Lord Perona, Minister of Commerce, War and Taxes of the Kingdom of Ragnar, banged his fist on the table. The lone survivor of what would be known as The prelude to the Ragnar massacre was totally useless. The soldier was crazy, incapable of delivering any helpful information. He stood up.
« Dispose of him »
A soldier who was not useful to him did not deserve to live. He did not become the Minister of Commerce, War and Taxes - the three greatest plagues of the common people - by being a pushover.
« Saddle my mount, and inform the heavy cavalry unit that we will leave at dawn tomorrow. Send out units of foot scouts to scour the territory. Now. I want a destination in the morning, and the heads of those responsible on a pike tomorrow night. »
Because he would have to wake up at dawn, he went immediately to bed, for what would maybe be his last night.
« I…I may have screwed up ».
Alpha Rose, formerly known as Zoe Perona, looked at her master, unimpressed.
« I told you you were greedy, taking all the villagers and the soldiers. You should have listened to me ! And now, my father himself and his most experienced soldiers - who are anything but choirboys - will come after us. I'm in a win-win situation : either you defeat him, and I get my revenge. Or he destroys your flesh army and I'm free. »
He thought she was giving him a lot of advice for someone who didn't like him, and someone who hadn't been asked. Meh, she had no choice anyway. It was still convenient, having slaves not only in the flesh but also in the spirit. Perhaps he should spend a few minutes on the philosophical and ethical considerations of such a deprivation of free will? No, he didn't give a fuck.
He looked at his "caravan", which contained far too many armed soldiers to be a caravan. Above all, he had not had time to carefully modify all the soldiers. It was obvious that they were zombies, if only because some of them had no heads, while others, clumps of flesh three meters high, had several. Perona had done a good job of preparing the bodies, he had to admit.
A hundred zombies, fifteen or so servants and a very sexy assistant. Clearly, in the event of a direct confrontation with fifty or so mounted riders in heavy armor, assisted by a small troop of archers... They were going to be loose miserably. And Galadriel did not like to lose. Above all, he valued his life and, according to Alpha Rose, losing to her father meant being decapitated and having his head put on a spike. Not fun.
« Tell me, Rose, did you live in your father's castle? »
His assistant nodded.
"And, at night, how many people can we hide around the castle without being noticed? Say, in the space of a few hours, before the troop of knights leaves the castle to scour the land ? "
The minister saddled his horse. He looked at the troop of sixty-four knights. A hundred lancers and as many archers would accompany him, though he would leave a dozen men-at-arms behind to defend the castle. The scouts had located a huge suspicious village fire, several hours' ride from the stronghold.
His horse neighed, and Marquis Perona waved his hand. « Forward » .
He did not notice the many eyes watching the troop's exit from the castle.
"But...but...it's Miss Perona! Warn the Marquise ! ".
The two soldiers guarding the door could not believe their eyes ! The Marquis' young daughter, who had disappeared more than a fortnight ago - probably kidnapped by the most senior Marine officer in the kingdom, in an attempt to discredit the Marquis, it was an open secret - had returned! Perhaps she had escaped thanks to the young man who accompanied her, and carried a surprisingly large bag on his back ?
« Open the gates ».
The Marquis grumbled. They had been walking around in circles for days now without finding anything. Military rations and other supplies were running low. They had ridden over almost a quarter of the island - the part of the kingdom that was his direct responsibility. He couldn't risk going to the rest of the island with so many men-at-arms, for fear of provoking the Marines, who were just waiting for that. He hated the Lieutenant-Commander of the Kingdom, who was always meddling in things that were none of his business, and trying to interfere in his work.
He shouted an order to his right-hand man: he would let patrols of foot soldiers continue to roam the territories, but it was time for the bulk of his troop to go home.
After almost a day's ride, the Marquis reached his castle. With a gesture, he ordered the door to be opened. Two soldiers, whose faces were strangely unfamiliar to him (probably new recruits), complied.
He entered the courtyard of the castle and dismounted his horse. Throwing his helmet and chain mail gloves to a servant, he strode the distance to the Keep.
« Order the kitchens to prepare something for me and my men, we're hungry ! »
The Kitchens :
Galadriel whistled with contentment as he stirred the huge pot.
