Hello my dear readers, I am so sorry for the extended absence. To make up for it, I present my longest chapter ever. In history. I mean the previous two chapters came in at 5,606 words combined, this chapter is 5,744 words. It more than doubled the length of the story. Now I feel it important to say, not every chapter from this point will be this length. They will most likely stay around 2,500- 3,000 words. So please enjoy the newest chapter of: The Price of Revenge.
Chapter 3
Absolutely and utterly fucking useless, three periods into the day and I haven't been able to focus on my classes for more than 30 seconds. My mind has been flooded with three things all morning; Akeno's smile, Rias blushing, and a voracious rage/infatuation. The look on her face when she said my name; she knows something and is teasing me. Never before did I believe that you could feel this much rage and exhilaration at the same time. Fuck it, I'm not going to get any work done today, so I'm just going to head to the library. Packing up my bag and heading to the door elicits no response from the teacher as this is a regular occurrence and seeing as how I have the highest scores in my grade, the school lets me get away with a little more than other students. As I reach the door I catch a glimpse of Issei out of the corner of my eye, he has a concerned look on his face no doubt caused by the look of anger and confusion on mine. I'll have to put his mind at ease later, but for now I have an anomaly to ponder. Once in the library I head to my usual spot in the back corner and sit in the familiar leather chair. Crossing my legs and leaning as far back as possible I close my eyes and start to dissect my problem.
Issei, Akeno, Rias, and the other two members of the club are all seemingly immune to Observe, yet Issei only became immune after hanging around Rias. So it stands to reason that they all have an ability that nullifies observational/information gathering abilities. While I do sense magic in each of them, there is no evidence to suggest they are actively using magic as a counter-measure; therefore the ability must be passive in nature. It isn't an artifact for two reasons: First being they aren't all wearing anything identical and second being artifacts like that are typically one of a kind.
My biggest concerns aren't that they are immune to Observe, but the fact that I have never come across a race with a passive ability like this and Issei is only now immune. I don't like this at all and right now the instinct to destroy all obstacles is beginning to over ride my newfound infatuation. Shaking my head clear I decide the head to The Green Door and see Amisaki Kinu about fixing my armor and to see if she has any useful books or scrolls.
Time Skip
After a short detour to gather up six Garuda feathers I reach my destination. My destination being a rather plain building with an emerald green door. Stepping through the door I am greeted by an interior much larger than it should be. You see The Green Door is heavily enchanted on the outside to prevent anyone unwanted to enter. A normal person would see a plain shop front with nothing to offer them. If for some reason they decided to look around anyway the rest of the enchantments distract them and implant false memories of an important event to draw them away. Then you have the inside which is a magical pocket dimension, thus explaining the massive inside verses the small outside.
"Ah, my sweet Corvo, what brings you here when you should be at school?" A sweet yet sharp voice greets me as I enter. Smiling, I turn towards the source of the voice.
"Miss Kinu I am here for your assistance and to browse your goods." I reply in a polite tone. "As for school I was very distracted by various uncertainties, so I figured a change of venue might help."
With a heavenly chuckle, Miss Kinu walks over to me. She is around 5'5 and has waist length black hair. While in her early 40's she still has the beauty of a woman two decades younger than her. This is all complimented by a deep blue kimono. She stops a couple feet in front of me with a soothing smile on her face.
"What do you need assistance with my dear?" I pull my ruined armor out of my bag and her smile drops. Looking at me with narrow eyes she starts to speak but I stop her by pulling the feathers out of my bag.
"I also bring you these." I say while handing them to her.
"Garuda feathers, how on earth did you manage to get these?" She asks in shock. Garuda are technically divine beings as they are the companions of Vishnu himself. They are rarely sighted and almost no one survives an encounter with one.
"The murders happening around town lately were committed by one. I found the feathers at the last crime scene. The Garuda is also the reason my armor is so damaged. I was unaware they could use light magic. Hopefully the feathers will cover the repairs, replace my lost weapons, and some other things I find while looking around." After overcoming her shock she shakes her head.
"Corvo, six Garuda feather is worth about four pounds of gold; that's over 73,000 USD. You're good on money here for a long time. Give me your armor and tell me what weapons you need to replace and I'll get started while you look around. Just write down what you take and leave the list on the counter." I hand her my armor and tell her I need throwing knives and flash bangs. She then retreats to her workshop and I start walking around.
