely tall and large woman with a single curved horn coming out between her pseudo-fish eyes and long, forest-green bangs that trailed behind her lower back, wearing dull-gray steel armor with a hanya mask engraved into the plate armor, wearing white baggy pants with a tiger pelt wrapped around her waist, but no shoes to cover her sharp-toed feet that which left visible footprints that cracked the earth beneath. And strapped around her forearm was essentially a massive plate of sharpened iron, shaped like an equilateral triangle, with numerous elaborate images of dragons and phoenixes all surrounded by vines of briar and thorn engraved onto its face.
"Hou Gui over there is one of our cilent's most trusted enforcers." Alps stated. "A level 105 [Highlander], and while she only looks languid, but be warned, she an [Oni], and they don't take anyone prisoner. She's reasonable enough on a normal day, but breaking orders from her boss will result in that person being ground to mulch. We already lost two of our new recruits to her [Warpath Thorn], simply because their hatred for humans and human-sympathizing demihumans got the better of them, and she's the one keeping everyone in line, at least, for the more... political of our peers."
"You don't say." Naofumi deadpanned.
Naofumi lets out a sigh that there's someone keeping the villagers and the two nobles safe, albeit, the one keeping watch happens to be a 245cm-tall [Oni] woman.
"Wait, what about that girl, Sigrun?" Naofumi asked.
"You mean the level 107 [Berserker]?" Alps pointed out. "Don't worry, she's like that to everyone, but even she wouldn't kill unless ordered to."
"So she's one of those people?" Naofumi remarked.
"She can hold her own, and easily one of our strongest." Alps stated. "Now, if you excuse me, I must tell that tanuki-girl Raphtalia, that you're well. Poor girl woke up screaming... I've seen them in my work before. She's a slave, isn't she?"
Naofumi nods regrettably.
"I don't judge you." Alps remarked. "Humans in Melromarc treat the [Shield Hero], regardless of race, as lesser. Being driven towards that point is not surprising."
The bull-horned man then walks away from him. leaving behind the [Shield Fallen] in his cage.
"... They're way more civil then I thought, even though they know I'm a demihuman-owning slave owner."
Between the bars, a sack was tossed into his cage.
Naofumi opens it, finding a loaf of bread, some apples, and small goatskin sack of water.
"Breakfast." A dog-eared man with Chinese-looking armor set with a [Guandao] over his shoulder stated. "Lunch is at 1. Don't waste any of it."
Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person
... No crazy-ass dreams this time. Only the wooden ceiling and sawdust covering my face.
I try to get up, but it's been harder to get up with each passing day, as if my body was wasting away.
You know, dying doesn't feel too bad at this point. But dying right now? With all those people still running about, causing suffering to each other rather than coming together against a common threat?
... Clearly, I haven't been trying hard enough to prove that Rousseau was right. I was begging and hoping that people would actually be decent at heart, but evidently, the only thing "decent" about them is how braindead they can be.
I'm a firm subscriber to Hobbes, but even then, the level of pure idiocy and cold-bloodedness is a bit much, even for me, who's already killed thousands without batting an eye.
"... God, I'm such an asshole." I groaned out as I looked down, my right leg stripped of its meat castings, the pegleg itself, now snapped on the verge of breaking. "... How long was I out?"
"About a week, kid."
"ARGH!" I yelped out, only to turn my head towards Grimm. "... Oh hey. ... How was [Anti-Magic] shutting you down?"
"I saw the whole shit unfold right before my eyes, along with everyone else." Grimm stated. "... Seriously dude, you alright?"
"Honestly..." I sighed out. "... Not really."
I wobble towards the rocking chair, my pegleg now without a wider surface area, ending with me flopping onto my chair onto my face.
*SNAP*
My pegleg snaps in two, causing me to fall onto the floor. Undeterred, however, I scramble up to my seat, with only four working fingers remaining, onto my back, now stiff and stoney as a coffin lid.
"... What have I done with myself?" I groaned out. "... I mean, I don't like people, and hell, if I can, and did, kill them for their collective imbecile natures, but then what? What do I do other that fix every problem just by getting rid of them to make sure that they never show up ever again? What happens if all the problems in the world, not how, but when, just... vanish?"
