The Accursed One

by ManasIudex

The Bearer of the Curse, known by a myriad of names, The Herald of Unification, The Absolute, The Four-Pronged Crown. But none of these are of interest, for now, he finds himself in peril. His curse, so long after his journey, still has not subsidied. And in his despair, he achieves perfect harmony for a moment, and finds himself thrown into a new world.

2. Part 2

Heavy breaths..

Heavy breaths..

Under clad armor, silver as it is, coated with the finest of green fur.

He moves.

Under the veil of the night, though unneeded, though unrequested,

He moves.

Such is the fate of the hollowed.

Such is the fate of the one who seeks to break the curse of eternity.

He had left the Underworld, and at the word of the Father of the Abyss, Manus, Faraam has begun to seek out strength.

Strength to fuel his humanity.

Faraam is a man with utmost resolve, he is the incarnation of human will at its peak, and, even at its worst, he is a mighty king with four crowns to bear.

The Underworld had come and go easily, and, because he had met individuals that had a few shared goals in mind with Manus, he listened to their request.

But, there was no time to think about this.

For Faraam, mere walking is something that needs absolute focus.

No matter how sharp your senses, you can never tell what might go wrong.

After the meeting with those people, Faraam ventured through the Underworld and managed to gather more souls, and, from those, he placed a bonfire directly outside of where said people were.

And from that bonfire, he traversed to the first one he made, in the midst of the Ingrassian-Demon Frontier.

He did not have a Firekeeper to channel his souls with.. So, he could not use those souls to gain strength, not yet.

That's what he knows, anyways.

Firekeepers, as they were called, were mediums that acted as the speakers of the First Flame and its extensions, and the translators for whoever wanted to use them.

They had the power to manipulate soul-power to alter someone's energy, increasing whilst doing so, and, on rare occasions, by special request, reduce someone's power.

Faraam's close acquaintance, who was also a sort of Firekeeper, Shannalotte, or, as she was known, the "Emerald Herald".

She always awaited one who would save Drangleic, one who would save the land.

But, after a certain point, she revealed who she truly was.

A daughter of dragons, sent by Aldia's creation, the Ancient Dragon, to guide the one true king to their throne, to guide the one true to king to slay the Queen.

To guide the one true king to the Throne of Want.

And, to the last of that world's days, she awaited Faraam day on and day off, hoping to be of any aid whatsoever.

Faraam, although not a man of emotion, still missed the sight of her.

It gave him a comforting feeling, minor as it may be, to settle down near the bonfire of Majula.

But now, he must erase all these thoughts from his mind, as, once again, he reminds himself that he is traversing through lands unknown, uncharted in his own mind.

He supposed himself to have neared the settlement he wanted to enter earlier, right when he awoke in this world.

And he guessed correctly, as, in the near horizon, he sees that same settlement.

He approaches, and in doing so, he steps into a clearing, there was no other way around it.

He must become a demon slayer once more.

He has found a reason to become strong once more, he has found a reason to be swept away by another journey.

He has found another reason to march forward.

A swing here, an arm severed.

A swing there, heads roll.

Heads will roll.

Arms will be severed.

And not just that, entire groups shattered, and not just that,

Entire legions slaughtered.

A dance of two swords, a dance of limbs and torsos.

The ground shakes, and entire bodies are sent hitting each other.

Violence, may it be, for Faraam cared not.

He just wanted to move forward.

These were but tiny pieces of a greater purpose.

Nothing but pawns in a game of kings.

Again... And again.. The rhythm never stopped.

An endless dance party.

Well, an almost endless.

Faraam ended up crashing his swords into a wall, one of the settlement's walls, to be exact, out of sheer focus on killing demons.

He unstuck his swords, and took one last glance.

He had gained much souls, and now he stands in front of the gates.

The gate guards stared at him with utmost astonishment, they were taken by shock, and it took them a minute to register what he now wanted; entry to the settlement.

They hesitated at first, thinking he might pull a trick on them, thinking he might be a monster in armor, but, they opened the gate once he stared at them through his helm.

Ah that helm, the same helm which brings fear and order..

A little dented, but kept in top condition thanks to the bonfires.

The dent supposedly existed since before the day he obtained the helmet, it must have been an intended design, a design to reflect what a god of war must go through, battle after battle after battle, and for that, what better than a dent?

Now, the gates opened slowly.

-"C-Come in! Weapons sheathed!"

Faraam stared for a second at the guard standing on the left pillar holding the gate who was talking to him, then moved in after putting both of his Murakumos back into their place.

-"Move forwards slowly! Don't turn around!"

Faraam obliged, he was not intending on looking back anyways.

The guard on the right pillar who was just speaking to him must've shut the gate closed, because after that, a man came from his right side.

"This is the frontier town.. Why have you come here?"

The other guard came down, as Faraam turned his head around slightly, eyeing the first guard.

-"Passing."

His words had no pause, no stretching.

His words were as they were, in perfect form.

He only wanted to pass, pass through this area.

The guard stuttered a little, before giving him a piece of advice.