After browsing for nearly two hours I found the six skills in will learn and master within a week. The first two are from books: Activated Acceleration is an activated ability that triggers an increased output of adrenaline and norepinephrine which increases speed, strength, thought speed and processing; the increase in output is 1x for every five points, so ten points would be 2x and so on. Magical Enhancement allows me to augment my speed and strength by converting Mana into physical energy. So I now have STA and MP based physical buffs.
The other four abilities came from scrolls: Multi Strike came from an old Chinese martial arts scroll and teaches how to turn a single strike into several at once, it starts at two strikes and will increase as the Skills Level increases. Suppression Field creates a two yard field that reduces an opponent's magical ability by 15%. Stasis Dome forms a sphere of time distortion that slows time by 10%, the draw back being that it also affects the caster. And finally Gravity Spheres summons a softball sized spheres of purple-black gravity for every five Points, that circles the user and automatically reacts to attacks, they are one offs but can also be launched as projectile attacks. I allocate 10 Points to Activated Acceleration, Stasis Dome, and Gravity Spheres.
Since it took me so long to make my choices Miss Kinu has finished my requests already. She is surprised to see me still in the shop.
"Still here I see. Well here is your equipment and I added a Moderate Light Protection to all your armor. What all did you end up choosing?" I exchange the list of books and scrolls for my armor and flash bangs. This extra enchantment will come in handy against not dying to an enemy using light magic. "Now then, is there anything else I can help you with?"
"Actually there is. Would you be able to get your hands on a couple of powerful swords by chance? Fighting that Garuda made me realize that my current weapons aren't going to be effective against high level opponents." She stares at me for a long time, as if she is studying me and my intentions. After what seems like an eternity she speaks.
"Hang around for a while; I have a friend coming by for a consultation. He specializes in magically enhanced and cursed weapons and might be able to help you. Granted you can pass his tests. All of his weapons are extremely dangerous and need to be used by someone strong enough for the particular weapon." I nod and ask if there is anything I can do to help her out.
After an hour of organizing some equipment and scrolls I hear the door open and Miss Kinu start talking to a man with a deep but smooth voice. Deciding not to interrupt her business I keep organizing her stuff until she calls for me to come out of the back and meet her friend.
"Corvo, allow me to introduce you to Demetrio Alighieri, descendant of the famed Dante Alighieri; the man who traversed the nine circles of hell. He currently holds possession of 23 of the most dangerous weapons in the world, due to Demetrio having an incorruptible soul." Demetrio Alighieri is a tall and athletically built man. He appears to be in his early 30's. His black hair is swept back in a very professional manner. He has a black neatly trimmed goatee and wears frameless rectangular glasses. He is dressed in a black dress shirt with a charcoal grey vest and red tie. He has on black dress pants and black dress shoes. He looks at me for a moment before extending his hand, I grasp it and we shake.
"So you're the mysterious Corvo Draven that Amisaki has been telling me about. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He says in a cordial manner.
"It's likewise a pleasure to meet the descendant of such a famous and influential person. I hope we get along." I say with a slight bow.
"I hear you are looking for some weapons and after everything Amisaki told me about you I have two swords in mind. If you can pass my tests I will transfer possession of them to you." As he finishes talking he pulls out a syringe and faster than I can keep up with at this distance injects the contents into my neck. "The first test starts now."
The moment he finishes his sentence I feel a pulse of mind shattering pain. I drop to my knees as more pulses come faster and faster until the pain is constant. The level of physical pain is so immense that it is affecting my mind. It feels as if my mind is in the process of shattering slowly; every ounce of my being is in excruciating and unrelenting pain. My breath is coming less and less frequently and is increasingly shallow each time it does. My heart is pounding in an erratic fashion and feels as if lightning is coursing through it. I can feel my blood literally boiling in my veins. My vision is fading to black and I can feel death slowly taking over my body.
As the end rapidly approaches I hear a completely inhuman roar leave my lips and I begin to fight back. Fueled by my never ending hate, rage, and pain I force the feeling of death out of my body and snuff out the pain that is racking everything I am. As I struggle against whatever is in my body I focus on the sight of my dead brother. His torso ripped open, his intestines covering the room, his eyes removed, and the large pool of blood I fell in. I think about looking in the mirror afterwards and seeing myself drenched in the blood of my beloved older brother. With another inhuman roar I banish the pain and death in me completely.
