Interesting suggestions, and I plan on keeping the dark things; if not going a little darker, you and a few others are the true heart of this fanfiction, and why I keep on writing. Again, thank you, Bruhman, for answering your question. Saturnus Ouranos You are correct to some extent, but there is still more to be discovered in later chapters. You and others could come up with the name of this trio, whose group, just keep in mind that the name must reference the sword. Proximiu5 I'm glad that you are enjoying the little references I have left. There was also a reference you missed. There are other orders of Assassins that also have Brotherhood in them. Let's see if you can do some searching to see if you can find out. Krieger Techpreist, there will be many references I'm going to bleed into the story or add to the melting pot to expand on the world. Aerodactyl999 your suggestion is noted and might become bonus content in between chapters which will be controlled by all your fellow readers with reviews suggesting what fat Arthur should you within the short bonus or create a separate little short story.
**The following beginning segment of this chapter will contain scenes of explicitly dark nature, as you have been advised.**
Faubrey Kingdom capital
The stomping sound and whistle chirps and hisses were the only sounds in the long, dark hallway underneath the capital of Faubrey. The source of this noise in the long dark expanse was the spider leg machine the pig King rode upon. Now and then he would tug the chain connected to the problem Noble girl that he had recently acquired. He couldn't help but have a sadistic grin as the girl let out pitiful whimpers as the chain was painfully tugged, causing the iron collar on her neck to rub roughly against her delicate skin. "If you think you're in a state of pain thanks to that curse collar, that is nothing compared to what I have in store for a pathetic human like you." A long reptilian-like tongue glided across the large chubby lips that had trace remnants of the feast he had enjoyed eating earlier.
"Please, I will tell you where my family keeps their emergency funds. You can help yourself to all of it and the few forbidden spells tome, that my family has safeguarded them for centuries." She cried out in begs as she tried pulling the chain forcing her to stumble forward as she walked nearly a mile of these underground passageways. She never thought that her actions would land her here. Sure, she had made some mistakes and even caused the deaths of a few handmaidens, and best of all, she thought she would be sent to the nunnery, lose all inheritance, and be given the chastity curse crest upon her flesh. Instead, her family saw fit to sell her off as a piece of meat to the sickening delights of the most vile creature that has ever graced the world.
The pig King let out a humorous laugh before turning his head and gazing with his glowing, menacing eyes of purple with their slanted pupils. "What use is money to a thing like me? I want to see the sheer anguish on your face as the glimmers of hope fade from your eyes as you scream and howl in agony as I slowly begin to process you into something that would be of greater use." With his word, a new wave of despair washed over the girl's face which caused new amounts of delight in the creature that was taking the facade of the darker part of humanity.
The two continued moving on until light could be seen in the distance. As they got closer, new horrors were revealed to the noble girl who was dressed in rags and dragged around as a slave, as she could see perfectly preserved women who looked like butchers had gotten a hold of their bodies that were floating in the embalming fluid.
One woman had half of her skin removed, exposing the muscles and sinew; another had her skull open, revealing bits of her brain that had not been removed; even a woman who had her stomach split open and a small fetus was revealed with protrusions and needles poking into it. The horror show continued from mutilated bodies to bodies that looked like they had been fused by means that were beyond the noblegirl's comprehension. Even coming from a magical family, the horror was too much for her mind and stomach to bear as she hurled onto the ground that she was walking on and then stumbled through her vomit.
"Some of these girls I had worked on personally could never understand the full complexity of a woman's body without first peeling a few layers of her flesh and getting into her marrow to twist and pull the various nerve fibers to pour all sorts of hideous chemicals that melt, boil, and scorch exposed skin, eyes, and organs, but they all serve a noble cause; the better understanding the kingdom has of the human body, the better equipped we are to dealing with such problematic situations that might occur in a prolonged conflict." The monster of a man monologued a bit before stopping in front of a mechanical door made of gears. There's a large COG with a single hole in the center. He outstretched his arm, and immediately it began almost to look like it had melted into a shapeless form. As it went into the hole, sounds of twisting, clicking, and turning could be heard as the various gears and springs began twisting, turning, and clicking as the door slowly opened, revealing a massive room with piping going everywhere but coalescing near the ceiling a large hole with a single beam of light projected down to a chair that was facing away from the door.
The only sounds in the room were the slight vibrating sounds of the pipes; the sounds themselves almost sounded like whispers of conversations, hundreds of conversations going on simultaneously before all of them ceased with a loud clicking sound. "So how was the meeting go, my child? I hope it was as fruitful as we had hoped, no?" A very cultured and aged voice spoke behind the chair made of white marble and had some tubing connected to it as the sounds of a page being turned could be heard.
She was tugging the girl forward a bit more before hooking the chain onto a hook that immediately began pulling her into a spot where forcing her to stand on her tiptoes off to the side. After that, the pig King moved slightly closer behind the chair. "Yes, everything has gone according to what you have anticipated; the various factions won't claw at each other's throats yet and have agreed to share Royal resources amongst themselves, excluding Faubrey as a whole," he reported as he began slightly scratching underneath his second chin, finding it irritating to maintain this disgusting form.
"Very well, once you've rendered The Runaway 999 I need you to go to Siltvelt; there is talk of a new place in their temple for the anomaly that is the bow hero. You'll be taking the place that I have provided for you." Reaching over and pulling a switch on his mechanical chair, a frozen block of ice began to appear out of the large opening over the expansive chamber, revealing a nude white tiger demi-human woman in her early 30s.
He had looked up at the beautiful-looking woman with her large assets and delicate curves and the small bit of muscular physique that was quite common for the white tiger folks of Siltvelt—strong and imposing. "I take it that she is of great significance if you are having me take her place. Is she a high priestess of sorts that has gone missing?" he asked as he began to get up from his seat his body began to shift and melt, and the snapping and twisting sounds of bones could be heard to a sickening degree as hair and appendages began to recede and sprout out the same coloring as the demi-human woman. Next was the overall fat and stretchy skin that was beginning to shrink and become slightly more muscular as the perfect hourglass shape appeared along with matching genitals. Next was the chest, which had been reduced to a flat state before starting to develop. The mammary matched perfectly, and the last bits were the eye color and the tail and ears.