-"I-I s-see..

I will t-tell you this..

Do n-not... Anger the monsters beyond here.."

Faraam nodded, having understood the meaning both literally and contextually.

The guard then returned to his post, and so did the other, and Faraam moved forward.

Some gave him stares, others just ignored him, but in a small minority's eyes, he was a danger.

He was a danger to that minority's livelihoods.

If he passes through Ingrassia, he'll cause hell on every single monster he comes across, leaving nothing for those poor workers who live off of guild quests and job posts.

And so, some of that minority rushed to Lura, the capital of Ingrassia.

They rushed to the Free Guild Headquarters.

But for now, Faraam walked through the town, staring down every single inn, shop and house.

He had made it a habit to loot houses, as back in Drangleic, they were all empty and or filled with hollows.

But now, he only had one objective:

Draw a map in his head detailing all the shops whether it be armories, weapon smiths or just simple shops made for any kind of items.

He used inns and houses as marks in his head to remember the location of every shop.

Faraam was one for detail, as he through his journey, realized that one misstep, one slipped memory, can cause certain death.

Not that he had to worry about that, as he can revive.

But that curse be damned, that is what he wants to be rid of, immortality.

He finally reached the end of the city, and he took one last look.

A grand picture to remember the city by, to be framed in his mind for as long as he needs it.

A small boy came running to him, and an older man whom Faraam could only assume to be the boy's father followed after.

-"Boy! I said don't run after him! The man must be busy!"

The boy stood in front of Faraam, and after gathering up courage, talked quietly.

-"M..Mister.. Thank you for.. Killing the demons.."

The boy kept his head down.

Faraam felt nothing.

He didn't care about the feelings of a small boy, he did not even know him, or remotely feel attached to him.

He stayed silent, and the father finally caught up.

-"Sorry for my little brat here bothering you, it's just that he dreams of slaying demons when grows old, like his older brother who..

Perished doing so.

We live right by the wall, and he's always sneaking off there..

Thank you for that, by the way, nothing has been more satisfying for me in a long time.."

The man thanked Faraam as well, who, in turn, gave a small nod.

He had to act out of his original character, even for a little bit.

Yes, he didn't feel obliged to acknowledge any of their desires or feelings, but, he did feel obliged in not having a bad image of him painted.

He didn't want the people of this world shunning him.

Turning his nod from the father to the boy, he gave the latter a quick glance, and turned around once more.

-"Be safe!.."

The boy mustered the remainder of his courage to say that, and by the time he did, Faraam had already left the scene.

Faraam ventured through some woods, and settled down for a little while.

He had intended to summon another bonfire, because, back in Drangleic, it was almost a pattern-like placement the bonfires had, but he chose not to.

He deemed the bonfire unnecessary, and he could not be sure he'll find more souls to use the bonfire, and he was not too injured, in fact, the demons did not even lay many scratches on him to begin with.

For some reason, this world seemed too weak.

The strongest being he has encountered so far.. Was that white haired woman, and the Father of the Abyss, Manus.

Both were really on good relations with him now, but, that white hair... He could not stop thinking about her.

Even when his emergency senses were telling him to keep his guard up, he couldn't stop thinking.

Was he entranced? A charm spell maybe? No..

It was the air of mystery around her.

He was not one to care, but when it came to his future, he had to decipher every last line she said.

Back at the Underworld, Faraam, Manus and a guard of a mansion stood before each other.

-"State your purpose, humans."

The guard, who was wearing a suit, immediately knew their race, and took to questioning their reasons for being where they were.

Manus, knowing Faraam is not one to talk, took the initiative to speak for himself and Faraam.

-"Ah, I take it humans are not common around here?"

-"No, they are not, and even if humans were to enter, they do not last long."

The guard responded with a firm tone, he was not indicative of them having to leave, but, he was not indicative of them being welcome as well.

-"Apologies, then, we are not from this world, it seems, I awoke here, beckoned by a darkness I awoke amidst.

I am Manus, and this is Faraam, a man with such resolve, he came through a gate to this world, is what he said."

The guard raised his right eyebrow, changing his direction of vision from Faraam to Manus, then from Manus to Faraam.

-"Not from this world? Otherworlders..

Darkness you woke in? Hm.. How curious.

I am sure my Lady Blanc would love to learn of both your existences up close, especially the darkness you speak of, and how a human willingly went through an Underworld Gate and survived thus far.

Come with me, I grant you permission to enter the Garden of White."

Manus and Faraam followed silently, and they entered a pulchritudinous garden, filled with the finest of white lotuses and lilies, almost as if they weren't just standing on ground that was colored black but scorching hot.

And the deeper into the Garden of White they went, the more beautiful the scenery was.

It was almost a natural forest, serene and quiet.

And sitting at the end of the path, a woman, with a cup of what Faraam and Manus could only make out to be tea, waiting for them, with one leg over the other, her palms grasping the cup and its plate.

She took a sip, and set the cup down on the plate which sat atop a small table to the chair's side.

"Lady Blanc, I have brought these two to you, I hope you already know what transpired for me to have done so."

