Okay so its October and it turns out October is full of theme challenges. I chose to do Whumptober and wow I got so many ideas. I also meant to do a prompt a day but that plan fell by the wayside but I'm catching up...very slowly and out of order. Well, I tried. :O
This here is a collection of the all single chapter the Ni No Kuni related Whumptober prompts. From the looks of things, I might end up with a multi-chaptered story or two so they will be posted separately. It all depends on how bad the writers block gets.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Ni No Kuni franchise. The franchise belongs to Level 5, Bandai Namco, and others.
This chapter covers the day 9 prompt: For the Greater Good. This was originally posted on tumblr on October 11, 2020.
Warnings for: spoilers for chapter 9 of nnk2, ritual sacrifice, gun violence, attempted murder, ambiguous ending situation
Ni No Kuni Whumptober2020 One Shots
By Bilbo-sama
For Great Purpose
One moment, Otto Mausinger, King of Ding Dong Dell, was leading his army against the forces of the Horned One and celebrating their victory over the false Oakenhart. And then in the next moment, he was in an elaborate room.
Open mouthed snake statues lined the walls, fire burning in their jaws. A staircase leading to an altar sat opposite of an odd mural that resembled a pair of elaborately designed doors. He suspected they will only open to one person only. Alas, Mausinger can sense that the ancient wizard who brought up this disaster is elsewhere.
An elaborate magical circle designed for some kind of ritual rested on the floor, waiting to be activated. Just being near it made his chest ache and so Mausinger took a step back from it. He immediately bumped into someone.
"Hey!" complained a nasally voice and Mausinger turned around to find Zip Vector, President of Broadleaf behind him.
"My apologies," said Mausinger.
"No biggie," Vector waved a hand nonchalantly, "I don't blame you considering we're all in the same boat."
"Indeed," unease settled in the Dellian king as he spotted Queen Nerea and Master Pugnacius nearby. They were eyeing the ritual circle with suspicion.
"The energy this spell is expelling is…strange," said Pugnacius, "it has yet to be activated but it is already giving off great power."
"Huh," blinked Vector as he approached the circle in curiosity, "even I can feel it all the way from over here and I can't even do magic."
Mausinger frowned. If someone without magical talent could sense the power the circle holds, then…
"We should leave," he decided, "and quickly."
Vector bent down and reached to touch the edge of the circle. Immediately, the three other rulers converged to pull him back but their actions spurred him into moving faster. The moment the tips of his fingers touched the ground, his entire body seized up. His eyes were wide and his mouth opened as if he was silently screaming. With their staves, Nerea and Pugnacius managed to push him away from the danger.
Zip Vector laid on his back on the ground, gasping for breath.
The three remaining rulers stared at him in horror as a small light emerged from his chest. The way it shimmered like a string fluttering in the wind reminded them all of-
"That's what's left of his Kingsbond, isn't it?" whispered Nerea, "After Doloran severed it?"
"I thought the bond is gone forever," Mausinger reluctantly revealed, "once the connection is broken."
"Forcibly severed," lectured Nerea, disconcerted by the fact that some knowledge on the workings of Kingsbonds have been lost in the past three centuries, "the bond will try to reconnect ruler and Kingmaker. If we go too long without healing the wound in our souls, the damage will spread and we will perish."
"Then why haven't we succumbed?" asked Pugnacius as he dragged Vector further away from the offending ritual spell. Vector was too out of it to protest.
"I suspect it's the pact with King Evan. As long as Evermore stands, his Kingmaker will try to shield us all," Nerea theorized.
Mausinger frowned, "Evan's Kingmaker can't do that forever." The creature is just too…small.
"I know," agreed Pugnacius, "but I had found myself reluctant to seek out Longfang. If Doloran could sever our Kingsbonds, then he might do it again."
"There is no need," boomed Doloran's voice, heralding his arrival. The mural doors opened to allow him through. Following him was Roland Crane, King Evan's Chief Consul. Blackened purple tendrils of dark magic surrounded his body, puppeting his movements as if he didn't know how legs worked correctly. His clouded eyes were unfocused and unseeing. It was unlikely he was aware of what is happening.
This did not bode well for King Evan's involvement.
"Doloran, what is the meaning of this?" Pugnacius demanded, "Why have you brought us here?"
"Alas," replied Doloran as he directed Crane to the stairs leading to the altar, carefully avoiding the ritual circle, "there are additional steps needed if I am to truly bring the Horned One back to this world."
"That thing out there isn't the Horned One?" scoffed Mausinger.
"No, it is more of a cocoon to protect her as she adjusts to a form fitting to this realm of reality."
"She?" parroted Mausinger as he watched Doloran teleport to the stairs' landing in a swirl of dark magic.
