[Epilogue]
Kezar was not in a good mood. This stemmed from one simple fact; he was currently being summoned by his king. There were many words to describe his king. In the past it may have been powerful, overwhelming and proud, but now? Now descriptions such as round and gluttonous fit him better. He came to power like most beastmen kings, defeating the competitors and taking it all by force, yet now he was but a shadow of his past self. Where once sat a proud lionman who was unmatched in battle, now sat a living failure of flesh and fat.
So why was Ahmarak not deposed by a beastman who's paws could still support their weight? Well, it was caused by his wife, a lionwomen of such power that it dwarfed even the past kings. She was obsessively loyal to their king and no one seemed to know her name. This variable is what was pushing the beastmen to ruin. Sure, the Draconic Kingdom was weak, but attacking humans only opened them up to retaliation from their kind and Kezar knew there were human kingdoms much stronger than the one they were attacking. Not to mention the fact that most of the resources in the country were ending up in the king's stomach.
Alas, the council of generals both past and present was rejected by the king, who demanded they push forth and bring him more things to satiate his hunger. The invasion was going fine, until the one in the bloody mask appeared. He rode in on soul eaters and single-handedly caused all of the beastmen to retreat and stop their advance.
After a week or so of travel, the generals, now including Kezar given that his general was killed, were now in the capital. The most optimistic of them all went straight to the king and reported on the situation, hoping that the mention of the dreaded soul eaters would sway the king's judgement. Alas, no such luck. It seemed as though they were going to have to go back out there; out there where such a monster dwelled.
Despite how disgruntled the army was, the chances of revolt were slim. Beastmen followed the strong and the queen, as mysterious as she was, was very strong. Kezar finally made it to the palace and headed straight to the dining hall, where his king undoubtedly would be. Beastmen architecture tended to be simple. The palace, just like most houses, was built from stone blocks put together into a square building, except much larger than most dwellings. Where beastmen really shined however was the cultivation of nature in their country.
Their country was 95% jungle, the other 5% being the cities. Not only would this serve well should one of their eastern neighbours decide to invade them and find themselves faced with a guerrilla force few could match, but it also helped restock the wildlife for the population. Beastmen were, for the most part, carnivores and ate any sort of meat, considering humans to be a delicacy, a delicacy their king desperately craved. The rest of the population ate things such as deer, cattle and so on.
As expected, the king was in his private area, consuming whatever was put in front of him. A thin veil blocked both him and the queen from the sight of even the keen eyes of the tigerman. Kezar knelt alongside the two other generals, ones newly appointed given that the former general left their posts after their king dismissed their advice. They were young and hungry for glory, Kezar could see it in their eyes. He too was like that, just over a week ago, but now he knew what kind of horrors lurked in human lands.
"You will go out there and bring me more humans." said the king in between bites. The generals waited for a few seconds to see if any other commands would be given, but the only thing that reached their ears was the sound of bones crunching and meat being chewed.
"Your will be done, your majesty." the three generals said in unison, dispersing quickly after. The two amateurs chatted among themselves. Evidently excited at the prospect of being able to finally go out and do what every beastman yearned for, earn glory in battle. It seemed like they were the ones who hadn't been on the fronts yet, chosen as generals solely because there were no other willing candidates.
But Kezar had a feeling that that roaring inferno of excitement would soon be suffocated by hopelessness…
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
The court meeting was going as expected. A new wave of attacks by the beastmen had quickly devastated their makeshift defence lines and the monsters had been pushing even further. It's as if the wound they bandaged had been slashed open once again, except this time an artery was severed along with it. At this rate, Draudillion would either be killed by the beastmen in a few months, or violated and killed by her own court.
Her anxiety, while she didn't show it, was at an all time high. A month had passed since the establishment of the Vadash Kingdom, but there had yet to be any answer to her letter. Each day she woke up hoping that some sort of letter would arrive, anything, even a rejection, just so she could finally be at peace with her fate. Each night she went to sleep hoping that she would wake up to the sound of a messenger knocking on her door, but it never happened.
Hell, at this point she would accept if one those two representatives just teleported into her room! Although… that may be rather inappropriate. Then again, she was effectively making a deal with power beyond her understanding so what did décor mean to her in this situation anyway?! As long as her people were saved then all would be well.
She had zoned out completely from the meeting and the words of the nobles, their anger thinly veiled beneath pleasantries, and the boasts of Cerabrate simply flew over her head. Right as the meeting was about to end and she began choosing the wine vintage for today in her head, a knock could be heard on the door. All conversation ceased as everyone gathered turned to look at the door.
It opened with a creek, a sign of the disrepair the palace was in that even the hinges were beginning to age. In came three beings. On the left was an angel, one who seemed to be fully sentient, which was something unheard of. It had six wings and far outshone the beauty of Draudillion's true form; she had long, golden hair and wore silver armour.