An innocent smile appeared on her face..

-"Thank you for your work, you may leave."

Her voice was clear and youthful, if either of them had to guess, she sounded like a young adult, but, within this world, looks can be deceiving.

"You two are called Manus and Faraam, as I have heard, correct?"

Manus, once more, takes the initiative and speaks for the both of them.

-"Yes, we are thankful for your welcoming of us."

Manus, for all of what he was as a legend of horror, was actually very composed and very well behaved.

-"Oh, pardon my rudeness, take a seat, I shouldn't have let you stand for so long."

And so they did, well, Manus did.

Faraam refused to sit down, opting instead to stand to the right of Manus.

"My my~, what a cautious man, you needn't worry, I wouldn't hurt you, I have no need to, in fact, you two might prove useful to me."

A small chuckle escaped her mouth as she finished her sentence, Manus and Faraam were unfazed by any attempt at causing discomfort by her.

Manus took to explaining who they were, why they were here, and what they had planned to do.

-"As stated before, I am Manus, and this is Faraam.

We are both from different time periods from our world, I am ancient in comparison to him, but, this does not change the fair difference of power between me and him.

He is apparently a man who has achieved the highest power of his time.

But, with all his might, comes one thing, silence.

He does not enjoy speaking, as he deems it a waste of time, he only needs the words of others to move forward."

The woman, Blanc, put a finger over her mouth in curiosity.

-"Oh my, isn't he just so devoted to moving forward..

Well..~"

Her innocent smile stretched further, and she continued her talk with an even more curious tone.

"How about I help you do just that..? Hmm?

I am sure we can figure out a way for mutual benefit, no?

And, for you, Manus, we can also agree on knowledge sharing, and you can stay here.

You see, I am quite bored of the normal humans trying to summon me for petty things, and, seeing as two individuals as interesting as you came by, why not just offer a helping hand in exchange for something else?"

And there she goes, giving out her intentions.

She was a woman without fears; for she know she was more than strong enough to kill these two should it be required, such was the demon pride.

Manus laughed, his laugh light on the ears, but it was from the heart.

-"Straight to the point, no messing around, you remind me of that knight that once ventured throughout an entire land in no time just to get to me!

And from then his fate was sealed.

But, from you, I can see that you do not intend to put ulterior motives in motion, correct?"

The two were talking about things Faraam had no interest in, and he slowly lost his focus on the conversation.

He thought back to one line she said.

"How about I help you do just that."

That's his focus.

That's all he cared about.

Selfishness, greed, all things that had become part of his identity one way or another.

He returned his focus back to the woman when she questioned him.

-"So, Faraam, since Manus here has agreed, what do you think?

I'll give you the information you need to go forward, what routes to take, information on monsters, all of that, if you can confirm one thing for me.

Confirm for me the existence of a new individual who seems to be on the rise, as I have taken information from a close colleague that there is a monster of interest that seems to have drawn him, and my colleague is by no means anyone.

He has a refined taste for beings, much like mine.

What will your choice be?"

Remembering all that, Faraam stared forward, he felt something, someone, coming.

He had accepted that job with a small nod.

He stood up, seeing a group of individuals now.

They seemed to be passing back to the frontier settlement he was just in, and judging from the direction they came from, they must have come from the capital Lura.

And the men weren't happy seeing him.

As it so happens to be, these were some of the men that were part of the minority that didn't want him in their land.

-"You! You're that hotshot who killed all those demons! I'll be damned if I let you go kill more of our prey!"

Faraam stared silent at them, as that group of seven made space between each other, half-encircling him.

"Attack him! Leave nothing of him to be found!"

He quickly discerned their basic information with one glance, that was the experience of an immensely hardened veteran.

Two mages, one seems to be casting a fire spell, and the rest were just knights.

All of these people were nothing to be messed with, but, they were nothing to Faraam.

The fire finished casting and was thrown at Faraam, but, in its course, Faraam grabbed the man charging head first at him, and made him eat up the attack, which incinerated his body, and it was charred black, as his screams faded after a few seconds.

The others stared in shock, and rage ensued even more.

Faraam pulled out his Murakumos, and the second he saw two of those melee warriors come into proximity, they were minced meat.

One was sliced diagonally from his shoulder to torso with his blood spraying everywhere, the other had his entire scalp chopped off with Faraam's sword.

Faraam saw the other mage casting a spell, now this spell had some invisible element to it.

No, it wasn't invisible, it was wind.

A blade of wind was what was about to hit Faraam, he knew this would spell trouble, he couldn't be too careful in regards to spells like this, he didn't know how tough they were and how much they could pierce before giving in.

So, to make sure he didn't get hit, Faraam took the fire mage hostage after dashing to him.

The wind caster ceased his spell, as the remaining two knights rushed at him, thinking they can kill him before he lets go of the hostage.

Faraam slit the throat of the hostage, and continuing the motion of the split, did a spinning attack that took the lives of the two men charging at him.

All timed to perfection.

Blood stained, Faraam walked to the terrified wind caster.

