EX Chapter - Memory of Chaos: Climb.
Notes: This is a sub-story, you could skip it, but contexts that will be used in later chapters might be missing. But are they that important? Not quite.
Also, thank you for your kind words! Feel free to criticise me if you find something, not to your liking or perhaps incoherent.
There was a query on whether we will see the chaos beast or not... Who knows...
Climb's life had been quite a journey. When he was very young, he faintly recalled himself being brought onto a watchtower where his family was employed as 'mist watchers', an occupation created as a result of the catastrophe.
A massive crack laid only about 3km away from Re-Estize (the city), whose original monster was too strong to defeat, even by the famed Rigrit of the Blue Roses. So while she and the adventurers were searching for a solution, watchmen had to be stationed and write down changes in its size.
But then, a beast of colossal size emerged from the mist, bringing with it an army of corrupted animals. Of course, his family immediately ran, abandoning him on top of the tower.
The adventurers came and pushed the beasts back. However, in the most twist of irony, Climb was the only survivor of that attack as the beasts did not care about the watchtower. The boy was changed between hands for a while before being abandoned on the street as the last adventurer to take care of him died unexpectedly and never returned.
So off to the streets he went, finding whatever he could just to survive another day. If only a concept of an orphanage was not foreign to the Kingdom...
He continued his miserable survival until a certain angel descended down from the heavens and saved him, the third princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom. He was briefly trained by injured veterans returning from the fight with the chaos beasts and was allowed to be the ceremonial bodyguard of the princess which sparked great dissent in the capital.
The boy's training showed an above-average rate of improvement, that's for certain. However, he possessed no martial talent, not to mention he was a nameless commoner. Even the maids wouldn't be shy to insult him upfront in the capital, but he endured and focused on his training; after all, he's serving the most precious princess in the land.
Eventually, he met a man, Gazeff Stronoff was his name. Also a commoner, the man was a disciple of the great former adamantite ranked adventurer, Vesture Kloff Di Laufen, whose swordsmanship was known nationwide.
Gazeff participated in the royal tournament, hoping to secure himself a job as the king's blade. However, he fell short to Brain Unglaus, who was appointed to be the king's warrior captain after the tourney.
Now, the man followed in his mentor's footsteps and joined an adventurer group; When he was free after finishing requests, he and Climb would meet to spar together.
Life was going on the upward trend for Climb, especially when several 'cracks' near the capital had been resolved. He himself had even participated in one of the clears, albeit not on the frontlines. But like everything else, the good times, too, would come to an end.
[3 Years ago, Valencia Palace, Re-Estize Kingdom]
Rumours were brewing about a conspiracy to assassinate Ramposa III, the king of Re-Estize. However, there was no substantial evidence linking this to any of the nobles. And because much of the kingdom's resources have to be expended on taking care of the remaining 'cracks', this matter could not be investigated further. Although as a precaution, the first prince had been sent to Re-Uroval, a city in the far north in order to evade the plot.
Yet, amidst the tense political atmosphere, the lives of the common people weren't affected much, still as unpleasant as ever and perhaps even more due to constant supply issues. Though talks of a better future could be scatteredly heard around the capital, but what could peasants possibly do?
The time was about noon when Climb walked down the hall, heading towards the princess's chamber, who requested him to accompany her to flower picking. However, he noticed that something was amiss.
Normally, there would be maids and royal guards standing around as per the standard of a palace. However, he's seen none so far, not even the gatekeepers were present. As the sound of his footsteps reverberated throughout the silent palace, he would abruptly stop after hearing a set of footsteps approaching him.
"Why are you still here boy?" a male voice called out; it was none other than Brain Unglaus. "I thought they told everyone about this..."
The two weren't close because the warrior captain thought Climb to be pathetic and mostly ignored him. As such, that day was one of the only days they actually conversed.
"Good day, sir Brain." Climb said as he bowed respectfully, "I'm to accompany her royal highness to-"
"Look." the warrior captain interjected as he stared at the boy with disdain "I don't care about you kids; just be on your way and get out of this place as quick as possible."
"Y-Yes sir."
With that, Brain left the scene.
"What was that about...? I know he dislikes me, but he's acting off..." Still, in spite of all these suspicious acts, the thought of being with the princess clouded his judgement, consciously or not.
He continued onwards and eventually reached the princess's chamber. "Your highness." he called out as he reached to knock on the door. "I've arrived."
...
...
...