"Yes, your assumption of her being a high priestess is correct. She is a strong advocate for expanding the pantheon of the demi-humans to incorporate the one that supports the shield hero, the bow hero, or as others are beginning to call him, the gun hero," the cultured voice spoke from the chair.
The girl witnessed the pig king transform right before her eyes, her jaw dropping as she watched a grotesque abomination of humanity change into what looked like a beauty carved by the gods themselves. A woman that she would consider feasting upon or being fed upon if her circumstances weren't so precarious. Just the thoughts of her situation brought her back to reality, reminding her of who this person was and what they intended for her. This caused her to immediately shake off any sensual delusions she may have had and focus on tugging at the chain that kept her in place. However, she felt the burning sensation of the slave collar around her neck starting to heat up, causing her pain and making her stop what she was doing.
Examining her new form, she couldn't help but give her new breasts a nice feel and relish in taking on such a beautiful form, far better than the few disgusting forms she had taken just to serve the end-game plan that was set up before her creation. "So, the typical bloodbath or centrifuge?" she asked in her new feminine voice.
"Her voice is a lot sterner, yet there is a hint of motherly care in it," he corrected his minion's blind guess on what the woman sounded like. While she was doing that, he gave himself a chance to think of the best way to deal with the rise of a new religion within a predominantly Shield-worshipping nation. "A mixture of both," he answered.
Feeling her vocal cords shifting, stretching, and shortening to the right pattern as described, she said, "All right, this sounds like I'll be taking all sorts of forms, but I'll have to try to memorize this one. I like this one, and I might wear it for some time even after I've completed the objective." She examined her flawless body for a moment longer before turning her gaze towards the girl she had dragged here.
"You may do as you wish, as long as you complete the objective and return; do not linger; then you must be there," he ordered as he pulled a lever and the sounds that he had been listening to before his minion's arrival returned. There was only one conversation he focused on the most that was going on through his domain: talks of the bow hero.
Hopping off the spider legs mobile device for her kingly form, she landed softly on the pads of her feet, like a cat not making a single sound. The hydraulics of the spider mobile unit immediately began to relax and extend a few meters further away from the ground. Despite her form being false, her weight was correct and on par, if not greater, than that of the king form she had taken from time to time whenever it was required of her. She softly began patting her way toward her human plaything, and the girl immediately flinched away despite her alluring naked body. But most would die to have or at least have the opportunity to be in her presence. Even the way she walked would excite anyone interested in women, and by her sensitive sense of smell that she had now acquired, she could tell that the girl she was about to play with was already getting excited. "Is that the reason why your parents threw you away? You like girls, and here I thought you killed a few of those servant girls. You gave your family a bad reputation through the various magical experiments you conducted to further their beauty, longevity, and fruitfulness," she said in that motherly tone that would subdue even the most problematic child into obedience.
The girl who had mixed feelings of being terrified and yet aroused couldn't help but have flashbacks of memories of mutilated and deformed servant girls that she had a brief effectuation for as she tried to perfect their bodies to be pinnacles of the female race. "I did not intend for them to die, not in the brutal fashions, as they were discovered like all women; they had magical potential. I just wanted to further that along." she cried out as tears began to run down her cheeks she could feel a hand beginning to caress underneath her chin the elegant demi-human tiger woman.
"Confessing your sins is admirable, especially given the fact that I am now a high priestess. However, I'm afraid to say that confession will not save you from the horrors that will come for you now," the woman said, an evil grin appearing on her face and ruining the beauty of her form. She reached up and unhooked the chain, dragging the girl into a different chamber. The chamber reeked of the metallic coppery smell of blood, shit, and piss.
Surveying her new surroundings, the girl couldn't help but notice blood splatters on the walls and floors. To add to the horrifying macabre, several hooks still had meat hanging from them, remnants of previous victims. Before she could take in anything else, she was hoisted and slammed onto a stone table. Her limbs were restrained and bound.
The Demi-human white tiger, now in the form of a woman, walked towards a wheeled table and brought it over to the stone slab. The table held several bundles of tools yet to be unfurled. "You're probably wondering what my Creator referred to as render. To put it simply, it is the process of removing the parts and pieces we do not require, such as limbs and non-essential organs, and exposing certain parts that need to be exposed for implantation," she explained, unfurling the various surgical tools and equipment. These tools were crafted for surgeries and methods of torture upon unfortunate victims.
Fear gripped the girl's heart as she saw the shining silver of the medical tools that would soon be used on her body. "Please, in the name of the gods, don't. I'll tell you anything. I will grant you anything your heart desires. I'll even help you identify radicals in the principality who want to overthrow my family. You can take whatever land or resources you want. Please don't," she begged and cried, tears flowing freely. She thrashed around, trying in vain to break free from the leather straps that held her weak body.
The shapeshifting monster reveled in the girl's crying and begging. They grabbed a crystal syringe and a glass ampule, breaking it and ensuring no air bubbles entered the syringe. Filling it up, they tapped it before shooting out a jet of a specialized cocktail. The cocktail had a green and purplish color that swirled within the syringe but never mixed. "This little cocktail, which took me centuries to create, combines the unique properties of vampire Venom. It has the unusual property of making their victims bleed more, whether it be their claws or their fangs. I managed to reverse it. Open exposure to the air will cause your blood from open wounds to crystallize, keeping you from bleeding to death. I don't want you dying too quickly; actually, I don't want you dying at all. The other part is quite surprisingly a heart accelerant; it will keep you conscious, and if you start to lose consciousness, it will bring you back from that brink. It's going to be quite a useful tool in a future event that has yet to be started," they explained before stabbing the syringe into the left side of the girl's neck and injecting it.
Within moments, the girl's body began convulsing. She felt the effects of the drug spreading through her system. Gripping tightly, she broke the skin with her fingertips, causing them to bleed. She tried to avoid biting her tongue as the sensation of her veins feeling like they were on fire spread throughout her body. Then, a cool sensation washed over her.
