《The Necromancer and the Would-Be-Hero》 Chapter 1: An Overconfident, Would-Be-Hero Hideki, a Rank C adventurer, was out on his first big quest after his recent promotion. Adrenaline coarsed through his veins as he cut through one of the many undead that had overrun the small town of Whitegrove. All of his time killing low level monsters near the guild hall and completing the random fetch requests that they had found for him finally was going to pay off. He was going to get to be a hero. He had been dispatched with two others and they were to discover the source of the undead scourge and eliminate it. The likely culprit was a crypt master or if they were really unlucky maybe a necromancer. He sliced his way through two more undead and pressed forward. "They seem to be coming from the cemetary, but we need to get these people out of here. It will run out of corpses eventually." Vladimir stepped up beside him holding a scepter in his hand that glowed with a white light. "I''ll cut my way over there. Keep helping with the evacuation. We need to take out the source." Hideki said. "No. We stick together. Let''s go after we get everyone out of the city." Hideki had no intention of taking this task on in a passive way. He would go for the enemy''s throat. Vladimir pointed his scepter towards a group of undead that were chasing a small boy down the street and bolts of holy energy flew from it. Upon impact, the undead collapsed to the ground after being bathed in a holy light. They have this well in hand. I''m going to go alone. If I can do this singlehandedly, then maybe they''ll promote me again and I can leave this area for bigger and better things. Maybe even some good looking ladies will want to reward me for saving their town? He grinned at the thought and ran off towards the cemetary, ignoring the rest of his party that were yelling for him to stay. They were being idiots. The only way to get rid of an undead horde like this wasn''t to kill them one by one. Finding the source of the scourge and eliminating it was the best way to do so. If they wanted to stay back and evacuate individual people, then he would take care of business alone. The cemetary in this town lie up a hill and he had to fight his way through a horde of the half rotted corpses on his way before he finally reached the base of the hill. At his current level of skill, he felt that he could kill a large number of these things without even tiring. They didn''t even have weapons or anything, so he had reach on them as well. So long as he didn''t let them swarm him, there wouldn''t be a problem. Ahead he saw a group of ten undead swarming around a screaming woman. He stepped closer and held his sword vertically above his head, activating one of his skills; Shockwave. Energy that was fueled by his mana began to buzz around the blade of his sword and after a moment he slashed at the air, allowing the energy to be released. The Shockwave cut through the air and into the group of undead. He was too late to save the woman, but his attack shredded a half dozen of the enemies. Undead that were covered in fresh blood turned to him and charged in a frenzy. Hideki grinned and met them, brining a final death to each as his blade cut through enemy after enemy. Once the group of weaklings was gone, he turned his attention back to the top of the hill where he now saw something different than all the other undead he had seen before. A humanoid figure stood at the top of the hill in black armor with a sword. The eyes of the armored enemy glowed with a green light. He watched as it pointed at varoius gravesites and then undead crawled out of the ground. This was his target, and it appeared to be a necromancer. Not wanting it to gain more pawns to send at him he charged up the small incline with a roar. Hideki ran his hand over his blade as he went and cast Holy Blade. The sword in his hand emitted a faint white glow and any undead who came to meet him on his way up the hill fell with ease to the enchanted blade. The necromancer drew a large two handed sword from its back and engaged him.Steel met steel in the cool eveningair and Hideki had to admit that this fighter was far more deadly than the unarmed enemies that he and his party had fought thus far. The heavy blade smashed into his and he had to use all of his strength just to not have his weapon knocked out of his hands. It was time to use another of his skills. He stepped back and activated the sword style, Tiger Stance. The aggressive sword stance skill allowed him to fight more fiercly than he had before and he charged back in with a flurry of blows. The necromancer was clearly not a very good swordsman, and in moments he had bashed away the enemy''s weapon and had knocked the necromancer onto the ground.In just the few seconds that it had taken to perform his flurry of attacks, he had won the day. The necromancer tried to get back up, but Hideki stepped in closer and slammed his blade down into the eye slit of the enemy''s helmet. The necromancer''s body went limp almost instantly and he looked around warily.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Did it work? He looked down the hill and saw a few of the raised undead fall to the ground. I did it! I''m a fucking hero! Vladimir will have to eat his priest hat after this one! He stood triumphantly over the dead enemy and grinned. *Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 9! +1 TP
¡°Sweet! That¡¯s how it¡¯s done! The guild¡¯s going to have to promote me to Rank B for sure after this! I literally saved this town!" He couldn''t wait to get back to the guild hall, get his promotion, and then head off to bigger and better things. No more fetch quests, no more Werehare subjugation. He would finally be able to leave the region and make a name for himself. He did a little dance over the corpse to celebrate.
You have been hit with Eldritch Blast! Critical Blow -300 HP Stunned!
Hideki found himself face down on the ground and his back exploded with pain. His legs were on top of the corpse he had been celebrating over and he could feel his back burning. He was helpless and unable to scream due to his stunned status. As it was, he could only stare at the grass of the graveyard in the moonlit night as he slowly died from the continuous damage of the attack.
You suffer from burns! -25 HP
Fuck! Is this really how it ends? No ladies, no fortune, not even a chance to make a name for myself as a hero?
You suffer from burns! -25 HP
The last thing he saw before everything went dark was the sight of some girl¡¯s feet as she stepped up next to him. The frills of her white and black dress hung down to her ankles and he could see her simple white shoes. From what he could tell from his position on the ground, he had just been killed by a fucking child. His eyes closed and he breathed out his final breath.
You suffer from burns! -25 HP You have died!
Suddenly, he found himself standing in a tunnel of white light. His pain was gone and he looked around. There was nothing behind him except a deep, neverending darkness. It didn''t take a genius to realize that he did not want to go that way. He stepped towards the light at the end of the tunnel. So this is it, huh? This is how it all ends? I died without ever even accomplishing anything. He sighed to himself as he continued walking. The tunnel was surprisingly long. Maybe next time I¡¯m born into the world, I¡¯ll be a better, less selfish person. It¡¯s said the gods give people second chances, that can¡¯t be all made up, right? As he continued toward the light he saw the figure of a beautiful, blonde haired woman with delicate, white wings appear ahead of him. She was quite literally the girl of his dreams. She had a large chest and a welcoming smile on her face. Then again, maybe staying dead and not getting reincarnated wouldn''t be so bad after all. He grinned. Once he was a little closer, the angel began to speak to him in a melodic voice, ¡°Welcome to the after¡ª¡± She was cut off mid sentence and he suddenly felt a powerful pressure gripping his very soul. He let out a scream and felt as something appeared around the neck of his ethereal form. It was a choker with a glowing red ruby attached at the center. He tried to rip the thing off his neck but when he touched it, it burned. What the fuck? Despite the pain, he made himself try to rip the thing off, but it wasn''t going to happen. A moment later, he was yanked back down the tunnel by an invisible cord. ¡°No!¡± he screamed.
You have been afflicted by Soul Trap!
Your immortal soul has been bound to the living world in service of Megumi the Necromancer!
His spirit smashed back into the lifeless corpse that was once his body. His head ached and he found that he could move again. He sat up and looked around warily. There were two things that he noticed:
  1. Not much time had passed. The undead corpses still littered the ground nearby.
  2. A girl, maybe fifteen years old or so, with long silver hair, pale skin, and violet eyes was crouched down next to him with a wicked grin on her face.
¡°Hello there. I¡¯m Megumi, and you get to be my new toy.¡± Fuck my life, he thought as he tried unsuccessfully to make his body reach over to strangle her. Chapter 2: Megu-chans New Toy Megumi looked over her new toy with elation. Her plan had gone exactly the way she had hoped. Her low level undead, which she had dressed in some cheap armor, played its part as the scapegoat perfectly. Thanks to her innocent looking body, she had wandered the town freely as it stood on the hill where she had directed it to, all the while she pretended to be a frightened young girl. Attacking the town had paid off in a big way; she had leveled enough to gain the Soul Trap skill. Now she wouldn''t need to use weak undead pawns in her plans anymore. She grinned widely, looking her new pet directly in the eyes. Unlike the simple, Raise Undead magic, with Soul Trap she would now have a fully preserved subject to manipulate, minus the large wounds in his back, of course. Do I keep him on a tight leash, or give him a small amount of freedom? she mulled it over for a few moments. Now to see what kind of prize Megu has collected! She opened up the status window for her toy.
Name Hideki
Level 009 (1459/1934 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 40/375 MP 50/50
TP 1 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 15 Magic 2
Endurance 13 Magic Resistance 4
Strength 13 Luck 4
Agility 10
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 2 (+20 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 2 (+20% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 1 (Release shockwave from blade)
She frowned a little as she looked over his status page. The guy hadn''t been gifted with the best stats in life, but she could still work this. All in all, she just needed a meat shield to protect her while she cast her spells, so he would do fine. As he leveled, he would get stronger, after all. She was excited to see what skills she could unlock for him as he leveled. It looked like the poor sap had just leveled after killing her armored undead, so there was one TP available. She placed the point into Warrior''s Essence in order to make him more resilient. She leaned in closer and whispered into his ear. "You will find that Megu is a kind and generous master, so long as you do as she says. Understand?" She loosened her grip on him just slightly so that he could move his head and be able to answer her. The warrior, Hideki, spat and looked at her with absolute hatred in his eyes. "You little bitch! Do you realize that you just cost me everything? I was going to be a hero someday! I was going to have it all, money, ladies, you name it! Not only that, but just as I was in sight of the most beautiful angel you dragged me back here to stare at your flat chest? There is no justice in the world! No justice at all! I won''t serve you!"This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "Tch." she clicked her tongue in annoyance. He had to go there, didn''t he? She yanked on the invisible chain linking his spirit to hers with a stretch of her mind and squeezed his very soul until he wailed in anguish. "That wasn''t a very nice thing to say to your new master, pet. You need to learn to not insult Megu. Speaking of which, I''ve decided I don''t like your name. From now on you''ll answer to Poro-kun, and if you don''t, then..." she caused him pain once more to get the message across. "Understand?" After a few moments of anguish he nodded. Now that she had a pawn that didn''t look as though he was half rotted, she could do all sorts of deliciously evil things. She willed him to stand up and follow her. Him walking around with that gigantic burn in his back isn''t going to work, though. It''s going to take time for him to regenerate. I know! she reached into her infinite bag and pulled out a spare cloak she had. "Put this on," she ordered. Poro-kun''s body moved against his will. She could see him trying to resist based on the expression on his face, but it was futile. A few minutes later, the two of them entered the town proper and a bald priest ran over to them. "Hideki! Where the hell have you been? We''re the last two alive, you know. You basically screwed your party just so you could go play hero alone. Don''t think that I won''t be telling the guild about this! And who''s this girl? She''s way too young for you. Did you seriously go chasing tail while the rest of us died without our tank?" Megumi decided to have a little fun. "Please, mister, this nice man saved me from the undead! Don''t be angry with him!" she hugged Poro-kun tightly, pretending to be scared that he''d be taken away. The middle-aged priest ate it up, hook line and sinker. "Sorry, little one. I just lost some important friends, that''s all... Do you know where your parents are?" "Megu-chan''s parents are all gone! Please don''t leave me alone! I''m scared!" she forced herself to form fake tears. "All right. Come with me, Megu-chan, was it? I''m Vladimir. Hideki here is known to be a letch. Stick with me, okay? Come on, Hideki, we need to get back to Northpost so we can report this mess to the guild." The man took her hand and dragged her toward the edge of town where the survivors would have run. Just as they started walking she issued her command to Poro-kun who had been silently walking behind them. The priest didn''t even wonder why the man hadn''t been speaking. What an idiot. Poro-kun silently unsheathed his weapon and drove it through the back of the priest, who coughed up blood and fell forward as her toy shoved the impaled man to the ground with his boot. Megumi laughed maniacally as the stupid priest died at her feet. It was too bad that she was limited to one trapped soul or she would have taken a second prize for the day. She cast Sanguine Infusion, and the blood all drained out of the dead man''s body, leaving a dry husk behind. A large orb of roiling blood floated before her and turned to a vapor-like substance that shot into her, invigorating her body. This gruesome spell was how she remained for all intents and purposes, immortal. Unfortunately, it also kept her body the age of a 15 year old girl, but she couldn''t complain too much. *Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 16! +1 TP
Two levels in one day? Not bad at all. She turned back to Poro-kun, who had an irritated look fixed onto his face. She didn''t think that the look was just for her, either. It was clear that he had no love for that priest. I think he''ll do nicely for what I have planned next, she thought with satisfaction as the two of them stepped over what was left of the priest and made their way towards the other side of town. Chapter 3: A Guild… for Villains?! In all of his 22 years alive in this world, Hideki had never felt as humiliated as when he and his new master approached the refugees from the town. Unable to warn anyone of what the cute girl next to him really was, he just stood at her side and watched as an older woman came by and greeted them. "Are you okay? My granddaughter is about your age and we only just barely made it out of the city. Is he bothering you?" she pointed directly at him. Seriously? Come on, even at face value I''m not some old creep hitting on a teenager! I''m not even that old myself! he raged on in his mind as the evil bitch put on her cutesy act once more. "Oh, you mean Poro-tan? He''s my big brother! He looks scary, but he''s really just a big softie!" she turned and gave him a tight hug while making his body return the embrace. If he could cringe, he would. Of all the types of magic in the world, few were more taboo than necromancy. The second blow of humiliation was that she literally gave him a cutesy name as well! What the fuck! Seeing that he wasn''t some creepy stalker chasing after a younger girl, the old bag turned and moved on. Megumi let out a girlish giggle as the woman disappeared and they were left alone. "See? Isn''t this fun? Being a hero is lame. Evil is the way to go," she grinned at him. The humiliation didn''t end with just the one woman approaching them, however; the same exact scenario played out over a dozen times throughout the early morning as the sun finally rose in the sky and the fires that had been set in the town had died down. Villagers began slowly, but surely, heading back into town to salvage what they could once some soldiers from Northpost arrived and declared the town was safe. And why is it safe? Thanks to yours truly, of course! Not a god damned word of gratitude, not even from the soldiers, some of whom know who I am and that I was dispatched from the adventurers guild to help clean up this mess. There would be no hero''s welcome for him back at the guild hall and no busty, beautiful women to thank him for the heroic deed of slaying the root cause of the undead in Whitegrove; not that he had actually done that anyway. In fact, he was now enslaved to the root cause of that particular disturbance, not that anyone would be able to figure that out anyway. "It''s time for us to go, Poro-kun." She gave him a sly wink and the two of them trudged down the road toward Northpost. Over the next few hours, the two of them stopped at every opportunity to kill the low level monsters that spawned between the two towns. She had explained that she wanted to test out his abilities and see what he could do. An arduous journey and 39 Were-Rabbits later he leveled up. *Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 10! +1 TP
Unlike usual, he couldn''t bring himself to feel excitement over becoming stronger. A little while later they arrived at the town of Northpost. What kind of horrible atrocities is she going to make me commit next? he wondered as they made their way into the city. "First thing''s first. You''re going to go collect that reward for ''subjugating the necromancer of Whitegrove.'' " She laughed aloud after she said it. He wondered if this might be his chance to get her killed, so that he could go back to the afterlife and meet that hot angel chick again. Surely the fates would reward him for ridding the living world of this monster. "Before you get any bright ideas, I''m going with you and if I even see you think about revealing what''s going on, I''ll burn your soul to ash from the inside out. Understand? That means you will suffer the final death, no heaven, no hell, just the void," she said. "Understand?" He found that he could speak again, and seeing as there was no way out of this mess right now, he had to roll with it. "I get it, I get it. Let''s get this over with." The two of them continued along the main street of the town and headed to the adventurer''s guild hall. Each region held one of these buildings where people like him could go and do quests to earn fame, money, and experience for performing all kinds of tasks. It had taken him four years to gain two ranks and get himself to Class C, and when he was just hitting his stride, completing quests left and right, he landed in this mess.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Upon entering the guild hall, the ranking member, Lucien, greeted him. "Hey there, Hideki, back from Whitegrove? I''ve already received word of what went on over there. You lost three of our members by your reckless actions today, but you did stop the undead threat, so here," he held out a coin pouch that clinked in his hand. That would be the 200 GP reward that he had been promised. He reached out and grabbed it. "It''s not my fault they couldn''t keep up," he answered as he normally would have. Lucien fixed him with a troubled frown. "Either way, your actions were reckless, and there are consequences for that kind of thing. You''ve been demoted to Rank D. Check your attitude at the door, and learn to work with a team." "You son of a¡ª" he was interrupted as Megumi burst into uncontrollable laughter, doubling over next to him. "Poro-tan... you¡ª" She laughed even harder. "Rank D." More laughing. His face turned red from the embarrassment. "What''s with the girl? You''re looking to get thrown in jail yourself if you''re going after one as young as her," Lucien said with no mirth in his voice. "It''s not like tha¡ª" he was cut off again as Megumi was now literally rolling around on the floor. Several other guild members were now staring at the spectacle. After several long moments, the wicked bitch finally stopped mocking his existence and composed herself. "Poro-tan here saved Megu''s life over in Whitegrove. He''s such a nice man that he agreed to bring me to the city to my extended family. Megu''s parents were killed in the evil necromancer''s attack," she said with a solemn face. The gullible idiots actually bought her act and offered her heartfelt condolences. What irony it was that she had literally just sicked an undead army on a town, killing many of its inhabitants, and was now going to take the reward money that he got for saving the town. He felt as though he was going to be sick, although his body wouldn''t let him. After all was said and done, the two of them left the guild hall, and his captor was now 200 GP richer. Megumi led him down some back alleyways to a run down looking building that had a signpost that read: "Toys for Orphaned Children" Wait just a damned second! I''ve heard of this charity company before. I''ve even donated a few GP to it here and there! Don''t tell me that she is somehow in charge of it, when she actually creates orphans through her own actions! Hideki fixed his owner with a withering stare. She saw him do it and just gave him a knowing, self-satisfied smile as they entered the building. The place looked like a real toy store from what he could see. There were colorful, hand-crafted toys on every surface and a kindly looking old man sat behind a desk, carving something out of wood. When he saw the two of them enter the store, his demeanor changed immediately. Megumi reached into the bag on her waist and pulled out a card, almost identical to his own adventurers card. No! It can''t be, can it? "Sounds like you botched up that last quest pretty badly, Megumi. The adventurer''s guild stopped you? Pathetic. Tylus isn''t going to be happy to hear that you failed." He reached beneath the desk and Hideki heard a click. Some sort of mechanism activated and part of the floor slid down and back revealing a hidden staircase. "Go on down, and take that... thing with you," he said with a disgusted look on his face. "Come on, Poro-kun, it''s time for Megu to show you the ropes of being a villain." She led him down the stairs and into a huge common area where there were all types of people sitting around at tables, drinking and talking loudly. How the hell can it be so loud down here and not be heard above? "Megumi! You caused such a huge commotion when all you were supposed to do was kill the mayor so we could install our own pawn into the local government. What the hell is the matter with you? There''s more to being a villain than watching the world burn, you know," a demon with grey skin and bat wings said. Megumi simply shrugged. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small pin. It was the kind that mayors wore to identify their station. She flipped it through the air at the man. "Megu did the job as it was written. If you don''t like Megu''s methods, then be more specific with the quest guidelines. Where''s Megu''s money?" The demon begrudgingly tossed her a bag of coins and then the two of them wandered over to a large request board. There were all sorts of sinister acts listed ranging from simple robberies to murders to toppling entire kingdoms. She reached over to the board and ripped off one of the papers, folding it and placing it in her bag. "Time to go shopping, Poro-tan." Hideki couldn''t help but notice that even among the vilest of villains and monsters he had seen down there, everyone gave her a wide berth. On that note they left the basement and headed back into the town. Dear gods, what is this vile bitch going to do to me now? Put me in a pink dress and march me around?! He would weep if he could. Chapter 4: Fun in the Northpost Dungeon Megumi stalked away from the guild hall trying to mask her irritation. Everyone always looked down on her because of her status as a necromancer. It was something she had put up with for the entire two years she had been a member, and it irritated her to no end. While those lazy fools sat in the hideout criticizing her, she was out in the world furthering their agendas. I swear, once I''m done with this place, the first thing I''m going to watch burn will be that insipid cesspool of a guild hall. She let out a chuckle at the thought. Poro-kun followed along behind her like a puppy dog, and she led him in the direction of the town armorer. His equipment was severely lacking. It wasn''t like either of them were exactly high levels, but his equipment was just sad. When she had examined his gear, she found that his sword was showing signs of rust and had more chips along its edge than she could count. She checked how much GP she had at the moment, and with the haul from the past day''s work, she had a total of 739. Jeez, the adventurer''s guild doesn''t pay worth a damn. No wonder the poor guy has such shoddy equipment. Don''t worry, Poro-tan, Megu is going to take good care of you so that no one can break you before she''s had her fun with you. Megumi spent the time walking deciding where to place Poro-kun''s new talent point. It appeared that he only had one sword style that he had invested in, and that it was an offensive type. That suits me just fine. He can swing away while I blast the shit out of people. A perfect partnership! She considered investing another point into Warrior''s Essence but ultimately decided to forgo that for now and placed the point into Sword Mastery. With that done, she invested her latest talent point in a new skill, Corpse Drain. It was an important spell that she had only just unlocked, and it would allow her to siphon MP from a deceased target so long as it was a fresh kill. When the two of them entered the shop the middle-aged armorer gave them a slightly odd look before he reached for a battle axe and stepped out from behind the counter, "Is he bothering you, little lady?" With some effort she stifled the urge to bust up laughing again at this situation and cleared everything up in the usual way. It was starting to become a regular routine at this point, and she found it amusing every single time just to see the look of embarrassment that crossed her pet''s face. Once the explanation was over with, she and Poro-kun browsed the shop. It looked to her that he was still pouting. "Time to get you some serious upgrades, Poro-tan!" She had purposely not told him the reason they were visiting the armorer. The poor sap must''ve thought they were there to shop for her. His face lit up like a small child in a confectionery. He''s so easily bought and paid for. I doubt I''ll have much trouble corrupting this one. She grinned and the two of them walked over to look at swords. After a bit of haggling she got him some slightly better hard leather armor, a quality steel sword, and a kite shield, all for 275 GP. Due to her cute nature, she always had a way with convincing people to give her things for lower prices. Cuteness was her secret weapon, and she was never afraid to use it to her advantage. "All right, Poro-tan! Now that you''ve got some gear, it''s time for us to go to the dungeon and earn back some of that money Megu just spent on you. You''d better be grateful, by the way," she winked at him and they headed to the outskirts of town. She pulled out the piece of paper she had grabbed off the request board and looked it over.
Rank D Quest: Steal the Northpost Dungeon Core
Infiltrate the Northpost dungeon as an adventurer and steal the dungeon core. Kill all witnesses and bring the prize back to the guild so that we can shape the dungeon to our will and get all the profits. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Reward: 1000 GP
Northpost tended to draw newbie adventurers like flies to dung, and the reason for that was that there was a low level dungeon right outside the edge of town. Not only will I get to earn some loot, but I get to slaughter some weaklings for fun and push Poro-tan to his limits. This should be a blast. Once they were away from the crowds, Megumi filled her Poro-kun in on the quest directives and allowed him to speak. "See, Megu knows how to show you a good time, right? "Good time? Seriously? What the fuck is the matter with you that killing low level adventurers is your idea of a good time?" He never learns. She squeezed on his soul causing him enormous pain for his insolence until he begged her to stop. "Now, that wasn''t the proper way to respond to my generosity, pet. Megu got you some shiny new gear, and she even let you speak and this is how you show gratitude? Keep it up and Megu will see that you suffer for the entire night once we''re through." She flashed her cruelest looking grin at him. The would-be-hero shrank back like the weakling he was and she was satisfied enough to leave it at that. They entered the dungeon a few moments later, and then it was time to go to work. The first few rooms were populated with the same kinds of animals that roamed the fields around town, Were-Hares and Giant Wasps. She let Poro-kun slice and dice them while she sat back and relaxed, twirling her staff, which was made from a large bone taken from a Bone Dragon. It had runes carved into it, and a glowing green orb sat atop the staff in a small divot. It was her most prized possession. The low level creatures offered them almost no experience, but she just enjoyed watching the sight of blood splatter all over the place. They traversed the tight spaces of the dungeon fighting monsters until they came to the first small room. A mini-boss that looked similar to a gigantic spiked toad was fighting with a low level rogue, who was rolling around and slashing desperately at the beast, while a white mage stood back and supported him. "Can you guys give us a hand?" the mage asked between casting. "We bit off more than we can chew, it looks like." You have no idea. She smiled innocently and, to be on the safe side, cut off Poro-kun''s ability to speak. "Sure. Megu and Poro-kun will be happy to lend a helping hand." She forced her will upon Poro-kun and he ran over to join the fight. She made sure to have him hold back his true strength and watched as he slashed and dodged as the mini-boss''s tongue darted out at him left and right. "What levels are you guys? Want to keep working together? We have a map of the entire dungeon that shows each of the boss rooms. Maybe with the four of us we could even challenge the next mini-boss." A map. That''ll be useful. Hopefully Megu can avoid getting your blood all over it, not that it''s a big deal either way though. "Megu and Poro-kun are new to the area. We''re only level 4. What levels are you?" "I''m level 3, and Rikku is level 4." The mage cast another holy bolt at the monster which connected and injured it slightly. Satisfied with the information she had gained, she changed Poro-kun''s orders. When he danced away from another tongue strike, the rogue had moved in to stab the creature in the side. Green blood sprayed out onto the rogue. Now! she ordered. Poro-kun raised his sword and performed his Shockwave skill. Razor sharp ki smashed into both the frog and the unfortunate soul who was in close contact with it. The attack ripped both of the targets to shreds. The white mage screamed, "What the hell are you doing!" She ran to her partner''s side and prepared to give him a life-saving potion. That was when Megumi cast one of her favorite spells: Corpse Explosion. The body of the mini-boss exploded in a mass of bone shrapnel, viscera, and green flames that enveloped the low level white mage and her dying comrade. Megumi laughed maniacally as she watched the unsuspecting fools being consumed by the green flames. Before the bodies were completely gone, she cast Corpse Absorption on both the fallen adventurers, regaining most of her spent MP. Poro-kun looked as though he wanted to throw up, but she wouldn''t let him. He needed to grow a thicker skin toward this sort of thing, as she had no intention of stopping anytime soon. "Poro-tan! Look through what''s left of those corpses and see if their map is still intact. We need to keep going if we want to get this done today. Megu has a feeling that there''s a lot more fun to be had in here as well!" After a minute or so of sifting through the puddles of gore and clothing parts, Poro located the map and the two of them were once again on their way. Chapter 5: Finding the Core Hideki screamed inside his head as he was forced to impale a beautiful, blonde haired woman from behind with his new sword. This was definitely not the kind of penetration he had in mind when he normally saw a pretty girl. Behind him he could hear the cackling of his flat-chested tormentor. What did I do so wrong in life that the gods saw fit to allow for me to be placed in service of this monster? His body ran of its own volition and engaged in combat with a warrior like himself. The man was around his age, but Hideki could already tell that the guy was a much lower level than him. He pressed forward against his opponent with a flurry of blows, utilizing Tiger Style. His opponent was attempting to counter using Tortoise Style, a defensive sword style that utilized a shield for blocking. Please! Just get a lucky blow and kill me off! I can''t take this shit anymore! He wouldn''t get his wish. A few moments later his superior skill allowed him to break the man''s defenses and throw him prone. He watched in horror as his body stabbed the poor guy in the face. This had been the third set of adventurers that the two of them had ''joined'' for a short while before turning on them. Megumi seemed to revel in the destruction of lives that she was causing. An explosion from behind him signaled that she had exploded another corpse to kill the rogue that had been with this team. At this point it wouldn''t be a false statement to say that he literally had shrapnel in his ass. She indiscriminately cast her corpse explosion more than once when he had been near during the battles and he was nowhere near okay with being blasted by bone pieces and viscera. He was so covered in gore that the smell was becoming unbearable. Meanwhile, his tormentor was clean as fresh snow. Her white dress hadn''t even gotten one drop of blood on it so far. This shit just isn''t right, he grumbled internally. "Can we stop for a minute so that I can at least get the shrapnel out of my body?" he asked. "Megu will let Poro-tan rest when we get to the second level of the dungeon. Man up and stop complaining like a little bitch!" was her only reply before the two of them marched onward. According to the map that he had dug out of the remains of the first two adventurers, the entryway for the second level should be just a few rooms away. One of the only benefits of being an undead, as he saw it was that he didn''t tire easily. He wondered how this girl wasn''t exhausted from all the walking around they had done for the day. She isn''t human. She''s a fucking monster, that''s how. "Poro-tan, what do you know about dungeons and their cores?" Should I answer her truthfully? Is this a setup so she can put me in that horrible state of pain again? Fuck. I can literally feel my will to resist this vile bitch leaking away. I''m no coward, I swear, but that shit hurts like fucking hell. He argued with himself for a few moments and Megumi''s face started to take on a look of irritation, so he decided to answer truthfully. "I don''t know a lot. Dungeon cores level by killing adventurers and absorbing them, this one is a low level dungeon because it only has weak monsters that don''t manage to kill very many adventurers. Supposedly, if you take a core then you can shape the dungeon and get a share of the loot that is generated from slain monsters as a tax. That''s all I know. Can''t you just put me out of my misery already and find someone else to torture?" Megumi grimaced. "I''ll decide when I''m done with you, and it won''t be any time soon, Poro-tan. I think I''m starting to like you," she winked at him and he cringed inside. She''s never going to let me go. I''m going to be forced to do this horrible shit for all eternity.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. A few minutes later they arrived at a large stairway that led deeper into the dungeon. Northpost had a weak dungeon, but to go further without a full party was still bordering on idiotic. Although he still had no idea what level the necromancer was, he didn''t think she could be higher than level 20 if she was still hanging around in Northpost. Megumi seemed to be mulling something over as she looked him over, removing large shards of bone from his torso, back, and even his rear. He didn''t feel pain in the same way as he had when he was alive, but walking around with bone shrapnel stuck into your body was not anyone''s idea of comfortable, okay? His Warrior''s Essence skill went to work now that the pieces of bone had been removed, and the wounds closed over the next few minutes. Once Megumi was satisfied with his condition, she forced him onward. They had killed or participated in the killing of all three of the dungeon''s mini-bosses, and according to the map, they weren''t far from the dungeon boss. They had stolen and earned a fair amount of coin as well, although he wasn''t sure on the exact amounts because Megumi didn''t give him that kind of information. The monsters had become steadily stronger as they went deeper, and it became harder and harder for them to overpower their foes. Hordes of higher level Were-Rabbits and more groups of the giant wasps tried to mob him, but all he had to do was kill a couple of them so that the bitch could explode their corpses. He always took some damage himself, as she didn''t bother having him get out of range, but it was an effective tactic, and in no time at all they reached the boss room. "All right, Poro-tan. This is it. We kill this thing and Megu-chan gets to take that core!" She grinned excitedly as they charged down the last little stretch of hallway and looked inside the large chamber. There was a large wasp nest hanging in the center of the room next to a pedestal with a glowing orb. Fuck! I hate those giant wasps. The chamber was filled with a large buzzing noise as several dozen of the gigantic insects flew around the room. The real problem, though, was that there was a wasp that literally dwarfed the rest of the things next to the nest. It was probably fifteen feet tall with vicious looking mandibles and a stinger the size of his longsword. Megumi sent him ahead of her by a few steps and he saw her from the corner of his vision holding her staff aloft. A large ball of green fire had begun to form above the instrument, and a second later the Eldritch Blast streaked through the air and slammed into the giant bug. It let out a buzz as it burned, and every single wasp in the room flew at them in a fit of fury. The large one had been injured, so it was coming more slowly, but within seconds the first group of five smaller wasps reached them and he slashed away at them. Soon, the ground was littered with the corpses of the wasps, as wave after wave came for them. The nest seemed to be spawning more of the things at an incredible rate. Megumi had once again gone to her go-to tactic of exploding the corpses of the dead wasps, but the boss had recovered some and was nearly across the room. Megumi sent him to engage the thing, which flew around and swooped down to stab at him with that ridiculously large stinger. He blocked and parried it as it tried to impale him. Blasts of Eldritch energy echoed through the boss room as Megumi fired on the nest over and over again. How much freaking MP does she have anyway? he wondered as he fought. The nest had caught fire and was burning so brightly with green light that if he could look away, he would. The room heated up and he could hear the sizzling and popping of what must be wasp larvae inside. The wasp boss was enraged at this and switched targets. It flew straight for Megumi, but Hideki''s body wouldn''t let the thing hurt her. He charged toward the thing from behind and stabbed it in the abdomen. Green blood spurted out of the thing, and its wings beat wildly, trying to get itself off the blade. Hideki jumped onto the giant bug from behind and held onto it. His weight was enough to encumber its flight, and in that short time frame, Megumi blasted the thing with three Eldritch Blasts. Hideki could feel his fingers burning, but he wasn''t allowed to let go right away. A second or two later, the two of them dropped to the ground in a heap and he was finally allowed to get away. Megumi ran over to look at him. "Poro-tan! Show me your arms. Megu didn''t break you too bad, did she?" Hideki heard the familiar *ding* that signified he had gained another level. He held out his scorched arms and she made a short tsk noise as she reached into her inventory bag and pulled out a potion they had pilfered from a group of adventurers. She opened up the stopper and shoved the thin neck of the bottle into his mouth. The thing tripled his natural regenerative abilities and within a few moments he had been healed up. Once he was healed up Megumi stepped over to the glowing orb and placed her hand on it. Chapter 6: An Immoral Dilemma Megumi felt the warmth radiate out of the glowing dungeon core as it pulsed against her hand. A prompt window appeared after a moment of touching the thing.
Dungeon Core System Message
Do you wish to take possession of the Northpost dungeon? Yes / No Note: You may reshape and cultivate this dungeon to your own whims and desires and you will receive 15% of the GP generated from monster kills. The current owner of the dungeon [Eldymire] will be notified that he no longer owns the dungeon.
The message gave her pause. Should Megu really turn over such a useful item to the guild? Why should they get filthy rich off of Megu''s hard work? The quest reward is a mere pittance compared to what Megu could earn if she took ownership of this place. Megu could even help feed the thing by killing off adventurers here and there. She knew of only two problems with this plan. Her guild would not be happy that she was keeping the place to herself, and the mayor of Northpost would issue a warrant for her arrest for taking ownership of the dungeon, which was forbidden as it belonged to the town. Megumi took her hand away from the stone and paced around the chamber, which had already re-absorbed the monsters. She didn''t know a ton about dungeons, but knew that it would be a little bit before the monsters could respawn. Poro-tan was staring at her with irritation showing on his face, but she didn''t care. Poro-kun probably just has some more monster parts stuck in his body. Megu will rectify this later. What to do about the dungeon though? It occurred to her that this dilemma is probably why none of the other members had taken on this quest. They were probably sitting down there having a laugh at her expense this very moment. Her face became red with anger. Megu has had enough of that guild''s bullshit. She made her decision, which was to not take ownership of the dungeon at all. In fact, she wouldn''t be giving the core to the guild, either. She reached over and grabbed the dungeon core, yanking it off of its pedestal. The eerie light in the dungeon faded to black and the only light was that of the pulsing core she held in her hand. "You are coming with Megu, we''re going to leave this shithole town soon and put you somewhere better. Let''s go, Poro-tan, we have a lot to do and little time to do it." The two of them made their way through the dark hallways and rooms of the deactivated dungeon at a run. There wouldn''t be a lot of time to get out of the dungeon before the guards come looking for whoever had taken the core. She willed herself to run as fast as she could, something she was not accustomed to having to do, and within fifteen minutes they dashed out of the entrance and into the mid-afternoon sun. Megumi shoved the core and her staff into her magical inventory bag and the two of them hid a short distance away from the dungeon entrance. Just as she had expected a group of fifteen armored guards came trotting into sight a little later. Poro-tan smelled like shit and she had him hide a little ways away from her so she could avoid the stench. It was time to initiate her plan. When the guards descended into the dark dungeon, she and her pet quietly escaped into Northpost. "We need to get you cleaned up, Poro-tan. We''ll go to Megu''s house." She led him down some back alleys and to a small hut in the slums of town. When they entered she took a moment to stretch and admire her safe haven. Her house was decorated plainly, but she had dozens upon dozens of cute plush stuffed toys around. She directed Poro-tan to go to the wash room. Her home had magical plumbing, a necessity for nice warm showers after a day of evil-doing. She instructed Poro-tan mentally to clean himself up while she sat down on her sofa and solidified her plans. Since Megu didn''t take ownership of the dungeon, they won''t know who took it, just that it''s gone. The city will be on high alert, so Megu needs to be careful. A few minutes later Poro-kun came out clean and then they left again. "Time for us to do some good, Poro-tan. Megu is sure that this will make you very happy!" She grinned as they made their way to the Adventurer''s Guild. She filled her pawn in on her plan and for once, he didn''t offer objections. Megumi was pretty sure that he wouldn''t in the case of her current scheme. The two of them burst through the doors to the guild and a shocked Lucien stared at them. "Megu just saw a horrible, bad man enter the toy store!" she yelled. "What is she talking about, Hideki?" the stern man asked. "I was taking her to get a toy from the ''Toys for Orphaned Children'' shop before taking her to her family, and we saw a grey-skinned demon slink around the corner and enter before we did! I thought it was going to kill the owner, so naturally I gave chase, and when I looked through the window, I saw the old man at the counter pull some sort of lever, and a secret stairway opened up. The demon went down and we ran straight here."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "A demon, right here in Northpost? There must be something sinister happening at that toy store. All members, assemble! We''re going on a raid!" The tall man came over and bent down next to Megu. "How about you stay here where it''s safe? I don''t want you to get into any trouble." "You won''t let any of the bad men get away, right?" she asked in her cutesy voice. "Megu is scared! Please, leave Poro-kun here with me!" she grabbed onto her pet''s arm and pretended to cower in fear. "Sure. Don''t worry, rooting out and destroying evil is what the adventurer''s guild is all about. Hideki, Jean, and Oliver, you three will stay here and hold down the fort. Renak, go inform the city watch. The rest of you, with me!" the group of forty adventurers charged out the doors of the building with a roar. Megu couldn''t stop a small grin from appearing on her face as she watched them go. Her guild had less than half as many members, and most of them amounted to little more than thugs. A few of them might be out on quests at the moment, but when she was there earlier, she noted that the vast majority of the villains had been present. Tylus would be in for the surprise of his ancient lifetime when the large group of soldiers kicked in the doors to the place and slaughtered the lot of them. Megumi just loved it when a plan came together. Once they are gone, the city will blame the loss of the dungeon core on them and send out soldiers to look for villainous looking people. Megu and Poro-kun will be in the clear and can slip away tomorrow morning. We''ll head for Bridgeport to the East and leave this low-level hell-hole behind us. All Megu has to do now is wait. Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki
Level 011 (3001/3694 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 425/425 MP 50/50
TP 1 Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 17 Magic 2
Endurance 15 Magic Resistance 5
Strength 15 Luck 4
Agility 11
Dexterity 11
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 2 (+20% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 016 (9539/10752 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 325/325 MP 600/600
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 13 Magic 50
Endurance 7 Magic Resistance 38
Strength 5 Luck 13
Agility 6
Dexterity 9
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 6 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 6% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 6 - (+60% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 10 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 7: Just Desserts Megumi waited in the guild hall for a good hour before a beleaguered group of individuals dragged themselves back to the building. She breathed a small breath of relief seeing that these guys weren''t so incompetent that they had been wiped out or anything. Now to find out what happened. She gave Poro-tan a knowing look and he seemed to get the message. "How did it go, Lucien? What was in that toy store, and did you kill the demon?" he asked. "All things considered, it went well. You stumbled on a den of evil, Hideki. There, right in plain sight, was a hidden enclave of villainous individuals. It wasn''t just the demon, but rather 30 enemies of many different types. We lost almost half our guild today," he grimaced as the words came out, "but we just did the world a huge favor by exterminating those monsters!" The rag-tag group of adventurers let out a cheer at that last part. Excellent! Megu is so smart for thinking to use these gullible idiots as her own personal extermination squad. She ran over to the man. "You really got them all? You''re such a great man! Megu will be safe now?" "We got them all." He patted her on the head. She bore it with good grace. After all, she was now in a fantastic mood. Poro-tan did his job well, and she decided she would reward him for it by feeding him some good food tonight. Even though her pet was technically dead, he would still need fuel to keep his body looking alive. "Is it okay if Poro-tan walks Megu home, just to be on the safe side?" she asked the man. "The guild doesn''t need him for anything else tonight. He can do so if he wishes." She saw that her pet frowned at that last bit. Actually, he can''t do as he wishes, he can only do as Megu wishes. Poro-tan sighed in resignation and told the man he''d be walking her home. Megu did her best to act elated at this and jumped up and down excitedly before the two of them turned to leave. "Hideki! One second!" Lucien ran over to the two of them. Ugh! What now? Megu wants to go find some food and get a bit of rest before our long journey tomorrow! "What is it?" Poro-tan asked. "In light of what you did for the guild today, I''m going to promote you back to Class C. By coming here rather than charging in blindly like you normally would have, it shows some personal growth. Keep being a team player, and you could go far one day." For the first time since Megu had trapped Poro-kun''s soul, he actually smiled in earnest as far as she could tell. She shrugged. What''s a rank other than a letter on a piece of paper? Oh well, if it makes him happy, I guess it is fine. When the two of them finally left the adventurer''s guild, she took Poro-tan to Elise''s Confectionary, her favorite place in town. The woman who ran the shop was a gifted Cryomancer who got tired of adventuring, and instead used her talents to create delicious frozen treats. "Poro-tan, you did such an amazing job today that I''m going to let you pick our treat!" He looked at her with a flat expression. "Do I even need to eat? I don''t feel hungry or anything, and I''m not a big fan of sweets." "Nonsense! Of course you need to eat! Megu''s trying to show you some good will here. Don''t let it go to waste!" The adventurer just nodded his head in resignation and the two of them went inside. The menu featured all kinds of things, but he chose to get the banana split. Megumi couldn''t complain as she always liked those. They took a seat by the window and she quietly explained their next move to him. A couple minutes passed in silence and then Elise brought over a large glass dish containing three scoops of ice cream covered in chocolate fudge with a banana cut in half along the edge. Megumi took one of the spoons that were stabbed into the ice cream and jammed a gob of chocolate ice cream into Poro-tan''s mouth. He looked as though he was disgusted. What kind of weirdo doesn''t like sweets? Seriously! Megu is being the kindest master ever and he can''t even put on a grateful face? He''s ruining Megu''s good mood! "It''s good to see you, Megu-chan! Looks like you have company today. That''s pretty rare. You on a date? He''s pretty cute, but isn''t he a little old for you?" The middle aged woman let out a giggle. It was clear she was joking. Megumi put on her cute attitude and quickly dismissed the idea of Poro-tan being her date and explained that he was just escorting her home from Whitegrove after the whole mess that had happened there. The cryomancer smiled and went back behind her counter to help another customer a short time later and Megumi dug into the delicious ice cream. It was sunset by the time they finally arrived back at her place. Megu is beat. Toppling the local villain guild and stealing a dungeon core is a lot of work for one day! She willed Poro-tan to go sleep in her closet, and she cuddled up against Kuma-chan, her gigantic stuffed bear, and quickly fell asleep. ******************** "It took balls to screw the guild over like that, Megumi. If not for my special skill, I would have never made it out alive." A sinister voice said. What the?¡ª!? Her eyes shot open and saw the glowing red eyes and visage of an angry Tylus. His sharp, talon-like fingernails were just barely off of her throat, and if he squeezed, her life would end. She was in complete shock and stared up at the demon without saying anything. "What you did was vile, underhanded, and clever. I would commend you, but the sanctity of the guild hall and our code of conduct is iron-clad. Goodbye, Meg?¡ª" A blast of ki struck the demon in the back, shredding him from behind. It wasn''t enough to kill him, but it did knock him off of her and stun him. Thank the gods I put Poro-kun into my closet and left the door open! She jumped up and ran over to her minion. "Get him, Poro-kun!"Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! He jumped out of the closet with his sword flashing in the dim light of her bedroom and slashed off one of the demon''s bat-like wings. Tylus shook off the stun and screamed in pain and rage. The demon came at Poro-tan with fury in his eyes. A tear in reality formed to the side of the enraged demon and he reached in, pulling free his cursed longsword. It glowed with an eerie purple light. Shit! Poro-kun wasn''t fast enough. This is going to be bad. Nobody really pursued the necromancer class because of the stigma of playing around with dead bodies. It was due to this that her class was so rare that virtually nobody knew what kind of spells she could wield other than re-animating the dead. That was exactly the way she liked things. The element of surprise had always served her well. Everybody always underestimated her. Megumi''s low level made it appear that she was far weaker than she really was. Sanguine Infusion had served her well over the years. The guild had her appraised every month to update their records on her level, but the level was just a number. Sanguine Infusion had allowed her to amass more than double the amount of TPs a person her level should have and so she was far more powerful than she appeared. Megu needs her staff! She ordered her pet to stall the demon and prevent him from pursuing her through the link and then dashed out of the room. "This low-level trash won''t save you, Megumi. Face your fate with dignity!" Megumi didn''t turn around and grabbed her bag from its hiding place near her kitchen. Smashing could be heard in her bedroom, but from her link, she could tell that Poro-kun was still hanging in there, although he must''ve taken some sort of heavy damage. His health was nearly half gone. He had bought her enough time, however, and she pulled her staff clear of the bag and ran back toward her bedroom. The demon''s purple sword was stabbed cleanly through Poro-kun''s shoulder and the skin on her minion''s arm was turning a dark purple, bordering on black. Megu doesn''t have long! She commanded her minion to grab the demon with his free arm, and he did so. He wasn''t strong enough to throw Tylus anywhere, but he could hold him in place just long enough for her to cast. She jumped onto the bed and now stood high enough to have a clear shot. Green energy formed at the tip of her staff and Tylus struggled to escape Poro-kun''s grasp. Too late! Checkmate! Megu wins again! The green blast of Eldritch energy slammed into her foe''s head, exploding it and causing black blood to splatter all over her stuffed animals. Not taking any chances, she cast again and pulverized his body. Lastly, she cast Sanguine Infusion on what was left of the body. The life essence of the former guild hall master rose into the air and into her. Since the spell didn''t fail to activate, it meant that he was dead for real this time. She breathed a sigh of relief. That was when she was greeted with a happy surprise in the form of two distinct noises. *Ding* *Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 17! +1 TP Congratulations! Sanguine Infusion has succeeded. +1 TP
Megumi grinned with satisfaction. Tylus had always looked down at her, and now she could have what was left of him wiped off her floor. Not only that, but she had just gotten his cursed sword for Poro-tan! Things couldn''t have worked out any better. If only the fool hadn''t made the mistake of waking her up to get in the final word. What a dumb-ass! Megumi resolved to make sure that Poro-tan watched over her when she slept from now on. He didn''t really need much sleep anyway; a few hours a day would be enough to maintain his body. "Poro-tan, clean this up. I''m going to go take a shower and sleep on the couch." She placed her two new TP as she walked out of the room and toward the washroom. Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 012 (5011/5194 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 253/500 MP 50/50
TP 2 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 20 Magic 2
Endurance 16 Magic Resistance 5
Strength 15 Luck 4
Agility 11
Dexterity 12
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 2 (+20% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 017 (11,203/13,655 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 350/350 MP 625/625
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 14 Magic 52
Endurance 7 Magic Resistance 40
Strength 5 Luck 13
Agility 6
Dexterity 9
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 7 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 7% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 6 - (+60% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 8: The Road to Bridgeport I can''t believe she''s using me as her fucking maid now. Also, my freaking arm is still unusable! When will the humiliation stop? Hideki dragged what was left of the body to the street and dumped it a block or so away. Afterward he got a bucket of hot water and a rag and commenced with the scrubbing. He wished that he could tell her to fuck off and clean her own damned room; it was amazing the amount of control she had over him. How can a vague order like the one she gave me make my body do all this? He grumbled. After what felt like ages of scrubbing, the floor was clean and the only blood splatter remaining was on a few of Megumi''s stuffed animals and her blankets. His body was compelled to complete the task as she had asked, so he gathered everything that had blood on it in a bundle. Thankfully both arms were working again. Megumi had finally finished her shower and stepped out wearing nothing but a towel that only reached mid-thigh. "Go wash those in the tub, Poro-tan!" She passed by him and into the bedroom. He stared at her as she went past, and then his body went into autopilot again. He was washing off the blankets in the bathtub and had found a washboard next to the toilet so he was able to scrub them out. Villainy must pay a lot better than what I get paid. She has all the new magical stuff in here. A shower, an indoor toilet and sinks. When we walked by the kitchen I even saw one of those new ice boxes and a stove! There''s no way an adventurer like me could have afforded a nice place like this! After ages and ages of monotonous work, his body took him to the living room where Megumi was trying to fall asleep on the couch, and he literally stood in place by the door and was forced to stare at her. This is going to be a long fucking night. What the hell am I supposed to do? This is the most boring shit ever! Luckily, he had been given the ability to talk still, so he voiced his frustration, even though he knew what would probably happen. "Megumi, am I seriously going to stand here all fucking night and stare at you like a creepy stalker? This is torture. It''s boring!" She stared at him with those piercing purple eyes of hers for a few seconds before answering. "Very well, you can clean the rest of the house and then Megu doesn''t care if you eat something or read. You can do as you wish, but you cannot leave the house. Don''t think you can do anything to harm Megu, either. The magic won''t let you." She rolled over and ignored him again. Great! Just fucking wonderful! He sighed and got to work cleaning the house. Luckily, it wasn''t really dirty. She seemed to keep her house in pretty good shape. Once he finished, he grabbed some food from her ice box, which was filled nearly to the brim with tubs of ice cream and cakes. How is she not like 500 pounds? Evil person''s metabolism I guess? He had gained two levels recently and had two TP to distribute, unfortunately he no longer had control over where they were spent. Idly he wondered why she hadn''t done it yet. Maybe she''d remember in the morning. If he had more skills he might have not been stabbed so easily by that fucking demon. He looked through the books on her small bookshelf. Most of them were informational texts like local bestiaries, maps, and even an anatomy book. The only book that didn''t fit in with the rest was ''Daddy, there''s a Were-Hare under my bed!,'' which was an illustrated children''s book. Odd thing for an evil bitch like her to keep around. He opened it up thinking to find something sinister hidden within, but it was just a simple, worn book. The binding was cracking and when he flipped through the pages he found a small portrait tucked inside. There was a girl, who looked to be Megumi, and three others. A little girl, maybe 4 or 5 years old, and a kind looking man and woman. What do you know, she didn''t just come out pre-packaged for evil, she actually had what looked like a nice family. What the hell happened to her to turn her into this sadistic monster that she is now? Hideki snapped the book closed and grabbed a bestiary to flip through. Hours passed and when morning light filtered through the large window in the living room, Megumi woke up. "Time to go, Poro-tan. Make Megu some breakfast. I''ve got to do some packing." She didn''t specify what to make, and he was a shitty cook, so he decided to keep it simple as to avoid any hard work. He grabbed some eggs and fried them up, placing them next to some sliced bread. Meanwhile she had been wandering around stuffing things into her bag. He noted that the only book she took was the children''s book and after a short time she came back, ate, and they left the house. Not wasting any time, the two of them walked towards the outskirts of town and headed down the road towards Bridgeport. There were stronger monsters along the roads in this area and Megumi forced him to train against them. Over the next several hours he had sliced and diced his way through a dozen or so wolves and even a bear. His new sword was fantastic and it took down monsters with ease, causing them to have the same type of curse damage that had afflicted his arm the night before. Hideki couldn''t have ever dreamed of owning a sword like this when he was a broke adventurer just barely making enough money to eat and live day to day. A farmer with a horse and carriage was headed their way down the rough dirt road. "Megu''s tired of walking. Let''s catch a ride." "He''s going the wrong way." "So?" She waved the man down who stopped and looked them over. "Everything okay, little lady?" "It is now! Thanks for stopping." she quickly pulled her staff out of her bag and before the old man could react, she blasted him with one of those green fireballs. Seriously? A nice old man stops to help you and that''s what you do? Who pissed in your porridge when you were little to make you turn into this monster? The man was blown clear off the carriage, landing in a smoldering heap and the horse reared up. "Grab the reins, Poro-tan." She directed him to turn the carriage around and then they were on their way again, at a much faster pace. Megu got into the back of the carriage and told him to wake her up at Bridgeport or if anything important happened. An hour or so later, something did happen, a patrol of 8 soldiers came galloping up next to him. One of them said something about the gore that covered part of the seat of the wagon. "Stop the wagon," the gruff man who must''ve been the leader said as he kept pace with the wagon.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Megumi. Wake up." He stopped the wagon. "We found the remains of Erik Brendensin on the side of the road back there. This is his wagon. You''re under arrest for murder and theft, drop your weapon and come peacefully, or we''ll have to dispense justice here and now." He didn''t have any orders to fight, so he didn''t. Hideki hopped down from the wagon and was about to remove his sword belt when a green fireball came from the side of the wagon and slammed into the head of one of the guards. It exploded and sent bits of gray matter and bone all over the place. Shit! I gotta move! He dove to the ground and took cover, knowing what was coming next. The guards had looked around bewildered for a moment and then it happened; the corpse of the decapitated guard exploded before it even hit the ground and killed four more guards who had been next to the body. The crazy bitch never cared if he got caught in the explosions and he was sick and tired of pulling pieces of bone out of his ass already. The remaining three guards jumped away from the corpses seeing what had just happened. They were now squarely between Hideki and Megumi, who was doing that crazy laugh of hers. "Now that''s what I call a head shot, Poro-tan!" "Royan, Jiren, go get that girl! I''ll take care of this guy." he drew his sword. Hideki got up and ran towards the two who were after Megumi, drawing his new cursed blade, but he was blocked by the other man who had moved quickly to intercept him. The man was good with a sword and parried Hideki''s Tiger Style of fighting. In truth, this man was a far better swordsman than he was. I''m not going to be able to beat him. Hideki spun to the side just barely avoiding being impaled by the man''s sword. Then he realized how stupid he was being, he was a fucking undead. The next time the man stabbed at his chest, Hideki stepped into the thrust and let it impale him. He grinned at the man and blood spurted out of his mouth. "I win, asshole." he brought his sword up at the man who stared at him with wild eyes and he stabbed his blade into him while simultaneously shoving himself off the enemy''s blade. The magically enhanced sword slid right through the man''s low quality armor like a hot knife through butter and the man''s skin turned black and pock marks formed all over his body as he died. The chest wound had taken a decent chunk of his HP, but it wasn''t something that would end his existence. He heard a *Ding* that signaled a level up, but he ignored it and looked for Megumi. She was running around firing green balls of energy left and right at the two men who were trying to close the distance to her. As powerful as she was, she was less than useful in a melee, as most casters were. Hideki''s body moved of its own volition and charged towards the remaining foes. One of them saw him coming and turned to face him. Once more he engaged in combat, but this man was much less good with the sword than the first one had been. Hideki''s superior weapon landed a glancing blow on the man''s arm and it had the same effect as it had on everything else he had killed with it. Blackened skin and pock marks covered the arm which quickly became unusable. The man desperately swung for him, but Hideki parried the blow and then kicked the man in the abdomen, sending him sprawling backward over a small rock. The prone enemy tried to get up, but was too slow and Hideki''s blade found its way to the man''s throat. The last man, who had been chasing Megumi when he started fighting, had disappeared. "Where''d he go?" he shouted. "There!" Megumi pointed as she shot another blast towards the man who was fleeing back towards the carriage. Unfortunately, she missed her shot and the soldier managed to get atop his horse and sped away at full speed towards Northpost. Fuck my life. Now I''m going to be wanted everywhere in the kingdom! Megumi didn''t appear to be worried at all and the two of them opted to take two of the horses that had belonged to the guards, leaving the carriage behind in the middle of the road. "Come on, Poro-tan. We need to get to Bridgeport by evening. It''ll take him half the day to get to Northpost, and even then it will take time for word to get to Bridgeport about what we just did." She was right of course, and the two of them were soon once again galloping towards their next destination. Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 013 (5601/5924 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 382/525 MP 50/50
TP 3 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 21 Magic 2
Endurance 18 Magic Resistance 6
Strength 16 Luck 4
Agility 11
Dexterity 12
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 2 (+20% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 017 (11,793/13,655 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 350/350 MP 625/625
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 14 Magic 52
Endurance 7 Magic Resistance 40
Strength 5 Luck 13
Agility 6
Dexterity 9
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 7 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 7% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 6 - (+60% damage from explosion) ? CorpseAbsorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 9: A Slight Hiccup Megumi decided that it had been pretty stupid to save up Poro-tan''s TP the way she did, and was going to rectify that right now. Running around being chased while her supposed meat-shield was occupied with one soldier had not been her idea of a good time. She decided he needed to be better with that sword and placed two of the three TPs into Sword Mastery. Now it was time to look into some new available skills for him. She pulled up his skill purchasing window.
Sword Styles Ki Skills Passive Auras
Tiger Style Holy Blade Warrior''s Essence Intimidate
Turtle Style Shockwave Stalwart ????
???? Flame Blade Fortify Health ????
???? ???? ???? ????