I then look up at the ceiling above, with the morning haze settling into my face.
"... Back in my world, for as long as history remembered, civilization rose and fell in the passage of time, which, I understood, as they were just getting started, so mistakes were to be made. After all, it was their first time trying, so I can't fault them for that." I stated.
"... I get a feeling that there's another side to that." Grimm remarked.
"I can forgive mistakes... as long they learn from it." I gritted out. "What I can fault them for, are their collective refusal to learn from them! As time continues to tick by, more mistakes are repeated, people still can't help but ruin each other on a daily basis. Their lack of consistency, their so-called free will doing nothing but destroy and hesitate, no longer optimizing for maximum survival, all of their so-called innovations, designed to kill first and the rest as an afterthought! ... I believe that problems merely exist to be fixed and learned from. That's how I lived my life ever since I was born. I came to see the world not one gigantic math equation, but as a series of problems, each one more complicated as the previous one, and understood that everything had a beginning and an end. Consistency, that's what I came to believe. Wake up, brush your teeth, eat, go to school, pay attention to the lessons, return home, do homework, take a break, and sleep. Rinse, and repeat, like clockwork. As long as I wasn't bothered or impeded, I did not deviate, in return out of respect of everyone else's convenience."
My grip tightened around the chair's armrest.
"... Then, for the first time in my life, my schedule was interrupted, by police." I snarled out. "Evidently, someone ratted me out on being a threat to school safety on an account of me being a potential shooter, on Twitter, no less, which, by the way, I did not participate in that malarkey that solely promotes discord and conflict, and upon that revelation, I learned an important lesson as I was taken away."
My heart starts rapidly beating, accelerating at the thought of police sirens and the cold, sharp cuff binding my wrists.
"... I learned that order was simply a facade." I stated. "The concept of order was merely a facade to keep people content, to instill a false sense of security, to keep ourselves ignorant to others's malice and stupidity, away from the truth that respect died a long time ago. 'Convenience', was merely an excuse to do what we please, and that my respect for other people's time and place, was for NOTHING!"
Even with my languid state fogging my mind, I somehow snapped the armrest into splinters with just my four fingers.
"... Now, I come here, reminded of the horrible revelation that I've witnessed." I stated. "If they simply exist to ruin under the pretense of order, then what's the fucking point of being civil to these INGRATES, ANY LONGER!? ... *sigh* I'm perfectly aware that I'm no better than the next guy, but if that's the case, so be it. If burning down this whole damn rock isn't going to make this world any more honest, then I'll go knowing that I at least tried, and it was for nothing. My legacy, the end of all pretenses and lies that solely exist to cater and pen humanity against each other. The square root of two... is the ultimate truth."
I then put my head down after venting.
"... My species has learned nothing for the past generations, and I am the end result." I bemoaned. "... A baptism by fire is what they sorely need. I might be hypocritical for enjoying every last moment of the ensuing fallout, but come on man, I need this. Can I have something good for once, after all the things I've spent and sacrificed?"
"That just makes you sound like an entitled brat." Grimm pointed out. "Not all things are meant to conclude or be paid in full. Sometimes, it's best to let it run its course and do nothing, at least that way... people can stop being hurt all the time."
"That's the problem." I rebuked. "You take away one excuse for people to hurt each other, they're simply going to start searching for another. I didn't make them go insane, but rather, they simply clung to me as a reason why they've gone insane, rather than admitting that they're savages at heart, and that their whole legacy of innovation and culture were merely hobbies in comparison. The only thing lives are loyal to are survival, but the concept of survival has been deeply integrated into a top down system, penning everyone like animals, institutionalizing the idea of status quo, formulating excuses to control the masses."
I then look the [Forbidden Tome] in the eye.
"Half-measures only prolong the pain and madness known as 'humanity', Grimm." I stated. "Someone's gotta try and end it. Might as well be me."
The door then opens, revealing Byakko.
"MAster, I have good news and bad news." Byakko stated.
"Shoot."
"Good news, we've reached home after your week-long coma." The butler stated. "But the bad news... I think you should see it for yourself."
"Is the forest burnt down?" I asked.