Seeing that the one side effect of the drug was over, the shapeshifter grabbed a self-inking pen. They ripped off the rags that still adorned the girl's body, exposing her. Intricate markings were made on the bound girl's body, ensuring her survival during the rendering process. "I wish I could say I should have remembered every time I have rendered, but I do not have a photographic memory of this. but I have my memory divided up into what is necessary and what isn't. These little markings are necessary to make sure I don't kill you, though that would be something you want once I have removed your arms and legs. Still, it's a shame you were starting to blossom into a perfect 19-year-old woman with nice breasts and perfectly sized-childbearing hips. If it wasn't for the fact that you caused some problems with your own family, they would most likely have sold you off to a nightly house or given you to one of their Bannermen to maintain loyalty and shared kinship. But alas, you're here. But do not worry, I won't throw away all your organs. After all, there are many usages for a young woman's womb. However, they are quite unspeakable in their various uses," she continued to monologue as she grabbed tweezers and razors, shaving the girl's head, eyebrows, and pubic hair. Then, the shapeshifter marked around the girl's skull on the parts that needed removal, mostly the skin and skull cap.
"The first phase is done; next will be surgery," the shapeshifter said with a hint of excitement. Before grabbing any surgical tools, she wound up a record player and played Melody to drown out the screams that would soon fill the chamber of suffering.
(La Vie En Rose)
The music echoed into the corresponding chamber, where the mysterious figure sat comfortably on his throne. Already, he was tuning out the sounds of the girl's whales of agony as he turned his gaze to the glowing eyes and fangs of a creature approaching him. "I take it that 1/3 of your original body has been destroyed by one of the Cardinal Heroes, am I correct?" he stated to the creature, who revealed itself to be a Hound of some kind with spikes and horns on its head and body and multiple glowing blue eyes. Its fangs match the same color as its eyes.
"Yes, our hunger is gone, but I, the mew, and our womb remain. Even without our hunger, we can still unite and become the boss that we once were." The creature stated that its eyes and teeth glowed more brightly, whether it was in reaction to the sharp cries of pain or its frustration and anger at losing a portion of itself to one of the heroes.
The man in the chair simply chuckled at the obvious frustration of the creature's loss, but he had to make sure it would not go out of control. He had waited so long and played the intricate pieces on the board into the proper positions for his grand plan. Whatever plot or scheme the entity that controls the waves has in the works was little concern to him. "Just remember, when the time comes, you will lure the four here. After you can kill them however you see fit but go against my plans, then you'll be like the girls that have been rendered, though it would not kill you as I doubt anything can kill you other than special weapons crafted for heroes." He waved the quill that he always kept on his hand, looking as if it were made of porcelain and gold, and a golden string of mystical ink floated in the air in a dialect that was indecipherable to anyone other than the wielder of the quill.
Seeing this golden strand of words caused the hell beast to take several steps away; whether it was out of instinct or displeasure of being destroyed, it would not make its actions known to this human. "We will honor our agreement with your little plan, but do not mistake the facts; once we have reached our shared goal, we are no longer obligated to show you any restraint or mercy." The creature said gruffly matted for spikes to stand on end and become slightly sharper as its bloodlust began to rise at the scent of fresh blood coming from the chamber where the girl was screaming and begging her parents and the gods to save her.
"Yes, yes, I know you'll buy out my throat or you'll eat me like Odin. Now be gone until I summon you again. I can't have you running over to the chamber where my Leviathan is busy with their work." He waved his right hand, which had a golden quill while weaving intricate lines to create a magic door to see that the hellhound would be transported elsewhere.
Taking one pleasure and listening to the last bits of agony, the hellhound turned and headed through the golden doors that opened upon its approach, went to whatever location it desired, and disappeared along with the golden door.
Old Capital Ruined Road
A bellowing, hissing laugh could be heard, causing the various animals that were hiding in the overgrown grass shrubbery and some in the trees to flee at the sudden sound. Jake was recovering from his fits of laughter at hearing a tale from Arthur and his former band of outlaws. "The loudmouth of the gang thought it was a good idea to jump out of a window and land on a pile of manure instead of owing up and taking his beating from the man that your friend happened to be sleeping with the wife who is housing you and a few other gang members, and here I thought real outlaws were a lot smarter than that." he let out a few more hissing Chuckles.
"I don't see how funny that is," Keel commented, if anything, that she found it quite surprising that the snake was capable of laughing.
Arthur only smirked. "Sean didn't have much in the form of brains, but he had a lot of heart, but his mouth got him into more trouble." He couldn't help but remember that the high-spirited Irish bastard who couldn't land was shot to save his life, and he was one of the few that he missed the company of, like many of the other members of the gang who were probably dead or had managed to get out and hopefully live decent lives.
"Well, do you have any plans of restoring a new gang since how fondly you talk about the few members that you have said thus far, at least the ones you enjoy the company of?" Jake had both asked and commented while considering the idea of joining if the man starts one up in around this kingdom. Plus, having a senior outlaw would be quite beneficial when hunting down bandits, who think themselves clever enough to hide from the law.
The question caused Arthur to think about how to answer it. At times, he had wandered off on his own and let Dutch run the gang without his presence, as he was the de facto enforcer of the gang and the one overseeing the maintenance and repair of the guns. But he couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness about not being part of something, and in the Duchess gang, he felt a sense of camaraderie about being part of something that became much bigger than himself and working together for the same common goal of survival and freedom—perhaps not the Duchess form of freedom, but freedom nonetheless. "The idea has never escaped my mind, even though I would say it would be a little too early for me to start a gang, especially considering how everything had ended for me and my previous associates." He answered Jake's question while still pondering how the new gang would operate, how to keep it from falling apart, and whether he would be able to take on the role of leader or have the gang decentralized, with every member being equal and coming up with decisions in a democratic way, a term he had read up on when he started reading about the ancient kingdoms of Greece when he was just a boy learning how the old world worked before taking on his gun.