The wind caster fell over backwards, and was going to run.

-"Oi... Check that armored dude out.."

-"Damn, is he the son of a noble or something? I bet that armor costs a fortune."

Walking through the streets of Ingrassia, Faraam got all the stares and looks he did not want at all.

Though, he didn't mind.

But, he could feel it.

Hostility.

It seems to be a work of magic of sorts.. Maybe something was compelling these people?

Did he already have a bounty on his head?

Once more, these questions fade from his mind.

But, what he could not erase from his mind, is how similar this city was in atmosphere to Drangleic...

You walk through, and people drag behind you...

You are the enemy, the villain, and you must be slain.

This is what Faraam changed, though for a moment..

All the hollows he killed, all the knights of Drangleic he murdered..

These.. These were the memories Faraam wanted to remember forever..

-"...Good days.."

For him, these were truly good days, in the full sense of the word.

He missed them, and he only hoped he can reclaim any form of glory similar to these days throughout this journey.

-"Ohoh..

You there, can I have a minute?"

A voice called out, but Faraam didn't pay it mind, thinking they're talking to someone else.

Then, a hand was placed on Faraam's shoulder.

Faraam's mind stopped thinking of the past, and his senses activated.

"Pardon me, I couldn't help but feel an intense attraction to you, are you by any chance an adventurer of sorts?"

The area went silent.

For the man talking to Faraam..

Was the Grandmaster of the Free Guild, Yuuki Kagurazaka.

Faraam turned around to face this man, who was relatively shorter than him.

The scene looked terrifying.

Yuuki was not called "Guild Grandmaster" for nothing, his battle experience was immense, yet..

Faraam might just be a perfect match.

-"...No."

-"Oh? What a shame..

Would you be interested in joining one?"

It was obvious.

Yuuki knew how strong of an addition Faraam would make.

And so, he went on himself, after hearing complaints from some people about an armored individual that would go on to kill loads of monsters that fell under Free Guild jurisdiction.

Naturally, Yuuki didn't care about such trivial things, because, one person as promising as Faraam, who potentially could rank as an A-Plus, is invaluable to Yuuki.

Yuuki was sure one as lustful for bloodshed as Faraam would not refuse.

-"No."

Yuuki's eyebrows twitched in surprise, he really was just refused like this?

-"Uhm.. A-Are y-"

Faraam walked off, his word was final.

Yuuki's jaw almost detached, but he composed himself.

"AHEM, do not worry, all of you, this is just a friendly conversation, you can resume your work!"

Yuuki hurried after Faraam.

"Please, pardon my rudeness if I have offended you, at least hear my offer out!"

Faraam continued to ignore him.

Yuuki was getting extremely frustrated on the inside.

Who the fuck is this guy!? Why isn't he even listening!? No one just ignores me..

This hurts my ego!

At one point, they reached a large church faced by a massive building..

Yuuki placed his hand on Faraam's shoulder again, but he ended up pulling the fur by accident, pulling Faraam back a little..

And a large slamming sound was all that was audible.

Faraam had smashed Yuuki's body into the ground, his reflexes were that hardened.

Yuuki's mind could not follow up.. No matter how experienced he was..

This person in front of him... Was way out of his league.

He didn't even need skills.. Which Yuuki countered..

Faraam walked off after doing that, and Yuuki was helped up by a blonde haired individual..

"...That knight..

What is he? He had something inside him...

It's so resemblant of a Hero's Egg holder...

But it's twisted...

Perhaps he also is selfish.. And greedy?"

Yuuki wiped the dust off himself, and walked inside, with the blonde hair staring for a second at Faraam before going inside.

Faraam walked through the town, and decided it's time for a temporary change of pace.

Faraam began speed-walking to the gates, and in the shadows, people followed.

He could tell danger would follow no matter what, but he strode forward.

He eventually left Lura all together, but battle followed.

Entering a forest on purpose, Faraam moved slower.

Fighting in the open is risky, and so, he needed as many covers as he could get.

A massive body went flying past him and crushed some trees, and another wide area swing made him stand his ground.

-"Hey hey! Footman! You almost killed him!"

A cheerful girl's voice rung through Faraam's ears, and the other party in question, Footman, responded.

-"Teare, you fool, that's the goal!

He flattened Yuuki! I'm so angry right now!

How rude do you have to be to do that?!"

The now introduced individuals stand on both sides of Faraam, two clowns, one is a tall and fat clown, the other is small and slim.

-"Ah, you're right, but, Footman,

y'know you're being rude yourself calling me a fool!"

-"I know, Teare, it's just so frustrating seeing someone do something as rude as that!"

-"Oh well, it's fine, let's get this done with!"

They began attacking Faraam left and right, they had extremely fast attacks, but Faraam managed.

One attacked with a scythe, Teare, which Faraam could keep at bay with his swords, and the other attacked with his body by launching himself around at speeds much higher than the other clown.

"Damn, this guy really knows his combat!"

-"It's like he's used to dealing with multiple enemies! Raghh! He's making me so angry!"