After a few seconds of delay, the door to the room opened, but it was not the princess who did it. It was her older brother, Zanac Valleon Igana Ryle Vaiself, the second prince. Due to his rather short stature, even with the age gap between him and Climb, the young bodyguard was still taller.
"My prince!" Climb exclaimed as he made a proper sign of respect, however, Zanac merely extended his left hand to stop the act.
"You don't have to do that anymore... it's over. Just take my sister and run, head for Carne. You know of that place right?" After saying so, the second prince handed ten platinum coins over.
"Run? From what, your highness?" Glancing past the prince, Climb saw Renner, her beautiful face and dress tainted with her own tears as she cried non-stop.
"Oh Climb..."
But before the princess could say anything else, the combined sound of clanking metal and footsteps echoed throughout the hall. Without hesitation, the prince pushed Climb and Renner into a nearby closet, ready to face the storm.
"Hehe, my prince... What could you possibly be doing in your sister's chamber?" A sound of a man spoke, his tone filled with a blend of sarcasm and scorn.
Climb couldn't see anything as the closet have not a single peeping hole in it, however, he could sense more than six people out there.
"Chief royal guard, I always knew you were with the side of coins. But have you no pride? For a family serving us for generations would end with a bastard pointing a blade at-"
"Silence!"
There was a *thud* sound, but the prince did not cry out in pain. For his entire time serving the royal family, Climb always expected the second prince to be quite frankly, a wimp. But it seems judging people from their appearances is not a good idea, and he himself, should know that best.
"Where is the princess?!" demanded the blackguard.
"..."
"I said, where the hell is the princess?!" the agitated tone from the 'chief royal guard' was followed by several *thud* sounds, but the prince still did not express any sound of agony.
Climb wanted to help the prince; of course, it was his duty. However, what could he accomplish? He was undoubtedly more skilful than an average knight, but against a group of trained combatants? And what will happen to Renner after his defeat?
"Why am I so useless!"
The beating wouldn't stop until-
"Oi, that's enough." A voice so familiar to Climb interjected. After all, he heard this voice not too long ago.
"Brain Unglaus... A commoner like you should know better than to order me"
"Hah!" Brain spitted, "In Eight Fingers, you are but a pawn while I am an arm or are you perhaps thinking that you are more important?If so go on, I invite you all to kill me."
"Eight Fingers?! Could it be?!"
Eight Fingers, a criminal organisation operating mostly in Re-Estize, their presence could be seen from the lowest to the highest of positions; the corruption runs so deep that efforts to eradicate them would simply be impossible. However, their name was considered to be ancient history due to their almost non-existent operations after the catastrophe. Naturally, Climb only knew about them due to his diligence in researching all sorts of shady pre-catastrophe organisations.
"So they are still operational...? If so, why isn't there any information about them...? No... maybe there are, and I just don't have access to them."
There was no reply, but the sound of footsteps could be heard before eventually fading away.
"Are you alright my prince?" said Brain.
Tempted to open the closet, Climb reached up, but something stopped him. Something soft and warm... A delicate hand of his angel. Now with the tense atmosphere gone, some of the boy's...other senses flooded back, the aromatic perfume from the princess emanated throughout the wardrobe. Now, a different kind of temptation slowly eroded the boy's consciousness.
Shaking his head from impure thoughts, the boy distracted himself by listening in closer to the conversation being held outside.
"I...am...fine" Zanac replied, obviously hurted.
"So the princess successfully escaped? Why didn't you join them, my prince?"
"...Yes...my...sister..made...it...out..." lied the prince. Perhaps he couldn't bring himself to trust the warrior captain wholeheartedly.
"So you aren't willing to tell me the second part?"
"..."
"Very well my prince. Do understand that this is the extent of what I can do. After all, each of the Arms is here."
"Arms? Is he talking about the Six Arms? Wait... he did say that he is an arm...so could it be?!"
Whilst the realisation that dawned upon the boy couldn't be more simple to deduce, perhaps expecting much from a poor, little puppy would be far too cruel. After all, had he seen the look on his 'angel's' face at that moment, he would've seen a devil in her steed.
.
.
.
.
About five minutes had passed, and when the noises were no more, Climb and Renner slowly got out. Still, he could not get his mind out of what the Eight Fingers' goal could possibly be. Overthrowing the king would not mean they take control of the kingdom? Far from it in fact.
