[Chapter 3: A Message To The Corrupt]
Pyke was already fucking fuming. As a principle, bringing him anywhere near nobles was already the equivalent of putting a box of extra deadly explosives, with the fuse already lit, in the royal court. The Valencia Palace was opulent and huge, while people in the lower district lived in squalor. Nobles and royals with their grand homes and overinflated sense of self-worth desperately needed to get put into their place according to the Hunter. It was an opinion Gazef shared, but it was impossible for him to do anything, due to his lack of political power and loyalty to the king. Yet, who would stop someone with the power of a God and proof of betrayal?
Apparently, Gazef had already sent someone ahead and a meeting was now organised to receive them, as well as the captives. Dragging the still knocked out Clementine, the trio of Pyke, Gazef and Brain made their way to the royal court, dropping her next to one of the guards, dispelling his magic so she would soon wake up. "Gazef, ye know that if I didn't like you I would kill everyone in this palace and then flood it until not even the foundations remain, right?" Pyke commented, glancing at the maids who were giving the "filthy commoners" disgusted looks. "I appreciate that, I think?" answered Gazef, more and more worried about the hunter's reaction to the actual court. The exchange elicited a chuckle from Brain, who was very much looking forward to what Pyke was going to pull in the court. The men kindled a friendship throughout their journey, a ragtag band of misfits who hated the nobles.
Dropping off Clementine and the other scripture members, they moved to the wing of the palace where meetings took place. They walked past the images of the royal line, depicting past members of the ruling family and when, if, they ruled. They looked at the gardens of the Golden Princess and the many roses in bloom, as well as the general decorations of the castle. In what Pyke has seen of the Re-Estize Kingdom so far, all the nobles liked aged wood and gold accents. Not a hint of creativity in the entire structure, a castle that you could find in any generic fantasy. Red bricks, red and gold carpets, wooden and gold finishes. Paintings of landscapes or royalty were hung about on the walks, along with the banners of the royal family.
Those things however didn't matter to Pyke, he looked at the soldiers stationed inside. As he had heard of Gazef, they were complete amateurs, sons of nobles who had never swung a sword or gotten so much as a blister from training. The only thing the maids and guards in this place were good for was transporting gossip to their respective factions. The flowers outside were nice, and the windows let in a good amount of light, lightening the Great Old Ones mood just a bit.
Finally, they reached a massive wooden door with rather intricate carvings, displaying a king on his warhorse holding a banner, presumably rallying the troops. Next to a smaller door, actually used for going in instead of just ceremonies, stood a boy no older than 14, yet already he looked at them with the, by now familiar to Pyke, disdain of a Re-Estize noble. He went inside and yelled, "Announcing Warrior-Captain Gazef Stronoff, and his companions, Sir Pyke and Sir Brain Unglaus!"
Instead of going through the normal door, Pyke beckoned for the two others to follow him, as he walked up to the massive doors and opened them with a gentle push, startling the people gathered with his casual display of strength. He walked forth towards the king and other members of the royal family, positioned to the right of Gazef, who walked in the middle, with Brain on his left. He scrutinised the nobles, seeing a couple be relieved at the return of Gazef, and some be visibly angry that their plans were foiled. Soon Gazef stopped in front of the throne and kneeled. Brain followed suit, as was proper conduct, but Pyke kept standing, head held high and back straight, making the nobles gasp at his disrespect.
"How dare you not kneel commoner! Do you even know where you are or are you just too stupid to recognize the magnanimous nobles of the kingdom!?" yelled Marquis Blumrush. A second later Pyke unleashed the very minimum of his [Suffocating Presence I] in order not to accidentally kill the soft nobles in the room. All the nobles took a couple steps back, hyperventilating as the very air around the mysterious man got heavier. "Unless you wish your court to be massacred, I recommend you control your dogs, Sir Ramposa…" threatened Pyke.
Suffocating presence had 5 levels, [Suffocating Presence I] being a simple fear aura and the feeling of the air being heavier, which could still be lethal against people as weak as these nobles. [Suffocating Presence II] added slowness and a feeling of pressure. [Suffocating Presence III] made everyone in the area panic and feel as if they are being waterboarded. [Suffocating Presence IV] made the pressure incredibly large, crushing people of even Gazef's level easily, and stronger individuals being slowed to a crawl, akin to being in the depths of the sea. [Suffocating Presence V] channelled a part of the Swimming City into Pyke's aura, causing insanity, visions, manifesting water in people's lungs and drowning them, and spreading such crushing pressure that the very castle they were standing in would be levelled within seconds.
On one hand taken aback by the obvious threat, but enjoying the confidence of this man, Ramposa III, who wasn't being targeted by the visitor's aura, began speaking, "Firstly, welcome back Warrior Captain. Secondly, I won't tolerate any more threats in my court, Sir Pyke I presume? What brings you here? I trust you are not here to merely tempt me to execute you?" The nobles were fuming that the King didn't immediately order the execution of this man, merely implied it, but had to keep quiet as Pyke's aura was cowing them into submission. "You could try, but you would fail. As for what brings me here, I saved your dear Warrior Captain from the Sunlight Scripture, captured Clementine, formerly of the Black Scripture and…" he took out Nigun's journal, "brought proof of the traitorous activities of Blumrush, Boullope, Cheneko and Lytton." He threw the journal on the king's lap.
The nobles immediately began sweating bullets. It wasn't a secret that the noble faction was betraying the Kingdom to either the Theocracy or Empire. The king knew that, the royal faction knew that, but they all had to play along with the whims of the courts. The reason for that, was that any definitive proof was suppressed, either by the agents of the countries they were working with, or the Eight Fingers, that had a large majority of the Noble Faction, and even Prince Barbro, in their pockets. Without that proof, an attempt at an execution would make a civil war an inevitability.
The idea that they would get to become king and rule the country if they cooperated with outside powers was, of course, completely delusional. Both the Theocracy and the Empire were aiming for total annexation of the Kingdom. If all they had to do to destabilize Re-Estize was to tell some stupid nobles they'll put them on the throne in exchange for friendly relations then it was a small price to pay. The quality of Re-Estize nobles was more than subpar, as a proper purge hasn't been conducted ever since the Baharuth Empire split away more than a century ago.
"Sir Gazef, is this all true!?" asked a shocked Ramposa. "Every last word, Your Majesty. Despite how direct and blunt my friend is, he is honourable and I have confirmed every word within that journal myself." The king picked up the journal and briefly skimmed through it with the directions from Gazef where the most damning evidence was, marked by colourful, sticky paper Pyke said was used for marking. It took only around 15 minutes to gather enough evidence to damn all four of the nobles. Ramposa couldn't be happier. The man was disrespectful, but evidently he was powerful and, more importantly, he saved Gazef and handed him the key to saving the kingdom by finally having a way to get rid of the nobles. Almost all of the Great Nobles of the Noble Faction were directly shown as traitors in this journal. It was checkmate in one.