The demi-human snake couldn't help but notice how Arthur hesitated a little before answering. Plus, the human hero didn't tell him much of anything besides the few stories of the gang that Arthur had run with, and he was quite curious about how it ended. "Later, when you decide to start one up, I wouldn't mind joining. I've been around a few places, so I know a thing or two of a few kingdoms I have visited as a free wandering mercenary or bounty hunter and have interacted with a few fellows that would be considered unsavory no matter the type of glamor they wear." offered his future services to be outlawed, knowing if Arthur did start up again, he would need every bit of information about the other kingdoms. There are various rules and laws and how to best skirt around them when performing less savory activities for heroes.
Glancing over at the snake for a brief moment, Arthur couldn't help but give a nod before turning his head forward onto the Old Stone-coupled road ahead.
As the three continued on their journey, Jake couldn't help but stiffen as he flicked his fork tongue in the air. At the same time, Keel's ears began twitching at the strange sounds of growling clicking, and sharp squeaking that almost sounded like words being spoken in a primitive tongue. As for Arthur, he could feel a cold sensation run up his spine as his dangerous sense could pick up something that was starting to move around in the bushes, as well as following behind them too far of a distance to be seen with the naked eye if he ever turned his head to see. Nevertheless, he could send Danger All Around himself and those he traveled with.
"We were surrounded; the only path that's open to us is forward," Arthur said to Jake and Keel in a whisper. The serpentine simply noted his head, confirming Arthur's suspicions, all the while not showing any signs of the black steel adventurer's awareness of the creatures that were slowly closing in on them.
The only one that was looking around to find the source of the noise was Keel. As she tried looking around, she couldn't see anything, but she definitely could hear their approach. "Are they some sort of monster?" she had asked in a whisper at the same volume as Arthur had done.
Flicking his fork tongue again and again to properly identify the smells that were around, as well as using his snake vision, which allowed him to see the body through the various bushes he glanced around and immediately identified what was pursuing them. "Goblins are most likely primal," Jake said in a cough-like grunt that all the while he had noticed that Arthur's grip on the reins controlled his celestial horse.
As soon as their journey toward the old capital fortresses started, Jake went into great detail about the various creatures that they would encounter on the road to him and Keel. Savage Orcs are primitive yet intelligent enough to work with iron, have some level of strategic thinking, and be able to multiply like rats. They also have a religious belief in continuous fighting, even amongst themselves, to their benefit or not, wave monsters that weren't killed by the Royal Knights as they continuously wander the land, killing and gaining experience before becoming as powerful as a wave boss, and lastly, primal goblins. The Strangers of All Monster Creatures Two strange things occur naturally, as it was widely assumed that some Rogue Mage created this particular creature to serve as frontline soldiers in some forgotten era comprised of only males and having the biological ability to reproduce with anything humanoid or not. If they can copulate with it, they will most likely be able to reproduce more of their kind. Because of this fact, many primal goblins are often hunted because of this flaw in their creation with no other females of their species, forcing many of them to attack settlements to steal fertile women and replenish their numbers. As for their intelligence, they're smart enough to utilize tools and weapons, but strategy-wise, that was one thing they lacked, mostly relying on their numbers to win the fight. It's because of these creatures that they ultimately accidentally created the world. The goblin exterminator, who is in the far northern kingdoms, is wiping every den of them from the face of the earth whenever he has the opportunity.
"So, how long do we have before we have to kill all of them?" Arthur asked as he couldn't help but feel his hand slowly moving towards his revolver on his hip, just as Keel was doing the same.
Flicking his forked tongue and using his eyes to see through the bushes once again to see the goblins' movement. "We have at least 3 minutes before they start to pounce. They'll be coming from behind and the sides, but don't forget about opportunities from the sky. The stronger ones will probably start throwing the smaller ones from the cover of bushes or on top of trees." Jake advised as he could feel his internal countdown beginning to take away as his hand began reaching for not his crossbow pistol but rather the dark cursed blade he had kept hidden on his belt.
After hearing the amount of time Arthur had already slowly pulled back the hammer of his gun feeling and hearing it lock into place along with Keel, both of them were almost at the point of simply drawing and firing at the hidden assailants that were doing everything in their power to remain silent and hidden and completely unaware that this party of three was already aware of the ambush that is yet to commence.
Within a second, the goblins burst out of the bushes, letting out their chittering, screeching war cries. Several goblins that weren't charging on the ground were being tossed through the air by larger hobgoblins wielding bone knives and stone spears. In that same second, as they emerged from their hiding places and became airborne, Arthur's senses sharpened to the max. Everything proceeded very slowly as he focused his side on the flying five goblins, quickly drew his gun, and aimed. Before he even pulled the trigger, he had his sights marked on all five of the goblin's heads. He rapidly fired a shot, causing the green-skinned monstrosities' heads to explode with gore and bone. His last bullet went straight for the one goblin that was flying straight towards Jake. After that, he started to reload rapidly as Keel started supporting fire.
The goblins were shocked at the sight of five of their kin being slain in midair, not even halfway towards their target. Their heads had exploded, and the sixth one that was going after the snake had met the same end. No matter what, the goblins continued their charge despite being gunned down by the dog-eared one firing the silver-looking weapon.
Jake couldn't help but be surprised at how quickly Arthur had moved. It was far faster than he had witnessed during that little coin toss or duel they had back in Castle Town. For some strange reason, he felt rather irritated that the man was much faster than he was during that event, and how easy it would have been if the human had simply beaten him fairly. Pushing aside his irritants, he focused on the goblins that were approaching his side flank. He pulled out his black dirk blade with a ruby gem just within the pommel. He thrust his arm into the nearest pouncing goblin that had come into range and let the enchanted blade drink the creature's blood before tossing it aside. He allowed the magic of the blade to take hold as the blackened blade began to glow ruby red, matching the gem that was glowing ominously. Looking at the other goblins that were still quickly approaching, he swiped the blade and the river of blood became an extension of his blade, arcing through the air and slicing and killing several goblins at once. He repeated this with a second and third swipe before the blood and magic that powered the blade were drained and required a refill. Fortunately, there were enough volunteer goblins to replenish the accursed blade.