Too bad Poro-tan''s class doesn''t have some sort of hack to gain extra TP. Looks like Megu will have to be careful about what kind of skills she gets him. He hasn''t unlocked a lot so far. Megumi thought about what she needed from her pet while they rode silently toward Bridgeport. Ultimately, she decided that he needed to be more versatile in his combat styles, and bought him Turtle Style. The next skill in that tree didn''t reveal itself yet, so it must mean that he didn''t meet the requirements yet. A few hours later they reached the town and she took in the sight of the place. The port city was much larger than Northpost and even from a distance she could tell that the town was bustling. Megu just needs to find us a boat and we can get safe passage out of this kingdom. She grinned at how well everything was working out for her lately, it was as though the gods themselves approved of her evil deeds in the world. There were guards at the entrance to the city and Megumi had Poro-tan flash his adventurer''s guild card. With that, they would be able to pass through most places without question. Megumi had a destination in mind, The Virulent Hen, was an inn that was near the port. From there, they would be able to find a captain and book passage. For some reason the streets were even more crowded than she had remembered. People jostled her and Poro-kun as they walked through the town. It irritated her to the point that she wished she could just blast a few people and clear the way. A few minutes, and several blocks later they came to the inn she was looking for and went inside. Why in the gods names is this fucking city so damned packed! Megu wants to get the fuck out of here already. She went over to the innkeeper''s desk and a portly middle-aged woman with short brown hair looked down at her. "We''re full. There aren''t any rooms here, or probably anywhere else in the city right now. If you want something to eat, you''ll have to wait for a table." Megumi grimaced. What the fuck is going on here? She knew that acting cute probably wouldn''t work on this woman. She had stayed here before on her way through to Northpost years ago and the woman hadn''t exactly been nice, but the place was cheap. "Why aren''t there any rooms in the city?" "Have you had your head stuck in the sand, girl? A dungeon core has been stolen over in Northpost. As a result every port this side of the country has been closed down. No ships are allowed to leave until High Lord Matthis says so." "Megu didn''t realize, she''s been traveling. Is there really no rooms in the whole city? Megu can pay," she said begrudgingly. She wasn''t cheap, but wasting money on stupid shit went against her nature anyway. From what they had gained in the dungeon as well as the money they stole off the dead adventurers'' and guards'' corpses over the past few days she had a little over 1000 GP. Megu should''ve known that the government would do everything to stop that core from getting out of the country. We''re going to have to be creative. "Look, girl, my heart is not made of stone, but we just don''t have any rooms. Try The Golden Coronet, it''s in the rich quarter of town, so it''ll cost you, but I''m sure this mess will be cleared up in a few days. Who''s the guy? You eloping with an older man and running away from your parents or something? "Poro-tan is Megu''s big brother. Our parents died in the necromancer attack on Whitegrove..." With a little effort she managed to produce some tears. The woman in front of her softened a bit seeing her in this state. Megu''s a genius when it comes to manipulating people! "I''m sorry to hear that. Do you have relatives outside the country?" Megumi nodded. "In Oleander, across the sea..." She had Poro-tan come over next to her and put an arm on her shoulder to complete the effect she was trying to create. "Megu just wants to be safe again." "We all do, girl, we all do. The world''s a crazy place as of late. When everything clears up, go to the docks and ask for Vinhammer, he''s the captain of The Green Swallow, it''s a fishing boat. Tell him Rylia sent you, and he will give you cheap passage to Oleander so long as your brother, is willing to work. Now if you''ll excuse me, I have to get back to work, I wish you the best." Once the woman had gone out of sight, Megumi let out a slight curse under her breath about their situation. "Come on, Poro-tan, we need to find somewhere to sleep for the night." The two of them once again pushed and shoved their way through the crowds until they reached the more expensive area of town. The Golden Coronet looked just as fancy as its name implied, but at least it wasn''t as crazy in this region as down in the slums by the dock. When they entered, the balding innkeeper took one look at them and turned his nose up. Megu isn''t dressed all fancy, but her money is just as good as anyone else''s asshole! If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Swallowing the bile in her throat at having to put on a show for this stuck up peacock of a man, she stepped over to the counter and asked about a room. "Megu and Poro-tan need to get a room for a day or two. Do you have any free?" The man studied her for a moment. "We have a few rooms free, but surely they''re above your price range. Maybe you''d have better luck down by the docks." He shuffled some papers around on his desk and acted like he was going to ignore her. Megu is going to make sure that you die before we leave town you stuck-up bastard! "Try me. How much is a room?" He once again looked down his nose at her, "350 GP per night. You won''t find anything cheaper than that around here. Like I said, you should check by the docks." She had to try hard to avoid showing shock on her face at that price. That''s more than 5 times the cost of a standard inn! This place is ridiculous! "We''ll take a room." She reached into her bag and called up the required amount. She sat 3 gold 100 GP coins on the table and one silver 50 GP coin next to them. The look of surprise on the man''s face was satisfying to see and he snapped his fingers after taking the money, calling out a boy who looked to be around her supposed age who led them to their room. Once inside she slammed the door in the boy''s face and sat down on the lavish bed. "What''s the plan now, fearless leader?" Poro-tan said in a mocking voice. Irritated by his insolence she caused him some pain for a few seconds. Poro-tan needs to learn to watch his tongue! "Megu''s thinking. Just shut up and stand in the corner over there." She pointed. There were few people in the world who held her hatred more than the nobility. They always looked down their noses at people and treated them as though they were less than dirt. She then had a brilliant idea to cause just enough of a commotion to get out of town. It would take some delicate maneuvering, though. She took out a piece of paper and wrote on it in preparation. "Poro-tan, wait here." Megumi went downstairs to the lobby and after wandering around a little she found her target: the boy. She flirted with him some and got all the information she needed out of him, and then exited the inn and roamed down the street until she found her target destination. A large set of gates blocked her path, but there weren''t any guards or anything. She was able to sneak inside the compound of Lord Blum''s estate with ease. Once inside, she crept up to the manor and peeked in through a side window. Megu''s in luck! The target was sitting alone in what appeared was a study, reading a book. It had to be the right guy, he fit the description she had received perfectly. She pulled out her staff and stepped back a few feet, aiming before releasing a Eldritch Blast straight through the large window and into the man who died instantly. She pulled the piece of paper out of her bag and signed the bottom, "Compliments of Lord Istar." and dropped it through the window as she heard the sound of thudding boots running towards the study. She kept low and snuck out of the compound before anyone even knew she was there. She calmly walked down the street looking innocent with a wide, satisfied smile on her face. With a few more well-placed nudges, all she would have to do is watch as chaos ensued and the town tore itself apart. Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 014 (6101/6834 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 253/550 MP 50/50
TP 1 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 22 Magic 2
Endurance 18 Magic Resistance 5
Strength 16 Luck 4
Agility 11
Dexterity 13
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 4 (+40% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Turtle Style - Level 1 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 017 (11,893/13,655 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 350/350 MP 625/625
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 14 Magic 52
Endurance 7 Magic Resistance 40
Strength 5 Luck 13
Agility 6
Dexterity 9
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 7 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 7% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 6 - (+60% damage from explosion) ? CorpseAbsorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 10: Blood and Politics Megumi made it back to the inn just as a group of twenty soldiers charged by her towards the direction she had just come from. She had a small list of noble houses and their political enemies based upon the gossip passed on to her by the boy at the inn. Surprisingly, he knew a lot about what was going on around the noble quarter of the city. Apparently, guards who came to the inn for a drink after their shifts tended to have loose tongues, and the staff of the inn liked to listen. She went back into her room and saw Poro-tan still standing in the corner where she had left him. He was sulking. Good. Maybe he learned his lesson about being snippy with me. "Mission successful!" she announced. "Poro-tan, we''ve got a lot of work to do tonight if we want to blow this place wide open. Let''s go grab some food downstairs and then we''re going to head out." The two of them ate dinner, which was just as overpriced as the night at the inn, and listened in on people''s conversations. What she had done had already generated an explosion of gossip, only a third of which was true. People had all sorts of wild theories about what had happened at Lord Blum''s estate, and it was fun to listen. Soon Megu will have all of these entitled fuckers at each other''s throats. It''s going to be great! She dug into the delicious dessert that she had ordered along with their meal, a kind of chocolate cake with a pool of liquid chocolate in the middle, and then they headed out into the night to cause more chaos. The next name on her list was Lady Vindel, whom was rumored to have slept with Lady Istar''s husband. As they wound through the streets of the noble quarter, it was clear that what had happened already put everyone on edge as each of the houses had guards posted at their gates. So much for sneaking in easily like the first time. No matter, Megu has the perfect pawn to act as a decoy. It didn''t take long to find the estate based on the description she had received from the boy at the inn. She noted to herself that she would have to silence him later as well to cut off any loose ends. They peeked around a corner while hiding behind shrubs and saw that there were four guards near the large estate. They had the green falcon, Vindel''s crest, painted their chestplates that gleamed in the light from the street lamp. She reached into her bag and pulled out a white cloak with pink fuzzy trim around its edges. "Poro-tan, put this on." It would be a little short on him, but it would obscure his face with the hood up and it was pretty dark out, not to mention this would be fucking hilarious. Poro-kun opened his mouth to protest, but she silenced him and forced him to comply. Once he had it on, she had him wait for a second and then she ran around the corner straight towards the guards. "Help! Please! There''s a creepy guy in a white and pink cloak is chasing me!" Megumi willed for her pawn to come around the corner with his sword drawn and chasing after her. The chivalrous guards leapt into action seeing that she was a young damsel in distress, although a couple of them let out a chuckle when they saw Poro-kun. No matter how dumb her pet looked, he was still deadly and when one of the guards tried to talk to him and calm him down, he was thanked for his trouble with a cursed sword rammed straight through his chest. Getting Tylus'' sword really was a stroke of luck! Now Megu just needs to wait for the right moment. She watched as the fight played out. Poro-kun was much better now that she had upped his abilities, but even so he was outnumbered 3 to 1. When he backed up a little it was her turn, the guards had completely ignored her at this point and were focusing on their foe, so she casually took out her weapon and readied herself. There were two guards within range of her corpse explosion skill, so she went with that. The body exploded into green flames and viscera with a sickening noise. The shrapnel killed the two guards that were in proximity to the body instantly and a piece of bone found itself into the third man''s left forearm. He let out a yell and looked around for the source of his pain. When he saw her holding a glowing green staff, a look of utter shock crossed his face. The fool had made a mistake by turning though, and Poro-tan promptly ran him through. "Poro-tan, we need to move fast!" She had him grab one of the key rings off of the guards and the two of them quickly entered the estate. The design of the noble quarter worked to their benefit as each of these large estates were spread pretty far apart from one another. Nobody should have been able to hear the commotion they just caused, but one couldn''t be too careful. They entered the quiet manor and headed up the stairs, looking for the bedchamber. According to her information the man of the house was rarely at home as he worked in the capital. Lady Vindel would be alone, and should be easy to eliminate. Megumi sent Poro-tan ahead of her to search for the correct room once they reached the second floor and just when they found the large hallway that must''ve lead to the bedchamber, two figures almost faded into existence in front of them and knives streaked through the air and into Poro-kun''s chest with a thwack. Fall down! She sent the command to make him play dead and he complied.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "Another one of Istar''s assassins? She''s getting them awfully young these days." The two figures wore black and had masks covering the lower halves of their faces. Megumi would say they were both rogues if she had to guess based on how they appeared out of thin air. They stepped over Poro-tan''s motionless body and calmly walked towards her. Time for Megu to put on a show! She put a look of fear on her face and slowly backed away. "Oh no you don''t," the one on the left said. "You''ll be coming with us and answering some questions." Megumi continued backing away while Poro-tan quietly got back onto his feet behind the two rogues. She had him use Shockwave. A blast of ki shredded the two rogues from behind, and as a pleasant added surprise the blade''s special properties came into play as well. Both rogues fell to their knees in pain as the curse spread across their bodies. Megu held up her staff and finished them off with an Eldritch Blast. She also used Sanguine Infusion on both corpses. Neither gave her any TP. "Poro-tan, go ahead and find the woman, bring her back here." Her pawn silently complied and ran off down the large hallway. A few moments later he came back dragging a lady by her hair as she kicked and screamed helplessly. The daggers that were embedded in Poro-tan appeared to be poisoned as his health ticked down slowly. Poison wouldn''t affect one such as him nearly as much as it would a living person. She had him take out the blades one at a time and then had him stab one into her chest. "Time to go. We still have a lot of work to do." she tossed another prepared note down on the floor. Luckily one of the things she had trained at doing in the villain guild was forgery. She could write in 10 different handwriting styles, so no one would be able to tell she was the one committing all these murderous acts. They spent the rest of the night hitting the remaining four noble houses and once it was all said and done she knew that the town would be ready to implode in the morning. Not only that, but they had managed to steal a small fortune. She now had well over 4,000 GP and they hadn''t even looked hard for loot to take. Megu was wrong when she would complain in school; Politics CAN be a lot of fun to be involved in. She giggled to herself as they left the final building which they had set on fire and wandered off into the darkness. Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 014 (6828/6834 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 187/550 MP 50/50
TP 1 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 22 Magic 2
Endurance 18 Magic Resistance 5
Strength 16 Luck 4
Agility 11
Dexterity 13
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 4 (+40% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Turtle Style - Level 1 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 017 (12,620/13,655 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 350/350 MP 625/625
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 14 Magic 52
Endurance 7 Magic Resistance 40
Strength 5 Luck 13
Agility 6
Dexterity 9
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 7 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 7% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 6 - (+60% damage from explosion) ? CorpseAbsorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 11: A City in Chaos Hideki was allowed to sleep for a few hours after their excursions the night before and he awoke to the sound of screaming in the streets outside the inn. "Poro-tan, it worked. Time to go to the docks." He sat up and looked around. Great, I just aided her in toppling a local government. Hundreds, if not thousands are going to die from the fighting and bickering of those noble houses. They ran out the door and down the stairs. Out of the large window in the front of the inn he saw chaos. There were people with makeshift weapons smashing in windows of shops and looting and guards of various houses fighting in the streets. As he was watching a poor looking man in rags ran up to the window he was staring out of and smashed it with a rock before throwing in a lit torch. The stuck up innkeeper yelled at him to put it out. When Hideki didn''t move fast enough the innkeep ran over and tossed the torch outside again. That was when his body moved of its own volition again and he grabbed the man by the throat, slamming him to the ground. Come on, Megumi! He''s a stuck up asshole, but does he really deserve this? I can''t believe THIS is how I''m going to spend my eternity. The man''s face was that of indignation as he continued the futile struggle to get free from Hideki''s death grip. Seconds passed and the man''s face began turning colors before he was ultimately strangled to death. Megumi had been standing behind him the entire time shouting insults at the man as he died, but he had tuned them out. Once his body was done with its grisly task, he and Megumi went out into the streets. She had taken out her staff and had him draw his sword. "Megu wants to have a little fun along the way," she said. Most of the unarmed peasants of the city gave them a wide birth when they saw them, but the same couldn''t be said for the clashing soldiers who attacked anyone armed that wasn''t wearing their colors. When one of the guards came towards them, a dead body exploded near him and killed 8 random people, including the guard. Megumi laughed maniacally and he watched as the evil bitch indiscriminately exploded corpses all around the square killing dozens of people. With the way cleared out a bit, they continued towards the docks. Oddly he felt himself growing numb to the killing of others, in an odd realization he knew that she was succeeding in breaking him. It was impossible to resist doing what she wanted, so why try? Isn''t it easier to just do as she asked without backtalk? His life had in fact taken a turn for the better when he had entered her service in a way. He hadn''t gotten to be a hero and get all the beautiful ladies he wanted, but he did have a kick-ass sword now and was leveling a lot faster than he had ever done as an adventurer. All these thoughts continued to run through his head as the two of them slaughtered people on their way to the docks. Just as they were almost there two dozen soldiers marched towards them in formation with someone wearing fine robes and wielding a magic staff in the middle of them. This is going to be trouble. Fuck. Why can''t I ever catch a break. I just know this is going to end with me catching shrapnel in my ass again! On the plus side, maybe they''ll kill Megumi and I''ll get to go back to the place with that beauty of an angel. The tip of the enemy mage''s staff glowed with a white light and she raised it high into the air. Suddenly, a man''s voice boomed throughout the streets, "You will all cease and desist from this nonsense at once! Any further fighting will be met with lethal force from my elite squads of soldiers. This goes for everyone, nobles and commoners alike." What the hell was that spell? I''ve never seen anyone do something like that before. That voice definitely doesn''t match the woman with the staff. He watched as most of the rioters shied away from the large group of soldiers and they stopped looting for a moment. The street around them was completely quiet for a long moment and then the mage spoke loudly in her own voice. "Everybody needs to return to their homes immediately! This is your only warning." People shuffled around and then to his shock and amazement they started to disperse. "You will not ruin all of Megu''s hard work!" Megumi whispered under her breath in irritation. They were close to the docks and he could see ships were already leaving despite orders against that. If they intended to be on one of those boats, they needed to move, and fast. Megumi just stay calm, and we can sneak around these assholes and get to the damned docks. He wished she could hear and would actually listen to his opinion if she could. But of course she couldn''t do that and he promptly found himself placed squarely in front of her with over twenty enemies in front of him. Well... this is it. We''re definitely going to die here. He wondered what Megumi was waiting for, it was clear she was going to attack. That''s when she surprised him again. The corpses that littered the street exploded in green light but not in the way that they typically did when she cast Corpse Explosion. He watched as skin and bones blackened and putrefied and then the eyes of the dead lit up green and they got onto their feet. There were about 30 of them in the street in an instant and they charged towards the group of surprised soldiers. "Megu will NOT let you ruin her good time!" she yelled and fired two quick blasts of green energy towards the group of soldiers. A barrier appeared and the green fire smashed into it sending out webs of cracks. The mage in the center of the group dropped to one knee from the exertion of blocking Megumi''s attack. Holy shit, she''s can summon this many undead that fast? Why the fuck have I been fighting alone all the time? He grumbled to himself. "Poro-tan. Protect Megu." With the simple command he was given freedom to do as he wanted again, so long as he obeyed her command to protect her. At least I''m not as much of a marionette dangling from strings for a moment. The guards formed into a circle formation and battled the undead whenever they got close. An arc of yellow lightning arced through the air from the enemy mage heading straight for Megumi, and he did the only thing he could think of to protect her from that, he jumped in front of the blast. White searing pain ran through his entire body and he dropped his sword to the ground with a clang. That one bolt of lightning had taken most of his health. He couldn''t take another shot like that and continue to exist.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "Get that necromancer!" the mage commanded. A group of 6 soldiers broke off and charged them. They only had seconds to do something. Hideki was still stunned from the lightening bolt, and he saw Megumi take out a potion bottle and shove it into his mouth. Almost instantly he could move again and he grabbed the sword at his feet once more. He used Turtle Style to defend against the multiple foes who darted in and out to slash at him. It worked well in a fight against superior forces and he kicked himself for not learning the useful fighting style a long time ago. Between fighting he could see that trouble was brewing ahead again as the air began to sizzle and he could feel the hair on his arms raising as electricity built in the air. A roiling ball of yellow electricity sparked and formed in front of the mage. It was the size of a large watermelon and still growing. Fuck! Fuck! That thing is going to REALLY ruin my day. He couldn''t see what Megumi was doing behind him, but he hoped she had a good fucking plan. Wait? Did he hope that? Wouldn''t it be better to die? The undead were swarming the group of soldiers trying to get to that mage, and that''s when Megumi performed a brilliant feat of magic. "Corpse Explosion!" she yelled aloud and instantly over 30 dead corpses exploded in unison. The last look on the enemy mage''s face was that of utter shock and horror as she and all of her remaining soldiers were enveloped in green flames. The soldiers he was fighting were visibly shaken by what Megumi had just done and without a leader a couple of them stumbled backward in fear. Hideki used this momentary lapse to his advantage and switched to tiger style. Spinning around blades and moving nimbly he cut down four of the attackers in an instant. All it took was a good cut from that blade and its cursed properties would do the rest. The remaining two soldiers who were standing turned to run at the sight, but he didn''t let them get away. He cut them down as they were running. *Ding* *Ding* Holy shit! Two levels from one fight?! He immediately dismissed the notification and turned towards Megumi. Commoners who had been watching the spectacle screamed and ran around in terror trying to get away from them now that they saw the necromancer had won the battle. Megumi collapsed and fell to her hands and knees. She must''ve expended all her MP at once to do that. "Carry Megu to the docks, Poro-tan. We need to be away from here." He complied and scooped her up into his arms, running at full speed towards the docks. The scene they saw before them was pandemonium as crews scrambled to get their ships ready to sail. He glanced around and then he saw the ship he was looking for, The Green Swallow. Hideki saw that the crew was preparing to leave, just as all the other panicking sailors around the docks were and he ran up to the man who looked to be in charge. "Vinhammer?" "What do ye want, boy? I be getting ready to push off from this burnin'' heap of a town before it be too late. I dinnae want to lose me boat to these riots." The man''s accent grated on his ears, but he soldiered on. They had to be on this boat! "Rylia told us to find you and that you could help us get across the sea to safety. Please! My sister is weak, we need help!" The man looked them over approvingly. "That woman do be using up her one favor by doing this, but very well. I''ll be putting ye to work, lad, the girl too. No free rides on me boat not even fer me aged grandmother!" Hideki nodded his assent and climbed aboard the boat. "I''ll help in whatever way I can." "Good. Now go help them with the rigging. We be setting sail immediately. Damn the blockade order to hell. I''ll not be watching me boat burn just cause some lord says so." Hideki set Megu down on the deck and found that he was able to go do as Vinhammer ordered. Within minutes The Green Swallow was on its way out of the harbor and sailing toward the open seas. Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 015 (9137/9500 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 170/675 MP 50/50
TP 2 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 27 Magic 2
Endurance 21 Magic Resistance 5
Strength 19 Luck 4
Agility 13
Dexterity 14
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 4 (+40% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Turtle Style - Level 1 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 018 (14,929/15,860 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 375/375 MP 297/850
TP 1 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 15 Magic 57
Endurance 8 Magic Resistance 41
Strength 5 Luck 14
Agility 6
Dexterity 9
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 7 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 7% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 6 - (+60% damage from explosion) ? CorpseAbsorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 12: Trouble at Sea Megumi turned and vomited over the side of the rocking boat for what felt to her like the thousandth time in the past week that they had been out to sea. She just couldn''t get over the sea sickness and everyone just kept staring at her in awe as though they were amazed her small body could produce so much vomit. Fuck you all! Gods I hate fucking boats! She groaned aloud and wobbled over to the cabin, her legs feeling like rubber. According to the captain, they were now only a couple more days remaining until their long voyage across the sea was over. Megumi couldn''t wait to get off the damned boat and onto solid ground again. Her legs felt like rubber as she entered the cabin and found her way to the bed. How do people live like this? Fishermen are more masochistic than any other kind of person Megu has met! Megumi felt like she was going to be sick again as the boat heaved to the side. She wouldn''t make it outside this time, and so she reached for her handy vomit bucket and let loose once more; all the while doing her best to keep her hair out of it. Three weeks! Three weeks, they had been out at sea and every day was the same. The fisherman and Poro-tan would find a spot seemingly at random to her and pull up nets and nets full of smelly fish that they carefully stored below deck. She was so tired of eating fish, dried salted meat, and over ripe fruit. She hadn''t been able to keep much of anything down, anyway, but the problem was that the stuff was even worse coming back up. Could she catch scurvy in this amount of time? Hideki had been learning the ropes of sailing the whole time, an effort that she considered to be a vast waste of time, but she let him do what he wanted so long as he kept the fishermen happy. The captain had told her on multiple occasions how happy he was that Poro-tan was such a good worker and that he seemed to never tire. She almost laughed when he had said that. The only silver lining so far on the whole trip had been that Vinhammer had been kind enough to give her, the only female on board, his personal cabin. And for that she was eternally grateful. The men''s quarters were just a bunch of cots strapped to the walls that folded up during the day. The captain''s cabin, however, at least had a proper bed. She shoved her face into the pillow and closed her eyes tight. Why can''t this nightmare end faster? Megu can''t take much more of this! It''s amazing this little boat even stays afloat out here. This rocking is so horrible! It would be time for her to go cook dinner soon. She had been relegated to the esteemed position of the ships cook, not that there was much cooking to be done as most of the food they ate was dried, but she did her best. Maybe it was her fault that the food tasted awful? It was true that she never bothered cooking at home for herself. Why bother with that if you can go out and have someone who knows what they''re doing do it for you? Her stomach churned again at just the thought of having to cook more fish up tonight. Just a few more days. Just have to hang on a little longer, Megu. Out here in the middle of the ocean, she had to keep her temper in check, and so she had to keep up her cute facade nearly 24/7: it was exhausting! Honestly, she didn''t know how she had been able to keep on going with the cutesy act inbetween bouts of heaving up vomit every five mintutes, but she had. She grabbed the bucket next to her bed and threw up yet again after a large wave hit the side of the boat and sent her rolling to the side. She needed to go out and empty the bucket again. The last thing she wanted was for one of those waves to hit and for her to get splashed with the nasty stuff. The only good thing that had come out of this grand plan of escaping across the ocean was that she got to make Bridgeport collapse in itself politically. It gave her a deep sense of satisfaction to know that those lofty nobles who played their little games were killing eachother. It didn''t hurt that she and her toy had both gotten levels out of the whole ordeal as well. Megumi had to admit to herself that she was sorely lacking in defense against magic. Her individual magic resistance was high, but she needed something more to be on the safe side. That ball of electricity would have surely done both of them in. With a sigh, she decided to do the practical thing and placed her most recently acquired TP into something that wouldn''t directly result in the explosion of bodies for once; Spirit Barrier. It allowed her to summon the souls of nearby dead enemies and solidify them into a magical barrier that would protect against spells. As for Poro-tan, she bought the Fortify Health passive and also put a point into the sword fighting skill, Turtle Style. The boat rocked so hard all of a sudden that she tumbled out of the bed onto the floor with a thud. Luckily, her bucket of vomit had miraculously stayed more-or-less in place. What the fuck was that? She slowly climbed to her feet and wobbled out to the deck on legs that felt like rubber even after all this time spent at sea. What she saw was less than ideal. Another ship had pulled up next to them and smashed into the side. Pirates were jumping across onto her ship and the fishermen were holding their hands up to signal surrender. Why didn''t anyone tell me we were under attack? She stood on the deck while leaning against the cabin door and watched as a man, who must be the pirate captain, stepped across a plank that had been dropped to serve as a crude bridge between the two vessles. "We do be just a poor fishing vessel nothing fer ye to pluder here," Vinhammer said to the pirate leader. "Even fisherman have a few coppers to rub between their fingers, and these be desperate times, mate. Not to mention, it looks like you have more of value than mere coppers. That fine little lass right there, will fetch a good price on the black market." The man pointed straight at her and she scowled at him. Good fucking luck with that. Just as she started to reach for her bag, Vinhammer answered, "Ye cannae have the lass. The coin ye may take, we haven''t much, but you cannae have the girl, not without a fight." When she glanced around she saw that several of the sailors had dropped their hands and had retrieved knives from somewhere on their persons. Others were holding various pieces of fishing equipment as though they were weapons. The sailors would lose a fight, of course, but they would take some of the pirates down with them. These idiots would really fight, and probably die just to save Megu? Chivalry isn''t dead after all. For some odd reason, the idiotic act of bravery that these men were showing touched her. She decided that letting even a single one of these men die for her woudl be unacceptable. She just hoped that Poro-tan had indeed learned a lot from the weeks on this ship. He had been so obsessed that he had even studied the maps and charts at length every night. She guessed he just wanted to take his mind off being undead, but maybe she could put that to use. The workings of a plan began to form in her head. "Please! Don''t hurt them, Megu will come with you, so long as my brother can come too!" Vinhammer turned towards her with a look of utter shock on his face. "Don''t do it lass, we can fight this rabble. We couldn''t call ourselves men if we let these pirates take you. They do horrible things to girls. Don''t throw yer life away!" "Megu has decided! Don''t hurt the fishermen and we will come willingly! No one has to die today. Please!" The enemy captain who had watched the exchange silently finally spoke up. "Hand over all your coins as well. We will take the girl and her brother. No blood will be shed today if you comply." Vinhammer ground his teeth and moved to step forward offensively. Megumi dashed in front of him and stood between him and the enemy. She looked at him pleadingly, "Megu will be okay! Don''t worry! Megu can endure this to save your lives." The enemy captain grabbed her arm and held her in place, probably in case she changed her mind. The pirate winked at her and then dragged her back onto his ship while the underlings collected the loot from the fishermen. They even kept their word and let Poro-kun come along as well. She stared back at the small vessel as the pirate ship pulled away. The captain dragged her towards the cabin and then stopped to introduce himself.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. "I be captain Hergyle, captain of the Black Spider," he said before shoving her over to one of the other pirates. "Search them and take them both to the brig. We be settin'' sail for Crocodile Cove! This girl will fetch us a handsome price! Her brother looks to be strong as well, he''ll make a good slave and sell for a good price too. Today has been a great day, boys!" The captain laughed and went to the helm of the ship as the other pirates let out a cheer. Megu and Poro-tan were searched and their items were removed before being taken to the brig. Good thing they won''t be able to get past the enchantment on Megu''s bag easily. Megu will have her treasures back soon! Four stinky, burly men escorted them down into the depths of the ship where the brig lie. She and Poro-tan were placed into a cramped cage and one of the pirates laughed at her, "Enjoy your stay. We hope you enjoy our five star accomodations." Poro-tan turned to her shortly after the pirates left. "I can''t believe you came willingly. Did you really care about saving those fisherman? That''s honestly the first time you''ve not done something horrible." Although she did care, just slightly, she shrugged that off and gave him a small giggle, "Gods, no! This ship is a lot more stable. It''s a lot bigger than Vinhammer''s ship. Megu feels better already!" "They took your weapon and the bag with all our stuff! Not to mention my new sword! Fuck, woman! We should have fought them before they took everything!" he growled. She stifled the urge to make him pay for speaking up like that and explained. "Even without her staff, Megu is strong. We will leave here and have a whole crew to sail us wherever we want. Hopefully your time sailing has paid off. Do you know the basics of how to sail a ship?" Her pet paused for a moment and then gave her a slight nod. "I''ve got the basics down. If we have a large enough crew to run the ship, I can at least point us in the right direction. I''ve been learning everything I can over the past few weeks and this isn''t my first time at sea, actually. I have been out with my uncle on a fishing boat a few times before I became an adventurer. I should have taken his advice and stuck with it rather than adventuring." She almost couldn''t believe her luck. It would be a simple matter to have some undead work as the crew. Several hours passed and no one came to check on them. She wasn''t too surprised, but they would have to come eventually. She knew that Crocodile Cove was nearly all the way to the southern continent, and they wouldn''t want her to starve if they planned on getting a good price for her. They just needed to be patient. "Megu is going to sleep. Wake me if you see someone coming." Poro-kun just nodded sullenly and leaned against the bars of the cage. He seemed to be contemplating his life choices or something. She didn''t really care. The boat continued to rock as it traveled, but at least it wasn''t nearly as bad as the smaller boat had been. Megu was able to drift off to sleep after a while and when Poro-tan poked her awake later, she actually felt like she had gotten the first good amount of sleep since she stepped foot on a boat. A solitary man walked down towards them carrying a tray. He was barefoot and his beard was scruffy. He grinned when he saw them staring at her and she could see he was missing several teeth. She fought the urge to hold her nose at the stench that wafted off of him as he approached. "Got some delicious fish-heads for you, princess." he laughed as he came closer. "Step to the back of the cage, big brother," he said and Poro-tan did as instructed. The pirate wasn''t taking any chances with Poro-tan and she couldn''t blame him seeing as they had all marveled at the sword he had been carrying when they took it. Megumi went over and reached out, brushing her delicate hand against the man''s rough one before placing it on the tray. "I bet you''ve been at sea a long time, Megu has been lonely down here with just her big brother. Maybe we can have some fun?" she winked at the man through the bars. She took the tray and handed it back to Poro-tan before turning back to the man. He was eagerly removing his pants and she reached out of the bars and placed her small hand on his chest. She looked him in the eyes and smiled as she cast Eldritch Blast. The man slammed against the wall of the narrow room and slumped to the ground, his chest burning with the green flames. That was so easy! She cast Raise Undead on the corpse and the former pirate stood back up in front of her ready for command. She had it pull its pants back up and then ordered it to give her the keys. Once she and her pet were out of the cell, it was time to get to work. "It''s time to gather the rest of our new crew. Let''s go." She had Poro-tan take the pirate''s rusty scimitar and then ordered the undead pirate to go ahead and see if there were others up in the next level. They followed along silently and when they came upon two pirates in the next room, they had been so shocked by the sight of their former companion that they hadn''t even had time to pick up their weapons before Poro-tan cut them down. Just like that, she gained two more minions and continued on her merry way. They scoured the bowels of the ship room by room like a plague and by the time she opened the door leading to the fresh, morning sea air, they had fifteen undead fighters at their side. A shocked crew stared incredulously as a horde of undead charged out towards them immediately after reaching the deck. "What be the commotion! Get yer belly-achin'' arses back to w¡ª" the captain started to say before he realized the gravity of what was happening on his ship. Megumi just looked up at the man who was still standing at the helm with an innocent grin. "You have such a nice ship here, Megu will gladly take it off your hands." The pirates fought with everything they had, but every enemy that Poro-tan or the zombies slayed added to their number and before long only the captain and two of his cronies were all that were left. He had been fighting at the helm and he currently held Poro-tan''s cursed sword, which had unfortunately helped him slay 8 of her minions so far, but it was clear he was getting tired. She had already managed to amass close to her maximum of undead minions. They had no chance of victory at this point, and they knew it. "You dinnae know how to sail, lass. I doubt those... things do, either. In exchange for our lives, we can tell you how to get to whatever port you desire." Megumi thought about it for a moment. Could she trust that Poro-tan really knew what he was doing? She decided to trust in her minion, even though there was a chance he would screw her over out of spite. Megumi just had to trust that the threat to his immortal soul would keep him honest. "Megu declines your kind offer. We''ll manage on our own." Minutes later, Megumi was now captain of her very own pirate ship. She had even gained another level for both herself and Poro-kun while doing it as well. Not only that, but she successfully gained an additional TP through Sanguine Infusion. Today was going to be a good day. She smiled as she stared out at the hoirzon. She put on her best pirate voice and said, "Set sail for Oleander, mateys!" Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 016 (10,117/10,752 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 738/750 MP 50/50
TP 1 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 28 Magic 2
Endurance 22 Magic Resistance 5
Strength 20 Luck 5
Agility 13
Dexterity 14
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 4 (+40% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 1 (+50 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 019 (15,909/17,528 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 375/375 MP 800/850
TP 2 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 15 Magic 60
Endurance 9 Magic Resistance 42
Strength 5 Luck 14
Agility 6
Dexterity 9
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 7 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 7% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 6 - (+60% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 13: A Pirates Life for Me! Megumi set up shop in the captain''s cabin, which to her surprise was actually pretty nice and well kept considering this was a pirate vessel. The crew may have been a stinky bunch, but clearly the captain had considered cleanliness next to godliness in his own cabin. Megumi was thankful for that. She had gotten some good rest on the ship and was satisfied that the larger ship had been better for her sea sickness like she had thought. Megumi decided that it would be a good idea to allocate the TP they had earned before they got into any more trouble out here on the ocean, which with her luck, felt as though it would be a certainty at some point. After a little deliberation, she placed Poro-kun''s TP into Sword Mastery, and then both of her points into Sanguine Infusion since she felt she had enough power at the moment to deal with more threats and that skill could eventually pay huge dividends. It was now time to find out where the pirate had put her inventory bag. It hadn''t been on him or any of his soldiers, so it had to be hidden wherever these thugs kept their loot. If I were a captain on a ship full of thieves, where would I hide the treasure? She searched the room thoroughly and found that there was a hollow compartment behind a wall hanging that held a small treasure chest. Mentally she sent out a call to the undead former-captain of the ship and had it come to her. Upon searching its clothes she found a brass key that fit the lock. "You''re just so generous. First you give Megu your ship, and now this? It''s just too much, really." she laughed to herself at the dumb joke and dismissed the undead back to its tasks on the deck. Megumi couldn''t help but feel excited about getting to open up a genuine box of pirate treasure. The key clicked into place and she opened it up. The interior of the box didn''t disappoint her at all. There were bags full of coins and tucked in there with them was her bag and two curious items that she couldn''t identify. She tucked the items away into the bag and would have them appraised at an item shop once they reached the mainland. Now that she had her things and all was right in the world Megumi headed onto the deck to see how her crew of undead pirates was faring. Poro-kun manned the helm and was keeping the ship pointed toward the sun, which would lead them to land eventually. She was happy to see that Poro-tan was a competent sailor. He hadn''t let her down in the slightest. Undead crew members bustled about on deck performing all the tasks they would have were they alive. Poro-kun is really good at delegating responsibility. Megu will have to remember this in the future. "Everything going smoothly?" she asked. "It took me a minute to get them all assigned to tasks, but once I did they have been basically running on autopilot. How long will these minions keep going? Are we going to get stuck out here in the middle of the ocean with no crew on this giant boat soon?" "I can keep them going indefinitely so long as I keep feeding MP into them about once a day." Megumi surveyed her surroundings and still felt a little queasy when paying too much attention to the roiling waves of the water. At least it was a calm day and the sea was peaceful. She couldn''t wait to see land again and never step foot on another boat if she could help it. "Megu is starving. She''s going to look for something to eat. Keep up the good work, Poro-tan." Her pet nodded and went back to concentrating on steering the ship while she walked down to the lower deck and into the crew''s cabin. It took a while of wandering around but she found a larder that had some rotting fruit and vegetables. There was flour that was full of weevils crawling around in it. "Fucking disgusting! Don''t they have anything that''s actually edible on this damned ship?" She continued to dig around and eventually found some salted dried meat. There was some fish and some beef. Megu has had enough of fish for a long time if she can help it! She grabbed a few sticks of the tough meat and gnawed on one as she made her way back to the deck. In the distance towards the horizon she spotted a ship and its sails had the crest of the king of Windlemire. "Poro-tan, do you think that looks like a warship?" she called up to the helm. "I''m not a freaking sailor, how the fuck would I know?" was his insolent reply. Megumi gritted her teeth and went up the stairs to the helm for a better view. The king might have heard about Megu''s handiwork at Bridgeport and sent a warship to track us down, that is if they found out we left the city. She pondered this possibility for a few moments and decided that even though the king surely would have heard of what went down in Bridgeport, she would not likely be a big target. The nobles were the ones who would''ve been seen to start that mess, after all. She just killed a couple dozen soldiers. Megumi felt that she would be considered small potatoes unless they had done some digging and came up with a theory that she had taken the dungeon core. The ship was directly in the direction they needed to go, and she did not intend to get lost at sea. "Poro-tan, keep on course. Let Megu know if we gain ground on them, or if they turn and come back towards us. Megu is going to go inside out of this blasted summer heat." Poro-tan gave a mocking salute. "Aye-aye, captain!" She ignored him and went inside. When will this heat wave end?! Megu can''t take much more of this. At least Oleander is a mountain country, where it''s cool!" Megu flopped onto the bed and considered her plan of attack. She could ram the enemy vessel, this pirate ship was designed for that, actually, and it would be pretty fun. She could simply pass the vessel and sail past it, hoping to out run them as it seemed that this ship was fast. After a good half hour Poro-tan came in. "From what I can see through the spyglass there are only a few armed people on board and it appears that it might be one of the king''s merchant ships."Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Megumi couldn''t help but thank the gods again for her luck. She would now get to literally live the life of a pirate, as she had every intention of robbing that ship blind. At best it might have a lot of money on it, at worst it would be full of good cargo. "How soon until we catch them?" "Again, I''m not a fucking sailor. I have no idea, but I know that we''ve been gaining on them steadily. So... soon. That''s the best I can give you." "Fine. Megu is going to go to the fore of the boat and have a better look." She stalked off towards the front of the boat and looked out at her prey. The merchant ship was large, but it was definitely slower than her vessel. It would be only a couple minutes until they were on top of them. She turned and went back to Poro-kun. "Ram them." He didn''t respond but steered the ship so that they would be able to ram into the side of the enemy vessel. She braced herself as the reinforced front of the ships collided. She was thrown forward a little despite her preparations, as were half of her crew, but they had successfully attached their ship to the enemy one. She ordered her minions to charge and took up the rear with Poro-tan. The merchant''s and the royal guards of the ship were shocked to say the least when they saw that they were being attacked by undead pirates. She grinned at the shocked looks on their faces as several of them were run through. Dozens of soldiers bearing the royal crest poured out of the cabin and the two forces were joined in combat. The soldiers who fought against her undead were far more skilled than what she had, but she still held the advantage. Every time one of their enemies went down, she summoned them to join her forces and continuously replenished her forces. Even so, it seemed that she was losing more soldiers than she was gaining. Megu needs to do something or she won''t have a crew to sail her boat! It was time to explode some shit. She started exploding corpses around the enemy combatants and although the green flames set the enemy ship on fire, it wouldn''t sink the vessel immediately. Her intervention quickly tipped the scales back in her favor and in the end she ended up with just as many undead as she had started with. With a mental command she sent the pawns down into the boat to gather anything and everything and move it back onto their ship. Crates of spices, food, and even a chest that looked as though it would have a load of money in it were brought aboard her ship. The fires were growing and it was time to be away. She called her minions back to the ship and had them shove themselves off of the royal vessel. Once they had backed away a little she performed some target practice, firing Eldritch Blasts indiscriminately at the hull of the ship. The massive holes along with the burning deck helped it to sink below the depths of the sea all the faster. Megumi hummed a old pirate tune she had heard from stories in her childhood and went off to look over her loot. All in all, they had gained 2000 GP as well as some fresher food and various supplies that she wasn''t at all interested in such as expensive silks and tapestries. She had everything brought down into the hold of the ship and went back to her cabin. Just four more days or so of sailing and they would be on land again. Megumi couldn''t wait. Spoiler: Hideki''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 016 (10,668/10,752 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 738/750 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 28 Magic 2
Endurance 22 Magic Resistance 5
Strength 20 Luck 5
Agility 13
Dexterity 14
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 5 (+50% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 1 (+50 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 019 (16,460/17,528 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 375/375 MP 800/850
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 15 Magic 60
Endurance 9 Magic Resistance 42
Strength 5 Luck 14
Agility 6
Dexterity 9
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 9 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 9% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 6 - (+60% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
[spoiler] Chapter 14: An Encounter with Explosive, Corrosive Beasts! Hideki found that he actually enjoyed sailing. He had spent every waking hour of every day pointing the ship towards their destination, and other than the merchant ship they had attacked, it had been a pretty peaceful leg of their journey. It was the middle of the night and he followed the constellations as the fisherman had shown him while he had worked on their vessel. It was relaxing to just watch the gentle swells of the ocean as they soldiered on in the darkness. All this time at sea had given him a lot of time to think about things and himself. He reflected on the life he had led before being forced into doing vile things for Megumi, and realized that if he looked at himself objectively, he hadn''t been a very good person either. He had been an adventurer, who on the surface tried to do good, but unlike many of his fellow guild members, he was in it for purely selfish reasons. Hideki had also been quite the womanizer if he had to admit it to himself, but he couldn''t make himself regret that for whatever reason. His thoughts drifted to Megumi, and what he thought of her. To his great surprise, he found that he didn''t hate her quite as much as he initially had. Honestly, he had been better off so far as an undead than alive. He was going nowhere fast in that guild and he had already become so much stronger by being with Megumi. Doing evil things paid in dividends, that was for certain. Sure, he had to do vile things, but he was becoming numb to most of that. Am I seriously starting to become like her? I don''t want to become a monster myself, but then again, other than the farmer, didn''t a lot of the people we''ve killed deserve it? He shook his head vehemently against that line of thought. Is Megumi really just a force of evil or is there more to her? Why does she keep that children''s book and the photo inside it? Would a true monster care about their own family? His musings were cut off when he heard a splash and then something hit the deck of the ship. He ran to see what was happening and saw that there were dozens of creatures jumping out of the water and onto the ship. They were green, scaled, things with solid black eyes, and they were covered with spikes. The monsters let out a hissing noise and proceeded to attack anything near them on the boat. Hideki commanded the undead to fight and yelled for Megumi to come to the deck. Rather than waiting for her to show up, he drew his sword and attacked the closest amphibious creature. It had been occupied with killing one of the undead pirates and he stabbed his blade into it from behind. The scales gave quite a bit of resistance, but they were no match for his enchanted blade. The monster turned black, and as it died it puffed up like a blowfish, and then exploded, sending green goop all over the place. The goop, unfortunately, turned out to be corrosive. His skin burned where it had landed on him and what was worse, the deck seemed to be being eaten away.
You have been hit with Corrosive Goo! You suffer from burns! -30 HP
Fuck! These things are going to sink the damned ship! Hideki ran towards the next foe and performed the same basic strategy. This time, when it started to puff up, he didn''t just stare at it like an idiot; He kicked the thing with all his strength and managed to send it flying back over the edge of the ship into the water.
You suffer from burns! -30 HP
Fucking burns! The undead pirates were holding their own against the beasts so far, and he directed them to be sure to kick them off the ship before they exploded. The monsters weren''t strong for the most part, but the damage they posed to the ship made this situation serious. "Poro-tan, what in the blazes are you waking Megu up in the middle of the night for?!" "See for yourself. I''m kind of busy killing exploding fish monsters!" he replied through gritted teeth as he dodged one of the things that had been lunging for him. Megumi didn''t join the fight, probably because all she could really do was blow holes into their boat, which was the exact opposite of what they needed to do.
You suffer from burns! -30 HP
He and the other undead quickly dispatched over a dozen of the creatures when there was a huge splash in front of him. Another monster, a gigantic version of the things they were already fighting, jumped onto the boat. Upon closer inspection he could see that the smaller versions of the thing were attached all around it like armor. The little ones were popping free and coming onto the deck. What the hell! Things can never just go easy, can they? At least he had finally stopped taking damage from the goop that got onto his arm. That shit was definitely bad news. He concentrated for a moment and unleashed a shockwave from his cursed blade at the creature. It was headed straight for his intended target when two of the smaller ones jumped into the pathway of the blast, sacrificing themselves to save the large one from taking any damage. They popped and sent more corrosive goo all over the deck. Damn it! I hate these things! A ball of green flame flew over his head from the helm and smashed into the large beast which let out a screech of pain. Instantly every one of the smaller creatures stopped fighting with their targets and rushed towards the stairs leading up to Megumi. Hideki and the undead pirates moved to intercept the enraged monsters and held them off while Megumi fired blast after blast at the giant one. It reared up onto two legs and spat a glob of goo the size of a melon towards Megumi at incredible speed. Three of the undead pirates simultaneously dropped dead as this happened, and the goop slammed into a shimmering barrier. She just sacrificed three of our crew just so she could make that shield? Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Megumi continued to barrage the enemy boss monster while they finished off the small ones and tossed them overboard. The damage to the deck wasn''t severe so far, but they had to deal with the big one now. Hideki charged towards the large beast, which was somehow still alive despite being pelted by 7 or 8 green fireballs, and he unleashed another shockwave attack. This time there wasn''t anything to block the blow and it ripped into their enemy, cursing it as he had hoped. It howled in rage and charged him, swiping with its giant webbed foot. He had been too slow and it connected. Hideki went flying through the air and smashed into the railing on the side of the ship. Grumbling, he got back to his feet and charged in again. The monster sprayed that goop towards him as he got close and he had to roll to the side to avoid being completely covered by the stuff. The stuff bubbled and sizzled in front of him and the beast advanced towards him again. How much fucking health does this thing have?! The next time the monster swiped for him he dodged and sliced into it and spun underneath the torso of the thing. He flipped his blade upward and stabbed into the beast''s belly. His sword went in all the way to the hilt and the thing thrashed above him. He pulled the blade out and stabbed it repeatedly. The gigantic thing began to swell up like the small ones had. Fuck! I have to get it off the ship! Right now! Twenty of the undead pirates came to his aid in an instant and with effort, they all shoved the thing overboard before it popped. He sat down on the deck, amazed that they had managed to come out of this mess in one piece. *Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 17! +1 TP
After a moment of regaining his composure, he looked around the deck and saw that the goop had been evaporating as it did its nasty work. That was actually a good thing, otherwise it would have continued eating through the ship until they sank. There were some sizable holes in the deck at this point, but the vessel still seemed to hold its integrity. "Get the place cleaned up, Poro-tan. Megu is going back to sleep! Megu can''t fucking wait to get to dry land!" She marched back off towards her cabin without another word and slammed the door behind her. Hideki ground his teeth in frustration and had the undead pirates do as she asked while he went back to the helm. They hadn''t gotten too far off course during the fight and he quickly set them back on the correct path. Two days later they finally set eyes on what was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen, the city of Oleander sprawled out across the shore and even from a distance he could see the buildings were tall and rectangular, featuring many different colors. What was truly beautiful, however, wasn''t the city, but the mountains behind it. They were covered in green and they stretched far into the clouds. We actually made it! Hideki pointed the ship towards the docks and when they got close enough to the city they took one of the smaller escape boats and headed to shore, leaving the battered pirate ship and its crew behind. Spoiler: Hideki''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 017 (11,668/13,655 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 750/750 MP 50/50
TP 1 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 28 Magic 2
Endurance 23 Magic Resistance 5
Strength 21 Luck 6
Agility 13
Dexterity 15
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 5 (+50% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 1 (+50 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 019 (17,460/17,528 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 375/375 MP 800/850
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 15 Magic 60
Endurance 9 Magic Resistance 42
Strength 5 Luck 14
Agility 6
Dexterity 9
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 9 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 9% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 6 - (+60% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds
Chapter 15: New City, New Problems Megumi breathed a sigh of relief when she and Poro-tan reached the dock. She immediately ran to solid ground and jumped up and down excitedly. Finally! No more rocking boat! People stared at her as they walked by, but she didn''t care. No more fish! No more nasty dried meat that felt like it could break Megu''s teeth! She turned towards the pirate ship and watched in glee as it sailed off into the distance. They had directed the crew to point the ship back out to sea and to go as soon as they reached shore. The undead would fall lifeless once they exceeded her maximum range, but this plan would hopefully help them avoid problems with local authorities. As it was, they could say that they simply escaped if anyone came asking questions. There was one thing Megumi wanted more than anything else at that moment; ice cream! "Come on, Poro-kun, it''s time to go celebrate! Megu want''s to eat something sweet!" She stomped along happily leaving the docks and the sea behind her, ignoring the groan that came from Poro-kun''s mouth at the mention of sweets. Seriously, who the hell doesn''t like sweets at all? They wandered the city''s marketplace which was adjacent to the docks and she couldn''t help but stare at all the random junk people were hawking. She saw fake magic talismans, all kinds of exotic fruits and vegetables, and all kinds of random household items for sale. One guy was screaming loudly over the noise that he had beautiful jewelry for sale; Only 20 GP a piece. She wasn''t ever the type to fixate or care about shiny things, but he did seem to have nice looking stuff; they were all fakes of course, nothing of real value could be sold that cheaply. They were pretty though. "Is there somewhere that sells ice cream or cake around here?" she asked one of the merchants who was selling fruit. "Keep heading straight up towards the mountains and you''ll come to the restaurant district. Would you like to try one of my Ringle Fruits? They''re just 2 GP." She hesitated for a second. Megumi had never had one of those fruits before, but she was kind of curious about the taste. It resembled an apple, but with bumps all over it. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, she paid the man and took a bite out of the fruit. It was absolutely delicious! She hadn''t ever had anything exactly like it before, but it reminded her of a blend between an apple and a banana. She bought two more from the man and placed them in her bag for later. Before they had left the market she had amassed a small collection of fruit and also some strange chewy candy that a merchant had been selling. The sticky substance was formed into little cubes. They were brown in color and melted in her mouth. Things were looking up on this side of the ocean, that''s for sure! Once they reached the restaurant district, it didn''t take long to find the ice cream shop as it was simply called, "Ye Olde Ice Cream Shoppe." They went inside and found that instead of the ice cream coming in bowls as it had in the shop she had frequented in Northpost, it was served atop a cone shaped container that appeared to be edible. That''s so interesting! She ordered one for her and one for Poro-tan. She enjoyed teasing her pet and made him eat it despite his vehement protests. They continued walking along and she noted that it was starting to get late. "We''d better go find somewhere to sleep for the night, Poro-tan. I don''t want to stay in this city for long. I want to go find a small town somewhere and plant that seed we cultivated in Northpost." she winked at him as she vaguely referenced the dungeon core. After a good hour of walking up and down steep streets, they finally found a section of town with some inns. They found one near the main road leaving the city just before sunset. It was a huge building that stood around 7 stories tall with a flat roof, as was the style of all the buildings in this town. It was crammed between a general store and a butcher shop. All of the buildings in Oleander were crammed against one another; the city planner must have been a crappy one. The innkeeper was a tall, skinny man who had to be near death. He was so old and frail that she didn''t know how he got anything done in a timely manner. Since they had come into so much money as of late, she didn''t feel bad about splurging. She paid 200 GP to get a suite on the top floor. Surprisingly, they didn''t even have to take the stairs to get up there. Instead of stairs, the building had a magically powered lift that carried them to the top of the building at the push of a button. Living in the age of technology is a wonderful! The room itself was lavish and even featured more than one bedroom, a kitchen, and most importantly a breathtaking view of the mountains. She grinned excitedly at being so high up off the ground. Megumi stared at the mountains as mist began to roll through the town and began to obscure everything below in a haze. "Poro-tan, go ahead and sleep in the room by the door for a few hours, Megu is going to go explore a little on her own." Her pet just shrugged and wandered off to his room and she saw him begin to strip down before she stepped out of the room. Luckily, Soul Trap had an extremely long range, and she could literally go anywhere in the town without endangering the life of her precious toy. She took the lift down to the ground level and stepped out into the moist air. She brushed a stray hair away from her face and wandered up and down the streets, enjoying her time sight seeing. She found a small shop that sold clothes and picked out a new dress for herself. It was a blue summer dress and she liked the way it fluttered when she twirled. It was too hot to keep dressing as she had been, so she was more than happy to put the new clothes on immediately. Megu needs to invest in a larger inventory bag sometime. Maybe Megu can get one of the backpack variety instead of a pouch like this one and have Poro-tan carry it around for me. Those hold a lot more so I could buy more stuff. She continued her walk and noted a few important sites to check out tomorrow before leaving town. There was a armorer and a weapon smith, an apothecary and a store that sold magical accessories. She still had nearly 6000 GP, which was a pretty good pile of money to work with. The next site that she noted was the local Adventurers Guild. She walked by the entrance and saw something troubling on the board posted outside. There, right in plain sight was a wanted poster depicting a crude drawing of her and Poro-tan. The bounty was 1000 GP. She groaned in frustration at the revelation. Megu was so stupid for showing her powers in Bridgeport! She kicked herself for blowing the cute harmless image she had worked so hard to cultivate over the last several years.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Word must not have gotten out very widely yet, however, as she hadn''t encountered any problems in the city thus far. Every member of the guild, however, would know their faces. She turned away from the building and walked back towards the hotel. It didn''t take long for her to notice that she was being followed. Damn! Someone must''ve saw me by the guild! Stupid! Megu should''ve stayed far away from that place once she realized what it was. She had to think about how to handle this problem. It sounded as though there were a few sets of footprints gaining ground on her from behind. Curse these short legs! Megumi continued to walk as fast as she could now and ducked into an alleyway before transitioning into a run. Poro-kun was too far away for her to call him, not that she needed help anyway, probably at least. She turned around quickly and stood her ground. Three burly men came charging around the corner with swords drawn. "We know who you are! Come along quietly and things will go easier for you. Where is that traitor, Hideki? If you cooperate we''ll be lenient on you, girl." She blinked in surprise at the implications of what the man was saying. Do all these idiots think that Poro-kun is the evil mastermind? Megumi had to stifle a bout of laughter at the thought. "Megu has to do as he says! He said he''ll hurt Megu''s family if I don''t come with him!" Two of the three enemies lowered their swords at hearing this and even the leader''s grim expression seemed to soften a bit. "Okay, just tell us where he is, and we''ll take care of the bad man. Everything will be okay, you have our word on it." Megumi started towards the men, her ruse successful once again. Score one for being cute and innocent looking! However, when she got close one of the men lunged at her with his blade. She only just barely fell backwards and out of harms way. Apparently things wouldn''t be going so easy after all. They almost had Megu! Can''t let myself be careless anymore! She scrambled backward as the three men advanced on her. She let loose a Eldritch Blast towards the man at the front of the formation and connected, sending him flying backwards into his two fellows. One of them was knocked down, while the other charged at her again. She just barely had enough time to yank her staff out of her magical bag and parried the blow. The man was much stronger than her, so it did little to push him back, but it was enough. The man she had blasted was dead and she had already joined him to her cause. Just as the man was about to finish her off, his former comrade in arms ran him through from behind. The third man was back on his feet and made a desperate bid to end her life. Megumi had to give the man credit for his bravery, and for the fact that he probably knew her pawns would die if she did. She dodged the swing of his sword and dove behind her undead minion. The life force had gone out of the second one now and she brought him back as well. The fight had completely shifted to her favor at this point and she had her two men engage with the final man. Her undead were basically weaklings, especially compared to Poro-tan, but they had numbers on their side. The enemy combatant was able to successfully put down one of them, but the other cleaved its sword into the side of the man''s neck. He fell to the ground limply. *Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 20! +1 TP
Megumi took the opporunity to cast Sangine Infusion on all three of the dead adventurers, and to her surprise, two of them yielded her a TP. She left the three husks of human remains on the streets and carefully made her way back to the inn. Spoiler: Poro-tan''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 017 (11,668/13,655 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 750/750 MP 50/50
TP 1 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 28 Magic 2
Endurance 23 Magic Resistance 5
Strength 21 Luck 6
Agility 13
Dexterity 15
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 5 (+50% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 1 (+50 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 020 (18,660/21,911 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 400/400 MP 800/850
TP 3 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 16 Magic 61
Endurance 9 Magic Resistance 43
Strength 5 Luck 15
Agility 8
Dexterity 9
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 9 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 9% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 6 - (+60% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 16: Into The Mountains! Megumi crept through the streets as carefully as she could and avoided any people all the way back to the inn. She cursed herself again for going all out in Bridgeport as she rode up the lift and went to the room. "Poro-tan, get up. You need to keep watch. Megu just had a run-in with the Adventurers Guild." Poro-kun sat up and stared at her blinking himself awake. "Word has spread all the way across the sea about what happened in Bridgeport? What little reputation I had is now ruined! Thanks for that, Megumi!" he said in despair. Megumi didn''t give a damn about his reputation, but this whole mess would make things inconvenient for them in the future to say the least. The word hadn''t gotten out to the common people yet though as they hadn''t encountered any problems so far. She now had three TPs of her own to spend and one for Poro-tan. It was time to allocate them, they would need to get a lot stronger if she intended to keep breathing long now that the cat was out of the bag. It was also entirely possible that her own guild had been informed of what she had done before Tylus had come to execute her, in which case, she would be hunted by them as well for breaking the code. She left Poro-tan by the front entrance and went to her room. After examining his skills, she decided to invest another point into Fortify Health. As for herself, that close encounter earlier could have gone pretty badly if she hadn''t fallen over like an idiot when the man had charged her. It was time to look into some more options for herself. She opened up her skill tree to see what she had available.