"No, the exact opposite."
He then hoists me up onto his back and carries me and Grimm out of the door.
Upon heading outside upon Byakko's back, I literally find myself surrounded by trees tall as mountains, while standing on top of Kaido's shell, and the latter happens to be a mobile mountain.
"... Huh, the air's cleaner, at least." I remarked.
"I concur." Byakko remarked. "Although the weald here is rather... suffocating."
Yeah, he wasn't kidding, Kaido's sheer size can't even topple through these whole row of Empire State Building-sized trees.
"Well..." I sighed out. "Anyway, might as well find a way around-"
"BIG BRO!"
I then turn to find Garou, Fubuki, Rio, Rino, Seiryu, and Suzaku, all running and panting in the utmost urgency.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Rio screeched out.
"Again!?" I groaned out. "More [Wyverns]-"
Then, I hear a roar. Then, another.
Then, a choir of bellowing, earthshaking, roars.
"Oh... fuck."
Then, from the forest on Kaido's shell, the trees looking like mere toothpicks to the ones around us, emerged a golem-like creature, titanic, humanoid, wielding a crude stone club, a pair of topaz-colored pinpricks for eyes, and its body held together with root and tree branches alike, forming a pseudo-muscular frame that allows the gargantuan stone body to move in the first place, comes through the trees, snapping all of them into two.
And that was just one, out of the many more that emerged around us.
Some broke through the trees and through the vacant cottages, others simply climbed up from the cliff face around Kaido's shell, and a few/23 of them simply jumped down from the skyscraper-tall trees, crashing down upon the shell's environment like a rain of meteors, with one of them crashing onto the same cabin that I was just in.
... Thankfully, Malty's borderline-cockroach levels of survivability once again, spares her of a grisly fate, but considering how many times she presumably peed herself, I think we're going to have to consider treating her rash at some point. Just to add more hilarity, as soon as I saw her woke up next to an army of these stone juggernauts, she simply fell back asleep, pretending that this is all a bad dream.
... Or did she faint? Either way, it was a small, momentary glimpse in an otherwise, hopeless situation that me and my party found ourselves in, again.
Upon the sound of the roars and the crashes, everyone remaining wakes up, finds themselves surrounded by stone monsters with massive clubs, and hastily forms up around the center.
"IT'S ONLY BEEN A WEEK, KID!" L'Arc loudly remarked, more irritant than usual.
"I'm starting to question your competence as a leader." Glass scathingly remarked.
"TO BE FAIR, I DID GIVE YOU THREE A CHANCE TO WALK AWAY TWO WEEKS AGO!" I retorted.
Yeah, not gonna lie.
... Our chances of survival are really slim right now. Why?
Well... One [Analyze] later...
Name: [Spriggan]
Class: [Phantasmal Encounter]
Level: 120
Affinity: [Earth]
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Item Drops: [Heartstone] (80%) [Guardian Sigil, Oberon] (10%), [King's Bludgeon, Lear] (5%), [Yggdrasil Crown] (5%)
Attack: 230
Defense: 400
Agility: 50
Luck: 75
HP: 2,500
MP: 0
... By the way, I stopped counting after the number 50.
"Well..." I heaved out, on the verge of losing my nerves. "... Should I die, all of you, run."
"Yeah, alright then." L'Arc stated. "I hope you die quickly then."
"No hesitation!" I remarked. "I admire your decisiveness!"
"WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP AND FIGHT OUR WAY OUT!?" Spitznagel barked out, clutching onto his daughter close to him.
"DADDY!" Imia cried into his armor.
As the literal army of [Spriggan] began to close into us, Grimm then sudden opens his pages on its own...
... With Strelitzia coming out to face the [Spriggans].
"... Honestly." The [Dryad] sighed out disappointment. "Is this how you welcome back your mother?"
"... Wait." I droned our in disbelief. "... You're telling me... that the [Treant] that we left behind a month prior..."
I then looked up at the trees towering over all of us again, now with a new context zapping my brain.
"... Huh, so apparently, they learned how to level grind." I dryly chuckled out.
One of the [Spriggans] then kneel down, opens its stone exterior like a mech suit, revealing a plantlike humanoid akin to Strelitzia, albeit, male. Even weirder, it has my fresh face, but not as fat as I was back when I was a kid.
