Yay! Chapter 5! Okay, usual stuffs about ownership and what not.
Constructive criticism appreciated. Thank you!
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We go back to the Inn where my room is. I haven't gone upstairs to see if that girl is still there. I'm not sure why.
The place is called The Golden Goose Pub and Singing Harp Inn, with the Inn on the second floor. The pub is exactly as one might think it would be. It's dark inside, and a thin layer of smoke floats at the top of the room. Candles, lit in various places, dimly illuminate the room. We're sitting in a booth off in the corner.
"So," I say, "what were you doing before you came here?"
"I was on the run, actually," Orcus says, sipping his drink. "There's a lot of turmoil in the army right now. A lot of soldiers, especially the officers, are upset with the Generals. Most believe they're being too active in trying to revive Bloody Angel," He continues, twirling the alcohol in his glass. "If they keep going so fast, someone's going to figure it out and at least try to stop them."
"I bet," I say.
He lifts his glass and looks at a candle through the liquid. "They all think they're immortal, especially with those human's minds corrupting them. It'll be a rude awakening when they're defeated and shoved back through those stupid crystals."
"The Holy Stones," I mutter.
"Yeah, those things. Powerful little stones. Only way they can get through to this realm, incidentally, even if it is through such a troublesome medium.
"And what about you? You seem like you're wandering. Could you be running from something, as well?"
"Not all those who wander are lost," I say.
"An excellent point, but what are you wandering for, then?"
"Well," I say, pausing to formulate my thoughts, "like you said, I'm from another dimension and just looking to use what little power I have."
"Which is?"
"Well, it's kind of hard to explain." The door to the bar opens and closes. It's too dim to see who it is, but the new arrival approaches the bar.
"Give it a try," Orcus says. "I'm sure I'll figure it out."
The new arrival talks to the bartender, who points to our booth. The new guy turns around and walks toward us. I watch all of this from the corner of my eye.
"I think we have trouble," I say. Orcus turns around and looks. His face is expressionless, but from his body language I can tell what he's thinking. As he sees the figure he freezes, just for a second, and then his body regains it's fluidity.
Orcus turns back around and finishes his drink, slamming the glass onto the table. I look over his shoulder to examine the man approaching. He's wearing a shrine knight's armor. I see a few strands of silver hair falling out of his green hood. Though I can see the outline of a sword through his forest green robes, he doesn't walk like he knows how to use it.
"Do you know who that is?" I ask.
"Yeah, it's one of the General's enforcers. We in the service call them hunters. They track down and try to kill deserters. Usually it's an easy job, but it's rare that such a high-ranking officer as me deserts. Poor bastard doesn't even know what's about to hit him."
"Are you Sir Orcus?" the shrine knight asks when he arrives.
"Well, it's a possibility, but the answer depends on who wants to know," Orcus says.
The shrine knight reaches into his robes. I grab my kikuichimoji, more by instinct than thought, but instead of pulling out his sword he draws out a scroll and unfurls it.
"It has been declared that Sir Orcus, Lieutenant Commander of the Fifth Division of The Lucavi Army, shall be executed on sight for the crimes of treason against Altima and Desertion. So it has been decided," he says, rolling up the scroll, replacing it in his robes and drawing out a rune blade, "and so it shall be done." The shrine knight launches himself at Orcus. He holds the blade high over his head, preparing for a powerful blow.
Orcus looks unimpressed. As the blade is about to cut his silver hair, he swats the blade away, knocking both it and it's wielder across the room. The bartender watches all of this from his post behind the bar, but doesn't seem to be afraid or even shocked. He just keeps cleaning the same glass over and over.
"Did you really think I would fall that easily, kid?" Orcus says. "I'm an officer in the Lucavi Army! Some young punk like you isn't going to beat me."
"Well," the shrine knight says, using his sword as an aid to stand up, "I didn't want to do this, but you asked for it." He snaps his fingers, and two beams of light come from the roof of the bar. When the beams retract, Altima Demons have taken their place. Orcus stands up and holds his hand out from his side. As he does, his sword materializes right in his hand, and his eyes glint the same red color as when I first saw him.
One of the Altima Demons comes forward and slashes at Orcus with his claws, while the other begins charging a spell. The shrine knight gathers himself together and comes at Orcus again.
I watch all of this, still sitting in the booth, with a sort of detached fascination. The shrine knight seems to have gone totally berserk, while Orcus seems very calm and collected. I guess that's what separates the soldiers from the warriors, though.