Faraam faked an attack at Teare, causing Footman to launch at him, but, Faraam moved, and when he did, he pulled Teare, he did it in such a way that he and Teare basically switched places.

It was like watching a boulder crash into someone, both of them went flying into a tree.

-"Footman! Why did you hit me!"

-"I'm sorry Teare! I thought I was going for him!"

Teare held up her weapon.

She held up her weapon.

She.. held up her weapon..?

-"WHERE'S MY WEAPON?! FOOTMAN! AFTER HIM NOW!"

Faraam had taken Teare's scythe and ran off with it.

They gave chase immediately, but, to their dismay, they lost him.

...Until Footman got smashed in the stomach by a fist and got sent flying three trees away.

"Footman!

You absolute monster! Why would you hit him where it hurts!?"

It was truly a clown's fest, ruckus all over the place.

Faraam held the scythe in both hands, his two Murakumos sheathed, and he prepared himself for any kind of attack.

Teare moved with her high speeds and Footman fixed himself and started shifting his body into a ball-like form, and he launched as well.

Terrific speeds from both of them, but not to Faraam's worry.

Experience wins, everytime.

Speed meant force, yes, but when the man you're facing is practically living armor..

You get the point.

It was not a task to be accomplished by anybody, Teare and Footman did not seem to understand that.

They were still taking this very lightly, and, in doing so, Faraam had his fill of analyzing them, so much so, he knew what they were going to do next.

It was obvious to be honest, but, they were going to attack him.

Surprise, Faraam started moving first.

He rushed forward with the scythe, and, the second they were near range, Faraam slashed the scythe in front of him...

But he froze in fear, seeing Faraam's eyes through his helmet ever so slightly.

And that spelled his death.

He was decapitated by a quick side slash from Faraam.

Heads rolled.

Arms severed.

So it was, Faraam would have to do this many times over, but at this point, this was mere nothing to him.

With a goal in sight, Faraam set foot into new lands, hoping to reach Lura as soon as possible.

-"FOOTMAN!"

Teare shouted towards Footman's pummeled body, and ran towards him.

Faraam was running them down, he was tearing Footman's body apart with Teare's scythe.

Teare tried her best to stop Faraam, but approaching him she couldn't even enter the range of his scythe..

Faraam apparently had already been a master of the scythe since long before... And he was using it like it was nothing.

The swift movement of the scythe slashed across Footman's body bit by bit, ripping his flesh apart, Footman, unable to counterattack due to no chance being given, slowly gives in more and more.

Teare threw her self in the line of the scythe, but she was pushed away by Footman instantly.

-"Teare! Don-

Ouch! This.. Hurts!"

-"Footman!"

Teare cried out for Footman to just jump away or do something, but Faraam's stamina and attacks weren't giving in.

He planted the scythe directly into Footman's left shoulder, and pulled, ripping the arm away, then spun around and..

"FOOOOTMANNN!"

Footman's head was no more.

The entire area around them had been cut through clean, and Teare stood there, in dead shock.

Footman's body tumbled over, and Faraam knelt down on one knee, forcing something out of his body.

His soul.

Footman's twisted soul.

His revived hollow of a soul.

Faraam turned to face Teare, and raised his hand into the air.

And Footman's soul was no longer.

Something along with it perished, and Faraam walked slowly to Teare, who was still observing shocked.

She felt fear for the first time since she was revived, for the first time in her experience.

She saw this man as the pinnacle of evil in her eyes.. The absolute worst thing this world had to offer, and she started crawling backwards, hoping to get away from him.

Faraam stood over her, looking down on her.

She saw it, ever so slightly.

His face, and his lifeless eyes.

His emotionless, stale look.

Teare, under her mask, was prepared for death with closed eyes.

Faraam grabbed her by the neck, and slammed her against a sliced log again and again.

He then set down her scythe, and took out one of his Murakumos.

He aimed straight at her brain, but she found herself thrown at the ground, her neck free.

Faraam disappeared with the wind, and she realized why.

Yuuki and Kagali had both come for her, when they felt Footman's connection sever.

Realizing what had happened, Kagali, who was the same blonde haired individual who helped Yuuki up after Faraam had smashed him into the ground, who was also Yuuki's "Secretary", fell to her knees in front of Footman's severed body.

She let out a pained cry that was heard for a long, long distance.

Yuuki had a regretful look on his face, as this was the first time any plan he made failed horribly, and the first time he experienced the loss of someone he considered "Close" since his parents' deaths.

Teare had not even moved, she couldn't move.

Merciless as anything, caring not he was.

He was Faraam, the slayer of all.

-"Tch.. Miscalculation...

Footman.. I promise I will avenge you..."

Yuuki kicked the dirt in frustration, and he wanted to act immediately.

He left Kagali and Teare and went back to commence "Special" requests, headhunting quests.

Faraam, realizing he left the danger-zone, slows his movement down.

He puts the scythe down, and gazes at the barely visible sky through the deep forestation of trees, he felt like his soul was large, like it could tip over at any given moment due to the weight it's carrying.