Shakily standing up I see both Miss Kinu and Demetrio smiling and nodding their heads. Demetrio helps me steady myself and Miss Kinu hands me a glass of water. Demetrio waits for me to finish drinking before speaking.
"54 minutes, that is by far the quickest I have ever seen someone breakout of the "9 levels" influence before." He says with approval and admiration in his voice. "It took me an hour and fifteen minutes. You have an insanely strong will. Your next test is to eliminate a large group of Hobgoblins lead by a Mountain Troll."
He hands me a slip of paper with the location of the group, which is about two hours away from Kuoh. This will be a tough battle, while individually weak Hobgoblins are very dangerous in groups. They are much larger than their Goblin cousins and are much smarter, capable of advanced tactics and strategy. While they can't use magic they have well above average fighting skill. They can see almost perfectly in the dark and are proficient in stealth. With a capable leader a group of 15 can defeat a group of 30 knights.
Speaking of capable leaders; Mountain Trolls are the most dangerous and powerful breed of Troll. They are slightly lager, stronger, faster, tougher, and significantly smarter. They also have an inherent ability to use Earth Magic. Leading a band of Hobgoblins, a Mountain Troll has the potential to be a serious threat.
"Very well, I will head home and grab my weapons and head out today. I will return in three days with the Mountain Troll's head as proof of my completed task."
"Three days? That's rather ambitious is it not?" Miss Kinu asks while laughing slightly. Demetrio's smile just grows wider.
"It'll be one hell of an impressive feat; I look forward to you succeeding." With that I take my leave.
After reaching my house I gather my weapons, traps, and supplies. I then call Issei to inform him of my short absence.
"Sup Corvo." He answers in a jolly voice. "Whatcha up to?"
"Hey Issei, I called to inform you that I will be taking a three day trip to visit my parents in Tokyo." I smoothly lie.
"Oh." He sounds saddened by this news; he really values our friendship it appears. "Well, it is good that you get to see you parents. It must be hard to live so far away from the, I can't imagine."
"My studies and training keep me pretty busy and distracted, but I do miss them." I really do, even though my revenge is all I care about I still love my parents. They supported me through my years of depression and continue to support my growth as a person. "Besides, it's only three days. I'll be back before you know it."
"True, just make sure you text me as much as you can."
"Will do, I'll let you know when I arrive." With that we hang up and I head out to complete my second test.
Time Skip
Arriving in the area of my target I begin to do some recon. The area is a pretty dense forest with a few creeks and some clearings. There is also what appears to be a cave system near a small lake to the northwest. I didn't scout it out as it is the most likely spot for my targets to set up camp. Getting close enough to examine the area is too much of a risk this early into my trip. Instead I focus on mentally mapping out the surrounding area and locating the best spots for traps. I spend the rest of the day memorizing ever inch of my hunting grounds.
I wake up at dawn and proceed with phase two of my plan. I begin looking for small groups of Hobgoblins and tracking them for a while. I'm establishing what the typical routine is and what holes there are in their movements. By the time noon comes around I have gathered enough information and retreat to my makeshift shelter. Eating a couple of sandwiches I review what I learned.
They send out two parities of three to five every 45 minutes and the return at the same pace. The parties hunt small animals, gather berries, or check for signs of foreign parities. Luckily I am pretty good with stealth, in fact I gained two Levels in Stealth and Leveled up twice. Turns out that hour's of successful stealthing gains a lot of experience.
The biggest weakness they have is while on a timetable, their parities are completely lacking in order. There is no movement pattern or communication; I watched two hunting parties search the exact same area back to back. They go in random directions when they leave and wander around in an aimless fashion while they're out. I'd easily be able to eliminate both parties before the 45 minutes is up.