... Basically, a prettier version of me, that wouldn't look out of place in a K-Pop boyband. Or any male lead in a CLAMP work.
"... I... uhh... wha..." I tried to speak, but every time I tried to, I fell half-braindead halfway through each word that I tried to articulate.
The green humanoid that came out of the [Spriggan] like a mech suit laughed before speaking.
"Well, in a normal human perspective, a child can only fully mature after a decade or two." The revealed [Spriggan] remarked sheepishly. "But for us, a month was more than enough suffice to adapt and grow. There were plenty of adventurers to go around and eat, and plenty of tribulations and hardships to go through to adapt from. The more they threw at us, the more we bit back, until they just up and quit, but after that, we decided to... well, expand."
Whoa.
... I mean, dude, whoa.
"... Wait." Strelitzia pointed out as she looked closer at the [Spriggan]. "... You're not exactly my son, aren't you? I mean, I know that you're from me, but not that young..."
He then adopts a more, somber look to his face.
"... Follow me." The [Spriggan] somberly remarked at all of us. "I need to show all of you something."
The [Spriggans] surrounding us all pick us up with their hands and take us towards into the gigantic weald in front of Kaido.
"That's everyone, right?" I asked out.
"Yes sir, including the harlot." Byakko remarked on Malty slung over Alpha's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Oh, good."
With snap of my fingers, I dismiss Kaido, the [Admantortoise], leaving behind only a massive trail of ruined earth behind him.
... Hopefully, trees grow back faster than the ones that we're all heading into.
As we all walk by the absolutely titanic forests of this overgrowth, I pass by several skeletons ensnared by the surrounding vines, all of them looking to wear equipment from all hierarchies, ranging from greenhorns to veterans, as I can somewhat appraise them from their respective wear and tear, to their overall quality and practicality.
... Not like it mattered in the end, since they're all dead.
"So... how's the forest?" The youthful [Spriggan] asked through his stone mech suit.
"Well, lack of sunlight aside, I like it." I remarked. "Not too hot, not too cold, my home would literally kill for this kind of vegetation. ... Quite literally."
"Kid, how fucked is your world?" L'Arc asked in genuine disbelief.
"On the verge of complete and utter ruin mainly due to late-stage capitalism." I plainly remarked. "The same can be said for this world, only human and demihuman goods are considered a thing."
"You don't have any friends back home, do ya?" L'Arc remarked.
"Not a single one!" I remarked. "Also, to quote a certain someone; 'Shaddup! Here I have power!'"
L'Arc grimaces at my words. Can't blame him, I'm a bigger scum than the [Three Cardinal Heroes], but unlike me, they have this so-called virtue of "race loyalty".
... The root cause of roughly about (I'm spitballing here), 70% of the world's problems. The other 30% being composed of money, religion, culture, and whatever human impulses that we cling onto.
If the everyone in the world was a bit more honest with themselves, I get the feeling that the world will be full of extremist martyrs throwing their lives away without a second thought.
Which, I gotta ask; will people literally kill themselves for the preservation of the concept of money? Is anarchism the final stage of the collective's will upon a fallout of every single system of rule?
... Is the notion of the cure being worse than the disease complete bullshit, or does it hold merit depending on the context?
"Ugh, I'm thinking too much..." I groaned out. "... I guess this is what they refer to as 'missing the forest for the trees'."
"Boo." Rio exclaimed.
"Ugh, bugger off." I retorted.
After that, we find ourselves in a massive clearing akin to that of an open plain.
Unlike the other parts of the forest, sunlight itself was abundant, the grass was radiant with the colors of emerald green, the air was perfectly clear and refreshing to the soul, and numerous creatures, from beasts like birds to deers, to even numerous [Alraune] blooming and sunbathing in these plains.
The whole scenery would be perfect... if it weren't for the numerous moss-covered skeletons of [Wyvern] and [Wyvern Knight] alike, all littered throughout the grass, each of them being in different states of decay and erosion, their armor, covered in dents and rust all over their once-metallic sheen of silver, now fading away into complete obscurity, their weapons, all broken and staked into the grass, acting as their tombstones for both the rider and mount, fallen long away from their homes, away from their loved ones, simply out of one family desiring to kill another.
