[Epilogue]
The door to the adventurer's guild opened and in walked 4 legends, 2 living and 2 undead. In Pyke's hand was the flower that was in extremely high demand in the guild, as well as a bit of odd bark. He walked up to the receptionist, "We found out what happened to the other teams. A Demon God killed them." Everyone that was listening-in gasped, a storm of rumours about Pyke going from a raging fire to the very flames of hell. "Some big fuck-off tree named Zy-ahh, Za-, Ze-..."
Evileye pitched in, "Zy'tl Q'ae. One of the ancient Demon Gods, a treant that was sealed in the Great Forest of Tob."
Pyke snapped his fingers and pointed at the short magic caster, "That's the one! This flower was on top of it and here's some bark from it as proof, if you don't trust even the testimony of 3 former Blue Rose members." The receptionist was already bewildered, but that last part caught her so off-guard that it was the verbal equivalent of having her legs swept.
"What do you mean 'former' members?" she asked.
Evileye merely shook her head, "Tia, Tina and I are leaving Blue Rose. Call it a falling out. Here are our adamantite plates." she said, as she put 3 plates of the precious metal on the table.
"And I'm retiring as well. I'll see ya in E-Rantel as a private contractor. Things are going to get a bit too… political for me to remain an adventurer." He tossed his plate on the desk and turned around, ready to walk out, but he was interrupted by a shout belonging to the guild master.
"Wait! We can't lose 2 adamantite teams at once! It'll be a disaster!"
Pyke sighed, "I just killed a Demon God so it's not a bad time to retire, you know? And I told you I can be hired privately in E-Rantel. If, or rather when, word leaks of what I did in the Slane Theocracy you'll be glad to have me gone." He raised his hand and waved goodbye to all those in the guild.
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"We are gathered here to witness the trial and execution of First Prince Barbro Andrean Ield Ryle Vaiself for crimes against the kingdom and its citizens." announced the town crier. The crowd was huge, larger than even the one at the time of the coronation of Ramposa III, who was immensely popular in the past. An execution of a member of the Royal Family was something unheard of! And like any good execution, it was a means of entertainment for the general populace. Not only was the first prince not very popular, but after his crimes were revealed he was hated. Born with everything and soon to be dead with nothing.
The gallows were set up, Barbo bound and gagged in a chair, made a spectacle for the inhabitants of the capital city. 'These dirty peasants! I'll make them pay! I'll kill them all! They should wish to even catch a glimpse of me in their lives!' he thought to himself. His dealings with the Eight Fingers were purely business, nothing more! Sure he killed a couple slaves in the brothels, sure he smuggled illegal goods, sure he helped in the drug operations, but it was all for hi-, the good of the kingdom of course.
King Ramposa III took the stage, followed by Gazef, Prince Zanac and Princess Renner. He took a seat in the area that was prepared for him, a few gaudy looking chairs and a table with documents sprawled over it. "Barbo Andrean Ield Rule Vaiself, you stand accused of high treason, smuggling, slavery and more. As of now you are no longer a member of the Royal Family and all your titles are stripped from you!" Ramposa bellowed, his baritone voice being the only remnant of his youth.
It hurt, it hurt so bad to be forced to execute his son, but he was forced into a corner by that damnable Pyke! Even if he had to exile Barbo, imprison him or do anything of the sort, this still hurt the most out of the possibilities. He was a horrible man, but he was his son first, criminal second. The revoking of titles was more of a formality and an attempt to salvage their reputation, since it wouldn't technically be an execution of a royal family member if his titles were revoked, essentially disowning him. The public wouldn't see it this way, nobody would, but in a kingdom like Re-Estize which was one step from civil war at all times, every move counted.
"You are hereby sentenced to death by hanging!" the king managed to yell out, not breaking his stoic façade, which would have given the nobles an opening to gain back power. The warrior captain did the honours, putting the noose over the struggling Barbro's head, tightening it to ensure a quick snap of the neck would be his end. Stepping over to the lever, Gazef pulled, accompanied by both a grim satisfaction at cleansing the kingdom and a wave of sadness as he realised how much pain this event was causing his liege.
The floor gave out from under the former prince, a loud crack heard by all gathered as silence permeated the town square. It was in this silence a cheer rang out, "That was fuckin' great!" a man yelled out, his voice rough and deep. He began clapping as everyone turned to see who wanted to risk the ire of the royal family by performing such a foolish display of bravado. The one they saw was none other than the Bloody Butcher himself, his name and appearance renowned all over Re-Estize and surely soon the surrounding countries after his slaying of a Demon God, actions in the court and against the Eight Fingers, and forcing the very execution that just happened. It seemed to everyone that the man was practically invincible in manner both political, physical and magical.
