September 4
"Haaa…haa."
So that's what they mean when they say the strength of a cornered animal.
Deeper in the forest, surrounded on all sides by trees that block out the sky, I hold the last wolf, unmoving, in an improvised sleeper hold. Bite and claw wounds cover me like some damn new-age painting.
I take a look at my left arm, where a massive open gash basically leaves my tricep hanging loose.
"Agh that's disgusting to look at…"
I don't like how much blood I'm losing, but at the same time, I don't feel like I'm dying either. I guess this is an aspect of already being dead.
Wait, can I die? Like, die again?
Blood loss probably isn't going to do it. But what about all those movies I used to watch? Would silver kill me? A stake to the heart? I have a small idea of who I should ask, but I'll leave that for later. For now, there's something a lot more fun to check out.
"Hehe, three alpha dire wolves down, there's no way I haven't…what!?"
Taking a closer look at my adventurer card, I definitely leveled up and even gained skill points I can use. But what's this?
My stats are completely unchanged! Aren't these supposed to grow higher with every level? What gives?
Maybe this thing really is broken.
"Oo- I don't like how that feels at all."
When I try to stand up, I start to feel a harsh beating in my head.
Is that blood? Or is that something else? My heart doesn't beat anymore, but still, something in my head pulses in rhythm. Growing stronger and stronger with each moment.
I look down at the dead wolf.
The beating, now sounding like something akin to drums in my ears, drowns out the noise of the night owls and insects around me.
Similar to when you flinch at an incoming object, my body takes over for a brief moment.
From one second to the next, I find myself kneeling down beside the dead beast.
Then, like some crazed madman, I sink my teeth, fangs and all, into its throat. Its windpipe buckling as blood starts to ooze out of the creature's wound.
What the hell am I doing?
I can feel myself questioning it in my mind, but I don't stop or hesitate, not even for a second. I remain there sucking every ounce of the crimson fluid that I can like someone finding an oasis after days without water.
Does it even taste good? I can't tell, but at the same time, I don't care.
With every swallow, I feel strength returning to me, and turning my eyes to my body, I begin to understand why.
Like something out of a comic, the deep, bloody marks all over me emit a quiet, but high-pitched sound as if something was steaming. Then I watched as the flesh regrew, tendons and muscle fibers reconnected, then like a seal of approval, my skin did the same, covering it all up as if it never happened.
"Pwhaaa!" Finally releasing myself from the animal, I take a big mouthful of air but realize it has nowhere to go.
Right, I guess I'm so used to having to do that…
It was a concept about vampires I was afraid of the most. I must have tuned it out at first, simply because I didn't want to come to terms with it. But looks like no matter how hard I might ignore it, my body will think differently.
That need for blood.
With every wound I took and the more blood I lost, I could feel that thirst growing in the back of my mind. A scary thought makes itself known:
What if I feel that strong level of thirst when I'm around the girls? If there's nothing else to feed on, would I turn on them?
No right? It's still me underneath it all. There's no way I would ever let myself do that…but just to be sure, I need to stay on top of this. Especially since I don't need something bad happening while I'm inside the city walls.
Oh man, who would have thought being a vampire would require so much responsibility?
"Hm?" A red glow in my pocket takes my attention. It's my adventurer card. "...!"
What the hell is that?
Next to Strength and Agility, I see a '+3' in dark red. That's completely new, isn't it? So far, I haven't seen any of the other girls ever mention that before.
I tap on the red stat, wondering if it would do something. My eyes go wide and my lips begin curling up.
Both my Strength and Agility stat just grew by three points. I think back to some of the last words he said to me. Wondering if it all connects.
'Become stronger'
Is this what he meant? Is this the real power of a vampire? Maybe I'm some sort of experiment or a way for him to amuse himself. Maybe he just wanted to see some random dude go crazy in their thirst for power. But I shouldn't let it control me, I need to practice the utmost of self-discipline and temperance…
That is what I would say but I mean come on I just absorbed some of that thing's strength! How freakin' cool is that!? And I mean, technically religion is banned here, right? That's what they've all been saying? That takes care of any guilt!
I look down the slope of the forest hill I climbed up, where the other two bodies are.
So I guess It wouldn't hurt to indulge a bit.
Quest Completed!
The look on Luna's face when she saw that I completed the quest, and alone of all things, oh I'm totally remembering that for tonight…Don't judge.