On the right was a well-dressed gentleman holding a cane. If not for the very prominent horns and red eyes, he might have been called devilishly charming, but the aforementioned attributes only made him look entirely devilish. Still, his pitch black hair and stylish suit, something that was popular in the south, were still very attractive.
In the centre was another beautiful being. This one appeared to be an elven woman, one with pale skin and long, snow white hair that went down to almost her knees. Draudillion almost felt her heart break at the idea that such beautiful hair would be dirtied by her floors. Thankfully it seemed that she was mindful of their hair and the queen's worries were for nought. She wore a snow white dress that put anything in the draconic queen's wardrobe to shame.
The unusual trio stepped forward and walked towards the throne. The angel ignored the nobles who stared at her, her expression seeming to be made from finely chiselled marble. The demon, as expected, basked in the political arena and smiled and those who dared meet his gaze. Finally, the elf in the centre walked forward with a small smile gracing her delicate features.
They bowed instead of kneeling, a sign that they saw themselves as being in a superior position; it was something Draudillion couldn't and wouldn't deny. "I bring a message from my creator, the King of the Swimming City and the King of Vadash, Lord Pyke." Her voice was as silky smooth as their hair and more charming than Draudillion could ever hope to be, even with the help of Wild Magic.
The queen kept up her mask of politeness, as a monarch should, "Oh? And what news does my royal brother send?" she asked. This was the moment of truth. The fate of her country would be decided here and now.
"My Lord apologises deeply…" Ah. So that's that. Her country will now turn to dust and ashes, crushed by the beastmen and thrown under the uncaring wheels of history. Her glimmer of hope flickered away and turned into embers. "For the delay, however, he is on his way through the newly subjugated Katze Plains and will arrive tomorrow at noon."
"Huh?" she said on instinct, not actually realising she said anything. She shook her head, composing herself slightly, "Say that again." she commanded.
"My Lord apologises deeply for the delay, however, he is on his way through the newly subjugated Katze Plains. There is another message, would you like to hear it, your highness?"
"Yes!" she answered. 'He kept his word!' she thought to herself. Maybe there yet was good in this world. But… would he arrive alone? Would either of the aides she met before be with him?
As if reading her mind, the messenger spoke once more, "He shall arrive with one you have already met, Lillius. The price for this help is your vassalage." The court, as courts in the New World tended to do, became a mess consisting of shouts and threats and the moment the price was uttered.
"You think you can demand that of us?! You are nobody!" said Cerabrate, while simultaneously lamenting the fact that the beautiful messenger wasn't a decade and a half younger.
The elf looked at him with emotionless eyes, as if overlooking statistics rather than a human, one considered powerful at that. All of a sudden Cerabrate felt observed from all angles as the woman spoke, "Name: Cerabrate Sabilovis. Strength: Dust. Fate: [Redacted]. You call me nobody yet there exists no precedent for you to be considered something."
Before Cerabrate could react to the retort, whether in a verbal or martial way, a cane was pressed to his neck by the demon who now found himself in front of the adventurer. "I would recommend you don't move, lest you want to meet me down there as well. I'd be glad to have you." It was all said in a polite tone of voice, but Cerabrate had chills going down his spine from the presence of the demon and so he backed off.
Draudillion cleared her throat in an attempt to bring the attention back to her, "You bring wonderful news indeed. I will prepare an appropriate reception and I accept the cost. I would do anything to save my people and if this is what it takes then so be it." She nodded to her Prime Minister who stood to her right, prompting him to take the floor.
"May we have the names of those who bring us salvation?" he asked. The Vadash Kingdom was still an enigma. The knowledge of the ministers and most prominent members of the ruling regime was something that could be easily acquired, and Kasmir was the type of Prime Minister who let nothing escape his eye. However that information did not provide any meaningful insight into the variety of demons and angels employed by the state.
This messenger seemed to be of astonishing beauty, perhaps even comparable with the rumoured minister of foreign affairs, Lillith. Beauty in politics was a weapon, one that could kill entire nations if used properly. A messenger such as this would not be used lightly and certainly wouldn't be mishandled by even a moderately competent administration.
Additionally, if there was one thing demons and angels had in common, it was pride. The two introduced themselves immediately.
"Arioch, demon of vengeance. Now in the service of Lord Pyke." said the demon.
"Halaliela, angel of karma. Now also in the service of Lord Pyke." said the angel.
As everyone's eyes turned to the elven figure, the two aides disappeared as if they were never there. There was no smoke, no spark of mana and no sign of any angel or demon. Wait… Was there any angel or demon there to begin with? There was, right? No, there wasn't. The elf came here alone. Right.