Congratulations - You have gained 1 level in [Cooking]
Congratulations - You have gained 3 level in [Chemistry] - Absorbed by [Mad Science]
Congratulations - You have gained 3 level in [Poisoning] - Absorbed by [Mad Science]
The eyes of his wife, the Marquise, shone with a strange glow. He sat down at the table. He had been dining alone with his wife since their daughter's abduction. He sniffed the air, and felt dizzy. He nearly fell, but barely caught himself at a table. His eyes met those of his daughter - his wife - again. They looked so much alike, he felt as if he had his daughter in front of him.
"Tell me, dear husband, how did your mission go? "
He looked at his wife, Zoe. His daughter. His wife, though their faces were mixed. He smelled again the strange smoke that permeated the room and laughed heartily. He felt relaxed. Very relaxed. He didn't normally talk about his business with his wife He didn't know why, but his tongue had loosened tonight.
"Well, we haven't found the people responsible. So we disguised about twenty villagers as bandits and hanged them, saying they were the culprits. They will take the blame. The King will be happy, and that bastard Marine will stop pissing me off.
He never talked like that. But his head was spinning.
"And tell me, Father. Have you found your daughter yet "
He squinted. His daughter? No, his wife was strangely curious that night. Normally she was silent, as any woman should be.
"My daughter...My daughter...Ah, Perona! "
His wife's teeth gritted.
"Nah, the kid is nowhere to be found". He coughed. His lungs hurt. "I don't give a shit about the brat, but she made me the laughing stock of the kingdom, getting kidnapped like the little cunt she is ! What am I now? A minister of war who can't protect his own daughter ! ».
« You should be awarded a Best Father of the Year Medal », said the teen who was dining with his wife and him. Wait, what ? Who the fuck was that ?
The Marquis took a bite of his plate, and fell. Dead.
Congratulations - You have defeated [Noble Knight - Lvl 68] x 1
You level up x 7
Congratulations - You have defeated [Knight - Lvl 48] x 4
You level up x 3
Congratulations - You have defeated [Knight - Lvl 47] x 22
You level up x 11
Congratulations - You have defeated [Knight - Lvl 46] x 34
You level up x 11
Congratulations - You have defeated [Foot soldier - Lvl 20] x 60
You level up x 10
Congratulations - You have defeated [Servant - Lvl 5] x 55
You level up x 3
What the fuck ? By poisoning everybody, you gained a total of 45 levels and 225 Perk Points ?
Congratulations - You gained a new Perk [Work Smart, Not Hard]
Each time you defeat a strong enemy without a direct confrontation, you gain +1 Int
Registering…INT is now 45
Congratulations - You gained a new Motto [Work Smart, Not Hard]
It does nothing, but it's classy
Galadriel cackled crazily. Too busy allocating his stats points, he didn't notice Alpha Rose wiping the solitary tear that ran down her cheek.
"Status."
Galadriel Luvneel
Level – 64
Class – Mad Scientist
Race – Human
Motto : Work Smart, Not Hard
HP – 1300/1300
MP – 260/260
STR – 19
END – 19
DEX – 14
INT – 45
WIS – 36
CHA – 7 (+2)
LCK – 13 (+2)
Money : 12 500 B
Stat Points : 225
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. Galadriel even had fucking erection. So much power !
« I'm going to make myself more resistant, so that I don't die at the slightest breath of wind. Then, I'll have to specialize...Mad Scientist requires intelligence, but let's not neglect luck...Almost no drop despite the amount of enemies killed, I have to increase my luck...Mmmmh...And there were particular rewards when a particular threshold was reached for the stats, right ? ».
Galadriel Luvneel
Level – 64
Class – Mad Scientist [Lvl 9]
Race – Human
Motto : Work Smart, Not Hard
HP – 4000/4000
MP – 1000/1000
STR – 50
END – 50
DEX – 50
INT – 100
WIS – 50
CHA – 28 (+2)
LCK – 50 (+2)
Money : 12 500 B
Stat Points : 0
Too bad he didn't have enough points to bring his intelligence to 100 and all his other stats to 50. For the moment, he felt that charisma was the least useful: he would leave it aside.
Your STR has reached 50! Perk [Bushy Brows] unlocked!
Your END has reached 50! Perk [Stamina Beast] unlocked!
Your DEX has reached 50! Perk [Dexter] unlocked!
Your INT has reached 50 ! Perk [Look Mama, I have good grades] unlocked!
Your INT has reached 100 ! Perk [Teacher] replaces Perk [Look Mama, I have good grades]
Your LCK has reached 50! Perk [Kissed by Luck] unlocked!
« YOUTH ! Uh, what ? I mean… Perks ! »
[Bushy Brows]
YOOOOUUUUUUTH !
