"-Report" ordered the cardinal.
Zinedine is a shriveled old man. He is so old that one can not correctly tell his exact age, and his skin is of a dusty brown hue.
He was standing and surveying the surroundings of the aftermath. Ruined buildings and scorched earth. Right at the center of this disaster was a crater roughly 50 meters in diameter. From his elevated spot, gazing down it, one wouldn't be able to see the bottom. Nothing but pure darkness.
"Lord -" came the sleepless tone of the women behind him.
A woman with long blue hair tied with a braid and riding on a crystal ball. She has an open appearance enough to see her underwear. Her clothes also appear loose and sagging. She wears an abnormally large hat that hides most of her face. The top of the hat ends in an enormous hand, which the woman can manipulate to lift the brim of the hat.
She was the 11th seat of the black scripture, a listless woman seeming to only be annoyed by the situation.
"-, So far, my magic can't pick up anything of note. For now, we should probably just question the captain and that old gramps." She says sheepishly.
The cardinal scorns a bit at her words. Knowing her, she probably only suggested that so she wouldn't have to use any more of her magic. "Truly a lazy child." he muses.
"We must find this threat and dispose of it at once." He says in a strong authoritative tone.
"Yeah... yup, we should." She replies, half caring to even put emotions within her words.
"When Raymond recovers, we need to question him on the origin of this... situation."
He turns and walks away from the crater, passing past multiple burnt corpses. Each one appears as black statutes, depicting their agonizing last moments.
At the outer reaches of the capital, the buildings and people were spared from the explosion. Most of them have been evacuated, and only the healers and fighters are left.
This will be a major blow to the Theocracy. An attack directly on their capital. This can NOT stand.
Zinedine makes his way to the camp of tents, each one woven in with the Theocracy's symbol, but also holding magic runes.
What they speak is of little importance to outsiders.
Stepping past the unguarded entrance, he makes his way to the center of the tent. In the internal room, lying on the bed was his fellow cardinal, Raymond.
He slowly makes his way up to a more sitting position, the bandages around his arm and leg proving it a bit difficult.
"Well, it seems you couldn't wait till the meeting, Zinedine." Greets Raymond with a small smile, a bit joking but still half grunting the words in pain.
Zinedine knows Raymond for the strong man he is and knows he will pull true.
"This isn't a laughing matter, Raymond, but... I'm happy to see you are doing better than before."
"Ha, well, I've had worse. I guess you can thank Abad for my good state. I can't say the same for Fifth tough." Raymond says with a look of pity.
"Yes, Quaiesse, he seems to be in a bit of worse condition than we thought. How did 'this' happen? All this destruction."
Raymond looks down, sadness covering his face.
"That, demon... Velka" He spats the words in anger. "She brought this, this 'thing'. It nearly killed us with only its words. If it wasn't for Abad's quick thinking, it wouldn't have been just Fifth laying in the infirmary."
"Did you gain any information on this, demon?" Asks Zinedine.
"Well... yes. Actually." Zinedine gains a surprised look. Raymond's words hold the tone of confidence in them.
"This creature is no demon, Zinedine. When it was summoned, the demonic words it invoked were unmistakable. Its name was Sloth. 'The' great sin itself. Sloth."
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"~ Oh my'~ ,please tell me more?" Says the pleasant voice of Yukime. Truly, her acting has improved.
To sit true a meeting as boring as this, the woman has guts I'll tell her that.
But poor Percy, he has to sit here with all these fat dumb nobles. Having to endure this whole charade. It looks like he's about to keel over any moment now.
"Well, well, you see Miss Spyro, someone has to stand for the weak. What who else than a strong man such as myself." Blabbers on the noble. His voice was getting more and more irritating.
This was supposed to be a business meeting. Now it's just him trying to brag about himself. Most of these things aren't even true.
Click* sounds the clock
"~, Oh looky looky there, sorry sir...?... noble. But it's truly past our time to leave. I have an important meeting right after this~" Yukime says with all the fake pleasantries she can muster. "~ Truly saddening, I can't hear the rest of such a marvelous story, but as they say, time is money. Bye bye~"
She practically shoves the noble out the door as she says goodbye, leaving only the three final occupants.
As she turns away from the door, she sighs. Completely tapped out from the current day.
"Truly pathetic." she laments. She threw herself on the sofa.
" I think I need a break." Comments Percy, feeling exhausted.
"We both do, little Percy. But we still have one more meeting than theirs also, the goddamn fitting, preparation, and then the banquet tonight."
"UHHGGG!!" they both cried out in pain and annoyance.