Orcus slashes through the air, cutting the shrine knight in half, but twisting the blade so that he hits the Demon with the flat of his blade. This sends the Demon flying, while Orcus advances on the next one.
My feeling of detachment is erased. The Demon knocked away by Orcus is hurtling toward me at an alarming rate. I pull out my kikuichimoji in time to lessen the impact, but the katana shatters in my hand from the extreme forces put upon it. I still get smashed into the wall, but it hurts less than the full impact would have.
As I pull myself to my feet, I see that the Altima Demon has as well. While they look ugly enough without being hurt, the shards from my shattered blade have embedded themselves in his face making it ten times worse. He does not look happy about this. He rushes toward me, claws ready to strike.
Being weaponless, I do what comes naturally in such an oh-shit situation; I put my hands up, as if that will stop the 650 pounds of unholy flesh flying toward me.
Half a moment later, I realize that it had. My instincts have once again served me well by automatically using my copy skill. Everything around us had stopped, which is odd. Usually everything just slows down a bit. While I would like to explore the voluminous amount of information here, I decide instead to just get the goods and run.
I start to copy the Demon's dark magic skills, but something goes wrong. Instead of just copying the skills, I start to copy everything in the Demon's mind. I try to stop it, but I'm stuck now. Instead of just having looked around, now all of that information is etched in my brain.
When the connection finally severs, the Demon falls to the floor, turns to stone, and crumbles. I have a massive headache. It feels like my head is about to explode. I fall to my knees, almost passing out. Images flash through my mind's eye. Images of dark violet bursts of light shooting up from below people, leaving only ashes as they pass. Images of people's faces being slashed off by large, white claws. Suddenly, I have seen and heard, known and felt, everything the Demon had. I know his name was Dawson.
Orcus grabs the other Altima Demon by the forehead and recites a spell under his breath. He lets go and steps back. The Demon is once again enveloped in light and, this time, taken away. Orcus turns around and starts toward me. He opens his hand and his sword disappears.
"What happened to you," he says, looking at all of the debris.
I explain to him what happened, including what happened with my copy skill.
"So, you killed him? Why? What was the point?" he says.
"Well, it's not like I meant to," I say defensively, but with a glimmer of anger. "I don't know what happened."
"How could you kill him?" Orcus continues ranting, apparently not having heard what I said. "He was just a soldier! He didn't ask to be here."
"If he was a soldier then he knew the risks involved."
"You still didn't have to kill him!" Orcus shouts.
"It was an accident!" I shout back.
"Yeah well-" he starts to say, but is cut off by a light surrounding me. I can see he's still talking, but I can't hear him. Over Orcus' shoulder I see Phariseas peeking out from the stairwell to the second floor, shaking her head.
The beam of light gets so bright that I can't see. I cover my eyes to block out the brightness. I feel the wood beneath me disappear. At first I think I'm going to fall, but then I feel something else start to materialize beneath me. It feels cold and hard, but rough. It must be stone.
I uncover my eyes to inspect my surroundings and am instantly hit by panic. I am surrounded by many Archaic Demons. They must be as shocked as I am because for a few minuets nothing happens. We all just stay frozen, me staring up at them, and them staring down at me.
Then I feel myself being lifted up and punched in the kidneys. I double over, but I am prevented from falling by a Demon, who hefts me onto his shoulder and starts taking me somewhere.
For a long while all I can feel is the pain from the hits to my kidneys and my still throbbing head. Once the pain from my sides is gone and my headache dulls, I look up to see where I am. It's a castle of some sort, with torches hanging from stone walls. A crimson carpet lines the floors. I hear a door open as I am taken into a room from the hallway. Based on the books that sit on the shelves covering every wall, I would guess I am in a library.
The demon puts me down gently and points to an oak table surrounded by chairs. "Wait here," he says, in language I have never heard before but somehow know. His voice is deep and velvety, but very harsh. He exits and shuts the double doors behind him.
I walk up to one of the shelves and take a look at the books. Many of them are on the art of war, some are on ancient magicks, but all of them are in a language that I know is the same as what the Demon spoke. I pull out one on the ancient magicks and sit down at the table.
The book appears to be on how to give properties to things that ordinarily don't have them. It seems almost alchemical in nature. It describes many things, like how to animate machines and how to create airships, but what attracts my attention is the chapter on how to combine magic. The introduction describes a process by which you can take one magic, say cure, and combine it with another, say haste, to make a new spell, something like regen. It also describes similar processes for skills.
I've finished three quarters of the chapter before I hear the doors open and a deep, soft voice say, "Welcome to my castle." I look up and am shocked, and a little afraid, by whom I see.