In his hand was an odd-looking basket made of a material similar to paper, striped in white and red. Inside it appeared to be small, white, deformed spheres that he was shovelling into his mouth, biting down on them with satisfying crunches following. "Hahahaha! I didn't believe you'd actually do it!" he laughed. Before the king could cry out to apprehend this disrespectful maggot that had forced his hand, the man disappeared like a ghost, jumping into the air and diving into the ghostly water that was his trademark.
Defeated once again, Ramposa was escorted back to his room in the palace, causing a massive amount of damage as he destroyed anything he could in an attempt to vent. How could he deal with a man who the people loved and was more powerful than anyone at his disposal? Unknowingly to him, he wouldn't have to deal with the living world for much longer…
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Nfirea was finally dragged out of his room by Enri when he didn't appear outside for over 2 days, prompting the goblins to follow their general's orders and break down the door. Only to end up wheezing like hell and gas almost half the village with noxious, purple smoke. The man himself was sprawled out on the ground, evidently passed out from pulling one too many all-night alchemy sessions. This led to the invention of a crude gasmask as getting to him in order to even grab his leg was not something they were willing to endure.
Finally forced to eat, he did so, if only to placate Enri who had been feeling rather lonely in bed without him. Still, the boy's passion for knowledge may have surpassed that of even his passion for Enri, as he went right back to his lab immediately after lunch was over. Or at least he would have if not for the blue, warping hole in reality that signalled the arrival of someone connected to their saviour. Out of it skipped a woman dressed in rather strange protective gear that Nfirea immediately realised was not only useful when dealing with acidic substances, but also enchanted.
She took off her goggles which revealed her pitch black eyes, the magic dispelling behind her, and gave a wave to all the inhabitants of the village. Then she looked directly at Nfirea, a toothy grin firmly on her face. "Heya! I'm Trise! Minister of Alchemy in the Swimming City! Dad has big plans and he's moving over to E-Rantel or something so he'll visit more! I heard you were pretty good at alchemy, Nfi? Wanna be my apprentice? I always wanted a cute apprentice to teach! We'll stay up reading alchemical tomes, mixing herbs, learning magic and all that!"
Enri was fuming. This girl comes in and tries to take her man for more stupid alchemical experiments?! The humble village girl had to also admit that the alchemical genius was a world class beauty, her curves hidden under the coat, but undoubtedly there. 'Same interests, better than him even! And she's this pretty! Not on my watch, you harlot!" She understood Trise was probably one of the created children of Pyke and deserving of respect, but no way in hell was she going to sit back idly as Nfirea is taken from her.
As expected of a teenage boy when talking to such a pretty girl, Nfirea's face was flushed bright red. "Oh! Uuum. It'd be an h-honour, Miss Trise." he answered.
Suddenly, Enri latched onto the young pharmacist's arm, "But dear, aren't you busy helping me around?" Needless to say, the lad was caught off guard by this uncharacteristic, public display of affection.
"U-u-um, Enri, you can handle yourself right? I mean, Miss Trise can probably make things we can only dream of!"
Trise crossed her arms and lifted her head high, "Yep! I'm just the best! Also, call me Trise, we're co-workers! Now show me your workshop and what you work on! I'm new to all the local alchemy!" She spoke in that slightly too loud voice characteristic of overexcited children and young teenagers despite having the appearance of an adult woman. She was practically bouncing on the spot, her small, black wings fluttering behind her. Nfirea made his way to his makeshift laboratory, which was truly just an assortment of the tools he took from the former shop in E-Rantel.
The door was open and a scowl immediately appeared on the face of Trise. "I-i-is something wrong?" Nfirea asked timidly, scared to offend a being that could probably wipe the village from existence because of a temper tantrum.
"What is this? Where are all the pumps and the flasks and the boilers and the grinders!? No, no, no, this won't do! It won't do at all!"
Like a whirlwind Trise began renovating, odd alchemical devices with various pumps, dials and buttons replaced the traditional equipment, the wooden tables becoming acid-resistant, marble-like material. Old papers and messy materials were sorted at a preternatural speed. Shelves had their mechanics oiled and greased, various cabinets were installed, flasks were lined up by size and use. In a matter of minutes, the room went from a city ravaged by mindless undead to an actual laboratory.
Trise wiped the non-existent sweat from her brow, finally lining up the potions that were thrown around seemingly at random previously. "Yo, Nfi! Is this blue one supposed to be a healing potion?" she asked after appraising it with magic. Nfirea, surprised at the basic question, confirmed her suspicions. She turned to him with a curious look, "But, aren't healing potions red? Like this!" A minor healing potion in an ornate bottle was in her hand.