"Oh Kazuma~"
"Nope."
"Wh- You didn't even hear what I was going to say!"
"You're going to ask for a portion of the reward money."
"Weren't you the one who said that we should be splitting up for the party!? And now that you got a bit stronger you wanna keep it all to yourself! Just know I can exorcise you at any time ya know."
"Is that right? Guess the guild should know that you're worth a billion Desidia then huh?"
"Wait no! I was just kidding!"
"ShhHH! Jeez would you let go of me already? Quest that we all go on get split up. But you guys were sleeping while I was off fighting giant wolves in the forest! How is it fair that you guys get anything? Besides, we'll all start going on quests again tomorrow."
"Mrrhm. They better be worth it. I'm tired of selling lettuce on my off days!"
"Yeah? And whose fault was that? I got a grand total of like three cabbages and you don't see me making crazy ass deals!"
"I thought I was going to get actual cabbages! I didn't know lettuce was mixed in! How is that my fault!?...what are you so happy about?"
Grinning like an idiot at my adventurer card, her words silence into the background as the possibilities flow endlessly into my head.
Each one of those wolves gave me a plus three increase to my Strength, now 31, and my Agility, now 33. I couldn't really tell the difference if I'm being honest, but this opens the door to my true potential. Does it go up infinitely? And how do I increase the other stats?
"Oh, just a little something I learned this morning. Come on. I have someone I need to visit."
Now, considering my current circumstance, I'm hoping that this bumbling fool of an arch-priest will be on her best behavior. But of course, when you place your hope in someone like her, you're bound to come up disappointed.
'Magic shop'
A cute sign with a little depiction of a witch sits in front of the blurred glass. I haven't actually been here before, but if what the guild staff told me, and my hunch, is correct, there should be a certain somebody inside that I need to talk to.
"Alright. Whatever you do, you better remain calm alright? I don't want to have any incidents while I'm doing my business in there."
"Hmph! What kind of person do you take me for? I'm not some socially inept mess who can't act right in public! If anything, you can learn a thing or two about acting like a decent person from me! You should start calling me-"
"Then we have nothing to worry about. Ahem."
Knock-knock
"May I come in!?"
I wait for a quiet but resolute 'Yes of course!'
With the chime of a small bell, we open the door and step in. I barely get through removing the first glove from my hand before I hear-
"IT'S YOU!"
"Agh! Oh no! That crazy arch-priestess from before!"
"Heh, got nowhere to hide do you!? Not to worry, I'll make this quick! Now co-"
Thunk!
"Ouwie! K-Kazuma!"
"Should I be offended? I'm not exactly at that level yet, but I still feel like I need to stick up for my kind. Now do me a favor and leave her alone will ya?"
"Mrrhmm."
"Would you stop pouting already? You're not five."
"I'll pout all I want for dragging me in here."
Aqua does her best attempt to create a glare so fierce that she might freeze the chair across from her if she keeps this up. But in the end, she just comes off as a toddler.
"Haa…so much for not being socially inept."
Shatter
"Eeiiii!"
Wiz, just the person I wanted to see. One of the first non-kill quests Aqua and I took was to investigate the local cemetery for signs of spirits and undead. Turns out, it was just a lone woman performing a ritual to lay the dead to rest. Of course, when Aqua found out she was a lich, she tried to kill her on the spot.
The side of her that the town knows, however, is quite different. Oblivious to her undead nature, Wiz is apparently an old war hero. Fighting as one of the key defenders of the town of Axel during this war against this so-called Tera Empire.
"Alright, I'm back with the- Kazuma!"
"Please don't drop all the tea. Also yes, I'm Kazuma."
"Your skin! You're-"
"Undead? Yeah, that's a thing that happened. Huh, we do have the same skin color now don't we?"
"B-but, How?"
I decide to lay the whole thing on her. No reason to hold back, especially when she's pretty much the only person in the entire city I can actually use as a guide for my own life now.
So I tell her about the ruby mine, the masked vampire, and the way I fought my way out.
"Wait, did you say a vampire lord?"
"Yeah, why what of it?"
"Hmm. I've never heard of that rank of vampire. To my knowledge, there have only ever been Five different types of vampires.
Fledgling vampires, which are those that are newly transformed. They are often little different than a normal human in strength.
Blooded vampires, those that have survived for at least a year, learning their abilities as the cursed blood inside them grows in power.