Just kidding. Your body will always be in perfect condition. Never too muscular, but still sexy. Even if you don't work out, you'll still have the body of an adonis.
[Stamina Beast]
You sexy beast! You will never get tired...no more need for pauses (wink wink) and no more need for sleep!
[Dexter]
No trembling, no hesitation: even surgical operations where the scalpel must be precise to a hundredth of a millimeter are no longer a problem.
[Teacher]
You can transfer instantly some of your knowledge to your servants. The knowledge equivalent to 1/3 your level in [Mad Scientist] can be transferred.
[Kissed by Luck]
Your immediate needs are taken into account when determining drops.
He had to admit : he was a little disappointed. Except for the one about intelligence...Maybe it was because of his class? From the dexterity perk he received, the perks seemed to be influenced by his class. This had probably negatively affected all the physical ones. He was disappointed : the Bushy Brows and the Stamina Perks would have been a little bit useful…if he wasn't a Mad scientist : he ad already improved himself, and already did not need to sleep. Quite sad, really…But he was now a best ! Level 64, you realized ? And the Teacher Perk was a blessing : with it, he could literally create ultra-competent assistant, not only to prepare the corpses, but also to improve them, to help him with his research. He would be ten times more efficient !
He looked at Perona, who he was going to transfer a lot of knowledge to, and felt…something.
She was crying.
He put a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped.
« Look, for all it's worth, I'm sorry ».
She looked at him, surprised. Hell, he was surprised himself ! Where the hell did it comes from ? Was it the improvement of his intelligence.
She watched him, with an indecipherable and complex look.
+ 5 affection with Perona
Galadriel stammered (WTF ?), before switching back to business mode.
"Well, there are about two hundred dead soldiers, about fifty of which are close to level 50. And let's not forget your bastard of a Father, who was level 68. The problem is that if I make a doll of him, his obedience will gradually decrease: even with my level-up, he's still stronger than me."
Alpha Rose didn't understand what his master was saying. Level-up? What was he talking about? She could have said that he was going crazy, but she knew for sure that it was already the case.
"Oh yes, I forgot. [Knowledge transfer]".
Alpha Rose, since the Peronas' family was definitely dead, gasped, and fell to her knees. As if by magic, she now understood so many things! Biology, medicine, chemistry...
"Anyway, it would be too much of a hassle to carry two hundred soldiers everywhere I go. So here's what we'll do. We're going to keep only half a dozen of the strongest knights with us, improving them as needed. A few servants and a few assistants. And a few of the soldiers who know how to operate a boat. And then, here's what's going to happen..."
For about twenty days, a huge operating room was set up in the middle of the castle's courtyard, which - to the curiosity of the surrounding villagers - kept its doors closed. The servants emptied the bookcases, while Galadriel took in his inventory the entire treasure room, which contained - in addition to weapons that would serve to strengthens his soldiers - no less than three hundred million berrys. Perona and Galadriel were working on the Marquis, the Marquise and the six soldiers they would be taking with them. The undead Marquis had to look as much like the person he was as possible: Galadriel needed him for the proper execution of his plan.
He worked further on the knights, soldiers and assistants he would take with him. A few steel plates between the muscles and the skin to make them stronger, enhanced muscles, metal-reinforced bones, retractable blades, poison glands, and pistols in the arms...He needed to be able to feel safe with his new bodyguards, and he wouldn't leave his sailors and other servants defenseless. He merged the Marquis' physician and librarian into a research assistant who would be the first in a long line commanded by Perona.
The newly learned assistants sewed and stitched the rest of the soldiers to make them as human as possible. Galadriel needed no one to notice that they were zombies for the rest of her plan.
He couldn't explain why, but his instinct told him to be wary. The Lieutenant-Commodore of Ragnar's kingdom straightened his scabbard. Perhaps he would need to draw his sword quickly. Such behavior was irrational. He was in the middle of the royal castle with the King and his ministers, surrounded by a good third of the Navy garrison, and half the kingdom's troops, commanded by Marquis Perona himself. Although he suspected that the latter knew that the Marine had been the orchestrator of his daughter's kidnapping, he would not dare to do anything in front of the King. Perona was as devoted to the Crown as one could be. So why did his veteran instincts scream at him to be careful ?