"Damn, there's no end to them. I'm on my third reload," Arthur yelled out as he moved Nyx around a bloody roadway that was filling up with the corpses of goblins and their blood. Even the larger hobgoblins were starting to get involved by throwing large, sharp rocks. Arthur managed to avoid them by simply forcing Mount away. Nyx even teleported a short distance to avoid a larger rock that would have hurt both herself and her two passengers. She even sent a few bone-gold spears into the bushes, killing a few hobgoblins. She would have done more if it weren't for the fact that she had lost so many levels and most of her power was constrained due to the bond she shared with her Rider.
A lot like Arthur and his mount, Jake had to avoid getting hit by rocks and a few spears being thrown at him. Fortunately, his shadow mount quickly turned him into smoke, and Jake disappeared from the spot as he rode around the growing pile of dead goblins. "That might just be the never-ending swarm of green bastards. I think it's high time for us to ride on instead of simply standing our ground and trying to kill them all," he suggested as he swiped his blade through the air, cutting down a hobgoblin charging at him with a club.
Realizing that staying and fighting would only make the situation more difficult, Arthur dug his spurs into Nyx's flanks and cracked the reins, urging her to move faster. Nyx responded by running forward, with Jake just a little behind.
As they rode as fast as their mounts would allow, more goblins appeared, some of them even riding wolf mounts and chasing after the adventurers. Keel, recognizing the approaching threat, quickly repositioned herself and began firing her gun, taking down several of the mounted goblin riders and their mounts.
Impressed by Keel's marksmanship, Arthur couldn't help but remark, "Damn, at this rate, you'll be replacing me as the main Gunslinger in this party." He chuckled, but Keel remained focused on her task, reloading her gun with increasing speed.
Jake chimed in, "That kid has a lot to grow and learn, even if, as a demihuman, they have a long way before surpassing you, Arthur."
Proud of Keel's progress and her place in their party, Arthur refocused his attention on the path ahead. Two diverging paths lay before them, and Arthur chose the right one. Riding on the ancient cobblestone road, they could still hear the goblins pursuing them. But to their dismay, at the end of the road, a stone blockade awaited them, guarded by a horde of goblins with malicious grins and gleaming yellow eyes.
"SHIT!" Arthur exclaimed, realizing their predicament. Nyx swiftly teleported, turning Arthur around to face the pursuing mob of goblin riders. As she charged forward, her body covered in golden spikes and bone blades, she sliced through the goblins and their mounts, heading back towards the intersection of the road.
Jake's shadow mount followed suit, using its shadowy abilities to sap the life force from a few goblins and then rematerialize, all while staying behind Arthur.
They chose the left path without hesitation, leaving behind the pursuing goblins. However, their troubles were far from over. More goblins, some riding flying contraptions, joined the chase, bombarding them with rocks.
As they continued along the path, the landscape transformed from a forest to a rocky mountainous area. It was then that Arthur had an idea. He reached into his pack, pulling out a stick of dynamite from his old belongings. Despite the notification informing him that it wasn't an authorized weapon, he ignored it and struck a match against his cheek, lighting the fuse.
Carefully calculating the timing, Arthur dropped the dynamite, ensuring it would detonate after a few moments at a spot that would halt the pursuing goblins. The explosion rocked the area, creating a barrier of debris and blocking the goblin's path.
With the immediate threat neutralized, Arthur and his companions pressed on, determined to reach their destination. The treacherous mountainous terrain lay ahead, but together, they were ready to face whatever challenges awaited them.
The opportunity presented itself with an old bridge that looked like it had expanded into a large chasm. This was the opportune spot and moment that Arthur dropped the stick of dynamite as soon as they had begun to make their trek across the old bridge, with only a few of the planks breaking underneath the hooves of their mounts with the goblins still on their tails.
Keel had watched Arthur drop something that had sparkling flames coming off what looked like a stick. She would have questioned what he had dropped, but she was focused on the flying goblin contraption and took aim and fired her last bullet straight for the pilot. Her aim was true, hitting the goblin pilot dead center in the head. Without a pilot, the contraption veered off course and flew into the nearly bottomless dark chasm with two screaming goblins. Her questions about what Arthur had dropped were immediately answered as she heard a loud explosion and saw a large flash at the end of the bridge, killing a great number of goblins and causing the end of the bridge to snap and fall into the chasm. For a brief moment, she thought she was about to die as she saw a section of the bridge along with the goblins that were pursuing from behind begin to fall. She couldn't help but let out a high-pitched scream as she closed her eyes and hugged Arthur, fearing the worst. But to her surprise, nothing happened. Opening her eyes, she realized they had made it across the bridge. She immediately let go of Arthur and hopped off the saddle, glaring at him. "What the hell was that? Are you trying to kill us? I heard the heroes that were summoned were crazy, but this was beyond insane," she yelled at him, her anger evident.
Jake found her outburst amusing, though they had indeed cut it close. His Shadow Steed only had a few apparitions left, and she couldn't maintain the shadow spectral form for long without spending too much energy and needing to rest in the shadow plains. "I think most of us adventurers, or those who spend our time in the countryside, are a bit crazy, but destroying a bridge while being on it and getting pursued by a more organized band of goblins might be setting a new record." Jake chuckled and flashed a toothy grin, sharing the amusement with Arthur, who was equally amused by the situation.
"Well, last-minute plans are usually the most hectic, but at least we're safe now. But are we still on the path to the leader of the Viper gang? Where might they be holed up?" Arthur wondered, looking behind him at the vast expanse between their current spot and the area they came from. If he focused his sight, he could still see a group of angry goblins hopping around, denied their prey.
The jovial atmosphere quickly faded as Jake reached for a map and began studying the path they had taken when entering the old capital area. As soon as Jake recognized the path, he let out a disapproving hiss. "Damn, I was hoping we wouldn't have to go through this kind of place." He expressed his distaste for the path they were now forced to take since the path behind them was no longer an option.