"Seems they truly have gotten close during my time away." Tought gold.
"Gold!-" called Yukime to the golden warrior.
All this time, he had to stand guard within the room. It was agonizing. He stood so long that he went into a 'bystander mode'.
"Yes, Madam Spyro?" He answers with a short bow of the head.
"I got a task for yah." She says in a less feminine tone than usual. Seems the stress must be getting to her.
"When the banquet starts, you, of course, will be on guard duty, and -" "No, I will not be." cuts Gold her off. Speaking as a matter of fact while still holding his true respective tone.
"Wha? Well, wherever you will be guarding or standing -"
"I will not be guarding per se, but will be attending." He cuts her off again in a respective manner.
She first stares at him. Still staring. Unblinking.
"What?" She blurted out. A little bit dumbstruck by the words.
"Me and mis Renner Theiere Vaiself have agreed upon an outing and gathering on the coming of tonight's banquet." He says. A neutral tone. Neutral face. Almost as if he was speaking of the weather.
"... WHAT!?" screamed, Percy. Quite all this time, but now, he was flabbergasted. This trip has been nothing but crazy stacked on crazy.
Out of all the travelers, he thought Gold was the most normal out of the bunch. But now, oh no.
"I th-thought that p-palace guards couldn't have w-well, you know.." stuttered Percy while fiddling with his hands.
Yukime stands from her seat and marches to Gold with madness in her gaze.
"The goddamn princess Gold? What were you thinking!?" She shouts at him.
He looks at her still with a neutral tone as he speaks. "Well actually madam Yukime, it was the princess that asked me on this outing. How could I refuse Miss Renner's offer like that?"
"Oh, so you are calling her 'Renner' NOW. You two seem pretty close, What happened to 'Princess' and 'Your Highness'?
"She rather we speak more casually, she very much-" Before he can finish his explanation, Percy jumps in front of Yukime.
"Gold? Gold? If you going to the banquet, then does that mean the emperor is officially on the royal faction's side now?" Percy asked with stary eyes.
Yukime choked a bit on his words, finally realizing the huge scope of this diplomatic move. The effects of it are great and drastic.
Gold is originally off course a palace guard directly sent by the emperor himself, to do something like this, he must have first notified the emperor, meaning... he must have approved. This wasn't just some outing with a girl, this was technically a diplomatic approach to forming long-lasting ties with the king.
Of course, stuff such as marriage is still uncertain and most likely won't happen but this is a step in the right direction.
To be acknowledged by the one whom the kingdom views as the 'golden princess', would certainly shine Jhooth in a better light than just showing our strength.
Yukime is truly impressed and moved by the emperor's intelligence. To be miles away and yet still be able to move the situation in Jhooth's favor. 'The emperor truly lives up to his moniker of "Puppeteer". A man truly to look up to.'
'Hmm? Why does it feel like something happening?' Wondered Gold.
"Well doesn't matter, For now, we should move with this plan of approach rather than against it." Came the elegant voice of Yukime, back to her usual self.
"Percy." She calls to him. "Let us go, we can discuss this after our next 'meeting'."
"Uh- y-yes Ma'am." Answers the boy, shortly exiting to their next destination. Yukime turns back looking from the door and flaunts a victory smile towards Gold.
"I'll tell the princess you said hi." She says before leaving. Gold in that moment just stands there and thinks for a second.
"Why did she.." After giving his brain enough time to brain, he finally realized her next destination. "Oh..."
"... OH!?." He yells as it hits him, he storms out the door, making sure not to rip it off its hinges as he runs to stop Yukime from doing anything she may be trying to.
Knowing how messed up the princess is he should try to keep Yukime as far away from her as possible. Renner will target her if she were to find out about her other side. Can't have negotiations falling apart this early in the game.
As he rounds the corner he stops short and stares at a specific spot.
"A demon?"
It was unmistakable. Red skin, small horns, looking like a little gremlin, and a pointed tail. It even had the miniature pitchfork in hand.
Crawling around the palace under a cloak of invisibility, a level of invisibility not fit for, what he presumes to be a level 4 imp.
Without it realizing his presence he charged towards it with blitzing speed. Like a golden bolt of lightning, he closes in on the little creature. Grabbing it by the neck and hoisting it up from the ground.
Its invisibility soon fades as it begins to squirm and wail. Hitting Gold's gauntlets and scratching anything it can. Its resistance is futile as Gold's grasp begins to tighten.
"Who is your master, little Imp?" Reverberates the voice of not a guard but the voice of a ruler. Past his Helmet, the imp can see yellow orbs staring back with flames prepared to burn the creature's very soul.