Passive Necromancy
Offensive Spells Summoning Defensive Spells Curses
Mage''s Essence Sanguine Infusion Raise Undead Spirit Barrier Decay
Fortify MP Corpse Explosion Soul Trap Magic Skin ????
???? Eldritch Blast Undead Mastery ???? ????
???? Corpse Absorption Soul Trap Mastery ???? ????
It looked like she hadn''t unlocked any new offensive spells after hitting level 20, but she had unlocked Undead Mastery, Soul Trap Mastery, and Magic Skin. It would be good if she could make her pawns stronger through, in particular Poro-tan who wasn''t as disposable as regular summoned undead. Magic Skin was similar to Spirit Barrier in that it was a shield of sorts, but instead of souls for fuel it used her MP and only surrounded her body. It could be useful in a pinch like the one she had been in tonight, so she bought level one of the skill. With her remaining two TPs, she bought Soul Trap Mastery and upgraded Sanguine Infusion again. With all that taken care of, she went to bed. *************************** The next morning, she awoke as sunlight streamed through the large window in her room. She looked out over the beautiful city and its mountains and almost forgot about all her worries for just a moment. Megumi knew that her course had been set for a long time now, but there was truly no turning back at this point. Did she even want to if she could? Little remained of the girl whose reflection stared back at her through the window. She shook off the thought and got ready to go. No regrets! "Poro-tan, we need to be out of the city early, but we need some supplies. Let''s get a move on." She knew that he had no choice but to obey her commands, but it was still nice to have someone to talk to, even if she knew he hated her guts. In the end, she didn''t really care anyway. They rode the lift down and handed the innkeeper the key to their room and headed out into the morning sun. The fog had already retreated and it was beginning to get hot again already. The first place they went to was the general store next to the inn and bought various supplies and foodstuffs for their journey. She found that the merchant did have magical bags for sale, and she got Poro-kun a large backpack style one that could hold up to 100 items. It cost her 1000 GP, but it was worth every penny. Additionally, she found two good cloaks and a collapsible tent that she bought as well. Before leaving the place she was about 1800 GP poorer. Easy come easy go. Megu will just have to pillage some more soon! After leaving the general store, they hit one of the restaurants. She let Poro-tan order his own food this time and was surprised when all he ordered was a plate full of meat. He ordered sausages and bacon along with a large piece of steak. When it came to the table he asked for hot sauce and poured it all over everything before digging in. What kind of person orders all that for breakfast and then has the audacity to make it spicy as well? No pancakes, waffles, fruit, or anything normal to go with his breakfast? Megu just doesn''t understand Poro-kun''s weird tastes at all! The next stop on the agenda were the various equipment shops. Poro-kun''s armor was in pretty poor condition and she bought him a new set of light armor and a kite shield. Nothing fancy, but better than the junk he had been wearing before. If he''s going to be Megu''s meat shield, then he had better be equipped to do it well now that we have some money. Poro-kun seemed to be grateful when she gifted him the new set of armor at least, so that was good. They stopped at the apothecary and got some more health and MP potions which she slipped into her bag. The shop next to it that sold accessories had a lot of good stuff, but everything was ridiculously price so she passed on that for now. After their little shopping spree was complete, Megumi had only around 1000 GP left. "Okay, Poro-tan, I think Megu has wasted enough money for one day. Let''s get on the road." It had been lucky that they had managed to avoid running into anyone from the adventurer''s guild, she didn''t exactly like the idea of the general public or the local government sending soldiers after them. The road wound up the small rolling hills leading out of the city and then forked off. One pathway led to the south along the base of the mountains, while the one they took wound its way ever higher up into the cloud covered peaks. This is going to be a long, and arduous walk. It''s okay, though! Megu is tough. The mountain town of Rivean was their next destination, and it was where she intended to use the dungeon core to seed a new dungeon. By becoming a dungeon master, she would lure adventurers to the small town, and she had every intention of feeding that dungeon well. It would make them rich as well as strong enough to do what was next. She grinned as they trudged along up the cobblestone road. After a several hours of passing small farms and taking in the beautiful scenery, they ran into the first sign of trouble, a gigantic red serpent slithered its way onto the road. It was twenty feet long at least and the head featured a spiky hood. It raised its head and drew itself up fifteen feet off the ground and stared them down. "Poro-tan, circle around it!"Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. She sent her minion running, but the snake concentrated on her. It didn''t strike as she thought it might, but instead flames began to roil inside its mouth and it shot a gout of flame directly in her direction. She wouldn''t be able to dodge in time so she cast Magic Skin hoping that it would do the trick. Her body became enveloped in a blue glow and when the flames hit her, she felt slight warmth but did not burn. Unfortunately, the attack ate nearly 500 MP. She couldn''t just use this spell casually it seemed. She ran backwards as the snake began to come for her and pulled a MP potion out of her bag, quickly downing it in a single gulp. Poro-tan stabbed the creature in its back and it''s attention was no longer on her. It didn''t appear that his blade sunk very deep into the creature, however. It turned and struck Poro-tan with a speed belying of something that size. Her toy had managed to get his shield up just in time and the creature''s jaws snapped around it. Flames began pouring out of the creature around the edges of the shield as it bit down. Megumi unleashed a barrage of Eldritch Blasts at the creature in the few seconds that this had all happened and two of three shots connected. The thing had tough skin and some sort of natural magic resistance, however, and the damage was minimal. She cursed under her breath and ran to position herself to hit the thing in the head. Meanwhile, Poro-tan was yanking his shield trying to back away from the hot flames that the serpent was spitting all around him. He stabbed the creature over and over with his sword, but as her magical attacks had shown, the thing had thick skin and he was having a hard time dealing any real damage to the thing. It was time to do something reckless. Her mana had recovered a little bit, thanks to her high MP recovery and that potion, and she decided to go in for a close head shot. She cast Magic Skin once more and Charged towards the occupied snake from the side. It had definitely saw her, but considered her a lower threat than Poro-kun, so it continued trying to cook him. She grinned as adrenaline pumped through her veins and she blasted the creature from a distance of about three feet away directly in the side of its head, burning out one of its eyes. For the first time, the thing really showed that it was in pain. It let out a hiss and turned towards her and unleashed another gout of flames. Her shield held, just barely and she ran to the side to get out of the attack faster. Her MP was now critically low. She would need a little time to recover and definitely could not take another hit from that thing. Potions didn''t come cheap, but now was not the time to be frugal, she downed another one while she ran. Poro-kun hadn''t wasted the opportunity he had given her and slashed his blade with all his might at the upper part of the snake''s neck as if he was chopping wood. The blade bit through the scaly armor and sunk halfway through the creature. It hissed again but the fight was all but over now. Poro-kun repeated the motion and the upper half of the beast fell to the ground while the bottom half spurted bright red blood. The head of the snake was still alive for the moment, but it could no longer move. Poro-kun came up from behind the thing and stabbed his sword downward with all his might, finally putting an end to their snake problem. "Good... job, Poro-tan!" she panted. Rivean was supposedly a two day journey up the mountains and they would pass by several smaller farming villages along the way. Megumi intended to spend the night in an inn if possible rather than out in the open in her tent after seeing that horrible beast. After resting a short while, the two of them left the body of the gigantic serpent behind them in the middle of the road and continued their journey. Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 017 (13,617/13,655 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 825/825 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 29 Magic 3
Endurance 24 Magic Resistance 6
Strength 22 Luck 7
Agility 14
Dexterity 16
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 5 (+50% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 2 (+100 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 020 (20,647/21,911 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 400/400 MP 800/850
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 16 Magic 61
Endurance 9 Magic Resistance 43
Strength 5 Luck 15
Agility 8
Dexterity 9
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 10 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 10% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 6 - (+60% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 1 (+1 to all stats of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 1 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 17: Bandits! Hideki was put in charge of scouting ahead to watch for monsters as they continued to travel. Luckily, they didn''t run into any more trouble of the giant snake variety. Hideki had dispatched several low level monsters here and there throughout the day, but nothing that provided noteworthy amounts of experience. It was hard to believe that he was the same person he had been just a few weeks ago when this all started. His combat capabilities were off the charts compared to what he could have done before he got stuck with the necromancer. I have no freedom and she tortures me all the time, but I have to find the silver lining in all this shit somehow or I''ll lose the only thing I do have going for me; my sanity. He was given quite a bit of freedom now that they were out of town and she let him range pretty far ahead on his own. It reminded him of the months he had spent when he first started adventuring. He had been tasked with doing the lowest quests available such as fetching materials for his superiors, and exterminating the Were-Hares out in the fields around Northpost. He pulled himself out of thought and made sure to pay attention to his surroundings. He definitely didn''t want to be ambushed by some high level monster without support. They were now firmly high enough into the mountains that they were walking through the clouds. He couldn''t see very far ahead and decided that it was time to head back to Megumi. Just as he turned around, he heard the sound of screams in the distance. His instincts told him that the should run to the source of the screams and offer aid, but he wasn''t allowed the freedom to go that far ahead. He cursed inside his head and his body started making its way back to Megumi against his will. She must''ve heard that as well. Knowing that bitch, she''s probably going to make me partake in the killing of those innocents! A few minutes later and he was back at Megumi''s side. "Poro-tan, did you see what''s going on up there? Megu heard screams." He shook his head. "You called me back here before I could go check it out." "We will go see what it is together. It might be another one of those snake beasts. Megu would rather avoid fighting another one of those if she can for now." This was one point that he somewhat agreed with. That snake had been seriously bad news. Still, they managed to come out on top without any major wounds. The two of them went off the road and followed it from cover. A few minutes later they saw a cluster of farm houses that were all burning. As they continued to get closer they were able to see more details of what was happening. This was no monster attack. There were people lined up on the ground in front of their burning homes as armed men indiscriminately slaughtered them one by one. Half the people down there are children! Those fucking animals! Hideki itched to go down and dispense the justice that people like that deserved, but he didn''t have the freedom to do so. Come on, you fucking monster bitch, don''t you have any kind of shriveled heart within that small chest of yours?! Hideki turned to her to plead for the chance to go down and fight, and to his surprise when he looked at her he spotted a stray tear run down her left cheek. She wiped it away quickly and gave him an angry look as though he was intruding into something personal. "Poro-tan. We''re going to kill every last one of them." "That''s the best fucking idea you''ve ever had!" They were still a small distance from the group of farmers who were being summarily executed, but if they hurried, hopefully they could save a few of them. Hideki ran with every ounce of speed that he had in him, but he wasn''t fast enough. When they arrived on the scene there were only two people left. Corpses littered the ground and a little girl, maybe five years old, held tightly onto her mother wailing. The woman was begging for the life of her child, but the man in front simply said, "You should have thought of that before you idiots tried hiring an adventurer to save you from Tivor instead of finding a way to pay up. Now you all have to be made into examples." He ran her through without another word. The girl sobbed and clutched the corpse of her mother. Hideki rushed in just before the man''s blade could come down to finish the final survivor and parried the blow. "You fucking animals! Every single one of you is going to die. Right now!" The twenty or so bandits looked at him with amusement. "You and what army, kid? That girl that''s with you is hardly going to be any help. You two should have kept your noses out of this." The man who spoke came in swinging and Hideki easily parried the blows. With his current sword mastery, he was clearly a far better swordsman than his opponent. For once he let himself relish in the fact that he was about to slaughter some people. He knocked the man''s blade free of his hand and stabbed him squarely in the chest. Four more of the bandits charged in and surrounded him, but they didn''t know that Megumi was far from a helpless child. They''re about to learn a very important lesson: never judge a book by its cover. Megumi had armed herself and the first man he had killed was now back on his feet. A look of horror and shock covered the faces of the people he now faced. Hideki took the opening and cut down two more of the weaklings, who promptly joined his side of the fight. A few of the men had crossbows and fired bolts in his direction. One landed squarely in his abdomen, piercing his armor. It did a small amount of damage, but wasn''t anything that could even slow him down in his current state of mind. Recklessly he charged into the group of armed men and used Tiger Style to cut them down one after another. Moments later he heard the sound of corpses exploding behind him. Megumi was probably having a grand time blowing these fuckers up. In what must have been only a couple minutes, there were only a handful of enemies left. They all ran away as fast as they could and hopped up on their horses. *Ding*Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Congratulations! You have reached level 18! +1 TP
Unfortunately, Hideki didn''t have a way to catch up to mounted foes. They galloped off up the mountain road and out of sight. Hideki probably looked like something out of a horror story with all the blood and gore that now covered him from the fight, but he rushed over to the little girl. "I''m so sorry, little one. We couldn''t save your mom." The girl looked up with tears in her eyes and shook in fear. Megumi made him move away and went over to the girl instead and leaned down, giving her a hug. "Megu is sorry for what happened. Tell her who they are and she will make sure they never orphan a child ever again." Hideki was extremely surprised to see this side of her. He didn''t know she cared about anything or anyone in this world. Before he wouldn''t have even been surprised if she had orphaned some children herself. Although, now that he thought about it, she had never killed any children before that he had seen, not even in Whitegrove. "The bad men come from up the mountains. They come and make us give them things. We couldn''t pay so we tried to get help... and then.... and then..." the girl cut off in a fit of sobbing. "Do you have anyone who can take care of you? Megu will help you get there." "M-My auntie S-Saria is in Riv...ean," she replied. "You can come with us. Megu and Poro-tan will protect you." The girl looked up at Megumi and then to him. "I don''t want to leave mommy!" A twisted look of anguish appeared on Megumi''s face. "Megu understands... but all you can do is move on. Someday maybe you can grow strong and get revenge. Will you come with us?" After a long while of trying to convince the girl, whose name was Tara, they finally succeeded. In another rare act of kindness from Megumi, she had the undead bandits bury the dead farmers. It took a couple hours, but when it was all said and done there were fifteen freshly plotted graves with markers. Afterward she cast that weird blood spell on every one of the undead before dismissing them. "You are good guys." the girl said solemnly as she sat down on her mother''s grave. Megumi knelt down next to her. "We aren''t good guys. Even so, Megu can''t stand to see things like this happen. Let''s go, Tara, Poro-tan." The three unlikely companions left the burial site and continued up the winding road once more. Spoiler: Poro-tan''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 018 (14,317/15,860 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 710/850 MP 50/50
TP 1 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 30 Magic 3
Endurance 25 Magic Resistance 7
Strength 22 Luck 7
Agility 15
Dexterity 16
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 5 (+50% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 2 (+100 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 020 (21,347/21,911 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 400/400 MP 800/850
TP 2 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 16 Magic 61
Endurance 9 Magic Resistance 43
Strength 5 Luck 15
Agility 8
Dexterity 9
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 10 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 10% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 6 - (+60% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 1 (+1 to all stats of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 1 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 18: Tivor the Fallen Monk Megumi was glad that she had managed to gain another two TP from Sanguine Infusion from those animals posing as men. She placed the points: one into Sanguine Infusion and one into Corpse Explosion. She also took a moment to place another point into Poro-kun''s sword mastery skill. She considered the events that had transpired earlier in the day. The truth was that she didn''t particularly care about orphaning children, although it did bother her a bit. The primary reason she had jumped into action was that Tara bore a striking resemblance to her deceased sister, Miki. The three of them continued to walk for several hours and once the girl became too tired to continue, Megumi had Poro-tan carry her. He was more than strong enough to be up to the task, and they needed to keep moving so that they wouldn''t have to sleep out in the wilds. Just before dusk, they spotted a small village nestled into the mountainside by the main road. There were perhaps 25 buildings in all and there were cows grazing in the fields covered the mountainside. Tara had fallen asleep over Poro-tan''s shoulder a little while ago and they needed to find an inn. Luckily, there was a farmer out in one of the fields, and so they stopped for a moment to ask for some help. "Excuse me. Does this town have an inn where we could get a room for the night?" she asked in her cute voice. The farmer looked them over for a moment and then replied," Sorry, but we don''t have an inn here. If you don''t mind sleeping in my barn, then you can sleep at my farm tonight. I would hate to see two young girls eaten up by monsters." A barn? Megu should just kill this man and sleep in his house! She considered the implications of this though and didn''t want to have to murder the whole town. The whole mess would probably only leave a trail of breadcrumbs for the Adventurer''s Guild to follow. She did buy a tent in town, so it wasn''t like the barn would be a bad place to set it up. There would be solid walls around them at least. "Really?! Thank you so much! Megu and her companions really appreciate your kindness! This is Poro-tan, my brother," she pointed. "And that is Mi?¡ª er... Tara, my little sister." The man eyed her again after she fumbled over the little girl''s name. "Fake names, eh? You running from something? Don''t want no trouble here. Maybe this was a bad idea. Sorry, kid." Fuck! So much for that. Screw this podunk little town then! She simply nodded to the man and they continued walking. Once they got to the other side of town she had Poro-tan set up the tent and she had him pull out all the rest of their camping supplies. Soon they had a large tent with a nice floor made of thick blankets and even a fire outside the tent to keep them warm while they stared up at the stars. This isn''t so bad, Megu supposes. "You forgot the little girl''s name for a second?" Poro-tan said as he poked a stick into the fire, stirring the embers around. "She''s lucky Megu remembered at all. It''s not as though Megu cares about the little girl... not really." "If you say so." "Megu says so. Drop it." "Whatever you say." She pulled out some of the fruit that she grabbed in Oleander and ate some. Tara had remained asleep and was curled up inside the tent. Megumi felt a sort of kinship with the girl, five or six years ago she had been in a similar boat. If she had one piece of advice to give the girl, it would be that the world was a harsh place, and that people were rotten, selfish beings; herself included. She stared into the dancing flames of the fire for a long while contemplating her next plan of action. Megumi was definitely no hero to come in and save the day, but she had created some enemies today. They wouldn''t just let the fact that fifteen or so of their comrades were obliterated go unanswered. So the best course of action would be to put up a strong offensive front and go after them. It would be satisfying to crush the lot of them under the heel of her boot. Tomorrow Megu will do some digging in this village and find out more. The bandits probably extort this whole region. With luck, we can wipe the lot of them out and then continue on our journey. Megu is itching to plant that dungeon core already. Rivean was a place she had heard of before joining her guild. The city was said to be a fortress that the kingdom of Castellum used for defense against sieges. The capital city of Aurora was even higher in the peaks and had never before been sacked in its 1000 year history. The country lacked any dungeons, and so when she planted it, she hoped that it would become extremely powerful. It was also unlikely that the monarch of this country would let such a treasure go, no matter the unethical way that it found its way into his domain. "So why would a heartless creature like yourself keep a children''s picture book?" Poro-kun asked her. Tch! He must''ve saw it the night we were attacked in Megu''s apartment. It''s none of his damned business! She turned to him and replied, "Megu just likes the story, that''s all. Megu doesn''t want to talk any more about it." She could tell that even a blithering idiot like him could tell that he had touched a nerve and he backed off the topic. "Megu''s going to bed. Keep watch." "Good night," he replied. She climbed inside the large tent and cuddled up against the small girl. Just to stay warm, no other reason! She closed her eyes and after a short while, fell asleep. **************** When she awoke the next morning, it was time to get to work. "Poro-tan, clean up the camp. Tara, stay with Poro-tan, okay?" "Okay. You won''t go away forever, right?" Tara grabbed onto her leg.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Megu will be back. She promises." Megumi patted the girl on the head and began the short walk into the village. There weren''t any services in the town. No stores or restaurants and everyone appeared to be farmers. She found a woman crossing the street with her little boy and stopped her. "Can you tell Megu anything about the bandits in this area?" The woman''s face became white as a ghost and she shook her head, scurrying into the house. Ugh! Who does Megu have to kill to get some damned answers around here! She asked four more villagers and got pretty much the same response from all of them. Just as she was about to give up and leave the city an old man came out from his home and stepped in front of her. "The ones you are looking for are Tivor, the fallen monk''s bandit crew. The government doesn''t bother with helping our small communities so we have lived under their thumb for nearly a decade." "Fallen monk?" "Apparently, their leader was an extremely gifted adventurer who fought for the side of good for many years. One day he just decided to switch sides and has been tormenting all of us ever since." "Where are they and how many?" The old man looked at her appraisingly. "Are you sure about this? You don''t appear to be a fighter, and you''re not very old. Why trouble yourself with our problems? Why throw your young life away?" "Megu has a debt and they will collect on it sooner or later. Megu doesn''t run from problems, she faces them head on." "Don''t say I didn''t warn you. I''m only giving you this information because I saw you come through here with that swordsman yesterday. He must be incredibly strong if you''re so confident, and I suppose that I can let myself hope that you''ll free us from this mess. My family''s on the line, after all." "Get on with it, old man. Megu has got some bandits to kill." Megumi had quite enough of this whole dancing around the subject business. It was time to get down to the details. "They are holed up in an abandoned fortress, an hours walk from here. There are probably 100 of them total. Continue up the main road until you come to a fork in the road marked by a dead tree that looks like it has been split by lightning. Take the small trail up the canyon and you can''t miss it. May the gods bless you on your journey, young lady. And may they forgive me for probably sending you to your death. I don''t see how any two people can stand up to such overwhelming odds against an army like that one." "Megu IS an army." She sniffed and turned to leave without saying anything more. When she got back to the camp she updated her companions on the situation. "I''ve heard of him before. You mean he''s THAT Tivor? The man is well known throughout the various chapters of the Adventurers Guild. It is said that he was level 40 and could kill opponents with a touch of his finger. That was before he betrayed the guild and disappeared. Maybe we should leave well enough alone, Megumi." "You turning into a coward, Poro-tan? Megumi will crush them all. It''s decided." She turned to Tara who stared up at her with a look of awe in her eyes. "Do you want to stay behind and wait for us?" "No! I''ll go wherever Megu-chan goes!" "It''s settled then. Let''s go." The three of them walked up the mountain road and came upon the gigantic tree which had been supposedly struck by lightning. It was two hundred feet tall and split directly down the middle. Megumi couldn''t help but notice that the split originated from a fist sized indentation in the trunk. They turned towards the narrow canyon trail that lead off to the side and took their first steps toward the site of the impending battle. Spoiler: Poro''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 018 (14,317/15,860 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 710/850 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 30 Magic 3
Endurance 25 Magic Resistance 7
Strength 22 Luck 7
Agility 15
Dexterity 16
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 6 (+60% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 2 (+100 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megu''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 020 (21,347/21,911 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 400/400 MP 800/850
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 16 Magic 61
Endurance 9 Magic Resistance 43
Strength 5 Luck 15
Agility 8
Dexterity 9
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 11 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 11% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 1 (+1 to all stats of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 1 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 19: The Battle at Fort Xenar Megumi and the others continued up thenarrow pathway for a couple of minutes, looking for decent cover. Megumi knew that it would be idiotic to charge into a fortified position that was likely to be filled to the brim with enemy combatants. They needed to approach this problem in a creative way. She had a plan, and in order to enact it, they had to set up an ambush and hope that their luck paid off. The question was whether or not Tivor was the type of bad guy who liked to keep a bunch of weaklings around him to do all his dirty work, or if he had some stronger lieutenants. Megumi was willing to bet that he was the latter based on the information she had gleaned from the villager. It was a good sign that the bandits they had encountered when rescuing Tara were all complete and utter weaklings. They had posed no threat at all to Megumi or her pet. She couldn''t discount their numbers, however. A army of weaklings would overwhelm them eventually no matter the gap in strength. She only had so much MP, after all.Not only that, but she had to hope that they could get past the risk of arrows or other things being rained down on them from the fort. Her best solution was to wait at a choke point for patrols to come in and ambush them; thus building her own forces and depleting the enemy''s. A few more minutes of walking and the trio found their spot. The narrow trail hugged a cliff face for only about ten feet and curved sharply so that she couldn''t see what was beyond, but it was a pretty good bet that the fort lie on the other side. She imagined that any conventional force trying to take this place would be like shoving people through a meat grinder. To the side of the cliff there was a steep 100 foot drop that she knew she didn''t want to fall down. We''re going to have to gather as many of the weakling bandits as we can and try to sneak up when it''s close to dark. In all liklihood, Tivor knows that a necromancer killed the bandits sent to Tara''s farm, so it stands to reason that Megu might still be around and trying to cause trouble for him. She turned to the little girl who was clutching at her side as though she was some mighty beacon of safety and then leaned down next to her. "Tara, you need to stay back here in the trees, okay? No matter what happens, don''t come out. Megu will do her best to keep you safe, but if something bad happens, wait until the bad men are gone and then go back to the village, someone will surely help you." Tears flowed from the little girl''s eyes and she clutched at Megumi even harder. Megumi patted the girl on the head and after a few moments, the girl nodded meekly with a small sniffle and backed away slowly towards deeper cover. Megumi put on her best smile and softly said, "It''s going to be okay, Tara. Megu is strong. You''ll see." She stepped closer to the trail with Poro-tan and hid next to him in some thick brush. "Now we wait." "Right," he replied.
After hours passed by and Megumi had begun being very tired of crouching in the bushes, their wait finally paid off. A decent sized group of enemies was headed their way. Megumi estimated there were around fifteen enemies in total and she felt her heart begin to pound with excitement for what was about to come. Like a spider waiting for a fly to go into it''s web, she waited until they got so close that there was no way they could get away. Things could go south very quickly if this didn''t go just right. She didn''t want to be caught in a pincer if the sound of fighting alerted the bandits who were in the fortress. She gave her companion a quick nod and then took aim from her hiding spot as the men approached their kill zone. She fired off several Eldritch Blasts in quick succession, taking out the men in the front. The force of the explosion sent the enemies flying backwards into their companions causing mass confusion. Weapons were drawn and Poro-tan moved into action like a viper. He was down in the midst of the bewildered foes in an instant and had begun ruthlessly cutting them down. Meanwhile, Megumi cast Sanguine Infusion and then Raise Undead on each enemy as they fell; unfortunately she didn''t have any luck getting more TP this time around. Soon the confused enemies began to panic; trying to flee the way they had come, but Poro-tan was too fast for them and their own dead were helping to cut them down. In the span of just under a minute, they had taken out the entire enemy force and added their strength to their own. Everything had worked exactly as she had hoped and they only lost one man, who had fallen over the cliff to his death. She had a small force of her own now. *Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 21! +1 TP
She placed the TP into Sanguine Infusion. If the battle was going to go as she hoped, then she would have a lot more opportunities to gain extra TPs. She needed to maximize her chance. Once that was done, it was time to decide what to do next. Tivor was probably expecting these men back, but the question was whether or not he would send a team out looking for them or not if they never showed up. She considered how many enemies they were still up against, and if the old man''s information was correct, and who was to say that he would have any real idea of how many enemies there were in the place, then around a quarter of the enemies were now accounted for between the ones she dispatched now and the ones at the farm. "Do you think he''ll send out a team looking for them?" Poro-tan asked almost as if he had been reading her mind. "Hopefully. Let''s set up a trap and see what happens." Megumi had the undead minions work tirelessly to cover up any signs of a fight by kicking dirt around. It wasn''t perfect, but it was already near dusk, and hopefully that would be enough. She had the undead form a group in a circle a little ways off in the distance; obscuring the wounds as best she could by changing their formation around. "Time to wait again. Megu is going to check on Tara. Wait in the bush like before, Poro-tan." "All right." Megumi made her way back through the trees a ways and found Tara hiding inside a large hollow spot in an oak tree facing the sheer cliff face that blocked people from going around the choke point. "Are you okay? We''ll be done soon. Megu and Poro-tan took care of some of the bad men." The little girl nodded meekly. "I''m okay. Is this a good hiding spot?" "You did good. Just stay in there, okay?" The girl nodded again and Megumi reached into her magical bag, pulling out a few pieces of fruit and handed them over to the girl. "Megu has to go. See you soon." When she got back to their hiding spot she let Poro-tan know that Tara had found a good hiding spot and they went back to waiting. She hoped that Tivor wasn''t the type of guy who would go out looking for his men on his own, but she highly doubted it was the case. Even if that did happen though, she now had over a dozen corpses that she could send running at him like ticking time bombs in a pinch. She didn''t know a lot about the monk class, but she did know that they favored hand-to-hand combat. They were usually said to be strong and utilized their mana to enhance their bodies rather than having any spells. Their ki could be used to enhance their punches and kicks by a substantial margin. A hour or so passed, but as she had hoped, another group of bandits came around the corner and towards her new trap. It''s like going fishing. They''re going straight for the bait! She grinned and watched as the group headed straight for her undead minions. They still didn''t notice anything was wrong with their former comrades. The one in the front called out to them, "What the hell are you guys doing? The boss has been waiting for hismoney all damned day. He''s getting irritated." Megumi had the undead shuffle around a little, but had no way to make them respond otherwise. The man who had spoke seemed to be getting very irritated at being ignored and stomped his way ever closer to her trap. Taking careful aim, she fired at the men in the rear while simultaneously having her undead turn suddenly and attack the man who had been stomping over. "What the f¡ª?" was all he got out before he was killed where he stood. "It''s an ambush!" another one yelled. They tried to run, but there really wasn''t anywhere to go and Poro-tan was already down there, blocking their path to retreat. He raised his blade and performed his shockwave attack. It ripped through two of the enemy combatants instantly and he charged in with his blade, spinning. Everywhere his blade pointed, death followed. Megumi followed the same pattern she had before, and raised undead fighters as soon as the bodies hit the ground while hitting them with Sanguine Infusion as well. When all was said and done, they had added ten more minions to their group with only a couple casualties. Her total was now 19. She had managed to net a few TPS from all her Sanguine Infusions, and that was a huge stroke of luck. She placed all her new points into Sanguine Infusion, bringing it up to level 15 and then she gained a notification.
Notification
You have reached the current level cap for Sanguine Infusion. No further points can be allocated until you reach the next required level. (50)
She knew this was bound to happen eventually, she wasn''t gaining levels rapidly enough to keep up with all the TPs she had been gaining. Her mentor had told her that the skill Sanguine Infusion was incredibly rare, and that in his four hundred years of life, he had never heard of another gaining the skill. She had been lucky in that respect, a prodigy of a sorts. There was a reason that necromancers didn''t rule the world, after all. It probably didn''t help that her bretheren tended to lock themselves up in dank crypts or get themselves killed off before they could become strong, either. She shrugged and moved on to bigger things, like planning their next move. She checked Poro-tan''s status and saw that he had leveled up as well. "Hey, Poro-tan. Where should your next TP go? You know more about what would work good for you than Megu does. Take this as a sign of trust that Megu is going to let you make a decision on your own growth even though you''re her minion." He frowned at the last part of her comment, but answered her anyway, "Put it into Sword Mastery. The better I am with a blade, the better off we''ll be against that guy."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "Okay." "So what''s our next move? I doubt that he''s just going to keep randomly sending out more minions for us to slaughter. He has to know something is going on at this point," Poro-tan said. "It''s time to take the fight to them. It''s getting dark and we can sneak in with the group. Hopefully the doors will open right up for us." "And if they don''t?" "We''ll worry about that if it happens. Don''t be so pessimistic, Poro-tan." After checking on Tara once more, it was dark enough that they could initiate the plan. Megumi gave Tara some more supplies and some money before leaving her and going back to the group. Megumi tied her back into a low pony tail and put on a dark cloak before putting herself in the middle of the group; directly behind some taller bodies.It was time to go. "Let''s do this, Poro-tan." Her companion nodded, she even spotted a glint of what she thought was blood lust in his eyes. The group silently trudged along the narrow path and in no time at all the sight of the large fort stood before them. Torches were lit out front of the large gate leading into the stone fortress. She spotted murder holes and a few bandits atop the ramparts who were walking around. Megumi did her best to hide behind the tall men and they continued straight until they reached the gate with no issues.The enemies above must have not been able to see very good, as they weren''t being pelted by arrows. Megumi couldn''t help but feel that something was off though. This was too easy and no one had come down to greet their group. This smells like a trap. Megumi looked up and saw a figure leaping from the top of the fortress. The figure flipped several times while in the air and landed on the ground behind her group with a loud thud. She moved her undead slightly to have a better look at the man. There was no doubt that this man was Tivor, the fallen monk.His was shaved completely bald and the flickering tochlight reflected off his scalp. The man had enormous muscles and he wore no shirt, perfectly displaying his cuty physique. Around his neck, he wore a large bead necklace. The beads were made of wood and were about the size of her fist. He was grinning at her like a cat that had just caught a mouse. "I had a feeling that you wouldn''t be able to resist attacking my fortress when I heard about you from my men. People who act solely upon emotion are predictable and weak." He frowned at her. "I should have realized sooner that you had done something to my first group of men. It''s a shame that you have defiled so many of my minions with your foul magic. Not that numbers will save you anyway." "Enough talk. Megu is going to end your existence, not listen to you give a speech!" "If you''re in such a hurry to die, who am I to deny your final request?" The gate swung open behind her and she heard bandits pouring out and attacking her minions behind her. She mentally had the undead engage the attackers, but didn''t shift her focus from the deadly foe before her. She held back five minions who stood between her and the monk like a meat shield with Poro-tan behind them. She tentatively sent two of her pawns rushing towards the man with swords raised, intending to explode them when they got close enough. The monk moved with surprising grace and fluidity as he engaged her minions in the blink of an eye. He carefully placed his open palm on the chests of each undead and jumped back. The corpses exploded in a spray of congealed blood and bits of bone. She hadn''t even done it herself. She wiped away a speck of gore that had landed on her cheek. This wasn''t going to be easy. Megu really underestimated this guy. "Keep him busy, Poro-tan. Don''t let him touch you." She turned away from the monk and focused on the battle behind her. The undead were holding their own, but she had suffered some casualties. She raised new Undead from the fallen and exploded several corpses while forcing her way into the fortress. Once she was inside she had her minions block the entrance while she laid waste to the enemies within. She sent Eldritch Blasts into enemy after enemy, and then brought them back as fodder to use against more of the bandits. She had been quickly casting Sanguine Infusion on each downed enemy as well and had already gained another two TP so far. Poro-tan had been pressed back into the fortress and was desperately warding the enemy''s blows away with his sword. All of the undead minions who she had left to aid her companion had already fallen, so she sent more enemies towards the monk. She exploded the corpses as soon as they were close to the enemy and showered him with shrapnel from a short distance. His body was tough, but he was definitely taking some damage at least. There weren''t a lot of bandits left to kill, and she still had a little more than a handful of minions to use. She raised two more undead and sent them over to join Poro-tan once more. Tivor charged in, finally getting close to Poro-tan, and landed a heavy kick. Poro-tan flew back a dozen feet and rolled across the ground in a heap. He was already in bad shape. His health was low and she needed to help him. The monk was already stalking towards her, and she couldn''t blame him for the strategy. After all, if he killed her, all her remaining minions would fall as well. She saw Poro-tan drinking a potion, but she didn''t know if he would make it in time. She sent more undead after the monk and exploded them, but he dodged them with ease, taking only minimal damage. Next, she started sending Eldritch Blasts his way, but still he closed the gap. It was time to try something risky. She poured two TPs into the Decay curse and then cast the curse upon the approaching enemy, but the spell failed. Damn! It''s not strong enough. He was nearly to her now and he was grinning. The monk clearly thought he had her well in hand. Poro-tan was back on his feet, however and managed to rush inbetween her and the monk once more, holding his sword out wardingly. Megumi would have a little more time. More bandits had come out of the woodwork and were charging at her from behind. She only barely caught one out of the corner of her eye and sent him flying backwards with an Edlritch Blast. She quickly dispatched the foolish weaklings who had offered her lives so readily to her and cast Sanguine Infusion on each one as they fell, she gained 3 more TPs from the nearly two dozen enemies that she had now managed to down in such a short amount of time. They were wearing her down though, she was mentally fatigued, and her mana was nearly depleted, despite the mana potions she had just taken. She placed all three new TPs into Decay and cast it again. Success! The monk''s movements slowed and he appeared to be in excruciating pain. The opening was just enough for Poro-tan to make his move. He dodged the incoming fist of the monk, which had considerably less speed behind it than it had before, and slashed the man with his cursed blade. The skin around the cut began to darken immediately and the man grimaced in pain. He tried to retreat back a few steps, but Poro-tan was now on the offensive. He landed another cut and then another. Just as he had gone in for the killing blow, the monk managed to land one final kick, which sent her companion flying once more. He didn''t get back up. Megumi screamed in rage and blasted him. This time, she landed her attack. Her MP was now completely depleted, but it had been enough. The monk fell backwards and was engulfed in green flames. Tivor, the fallen monk, had fallen and would not be getting up again. His story was now over. Megumi felt dizzy from being out of mana and stumbled, falling to the ground painfully. She lay on the ground for a moment, breathing heavily as her MP slowly went up. *Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 22! +1 TP
*Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 23! +1 TP
After a short while of being on the ground, she got back to her senses enough to drag herself to her feet. Poro-tan! She ignored the screaming headache that she now had and ran over to her companion, who lay crumpled up on the ground. He only had 13 HP left, according to his status, and she could see that he had several broken bones. She reached into her bag and pulled outa special healing potion she had picked up in Oleander. It had cost quite a bit, but it was worth it. She poured the orange liquid down Poro-tan''s throat and watched as his bones reset themselves and he slowly healed. The potion would take time, but he would be okay. She flopped back onto the ground and breathed out a sigh of relief. We did it. Megu can''t believe it, but we actually got out of this debacle alive. After a hour or so, she couldn''t really tell though, his HP stabilized at 293 and he slowly opened his eyes. "We won?" "We won." He let out a dry laugh and she smiled down at him. She had gained a ridiculous amount of experience and TPs through doing this, but it had been far too reckless. She promised herself to be a little less reckless in the future. They left the fortress behind them and headed back to where Tara was hiding. It was time to get back on the road. They would be at Rivean soon and she was ready to plant her dungeon core! Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 021 (25,572/27,801 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1000/1000 MP 50/50
TP 2 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 40 Magic 3
Endurance 28 Magic Resistance 8
Strength 25 Luck 7
Agility 18
Dexterity 17
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 3 (+30 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 1 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 2 (+100 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 023 (32,602/34,419 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 450/450 MP 1000/1000
TP 2 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 18 Magic 68
Endurance 10 Magic Resistance 47
Strength 6 Luck 16
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 4 (+120 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 1 (+1 to all stats of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 1 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 20: The Adventurers Guild Arrives Kieren shouldered his enchanted halberd and looked up at the cloud covered mountains. The guild had received a request recently to handle some bandits, but when they sent out one of their members, he never returned. Something sinister was going on up in the mountains between Oleander and Rivean, and Kieren was going to discover what it was. He had commissioned 8 other adventurers to join him on this raid, and felt confident that they could handle any kind of bandit problem they came across. It was odd that in all the years that bandits had supposedly held the mountain communities in an iron grip, that only recently had anyone reported it. "You lot ready to go yet?" he barked at the others. "We have some bandit scum to kill and some people to save." The others gave a slight cheer and the 9 adventurers charged up the mountain path. Over the next day they came across some extremely odd things. First, there was a Class 4 monster, a Scarlet Cobra, that lie dead in the middle of the road. It had been decapitated and just left to rot. "What in the blazes do you think happened with this thing? Who around here could''ve killed such a thing?" Pyrien asked. "Don''t suppose the bandits killed it? If they did... maybe we didn''t bring enough men with us," Byrin chimed in. Kieren frowned as he circled the corpse. There were burn marks on its head and some stab wounds. This had been done by a mage and probably several fighters by his estimation. "Even if the bandits did take it out, they would''ve suffered some heavy losses. No use speculating about it, though. We continue onward. I''m sure we''ll find out more once we find some people." **************** After continuing up the road a ways past the dead serpent they had hoped to find some living people in a small cluster of farms, but when they arrived all they found were abandoned houses. Whoever had lived in those homes had sure left in a hurry. They also had found some freshly dug graves near the homes. Maybe something happened and the rest of the farmers had to flee? Kieren assumed that whatever misdeed had occured at those homes, had to be the handiwork of the bandits. Some time later, the party came upon a small mountain village. It was surrounded by cattle farms. The party came upon a farmer and his wife in the main street as they entered the town. "Excuse me. We''re from the Adventurers Guild and we''re here to help with a bandit problem. Can you give us some information on what''s been going on?" A look of fear and hesitation appeared on the faces of the two villagers, but they reluctantly gave them the information they needed. The bandit leader was none other than Tivor, the fallen monk. Several of his men shifted from side to side upon this revelation. Fucking cowards! There are 9 of us and all over level 15, with a good variety of classes. We can take out one damned monk and some bandits. Besides, he has got to be getting old and out of shape by now if he''s been holed up in these hills all these years! Kieren thanked the couple for the information and they left the town behind them, heading further up the mountains. **************** When the party arrived at the site of the dead tree they had been told of, it was clear that some sort of fight had occurred near this location, although all the evidence pointed to the fact that whatever had gone down, happened days ago. After a little poking around they found a few corpses that had been nearly picked clean by carrion eaters. They had to shoo them off the bodies to get a better look. "What do ya think happened here Cap''n?" Ivor asked. "Nothing good. Get your weapons ready, everyone. I want our casters to take up the rear. We''re going in."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. It didn''t take long for them to get to a narrow part of the path which wound around a corner. The fortress the bandits were holed up in had to be right ahead of here. It was time to charge into battle. "Irenis, be ready to throw up your barrier spell in an instant, okay?" "I''m ready whenever!" Kieren nodded, and the group of brave adventurers charged in to save the day. Only... when they arrived at the fortress it was filled with nothing but corpses. Flies and carrion eaters covered the grounds of the fortress. The place smelled horrible and he had to hold back some vomit as they proceeded. The strange thing was that it looked as though several of the corpses had literally exploded. There were a number of spells and techniques that could do this, but most likely it had been Tivor''s fabled Exploding Palm technique. The party was in absolute shock when they found no resistance at all inside the building either. Just more of the same blood and gore that they had seen outside. Some sort of crazy battle had occurred here. Maybe the bandits rebelled against Tivor and they wiped each other out? This whole thing doesn''t make any damned sense! "Cap''n! Over here!" Kieren went over to see what the commotion was. Laying on the ground with a burnt out chest was none other than Tivor, the fallen monk. It had to be him, as the body fit the description perfectly. Not only that, but the beaded necklace that lay in fragments around the man also hinted at his identity. "By the gods, who could have done this to him? It would have taken an army to storm this place and take all these people out. Why aren''t there any corpses other than what appear to be bandits? Why wasn''t it reported that Tivor had been dealt with? These bodies have been here for days, Cap''n!" "I don''t know, Ivor. I''m just as stumped as the rest of you. Fan out and search the building in pairs! Maybe we''ll get lucky and find some sort of clue. I''ll wait here." While he waited he contemplated all the odd things that had been going on lately in addition to this. A dungeon core had been stolen for the first time in a generation. Then, a short while after that, the city of Bridgeport had basically imploded upon itself as nobles acted like ravaging beasts, attacking each other in the streets. Apparently a low level adventurer and a necromancer fled the town during the disturbance. His face twisted in disgust at both the thought of a necromancer and at the traitor who had betrayed his oaths. A couple weeks after that a ship full of dead pirates ran itself ashore north of Oleander and now this. The world needed the Adventurers Guild to help keep order in the world more than ever. With odd occurrences happening so frequently, it was important for people to have something to rely on. Two of his men appeared out of one of the side corridors, dragging a sobbing man. He was kicking and screaming. "Let me go! I need to hide! She''s going to kill us all!" Kieren marched over to the man and stood in front of him. His clothes were covered in blood and it was likely that this man had been a bandit. He slapped the sobbing man with the back of his gauntleted hand. "Pull yourself together you piece of filth! What in the fuck happened here?" The man was clearly in a state of shock. What could have struck such fear into the heart of this man that he could be in this state days after the event? "Who is going to kill us all?" "The necromancer! She killed Tivor and everyone! She''s going to kill us all! I need to get back to my hiding spot!" A necromancer? Could it be the same one as in Bridgeport? Why in the fuck would she slaughter a group of bandits? And how strong would she have to be to do that? Maybe she had an army of undead? Even so... where would she have gotten it? No graveyards had been reported defiled or anything. Tivor was no pushover and there had to have been over fifty men here according to the remains strewn about. "Do you know how long ago this happened?" he asked. "Three days I''ve been hiding in that closet. She might come back! I need to escape!" "The only place you''ll be escaping to is the prison down in Oleander. Ivor, we need to get word to the guild about what''s happened here. That necromancer might have killed these men so that she could set up her own nefarious plans. Take Lynn, Pyrien and Byrin as well as this prisoner and head to Oleander. The rest of us will continue on to Rivean." "Cap''n, won''t you need us?" Ivor asked. "Don''t worry, we''re just going to get some information for now. If that necromancer could do all this single handedly, then we''re going to need help from the higher-ups. Get a move on!" His lieutenant saluted and they all headed back to the main road. The two groups split off and Kirien looked warily up the mountain road. Just what kind of vile plans do you have for my country? The Adventurers Guild won''t just stand idly by and let you do what you want! Chapter 21: The Birth of a New Dungeon! Megumi stared up at the giant walls that spanned the entire width of the ravine leading up the mountain pathway. Ballistae were affixed to gigantic watch towers and she could see soldiers patrolling the walls. A large iron gate stood before them and four guards blocked the way. "Purpose of visit and how long do you plan to stay?" the guard asked in a deadpan voice that screamed he was bored as hell. "Poro-kun and Megu are just travelers. We''re just passing through. We want to see the sights of the capital city. We''re also taking this girl to her aunt who lives here in Rivean." The man eyed them for a moment. Megu hopes that the wanted poster hasn''t spread this far yet! "Very well. You can go ahead," he looked directly at Poro-tan. "Don''t cause any trouble in the city, understand? We have low tolerance for such things here." Poro-tan nodded and the man waved to a guard on the other side who used a mechanism to lift the heavy gate. Once Megumi''s group was on the other side and clear of the guards she stopped and knelt down next to the little girl. "Where does your aunt live? Do you remember?" "In the marketplace! Auntie owns a cafe. The Golden Neko," Tara replied. Megumi knew how hard the girl was trying to stay upbeat despite losing her mother. After they killed the bandits, Megumi had asked about the girl''s father. Apparently he had been killed by the same bandits just after she had been born. Megumi was definitely no hero, but she was glad that she had exterminated those vermin. Villains like those who merely existed to prey upon the helpless were nothing like her. She had higher goals in mind. The city was much grander than Bridgeport or any of the small towns she had called home for the last several years. The buildings were all created from stone and they were crammed together just like the ones down in Oleander. The city was built with defense in mind. A river ran through the center of town that came down from the peaks of the tallest mountain providing water and the city was built upon terraces, each with their own walls and checkpoints. After passing through two more residential sections of the city they crossed a large bridge that ran across the river. She looked off the edge of the bridge and saw that the bed of the river was covered in sharp rocks that pointed upwards. Even the water source was a defensive mechanism. It was no surprise that this city had never fallen to siege in the wars of the past. Once across and through yet another checkpoint, they finally reached the market district. It was a typical market with hawkers selling various trinkets on blankets as they walked past. Megumi bought herself and Tara some cheap matching bracelets so that the girl would have something to remember her by. Just to keep up appearances of course! It''s not like she actually cared for the little girl or anything. Really! Several minutes later they found The Golden Neko on the corner of two intersecting main streets. A flag flapped in front of the building with a golden cat holding a cake in outstretched arms. A mascot character stood outside in a fuzzy suit dancing around, beckoning people to come inside. Now this is Megu''s kind of restaurant! It''s so cute! They made their way over to the building and went inside. The place was bustling and full of patrons. Several waitresses wearing fake cat ears ran around carrying dishes. There was a counter with stools in front if it at the back of the large room. A display case stood behind that counter with a dozen delicious looking cakes in it. "Auntie!" Tara yelled as she saw a woman come out from the kitchen. The woman was probably in her early thirties and had short brown hair. She, like the other workers, had two cat ears attached to the top of her head. She sat down the plates she had been holding and ran over to Tara, scooping her up in a warm embrace. "Tara! I didn''t know you were coming to visit! Where''s your mom?" The girl''s mood sank upon hearing her mom mentioned and she began to cry. Megumi explained the situation to the woman who thanked them for doing all they did. "Thank you for bringing her here. I will keep her safe." She held Tara tightly in her arms. "You two are heroes for finally bringing justice to those bandits. You''ll always have meals on the house here for as long as I live. Thank you!" she was crying. Megumi shifted anxiously. Megu doesn''t want to be a hero! Heroes are worthless. Free food is always good though. So Megu will let it slide, just this once! They sat and talked with the woman, Eileen, for a hour or so while eating some of the most delicious cakes that Megumi had ever tasted, and then they stood up to leave. "Megu-chan! Don''t leave!" Megumi bent down and patted the girl on the head like she used to do to her sister. "Megu will be around. I''ll come visit, don''t worry." She smiled and waved goodbye as they left the cafe. Megu has a dungeon to create! "Poro-tan, we are going to need to leave the city and head further up the road a ways. Megu needs to find a good place to plant the core. It will be a level 1 core again so we will need to feed and protect the dungeon." "I can''t believe you made me try every one of those damned cakes! There wasn''t anything spicy on that whole menu. I swear, you need to just let me go find my own food to eat." "That wouldn''t be as fun. Now quit whining and let''s get a move on! Megu wants to get this done today." After an hour or so of travelling they arrived in a good spot for the dungeon. Megumi had Poro-tan kill any monsters they found and had him carry their corpses along the journey. They had found a few types of weak monsters that she could use to seed the dungeon with. Megumi intended to feed the dungeon strong adventurers to help it level and grow stronger as soon as possible. A small trail led off towards the mountains that appeared to be used by animals seeking water from a nearby mountain lake. She walked over to a large cliff face that ran near the edge of the lake and pulled out the dungeon core. It pulsed faintly in her hand and she held it out against the rock. A prompt appeared.
Dungeon Notification
Do you wish to seed a new dungeon in this location? Yes / No
Megumi selected yes and the core pulsed as brightly as the sun. She had to avert her gaze and felt the orb slide away from her fingertips and sink into the stone. The ground began to quake around her and she struggled to maintain her balance. Several minutes of rumbling later, a simple stone archway formed in front of her leading into a eerily lit room. Excitedly, she ran inside the room and looked around. The stone walls were marbled with veins of quartz and cobalt that gave the room some color. The dungeon had used the natural resources around it to form the interior of its own volition. She and Poro-tan walked around the empty place and found that the new dungeon consisted of merely 8 circular rooms that were linked together in a straightforward fashion. "Well... this isn''t very great, is it Poro-tan?" She couldn''t hide the disappointment in her voice. In Northpost the dungeon was somewhat formed as a crude labyrinth and featured two floors as well as a giant boss room. It would take barely any effort at all for even a low leveled adventurer to walk straight through this place and take her core. She paced around the room with the pedestal the core stood upon for a moment and then placed her hand on the orb. A status screen appeared.
Dungeon Name Undefined Dungeon Owner Megumi
Dungeon Level 01 (0/10,000 EXP to next lvl) Dungeon Type Undefined
DP Available 150/350
Rooms Available 8 Floors Available 1
Boss 0 Type Undefined
Mini-Bosses 0 Available 2
Bestiary (0)
Monster --- Level Range ---
Megumi focused on the rooms section of the menu and another window appeared before her.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Dungeon Administration
Assign Boss Assign Mini-Bosses Assign Monsters
Organize Rooms Assign Friendly Users Enhance Monsters
Seed Loot Collect Taxes ????
???? ???? ????