"I," The figure says, "am Velious."
We go back to the Inn where my room is. I haven't gone upstairs to see if that girl is still there. I'm not sure why.
The place is called The Golden Goose Pub and Singing Harp Inn, with the Inn on the second floor. The pub is exactly as one might think it would be. It's dark inside, and a thin layer of smoke floats at the top of the room. Candles, lit in various places, dimly illuminate the room. We're sitting in a booth off in the corner.
"So," I say, "what were you doing before you came here?"
"I was on the run, actually," Orcus says, sipping his drink. "There's a lot of turmoil in the army right now. A lot of soldiers, especially the officers, are upset with the Generals. Most believe they're being too active in trying to revive Bloody Angel," He continues, twirling the alcohol in his glass. "If they keep going so fast, someone's going to figure it out and at least try to stop them."
"I bet," I say.
He lifts his glass and looks at a candle through the liquid. "They all think they're immortal, especially with those human's minds corrupting them. It'll be a rude awakening when they're defeated and shoved back through those stupid crystals."
"The Holy Stones," I mutter.
"Yeah, those things. Powerful little stones. Only way they can get through to this realm, incidentally, even if it is through such a troublesome medium.
"And what about you? You seem like you're wandering. Could you be running from something, as well?"
"Not all those who wander are lost," I say.
"An excellent point, but what are you wandering for, then?"
"Well," I say, pausing to formulate my thoughts, "like you said, I'm from another dimension and just looking to use what little power I have."
"Which is?"
"Well, it's kind of hard to explain." The door to the bar opens and closes. It's too dim to see who it is, but the new arrival approaches the bar.
"Give it a try," Orcus says. "I'm sure I'll figure it out."
The new arrival talks to the bartender, who points to our booth. The new guy turns around and walks toward us. I watch all of this from the corner of my eye.
"I think we have trouble," I say. Orcus turns around and looks. His face is expressionless, but from his body language I can tell what he's thinking. As he sees the figure he freezes, just for a second, and then his body regains it's fluidity.
Orcus turns back around and finishes his drink, slamming the glass onto the table. I look over his shoulder to examine the man approaching. He's wearing a shrine knight's armor. I see a few strands of silver hair falling out of his green hood. Though I can see the outline of a sword through his forest green robes, he doesn't walk like he knows how to use it.
"Do you know who that is?" I ask.
"Yeah, it's one of the General's enforcers. We in the service call them hunters. They track down and try to kill deserters. Usually it's an easy job, but it's rare that such a high-ranking officer as me deserts. Poor bastard doesn't even know what's about to hit him."
"Are you Sir Orcus?" the shrine knight asks when he arrives.
"Well, it's a possibility, but the answer depends on who wants to know," Orcus says.
The shrine knight reaches into his robes. I grab my kikuichimoji, more by instinct than thought, but instead of pulling out his sword he draws out a scroll and unfurls it.
"It has been declared that Sir Orcus, Lieutenant Commander of the Fifth Division of The Lucavi Army, shall be executed on sight for the crimes of treason against Altima and Desertion. So it has been decided," he says, rolling up the scroll, replacing it in his robes and drawing out a rune blade, "and so it shall be done." The shrine knight launches himself at Orcus. He holds the blade high over his head, preparing for a powerful blow.
Orcus looks unimpressed. As the blade is about to cut his silver hair, he swats the blade away, knocking both it and it's wielder across the room. The bartender watches all of this from his post behind the bar, but doesn't seem to be afraid or even shocked. He just keeps cleaning the same glass over and over.
"Did you really think I would fall that easily, kid?" Orcus says. "I'm an officer in the Lucavi Army! Some young punk like you isn't going to beat me."
"Well," the shrine knight says, using his sword as an aid to stand up, "I didn't want to do this, but you asked for it." He snaps his fingers, and two beams of light come from the roof of the bar. When the beams retract, Altima Demons have taken their place. Orcus stands up and holds his hand out from his side. As he does, his sword materializes right in his hand, and his eyes glint the same red color as when I first saw him.
One of the Altima Demons comes forward and slashes at Orcus with his claws, while the other begins charging a spell. The shrine knight gathers himself together and comes at Orcus again.
I watch all of this, still sitting in the booth, with a sort of detached fascination. The shrine knight seems to have gone totally berserk, while Orcus seems very calm and collected. I guess that's what separates the soldiers from the warriors, though.
Orcus slashes through the air, cutting the shrine knight in half, but twisting the blade so that he hits the Demon with the flat of his blade. This sends the Demon flying, while Orcus advances on the next one.