"Sir Pyke, you have performed a great service to the kingdom. I thank you greatly, such traitorous activity must be punished, harshly. You, on the other hand, must be rewarded. What do you wish as your bounty?" For such boons Rampossa would grant the man almost anything, he struggled for years and now the problem was solved. Marquis Bulloupe, a military man covered in scars, now past his prime, began yelling, breaking through the minimal amount of aura Pyke was exuding, "No! I will not stand for this! Neither will the noble faction! Lies, deceit, fabrication! We need to execute this commoner righ-"
He was cut off when Pyke's hook hit the wall next to his head, shaking the very foundations of the castle with its strength, "What did I say? Stay quiet or my hand might slip, marquis." he said with such venom that all the nobles collectively shivered. He withdrew his harpoon, which on its way back cut the marquis' cheek, drawing blood. Hoping the nobles were sufficiently cowed he deactivated his aura. Bulloupe clutched the bleeding wound with his handkerchief, which still dripped blood on his immaculate clothing.
The nobles were visibly afraid, some shaking and some spreading the smell of ammonia throughout the room. 'Well, not like these pigs had any dignity to lose.' Pyke thought to himself. Whispers permeated the side lines where the nobles stood, wondering if the man could be recruited or whether they would be next. One thing was sure, he was dangerous, any of them with a modicum of intelligence knew that crossing this man would mean death, but not all of them had that vital piece of knowledge.
"As for what I want. The right to execute the four nobles right here in front of the other ones so they know what happens when they abuse the common people for selfish interests…" He was suddenly interrupted by another of the accused, Marquis Blumrush, the richest noble due to the mithril and orichalcum mines in his territory, blonde hair and greed in his eyes, "As if anybody cares about the commoners! They exist to serve u-" Once again the noble was cut off with Pyke's harpoon, but now the hunter's patience has run out. The harpoon went straight through the nobles mouth and out the back of his throat pinning him to the wall. His eyes lost their colour and glazed over as his spinal cord was severed, briefly spasming as his soul left the body and entered the World Item.
In the entire history of the Re-Estize Kingdom, easily spanning over a century of divisive courts, never has a noble, even less so a Great Noble, been killed in the court. The fact that the one to do it was a commoner with not even 2 names, just 1 and no title, made this like something out of a story. Nobility had 4 names, royalty had 5, someone having 1, such as Pyke and Princess Renner's bodyguard Climb, meant you were the lowest of the low. Realising what they're fate would be if they interrupted the man in front of them again, the nobles finally shut their mouths without the help of Pyke's skills, stopping the flow of constant corrupt bullshit that they spewed.
"I was saying four nobles, but it seems we'll have to change that to three. Next, I want to borrow Gazef for a spar at the adventurer's guild so I can prove my adamantite level. That's it." Pyke said, eyeing all of the nobles who wilted underneath his gaze like flowers in winter. The king, as shocked as the other nobles at the manner Blumrush was killed without hesitation, said "Y-y-yes." He cleared his throat, "Let's call that a… premature execution, shall we? I'll accept your demands. Now, let us get on with the other 3. Renner, please leave, you don't have to see this." Ramposa's attempts at being a good father were however in vain as Pyke interjected, "Oh no, she's stayin'. This is for all title-holders to see. Watch and learn." He shot the Golden Princess with a knowing look, a monster such as that needs to know that she is now prey.
What followed was what was by later generation called "The Bloody Court" by far overshadowing the Blood Emperor's petty attempts at brutality. Each of the Nobles were gathered in the middle of the court and skinned, exsanguinated, suffocated, burnt, cut, bashed and bloodied in every way known to man. Their corpses were then placed by the Bloody Ripper in front of Valencia Palace, as a sign that he had arrived.
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The complete monster that Gazef had led to their court took out a strange piece of parchment and marked something off in the blood of those he brutalized. "Four souls lost, wonderful. That certainly was refreshing, Sir Ramposa. I'll be on my way now. Gazef, I'll see you tomorrow at the adventurer's guild." Finally, once the man left everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. All eyes turned to Gazef, 'Just who did you bring to our court?' was the question on everyone's minds.
This event would go down in history as the first time the Re-Estize nobles were truly humbled. Of course not many of them liked it. The royal faction was thinking of ways to turn the clearly deranged man against the Empire or further against the noble faction. If he was truly as strong as Gazef said he was from the recounting of his tale, those that had his assistance could conquer the entire kingdom!
On the other side of the coin was the nobility faction, thinking of ways to assassinate or enslave the man. Those in the pockets of the Eight Fingers were certainly thinking the Six Arms, adamantine ranked thugs that worked for the security division, would take care of him or recruit him. How dare a commoner even look in their direction, much less brutalise them as he did?! They would make him pay for his insolence, at least they would try.
Of course there was Ramposa himself, at the same time elated at the executions of the nobles with tangible proof, but also disgusted and terrified of what kind of monster was now in the kingdom. Well, for now what mattered is filling the holes left by the nobles that were executed with one who would be royal to the crown. 'I don't know whether to praise or curse that man, but he did me a solid this time around...' thought the king to himself. The second prince, Zanac, and the smartest noble, Marquis Raeven, shared his opinion.
The short and fat man wasn't very charismatic or good with the sword, but, while not as smart as Renner, he was significantly more intelligent than his older brother. Raeven meanwhile was brilliant, leading the royal faction behind the scenes. With the royal faction's greatest official enemies out the way, he could speed up his plans by years. Maybe even push back the empire during their yearly invasions?
The first prince, Barbro, was seething and red with anger. While everyone else was in thought about the man and terrified by his act, all Barbro cared about was whether or not he was disrespected, which in this case he definitely was. And so he yelled, "Your majesty, we can't allow a disgusting mongrel like that peasant to go free after disrespecting the royal family! Send me out and I will kill him myself!" The king turned to him and shook his head, "Dear son, did you not hear the Warrior Captain? Supposedly, our entire army would stand no chance against that man, neither would our captain. Additionally, he did us a service, a brutal and bloody service, but a service nonetheless. I do not wish you to end up like the 4 Great Nobles today." Still, it did not calm the storm of ignorance and narcissism that was the first prince of Re-Estize. He vowed vengeance, and with the assistance of the Eight Fingers, he was sure he would be able to execute it.
Finally, there was Renner with a mind more brilliant than any other. And while she was distracted by Climb's doting over her when she made a horrified face seeing the executions, it was still just an act. She knew why he made her stay. It was because he knew about her madness. How? Even she didn't know, but he certainly did know about it. As long as he didn't intervene with her puppy it didn't matter, but playing against such an unknown was always concerning.
Eventually the court dispersed, after deciding to announce the executions of the nobles, as well as revoking their titles in order to not seem barbaric. Of course this only led mass rumours about the executioner, ones that would in part be answered at the adventurer's guild the next day.
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Brain and Pyke walked out of the palace ground after arranging the bodies for all to see. The moment they were out of earshot of the guards, they burst out laughing, "Hahahah, did you see their faces when I unleashed my aura. Oh, by the deep, that was glorious!" Brain laughed hysterically, slapping his knee, "When you threw that hook at the first guy, I swear he pissed himself in court! Beautiful! Watch Gazef lecture you about going too far tomorrow!" Not like Brain cared, after all, the nobles never did anything for him.
