(Start of chapter)
DINGIR AVATAR STATS
Character class: Wizard Knight
Rank: Pluto Knight X (Private)
Level: 14, 4199xp until next level up.
HP: 844 / 844
MP: 998 / 998
Strength: 40 (52)
Speed: 31 (26)
Spirit: 48 (49)
Magic Defence/Defence: 30 (50)
Magic: 75
Magic Evasion/Evasion: 16 (36)
Weapon: Iron short sword
Headwear: Iron helm
Armour: Iron armour
Accessory: Mythril gloves
Skills: Minus Strike
Abilities: Bright Eyes, Level Up, Man Eater, Bug Killer
Magic: Poison, Regen, Sleep, Panacea, Osmose, Protect, Cure
Trance: Balmung strike
Items: 20 potions, 1 phoenix down, 1 Antidote, 13 Goblin Steak, Traveller's cloak, Isekai ring, silk shirt, lots of regular clothes.
Gil: 2458
A/N: Did that book event…worst one ever, it rained all day, I lost money because it had low attendance, broke the trolley used for transporting my stock (that I borrowed from my sister) don't plan to do that event again. Well enough petty bitching, on with the long awaited chapter eleven. On the plus side I managed to get a pair of size 16/50 extra-extra-extra wide shoes that actually fit…just. My others had big holes in them, hence my annoyance at the rain.
In more relevant matters, we'll also be starring a new OC from another fanfiction member.
See below
Warick
A character for you would be Iugo, he is part of a bodyguard group of merchants, he is shy, talks little in front of women, but he is enthusiastic when he talks about fighting techniques, especially with chains. He learned to handle the chain as a child his father taught techniques, but because of a monster attack his family was killed, after the initial shock Iugo returned home and took the relic of the family Infinitus (a chain that stretches and depending on the owner's will).
A nerfed Dingir in Final Fantasy 9, seriously?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Saved by luck
"Recently there has been a number of murders by an unknown assailant, security will be increased both inside the castle and patrols outside will be tripled until we capture the person or persons responsible," Beatrix ordered her troops, the Pluto Knights were also in attendance as guarding the castle was part of their duties.
After that she gave each captain their specific orders, including Steiner, while the Pluto Knights returned to guarding the queen and princess. Mark followed the others at the rear of the group, staying out of the conversations for the most part. Externally he seemed stoic, serious, internally however, he was having a miniature panic attack.
He was the one they were looking for.
Every soldier inside the walled city would be looking for him!
'Thank fuck that I stopped already, everyone's going to be looking for me!' Mark internally screamed, while politely nodding to one of the soldiers he spend some time with.
'I didn't leave any evidence at the scenes, and it's not like they have forensics…'
Thank small mercies for a near-medieval culture.
But then there was the matter of witnesses, not to the crimes themselves, but those who guarded the castle's gates knew he had spent a lot of time in the city at night, and his joking banter with Carrie, who unwittingly guessed at what he was doing while poking fun.
If they ever suspected one of the army as the killer, he would quickly find himself in a difficult position, luckily Mark had stopped when he did. 'Unless they send me out, I should avoid leaving the castle grounds for a while, then Carrie can't say anything that might make me sound even the tiniest bit suspicious.'
Feeling somewhat more in control of himself, having used his internalised panic to run its cause, Mark knew that there was little he could do, as always he would focus on his job as a Pluto Knight, fool around with any willing women, and remain in the castle grounds.
And as he had stopped hunting criminals for experience points, they weren't going to catch him in the act.
Unfortunately, and rather unexpectedly more murders occurred that very night.
(Alexandria's Merchant district, 10:45pm)
Iugo yawned as the last boxes of stock were being carried into the tavern, his employers had sent him, along with two other mercenaries to guard these liquor merchants through the monster filled mists from Dali to Alexandria castle city. It had been a long day, and the young chain user desired to sleep, he felt no need to help with the unloading as the others did, he was paid to keep them safe, while it would have meant they would finish faster, he had learnt from experience not to do more than he needed to. But still he was sleepy.
"Hurry up!" he called to them.