It's clear that this place came under literal fire numerous times over, each attack hardening the forest and its inhabitants to become more resilient. Each life lost, replaced with another generation, stronger than the last. An endless war of attrition called "survival", the grass field of the dead and living as its microcosm.
"... Sunnuvabitch, these guys are everywhere." I gritted out. "First Kaido, and now, they tried to take home base. How in the actual fuck did they zero in on us so fast!?"
"To be fair, we've been gone for a month." Byakko stated. "Casualties aside, I suggest we find our way to the [Archive] quickly as possible."
"This way." The [Spriggan] remarked as he led us deeper into the woods.
As we continued our way though, we passed by even more bodies, all of them rotted or eaten away into skeletons, with Rino accidentally stepping on a skull that caved under her boot, followed with a yipe of surprise.
"A full month, and this much growth happens?" I remarked.
"They clearly sent their best at us, an army of level 90 average, every day." The [Spriggan] stated. "They killed many of our kin, so simply opted to kill more of them in return. Even as we speak, the forest is under attack, but from where we are now, we're miles away from being set upon by the [Spear Hero] and his party. Their deficiency on adaptation has been a great boon to us, since it gives us a chance to learn and adapt to our enemy's tactics and recoup our numbers."
"Oh right, how's limp dick doing?" I asked.
"You mean the [Spear Hero]?" The [Spriggan] stated. "His frustrations were indeed amusing at first, but now even he's just as sick of it as we are. But unlike him and his conclave of breeders, we have no alternatives other than total extinction. But to his credit and our detriment, he's been holding the line at the capital city of Melromarc, not even we were to get past their front lines outside of their walls."
"Heh, he's persistent, that's for sure." I remarked. "... Maybe him being the master of the horizontal tango isn't a bluff, after all."
"Oof, I felt that." Rio grimaced. "Damned by a faint praise..."
"He's easy pickings, that's for sure." I grinned while still being piggybacked by Byakko.
"I'm surprised that he's even qualified to even be a [Hero] in the first place..." Atlas pointed out while walking being Malva as she was gripping on her mother's skirt. "... Are the standards for Melromarc that low?"
"Gotta be, since they brought me, of all people, here in the first place." I remarked. "But let's just save the Motoyasu roasting when we see the man in person, kay?"
"Hear hear." Fohl remarked.
"We're here."
We are then standing before an extremely massive tree, that made the already-massive trees around the weald look puny in comparison to the complete Yggdrasil before us.
At the roots, a skeleton of a full-sized [Dragon] stood, its form and structure remaining perfectly intact, despite the moss and roots surrounding it.
"Holy shitsnacks..." I gasped out. "... You weren't kidding kid, they brought the big guns and even that failed."
The [Spriggan] lets out a small chuckle at my statement.
"... Correct idea, wrong context." The green youth remarked. "Take a closer look."
We all then move closer towards the snarling skeleton of a [Dragon] covered in moss, only for us to realized that the skeleton wasn't made of bone.
... Those roots? They're a part of the so-called skeleton. The skeleton of this [Dragon] wasn't a skeleton at all, but rather, a root formation looking like a [Dragon]'s skeleton.
"... I've seen enough weird shit ever since I joined you, but this definitely takes the cake." L'Arc remarked.
"I don't think root and tree branches aren't supposed to be twisted into the visage of a [Dragon]'s skeleton." Theresa pointed out.
"It's no [Dragon]." The [Spriggan] remarked. "Grandmother here knows that better than anyone else."
I saw my [Dryad] wife approach the wooden [Dragon] skeleton, before breaking down in tears.
"... Honey?" I asked out of concern, with the sheer horrid realization settling into my mind. "... Oh goddammit."
That "Dragon Skeleton" was the same [Treant] that waved at me a month back.
... I'm literally standing before my dead son's corpse.
"Explain." I blankly remarked, trying to push down my impulsive emotions from making do anything stupid. "Everything."
The [Spriggan] then lets out a sigh before speaking.