"Eh, no punishment is too great for those pigs. Now then, what do you say we go check-in at an inn, and we get some grub?" The sun was falling and not like either of them had a place to stay, so the suggestion made sense. "I'm all for it, but aren't we broke?" asked Brain. "Don't worry mate. Nobles may not have a lot of dignity or empathy, but they do carry lots of gold on their corpses. That Blumrush guy in particular had quite a bit." answered Pyke, drawing the gold he took from the nobles' corpses from his inventory. "You fucking genius!"
And so they made their way to the Goldshire Inn, the costliest one in the entire country. As expected of Re-Estize, it was made of aged wood, accented with gold, with vaguely Victorian architecture, riddled with large oval windows, an arch at the entrance and cone-like spires on the sides of it. Brain opened the door, immediately realising how much they stood out. They weren't dressed in formal clothing, making them stand out from the crowd who obviously prided itself on elegance. Brain was in casual clothing, Pyke in seemingly the only thing he wore, his battle gear.
The swordsman turned to the hunter, suddenly realising his friend was in a strange and extremely elegant garment. It was black, with a white shirt underneath, accented with gold buttons and gold threading at the sleeves. From his neck a strange piece of cloth hung, tightened around his neck, giving him a professional appearance. His pants matched the black jacket he was wearing. His feet were adorned with elegant, black leather shoes with red soles and gold engravings on the edges. His right eye was covered with a black eyepatch, the straps holding it to his head displaying a gold serpent. On his hands were black leather gloves, currently fiddling with a belt that had a weird symbol that was reversed into itself. To anyone from Earth it'd be plain to see he was wearing a classic tuxedo, tie and a Gucci belt, one of the things he remembered wearing to meetings with employers after successful jobs.
"When did you put that on?!" asked Brain, now self-conscious about his own appearance. "Tier 8 spell, [Greater Create Magic Item]. Here, I'll do it for you as well." he said, touching Brain and recreating his tuxedo on him, except without the eye patch and gloves, the rest of the clothing having the gold accents replaced with blue to match his hair. They still stood out, but now due to the quality of their clothing, as well as Pyke being gigantic by kingdom standards.
They approached the reception, the woman working there was immediately smitten with Brain's aura of confidence, and intimidated by the giant of a man next to him. "We'd like two rooms for a night." Brain said, prompting Pyke to drop a bag of gold on the table. "The rest is to pay for the food and drinks for us for the night. Anything that we don't spend should be used to make food for those who need it." Pyke said, activating [Suffocating Presence I] to get his point across. The receptionist nodded rapidly as she began to sweat and hyperventilate, dropping two keys into Brain's palm. "T-Thank you for your patronage, Sirs…"
They walked away, Brain leaning over to Pyke, "Did you really have to scare her so much? I was definitely gonna get her!" Pyke sighed as they sat at the table, "I've been a mercenary for many years, I know how you do it. One night and you're gone. Go pick up some other whore. I'd rather be sure than have to check up only to have to hunt down her employer." Brain gave in, knowing it was useless to argue against the madman, "I guess you're right…"
They ordered a variety of courses and drinks, ending up disappointed as what Pyke could bring out from his inventory or use magic to create was far superior. Still, it wasn't bad. However, the main thing that came out from their bender were rumours of Brain Unglaus drinking with a man who threw gold around like candy. Soon, the entire city would know of their arrival, speculation galore about what they were doing and who the man was, only for the definitive answer to arrive with the message from the crown about the execution of the nobles and who had done it. When the receptionist heard the news and saw the bodies, she passed out on the spot.
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King Ramposa III adjourned the meeting, dispersing the nobles from the traumatising gathering. "Gazef, walk with me." he said. Gazef bowed and silently fell in step behind his liege. They eventually reached the bedroom of the king. Gazef opened the door for the king, as was protocol, closing it behind him as he stepped in after Ramposa. The king promptly walked towards his bed and fell face first into it. "What the fuck was that, Gazef?" he asked. Despite him seeing the battlefield many times in his youth, never had he seen a display so brutal, with the torturer taking so much joy out of the act. The smile peeking out from behind the man's bandana would surely haunt him.
"That, Your Majesty, was the hunter that saved me." Gazef answered. "You know to call me Ramposa when no one is around. We are friends after all these years. And it's still hard to imagine a man like that saving a village." said Ramposa, exasperated with the day's events. "A lot about that man is hard to believe, I certainly wouldn't believe it, if I wasn't personally involved. He seems to have a rather substantial grudge against captains, nobles and anyone who is on his mysterious list."
The king sighed and sat up properly. "Sit Gazef, stop being so stiff, and tell me about the true capabilities of this man. Most importantly, can you truly not beat him?" Gazef did as he was told, "You know I would never lie to you, Ramposa, so you must take everything I say about him as the absolute truth. First, he is not a man. He said he is part undead and part something called a Great Old One. Seems his race is as old as the name implies, as he mentioned being alive before the first dry land emerged. Secondly, he seems to take being a captain, noble, royalty and exploiting those beneath you as a personal offence, killing anyone who does so."
"Hah! A benevolent undead with feelings for the common people at that! Truly, an odd individual. What about his past?" The idea of a benevolent undead came only once before, in the way of Surshana, the God of Death. "When I asked where he came from, all he said was "I was born where monsters die, I died where monsters are born." He also appears to have some sort of mercenary or sailor past. Despite that, he seems rather disinterested in material goods."
"Hmm, so there is nothing to buy him over with besides benevolent rule? Let us hope the Emperor doesn't get to employ him before we do… What about his strength?" Gazef knew this question would come, but he still gulped. "This may seem unbelievable, however he killed a Tier 8 angel with a single Tier 10 spell, and has said he can cast Tier 11 spells, the highest there is. He also said that he has encountered the Gods and the Eight Greed Kings of the past in another world, presumably the one Gods come from. He told me and Unglaus the story of how he saved the Gods from the Eight Greed Kings, killing them within minutes of finding them. If he ever turned his ire upon you, I would be able to do nothing, but die attempting to buy you precious seconds.
Ramposa was taking a sip of water while Gazef was speaking, and immediately began choking upon hearing the information about the newcomer's strength. "And you say he killed a Tier 8 angel in one hit?!" he put his hand to his forehead, checking if he perhaps isn't delirious, "A God Hunter has arrived in our kingdom…"
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Gazef woke with the sun following the rather historic meeting of Re-Estize. He couldn't remember how many times the nobles asked him if he could win against Pyke in a fight, and how many times he had to deny the possibility. The only person to whom he mentioned the man's power to cast Tier 11 magic was the king himself. The nobles of the Kingdom thought of magic as paltry magic tricks, preferring glorious cavalry charges. Tradition run deep in Re-Estize and it certainly was idiotic sometimes.
He moved to the training area in order to get a quick warm up before having to get beat by Pyke. And as usual, the princess' bodyguard was already there, rushing into the wall known as his maximum skill-level. Climb was, as adventurers put it, capped at gold. Yet, still he trained, to be even that slightest bit better at protecting his charge, on whom he had an obvious crush. Gazef found it admirable and rather entertaining whenever the boy on the verge of manhood was confronted with the latter fact, becoming flustered in an instant.
