[Volume 2: Setting The Stage] [Prologue]
Fluder awoke in an odd space. It seemed to be a library that stretched into eternity, with shelves of a curious blue material stocked with books, organised by odd classifications such as "History of the Oldest World" and "Military Stratagems." The last thing he remembered was losing consciousness in the inn. Where in the name of the magical abyss was he now? He wasn't bound to the comfortable, velvet chair and there seemed to be no one around, could his captors truly just let him be here? Suddenly a man with tanned skin and black hair, holding a curious book, walked into view. Fluder stirred, his old bones creaking, "Excuse me, could you tell me where we are?" he asked, preparing his spells in case the man turns out to be hostile.
The man spun on his heel, revealing his well-formed features, characteristic of a man in his early 30s, yet retaining the handsome nature of his youth. He raised his hand in greeting, showing off orange veins that weren't covered by much skin, a smile bordering on smug plastered on his face. "Ah, my friend, finally you have awoken!" he called out. "Please, remain seated, there is much to say and explain." Fluder stopped his efforts of getting up, in truth the chair was excellent and he was glad to be able to enjoy it, after all his youth was long gone.
"I am one of the two greatest magic casters in this wonderful city, the Swimming City, ruled by my lord and father, Pyke." He held up a hand before he could be assaulted with a barrage of questions from the increasingly excited Fluder. "All will be explained in time. My name is incomprehensible by mortals, but your kind may call me Jericho Agares. I'm a guardian and a scholar of demonology, necromancy and fire magic. You name it and either I know it, or my closest brother does."
Fluder was constantly attempting to read the man's Tier, yet it always came up blank, an obvious sign of anti-divination magic or items. If he called himself one of the two greatest magic casters, did Fluder rank among them or was that referring to the man's supposed brother? It was rather hard to believe that a human-looking magician was more powerful than him and hadn't amassed incredible fame. "By all means, I'll let you read my aura in a second. Firstly, what would you give for magical knowledge?"
The Tri-Arts magic caster's eyes widened, "Everything! I have searched for the abyss of magic for centuries! Damn the Empire and everyone with it if it means I will get to look into that mythical realm!"
Jericho smirked, 'Just like Lillith said it would go… Damn, guess I owe her a drink at lunch.' he thought to himself.
"In that case, watch and learn…" Taking off his ring, Fluder strained his talent to its limit, only to almost burst a blood vessel from the sheer amount of mana that he witnessed explode from the man's form.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" the seemingly kind old man laughed maniacally, his true personality finally showing itself. He threw himself on his knees, tears and blood streaming down his face as he hit the hard floor, trying to prostrate himself as far as physically possible.
'Ok, it may be a bit more extreme than predicted… Does this mean I don't owe her that drink?'
"T-t-t-this is Tier 8! N-no! HAHAHAHAHA! This is beyond even Tier 10! Lord! Master! Please, oh Deep One, let me glimpse into the abyss of magic!" cried out Fluder, clawing at the floor, his fingernails destroyed and bleeding from the force.
"And what will you give for it?" calmly asked Jericho, desperately attempting to hold in his laughter at this crazy old man.
Fluder looked up at his master, no, his God, "Everything! Absolutely everything!"
Putting on his ring, Jericho sat down on a chair he created by magic. "Wonderful, I'll take you on as my apprentice, but my brother will have to teach you ice and holy magic, I never found it particularly fascinating. Luckily for you, we know quite a bit about abysses here. Come on, sit down. Let me explain the basics of how this will work." Fluder did as he was bade by his God, wiping away the snot, tears and blood that flowed into his long beard and onto his coat. "Firstly, I may be strong, but your supreme master is my father and creator. Secondly, for now I'll give you some books to study, the way you are now you can possibly reach Tier 7. After that we'll have to change your race or give you a major magical infusion."
Fluder nodded along, but wondered still how powerful Pyke must be if such a person served him, even more so to create one such as him. "For now, take this, [Demonic Vigour]!" The veins of the guardian burst, the magma that served as blood flowing into Fluder's orifices. A yell of agony echoed through the Royal Library as the feeling of burning flesh overwhelmed the caster's senses. His eyes, nostrils, ear canals and throat felt like they were melting, a glow emanating from the old man as his insides were turned into a fine soup of melted organs and flesh. Slowly, it subsided and the pain transformed into a warmth, akin to a cup of tea on a cool morning.
A new sense of power and energy permeated Fluder's entire being, yet on the outside he remained unchanged. He gasped, his lungs no longer filled with scorched air, "M-master, w-what was that? I feel… great, as if my youth has returned!" Jericho had a wide grin, glad that the experiment worked and the spell didn't kill the man, as it could kill some weak non-demonic entities, "A spell of the 8th Tier. It will give you additional strength, consider it a jack-of-all trades buff spell. It is temporary, but with the mana I poured into you, it should last the few months that you'll have to conceal your loyalties."
"As for what you'll actually be doing, convince the Emperor to gather as much of the army as possible when he'll fight Re-Estize. That'll be the opening of the curtain when we begin our real operations. [Abyssal Gate]. Go now, and do my lord's will." Jericho said. Fluder performed a 90 degree bow and jumped through the gate, as eager as he was now healthy, "I shall prove my worth, master."
With Fluder gone, Jericho slumped back in his chair, "Man, that was tough. Crazy old man appears and we send him to the upbeat demonologist instead of the stern bishop who can actually contain him, greeeeat. Well, time to drink myself stupid and blame Amal'Thazad again."
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Lakyus and Gagaran awoke in an odd room. They had stayed the night in the royal palace of Re-Estize and this place felt of similar quality, albeit still not near the level of the lair of the monster that turned their sister. The area was mostly pure white, with only various streaks of colour such light blues could be found in the area. Lakyus stood up and looked outside of the window, only to see an unfamiliar landscape, dotted with buildings as far as the eye could see. Evidently, she was in some sort of spire.
Gagaran awoke with a groan, "Oy, Lakyus. Where the hell are we? My head hurts like I was just hit by a troll's club." They were still in their battle gear, whoever carried them here must have had some serious strength or numbers.
"I don't know, but I'm sure it's all that damned undead's fault!" yelled Lakyus, getting riled up even at the thought of that creature that wore humanoid skin.
"Lakyus, relax for even a second! Do you really think Evileye was turned? I mean… Look at how she acted towards him."
The leader of what remained of Blue Rose shook her head, her long blonde hair now dishevelled and a complete mess, no better than the straw you'd find near a barn. "No! She must have been turned and is now forced! We need to put her out of her misery, just like with the thralls of vampires!"
Their argument was loud enough to bring the maid that was stationed outside into the room, "My Ladies, please calm yourselves. Queen Calca Bessarez would like to ask for you to go see her at your earlier convenience. I am here to assist you in your preparations." With a quick courtesy the maid got to work.
Lakyus was dressed in an elegant, light blue dress, with enough frills and various accents to make it incredibly uncomfortable. A corset was forced upon her by the maid as well, evidently the people of the Roble Holy Kingdom liked their formal clothing. 'I became an adventurer to get away from all these noble protocols and now look at me!' she thought to herself as she applied the so-called cosmetics that were gifted to her by the maid.
Gagaran on the other hand had a small duel with the maid, attempting to convince her that her armour, Gaze Bane, was actually clothing fit to meet a monarch in. But even a warrior of Gagaran's level could not win that battle, eventually being forced into noble hunting clothes as no dress could fit her massive stature comfortably and she refused to wear the magical ones. The hunting clothes on the other hand were slightly enchanted, meaning that they adjusted to the wearer's size, ensuring a comfortable experience and also didn't prompt as much resistance from the warrior.
And so, now dolled up and ready to make a positive impression on the nobles, they followed the maid to the meeting room. The castle itself had a drastically different interior from the palace of Re-Estize. Instead of wooden floors and golden accents, the entire thing seemed to be constructed from polished, white marble or another variety of white stone. For a nation whose main pillar was holy magic and had some of the greatest holy magic casters and paladins alive, it was rather fitting.
Instead of paintings of royal lines, landscapes or battlefields, religious imagery was found in abundance. Paintings of the 6 Gods, replicas of artefacts that were supposed to be used by them, and in the corridor leading directly to the throne room, a massive painting of all 6 Gods, with humanity behind them, smiting down various demi-human races. The Albion Hills that were dominated by a variety of demi-human races, from spidans, to zoastia, stone spitters, orcs and more, definitely had a heavy impact on the militant nature of the North of the Kingdom.
There were however similarities between the palaces of Roble and Re-Estize, such as the massive spires. After all, every monarch had to project their image over the realm, in the Holy Kingdom to also display their proximity to the heavenly realm of the Gods. The less notable coincidence was the flower garden inside both palaces, that added a streak of colour to the otherwise drab and dreary buildings. Large fields of roses, poppies and flowers imported from distant lands spread across the courtyard of the Holy Queen's palace.
The Queen herself was said to be astonishingly beautiful, on the level of Princess Renner. In fact, aside from the difference in height, the Holy Queen seemed rather similar, with blue eyes and flowing blonde hair. Her figure however was more the traditional one associated with a queen worth going to war over, with noticeable curves compared to Renner's own structure that made her seem younger than she was.
They arrived at the throne room, which was structured in the same manner as any other royal hall, nobles on the side, while the monarch sat in the middle, their aides on the side. In this case, the aides were the notorious Custodio sisters. Firstly, the brilliant Kelart Custodio that could cast up to Tier 5 holy magic, although officially it was said to be Tier 4. She was as intelligent as she was vicious, often retaliating against her queen's political enemies without mercy, given that she had the authority to do so as the Head Priestess.
The other one was Remedies Custodio, the leader of the Paladin order, although in truth she was more of a weapon than a leader. Her second in command, Gustav Montagnés was the one that led the order, since Remedios was not good for much more than being unleashed against her enemies like an arrow from a crossbow. She was the greatest paladin in the region, easily reaching adamantite rank and someone that could fight on even footing with even Gagaran, thanks in part to her holy sword, Safarlisia. She was also a member of the prestigious Nine Colours, people with vast accomplishments or services, being the White.
Both sisters had brown hair and eyes, Remedios having it in a short and practical bowl haircut, while Kelart let hers grow out much like the queen's. They were good friends of Calca's, so much so that rumors even spread of sexual relations between the three women and a conspiracy by the two sisters that put Calca on the throne instead of her brother, Caspond. Alas, these rumours were false and simply circulated by nobles who hated the idealism of Calca, whose dream was to make "a country where nobody cries."
Now the two adventurers knelt before the Queen, the nobles eyeing them carefully, "Ah, Blue Rose! How good to see that you have recovered. Although, it seems you are missing some members? To what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked, her high, sonorous voice resonating throughout the hall.
"Your Majesty, we are truly thankful for your hospitality. As for why we are here… Have you heard of a man named Pyke?"
Calca put her hand to her chin, "Vague rumours of a powerful adventurer. Why do you ask?" Gagaran was about to interject, afraid that Lakyus may once again explode, what did she even hope to try and accomplish against a man who could kill them within seconds?
'I have to somehow contain her, or we'll both end up dead.'
Lakyus however was faster, "He is no adventurer, your majesty. He is a monster wearing human skin! He turned our closest sister into a vampire using some dark magic, then sent us here with an odd spell!" she cried out.
'Did she really not see the look on Evileye's, no, Keno's face? Maybe Pyke was telling the truth after all…' Gagaran pondered. Calca's eyes widened, "I trust you understand this is hard to believe. Does this mean Blue Rose disbands, since three members seem to be missing?"
Lakyus shook her head, "No, Blue Rose will live on until we avenge them!"
Their conversation was however interrupted as another participant was introduced and seemed to steal Lakyus' tongue, "Announcing Lucius Neron, Minister of the Interior of the Swimming City and representative of the Black Lagoon mercenary company!"
The adventurers' eyes widened upon hearing the familiar name and seeing the familiar well-dressed man, the tapping of the cane announcing his arrival. However, this time in the mouth of the head of the cane, a beautiful gem, that refracted the light and shimmered in all the colours one could imagine, lay. It was the World Item [Caloric Stone]. It allowed the user to change the fundamentals of reality, since in the past it could put a request to the devs, but it could also be used for crafting, such as improving the cane.
He bowed in front of the queen, taking off his tophat and placing it over his heart, "Holy Queen Calca Bessarez, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Can't say I am glad to be in the company of those who would kill their own sister, alas circumstances dictate so."
Calca gave a benevolent nod, "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, but I do not know of this mercenary company you represent, Sir Lucius."
Lucius' smile widened, "My Lord has retired from being an adventurer, creating the Black Lagoon company from which you may request his services. Of course, the undertaking of the job is based on my lord's wishes, not simply the price. I came here merely to inform you that our services shall be at your disposal if a need arises. Lord Pyke finds your efforts to be… praiseworthy."
Kelart looked at the man with suspicion, he seemed to embody purity, but her priestly senses were detecting a malevolence under the surface. "What did you mean sister slaying?" Interjected Remedios, disregarding royal protocol as always. Thanks to the militant state of the North of the Holy Kingdom, such breaches of conduct were not too frowned upon by those not of southern origin.
"Oh. Have your guests not told you? Upon finding their sister to be a vampire, they attempted to stri-"
He was interrupted before he could finish, "Because you monsters turned her! You hide your true form even now!" yelled Lakyus, finally recovering from the shock.
A confident smile remained on the minister's face, enraging her further. "You are still a child in denial. And I merely wanted to have those I visit be comfortable, but if you insist…" The forms began to shift into an amorphous mass of tentacles hidden beneath the white robe.
"Monster!" Remedios cried out, rushing at the creature and activating the special ability of her sword, emitting a flash of light that would smite all those who had negative karma and ignore armour. Kelart moved into position, buffing her sister while the guards surrounded the monstrosity.
Before Lakyus and Gagaran could jump into action, an otherworldly voice spoke up, sounding as if it was spoken both right into their ear and from far away at the same time. "I truly do pity humans. Weak and foolish, as you were millennia ago." Countless tentacles shot out from the robe, constraining everyone in the room besides the nobles and Calca, Remedios' sword bouncing off harmlessly, not leaving even a scratch. "A word of advice, your majesty, try not to enrage Lord Pyke. My lord hates royalty and has already killed nobles in Re-Estize. Attacking his son would not be a wise idea if you want to keep your life."
The hold of the tentacles tightened, even immobilising Remedios, whose attack did nothing against the level 100 Great Old One. Several crunches of bone and pained screams later, the tentacles receded into the robe, the well-dressed man reappearing, surrounded by immobilised guards. "I shall take my leave. Our services shall be open, however do not expect our rates to be favourable. And please, muzzle that dog you call a paladin. [Greater Teleportation]." And so, the man disappeared, leaving behind a scared and confused queen, a vengeful paladin, 2 angry priestesses and a wary warrior, most of whom were in desperate need of healing.
"Tell me everything about this Pyke!" Calca demanded, in the most authoritative voice the nobles have ever heard her use...
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Zesshi's eyes opened and closed rapidly, attempting to adapt to the bright room. Her hair, one half white the other black, much like her heterochromatic eyes, was still done up and not bloodstained as it would be after a battle. Her gear was still on, but it wasn't damaged, even if it did have self-repairing magical properties and would heal itself, this indicated that the damage wasn't heavy. Her scythe however was nowhere to be found and she always had it on her. Yet the siren song of sleep in this divine bed called out to her, so she closed her eyes, trying to remember how she even found herself there.
Suddenly her eyes shot open as she remembered everything. The man who took her here was the God Slayer! Immediately she began panicking about how she acted that night, too shocked to properly process anything at the time and merely going along with what the Ripper told her. 'What the fuck does he want from me!? Where the hell even am I?!' she thought to herself. Darting out the room, she found that it wasn't merely a room, but an entire suite that was given to her. At the bar was standing the very man who was the source of her fear, next to him a teenage girl with blue hair. "Ah, Zesshi! Seems you're finally awake! Come, sit down."
With small steps that betrayed her fear, she sat on the other side of the bar. "Something sweet or more of a kick to start the day?" he asked, mixing and concocting some sort of drink for himself. The girl meanwhile was sipping on some odd brown drink via a weird white and green tube.
"U-um. Sweet?" she answered, deciding it was safer to go along with this for now. Pyke pulled out another bottle of that brown liquid, an odd language written on the bottle made from the same unknown material as the girl's tube.
"If not for your accelerated godkin metabolism I'd have to advise you to have a good spar with someone after this, but you'll be fine. Chocolate milk, if you're wondering. If you crave more, we'll assign you a butler of some kind later and he'll sort it out." He passed the glass to her and she proceeded to drink, hoping to not offend Pyke. Her eyes shot open as she began to drink with renewed vigour. The unique, sweet taste was unlike anything she had ever had before, and she was given everything by the cardinals to placate her! The odd feeling of kinship that she felt with the man began flooding back to her and helped her relax.
"Let me tell you why you're here. I'm gonna be honest with ya, Zesshi. I see a little bit of myself in you, that lust and obsession for revenge against someone at the top of society is practically my reason for existence. However, I won't let you make the same mistake I did."
Zesshi stopped sucking in through the straw, "If you think you'll persuade me from killing my fa-"
Pyke cut her off, "Oh no. I want you to kill your father, don't get me wrong on that front. The mistake you would make is of being unprepared, so I'm going to train you, give you gear and when the time comes? You put on a show and hand me the Elf Kingdom on a silver platter as the Elf Queen. Sounds fair?"
"What do you mean Elf Queen!?" she cried out. "All I want is to kill him!"
The ripper took out a mirror, showing her her reflection, "Look at your eyes. Heterochromia. It's a mark of royalty in elves, particularly in high elves. I think I know where your dear old dad came from, the same place as me. Question is, did he come from the oldest world or the second one?" He fell into thought for a moment before waving his worries away with his hand, "Well, it does not matter, either way he'll die. But a wise man once said "Know thy enemy" and I recommend you live by it. And I'm goin' to take over the world so ya might as well cooperate, ye?"
"Let me tell you the truth…" And so he did, telling her vaguely of the first world, the second world full of godlike beings and finally the odd magic that seems to bring them here every couple centuries or so. "So that's how it is. Also, since I know you want a kid with someone stronger, feel free to try to court any of my sons, as long as it's consensual. You in?" Zesshi was… rather stunned, but invigorated at the same time. She was now privy to the knowledge the cardinals have sought for centuries and she gets to possibly get a husband stronger than the Gods? Talk about a bargain.
"Y-yes. So, um, what do I do for now?" Zesshi asked, at which point the blue haired girl interjected.
"I, Lily, the guardian of the treasury, will show you around! There's all these great things we have hot tubs and cinemas and gardens and a big ol' training area!" Despite her childish appearance, the half-elf knew better than to underestimate someone who would be considered a guardian in this place.
Pyke patted Lily's head, "Yes that is all true, but first you'll go to Ferra and pick up your new gear. If I'm right about who your father is then that stick you called a scythe won't be of much use. You won't get something like Vacuus, but you could probably kill the Gods with ease with whatever she cooked up. Now, Lily, take care of her and go."
Within the blink of an eye, Zesshi's wrist was grabbed and she was dragged with unnatural strength and speed through the castle walls by the overly energetic guardian. Before she can even properly recognize her surroundings she finds herself at what seems to be a city square, eldritch creatures and water dwelling monsters going about their business. The first instinct was alarm, but Lily leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Psst, these are the citizens and other creations of my dad. Be nice. They are also nice."
Lily motioned for Zesshi to follow as they entered the massive mansion-like structure that seemed to ignore the common laws of physics in parts of its constructions. Inside it was completely different from what the outside dictated the interior should be, evidently some incomprehensible magic at work. "Take this." Lily said, on her pale palm a ring with an orange stone embedded in it. "It'll protect you from the heat. Don't take off the other one either, or you'll drown and die from the pressure." It was an oddly serious set of instructions from the girl, but Zesshi complied either way, putting on the ring and making sure the other one she woke up with stayed on.
As Lily pushed open the massive doors that they found themselves in front of, both she and Zesshi flew back as if they were punched by a giant. "Ferraaaaaaaaaaaa! What did Winston tell you about checking internal pressure?!" Somehow none the worse for wear, the wall absorbing their impact, they moved forth to see a giant of a woman that embodied the very word "blacksmith" standing in a room with massive furnaces, pools of lava, anvils and anything and everything you would need to forge masterpieces. She turned around, in her scarred hands a scythe of unparalleled quality.
"As long as the work is done then it doesn't matter. Here is the order. Now go, you are disrupting my focus and the special project needs to be finished within a timely manner." Ferra handed them the scythe and herded them from the room.
Once they made it outside, Lily twirled the scythe with incredible skill, performing multiple throws and tricks so quickly that Zesshi's eyes struggled to keep up. "Don't worry about her, she's always "Work this, work that." with everyone. She'll relax once she's done with that special project dad gave her, but I gotta admit, she does do great work!"
The words flew over Zesshi's head as she stared at the scythe. The cross-scythe's blade had a gradient much akin to Lily's hair, starting off at an extraordinarily dark blue at the place it met the shaft, turning to a lighter colour the further it went. There even was a slight ripple effect making it seem as if there were actual waves on the blade. The shaft itself was made of a pitch black material that seemed to absorb all the light around it.
"Abyssal prismatic ore and void coral." She said, passing it to Zesshi, "How does it feel?"
A few practice strikes and twirls later, there was only one answer to give, "Perfect." It felt smooth and graceful, as if it cut the very air itself and didn't have to abide by the resistance the atmosphere would normally pose. The grip felt good, the crossguard being the perfect length for her. There were however some other thoughts on Zesshi's mind, 'How the hell is anyone supposed to win against these people if this is the type of weapon they can just give me?'
"We'll get you armour from the treasury later, but for now let's get that bad boy enchanted!" Once again Lily dragged Zesshi at unnatural speeds through the city and back to the palace to visit Amal'Thazad in the library. The citizens who had their routines interrupted by the energetic Lily only looked at her with mild amusement, it was a common sight in the city and she was the mascot of the council, being the favourite of the people, so nobody minded her antics.
This time they came to an abrupt stop as a metallic hand grabbed Lily by her collar before she could burst into the library and make all the careful arranging of the shelves by the Royal Librarian obsolete. "Lily… Slow down before you go in there." A pout appeared on the girl's face as Zesshi was taking the moment to reorientate herself.
"Fiiiiiine, Valodan. Just let me go! I'm running an errand for dad!" she said as she tried to squirm her way out of the general's metallic grip.
The general sighed, "Go, but try not to make a mess." The half-elf studied the man, he was handsome, but the two odd hands and scales threw her off. In the past, she would go for anyone who was stronger than her, but now? Well, might as well see what fish actually swim in the sea.
Traversing their way through the massive library that seemingly contained all the knowledge in the world, they finally made it to the head office of Amal'Thazad. Lily opened the door without knocking, grabbed the scythe from Zesshi's hand and slammed it down on the man's desk, causing all the paperwork to go flying. "Lily. I am telling father about this and suggesting he takes away your desert if you don't clean this up." The mage said and within seconds getting results as the papers were neatly stacked back on the desk.
"Miss Zesshi, I presume? Here for enchantments?" he asked. She nodded, as she looked over the man. Very handsome by human standards, as everyone in this place seemed to be, but a bit mature for her taste. "Well, I suppose I should get to work then. There are still books to catalogue so I'll be quick and just use some of the basic crystals the throne can generate." Zesshi didn't understand what that meant, but she was sure she would not be disappointed.
A few crystals were put on top of the scythe and seemed to melt into it as the man unleashed their power, "[Flesh Wound], [Divine Edge]..." and more. Finally he was done, "Accelerates bleeding, is lighter, sharper and tougher. It seems to have a gift from Ferra in the form of a special ability as well. You can split it into two smaller scythes and dual wield them. It's not exactly God tier, but a solid legendary weapon. Now go and entertain Lily for a bit, [Mass Greater Teleportation]."
And just like that, before any questions could be asked, they found themselves in an arena, the glowing scythe in Zesshi's hand. The arena seemed to be on a sort of black spire, a flat ground from which the entire city could be viewed. "I also have a weapon with that ability!" Lily said, a big smile on her face as she withdrew an odd blade, in part serrated, with a weird curve on one side; the guard adorned with a horned skull. It emitted a blue glow and had some sort of runic writing on it. It was the World Item, [Frostmourne], a reference to an MMO from many decades before YGGDRASIL came out.
The blade held power over frost, souls and death magic, making it incredibly versatile, not to mention that in pure damage it could rival even [Bone Skewer]. Suddenly it split into its other form, the [Blades of the Fallen Prince], two one-handed shortswords, similar in design to the two handed version. "I guess we'll give you gear later, it's better to train without magic buffs anyway! Alright, I'm gonna make you a killing machine in no time! Don't worry, a healer is here so we can go all out!"
Zesshi readied herself, knowing that this'll be a loooooooong session, but at least an entertaining one…
(AN: So here is the beginning of Volume 2! As I said previously this will mostly focus on the side characters so expect only the bare minimum of Pyke. But if you're looking for a fic to read while this one is being written, I recommend [Masks They Wear] by meisking1. It's no longer updated, but it's still damn good. Anyway, more to come and I hope you enjoy the story!)