Balancing himself and moving forward, Faraam leaves nothing behind as he holds the scythe while his Murakumos remain sheathed.

His destination was clear as day, he needed to go to the "Central Forest" the demoness, Blanc, told him about.

He had a map in his head of the route, he had to pass through some countries, or go through another singular country, it was his choice to make, so, to save time, he decided to take a detour to the north side of the continent he's in to enter said country, the country went by the name "Falmuth", and Faraam had learned that they are a greedy bunch with a corrupt system.

Apparently Blanc had vast knowledge of this world even without being physically in it, she said she had her ways, implying that Faraam will need to do work for her before he gets her trust in certain things, which, to be frank, he did not care about.

The forest was quiet, oddly so, Faraam had come to notice that animal life in the forests surrounding the cities he was in was lush, so seeing the forest dead silent made him cautious.

He was not wrong to be wary, for ahead of him laid a possibly hostile territory, he was still used to Drangleic, that land of monstrous creatures that attacked you on sight.

His main goal for now was to confirm the existence of any Fire Keeper that could manipulate his souls that he had gained to grant him power.

It was not a journey he minded partaking, in fact, doing all of this, doing Blanc's mission, finding a Fire Keeper, all served to help his main purpose, finding a cure for the curse.

And so, swinging his new scythe around while walking through the forest, Faraam was trying to fill his time.

He had deemed faking ignorance the perfect way to bait anyone into attacking him, yes, he had suspicions of an ambition.

He was overly cautious, you can say he was a hero that was overpowered but over cautious as well, parenthesis on hero.

And in the looming destiny, Faraam would soon come to meet his last battle before a great debriefing, the last dance he would have to do before the journey truly begins.

Enemies approach, and he moves forward, the area shifted ever so slightly, but he realized it, he noticed every single movement, such was the former king's intelligence.

It seems the news had already spread about who he was, and what he had done, he quickly narrowed it down to only one possibility, it was that person he had smashed into the ground, the Guildmaster...

-"You heard the fuss lately?"

Rimuru stared perplexed at Benimaru who was chatting with Souei, they seemed to want to keep it low profile for a particular reason.

They were sitting in a meeting room a few days after the events of the Orc Disaster and Laplace, things had quieted down mainly but a few celebrations here and there still took place.

Rimuru was intrigued by this conversation taking place infront of him so he asked them straight up.

-"What's going on? Why are you talking so quietly all of a sudden? You're not preparing another surprise party, are you?"

Souei and Benimaru looked at each other and nodded like it was time for something, and then faced Rimuru, Souei taking the lead in talking.

-"Lord Rimuru, my group and I have spotted movement of a single man through the forest, and his direction of movement seems to be headed directly to Tempest, now, normally, that might not be concerning but.."

Souei looked at Benimaru to finish his speech, both of their eyes held worry, like this was a supreme form of bad news, and they didn't want to ruin their lord's day with such news, but they couldn't act autonomously for such an event.

Benimaru continued with hesitancy in his voice.

-"...Lord Rimuru, there has been rumors- no, news, circulating through the western parts of the forest that the dryads picked up on..

The news involve a man that caused a massive uproar in Ingrassia, a kingdom to the west, clashing against the Guildmaster of the Free Guild, the largest mercenary organization in the world by far.

We have had a few workers for them in the past come to this forest, and through limited interaction, we came to know that they are aggressive humans with no mercy for us.

Now, that might make it seem like the man could be on our side, but I differ in that opinion, he could pull the entire Ingrassian army behind him, causing massive conflict...

What should we do about him, Lord Rimuru.."

Benimaru trailed off in his last few sentences, he was lost, even as a general overseeing the army, Benimaru had no way of deciding the proper action of situations like this, he was not experienced in the art of judgement.

Placing a hand on his chin and falling into a short period of deep thought, Rimuru took to asking his skill, [Great Sage].

{Answer..

A high probability of recruitment might be possible for this individual, providing the individual with a place of rest and protection temporarily has a chance of persuading the person at joining later on.

It is imperative to recruit said person, as was the case with Artorias, said individual might wield power higher than Master's.}

[Great Sage], to Rimuru's satisfaction, provided him with a great and detailed enough answer.

Rimuru, also having thought slightly about recruitment while [Great Sage] was talking, decided to act on this thought, having no other information on said person, he'll just have to trust his gut to let this person in.

Just when Rimuru raised his hand to give the word, a large aura could be felt approaching, Souei, out of developed instinct, called for his subordinates and immediately asked them for the situation.

-"What? The person has sped up and is nearing Tempest now?!"

Souei was about to leave by himself to dispatch the person in fear of danger, but Rimuru stopped him.

-"It's fine, Souei, I will go talk to him, besides, that aura is way too strong for you to handle by yourself.

Make sure no one gets hurt."

Benimaru and Souei left to do their jobs, and Rimuru headed out as well, straight to this person's line of movement.

Rimuru, through his developed senses, could see the aura.

It was a majestic white mixed with deep dark at once, the dark was just the outline that was slowly mixing into the white.