"Hey Climb!" Gazef called out. Immediately the boy sheathed his weapon and did a 90 degree bow, "Master Stronoff, I didn't expect you to be here this early. May I help you?" The Warrior Captain sighed. "You're even worse than me you know, always so stiff and formal, just call me Gazef. As for why I'm here, well, Brain and I are going to get beat up by Pyke at the adventurer's guild, so I thought it'd be prudent to warm up."
Climb tilted his head, "You and Sir Unglaus beat? I can hardly imagine such a scenario, Ma-, I mean, Sir Gazef. I recognize that the man is strong and brutal, but surely he couldn't beat you, could he?" Gazef shook his head at the boy's insistence on formalities, "In a fight where we're both at our peak? I'd be lucky to last a second! I'm sure Blue Rose will be there, ask them to tell you the story next time you see them. How about a spar? I need to be ready."
Climb gladly accepted the lesson from the, according to Gazef, second strongest man in the kingdom. Gazef on the other hand knew that this would be the only time he would do the beating instead of receiving it today, whether verbally from nobles, or literally from Pyke...
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It was business as usual in the adventurer's guild. Adventurer parties of all ranks, shapes and sizes sat around, searching, planning and discussing their next quests. Even Blue Rose, the adamantite team, was there that day. Suddenly the door opened with a creak, all the people inside instinctively looked at who was coming in. When they saw who it was, all noise in the guild stopped.
First came in a tall black man, covered in scars, using a massive beast's jaws as pauldrons, and wearing a red bandana with a pattern similar to that of razor sharp teeth. His clothes were greenish and brown, seemingly plain to the untrained eye, but adventurers had an eye for quality and that armour was superb and soaked with magic. On his hip was a bone harpoon, an odd choice of weapon, as well as a rolled up scroll, both of which were simple, yet beautiful, surrounded by an aura of power that surpassed even that of Lakyus' cursed sword, Kilineiram.
The other two were instantly recognized by everyone in the building, Gazef Stronoff, clad in all of the kingdom's treasures, a very rare sight to see. The other was his arch-rival and second best swordsman in the kingdom, the blue-haired Brain Unglaus. Blue Rose was looking at the curious sight, wondering what the trio was doing here, as none of the three were proper adventurers, at least as far as they knew.
The eyes of the adventurers followed them as they made their way to the counter. "Here is my form for becoming an adventurer." said the unnamed man, sliding a document over to the receptionist. "Additionally, as a test of strength to gain the adamantite rank immediately, I will fight Gazef and Brain by myself. Is that fine?" Shocked gasps from all the adventurers present, drawing the Guild Master, Emilia Lirara, out of her office. She was a one-eyed, retired mythril adventurer, and a taskmaster harsh enough to make even Blue Rose cower against her scolding.
"What is this racket?!" she shouted over the railing. "Seems some people are surprised I want to fight Gazef and Brain in exchange for getting adamantite." answered Pyke. The Guild Master scrutinised the man who said that with her one good eye. "Ha, if you can do that and win I'll hand you adamantite myself! But I'll surely enjoy seeing your ego get taken down a notch! Hahaha!" All the adventurers laughed with her, except Blue Rose, who found this situation very odd, particularly the willingness of Gazef and Brain to go along with it. They all made their way to the courtyard in order to watch what they thought would be a one-sided beating. And they were right, but not about the side that experienced the beating.
"Aight Gazzy, Brain. Use your little martial arts, I'll wait." said Pyke, twirling and flipping his hook with obvious skill. The two men merely nodded, it was as agreed on beforehand after all. The adventurers however all looked at him with surprise. Sure, he looked strong, tall and a mountain of muscle, but that wouldn't be enough to stand against these two titans of swordsmanship, especially if he gave them time to activate their strengthening martial arts.
Blue Rose however was more and more concerned. They've seen confidence, false and true, overconfidence and underestimation, but never to this extent. The way Brain and Gazef simply accepted this, the serious look, the sheer amount of killing intent they exuded. It all spoke of them trying to kill this man, who was like a calm lake, not even noticing their bloodlust and not emitting any of his own. Even Lakyus and Gagaran, the two main melee fighters in the team would lose against the duo of a fully outfitted Gazef and Brain. What were they about to witness?
Once the three fighters confirmed their readiness, the signal was given by the guild master.
Gazef immediately launched himself at Pyke, leaving a crater in the dirt from where he started. Brain ran to the side of his opponent, attempting to catch him in a pincer attack. "[Martial Art: God Flash]!" He cried out, aiming at the neck of his opponent. "[Martial Art: Sixfold Slash of Light]!" yelled Gazef, knowing that he had to limit Pyke's movement to even hope to hit him. They both knew this fight was merely for show, but they might as well try their best. The adventurers' eyes widened when they saw that both fighters used their ultimate techniques out the gate. Lakyus was getting ready to use resurrection magic, but then the impossible happened.
The blades went through Pyke, as was expected, but it wasn't because he was there, what they hit was an afterimage. At least, that was what Gazef's strikes hit as Brain's attack never reached the afterimage, the back of the katana caught by Pyke who now stood in front of him, demonstrating his incalculable speed. "Still too slow!" he said, picking Brain up by the throat and tossing him, lightly by Pyke's standards, but still across the training grounds that served as a makeshift arena. "[Dreamer's Prison]!" exclaimed the Ripper, casting the Tier 10 containment spell, putting Brain into an overlapping dream reality, colours and space-time changing and warping, from which almost none could escape. Tier 10 was overkill, but it was to demonstrate his power, so might as well put on a bit of a show.
Gazef charged at Pyke, slashing at him with his legendary blade, Razor's Edge. He was, evidently to the crowd, just getting toyed with, as Pyke parried every strike, leaving Gazef wide open, and instead of ending the fight, he merely threw him around like a doll with grips and swipes of the leg. After a few minutes of this dance Pyke moved like a blur, putting his harpoon to Gazef's neck. "I surrender." Gazef said, at which point Pyke let him go and dispelled the Brain's cage.
"Not bad, you both got better, but you still lack raw physical strength. Also, your footwork is trash." commented Pyke, as if the two best swordsmen in the kingdom were his students. "Listen, I've no clue what the fuck was going on. Never cast that spell on me again, I saw some really weird shit. What even was that?" asked Brain, dizzy as all hell. "Tier 10 containment spell, [Dreamer's Prison]. It could even contain me for a while, since it puts you in an alternate reality, tricky fuckin' thing."
Pyke then looked at the Guild Master, who, along with the other adventurers, had her mouth agape. "It's rude to stare. Does that suffice for adamantite?" Pyke asked, tapping his foot as the woman tested his patience. "Uuuuuuuuuuh, um, yes, but what in the name of the Four do you mean Tier 10?! That doesn't exist! The Gods could only cast Tier 8!" spoke the Guild Master, asking the question that is on everyone's mind. "That's because your Gods were weak. I can cast Tier 10, easily at that. Do you want me to flood the entire capital city with one to prove it!? So ye got someone stronger than a God asking for an adamantite plate after proving himself, shouldn't ya hand it over?!"