There wasn''t a lot she could do here without any monsters yet, but she did assign herself and Poro-tan as friendly users. The monsters wouldn''t attack them in the dungeon unless they attacked first. It was time to give this place some monsters. "Poro-kun, drop the dead monsters on the floor." He gave her an insolent look, he hadn''t been happy being forced to place corpses into his bag. A moment later four monster corpses were laid out on the floor. She didn''t get what he was whining about anyway, it wasn''t like the magical space inside the thing could get dirty or something. Over the next few minutes they watched as the dungeon absorbed the corpses of the dead monsters. The bestiary interface updated immediately and showed her four monsters: blue slime, niern, mountain rat, scarlet viper. If only Megu had been able to grab the corpse of that giant version of the little snake that we fought on the way up here. Maybe I can grow strong ones in the dungeon. The niern looked like a large lizard with a series of blue and green mushrooms growing on its back. It had tried to incapacitate her pawn by shooting out spores. A beast like that one would be useful in the dungeon. The slime and mountain rats, however were pretty pitiful. She had to work with what she had though. She decided that the first order of business would be to re-arrange the dungeon into a better layout. She opened the administration window again and chose Organize Rooms. This was the first time she encountered something that cost Dungeon Points, or DP for short. Changing the layout of the dungeon would require 100 DP, nearly all that was available. Megumi didn''t see any other choice in the matter and paid the cost. A window appeared and allowed her to move things around and reshape them with her mind. Several minutes later the dungeon was organized into a more interesting shape. There were a series of three rooms off the entrance. One of the rooms was a dead end, while the one to the right led off in a chain of five rooms. The room where she stood, with the dungeon core, she hid behind a wall with a secret entrance. The room before it would be the boss room. The whole place shook around them and she had the odd sensation that the room she was in was literally moving into place. It was like the dungeon itself was alive beneath her feet. It isn''t much, but it will have to do until Megu can level this dungeon up. Nobody knew exactly how, but dungeons generated gemstones, coins, and even rare magical items at higher their levels. Adventurers could come and test their might against a place in hopes of good loot drops. Dungeons were truly a gift from the gods. These were the reasons that dungeons were national treasures. Higher level dungeons were heavily guarded and typically owned by royal families. Next, she chose to seed loot and the dungeon ate away some coins she offered up: A 100 GP coin, a 50 GP coin, a 25 GP coin, and 25 single GP coins. Somehow it could now literally generate money and would drop coins randomly when monsters were slain. Everything was going smoothly so far. She assigned monsters to spawn in the various rooms of the place and had it so that weaker monsters spawned near the first rooms, while the nierns and scarlet vipers spawned near the boss room. She assigned a scarlet viper as the boss of dungeon for now. She gained the option of enhancing the boss monster with 40 DP, so she did. Spawning monsters took DP, which would regenerate at a rate of 10 per hour. Right now she didn''t even have enough DP to spawn all the monsters, so all that she could do was wait. "Poro-tan, we''ll be staying in this room from now on. We''re going to have to protect the core until the dungeon gets stronger. It''s hidden but someone could steal Megu''s core easily if they looked around enough. Unpack the bag." Several minutes later the room with the dungeon core was decorated to her tastes and she had the tent set up in the corner of the room with all her stuffed animals and blankets. Megu just needs to be patient and with time she will be strong enough to leave this place and go after her real goal. She lay down in her tent while Poro-tan kept watch and she took out her only real treasure,a worn children''s book, and ran her fingers lightly over the cover before tucking it under her pillow and going to sleep. Spoiler: Poro
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 021 (25,842/27,801 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1000/1000 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 40 Magic 3
Endurance 28 Magic Resistance 8
Strength 25 Luck 7
Agility 18
Dexterity 17
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 4 (+40 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 2 (+100 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 023 (32,872/34,419 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 450/450 MP 1000/1000
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 18 Magic 68
Endurance 10 Magic Resistance 47
Strength 6 Luck 16
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 5 (+150 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorption (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 1 (+1 to all stats of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 2 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 22: Being a Dungeon Master is a lot of Work! Several days had now passed since Megumi had given new life to her dungeon core, and she was already bored out of her mind. She paced around the small confines of her secret chamber impatiently. "Ugh... who would have thought running a dungeon would involve so much sitting around doing nothing! No wonder these things are usually managed by city officials. It''s so boring!" she complained to Poro-tan for probably the tenth time that day. Her pet, who seemed indifferent to the whole thing just shrugged at her. "I''ll take sitting around bored over almost being killed by an evil monk or abducted by pirates any day. Why not take it easy? Is there something you''re in a rush to do or something?" She stared at him cooly and didn''t respond right away. "Taking it easy is fine once in a while, but Megu didn''t realize before how annoying it is to be essentially stuck in this cave, unable to leave!" Poro-tan simply shrugged again and she went back to her pacing. Neither of them could leave the dungeon unguarded as it was still extremely low level. Any low ranked adventurer could simply clear the dungeon out and steal the core for themselves. She couldn''t even leave him here by himself to sneak into town or something because not only was she wanted, but it was far enough away that it could put strain on the magic holding her companion to this world. For these reasons, they had simply had to sit around and wait for adventurers to come along. What was worse, however, was that she couldn''t even farm the low level adventurers who came to the dungeon as it would attract more powerful enemies. She was trapped, and felt like an idiot for even thinking this plan could work out. The only positive thing that had really come out of taking the core was screwing over the local government and the local villain''s guild. She kicked an apple core that had been thrown on the floor across the room in irritation. Megumi stared at the experience portion of the dungeon''s stats and grew even more irritated. Despite the moderate traffic from newbie adventurers who had discovered the dungeon, it had barely leveled at all. It would take ages and ages for this to pay off, and while she knew that she had a very long lifespan ahead of her thanks to Sanguine Infusion, she didn''t intend to spend that time rotting away here. "I''ve had it! This plan is a bust, Poro-tan. We''re leaving this place and heading back to civilization to have some actual fun again. Megu has no intention of sitting around and rotting in this place like one of those other necromancers who hangs around in crypts!" Her companion groaned a bit when she mentioned having fun. "I don''t get why you even bothered to take the core from Northpost if this is what you were going to do. Do you ever think ahead, or what? I also don''t particularly enjoy your brand of ''fun,'' either. I vote that we just stick this out." "Too bad you don''t get a vote! We''re going!" Megumi ignored most of what he had said, sniffed loudly and began tossing things into her magical bag as quickly as she could. Poro-tan got the message and got to work putting his own things into his bag as well. She didn''t like to admit the truth, which was that she really hadn''t thought the thing with the core through very well. It stung a little bit that he hit the nail right on the head. Megumi had no idea how long it took to raise a dungeon, and had thought it would be a breeze. She had no intention of admitting her lack of knowledge, however. She had her pride, after all, and wouldn''t admit to anything. There were things that needed to be done outside, and she didn''t want to waste another minute unless it involved her having some fun or at the very least increasing her strength. The dungeon had only generated 75 GP for her over the short period in taxes, and that would have to do. All of her belongings were now tucked away into her bag, save her book. She held the book reverently in her hands. It was the only real treasure she owned. She idly flipped it open to the page where she kept her family portrait and gently brushed her fingertips across the faces of her family.Megu will never stop until everyone who wronged us gets what''s coming to them. After staring at the image for a moment longer, she closed it carefully and stowed it away in her bag with the rest of her things. She had worked tirelessly for around a decade now with this goal in mind, and she was so close to being strong enough to enact the first part of her revenge. "Before we go, Megu needs to relinquish ownership of the dungeon." "What happens when a dungeon isn''t owned?" She shrugged. She had no idea really, maybe the dungeon would go rogue, she didn''t really care though. Someone would come along and claim the core soon enough as the place was pretty weak right now. Megumi touched the shining orb that was the dungeon''s core and concentrated on relinquishing ownership. Just like that, the core turned a brilliant red and it was done. "It''s done. Let''s get out of this hole. Megu has a huge craving for some cake, and we know the perfect place to go get some. We''ll stop atThe Golden Neko for a little bit and then leave tomorrow morning for the capital. He didn''t argue or anything even though she knew he had no desire to eat the sweet food that she loved so much, and the two of them headed for the exit. The monsters were no longer friendly towards them, but she and her pet cut their way out of the dungeon easily. It was mid-morning outside and she had to shield her eyes against the bright sunlight. The crisp mountain air tasted so good and she took several deep breaths, enjoying being outside. People aren''t meant to live in holes like moles! The fresh air smells so nice! She could help but smile at the sheer beauty of the nature that lie just outside the cave that had been her home for the past several days. It looked as though it must have rained the night before, as the ground was still damp and droplets of water were on the leaves of the nearby trees. Her smile faded when a group of well equipped people headed around the bend in the pathway and straight towards their direction. The man in the front, who was lean and tall, carried a wicked looking halberd that was casually leaning against his shoulder as he strode directly towards the two of them. "They might be trouble. Get ready," she whispered to Poro-tan. She readied herself for a fight and her companion drew his cursed blade. The two of them stood ready as the group of potential enemies stopped a couple dozen paces away from them. If they were lucky, these were simply some adventurers looking to take on the new dungeon and they could leave without a fight. She wanted to go eat cake, and she was willing to live and let live today. Based on their equipment alone, these people were worlds apart from the adventurers they had encountered so far in their dungeon. If they were here to take the core, they would probably do so easily. The group of five people eyed Megumi and Poro-tan warily before the man with the halberd stepped forward and spoke. "I''m Kieren, a Rank B adventurer. We''ve come all the way from Oleander pursuing you as you''re a wanted criminal who has allegedly massacred soldiers in Bridgeport. From the reports that have come from the low level adventurers around here, and the fact that you are here, it seems that you''re probably responsible for the missing dungeon core in Northpost as well." Tch! This is gonna be a pain in the ass! A villain''s work is never done it seems. She frowned at the man and gripped her staff tightly. They were ready for an attack, she was sure of it. There were definitely casters in the group that stood before them. Poro-tan moved, placing himself between her and the enemies as she had directed him to do mentally. The man didn''t flinch and simply continued talking. "However... after doing some more investigating ourselves... we have found that you have done far more good in this world than bad. You rescued a girl from some bandits, and then single-handedly defeated around a hundred bandits in the same band as well as their formidable leader. The truth is, you saved several mountain villages from years of Tivor''s tyranny. Not only that, butupon further digging, I found out that you uncovered a den of evil doers in Northpost as well.The guild has decided to forgive your other... indiscretions. It''s hard to believe that someone who has done such good in the world, would attack a group of guards without cause. We''ve removed your bounty, but you are still wanted in Bridgeport; there''s nothing we can really do about that. I''m here to offer the Adventurer''s Guild''s deepest apologies."If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Her mouth had dropped open from shock halfway through his speech. She was literally dumbfounded by what she had just heard. The fools were just going to let her off the hook? She would gladly take it. She had no intention of going back to Bridgeport again, so she didn''t care about having a price on her head in that country. Not having the adventurer''s guild on her ass right now would only benefit her in the long run. "The bandits were the worst kind of scum, as were those vile people set up in that fake children''s charity. Megu was more than happy to bring them the taste of justice that they deserved." These were her true feelings, so she didn''t even have to lie about it. She had despised all of those villains who had held their noses up at her. They had gotten what was coming to them. The man, Kieren, seemed satisfied with her response and reached down to unhook a heavy looking pouch from the belt at his waist. The bag clinked as he did so and then he tossed it over to her. "The reward for taking care of the bandits. It belongs to you. Hideki, you''ve been reinstated to the guild and the local guild master in Rivean wishes to see you. Stop by the guild hall in Rivean if you''re looking for some work around here. My party will be heading back to Oleander in a few days. What''s your name, girl?" "Megumi." "Well met. I''m glad that I investigated things thoroughly, and no blood had to be spilled here today. It would have been a tragedy to lose good people like you for the wrong reasons. The high lady, Undine of Rivean, also asked that were I to find you, that I should let you know that she wishes to speak to you. It''s probably about the stolen dungeon core. I''d advise you to not ignore her call and visit her estate when you get the chance. Farewell." With that he and his companions turned and left leaving the shocked necromancer and her pet alone in the mountain meadow. After several minutes passed and the two of them recovered from the shock of the whole ordeal, Poro-tan said, "I can''t believe they actually let you off the hook. I''ve heard of Kieren, and he''s a very self-righteous one. I''ve even been reinstated! What are we going to do now?" "We''re going to go eat cake without having to sculk around the town trying to avoid attention!" She began walking down the trail happily humming to herself. She still couldn''t believe her luck. She didn''t like the idea of needing to go meet with this Undine woman, but she would consider hearing her out. She wondered if it would be beneficial for her to actually join the Adventurer''s Guild. It could help her get stronger, and she could build up a good reputation that would help hide the horrible things she intended to do down the road. It wasn''t like every adventurer was a boy scout, either, many of them operated in the grey areas of the law. The more she thought about it, the more it sounded like a good idea. She decided that she would do it. A villain in the Adventurer''s Guild. It would be spectacular. After a long walk, they entered the city through the large gate and headed straight for The Golden Neko. When they entered the establishment, Tara was balancing two huge plates and was on her way towards a table. The girl excitedly sat the food down in front of the customers and ran over to Megumi, jumping on her and giving her a huge hug. "Megu! Some adventurers came here looking for information about you, and I told them what you did for me. They said you were a hero! Isn''t that amazing! I knew you were a hero all along, though," she said while beaming with excitement. Megumi returned the hug, while forcing herself to remember that this girl was not a replacement for her little sister, Miki. "Megu is glad to see you again, Tara. We''ve come to have some cake. Where can we sit?" "Over here!" The small girl took her hand and dragged her over to a booth. Tara''s aunt came out of the back after hearing all the commotion. When she saw that it was Megumi and Poro-tan who were causing her niece to be so loud, she gave them a warm smile and headed over to take their order down and say hello. "Good to see you again, Megumi. Tara just can''t stop talking about how amazing you are. You''re the greatest hero that ever existed in her eyes; mine as well. What can we get for youtwo today? It''s all on the house, of course. I''m eternally grateful for all you''ve done." She leaned down next to Megumi''s ear and whispered, "This is the first time she''s perked up since you left. Thank you for coming to visit. Losing her mother has been hard on both of us and just seeing her smile again is so wonderful." Megumi couldn''t help but smile at that. She was definitely fond of the little girl to say the least. "Megu wants to try four kinds of cake today. Do you haveany that we haven''t tried yet?" "Sure, I have a few things you haven''t had yet," she turned to Poro-tan. "Is there anything different I can get for you? You didn''t seem to enjoy the cake last time." Poro-kun turned towards her, giving her a flat stare. Fine, fine! "Go ahead and order whatever you want for today, Poro-tan." "I''ll take whatever kind of salted meat you have on the menu. Also some eggs would be good. Oh, and do you have any kind of hot sauce?" Poro-tan asked excitedly. "Coming right up! I''ll be back with your order in a little bit. Do you want anything to drink?" "Water is fine," Megumi replied. "Can I sit with them? Please?" Tara pleaded. "Of course, dear." Tara''s aunt disappeared into the kitchen again and the three of them sat together at the table chatting about various things. Megumi was surprised to learn that Tara had already been placed into a local school and that she was even making friends. It was good to hear that the girl would get to live something of a normal life. She was lucky that things had turned out good for her. She had someone who loved her to help her through her loss. Tara''s aunt appeared a little while later with a plate with four large slices of delicious cake and another plate covered with a few kinds of sausages as well as a heaping pile of scrambled eggs. "Thanks for the food," Megumi said. Tara''s aunt smiled. "You''re always welcome. I''d better tend to the other tables." With that she went off to take care of other customers. The place was pretty busy and it was no surprise considering how extraordinary the food was. They scarfed down their food in no time and soon it would be time to be on their way again. "If you want to stay here and visit with her more, do you mind if I go to the adventurer''s guild?" Poro-tan asked. This was something that gave her pause. Her threat of burning out his soul should be enough to keep his mouth shut, so would there be any harm? She did want to stay here a little longer. Megu still has room for another slice of cake, anyway! It was also nice to spend time around people that weren''t always brooding like Poro-tan often did. "It''s fine. Just remember what I told you before if you get any weird ideas. I''ll meet you there in a little bit." With that, he got up from the table, thanked Tara''s aunt again for the meal, and headed out the door and into the city. Spoiler: Poro
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 021 (25,999/27,801 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1000/1000 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 40 Magic 3
Endurance 28 Magic Resistance 8
Strength 25 Luck 7
Agility 18
Dexterity 17
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 4 (+40 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 2 (+100 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 023 (33,105/34,419 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 450/450 MP 1000/1000
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 18 Magic 68
Endurance 10 Magic Resistance 47
Strength 6 Luck 16
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 5 (+150 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 1 (+1 to all stats of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 2 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 23: A Hero’s Welcome…? Hideki couldn''t help but grin in excitement as he left The Golden Neko and headed out into the world on his own for the first time in what felt like forever. It was still a pretty cool day, and he supposed that the weather way up here in the mountains was just a lot different than what he was accustomed to. Maybe I should get a jacket? Although... the evil bitch will probably make me parade around in a cute pink one with some cute animal stitched into it just to torture me. The cold isn''t so bad anyway, I''ll just have to bear with it. Now to find out where the local guild is. He continued along the main street until he ran into a group of guards out on patrol. "Hey. Could you guys tell me where I can find the local Adventurers Guild?" The lead guard with a green plume sticking out of his helm fixed him with an irritated expression. "What do we look like, kid? Tour guides? We''re busy. We drew the short straw and have to go investigate that dungeon that popped up recently in the outskirts of town." The troupe of five men didn''t say anything else and simply left him standing in the street like an idiot. Tch! What a bunch of assholes! Hideki shrugged and continued on his way. People had always kind of treated him like garbage, it was one of the reasons he had joined the guild in the first place. He had thought that if he became a hero, then things would come easier for him. So much for that though. It''s not like she is going to stop doing evil shit. The guild will be after us again sooner or later. Crowds of people bustled around the city, before long he was able to track down someone nice enough to give him directions to the guild. It turned out that the guild hall was located near the noble district, which was back in the opposite direction he had been walking. He turned around and made his way back in the correct direction and continued to consider his situation in his head. Maybe being with Megumi isn''t so bad after all. She''s finally letting me off that tight leash that she''s kept me on all this time and I''ve leveled up faster with her than I have in my entire time as an adventurer. The right thing to do would be to turn her in, consequences be damned, but call me selfish, I don''t exactly want to have my immortal soul burnt out of existence. Could it be that her immoral qualities are starting to rub off on me as well? Either way, I have to give her credit for ridding the world of those bandits. She isn''t completely evil. Maybe with time I can bring her around? I still have no idea what happened to her that made her the way she is. It must''ve been something seriously messed up. The foot traffic on the streets became much less bad once he got out of the market district and into the noble section of the city. There were people being carted around in palanquins and he couldn''t help but marvel at the utter laziness of nobles. Good for nothing rich snobs can''t even be bothered to walk around on their own two feet. A few more minutes and he found his way to the guild hall. The building was gigantic compared to the dinky little one that was in Bridgeport. This place truly lived up to the name and reputation of the guild. He stood out front for a few long moments, just staring like a country bumpkin, before going inside the large structure. I wonder what they wanted to see me about anyway? Upon entering the guild hall he found a small reception room with a desk and a muscular bald man sitting behind it throwing darts across the room into a board. From the looks of things, he was a really good shot with those things. "What can I do for ya?" he said as he tossed another dart. "I''m Hideki, a Class C adventurer from Northpost. I was aske¡ª" "Ah. You''re that one, eh? Go on back. Taris, wants to have a few words with ya." Hideki nodded and then headed towards the back room. Just as he passed by the target another dart impacted with a loud thud right behind his head. What the heck is up with this guy? As far as anyone knows, I''m a freakin'' hero around here for slaying all those bandits. This is how they welcome me to the guild hall? Some gratitude! The following room was big enough to fit two of the Northpost guild halls in it with a little room to spare. Rows and rows of tables lined the large room. There was a bar on one side of the building and the room seemed to serve as a sort of cafeteria. There was an undeniably good odor coming from the direction of the bar, and it was clear that this place must have its own personal cook. There were three levels to this room and the upper floors had balconies looking down on the expansive room. On one wall there was a humongous request board that was covered with quests. This guild hall sure has a lot more perks than the one back home. With resources like these, why the hell didn''t they handle the bandit problem themselves? Tivor was formidable, but surely there are strong enough people here to take care of such a problem. What gives? Oh... that''s right. Those villagers probably didn''t have enough money to put up a decent reward. It''s not like the Adventurers Guild works for free, despite their outward appearance of being a force of righteousness, most of us were in it for the money and fame I think. Everything in this world really just comes down to money and titles. People were staring at him and a tall slender woman with long raven hair dressed up in expensive looking armor with a sword at her waist approached him. "You must be Hideki. I''m Taris. Have a seat. I just want to ask you a few things." I thought that they really wanted to congratulate me on a job well done, why does it feel like I''m about to get lectured or worse? He complied with her request, however, and took a seat at the nearest table. She sat down across from him and fixed him with her piercing amber colored eyes. "So, it seems that you''re quite the hero to those villages down the mountain. So much so, that they sent a sizable chunk of money that they were supposed to be giving the bandits back with Kieren. The guild took 30% of course, as you''re a member of our organization, it''s only right that we were compensated as well." What the fuck? They were apparently hunting us down at the time that we did this according to what Megumi told me. And now they''ve basically stolen a THIRD of the money that those people offered up to us as thanks? It wasn''t like they had expected to be rewarded for what they did. Megumi had just done all that on a whim, but still, this was infuriating. He couldn''t keep a look of irritation off his face for a brief second before he composed himself again. "It was the right thing to do, so we did it. We weren''t really looking for a reward. Not that I mind getting paid though." She just continued to stare into his soul for another moment before replying. "So how''d you two do it? Did you have more companions that fell during the fight? I just confirmed that you''re only level 21. Also, according to one of Kieren''s party members, your... friend, is only level 23. Even considering the type of magician she is, I don''t see how you two could''ve overcome those kinds of odds. There weren''t any reports of an army of skeletons marching up the mountains, so how exactly did two weaklings accomplish such a monumental task?" Okay. This bitch is seriously condescending. Her attitude is even worse than Megumi''s. This is how they treat one of the people who helped save those villagers? I don''t want to give this bitch any information, but do I have a choice? I have to say something at least. "It was just the two of us. We caught them by surprise." "That''s it? You caught them by surprise? Generally speaking, not much is known about necromancers. In fact, I believe the last time the guild had to deal with one was well over 100 years ago. People don''t generally have a thing for playing with the dead. Even so, I don''t believe your story. It doesn''t add up. No matter though. I just wanted to see you for myself. We''ll be keeping an eye on you. Don''t do anything to disgrace the guild again, or you won''t be forgiven so easily. If that girl wants to join us, I''ve been given permissions from the top to allow it despite what she is." Her face twisted in disgust. It was clear that she had no love for necromancy and definitely didn''t want one in the guild. The beautiful woman slapped her hands on the table and stood up at that and turned to leave. What a load of crap. The guild just wanted to be able to take credit for we did. I wonder why they didn''t, anyway. It''s not like we went back to the village and announced that we accomplished what we did. I guess one of the villagers must''ve found out when no bandits came to collect the money or something.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Hideki stood and left the large guild hall. This place wasn''t for him, now, nor ever again if he was truthful to himself. These people were no longer his allies. If they found out he was undead and that he had done several unspeakable things, they would undoubtably cut him down where he stood for the blemish he was to the guild''s good name. The man at the front desk didn''t say anything to him as he walked out the door and onto the street. This place had seriously put a damper on his mood. Why had he let himself get excited to come here? There would be no lady guildies throwing themselves at him for a job well done. Time to get back to the cafe. He sighed and then started walking. After he took a few steps a voice called to him from behind. "Hold on for a second." Hideki turned around and saw that it was Kieren who had called for him. He was leaning lazily against the wall of the building near the doorway. His halberd rested against the wall next to him. "What do you want?" he asked sullenly. "My team found the remains of the battle you had with those bandits. You two did that without any thought for reward, just because it was the right thing to do. I can respect a person for doing things that way. I''ve never agreed with how the guild operates. We were going to go help those people, despite knowing that we wouldn''t get paid. The Oleander guild master didn''t agree, but they couldn''t stop us from going." Hideki was dumbfounded that someone actually appreciated something he was involved in. It honestly felt... good. "Thanks. It means a lot to hear that. It almost felt like Taris was pissed at me for being involved in this." "She didn''t want to give you credit, but we insisted. They were going to continue to hunt you down, and let us take credit for what you did, but we had already told the villagers about everything before we came here. She was pretty pissed at me for that. The guild had no choice but to absolve you and drop the bounty on your head. Honestly... for all I know, those noble bastards were probably going to slaughter innocents and you two stopped them. Money is all that really matters to the guild," he spat to the side in disgust. This guy really is as selfless as the rumors said. He really does only do good for the sake of doing what''s right. All I ever did when I was alive was do the right thing for selfish reasons. Ironic that the first truly good thing I''ve done was after I was killed and bonded to that evil bitch. "Thanks for that. I''d better get back to the cafe. Megumi''s probably waiting for me." "Do you guys want to join up with me? I''ve decided to take on another request that''s been languishing on the board here for a few months now. The others of my group headed back to Oleander already, they don''t completely share my principals in the way that you apparently do." Hideki had to stifle a laugh at that last comment. There''s no way that Megumi is going to want to continue doing good things, and even less of a chance she''d want to join up with this do-gooder here. I''ll hear him out though. It''s not like this is my decision anyway, I''m just a puppet on strings when it comes down to it. "What''s the request?" "A few days up the mountains from here is a small, secluded village called Feng, there is a large orphanage there and apparently they are using the orphaned children''s souls as fodder to create chimeras. We only heard about this because one of the children escaped and before she died, she asked someone for help. The reward is minuscule, and the only adventurers who have bothered to take up the request have never made it back. What do you say? Want to help me do the right thing?" Honestly... experimenting on kids is seriously fucked up. I would join him if it were up to me, but it''s not. Using human souls to create chimeras has been outlawed by every country in the world. Why aren''t the soldiers stepping up and taking care of this? "I''ll have to check with my partner before I can say yes or no." That was when he saw the small silver haired figure of Megumi step in front of him. "We''ll go with you. Megu will help you destroy those people and save the orphans." Seriously?! Where the fuck did she come from? She must really have a soft spot for orphans or something. I guess that makes sense, she''s clearly an orphan herself. I wonder if she ever spent time in an orphanage. Seems like those places are rarely kind to the children housed within. Usually kids are subjected to labor, but nothing as sick as what''s happening in Feng. "Great. We''ll be heading out in the morning. The guild here has a large dormitory that''s half empty right now. If you don''t have rooms in the city, I''m sure you could stay here even though she isn''t a member of the guild. I''ve got some things to tend to in town. See you later." He stopped leaning against the wall of the guild building and strode off down the street. Hideki just stared in surprise at Megumi for a long moment and once Kieren was gone, he asked, "Are we really going to go help those kids? Are you turning over a new leaf or something? Not that I''m complaining." "Megu just doesn''t like orphanages, okay? Megu is going to join this guild for a time. It''s a means to an end. We''ll need to get stronger and earn some money if we are to accomplish my true goals. We''ll follow orders and do some good in the world, starting with saving those orphans. However, Megu''s going to continue to do things her own way. We will leave no survivors at the orphanage. Scum like those don''t deserve the right to rot behind bars in a prison," she replied. Megumi headed for the building and opened the door. "Come on." On that note the villainous necromancer stepped into the huge building for the sake of joining the Adventurer''s Guild. This is not going to end well, I''m sure of it. Hideki groaned internally as he followed her into the main hall where he had met with Taris. Spoiler: Poro
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 021 (25,999/27,801 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1000/1000 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 40 Magic 3
Endurance 28 Magic Resistance 8
Strength 25 Luck 7
Agility 18
Dexterity 17
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 4 (+40 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 2 (+100 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 023 (33,105/34,419 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 450/450 MP 1000/1000
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 18 Magic 68
Endurance 10 Magic Resistance 47
Strength 6 Luck 16
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 5 (+150 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 1 (+1 to all stats of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 2 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 24: A Villain Joins the Adventurers Guild?! Megumi had only ever been inside one Adventurer''s Guild, and that had been at Northpost, she looked around and was amazed at how different this one was. First of all, it was humongus, the small common room in Northpost was only about a third of the size and the furnishings were much nicer. There were people eating and talking at the various tables, and she saw two largefireplaces that kept the place nice and toasty. She found herself unconsciously rubbing her cold hands together and enjoying the feel of being in such a nice temperature. It wasn''t exactly the warmest time of year and being up in the mountains only made things worse. Beautiful tapestries that with intricate geometric designs hung from the various walls and she found herself gravitating closer to one of the fireplaces. The ever self-righteous heroes guild sure must have spent a lot of GP to build this place. She ignored the people who were openly staring at her as she strode towards the fireplace. At this point in her life, she was used to getting weird stares. They probably wondered if she had a request or if something was wrong. Megumi was sure that none of the people staring at her would believe that someone as young looking as she was would be here to join up. A large request board was set into the wall near the fireplace and she looked it over while warming herself. The Villain''s Guild had a similar setup, albeit the board had much fewer requests and was smaller in scale. That didn''t say much, however, as the guild where she had been assigned was for low level villains. The requests were partitioned off by rank. Her villain guild had a similar setup as this, although the board was much smaller. The large labels above each section ranged from A to F, and she wondered why there were no requests for ranks higher than that. Were those requests somewhere else, or were there no higher ranked adventurers around here than Rank A? She didn''t know a ton about the Adventurer''s Guild, but she knew that the ranks went all the way up to S++. Megumi wanted to have a better look at the kinds of requests that were available, and so she forced herself away from the warmth of the fireplace and stepped close enough to read the requests. Hideki was only Rank C, so she was curious as to what kinds of jobs they could do and how much they paid. Will Megu start at Rank F? She spent a couple minutes looking over the quests and saw that a lot of them at this rank were mundane things like escorting goods further up the mountains or down to Oleander. There were also some quests to clear out monster dens and standing requests for various monster types. Proof of kills had to be provided; it seemed that you needed to bring in ears to prove the kills were legitimate. Most of the requests for the ranks lower than Rank C were for extremely mundane things like gathering wild herbs. She had absolutely no interest in doing stuff like that. None of these quests were going to make them rich, but if they worked at it, they would be able to make a fair living off of this; more than your average laborer by far. Now where is that orphanage request? She scanned through the Rank B requests and found it after a couple moments. It was halfway hidden at the very bottom of the board in a corner. Even though it was ranked as B, the reward was pitiful compared to all the other requests of the same rank. A mere 1000 GP, compared to the rest of the board that averaged at least double that amount. The difficulty and rewards of Rank B quests compared to the Rank C ones were dramatically different. If she really wanted to live comfortably, then Poro-tan would need to rank up sooner rather than later so they could take more of these Rank B ones. No wonder the request has been ignored for so long. Rank C adventurers can''t take this one on, and Rank B ones would definitely rather earn more money by doing these other things. Seems that these do-gooders are not as lofty as they claim to be, if what Kieren said is to be believed. Megu should go find the leader of this place or whatever soon so that she can sign up. It was also starting to bother her that no one had even approached her to ask what she wanted. She had rushed past the receptionist, was that so far against the rules or something? Why were they just staring at her? She left the request board and was headed to one of the more packed tables to ask who she needed to see about joining, when a woman approached her from the side. "You must be Megumi." Her face twisted with disgust; a look that Megumi was all too familiar with. Everyone looked down on her because she was a necromancer, it would probably even be worse here than in the Villain''s Guild. She was resigned to the fact that no one who knew what she was would like her, and at this point she told herself that she didn''t even care.She wasn''t here to make friends, after all. This was a means to an end; nothing more.The woman''s look still got under her skin a bit and she made a mental note to burn the guild hall to the ground when she was done in this country. That would make her feel better, she was sure of it. When Megumi didn''t answer right away, the woman continued, "Are you interested in joining our guild?" "If Megu joins, will she be able to take on any requests that she wants or do you assign them for new members?" The woman glanced briefly over at her pet who Megumi noticed had only just now come into the guild hall behind her; he must have been talking to Kieren or something."You''re welcome to take on any requests that you like, however we don''t allow people to take on requests above their rank unless you''re part of a team where the highest rank member will set the bar for the requests you may take. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but generally that''s the way it works. This is for your own safety. Stick to the newbie stuff and work your way up like the rest of us had to. You''ll live longer. So? What do you say? Want to join?" It was clear to Megumi that this woman didn''t actually want her in the guild, but that didn''t really matter. She must have been required by someone higher up to even offer to let Megumi into the guild. This much was very clear. It sounded like there wouldn''t be a problem with them going on the quest to take care of the orphanage, so that was good as well. It suddenly crossed her mind that the ones experimenting on orphans were very likely to be members of the Villain''s Guild. Nefarious operations like that one were said to be common things for higher ranked members to take on. It made her sick that someone would want to experiment on kids; even more so helpless orphans who didn''t even have their parents or family to protect them.People who experimented on children were lower than scum as far as she was concerned. She had already stepped on a lot of toes by what she had done in Northpost; so what did it matter if she pissed off the guild even more. For all she knew, she was already wanted as it was. She wasn''t scared of a fight. If anyone came after her, she would kill them. It was as simple as that."Fine. Megu will join your guild." She held out her hand to the woman as a gesture of good will, but the irritable woman sniffed aloud and ignored her hand. She started to walk and when Megumi didn''t follow, she turned around. "Well? Come on, already. We''ll need to get you a membership card. If you lose it, then a replacement costs 1000 GP and you will also go down a rank. If you drop below Rank F, you will be removed from the guild. Despite your... strength, you''ll be starting out as a Rank F adventurer. Everyone starts at the bottom, no exceptions. You''ll have to work your way up the ranks." Megu figured as much. It was clear that she could expect no favors from this woman. She silently followed the disgruntled woman until they reached a room near the back of the facility. Poro-tan had taken a seat in the common area, so she was alone.The small room that she was ushered into was some sort of filing room. Stacks of paperwork covered a large desk and books lie in stacks around the room. She saw half-empty shelves in dissarray as well, but what caught her attention most was the woman whose head barely poked up over the mountains of paperwork who was stamping things loudly. Thud. Thud. Thud. "Beera. Stop what you''re doing for a minute. We have a new recruit. Set her up with a membership card, will ya? I''ve got some other things to tend to, I expect you to finish that stack of paperwork today. We''re way behind as it is and Irenicus has been up my ass about our branch being so behind on the paperwork." She turned and exited the room without even saying goodbye to Megumi. Tch. That stuck up bitch is going to be the first one Megu obliterates when we''re done with this place! The thin, gangly girl with the large spectacles stood up from behind her desk and came over. She leaned down and got uncomfortably close to Megumi''s face and then stepped back and introduced herself. "I''m Beera. Nice to meet''cha. Our local guild leader has a bit of a stick up her ass, but don''t let her scare you off. She''s just under a lot of pressure from the regional Guild Manager. We can always use more adventurers. Hold still for just a moment and I''ll need to hold your hand, okay?" Megumi nodded and let the woman take her hand. Beera pressed a plain looking card into her outstretched palm and held it there while she uttered a short incantation under her breath. Megumi immediately felt a chill run through her entire body and shuddered. It only lasted a second and then the woman let go of her hand. The card now glowed with a golden light and pulsed brightly for a couple seconds before going out. Beera smiled at her handiwork and after inspecting the card, held it up in front of Megumi''s face. "There! All done. Here you go." Beera pressed the card back into Megumi''s hand and gave her a warm smile. "Thanks." Megumi was shocked at how membership cards were handled here. The villain''s guild marked your body physically to depict what region you were from and under whose allegiance you were aligned. She had a small tattoo on the small of her back that was blood red and in the shape of a bat. She stared at membership card in amazement; it had been filled in with her information. It even had a picture of her in the corner. Her name and age were in bold beneath the image and for some reason she was smiling in the photo even though she hadn''t been when the spell was being cast. It felt... like a bit of a violation. The age on the card was wrong and reflected the age she had first taken someone''s life essence with Sanguine Infusion for the first time. Everything else on the card had been filled out accurately, even her class and level.
Adventurer''s Guild Membership ID Card
Name: Megumi Class: Necromancer
Age: 15 Level: 23
Rank: F Description: 4''9" tall. Silver hair. Violet eyes. Thin build.
"You know, you''ve got a really cute smile!" Beera had moved behind her and was staring at the newly minted membership card over her shoulder. Megumi forced herself to go into nice mode and replied, "So what does Megu do next? Can you showme around?" The woman''s face took on a somber look as she pointedly looked at the mountain of paperwork that still stood in large stacks on the desk. Megumi felt a pang of guilt for even asking for a tour. "Wish I could, but as you heard earlier, I have to get all that done today. It''s never ending, you see. A lot of guild members use this guild hall as a hub and so we get a lot of requests turned in here. I''m sorry. Feel free to explore the building, most places aren''t off limits, but the west wing of the guild hall is not open to anyone below Rank S. So just avoid going there and everything will be fine. They get a bit testy if people go there when they''re not supposed to. Welcome to our guild, Megumi!" Beera patted her on the back before letting out a large sigh as she went back to her mountain of paperwork; grabbing the large rubber stamp off the corner of the desk before sitting down. "Oh, right! One more thing. You''re welcome to pick one of empty the rooms in the dormitory as your own. Just come back later and let me know what room you picked and I''ll give you a key so you can lock the room." "Thanks." Megumi gave the cheerful clerk a wave and headed back to the common area of the guild where Poro-tan was sitting at a table eating a large plate of what looked to be sausages of various sizes and types. As she approached and sat down, she couldn''t ignore the strong smell of spices that wafted towards her. She didn''t know how he could eat that spicy crap all the time. Did his taste buds die when he did or had he always been this way? "Everything is all set. We have until tomorrow to familiarize ourselves with this place. Megu also should go meet that.... Lady Undine woman and see what she wants." It was impossible to keep a sour look off her face as she thought about going to meet a member of the aristocracy. A small pang of worry also filled her stomach and she pushed it down. Megumi was happy to find out that as a member of the guild, she could eat here for free. They had a chef on site who could make just about anything, and so she ordered some food as well. She had ordered strawberry crepes, and they were pretty good. Once they finished eating, they spent some time exploring the large guild hall. The place was pretty impressive she begrudingly admitted to herself. It would be a shame when she had to burn it down. She was still pretty sure she would, but at least Beera had been nice to her; even after seeing that she was a necromancer.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Everything any adventurer would need could be found here between going out for requests. They passed several training rooms on their way to the dormitories and she saw that each room held large racks of weapons, weights, and areas where people were punching bags or fighting eachother hand to hand. Poro-tan seemed to light up when he saw these rooms. Megumi was happy to see that there was a large laundry facility so she could finally get her growing collection of blood stained clothing clean and then was further excited to find that the guild owned hot springs. She would definitely be visiting this part of the guild often while they were here. She stood outside and watched as clouds of steam floated continiously up off of the water. The hot springs were divided into male and female sides, so Poro-tan had to wait outside while she had come to check it out.There were several women using the hot springs at the moment and a few of them waved to her in a friendly manner. She waved back and then left to get on with her self-guided tour. The dormitories were also divided into male and female sections, so the two of them split up to find rooms for themselves. She found that most of the rooms were taken and locked, but she found one that would suit her needs after a little looking. It was on the second floor and in the back of the building. It looked like she would be able to get out the window and escape if worse came to worse. The room had its own bathroom and there was a large empty closet filled with clothes hangers. She noted that there was also a large dresser and the bed looked comfortable as well. After all that time living like a mole in the ground, Megu can''t wait to relax and get cleaned up! This place is like some fancy resort or something! She made a mental note to spend some time relaxing as soon as she was back from meeting the noblewoman. Megumi changed into a clean outfit before going back to Beera to get her key. Her room was 7E and she commited it to memory. Megumi sent out a mental command for Poro-tan to meet her at the entrance to the dormitories and when he got there he looked a little irritated at her. He must''ve been in the middle of choosing his room still or something? "What do you need?" he frowned. "Just wanted to tell you that you''re free for the rest of the day. Megu will go to meet this high lady on her own." She couldn''t help but smile as his face turned a little red from irritation. "You know, I was doing my business when you dragged me down here. I only just barely got my pants back up as my body dragged itself down here. Can''t you call me in a way that doesn''t force me to come running? I almost fell on my face! She could no longer hold back from laughing and almost doubled over. She felt a little bad for doing that. "Sorry! Megu will remember to be a little more, discreet in the future unless its important." She chuckled as she walked away from her pet once more. After a bit of a detour for getting her key and putting away her belongings, it was time to be on her way. According to Beera, Undine''s estate is up a large hill at the back end of the noble quarter of the city. At least the place isn''t far away. Megu will go there and see what the woman wants and then get to enjoy the rest of the day relaxing at the guild hall! With resolve in her step she marched off towards her destination. People bustled about and the streets were quite crowded, but she made her way through all the traffic and towards the woman''s estate. The whole mess with that dungeon core and the confrontation in Bridgeport had nearly ruined a decade of her trying to keep a low profile. She needed to be more careful. Things could go very badly for her, especially in this country, if someone recognized who she was. Even if someone took special interest in her and did some digging, it wouldn''t be terribly difficult to uncover things about her that she would rather leave hidden. She mused about this and many other things as she walked along on autopilot towards her destination. After a short while, she arrived before the large estate on top of the hill. Two guards in brightly polished steel plate mail stood at attention before her. Their coat of arms was painted ornately onto their breastplates and featured what looked to be a water nymph. "What is your business here, girl?Our lady doesn''t accept solicitors. From your appearance, you don''t belong around here. Be on your way." "Megu was asked to come see the High Lady. The Adventurer''s Guild told me that Lady Undine requested that I come to see her." The two middle-aged men exchanged a look before reluctantly agreeing to let her pass. The one who had spoke pulled a heavy key ring off his belt and inserted it into the lock on the small gate to the right of where they were guarding the larger entrance. "We were told to expect someone from the Adventurer''s Guild, but didn''t expect you to be so... young. Follow the road up the hill and you''ll reach the manor in a few minutes." Megumi nodded and followed the path as it wound upward. The grounds were truly beautiful and a small creek flowed along the property with plants growing alongside it. She saw several nicely crafted statues and fountains along her walk as well. The lady''s home was more like a keep than a manor, as it, like everything else in the city, was built for defense. Once she finally reached the entrance to the place, two more guards blocked her way briefly as she had to repeat the same drill as she had earlier before being allowed inside. This was turning out to be a huge pain in her ass. She was taken to a reception room and told to wait. Megumi fidgeted with her dress nervously as she waited. Megu should have just ignored this infernal request. This is a pain in the fucking ass and it''s too risky! She ground her teeth in frustration when the master servant who had showed her to this room returned. "The high lady requests that you meet her in her courtyard. I will show you the way." She stood up and begrudgingly followed the servant.He silently led her through a maze of corridors before they arrived in a small inner courtyard. There were several fountains and pools of water surrouded the edges of the area with small waterfalls flowing down into them. She wondered how the whole thing worked. A woman with luciously long blue hair sat on the edge of a fountain and was trailing her fingers through the water. The woman turned to them as they approached and Megumi noted that the woman''s eyes were a striking blue, almost the color of sapphire. Undine smiled in a friendly way."Welcome to my home. You''re dismissed, Bernard." The servant bowed deeply and walked away.Megumi performed a curtsy and dropped her cutesy habit of referring to herself in third person for the sake of appearances. "Thank you for having me. What is it that you wanted to see me for?" Undine stood up and came close, looking her over appraisingly. "Are you really the one who took that dungeon core from Northpost? The kingdom is grateful for the relic that you''ve brought to us. However, the country of Windlemire is far from happy about this situation. I''ve been authorized by the king to offer you protection from extradition. In return, you''ll need to hand over the ownership of the dungeon core. You see, we''ve longed to have a dungeon of our own in this small country for centuries now." Straight to the point. Not that I care about the dungeon anyway. Joke''s on them. "You can have the dungeon. I already gave up ownership, though so its currently under its own control or whatever. All you have to do is go and claim it for yourself." The woman narrowed her eyes at that. "You set it free? Don''t you know what can happen if a dungeon is left to run wild?" "I don''t. If it''s a problem, just send some people in there and take ownership again. It shouldn''t be that hard, the dungeon is weak. If that is all, then may I be excused?" She didn''t want to be here anymore. Her urge to murder this woman for just being a noble was steadily rising every second that she had to stare at her. "You may not. I''m not done with you yet." The woman waved her hand dismissively and water flowed from the fountains and through the air forming into the form of a throne behind Undine before freezing solid. The infuriating woman took a seat primly on the ice and gave Megumi a knowing smile. An Aquamancer? This whole room is just one big trap then! She''s showing me her power so that I know that I can''t just leave!Megumi moved her hand to her side reflexively, readying herself to cast Eldritch Blast if this came down to a fight. She wouldn''t have time to drag out her staff, she might really not make it out of here alive. "There''s no need for that. Put your hand down at your side, please. If I wanted you dead, I would''ve done it already. I''ve asked you here because..." She stood back up and came close. She pointed her index finger at Megumi and poked her in the center of her chest. "I. know. what. you. truly. are." Megumi went pale at the woman''s words and her breath caught in her throat. What does she know? Play dumb. "I don''t know what you''re talking about." "Cut the act. I know that you have a villainous heart beating in that tiny chest of yours. I know for a fact that you aren''t some misunderstood hero and I have eye witnesses in Bridgeport who can attest to that. I can read people pretty well, you see and I have some special work that needs done. You will be well paid and I''ll ensure that you get to keep that pretty little head on your shoulders. The job isn''t an easy one, and you''ll have to travel to the capital. What do you say? Would you help me?" The woman put on a self satisfied smile and sat back down on her icy throne. Megu knew it! Every single one of these damned nobles are trash. Not that Megu minds killing as many of these pieces of garbage as she can, but it''s irritating that this woman want''s to use me and that she could cause problems if I don''t agree! "Who is the target? How much will you pay?" Undine leaned in close, her soft lips brushing against Megumi''s ear as she whispered, "The king. 30,000 GP." Her eyes opened wide with surprise at the request. The truth is, Megu had this intention all along. Killing that old fool was the main reason that we chose to come to this specific country. She had no choice but to agree to this woman''s demands in any case, though. If she said no, then she would have a fight on her hands and considering she was unprepared and surrounded on every side by water, she wouldn''t have very good chances of beating the woman, much less excaping all the guards on her way out if she did. "I''ll do it. This will take time and I cannot go off and do this right away in any case." "Of course. Go ahead and play your little games in the Adventurer''s Guild. When the task is done, I''ll make sure you get the reward you deserve. It goes without saying, but if you breathe a word of this to anyone, not only will they not believe you, but I''ll have the entire country hunting you down immediately. Got it?" Megumi nodded. "Good. Now that we understand eachother, you''re free to go. Don''t dare to come back here until the job is done unless I call on you." Undine waved her away dismissively before turning to walk back to her fountain. The woman hummed a soft melody and Megumi stood there staring for a moment before stomping off irritated as hell at what had just happened. At least the woman hadn''t known anything about Megumi''s real secret. She had simply wanted to blackmail her into doing her dirty work. That was preferable for the moment. You don''t know what you''ve just gotten yourself into, Undine! Megu will gladly kill the king, but when all is said and done, you''ll be the next one to go! This I vow! She continued fuming on her way out of the keep and all the way to the guild hall before she was able to compose herself again. She had to focus on the important work she had decided to take on before letting herself worry about the king and Undine. She needed to relax. At least the guild hall had some nice hot springs that she could use. She opened the door and stepped inside. Spoiler: Hideki (Poro-kun)
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 021 (25,999/27,801 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1000/1000 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 40 Magic 3
Endurance 28 Magic Resistance 8
Strength 25 Luck 7
Agility 18
Dexterity 17
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 4 (+40 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 2 (+100 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 023 (33,105/34,419 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 450/450 MP 1000/1000
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank F
Attributes
Vitality 18 Magic 68
Endurance 10 Magic Resistance 47
Strength 6 Luck 16
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 5 (+150 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 1 (+1 to all stats of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 2 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 11 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 25: Blood, Cake, and Hot Springs! When Megumi stepped into the guild, she saw the annoying receptionist still throwing his darts just like he always seemed to be doing and she decided that she still didn''t want to talk to anyone. The whole thing with Undine really rubbed her the wrong way and she seriously needed to blow off some steam. The receptionist didn''t even bother to turn to look at her before she slipped back out the door. She kicked a small pebble down the cobblestone street as she wandered aimlessly around. King Estion of Castellum needed to die, it was something she had been planning to do for years and years now, but she had never been powerful enough to make the journey here. Even now, she was sure that she had no chance of actually killing him. She needed to be stronger. She needed to prepare. Furthermore, she didn''t at all like that his death would directly benefit Undine. She wasn''t sure what the current line of succession would be, and as far as she knew the crowned prince had died years ago, but it was entirely possible that the woman would become the new ruler here once the old man had been done in. The fat old king wouldn''t even see it coming when she finally made her move. The thought of the look on Estion''s face when she would kill him brought a huge smile to her face. There wasn''t too much use in thinking on that problem right now anyway, she was probably a long ways off from that still. It was true that ever since she had decided to be more aggressive with her plans that she had gotten stronger at a rapid rate, but she felt like she needed more. Assassinating the ruler of a country was a huge step up from killing a group of bandits, after all. A girl had to set high goals for herself though, right? Maybe eating something would brighten her mood. She found herself wandering towards the market district and in no time, she stood before The Golden Neko. She peered in through the window and saw that the place was bustling as always. She could see Tara carrying plates to the kitchen and her aunt was busy taking orders. There would be a small wait for the food, but since the woman had promised her free food whenever she wanted to come in, she could wait. Sweets always make Megu feel a little better. It will be nice to spend some time with Tara, too. She stopped staring through the window like some kind of stalker, and stepped inside. A bell rung when she opened the door and Tara''s aunt flashed her a smile. "Take a seat anywhere, I''ll be right with you in a moment, Megu." The busy woman rushed to the next table and Megumi found herself a seat at the bar. Tara came exploding out of the kitchen at the sound of her aunt mentioning her name and she ran over to give Megumi her customary hug. "You came again! I''m so happy to see you! I just got off of school for the day, I made some new friends." Megumi patted the girl on the head and returned the warm embrace. It was nice to be around someone who actually seemed to like her; not that she could blame Poro-tan for disliking her as he was basically her slave. She felt a little guilty about that as Poro-tan seemed to have a good heart, but she needed someone she could trust to help her enact her plans, so he was it for good or for bad. "Megu just can''t get enough of your aunt''s delicious cakes. It''s great to hear that you''re liking school so much. Are you getting used to helping out around the cafe?" "Yep! I even get to run the register now! It''s a lot of fun and I''m getting good at math." "That''s great! Megu always liked math, but due to... circumstances, she never got to finish her education." "Why not?" "It''s a painful story. Megu will tell you someday, perhaps. Do you guys have anything special today? Megu is starving!" The little girl dropped the line of questioning about Megumi''s past. The sad tone in her voice must''ve conveyed enough that she didn''t want to go into it. Tara told her about how her aunt had been experimenting and had come up with a cake recipe that involved carrots. Megumi had never been a huge fan of that vegetable, but felt like she could trust Ophelia''s cooking. "I''ll try a large slice of that then, okay?" "Coming right up!" Tara ran back into the kitchen and a few moments later, she came out with the slice of cake. The frosting was white and there was a decorative carrot drawn into it using orange frosting. She examined the cake, which smelled of cinnamon and had small shreds of carrots sticking out from parts of the cake. It smelled good, and she poked the frosting with her index finger, bringing it up to her mouth. It tasted delicious as everything else had. It was time to take the plunge. Megumi stabbed the cake with her fork and took a tiny bite of the cake just to see if it was good; she really didn''t like carrots. To her surprise, the cake was sweet and absolutely delicious. She smiled and spun the bar stool around so she could see Ophelia, who was headed back their way. "This is so good!" "Thank you. I''ve been wanting to experiment using some veggies in my cooking. I''m going to try doing a similar cake with zucchini tomorrow. Tara, can you take three slices of chocolate cake to table 4, please?" Tara nodded and ran back into the kitchen for a moment before returning, balancing three plates as though she had been a waitress her whole life. The girl energetically went over to the corrosponding table and gave the people their cake before running back over. "Sorry, Megu. We''re so busy today. I''d better help out. Enjoy the cake!" Megumi smiled and went back to eating. Ophelia brought over a tall glass of milk and chatted with her for a few moments before heading off to take more orders. The place was absolutely packed. Once the place slowed down a little, Tara came back over and sat down next to her. Ophelia brought her another slice of the delicious carrot cake and Megumi pulled out her new guild card to show off to Tara."See! Megu joined the Adventurers Guild, just like Poro-tan. We''ll be sticking around for a while doing things for the guild, so you''ll get to see lots of me." The girl beamed in excitement. "See! I knew you were a hero!" Wouldn''t it be great to just live a regular life? Coming here and eating cake, and doing things like regular people do. Maybe you could even fall in love with someone? She shook her head ruefully as soon as the incredulous thought had popped into her head. Her destiny had been laid out for her already, maybe it always had been. She wasn''t sure if she believed in fate or the gods, but the only thing she could live for was her revenge. There wasn''t room for anything else. Her hands were far too blood stained now to turn back in any case. She finished her carrot cake and left a large tip on the counter before thanking Ophelia and Tara for the food and leaving. It was starting to get late, and she still wanted to go relax in the hot springs. She would take a short cut back to the guild and maybe, if she was lucky, get to have some fun along the way.The day had really passed by quickly and it was getting more than a little cold out. Megumi retrieved one of her cloaks from her bag and put it on. Once she had the thing wrapped around her like a makeshift blanket, she felt a little less cold. Clouds had begun to form in the sky and there was little doubt in her mind that it would be either raining or snowing very soon. Hopefully it would stay nice long enough for her to get to enjoy the hot springs tonight. She cut off of the main streets that would lead her towards the guild in a roundabout fashion and opted to take the alleyways. The alleyways were a stark contrast with the rest of the bright, bustling city. The dark alleyways would probably be scary for any regular girl with some common sense, but to Megumi, they were an opportunity to have some fun. She ignored the eyes that stared at her as she continued on her way. Apretty young thing like herself wandering through dark alleyways was just like holding a nice big steak in front of a starving wolf. She knew what was coming and she smiled just a tiny bit when a group of thugs popped out of a side alleyway and approached her with a dangerous glint in their eyes. "Look what we have here, gents! A little lady has run off the beaten path." "Maybe she needs some help? We could generously help her get back to the main street." One man said sneering. "Of course. First we''ll need to collect a fee for our troubles, though. You don''t mind do you? A pretty girl like you wandering down here, I bet you''d be more than happy to pay us with your body." The dirt covered man licked his lips and stared at her hungrily. Megumi couldn''t help but smile now. The men looked at her confusedly for a moment. "Look. She is happy about it. What a little slut, she wants it!" This is the BEST way to blow off some steam! She backed away from the men, still smiling, and one of them must have realized that she was likely to bolt, so he rushed towards her. She calmly held out her palm and blasted a hole through the man''s chest. He didn''t even make it within a dozen paces of her location. She grinned.Thiswas what she lived for. The men who had wanted to prey upon her shifted from being confident lusting creatures into fearful little rabbits that tried to run as their companion''s corpse smoldered on the ground in green flames. Megumi blasted another one in the back of his head when he turned to run and then promptly exploded his corpse. Bone shrapnel and blood splattered the entire span of the alleyway and she got some blood on her. It was warm and she reveled at the sight of the broken bodies before her.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. The one who had told her to pay with her body had been gravely injured by the blast and he was the only one still alive. The man was crawling on his belly trying in vain to get away from her. Megumi grinned wickedly and marched over to him, stomping on his hand with the heel of her shoe. "Just where are you going? Didn''t you want to have Megu pay for your kind help with her body? Didn''t you want to penetrate me?" She quickly retreived her staff and slammed the pointy end down into the man''s lower back. "Maybe Megu will penetrate you instead?" She laughed maniacally at her own sick humor. Ahhh.... this feels so good. Bringing death and destruction... this is the BEST. She reached down and yanked on the back of the screaming man''s head and yanked. He flopped over to his side and she stared him straight in the eyes. "Pleas...e.... Please... just...le..t me.." Megumi cut him off by slamming his face down hard into the hard packed dirt over and over until she heard the crunching of his face on the ground. Blood and gore was all over her now. "Look at what you all made me do? Her Megu''s dress is all bloody!" She took the time to cast Sanguine Infusion on what was left of the four corpses. To her delight, one of them even yielded her an additional TP. She placed her new TP into Eldritch Blast, and seeing that the entire alleyway was suddenly empty, she quickly changed out of her bloody clothes; pointedly ignoring her chattering teeth as she did so. There was nothing to be done about her shoes at the moment, but that was okay. She had needed the release. There really was no better way to blow off steam than to explode some people. She wandered out of the last of the alleyways several minutes later and found that she had been right about her short cut idea. The guild hall was just down the street. She hummed to herself and then headed to the building. The receptionist was still just throwing darts. Is that all this guy does all day? He needs better hobbies. Pick up a book or something at least. Jeez. Talk about a boring existence. "Have you seen Poro-tan?" "Nope." He tossed another dart. Megumi shrugged and went inside the main hall without another word. She saw him sitting at a table near the fire with Kieren. The two of them were chatting loudly and her pet was shoveling spiced meat into his face while Kieren was drinking from a mug of what was probably ale and had a bowl of soup in front of him. She could smell the spices from a dozen paces away and wrinkled her nose. That was twice in one day he was eating something spicy enough to melt a normal man''s stomach. "How can you stand to eat that stuff all the time, Poro-tan?" He simply shrugged. "What are you talking about? This stuff is delicious and it''s full of good protein for building muscle! How can you stand to eat all the sweets you do? Aren''t you worried about getting fat?" Megumi sat down at the table and put her head in her hands. "That''s a very rude thing to say, Poro-tan. Megu has a figure that will never change no matter what she eats!" Suddenly she felt very fatigued again. The fun she had on her way back to the guild hall hadn''t been a permanent fix to her mood and that comment was irritating. She realized now that she probably looked like something out of a nightmare as she peeled off a fleck of dried blood that had been stuck to her cheek. It was probably in her hair too. Megu needs a freakin'' bath. She stood up and just as she was turning to leave, a shrill voice belonging to Taris sounded from behind her. "Why in the hell are you tracking blood through my guild hall?! You look like death itself, girl! What did you do? I knew you were up to no good." Taris stomped her way over to her and poked a finger at her accusingly. Megumi fixed the woman with a flat stare and a withering frown before shoving the hand away. "Megu didn''t do anything but help ensure that the streets of this city are clear of filthy rapists. Megu is fine, by the way! You''re welcome! See you guys in the morning, we leave first thing!" She turned and headed off toward the dormitories, leaving the angry guild master sputtering behind her. She made her way to the dormitory and found that the place had one of those magical clothes washing machines. She pulled out her dirty clothes from her bag and took off her shoes as well, tossing them all inside the machine''s receptacle before heading out into the shower room that lie before the actual hot springs. She entered a stall and cleaned herself up a bit before heading out to the hot springs.Steam filled the air of the outdoor hot spring and she dashed across the stone and hopped into the warm water. She let out a sigh of relief as warmth spread through her entire body. "Finally... Megu can relax a bit." The warm water felt fantastic and she dove under the water. The hot springs weren''t very deep, only a few feet, but it was enough for her to swim around a little. There were several other women relaxing in the hot spring as well, leaning against the seats that were carved into the rocks at the sides of the pool of warm water. She didn''t pay too much attention to them and instead continued swimming around a bit before finding her own seat to sit in. She leaned back, closing her eyes and let the hot water soak into her. When she opened her eyes again, none other than Beera stood right in front of her. "Enjoying the hot springs? Aren''t theyamazing? We''re the only guild hall in the entire country to have something like this!" She grinned and took a seat next to Megumi. "It''s wonderful and very relaxing." "So I hear that you''re heading out to help the orphans with Kieren tomorrow? You''re pretty brave for a newbie, the mountains leading up to the orphanage are full of danger. It sounds like a pretty tough task, but I saw your level. You''re a lot stronger than you look. I''m glad that someone is finally going to go help those kids! Thanks for taking on the request." Beera gave her a smile. "Those orphans don''t deserve to be treated like animals. Megu is more than happy to put a stop to it." Megumi hadn''t really wanted to have to talk to anyone as the whole public bathing thing was a bit new to her, but she played nice and chatted with Beera for a long while. The energetic bookkeeper told her about all the gossip around the guild hall. The woman was a wealth of useless information but Megumi nodded and smiled as Beera went on and on and on. Once she had had enugh, she politely excused herself and got dressed into her sleepwear in the shower area before heading back to the washing machine to grab her now clean clothes. The machine had done miracles and there wasn''t any remaning blood splatter on anything. It made her miss her small apartment in Northpost where she had one of these machines of her own. It didn''t matter, though, she could use this one whenever she wanted at least. Now that she had finished with that, it was time to go get some rest. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically after the long day. She flopped down onto the bed immediately upon entering the room and lay her head down into the soft pillow. Hopefully we can leave raelly early tomorrow. Megu wants to take care of those orphan abusing bastards and get stronger at the same time. It will be great. Sherolled over and reached into the bag that was on her night stand, taking out her treasure. Her father had read this story to her and her sister every night before bed, despite the fact that he was always rather busy. He had always made time for them. She flipped the book open to the portrait and stared at it.The portrait of her and her family helped keep her focused on what was important. She shouldn''t get too complacent. There were things she had to do. Things that kept her going even though she knew that she had become a monster long ago. She was little more than a shell of a human being and she knew it. Megumi fell asleep staring at the portrait as she often did and dreamed of the sweet revenge and terror she would bring down upon her enemies. Spoiler: Hideki (Poro-kun)