A shot. He reflexively drew his sword as the King collapsed, and blocked the thrust that had threatened to slit his throat. People everywhere were shouting, while - absurdly - the royal soldiers began to slaughter royalty, marines, servants, and anyone else they could get their hands on. The Lieutenant-Commodore grunted, stunned by the blow, and looked up: the Marquis, with his eyes possessed, was the one who had attacked him.
« You are avenged », said Galadriel as he received a notification.
Congratulations - You have defeated [Marine Leutenant-Commodore - Lvl 74] x 1
You level up x 4
[Work Smart, Not Hard] Activated : + 1 INT
Congratulations - You have defeated [King - Lvl 44] x 1
You level up x 1
Congratulations - You have defeated [Marine Footsoldier - Lvl 16] x 34
You level up x 1
+ 15 affection with Zoe Perona, for avenging her
He was really great. Couldn't carry all his soldiers with him? No problem: send them on suicide missions to get XP. No one would know he was responsible. Even if he couldn't earn money, drops, or bodies to work with, he wasn't going to spit on free level ups. Nor was he going to spit on the extra affection it would bring him for Alpha Rose.
And now what ?
« Head for the kingdom of Luvneel ».
It was time to pay a little visit to his family.
Galadriel Luvneel
Level – 70
Class – Mad Scientist [Lvl 9]
Race – Human
Motto : Work Smart, Not Hard
HP – 4000/4000
MP – 1000/1000
STR – 50
END – 50
DEX – 50
INT – 100
WIS – 50
CHA – 28 (+2)
LCK – 50 (+2)
Money : 312 500 B
Stat Points : 30
Galadriel Luvneel aka subject #53 is a human, the son of the King of Luvneel and ?, making him a noble. He was given by a member of his family, his brother Carter, to a slaver when he was 13 years old, then sold to a mad scientist working for Joker (?) who erased his memory and his self awareness and treated him a test subject for 3 years. In a last experiment, the mad scientist Fritz gave inadvertently the Fruit of the Gamer to Galadriel.
TITLES
[Survivor]
Having survived to the mad scientist Fritz, #53
PERKS
[Experiment]
The player is permanently affected with the debuffs « What the fuck is that way of thinking ? » and « Sociopathic Motherfucker ». I'm not donna detail them, though. Where would be the fun in that ?
[Noble]
As the ex-Prince of Luvneel, #53 gains +2 in CHA and LCK
[Devil fruit user]
As a devil fruit user, you are affected with the debuff « severely weakened » while in seawater or in contact with sea stone.
[Bushy Brows]
YOOOOUUUUUUTH !
Just kidding. Your body will always be in perfect condition. Never too muscular, but still sexy. Even if you don't work out, you'll still have the body of an adonis.
[Stamina Beast]
You sexy beast! You will never get tired...no more need for pauses (wink wink) and no more need for sleep!
[Dexter]
No trembling, no hesitation: even surgical operations where the scalpel must be precise to a hundredth of a millimeter are no longer a problem.
[Teacher]
You can transfer instantly some of your knowledge to your servants. The knowledge equivalent to 1/3 your level in [Mad Scientist] can be transferred.
[Kissed by Luck]
Your immediate needs are taken into account when determining drops.
SKILLS
[Mad Science] L11 - 7%
You want to create zombies, strange creatures to obey your orders, mutant bodyguards and madness-inducing weapons, even if it cost you your sanity ? Well, this is the right skill for you !
Lv 11 - You have an intuitive understanding of science, mechanics and biology. You can « improve » human bodies, create zombies and loyal slaves from living bodies. You can mix technologies.
[Body Reinforcement] LV3 - 81%
For /sec, the user can reinforce his body, making himself stronger and sturdier. The effect depends of the MP used.
RELATIONSHIPS
Mad Fritz - The Voice
Think you are dead
+ 5 Reputation - you were a good test subject
Carter Luvneel - Brother
Think you are dead
- 80 Reputation - you stole his « birthright »
King Alfred Luvneel - Father
Think you are dead
+ 30 Reputation - Too bad you disappeared, he invested a lot of money in your education
Gabrielle Luvneel - Sister
Hope you are not dead.
+ 50 Affection for her lil' bro
+ 0 Obedience - you are her lil' bro after all. Well, for the moment.
? - Mother
Think you are not dead
+ 70 Affection - Mommy loves her lil'boy.
+ 10 Obedience - Kinda strange to be honest.
Zoe Perona - « Alpha » - Class C5 Hybrid
She thinks - not by herself - of you as her vile, detested, master (kinda cute and smart though).
40 Affection
You took her free will (and she would hate you if she could)
100 Obedience