"Ah, of course." She said, handing him the plate, "I hope you do understand how hard that is to believe though…" Pyke took out a scroll, one containing the spell [Mana Essence], and threw it at Evileye, the magic caster of Blue Roses. "Oi, use that scroll so you can see what Tier I can cast. I'll disable my divination blocking." he said, taking off his ring of concealment. Evileye shrugged, and did what she was told. Immediately upon use she fell on her back, screaming and retching. Blue Rose drew their weapons, "What did you do to her?!" Lakyus shouted.
Pyke merely shrugged, "Not only is my mana overwhelming to perceive, but my magics are darker than the most forbidden necromantic arts. Did no one ever tell you that when you gaze into the abyss, it gazes back into you? Don't worry, she has the mental fortitude to survive, I didn't choose her without reason… Now then I'm gonna grab a drink, care to join me Brain, since Gazef has to go guard the king?" said Pyke. "After that hellish spell? I'm all in." They were about to walk out when Evileye managed to recover enough to shout at Pyke, "Are you a God!?" He turned to her and chuckled, "Haha, funny. No, I'm a hunter. I kill Gods." The last thing that was said before the adventurers broke up to discuss what happened was a quiet murmur from the Guild Master, "A butcher of nobles, hunter of Gods and an adventurer? How will I manage him?"
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Blue Rose had just finished their quest and were now relaxing in their booth in the adventurer's guild. The team was composed of five women and was famous throughout all the human nations. Their leader, a former noble who revoked her title, Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, wielder of the famous Demonic Sword Kilineiram that once belonged to the Black Knight of the 13 heroes. She was a cleric of moderate height and the only person in Re-Estize that could cast Tier 5 resurrection magic. Renowned for skill and beauty to rival even Princess Renner, long blonde hair and glistening emerald eyes, characteristic of that of the citizens of the Kingdom. She was the team's main celebrity.
Their warrior was Gagaran, about whom not much was known. Her massive war pick and her armour, Gaze Bane, were, of course, iconic, but not nearly as much as her height. At around 205 centimetres, she was the tallest person in the kingdom. About where she came from, how she got to Re-Estize and anything about her family remained a mystery. Yet she was always the cheerful, hot-headed mass of muscle that her team knew and loved, with a jawline sharp enough to cut diamonds.
The two twins, Tia and Tina. Ninjas and former assassins of Ijaniya, the organisation they were raised into, alongside their older sister Tian, who now runs the thing. They were sent to assassinate Lakyus, who turned the tables on them, taking them in after their defeat. First they looked for an opening to kill her, but later they fully joined her team, body and mind. Tina is a complete blabbermouth, rather ill fit for a former assassin, making her sister constantly stop her from leaking secrets. Identical in all, but clothing colour, they dressed simple leather tunics and baggy pants, their hair done up in a pseudo-ponytail, in order to not let it fall in their eyes, lest they miss a vital strike.
Finally Evileye, one of the strongest magic casters in the world. Unbeknownst to her teammates, she is a vampire, a notorious vampire lord at that. Formerly known as "Landfall," she was defeated by the thirteen heroes after destroying an entire country and joined their fight against the Evil Deities. And yet, she has to live in secret, hidden behind a mask, from even those closest to her, the reason for her turning into a vampire being a mystery that forever wormed her way into her mind. Almost none knew what she looked like behind the mask, her body stuck in the form of a 12 year old girl.
Today, their eyes were drawn to a newcomer who came in alongside Gazef Stronoff and Brain Unglaus. Tina leaned in, so that only her companions would hear her, "I'm pretty sure that is the guy who killed and displayed the nobles in front of the palace…" Her sister nodded to confirm that. Evileye replied with her monotone voice, its tone regulated by the mask, "So what? Any brutal executioner can do that, and they were corrupt anyway. But I do wonder what Stronoff and Unglaus are doing with him."
They followed the others upon hearing about the bout that was about to go in. Not everyday did they see people on their, or even a higher level in the case of Gazef, fight. What they saw next was shocking. Brain's katana was grabbed and he was tossed like a leaf by the wind, sealed in unknown magic. Lakyus immediately asked her team, "Tia, Tina, Evileye. Did he use magic to move? And what spell is that?" The twins looked at each other and nodded, evidently silently coming to a conclusion, "It wasn't' a,'' began Tia, "ninja technique or anything like that." finished Tina. "He didn't use magic to move and I don't recognise the spell..." Gagaran had to interject upon hearing that, "So you mean he moved fast enough to catch that!?"
With Brain outside of the fight, Blue Rose expected the fully geared Gazef to still be at an advantage, but what followed was even more astonishing than grabbing Unglaus' blade. Gazef, the strongest warrior in the Kingdom, who would win a one on one fight with all the melee fighters of Blue Rose, was being toyed with like a child. His strikes were parried, legs were swept, he was thrown over his opponent with various grips, had his wind knocked out of him by precise strikes that affected him even with the adamantite armour he was wearing.
Gagaran, as the resident warrior, had to comment, "Oi oi, this isn't funny. How is he this strong?! I wouldn't even stand a chance!" All the other party members had to agree, this man was above even the realm of heroes. However, Tia made an astute observation, "That is an assassin's style." The way held his serrated harpoon, the way he parried and what he targeted, they were the hallmarks of a skilled assassin. For someone who fights from the shadows to be able to toy with the Warrior Captain was simply impossible for them to comprehend. Assassins fought from the shadows, duelling a warrior in the light was, after all, meant to be a losing battle.
Once the fight went on for long enough, the man was nothing more than a blur as he put the hook to Gazef's neck, all they could do was stare like the other adventurers, even Evileye's jaw wide open behind her mask. Then he mentioned something impossible, Tier 10 magic. Immediately, all of Blue Rose turned to their petite magic caster. "Shorty, is that even a thing?" asked Gagaran. "Supposedly. I only know of it because of a mythical book in Eryuentiu that is supposed to have every spell ever written, and it mentions Tier 10. The highest the Gods and Greed Kings could supposedly cast was Tier 8 so I'm not sure…"
When Pyke threw the scroll at Evileye and told her to use it, her teammates trusted that she would be fine, after all she'd just be looking at his mana right? As the scroll burnt up into heatless, blue flame, it felt like a massive explosion went off in front of her. She recoiled at the power that emanated from this man. But this wasn't what normal mana felt like, it was pure malice, evil from the darkest abyss. If not for her undead constitution she would have surely lost her mind as the dark magics reached out for her soul. Seeing this, her comrades took to their arms, scared as they were, they would still fight for Evileye, but the man simply left, answering Evileye's question in the most concerning way, for what is worse than a God, if not a being that hunts them?
"What in the hell did you see?!" asked Lakyus, concern evident in her voice. The entire team was still in shock, so were the other adventurers, looking at Evileye with both concern and fascination. "Not here, go to our room." she managed to say in-between breaths. And so they did, moving to their reserved suite inside the adventurer's guild, built specifically for them.