Bringing Nyx closer to Jake, Arthur joined them in examining the map. Although he was still not proficient in the language of the land, he could decipher bits and pieces of the lettering and numbering. From what he could gather, they were on the path toward a village or town. "Something feels off about this place, but forgive me, I'm still learning to read the written word here." Arthur glanced at the narrow roadway ahead, with rocky walls running parallel to the road.
"Well, my illiterate friend, we're on the road to the Silent Valley, the most historically cursed and dangerous place we could have the misfortune of stumbling across. Even high-ranking adventurers refuse to go there, even if they were paid ten times their weight in gold," Jake sarcastically answered. He shuddered at the idea of going to the cursed town. If possible, he would have preferred to climb the side of the mountain for a good half mile and try to find an alternate path. However, they didn't have the necessary supplies for it. Another option would be for him to transform into his bestial form and slither through the narrower pathways, but that would take just as much time as climbing.
Jake's words reminded Arthur of at least one town that was cursed, with all of its citizens dying from a disease, and with a few talking about some stranger coming by and ruining the town. "So what makes this place cursed if I may ask?" he questioned.
"There are many reasons why the town is considered cursed; one of them states that it's a colony of leopards; another tale speaks about how the town is populated by incestuous folk; they are so deformed from constant inbreeding they could hardly be considered humans, or they are worshipers Medea; the list goes on; it goes on many times by those who claim to visit this place," Jake explained, shivering at the few tales he had heard over years as an adventurer.
A small part of Arthur's mind had considered the idea of trying to find an alternate route if the tales that were being spoken about this place by Jake had any truth, yet they couldn't go back, nor could they go in any other direction but forward. "Well, we see that we don't have much of a choice; we're going to have to press forward, and with whatever ammunition we have left, we're just going to have to gun our way through," he calmly stated that the only option they had left was to just press forward.
"I think gunning our way through would not be the best option since I'm out of ammo," Keel commented as she folded her gun open and looked down the exposed barrel for any bits of debris that may have gotten into the barrel along with the cylinder, just as Arthur had trained her to do after a prolonged fight. So far, it was in working order, and she would just simply have to clean them once they had gotten through this part of their journey.
Reaching into his pack, he pulled out an extra box of ammunition, which felt a lot lighter than it normally would. "You're getting better at shooting, but you're eating up a lot of ammunition. We're going to have to ration the remaining rounds. I would hate to have to use one of my special rounds on something as simple as another band of goblins or pack of wolves," he said to Keel before taking a mental count of how much ammunition he had left before calculating his special ammunition. So far, he could reload his revolver three times before running out of his normal ammunition before loading up his explosive bullets. He also had other rounds within his bag like slug and buckshot, even though he didn't have the particular firearm for that type of ammunition. Then his thoughts went back to his bow that was on his back. He hadn't used it as much, but it was a good alternative and didn't need ammunition to use. Just the mental reminder had made him consider handing Keel his remaining ammunition and himself relying on a bow since he wasn't too bad with it.
Keel was unaware of Arthur's musings as she opened up the small, hand-sized box of ammunition and immediately began loading up the six rounds before stuffing the remaining four into her bandolier belt. After that, she got into a more comfortable position where she wasn't sitting oddly in front of Arthur and went back into the original arrangement before she had to defend against the goblins.
Jake had taken the lead with his shadow mount and looked over the map he had of the area, seeing how they were going to navigate to the accursed town, and decided to find a path that would take them to one of the possibly occupied towers that the Viper gang might be holding up in. He had already crossed out some towers that would likely be uninhabited due to monsters or time-related phenomena caused by the dragon hourglass breaking during the time of the old mad queen.
The path around them began to become even narrower as they continued riding, following behind the serpentine adventurer. They stopped at a darkened tunnel with a single sign written on the side of the entrance that looked to be in good condition despite the roadway never being used in centuries as if it were just planted yesterday.
"The Crown's constitution of Melromarc ends here from this point," Jake read out loud from the sign, then pulled out what looked like a compass that had an unusual glow.
Arthur tried to get closer to look at the compass, only to see that it wasn't an actual compass but some sort of magical instrument of some kind. "That's a pretty fancy compass, though I don't see it indicating north or south on it besides those weird-looking runes," he commented on Jake's device that he was staring at.
"It's a Time Nexus detector. Figuring that we will be coming here well within the old capital, I thought to bring this along so we don't end up in something like an accelerated time Nexus. Were we starting to age away within a few hours or are reduced to infancy and then become no more? This land here is damaged, This is the main reason why no one has resettled here besides monsters and opportunist Cutthroats," Jake explained as he held up the detector just at the entrance of the tunnel and watched as the three needles began moving, not as haphazardly as he would have expected but just enough to tell him that time had been muddled. "Beyond this point, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that time is not so distorted that we won't turn into old folk or hatchlings." He paused for a moment, staring at the device in his hand, just to make sure he was correct.
"And what is the bad news?" Keel was the one to ask, as she too had her attention on the device that the snake adventurer was holding.
Putting away his little time distortion detector device in his pocket, he said, "The bad thing is that this place has been trapped in a loop of sorts, preserving those who had lived during the shattering of the Dragon hourglass. Depending on what state and condition they are in, they can either be as normal as you and me or they have completely lost their minds and will kill anything that they come across, not just us but each other as well. So it is best to keep our guard up as we pass through this place."
Arthur and Keel didn't need to be told twice about keeping their guards up for the danger that awaited them. Without further delay, the Party of Three began to enter the tunnel entrance. All three of them felt almost like static running across their skin, and those with hair or fur could feel themselves standing on end. Even Jake's Rattler began shaking slightly in agitation at the unusual sensation of entering the thin membrane of a Time Nexus. Within a few moments of riding through the tunnel, Arthur grabbed hold of an oil lantern he had attached to the saddle and lit it, providing some illumination, while Jake pulled out a white stone and began hitting it with the flat, rough palm of his hand, causing the stone to glow just as brightly as the lantern. As they continued along the long track through the dark tunnel, all three of them caught sight of the skeletal remains of individuals who appeared to be trying to flee from the town, lying on their fronts with their arms outstretched as though trying to crawl away, only to die on the spot with teeth marks on the exposed bones. This sight caused all three of them to feel a slight unease at what creature or type of person would have caused this. Despite the mile of crumbling corpses making crunching sounds under the hooves of Nyx and the Shadow Mare, their journey forward remained unimpeded, and soon enough, they could see moonlight coming from the tunnel exit. Wanting to exit the tunnel faster, both Arthur and Jake cracked the reins of their respective mounts to quicken their pace, and soon after reaching the exit, they could truly see the town that lay before them.