As for the size of the aura.. It wasn't small, but it wasn't on the level of Rimuru or Artorias, it was smaller, but, for its size, it was much more commanding and much more concentrated.

It was an immensely condensed stream of Magicules and something else, something that even [Great Sage], the skill Rimuru thought to be capable of calculating anything, did not know.

{It seems that the energy in question is not affiliated with anything registered in the "Database", and therefore cannot be recognized.}

-"Damn.. What a pain..

Let's see who this person is.."

{It is advised to proceed with caution, no killing intent can be sensed, no feeling of emotion can be sensed.}

Rimuru understood what [Great Sage] was trying to get at, this person was hollow, he was giving off a vibe of a dead man walking.

The person stopped, and Rimuru finally saw him through the cloud of an aura he was emanating.

To his surprise, Rimuru found the person to be not that much taller than he was, he was taller than Shion, so in his measurements, about 178 centimeters, give or take.

He was wearing shining silver armor with a unique-looking helmet that had engravings on it, and he had three weapons, a dark scythe, and two swords that Rimuru knew were similar to old-style medieval weaponry.

He didn't focus more on his clothing, rather, he shifted his focus back to the eye gap through the man's helmet, and yet, he couldn't see anything.

It was an absolute darkness, one that can not be broken by light.

The man slowly lowered his scythe that he had raised when Rimuru suddenly appeared, and waited for Rimuru to do something.

In confusion as to what to do in this situation, Rimuru just began the talk awkwardly.

"U-uhm.. Hello...?"

Silence from the other person, and Rimuru's conversational skills fell apart, but he remembered his past self, and picked up immediately.

"Ahem, hello stranger, are you perhaps heading to the city behi-"

The individual just stood over Rimuru, his gaze, though not visible, shook Rimuru's soul, it was giving him all sorts of bad vibes.

Until the person spoke, that is.

-"Are you.. The monster ruler."

It was not a question, it was an order, an order that needed a response.

Rimuru, for all his age in his past life as Satoru, and for all his experience, could not fight back against such talking pressure, and responded to the command.

-"Y-Yes.. I am.."

He slapped himself internally for immediately giving into the pressure, and he tried to recompose himself.

Since the beans had already been spilled, he decided to maintain this level of vagueness as much as possible.

But, all his preparation was for naught, as the individual in front of him shut down his aura completely and turned to his left, and a large cloud of smoke covered the entire area.

Rimuru felt drugged, his senses were getting relaxed, and he felt like he could float if he let get.

The last thing he visibly saw was the person stretching their hand out, and something spawning on the ground in the same direction the hand was aiming towards.

Rimuru's consciousness faded in and out for a few seconds, he couldn't think or do anything, and he could hear far shouts that were inaudible, and his mind about to explode for a reason.

It was like he was on cloud nine.

He was high.

After a few minutes of that life changing experience, Rimuru regained his consciousness.

-"Thank goodness, Lord Rimuru, you gave us a heart attack!"

He was in the exact same place he was just in, just lying on the ground, after realizing he was on the ground he got up and looked around, he was dazed still.

He couldn't comprehend what had just happened, he searched for the man who was just staring into his soul a few minutes ago, only to find him being bombarded by attacks left and right.

-"Guys! Stop! It isn't his fault! Stop!"

But he was late to stop them, Souei, Benimaru and Shion had all been smashed into the ground or trees, their bodies had been bruised and bloodied in such a short amount of time.

The man had set his weaponry back into place and had approached Rimuru once more, everyone else could only watch horrified.

-"Faraam.
I want to join you."

-"Eh?"

Rimuru lost all sense of wording and stared dumbstruck at this person, Faraam.

The person being stared at, Faraam, only waited for an answer, when he waits, he is a statue.

{It is advised that you hurry up your shocked attitude.}

Rimuru snapped back to reality and answered very hurriedly, as [Great Sage] advised.

He hated having a childish attitude, but, the time forced him to have it so.

-"Mhm, alright mister Faraam I'm Rimuru Tempest you can call me Rimuru I'm the leader of this nation called you're in it's called Tempest haha funny coincidence right? I'm pleased to meet you let's go to a suitable place for accommodation please don't mind my subordinates' actions I'll reprimand them later alright let's go."

Rimuru said all of that in the matter of five seconds, and Faraam just followed the panicked Rimuru who was speed walking to whatever hall he could first find.

It didn't take long for him to see the main hall first, the same one he had a war council in before the Orc Disaster event, and he made a bee line for it, Faraam still following behind.

At this point, all his subordinates were following in fear of what was going on, the public that saw this commotion were worried that their Lord Rimuru was running for his life and so they gave up their will to live in fear this person would kill them aswell.

It was a shockwave of terror all over Tempest, a resonant terror.

In fact, the terror was so wide spread throughout Tempest that, when Rimuru entered the halls, they shut the door behind them and locked them.

"No! Open the damn door! He's not going to kill us! Don't worry! It's just an important person!"

This is how one should act to their superior.. Is what blared in Rimuru's mind.