"... Two weeks ago, the whole forest came under attack spearheaded by the [Spear Hero]." The [Spriggan] explained. "We were pushed to back lines on that day, with the opposing forces bringing herbicide and torches to set the whole forest ablaze. Amidst the chaos, one of the enemy forces discovered the existence of the [Archive] and attempted to storm the place. In desperation, father used one of the relics inside the many vaults of the [Archive], a secret formula labeled [Nemesis-3], and forcibly evolved himself into a [Jabberwocky]. Thanks to him, we were able to push them back, and make them pay for every blade of grass they've trampled upon, with only a handful of them, including the [Spear Hero], making a hasty retreat. But after the battle ended, father's body began to grow stiff, his whole body, became cold to the touch, now serves as a monument to our reinforced conviction..."
The [Spriggan] than looks back towards me.
"... And it paid off, now that you've returned." He stated as he fiddled with a necklace that was fashioned from a shard of glass tagged with the letters "-emis-". "Now, we can begin to retake the offensive, and make them pay for what they did to father. Grandfather, we must take action!"
... I was completely baffled at my now-grandson's zealotry, along with my negligence paid with a semi-misplaced faith.
I don't want to reject his wishes, nor I wish to perpetuate this cycle of violence that I've started any longer than it should've have. I've now reached the point; a line on the sand has been drawn.
Do I continue, or do I stop here?
... Unable to give a clear answer, I take the third, temporary action.
"... I need a minute."
Byakko then takes me deeper into my own son's dead body (for lack of a better term), and deeper into the chasm, we find more and more skeletons piled onto the stone floors, each being eaten out by numerous [Failed Homunculus Types A-C], and eventually, we reach Doppio's old boss chamber...
... With a mere pit taking place of the secret elevator shaft.
"Son of a bitch, they gotten in this far?" I cursed.
"Hang on tight." Byakko stated. "We're shimmying down."
Byakko then pressed all four of his hands and feet against the elevator shaft and slowly slides down towards the bottom. Eventually, Byakko's feet land on the bottom, or rather, the top of the elevator itself.
"... So, is there an upper hatch in case of emergences?" I asked.
All Byakko can do is stare at me with a blank look.
"... You, I get the feeling that whoever built this place didn't take into account on this place being breached." I grumbled out. "... Myself, as the resident, included."
"Hang on." Byakko remarked. "We're not through just yet."
He then raises his hand up, balls it into a fist, and red, vein-like lines glow on his skin.
"Master, I highly advise closing your mouth and eyes."
I did as he told, and then...
*CRASH*
*THUD*
"... You may open them now."
I then open my eyes, finding ourselves standing on top of a rubble pile.
We were in the elevator chamber, the doors pried open agape, and at the foot of the door, was a wizened corpse sitting against the door ledge.
"Yeah, this ain't funny anymore." I groaned out.
I spot the Nexus, covered in dents, as if someone tried to destroy it, but it still persevered its functions.
My butler sets me down on a chair next to the Nexus, watching my back in case of any stragglers hiding in the ruined [Archive], with myself putting Grimm on the node to activate the Nexus.
"Let's see..." I spoke to myself as I scrolled down through the holographic screens. "... Level 80... Requirement met... click."
In the folder labeled "Level 80", there was only one file in it.
A video.
"Well, things can get any worse then what already happened..." I remarked as I clicked on the file with the play button without hesitation.
"H... Hello? Is this thing on!?"
"... Wait, we're live!? Oh, in that case, I... eh, guess we can get to talking shop."
I looked towards Byakko, who's avoiding eye contact from me.
"... Byakko?" I asked.
"K-Kid..." I heard Grimm, seemingly more nervous than usual. "... You might want to look what's on the screen."
I look, and suddenly, nothing made sense anymore.
I thought I couldn't go any more insane then I already was, but as this world has proven countless times, it's out to prove me wrong.
"What the hell..." I breathed out.
For what I saw on that screen... I simply couldn't comprehend. All the madness beforehand, were simply preludes to this climax.
I wanted to laugh at the absurdity, but I was too horrified at the implications behind it.
Everything and nothing made sense, but at the same time, it started to make sense.
Hindsight, foresight.
Either, neither.
Past, Future.