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 021 (25,999/27,801 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1000/1000 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 40 Magic 3
Endurance 28 Magic Resistance 8
Strength 25 Luck 7
Agility 18
Dexterity 17
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 4 (+40 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+5% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 2 (+100 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 023 (33,105/34,419 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 450/450 MP 1000/1000
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank F
Attributes
Vitality 18 Magic 68
Endurance 10 Magic Resistance 47
Strength 6 Luck 16
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 5 (+150 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 1 (+1 to all stats of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 2 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 12 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 26: Dont Feed the Trolls! Megumi slept better than she had in a long time. When she awoke, she carefully tucked away her treasure once more and stretched before climing out of bed. There was much to be done, and she was more than a little eager to get on the road. She spent a few moments picking out some sturdy traveling clothes and put on her warmest cloak after brushing her hair and washing her face. She glanced around the room to make sure she hadn''t forgot to pack anything; she didn''t plan on doing anything to end up wanted again, but it was hard to say how things would go. Better to be on the safe side. She stepped out into the dormitory hallway a moment later and locked the door. Megu could get used to sleeping in a nice bed like that. Most inns don''t even have nearly the same accommodations as this place. She headed down the stairs and to the main area of the guild hall. Her stomach grumbled and she intended to stuff herself full of good food before going back on the road. When she reached the common area, she noted that Kieren and Poro-tan were already there. They were sitting together eating breakfast. After placing her order, she headed over and sat down next to Poro-tan. "Good morning, Megumi." Kieren said with a chipper voice. "You sure put Taris in a foul mood last night. She was cursing up a storm after you left, and eventually forced some of the Rank F members to clean up the mess. It was pretty hilarious." Kieren grinned happily. Megumi could tell that the man had no love for the local guild leader. She simply shrugged at the comment. Getting blood all over the guild hall floor was the least of her concerns. She didn''t care at all about what Taris thought of her; besides, she had done the city a service in exterminating some vermin. Kieren finished chewing his latest bite of bacon and continued, "She''s going to really have it out for you now, you know? She is the type that can really hold a grudge. Anyway, it was great to see her knocked down a peg or two." "Megu isn''t worried about that one. Taris wanted Megu to join this guild, so she shouldn''t be so bitchy for no good reason. If she doesn''t want blood on the floor, then she should''ve hung up a sign or something." Kieren burst into laughter again. "Disclaimer: No blood on the floors!" "It''s pretty common knowledge that tracking blood into anywhere is a pretty rude thing to do. Couldn''t you have changed your boots?" Poro-tan chimed in. "I would''ve preferred to not have Taris up our asses all the time, but you just bring out the best in people sometimes, you know?" He sighed audibly and took another bite of food. Megumi shrugged again, he was starting to irritate her again. "Megu had other things on her mind than worrying about the cleanliness of the floors in here. We''re leaving today anyway. We won''t have to see her for a while." A few minutes of small talk later, her food finally arrived and she dug into it. She had ordered pancakes again and ate quickly. Today, they were covered in blueberries and were quite delicious. The sooner she finished her food, the sooner they could be on their way. She could hardly wait to get her hands on those people who were, probably at this very moment, performing awful experiments on those helpless children. She was itching to bleed them slowly. Once she was done with her food, the three of them grabbed their belongings off the benches next to them and headed outside. It was very early and the sun was only just barely coming up; not that they could see it very good as the streets were blanketed by a thick fog. It was definitely not the most pleasant time of day to be outside, but she would make the best of it. Megumi couldn''t help but feel a little guilty that the party hadn''t left yesterday. Kieren led the others through the fog and down the various streets. He seemed to know his way around the city far better than they did, and she wasn''t too surprised about that. After a while they arrived before some stables that stood near one of the gates leading out of the city. "We can cover a lot more ground if we have mounts, but do you two know how to ride? The stables here rent them out to adventurers and I have used them from time to time when I need to get somewhere more quickly." Poro-tan shook his head slowly. "I''ve never ridden a horse before. They''re expensive and my own two feet have always served me well enough. Is it hard to do?" "Megu knows how to ride, but how much is it to rent a horse here? We don''t actually have a ton of money." Megumi interjected. "Don''t worry about it. It''s on me, I really appreciate your help in taking on this request. I couldn''t have attempted this alone I think." Megumi was definitely not going to turn down a free mount. It felt like ages since she last had a horse to ride. It would feel good to be atop one of the gentle creatures once more. The three of them entered the stables and a tall woman with long auburn hair that was tied into a braid that reached down past her waist ran over to greet them. "Hello again, Lord Kieren. Do you need to rent a mount today? I can have your usual horse ready in just a few minutes." Megumi gave him a flat lord at hearing the title. He didn''t seem to notice, and answered the woman. "No need for formalities, Malon. I''d be more than happy if you could give me the horse that I usually ride." He smiled and gestured to the two of them. "Malon, these two are my new companions, Hideki and Megumi, and I need to rent them some horses for a request we''re doing for the Adventurers Guild. Can you make sure that one of them is extra docile? Hideki hasn''t ever rode one before." "Nice to meet you," Megumi said. Poro-tan said the same. "You as well. I''ll go see about finding the perfect horses for you two to ride. Give me just a moment." Malon retreated back inside the stables and left the three of them standing there. "Lord Kieren?" Poro-tan asked. "It''s not that I was keeping it a secret or anything. I come from a minor noble house in the southern part of the country. My father didn''t agree with my desire to become an adventurer and I left anyway. We never really got along that well, and I wouldn''t be surprised if he disenherited me by now." Megumi dropped her glare and decided that maybe this man wasn''t like most of the other nobles she had been around. They weren''t all rotten to the core, she knew that, but she didn''t like to admit it. Malon and a boy who had to be no more than ten years old came out of the stables a moment later with three horses. The boy led the horse he had by the reigns over to Kieren and handed over the reigns. Malon had the other two and handed the reigns over to each of them. "This one should be good for a beginner. You''ll be fine." Poro-tan nervously went around to the side of the horse and Malon walked him through the process of mounting and dismounting. Once he was atop the horse, she took him over to a small circular pen and spent a few minutes walking him through the basics of riding while Kieren and Megumi watched from atop their respective horses. Her pet sat nervously atop his horse and his posture was all wrong, but Megumi sent him some mental commands and corrected that problem for him. He turned his gaze towards her as he continued going around in circles and gave her a grateful look. Once the short tutorial was done and over with, the three of them rode to the gates of the city and left. Megumi prodded her horse into a gallop to see how fast it could go. She wasn''t disappointed and couldn''t stop herself from smiling in delight as the horse sped along the dirt road. She pulled on the reigns and brough the mount to a stop before turning back to the others who had continued going at a more normal pace. A few moments later, they caught up and the three of them continued along their way. "So where did you learn to ride, Megumi? You seem at home in the saddle." Kieren said. "Megu will pass on the subject." "I bet she was some rich person''s daughter," Poro-tan joked. "Sorry, but I just can''t picture you as a farmer''s daughter, out working the fields with a plow horse." Kieren nodded silently but didn''t say anything more. She was grateful that he could at least take a hint. She didn''t want to talk about her past with these two. Kieren turned to Poro-tan. "You seem to be picking it up rather well. You have good form. We will continue at a steady pace, so you don''t have to worry too much. Just keep it behind us and it should follow along. So long as we keep a steady pace, it should take us about a day and a half to get to the mining village where the orphanage is." "All right. I''ll do my best." "I''ll take the lead. Keep an eye on him, okay, Megumi?" "Sure." The morning seemed to drag on and was more-or-less uneventful. They managed to cover a lot of ground, however, so she was pretty happy with the decision to use horses. Most commoners, other than those who owned farms, didn''t tend to have horses as far as she knew. That''s why she hadn''t been too surprised when Poro-tan had said that he hadn''t ever rode before. She could definitely get used to this mode of travel. We don''t have a lot of money, but maybe we can get our own horses sometime down the road. It would definitely make things easier. It was a minor goal and she patted her stallion on its neck as they continued to trot along the road. The late morning sun felt good on her back, and it was nice that the fog had finally be burned off. They were fortunate that there hadn''t been any monster attacks so far and when she asked Kieren about it, he told her that the king''s soldiers patrolled the main road leading from Rivean to the capital city. It was a safe route for people and there were rarely incidents. By midday they arrived at the fork in the road that would lead them to their destination. The road leading up the mountains was far more narrow than the one they had travelled on thus far, and it wound its way back and forth up the steep mountains that lined the valley. As they climbed in elevation Megumi took in the view of the large valley below. In the distance, she could see Rivean. They were so high up now that she felt as though she was on top of the world. The air grew colder and colder as they went and snow that she believed probably never melted covered the ground. It wasn''t very deep, but it was a sign of where they were headed. She estimated that they were only about halfway up the mountain and Kieren had told them that the mining village was at the very top. As they wound their way ever upward, she began to wish that she had dressed even warmer. She pulled her heavy cloak around herself and pulled the hood down over her face. Megumi''s fingers felt like ice even though she wore some fuzzy mittens. As they were rounding a curve in the road her horses suddenly whinneyed and she had to pull the reigns hard to keep the beast from bolting. Just as she regained control of her horse, she saw what the problem was; just ahead of them in the middle of the road there was a gigantic mountain troll. It appeared to be tear apart a goat and was chomping away a the goat''s limbs before tossing the bloody pieces to the side. "This is going to be bad," Poro-tan whispered. Kieren nodded grimly. "Those things have skin like stone and can regenerate wounds insanely fast. There''s no way around it though. We need to fight. It hasn''t noticed us yet at least." The three of them dismounted and Kieren unhooked his halberd from his back once he was down on the ground. Her horse, as well as Poro-tan''s were stamping their feet and rolling their eyes, but Kieren''s mount appeared to have better training. It simply stood there, but it kept an eye on the troll in front of them. "What''s the plan?" Megumi asked. "Let''s attack it while it''s distracted. Do you have any magic that can hit it from here?" She nodded and held her staff up as she prepared to fire off an Eldritch Blast, but the troll suddenly turned around and let out a deafening roar. Megumi and Poro-tan''s horses bolted and she cursed aloud. The troll moved with lightning speed and grabbed what looked like a gigantic tree branch in its huge hands and threw it straight at them with tremendous force. The three of them fell to the ground just in time as the limb flew over their heads with a whoosh and she heard it slam into one of the horses behind her. There was a sound of pain and a loud thud behind them. Megumi pulled herself to her feet half a second later and stared in slight horror as the thing had grabbed a large club off of the ground and was charging straight in their direction. "Keep it busy! Megu will blast it!" she yelled. Poro-tan was already in front of her and had is sword out. Kieren joined him and the two warriors charged into battle. The troll swung its branch in a downward strike that would have squashed Kieren flat had he not dodged and Poro-tan did his best to circle around behind the thing. Megumi took aim and waited for an opening as Kieren stabbed at the troll with his halberd. Its skin was so thick that the blade of the weapon slid off the skin leaving only shallow wounds, which healed as fast as he was inflicting them. The troll became enraged at the irritating moves and slapped Kieren with its hand and sent him crashing to the ground several feet away. Megumi attacked when the thing turned to focus on Poro-tan. She cast Decay upon the beast and watchedthe monster crumple a little as the spell took hold. Poro-tan released one of his Shockwave attacks and sent the Troll stumbling backwards a few feet. It didn''t fall, however. Megumi fired off a barage of Eldritch Blasts at the back of the roll and once again threw it off balance. The beast fell flat on its face with a loud crash. For the first time in the fight, it let out screams of pain as the green flames burned into its body. There were now gaping holes in its skin that bled a dark green liquid.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Kieren was back on his feet and charging back towards the monster. He leapt into the air and slammed his halbard down onto the prone creature just as it rolled over onto its back. The halberd did some damage, but not nearly as much as it would have if he had hit one of the wounds Megumi had opened up. The troll grabbed her new companion by the leg and slammed him down onto the ground next to it. The troll yelled once more and jumped to its feet. Instead of trying to go after either of the fighters next to it, it charged at Megumi''s location at full speed. Poro-tan chased from behind, but what could he do? It was going to get to her, and she was definitely not one to be able to endure a phsyical blow from something as monsterous as the troll. She cast Magic Skin and fired Eldritch blasts at the thing. The balls of green energy connected, but she was unable to bring it down. It closed the gap between them in seconds and punched her right in the chest. The world spun as she went flying backwards and smashed into a rock. The air went out of her and she struggled to get back to her feet. Her mana reserves were nearly all gone after just one blow. Magic Skin had just saved her life, but she wouldn''t be able to shrug off another blow like that. The monster stared at her incredulously for a moment as it realized that she hadn''t even really taken any damage. Surely, it must have thought that she would have been little more than something it could scrape off its foot after hitting the rock with that much force. It let loose another enraged howl and started running at her again, but that was when her pet had finally caught up to it. A purple blade bloomed into existance out of the monster''s chest and it stared down at it with shock. Black tendrils spread out from the wound rapidly as the cursed blade went to work. The troll fell to its knees and Kieren, who had gotten back up again, came in from the side and with a heavy two handed strike slashed deeply into the troll''s throat. Megumi stumbled to her feet and watched the troll warily as it let out more wails of pain. Poro-tan''s blade exited the chest of the troll and popped out again in another spot. The troll''s regenerative abilities couldn''t hold up to the cursed blade, apparently, and the monster didn''t have the strength to fight back anymore. It fell forward onto its face and its eyes stared at her, now like glass. She shuddered at how close she had just been to dying and made her way over to the others. She sat down into the dirt with a sigh of relief. *Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 24! +1 TP
"We did it! I can''t believe it, but we took it out! Your magic really saved the day, Megumi! I feel ashamed that I once looked down on you for being a necromancer. You''ve not only got a good heart, but you are so powerful! That was amazing!" Kieren sat down in the dirt next to her, offering her a flask of water. She grabbed the flask and took a long drink of the cool water before handing it back to him. It felt good to have someone finally recognize her for being as amazing as she was. She gave him a genuine smile at the compliment. They had lost one of their horses in the troll''s initial attack, and the other two had bolted during the fight. "We lost all of our horses, though. Think we can get the other two back, or are we on foot from here on out?" "They probably won''t have gone far. I''ll go look for them. You doing okay, Hideki?" "I''m fine. I can''t believe how fucking resilient that thing was. It''s too bad about my horse. Poor thing. I bet that thing cost a fortune too..." Poro-tan was busy cleaning the green troll blood off of his sword. "You''re telling me. That thing hit so hard too. Don''t worry about the horse, though. Malon will be reimbursed by the adventurers guild. They have a contract with the guild that covers horses that are lost during a job. It''ll be okay, my friend." Poro-tan looked relieved and took a seat on a nearby rock next to them.. "It''s pretty surprising to see a mountain troll around here. We did the area a service by taking it out. We''ll take one of its ears back with us as proof, there''s a standing bounty on these things and we can collect it later on. There are adventurer teams that hunt these things down just for the rewards. I''ll go find the horses now. Hopefully I won''t be too long. Wait here." Kieren got back onto his feet and then headed off down narrow road. They watched the man until he rounded the corner and was out of sight. "He seems pretty reliable. I like him. He didn''t hesitate at all to attack that thing head on." "Neither did you." "You ordered me to hold it off, what else could I do?" "I guess that''s true, but Megu didn''t force you," she smiled. It felt good to be out in the world again. Nearly dying was a great way to feel alive. She thanked her lucky stars that she had invested into Magic Skin. It almost hadn''t been enough to block the heavy blow. She made a mental note to upgrade the skill further at some point. "Any plans on how we fight a possible army of chimeras? We can''t exactly raise an army of undead like we did with the bandits." "We''ll have to see what the situation looks like when we get there. Besides, even a town that just exists for mining is sure to have a graveyard." The two of them went over to the dead horse and Poro-tan retrieved his pack off the side of it. It was magical, so none of the items inside would have been harmed, thankfully. "Since we don''t have three horses anymore, you can ride behind Megu." He frowned at that. "Can''t you just raise it from the dead or something?" She shook her head, "Megu can''t raise creatures other than humans with her current skillset. Besides, even if Megu could bring that horse back to life, its body is in really bad shape. The horse wouldn''t be able to move properly and it would be slow." "I see... I always just assumed necromancers could bring any creature back from the dead." Megumi just shook her head. "As you know, not everyone is gifted with the same skills from the gods governing our world. Megu doesn''t have access to a skill that can raise anything like that, but there are some necromancers that do have that ability. Maybe it will be possible once Megu is stronger. Hard to say for sure." She decided that right now might be a good time to rest up a bit. It could take Kieren some time to find the missing horses; that''s assuming that it was even possible to track them down. "Megu is going to go catch a nap by that tree over there. Keep watch and wake Megu when Kieren gets back, Poro-tan." Poro-tan nodded and wandered over to the corpse of the giant troll to look at it while she settled in on the ground near the tree. There was a clear spot around it where the tree had melted the snow and she curled up in her oversized cloak to try to get some sleep. She rolled around a few times and found that it was impossibly hard to get comfortable like this, so she decided it was time to examine her available skills. Maybe something new unlocked after leveling. She could never really be sure when a new skill would pop up. Unfortunately there was little to go on as people seemed to gain skills randomly. Her class had even less research on its available skills than most others as necromancers were not only taboo, but they were exceedingly rare. She mentally opened up the interface that held her skill tree and had a look.
Passive Necromancy
Offensive Spells Summoning Defensive Spells Curses
Mage''s Essence Sanguine Infusion Raise Undead Spirit Barrier Decay
Fortify MP Corpse Explosion Soul Trap Magic Skin Siphon
???? Eldritch Blast Undead Mastery ???? ????
???? Corpse Absorption Soul Trap Mastery ???? ????
???? ???? Summon Blood Golem ???? ????
It looked like there were two new skills that she could get. Both of them were potentially interesting, but she needed to learn more of the details before deciding on what she wanted. Eventually, she intended to unlock all of her skills. Sanguine Infusion made it possible for her to do so much more than the average person in that regard. So long as she was willing to kill her enemies, she had potential for limitless TPs. She focused on Summon Blood Golem and then read the description.
Summon Blood Golem
Utilize the blood of the fallen to summon a golem out of crystalized blood and sinew. The creature will absorb the blood of enemies and become more powerful as it does so. Note: Blood used must be from recent kills. This blood does not have to be human. Summon Duration: 5 minutes.
That one could definitely come in handy. A monster like that would surely strike fear into the hearts of her enemies and she could use it when fighting non-human foes, unlike her Raise Undead skill which was worthless when fighting monsters. She moved on to the next spell, Siphon.
Siphon
This curse will drain the life essence out of an enemy and transfer it to you, restoring your own health at the expense of theirs.
As she didn''t have a good way to heal herself in combat, this would be potentially life saving. However, curses didn''t have a high success rate, especially at level 1, so this might not be more useful than the golem. She also considered upgrading one of her current skills, but no matter how she looked at it, the idea of having a summoned construct to fight for her was too appealing to turn down. She unlocked the skill. She also needed to spend Poro-kun''s newly acquired TPs. It wouldn''t be good to make the potentially fatal mistake of forgetting to do it again. She called over to her companion and asked where he thought the points should go. He requested that she putthe pointsinto Warrior''s Essence and Fortify Health. She didn''t see any reason to deny the request and complied. There. That should make him a bit more resilient. Chimeras come in many types and this is sure to be a hard battle ahead. It was clear that she wouldn''t be able to sleep like this, so she got up went to see the troll corpse up close as well. Its skin was gray like stone and when she poked it, she saw why the weapons had glanced off it more often than not. Without her magic, they would not have been able to even wound this thing enough to slow it down. She wished that she could raise the thing and use it as a minion. The thought of sending a giant troll into that orphanage to crush her enemies sounded like it would have been a blast. It was a shame. After what felt like forever, Kieren returned, and remarkably, he had found both horses. She got up off of the rock she had been sitting on and headed over to meet the man. "Took you long enough," Megumi complained. "Come on. I''ve been running all over the place tracking these guys down. It wasn''t easy, you know? Anyway, do you want to ride with me, or with Hideki?" "Megu will ride with Poro-tan." Kieren nodded and then looked over at Poro-tan with a goofy grin on his face. "Sometime, you''re going to have to tell me the story behind that cute name she has for you, Hideki." He laughed as he handed her the reigns of her horse. "We still hae a few hours of daylight ahead of us. Let''s get as far as we can before we camp for the night." "Sounds good to me. Let''s get away from this troll corpse already, who knows what kind of monsters will come out of the woodwork to eat that corpse." "Megu agrees. We should be on our way already. We''ve delayed enough as it is." With that, the three of them mounted up and continued their slow journey up the windy roads. Feng and the vile orphanage that lie there awaited them and Megumi couldn''t wait to try out her new blood golem spell. Spoiler: Hideki
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 023 (28,199/31,487 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1250/1250 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 44 Magic 3
Endurance 29 Magic Resistance 9
Strength 26 Luck 7
Agility 18
Dexterity 17
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 024 (35,305/39,903 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 450/450 MP 1100/1100
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank F
Attributes
Vitality 18 Magic 72
Endurance 10 Magic Resistance 49
Strength 6 Luck 17
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 5 (+150 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 1 (+1 to all stats of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 2 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 12 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Spoiler: Kieren
Name Kieren
Level 031 (65,010/69,181) EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1650/1650 MP 150/150
TP 0 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 70 Magic 8
Endurance 32 Magic Resistance 13
Strength 41 Luck 9
Agility 25
Dexterity 29
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 8 (+80 HP regeneration/min) ? Pole-arm Mastery - Level 9 (+90% proficiency with pole-arm weapons) ? Dragon Style - Level 4 ? Fortify Strength - Level 3 (+6 to Strength) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Last Stand - Level 4 (When health drops below 40% gain +28 to each stat for 5 minutes.)
Chapter 27: Wont Somebody Please Think of the Children?! When the party finally finished travelling for the night, Megumi climbed down from the saddle and stretched her legs. The spot where they had chosen to camp was in a sort of alcove within the rock next to the road, but the only way that monsters could approach them was from the road. A sheer cliff face was at their backs that had to be at least fifty feet tall. Poro-tan was setting up their tent while Kieren rubbed down the horses and then tied them to a large outcropping of rock that stuck up out of the earth nearby. Once their large tent had been set up, Megumi went inside and prepared the bedding for the three of them. There was more than enough room and Kieren had agreed that it made the most sense to only use one tent in case they had to run in the middle of the night or if nothing else, it would be faster to break camp in the morning. While she set up she heard the two men outside talking while they made a fire. "The best way to start a fire is to stack the wood up like this, see." "No. It''s better to build a little cabin. Trust me." "What would a high and mighty lord know about survival stuff?" "More than you apparently." The two of them were joking around as they bantered back and forth and she ignored the rest of their conversation. it wasn''t really very interesting to her. When she got outside once more the fire had already been lit; the wood had been configured in the shape of a little cabin, and the two men were warming their hands in front of the fire. Megumi joined them. "How much further will we need to go in the morning, do you know?" "We made good time today, even considering the incident with the troll and horses, so we should be able to get to the town by mid-afternoon so long as we don''t have any more problems along the way I think," Kieren answered. "Have you been to Feng before?" Hideki asked Kieren. "Not in years. I came to handle a monster subjugation quest. Monsters had overrun the mine and a team of us went in and cleared them out. At the time, they hadn''t been using orphans to mine the ore. That was only a recent development." Megumi turned around to warm her back and rubbed her hands together as she thought about what he had said. She wondered who was behind the whole orphanage thing and made a mental note to herself to find out and pay that person a visit one day. A gust of wind brought frigid air into the alcove and she shuddered despite being in front of the fire. It was time to turn in. She had no desire to sit out here exposed to the elements. The sky appeared to be darkening and she wouldn''t be surprised if they got snowed on tonight. "Megu is going to sleep." "Don''t you want to eat something? We have some dried meat." "No thanks. Megu ate while we rode. Goodnight." "Goodnight." She made her way inside the tent and heard the two of them talking about taking turns keeping watch. She didn''t intend to do that at all, either. Poro-tan didn''t exactly need a lot of sleep, and he could take her shift. She crawled under her blankets and snuggled up as best she could. In just a few minutes she had fallen asleep.
Megumi awoke to Poro-tan shaking her shoulder gently. "Hey. It''s sunrise. You wanted to wake up early, right?" She slowly sat up and blinked at him. "Right. Was there any trouble last night?" He shook his head. "Great. Let''s get everything put away and go. Megu wants to finish this job and get back down where it''s warmer already." When she stepped out of the tent she was greeted with the sight of about a foot of fresh snow. The sky was overcast, but it was calm at least. She shivvered in the frigid mountain air and Poro-tan got to work breaking down the tent and putting away all the belongings. Kieren stood next to the fire. She wondered if they had kept it going all night. There was a kettle sitting atop some coals to the side of the small firepit and he smiled to her as she approached. "Would you like some tea? It''ll help warm you up." She nodded, doing everything she could to keep her teeth from chattering. He poured some of the green liquid into a metal cup and handed it over to her. Steam steadily rose from the liquid gold and she held the warm cup against her fingers for a moment, letting the warmth run into her cold hands. It smelled good and he said that it was called green tea; a fitting name for it she supposed. After taking a few sips and feeling the warm liquid spread down into her stomach, she felt more awake than she had before. It was surprising, but the warm beverage had really made a difference in her morning. "Thanks. It''s really good." "You''re welcome. Once he''s done putting away the tent we can get moving." "Sounds good. Megu can''t wait to rid the world of those scumbags." He nodded his agreement and then went off to help Poro-tan get the camp packed up. She helped herself to another cup of the warm tea while they did their thing. "What can you tell us about the people who live in Feng?" she asked. "There isn''t much to tell. Last time I was there, it was mostly miners. No one had their families here, if they had families at all, and there was only one inn and a general store in the whole town. There are large quantities of precious minerals deep within the mountain and although it''s dangerous work, it attracts a lot of people seeking to dig it up." "Do you think they know about the experiments?" Poro-tan asked. Kieren hesitated for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "I couldn''t imagine they would know. At least... I hope they aren''t so horrible as to let something like that happen under their noses." Megumi wasn''t so sure that the people in the town wouldn''t know about it. Something like that would be hard to hide in a small place. She would assume the town was rotten to the core until proven otherwise. They put out the fire and then got back atop their mounts. The next several hours were some of the coldest, most boring hours that she had spent since leaving the dungeon behind. There wasn''t anything to look at other than snow and more snow. They finally reached the top of the mountain and just over the ridge, nestled into what looked like a humongous crater, stood a tiny town. Smoke billowed out of several buildings and she thought she could see the building that was likely the orphanage off in the distance by the far mountainside. It was larger than the other buildings in town and even from this distance, she could tell that it looked to be shabby looking. "Are you guys ready for this?" Kieren asked. "Megu is more than ready. Megu is eager. Let''s go." The group followed the road down into the town and she stared around at the snow covered roofs and empty streets. The place looked dead to her, and she supposed that most everyone here would still be down in the mines at this time of day. "Why build an orphanage way up here anyway? If there aren''t any families here, then where do all the orphans come from?" "Ah... well that''s the thing. Children make for good mine workers as they can fit into all kinds of tight spaces. The lord of this town actually pays nearby villages to send their orphans his way. In exchange for food and shelter, the town has the children work in the mines. It''s despicable if you ask me." He spat to the side. It was infuriating that things like this were allowed to happen. She would definitely be paying a visit to this city lord before they left, with or without Kieren''s knowledge. Kieren shrugged. "It doesn''t matter. We''re here to stop the experiments, not stop the mining operation. It''s sad, but that''s the hand the kids were dealt. At least they will have a roof over their heads. Let''s get a room at the inn and we can spend some time figuring out how we want to approach the problem." This is unacceptable. They are human beings, not cattle. Painful memories rushed to the surface of her mind and her face grew hot with anger. It took everything she had to suppress the feelings she had when she thought of her own time spent in one of those horrible establishments. The pieces of trash needed to pay. The group continued through the small village and Megumi formulated a plan in her mind. Just as they arrived at the inn, she spoke up before they dismounted to go inside. "Megu has a plan. Megu will play the part of an orphan that you two are bringing here to sell. This way, we can infiltrate the orphanage and figure out what is happening inside." Kieren looked at her incredulously, but before he could protest, she urged her horse into motion and headed directly towards the orphanage. A moment later, Kieren caught up to her. "Hold on. This plan is rash. You know what is happening in that place, why should you needlessly put yourself into danger? We should think things through more. I don''t care how powerful you are, going in there alone is suicide." "They won''t expect it. Megu will have the element of surprise," She didn''t stop and just kept going in the direction of her destination. She was determined that this would be the best way to take the place down. Charging in with their swords drawn would not work, no matter how she looked at it. "Her mind is made up, man. Give it up," Poro-tan said from behind her. Kieren let out an exasperated noise and threw up his hands. "Fine. If you''re going to do it, then at least look the part. You''re way too well dressed and your hair is too well kept. We need to dirty you up first. Follow me." Kieren directed his mount into a dark looking alleyway and Megumi followed. His reasoning about her appearance was sound; she didn''t look the part of an orphan. The three of them dismounted and Kieren got to work dirtying her clothes with some exposed dirt that lie between the houses where the snow had been unable to accumulate. The dirt was more like mud and he threw it on her. She rubbed the filth into her clothes and then retrieved a small knife from her inventory bag; cutting holes into her clothing at various points. In a few minutes they had her looking pretty disheveled. "It''s not perfect, but it will be believable enough. Do you have a way to keep your item bag hidden by chance? I can''t condone you going in there unarmed no matter what you say," Kieren said in a stubborn tone. "Megu doesn''t need her staff to cast spells, but there is something that she can use to hide the bag." She reached into her bag and pulled out a medium sized teddy bear. She grinned and shoved her item bag inside of the back and then activated the bear''s special enchantment. The back sealed up and looked just like any other sealed stuffed animal. It didn''t weigh anything more than normal and she didn''t think that an orphan holding onto a stuffed teddy bear was anything suspicious. It would work. It had to. Satisfied that she had done all she could as far as going in armed, she tossed the bear over to Kieren for him to give it a once over.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "This will work I think." Kierensaid. "Are you sure about this, Megumi?" "Yes. This is the best plan to take them out without having a ton of chimeras to fight all at once." "How long do you intend to infiltrate the place for? We will need to come for you sooner than later. We don''t know how many chimeras they have actually been able to create, or how many enemies are inside. For that matter, we have very little information at all." "Megu will find out as much as possible from the orphans and take action only if necessary. Megu will try to find a way to get outside and leave a note for you hidden by the fence of the property. Check there once per day, and if anything goes wrong, Poro-tan will know and come running. Megu has a way to get in touch with him." Kieren looked over at her pet with a puzzled look on his face. "How do you contact him?" "You don''t need to worry about how." "If we''re going to work together, you''re gonna need to learn to be a bit more trusting than that, Megu-chan." "Just drop it. You don''t really want to know," Poro-tan said. "Fine. I''ll drop it for now, but think about it at least. We''re a team now, and we shouldn''t keep secrets from one another; especially ones that might help us all get this job done safely. Let''s get a move on." Megumi just nodded and got back onto her mount. Megu''s child-like appearance will come in handy once again after all. Going into an orphanage again is something Megu would have never predicted that she''d do again. A couple mintues later and the large structure of the orphanage loomed in front of them. The building was surrounded by a tall metal fence and there was a gate with a guard house next to it in front. Razor sharp wire lined the top of the sturdy looking fence and she couldn''t help but think that the place resembled a prison more than a place for children to be taken care of. She gripped the reigns tightly and swallowed a bit of apprehension that was trying to bubble to the surface of her mind as the gatekeeper exited his little shack and swung the gate wide open at their approach. The man was one of the boniest men that she had ever seen. He reminded her of one of her skeletons with his tight skin and sunken eyes. He was half bald and frowned at the party as he approached. The three of them dismounted and she did her very best to look meek and sad while they headed inside the property. "What business do you have here?" He eyed Megumi appraisingly. "We heard that you buy orphans. We brought you one." Poro-tan shoved her forward and she stumbled and fell onto the ground. Megu is a great actor! The ground was cold and she stayed there for a moment, letting out a soft whimper before getting back up to her feet. The bony man let out a snort and stepped over to her. "This little wisp of a thing won''t last a week down in the mines. She''s got no muscle and looks half starved." "You don''t want her then?" Kieren asked. "I didn''t say that. She won''t be very useful, but... we can find otherthings for her to do around here maybe if she can''t pull her weight in the mines." There was a glint in the man''s eye that she didn''t like one bit. It was time for her to continue putting on her show. She thought about a particularly sad moment in her life, and it was easy to force tears into her eyes. She backed away from the bony man, who also smelled awful, and got behind Kieren. She grabbed onto his shirt and looked at him pleadingly. "Please! Don''t leave me here. I''ll do anything! Just don''t leave me in this horrible place." "Shut up, girl. Can''t you see we''re negotiating here?" Kieren yelled at her and shoved her away hard. She flopped to the ground once more and continued crying. "Mouthy one, isn''t she? We''ll beat that out of her in time. The standard rate is 2000 GP. Take it or leave it. We don''t negotiate." Kieren and Poro-tan exchanged a look and then reluctantly agreed to the price. Megumi had gotten back up and had continued sniffling quietly as the man led them towards the orphanage. The large wooden door creaked loudly as he opened it and she noted that the inside of the structure was only warmer by a small margin than the outside. It brought back terrible memories of huddling together with her sister, after not having eaten enough in a cold attic of the orphanage she had stayed in. There was a notable absence of noise and she supposed it was due to the fact that all of the children were probably in the mines or being experimented on somewhere in this place. She frowned and rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her dirty shirt. "Wait here. Don''t wander off. I will go get the head mistress and your money," The old man shoved the door shut and then headed up the creaky staircase that stood to the side of the large entryway. A few moments later, a large woman with short cut brown hair came waddling down the staircase with the bony man. "I hear you have a poor unfortunate soul in need of rescue. We will gladly take her in. My name is Theresa." She waddled over to Megumi and grabbed her face between her plump fingers and squeezed. "Not much to you, is there girl? Worry not, we will find some work for you and in exchange you get to live in our lovely home." Megumi had to stifle a laugh when the woman called the dilapidated building a nice home. She noted that the woman had a large ugly mole on her right cheek and Megumi had to stifle the urge to vomit when the woman got close to her. It seemed as though neither of the two people in charge of this place ever bathed. The smell was appalling and Megumi wanted nothing more than for the woman to let go of her face so she could get a few feet back. "She''s a cute one, albeit she''s pretty flat. I''m surprised you''re selling her to us, rather than somewhere... that pays better. No matter though, we''re always happy to have more help around here. If you''re a good girl, you''ll find that life here isn''t so bad. However... if you''re naughty, well then... let''s just say we have ways of dealing with bad little girls. Do you understand?" The woman finally let go of her face and she stepped a few feet back. She did her best to look frightened, and truthfully, she didn''t really know what she was getting herself into here, but she nodded to the woman. "I understand, miss Theresa." Theresa smiled at her and seemed to accept her act of meekness. The large woman turned her attention to her two companions once more and handed over a money pouch that clinked as she completed the exchange. "Thank you for your patronage. If you run across any more unfortunate souls in need of shelter, bring them to us, alright, boys?" Her companions nodded and the bony man led them back through the doors leaving her alone with the portly woman. After a few long seconds the woman turned, her demeanor shifting from kindness to cruelty. "Well, don''t just stand there crying all day, girl. Pull yourself together. You can sleep in one of the rooms upstairs on the third floor, I don''t care which. Any time you''re not working the mines, you''ll be doing chores. You will get two meals a day. One in the morning, one at night, only so long as you''re good though. There are a few other kids who cannot work in the mines that are cleaning the west wing today. You''re free to go just about anywhere you want, but stay out of the basement in the north wing of the building. Children who don''t do as they''re told are beaten on the first offense, and you don''t want to know what happens to you after that. Understand all of that?" Megumi pulled herself out of her thoughts and nodded. It wasn''t easy pretending to be meek, when she really wanted to turn this monster of a woman into a pool of goop on the floor. Gritting her teeth she turned and was about ready to head off into the direction she had been told to go in when the woman grabbed her arm tightly. "I''ll be taking that stuffed bear of yours. If you''re good, then you can have it back later tonight. Good little girls are rewarded, you see?" Theresa yanked the teddy bear out of Megumi''s hand. Megu is going to get her bag back and fucking kill you if you hurt that teddy bear in any way! Defiance must have touched her eyes when she stared at the woman because a second later her entire world was spinning and she hit the floor with a loud thud. Her face stung and she knew it was getting red. She looked up at the woman who was frowning down at her. "I don''t like the look you just gave me. Get out of my sight. You wont be getting this back today. Think about what you''ve done and try harder to learn your place!" She hated the idea of not having her book and family portrait more than the lack of her various items, but she would play along, for now. She wiped the small drop of blood that was beginning to fall from her now swollen lip.Shoving down her pride she stood back up and looked down at the floor. "I''m sorry, Miss Theresa. I''ll be good from now on, you''ll see." She excused herself and headed to the west wing of the horrible building. Apologizing to that monster of a woman made her physically ill. She wanted to vomit but forced herself to keep walking. Megumi consoled herself by imagining blasting the woman at point blank range right in the face with her magic. The imagined image of Theresa''s head exploding brought a small smile to her face. Megu WILL work hard. Megu will work hard to burn this entire village to the ground for turning a blind eye to what is happening here, starting with you, bitch. Megu vows this here and now. Spoiler: Poro-kun
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 023 (28,199/31,487 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1250/1250 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 44 Magic 3
Endurance 29 Magic Resistance 9
Strength 26 Luck 7
Agility 18
Dexterity 17
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 024 (35,305/39,903 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 435/450 MP 1100/1100
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank F
Attributes
Vitality 18 Magic 72
Endurance 10 Magic Resistance 49
Strength 6 Luck 17
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 5 (+150 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 1 (+1 to all stats of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 2 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 12 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Spoiler: Kieren
Name Kieren
Level 031 (65,010/69,181) EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1650/1650 MP 150/150
TP 0 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 70 Magic 8
Endurance 32 Magic Resistance 13
Strength 41 Luck 9
Agility 25
Dexterity 29
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 8 (+80 HP regeneration/min) ? Pole-arm Mastery - Level 9 (+90% proficiency with pole-arm weapons) ? Dragon Style - Level 4 ? Fortify Strength - Level 3 (+6 to Strength) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Last Stand - Level 4 (When health drops below 40% gain +28 to each stat for 5 minutes.)
Chapter 28: Its a Hard-Knock Life The orphanage was much larger than the one where Megumi had spent time in long ago. She wandered through the place and took in her surroundings. The place was drab and had no decoration of any kind. It was not only physically cold in the place, but the lack of anything to look at sucked the warmth out of the building as well. After a few minutes of exploring she found her destination. Inside a large sitting room, one of the first rooms she had seen that actually contained furnishings, she caught her first sight of some children. There were three kids of various ages cleaning the room. The two younger children were scrubbing the floors with wet rags and the older one was dusting with a feather duster. Despite the fact that they had definitely heard her walking in the room, none of them looked up to greet her or anything. They reminded her of the undead she used to complete tasks; quiet and obedient. Two of the children couldn''t have been older than six years old and Megumi noted that the little girl was missing half her arm at the elbow. The little boy was also damaged goods as he was missing a few fingers on his left hand. This place is a shit hole. What happened to these kids? This is fucked up!Megu can''t wait to kill the ones responsible for this. She walked up to the oldest one, a girl who looked to be somewhere around her fake age. "Hi. My name''s Megumi. The bitch that runs the place told me to come here and help clean." Her statement caused the face of the girl in front of her to go white. She stammered, "Y-Y-You... shouldn''t talk like that!" she whispered urgently. "If they heard you say that..." "Don''t worry. I won''t be here for long, and neither will you. We''re all getting out of here," She whispered. The two younger children had finally stopped what they were doing and came around to stare at her. The older girl gave them a stern look and the two children wilted visibly and got back to scrubbing. The thin wisp of a girl grabbed Megumi''s wrist and dragged her to the far corner of the large room. "Listen. I don''t know where you came from, but there is only one way to survive here, and that''s to do what Theresa says. There is no getting out of here unless its in a coffin or you age out; which never happens. Kids who talk back, or even think of talking back or who try to escape are taken to the forbidden place by the man in black and never come back. I''ve been here for three awful years now and trust me when I tell you that there is no way out of here. Just keep your head down, and you''ll survive. It''s the only thing we can do. Also, please don''t say things like that around the little ones, either. If you want to die, then do so alone, don''t drag them down with you. They mean well, but they are not good at keeping their mouths shut. Understood?" Man in black... That doesn''t fit the description of the man at the gate. That must be the person who experiments on the children. He''s living on site in the forbidden wing, then? Makes sense in a sick way that they would only use up the willful types or maybe ones who get injured while mining. Megu needs to learn more, but for now it''s probably best to blend in. "All right. So what do you want me to do? When we finish here can you show me around? I can''t believe how big this place is. What''s your name?" "I''m Lydia. That''s Jack and that''s Nell." She pointed before reaching into the water bucket on the floor and pulling out another wash cloth. "Here. Theresa wants us to scrub down all the floors of this room. We''re about half done. I can show you around after." There was little that Megumi hated more than hard labor, but she could put up with a lot if it suited her purposes. She took the wash cloth that Lydia was holding out towards her and rung it out over the bucket. The task seemed like a pointless one to her considering that the whole building seemed to be falling apart, but it was probably just busy work anyway. The floor in here wasn''t even particularly dusty. Theresa probably just didn''t want to deal with having to actually do anything other than stuffing her fat face. Megumi got down on her hands and knees and got to work. The water was cold and her hands soon became red and numb as she worked. The group worked in silence and Megumi noted that after Lydia had finished dusting, she got on the floor and started scrubbing as well. Hadn''t these evil fuckers ever heard of mops? The wind had begun to howl outside and when it hit the building, cold seemed to seep through all the various cracks and she felt the cold air seep into her bones. She shivvered and tried to stay focused, but she couldn''t even remember the last time she had been this cold. At least on their way up to this wretched place she had been dressed properly and hadn''t had to continuously dip her fingers into frigid water. The time seemed to drag by here and the work she was doing brought back bad memories of her own time in an orphanage, but at least that one had been in a warmer climate. She irritably wet her rag again in the cold, soapy bucket that was in the middle of the room and continued working. "Couldn''t we just say that we''re done? The floor isn''t even dirty," she whispered to Lydia. The girl shook her head. "She''d just have us do something else, and trust me, this is one of the better jobs around here." She had already broken a few fingernails while scrubbing and her hands were completely numb and stinging painfully. She imagined standing that fat bitch out in the snow naked and tied up for an entire day before she killed her and a small smile appeared on her face. The thought kept her going and after what felt like ages, the floor and room was as clean as it was going to get. She spiked the rag into the bucket with as much force as she could muster and stretched her aching back. "So, Lydia, when do the other kids get back? They''re all at the mines, right?" "They never come back until well after dark. Dinner is usually cold by then, but we make it before hand so they can eat and then go straight to bed. That''s actually the next thing we''re supposed to do now that we''re done and it''s near dinner time. I''m the oldest girl in the orphanage, and I get along well with all the little ones," she mussed up Nell''s hair before continuing, "...so they let me stay here and take care of those who can''t work in the mines while they recover." "What is it like in the mines?" Lydia looked down at the floor and fumbled around with her fingers. It was Jack who answered, "It''s horrible. I hate it. It''s dark and freezing and hard to breathe. Jared, my mining partner, he... he started coughing up blood yesterday and the man in black took him away..." Tears came to the little boy''s eyes and Megumi felt pity for him. "I''m so sorry about your friend. I wish I could have helped him." "My brother is in the mines. He''s the only family I have and the little time I spent there before Lydia found other uses for me was horrible. Jack said it perfectly." "I see. It sounds awful, I''m definitely not looking forward to going down there... in any case can you show me around now?" "Nell and Jack can go get dinner started while I take a few minutes to give you a quick tour. Let''s go." Lydia took her by the wrist again and led her off while the two younger kids trudged off towards the front of the building again. Megumi couldn''t stop herself from shivering from the cold and rubbed her hands together before bringing them up to her face to blow hot air into them. "There isn''t actually much to see here, really. Most of the rooms on the first floor are empty and don''t even have furniture. Theresa''s room is on the second floor and Ignis'' room is on the bottom floor near the front door. You would have met him on your way in. He is the one who would chase you down if you were to try to escape. He''s cruel and beats us when Theresa tells him to. In the entire building, there is only one place where we aren''t allowed to go which is the basement in the forbidden wing. Our rooms are on the third and fourth floors. The fourth floor is just an attic, though and it''s reallycold up there." They wandered around and the girl chattered away constantly. It was clear that she never got to talk to anyone her own age. Megumi did her best to stay engaged with the conversation, but she her mind was mostly occupied with mapping the place out and trying to ignore the cold. There were several spots on the first floor where she would have been able to slip out of if not for the heavy iron bars that covered them. The place really was like a prison. She would need to find another way to get out to leave the others a note or risk going out the front door in the middle of the night. "Are we allowed to go outside the house?" Lydia paused. "To the town?" "No. Just like outside the house to the grounds." "Ah. They let us outside if there are chores needing to be done out there such as getting water from the well. Other than that, everyone is always working all the time so there isn''t any time to go play or anything if that''s what you were thinking." "I see. That makes sense I guess..." Drat. That means the only way out is going to be against the rules and Megu will get into trouble if caught. Maybe they''ll put me on water gathering duty? The tall girl took that as a sign to continue the tour and continued walking at a brisk pace while going back to chattering on and on. Lydia also took the time to point out the area that was forbidden for her to go to. Megumi could see stairs leading down into the basement through the open double doors leading into the other wing. That was where her enemy was at. Did he have experiments going on right now? How many chimera did he have down there and what kinds? She had to sneak down there, but when could she do it? On the second floor, Lydia pointed out the bedrooms of both Theresa and Ignis before they headed up to the third floor. Apparently the second floor of the building was just as empty as most of the first. When the tour got to the third floor, Megumi finally got to get an idea of just how many child slaves this place had. Rows upon rows of uncomfortable looking mattresses lined the floors in each of the rooms. Each of the beds only had a single thin, rough looking blanket on them and no pillows. She didn''t see any personal items around really and it was looking like she probably wouldn''t ever get her bear back without having to take it by force. Megu WILL get her bag back and that bitch better not have damaged the bear, either. That concealing enchantment didn''t come cheap! If the woman discovered her hidden item bag, there would be bigger problems anyway. Since she hadn''t been whisked away by the man in black, it had to mean that her secret was still safe, right? "The older boys sleep on the fourth floor," Lydia said as they climbed up the narrow stairs leading to the attic. There were only 8 beds in this area and as before there wasn''t much to see. It was even colder on the fourth floor than it was in the rest of the house as Lydia had told her earlier, and Megumi''s body shivvered uncontrollably as another heavy gust of wind hit the house. "Isn''t there enough room for everyone on the second floor? Why would anyone choose to sleep up here? This is awful!" "Not always... Theresa doesn''t let anyone sleep below the third floor and as I''m sure you''ve noticed... it''s a lot colder up here. Boys older than 10 sleep up here so that the youngerboys and girls can sleep in the warmer rooms downstairs. The orphanage is usually full, so there aren''t a lot of beds to spare. When younger kids or older girls come and we''re too full, they usually just double up. Maybe the older boys prefer personal space over being warm, I don''t really know." "I see..." Now that the tour was over, they needed to get back to the kitchens to help Nell and Jack with dinner. When they arrived, Megumi saw that Theresa and Nell were standing next to a pan frying something that sizzled and actually smelled good. Jack was in another part of the kitchen standing on a tall stool stirring large pots of stew or soup of some sort. "It''s about time you two got here. Put on some aprons and get to work. I''m going to be in my room. The other children will be back soon, make sure that the food is ready for them so they can go to bed after they eat. You can bring me my meal as soon as its done, understood?" "Yes, Miss Theresa," the three orphans said at the same time. Megumi came to a realization just then. The delicious smelling food that the woman had been working on was just for herself! She went over to look into the large pots that Jack had been stirring and her heart sank. Each of the four large pots contained colorless, bland looking gruel. Megumi''s stomach began to churn at the memory of months and months of eating the stuff at her last orphanage. She almost vomited into the pot, but managed to step back and keep it down. "It isn''t so bad really. You get used to it." Megu will NOT get used to it! Fuck this place. Despite the thought, her stomach was grumbling. She should have eaten before coming into this place. All the manual labor and being in the cold seemed to have sucked all the energy out of her. She had some good food in her bag, if only she could get to it. She stared dejectedly at the pots before her. Megumi had vowed to never again eat this stuff, and she was not about to break that promise she had made to herself now, nor ever. She would starve first. "Jack, can you come help me knead the dough? We have to get the bread into the oven or it wont be done before the others get back. Nell, keep an eye on Miss Theresa''s food, okay? Megumi can you stir the gruel? We can''t let it burn or it will taste even more awful. It has to be constantly stirred." Megumi perked up at the thought of fresh baked bread, at least. She wouldn''t starve after all. "Sure." She picked up the large wooden spoon and forced herself to ignore the nasty stuff as she began to stir. The gruel was quite thick and since she wasn''t exactly the musclebound type, it gave her arms a real workout to stir it. While they cooked, Megumi was able to learn some things about the three kids. Nell was an only child and had never known her parents. She had been at the orphanage since she was a toddler and lost her arm in the mines six months ago. Jack had been the son of a trader who had been killed by bandits on their way up the mountain a few years back when he was five and had been taken here. Lydia had come here with her brother, Jason, who was one of the older boys that slept on the fourth floor. Their parents died in a fire several years back and since they had no family to speak of, her town shipped them off to this accursed place like cattle.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Once Nell was finished with making Theresa''s food, she scampered off in the direction of the entryway. The plate was piled high with the kinds of spiced meats that Poro-tan typically enjoyed. Megumi cursed the damned woman once again as she strained to continue stirring the thick gruel. She wasn''t a huge fan of savory foods, but she would have dug right into those spiced sausages at this point. She sighed and continued stirring. On the bright side, at least the bread that was now baking in the large ovens smelled delicious and the kitchen was at least warm. Once the food was all finished her arms felt like wet pasta. She and Lydia carried the heavy pots of gruel into the adjacent dining hall which had rows upon rows of dining tables lined up with uncomfortable benches on either side. They deposited the pots onto one of the tables and went back to the kitchen to grab stack after stack of bowls. Once they had enough of the bowls they began ladling one large scoup of the nasty sludge into each bowl while Jack and Nell scooped them up and put them into place along the tabletops. Once they had finished with distributing the gruel, they went to the kitchen and pulled the warm loaves of bread out of the ovens. Lydia and Megumi carefully sliced the bread as evenly as they could and before long they had several large stacks of sliced bread in front of them. Nell and Jack once again were tasked with the job of distributing the food and had come back and forth with large serving trays that they piled the sliced bread onto. In just a few minutes the bread was all gone. "We can go ahead and eat now. The others will be back soon. Trust me, it''s a lot better when its warm." Lydia patted Megumi on the shoulder and went out to the dining hall ahead of her. "How far away is the mine from here?" "Umm... it''s about a five minute walk to the entrance. It isn''t very far away. It takes a long time to get to the bottom of the mines where the work is being done though. It''s pretty scary." Megumi nodded thoughtfully. Maybe the best chance to escape would be when they took her to the mines. Surely they would send her there tomorrow. She would sneak down in the middle of the night and check out the forbidden wing and then she would have enough information that when she escaped they could return in force. Jack and Nell were already at a table and were woofing down some food like starving animals when the two of them sat down next to them. Megumi stared down at the colorless goop before her and had the strong urge to throw the bowl at one of the walls; not that it would do any good, she would be punished and then also forced to clean it. She pushed the bowl to the side and chose to eat the thick slice of bread. "You''re going to starve if you don''t learn to stop being so picky, Megumi." "I don''t care. I can''t eat that." "Suit yourself I guess." Lydia grabbed the bowl and split it evenly between her and the other two orphans. The little kids grinned excitedly at getting to eat a little more food than normal and she gave them a warm smile. It occured to her that she was acting like a stuck up princess or something, but she just couldn''t eat this stuff ever again. It was the principle of the thing. Megumi wondered how long she would last before breaking in a place like this again if she didn''t have her magic to get her out of here. She shuddered at the thought. She wondered what would come of these kids once they were liberated as well. Would any nice families really take in these kids? In her experience, such people didn''t exist. They would probably end up in another place like this one, but she would ensure that at the very least their next home would take care of them properly. That was really all that one could hope for. It was heartbreaking, but that was just the way of the world and she could only do so much for these kids. "Do you know if either of the people here can use magic? Why hasn''t anyone been able to escape?" she whispered to Lydia who sat to her left. "They don''t, the man in black might... but he rarely comes out of the basement. A few kids have managed to get out of the compound before, but the villagers beat them and brought them back half dead. After which, the man in black took them away and they were never seen again. So what''s the point of trying?" This was just more proof that the village and all its inhabitants deserved Megumi''s brand of justice before all this was said and done. She gripped her spoon hard enough that her knuckles turned white. The silence was interrupted with the sound of a door slamming open and the voice of a screaming boy. Megumi and the others jumped to their feet and ran to the entry hall. Three boys were screaming and missing limbs. A group of almost a hundred kids were shoving their way inside and around the wounded kids. Many of them ignored the wounded and headed towards the dining hall. Megumi wondered how common of an occurance this was. One of the boys was in particularly bad shape; it was very unlikely that he would live. The boys who had likely carried or dragged the wounded crowded around their friends and were screaming for Theresa to come down and help. The portly woman came stomping down the stairs a moment later and surveyed the scene with a look of irritation on her face. "Everyone needs to clear out immediately or they will not get any food for 3 days! I''ll take care of this mess. Why in the hells would you bring them inside. Blood is getting everywhere!" "We can help them! They can still work, you''ll see, Miss Theresa. Please! They just need to heal up and we can get them some prosthetics!" The large woman waddled over to the boy who spoke up and slammed her fist into his stomach. He doubled over in pain and flopped to the floor. The other children scattered like rats from a sinking ship and soon Megumi, Lydia, and the boy on the floor were the only ones who dared to stay. "Did I stutter? Get the fuck out of my sight! These three are worthless now, they are going away." Ignus came in through the front door and loomed over the scene. "Go get, Tyrius, tell him we have 3 more for him. Be quick about it, they''re getting blood all over my floor!" The man nodded and headed down to the end of the hallway and towards the forbidden area. Lydia stubbornly fell to her knees on the floor and hugged one of the boys, who was missing both legs at the knees. She sobbed and held onto him for dear life. Megumi just stared in shock at what she was seeing. Memories long repressed forced themselves to the surface of her mind. She flashed back to a very similar scene where she was being dragged away kicking and screaming while the matron of her orphanage beat Miki to death. She had been removed from the room and never saw her sister again. Tears came to her eyes unbidden and she felt red hot rage flood into her. Fuck the plan. Megu can''t watch this shit anymore. Never again will something like this stand when Megu can do something about it! She sent a mental call for Poro-tan and glared at the woman who had planted her foot into Lydia''s side, sending her sprawling to the ground. Lydia clawed her way back over to her brother sobbing and begging. "You can''t save your fucking brother, Lydia! He''s useless now. Get in the kitchen and clean up the mess or you''ll be joining him where he''s going. You too, new girl." Lydia didn''t respond and just held onto the boy for dear life sobbing and begging. Theresa let out an angry growl and began kicking Lydia over and over trying to get her to let go of her brother, but she just wouldn''t let go. Seeing that her tactic wasn''t working the enraged woman turned towards Megumi. "Are you fucking deaf, girl? I said to the kitchens with you!" Megumi''s rage could no longer be denyed. She wouldn''t be able to wait for the others to arrive, she would act right now. "Where is my bear?" she said calmly. The woman looked at her with a look of utter contempt. "You will never get that fucking bear back. In fact, I''m going to toss it into the fireplace as soon as I''m done here for your insolence. Get in the kitchen. Now!" Megumi didn''t utter another word, she simply held out her right arm with her palm facing the woman. She concentrated for the briefest of moments and a ball of green flames bloomed to life and shot towards the woman''s chest. The Eldritch Blast connected and threw the woman back against the staircase. Screams of agony had rarely ever sounded so good to Megumi as they did right now. The woman wailed as the flesh melted away. Madness had taken her and she began to laugh wildly as she blasted the woman over and over again until there was little left other than a pile of gore. Lydia stared at her with shock and horror as she dragged her brother away from Megumi. Megumi didn''t care that she was terrifying the girl. She was going to murder every fucking person in this town tonight and it would be glorious. She turned to Lydia after she was satisfied with her job on Theresa. "Where does she keep the things she takes from kids?" "U-U-U-Up... in h-her room." Megumi nodded and reached down into what was left of the woman she had just murdered and grabbed the ring of keys that she found on the belt. She needed to hurry. Megumi ran up the stairs as quickly as she could and reached the door in seconds. She tried the keys one by one and after the third attempt, she heard the blissful sound of the lock clicking and she shoved her way inside. She knew that she only had moments before the man in black and Ignis returned. She needed her weapon. Theresa''s room was lavishly decorated and it made Megumi sick with rage. Fine furniture and nice tapestries hung around the room and the woman even had her own personal fireplace that was lit. It was literally the only room in the building other than the kitchen that wasn''t freezing. She saw a box in the corner with a pile of stuff on it. There! Her bear was on top of the pile and she rushed over to grab it and extracted her bag and staff before speeding downstairs once more. There were now six other kids down there staring at the charredremainsof Theresa. They had moved the wounded children to the edge of the room and Lydia was still holding her brother and sobbing uncontrollably. "What the fuck are you all doing? Get those three off the ground and go find somewhere to hide.I''ll take care of things from here." Lydia and the others stared at her for a moment before they snapped back into reality and burst into action. Soon she was left all alone with the woman''s remains and she gripped her staff tightly in her hand. It was time to begin bringing death to this town. She would sweep through it like a plague. Two figures appeared around the corner from the back end of the entryway. She recognized Ignis and next to him stood a tall, skinny man wearing black clothing. They stopped dead as soon as they saw the smoldering remains on the floor and her standing there holding a staff. "A mage!" Ignis yelled and jumped in front of the man in black. "Kill her." The man in black said with a deep and sinister voice. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a vial of something black and handed it over to the bony man who downed it without question. This is going to be bad. Megumi watched as the bony old man went through a terrifying transformation. His bones cracked and expanded and he quickly turned into some sort of enormous beast. His clothes ripped from his body in several places as his body expanded. He was no longer human after a couple moments. Was he ever human to begin with, or was that a disguise of some sort? Megu can''t be sure. There wasn''t anything for her to do now, except to fight. She gripped her staff and pointed it towards the enemy, firing a barrage of Eldritch Blasts at it and the man in black. The creature didn''t try to dodge the attack and her magic slammed into it with a loud boom. To her surprise, the magic didn''t seem to cause hardly any damage at all. The thing that had been Ignis let out a deafening roar and prepared to charge her. There wasn''t much she could do if the thing resisted her magic so strongly, so she did the only thing she could think of and cast Summon Blood Golem. All of the blood that had been on the floor from the wounded boys as well as that of Theresa flowed up into the air and coalesced into the form of a monster of her own making. It crystalized and before her stood a creature that glowed red like blood and was covered with wicked spikes. She stared around the golem towards her enemies with rage in her eyes before sending a singular command to her creature:Kill. Spoiler: Hideki
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 023 (28,199/31,487 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1250/1250 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 44 Magic 3
Endurance 29 Magic Resistance 9
Strength 26 Luck 7
Agility 18
Dexterity 17
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 024 (35,305/39,903 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 435/450 MP 1100/1100
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank F
Attributes
Vitality 18 Magic 72
Endurance 10 Magic Resistance 49
Strength 6 Luck 17
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 5 (+150 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 1 (+1 to all stats of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 2 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 12 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Spoiler: Kieren
Name Kieren
Level 031 (65,010/69,181) EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1650/1650 MP 150/150
TP 0 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 70 Magic 8
Endurance 32 Magic Resistance 13
Strength 41 Luck 9
Agility 25
Dexterity 29
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 8 (+80 HP regeneration/min) ? Pole-arm Mastery - Level 9 (+90% proficiency with pole-arm weapons) ? Dragon Style - Level 4 ? Fortify Strength - Level 3 (+6 to Strength) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Last Stand - Level 4 (When health drops below 40% gain +28 to each stat for 5 minutes.)