Their numbers are about 42 or so. I'm not entirely sure as I've seen some come and go from the caves, so there could be a few more hiding in the cave system. I'd say no more than 15 more. The potential 15 plus the mountain Troll put the number up to 58 potential enemies and 43 confirmed. The best course of action is the plant the traps in the locations I picked out, eliminate the two parities within the 45 minute window, rush the camp and take out seven to ten, then lead them into the forest and pick them off with traps and guerrilla tactics. The Mountain Troll can wait until the Hobgoblins that follow me into the forest are dead. It won't follow due to the Mountain Troll's biggest weakness being it is unused to being in unfamiliar environments for long periods. It'll stay near the caves until I confront it. So now to spend the rest of the day setting up the traps and wait for the bloodshed that is coming tomorrow.
Time Skip
12:15, time to strike. Rushing through the trees I locate the first party 50 yards ahead after 15 minutes. There's four walking in a standard, albeit tight, square formation. Too easy, this will take seconds. Pulling out my short swords I Dash forward and slam the swords through the foreheads of the two in the front as their bodies hit the ground I twist around and activate my right boot knife and carve a deep gash into the throat of the Hobgoblin on the right with a quick roundhouse kick. As the remaining Hobgoblin goes to yell and alert the other party in cup my left hand over his mouth and slam my right hand around his throat and hold it with a vice grip. Lifting him up, I slam him into the ground hard enough to break his spine and ribs. Pulling back my right hand and channeling Mana into it, I release his mouth and crush his skull with my enhanced punch. Retrieving my swords I take off in search of the second party, which only takes seven minutes.
The second group consists of five and is in a more spread out circular formation, this won't be as quick as the first group; but still will be over in less than a minute. Once again Dashing towards the enemy I fling my left sword at the Hobgoblin furthest from me. While the sword is flying towards its target I thrust my right sword forward. They both pierce the heart of their targets simultaneously. Releasing my grip on the sword I continue moving forward, whipping my fight arm in the direction of the Hobgoblin on the left and wrap the wire around his neck. At the same time I leap in the air in a corkscrew and pull him into the air over me. As I land in a crouch I yank the wire and break his neck. As I release the wire from around his neck I also pull out the knife on my left ankle. I proceed to take off towards the two Hobgoblins running at me; I fling the knife into the skull of the one on the left and lean left to dodge the sword swing of the final one. The missed strike causes the Hobgoblin to lose balance; as it regains its footing I grab its wrist and chop the bend of its arm to redirect the sword into its chest, right below the neck.
After retrieving and replacing my weapons I make my way to the base camp. The elimination of the two parties only took 29 minutes with another five minutes to reach the camp. As I silently approach the camp I see the next two parties are getting ready to depart, each consisting of five members. As close as they are together I could take out all ten with a single Space-Eater, followed with an overloaded Shockwave in both arms on the group of four; that would leave 19 to deal with in the couple of minutes it will take for the Mountain Troll to show up with whatever reinforcements they have. Fuck it; yield to the moment like flesh does the knife.
I quickly dump my twenty points into Agility then activate Harden and Gravity Spheres for extra insurance. It takes about five seconds before Space-Eater is ready to use but the effects are immediately seen; while only six feet in diameter the force of its pull can be felt over 50 feet away. As it warps the space around the group of ten it also pulls other Hobgoblins off their feet, providing the perfect time to strike. I Power Leap to position myself above the group of four and charge up a Shockwave in each arm; the resulting explosion nearly obliterates the Hobgoblins below me and knocks the still standing one on their asses. I pull out four Storm Grenades; they are grenades with the Major Lightning Strike and Major Razor Wind enchantments. I lob them at the eight Hobgoblins across the clearing and the elemental onslaught is more than they can survive. 11 left and I can hear the Mountain Troll making its way through the caves.
It looks like luck is on my side today; they are regrouping into a single group. No doubt to try an overwhelm me. Oh, I'm about to paint this clearing with their blood. Raising their various swords, spears, and axes they haphazardly charge me.
Pulling out my short swords in a reverse grip I charge them with my newly increased speed. Judging by the look on all their faces I must be a blur to them. Reaching the pack of 11 I decapitate the two in the front and follow it with a Reinforced spinning side kick to the head of the next on. The kick caves in his skull and sends him tumbling into the three to the left of him; knocking them onto the ground. Spinning around I block the downward strikes of the two on the right. As the try to overpower me I simply crouch slightly and spin through the gap between them, at the same time I lash out with my blades and leave large gashes from their stomachs to their back, they'll bleed out in moments. Three of the remaining six try to overtake my by jumping in the air to and land powerful downward cleaving strikes on me. I don't even get a chance to react before the three Gravity Spheres launch themselves into the chests of my attackers. They explode with significant gravitational force, completely destroying the upper bodies of their victims. Looking towards the cave's entrance I can see the Mountain Troll's shadow covered about to exit it. Deciding to end the current battle I put a throwing knife into the throat of the remaining three Hobgoblins. I'm confused as to why this is a test, these Hobgoblins were unusually easy to defeat. At that moment my luck ran out and my confusion ended.