Gold is way more alert than before, this imp was no normal imp. It was clad in the same rags as any other summon but this one gave off a completely different air.
His detection ability realized the danger this creature held, within its clothes was something of interest.
"Oh looky here, what's a rug rat like you doing with something like this." He slowly lifts the fist-sized object showing a colorless crystal with flowing flames within.
"A data crystal, no not just any data crystal but a summoning crystal." [-Appraisal-]
The crystal glows a faint blue and Gold's eyes widen. This was no regular summoning crystal. It was one of Jhooth's summoning crystals. So then this imp should technically be...
Looking at the squirming pest, he can see it gave up on trying to escape. Excepting its fate of containment.
"So you must be one of Veronica's?" The imp seems to shudder from his words.
He lets it go for it to fall to the ground. He bends down to its level and speaks to it with a voice of kindness hiding a hidden horror. "Go now, run along and tell her, 'Gold' will handle the rest. Okay?"
The imp scrambles to its feet running down the hallway and disappearing past the corner.
Gold lifts the crystal and stares intently at it. This crystal is originally a player-base type item. Use for the summoning of not a mob, but an NPC.
By using one of the saved charges inside, you can summon a pre-registered NPC of your base to your side. Of course, there were limitations to this as the more powerful the NPC the more expensive the crystal.
This had only four charges left inside it, meaning it wasn't a high-leveled crystal. Due to the shitty devs... well, being shitty, they made it so the higher quality the crystal, the less charges it can hold.
This one, at its highest, can only summon an NPC of level 60 at best. He can't tell which NPC is registered within the charge, but considering it's Veronica. It's most likely a creature from the cult.
"Can't have one of those mindless beasts running around."
Now that he thinks about it, why does she wanna summon one? She has an army of demons under the city. That isn't even taking into account the undead he has also been sensing lurking around the capital and the graveyards.
"Wait, why was the imp even in the palace in the first place? Oh... seems Renner might be playing the part of the sacrifice. That just won't do."
This crystal was most likely for Renner, her part to play in the banquet. But her level is way too low. The mana cost for using a charge is too horrendous for her. If there isn't enough manna then it would ultimately use the next best thing. Her exp.
Or in this world, her life force. The shitty devs had to upscale the cons on this item for it to be so cursed. Most noobs met their end at the hand of these little gimmicks.
"For now, it's best if the princess plays a better role. One to make her a great character for the grand show to come."
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[Scene change: Renner's Room]
"~Oh which one? It's so hard to choose!~" came the high-pitched voice of Renner.
Standing in front of the mirror she was adorned with a silver light blue dress that screamed childlike innocence.
Her silver crown was touched by small gold pendants and a thin golden necklace joined by a blue jewel. She was the epiphany of delicate beauty.
She had groups of maids moving in and out of the room, each one either holding a pendant, jewelry, or a dress.
She was here for her royal fitting, to decide on the dress and overall attire she would be wearing for the grand banquet. By this time, most nobles had already decided on their approach.
Most will probably be looking for a marriage deal. Every noble saw the riches Jhooth came with. The hand-crafted carriages, the foreign attire, and also the gifts they brought.
Knowing how low they can go, most would try to secure a marriage deal with the youngest of the group, Percy. She just hopes the boy is as smart as they say.
Another candidate would possibly be the highest ranking of them, Gold. All though he is a Palace guard, he far outranks most of the diplomats. Key words being 'most', as there is still the high-ranking lady Bulgaria.
She probably will be approached by none, they all have either heard or experienced her Fiery personality.
She at least knows for a fact her brother will be making a move. Oh dear God... her brother.
No doubt he will be making a fool of himself since his target would be Lady Yukime. Truly the ignorant can never fear, as even that base human instinct is absent from their brain as is their intellect.
She only hopes he's stunts won't ruin things too much. She will have to play her part, to the letter. No doubt Veronica has begun growing skeptical of Renner's 'faith' within the cult.
For now, her agreement with Gold will keep her alive but it won't last for long. His services aren't free and neither are they cheap.
knock*knock*
At the door, stands the accused. Gold in all his glory. Truly every time she sees him she can't believe a man can grow so tall. She was equal to a dwarf standing next to him.
The maids seeing him instantly make their exit, probably to gossip with one another about this odd 'partnership'. As they step past him, she can see how they are gawking at his armor.
Another thing Jhooth excelled at, was the weaponry for their soldiers.
She may even go as far as to say that Gold is the land of Jhooth's own Gazef Stronoff. If the other Palace guards were to be equal to him then this country doesn't stand a chance.