Bumping into Artorias and his six knights on the way, Rimuru calmed down.

-"Who goes there? What's going on, Rimuru?"

Artorias' voiced calmed Rimuru down even further, as Rimuru took everything in..

-"..!"

A surprised look formed on Artorias' face, as he saw the person coming.

The person that came in, Faraam, had Rimuru terrified.

But, Artorias focused on none of that, he was focused on one detail only.

Faraam struck him as a person from Lordran, a knight of sorts, much like him, which made Artorias lose focus for a second, which was unlike him.

-"Artorias, that person is..

Artorias? Are you listening?"

Rimuru's now calmed attitude reflected in his equally calmed voice, and eventually, Artorias returned to his senses.

But, deep down, he knew it, he felt it.

The person facing him, Faraam, also gave off the vibe of familiarity towards him.

Answering Rimuru's concern, Artorias urged Rimuru to continue the introductions, to see if he can indeed figure out if he knows that person or not.

-"Go on, I just lost my sight for a second, it's nothing to be concerned about."

Rimuru looked puzzled for a second, but continued nevertheless, his calmed attitude wavered a little looking at Faraam, but he composed himself to the best of his ability.

-"Alright, as I was saying, this is Faraam, he was the person you might have heard about from Souei and the others, he came all the way through a harsh travel just to join us, which makes me glad.

Although he seems.. ahem, quite strange, I am sure he harbors no ill intent.

As for you Faraam, this is Artorias, he is a person from another world, he came here through a cycle of reincarnation.. But I'm not going to bore you with all that detail..

How about we head somewhere more quaint and more suitable for conversations of this importance?"

Faraam spoke, his words still heavy, but not as heavy as they were a few minutes ago.

-"No.

You can go.

I will talk with Artorias."

Faraam was a man of clear ambition and purpose, if he wanted something and had to do it, he will do it no questions asked, he's lived his entire life like that.

His job now was to gather information, yes, but his ultimate goal was simple: Learn more about his curse and find a cure for it.

And to learn more about his curse he'd have to learn about his world, and he was sure, from the second he heard the name "Artorias" being spoken, that the person standing in front of him, was indeed the old legend his own right hand spoke of in times long ago.

The same Abysswalker that went head first into the ancient abyss of the time, the same abyss that came to be because of the "Dark Soul"...

Faraam's mind was filled with questions, but he was only going to ask three simple questions.

Giving his answer to Faraam's question that was practically an order, Rimuru took his leave after a slight glance at the both of them, and from that glance he could feel the extreme tension in the air.

Once he left, the two stared at each other with an even deeper intensity.

Artorias immediately took to stating the obvious.

-"You are from the world I am from, correct?"

Faraam replied with a simple nod.

"Who is your lord."

Artorias took the words of Faraam's own mouth, he was about to ask Artorias the same question, but, it seems that he gets an extra question to himself.

Faraam's aura compressed itself, signifying his ever-increasing seriousness.

-"I have no lord.

I fought and killed everything in my way.

I am the lord of the land where flame lies not."

Artorias' eyebrows rose, but, he knew exactly what Faraam meant.

What Faraam meant was that he in fact, did not support the flame.

That gave Faraam's identity as an accursed human to Artorias.

Having already cast his undying loyalty aside for now, Artorias contemplated what to do.

He knew that if he revealed his identity as Gwyn's closest subordinate to Faraam, a battle would definitely ensue.

What Artorias didn't know is that Faraam knew exactly who he was by then, and Faraam cared not.

Why? Because Faraam's journey now has no relation to Gwyn's subordinates.

And because he would gain more out of Artorias then if he killed him off.

Now, still quietly observing this situation were the six warriors that had sworn their loyalty to Artorias.

They weren't very fond of Faraam, yet, if their lord willed it not, they wouldn't even lift their hands.

Artorias decided to calm the tension down by offering Faraam a few pieces of information.

-"I hope that our futures shine brightly together, Faraam.

Now, if you'll pardon me, I have to leave."

Artorias turned to leave, but was stopped by Faraam's harsh stare.

-"Cease."

That word gave Artorias all he needed to know for what was about to happen:

A) An extremely brutal battle will occur if Artorias moves a step away.

B) Faraam is just curious and won't actually do anything if Artorias goes away regardless.

C) Artorias does what Faraam needs him to do and they'll both be on their way.

Artorias held still, preferring a fourth option; waiting until Faraam decides.

"...I have a question-"

Faraam ended that sentence with words that shocked Artorias.

Even if they had known each other for but a few moments, Artorias knew that such words would never come out of that mouth ever again.

"-if I may."

Faraam had decided to not ask three questions, only one, which he deemed the most important.

He knew that if he wanted to get a good eye on Rimuru and the rest of his land, he'll have to warm up at the very least to Rimuru's allies one way or another.

Artorias, taken aback as was stated, questioned what he heard, but decided not to dwell on it.

-"You may."

Taking no time for a pause, Faraam got to his question.

-"If you were to meet Manus now.

Would you fight?"

Part 2 End