Flanking the Mountain Troll two on each side was four of the most dangerous Hybrids I've ever seen. Hobgoblin-Orc Hybrids and they were bigger than this Hybrid type typical gets. Each was about nine feet tall and looked like fucking brick walls. None of them had any armor, but they did have massive double-sided battle axes. The Mountain Troll was also unusually massive, standing at 15 or so feet. He also looked like a walking mountain; his goddamn club is bigger than I am. I will put my life on the fact that his earth magic is also much stronger than the norm. Fuck me; this is going to be hard.
"You killed my hoard. I can respect the strength it took to do that and shall give you the chance to flee with your life." The Mountain Troll's voice booms in the silence and is gravelly in sound. I take full advantage of this momentary interlude to recover as much as I can, while my HP is untouched my MP is a 40 and my STA are pretty low. While I do regenerate STA and HP slowly, I have no active Mana regeneration as such I can use a couple more Shockwaves or a couple of minutes of Magical Reinforcement, so things are looking pretty bad for me. Retreating is the most logical option, but doing so will prevent my self-imposed three day time limit. Beside if I retreat these five will either follow me or move on to a different location. No matter how logical retreating is, I have no choice but to fight. If I drop the Harden my Mana jumps to 90, it's not much of a fall back but it's all I have.
Quick inventory before my opponents get restless. Full HP, STA will be full in a few seconds, Mana is currently at 40 with an additional 50 if I drop my extra defense, two Storm Grenades, four Flash Bangs, nine throwing knives, and my standard weapons. With my recently increased speed, Activated Acceleration, and the Minor Curse of Weakness on all my blades my best bet is to try and win through speed blitzing them until they are too weak to be a threat. One on one I could beat the Hybrids in a straight fight and possible the Mountain Troll too, but not in a five on one; there's no way in hell I win this head on. Minor Curse of Weakness stacks based on either number of cuts or time of exposure, if I can stick a throwing knife in the back of each Hybrid and five in the Mountain Troll, my chances go up tremendously. At least I have some semblance of a plan.
Sheathing my swords causes the five to relax their guard a little, but it's enough. Bursting forward I gamble five Mana worth of Enhancement to further increase the speed of my reckless blitzkrieg. By the time I'm five feet from the group they've regained their guard and activating a Dash I close the remaining distance faster than they can hope to keep up with. One foot away I Power Leap over them and twist in the air. At the peak of my ascent I launch five throwing knives at the Mountain Troll, all hit their mark. The moment I land I'm forced to throw myself to the left in order to escape a decapitating blow from H1. As I roll I draw my short swords and active Guard to intercept a swing from H2, as I allow the force of the strike to carry me backwards I kick my right leg up and puncture H2's left bicep with my boot knife. As I am carried back my boot knife tears through the muscle and by the time it exits the arm, the bicep is rendered useless. I land about ten feet away and see that my STA is full, smirking I break open Activated Acceleration for its debut. The effects are immediate, I can feel the newly introduced power coursing through my veins and time seemingly slows down slightly; I know this is my increased perception but it is still an amazing thing. The most fascinating thing is how I know; I know what the increase is and how to completely control my new physical abilities. I know that each increase yields two Points to my Strength, Agility, Dexterity, and Perception, for a current total of six extra Points in each.
As H3 and H4 rush me I put my increased abilities to the test. H4 leaps in the air for a vertical slash and H3 aim a horizontal chop at my ribcage. Pivoting around on one foot so my back is facing H4 I propel myself towards him. The action moves me out of the path of H3's attack and slams me into H4's lower half, sending him crashing to the ground. Capitalizing on my successful evasion I charge H3 while slashing the back of H4's right thigh. As H3 swings the broadside of his ax at me I wait until the last second to jump up, twist my body so my feet are an inch away from the ax, and Power Leap using the ax as a springboard. I feel the ax crack a bit under the force of my leap. Rotating in the air so I am right side up I rocket towards H1. As I go to pass him I stab my right sword into his left shoulder. Tightening my grip I use the now implanted sword to halt my momentum and land behind H1 as he is yanked to the ground by the sudden force of me using him as an emergency break.