All those gathered in the court shook their heads, a weird feeling of something missing being present in their minds. Draudillion cleared her throat in an attempt to gather everyone's attention, "You bring wonderful news indeed. I will prepare an appropriate reception and I accept the cost. I would do anything to save my people and if this is what it takes then so be it." she said, giving her passionate thanks for the first time to all those gathered, except for one.
Then the Prime Minister, Tamarus Kasmir, took over. He was very diligent and knew that a beautiful messenger was a valuable tool and one as beautiful as this would be on par with any country's heirloom, thus he wanted to ask her name, but he had an ominous feeling that wouldn't go well. Names were power, both in magic and in politics.
Possessing a certain reputation could demoralise the enemy or be enough to deter attacks, such as Fluder Paradyne for the Baharuth Empire. However being a complete unknown came with its own benefits. If someone lacked information about your capabilities then they were at an immediate disadvantage, a rule as true in politics and it was in combat.
Instead he decided on a more neutral question that could still yield valuable information, "Would you like to stay in the palace for a while, as befits a messenger, or is urgent work calling?"
The beautiful elven woman simply shook her head, "Unnecessary." and disappeared.
Cophi left rather dissatisfied, or as dissatisfied as a being that merely imitates human emotions could be. Yes, she accomplished her goal of delivering the message and provoking Cerabrate, however she had to wipe two good pawns from existence and from the collective consciousness of mortals.
A small spark of true emotion appeared in her shadowy being; she at least hoped her creator wouldn't be disappointed…
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
It had been a while since Pyke had the distinct pleasure of having to deal with a more tropical area. The part of the Draconic Kingdom that bordered the beastmen, and now was controlled by them, reminded him a lot of his hunts in YGGDRASIL. Nothing provided better entertainment than making a large part of the playerbase believe an entire area was haunted because they could never find what left the corpses behind.
Given that Ferra and Trise were now done with their little projects, he now had a different set of gear and specialised skills for various different environments. His blood moon form was useful against holy casters, similarly he had one against undead. He had one for extreme stealth and one for dealing with the technologically advanced area in YGGDRASIL that were introduced in the Fall of the Valkyries update. Hell, he even had one for deserts. Of course he had a secret one for bosses, but he was not planning to unleash that in a world so fragile.
But he didn't have one for jungles. It was a bit of a shame frankly. To go out on a proper adventure, to a different kingdom in a different world, and not have any unique clothes to wear. Maybe he should ask Ferra to make him something, but she's busy enough nowadays.
Before he could ponder various other scenarios, the door to his office opened and in came the one who would be accompanying him this time, Lillius. The man however didn't come alone, in his hand he held a leash. Last time Pyke checked Lillius had not taken it upon himself to get a dog or any other animal that warranted having it on a leash.
Frankly, he was not at all surprised when the being on the leash turned out to be an adult, human woman. Clementine, who was once upon a time meant to be executed in Re-Estize, was instead taken by Lillius and, judging by the look of absolute devotion in her eyes, broken entirely.
"Father, can I take Clementine with me? She hasn't been allowed to hunt and kill for a week now!" said Lillius. It was just like him to have a pet that would also be extremely sadistic.
However, despite the innate charisma of the man, Pyke shook his head, "No. What do you think we would look like in the international arena if you'd pull a stunt like that?" Times like this reminded Pyke that despite being overwhelmingly powerful and very competent, his NPCs really were like children and subject to the whims one would expect of them. Even if this one was a bit… grim.
"Nobody has to see her. She won't mind being in a secret compartment in the carriage." He turned to his pet who was rather scantily clad to say the least, "Or would you?"
Despite Clementine being a savage and brutal killer, Pyke almost felt a twinge of pity when she bashed her head against the floor in order to lower herself as much as possible, "Of course not, master. I will do whatever you desire of me."
Pyke, tired of this scene and hoping to end it before it got out of control, opened an [Abyssal Gate], picked up Clementine by the neck and threw her to whichever dungeon of the Swimming City the gate led to. "We are not bringing her along. I sure hope none of the citizens saw you either. The reputation we have curated for ourselves would have sunk to the depths in an instant."
Pyke rubbed the bridge of his nose and pointed to the door, "Go and get ready. We're leaving in 15 minutes. If I don't see you in the carriage by then, then I sure hope your pet will be recognizable after Trise is done with her."
Lillius disappeared in an instant, leaving behind only afterimages.
Pyke sighed, "Now then, onto more important matters." Matters such as how to help the government staff survive once the Draconic Kingdom is vassalized…
(AN: Volume 3 is done! Next time around we have an entire volume dedicated to the Draconic Kingdom and the shenanigans there! Will Pyke stop Lillius from skinning kids? Will Draudillion finally catch a break and work on her crippling alcoholism? And, most importantly, what will happen to Cerabrate? All that and more, in the next volume. As always, more to come and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!)