Chapter 29: The Necromancer vs The Alchemist Megumi''s blood golem sprung into action immediately after she sent the command for it to kill. It closed the gap with the creature that was once Ignis in an instant and smashed one of its spiked shoulders into the enemy, sending it tumbling backwards. Blood spewed out of where the golem had hit and she watched as it flowed into the golem. Her constructed minion began to glow with a deep red light in its center and it let out a horrible screech as it pounded its fists into the enemy. The chimera managed to shove her creature off and sent it tumbling through the wall leading to the dining hall. The enemy creature didn''t give chase and instead charged straight at her. She cursed under her breath and cast Magic Skin on herself just in case her golem didn''t make it back in time. The chimera got within three feet of her before the blood golem grabbed it by the back of the neck and smashed it into the staircase. Megumi took a few steps back and then cast Eldritch Blast at the man in black who stood at the end of the hallway watching the fight. He managed to move around the corner before her attack could connect and she cursed her bad luck. The two monsters brawled in front of her and it was hard to tell who was winning. Her blood golem was siphoning off strength from the enemy, but it seemed like the chimera had more raw power behind its attacks. The wicked claws of the enemy pierced the shoulder of her creature and it performed a body slam which made the room shake from the impact. The blood golem was down for the count and once again the chimera charged her again. She cast Decay on the oncoming monstrosity, but the curse failed. She found herself flying backwards through the open door and the world spun around her. She slammed into the ground a dozen feet outside the door and coughed up a little blood. Her mana had been completely drained, and what was worse, the creature was already heading out the door after her. Megu can''t believe how much fucking magic resistance this thing has! Get up! Get up or you''re dead! She scrambled to her feet as quick as she could and downed a mana potion she quickly retrieved from her bag. She recast Magic Skin and she fired Eldritch Blasts at the thing, which were, as before, ineffectual. The only thing they did do for that matter, was slow the advance of the beast. Magic Skin had undoubtedly saved her life, and she knew that she couldn''t take another blow like that and survive without major bodliy damage. The chimera leapt for her and she barely jumped to the side, avoiding its long claws. She tried casting Decay again, but it failed. She was running out of options, and time. The blood golem seemed to have finally recovered in the time she had been outside and charged back into the fight. It jumped onto the chimera from behind and its spikes stuck it to the enemy like it was some kind of pincushion. The chimera wailed in agony and tried to reach behind itself to remove her golem, but it couldn''t seem to get the job done. Meanwhile, her golem drained the life essence of the enemy and only grew stronger. The golem then did something that surprised her and shape shifted, forming its head into a sharp hammer-like spike which it impailed into the head of the chimera. Silence filled the night air and there was no light other than the deep red glow that emanated from her blood golem. She breathed a momentary sigh of relief. Where is the man in black? She kept an eye on the doorway and downed two more mana potions in quick succession. It had been odd that the man hadn''t come after her when the beast knocked her outside. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was he in there slaughtering the children? Was he awakening more chimera? She cast Magic Skin for a third time and dashed inside, having her creature take point. She only had another minute or two before the spell powering the golem ran out. There wasn''t any more blood to summon another one, either as this one had absorbed everything. He would have gone to the lab in the basement. It''s clear that the man in black is an alchemist. If Megu can kill him off before he sends more of his creations after us, we might just have a chance. I have to hurry! Megumi quickly, but carefully headed in the direction of the forbidden area Lydia had pointed out to her earlier. Her time was almost up. She dashed over towards the stairs leading to the dark basement, and hesitated. This could very well be a trap. Good thing she had a disposable pawn to use. She sent the golem down the stairs and as she predicted she heard a loud crash as the monster encountered the enemy. It appeared that the enemy was holed up in the basement, she did the only logical move left to her. She commanded the golem to block the exit for as long as it could and she began casting Eldritch Blasts down into the basement and all around her, setting the dilapidated building ablaze. She ran back towards the entrance of the house while continuing to set fires everywhere she could. "I''ve set the house on fire! Everybody run outside!" she screamed over and over at the top of her lungs as she ran. Children of various ages came running out of every room and hallway she passed and soon she had an entire crowd of people running ahead of her toward the exit. There was no chance that her summoned creature was still around at this point, but it didn''t matter. She backed out of the front door and sent a couple more shots inside and watched carefully for movement; there was none. "Is everyone out?" Lydia ran up next to her. "Yeah. Everyone''s here." "Great. Take these." Megumi handed Lydia three health potions from her bag. They were her last ones. "Give these to your brother and the others, it should stop the bleeding and keep them alive until we can get away from here. Where is the local cemetary?" Lydia stared at her for a second before replying. "T-Thanks... It''s actually not far. It''s on the way to the mines. Maybe two or three minutes walk. Head out the gate and turn left towards and follow the road towards the mines, you can''t miss it." Megumi nodded. "Run ahead and don''t stop until you get to the cemetary. Understand? Stay together no matter what. I''ll be right behind you! If I don''t come soon, then head down the hill and don''t stop until you reach Rivean." Lydia stared at her with a confused and terrified look. "Go!" That got her moving and the group of around a hundred orphans took off running as fast as they could towards the gates. She took a deep breath and prepared to run herself, but as she had predicted the fight wasn''t over yet and she saw the shadows of four figures climbing up out of the burning rubble. Some of the children saw what had come out of the rubble and screamed as they continued to run. Megumi gripped her staff hard and prepared to cast. Damn. Poro-tan, where the fuck are you? She knew that not a lot of time had passed since the battle had begun, but he had to be getting close by now. She would hold this man and his creatures off as long as she could before the end. It was unlikely she would get out of this one alive. The figure in a black trench-coat calmly stepped out of the flames, completely unharmed and brushed himself off as he watched the kids run for the gate. The three chimera that were fueled by the souls of orphaned children were made up of various monster parts from what she could tell. One of the beasts had the head of the same kind of snake that Megumi and Poro had fought on their way up the mountain.One had two heads, both that of different colored lizards, and the third one had the head and wings of a griffin. The man in black stepped forward and stared at her for a moment before reaching inside his coat and pulling out a vial. He drank it and immediately his muscles bulged and he took on the form of a much stronger man. "You''ve ruined my lab and destroyed over a dozen of my pets, girl! And you have the nerve to try to take away the fuel for my important research as well? It''s time for you to die! I will have those children once more!" The Chimera with the snake head charged towards her and breathed a gout of flame in her direction. She only just barely dodged the flame, mostly at least, and once again thanked her lucky stars that she had activated magic skin. The flames hadn''t drained nearly as much mana as the physical attack on her earlier did. She assumed that was due to her already high magical resistance.She turned away from the enemies and ran with everything she had towards the gate. She felt the warm kiss of flame hit her back, but Magic Skin managed to deflect the attack. She knew that she had no chance against these things without any minions. Sheneeded to get to the cemetary.She heard the loud flap of wings behind her, but didn''t turn to look. She knew she wouldn''t have time for that. She dashed out of the gate and headed towards the first trees she could see. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she managed to reach the cover of the trees. At least the thing wouldn''t be able to dive on her from the air while she was under the trees. There was little doubt that the monsters bound to the ground were still in pursuit, but luckily, they seemed to be slower than her. She saw the cemetary now. She just needed to make it a few dozen more feet and she would have all the reinforcements and fodder she would need to continue the fight. Her lungs burned and she nearly stumbled over hidden rocks in the snow, but she made it to the cemetary wall and scrambled over. She cast Raise Undead several times at nearby graves as she pulled herself to her feet and ran towards the center of the cemetary. When she got another dozen paces into the cemetary, she turned around and saw that the two beasts who couldn''t fly had reached the wall and were in the process of coming over it. Megu will not go down easy in a graveyard. You are an idiot for giving your little speech. Should have killed Megu when he had the chance. Wasting no time, she cast Raise Undead over and over and in the span of a few seconds she had undead popping out of the ground all around her. The griffin chimera swooped down in a clear area and landed, it had the man in black on its back. He chucked a potion in her direction and it exploded with red hot flames. She ducked behind a large gravestone as liquid fire splashed onto it. The stuff was potent and melted right through the stone. One thing was clear; she did not want to get hit by that. Megumi still didn''t have reinforcements as the undead would take time to get out of the ground, so she fired off Eldritch Blasts at the chimera with the snake head. She cursed as she realized that the attack didn''t do as much damage as she had hoped it would. It wasn''t as resistant as the first chimera, but it would still cause her heaps of trouble. The first of her undead were out of the earth now and her mana reserves were running dangerously low once more. She needed to buy time while her mana regenerated. She sent the undead after the two chimera closest to her and she ran towards some more cover to avoid the various concoctions he had been throwing her way. She waited until her minions got close to the one with the snake head and had them swarm it before she exploded them all in unison, draining her MP to nothing once more. Her desperate move was rewarded, but not as well as she had hoped. The beast was severely injured, but the attack had not killed it. The lizard one that had been fighting alongside it also took some damage, but nothing noteworthy. She sent wave after wave of her undead towards the enemies just to keep them busy while her MP regained. The alchemist was tossing deadly potions into groups of her undead and destroying them. She wouldn''t be able to keep this up, she wished she had more mana potions, but she was out. The alchemist seemed to be out of explosive potions as he took out a wicked looking dagger and dipped it into a glowing green vial. The liquid coated the blade and then he corked the thing and put it away before charging in to attack her undead pawns himself. Great! Just fucking great. Megumi was in a serious pinch, but it was everything she could do just to stall the enemies as they cut down her undead with relative ease. The man in black looked at her with contempt as he cut down three more of her undead with his dagger. Wherever the blade touched, the skin of her undead creatures'' skin grew horrible boils that popped with a sickening noise. They were nothing to him and they both knew it. She lacked the MP to do another mass explosion and she similarly lacked the MP to summon another blood golem from the corpse of the snake chimera''s corpse, so she simply retreated deeper into the cemetary. Megumi continuosly summoned more undead fighters whenever she had enough MP and was hoping to just stall long enough for Kieren and Poro-tan to arrive. After running around for what felt like forever, she had regained most of her forces and was successfully holding her enemies at bay. She sent another large wave after the man in black and his griffin chimera. The man screamed in rage and cursed at her as he continued to cut down her improvised army. She grinned as the fool allowed more and more undead to pile at his feet. The idiot should have kept moving. He had made a huge mistake and it would cost him everything. He was now surrounded on all sides by her undead, both the ones still moving and the lifeless ones on the ground.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. So long, fucker! She cast corpse explosion four times and watched in glee as the man in black was killed by the shrapnel. The griffin met the same fate as she continued to explode corpses around it over the next several seconds. This left her with only two foes.The two of them had been laying waste to her undead, but at least they were relatively slow. Megumi was mentally exhausted and she had no more undead left to fight for her. Her head screamed in agony as the lizard and snake monsters continued in her direction at a steady pace. It was no good, she had simply pushed her body too far. Her vision was even beginning to blur. Thinking quickly, she cast Corpse Absorption on what was left of the alchemist and the griffin. Her headache cleared away slightly as she now had 160 MP to work with. She cast Magic Skin again and hoped that it would provide her at least a little protection against the thing while she figured out what to do. Corpses littered the ground, but she had run out of dead to raise. She continued backing away from the monster and caught her first glance of the orphans who had apparently been huddled up against a stone outcropping near the back of the cemetary. "Run to the mines. It''s slow, without its master it''s going to go on a rampage. I don''t know if I can stop it... I''ll buy you some time." The kids listened to her without any complaints this time and ran off along the mountainside towards the road. The Lizard-headed Chimera was even worse than the snake beacause of its innate abilities and the fact that it had jaws that could snap a corpse in half. She didn''t think Magic Skin would save her against that. When the grey head bit something, it turned to stone, and the second one''s bite seemed to resemble the effects of the man in black''s green poison. She cast Eldritch Blast at the creature, but it did little in the way of damage. Damn. I wish they weren''t so resistant to magic!Where in the seven hells is Poro-tan? She suddenly realized her mistake, she had summoned him to the gates of the orphanage, but hadn''t given him further instructions. He was probably stuck standing there like an idiot. She cursed under her breath and summoned him to her current location, giving him the freedom to do as he willed once he got here. She just hoped the mistake wouldn''t cost her life. The continued keeping her distance and tossing the occasional spell at the enemies. She just needed to hold on. It was becoming harder and harder to focus the longer the fight dragged on. Even though her MP was recovering quickly, she couldn''t keep things up for much longer. Just as the snake headed chimera breathed another stream of flame at her, she saw her two companions arriving at the scene behind them. She was once again saved by her Magic Skin, but she felt her feet wobble beneath her as she collapsed to the ground. So this is how it ends? No revenge for my family. Dead in a graveyard like some common necromancer. At least the kids will get away. Kieren will see that they get to safety I hope. Her eyes felt so very heavy. She heard the monsters getting closer, but death didn''t come. Her mind was in a foggy state, she heard a voice calling to her and the feel of glass between her lips as someone poured liquid into her. "Megumi? Megumi! Swallow this! Hideki, keep them distracted, I just need a moment!" Megumi felt the nasty tasting liquid slide down her throat and suddenly she started feeling better. Her vision stopped blurring and she stared up at the face of Kieren, who shoved another bottle into her mouth. The familiar taste of a mana potion was like sweet nectar as she swallowed it down. Kieren layed her head back down gently and stood up. "You''re going to be okay. We''ve got you covered." Kieren dashed off with his halberd spinning. She lay on the ground for what felt like an eternity. Megu has to help. Get up! There''s so much more to do here. She pinched herself hard and forced herself to sit up. She saw the two melee fighters carefully moving in and out to land blows on the monsters. They were focusing on the snake chimera and she watched as Poro-tan beheaded the thing. The lizard was chomping at them and she yelled to them, "It''ll turn you to stone if it bites you with the grey head. The other one has some sort of corrosive bite. Don''t let it touch you no matter what!" Her companions took her advice to heart and circled the remaining enemy warily. Kieren had reach on the chimera and managed to kill one of the two heads. The grey head hung limp as the huge body of the chimera thrashed around wildly. Poro-tan got caught by the thing''s massive tail and was sent tumbling across the ground, his head smashed into a gravestone with a thud. Kieren cursed and Megumi managed to pull herself slowly to her feet. She could help. She wasn''t some helpless damsel who couldn''t fight. Megumi cast Decay on the chimera over and over and over again from where she stood. After the sixth attempt, she succeeded and the creature slowed down considerabl allowing Kieren to gain the upper hand again. Poro-tan wasn''t back up yet and the chimera managed to chomp onto Kieren''s halbard, splitting it cleanly in two. The warrior staggered backwards, and was now unarmed. Megumi fired an Eldritch Blast, hitting the creature in the face so that he could get out of the way and Poro-tan charged back into battle from the side. He slammed the cursed blade into the side of the green lizard''s head and it sunk deeply into the thing''s skull. The large beast shuddered uncontrollably and then fell limply to the ground with a loud thud. It was over. They had done it. Megumi sighed in relief as her two companions rushed back to her side. *Ding**Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 25! +1 TP
Congratulations! You have reached level 26! +1 TP
"What in the blazes happened, Megumi? What about the plan?!" Kieren demanded apparently pushing aside his concern for her now that the battle had been won. Megumi stared at him defiantly. "Megu couldn''t stand to watch that fucking woman do what she was doing for another second! She was going to beat a girl to death in front of me!" her voice broke as she screamed at the overzealous adventurer who stood before her. She hated herself for being weak enough to show her emotions. She tried, unsuccessfully to stop the tears from appearing in her eyes. Tears of rage and hatred over being forced to live in a world where such places existed. The man''s eyes softened and he gave her a slight hug. "I''m glad you''re okay. Where are the children?" Megumi pulled away almost immediately and wiped the few tears that had escaped her eyes from the side of her face. "Megu sent them to the mines." Kieren nodded. "I''ll go get them, I know where the mine site is, it isn''t hard to find. Just stay here." The man ran off into the darkness. "You okay?" Poro-tan asked. "Megu is fine. This village is complicit in what has happened here. They literally beat the children half to death before sending them back to that place if they escaped. Megu judges them to not be worthy of living. We are going to pay each and every one of those fuckers a visit right now." Poro-tan surprisingly didn''t object as he once might have and simply nodded grimly. Maybe he just accepted that she was going to make him do whatever she wanted anyway, or maybe he agreed with her assessment of this horrible place. Hopefully, Megu is having a good influence on him! Her mana had recovered a good amount thanks to the potion that Kieren had given her and she used it to summon another blood golem. This iteration of the creature had been provided with a lot more blood to start with than the last had. Megumi couldn''t be sure how long it would take Kieren to find the children and bring them back, but she didn''t intend to be here when he did. He would not see reason when it came to the things she intended to do to the village. It would burn to the ground this night. If Kieren isn''t on board, then he can die here like them! Megu will cleanse this mountain tonight one way or another! she thought grimly. Poro-tan followed her back to the town and they swept through each and every house they found like death incarnate. They killed every single living person they found and she cast Sanguine Infusion upon each corpse along the way. Once they cleared a dwelling, she set the building aflame before moving on to the next. The group worked with ruthless efficiency and within a short period of time most of the town was on fire. As it was the middle of the night, no one even knew what was happening until it was too late. As they exited the house of the town lord and set it on fire, she saw Kieren came running up the main street towards them with the orphans in tow. "What the fuck are you doing?! This isn''t how we operate, Megumi! This isn''t right!" "THEY ARE COMPLICIT!" she screamed as ash and snow fell down on her. "MEGU WILL NOT LET THEM DO THIS EVER AGAIN!!" "Not all of these people are guilty!" "Can you really say that, Kieren? Look at those children. They were treated as little more than slaves here. They will be treated so again if this town is not made to serve as an example. Normally I don''t agree with Megumi''s.... tactics... but I stand with her on this. These people knew what was being done to those kids, and you know it." Kieren turned and looked at the frightened kids who huddled in the street staring wide-eyed at the burning buildings. "We don''t know that for sure! We don''t get to judge these people, its not our place. We are here for a job, and we have completed that job." "You would leave those kids in the hands of this village again? The lord and all the people here knowingly let the children be treated thta way! They churned through kids like a meat grinder. Megu will not let you stand in her way!" Lydia spoke up next. "Megumi is right... the entire village was in on this and profited off of us. You want to act all noble, but the truth is that you''re just scared to destroy evil. She isn''t." The rest of the kids chimed in with shouts of agreement. Kieren seemed to be struggling internally with his own moral code, and to Megumi''s surprise he slowly nodded. "Maybe you''re right. This is... too horrible though. I can''t be a part of it. I can''t look at their faces and send them back. I''ll get them to safety, but I won''t participate in this butchery. Come on kids, we''re leaving town." "We''ll meet you on the road." Poro-tan said. The solemn figure of Kieren bowed his head before trudging off into the darkness with the kids. "Let''s finish this, Poro-tan." Megumi and Poro-tan continued on their rampage for another half hour or so, and when the entire town was aflame they headed towards the mountain pass. Snow and ash mingled as it fell around them. Megumi couldn''t help but think of the scene as beautiful. She had gained 10 TPs from all the kills and she a felt great sense of satisfaction for massacring all the vile people who had lived here. After all, they all had it coming. Spoiler: Hideki
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 024 (32,999/39,903 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1250/1250 MP 50/50
TP 1 Adventurer Rank C
Attributes
Vitality 44 Magic 3
Endurance 31 Magic Resistance 9
Strength 28 Luck 7
Agility 20
Dexterity 17
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 026 (46,805/49,541 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 1250/1250
TP 12 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank F
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 75
Endurance 10 Magic Resistance 50
Strength 6 Luck 18
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 5 (+150 MP regeneration/min)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 1 (+1 to all stats of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 1 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 2 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 12 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Spoiler: Kieren
Name Kieren
Level 032 (69,810/76,200) EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1800/1800 MP 150/150
TP 1 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 72 Magic 8
Endurance 34 Magic Resistance 13
Strength 41 Luck 9
Agility 26
Dexterity 29
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 10 (+100 HP regeneration/min) ? Pole-arm Mastery - Level 10 (+100% proficiency with pole-arm weapons) ? Dragon Style - Level 4 ? Fortify Strength - Level 3 (+6 to Strength) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Last Stand - Level 4 (When health drops below 40% gain +28 to each stat for 5 minutes.)
Chapter 30: Kierens Decision Kieren couldn''t stop thinking about what he had just let happen. It grated at his sense of morality to have stepped aside while an entire town''s inhabitants were slaughtered by his companions. His thoughts were conflicted because of the children. Megumi had made such a good point and when he had looked the kids in the eyes, he knew that what she had said was true even if it was brutal. He kicked a rock over the side of the road in frustration as they continued down the path. They had decided to walk the horses and take their time since they had so many people with them. It would be a rough two to three days travel without supplies. When Megumi and Hideki finally caught up with the group the night before, the cloudy night sky was lit up from all the flames. He knew that even had he wanted to stop them from doing what they wished, he didn''t have the strength to do so. In fact, he didn''t even have a weapon at the moment. The morning air was cold and he could see his breath puffing out in front of him as the large group trudged down the hill. At least they would be out of the snow soon enough. He just hoped they didn''t run into another troll or something along the way. He had been surprised to see that the troll carcass they had left behind on their way up the mountain had been completely been consumed in just the short time that had passed. When they arrived at the location, all that remained were huge scattered bones. Whatever had eaten the thing must have either been big, or a large group. He had no desire to fight anything else this trip. The conflict in his head sucked all the fight right out of him. Megumi approached him later that afternoon. It seemed like she had been avoiding him until now. Maybe she was just giving him time to think? "Megu understands that this whole mess has been hard on you, but you have to see that we did the right thing. Those were not people inhabiting that village, they were all monsters. Monsters must be eradicated if you want to truly save the innocent. Megu... also realizes that she might have created more orphans through her actions, but that is something that she must live with. Even if Megu could go back, she wouldn''t change her decision. Think on it some more and talk to some of the orphans about their lives there. You''ll see that what we did was right." He didn''t respond. He just stared at the ground and continued walking. Megumi reached up and patted him on the back before heading back to the rest of the group. The children were cheering her as though she was a hero. Wasn''t she a hero, though? She saved those injured children, and single handedly took out two chimera and the alchemist on her own. Hideki and he had come to save the day at the end, but she had been the star of the show so to speak. Kieren had always done his best to look at the world in black and white. Actions were good or they were evil. People were good or they were evil. It had always made sense to him. But it seemed clear now that he couldn''t continue thinking in such ways. Not all good people were pure of heart, and not all bad people were completely bad. He wasn''t sure what category Megumi fell into, but he wanted to believe that she was the former rather than the latter. He would keep the secret that they had been the ones that burned down the town for Megumi and Hideki. It would keep the chlidren safe. The murder of a lord, even one in such a remote place, was enough to have the lot of them jailed and then executed. Kieren would probably be able to avoid that fate, as he was from a noble house that ranked higher than the one Megumi had executed, but that wouldn''t save his companions. The next day and a half of travel dragged on and he felt sorry for the smaller children who began to complain about being tired and hungry. They had given all of their food supplies to the kids and foregone eating themselves, but food for a few days for three wasn''t even a single meal for a hundred people. They had spent the past two nights huddled around several fire pits while they let the smallest children sleep inside the two tents they had with them. When they finally saw the walls of Rivean in the distance, it was like a beacon of light. They had actually made it back. Kieren had spoken to the children and the more they told him, the more sure that Megumi had been right. He no longer questioned the validity of her actions that night, but it still ate away at him. Hideki approached him at the head of the group as they neared the gates. "Listen. I know your reputation. I know that you see what we did as a horrible thing to do, but you have to ask yourself if following the law of the land is more important than doing what is right. The lord of that town and the miners who inhabited the town would have kept on doing horrible things to the kids. They were literally treated as a slave labor force, but none of the other lords or ladies around here seemed to care about that. Those kids would never have found justice through the law, and many would have died in those mines, or worse. I highly doubt an operation like creating chimeras was just a hobby. That town had to be exporting them to somewhere as tools for war. Megumi... has her problems, but in this case, her heart was in the right place. I just want you to think about this some more before you turn us in." "I know... and I really like you guys, but this just doesn''t sit well with me. Part of me knows what you''re saying is right, and for the sake of the children, I will not say anything to Taris about the details of what happened. However, I can''t continue to travel with you two... at least for now. When we get back and get the children settled, I''m going to leave town and go home for a while. I need to figure things out for myself." "It''s probably for the best. I like having someone along with us that doesn''t tease me and force me into bad situations, but it''s probably better this way. Cheer up a little, okay? We just saved nearly a hundred children. The three of us are heroes. That''s something to be proud of." The swordsman headed back to the group and Kieren felt a bit better about himself after talking to him.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! A few hours later, they arrived at the city. It was a bit of a mess getting everyone into the city, and they spent the next couple days finding places for the kids to stay. Taris pulled some strings with some minor noble houses and got them to fund the construction of a new orphanage for the new influx of children. The kids were temporarily placed in the local orphanage, which was more than a ltitle cramped, but they made it work. Kieren had not failed to notice Megumi whispering death threats to the headmistress of the orphanage but he didn''t say anything. Maybe it would keep the woman in line and the kids would be treated a bit better. The girl worked tirelessly until all of the kids were settled in. She clearly cared a lot about the treatment of children. He remembered the little girl whom she had saved from Tivor and his band of thugs. She really does mean well. Megumi has a good heart, even if she uses brutal methods. I''m sure of it. The plan of telling Taris that the alchemist had destroyed the city in the fight seemed to be acceptable to Taris and the three of them were able to collect their reward. It was now time for him to go. He hadn''t seen his family in almost three years now, and although he never got along with his father, he had missed his sister and mother dearly. Megumi kind of reminds me my sister in an odd sort of way. Kieren shouldered his new halberd and headed towards the city gates. It would be a two week journey to get back to his family estate on horseback and he had made sure to pay Malon a generous tip when he had re-rented his mount. Kieren had also left letters for Megumi and Hideki with the receptionist before leaving. He wasn''t very good with farewells. Once I figure things out... I''ll come back. Maybe when the time comes, we can travel together once more.He wound his way through the city in its early morning fog and when he left the fortress city he spared a glance backwards for just a moment before he continued on his way. ***************************** Later that same day in the kingdom of Erendia ***************************** Lightning flashed outside the windows of a large mansion atop a mountain. Cerberus, a vampire lord of immense power, stood at the second story window staring out into the darkness when he suddenly felt the presence of a servant coming his way. "What do you want? Can''t you see I''m enjoying the show?" A mouse of a man scrabbled from the entrance of his chambers and over to his side and bowed. He was holding a sealed letter out in front of him with both hands. "I...I have been sent here b-by Lord... Veritas." Cerberus fixed the worm of a human being with his red eyes and plucked the envelope out of his hands. "Leave and wait outside the room until I call for you, worm." The man jumped at his command and scurried from the room as quickly as he could. Cerberus always enjoyed the fear that he instilled upon mortals. The raised wax seal indicated that this missive was official correspondance from the other members of the Council of Nine. The council served the purpose of carving out their world into large territories where the most powerful villains agreed to not step on eachother''s toes. They formed the various Villain Guild halls and it was where many of them had recruited talent for their personal goals. Those fools had better not be bothering me about that business in NorthPost again. He snapped the wax seal and pulled out a letter and he skimmed the contents. As expected, his little princess had been once again making waves out there in the world. She had apparently chosen to go to Castellum, which could prove problematic for him, and the contents of the letter were slightly disturbing. He had faith that his disciple''s hatred of the world and her drive for revenge would keep her firmly on his side of things, but he had hoped she would go back to her home country when she had taken the NorthPost dungeon core. She would never betray him, but she cared little for rules. The letter detailed her recent exploits in the far away kingdom and she had not only joined the Adventurers Guild, but she also recently killed one of another coundil member, Thera''s, underlings who had been creating chimeras at an orphanage for her to sell to the warring countries of the world as weapons. Cerberus crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the fireplace in his study. The letter had warned of her possibly turning against them all and revealing sensitive information, but he knew that she wouldn''t do that. She was loyal to him. After all, he had been the one who had saved her from that orphanage so long ago and he had trained her and helped her unlock her necromancer class. Unfortunately, he wouldn''t be able to shield her from the repurcussions of her actions this time. NorthPost was in his territory, so he had quashed the others'' cries for her to be executed for destroying that little guild hall, but Castellum was firmly Thera''s territory. He couldn''t move without going to war, and he wasn''t quite ready for that yet. He swirled his jewel encrusted goblet that was full of warm blood around before taking a deliberate sip. Megu-chan is smart, and she has that unique ability Sanguine Infusion. If I play my cards right, she might be able to remove a player from the board for me. She is special, and I must take some covert action to ensure that she stays loyal to me. I suppose that if she falls to Thera''s minions, then she just isn''t as useful as I had hoped. At least no one has discovered her true identity yet. He went over to his large mahogany desk and took out a piece of parchment. After a couple minutes of scrawling down his response to the rest of the council, he placed his letter into an envelope and sealed it. Cerberus called for the servant who once again scampered inside. "Take this to Veritus. I will not stand in their way if they wish to move against Megumi at this time." The man''s hands trembled in fear as he grabbed the letter from Cerberus'' hand and bowed reverently before ran out of the room. I''m sure that at the very least Megu-chan will provide me with a good amount of entertainment, as always. Thera and the others are fools who will surely underestimate my little princess. Cerberus grinned excitedly at the thought of fewer rivals and went back to the large window. A person cloaked in shadow stepped out of the darkness beside him and bowed. "Shouldn''t we help her?" Revia asked. "You will go warn her, but I don''t want you to assist her in any other way. We are not ready to make a move yet. I also have another important task for you to complete in the southern part of Castellum. After warning her, this will take priority. Do not fail me." He provided her with explicit instructions and then waved a dismissive hand at the girl. He liked watching thunderstorms, they represented the true chaotic nature of the world. Reviabowed again and then headed for the door. "It will be as you command, lord. I will not fail you." He smiled ot himself and took another sip of the warm blood. He ignored the crumpled body that lie on the ground in front of the window. People were just cattle to him. Lightning flashed again outside and he couldn''t wait to see what kind of chaos Megumi would sow in the world next. Chapter 31: A Warning and a New Request Megumi opened her eyes as the warm morning light streamed in through the window onto her face. She sat up and yawned before she climbed out of the large bed of her room in the guild hall and then she went over to look outside. It appeared to be another mostly cloudy day and she could tell by the position of the sun that she had once again slept in. She knew she was getting too comfortable at this place, but it was one of the nicest places she had lived in a long time now. After returning from the orphanage quest, she had spent the last few weeks relaxing after finding all the kids homes. She really had needed to recharge. Mass murder is exhausting! Her free time had been spent at The Golden Nekoand at the orphanage where Lydia, Jack, and Nell were now at, while her evenings had been spent soaking in the hot springs. From what she could tell, her threats against the matron of the place had worked out. The kids reported that the place was like heaven compared to the orphanage up in the mountains. They still had to perform chores, but they were not forced into hard labor and even Taris had even arranged for the newly arrived orphans to be enrolled in a few of the schools that were scattered around Rivean. It made Megumi feel good that those kids would have an actual chance at life now. It didn''t bring Miki back, but helping them had filled a small part of the gaping hole in her heart. She stepped away from the window and headed over to her closet, grabbing her clothes for the day before she began the routine of brushing her hair. She felt like it would be nice to put it into a braid today, so she spent some extra time doing that rather than just brushing it out straight. Once she was satisfied with that, she decided that she wanted to go have breakfast at Tara''s cafe instead of eating at the guild hall. The chef here was quite good, but he had nothing on the various confections that Tara''s aunt made regularly. Megu wonder''s what Poro-tan is up to today. She had recently made the decision that it was fine for him to be kept on a longer leash than she had been generally keeping him on. He wasn''t going to reveal himself as an undead to anybody and she felt that she could trust him after the events at the orphanage. In her opinion, he seemed to be changing for the better and he was finally coming around to seeing things from her perspective. He had been spending most of the past week doing his own thing, which mostly consisted of him hitting on the other girls in the guild and sparring with people in the training area. None of this really mattered to her, so long as he was available when she wanted him for something, he could live his life as he pleased until they left the city. A huge perk that came along with saving all those kids was that they had both earned promotions. Megumi was now a Rank C adventurer, and Poro-tan had been upgraded to Rank B. When she was ready to move on, they would at least be able to take on a request that could make them some decent money. When she got to the common room she decided that it would be a good idea to check if there were any good requests on the board. Thus far, nothing had caught her eye. She wanted a job that would take them in the direction of the capital. There wasn''t really a huge rush to get there, it wasn''t like she was getting any older, and she wanted to make sure that she did things the right way when it came time to kill the king. Ideally, they could find a job in or around the capital that would allow her to cut loose and harvest more TPs without getting her kicked out of the guild with a bounty on her head. Unfortunately, she was still just a small fry compared to some of the truly terrifying people in the world, but she was definitely getting stronger at an incredible rate compared to the average person. Since there still wasn''t much of anything that caught her eye, she decided it was time to be on her way. Megumi''s stomach grumbled slightly as she exited the guild hall. Megu is starving! Better to take the shortcut again today. The streets were as busy as ever with people scurrying about like ants around her doing various tasks. She hated it when people bumped into her, which happened more often than not here when it was busy. She shoved her way through the crowds and entered the quiet alleyway that would get her to her breakfast faster. Megu really needs to find work to do soon, all this time spent being lazy here is making me soft. When Megu gets back to the guild hall, she''ll have another look at the board and choose something no matter what. Even if it isn''t ideal, at least we can earn some money and some experience. The alleyways were always somewhat dark, even during the middle of the day as tall buildings stood to either side. She saw the usual homeless people laying around on the ground, but ever since that first night where she had been attacked, they all cowered in fear whenever they saw her coming. It made her happy that the fools could learn to fear her power, but at the same time it would be fun if some of them got the nerve up to try something against her again. Megumi was about halfway through the last alleyway before reaching the street where her destination was when a figure blurred into existence out of a deep shadow and startled her. She reflexively took a step back and began the mental preparations to cast offensive magic. The figure stepped out into the dim light and she immediately calmed down, just a little bit though. The woman who Megumi had spent years around stepped towards her with her hands held out to the sides, palms facing her, to show that she had no weapons and meant no harm. "What do you want, Revia?" Cerberus'' assassin stopped several paces away and scoffed at her. The black clad woman stared at her dejectedly for a moment before replying, "Is that the way you greet an old friend, Megumi?" Megumi relaxed a little, but still kept her mind ready to cast at a moment''s notice. She knew that she had pissed off the upper echelons of the guild by betraying the NorthPost guild hall. It honestly surprised her that this was the first time where someone from the guild had potentially tracked her down to kill her. She couldn''t let her guard down completely, even with Revia, could she? Cerberus wouldn''t have sent her to kill me, would he? No... that''s not what''s going on here. She would''ve attacked me before I knew she was here. "Sorry... How have you been? I''m on my way to grab some breakfast, want to come with me? We can catch up. There''s a placenearby that sells really good cakes." "I''m not here on a social call, Megumi. I''ve been sent here by Cerberus. You''ve really stepped in it this time, you know that, right? The Council of Nine wants you dead and specificially, Thera wants your head on a pike. Cerberus can''t protect you this time, you''re not in his territory anymore. I''m not permitted to help you openly, the most we can do right now is let you know that they will be coming for you." That fucking snake woman. Megumi frowned thinking about what she had done to gain the ire of Thera, but there was only one thing that it could be. "The alchemist in Feng?" Revia nodded. "Apparently she''s been selling Chimeras to other villains for a large profit. You just royally fucked up one of her biggest revenue streams. I''m sure she''s absolutely livid. Officially, you''re out of the guild. Cerberus'' forces will not move against you, but that''s it. You can consider anyone outside of our home territory to be an enemy." Megu doesn''t care about the conseqences. I still would have saved those orphans. Fuck Thera if she was profiting off of what was happening in that place. "What''s the bounty on my head?" "20,000 GP." It was hard to hide the shock that passed over her at hearing that number. She would have everyone and their mother popping out of the woodwork for that sum. She would no longer be able to relax and take it easy. She needed to get stronger, and she need to do so as soon as possible. The woman would never call off the bounty and her path had now been set. She would either have to kill Thera and the other Council of Nine members, or she would be hunted down like a dog. Even so, she tried to play everything off smoothly. It would not be good to show weakness to this woman, everything she said would be reported back to him, and if there was one thing that the vampire lord hated, it was weakness. "Okay. Thanks for the info, Revia. Let them come, I''ll handle anything that the bitch can throw at me. Are you absolutely sure you don''t want to come have cake with me for old times sake?" "It would... be bad to be seen with you right now by the wrong people. If you weren''t one of his favorites, then I''m sure I wouldn''t have even been asked to warn you. I have other work to be about now and must set off immediately. Good luck, Megumi. I hope we can meet again." The woman stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. This settled things, she absolutelyhad to leave the city and Poro-tan would need to be back on his tight leash. She needed someone to be guarding her at all times, even when she slept from now on if she could manage it.She decided that today would not be a good day for cake after all. She could eat on the road. It was time to stop fucking around and get much stronger. Once she entered the guild hall she ordered some food and sat down at one of the tables. It was time to allocate her large influx of TPs. She pulled up her list of skills.
Passive Necromancy
Offensive Spells Summoning Defensive Spells Curses
Mage''s Essence Sanguine Infusion Raise Undead Spirit Barrier Decay
Fortify MP Corpse Explosion Soul Trap Magic Skin Siphon
???? Eldritch Blast Undead Mastery ???? ????
???? Corpse Absorption Soul Trap Mastery ???? ????
???? ???? Summon Blood Golem ???? ????
???? ???? Blood Golem Mastery ???? ????
She had twelve TPs at her disposal and she needed to increase her power dramatically with that kind of bounty on her head. What to do? Making Poro-tan stronger needed to be a priority. He was her primary line of defense against attackers. As such, she placed three points into Soul Trap Mastery. The next most powerful minion she could summon was the blood golem. The creature had been absolutely invaluable up in the mountains and she wanted to make that creature more powerful as well, so she put two points into Blood Golem Mastery. The latter skill not only increased the strength of her summoned creature, but it increased the duration of the spell as well. Seven points left. Considering the last battle and how that went, Megu needs to also consider the fact that her mana kept running out. Two points went into Fortify MP and one point went into Mage''s Essence. Beyond that, defense is always said to be the best offense and Megu has been slacking on that front. She placed one point into Spirit Barrier and one point into Magic Skin. Magic Skin in particular had saved her life a lot recently. Being able to take a heavy blow and have it not drain her mana completely would be fantastic. She needed to level it more to increase its efficiency, but now was not the time for that. She needed to spread her TPs out. It was time for some more offense, so she put a point into Eldritch Blast and also unlocked the Siphon curse. She would now be able to heal herself in a pinch and that would also be invaluable. All in all, things were looking pretty good. If she could find another job where she could get this kind of haul, then she wouldn''t have much to worry about for now. Poro-tan came into the guild hall joking around with some female adventurer that he had been spending some time with as of late, and when he saw her he said goodbye to the woman and came over. "Not doing your usual routine today? You have a serious look on your face, everything okay?" "Poro-tan, we''re about to have a lot more problems on our hands soon. We need to take a job today and get out of the city." "What do you mean by... problems?" "Megu will explain later. Go grab your things. Megu will go pack soon as well." "Fine." He turned and headed back towards the dormitories. Once again she stood up and went over to the request board. Play time was over, she had important things to do before she left this corner of the world. She still didn''t see anything particularly interesting, and just as she was about to rip one of the requests off the board, Beera apparoched with a fresh stack of papers. "Anything interesting in there that would take us towards the capital?" Beera smiled at her and adjusted her large glasses before shuffling through the papers. "Good morning to you too, Megumi. Ummm... I think there was something that came in today. Just a second." Megumi shifted back and forth of her feet while the woman flipped through the pages for a few moments before pulling one out and handing it over to you. "This one is a Class B quest, and it actually pays pretty well. Is Hideki going to go with you? If so you can take it." Megumi scanned the sheet of paper and it was perfectfor what she wanted. "He is. We''ll do it!" "Okay. When do you want to leave?" "Today. Thanks, Beera!" Megumi ran off to her room and hastily packed up her belongings. She had folded the request and put it into her bag for safe keeping. Once she was done packing, she met Poro-tan back in the main hall and he waved hello as she appraoched. "Where we headed now, oh fearless leader?" "The capital. A thieves guild has surfaced recently and is causing all kinds of trouble. We''re going to exterminate them and Megu is going to hopefully gain a lot more TP doing it. Let''s go." The two of them once again bid farewell to their temporary home and headed out into the city. Megumi didn''t have a ton of cash, but decided that they should rent a horse again to make the journey go faster. They could afford one with what they had made off the orphanage at least. Despite what had happened to the horse she had rented the last time, Malon was more than happy to rent to them again. After selecting the horse she had ridden upon last time, she parted ways with the majority of their money and the two of them headed for the gate.They had a long road ahead of them. Even on horseback, the capital was quite a ways off and there were several towns along the way. Judging from the distance on the map that she had bought in town, the journey would take just over a week on horseback; much longer than she had originally thought it would. Once they got outside the gates, she explained the basic situation with the Villain''s Guild to Poro-tan, and was surprised when he took it in stride. He agreed that despite the consequences, saving those kids had been well worth it. Megumi was glad for that and couldn''t help but wonder what types of enemies would soon be coming after them. Spoiler: Poro-kun
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 024 (32,999/39,903 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1475/1475 MP 50/50
TP 1 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 53 Magic 12
Endurance 40 Magic Resistance 18
Strength 37 Luck 7
Agility 29
Dexterity 26
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+60 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 026 (46,805/49,541 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 1350/1350
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 75
Endurance 10 Magic Resistance 50
Strength 6 Luck 18
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 2 (+8 Minutes to summon duration. +10% defense, +10% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 4 (+10 to all stats, excluding Luck, of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 3 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 13 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 32: A Bump in the Road The three of them traveled for three days straight before and despite the road being well maintained, the lack of towns meant that they had to sleep in their tent out in the wilderness. They were lucky in that the road was well patrolled, so they hadn''t really seen any monsters, but Megumi was ready to sleep in an inn already. According to the map, they should be nearing the first little town, Lerwick, sometime later today. Megumi could hardly wait to sleep in an actual bed. She realized that she got a little spoiled being able to relax at the guild hall for so long, but she didn''t care. Poro-tan had been awake for over a day as she had been making him keep near constant watch for threats, but she figured that once they reached the little town and got their room, it would be okay to let him get a few hours of sleep at least. By the time Lerwick was in their vision, it was nearly dusk. "Look! Finally, we can sleep in real beds again!" "Sleeping in a tent isn''t so bad, at least you got to sleep," he grumbled. "Megu just wanted to be on the safe side. Who knows what kind of enemies will be coming for us. As far as Megu knows, there isn''t a Villain''s Guild around here, so enemies should be behind us towards Rivean, unless there were some already up here and got word of the bounty somehow. The further from Rivean we are, the safer we''ll be." "If you say so. All I know, is that I''m exhausted." Lerwick was more of a village than a proper town. There were probably only two dozen buildings in the whole place and most of them had smoke puffing out of chimneys. Megumi would be more than happy to be inside a building next to a fire. Castellum was truly a wretched country to be stuck in outside during the winter months of the year. Surprisingly, they didn''t see a single person as they wandered through the town. Something told her that there was something off about this place. They arrived at the only inn that the town had to offer after a few minutes, and she saw that there were people inside from the large window in the front. "Not many people out and about. Are you sure you want to stay here tonight? It''s weird that there aren''t any people around really." Megu really wants to sleep in a real bed tonight. It''s probably nothing, right? Maybe the people are just inside eating their dinner. She hesitated for a moment before answering but ultimately said,"We''ll stay so long as the price is right. We''re pretty low on funds, but Megu would really like to be warm tonight." "Okay. Let''s check it out then." Megumi and Poro-tan hopped down from their horse and tied it to the hitching rail in front of the inn before heading for the door.The inn was calledThe Wild Stallion,and Megumi noted the large horse carved intricately above the door before they pushed it open and headed inside. The door creaked loudly as they entered and Megu let out a sigh of relief when she saw a young woman sitting behind the inn''s counter looking at a ledger and the large crowd gathered in the common area listening to someone perform music on a lute. Megu needs to stop being so paranoid. Everyone seems to be here to see this musician. He does seem good at his craft. Thera''s bounty hasmeall tied up in knots, I need to relax. It''s doubtful that anyone would have been in the area to move on us yet anyway as I told Poro-tan earlier. Megumi flipped off the hood of her cloak and pulled off her warm gloves once they approached the counter. At least it was nice and toasty inside the inn. "Do you have any rooms?" The innkeeper, a pretty woman, who had short-cut blonde hair, lazily looked up from what she was doing and nodded. "Room and board is 50GP per night. One room or two?" "One room is fine." Megumi dug into her bag and pulled out the required money and set it down on the counter. This was an extravagance considering how broke they now were after renting the horse, but it would be okay. "Your room is the first one to the right at the top of the stairs." The woman opened a drawer on the desk and shuffled things around for a moment before pulling out a bronze key with the number 1 etched into it. She slid the key over towards Megumi and smiled briefly before going back to staring down at the ledger. Once she had the key in her hand, she intended to go straight up to the room and get cleaned up, but the song that was playing in the other room called to her. It was a somewhat somber piece of music, but she recognized it. She kind of wanted to stay and listen for a while. It had been so long since she had taken time to enjoy an entertainer, her bed could wait. She proffered the key to Poro-tan. "Megu''s going to stay down here for a bit and listen to the song. How about you? Do you want to listen as well?" "Music isn''t really my thing and I''m more than a little exhausted. I''ll go up and get a little sleep if you think that''s okay." "It''s fine, go ahead and rest for a bit, Megu will call if you''re needed. There are a lot of people around, no one is going to try anything while we''re here," she whispered to him. Poro-tan nodded. Before he headed upstairs, he paused for a moment and turned to the innkeeper, "Did you guys already serve the evening meal?" The woman, who had gone back to ignoring them and fidgeting with her papers once again looked up. "Yes, sorry about that. Breakfast is just after sunrise though. I can see if there''s something in the kitchen I can dig up for you in a little while though." "Ah, it''s okay. I''ll wait for breakfast, I''m kind of more tired than hungry anyway," he laughed nervously to himself and ran his hand through his hair. The guy was transparent as hell. Megumi had to admit that the girl who was running the inn was somewhat pretty, but still. Megumi''s attention was once again drawn back to the common area where the musician began another song. She wanted to sit down and listen, so she headed in that direction while Poro-tan whistled on his way up the stairs to their room. There was an open seat next to the fireplace, and Megumi snatched it up. The other patrons seemed to be entranced by the music and Megumi found herself closing her eyes and listening as well. He played so well, and the song was a nice one. The musician, who was an older man, bony and frail, had long mustaches that hung halfway down his chest. He had a melodic singing voice and when she opened her eyes as he started the next song, he gave her a wink. Bleh... these bard types are always huge pervs. Can''t Megu just listen to some nice music without being hit on? She forced herself to give him a polite smile and then held her hands to the side by the fire and rubbed them together. It felt like the cold had seeped straight into her bones over the past few days. Once she was done with killing the king, she intended to be out of these mountains as soon as possible. As the bard finished his second song, he reached into a large bag next to him and pulled out a different instrument. Megumi saw that it was a harp and the man plucked a few strings tentatively before reaching over and grabbing one of the several mugs that had been sat down next to him. He took a long swig of the liquid and then spoke to her.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "What''s your name, little lady?" he pointed. "Megumi." "Well, Megumi, I have a song, just for pretty girls like you." He sat down the mug and began plucking on the strings of the harp, and singing a familiar song. She was surprised, but she knew this song as well. It was called The Monarch''s Marchand it was a tragic song about love and loss. It was beautiful and she found herself lost in the song as he stared at her while singing. Megumi leaned back into her chair and closed her eyes remembering the last time she had heard this particular song. A lifetime ago, she had regularly gotten to hear music in her home before her whole life went to shit. She felt a teardrop run down her cheek unbidden as the song continued. She remembered sitting with her family and watching a skilled musician as he performed for them. Truth be told, this old man actually sung the song better than the last person she saw perform it. She had to give him a lot of credit for being a travelling musician rather than becomign a court bard or something. The melody was soothing like the embrace of a loving parent who you hadn''t seen in ages and it made her feel melancholy hearing it. What would her life be like right now if things had gone differently? Would she be married? Would she have had kids of her own? Tears continued to flow from her eyes even though she was squeezing them tightly shut and trying not to think about the past, she couldn''t help it. She reached up and wiped her face and she realized that she was suddenly feeling very tired for some reason. Maybe the days of travel and the release of pent up feelings had taken it out of her? Megu should go up and get some rest after this song. She yawned and opened her eyes, which were now feeling quite heavy and watched the man as he continued to perform.The song seemed to be having a similar effect on the other people who had gathered, and she saw that several of the others had fallen asleep in their chairs. Megu''s eyes are so heavy... Need to go to sleep. Alarms sounded in her head that something was wrong, but she just couldn''t get enough energy to move. Her thought swere sluggish and no matter how hard she tried to keep her eyes open, they continued to fight her, trying to stay closed. The old bard had stood up from his chair and now stood in front of her, plucking at the harp and singing. He had a huge grin on his face as he sung loudly. This wasn''t right. She had fallen into a trap! She needed to call for help right away. Poro-tan could take care of this bard and then everything would be okay again. Her thoughts came slowly, it was like she was wading through a pit of thick mud and she fumbled to make the call for aid. She couldn''t concentrate enough to send out the orders. Her magical resistance was high, and that''s probably the only reason she had managed to remain conscious so long, but there was literally nothing she could do. All of the other people in the room had passed out a while ago for certain. Poro-kun would notice she was gone when she didn''t come upstairs, but would it be too late? Megumi felt as though she hadn''t slept in over a month. Resistance was completely futile. As a last ditch effort, she attempted to yell, but she couldn''t even manage to make her body do something as simple as that. It took everything she had to hold her eyes open and she glared at the grinning bard. The figure of the woman who had been at the counter stepped in front of her and leaned down. "She''s still awake. That''s pretty impressive. This will be the easiest 20k GP we''ve ever made." "Her companion? How did he resist my Siren''s Call spell?" "I don''t know, it''s an anomaly. That spell pulled everyone in the town here. All we had to do was walk around and people followed us like sheep. No one had been able to resist, not even this girl." "I don''t like the idea of leaving someone behind who will likely come after us." "It doesn''t matter, he went upstairs to sleep from what he said earlier. Leave him. We should hurry up and be on our way already. I want to cash her in as soon as possible and move on to the next job. Thera likes it when we bring the bounties in alive, so that she can dispose of them personally, but we can kill her if we need to. That goes double for her companion if he gets in our way. By the time he even notices she''s not here, we''ll be long gone and he won''t be able to find us anyway. I don''t enjoy killing people for free and he has no bounty on his head. Let''s go." The last thing Megumi felt before passing out was a cold metal ring snapping around her neck. Her MP leaked out of her like a breached dam and blackness finally overtook her. Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 024 (32,999/39,903 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1475/1475 MP 50/50
TP 1 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 53 Magic 12
Endurance 40 Magic Resistance 18
Strength 37 Luck 7
Agility 29
Dexterity 26
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 026 (46,805/49,541 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 0/1350
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 75
Endurance 10 Magic Resistance 50
Strength 6 Luck 18
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 2 (+8 Minutes to summon duration. +10% defense, +10% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 4 (+10 to all stats, excluding Luck, of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 3 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 13 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 33: Pursuit! Hideki awoke in a cold sweat as he felt a faint tugging on his bond. How in the fuck did she manage to find trouble in a quiet little town like this? He hopped out of bed and immediately knew something was very wrong. He stumbled and crashed to the ground, feeling dizzy. It was as though some of the energy within him was missing. He felt ill. Something is seriously wrong here! I couldn''t have been out for more than a couple hours. I never seem to sleep longer than a few hours at a time anymore. He carefully got back up onto his feet and once he felt stable enough, he quickly threw on his boots and grabbed his pack before heading out the door. He held onto the banister of the staircase as he carefully went down the steps. He didn''t know why he felt so lousy, but it definitely meant that Megumi needed his help. He looked around the common room once he managed to get to the main level and didn''t see the blonde woman who had checked them in anywhere. In fact, he didn''t see anyone in the common room except for an elderly woman who was asleep in a chair near the fireplace. He forced his body to move and gently shook her awake. "Excuse me. Do you work here? Have you seen a young girl in a dress with long silver hair and violet eyes? She was watching the musician sing his songs down here earlier. If you don''t work here, have you seen the blonde girl with short hair who was at the check-in desk earlier?" The woman gave him a puzzled look. "No blonde girl works here, you must be mistaken. I run this place by myself. There was a blonde girl with a traveling musician who offered to perform for us in exchange for a room for the night, though. It was the oddest thing, he played a beautiful song to showcase his skills and I must''ve fallen asleep right here." Fuck! We''ve been played! Megumi, you fucking evil bitch, you''d better not die on me now. Knowing her, she''ll probably snuff out my soul out of spite before she dies. He felt the slight tug again, it was even fainter this time, but he could tell the general direction. She must be really far away if she isn''t even able to force me to come. Either that, or she''s just trying to send some kind of signal. I can''t have been asleep that long, I can catch them. I just hope that they didn''t do something to the horse! He turned and stared off in the direction that he was being tugged towards and then headed for the door. "Thanks for the information." Hideki felt really weak compared to normal. If he remembered right, there was a maximum range that he could be away from Megumi before he''d go back to being lifeless like the undead on the pirate ship had. What would happen if she went beyond that range? Would his soul still get snuffed out? He didn''t want to find out the hard way. The horse was still in front of the place by some miracle of luck and he had to use all the strength he could muster just to pull himself up into the saddle and sit up straight. With a silent prayer to the gods that he could make it in time to save her, he turned the horse in the proper direction and headed on his way. At least they haven''t killed her yet. Maybe Thera wants her alive for some reason? Hang in there, I''m coming, you evil bitch! I just knew there was something weird going on! I know that I shouldn''t give a fuck about her, but for some reason I do. I won''t let her die alone out there like this! The sun was starting setting and it appeared that he had only been out for a couple hours. They probably weren''t extremely far ahead, and he knew they would have to have carried her off in a wagon or something. It was unlikely that they had just tied her up and tossed her over a saddle. Hideki knew he had to be gaining ground because with each step the horse took in the right direction as it ran, he felt just a tiny bit better. They seemed to be taking her to the west. Were there even in any towns in that direction? He couldn''t really remember the map, and didn''t want to stop and look. We should''ve been more careful! Of course there''d be people jumping at the opportunity to earn so much money from taking her out. He kicked the horse and prodded it to go ever faster. He didn''t want to force it to run to death, but he needed to gain as much ground as fast as possible. After keeping it going full speed for several mintues, he let the horse slow down and continued at a brisk walk for several minutes before pushing it to run again. After two horus or so of this pattern, he felt almost completely back to normal. They weren''t far now, he would definitely catch them. Whatever they''re dragging her off in, it''s very slow if I''ve been able to gain so much ground so fast. Either that, or they''re just not in any rush at all. If he was lucky, they might even stop to rest for the night. Unless they managed to beat out of her the fact that he was undead and could find her since they were linked, then hopefully they wouldn''t expect him to be able to find them. The element of surprise would be very important in rescuing her. As far as he could reason out, the musician must be a bard who could cast spells using music, but he had no idea what kind of skills the pretty woman had. The tugging at his bond was not insistent, it was more like she was putting out a beacon for him to find her. He had to give her credit, she was good under pressure. The evening dragged on and he just hoped that the enemy had stopped for the night. He had to move slower along the road as there was only moonlight to see by. Another hour or so by his judgement had gone by and they were really close now. Just as he had hoped, it seemed like they stopped for the night. He would need to leave the road and sneak to their location, which seemed to be just over the next small hill. I need to take some precautions first. He rummaged through his bag and found a candle and lit it once he got under the cover of some trees. Next, he grabbed one of his extra shirts and tore off a couple small pieces of fabric. Finally, he dripped the melting wax onto the fabric and formed the mixture into makeshift earplugs. I don''t really know if that kind of magic can affect me since I''m undead, but better safe than sorry. f I can''t hear his music, then his magic will have no effect in any case.I''ll want to take him out first I think. He tied his horse to a tree and began creeping slowly up the small hill. The thick trees blocked out most of the light, so he had to move at what felt like a snail''s pace to not make any loud noises. He definitely wouldn''t be able to cut it as a ranger, as he stepped on dry twigs here and there, but at least he didn''t make a ton of noise. The makeshift earplugs he had made had set up by the time he was a quarter of the way up the hill, but he didn''t want to put them in until he was on his way down the other side. It wouldn''t do him any good to not hear himself making loud noises while stomping his way down the mountain. The night was getting pretty cold, even for his sturdy body, he felt a shivver run down his spine. The forested area was still and he didn''t like it one bit. Megumi''s signal pulsed to him in his mind and in just a few more minutes, he came to the bottom of the hill and could see a parked wagon a ways ahead near the road. The area ahead was lit up with the flickering light of a campfire and he could hear the faint sounds of music coming from the distance, but he still couldn''t see much from where he was. He didn''t want to take any chances, and immediately shoved the makeshift earplugs deeply into his ears and the world went silent around him. I need to get closer. The brush was, unfortunately, very thick and like much of the rest of the forested hill he had already experienced, there were many small branches that littered the floor of the forest for him to step on. He needed to be extra careful now. With deliberate steps he edged closer and closer until he was close enough to have a decent view of his quarry. In front of the fire, he could clearly see the old bard playing with his lute. Hideki was glad that he had thought of the earplug idea. It was hard to say if the bard was projecting any kind of magical aura or not, but better safe than sorry was a motto he had learned the hard way since being killed. He didn''t see the pretty girl with the short blonde hair, so he waited patiently for her to come around. He didn''t want to rush into things until he saw a little more of what was going on. Megumi was in trouble, but they hadn''t killed her yet, so it didn''t hurt to wait. He had been crouching for so long that his legs had long since cramped up when the woman finally exited the wagon and headed over to the fire. She sat down on a large rock next to the bard as she wiped her face off with a rag that looked red. Hideki ground his teeth, they had definitely been torturing Megumi inside that wagon. He was more than a little eager to rid the world of these two, especially since they had forced him to leave the comfort of the first bed he had seen in days behind to chase after them. Now that he had seen her come out, he just needed to wait until one of them went away again. The woman was the wild card, so he would wait until he could go after the bard and end him quickly. While he watched from his hiding spot, a pattern emerged. The woman would come out and sit by the fire for a while, talking and laughing with the bard, and then she would get back up and go into the wagon. It was late, and she knew they had to be getting tired soon. The next time she went inside, he would make his move. He considered his skill set and what he could do to end the fight as quickly as possible. The only ranged attack in his arsenal was Shockwave. Unfortunately, the impact of such an attack and the damage to the surrounding area would alert the woman for sure. He wondered if he could circle around and come at the bard from behind. The small clearing by the road formed a nice U shape and he might be able to do it. The only problem with that plan was that it had been a nightmare getting through all that brush without making a ton of noise.It still amazed him that he had actually succeeded in doing so. I could try to rescue her when the woman isn''t inside the wagon. It''s risky, though. That bard could do all kinds of things that would affect Megumi. I should have made a second pair of earplugs. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. After several minutes of weighing his options, it was clear that he would need to charge in head on. He would be fast and go straight for the kill. The woman would be alerted, but hopefully he could kill the bard before he was in a two versus one scenario. Hidekis''s deceased heart still managed to pound in his chest as he got ready to make his move. He slid his sword out of its sheeth as quietly as he could and gripped it tightly. The purple blade glinted in the darkness from the flickering firelight and he charged forward hoping to move silently while the bard had been looking the other direction. He only made it a dozen or so paces out of the trees before the bard had heard him and turned towards his direction. Fuck! This is exactly why I''m not an assassin. He With his cover blown, he redoubled his efforts to close the gap between himself and his opponent. The bard stood up and began playing his instrument rapidly and chanting something, but Hideki couldn''t hear a sound. He grinned at the man and closed the last couple feet. The bard tried to grab a knife off his belt as he saw that nothing was happening to Hideki, but it was too late. The cursed sword slid right through the old man''s chest and the taint that the blade contained spread rapidly as the man fell to the ground with a lock of shock and horror on his face. Blood sprayed in Hideki''s direction as he yanked his blade free and he took a few steps back, reaching up to remove his earplugs rapidly, and then set himself into the defensive ,Turtle Style sword stance. The woman would be coming for sure now. He only wished that he knew what kind of fighter she was. She didn''t disappoint him and came running out from the side of the wagon with a furious look on her face when she took in the scene. "Fucking bard was useless! Couldn''t even keep a proper watch! Oh well. More money for me." She cracked her knuckles before reaching into a pouch at her waist and pulling out a set of spiked iron knuckles. Hideki didn''t intend to let her put those on, he fired a Shockwave off in her direction. Unfortunately for him, the woman seemed to have the reflexes of a cat and flipped smoothly out of the way. Damn. He fired off several more Shockwave attacks, but none landed and the woman was smoothly dodging and gaining ground at the same time. When she got close, he swung his blade for her neck in a wide sweep, hoping that the reach of his blade would work to his advantage, but she slapped the blade away with her knuckles like it was nothing. Before he could recover, she had got inside his reach and even had time to give him a little wink before she planted one of her fists into his chest. The world lurched around him as he found him self flying though the air like a rag doll. He knew that the blow had just cracked several ribs, and coughed up some blood as he crashed to the ground. Even though he was wearing armor, she had just utterly floored him with a single punch. He was in serious trouble even with his recently enhanced stats. The blow probably would have killed him for sure a couple weeks ago, and if he were a normal, living person, he would definitely not be getting back up after a hit like that.. Pushing himself up as quickly as his body would allow, he tried to reset himself as the woman calmly walked towards him. ignoring the dull pain in his chest, he changed tactics and went into Tiger Stance. Instead of being defensive, he charged towards the woman with his sword slashing rapidly. She smiled at him while easily dodging the attacks. Occasionally, she would smack the blade away with her weapons, but she was toying with him. When he performed a desperate, spinning attack, she flipped to the side and then before he could right himself, she performed a roundhouse kick to the side of his face that sent him crashing to the ground with a thud. Before he could get himself all the way back onto his feet, the woman planted a boot in his middle and sent him rolling a few more feet towards the fire. He coughed up blood and the world was starting to get hazy around him. Get the fuck up! Are you a man or what? You can''t even save a girl from some evil kidnappers? You wanted to be a hero? Gritting his teeth, he used all the willpower he could muster to get himself back up onto his shaky feet and hold the sword out in front of himself wardingly. "What a joke. A weakling like you has no chance of?¡ª" The woman cut off as a ball of green fire smashed into the back of her head, exploding it upon impact. Brain matter and pieces of bones splattered all over him in a familiar fashion and the corpse fell to the ground just a few feet away. He had never been so happy to have blood and guts exploded on to him. Reaching up with a gloved hand, he wiped the blood and pieces of brain out of his eyes and smiled at Megumi who was standing only a dozen feet behind where the woman had been gloating. Her palm remained outstretched towards the corpse and in her other hand he saw a broken collar. The girl was a mess. She was covered in blood and her face was bruised badly. She wobbled where she stood and then spat to the side."Serves you right, bitch. As if Megu wouldn''t have been trained on how to get out of one of these. Cerberus was very insistant that Megu learn how to break free of one of these in case she was ever caught and questioned," She tossed the metal ring to the ground.. "Thanks for taking care of the bard, Poro-tan. Megu couldn''t have ever gotten away so long as he was around." She went to the front of the wagon and rummaged around a bit before finding her bag. They had been horribly low on funds as of late, and so they only had one healing potion left. She looked at it longingly for a moment and then held it out towards him. "You need it more. Drink it." He wanted to protest, but she didn''t let him. She uncorked the potion and wobbled over to him before she stood up on her tip toes and shoved the potion into his mouth. Relief washed over him as the potion went to work on his broken ribs and cracked cheekbone where he had been kicked. "At least we got our very own wagon out of this mess, right?" he joked. Megumi grinned. "Right. No more sleeping on the ground for us! Clean up the back for me, okay? Megu... needs to rest a bit." She was clearly trying to act stronger than she was. He could tell that she was badly injured. Maybe not so bad as he had been, but it looked as though the enemies had been tenderizing her the entire trip. The small girl climbed up into the wagon''s front seat and laid down after retrieving one of her blankets from her bag. I guess I''d better get the back cleaned up so she has a better spot to rest. If only I hadn''t been asleep, maybe we could have prevented this from happening. She''s lucky to be alive. He climbed into the back of the wagon, which at first glance, didn''t look all that dirty and then he saw. There was a frayed rope and a large pool of blood near the middle of the wagon. He wondered how the hell she had escaped from that collar, they were said to be unbreakable. The things were used on high profile mages who broke the law. She had been trained on how to beat one? How the heck did that work?He would ask her later, maybe she''d tell him, maybe she wouldn''t. For now, he got to work cleaning up the mess. The truth was he was starting to not mind the girl''s company at all. She was kind of like an annoying little sister who, despite giving him constant grief, was someone he had started caring about. Maybe he was a masochist or something? It was an odd sort of realization to have. She had not only killed him, but she had basically enslaved his very soul, but even so, he couldn''t bring himself to hate her anymore. She had been coming around and doing some good things. She wasn''t all bad, and he was sure that she had reasons for being the way she was. Maybe one day she would trust him enough to tell him about it.For now, however, he would just try to steer her in the direction of doing good things rather than evil. It might be an impossible task, but at least he had an eternity to do it as far as he knew. Spoiler: Hideki
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 024 (35,599/39,903 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 640/1475 MP 50/50
TP 1 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 53 Magic 12
Endurance 40 Magic Resistance 18
Strength 37 Luck 7
Agility 29
Dexterity 26
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 2 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 026 (49,405/49,541 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 193/475 MP 150/1350
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 75
Endurance 10 Magic Resistance 50
Strength 6 Luck 18
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 2 (+8 Minutes to summon duration. +10% defense, +10% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 4 (+10 to all stats, excluding Luck, of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 3 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 13 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 34: A Slight Detour Megumi hung from chains inside the basement of the large estate. Her arms were tired, and she smelled of blood, sweat, and other unmentionable things. The metal ring around her throat chafed and she just wanted this to end already. It had been weeks since she had begun this ''training'' and she had had more than enough of it. Her head hung down and she stared at the cracks of the floor. She honestly had no idea how many hours it had been since someone came to check on her and beat her. She only knew that it had been weeks because of what Lloyd had casually told her between beatings. It had always gone the same, either the spy or Cerberus himself would come down the stairs to the basement and calmly explain how to remove the metal collar, when she couldn''t do it, then they would beat her some more and go away. Once in a while they would come and spoon feed her some awful gruel and give her water, but that was it. The training was meant to simulate a situation where she was captured by an enemy and tortured. She had been given a code word by Cerberus before it had all started, and if she was not under any circumstances to give that information to Lloyd, no matter how awful the torture had been. She almost didn''t care anymore. She didn''t know if she really had what it took to actually carry out her revenge. She had only just recently unlocked her Necromancer class, and that ritual had turned her stomach. Cerberus had made a point of testing her for each kind of magic, not only the basic elemental magics as most noble children got tested for. She had already been tested for the elemental magics when she had turned 9 by someone from the academy she was to attend. She had tested positive for both fire and life magic, but she had not chosen one as a class. She had wanted to wait until she learned more about each before deciding, but had leaned towards life magic. The dark arts, however, weren''t simply unlocked by testing. Rituals typically had to be followed and sacrifices were usually a base requirement. She wondered how differently her life would be now if she had chosen to take the power of a life mage. She had wanted to heal the sick and save people. She had been a weak and naive child. Remember Miki. Remember mother and father. They MUST be avenged. She tried to do what they had instructed her to do for breaking the collar once more. The concept was very simple, but it required an immense amount of skill with one''s own mana. She tried to clear her mind, it took several minutes, as her entire body ached, but she tried imagining an empty field of flowers. She took deliberate breaths and closed her eyes, fixing the image in her mind. The grounds of her home had contained a beaitful fenced in meadow with wildflowers that she had loved to run around in play in with Miki. All magic users emitted a kind of aura, and that was what was used to form spells. The collar was drawing in all of that aura currently and dissipating it. She stopped that outward flow, stifiling the aura, and held it in. The build up was incredibly painful, and she felt as though she was going to burst. So far so good. You can do it. You can''t get revenge if they think you''re useless and lock you away in this dungeon forever. Do it! She mentally commanded the build up into the area around her neck. The process felt extremely uncomfortable to say the least, but it was finally working. She had never gotten this far before. The door opened and she heard footsteps coming down the staircase. Megumi didn''t want another beating. Focus! She was almost ready. The built up mana had now accumulated in the right spot. She wanted ot scream in agony, but her throat was dry. She released the flow all at once and heard a click. The collar clanged to the stone floor and she opened her eyes to stare at the thing in shock. The footsteps stopped and a deep voice that she recognized as Cerberus spoke out from the darkness. "You did it. I always had faith in you, my little princess. You didn''t break, and you got out of the device. Congratulations, you''re one of only four people in the entire world that knows how to get out of one of those. Now it''s time to begin your real training." The vampire king came into full view and had a huge grin on his face. He pulled out a key to her shackles out of his coat pocket and unlocked her. She fell to her knees weeping. She had done it. She had really done it.