"So what was it that you saw?" repeated Lakyus, still trying to grasp the idea that a magic caster of her proficiency could be incapacitated by simply looking at someone's mana. They were seated in a circle, the chairs brought in from different rooms. "He wasn't lying… That magic was easily Tier 10. But it wasn't normal magic, it was… wrong somehow. It felt older, more evil. When I looked at him it was like looking into an abyss full of the darkest and most forbidden arts. If what we know about the Gods is true, he must be stronger than them."
"I understand how it must feel, similar to how my cursed blade speaks to me." Lakyus said, prompting the blade to answer, 'Are you fucking kidding me? Compared to that guy I'm a toothpick!' As if Evileye could hear the blade, she confirmed its statement, "No. If you would have seen that you would have, at best, gone immediately gone insane. That monster is beyond us."
"So what do we do? He hasn't technically done anything bad yet? I think we should talk to him. If he gets along with Unglaus and Gazef then he can't be that bad!" Said Gagaran. Tia sighed, "Except for killing those nobles." "Who were corrupt." corrected Tina. "Okay, we'll go talk to him. Everyone in favour?" said Lakyus, casting the vote. They all nodded, making their way to the tavern area of the adventurer's guild below.
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It wasn't hard to find the man, he and Unglaus were evidently having a good time, drinking something odd that none of Blue Rose have ever seen. You'd expect him to be bombarded by questions, and yet the area around him looked practically deserted. Surely not all the adventurer's had the intelligence to not mess with him, and with liquid courage flowing through their veins Pyke shouldn't have gone for long without someone pestering him for one reason or another.
When they began walking towards him it became evident why no one was coming up to him, the pressure emanating from him was difficult to withstand even for them, but they gritted their teeth and walked towards his table. Evidently he knew they were coming, as when Lakyus was about to call out to him, the pressure vanished and he turned to them, standing up to be on eye-level. "Blue Rose." he said, extending his hand to them one by one.
First were the twin ninjas, "Tia and Tina Ijaniya. Good to see fellow killers. I'm surprised Tian hasn't come after you." This startled them, knowing that they used to be leaders of the assassination group was already alarming, but the knowledge of their sister was only available to few. Of course, this was all the effect of [Hunter's List] granting him the information as they interacted. "How do you-" began Tia, "Know that?" finished Tina, raising their eyebrows. "I look down at the world from the bottom of the sea, so of course I know many things."
Next was Gagaran, who attempted to test his grip. Pyke responded by slightly tightening his hold, making the massive woman buckle and fall on her knees due to the strength. "For a former princess, you're not bad." The other team members all looked at Gagaran, with shock, even the usually emotionless twins. "What does he mean?!" yelled Lakyus. "Um, nothing. It's long behind me anyway." Gagaran expertly dodged the question, dismissing it with a wave of her hand.
He moved on to Evileye, "Keno Fasris Invern, more former royalty. One of mine, in part, as well." He leaned in closer to whisper to the stunned magic caster, "That platinum lizard knows why you are like this." At this Evileye exploded, "How do you know all this?! That name has been buried for centuries! And what did you mean by the next part!?" Pyke merely shrugged, "I just didn't know which title to use, and it'd be rather problematic if I chose the wrong one, no?" Realising what he was implying, with her old title of "Landfall." She shut up worried about just how much this man could reveal.
Finally, their team's leader, "Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, carrier of a slightly inconvenient toothpick. Hand that blade to me and I'll silence it. I never expected that one to be so yappy as it turned out to be." All these revelations were overheating her brain, while the sword screamed in her mind, 'No, please! I'll be a good sword. Whatever you do, anything, but not him!' Noticing how the normally calm blade was panicking, she decided against the offer. "Your loss." Pyke said, "So what does a team that couldn't even wipe out the Sunlight Scripture want from me?"
"Where did you hear that from?" asked Lakyus. "Nigun, who I killed. And his men that I captured. Anyway, you come from a noble background, so you should know that answering a question with a question is not polite. What do you want from me?" At this point Brain Unglaus interjected, "I'll give you the same tip Gazef gave me, don't piss Pyke off."
"Unglaus, how did you even meet this guy?" Pyke was beginning to get impatient with some aura leaking out of him, foot impatiently tapping the floor boards. "I got my ass handed to me by Gazef on the road and decided to join up." He noticed his friend was about to draw his harpoon and make them answer his question, "And if you don't want a harpoon in the torso, I recommend you answer him."
Lakyus cleared her throat, "We'd just like to talk and learn about our new colleague of the adamantite rank, is that so wrong?" She put on her most charming smile, confident that it'll help smooth things so over. Until Pyke brutally shut her down, "If ya think lookin' pretty'll give you anything more than a hook in the gut for being a noble, then you are dead wrong." Even Brain found this harsh, "Relax man, it's just what she's used to during talks. You know better than anyone that nobles would do anything for a pretty lady! Here, drink some more rum." he said as he slid over an ornate glass of brown-gold drink, from which Pyke took a long sip.
"Aah, that's better. Come, sit down, drink and eat." said Pyke, his patience replenished thanks to the drink. The drinks and food were sailor classics, rum and fish & chips, a true sailor's lunch. Lakyus began talking, noticing the improved mood of Pyke, "Well, we'd like to know why you are in the kingdom…" Pyke took another gulp of rum, "So a man can't just wash up and be invited somewhere by a newly made friend? I kill things. That's what I do. Nobles, beasts, Gods, doesn't matter."
"So who are you here to kill besides those nobles from earlier?" asked Tina. "Probably the entire administration of the Slane Theocracy and Baharuth Empire if they don't listen to me." All of them, including Brain, widened their eyes. Gagaran choked on her drink, "And why is that?" Pyke tilted his head at her question, "Simple, slavery. It's a matter of opinion and circumstance whether races think they're better or whether to eat one another. If they don't change…" he took his harpoon out and stabbed it into the table, "I'll make them."
"That's, um, admirable?" said Lakyus. Sitting across from someone who had the supposed power of a God was certainly stressful. "You don't have any quests to do in mind right now?" she asked. "I'm gonna go get that special herb that's in the Great Forest of Tob. Some mithril and orichalcum teams went there and disappeared so it should be fun." Evileye jumped on the opportunity to question this man who seemingly knew the secret of how her country was destroyed in private, "Mind if we join you?"
The other members of Blue Rose were sceptical of the man and were on board with the idea in order to learn more about him. Of course, Pyke himself wasn't stupid and knew the reason behind the suggestion, "Why not? If you die, you better pay me for Tier 9 resurrection magic wands. We leave tomorrow at noon. Don't get horses, I'll have something better."
And so, Pyke left, going out to the streets as the sun was going down, leaving behind a very confused Blue Rose.
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He already had a destination in mind. Tracking the fat marshal that was being paid off by the Eight Fingers wasn't hard. Once he was on the list, it was as simple as getting on the rooftops and jumping from one to another. He was heading towards a dark alleyway, not too far from the Magician's guild, that would surely harass him for his magical knowledge once word of mouth spread far enough about his magic.