Standard vampires, the most common type. They often never leave this stage in their lives and are powerful foes. Enhanced strength and speed, and a variety of mystical spells at their disposal.
Elder Vampires, those that have lived for over a hundred years. Their power is great enough to become a real threat that requires coordinated parties to take down.
And finally, Master Vampires. I myself have never seen one in person, and are often only mentioned in legends and stories."
"Jeez Wiz, you sure do know your stuff."
"Thank you! I used to be an adventurer like you, and so I've had enough encounters with them that I can say I'm pretty knowledgable."
"But I guess even someone like you ended up as a lich huh? See that's pretty much why I'm here. You know more about this stuff than I do. Figured maybe you could help me out?"
"Of course! I'd be glad to help! Although your case is slightly different than mine Kazuma. I became a lich willingly. And it's not like they're exactly the same. But for starters, you probably already know that you shouldn't be out in sunlight."
"Oh yeah, I learned that real quick."
"Also, most of those stories you've heard probably don't hold up very well to the truth. So you didn't need to ask my permission before coming inside..."
"Oh...well you know. Just being cautious?"
"Similarly, garlic and wooden stakes are just superstitions. In fact, only silver that's been blessed will have an increased effect on you!"
"Really? Huh, good to know I guess?"
"So when you really think about it, the only things you need to watch out for are sunlight, fire, and holy powers, like from that of a priest."
I can feel Aqua's forced frown curl into a grin for a few seconds.
"Sunlight, fire, holy powers. alright, last thing. Can I actually die?"
"Ah, that's a good question. All your weaknesses as I mentioned can definitely still kill you. But other than that, I don't think so. Even I have 'died' before in this body, only to rise up again sometime later."
"That sounds...pretty morbid."
"I- I don't mean to say that I'm going out there fighting like a maniac until I die or anything! But long ago I had used the powers given to me by this form to invade the Devil King's castle."
"The Devil King? There's a Devil King?"
"N-no! Not anymore. You're definitely too young to remember, but that was decades ago. I was one of his generals you see!"
Aqua, who had been staring angrily at us and other merchandise around the shop, stands up when she hears that last part.
Uh oh.
"Huh? You were a general of the Devil King? Why you!"
Thunk!
"Uagh!"
"Would you stop that!? Look, I don't know what a Devil King is, but if it was decades ago is it really that big of a deal?"
"Of course it is! I'm a goddess you moron! Ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years! We're like mortal enemies! Look, I might not be undead, but I know enough about them. Instead of taking this lich at her word, you should be asking me all you want to know."
"Yeah, thanks but no thanks. I'd rather not sit around and be insulted for an hour."
"W-wait, did she say she was a goddess?"
"...!"
"Ah…"
You complete idiot!
"A-actually she's just being stupid, right Aqua!?"
"Well, I wouldn't say I'm stupid but what I meant to say was...that I'm a devout follower of the Axis church!"
"The Axis church? I see, well. You have my sympathies."
"Ah- ah-"
"Mind explaining that Wiz?"
Axis church, Axis church, didn't I hear that name the other day?
"The Axis church was a cult of those who worshipped the goddess of water, Aqua. However, shortly after the Tera Empire conquered the three kingdoms, their city was razed to the ground and the land was used to build oil extraction facilities."
"Sniff"
Aqua sits back down, emotionally defeated for the moment. Talk about a heavy hit. This Tera Empire really must have hated religion.
"Alright, enough with the secrecy, exactly what is this Tera Empire? I've been hearing it get name-dropped for days and I'm getting tired of not being in the loop. You've been alive for a long time Wiz, so you probably know everything right?"
"Ah, well I wouldn't say I know everything. But I do know more than most."
She looks out the store window for a moment.
"If you ask me, I believe it truly all began on the day the Devil King was defeated. At the time, the world was quite different. All kingdoms here in the west, Belzerg, Brydle, Elroad, and those in the east such as Ilmeris, Azafure, and yes, even Tera, were unified in their goal of defeating the Devil King and his demonic armies. The king of Tera, known as the greatest hero in the world, eventually stormed the Devil King's castle in a climactic battle, and put an end to a war that had plagued us for so long."
"But…I'm guessing that's not the war everyone seems to talk about nowadays right?"