"Piss off Iugo!" yelled back Kreck.
"Why don't you help out?" added Riggs.
"I'm keeping watch!" Iugo replied, earning twin glares. That was a lie of course, he'd long since earned his pay for this, but he made a point of looking about. It was that alone that saved his life.
A short portly man appeared in the mist, his face was blank of all emotions, and his eyes were glowing a deep yellow, perhaps even gold. He wore white pants and black overcoat, his hands and feet bare.
"What the?" Iugo thought, reaching to his lower back for his chain whip, the Infinitus, it was made from Mythril, a magical alloy, and if he supplied it with magic, he could make it stretch and retract, it made for a capable weapon.
The man seemed to vanish in the midst.
"KILL!" a toneless voice hissed in his ear from behind.
Iugo reacted on instinct, leaping to the side while using his whip to hurl himself and his attacker using the centrifugal force, he had his whip extend while releasing his attacker, sending the yellow eyed man smashing into a nearby shop front.
"Hey, what's going on?" Kreck yelled, running out with his sword drawn.
Riggs followed moments later with their client, they paused, seeing the damaged property, and Iugo's weapon lashing in the air with consecutive cracks, a move he used to keep opponents that were faster than him at a distance.
"Seems we've been attacked," Riggs said, pulling down his long handled axe from the wagon, similar to an executioners blade.
"Yeah…" Kreck agreed as he saw a yellow eyed silhouette emerging from the damaged store. He looked to the frightened merchant, "Please go inside Lord Dykeson and lock the door," the mercenary paused as he saw the attacker charge Fira spells in each hand. "And send someone out the back door to call for the city guards, ideally the mage corps, it's a black mage."
"O-Of course," Lord Dykeson replied, slamming the door shut, and several locks followed.
A black mage, the most powerful and most rare variety of magic user.
Among humans, less than 10% of them had the talent to use magic in any form, and from that 10% only a small number could use black magic.
Explanation time!
Out of every 1000 people, on average 100 can use magic:
Of those 100:
60 can use a mix of status/assist/imbuing or 'grey magic'
30 can use white magic
10 can use black magic
Additionally the spells one can cast are heavily limited by access to divine tools or imbued items, typically a gift of the Gods, or made by users of Grey Magic. A person must remain in contact with these items to use any kind of magic, until such time that their bodies adapt to use it alone.
One is also limited by their level.
Which is why the three mercenaries found them rather nervous by the twin Fira spells in the mage's hands. It was a grade 2 spell, or expert level. Above that was grade 3, or master level, or grade 4 for genius/monster level. Most never made it passed grade 2, twin casting was as difficult as grade 3.
"KILL!" the man growled, charging at them. Rather than simply blasting at them, the black mage charged in close, swinging at them, using the flames as an extension of his fists.
As Axe met flame, the spell exploded, destroying Riggs's axe, and he was left with a simplified metal spear, ignoring the fading flame, he stepped in and jammed the sharp edge into the black mage's chest, it barely pierced the skin.
"What the Hell are you made of?!"
"KILL!"
The second Fira hit him dead on, and obliterated his upper half, Riggs collapsed, the charred half scattering as dust in the cold night wind.
"Riggs!" yelled Kreck, channelling magic into his sword, acting a sword art meant for combating magic users. "You piece of shit, I'll kill you!"
"Oi!" yelled Iugo, who had retreated to a safer distance. "Calm down, Kreck!" He was ignored. "We just need to hold out until the Alexandrian Knights get here… Kreck!"
"Take this, Magic Break!" Slashing with his sword, the built up purple coloured magic struck the black mage, a magic glyph flashed briefly as its effect was felt,
(Reduces enemy's Magic Power by 25%)
The blade itself however did little damage. Much like the axe.
'What the Hell is this guy made of?' Thought Iugo while repeatedly whipping at the black mage with his chain, it guarded itself, while gathering magic, Iugo saw a flicker of electricity and was able to let go of his chain in time, before a Thundara spell ran down its length.
Iugo was down a weapon, a dangerous static hissed and crackled around his inherited weapon. Iugo was a smart man, the black mage hadn't once gone for the store, their employer was not the target. Therefore they could run.