"That's God's Blood! The legendary potion that doesn't lose potency with time!" he yelled, startling even those passing by the house.
"Nope, as many Gods as my dad killed, it isn't their blood. You just kind of mix a couple herbs, throw in a bit of magic and boom! But I wanna work on something better! We can only get so many resources to make this a month. Here." she said, handing him a ring of sustenance. "Now we won't have to sleep or eat and we can do all kinds of fun things!"
And so, they disappeared for many weeks, until the steel reinforced door gave out from repeated assaults by a makeshift battering ram…
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This was one of the few times where Draudillion was alone and in her true, adult form. It was rather liberating for her, being away from the insufferable nobles and lecherous Cerabrate. Quietly she sat at the desk, accompanied only by a bottle of her favourite wine, a quill and the letter she was currently writing to the man known simply as Pyke. The various titles he had been attributed since his debut and brief time in the spotlight were numerous, but rumours said he hated honorifics if they were not necessary. It was an odd feeling to deliberately write in an informal manner, but it was manageable.
In all things, the man seemed to be the opposite of nobles, albeit rather violent, perhaps even a bit unhinged. That however wouldn't matter as long as he was capable of saving her country and would actually do so. The Theocracy, the Empire, Argland, even Karnassus, none of them helped. The retired Scripture members were being pulled out as the Theocracy practically barricaded itself from the outside world for some reason, leaving her with no hopes but this mysterious man.
Apparently he was going to become a private contractor, hireable by anyone with the cash for any purpose as long as he agreed to it. A slight weight lifted from her burdened heart when she heard that. True, her treasury was almost empty and they didn't possess any national treasures, but she would do anything to save her people, even marry the man if that was what it took!
Suddenly, as she was deep in thought about her next sentence, 'Truly, communicating with someone who despises all the flowery prose of the nobles is hard, but certainly refreshing,' a blue oval appeared in front of her desk. She, a scholar of both wild and tier magics, did not recognize the spell, and she was taught of the 8th tier by the Brightness Dragon Lord! She knew better than to scream, against someone who wielded such power the royal guards would be cattle sent to the butcher.
Out from the portal came a youth with fiery red hair, handsome enough to elicit a raised eyebrow from the Queen. Normally if a man such as this walked into the royal court he would start disputes from the noble woman and the nobles who would be cheated on, but Draudillion was not so vain as to be impressed by mere looks. A queen had a queen's duty, and making sure to keep up appearances even in front of charming young men courting her was one of them.
The young man raised an eyebrow of his own, "I'm impressed you didn't yell, your majesty. I do apologise for the intrusion, however it has come to my father's attention that you will soon seek his aid." He eyed the letter, "Or perhaps you have already begun doing so." He shook his head, "My apologies, where are my manners? I am Winston Winchester, Prime Minister of the Swimming City that my father rules. The context for now is not important. Instead, please do tell me about the issues plaguing your country." he said with a kind smile on his youthful face, the fires serving as his irises dancing wildly.
Draudillion appraised him, certainly he had the clothing of a Prime Minister from a mythical city that would be ruled by someone as powerful as Pyke supposedly was. Her draconic senses when it comes to wealth were dulled compared to an actual dragon, however even they were going haywire at the sight of the man's garments. Red and green blended seamlessly, the clothing made of a material unknown to her. The weird object on his hip emitted an even stronger sense of value and, more importantly, power. In truth, it was rather hard to control herself.
However, she did eventually relent, venting to the man as if he was her private therapist about all the bullshit that was going on, hoping to inspire enough pity in the man to at least draw Pyke's attention. The nobles' conspiracies, Cerabrate and obviously the beastmen's invasion were all topics she discussed at length. Winston sat there quietly, nodding along, eventually standing up and smoothing his clothes out. "I believe we can help with that. Not a word of this conversation leaves this room. We won't act publicly for now, yet the beastmen advance will slow down to a halt. Soon, events will be set into motion and we will publicly come to your aid. The price for this will be heavy, but I trust you won't object." With those cryptic remarks, the man left the same magical way he came, leaving Draudillion with only one thing on her mind.
"I need a drink…" she said to no one in particular, downing whatever was left of the wine in one swift go.
(AN: So that's Volume 1! Hope you've enjoyed the ride since it's not even close to being over yet! As I said in the previous author's note the next volume will concern itself with the new main cast. I haven't done much world building so far, but it'll come along eventually. This chapter's recommendation is a fic that needs no introduction and has probably done more world building than I will in my entire life, I am of course speaking of [Valkyrie's Shadow] by Aeridinae Lunaris! As always, more to come and I hope you've enjoyed the story!)