"That's right. No one, none of the surviving generals, no one in this kingdom, or apparently any other, knew what happened next. But Tera's king disappeared for a time, and when he returned, he demanded that the other five kingdoms abandon their faith in the gods. And when four refused, he declared war."
"So he just, began to conquer them one by one?"
"Precisely. Tera and Azafure were allies from the beginning. They then destroyed Ilmeris, and soon after they arrived and conquered Elroad, Brydle, and finally, even Belzerg. All organized religion was banned. Churches were destroyed, and cults were hunted down."
I distinctly remember that samurai from before. His anger, and the destroyed village he lived in, all start to make a lot more sense.
"Even the currency was changed. It used to be called 'Eris' in relation to the goddess of luck. Before being renamed to Desidia, in the image of the newly appointed Queen of Belzerg."
"Wait, so is that why there's a bounty board asking for all divine beings? That's a bit of a stretch though if you ask me. I mean, who would actually find a god just hanging around here?"
"Well actually, that particular bounty was spread across the empire after Eris herself was discovered in the royal capital. Roughly six years ago."
"W…what happened to her?"
"The King, or actually…by that time, he was no longer called the King. He had been given the moniker of 'Tyrant' by those living under his rule, among others. But the Tyrant executed her on the spot. As a message to the world."
"Huh, so I guess any divine beings you turn in would just...be killed?"
"I'd assume so."
Alright, maybe I feel a twinge of guilt for all those times I threatened to turn her in.
But with her story pretty much done, I finally have a good grasp on what this empire is. Tera, a kingdom whose formerly heroic king led a war against the rest of the world to purge religion. Becoming an oppressive empire as they eventually came to rule over all kingdoms in the land.
But then, why all the secrecy from Aqua? You would think that out of everyone she would be the one most fired up for some revenge right? Why wasn't I told about this empire? They sound like the bad guys to me.
"Hey Wiz, what's the general consensus on the empire?"
September 5
'I'm just a concerned citizen'
'Concerned that we live in a world that accepts its own enslavement. A world where people show off their collars and chains as if they're status symbols.'
Yeah…turns out, most people in Belzerg wholeheartedly support the empire. Especially those in the royal capital. However, it's definitely born more out of fear than genuine love for the ruling power.
Which gives me ideas about who this masked vampire is. I should start looking into the different gods and goddesses that were worshipped at the time.
Is that who I'm dealing with? A loyal follower of a movement that he saw taken away from him? And now, with everyone else blindly following those that destroyed their very traditions, he feels betrayed?
But what is my place in this? Why did he give me this power?
"These damn gloves are itchy as hell!"
I scratch awkwardly at my hands, trying to soothe the discomfort from the cheap gloves I bought to cover my fingers. Yeah, you heard me. If even my fingers touch sunlight, it feels like I just placed them over a fire, they start smoking and everything!
I need more money to buy actual quality gear, which is why the girls and I are out on our first group quest since the whole vampire incident.
'A malfunctioning Wulfrum amplifier has been spotted. Destroy it before it infects others of its make'
A cool one million Desidia, plus extra for every other enemy we defeat and bring back. Now, I wasn't sure what the hell a Wulfrum amplifier was, but from what Luna explained, it's some sort of small robot?
"Yo, have you guys ever seen one of these Wulfrum things before?"
"I personally haven't, but there's an entire city belonging to the Wulfrum people. I guess every once in a while some of their stuff goes on a rampage." Megumin says.
"That reminds me of the mobile fortress destroyer! Oh, that is a battle I wish I could have partaken in."
Darkness wanting to fight something called the 'destroyer' doesn't surprise me.
"Ooh! The ruins of the destroyer aren't that far from Axel! Kazuma! Kazuma!"
"Yeah it's me, whatcha need?"
"Can we go to the ruins of the destroyer!? We can climb inside and explore it and all sorts of stuff! I bet there's treasure, or maybe even monsters that moved in!"
"Okay see we're thinking of two different things here. When I think of destroyer, I think of like, some giant monster, maybe with a giant eyeball and tentacles."
"It's no surprise that Megumin would be interested in visiting the destroyer. It was oddly popular with children across the kingdom before its destruction at the hands of the empire. It was a construct of advanced technology forged by an ancient kingdom long ago. It was so powerful, that its mere presence would cause entire cities to evacuate in fear."
But even something like that didn't stand up to the empire huh?
"Hey, guys! I think we found it! Aww, doesn't it look cute!?"