My feeling of detachment is erased. The Demon knocked away by Orcus is hurtling toward me at an alarming rate. I pull out my kikuichimoji in time to lessen the impact, but the katana shatters in my hand from the extreme forces put upon it. I still get smashed into the wall, but it hurts less than the full impact would have.
As I pull myself to my feet, I see that the Altima Demon has as well. While they look ugly enough without being hurt, the shards from my shattered blade have embedded themselves in his face making it ten times worse. He does not look happy about this. He rushes toward me, claws ready to strike.
Being weaponless, I do what comes naturally in such an oh-shit situation; I put my hands up, as if that will stop the 650 pounds of unholy flesh flying toward me.
Half a moment later, I realize that it had. My instincts have once again served me well by automatically using my copy skill. Everything around us had stopped, which is odd. Usually everything just slows down a bit. While I would like to explore the voluminous amount of information here, I decide instead to just get the goods and run.
I start to copy the Demon's dark magic skills, but something goes wrong. Instead of just copying the skills, I start to copy everything in the Demon's mind. I try to stop it, but I'm stuck now. Instead of just having looked around, now all of that information is etched in my brain.
When the connection finally severs, the Demon falls to the floor, turns to stone, and crumbles. I have a massive headache. It feels like my head is about to explode. I fall to my knees, almost passing out. Images flash through my mind's eye. Images of dark violet bursts of light shooting up from below people, leaving only ashes as they pass. Images of people's faces being slashed off by large, white claws. Suddenly, I have seen and heard, known and felt, everything the Demon had. I know his name was Dawson.
Orcus grabs the other Altima Demon by the forehead and recites a spell under his breath. He lets go and steps back. The Demon is once again enveloped in light and, this time, taken away. Orcus turns around and starts toward me. He opens his hand and his sword disappears.
"What happened to you," he says, looking at all of the debris.
I explain to him what happened, including what happened with my copy skill.
"So, you killed him? Why? What was the point?" he says.
"Well, it's not like I meant to," I say defensively, but with a glimmer of anger. "I don't know what happened."
"How could you kill him?" Orcus continues ranting, apparently not having heard what I said. "He was just a soldier! He didn't ask to be here."
"If he was a soldier then he knew the risks involved."
"You still didn't have to kill him!" Orcus shouts.
"It was an accident!" I shout back.
"Yeah well-" he starts to say, but is cut off by a light surrounding me. I can see he's still talking, but I can't hear him. Over Orcus' shoulder I see Phariseas peeking out from the stairwell to the second floor, shaking her head.
The beam of light gets so bright that I can't see. I cover my eyes to block out the brightness. I feel the wood beneath me disappear. At first I think I'm going to fall, but then I feel something else start to materialize beneath me. It feels cold and hard, but rough. It must be stone.
I uncover my eyes to inspect my surroundings and am instantly hit by panic. I am surrounded by many Archaic Demons. They must be as shocked as I am because for a few minuets nothing happens. We all just stay frozen, me staring up at them, and them staring down at me.
Then I feel myself being lifted up and punched in the kidneys. I double over, but I am prevented from falling by a Demon, who hefts me onto his shoulder and starts taking me somewhere.
For a long while all I can feel is the pain from the hits to my kidneys and my still throbbing head. Once the pain from my sides is gone and my headache dulls, I look up to see where I am. It's a castle of some sort, with torches hanging from stone walls. A crimson carpet lines the floors. I hear a door open as I am taken into a room from the hallway. Based on the books that sit on the shelves covering every wall, I would guess I am in a library.
The demon puts me down gently and points to an oak table surrounded by chairs. "Wait here," he says, in language I have never heard before but somehow know. His voice is deep and velvety, but very harsh. He exits and shuts the double doors behind him.
I walk up to one of the shelves and take a look at the books. Many of them are on the art of war, some are on ancient magicks, but all of them are in a language that I know is the same as what the Demon spoke. I pull out one on the ancient magicks and sit down at the table.
The book appears to be on how to give properties to things that ordinarily don't have them. It seems almost alchemical in nature. It describes many things, like how to animate machines and how to create airships, but what attracts my attention is the chapter on how to combine magic. The introduction describes a process by which you can take one magic, say cure, and combine it with another, say haste, to make a new spell, something like regen. It also describes similar processes for skills.
I've finished three quarters of the chapter before I hear the doors open and a deep, soft voice say, "Welcome to my castle." I look up and am shocked, and a little afraid, by whom I see.
"I," The figure says, "am Velious."