The entrance of the tunnel rested on an elevated piece of land that had been carved through the midsection of the mountain, offering a perfect overview of the large, almost Gothic cathedral-like town, or perhaps the city, with large stacks of billowing smoke emanating from it. Individual houses, towers, and other structures still had illumination coming from their windows.
"Behold the Silent Valley City of Obscurus, home of the Healing Church and the College of the Unseen Aether," spoken by an unkempt old man with a long, shaggy beard, raggedy clothes, and a large stick he was using for support due to the lack of one leg.
The reflexes of both humans and demi-humans were immediately trained on the old man, who didn't seem to flinch or react to two guns, and a crossbow pistol pointed in his direction. As he raised his head from the gray, unkempt bangs of his hair, it became apparent that he couldn't see what was being aimed at him, yet his ears picked up the clicking sounds of weapons being primed. "Striking at an unarmed, crippled old man would truly mark all three of you to the worst of the Void for such brazen murder," the old man said before letting out a cackling, coughing laugh for a brief moment before composing himself.
"Who are you?" questioned Arthur, keeping his gun trained on the old man.
Taking a dramatic bow despite having only one leg and using his stick for support, he raised his head with a smirk. "Just a humble vagrant out to greet all those who dare enter this place, whether to seek the healings of this ancient town or attempt to uncover forbidden knowledge that has been long kept secret by those Within this place. For those seeking adventure and treasure, I greet them all and warn them to be wary of where their desires will lead them," he answered cryptically while gesturing towards the large Gothic town illuminated by moonlight.
Sensing that his words were unsatisfactory to the three who still had their weapons trained on him, he let out a sigh, seeing how no one was entertained by his little act. "Minister Lucian, of the Healing Church. At your humble service," he said, doing a dramatic bow while gesturing with his free hand before standing straight with his walking stick.
Arthur was the first to lower his gun before looking towards Jake, who lowered his weapon as well. Keel, on the other hand, still kept her weapon trained on the old man; the human smelled odd like the creatures that had destroyed her town, yet from what she could see, he looked like any other old man. The odd smell combined with her instincts to keep away from him made it hard for her to lower her weapon. Only Arthur had placed his hand over her gun to lower it, which she finally did.
"Shouldn't you be in that city instead of out on the outskirts here, or perhaps you were expecting someone to arrive?" Jake questioned the old man.
The old man shrugged his shoulders and said, "Perhaps I am, and I am not waiting for someone to come or perhaps saying goodbye to those who may be leaving this place, though the last one has never been seen to come no matter how long I remain here." Again, the old man spoke in that cryptic tongue of his, and from the slight rattling sound coming from the demi-human snake, the old man identified the other rider as a demi-human. "The true reason why I am here is that I do not feel the need to breathe in any more of the stink of this unending hunt, and before you ask, I am well aware that this hunting night has been repeating for some time now, and I have tried to leave but can't." The old man honestly stated the reason why he was on the outskirts of this time-locked city.
"That's quite rare to find someone who's quite aware that they are in a time loop," Jake stated, all the while the snake wondered how many times the old man had gone through this loop in time before concluding that time was simply repeating itself.
The old man nodded at the snake's statement and said, "I could say I have much more than the few eyes that are not in use except for within my mind, allowing me to see things that others cannot, even when I cannot see the world as it is rather than what it is to be." Again, the old man spoke in a cryptic tongue of his. While he was looking through the various eyes within his mind and saw the true nature of things, the one human out of the group of three had an angelic aura about him from two objects that almost shine like stars, to the point that the various eyes that he had could almost go blind if he stared for too long, while the other, the snake, radiated an ominous aura death, and it wasn't just coming from his mount; truly, the snake was a cold-blooded killer. Last but not least, it was the girl; she was like any other demi-human that he could tell with a strong animal spirit.
"Enough with your cryptic tongue, old man. Is there another path that we could take away from your town without having to climb over the surrounding mountains?" Jake hissed and snarled as his rattle began vibrating more violently and his shadow horse's eyes began to glow bright red with the same level of annoyance and agitation as her owner.
The old man simply turned his head to the side and smirked at the agitated snake, "Old and decrepit I am, and cryptic as I like to be, but I am not without my defenses." A cosmic aura began to surround the old man, radiating out words as the cold of space enveloped them. The only one familiar with this type of cold was Arthur, who had been briefly sent into The Ether with Nyx. Moreover, there were several eyes within the aura of the old man gazing at them. It only lasted for a brief moment before the cosmic aura faded, and the old man began hacking at his gray beard, which became stained with crimson. "I'm just not as strong as I used to be," the old man's said, his breathing becoming more labored.
Everyone except for Arthur and Nyx was shivering from the sudden blast of cold and began to feel a little more wary about the old man. "Forgive my impatient friend, but is there a way around the city, or are there any roadways that we can take?" Arthur asked.
The old man began brushing a bit of blood out of his beard. "There is no way around a cursed city, but you may try to travel through it until you reach the other side of it. There you can find the frigid path through the ice mountain. At the end of that path, you will have to go through the nameless warrior who guards the peak of said mountain path alongside his trusted companion bound by blood and soul." He pointed his free hand towards the adjacent mountain that was on the opposite side of the city.
Despite the distance of the other mountain, all three of them could see a small bit of what looked like a road within the moonlight. "So what type of trouble are we going to run into if we go through your city?" Arthur was the first to ask while staring at their goal upon getting through the city.