"Oi idiot! Don't get so close!"
I harshly pull on Aqua's arm as she starts walking right up to the damn…object? Thing? Doohickey?
"I wouldn't exactly call it cute, but whatever."
"I agree with Aqua, there is something cute about it!"
The Wulfrum amplifier, if this really is it, looks like a silvery metallic pyramid with a single blue 'eye' sensor, and a long antenna sticking out the top. The only reason these girls could possibly think this thing is 'cute' is the fact that it's pretty damn small.
But if shonen anime taught me anything, small things are almost always more dangerous than they appear.
"Alright, Darkness and I will approach it first, in case it attacks. Megumin you stay back in case we need to blow it up."
"Nope."
"And then Aqua you'll- come again?"
"Look at it. Its little antenna is all dancing around in rhythm! How could I possibly use my explosion on something like that? Maybe we can keep it somehow?"
"Huh? The quest literally says this thing is malfunctioning! What if you try to pet it and it shoots a giant laser at you or something!?"
Megumin and I continue to bicker, and at some point, Aqua and Darkness start to tug on our sleeves.
"You gotta be kidding me. Every day since I've known you it's been nonstop 'I have to blow him up!' and you're backing out now cause you find this hunk of…metal…cute…huh."
"Are you guys done arguing!? This is like, totally not supposed to be happening!"
The amplifier's 'eye' glows bright, and before I even notice, a strange energy field surrounds us.
"Look! In the sky!"
Darkness unsheathes her sword and raises it high, where two smaller orb-shaped robots hover in the air above us.
"This thing must be commanding them. I'm trashing it!"
Looking to strike first, I run right toward the amplifier, but before I arrive-
Zap!
I narrowly dodge a green laser coming from the sky. The damn things can shoot lasers! Why am I not surprised?
Deciding that was an effective move, both hover bots began raining down laser after laser, forcing our party to split up. They're not the hardest things in the world to dodge, as their targeting is pretty crap, but it looks like it would hurt if it managed to land.
"Aqua, do you have any spells you can lob at them at a range?"
"I'm a healer remember!? And all my offensive spells only work on undead!"
"Tch. Wait…lob. Darkness!"
"Yes Kazuma!? Do you wish for me to act as your shield while you dismantle the amplifier!? You have nothing to worry about. No matter how many times they fire and burn away at my- IIAUIEEEE!"
Grabbing her in the middle of her tirade, I spin for momentum before tossing her at one of the bots. With her innate hardness, she's not too different from a projectile.
Thunk!
I look away, but the harsh sound of her impacting the earth on her fall makes me feel somewhat bad. Although it's hard to feel that guilty about it when you know she's probably enjoying it.
"Aagh! Kazuma! I don't know what games you're playing, but using me as some sort of ball isn't helping toward the MISSION-!"
Down and up again, I throw her just hard enough to smash the hover bot to pieces. With the aerial threat gone, I can focus on catching her this time.
"Don't worry Darkness! I got you!"
THUNK!
"...you know I could have sworn you were falling in this direction."
"Y-you!"
Darkness stands up with murder in her eyes.
"Oi! OI! Let go of my throat!... Also, if you're going to try and look angry, you probably shouldn't be blushing up a storm like that."
"Shut up!"
"Wait, what happened to the field?"
I look towards the amplifier, where Aqua and Megumin stand over it in triumph. Although, the thing looks like it's still in one piece.
"As if I was going to let you two smash this thing until it's useless scrap."
"No, we're not keeping that thing as a pet."
"Pfft Megumin's the one who wants to keep it. I'm going to sell it! Wulfrum technology is pretty rare, especially since they never trade with the outside world. This baby might even net me more money than the bounty reward!"
Not just on the destroyed hover bots, but getting a closer look at this amplifier, it sports a familiar 'W' symbol, which I guess means Wulfrum.
The mechanical worm from before. I could have sworn that thing was being controlled by that vampire. Was it just going haywire? Or does he have access to some of their technology somehow?
"Alright, whatever, go ahead and sell it. As for me, I'm going to-"
A simple, but critical piece of information hits me at that moment. Looking at the now destroyed hover bots, I get a good look at the black liquid pouring out of them.
The whole point of my wanting to go on missions was to get stronger. And the first mission I decide to take…is to fight some weak ass robots…robots.
"GOD DAMN IT!"