Nobles from all around would never tolerate this, they would rush to purge the scums out of the capital even though the said nobles' regions might still have 'cracks'. Re-Estize politics were a matter of pride and not logic after all.
"I know what you are thinking Climb..."
Shifting his head, towards the princess, the boy was surprised at her calm and collected expression unlike before.
"They are talking royal family hostage... So they could strike a bargain with the royal faction... Most of the noble factions already have contracts with the Eight Fingers... thanks to their clandestine ways of operating ever since the Catastrophe. All of their building up...was for this precise moment."
The boy was shocked, he absorbed every word his mistress said as a fact and then use it to draw lines to other pieces of information he had, which was why everything seems to fit together, like a well-constructed puzzle. Almost too well... in perhaps.
Still, his mission was clear. He must escort the princess to Carne no matter the cost.
Discarding his armour, Climb and Renner stealthily made their way out of the palace... Well, perhaps stealthily might not be the correct word considering that there was not a soul other than them. Though it never struck the boy as odd.
After getting out with zero resistance, the two found black robes to conceal themselves, and the boy thought it to be adequate. They planned to use a secret exit in which but a handful of people had the key.
But before they could reach-
"People of Re-Estize, gather in front of the palace if you could; something fun is going to happen." spoke a sinister feminine voice. Climb looked around himself but could not find the source.
"Magic." the princess explained. "Some form of voice extension. Let us continue... I think I know what they mean by fun"
The boy nodded, as he pressed forward... They had to evade interested civilians who were making their way to the courtyard.
.
.
.
.
Re-Estize was known for its foul stench, which originated from its mismanaged sewage system. The problem would never be easily fixed of course, as the lords whose feet never touch the peasants' grounds could never understand the agony of living in such conditions.
However, Climb noticed that the odour was particularly more apparent today as if the wastes below his feet were rising up. But he brushed it off as his imagination.
Finally, they reached the entrance which was built onto the floor not too far from the western wall, like that of a manhole. With the key from Renner, Climb unlocked it, though he struggled to actually get the hatch open. Eventually, he realised that the key must be on at all times in order to pull the hatch forward...
"What've we'ere?" a voice spoke from behind, it was a thug-like man with several men behind him, weapons in hand. They don't look particularly strong, like that of a common thief, though they have number superiority.
"Go princess!" the boy said, with determination in his eyes as he unsheathed his blade. Since he had no armour, a single hit could spell death for him in one versus six... Though defeating one might even be a tall order for him. "I will handle this!"
"C..Climb... But-"
"GO!" the boy shouted as he handed her the entrance key.
Reluctantly, the princess made her way down the entrance, with Climb kicking it closed.
"Brave urchin, eh?" the boss said, while making a taunting motion. His underlings laughed before stepping back, perhaps signalling for a duel?
"Then... I can beat him"
Without a word, the boy rushed as he swung his longsword in a semi-wide arc. The reason for this was that his opponent was left-handed and fancied a shortsword as his weapon of choice. He thought a deflect from such an angle to be impossible.
But his opponent didn't even think of deflecting. He made a lunge of his own, aiming for a piercing strike.
Seeing how his attack would not land before being stabbed first, Climb activated his martial arts [Evade] to jump back. But the boss would not have any of that.
Using a martial art of his own, he increased his speed just enough to match and connect his attack. Climb tried to evade, of course, but the blade still grazed his arm.
Clenching his teeth, the boy tried to counter with a stabbing motion of his own, but even with [Agility Boost], his blade was still caught and parried. Even so, he stood up once more and tried the same motion before getting evaded and kicked down to the floor once again.
The last thing he could hear was uproarious laughter before his consciousness started to fade.
It was said that when a person was about to meet their end, memories of their life would flood their mind. Climb too, was no different; memories of him and his angel, who saved him from death. Every moment weighted so much more than gold to him. "I can't die yet?!"
As the blurry scene before him started to regain its focus and vibrancy, he shakily stood up, raising his sword defiantly as he spat out blood that welled up in his mouth. Usually, a respectable opponent would permit the boy to recover, but the honourless thugs before him wouldn't allow it for any longer.
Rushing in with his short sword, the boss aimed to decapitate Climb's head, knowing the impossibility of deflection. But suddenly, the grounds between them split, with it gushed out green coloured slimes which scattered in every direction, as if escaping from something. These were sanitary slimes, a non-aggressive type of slimes that usually dwell in sewers and spend time eating waste from above.