"The Horned One wasn't always the Horned One," explained the sorcerer, "Once upon a time she was Alisandra, Kingmaker of Allegoria. Her great power protected us since my nation's founding. Her beauty- " He was interrupted by a loud thud and everyone who was still standing looked up at the altar where Crane had collapsed at the base of it. The darkness surrounding his body had dissipated and the slow rise and fall of his torso was the only reassurance that he was still alive.
Doloran scoffed and quietly muttered something in a language that Mausinger didn't understand but he caught the disappointed tone. Was he really expecting Crane to betray his king's allies even under the influence of dark magic?
But at the same time, it was unlikely that Crane will be unable to intervene in time when Doloran finally decides to reveal why he gathered them here.
"And as I said," Doloran turned back to his captives, "there are a few more things needed to bring Allegoria and my dear Alisandra back to this world."
"And they are?" Mausinger reluctantly prompted.
"The blood of an Allegorian," Doloran raised a vial of what appeared to be the specific substance from his pocket before replacing it with a different one, "soil of the land Allegoria once stood on, the memories or heart of a being from another world - "
"How in the world do you get that?" Pugnacius interrupted.
"Willingly if it all goes to plan," said Doloran, his voice belying his annoyed tone, "preferably without resorting to bloodshed. And lastly-"
"Why the hell would Roland Crane be willing to help you bring back your girlfriend?" Vector snarled as he shakily got back on his feet, "And for that matter, I am sure as hell not doing it."
"Your protest has been noted," magic swirled in the wake of Doloran's mounting frustration, "but it's too late. The ritual begins now."
The four rulers immediately turned to the doors only to discover they have returned to the mural. Black whips of magic grabbed the captives and flung them into the circle.
The ritual circle's light flared and crackled and Mausinger found that he could not move. It was like something was holding him down. He turned his head to the left and found Pugnacius in the same position. There was another flash of light as the inner runes activated.
That's when the agony began.
What was originally a dull throbbing sensation in his chest that seemed to intensify a bit in proximity of the ritual spell quickly became the worst pain he had ever felt in his life. It seemed to delve deep, carving a path through tissue and bones as if they were flimsy paper.
Shrieks joined the purposeful chanting in a language long dead. Mausinger could not make the noise stop. There was no way to make it stop. There was no way to form the words to plead to Doloran, to Crane, to Tildrum's tiny Kingmaker, to the gods, to beyond, to make it stop.
A new sensation forms and his pain blurred vision can spot a light emerging from his chest. It's what's left of his Kingsbond. Or perhaps it's his soul as a final punishment for his actions in the past year. He had killed his dearest friend for power and to protect his people. In turn, he will die for a woman and a nation long dead.
Shouts of familiar voices joined the fray but Mausinger could not gather enough wits to identify them. Whoever they are, it's probably too late to save him or the others.
Something shining gold sailed into the center of the ritual spell and a stream of light sailed across it. Both made contact with their targets and the world exploded.
Mausinger only felt relief that it all stopped. He can now hear voices pleading to stay awake. To survive. He was sure that's what the child voice is asking. Did he have a child? No. Someone else did. This is…ah.
"My apologies, young Evan," he croaked. And then he knew no more.
King Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum of Evermore watched as the light receded back into Mausinger and he shakily sighed in relief as the mouse king of Ding Dong Dell continued to breathe. For how much longer, he didn't know. He didn't what to find out what Leander and Bracken would do if Queen Nerea and President Vector didn't survive this ordeal. He was afraid to find out what happened to –
A gun shot cracked through the air, making him wince as it touched his sensitive hearing. Doloran made an odd noise. And so did Roland.
He looked up and watched as Doloran raised the hand he groped his back with to his line of sight to stare at the blood dripping from his fingers. Evan looked up further and froze.
By the altar, Roland still had his gun raised. Red was unmistakably blooming on his thick blue coat where his heart should be.
"Do you really think," he said, unflinchingly, as if he was pouring all his willpower into speaking, "that she would have wanted this? That your people want this? That this is love? You don't deserve to rule nor do you deserve her if you keep going on like this. Dig deep past the lies the Horned One is giving you and just listen to her, you goddamn idiot."
Unnatural flames erupted from the altar as the gun dropped from Roland's fingers and it clattered down the stairs. Roland and Doloran simultaneously collapsed as the world once again roared with noise and color.
The Horned One was successfully summoned.
To be honest, I'm not really sure if anyone has died or not but the odds aren't looking good.
This one shot was also giving me a hard time because nobody wanted to stay on track. Originally, this was going to include more made up kingsbond lore, Doloran ranting about the other rulers' hypocrisy concerning love for their people (because he's doing this out of love too you jerks), and perhaps That One Plot Twist being revealed. But then Doloran couldn't stand it anymore and forcibly railroaded the plot.