The old man began brushing his gray and white beard for a brief moment as he began to recall the path before the three travelers. "Well, you'll have to get through the Executioner Forest on the main road, then get past the black gates and head through the main district that will take you into the square, the center location of the city, and the closest to the church. From there, make your way through the marketplace if you really need a quick march into the other gate. Beyond that, there is a straight path forward, and I will not mince words. There are things in there that make even the greatest of men and warriors cower beneath their mother's skirts. Beasts who take the form of men and beasts that represent the loss of humanity do not hesitate to strike them down; even if they do speak, they'll try to kill you either way. If you gain power from their deaths, I caution you not to become too drunk from the power you gain unless you succumb to Frenzy." That last word caused the old man to chuckle a bit before coughing violently.
Arthur had closed his eyes and taken a deep breath before opening them. Filled with determination, without any further delay, he had stabbed his spurs into Nyx's flanks, causing her to move forward and get a fresh wave of complaints through the telepathic bond he had with his mount.
"That old man, he is unnatural, as unnatural as people who gaze into the void. If we stayed any longer, I would have cautioned you to leave his presence." Nyx had worn through the telepathic bond a lot like the old man. Nyx could see the nature of things beyond the badge of mundane reality. If anyone could truly see what the old man truly was, they would be horrified to see that he didn't represent humanity at all, just a mass of flesh tendrils and multiplies, yet there was a veil surrounding the old man like an illusion keeping him looking like humanity, but she would not burden her bond with what she could see and know; the last thing she needed was for her Rider to be overcome by Madness or the others in the party.
Jake followed behind Arthur while giving the old man a cursory glance before moving his mount at the same pace as Arthur's. "I don't like this, and I don't know if we could truly trust the direction he had given; if anything, we should just simply ride straight through the city, though our mounts might get exhausted if they teleport a little more," the snake suggested to the Cowboy hero.
Shaking his head, Arthur could basically hear the thoughts from his mount, stating that she didn't have the strength to teleport her and himself anymore, not without taking a long rest, something that they couldn't afford if they were going into something as dangerous as the city was being made out to be. "I think we just need to trust in the directions that were given and only change them upon seeing if they truly are sending us in circles."
"Really, and what happens? We run across something that is probably going to take our heads off. After all, we are entering an area that's called the Executioner's Forest. I don't fancy being headless," Jake said incredulously, and being a little paranoid, Arthur quietly acknowledged and now nodded his head to the snake's cautious nature.
"What choice do we have? It's not like we can climb, and we can't waste any more time, even if time here is a little muddled, as you stated," Arthur said as he continued riding forward despite the possible dangers looming ahead, with a reluctant Jake following behind. All the while, Keel kept her senses sharpened and her eyes peeled for anything that might come their way.
omake bonus
Motoyasu gave Nibley Dodge the swipe of the chimera lion claws and the fiery breath from its serpent tail before standing up triumphantly like a hero, puffing out his chest while looking at the few ladies that were hiding in the bushes and giving them a heroic pose and a charming twinkling smile. "Do not worry, ladies, for the spear hero will slay this beast in your honor." as soon as he had said that in his best manly voice, with his spear pointing at the camera, that only gave him a vague stare at the idiocy of the boasting human before lunging at him again.
He was not the only one there. Ren was coming up to the camira's side with his draconic blade in hand as he tried and failed to penetrate the beast's thick, magically enhanced hide. "Damn it, DEF, it's too high." He managed to yell in between attempts and re-attempts at carving into the beast's hide and using a few of his swings to block a lunging snake head coming from the Camaro's rear.
The spear hero seems to be having the same problem. The spear tip of his weapon couldn't penetrate the hide; all he got was a simple ping and a small notification in the corner of his eye stating that his attack level wasn't high enough to do any harm. yet with the ladies watching, he was headed to keep on fighting regardless of the futility of his attacks, for he was powered by the awesome power of love.
While the two heroes continued fighting, the third had yet to arrive. Arthur was traveling through the ether of teleportation before appearing several feet above with his mouth vanishing from underneath before falling on top of the chimera. Upon landing on the large beast, a giant dust cloud surrounded the area as the health indicator that all the heroes could see of the camira's health immediately started dropping down to 0. When the dust cleared, a 300-pound Arthur Morgan was chowing down on another burger that he managed to acquire from Castle Town as he was munching away. "It needs more bacon grease." Arthur stated that as he finished the rest of his burger and began licking and sucking on his fingers, as soon as the tail began twitching, he pulled out his hot sauce gun and fired, and the snakehead immediately turned into a burger.
second omake/story idea, the first picked heroes.
In the throne room, Aultcray was sitting on the throne staring at the heroes that were summoned, completely shocked at what he was seeing of the three heroes he wanted to be summoned into this kingdom, unlike the shield.
The sword hero is a man who looks like he is in his early twenties, yet with white hair that looks more akin to fur on his head, along with inhuman dog-like ears and sharp demonic-looking eyes, a red outfit, and holding the holy sword over his shoulder like it were a heavy blade.
The bow hero would consider himself a fool to even consider this person a man, a man who looked yet did not feel like a man in his mid- or late twenties. standing taller than the average man and having pointed ears and hair shining like platinum and prestige There were sharp facial features that would make any woman swoon, yet there was a majesticness and wisdom in their eyes. Beyond that, they wore light silver-like armor that had an emblem of an evergreen tree that was masterfully crafted into the chest plate of the armor.
Last but not least, the spear hero looked even more unusual compared to the other two, with a shaven head and tattooed red marks on the corner edge of their eyes, wearing a black kimono, and having a vague board expression on their faces as they rested their arms onto the spear that was on the back of their neck. Out of all of them, this man looked like he was in his mid-thirties and had a look about him like one would expect in the lower levels of Castletown—a thug, someone who would cause problems even if there was no reason to escalate things—a true ruffian.
Out of these unusual summons, he wondered if he could still manipulate them for his plans to discredit the shield hero and how they side with this kingdom against the other kingdoms, all while battling against the waves of calamity.
Sorry for the long delay, everyone. I've actually caused myself to burn out for a small bit, but I managed to recover from the burnout somewhat. I truly apologize for the delay. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please leave me reviews; they help keep the story going.