We would be whipped out, the Kingdom wouldn't survive.
"You're rather early, how do you like my dress?"
He doesn't answer, he merely steps in closing the door behind him. He silently walks to the empty table and sits.
She knows this may not be a friendly visit, but he could at least greet her. Seems this time she wasn't talking to Gold but to her superior.
As she sits down in front of him, she instantly feels the presence of another.
Looking at the other empty seats, she sees the foggy silhouette of Veronica, but it is the last seat that intrigues her.
Almost reaching the height of Gold, she sees it to be a man with broad shoulders and a cloak covering his face. The most distinct thing she could make out was the gauntlets on his hands and the dark armor he was wearing fitting a knight.
She couldn't make out a spec of skin showing from the gaps of his armor and the foggy layer over their forms didn't make it any better.
"Now... let's begin." Came the deep tone of Gold, a drastic contrast from his usual monotone voice. This time he spoke with a tone of authority as if he was leading an army at this very moment.
"First on the agenda, Veronica."
Veronica seemed to perk up and replied in a tone she never heard her use. Seriousness... Veronica for once was serious. This was more than enough proof that this meeting wasn't anything like the rest.
"Lord Gold, everything has been moving smoothly on my end. I have secured a base of operations and have amassed an army of around four hundred demons and two skeletal dragons for the main finally." She says, with pride.
Renner was honestly impressed with that number considering Veronica's short stay within the capital. And this was the first time she even heard about her having two skeletal dragons.
"That's not enough."
Gold's words strike like a guillotine and kill all of Veronica's confidence. Without addressing the matter further, his gaze lands on Renner.
"The list of nobles to survive will have to be presented soon. Also-"
Now she was stressed, she was completely at their mercy. Most of her work was based around information gathering and the only value she has is as the princess. But what good can that be when all she is worth is being married off?
Her final mission was to give a list of nobles that could be made of use and would be able to be manipulated in Jhooth's favor. The rest would have to be wiped out.
Entire houses and bloodlines would be forfeited. Their gold and lands would have to be shared amongst the populace and used for the rebuilding of the kingdom after tonight's event.
It's a great plan, but the only problem is. Where does that leave her? She will no longer serve a purpose, she already knows too much. Most likely they would either kill her or use her for the wrong gains. Her mission is to secure the survival of her and Climb.
"Lord Gold, I-" her small plea is stopped by a raised hand.
"No need Renner." He says, more of an order.
"I understand what you wish to say and you don't have to."
What? He knows. Well, I guess in my pathetic position it is expected. Their is no use in asking for mercy with false pleasantries.
"You wish to finally join the cult officially."
Huh. Wha-?
That was an unexpected turn of events. And was that a tone of happiness? No no can't be, she must have heard wrong. Gold is a man of little emotions, someone who is always calm and level-headed.
Is this his way of protecting me? Certainly, this would be a great way to show his protection of me. At the meeting in front of similar high executives.
Is he doing this out of the goodness of his heart? Well no, she knows him as a man of intellect, he must be planning on using her skill in the future and this is a great way to secure a debt from her.
"Well, you read me like a book. Yes, I would love to finally join and embrace this passion of mine." Her answer this time made the unknown member turn and look at her.
He seems to be sizing her up on her worth.
While Renner was busy mentally sweating bullets, Gold was musing to himself with joy.
"Oh I knew she wanted to join, I guess that book I gave her must have, really done the trick. Seems she is a little bookworm just like me." He thought, totally ignorant of the massive save he gave her.
"Well, originally to join. One would need to give a bit ex-*cough* I mean a bit of a soul sacrifice but considering the big event of tonight that won't be a problem for you." He told her encouragingly.
"Her joining won't be a problem, right Jaxith?" Asks Gold. His question was directed to the fourth member. At least it's better to know his name now.
He turns his gaze to Gold, first giving him a short look. He answers with a voice rough and old.
"I have no quarrel with her joining within our ranks." His voice seeps out as if it were the dead air from a long-forgotten tomb.
"But, she will of course have to give an offering like all the rest. With no outside help."
His warnings are strong and threatening but Gold merely nods and obliges. He then addressed not just the whole table, but all the occupants attending this meeting. Even the ones looking from the shadows.
"Now with that little thing out the way. Let's get down to business. Who all will be attending tonight's 'banquet'?"
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[Autor-san: Next chapter, The BANQUET!!! Gonna try to give it the same feels as the holy kingdom arc where demuirge basically gets his holy club. Guess I must be getting the feeling for some horror stuff. Well... I'll try]
:)