The black mage gathered more magic, another Fira, larger than before, the way it pulsed, it was going to be a ranged attack this time. Iugo grabbed Kreck, hurling them both to the side, and onto the cobblestone. Hard.
The Fira spell passed where they had been moments before, glancing a thatched roof and began to burn. Ironically this is what saved them.
The illumination it provided in the deep dark of a night without electrical lights was enormous, Knights flocked to the source, among them some called by one of Dykeson's servant boy, but most came to the source of the flame
The black mage saw the approaching forces, and faded back into darkness. Though it wanted to kill, its creators had demanded it not kill the soldiers, so it obeyed, and retreated. For now.
"Finally," Iugo sighed in relief.
(Alexandria Castle, Pluto Knight's quarters, 6:30am)
"It seems that last night the killer struck again," Steiner informed his sleepy eyed troops, though Mark's eyes had damn near popped out of his head when he heard that.
'What the heck, I already stopped killing criminals for experience points,' Mark thought, forcing the shock from his features. 'So is someone else doing the same?'
"Including several civilians, a mercenary group was attacked, losing one of their members. But thanks to them, we have a clear description of the attacker," continued Steiner. He held up a detailed sketch of the attacker, a new wanted poster.
It showed a man around the same age as Mark, wearing the garb of the black mages from the game, not a black magic user, but the mass production golems/clones that could be used for battle. The mages face was new to him, but in the game it was always implied that their faces were just shadowed in their wide brim wizard hats. An insider joke to the cheap graphics of the playstation 1 game nearly twenty years prior that started the series. The outfit was definitely the same. The detailed illustration even showed the seemingly soulless eyes of the golem turned black mage.
"The attacker's name is unknown to us, they appear to be in their mid to late thirties, they have yellow eyes and light brown hair, they are apparently wearing a black overcoat and white pants, in the older wizarding style from a few centuries back. The Pluto Knights will be assisting in this as well. We will send four knights in groups of two, each accompanied by a member of the black mage corps. This is because the attacker is a skilled black mage. We shall provide our blades for the kill, while the mages protect us from the magic and attack," said Steiner with his usual seriousness ramped a notch or two higher.
"Why do they want our help, they all hate us," Breireicht complained.
"Not all of us," muttered Weimar with a quick glance in Mark's direction, no doubt in regards to his respectable run of conquests with their female colleagues, though it was more due to his knowing not to act like a sexist brute from the bygone age of his world, a little respect and a little more charm went a long way. Most of them acted like utter creeps when they played at charm, unfortunately for them most of the lady soldiers were stronger than them, so they had to mind the manners or face worse than a mere rejection.
Mark simply ignored the grumpy knight.
"Silence," ordered Steiner firmly. "Due to rebuilding and expanding the trading point that was destroyed during the Goblin invasion, as well as guarding it and the surrounding area, we are down on the Kingdoms usual forces. The Queen herself has asked that we help search in the residential areas around the castle itself."
Well that made sense, as the Pluto Knights were always stationed in the city, they knew the area better than many of the usual Alexandrian forces whose tours of duty took them all over the kingdom.
"Understood sir," Haagen said. "Who will be on these teams?"
Steiner nodded in approval. "Team one will consist of myself and Kohel, along with whoever they send."
"You got it, Captain," saluted Kohel.
"As for team two, Haagen and Mark."
"Sir!"
"Understood," Mark replied, inwardly concerned. It was doubtful they would be the one to find this black mage killer, but he was not a lucky man. Even if their levels were similar, could he take a black mage, even with backup? He could only hope the black mage corps member being assigned to them was competent.
CHAPTER END
Next Chapter: Overcasting
A/N: Well, there's the chapter I promised, sorry it took a few days longer than I planned. I hope you enjoyed it.
Also, who do you think is the other person sent ahead of me as mentioned by the game's creator? The first person to get it right, gets a small cameo in one of my professionally published works.
Also I didn't do my usual end of chapter stats as Mark didn't level up at all this chapter.
See you next time.