The sunset was beautiful, and with the wind hitting his face as he sped through the city, he truly felt free. What was not beautiful was what he expected to find at the location. The ability of his list told him it would be an underground, slave brothel for the absolutely deranged. Of course, only patrons of the Eight Fingers could enjoy the establishment and the organisation was practically untouchable, but killing some of them might make him feel a bit better.
After a few minutes he finally arrived at the disguised brothel. He kicked the steel door clean off its hinges, crushing a man who was standing at the end of the hallway against the wall with it. All the gangsters looked at him in horror, knowing that the man who just came in was more than he appeared. Pyke took out his harpoon, running over to the closest of the five men, slashing his jugular and painting the wall bright red.
2 of the 4 men left ran at him with their swords out, thinking to strike him down while he was busy, only to collapse as they fell into puddles that suddenly appeared, "[Twin Maximise Magic: Sleep With The Fishes]." Pyke said, the two men disappearing into the seemingly shallow puddles, that quickly turned red as the thugs were ripped apart by what lurked below.
The 2 other men followed their instincts and began running, only to have one of them get a harpoon through the head, and the other in the knee. The live one backed up against the wall, trying to make even the slightest bit of distance between himself and this monster. "Now, tell me where the entrance is." Pyke said, activating his [Suffocating Presence I] to further intimidate the man. The thug promptly lost control of his bowels and flooded the area with the smell of ammonia, pointing to a corner of the room. Once he did so, Pyke stabbed him through the side of the head with his hook, such scum didn't deserve to live and a short death was plenty merciful.
He disarmed the trap and made his way down there, coming to a large room with many boxes. His senses pinpointed two people who were making their way here through what Pyke figured was a secret tunnel. He stood on top of the box so that he would be out of view when they exited. After a few minutes, the box was kicked out and two men came into view. One very spindly, dressed akin to a male prostitute and caked in make-up. The other one was what you'd expect a stereotypical cutthroat to look like, dressed in slightly magical, green gear.
They came into Pyke's view, his presence completely extinguished via [Ghostwater Dive]. "Huh, seems like they haven't made it here yet." the cutthroat said while looking around, before Pyke jumped on them from above, grabbing their heads and smashing them into the floor, knocking the two out. "Let's see what the tides have brought…" he said, taking out his list to identify the men.
The one in green was one of the rumoured Six Arms of the security division. Succulent, as he was called, was an illusionist and a fencer, the weakest of the six. The other man was the one he was hired to protect, the head of the slavery division, Cocco Doll. "Nice catch." Pyke said to himself, these after all would make for a good example. He bound them and moved on into the actual brothel.
The moment he walked through the door of the storage room, into the corridor, his enhanced senses picked up all kinds of noise from the insulated rooms. Cries of women, the vile laughing of the men on top of them, the sound of punches being thrown and finding their fleshy marks, along metallic and leather instruments that could only be used for torture. Only because of not wanting to harm the innocents kept here did he not unleash the full brunt of his [Suffocating Presence V] levelling the entire building into the fucking ground.
He walked into the nearest room, kicking the door open, shattering it into a million pieces. "Huh?!" cried out Deputy Chief Staffan Heivish, "Who are you?! Don't you know who I am?!" The intruder hastily walked towards him, grabbing him by the throat, to Heiveish's surprise and immediate concern, managing to lift the morbidly obese, mockery of a public servant off of the ground and choking him to unconsciousness.
Pyke walked up to the girl, a godly potion, by the New World's standards, in hand, and poured it on her. The girl healed up almost immediately, grabbing the covers of the bed and backing off from the strange man, in fear that he would be even worse than the last. "Calm down, you're safe now. I knocked out the pig who was here." he said, kicking the unconscious deputy in the ribs. He took out some of the worthless level 1 cosmetics he had in his inventory, "Get dressed and wait in the corridor. If there are sounds of violence, it means I'm doing something right. What's your name anyway?"
"...T-T-T-Tsuare, m-my... l-lord." the girl answered. Blonde hair and blue eyes, pretty, but plain. "No honorifics with me, I'm not like noble pigs, just a common man. Tsuare, get dressed and help other girls do so. All the bad people already are, or soon will be, dead or unconscious." With these ways he went on to repeat the cycle, kicking in doors, knocking out the patron, healing the girl and having them go to Tsuare. Once it was done, he had only one idea of where the girls would be safe, a place he visited early during his arrival in the capital, Gazef Stronoff's house.
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He opened an [Abyssal Gate] to it, his equivalent to the Tier 9 [Gate] spell, and gently guided them through it, "Come, you'll be safe with a friend of mine on the other side." When they all passed through he moved after them, arriving in front of the larger than average house, walking up and banging on the door. Eventually, a drowsy looking Gazef opened up the door, rubbing his eyes. "By the Four, who knocks on my door at this hour? Oh, Pyke." he looked at the 20 or so women behind him. "I hope you aren't bringing me 'comfort' like you pranked me last time."
All the women flinched at this, only to gasp when Pyke slapped Gazef so hard the captain spun on his heel with the momentum, "These are slaves I rescued from an Eight Fingers brothel! Mind your words!" Gazef bowed to the woman upon hearing those words and a feeling of great shame overcame him, "I apologise for my behaviour and inability to save you from the Eight Fingers as the Warrior Captain."
"Better. Keep 'em safe, house 'em, clothe 'em, everything. I have a job to do." Pyke dropped a bag of gold as compensation and disappeared
The next morning, a message to the corrupt would be clearly visible in the main square. Armed with his harpoon, thirst for revenge and a [Silence] scroll so his work wouldn't interrupt anyone's sleep, he would show the Eight Fingers what happened to those who displeased him.
King Ramposa III didn't sleep well. Firstly, he was plagued by nightmares of what the newest adamantite adventurer had done in his court. Secondly, he was awoken by loud banging on his door with the Sun barely out. He quickly got up, dressed in some basic attire, not wanting to bother with the maids at this hour, and let the person in. That person was none other than Gazef Stronoff.
The captain bowed to his liege, "Good morning Your Majesty. I bring news. Firstly, around 20 former slaves have been rescued by Sir Pyke and he has asked me to house them. I ask if you would want to get involved." The king deliberated for a second, "Well, it certainly would boost the common people's opinion of me. I will help in any way I can." Gazef nodded, "Secondly, I wish to bring you to the town square so you may see why helping them out of that desire instead of benevolence might not be advisable. Please follow me."
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The King avoided getting a procession with him, taking only Gazef. They mounted their horses and made it to the square. Many more people than there should be were out and about, many shrieking when gazing upon the centre of the plaza. Ramposa already came to the conclusion that it must have something to do with the Ripper and his rescue of slaves. He shuddered, unable to suppress the feeling of dread that was overcoming him as he made his way closer to the square.
And when he set his eyes on it, his intuition was correct. In the centre were around 25 bodies, mutilated, flayed and exsanguinated, stuck on around 20 metre spears, a display of cruelty surpassing even the Bloody Court. Underneath each spear was written the name of the victim and their crime. The ones in the front, with a spear passing through their rectum and out their mouths were marked as the head of the Eight Fingers slavery division and as one of the Six Arms.