Logic, illogic.
Advance, escape.
... I'm now out of options, for there were none to begin with.
"... WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT SCREEN!?"
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: ... Plot twist.
I swear, I kinda hate myself every time I write this, but at the same time, I'm kinda having fun with my own craziness that I witting/unwittingly cooked up. So, here's the rundown.
Nan goes through the textbook definition of "pyrrhic victory", not only losing his arm and several of the ex-slaves that he'd saved during the attack on the [Wyvern Knights], and just to add battery acid to this already-caustic mess of a world, ItEHTtSD (If the Emperor Had Text-to-Speech Device)'s iteration of Skarbrand the Exiled has been unleashed upon the world, all because whoever created [Sibylline] happened to be worshipping the Chaos Gods.
Also, Naofumi's jailers are based off Arknight units Siege, Amiya, Matterhorn, and Hoshiguma, but some deviations had to be made, since A, I'm barely past chapter 3 in the main story, and B, contextual deviation dictates that I shift their characterizations to fit the world around them, particularly with the Hoshiguma-expy, Hou Gui, in which case, I apologize for any Hoshiguma fans.
Of course, inferred holocaust of several Melromarc-affilated villages aside, the whole party makes it back home... post-fallout. Who knew a month-long absence without locking the door can lead to the whole place getting... ransacked? On the plus side, nothing was touched, or stolen, but the whole rock is littered with bodies.
... Like every friggn' Tuesday.
Also, in-between writing, been getting into those old, pre/non-Rambo Vietnam War movies, like Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, etc. Kinda based the tone off of those works, particularly the black comedy and bathos used in this chapter.
Current Party Members:
Name: [Great Scourge], Nan Hon-Jah
Class: [Tome Fallen]
Level: 95
Affinity: [All Eight Elements] & [Ten Primordial Sins]
Alignment: Chaotic Mad
Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton], [Necromancer's Robes], [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Slayer's Rusted Plate Armor]
Legion: None
Attack: 124 (+140)
Defense: 103 (+40)
Agility: 96 (+35)
Luck: 120 (+45)
HP: 900 (+105)
MP: 1,100 (+250)
Name: Garou
Class: [Brawler]
Level: 98
Affinity: [Dark]
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Equipment: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets], [Primal Claws], [Katars]
Attack: 128 (+50)
Defense: 90 (-20)
Agility: 135 (+65)
Luck: 78 (+20)
HP: 1,050 (+20)
MP: 450 (-100)
Name: Fubuki
Class: [Monk]
Level: 96
Affinity: [Ice]
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Equipment: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]
Legion: [Librarians]
Attack: 112 (+45)
Defense: 79 (+30)
Agility: 120 (+25)
Luck: 123 (+20)
HP: 800 (-50)
MP: 1,230 (+100)
Name: Genbu
Class: ?
Level: ?
Affinity: None
Alignment: ?
Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]
Attack: ?
Defense: ?
Agility: ?
Luck: 9,999
HP: ?
MP: ?
Name: Rino
Class: [Assassin]
Level: 92
Affinity: [Earth]
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Equipment: [Brave Compound Bow], [Spark Dagger], [Steel Throwing Knives x20], [Assassin's Cloak], [Shadow Mufflers], [Silent Step Sandals]
Legion: [Anointed Children]
Attack: 122 (+80)
Defense: 70 (+10)
Agility: 148 (+120)
Luck: 122 (+90)
HP: 600 (+40)
MP: 550 (+40)
Name: Glass
Class: [Phantom Fan Saint]
Level: 100*(Ready for [Promotion])
Affinity: [Dark]
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Equipment: [Sacred Fans], [Kimono of Mourning], [Pristine Visage]
Legion: [Blood-Oath Zealots]
Attack: 135 (+50)
Defense: 103 (+70)
Agility: 154 (+50)
Luck: 84 (+100)
HP: 940 (+200)
MP: 940 (+250)
So, what do you readers think of this Epic?
Will Naofumi's remainder of his semi-railroaded trip lead to even more questions?
What's with the Volunteer's Division being comprised of differing political views?
Will the next morning smell like napalm?
And just what will Skarbrand HATE next?
Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking?