[Chapter 1: The Black Lagoon Company]
Keno had her mask off once again. She started doing this as much as possible now that she was mostly surrounded by people who accepted her and probably were bigger monsters than her. Tia and Tina were apparently running some errand with Lillius, something about securing the Great Forest of Tob. It was just her and the odd, smiling demonologist, Jericho Agares. He was clad in the same robes as usual, but displaying a bit more chest than one would anticipate, saying that once the shop was open it would act as free marketing. To be fair, he did already turn heads when walking through E-Rantel, so Keno saw the merit in his strategy. Speaking of the shop, they were just putting on the finishing touches, with the windows tinted, making sure nobody would see the vampire dwelling inside.
It was as well outfitted as the Valencia Palace, settled in the main square after some talks with the mayor. A wooden carved sign with the words "The Black Lagoon Company. Hunting, healing and more." floated outside. She wiped her non-existent sweat, turning to her co-worker, who turned out to be a much more down to earth and reasonable man than a demonologist of his strength would normally be, "So do we open up now?"
Jericho faced her after placing the last book onto the shelf, "I suppose you might want to put on your mask in that case. Guess we might as well…" With a snap of his fingers the door flew open, the windows became clear and under the sign appeared magical lettering saying "Open."
Word spread like wildfire about the shop even when it was being merely built and with its opening a blazing inferno of rumours was lit. For some days no one came, some too intimidated by looks and some by the possible prices of their services. The clerks however didn't have much to do except Jericho's one meeting with Fluder, so they sat around discussing magic, history and whatever else came to mind for days on end. "Wait, so your talent allows you to copy any spell?" he asked. "Yes, but if I don't keep channelling it I'll end up a mindless zombie like everyone else did!" Keno answered.
Her backstory was truly perplexing. Apparently a Wild Magic spell turned entire countries to mere zombies, but she could copy it, absorbing the souls of those who died around her and instead becoming a vampire. "Hmm, so if we feed you more souls perhaps we could give you a power-up? Staying at the 5th Tier won't cut it if you want to go after the guy who did it." Keno shook her head, "I'm not just going to go kill people for souls! That'd make me no better than the one who did!" Jericho took out an odd crystal from his inventory which seemed to contain many screaming faces.
"Don't worry about that! A lot of my family, including my father, have a lot of souls collected. Here, use this and see if you feel stronger. This crystal has souls my dad collected in the second world, although they do feel like they've lost their spark recently." He tossed the crystal to her, Keno catching it with one hand and looking at it with both interest and disgust at the idea of soul consumption, but she relented. Crushing it in her palm, it burst into magical particles, the souls flying away before disappearing into Keno's aura. "Well, any difference? It was just a couple hundred souls, probably not enough for anything very noticeable."
"I guess I feel a bit stronger? It's a rather… instinctive feeling." Jericho took out several more crystals, "Don't resist this spell. [Demonic Insight]. Okay, now use another one." He once again gave one to her and she repeated the process, noting the feeling of getting stronger was culminating towards something. "[Demonic Insight]." He repeated the appraisal spell, giving him all the data about Keno except the one about Wild Magic, as even his World Item, [Ordered Chaos], which gave him all the demonological knowledge possible, couldn't pierce through it, letting him know that the forces are equal.
His eyes shot open, "Fascinating! Oh how I wonder how this will work if I give you a substantial soul?"
His ramblings however would be interrupted by his experimental subject, "What do you mean? I feel stronger, but this doesn't feel like much…"
A heavy sigh echoed throughout the room, "I have just found a way to make you as strong as some of us." It was Keno's turn to be shocked, "?! But, aren't you created beings?! How could I ever get that powerful?"
"Well, maybe not that strong, but probably on par with a Dragon Lord or two. See, whenever you consume souls, what I shall designate as your racial levels, grow, at least partially. Everyone in this world has a predetermined level of strength you can reach, however Wild Magic seems to be able to break that, thus, if we keep feeding you souls, you will evolve into first a High Vampire, then a Blood Duchess and finally a Blood Empress. With this, you'll learn to cast up to Tier 10. So what I'm asking is, you want to be a Goddess?"
Various experiments by Amal'Thazad, Winston and Vacuus led them to discover that the limit for being without Wild Magic or World Items was genetically selected. Those affected by Wild Magic like Keno, could break that and go further beyond the maximum level cap for those without direct access to Wild Magic. The power of Dragon Lords could be theoretically infinite since they grew stronger with age, this was as of yet unknown. By this logic however, those with a World Item or affected by one could also break the cap, possibly including the guardians, the 3 Beasts of the Depths and Pyke.
"Wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait! It's that simple?!" she cried out.
Jericho tossed a massive crystal on her lap, "Yeeeeeeep. You might as well! Can't become human, which is overrated anyway, so you should just grow as a vampire. That crystal should take you right to Duchess and Tier 7." Keno had to admit, it was an exciting prospect, feelings of inadequacy had been brewing in her mind ever since she saw just how strong Pyke and his entourage are. With a deep breath, she took the plunge, crushing the crystal in her tiny hand.
Souls flew into her, merging and becoming one with her own, hitting the limit as her form changed. She grew taller, her figure changed from that of a child to that of a woman, her hair grew out and her face matured. All Jericho could do was sit there with his mouth open, jaw practically on the floor, as this unforeseen phenomena took place. When it was done, Keno felt odd, she seemed to be a bit higher off the ground than usual and her clothing felt slightly tighter than usual.
"Um. Let's just say you're lucky the clothes are enchanted or you would be blushing as crimson as your eyes." said Jericho, grabbing her by the hand and taking her to the full body mirror. In it she saw… nothing. Vampires, after all, didn't have reflections. "Oops, forgot about that. [Reflection of the Soul]." He said, enchanting the mirror with a spell that normally displayed one's buffs, debuffs, desires, hates and so on, this time with a focus on physical appearance instead.
When she saw it, her jaw also unlocked itself from its place. "Was this meant to happen?!" she cried out. In the mirror she could see an adult version of herself, a dream of growing up that she long abandoned, now fulfilled. Truly she resembled the beautiful queens and princesses of the region, such as Calca and Renner, with long blonde hair and an hourglass figure. She was notably tall, huge even, as without any heels, she stood over even Jericho by a substantial margin, putting her easily at least 190 centimetres.
"Well, not really, but it appears that the natural vampiric power of shapeshifting was used to mould your body to your desires. If you can turn into mist and bats, nothing would really be stopping a vampire from changing their physical appearance… So, um, happy with the look?" She did a little twirl, keeping her eyes on the mirror and she had to say that yes, she did like it. She looked good, damn good in fact. She was a former princess, but even by the standards of the royalty, she was a killer.
The clothing was a bit tight however as the old enchantments weren't what they once were and the adjustment thus wasn't perfect. Thankfully, Jericho came to the rescue, offering her a magical dress that one could put on immediately. It was temporary, but it was still of high quality, a black silk dress with red streaks akin to bloody tears. "I hope this isn't some sort of scheme concocted by you to get with a vampire or princess?"
She gave him an innocent flutter of her eyelashes as he chuckled, "You wish. Maybe if all the demon queens reject me then I'll consider it."
"Ha! As if I or those demon queens would consider you. "
Jericho put his hand on the bridge of his nose, "The demon world is vast, I tell you! One of them must have decent taste!" They both chuckled at their banter. To be honest, Keno missed Lakyus and Gagaran, but the councillors all had their charms and quirks as well, even if two of them were workaholics who had not left their workshops for days.
"I suppose we should test out your new powers? [Euclid Be Damned]." The room they were in suddenly expanded, the furniture moving far out the way and creating a spacious area that was reinforced with magic. "What do you say I summon some demons and you test out your powers?"
Keno nodded, preparing herself by casting [Fly], while the pages of [Ordered Chaos] fluttered open dramatically, the codex floating in front of Jericho as he stopped on a page around a third through the book. "Let's see… I can't buff them, around Tier 6 or 7. Lords of sin, no. The primordial rogue? No, definitely not. How about… a [War Devil]!"
With a flick of his wrist, a massive warrior in black plate armour, holding a malformed black sword and with wings sticking out of his back, materialised and knelt before Jericho. "Supreme Lord of Hell, what is it you require of this humble servant?" The overly formal tone didn't fit right with Jericho, was he already well-known down
there?
"Am I that beloved down there that everyone already knows me? Anyway, you'll be a sparring partner for this girl, probably die and go tell everyone down there that they can be more casual with me."
"My Lord! How could you not be well-known! Ever since your arrival in this world every demon has been scrambling to serve you! You are not merely a demonologist via power, but with sheer charisma as well. Additionally, that book you hold denotes the ruler of demons!"
Jericho did a double take, looking from the book to the demon, suddenly putting his arm around the devil and leaning in, "Say, when you go down there… Care to wingman for me and put in a good world with some queen rank demons?"
"It'd be an honour my Lord!" A huge grin appeared on the demonologist's face as everything was going perfectly. With a mental command, the devil began his assault on Keno, who began kiting him with her fly spell, which turned out to be too slow. Just as a strike was about to land and sever her arm, she turned into mist, an astral form which could only be harmed by special abilities. Reforming far from the demon, she decided to try out some of her new innate abilities, "[Call Household]!" A myriad of shadow beasts sprang from behind her and assaulted the demon. While it was useful, it wasn't anywhere close to the power of a True Vampire's household.
Just as the demon was done cleaning up the annoying beasts, a lance of concentrated blood hit his shoulder, piercing through it and his wing. Seeing how effective this was, Keno began casting more hemomancy, "[Blood Lance], [Corrupt Blood]..." and so on. Her ability to turn into mist was limited and finally the demon was gaining ground, however in that moment a pair of black wings sprouted from Keno, giving her the acceleration she needed to avoid another strike.
After a few minutes of fighting she was a bit banged up, but the devil was on its last legs and with one final spell it would be over. "[Corrupting Tendrils]!" A tendril of blood snaked its way towards the war devils helmet, pouring down its slit and down his throat, the corrupt vampiric blood causing him to rot from the inside out, turning the demon to dust as it returned from whence it came. "That was, um, easier than expected? I didn't even have to use any of my usual spells." A couple scratches, but nothing major, against an enemy that could probably wipe small cities off the map no less!
Jericho merely shrugged, "I'd rather not have summoned something that would burn the entire place, including you, to a crisp with its aura alone. Demons aren't a particularly good match up for the undead. I'll give you some books about geomancy so you can maybe get a couple higher tier spells under your belt that aren't reliant on your race. Run by Amal'Thazad's place to get some proper gear and then you'll actually be of moderate strength."
The geometry fixed itself, returning to the clean and well-furnished room that was here before. They went into the back of the shop again, Keno returning to her smaller form that somehow felt more natural, presuming that tomorrow would be another day without customers…
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Out of habit more than anything, they opened the shop for the fourth time. Several hours passed as they discussed magical theory and politics, occasionally mentioning Lakyus and her attempts at convincing the Holy Queen to go kill Pyke, her attempts being futile as the entire court besides Remedios was scarred by Lucius' gentle embraces. Something unexpected occurred around noon, the door opened and the bell rang, a pleasant tune heard by both the clerks. Quickly Keno grabbed her mask, ready to put it on, but Jericho grabbed her hand.
"Take this, it'll hide your vampiric nature." On his palm was a ring made of a black, smooth stone-like material, a big blood-red ruby set in the middle of it. She put it on her right index finger, her eyes returning to their multicoloured shine she used to have when she was a small child many centuries ago, and her fangs receded. Jericho put his hand on her shoulder, "Look at you now. Finally free, eh?"
They went out to meet their first customer, to find a humble looking man, evidently of the working class. He was rather startled by the appearance of the beautiful woman and handsome man, but he persevered regardless. "U-u-um, excuse me. M-m-my name is Jonas and my son is s-sick. C-could I ask how much it'd cost to h-heal him?" he asked timidly, as asking to get healing out of an official temple was taboo.
No business could heal for free, it was a monopoly held exclusively by the temples, which often charged exuberant prices. Any who tried to subvert this had their businesses shut down and were arrested, or worse, given to the church for judgement, ending in a charge of heresy and death. These cases were rare, as nobody dared to upset an institution so powerful, but a man who was desperate enough would do anything.
"No, sorry sir, but we can't do anything about that without the chu-"
Just as Keno was going to dash this man's hopes, Jericho stepped in. "One copper and it'll be done." Both of them looked at his as if he was crazy, struck dumb by the offer. "What? The regulations say that we need to charge for it, not how much we charge. So if we charge only 1 copper, they can't do anything."
"You want to get in trouble with the church!?" Keno shouted.
"Did you forget what you saw on that family vacation a couple days back?"
Images of the most powerful human nation on their knees, the very Gods dead with their heads set on pikes, came back to the vampire. "Okay, you make a valid argument."
"But where are our manners? Our apologies. My name is Jericho Agares, let us just say I'm a magic caster who handles this shop in Lord Pyke's absence. This lovely lady is Keno Fasris Invern, a fellow magic caster and scholar. Would you be so kind as to bring us to your little one?" The man nodded and had them follow him through the mercantile section of E-Rantel to the poor residential one where all the houses hadn't even seen the prospect of renovation for years.
They went in only to be greeted by Johan's wife who also looked sick, but it was not caused by an illness, instead it was fear and worry that her beloved son may perish. The idea of charging for healing was to remove the church from politics, as they could procure their own funding, but this only got them more involved in politics and in the well-known business of corruption. "Johan, are these the people from that company?" she asked.
He nodded, "This is Sir Agares and Lady Invern, magic casters from the Black Lagoon Company. And this is my wife, Clara. They say the price to heal our boy is a measly one copper!" At first the woman regarded them with open suspicion, but it melted away as Jericho unleashed a bit of his charismatic aura, [Aura of the Devil I: Temptation], flashing her a magically enhanced smile and winning her trust in an instant. She bowed before them, "Please… Please heal my son, I beg you."
Keno put her arm on the woman's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, "Don't worry, if there's someone out there who will disregard church rules more than my Lord or Jericho, I don't know them. The copper is a legal formality. So can you lead us to him?" The pair nodded, bringing them to a small attic-like space that must have acted as the boys bedroom. On the small, straw bedding lay a boy of around the age of 10, in the middle of a violent coughing fit.
He turned towards his parents and the two strangers, but couldn't speak up as the coughing began again. "Keno, put something under his head and hold him down, I'll need to analyse his status." He walked up to the boy and silently cast [Demonic Insight] as not to startle the parents with the name and looked upon the illness that was dooming the boy. 'These insects leave as they should at least; this place isn't enough for one of our pets! I wish I could take my time and watch the boy squirm, but a job is a job. Maybe my father will give me some toys from the local clergy once this city is ours?' he wondered as he mentally sifted through his inventory to see if he had anything for curing disease status effects.
"Good that you came to us, it's pneumonia. Boy wouldn't have lasted 2 weeks as it is without healing. Let's just hope he hasn't infected anyone else…" It was a grim and ominous statement, but there was still one vital question left unanswered.
"Can you cure it?" asked Johan.
Keno gave him a winning smile, "If he can't, no one can!" Jericho sighed as he took out a pitcher of water and an odd white powder.
"Well, not really true. My brother is skilled in holy magics, but if I couldn't then the church wouldn't be able to either. Here boy, drink this." He poured the mixture down his throat, the boy gagging slightly as the drink got caught in his throat. Still, he persevered and drank it all, standing tall and immediately bouncing around when it was done.
He gave Jericho and Keno a hug each, "Mister, that tasted horrible, but I feel so good!" he exclaimed.
Jericho and Keno chuckled, "I'm just a humble servant of Lord Pyke, thank him, not me." The demonologist gave the kid a pat on the head, albeit he was disgusted on the inside, collected his copper coin and left the house alongside Keno, the parents of the boy sobbing and thanking them in between gasps.
When they were outside Keno asked, "How long do you think until the church finds out?" Jericho brought a hand to his chin,
"By my estimates? We'll find a priest and some guards, maybe even the mayor, at our door when we come back." A look of shock appeared on the disguised vampire's face. "Think about it." Jericho began, "We have healing on our sign and we just left with our first customer that happened to be a poor peasant the priests knew had a sick child."
With those thoughts on their mind they made their way through the streets and back to their office. As predicted, standing there was a disgruntled looking priest surrounded by a couple guards. Ready to put on a show, Jericho stepped forward. "Gentlemen, what is this nonsense? A man goes out to satisfy a customer and comes back to this? Are you here to bless my building? I'll have you know I won't appreciate that, it's a rather uncomfortable feeling."
"What are you rambling about?" answered the priest. "I am here to ask about this part of your sign. "Healing?" Only the church is allowed to do so!"
Jericho raised his finger and wiggled it, "Wrong. Anyone can do it as long as they charge. Maybe instead of reading scripture you should read legislation?"
The priest turned a bright shade of red with rage, "The people will never trust you! They will come to the Gods for salvation. And such exploitation of the legal system would never be tolerated by the mayor!"
A crowd was now gathered around them, the mysterious company of the rumoured Ripper being confronted by the local head priest certainly made for quite a show. "Why would they? The Gods are dead and you charge extortionate prices! For what reason would they go to the church and get charged several gold coins when we can heal them for a copper?" Rumours immediately began spreading like the galeforce winds about the man's claim.
"Blasphemy!" The priest cried out, "The Gods are in the heavenly realm and are watching over us! Guards, arrest this man!" A slight aura leaked from Jericho in order to immobilise the guards, a small amount of [Aura of the Devil II: Intimidation], "You lads stay there." he said to the guards before turning back to the priest, "Oh, the Gods live? Perhaps you should go on a pilgrimage to Kami Miyako, I believe their heads are still on sticks as Lord Pyke put them there a couple days back."
Further cries of "Heresy!" and "Blasphemy!" were thrown at the demonologist.
"How about we ask an angel then? They should know where the Gods are."
The priest shouted once again, "You fool! Angels aren't sentient!"
Jericho shook his head, "Because you don't summon true nor powerful angels, only angel-like amalgamations of mana. Watch this." He took out a scroll and activated it, "[Summon Angel IX]."
A holy aura descended on the square, blinding everyone and causing a burning sensation in Keno, who had to back away. In front of Jericho now stood a beauty surrounded in an ethereal light. Six shining, white wings were on her back, her golden hair reaching past her waist. Her eyes betrayed no hint of emotion as she scanned the area with her golden irises. Her armour was pure white, like fresh snow, on her belt a sword of unparalleled quality.
"Oh. It's you." she said.
"Could you, like, turn off your aura? My companion isn't very well-protected against it and I dislike it as well. As a Seraph Aerosphere you should know better." Jericho said.
The angel sighed and the aura dispersed. "So what is it you want, Sir Jericho?" she asked, venom dripping from her tongue.
"Just a couple questions about what's going on up there you know? And come on, I know demons love me, but you could be nicer…"
"You are quite literally the antithesis to my very existence. In what world would I be kind to the greatest of my sworn enemies? Your closest brother on the other hand…" She gave a wistful sigh, "Now that's a man I can swear myself to."
Jericho put his hand up, stopping her from ranting about his brother, "Since when do angels fall for anyone? Aren't you supposed to be pure maidens or something?"
"Firstly, yes, theoretically. It must be your presence corrupting me just from being summoned by you! Plus, a girl can dream, you know?" Jericho sighed, "If I wanted to turn you into a fallen angel I would have done so already, but it seems you're well on your way to become one yourself. As stuck up as you heavenly assholes are, I guess mortal temptations are still too much for you, eh? I'll pass word to Mal about you. Anyway I didn't summon you here to argue."
"Then what am I here for? I was the only one brave enough to answer your summons, but I'd still rather not linger here. The corruption in this place is so thick it hangs over this city like a miasma. Don't tell me that this is your doing? If given a long leash by Lord Pyke I'm sure you'd do something like this, although there is a distinct lack of hellfire for your usual taste…"
"Cut me some slack, I know my karma is rather evil, but it's not like I'm some monster! I'm a nice guy!"
"If you have to say you're a nice guy, you probably aren't one. Your karma is -500, pure and utter evil. Can you get to the point?"
"Fine, fine." He pointed to the priest that was prostrating himself in front of the holy being.
Noticing that the conversation subsided, the priest took his chance to interject, "Holy Lady, are you a messenger from the Gods? Thank you for gracing us with your holy presence!" The seraphim looked at him with disdain as a darker aura began leaking from her.
"You dare call me a messenger of the puny mortals you call Gods?! Don't speak to me unless I call upon you, worm!" she shouted.
Jericho shook his head, "And you call me a bad guy? How come everyone that deals with holy magic has zero charisma or people skills? I wonder if that changes if I infuse an angel with demonic essence… Anyway, the reason is for you to answer this man's burning question, if his Gods are dead or in the heavenly realm?"
The angel once again looked at the priest, grabbed him by his robe and pulled him up to his feet, looking him directly in the eyes. "Your so-called "Gods" were puny mortals, weaker than me and by far weaker than the monster clad in human flesh that is standing in front of you. There is only one God, and that is Lord Pyke. Both the hells and heavens are at his beck and call. Your four or six were children unworthy of claims of divinity!" She tossed the man a few metres away and turned back to Jericho.
"Is my purpose fulfilled?" she asked. "More than enough. Quite the show I dare say, didn't know you pigeons have a theatrical flair to some of you." he said, nodding. He dismissed the angel who disappeared as if she used some teleportation magic. Jericho turned to the priest who was getting picked up by the guards, "Well, I did nothing illegal and you can't exactly arrest an angel for assaulting a priest or blasphemy soooo… I'll be on my way. Let's go Keno!"
The guards, confused and shocked, decided to disperse, leaving the matter to the mayor, who would in fact do nothing as Pyke was considered an untouchable threat by everyone in the upper echelons of Re-Estize, including the king himself. Needless to say, The Black Lagoon company would have quite a busy couple days.
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Keno was once again running from the supply room with a box of various potions and powders sent to them by Trise and Nfirea. 'How do those two produce so much? I literally can't feel fatigue and I'd be tired after this!' Crate after crate after crate kept arriving and it was her job to manage them while Jericho manned the front desk and dealt with the customers. Occasionally she was assisted by a couple demons or undead that were summoned to carry things.
The profits weren't there, but they weren't the point. This was all a ploy to earn them goodwill for when they inevitably took over this area as according to the plan. Pyke often came around, grabbed supplies and went around the city, later to villages, and gave them away for free or at rock-bottom prices. Quickly the company and those connected with it became pillars of the local area and hailed as true saviours, noble in heart and soul if not name.
After she got the last crate unpacked, the potions neatly arranged by both type, colour and price, she decided it was time for her lunch break. The magical food Jericho could bring in from the Swimming City was great, but it would always be lacking compared to blood. She was a vampire, but she hadn't fed on anyone ever since fighting the Demon Gods, and even then it was consensual and non-lethal. Once again however, her expectations were subversed as Jericho handed her a chalice a couple days back.
He called it the [Jacobin Special], it was a gaudily decorated golden chalice with many gems set in it. Engravings of an odd machine and severed heads could be visible on the side. The inside of it could never be seen as it was always filled to the brim with fresh, magically enhanced blood that seemed to be just on the edge of spilling, but never did.
Keno had to admit, after hauling all the cargo and managing it, the blood really hit the spot. She was going to go grab Jericho for some company as she kindled a friendship with the demonologist. Requests had slowed down for now, as the church put pressure on the people, discouraging them from coming in, and the initial buzz caused by those interested due to the show Jericho put on or those too desperate to think twice about their faith, had slowed down considerably.
"Yo! Jericho, wanna grab a bite? It's about time for our lunch break." she called out. He was standing where he always did, behind the front desk, busy managing all the transactions and reports for Pyke.
He looked at the obsidian watch he recently began wearing, "Hmm, I suppose so. You can sit down, I'll join you in a minute, gotta finish up these reports first or Lucius will never let me hear the end of it."
"At least it's not Lillith. Tia and Tina told me about what happened when Lillius didn't report…" Evileye shuddered, "How does Pyke even allow that?"
Jericho chuckled, "If Lillius didn't let it happen it wouldn't since we'd never find him. He's an assassin like no other, what you consider brutal is probably a tickle for him. His pain tolerance is ludicrous."
Suddenly the door opened up and in went a well-built man with grey hair, but sharp eyes. It was none other than the guild master of the E-Rantel adventurer's guild, the retired warrior Pluton Ainzach. Behind him was a meek-looking man dressed in the robes traditionally associated with magic casters, particularly those affiliated with the magician's guild. The man was named Theo Rakheshir, the head of the magician's guild of E-Rantel.
"Sir Ainzach, Sir Rakheshir, welcome! What can I do for you today?" said Jericho, an inviting smile that had gotten them dozens of customers firmly plastered on his face. Keno always thought it was a rather dishonourable tactic, but what else would you expect of the supposed ruler of hell?
"Good afternoon, Sir Agares and Lady Keno." they both said simultaneously before Ainzach took the lead. "We'd like to hire you for a… show of sorts. The reputation of you and your master precedes you, so we would like to show the adventurer's what their competitors are capable of. I understand you do take extermination requests against monsters, yes?"
Jericho nodded, "We do, alas not many come to us for things other than healing. Although there was that one lady asking for a love potion, who we had to deny due to kidnapping regulations and magic laws. But I digress, both Keno and I specialise in combat, one of my sisters and Nfirea Bareare are actually the ones supplying the potions and extracts."
Theo interjected, "You both must be exceptional magic casters, could you perhaps cast even the 6th or 7th Tier, as Lord Pyke claims to?"
"Haha, my comrade can indeed cast the 7th Tier." said Jericho, "I, on the other hand, can cast up to the 11th Tier, same as Lord Pyke."
The guild master's eyes practically jumped out of his head, "E-e-e-eleventh?!" he cried out, almost delirious from the ecstasy of finding someone so well-versed in magic, rather similar to Fluder in that regard.
"I understand it may be a bit hard to believe, however it is indeed true. For instance, [Summon Demon X]." A cage began to materialise from the deepest pits of hell. Inside, countless red eyes looked around the room. The inside of the cage from which the eyes peered seemed to be pitch black, with no light being able to penetrate into it.
"Come on, don't be shy, little guy. Here, take some of my mana to construct a proper form." said Jericho, pouring a bit of his demonic energies to give the demon a body. Limbs began to spring out from the openings in the cage, eventually coming to a shape akin to a spider, the cage at the top, overlooking the area. No voice came from it except for the squeaking of rusty metal as the being pressed against its confines.
"This is a demon of the 10th Tier, an aspect of fear. It could have easily killed the Gods, albeit it is not the most powerful demon I can summon. Also, it is rather primal, as the strongest demons tend to be, so I'll dismiss it for now." The demon vanished, leaving Ainzach thoroughly chilled at the revelation of the man's school of magic.
"You're a demonologist? Doesn't that corrupt the soul?" he asked.
"If you were a weaker man, yes. But turns out I rule the hells so they wouldn't dare raise their hand against me, unless they were some weak and pathetic fool. And to answer your first question, I am a necromancer, demonologist and scholar of all things fire and lightning. My brother handles holy, water, wind and any other magic that falls into the druidic category."
Theo broke out from his stupor, "Please my Lord! Teach me! I will do anything!"
"What's with people like you and coming to me? This is the second time now…" he shook his head, "No I won't teach you. You don't have the potential to go beyond the 4th Tier, it'd be a waste. Be content with being a scholar instead of a practitioner."
Before Theo could begin wallowing in his misery Ainzach poked him with his elbow, bringing the distraught mage back to his senses. He cleared his throat, "Getting back on topic, Sir Agares. We'd like to hire you and Lady Invern to fight against our adventurers in a show match to motivate them. With the disbandment of Blue Rose, and Sir Pyke leaving the guild, we are left with almost no role models, besides the distant Red Drop, thus we are taking an alternative approach. If they see that you outmatch them so much, perhaps they will work harder."
"Not the most sound logic, guild master, but who am I to judge? It's good marketing as well, I'm in. Keno, what about you?"
Still slightly disgruntled due to having her lunch interrupted, she was reluctant to agree, but showing off with her new geomantic spells would be fun. "I guess I'm in as well. We'll take 20 gold for this job."
Ainzach raised an eyebrow, "Slightly expensive is it not?" he attacked her point.
But Keno was ready with a riposte and finishing strike, "And how many Tier 7 and above casters do you know?"
The guildmaster sighed, defeated, "Fine. Come to the adventurer's guild tomorrow at noon. I bid you a good day." They bid their farewells and the guildmasters left the opulent office.
"So are you gonna attend as Keno or will you reveal yourself as Evileye?" Keno looked at the ground and sighed, "I don't know, I hid behind that mask for so long that it feels all too liberating to actually go around without it, but I will need to show my true self sooner or later…"
"Tell you what. You go out there with the mask to prove you are Evileye, throw it off with a dramatic flourish and show off your face, winning all the male members of the crowd and getting us some fresh customers?"
"Is that all you're thinking about? More customers?"
"Listen, you've gotta take golden opportunities like that! Some succubi would kill to look like you if they couldn't shape shift! Humans, particularly the men in the upper classes, are vain. Don't think of yourself as a piece of meat we're using as bait, but a demon tempting them. And like you said, you've gotta reveal yourself sooner or later. For now just do it without vampiric features."
Keno sighed, "As much as I loathe to admit it, you're right. Still, I'll go in my childish form, it feels more comfortable. Don't expect any men to be interested in that. I'll show up as Evileye and reveal that I'm Keno, my adult form can be for nights out, not work. Now care to give me that chalice? I'm parched." He took it out from his inventory and gave it to her as she drowned her frustrations about losing another argument to Jericho in rivers of blood. "What was with that angel calling Pyke God by the way? I thought that just like your book gives you power over the hells, Mal would have had a similar situation."
"A good question." he said, smiling. "As you know, we are created beings, moulded by Lord Pyke with the help of some other beings of immense creative power, called devs. See, in the previous world, YGGDRASIL, there were many Gods and beasts who could match or surpass them. Yet, even the strongest of these beasts were felled by groups of 36 players, who were around the powers of a minister individually. Our Lord meanwhile was never defeated, and single handedly killed the other Gods, taking their power."
Keno sat there, sipping on the blood while listening intently to the tale. "Eventually, he became the one true God, with the power of tens of entire worlds at his disposal, that we now have as World Items, such as mine. During our creation he weakened himself and gave pieces of himself to us. This is why we don't feel like it's blasphemy when we say Lucius is better at administration and I'm a better mage than our father, because we know it all comes from him."
"So, who embodies what?" asked Keno.
"Well, I am his power of the underworld, fire and so on. Amal'Thazad is his control over the heavens. Both of these realms still recognize Lord Pyke as their supreme sovereign, at least the ones we can summon from. There are other realms that have angels, devils, demons and so on; those are separate and we have no authority over them as far as I know." What Jericho was currently ranting about was merely the lore Pyke created for himself and his NPCs in YGGDRASIL because, mad or not, he still liked feeling cool. It seems that the NPCs believed it. The lore of the World Items also seemed to be rather useful, granting the two mages control over at least two of the alternate realms and since Pyke was the creator of the mages, the authority extended to him by proxy. There still remained the question of whether angels from regions such as Elysium would listen to them, but it was unlikely.
"Vacuus is his most destructive and stoic element. Valodan is his ability to command and create order. Lillius and Lillith are two sides of the same coin, lust, charisma and manipulation. Lily is his eccentricity and youth. Winston is his determination and organisational prowess. Ferra and Trise both command domains of crafting that were his. Lucius is his political savviness and exploitative tendencies. Finally, Galakrond is both benevolence and a dash of madness when he transforms, wrapped in one draconic package."
The vampire simply sat there, stunned and finally realising how many things clicked into place in Pyke's stories now. Jericho opened a gate to the Swimming City, "But enough of my rambling. Let's go get you some gear!"
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"How does the new armour feel?" asked Jericho. Keno was dressed in the same clothing she used to wear. A red hood and scarf that turned into a cloak, her old black dress and her black shoes remaining unchanged, except for the magic stored within them.
"I didn't know Trise was such a good seamstress!" she answered. The old material that was worn down by time, only held together by what she thought to be potent magic, was replaced. The soft fabric was something called shadowcloth, a soft silk-like material that was extremely durable by normal standards. Magic enhancing enchantments were put onto it by Amal'Thazad. The armour now gave additional mana, spell power and a bit of charm mixed with luck in case she needed to negotiate.
They walked out of their office, Keno's mask firmly on her face for the first time in what felt like forever. The adventurer's guild was practically next door, just on the other side of the square their office was located at. Jericho threw the door open with a flourish of his robe, catching the eyes of everyone located there. In the centre stood the same two men who hired them.
"Sir Agares, Lady Keno! Good to see you are on time." said Theo, while Ainzach peered at Keno with suspicion. "Say, Lady Keno, isn't that mask oddly similar to the one of Evileye from the former Blue Rose?" Her change in height was one thing, but for a mage of the 7th Tier anything was possible, the mask definitely being the more curious part. At the mention of the former adventurer team all the adventurers listened in even more intently than when usually studying formidable strangers.
She took the mask off, "That's because I am Evileye." The entire room gasped, a ruckus erupted as the adventurers' rumour mill spun at full force. Certainly, the rumours hanging out with Pyke were there, but this was the first concrete proof of the former Blue Rose's association with the man following their last quest. "Enough!" shouted Ainzach, "Elaborate." he demanded.
"This mask should count as proof. A few things happened and now I no longer need to wear it. Now, can we get to the request? These kids need to learn what true strength looks like."
Ainzach sighed, simply accepting the woman's claim, "Fine, follow us. There's a training area where you'll be sparring. Nothing lethal, understood?"
"It's fine, Sir Ainzach. I brought some Tier 9 [True Resurrection] wands and scrolls, we'll be fine." Once again, the claim was simply accepted by the guildmasters as absurdity seemed to be the norm for everyone connected to Pyke. Some of the adventurers laughed it off, while others who had a zealous craving for knowledge, much like Fluder, were drawn like flies to honey by the powerful magic casters.
The training area itself was akin to a large backyard with several benches set up as an audience for this occasion. A patch of flattened dirt could be seen in the middle, evidently the result of many bouts that had been had there. Ainzach stepped into the middle, "As previously announced, today we will have a sparring session with members of the Black Lagoon company. Sir Agares and Lady Invern, or as you may know her, Evileye, have come to show you what they are capable of and teach you."
He turned to the two magic casters, "So which one of you wants to fight first?"
Jericho stepped forwards, his World Item in hand, "I suppose I should show these mortals what true power is. Come on, as many as you want, it won't matter." A team of gold-ranked adventurers stepped forward, cocky smiles on their faces, "We'll show you what overconfidence can do! One magic caster against the 4 of us? You stand no chance!"
It was a balanced party consisting of a warrior, ranger, priest and mage. Their gear was befitting of a gold rank, not too shabby and evidently taken care of, but not enough to even be considered trash by Jericho. A smirk appeared on the demonologist's face, "Hoh, is that so? Well, let me show you how outmatched you are. [Hellish Vortex]!"
From his arm, that was pointed upwards, a massive vortex of black flame appeared, emitting such blistering heat that it was a miracle nobody there died merely from that. The surroundings remained unchanged by the Tier 9 spell, as it emitted hellfire that burned the soul instead of the area, the feeling of burning actually being the feeling of having their soul nearby the inferno. Jericho controlled the spell to minimise its impact, or the entire district could have ended up being soulless ashes.
The adventurers fell on their asses and scurried away as the flame subsided, no longer very eager to face the man. "Oops. It's so troublesome to restrain myself. Alas, it seems those brave challengers faltered. Hmm, to make this fair I'll use a shortsword from now on." He put away his codex and pulled out a shortsword from his inventory. It looked to be made from an obsidian-like material, the hilt being a dark red. The blade was curved, resembling a shorter scimitar if nothing else. In truth, it was something he asked Ferra to make a couple days back, a simple legendary-class shortsword.
This time a mythril team stepped up. Their leader seemed to be a ranger, the rest of the team having the same composition as the last one. Their gear was a major step up in the eyes of the adventurers, but naturally paled in comparison to that of Keno and Jericho. "You won't be so tough without magic! I bet even that spell was your trump card or an item!" yelled out the ranger.
"And who are you to know what is possible? A mere mithril dog barks at me. If you expect to come out of this victorious I'll have to show you how delusional you are!"
"Ha! You don't even know the legendary Kralgra and me, Igvarge?" Evidently you are an amateur and that was a fluke!" Keno was rather worried for the man. Goading someone as unpredictable and dangerous as Jericho could only end in disaster. It was too late however as the combatants took their position, the warrior at the front, buffed with magic, the other three standing in the back. The partial plate of the warrior and the two-handed claymore may have seemed intimidating to a lesser man, but to Jericho the man might as well have been naked.
The mage fired off a Tier 2 [Magic Arrow], which simply dissipated upon getting close to the warlock. "You won't be able to hurt me with anything beneath Tier 7." The team didn't answer, instead Igvarge fired two enchanted arrows, using an ability to increase their piercing power. In response Jericho shifted his body slightly, the arrows whizzing past his chest and getting cut apart by a quick flick of the wrist. It's not like the arrows could pierce his skin, but showing off never hurt anybody, right?
Jericho rushed forward, shortsword in a backhand grip, and sliced at the warrior. "[Fortress]!" he yelled, the blade briefly stopping as it got caught on his armour, the martial art absorbing the impact. "Interesting…" Jericho said, jumping back as the warrior sliced at him. "To stop the impact from this weapon, I suppose it must work on sharpness as well, very intriguing."
The warrior pushed forward as the mage and priest desperately fired spells at Jericho, none of them reaching him as he saw no need in deactivating his [Magic Immunity III]. Igvarge had kept firing all the arrows he had, but none of them scratched Jericho as he dodged with minimal movement, so he joined the warrior with a dagger in hand. Deciding to wrap this up, Jericho appeared behind Igvarge with a silent [Dimensional Move], kicking him in the back with a sickening crack, breaking his spine and paralysing him.
Jericho then teleported to the mages, ignoring their spells and stabbing at their legs, severing their Achilles tendons, causing pained yells and removing them from the battle. The last man standing, the warrior, tried his hardest, "[Instant Reflex]!" The martial art caused him to react to Jericho's advance and manage to parry the lethal speed of his enemy. They locked blades, "Not bad too. But… there's something wrong." Jericho broke the blade lock with his inhuman strength.
"You deny your thirst for blood! Embrace it next time!" He hit the warrior with the pommel of his shortsword, staggering him and breaking his guard. Jericho took the opportunity given to him by the move, cutting his opponent across the left eye, knocking him out of the fight. He did a faux bow towards the team that was writhing in agony on the ground. The entire fight lasted under a minute, the sword skills gained from training with Lily and Lucius weren't good by guardian standards, yet when combined with his speed and strength despite being a magic caster, he was a force to be reckoned with in the New World. "Not bad. Weak, not a lot of potential, but maybe you'd be on even footing against a couple goblins." He turned to Ainzach,
"Anything more impressive to offer me? Otherwise, what do you say I just summon up a couple demons to train these small fries? Keno, you want a round as well?"
"F-fine. Just don't summon anything too deadly." answered the Guild Master.
"No worries about that. Let's see, something fit for mithril…" The book once again floated ominously in front of him, the pages rapidly flipping until they landed on one around 20% through the book. "This'll do nicely, [Mass Demon Summon: Hell Scythe]." 20 demons materialised in front of their summoner, akin to a vile combination of praying mantis and human, their insectoid hands holding massive scythes that had the distinct glint of a meticulously maintained weapon.
They all knelt, awaiting orders from their master. "Spar with these adventurers, don't kill them, but feel free to push them as close to the brink as you think is suitable." The jaws of the demons clacked in acknowledgement, lining up against the teams who were staring with wide eyes at Jericho, the impossible feat of summoning this many demons being a little much for them.
"Care to join in on the fun Keno, or will you let all those fun spells you learnt go to waste?" he asked, a smirk on his face as the adventurers slowly recovered and tried to overwhelm the demons with pure force, only to quickly realise how unreliable that approach would be. Hell Scythes weren't very strong, but more than a match for a mithril team when the numbers were similar.
"I guess I will, although you should keep those wands handy, I don't know how to control my powers well yet. Oi you, care to fight?" she asked, pointing at another mithril team. This led to a rather one sided fight Moknach's team "Rainbow" wouldn't soon forget.
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The hellish, quite literally, training was over. The demons were dispelled and questions were thrown at the magicians who had cemented themselves as legends in the eyes of those who had gathered here. "Thank you for fulfilling our request. As agreed, here is the payment." said Ainzach, handing the pouch filled with gold coins to Keno. Jericho was currently occupied with indulging magic casters who wanted to learn more about all the possible tiers.
Of course Keno attracted a lot of attention as well, thanks for the most part by the beauty of her crystalline spells. The reason not many attempted to engage with her was the way she dealt with the first guy who tried to harass her for knowledge, only to get impaled with hundreds of crystal needles summoned with one of her new spells, leading to the first and only use of a resurrection wand, as much as Jericho said the man didn't deserve to be revived and should have been thrown to the demons. That acted as a rather effective deterrent.
The adventurers, eager to relax, were about to go bust out the beer and hope it would make socialising with the duo easier, but something rather unexpected interrupted their schedule.
The alarm bells rang, signalling all the citizens to get inside and guards to go to their stations. "What!? What is happening?! It seems to be the graveyard alarm! Adventurers, go! Now!" yelled Ainzach, the others now reenergized due to the adrenaline kicking in.
"Welp, seems like playtime is over Keno." said Jericho, jumping off of the bench and getting a clean landing in front of the vampire. "Let's see what this is about, it could be fun." he said.
"Come on, let's go! Stop thinking about fun when there are people dying!" she answered, already running towards the gates with the other adventurers.
Jericho sighed, 'What will I do with this woman? What's a couple dead insects? Oh! Maybe she meant it was a waste if we don't torture them ourselves? That must be it.' he thought to himself as he broke out into a sprint, catching up to her within seconds, and teleporting them both to the gate that was narrowly visible in the distance.
The guards pointed their spears at them, startled by the sudden appearance of the strangers. Jericho ignored them, instead looking out over the wall and into the graveyard, spotting a large number of undead, but nothing too substantial. It wasn't a proper army, maybe a couple hundred at most. "Pfft. This is what the alarm is about? Will this world ever not disappoint me?" he said.
"Be serious for once! And come on, I didn't disappoint, did I?"
To that he merely reached down and patted her head, "Fine. Guards, what's the status?"
"Who are you people?" the one who seemed to be the captain asked.
"I don't think you have the time to know that, but sure. Black Lagoon Company and servants of Lord Pyke, Jericho Agares and Keno Fasris Invern; frankly I'm surprised you don't recognize us. Now tell me, what's going on?"
"Can't you see the undead?! They just appeared out of nowhere!" he shouted.
"Seems we have an amateur necromancer on our hands." Jericho said, prompting a nod from his companion.
The guard's eyes suddenly widened, "Run for your lives!" he yelled and began to back off. Jericho and Keno turned around to face the graveyard again, as a massive shadow began covering the area around them. The other adventurers have also arrived, looking at the creature with fear and bewilderment. Standing there was a necroswarm giant, a monster composed of a variety of corpses and standing nearly 15 metres tall.
"You wanna take this one?" asked Jericho.
"Nah, fire looks much flashier in this case." answered Keno
The demonologist shrugged, "True, [Vermillion Nova]."
The giant lit up in red flames, turning into ashes within seconds, the blistering heat incinerating any other undead in the area. The stone near it melted, the grass and ground turned to ash, the light brightening the night to the point where the adventurers had to cover their eyes.
"[Triple Maximise Widen Magic: Pyroclasm]." he said, unleashing another deadly fire spell. Three massive balls of fire began bouncing from one undead to another, any monster getting hit by it ended up unleashing a flaming circle that exploded around the creature and applying that effect to the others that were caught within the area. A round of deafening blasts reverberated through the night, shaking the very foundations of the fortress city.
The ground this time wasn't affected, the flames expertly controlled by the mage, leaving not a scratch on the soil. The local greenery would surely prosper as the ash left behind by the monsters would nurture it further. Within a few dozen seconds the area was all but cleared of the undead monstrosities that had been plaguing it moments ago.
The duo turned back to the adventurers, "Hold down this area, we'll deal with whoever is behind this, but we won't catch every undead that wanders here. Do your job and we'll do ours, yea?" With that simple exchange, the two flew off with a spell, disappearing into the unlit graveyard, the adventurers only briefly catching glimpse of more impossible spells in the distance.
The guard captain turned to the adventurers, "Who the hell are they?!"
Moknach spoke up, "Simple, heroes beyond even adamantite, forces of fucking nature…"
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Khajiit Dale Badantel was a former Theocracy citizen turned Zurrernorn member and one of the 12 disciples that were at the top of the cult. In his quest to revive his dead mother, who died of a blood clot, he looks to become an undead and be able to research new ways of resurrection that would be able to revive someone so weak without turning them to dust. Such a method existed, the 9th Tier spell [True Resurrection], but it's not like people even knew of the 9th Tier.
The cult itself, Zurrernorn, began as a part of the church of the God of Darkness, Surshana, who himself was undead. They turned to radical ways of sacrifice and brutal rituals in order to become like their lord, undead. Such views were not going to be accepted in a human-centred nation and thus they had to go into hiding. Spread throughout all the human countries, they were responsible for many atrocities, including the so-called Spiral of Death incident, where an entire town was wiped out by undead, generating a generous amount of negative energy.
This was exactly what Khajiit was trying to achieve, becoming an elder lich just like the one who performed the ritual previously. With this came the benefit that undead caused stronger undead to spawn, to the point where legendary beings such as death knights and soul eaters may appear. To the residents of this world these were walking, undead disasters, but to the ones heading here they would be mere nuisances.
The plan was proceeding on schedule and the necromancer was sure nothing would interrupt his plans. He already looked mostly undead, being extraordinarily pale, completely bald and clad in ominous red robes, the only part missing was the actual transformation. He clutched his staff as his disciples chanted further around him, that Clementine woman who recently joined was supposed to arrive, but she hadn't. It wasn't his place to care, so he didn't, being an individualistic enclave of Zurrernorn with his own goals, that merely happened to align with their overall goals.