On the flags a banner was hung. The black banner displayed a turquoise hook, behind it a single, blue glowing eye. A symbol of terror that brought only one man to mind. His deeds have already brought him infamy, his name on the mouths of the entire capital, and soon even the Kingdom and beyond. Soon all would know this banner, and the corrupt would cower before it.
Underneath it all, sat the perpetrator. He sat on a comfortable looking chair of unknown material that had him in an almost lying down position, his legs supported by a footrest, the back of it tilting backwards, letting him look at the sky. In his hand, an exotic fruit called a coconut with the top of it cut off, a little umbrella and straw in it, Pyke sipping from it and relaxing next to his handiwork.
All Ramposa could do was yell at the monster, "What have you done this time, butcher?!" Pyke turned his head to him, "I did what you and your pathetic nobles couldn't. I rescued slaves and killed the perpetrators. This," he said, pointing at the bodies, "is just the starting signal. Also, Cocco Doll and I had an interesting talk, did you know your son frequents illegal slave brothels? Did you know he is working with the Eight Fingers?"
Pyke stood up and began shouting, "The crown prince of Re-Estize is engaging in criminal activity warranting execution! Including human trafficking, cultivation of drugs and more! What about you, the common people? Side-lined and disgraced so that nobles and royalty can line their pockets! Now what, your majesty, will you do as a righteous king should and execute your son for what he has done?! Raping and killing women for his depraved pleasure! If you don't, I will. Choose wisely. Before you cry out for lack of proof, take this. Ask your youngest daughter for details. Justice for the people, one way or another..." He threw a bundle of letters at Ramposa and walked away.
The people were invigorated. None ever stood up to nobility and adventurers didn't get involved in politics as a rule. But this man was evidently one of action, standing tall and proud against the filth of the kingdom. And so, the people began chanting, "Justice! Justice! Justice!" They began picking things up and throwing everything at the king, rocks, fruits and anything else. Gazef did his best to shield the king, reluctant to massacre the peasants as some might have.
The king barely kept up his appearance, "Let's go back to the castle, Gazef." And so they did, Gazef simultaneously proud of Pyke's actions in dealing with the Eight Fingers, but angry that he had caused so much pain to his liege, who loved his children more than even the kingdom, almost inciting a rebellion in the process. Now, he had to choose whether to doom everything and let his son die, or kill his son.
When they made their way back, the king called for his children. They all arrived, dropping decorum as they were in a private area. "What is it father?" asked Renner, genuinely confused by the summon. "Tell me Barbro, is it true?" asked the king. "Is what true father? I am a man of many deeds after all!" boasted the first prince. "Your dealings with the Eight Fingers…" Upon hearing this Barbro took a step back, all but confirming what the Ripper said. Ramposa exploded, "You stupid impetulant child! You were born with everything! Status, money, power and yet you thirsted for more! Signed your own execution warrant!" He threw the letters of correspondence between various leaders of the Eight Fingers and his son on the floor. "The Ripper now makes me choose between an uprising or killing you!" he slumped back into the massive chair.
"F-father, relax. it's true I dealt with these individuals, but it was subterfuge to later expose them! Let us go kill this peasant and any who stand with him and be done with it." Barbro proposed, sweating bullets. "Impossible, he would kill us all before we scratch him. I'm sorry my son, but you doomed yourself. Barbro Andrean Ield Ryle Vaiself you shall be hanged for treason to the crown and various other illegal activities. Your titles will be revoked on the day of execution. Gazef! Take him away…" The Warrior Captain entered, subduing the now rabid first son of the king and taking him to his jail cell.
Now it was just Zanac, Renner and Ramposa. The king turned to Renner, "You knew about him." It wasn't a question and almost caused Renner to lose her mask of innocence. "Yes Father, but I didn't want to force you to make a choice like that…" Ramposa sighed, "I understand child, but it seems that not only is there no mercy for the wicked, but they grant me none either."
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The 7 remaining bosses of the Eight Fingers were in a frenzy during the meeting discussing Cocco Doll's and Barbro's demise. Not only did they lose a division head, but the backing of someone with the authority of the crown! "We need to kill this fucker! Nobody gets away with attacking us!" yelled Zero, who's intelligence was reversely proportional to his strength and he was on the level of an adamantite adventurer.
"First the Roses and now this guy. Rumours say he has the powers of a God, but it's just rumours." said the leader of the drug division, Hilma Cyganeus, currently stoned out of her mind on her own supply to cope with the stress. She used to be a high class prostitute, but climbed the ranks with cunning and intelligence.
Noah Zweden, Endio Aramas, Oscas Papira, Prion Polson and Olin Cambur, the heads of the gambling, smuggling, assassination, banking and larceny, weren't nearly as concerned, their businesses much less discoverable and thus not in danger from the adventurers. Their consensus was that, while unfortunate, it didn't matter. They were all rivals and Cocco Doll was on his way out with the ban of the slave trade anyway. The loss of Barbro hurt, but it was recoverable.
Their executive, Hiron Tempusa, banged his gavel akin to a judge, "Zero, do whatever you want. The rest of us will continue business as usual and try to reach out to Prince Zanac as a potential business partner." And so, they dispersed, blissfully unaware of just what kind of predator had set his eyes on them.
After arranging things with the adventurer's guild, Pyke met up with Blue Rose, raising a hand in greeting. Lakyus and Gagaran had sour expressions, the twins were emotionless as always and Evileye's mask was unreadable. "You really did it this time…" said Lakyus. "If you will defend slavers and rapists you better do it where I can't hear you or your famed beauty will be ruined by a harpoon!" he snapped back.
Evileye had to intervene, "Enough! What you did was good, but the display was just a bit much for them. Now, you said you'd have something better than horses?" Lakyus broke away from the butcher's gaze, unable to withstand the swirling madness within them. "Yes, come to the courtyard." They followed him to a large, open training ground, the same one his fight with Brain and Gazef took place.
"[Call of the King: Abyssal Worms]" he said, having 6 creatures materialise in front of him. They were at least 10 metres long, built like a massive worm. A gaping maw was seen at the front, crooked and sharp teeth jutting out from it as it drooled on the ground. It had turquoise scales, three spikes on top of its head, glassy white eyes and purple spots. Its tail at the end had black webbing, presumably used in swimming. The entire creature was wreathed in a black mist. And the strangest part? They were hovering above the ground.
The members of Blue Rose jumped back at the appearance of the monstrosities, that each seemed to be stronger than them. "What are you scared of? This is our ride." Pyke said as he climbed atop the saddle the worm had on its back. "We're flying straight to the location, it'll take us a couple days since you are beginners." Eventually, the adventurers regained their senses and clambered atop the beasts, leaving for an adventure they soon wouldn't forget.
For them, a journey of monsters, truths revealed, more questions posed, fuelled by this mysterious man. But for Pyke? It was just another day…
(AN: Thank you for reading chapter 3! Today's fic recommendation is [A Theory on Godhood: An Overlord Story] by Konahrik3115! It goes hard and you should go read it! Anyway, hope you enjoyed the story so far! As always, more to come and look forward to the rest of the main cast being introduced in the next chapter!)