Megumi awoke with a start and found that she was on the seat of the wagon still. She was drenched in sweat and her body ached in a way that she had hoped she wouldn''t ever have to experience again. It was no smallcoincidence that she had been dreaming about her training. She said a silent thank you to Cerberus and Revia for giving her the ability to handle a situation like the one she had been in. Once, she had thought them incredibly cruel, but now she saw it as it was: she had been weak, and needed to be reforged into something stronger. She struggled to sit up and her abs protested angrily, but she did it. Poro-tan was nowhere to be seen at the moment, so she lifted up her dress to have a look at the damage. Her torso was covered in awful looking purple bruises. She was sure that her face probably didn''t look much better. The bitch had enjoyed torturing her, and had been careful to not break any bones at least. Megumi took note of the extra blanket and pillow that had been put under her head sometime during the night. She owed Poro-tan a huge debt for this. She was half-certain he had done it out of self interest, but the fact was; he had come for her. She hadn''t been able to force him with their connection being as weak as it had been. He could have just let himself die and been free. She made a point in her mind to make sure to thank him and treat him better, at least for a while. If she had only listened to him when he said something didn''t feel right about that inn, they could have avoided the whole mess to begin with. She rubbed her bleary eyes and decided that it was time to be on the move again. They had a wagon now, and travel would be smoother. They wouldn''t even need to risk sleeping at any more inns for the time being. They would need to stop somewhere and hope that they had some healing potions for sale. The small amount of money they had left was getting harder and harder to stretch. Hopefully the whole thieves guild problem in Aurora wouldn''t be so hard to squash so they could get paid. She was about to climb down from the wagon to go over by the fire where Poro-tan sat, oblivious to the fact that she had awoke, and warm herself up. Frost still covered the ground in the shade of the trees and the sun had not yet crested the little hill that they sat by.The wagon creaked loudly when she began to climb down and Poro-tan rushed over to her immediately before her feet even hit the ground. "What are you doing? You shouldn''t be up moving around. Here, I''ll help you back up there. I made some food, it''s in the fire, I''ll go get it and bring it here. The back of the wagon is also clean and I set up some more bedding for you, I didn''t want to move you in the state you were in last night." She stared at him for a moment in confusion. The man wasa bit of a conundrum. Did he genuinely care about her? Why had he bothered coming for her anyway? It was about self preservation, right? Life experience had told her that it was best not to count on anyone, but could she really trust him to be there for her even without forcing him to be? She had treated him like garbage more often than not. Didn''t he want to die? Didn''t he want to be free of her? "Thanks," she said quietly and tried to climb back up into the seat. Her body protested greatly and she grunted in pain before she felt his arms scoop her up and put her into the seat. It was embarrasing to have to be treated like a child. He didn''t give her time to scold him for picking her up like a little girl, and ran over to the fire pit, pulling a hot skillet out of the coals. A few moments later he rushed back over with a heaping plate of food. As expected, it wasn''t really the kind of food she would normally eat, but instead things he liked. There were two fried eggs on the plate and a heaping pile of spiced sausages as well as some diced potatoes. It was the thought that counted though, right? She smiled and took the warm plate from him. Their dishes were made of metal and were pretty sturdy for the sake of travel. This was a benefit out in the cold as the sizzling food warmed it up and her cold fingers were more than happy to absorb the radiating heat. The food smelled pretty good and it steamed in the cold air. He quietly handed over a fork and then climbed up into the seat next to her. "You should eat it before it gets cold. We can leave whenever you''re ready." She dug into the food and found that she had been quite hungry. She didn''t set the fork down once until the entire pile of food was gone. "It was good. Thanks, Poro-tan." "If we can get to another town, maybe we can get you a healing potion or two. I went through their belongings before I disposed of the bodies and they actually had a decent amount of money on them. Well, actually it was the girl that had the money, the bard was broke. In total, they had 800GP. Not only that, but we can probably sell some of their belongings. The bard''s musical instruments would probably be worth some good money if we find the right buyer. Surely there''s a market for this stuff in Aurora somewhere." "Good work. Before we get going, I just wanted to say thank you for coming. Megu could never have escaped without you." She pointedly looked down at her plate. "Of course I''d come for you. I don''t want to have my soul snuffed out or anything, you know." She could tell that it was not the only reason in his voice but she left it at that. "Go put out the fire and let''s get on the road. We still have a long ways to go." Poro-tan hopped down from the wagon and did as he was told. Megumi noted that he had retrieved the horse they had rented sometime during the night. They now had two horses to pull the wagon. Hopefully, that would mean faster travel as this thing had moved pretty slow. When they went back to Rivean someday, they could leave the rented horse behind and continue on with this one that was now theirs. She wondered how much Malon would charge for her to buy the horse. She was kind of fond of it. Poro-tan was kicking dirt on top of the fire and gathering up the things and she simply watched him while deep in thought. Thera is going to pay for what Megu just went through. We need to get much stronger first, though. That woman would squash us both like insects if we were to attack her directly in our current state. Who knows what kind of powerful minions she keeps close, either. Considering she''s on the same general level as Cerberus, Megu should not dare to take this threat lightly. She couldn''t keep a frown off her face at the thought. Poro-tan had finished and was headed back over. He must''ve seen her expression. "Everything okay?" "Megu''s fine. I was just thinking of something, that''s all." He nodded continued around to the back of the wagon, depositing various items there and then came back. "Would those two be considered weak among your new enemies?" He pointed towards a fresh mound of dirt where she assumed he had put the two kidnappers into a shallow grave. Megumi decided to tell it to him straight. She owed him that at least. "They were probably around our level, maybe a little higher. They were probably around Megu''s rank in the guild as well judging on their skill. Maybe the woman was one rank higher, though. She was definitely in charge. The Villain''s Guild works much in the same way as the Adventurers Guild as far as ranks go. There are many more powerful enemies ahead of us." "I guess we''ll just have to get a lot stronger then, right?" Poro-kun had put on a reassuring smile. He was probably just trying to make her feel better. Who wouldn''t be worried when hearing that a horde of powerful enemies would be hunting you wherever you went? Megumi sat the empty plate down next to her and clasped her hands together in her lap. "We should get going. Megu is going to go lay down in the back for a bit." "Okay. Get as much rest as you need. I''ll try not to disturb you unless we run itno some kind of trouble." Megumi went into the back of the wagon and saw that it had been cleaned pretty well. There was just enough light to see that the wood where she had been bound was only lightly stained by her blood. He must''ve scrubbed and scrubbed to get most of that out. She forced herself to look away from that and laid down on the bed that had been prepared for her. Poro-tan poked his head back into the wagon and tossed her the blankets that had been in the front. She reached into her bag and retrieved her staff, laying it down next to her and closed her eyes after bundling up. Thoughts drifted towards her family and how different life had been before fate decided to decisively fuck her and everyone she knew over. It had been years, but thanks to the portrait she carried around, she still had a good image of each of them in her mind. She thought of how she had been robbed of the life she should have been able to have. A life of privilege and the love of her family, traded for one of blood and torture. She couldn''t quell the fire within whenever her mind came to this and she ached to get revenge on every single person responsible for her current situation. Megumi couldn''t let herself get complacent with her life as an adventurer, even though it was kind of nice having people love her for doing good things for once. She wouldn''t rest until she sat upon a throne built upon the corpses of thousands. She had to stay hard and not go soft. They all had to pay, and the king was the first on her hit list.
Megumi had drifted off to sleep while thinking those terrible thoughts, and it felt like no time had passed at all before Poro-tan''s hand was prodding her gently to awaken. Expecting trouble, she sat upright as quickly as she could and reached for her staff. Her stomach screamed in pain as she sat bolt upright, but she didn''t care. She bit her lip and forced herself to focus. "What is it? Trouble?" she whispered. "Bandits I think. Get up, I might need your help." He moved quickly and headed out the front of the wagon, hopping down and she could hear him unsheathing his weapon. Megumi hoped that it was simply bandits and not more people from the guild. She forced herself to get up and went outside. Six people stood in the middle of the road a fair distance away and didn''t move. "We''re outnumbered, but should be more than a match for bandits, if that''s what they really are." It occurred to her that Poro-tan still had a TP she had failed to allocate. She needed to look at his skill tree sometime and see where else he could grow, but there wasn''t really time to think about that now. "Where do you think your latest TP should go?" she asked. "Put it in Shockwave. I''ll see if I can take a few of them out at once when they get closer."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. She nodded and complied with his request. The group of six enemies had started moving in their direction now that they had both gotten to the ground. Two of them had longbows with arrows nocked. Those enemies were pulling up the rear and moved slowly towards them while taking aim. Megumi wouldn''t be able to use spirit barrier as there were no corpses nearby to fuel the shield. Poro-kun could survive even with an arrow through his chest, but that didn''t apply to her. Megumi activated her Magic Skin spell just in case. The enemies stopped a couple dozen paces away from them and a woman with short cropped black hair and an eye patch over her left eye stepped out in front. "Pickings have been slim lately out here, but it looks like we''re in luck today, right, boys!" the other bandits let out a cheer. We''ll see what you think of your luck in a moment. Just come a little closer. Megumi leaned on her staff a little, it still hurt qutie a bit to be upright. Poro-kun set himself into a sword stance and stood ready for action. "Tell you what, if drop your weapons and hand over all your GP, bags, as well as your wagon, and we''ll let you live. You''re outnumbered and even though she appears to be some sort of mage, she''s clearly injured the way she''s leaning on that staff. No blood needs to be spilled here today, you have my word," the woman said. The word of a bandit. Pft. Yeah, right. Megumi stared defiantly at the fools who stood before her. All she had wanted was a little sleep and these fuckers had to go and ruin it. She gritted her teeth in irritation. "No? Have it your way then." The archers moved quickly and loosed two arrows. One of them hit Poro-kun squarely in the chest and the other smashed into hers. They both fell to the ground hard from the impact but the arrow had broken on her shield. She was glad to see that the projectile hadn''t even caused that huge of a large dent in her mana pool. She got back up slowly and smiled as the archers stared at her with utter shock in their eyes. Megumi didn''t want to was time fucking around with these weaklings and fired a volley of Eldritch Blasts towards the archers before they could get off another shot. They scattered at seeing what she was doing, but she still managed to pick off one of the archers as well as a melee fighter. Poro-tan had gotten to his feet long before she had started firing and had chased down one of the melee fighters and ran him through. The shaft of the arrow was stil sticking out of his chest and the enemies were now running like scared rabbits. The confidence the fools had showed before had completely melted away. The remaining melee fighter and the woman attacked Poro-tan while the archer fired another arrow at her. The thing struck her in the right eye and she blinked hard, seeing spots as her head hit the ground. She thanked her lucky stars that the Magic Skin spell had saved her once more. The eye shot took a substantially larger portion of mana away. She cursed under her breath as she rolled over, trying to get back to her feet. Two more arrows impacted her body on her way up with incredible force. Fuck! Poro-tan, what the hell are you doing? She stayed still for a moment and when no more arrows hit her, she got back to her feet. Poro-tan had a couple more arrows sticking out of him, but she smiled as she saw him perform a Shockwave, ending the life of the annoying archer once and for all. The woman who had spoke earlier and the remainingfighter were still desperately trying to attack Poro-tan and Megumi didn''t hae a clear shot to take out either of them. When they saw her get back up, the shared a look and tried to run away. No you don''t! Megumi had a clear line of fire on the man who had ran before the leader. She took aim and killed him with an Eldritch Blast to the back. He fell to the ground with a sickening thud. The woman didn''t stop to check on her fallen comrade and continued to run. Poro-kun was already on the job, thankfully, and he was gaining ground on her quickly. The woman abruptly stopped and spun around quickly performing a roundhouse kick which landed squarely in the face of Megumi''s pet. He staggered slightly, but didn''t fall. These opponents were weaklings. Without the archers, they were nothing. The woman smoothly flipped a knife up into the palm of her hand and wasted no time at all, deftly ramming the weapon into Poro-kun''s chest several times in quick succession. He finally fell down, having taken a considerable amount of damage throughout the fight from the arrows already. When the bandit started to run, he reached out and grabbed her ankle hard. She kicked and pulled, but he didn''t let go. Megumi continued to hobble closer and closer. At his current strength it didn''t take much effort for him to snap her ankle and he did so. The bandit screamed in agony and fell backwards onto the ground. She tried to kick him in the head with her free foot, but he just kept squeezing. Their enemy reached to her belt and grabbed another knife. She sat up and tried to stab him in the face, but Poro-tan let go of the ankle and grabbed her wrist, snapping it like a twig as well. The dagger clanged to the ground and she squirmed in agony. He was back on his knees now and dragged the woman up to her feet with him. He spit out blood onto her. The woman had a look of horror on her face that was wonderful. Fucking bandit needs to stop trying to break Megu''s toy! She had hobbled her way over closer to the enemy and now stood close enough to speak to her face to face. Poro-kun''s health was still slightly above half, he would be fine. "Listen up, bitch. Megu wants to ask you a few questions." The woman spit on the ground. "Fuck you. I won''t tell you anything." "Then you''ll die slow. It''s up to you. Poro-kun, break her arm." Her familiar gave her a look that said he wasn''t up for performing torture, but she didn''t care. She made him do it anyway. The woman screamed once again as he wrenched her arm backwards and then smashed her forearm down on his thigh. The arm bent in an unnatural way and bone exploded from the wound. Bone curdling screams filled the afternoon air. "Still don''t want to talk?" "Go... fuck yourself, bitch." "Break her fingers, one at a time." Poro-kun was now giving her a glare. She wondered if he was regretting saving her life the night before. They needed to be stronger though, and clearing out a den of bandits, was probably a good way to gain some extra experience and TP. Megumi would stake her life on the fact that there were surely more of these scum nearby somewhere. The woman wailed in agony as he snapped her fingers one at a time while continuing to hold her wrist in a death grip. "How about now?" The woman clenched her teeth and shook her head. "Kill me. I won''t talk. Ever." It was time for a different tactic. She had no desire to spend the time it would take to break the woman. It was time to use her brain rather than Poro-tan''s brawn to get what she wanted. She turned towards the bloody scene behind them and held up her staff, raising each of the former enemies as undead minions and had them march over to their location. Megumi turned toward their captive who now trembled in fear as well as pain. The sight of her dead comrades getting up and coming over was having the desired effect. "Death is only the beginning. If you don''t talk, then your fate will be to serve me just like them. Your soul will be forever in my hands," she bluffed. The truth was that the regular undead minions were more like marionettes than living things. Her ploy had worked though and the woman began to talk frantically. "W-What do you want to know? Don''t do that to me? Please! Anything but that!" Megumi grinned wickedly. "How many bandits are in your group? I''m sure there are more than 6 of you. Where''s your hideout?" The woman spilled all the information that Megumi had wanted. There was a small camp in the mountains not far from where they were now and there were an additional twenty bandits. Megumi had her information and dispatched the woman herself. She released the undead and the group of five collapsed to the ground. All that was to be done now was to cast Sanguine Infusion on each of their enemies. The weaklings hadn''t really given anything in the way of experience, but she did manage to get an additional TP from them. Poro-kun had pulled the arrow out of his chest and was sulking off to the side while she had done her grim work. "You didn''t have to torture the woman. After what just happened to you, how could you even consider doing that to someone else?" "This world isn''t soft, Poro-kun. Megu can''t afford to be soft, either. You think that woman would have really let us live if we had complied with her demands? If you do, then you''re a fool." He looked down at the ground. "I don''t want to be used as a tool for torture is all, okay?" Megumi couldn''t help but feel a tinge of regret at having him do that. What was happening to her? Despite what she had just said, was she going soft for feeling bad about making him do this kind of thing? The truth was that she thought of him as more than just her toy at this point. He had come for her when he hadn''t been forced to. That was worth something. He was worth something, when most of this world was merely a cesspool in need of draining. "Fine. Megu won''t force you to take part in something like this again, all right?" "Thanks. I suppose we''re going to go finish these guys off? Who knows how many helpless travelers have been killed by them. We can give them quick, clean deaths." Megumi nodded and climbed back onto the wagon. "Exactly. Let''s go. There are rats that need exterminating." Poro-kun climbed into the wagon and they continued along the main road until they came to the fork the woman had spoke of and they slowly made their way into the foothills. Hopefully, she hadn''t been lying. Megumi was pretty confident in the fear the woman had showed at the thought of becoming an undead slave. The two of them travelled in silence for quite a while, but Poro-tan finally broke the silence. "How did you get free of that inhibitor last night, anyway? They''re supposed to be unbreakable." "Nothing is unbreakable. Let''s just say... Megu has had some training in that field." Megumi once again flashed back to the weeks she had spent with one of those things locked around her neck. The training had really paid off. No one could capture her like that anymore. It was an extremely valuable skill to have. She was Cerberus'' favorite, but he still didn''t spare her when it came down to training. He was a cruel master in some ways, but he had taught her so much and had even rescued her from that damned orphanage. Other than being put through that special training, he had always treated her well. "Do all the people in your guild know how to break out of those things? I''ve never heard of anyone escaping one before." "No. Megu has been told that only a few people in the world know how to do it. That''s all I''ll say about it for now." "Sometime you''re going to need to tell me more about yourself, Megumi." Megumi looked down at the seat and gripped the sides of her dress tightly. Her past wasn''t exactly something she liked to speak about aloud. Maybe he deserved to know more about her though? "Maybe. We''ll see. That''s the most Megu can promise for now. My past isn''t a... pleasant subject," she said. The bandit camp wasn''t hard to find. Smoke rose above the trees just ahead of them, indicating a campsite of some sort. They stopped the wagon and tied the horses up before continuing on foot through the trees. They found a small dip in the surrounding hills where there was a clearing and a large bonfire was lit in the middle of it. Megumi checked to make sure that Poro-kun''s health had recovered and found that he was more-or-less back to normal. The two of them crept forward until they had a better view and she counted 14 enemies sitting around the fire. The unsuspecting prey had no idea what was about to happen to them. It was going to be glorious. The bandits were eating food and laughing raucously about something, but she couldn''t make out the details from their current distance. Time to ruin their day and brighten mine! "Hit them with a Shockwave. Megu will fire a volley into them at the same time. Ready?" Her pet simply nodded and quietly drew his sword. As one, they fired off their respective attacks. The surprised bandits didn''t know what hit them and several bodies hit the ground in an instant. Megumi cast Corpse Explosion on the fallen and sent shrapnel flying through the air at the rest of the enemies. In seconds all of the enemy bandits that had been enjoying their time in front of the fire were dead. She grinned as the remaining bandits came streaming out of the various tents to see what had just happened. One man who had come out was half naked and two woman with no shirts on came out behind him. She had reallyruined that guy''s day. Each of the enemies surveyed the carnage and were looking for what had caused it. None of the idiots even managed to spot them. They each gripped weapons and were looking around at the carnage. None of the idiots had even managed to spot them yet. Megumi fired another barrage and killed the man and his two consorts where they stood. The other three who had come out of their respective tents turned and tried to run away. Megumi didn''t have any intention of letting anyone escape her little party. She raised three undead pawns from the mess of a camp and sent them chasing their former allies while she fired Eldritch Blasts in their direction. No one could ever say that she was not an excellent shot, as she managed to bring the fleeing bandits down with relative ease. *Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 27! +1 TP
"Well, that was easy! Let''s go see if Megu can get something extra from these corpses," she said cheerily as she began the descent into the campsite. After all was said and done, she had gained another two TPs from the remaining bandits. The bandits as a whole had given a pitiful amount of experience, but at least she had gained another level out of it. Not bad for a day''s work. The world is now rid of some of its worst filth as well! After searching the camp, they also found a total of another 300GP and some minor health potions as well as a mana potion. it wasn''t a ton of money, but added to what they had gained from the kidnappers, they were now sitting pretty good. Megumi drank the health potions and in just a little while, she felt a lot better. It was time to get back onto the road to Aurora. Killing weaklings was definitely not a good way to go leveling wise, but no one could argue that it wasn''t a good way to gain TP. Once they got back to their wagon Megumi decided to get some more rest. Now that she was free of her wounds, she might be able to get some decent sleep. "Wake Megu up when we reach the next town, Poro-tan." It didn''t take long before she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Spoiler: Hideki
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 024 (36,148/39,903 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1475/1475 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 53 Magic 12
Endurance 40 Magic Resistance 18
Strength 37 Luck 7
Agility 29
Dexterity 26
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 027 (49,955/54,310 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 458/475 MP 936/1400
TP 4 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 77
Endurance 11 Magic Resistance 51
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 2 (+8 Minutes to summon duration. +10% defense, +10% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 4 (+10 to all stats, excluding Luck, of Summoned Soul) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 3 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 13 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 35: Locating the Thieves Guild Over the next few days, they didn''t encounter anything out of the ordinary. They had rolled through several more little towns along the way, but they hadn''t bothered to stop. Megumi felt much safer now that they had the wagon. It was slow, but it was much nicer than sleeping on the ground every night or risking an inn. She sat in the back, leaned up against the side and surrounded by blankets as she examined the map. It looks like we should be about here. She dragged her finger along the map and then poked Aurora, which was just a little farther at this point. Based on how long the journey had taken so far, they would finally be arriving at the capital today. A nervous excitement washed over her as she thought about how wonderful it would be to enact her vengeance on the king after all this time. How long had it been since she had visited Aurora, anyway? It had been at least twelve years, she supposed. When she was little, she came to this country fairly regularly. She was still pretty young still the last time she had come, and hadn''t been allowed to explore the city. Her family had come here from their home country ofVaeliea to meet with the king who was supposed to have been a friend to her family. The wagon hit a bump on the road and she bounced awkwardly to the side while holding onto the map. She cursed under her breath about how often that happened, and put the map away before climbing out onto the front seat of the wagon. It was still fairly early in the day, but the frost had all melted and it was warm enough. She slipped on some gloves and pulled her hood around herself anyway. Birds chirped on the trees and the sky looked as though there might be rain or snow headed their way later in the day. It was half covered with dark clouds, and the other half was pristine blue sky. "They should really do something about this road! There are an unbelievable amount of holes in it." "The bump woke you up?" "Megu wasn''t asleep this time, but it''s still annoying!" The road wound its way around the valley floor and soon, the large city came into view, far off in the distance. Even from as far as they were, she could see the familiar large walls of the city. Castellum was truly a country that valued defense. "That place looks even bigger than Rivean. It''s a good thing that this job pays well, because I imagine it''s going to take us quite a while to even locate the thieves guild, much less rid the city of them," Poro-tan commented as he stared at the city. "It won''t be as hard as you think. Megu has a plan. Let''s just focus on getting to the city and finding somewhere we can store the wagon." "Aren''t we going to stay at the Adventurer''s Guild?" "Maybe, but for the first few nights, we should stay at an inn." "Waste of money, but you''re the boss." She nodded absently at the last comment and rubbed her gloved fingers together. The trip would take them another half hour or so she estimated and she spent that time coming up with a plan for doing in the king. There were a couple ways to go about getting into the palace, and one way would be a lot safer than the other. She hoped that the plan would work. The wagon rolled to a stop before a large gate and two guards approached to ask them. "What''s your business in the city, travellers?" "We''re just here on Adventurer''s Guild business." Megumi produced her guild card, and Poro-tan did the same. "Very well, go on through. The Adventurer''s Guild is near the noble district of the city. Follow the main road and you''ll find it easy enough." "Thanks." The guard waved them through and she had to admit that the guild cards came in handy. It really paid off to be a card carrying adventurer; an ally of good. She almost had to laugh at that last thought, but stopped herself. The guards hadn''t even bothered inspecting their wagon, not that they really had anything to hide, but it made for less hassle on entry. Upon passing through the first large wall of the city, they came to an area that looked much the same as the other side. The only difference was that there were large pastures full of farm animals grazing. The city''s walls were placed a decent distance away from the actual city and this surved the purpose of them being able to have farms to keep the city supplied in the event of a siege. The wagon rolled over a wooden bridge that spanned a river not long after they passed through the gates. This city was said to be able to withstand an indefninite siege if need be. Generations ago, many armies broke their teeth trying to just past Rivean. None had ever made it this far into the country as far back as the records went. She thought the founders of this country must''ve been incredibly paranoid, but maybe it was a good thing in a way. Several minutes later they arrived at the city proper and it was as packed as she remembered it. The foot traffic alone made Rivean seem like a country village. Their wagon was stuck dead in traffic and it was clear that this was not the way to travel in the city. While they trudged along at a snail''s pace, she thought about where to invest her new TPs. She still hadn''t done it over the past few days, and wanted to make the right choices. Poro-tan was becoming stronger, but he was still a joke to a lot of the stronger opponents they had faced as of late. Many times, luck had been all that had saved them from certain death and she wanted to change that if possible. He simply had to become much more powerful if he was to be her protector. She placed three of the four TPs into Soul Trap Mastery, maxing it out for her current level. Poro-tan turned towards her, eyes going wide. "What in the world was that? It was like a surge of energy flooded into me all at once. What did you do?" "Megu just made you a lot stronger. You''re welcome. Have a look at your status." "By the gods. I can''t believe it! That''s absolutely amazing!" At least for once he''s showing some gratitude for what Megu has done for him. Now what to do with my last point? Megumi gave him a smile and went back to staring at her options. It was a hard decision, as she always preferred to strengthen her offensive spells, but she couldn''t deny that Magic Skin had basically saved her over and over again. It was definitely becoming one of her most valuable skills. The downside of course was that even after putting a couple of levels into it, the drain on her mana was devestating. It was better than dying, but it needed to be better. Megu needs to have that skill work more efficiently. She placed the final TP into Magic Skin, bringing it up to level 4. If her plans went well in Aurora, she would be getting more TP to spend soon enough, anyway. She reached into her bag and pulled out the last of the weird fruits she had picked up in Oleander and took a bite out of it while waiting on traffic to move. The magical bag had been a going away present from Cerberus before she had left to go her own way in the world. It had been invaluable. She couldn''t even imagine doing all the travelling that she had so far without it. One thing''s for sure though, she would have had a much rougher time, and would have had to endure tougher conditions. The properties of her bag had basically put whatever items she stuck into it into a form of stasis, and so even food stayed just as good as the moment she had put it into the bag. Dimensional magic was pretty amazing stuff. She took another bite out of the fruit and juice ran down her chin. She hastily wiped it away and tapped the fingers of her free hand impatiently against her knee. This is ridiculous. Megu is going to rot away to dust before we get anywhere at this rate. There has to be an inn with a large stable somewhere nearby. The city itself was so expansive that it spread the entire valley floor and was pushed back against the mountains. From where they were on the road, she could see the palace nestled back against the far end of the valley. It had majestic looking spires and had its own little wall surrounding the base of it. There was a large crystal spire sticking out of the top that refracted light through it. It was beautiful. The king probably feels safe behind those walls and surrounded by all his guards and attendants, but Megu will show him that walls mean little to her. She itched to be on her way already, but forced herself to stay put. She scanned the nearby buildings and saw that just a little ways ahead there were several options for inns. "Let''s go to that one, on the right," she pointed. "Megu is going to go pack up our belongings." "Okay. I still think we should go to the Adventurer''s Guild." "Sitting in traffic for hours to get there because of this infernal wagon would be a nightmare. No thank you." She climbed into the back and began shoving things into their respective packs. Poro-tan''s bag had been a worthwhile investment as well, as the dimensional magic governing it allowed for even more storage than her little bag did. In just a couple minutes, everything was stowed away and she stared in satisfaction at the now empty wagon. She stared pointedly at the red stained wood where her blood had fallen. She didn''t like the idea of just leaving this thing around, there were mages and others who could use a bit of blood to find her, or place nasty curses on them. There wasn''t much to be done about it for now, but when the time came, they would need to burn the wagon to be on the safe side. At least, so long as she had that large bounty on her head, which was probably going to be forever. If anything, the bounty would grow when she started taking on the Villain''s Guild in earnest. Megumi climbed back to the front of the wagon and saw that they had only moved a dozen paces. Enough was enough. This was boring, and she wanted to go get a room already. Hopefully they don''t charge an arm and a leg for a room and storage of this thing. We have a bit of money, but it needs to last us for the duration of our stay here. We really might need to go to the guild hall after a few days or so. "Megu''s gonna go get the room. Keep the wagon moving. You should catch up in just a few minutes." "All right. Are you sure you should be going anywhere alone? Remember what happened last time." She ground her teeth, but nodded. He was right and she needed to listen to his advice once in a while. She would sit here. "Fine. Megu will wait." Time dragged on, but eventually they found themselves in front of the large inn. They pulled the wagon off of the street and next to the stables along the back and hopped down. A stableboy came over to greet them. "Staying at the inn tonight?" "Yes," Poro-tan replied. "I''ll watch the wagon for you while you go check in. Bring back the slip that they''ll give you at the front desk once you''re done and I''ll stow this away for you." "Okay. Let''s go, Poro-tan." She grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the front of the inn. There were so many people, she wondered where they were all going. She stared at the sign above the door, the inn was called,The Laughing Jester and the sign was fashioned into a Jester''s head with a big grin on his face. They opened the doors and stepped inside. The interior of the place looked just as any other mid-level quality inn that she had stayed in before. There were various staff members running around the large common room, cleaning and taking food to patrons who were seated at tables in the common room.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The common room seemed to serve a function of being a restaurant and it was absolutely packed. She noted the man up on a small stage dressed up like a jester who was juggling six colorful balls while telling a story she recognized as The Tale ofIvan the Foolish King. Megumi frowned at the performer as it reminded her how she had been so easily captured by that bard. "How can I help you, miss?" A man''s voice asked. "Would you like a table? Or perhaps do you need lodging for the night?" Megumi blinked and turned away from the show. "Megu needs to know if you can house two horses and a wagon in your stables and what it would cost to do that. Also, how much is it to stay here per night. A room with two beds is what Megu will need, preferably." The man pulled out a ledger and flipped it open. "The cost to house your wagon and horses is 30GP per night. We have a few rooms available that meet your requirements. One room is on the second floor and the rate is 50GP per night, and the other is a suite, which runs 90GP a night and is on the third floor." 80GP a day minimum to stay in the city. We''re going to have to stir up some cash quickly if Megu is going to be able to get anything done. Then she remembered something that Beera had told her. She couldn''t believe that she had forgotten something so important. "Do you offer any discounts for members of the Adventurers Guild?" "If you have your Guild ID, then we offer a 10% discount on all of the services we offer here." "Great!" Megumi reached into her bag and produced the card. I t''s about time that this thing was useful for something other than getting through city gates faster. We should have been trying this at every inn along the way. Megu won''t forget again. The man examined the card carefully and then nodded. "Everything looks to be in order. So for the room and the stable fee, it will be 72GP per night. One meal per day will be provided free of charge. You can choose which." Still pretty expensive when we''re broke, but what we have left will last just about a week. At least we get a free meal every day out of it. Megumi told the man that she agreed to the terms and filled out a short form before the man handed over the key to her room. She paid for three days up front. It wouldn''t do her any good to pay for longer than they would need to stay and she wasn''t sure exactly how long that would be. "Carl! Jerry!" the man called and two young dressed in the same style of clothing came running out from a back room and over to the desk. "Carl, can you show this young lady to her room, she''s in room 2D? Jerry, go outside get their wagon into the stables." The man handed Jerry a slip of paper and then Carl began to lead the two of them through the restraunt area to the stairwell at the back end of the common area. The food looked and smelled delicious, and she noted that the fool on stage was now standing on his head as he began reciting the third act of the story. Thestaircase curved up to the second and then the third floor of the building. Their room was the fourth one on the left on the second floor. Once they got to the room, he put the key into the door and opened it, leading her inside before handing the key over to her. "Is there anything else I can do for you today?" "No. Thank you." She closed the door. The room itself was fairly small. Two beds were in the middle of the room and there was a door that led to a balcony overlooking a busy street. Megumi was happy to see that the room also had its own washroom with a decent sized bathtub. Megu is definitely going to use that later. It''s been weeks of travel without a single bath. Megu probably smells aweful! But first, we have things to do that might make Megu smell worse, so it can wait. "This seems like a pretty nice place! That juggler guy looked pretty good." Carl had told them that the inn had different performers each night of the week and that the performances began at dinnertime. "We have things to do here, we can''t waste time watching storytellers perform." Poro-tan wiped the smile off his face and sat down on the bed. "Right. So what''s the plan? We''re here to take out the Thieves Guild, right?" "Megu has another reason for being here as well. You may as well know. We''re going to assassinate the king." He looked at her with an incredulous look on his face before replying, "You''ve got to be kidding me, Megumi! You want the whole damned country to come crashing down on us? You seriously have a screw loose if you think that the two of us can get anywhere near the man for one, and more importantly, why in the hell do you want to do this anyway? It will throw this whole country into chaos! I thought we were here for a job that would actually help people, not to commit regicide!" "Keep your voice down!" she hissed. "Megu has her reasons, trust me when I say that this man deserves what''s coming to him. On top of that, though, Undine is the one pushing this request on us." She was only telling half the story, but it would have to do. "I haven''t heard of the guy committing any atrocities or anything. I don''t see why he would deserve it. Everyone I''ve talked to seems to love the king. Sure, he misses important things like the alchemist, but that doesn''t mean he deserves to die. Also, why in the hell would the high lady of Rivean want the king dead?" "Megu doesn''t know. Maybe she wants to become queen or something. Megumi has heard the prince is away to the south, so maybe she wants to kill the king and marry him. It doesn''t really matter though. Megu is not here to kill the whole royal family, just the king. The important thing is that if we don''t try to do this, then she threatened to have us killed. It''s not like anyone would believe Megu over her if we tried to come clean anyway." "So in other words, we''re fucked either way. How in the hell do we always manage to get into these kind of messes?" Poro-tan rolled over onto his stomach on the bed with a groan. "Don''t worry so much. Megu already has two plans for this situation. Let''s go, we need to see if its possible to do this the easy way. To do that, we need to find the Thieves Guild." Megumi stood up and headed towards the door. Poro-tan groaned again behind her, but got up and followed.Once they were on the streets it was time to find what she was looking for. They spent some time familiarizing themselves with the city and after getting some directions, it didn''t take long to find the slums of the city. There were beggars in the street and run down looking homes smashed tightly together. It looked like the city guards had forgotten the place existed as there weren''t any in sight as soon as they got close to this area. She wondered why the king didn''t even bother to clean up his own city if it had fallen into such a bad state in this area, but then she remembered that nobles rarely cared about the poor.No matter how good they told themselves they were, no one cared.. The place smelled awful and she saw that there was literally excrement in the gutters where the destitute had done their business. Megumi was looking for a particular kind of person though and they continued wandering around the area. Nobody approached them, Poro-tan probably looked intimidating enough that no one would mess with them in broad daylight, but everyone seemed to have their eyes on the two of them. Finally, Megumi saw what she was looking for. A bony looking man was casually leaning up against the entrance to a dark alleyway. His clothes weren''t quite as ragged as most of the people that they had seen here and he had a dagger in his hand that he was using to trim his fingernails. The two of them approached the alleyway and the man who was leaning against the wall sneered and spat to the side before addressing them, "Looks like you''re in the wrong area, Princess. If you know what''s good for you, leave and go back where you belong. Accidents happen here all the time." He eyed Poro-tan. "We''re here for a business proposition. Megu is looking to hire some skilled individuals for a job. Know anyone who isn''t afraid to get their hands dirty?" "Even if I did know someone, why in the hell should I trust you? You look too good to be true, I smell a trap. Get lost, girl. Final warning." "Megu wasn''t talking to you. Do you look like a skilled individual? No. Megu was talking to him." She pointed into the shadows of the alleyway where another man sat on the ground dressed in rags. He turned away quickly when he realized she caught him glancing at her. "I ought to slit your pretty little throat for that insult, bitch." The man began to advance towards them with his dagger at the ready. Poro-tan drew his sword with a flash and had the tip of the purple tinted blade at the man''s throat before he had even taken two steps. The man in the rags stood up and brushed himself off calmly. "Back off, Georgie, looks like we have a couple of people here with balls. What is it that you want from me and my... associates?" Megumi leaned in conspiratorially before she whispered, "Megu wants to get into the palace. Once we''re inside you can rob them blind, while we complete a different kind of task. What do you say? We could help eachother." "I say that you''re stupid if you think we can just waltz into the palace and get away with it. We don''t have nearly the muscle to pull something like that off if and probably when we get caught. I don''t know what it is you''re looking to find in the palace, but give it up. Something like that would be far from easy and could take weeks to plan." "We''ll be your muscle if the need arises, and it probably will. We intend to kill the king. If all goes well, we can be in and out before anyone even finds the corpses, meanwhile, you can loot the place. I know exactly where the treasury is." The man''s eyes widened in shock at what she revealed. "Come with me. We''ll hear you out at least." The two men led Poro-tan and her deeper into the alley and down into an abandoned looking cellar. Megumi couldn''t help but grin at how easy it was to get in. There was still a huge chance that this was a trap, and the thieves would try to murder them once they were off the main street, but it was a chance they would have to take. She wasn''t worried in the slightest about these two, and if she had to go with her back-up plan to get the king, then so be it. It would just be a matter of rearranging her job priorities. After all, she intended to kill every single one of these thieves once her task was done in order to both kill any witnesses to her crime, and to collect the reward from the guild. Spoiler: Hideki
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 024 (36,148/39,903 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1925/1925 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 71 Magic 30
Endurance 58 Magic Resistance 36
Strength 55 Luck 7
Agility 47
Dexterity 44
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 027 (49,955/54,310 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 468/475 MP 1400/1400
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 77
Endurance 11 Magic Resistance 51
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 2 (+8 Minutes to summon duration. +10% defense, +10% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 7 (+28 to all stats of Summoned Soul, excluding Luck. Max level reached. Lvl requirement for Lvl 8: 50) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 4 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 13 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 36: Ambush! The thieves led the two of them through the dark alleyway and to a set of worn out looking cellar doors. The thief who had been trimming his nails with the dagger rushed over to the doors and flung them open, revealing stone steps that lead down into darkness. Hideki didn''t like the looks of this, but he didn''t know much about thieves'' hideouts. He didn''t see anything from the street and the leader of the two men gestured irritably for the two of them to follow him, and casually strode down the steps into darkness. Hideki turned to Megumi and gave her a look, hoping that she would take the hint this time that this was a bad idea. She shrugged at him and stepped down into the cellar first. He wanted to smack the palm of his hand on his forehead out of frustration, but instead hastily followed his charge down the dark stairs. Hideki surveyed the area once he reached the bottom of the stairs and found that the place was just a large empty cellar. Two lanterns hung from the ceiling and lit the room dimly. This doesn''t smell right. She admitted to wanting to kill the king, and they just go along with it that easily? No way. He paused where he stood and watched as the man headed to the back of the room where a couple dusty barrels lie. Maybe there was some secret switch or something that led to the real thieves'' headquarters there? He didn''t trust it. As the man bent down behind the barrel, Hideki jumped in front of Megumi. The man jerked up and tossed a dagger straight at them and it connected squarely in his upper chest with a thunk. He fell to the ground from the force of the impact and stared up at the ceiling. Why does she always get me into this kind of thing? This hurts like hell! He stayed on the ground for a second, playing dead and listened as the cocky thief began to talk like some villain out of a children''s story. "Kill the king? You think we''d trust you just because you say something ridiculous like that? You two are fools of the highest order. We''re going to not only rob you, princess, but I''m going to let the whole gang rape you as well as punishment for daring to waste our time." Megumi just sighed and stood where she was. He heard her mumble under her breath. "The hard way it is, then. Such a shame." "What was that?" the voice of the other thief said from behind. Megumi turned towards him and a green fireball exploded from her hand towards her target. "Goodbye," she said calmly and turned back towards the man who had hit him with the knife. A green fireball exploded from her palm and slammed into the man behind them. Hideki heard the man''s wails of agony and knew it was time to stop playing dead. He jumped up and faced the leader, who had a look of shock on his face, seeing Hideki on his feet. He drew his sword and once again placed himself between the man and Megumi. Three more daggers came straight at him in a blur. Each one sunk into the front of him, and he staggered backwards, but didn''t fall again. The taste of metal bloomed into existence in his mouth and he felt liquid entering his lungs. He would have been seriously in trouble from the first knife had he been alive, and these three would have been the nail in the coffin if not. This asshole is really starting to piss me off! He spat a gob of blood to the side and then charged towards the enemy with his blade raised. Damn! Why did I have to be right? Megumi gets me into this shit on purpose, I swear! She must just enjoy watching me get stabbed and blown up! A sound could be heard behind them as the cellar door had opened again. He stayed focused on his opponent, however, and slashed at the man, who rolled to the side like a nimble cat. The man got in close and slashed for Hideki''s throat, but he managed to kick the man squareley in the middle before he could do any more damage. His enhanced strength sent the man flying into the wall with a crash. Hideki stalked over and rammed his blade into the man''s shoulderblade and twisted. The man screamed in agony and and tried in vain to reach up and stab him in the leg. Hideki kicked the man''s arm to the side and then stabbed him in the throat. The man gurgled and fell to the side in a heap. The sound of screams off to the side indicated that Megumi was busy with other matters. He finally pulled the blades out of his torso one by one and then took a health potion. Sweet relief replaced the pain in his chest and he surveyed the carnage that Megumi was causing. Bodies were burning and exploding left and right. It looked like half of the slums had followed them down into this moldy cellar. The girl had a wicked grin on her face and was laying waste to her enemies. There were only a handful of them left, and they were trying to scramble over bodies towards the exit. They needed information, and they wouldn''t be able to get it from corpses. He dashed over towards the scene and cut through three thieves who were dressed in rags before getting to the door. He stood before it and blocked the exit. There were only two thieves left and they raised their hands. "Spare us! Please! We''re just a couple of poor beggars!" Megumi gestured for the two thieves to step aside. "Get up against the wall if you know what''s good for you." The frightened would-be-predators complied. Hideki noted that both of them had pissed themselves. It was pitiful. These men were the lowest of the low. He eyed their captives warily before turning to Megumi. "You just had to tell them outright about killing the king? Seriously, Megumi?" The small girl just looked at him with a grin and shrugged. "Megu''s got more than one plan. There was agood chance this would happen. We''re here to exterminate these vermin anyway, so it was worth a shot." She raised her staff slightly and then two corpses next to them stood back up. The thieves continued to cower in fear against the wall and begged for mercy, but their pleas fell upon deaf ears. "Megu only needs one of them alive." "Wait! Wait! I''ll tell you anything. Just don''t kill me! Kill him, instead!" the one on the left shouted. The two began to argue and Hideki solved the argument for them by walking up to the tight lipped one and stabbing him in the chest. "I guess that makes you wthe winner, now spill." The man''s haw hung open for a moment and he licked his lips before speaking. "I''ll tell you everything, just ask. Please, just let me live." They were lucky that this ambush had been attempted by utter weaklings. The only one with even an ounce of skill had been the one who had treated him like a pin cushion. "Where is your hideout. The real one. If you show us, Megu will spare you." She stepped up next to Hideki and stared the man down. "I''ll tell you where it is, but I won''t take you there. The boss will kill me for sure if he knew I helped you." "Fine. Mark it on this map." Megumi tossed a map of the Capital they had picked up back in Rivean at the man''s feet. "I-I... d-don''t have anything to write with." "There''s plenty of blood on the ground. Use it," Megumi said casually. The man bent down and poked his index finger into his ally''s wound before raising his trembling hand to the map and marking a spot on it. Hideki stepped over to the man and grabbed the map, examining it. The thief had marked a street crossing in the market district of the city. "C-Can I go now? I need to l-leave the city." Hideki stepped back, intending to let the thief go when the two raised undead minions rushed over from behind Hideki and grabbed the man by the shoulders and lifted him up against the wall. "Poro-tan, you might want to go away for this last part. You see... Megu doesn''t believe this man. We need to be certain, so we don''t fall into another trap." She''s going to fucking torture this guy now? This is turning into a sick habit of hers. I hope it won''t continue. "This isn''t right. He gave us what we wanted. Torture is wrong!" "You''d trust the word of a thief at face value? Look at what they tried to do to us." Megumi swept her hand out to the side. He gritted his teeth. He hated this. Torture was something bad guys did. He thought she was headed in the right direction, but he was being a fool. She hadn''t changed much at all. She was still a monster. "Whatever. You aren''t going to listen to me, anyway. At least you aren''t making me participate or watch. Thanks for that. I''ll wait outside." He stepped through the carnage and over to the cellar doors. While he was on his way, Megumi had summoned three more undead who were headed over to her location.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Please! I told you the truth! I didn''t lie!!!" The man wailed, pleading for his miserable life as Hideki opened up the doors and stepped outside into the cool mountain air. He shut the doors behind him and slumped against the wall of the filthy alleyway. Screams could be heard from inside the cellar and he did his best to block them out.He wished that she would trust him enough to at least tell him her plans so that he wouldn''t be shocked when she revealed crazy plans to their enemies. Time crawled by and he was amazed at how long the man screamed before absolute silence filled the alleyway once more. He thought he might be sick. He hoped that when his time came again, that he would have a quick clean death where he could die like a man instead of being broken like a dog. After a few more moments, the cellar doors swung open once more and Megumi climbed out. "Well? Did you at least get anything more out of him?" Megumi offered him a grin in response. "Megu was right. That first location he had marked was a trap. The place is rigged with all sorts of nasty surprises for anyone who goes in. He gave up two more safe house locations before he died. One in the entertainment district, and one in a different part of the market district in a little shop. We should still be careful, none of these people were ranked high in the organization it seems. They were all something like initiates, except for the one who hit you with all those knives. He was something akin to middle management." "So we''re going to go to the safehouses and clear them out?" She nodded. "There are too many eyes here in the slums. We need to make a move as fast as possible, because if we wait, at the very least Megu is sure we''ll only find empty safe houses or traps waiting for us." Great. Just wonderful. Our fun filled day of adventure continues!. The two of them left the alleyway and back to the main street. The street was a lot emptier than it had been before, and that was probably because most of the vagrants who had been out here were now dead in that cellar. Even so, there were still people who looked at them with prying eyes. It didn''t help things that there was blood splattered all over his clothes. Once they got out of the slums, the next closest destination that had been marked on the map was the entertainment district. Just as they were about to turn towards their new destination, they walked into a group of guards, however. "Halt! You''re covered in blood! You''ll be coming with us." "We''re from the Adventurers Guild. Megu and Poro-tan just dealt with a portion of your city''s thief problem." Megumi held out her ID card for the four guards to see. "Where?" "Back where we came from in the slums, you''ll find a cellar with what remains of them. Our work isn''t done yet though, we need to go." The guards gave each other looks before the leader replied, "If you have more information, we should go with you and deal with them in force. We''ve been trying to root out their hideout for months now, but keep hitting dead ends. They''re a slippery lot, I don''t see how the two of you could have made such quick work of them. You''re probably headed into one of their traps." "We''ll take our chances. They''ll bolt if they see a group of guards heading to their location and it will only delay things. Megu intends to finish this job and collect the reward from the Adventurer''s Guild." "I''d hate to see someone so young snuffed out. I have a daughter your age. Listen to reason. You may have taken out a few of them, but I''m willing to bet you got lucky. Trust me when I say that they''re tricky. You''re probably walking into something nasty. Reward money isn''t worth your life, girl." "We can take care of ourselves, thanks." Megumi pushed past the four guards and continued on her way. Hideki sighed and continued onward. The reward money did sound good, especially considering how broke they always were, but they had been through a lot lately and it would be nice to take it easy for a while. The guards would know more about the problems around here than they did as well, and it was pretty brash of them to ignore their advice. "Why not lat least let the guards take care of one of the safe houses?" he whispered to her once he caught up. "And ruin all our fun? No thanks." He sighed and figured that he should have known it would be something like that. They up the main road a bit longer before reaching the fork leading off towards the entertainment district. It was unlike any place he had ever seen before and was so colorful that it almost gave him a headache. Street performers were on every corner and performed for people passing by. There was a woman who laid on a bed of spikes, and a man who ate fire. He saw several musicians and there was even a temporary stage set up where people were performing some kind of puppet show. The district was loud and they had to shove their way through the crowds. He stared at the woman on the spikes as they went by, she was wearing hardly anything at all, and a man was placing heavy looking weights onto her stomach one by one. That looks like it could end really badly. I wonder how it works. Does she have some sort of iron skin skill? They continued on their way and he stared in awe as he saw people juggling knives, which seemed crazy to him. People gave sighs of excitement as the blades spun through the air and he caught parts of a dozen different stories along their pathway. People must have a lot more free time in the capital than in other places, I guess if they can stand around all night and watch people do this stuff. I wonder how good a living these people make. After what felt like ages of pushing themselves through the crowd, they arrived at the building that had been marked on their map. A large sign above the store read, Tantalus Stage Plays.There was a large alleyway behind the building and they headed into it. The lights and sounds of the lively theater district faded as they trudged along the dirty alleyway. A couple minutes later and they arrived at the spot. Across from the side building on the map was a mural of a huge purple dragon facing off against a knight on horseback wielding a heavy looking lance. All of the homes in this district were squeezed in-between the main streets down long alleyways, and there were entrances to many homes here, but none had any lights shining through their windows. "You sure this is the place?" he asked. "He said it was the house with the head of the dragon in front of it. This has to be it. You should go first, to be on the safe side since you''re more... durable. Megu will stay back a few feet." Hideki sighed, he knew that what she really meant, was that he was expendable. He was more than a little used to being used as bait now, but he still didn''t like it. Being stabbed and hit by bone shrapnel from exploding corpses still hurt like a bitch even though it wasn''t fatal for him in his undead state. He thanked his lucky stars that his sense of pain was dampened a little since he had become undead, though, or those stab wounds in the cellar earlier would''ve incapacitated him from the pain alone instead of simply annoying him. He cautiously approached the building and tried looking through the boarded up windows. He couldn''t really see anything, and the place looked to be abandoned as far as he could tell, but looks could be deceiving. Here goes nothing. he thought as he pushed the door open and took a wary step inside the foreboding structure. Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 024 (36,848/39,903 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1513/1925 MP 50/50
TP 0 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 71 Magic 30