Ripping the sword out of H1's shoulder I spin around and slice into H2's right side as I dodge his sloppy one handed strike; it's impressive he can even use that ax with just one arm. Hearing something approaching at a high speed I spin around just in time to have a large stone slam into my chest. The force of impact throws me off my feet and I land a few feet away from where I was hit. That attack took 100 HP and destroyed my momentum. Seeing I've burned a little over half my STA I cancel Activated Acceleration and scramble to my feet. Quickly accessing the situation slightly angers me. H1 and H2 each have a useless arm, H3 has a damaged weapon, and H4 has a bum leg. Until the fucking Mountain Troll interfered I was making pretty damn good progress. The Minor Curse of Weakness is taking visible effect on the Hybrids, but that goddamn Mountain Troll looks completely unhindered. Sheathing my swords once more I slowly grab the last two Storm Grenades I have, luckily they are only slightly larger than a golf ball. The Hybrids have boxed me in, most likely an attempt to control where I can go. With the small amount of STA I have gained I trigger Activated Acceleration and bank everything on this next attack. If I can't take out all the hybrids with my next move, I won't survive. I can see the Mountain Troll getting ready to unleash unholy hell on me as soon as his men are clear. With the power I felt behind that minor earth attack I can't afford to focus on me the Troll.
I ready myself and the Hybrids rush in. I run towards H1 and he leans his shoulder down to meet me with a full on charge attack; good. Right before we connect I slam my shoulder down and roll over him and slam a foot into the back of his left knee as I land. I proceed to jam the Storm Grenade in my right hand into the hole in his shoulder. I then hook my right arm under his left armpit and wrap my left arm over his neck and fling mine into H3. As they collide I rush towards H2 and drop to my knees, sliding right under his attack. Thrusting my left hand into the tear in his side I release the Grenade and place my right hand on his thigh. Planting my hard, I come to a stand and throw H2 into H4 and Power Leap away right as the Storm Grenades go off. As I soar through the air I pull the knives out of my boots. Landing, I don't even look to see if my attack worked. I launch myself at the Troll as fast as I can. He responds by hurling stone spears at me, I weave through them the best I can but a few manage to land glancing blows on me in various places but Harden negates the damage. As I near him he swings his massive club at me, but I slide under it and end up behind him. Before he can turn around I jump on his back and climb up to his shoulders. I slam the knives into the base of his neck and shoulders about 23 times before he can grab me and slam me into the ground. 150 HP lost. The impact stuns me for a second and that is all it takes.
I heard the snaps and cracks of my left arm being stomped on before I felt the pain. While intense it was nothing compared the "9 Levels". With a roar I turn over and stab the Troll in the foot, luckily just above where my arm is. As he stumbles back I jump to my feet, if it wasn't for Harden I would have lost my arm and taken more than 85 Damage. With my HP at 40 and my STA nearly depleted I need to end this. The Mountain Troll starts a rage fueled charge with his club raised above his head. Seeing the end I match his charge with my own. With my huge speed advantage I close the distance faster than he can react to. Dropping my Harden I launch myself at him and use 40 of my remaining 85 Mana into Reinforcing my right arm. As the blow connects to the left side of his ribcage I release 45 Mana worth of Shockwave into him. The resulting force completely destroys the entire left side of his torso. As both of our bodies fall to the ground I laugh. I'm at 40 HP, have no STA or MP, and pushed myself to the point of exhaustion and yet this fight seems to have been a little easier than is should have been and I know why. Fear, I felt none the entire fight; caution maybe but never fear. If anything I felt excitement, anticipation, and enjoyment. As I stand up and fetch a discarded ax I can't help but wonder.
Just how far gone is my mind?
Thank you for reading. Please review, I accept all reviews. Though I don't like pointless flaming, I do enjoy constructive criticism.
With laughs,
SonoftheJester