Before anyone could react to the absurdity of the situation before them further, the earth shooked. Splitting the more and more grounds of the city. However, what emerged from them weren't slimes, but several creatures which glowed in ominous purple.
"CHAOS BEASTS!" screams along those lines echoed throughout Re-Estize.
How could they emerge from the underground? The cracks near the city have all been resolved, so it shouldn't be possible for any of them to be here. Additionally, there weren't reports of new cracks forming this long after the Catastrophe... Although, an absence of evidence may not be evidence of absence.
Before Climb, emerged a being with four limbs, its body built with dark coloured stones, stitched together by purple flow emanated from its core.
It let out a wild roar before immediately jumping at the thugs. The reason that it did not target Climb certainly wasn't a benevolent one, but perhaps because it evaluated that the boy wouldn't be able to escape its grasp regardless.
The group put up a fight, of course, but it wasn't a good one as they were ripped apart with little to no inconvenience. Seemingly frenzied in its feast of blood, the chaos beast leapt at the unsteady Climb, who tried to deflect its momentum with his shaking sword. He knew for a fact that he would not survive, but there was nothing else to be done...
But only a split second before its sharp body could reach, it was shoved away by eight Guardian Angels, low tier signature summons from Rouble Holy Kingdom's military.
The boy's body then glowed in green; his wounds started to cure. As he turned in the direction of his saviour, he was greeted with a commanding shout.
"Open the passageway!". It was a woman in priestess's robes, one that Climb knew quite well, yet never interacted with, one of the refugees from the Holy Kingdom.
Without a word, the boy turned around, having faith in Kelart's power to keep the four-limbed Chaos Beast at bay... Only to realise that the key wasn't with him.
"What are you doing?! Open it up already!" shouted the priestess as she walked closer to Climb while sending a destructive ray of pure white light at the beast.
"I... I don't have the key..."
Hearing that, Kelart merely gave Climb a blank look before using a spell so ironic, to her position as a priestess. [Summon Household Undead]
A skeleton dressed in a weird outfit emerged, "So you finally succumbed to your temptation of seeing me once more, my dear lady!" the skeleton spoke as he made all sorts of weird motions. "Worry not my master, this house servant is ready to serve... But shalt thy order be?"
Climb could not help but feel...awkward...Yes, perhaps that term might be the most fitting one. He turned towards Kelart who looked away as if screaming, 'Don't look at me'.
"Is it that beast I shall eliminate?" The skeleton points towards the Chaos Beast still pinned down by Guardian Angel and newly spawned Archangel Flames. "Fear not my master, even that thing shan't be a tall order for I-"
"SHUT UP AND OPEN THAT DAMN HATCH!" Abandoning her persona, the priestess shouted.
"Ah certainly, my lady, with these boney fingers of mine, that trapdoor shall be unlocked!" the summoned skeleton made quick work and really managed to open it... However, due to the mechanics of the said hatch, he could not remove his finger lest he wanted to re-lock it.
"GO!" Kelart commanded. "I still have things to do just go!"
Climb was reluctant, but he knew for a fact that he would just get in her way even if he stayed. "S-Stay safe ma'am".
Seconds after he crawled in, the entrance would be closed. He prayed for the priestess's safety before making his way out, hoping to reunite with his mistress.
Memories after that would be very fuzzy. Perhaps the healing did not cure his head trauma entirely? Regardless, he did meet up with Renner and together, they set for Carne, running away from the screams of civilians and bloody scents in the air.
Author's Notes:
Q: Wait, so what the hell happened?
A: Re-Estize's story is still incomplete. Climb only knows what happen as he saw, but why? He wouldn't know. We'll need to see other people's perspectives.
Q: Wait... so Kelart summons an undead and the same one that appeared in chatper1? WHAT?! THERE ARE SIMPLY LIMITLESS REASONS WHY IT'S NOT PLAUSIBLE.
A: P-please don't kill me... I-I can explain in the future! P-PLEASE BELIEVE MEEEEEE. Though... perhaps...you...could...already...have...some...theories... Oh well, let's not dwell on the subplot and continue with Chapter 3!
Q: Why am I this cute and lovely?
A: Because you are my dearest reader! (Even though you are kinda scarie) Thank you for reading~You can also check out my profile for the upload order~
If you dislike the idea of extra chapters, do let me know. I will postpone writing them. But if you want me to write about someone, do let me know! OR if someone wants to insert themselves into this story and is fine with being a named side character that dies within four minutes of their genesis then let me know~