The artifact he held in his hand, a rough stone similar to an orb made of purple ore, glowed faintly in the light, a sign that the negative energy needed to turn him was in the process of being gathered. The [Supreme Jewel of Death] let him cast a multitude of necromantic spells and summon various undead, even the fearsome skeletal dragons who were immune to all magic! By that, it meant they were immune to magic of the 6th Tier and below, certainly a fearsome foe for most, but rather brittle thanks to its body being a mass of hollow bones.
Something was however off, he had the vague feeling of undead being killed, many at once in fact. There were no adventurers above mythril in E-Rantel, the hordes of undead should have been in the process of completely massacring the city, but the negative energy growth was negligible, just what in the name of Surshana was going on?
Then he spotted them, two figures in the distance, floating off of the ground with the assistance of a magical spell no doubt. Before they stepped in close enough to be visible to his mortal eyes, a blade of blue crystal decapitated 3 of the lower disciples that were next to him. "Wha-!?" He managed to cry out in shock before the two other disciples fell over, a massive hole in each of their chests, their hearts pinned to the wall of the mausoleum behind them with a crystal lance.
"See? Told you they were amateurs." said the taller one.
"Yea, yea. You won another bet, what a surprise. What do we do with the leader?" asked the short human, their voice at a distinctly female octave.
"Well, we kill him, no? Or I could use some test subjects, although he seems to already be close to his expiry date. You can try eating him, I don't think you've had human blood in quite the time, right?"
Keno looked over at the man standing before her, "Hmm, he doesn't seem too appetising, and that chalice you gave me has probably spoiled me too much…"
"Do you at least recognize him? He may be weak by our standards, but to pull such a stunt he must be at least moderately powerful in this world right?"
"Probably, gimme a second. Hmm, long head, pale…" she snapped her fingers, "One of the leading disciples of Zurrernorn, Khajiit. A third tier necromancer. Should give us quite the reputational boost and obviously it's nice to rid the world of scum like him. He's probably trying to turn this city into a city of death with the same ritual that was performed a while back on a smaller town."
At this point, he interjected, "And I will! You fools who stand before me, witness the power of the supreme jewel! You magic casters stand no chance!" The ground rumbled and broke open as Khajiit played it safe, summoning two skeletal dragons in order to deal with the 2 casters. The dragons were large, several metres long and tall, with wings to match. Their head had 3 pairs of glowing red eyes and a maw where broken bone fragments acted as teeth. After witnessing spells that must have been at least of the 4th Tier, he decided that extending his plans by a bit rather than dying was the right choice.
"Ooooh! I'm so scared!" mocked Jericho in falsetto, Keno looking at the dragons with intrigue, wondering how such a weak man was able to summon two undead that even her old acquaintance Rigrit, who was a necromancer and part of the 13 heroes, would struggle to control. Khajiit didn't understand the sarcasm in Jericho's statement, mentally commanding one of the dragons to defend him and the other one to attack.
"Watch how a true necromancer does things. [Summon Undead X]." A glob of black goo dropped on one of the nearby corpses, which must have been a powerful fallen adventurer if it could create this level of undead, covering it and growing into a skinny figure over 2 metres tall, its head covered by a hood, the only thing visible being two piercing red eyes. In its hand it held a massive ornate scythe, black as the night and seemingly older than the world itself. It's armour was a mix of leather and plate, allowing for agility and flexibility. This was a Grim Reaper Thanatos, one of the highest tiers of undead, above level 90 when empowered with the proper skills, but for now being a mere 85.
It bowed before its master, "What do you wish of this humble servant?" it asked, its voice as hollow as the grave, truly embodying its status as one of the peaks of undead beings.
"Thanatos my boy, would you be so kind as to smash these little toys that pitiful necromancer calls skeletal dragons?" The reaper bowed, turning around and slashing with its scythe at the claw that was about to impact him. The entire leg of the skeletal dragon was pulverised into a fine mist.
"What is this!? This is impossible! Not even a death knight could do this! What are you?!" cried out Khajiit. A follow up strike by Thanatos in the chest of the first dragon knocked it to the ground, its negative energy running out and the being falling apart into inanimate bones once again.
"That's because death knights are weak. This is one of the highest tiers of undead, a grim reaper Thanatos. And I am one of the two greatest mages in existence, Jericho Agares, proud servant of Lord Pyke."
Khajiit however was too busy casting to listen, "[Shield Wall], [Reinforce Armour], [Lesser Strength]!" he yelled, buffing the remaining dragon with everything he had. "[Acid Javelin]!" The acidic stream sped towards the two magic casters observing the battle, only to be intercepted by the reaper and cut apart with his scythe, the spell losing its momentum and falling short on either side of the undead.
Like the wind, Thanatos moved forward, jumping and impaling the skeletal dragon directly through the head, crunches akin to walking through the forest in autumn echoed out over the graveyard. The thing collapsed, the reaper moving forward and continuing its assault, decapitating Khajiit with a single clean swipe. The last thing the man ever thought of was that he 'failed, mother…'
"Anything interesting on him, Thanatos?" Jericho asked, frankly bored by the affair, he could have been talking with Keno about politics and magic! But at least he was happy he could increase his reputation, making his father's plans easier. The undead picked up the purple orb that fell from the man's grasp. If his face was visible from beneath the hood his frown would be evident. "This item my Lord, but it is rather… chatty."
Jericho tilted his head and extended his palm, where the reaper reverentially placed the orb. Immediately the intelligent and sentient item began to monologue in his head, 'Oh Great King and Lord of Death and Hell. It is an hon-' Why did all the zealots and weirdos about magic have to gravitate to him?!
He spoke to the orb, "Nope. Shut it. I'm handing you to Amal'Thazad and you will be a good orb and get experimented on." He tossed the orb back to his summon, which wouldn't despawn since it used a corpse as a medium, "Bring this to Amal'Thazad and then go to Valodan, I'm sure he could use another soldier."
"Understood, my Lord." The undead bowed and went through the abyssal gate opened by Jericho. The warlock grabbed the body and the head of the caster, careful to not accidentally dirty his robe with blood. He then turned to Keno, "What do you say we make a triumvirate return?"
She nodded, "Yes, let's. This whole affair will give us what we need to be recognizable and be heroes! I'm sure tonight will be lively!"
And indeed it was, with many toasts raised to their names…
(AN: Not much to say. Hope you enjoyed the story so far and there's more to come. Hopefully this chapter endeared Jericho to you a bit. Anyway, the recommendation for this chapter is [Brave New World: The Summit] by ALearningMan. Go read it because it goes hard. Hope you've enjoyed the chapter and story so far! See you next time!)