Endurance 58 Magic Resistance 36
Strength 55 Luck 6
Agility 47
Dexterity 44
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megu-chan''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 027 (50,655/54,310 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 1400/1400
TP 2 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 77
Endurance 11 Magic Resistance 51
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 2 (+8 Minutes to summon duration. +10% defense, +10% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 7 (+28 to all stats of Summoned Soul. Max level reached. Lvl requirement for Lvl 8: 50) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 4 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 13 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 37: The Thieves Funhouse of Death Hideki stepped inside the dark building and looked around the small room that was the entryway. Megumi stood out on the street waiting for him to give the all clear. Dust covered the creaky wooden planks of the floor in a thick layer; it appeared that nobody had been in this place in ages. There was no furniture or anything that really stood out in the room other than three full length mirrors that were lined up in a row along a wall. In stark contrast to everything else in the room, the mirrors appeared clean and he saw his dim reflection in the glass. He turned back to the door and started to walk towards the exit, "Megumi, it looks like a dead end. The guy gave you a bad lead. There''s nothing here but dust and some mirrors. No one''s been here in ages. Let''s go to the next place." Just as he was almost to the door, the door slammed shut of its own accord. Shit! Why does this kind of crap always happen to me? Hideki ran to the door and pulled on it as hard as he could but it didn''t budge. He kicked it, hoping it would break, but it was like kicking a boulder. The wood didn''t even make the proper noise when his heavy boot smashed into it. He started slamming his shoulder into the door frantically, but it was hopeless. There way that door would be moving. "Poro-tan? You okay? What happened? Megu can''t seem to open the door." "It shut by itself. I can''t get it open. I''ll try the windows. Try blasting it open?" "Try the boarded up windows first, Megu doesn''t want to draw attention to the alleyway unless we have no choice." Hideki felt dumb for not thinking to rip the boards off the windows first. He ran over to the nearest one, sending dust flying into the air and and tried his best to get the boards loose, but they were just as sturdy now as the door was. He pounded on them in vain for a few moments and despite the fact that the wood looked old and half rotted, it held. Hideki cursed under his breath and coughed as the cloud of dust swirrled around the empty room before shouting to Megumi, "No good! Get me the hell out of here!" "Stand away from the door." He did as she asked and took several steps back. He didn''t relish the idea of picking splinters out of his ass for the next week, so he moved all the way to the back of the room by the mirrors. "I''ve moved back. Go ahead and do your thing." A series of booms rocked the front of the house, but the door still didn''t budge or sizzle or anything. The damned door hadn''t taken any damage whatsoever despite taking several blasts of eldritch energy. "What in the fuck kind of trap is this? We should have listened to the guards. Am I going to be trapped here forever?" Silence. He didn''t hear anything from the street. A unsettling feeling deep inside himself began to stir. "Megumi?" No response. He ran back over to the door and began pounding on it while yelling. "Hey! You there? Are you okay? Answer me damn it! If you''re screwing with me, it isn''t funny!" Hideki paced around the empty room, stirring up even more dust for several moments and then he heard a weak reply. "Por...o-tan? Spell backlash.. Megu... will be okay soon.. took potion." He sighed in relief and sat down in the dust with his back against the door. There had to be some way out of this place. "Any other ideas on how to get me out of here?" "There must be something powering the enchantment inside the house. Megu won''t be able to disable it from out here. You''re going to have to find and deactivate it on your own." Great. So I get to wander around through this creepy,, probably booby-trapped, house all by myself to look for something that I probably won''t even be able to recognize if I see it. Hideki stood up and brushed the dust off of his clothes before leaning his forehead against the magically sealed door. "What kind of artifact am I looking for exactly? Remember, I know next to nothing about magical stuff." "The item you''re looking for will probably be small, and it will likely be glowing since the trap has been activated. Other than that, Megu couldn''t really say. Megu hasn''t encountered something like this before." "Okay. I''m going to have a look around." "Be careful, Poro-tan." Part of him wondered if she just didn''t want to lose a valuable pawn, but the words had sounded sincere and full of concern. "I will. Stay safe out there." With that, he headed towards the next room, sword in hand. The house wouldn''t take too long to search, even though it was quite large. From the street they had seen that it stood three stories high. A place like this would also likely contain a basement. The next room was a large space that seemed to be a common room. Dim light shined through the slats of wood from the windows that were facing the street. Dusty furniture was strewn about the room and oddly enough, just like the room before, there were three mirrors. This time, however, they were spread out so that one was on each of the three walls. I have a very bad feeling about this place. I''ll need some light soon. Hideki pulled off his pack and took out the small magical lantern that Megumi had given him to carry and lit it. He hung it from a loop at his waist and the room was now lit up much better. There weren''t any trip wires or anything of the sort that he could see, which was a relief, but who could say what other kinds of nasty surprises could await him in a place like this. I have a feeling something is going to happen with those mirrors. Maybe I''ll go check them out up close? It was possible that the mirrors were some sort of trap though. After a few moments of consideration, he decided to leave them be for now and continued onward to the next room. There was a dusty dining room table in the middle of this room and a small open kitchen. Cupboards were open and there wasn''t anything inside any of them. Once again there were three mirrors in this room, but they were stacked against one another in a row like in the first room. A dark shape appeared and moved across the surface of one of the mirrors and he jumped a little at the surprise, looking around him and gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. There''s nothing here. Don''t be a freaking coward. You''re letting your mind play tricks on you. Just the same, though, he wanted to get out of the kitchen. It was a dead end, anyway. He left it behind and went back into the previous room. Another doorway stood to his left and led towards the back of the building. The hallway was narrow and he couldn''t help but think about how impossible it would be to fight in a tight space like this one. There were two doors, one on either side that led off from where he was. He peeked inside the one on the left and saw that it was just a small bedroom. A broken bed lay in the middle of the room and once again there were three of those same mirrors in this room. This time they were spread out as they had been in the living room. In fact they were in the exact same positions relative to how they had been in that room. Hideki thought he heard something behind him and spun around with his sword at the ready. Once again there was nothing to be seen. He really wanted to get the hell out of this place. It was seriously giving him the creeps. The room across from the one he was in was also a bedroom. It was almost an exact duplicate of its counterpart across the hall except that it was slightly larger and the bed wasn''t broken. There was no mattress on this bed and the frame stood empty in the center of the room. Hideki didn''t waste any time hanging around and started to move more quickly through the rooms. At the end of the hallway, it widened to reveal a stairwell. One set of stairs went up and the other went down. Knowing my luck, whatever it is I''m looking for is locked down there, but I''m going to go up first. Basements give me the creeps. He carefully made his way up the creaky stairs and found himself on the second floor of the building in no time. The stairwell continued up, but he needed to be thorough in his search so he headed down the hallway. The second floor featured a shorter hallway and only two large bedrooms as well as a washroom. Each of the rooms had the mirrors spread out and not together, but there wasn''t anything particularly interesting that he had seen. After looking around the large bedroom near the front of the house he tried once more to simply break through the window facing the street. It didn''t work, of course. "Megumi, are you still out there? I''m on the second floor. Still haven''t found anything yet. This place is creepy as hell though." he called out the slats of the window. A moment later he heard her voice, "Keep looking, Poro-tan. There has to be something in there that''s keeping the enchantment running." "Everything still okay out there? I can''t help but worry that they might have a way of knowing this trap was tripped." "It''s quiet out here, and boring. Just hurry up and get out of there, it''s getting late and we still need to check the other locations. Megu is worried they might all be dead ends, but we need to be sure." "Okay. I''m going to head to the third floor next, and then the basement." Hideki didn''t wait for a reply and headed back towards the stairwell. After only a few steps he thought he heard something again and turned around. Inside one of the three mirrors spread around the room he saw something odd. Instead of just seeing his own reflection, there was something dark and large standing behind him inside. Hideki spun his blade in an arc while spinning his body and slashed through the spot where the thing had been standing in the mirror. He didn''t feel any resistance and there was nothing there. What the fuck is going on with this place? An invisible force smashed into his chest and sent him flying backwards. He hit the wall with a thud and coughed up some blood. He quickly shook his head and jumped to his feet. Hideki gripped the sword with both hands and performed a horizontal Shockwave attack. The energy from his blade smashed its way through the room and wreaked havoc upon the furniture but there were no signs that he had hit his attacker. An inhuman cackle was heard after the dust settled. Damn! I might just be screwed here. Think, Hideki! He looked at the mirrors for the shadow to show itself again. and kept his back against the wall. The shadow once again appeared in the mirror to his left and it was moving straight towards him. Hideki didn''t know if there was anything he could do to hurt that thing, so he quickly cast the only other spell he had at his disposal, Holy Blade. He ran his hand across the blade of the cursed weapon and it shone with a brilliant white light that slightly turned his own stomach in knots just being close to it.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Of course. You''re undead, you fucking idiot. He felt like he was going to throw up, but held onto the sword with everything he had. If there was anything that could hurt that shadow monster in his arsenal it would be Holy Blade. The light seemed to stop the shadow in its tracks and Hideki forced himself to lunge forward at the target. He utilized Tiger Style and slashed wildly at his opponent. For the first time in this fight, he felt resistance when he swept his blade through the air where the monster was. A horrifying scream of agony filled the room and Hideki knew he had made the right decision. The creature was trying to run, but he was able to see it thanks to the mirrors in the room. He chased it down and thrust his blade forward through the back of the shadow. A concussion smashed against him through the air and sent him backwards onto the ground. The shadow was nowhere to be seen in any of the mirrors and Hideki allowed him to breath a sigh of relief. He in no way wanted to deal with any more of those things. The spell on his blade ran out and the queasy feeling in his stomach from being near holy magic dissipated. He considered going back to the window to update Megumi on what had just happened, but decided it would be better to get the fuck out of this place faster. Hideki ran full speed back towards the stairwell and bounded up the stairs to the third floor. It turned out that rather than being another floor, it was more like a large attic. Piles of junk lay strewn about the tight space and he had to bend over slightly to look around. He made his way carefully through the area, examining all of the piles of discarded items for something glowing or magical looking. He found three more mirrors that were placed face down, broken. There were shards of glass littering the floor near the area where they had been placed. I guess I have to go to the damned basement. My life is seriously fucked up. He sighed and headed down the stairs quickly reaching the first floor again. The basement was extremely dark and seemed to almost press itself against the light his lantern was emitting. The circle of light around him got tighter as he descended the staircase and found himself in the basement of the building. Instead of lighting the entire room as it had before, only a small pool of light a few feet around him existed. Hideki gulped and got to work. He found a wall and followed it. Deciding to be on the safe side, he once again cast Holy Blade. The extra light emitted by the spell seemed to push the darkness back better than his lantern. That was both a good, and bad thing for him as he saw something horrifying towards the back of the room. A black thing that resembled a heart thumped with a steady beat on a pedestal. Light seemed to be sucked into the thing and Hideki noted that there were two statues standing next to the pedestal depicting wraiths. To his horror the stone of the statues melted away and the things began to float towards him at a deliberate pace. Fuck! Fuck! I can''t let those things touch me or I''m dead. Again. Hideki backed away towards the steps slowly. He didn''t want to fight those things down here if he didn''t have to. The stairs were just a few paces away. He held out his glowing sword like a talisman in the darkness, warding the things back. When he reached the stairs, he felt his back hit an invisible shield that had been erected. "Join... ussssss," One of the wraiths whispered to him in a voice like death itself. "Put it ddowwwnn. Stay with usssss foreverrrr." "Go fuck yourselves. I''ll stick with the eternal torment that I already have to endure over this shit any day, thank you very much." Hideki didn''t have a way to retreat, so his only chance was to kill the things, if they could even be killed. The creatures were ethereal, just like that shadow had been on the second floor, and they were the things of every child''s nightmares. Tendrils whipped towards him from the two ghost creatures and Hideki had to dive to the side to avoid one from touching him. Every school child learned that the touch of one of those things meant death. He was already dead in a sense, but he didn''t want to take any chances. Another tendril whipped towards him from the wraith to his right and he slashed through it with his blade. The wraith let out an ear piercing shriek as the tendril fell away and to the ground steaming. The most important thing that he could do in this fight was make sure that he didn''t let them pincer him. If they surrounded him, it would be all over. The heart on the pedestal began to glow a dark purple and pulsed faster. The light coming from his lantern began to stream out in a line going straight into the heart. The pool of light around him shrunk by about half. Raspy voices continued to call for him to join them and stay forever in the darkness. Hideki needed to move. There wasn''t any time to be meek, he would be plunged into darkness soon enough. The creature on his left charged towards him, tendrils once again reaching towards him and he slashed through them again. While the creature was stunned for a moment, he made his move, stabbing the glowing blade into the wraith. It screeched and popped out of existence. Unfortunately, the time of his spell had chosen that exact moment to give out and the light winked out of his blade. The remaining wraith charged towards him, seeing the opening and he only just barely rolled away from it as it got close. I just need time to enchant the sword again! Hideki''s pool of light continued to shrink and he could only just barely see at this point. Darkness threatened to consume him. He didn''t give into the fear that threatened to stop him in his tracks and continued to dodge the wraith''s attacks, which were becoming faster and getting closer and closer to hitting him by the second. Hideki jumped to the side after the next attack and ran to the far side of the room. The creature let out a screech of irritation and he knew that it was coming for him already. He only had a second. Hideki quickly cast Holy Blade and swung his sword in an arc in front of himself. He thanked his lucky stars that he had instinctively done that, because three tendrils had been coming right for his face. The wraith screamed again and he had to force himself to not wince at the horrible sound. Time to end this. He ran forward and dispatched the monster just as he had the previous one by stabbing his enchanted blade into its chest. *Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 25! +1 TP
He didn''t have time to celebrate the new level as the light in his lantern winked out of existence and the light from his blade was even starting to be sucked away. Hideki''s heart raced as the structure of the building began to tremble violently. The sound of mirrors crashing to the ground above him could be heard. I don''t even want to fucking know what that thing is doing now. Hideki charged towards the undulating heart of darkness and slashed at it. His blade clanged against a barrier that had been erected around the heart, but it appeared that his blade had managed to damage it. The familiar sound of the shadow monster''s laughter sounded behind him. Did it summon more of those things? Shit! The barrier had been damaged, and he only had one chance. Frantically he slashed at the barrier again and again. His blade was glowing much less strongly than it had been before, but he finally smashed through the thing''s barrier. Hideki pounded his blade down again and again on the heart and as he did the light from his weapon glowed just a bit brighter. Purple blood splattered against his face, but he didn''t dare stop or turn around to face the shadow creature that was surely coming for him at a dead run. Hideki slashed at the thing two more times and then the house stopped shaking. His lantern flickered back to life and the room suddenly lit up. He turned, slashing his blade through the air behind him, but there wasn''t anything there. Hideki didn''t see any more mirrors in this room and everything had gone still. Not wasting any time, he ran back towards the stairs. The barrier was gone, and he was able to go upstairs without any problems. He ran down the hallway and towards the living area. When he got to the front room he was surprised to see that the glass had shattered in all three mirrors that had been in the living area. Were the shadow monsters coming out of these mirrors? Hideki shuddered at the thought and ran for the door leading to the entrance to the building. The three mirrors in the entry area were still intact and he grabbed the things and smashed them face down onto the floor. The sound of breaking glass filled the room. Hideki charged the door and kicked it with all his might. To his pleasant surprise, it burst open and he jumped out into the cool air of the city breathing frantically. Megumi was sitting against the wall by the dragon mural. "Took you long enough, Poro-tan. Let''s go." "Long enough? That place was the shit of nightmares, Megumi." Hideki spent the time walking to the next location explaining what had happened to him in there. Megumi nodded grimly as he continued the story and the conclusion was that, unfortunately for them, the Thieves Guild had a warlock at their disposal. Spoiler: Poro-kun
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 025 (41,352/45,217 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1763/1925 MP 75/75
TP 1 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 71 Magic 30
Endurance 59 Magic Resistance 36
Strength 56 Luck 6
Agility 48
Dexterity 45
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 027 (50,655/54,310 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 1400/1400
TP 2 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 77
Endurance 11 Magic Resistance 51
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 2 (+8 Minutes to summon duration. +10% defense, +10% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 7 (+28 to all stats of Summoned Soul, except luck. Max level reached. Lvl requirement for Lvl 8: 50) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 4 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 13 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 38: Ashes to Ashes Megumi didn''t like the idea of having to go up against a warlock without being properly prepared. It appeared that he was likely a powerful one as well, considering the strength of that little trap that they had fallen into. The two of them pushed their way through the crowds of people who were stopping to watch the street performers. "Megumi. We''re being followed." Poro-tan whispered into her ear. She started to turn around and look behind her but Poro-kun grabbed her wrist. "Don''t look." She frowned but did as he suggested. "How many?" "I can''t be sure. At least two." Megumi gave a slight nod of her head and the two of them continued onward through the crowd of people. Thieves Guild probably keeping tabs on us. Megu isn''t a fan of being followed around. Does this mean that they knew we triggered and then disabled their trap? Megumi noted that it was getting late in the day. There was probably only another hour or so until sunset. It appeared that squashing the Thieves Guild wouldn''t be so simple as to be completed in a single day. She was naive to think that it would be as easy as busting into a hideout and slaughtering her enemies in one bloody massacre anyway. The two of them picked up their pace slightly as they went around a bend in the street. Megumi looked around for an alleyway or shop they could duck into. It was really a matter of whether or not they wanted to force a confrontation at the moment, or hideout somewhere. Megumi decided it might prove useful to confront the people following them so that they might be able to drag some more information out of them and so they ducked into the first narrow alleyway that they came across. The narrow space was only about ten feet wide and ended in a dead end. There was a large trash pile near the back of the alleyway that smelled of rotting food. Rats scurried around the alleyway. Megu also saw a door to either side of the alleyway leading into the back ends of the businesses next to them. We can toss the bodies into the trash heap at least. They rushed to the back of the alleyway and turned to wait for their pursuers. Megumi took out her staff and stood at the ready while Poro-tan got in front of her with his sword drawn. Megumi''s heart pounded in anticipation of the enemy coming for them. Moments passed by and then three people stepped into the mouth of the alleyway. Megumi could tell right away that these three were not simple thieves. They were all dressed far better than the people in rags they had decimated earlier in the day. The enemies drew their weapons and the one in the middle grinned. "I knew it was her! That reward money will go a long ways towards my early retirement." The man unhooked a simple looking long staff that had been attached to his back and held it in front of him. Megumi cursed under her breath at her luck today. Things had simply not gone her way at all. It was hard to say what kind of magician the man was until he started casting something. The two that were with him were likely to be simple thugs, not that different from Poro-tan. One of them had a sword, while the other held a large two-handed mace with spikes on the end of it before him. She didn''t waste any more time, they were trapped here and they would need to fight their way out. Megumi cast Magic Skin and was about to fire off an Eldritch Blast when a fireball the size of a cannon ball came flying down the alleyway towards them at tremendous speed. The two of them jumped out of the way and the projectile smashed into the brick wall behind them with a loud boom that sent pieces of rock flying around the alleyway. Before the dust cleared, Poro-tan was already on his feet again, and by the time she got up off the ground he had burst into motion, charging his way down the alleyway. He released a vertical Shockwave attack which was aimed right at the enemy magician. The attack crashed into one of the melee fighters instead, however, as he had jumped in the way of the attack and was sent flying backwards and onto the ground. Megumi cast Decay three times in quick succession on the three opponents. It failed on two of the three, but the man with the sword slumped when the curse hit him. Poro-tan was within striking distance now, but unfortunately that meant that she couldn''t safely fire off attacks. The enemy mage held out a hand and a gout of flame shot out towards Poro-tan in a steady stream. He just barely got out of the way before he had been cooked to a crisp. The man with the sword moved forward and swung at Poro-tan, who batted the weakened man''s blade out of the way with ease. Poro-tan continued the rotation of his body and kicked the man in the side, throwing him off balance. The man smashed into the wall and her companion stabbed the cursed blade of his sword into the man''s throat before jumping back to avoid another gout of flame. Megumi now had a corpse at her disposal and she could finally act. She cast Raise Undead and the former enemy got back onto his feet. It had taken a few moments, but the man with the mace was back up and didn''t waste any time smashing the heavy weapon into his former comrade''s face. The head popped like a ripe melon under the force of the man''s attack and her puppet fell to the ground once more. Megumi hadn''t even been able to have the undead fighter take a single step before he had been downed. It surprised her that the man with the mace had managed to recover from a direct hit from Poro-tan''s Shockwave attack at all, much less so quickly. She had Poro-tan move further back and exploded the corpse of her would-be pawn. The concussive force of the explosion knocked both enemies to the ground and the melee fighter was engulfed in green flames. The pyromancer fired off two wild fireballs from where he was positioned on the ground, probably hoping to hit Poro-tan. The balls of flame exploded against the walls of the alleyway, however, as the shots had been aimed very poorly. Pieces of brick rained down on them and Megumi noticed that people were no longer passing by at the mouth of the alleyway. We seriously don''t need this kind of attention! She cast Corpse Explosion again, this time on the man who had been wielding that mace. The explosion hit the enemy magician who screamed in agony as he was pelted with sharp pieces of bone. Megumi dashed forward and fired two Eldritch Blasts in quick succession at the man who lie screaming in pain on the ground. The attacks hit and in seconds all that was left of the pyromancer was a charred corpse. Megumi couldn''t help but grin at the irony that all that was left of a pyromancer was ash. Sometimes if you play with fire, you get burnt. Megumi couldn''t help but give Poro-tan a lot of credit for how well the fight turned out. He didn''t back down at the sight of an enemy magician as most melee fighters would. She didn''t even have to force him to charge their opponents, he took the initiative all on his own. "Thanks for providing me cover, Poro-tan. You did a good job." She grinned happily as she cast Sanguine Infusion on what was left of their three foes. It seemed that luck was with her after all as one of the three corpses yielded her a TP. The two of them stepped out of the alleyway and back onto the street where people had backed away from the commotion and were now staring at them as they exited. Megumi didn''t like the attention, but it couldn''t be helped. She and Poro-tan headed back into the crowd, which parted for them in fear, and they headed for the market district of the city. "So I guess we can expect people like that to be popping out of the woodwork all the time now?" Poro-tan asked while they walked. "Probably. Megu isn''t sure how many members the guild has, but not a ton. At least not compared to the Adventurers Guild. Many of the members are far weaker than we are, so they probably wont be coming after us. Unless they have a death wish like these guys, that is. Megu would be surprised if there are many more with that kind of power around here." "Well... there''s that at least. Also, we''re not just going to charge into the next Thieves Guild ''hideout'' again are we? That last place was more than enough fun and excitement for me for the day."If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "We''re just going to have a look. We aren''t going to charge in this time. Megu wants to see if people will be going in and out of the place, and if so then we will come back either late tonight or sometime tomorrow. It''s looking like we''re probably going to be in this city for a while. We''re going to have to find a way to earn some money or something, we can''t afford a prolonged stay in the hotel. Maybe we can rent an apartment somewhere. Anyway, we''re here." Megumi looked across the bustling street at the building they had been told was one of the thieves'' dens. The building was on the corner of the street and right in the open. It appeared to be a store of some type. The sign read, Eva''s Odds and Ends. "All we can do now, is wait. Let''s see what kind of customers the store gets." Poro-tan nodded and they spent the next hour or so watching the place. This location had been the second spot the thief had told her about under the pain of torture. After that other place, she couldn''t rely on any information she had gotten out of him. The time seemed to crawl by and not a single person entered the shop the entire time they had been watching. She itched to go look inside the window, but held herself back. It wouldn''t do them any good to be caught snooping around the place. Just as they were about to give up and head back to their hotel, a group of seven men went into the building. They weren''t dressed in rags, but they definitely looked to be people of the bad element. "Looks like this piece of information was genuine." Poro-tan said. "Let''s get back to the hotel. We''ll come back in the middle of the night and see what we can find." "You don''t think they''ll change locations after finding out what we did in the slums or the entertainment district?" "Megu is sure that they already know. They have a powerful warlock and gods knows what else on their side. They wont take us as a serious threat and that''s going to be their downfall. Let''s go." By the time they got back to the hotel, it was well after dark. Megumi was tired of walking and wanted to go take a bath already. The common room was full of patrons eating and watching a woman on stage who was singing. Megumi''s stomach grumbled and she realized that with everything that had happened so far that day, they hadn''t even taken the time to grab something to eat. She stepped over to the check-in desk. "We''d like a table." "Right this way." The man stepped out from behind the desk and led them to an empty table. A moment after they sat down a waitress came to take their order. It appeared that the hotel was a proper restaurant. There were several options on the menu whereas most of the places they had stayed only had one thing that they cooked each day. Megumi ordered a dish that the waitress said was the hotel''s specialty. Poro-tan asked for a steak. He never orders anything interesting when it comes to food. She sighed and listened to the woman on stage sing her song. She had a beautiful, melodic voice that filled the large room. Megumi felt a slight pang of anxiety over the music for a moment, recalling the recent encounter with the bard, but all the patrons in the common room seemed to be laughing and enjoying themselves. It took some effort, but she got herself to relax and enjoy the singing. Megumi recognized the song as The Mistress and the Frog, which was a comedic tale of a rich man who was a complete and utter fool. He is tricked by his mistress and ends up turned into a frog, while she gets away with all his money. The food arrived quickly and Megumi''s food in particular smelled delicious. It came in a bowl filled with a few kind of meat and rice that had been cooked in a red sauce of some sort. Megumi was glad she had listened to the waitress'' recommendation as the food was absolutely delicious. It was slightly spicy, but she didn''t mind. It was nowhere near as spicy as the stuff Poro-tan liked to eat on a regular basis. Once the meal was done, they headed up stairs and she spent an hour or so cleaning herself up and taking a bath before heading to bed. "Poro-tan, you should get some rest too. Sleep by the door, though okay?" He grumbled a little but complied without too much of a fuss. He shoved his bed over against the door and went to sleep. Megumi went over to the window and looked outside. It didn''t look like there was any way to get up to the window from the outside. She breathed a sigh of relief and went to bed. A few hours sleep is all we need, and then we''ll go take care of business. Once Megu collects the reward for this job, we''re going to need a more permanent place to stay. Megumi tossed and turned on her bed for a while, thinking about her plans and how to accomplish them. Since there would be no easy way to get into the palace and off the king, they would have to do things the long and slow way. She just hoped that there were openings in the city watch so that Poro-tan could get a job and infiltrate. The plan would unfold from there. She shoved her face into her pillow. Revenge was right at her fingertips and she could hardly wait. With that thought in mind, she finally drifted off to sleep. Spoiler: Poro-kun
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 025 (43,352/45,217 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1763/1925 MP 75/75
TP 1 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 71 Magic 30
Endurance 59 Magic Resistance 36
Strength 56 Luck 6
Agility 48
Dexterity 45
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 027 (52,655/54,310 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 1400/1400
TP 4 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 77
Endurance 11 Magic Resistance 51
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 2 (+8 Minutes to summon duration. +10% defense, +10% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 7 (+28 to all stats of Summoned Soul, except luck. Max level reached. Lvl requirement for Lvl 8: 50) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 4 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 13 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 39: Night Raid Megumi awoke to the sight of dim moonlight shining through the thin curtains of the hotel room and Poro-tan nudging her on the shoulder. "It''s around midnight. You still up for doing this tonight?" Megu blinked away her sleepiness and sat up slowly, rubbing her left eye with the palm of her hand. "Tonight is our best chance to get some leads. Megu doesn''t think that the building in the market district is their base of operations, it''s probably just a drop off point or something for the things they steal. Either way, if we take them out, we can get another clue." "Makes sense, I guess. I''m ready if you are." Poro-tan went to the small armoire where they kept their bags and cloaks. While he was getting ready, Megumi dragged herself out of bed. The floor of the small room was cold on her bare feet and she shivered slightly. She headed towards the washroom and splashed some water on her face to wake up. It would be a lie to say that she wasn''t nervous about the operation that evening. The culprit behind the thieves little fun house was definitely a warlock and that could be a big problem for them. She didn''t know a lot about people with that class other than they tended to be truly demented. It was likely that he or she was being contracted by the Thieves Guild, which meant that there was a decent possibility that he was a member of the Villains Guild. If they had the kind of money to hire someone of his apparent talents, then who knows what else they could run into out there. Suddenly, she found herself missing having Kieren around. Having a second ally to watch her back was definitely invaluable. In just a couple levels, she would be able to gain another pawn through her Soul Trap skill. She considered placing both her own TPs and Poro-tan''s before heading out on the operation. She pulled up his skill tree to have a look since it had been a while since she had looked at it.
Sword Styles Ki Skills Passive Auras
Tiger Style Holy Blade Warrior''s Essence Intimidate
Turtle Style Shockwave Stalwart ????
Crane Style Flame Blade Fortify Health ????
???? ???? Adrenaline ????
She had been neglecting to look at his skill tree and couldn''t help but wonder if she should have been working harder to expand on his skill set rather than focusing on just the few skills he already had. She wasn''t interested in him learning another sword style, at least for now so she ignored that tree. The Flame Blade skill could come in handy in a lot of situations. It was definitely a skill to consider unlocking. Adrenaline was also a new skill that hadn''t been on the tree the last time she looked at it, so she read the description.
Adrenaline
Killing an enemy combatant gives you a stack of adrenaline which invigorates you, raising your strength, vitality, and agility by 1 for 3 minutes. Maximum stacks at level 1: 5
The skill didn''t seem to be very strong, but it looked like it had potential to turn Poro-tan into a true killing machine. If each stack of adrenaline added one to each of those stats, then at 5 stacks it would add up to a lot. This would probably be the skill that she was going to invest his TP into, but just to be on the safe side, she read the description for Intimidate.
Intimidate
Strike fear into the hearts of your enemies! Activating this aura will cause anyone within 15 feet of you to be filled with a sense of dread causing them to doubt themselves. Enemies of significantly lower levels will be filled with so much dread that they will run away. At level 1, the chance of a successful intimidation is 5%. MP Cost: 10 MP per 30 seconds.
It didn''t seem like a very good skill. Megumi judged it to be trash, considering its low chance of success and high MP cost. She placed the point into Adrenaline. She decided that she would hold onto her TPs for now. She might need to place them at the last second if something happened, but it was good to know she''d be able to give herself a power boost when and if she needed it. Poro-tan had finished getting ready and was in the process of sliding his bed back into place. "What''s the hold up, Megumi? You don''t look ready to go at all." She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn''t been getting ready at all. "Ah... right. Megu was just looking at your skill tree and unlocking the Adrenaline skill." Megumi headed over to the washroom again and changed into a fresh set of clothes. She put on some warm leggings and put on a black dress that was comfortable and good for skulking around in the dark. Megumi was ready to deliver death to her enemies. She grinned at herself in the mirror when thinking about the carnage she would get to partake in this evening. Megumi grabbed her cloak and magical bag from the armoire and put them on. "Let''s go have some fun, Poro-tan." Her companion let out an exasperated gasp that only mildly annoyed her and they made their way downstairs. To her surprise, there were still people up and about in the common room. Several staff members were busy wiping down tables and cleaning up after what looked like was a busy evening. The manager who had checked them in saw them coming down stairs and came over to them. "Is everything okay? Anything I can assist you with this evening?" "We''re just going out for a bit. Hopefully we''ll be back in a few hours." "Very good, miss. We keep a staff member on duty at all hours of the day, so if you need anything when you return, don''t hesitate to ask." With that, he excused himself and went back to micro-managing the staff members while they cleaned. Megumi was happy that she wasn''t a normal person who had to put up with working for someone like that. She would literally snap and kill him if he followed her around barking orders like that. The night air was especially cold in this area and she rubbed her hands together before reaching into her bag and pulling out a pair of long gloves that she put on her freezing hands. "Let''s be quick about this. Megu doesn''t want to spend the whole night out here freezing." Poro-tan had the advantage of being less sensitive to the cold due to being undead, it was one of the few things about his condition that she envied. The city streets were more or less empty at this time of night and the only pools of light were near the various lamp posts that lined the streets intermittently. The trip to the market district went a good deal faster without having to shove their way through crowds. The few people who were on the streets seemed to be heading to their homes. On several occasions they saw people going into houses along the way. Additionally, they spotted three different guard patrols before they reached their destination. Megumi wondered if it was normal for so many to be out on the streets or if it was the king''s way of trying to reduce crime in the city in light of the thieves guild popping into existence here recently. Lights were on here and there in the various buildings and in the building that supposedly served as a thieves hideout, lights lit up the glass window in the front. Light peaked out from behind thick curtains on the second and third floors of the building as well. It looks like someone is home at least. The question of course is if this is another trap. There''s no question that they would have discovered their dead comrades in the slums by now. They might be waiting for Megu and Poro-tan to come crashing into the building. The two of them stood in the shadows of an alleyway near the little shop and watched for any sign of movement for several minutes before Megumi spotted some shadows moving around in the second floor''s windows. "Did you see that?" she asked. "Yeah. There''s definitely some people in there. You know... it''s entirely possible that this is really just a little shop and the guy fed you a load of bullshit once again. We might bust in there and kill some little old lady who is just a shopkeeper trying to get by based on a bad tip. Are you sure about this?" "The men who went in there earlier today didn''t come back out while we watched, and they looked the part. Megu is confident that this will not be a dead end." "So what''s the plan? Do you want to charge in head on?" Megumi shook her head slowly and brought her hands up to her face to blow some hot air against them. Her nose felt like it was going to freeze off if they didn''t get out of the cold soon. "Let''s get closer. Maybe there''s a back door behind the building or something in that alleyway over there," she whispered. Poro-tan simply nodded and the two of them crept quietly across the street and to the front of the store. There wasn''t anyone watching the front of the building and they could clearly see through the window into the dimly lit store. Megumi leaned up against the glass and peered inside. Various trinkets and useless looking knick-knacks lined the shelves of the store. There was a single door leading to the back end of the building. Seeing that there wasn''t anything of interest to see from the front, the two of them made their way slowly and quietly around the front to the adjacent alleyway. The alleyway was nearly pitch black in some places and some rats or something could be heard scurrying around. Megumi didn''t especially like the idea of wandering down that dark alleyway, but it was unlikely that anyone would be down there, so the two of them proceeded. Megumi dragged her fingertips along the rough brick wall of the shop and in a few moments they found themselves standing next to a side entrance. Moment of truth. It''s time for Megu to cut loose and have a bit of fun! Poro-tan unsheathed his sword and she got her staff, casting Magic Skin, before he placed his hand on the doorknob. Megumi kept her back against the wall and looked up at him, giving a slight nod of her head. Poro-tan opened the door and bolted inside. "Who the hell are you?!" a gruff voice yelled. Megumi heard the sound of bodies hitting the floor and so she ducked inside the building, The light was nearly blinding after being in that alleyway, but she squinted and blinked while she moved around and in just a couple seconds she was fine. It looked like they were in a storage room. Shelves were lined with boxes of various things that she didn''t take the time to examine. She glanced around for a moment and noted the three bodies on the floor. Two of the enemies were gripping daggers that they hadn''t even had a chance to use from the looks of it. The sounds of thudding feet could be heard above and in seconds there was another group of thieves in the room, weapons drawn. A middle-aged woman stepped out from the back with an angry look on her face. "You dare to break into my building?! Kill them."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Four thieves charged towards Poro-tan, one of them threw several daggers at him as he tried to circle around. Megumi didn''t have time to pay attention to what was happening there as two enemies were coming straight for her. Megumi took a few steps back, trying to widen the distance while she aimed when a knife slammed into her throat. It bounced off her Magic Skin and landed on the ground with a clang. Her MP pool had only taken a slight hit and she didn''t have a scratch on her, but the force of the impact knocked her slightly off balance. Before she could steady herself, two more knives hit her, this time in the face. She stumbled back even further. Damn it! Megu is not supposed to be fighting people on the front lines. Take care of those guys already, Poro-tan! One of her attackers got in close and she fired off an Eldritch Blast into the smug looking thief''s face. His head exploded sending brain matter flying backwards onto her second attacker. The air in the room suddenly felt weird, almost as if all the moisture had been sucked out of it. Megumi looked around and saw that the woman''s hands glowed a dim blue. Poro-tan had taken out two of his attackers and was busy. Megumi had to stop that magician from finishing whatever it was that she was doing. The remaining thief charged in towards her and then quickly changed directions, just as she fired off another Eldritch Blast. The green fireball hit the wall of the house with a loud boom, causing the building to shudder. Megumi''s attacker managed to get in close and stabbed at her chest with his dagger. Her shield held, but she was dangerously low on MP at this point. She couldn''t just keep letting him pound away at her. When he saw that his dagger wasn''t able to penetrate her defenses, he backhanded her in the face, sending her to the ground with a thud, dropping her staff. The man moved to stomp her while she was down, but she rolled out of the way and raised her hand and blasted him right in his abdomen. The thief flew backwards screaming as the flames burned away his flesh. The air in the room had become extremely dry, it was like she was in a desert or something. Megumi got to her feet and saw that Poro-tan had a pile of bodies around him. More and more enemies just kept flooding into the room. There had to be nearly a dozen thieves around where he was fighting. Megumi needed to take care of that caster. She raised her hand, palm facing her target, but before she could get her spell off, the woman released a ball of liquid that flew through the air straight for her. Megumi didn''t know what the spell was, exactly, but she knew that with her MP as low as it was, meant that her Magic Skin probably wouldn''t save her from that. The ball of liquid tripled in size in the second that it took to close the distance towards her. Megumi wouldn''t be able to dodge. She tried to move out of the way, but the ball seemed to pursue her. Damn! She ran towards Poro-tan, the blue ball was now the half her size and zipped right behind her. Poro-tan saw what she was doing and ran towards her, jumping in front of the projectile and slashing at it with his sword. It was ineffective and the ball slammed into Poro-tan, expanding even more and dragging him up off the ground. Her pet was trapped in a watery prison a foot above the floor. Luckily, he didn''t really need to breathe since he was dead. It appeared that the spell was designed to drown a person. The enemy caster had a smug look on her face. "He can''t hold his breath forever, girl. He''ll be dead soon and you''re going to die slow for what you''ve done. When we''re done with you, you''ll wish that my spell had hit you instead." Several more thieves came into the room grinning as if they had already won. The idiots underestimated her even though she had burned the life out of two of their number. There were bodies all over the floor, which meant that there was a ton of blood available. Megumi grinned, the fools still didn''t realize that she was a necromancer. She cast Summon Blood Golem and the blood of the fallen began to spiral towards the point she had directed. In no time at all, her golem had formed and glowed a bright red. The smug looks on the faces of all the enemies, including the caster were wiped clean off their faces. "Kill them all." The summoned creature charged forward with incredible speed. It was fueled by the large amounts of blood in the room and it seemed to be far more powerful than the one she had summoned at the orphanage. It closed the gap with the thieves in the blink of an eye and began tearing through them like they were nothing, absorbing their life blood as it slashed them open and broke their bodies. The enemy mage and several of her cronies turned to run, but Megumi wouldn''t have it. She fired off Eldritch Blasts into the jumble of people who were scrambling for the door followed by Corpse Explosion. Nobody made it more than a foot out the door and her golem managed to grab the enemy mage by the arm, squeezing with its incredible strength. The woman let out a terrible scream as she was dragged back inside. Megumi had the golem break both of the woman''s arms and then her legs with brutal, crushing force and then she stepped over to the weeping mess that remained. "Release my friend," she pointed. "I''ll let him go if you let me live." The woman said through gritted teeth. "Sorry. No can do. Megu will be taking your life tonight one way or another. If you cooperate, though, we''ll make it fast and not... drag things out." The woman spat to the side. "Fuck you. Your friend can drown then." "He wont be drowning. Now, you''re going to tell me where the main hideout is, and if you don''t tell me the truth, I''ll have my friend here have a bit of fun with you." The woman trembled in both fear and pain on the ground. Megumi was sure the pain of having four broken limbs was probably enough to cause most people to pass out. She had to give the woman credit, she was tough as nails. After a few minutes of Megumi''s special brand of persuasion, she had the information she needed and the woman''s life was quickly snuffed out. *Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached level 28! +1 TP
A thud and the sound of a large splash of water sounded behind her as Poro-tan hit the ground coughing. Her pet hacked up a good amount of water over the next couple minutes while she cast Sanguine Infusion on most of the dead bodies. Luck wasn''t with her that night and she hadn''t yielded even a single extra TP. "That was fucked up, Megumi," Poro-tan croaked as he coughed up more water. "I might not be able to die from drowning, but that was the most horrible feeling I''ve ever experienced. You should''ve just killed her." "You''ll be okay. Megu is sorry about the pain you had to endure, but we have the information we need. You probably weren''t able to hear very good, encased in water like that, but our next destination is an old abandoned textile factory in the industrial district of the city. That''s where their base is." "We''re going there tonight?" "No. We''ll go tomorrow. She also gave me some information about the warlock. It''s as Megu thought, she''s a paid contractor. Megu would be willing to bet that she is a member of the Villain''s Guild. Apparently the guild leader keeps her close by at all times as a bodyguard. She set up that house in the entertainment district, and has two demons that she has contracts with that she uses to perform various nefarious tasks for their guild." "Great. Let''s head back to the hotel?" Megumi shook her head. "We''re going to stay here." She cast Raise Undead six times and set them to work cleaning up the mess they had made, dragging the bodies to the third floor of the building. Meanwhile, she and Poro-tan explored the upper floors of the shop. As she had hoped, there were a few bedrooms on the second and third floors and she took the one that was obviously the caster''s bedroom for herself. "You''re free to do whatever you want for the night, Poro-tan. Megu is going to get some sleep. Wake me up if there''s trouble or more thieves come. Don''t kill them if you don''t have to. We should try to confirm the information Megu was given, just to be on the safe side." Megumi shut the door to the room and had one of the weaker undead come in with her. She gave basic mental commands to the undead minion to keep watch over her. She issued further commands to the others, telling them to finish cleaning up the mess and then to stand guard as well. For some reason, in the midst of an enemy stronghold, she felt more safe than she had in a long while. In just a few minutes, she drifted off to a peaceful sleep. Spoiler: Hideki''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 026 (45,817/49,541 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1763/1925 MP 75/75
TP 1 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 71 Magic 30
Endurance 60 Magic Resistance 36
Strength 58 Luck 6
Agility 50
Dexterity 45
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP) ? Adrenaline - Level 1 (Killing an enemy gains you one stack of Adrenaline. Each stack adds +1 to Strength, Vitality, and Agility for 3 minutes. Maximum stacks: 5)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 028 (55,120/59,230 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 1500/1500
TP 5 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 79
Endurance 11 Magic Resistance 52
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 10 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 50) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 2 (+8 Minutes to summon duration. +10% defense, +10% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 7 (+28 to all stats of Summoned, except luck Soul. Max level reached. Lvl requirement for Lvl 8: 50) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 4 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 13 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 40: Megumis Plan In what felt like no time at all Megumi awoke to the sound of a knock at her door. She sat up abruptly, and glanced around anxiously. Trouble already? Megu can''t even get a couple hours of sleep! She hopped out of the bed and grabbed her staff while sending the undead who had been watching over her to open the door. Poro-tan was on the other side and she breathed a sigh of relief when it was him and not a horde of enemies rushing at her. She had been having a bad dream when the knock came and that didn''t help her mood. "What is it, Poro-tan? Trouble?" "Nothing too bad. A group of six more thieves came, I killed all of them but one, and the undead are holding him downstairs. You wanted to question them right?" Megumi had been thinking about that last thought since she had come to bed and had changed her mind. It was unlikely that any of the lower level thieves would provide her with solid information and she had a good feeling about the information they had gotten from the mage. "Megu has a plan. We''re going to need a lot of help to fight the upcoming battles." "You plan on marching on their stronghold with some undead? It did work against the monk, it''s probably not a bad idea. How many can you control at once anyway?" He didn''t have the ability to spy on her stats like she did with him. Sometimes she forgot about that. "Right now, Megu can control up to 50 weak undead. We''re going to stay here and kill every thief that comes in until tomorrow evening in which case we''ll move on their base," she replied. Poro-tan nodded and the two of them headed downstairs. A scruffy, half-starved looking man struggled against two undead who were holding him down, but he was clearly helpless. She hadn''t lost any of her minions when the new group of enemies had come, her companion must''ve acted swiftly. "P-Please! Just let me go! I won''t say anything! I swear!" Megumi didn''t say anything to the pleading man who was sobbing and cast Raise Undead on his five dead companions who lay on the floor in various places. The man began to sob loudly as he saw his former companions get back up off the ground. The thief actually pissed himself when she stepped over to him. "How many of you drop off goods at this location each day?" "I-If I tell you... will you let me live?" The man was trembling and snot was running down his dirty face. "We''ll see," she lied. "A-All of us drop off the things we steal at the fence in this shop." he stammered. She stared down at the man with a frown on her face. She was deep in thought. Fifty. So that means we''ve already lost most of what would have been coming. This guild is a lot bigger than Megu would have thought. Aurora is a pretty large city, though. She paced back and forth in front of the nervous man for a moment. "That doesn''t answer Megu''s question. How many people are in your guild? Megu won''t ask again so nicely." "I d-don''t know how many exactly... more than 100 total. The higher-ups don''t tell us much. I was just working my way up, I only just joined the guild recently! Please! Just let me go!" Megumi turned her back and gave Poro-tan a nod. With a grim expression on his face he drew his sword and ran the man through with it. A thud sounded behind her as the body hit the floor. She took a breath and then turned around to raise the man as an undead. "Megu is going to go check the other bodies and see if there are more that can be raised. We''re going to need as many as possible for what Megu has planned. If any more show up, kill them discreetly if possible. If we can cover up the fatal wounds we can have an easier time." "The glowing green eyes are going to be a problem, aren''t they?" Poro-tan said. She nodded slowly. It was an unfortunate side effect of her spell that her minions had a slight green glow to their eyes after she raised them. There wasn''t really anything she could do about it though other than have them keep their faces pointed toward the ground. The glow was fairly faint, anyway and it wouldn''t be like they would light up the night when they needed to move. "We''ll worry about that when the time comes. After I''m done upstairs, I''m going to get some more sleep." She didn''t wait for his reply and headed to the second floor of the building. She made her way to where the dead had been piled and had one of her minions dig through the pile of bodies. There were several suitable candidates and she was able to raise another 8 minions, bringing her total up to 20. She headed back to the room with her body guard and had the majority of her small army spread themselves out between the first two floors of the building. Megumi was going to use the undead to get close to and hopefully infiltrate the enemy stronghold. The idea was that if the enemies saw their allies approaching, they would have their guards down. By the time they realized what was happening, she would kill the sentries and add them to her number. With a bit of luck, they could sweep through the enemy stronghold like a plague. It was time that she upgraded her abilities. She had five TPs to burn and intended to make them count. Her undead weren''t very strong, it was time to change that. She placed three TPs into the new skill, Undead Mastery. With three points, it substantially raised the fighting power of her minions. Satisfied with what she had done, she moved on. A strong defense was always the best offense, and she couldn''t ignore the fact that Magic Skin had saved her life again and again. The problem with the spell was that it drained her MP like crazy when she took a heavy blow. She placed one point into the skill, which would help with that a little.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Megumi also had to recognize that she might need a larger army of undead sometime soon, and so she placed the final TP into Raise Undead. This brought her limit up to 55 undead. Tomorrow would be a big day and she and the army she had amassed would be taking down the thieves guild. Once that was all done and over with, it was time to take down the king and topple the nation. She could hardly wait to see the look on the old man''s face when she killed him. It would be wonderful. Megumi grinned and reached into her pack, pulling out her treasure. She opened the old book and flipped to the page with her family portrait on it. She ran her fingers delicately over the faces of her parents and then her sister. I can''t bring you back, but I will make them all suffer for what happened to us. She closed her eyes and drifted into sleep after just a few minutes. Spoiler: Hideki''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 026 (46,322/49,541 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1763/1925 MP 75/75
TP 1 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 71 Magic 30
Endurance 60 Magic Resistance 36
Strength 58 Luck 6
Agility 50
Dexterity 45
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP) ? Adrenaline - Level 1 (Killing an enemy gains you one stack of Adrenaline. Each stack adds +1 to Strength, Vitality, and Agility for 3 minutes. Maximum stacks: 5)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 028 (55,220/59,230 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 1500/1500
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 79
Endurance 11 Magic Resistance 52
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 9
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 11 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 55) ? Undead Mastery - Level 3 (+15% to stats of Raised Undead) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 2 (+8 Minutes to summon duration. +10% defense, +10% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 7 (+28 to all stats of Summoned Soul, except luck. Max level reached. Lvl requirement for Lvl 8: 50) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 5 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 13 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 41: The Necromancer vs the Warlock Hideki had spent the rest of the night murdering thieves and when all was said and done, Megumi would definitely have a small army at her disposal for their next operation. The tendrils of morning light had begun to shine through the large window at the front of the shop and through the open door to the room where he and the other undead had commited mass murder all night. It felt good that they were cleaning up the world instead of just killing random people, but that change seemed to be purely temporary if Megumi was serious about taking down the king. He couldn''t see why she was even interested in trying to do such a thing, it had to be more than just because of that corrupt Lady Undine of Rivean. Megumi had been more-or-less tight-lipped about the whole thing. He idly wondered if the king of this country had somehow wronged her in the past. It seemed fairly obvious to him at this point that Megumi had been some sort of noble. She just seemed to have that air about her. Even so, he didn''t think that she was from this kingdom, so why would she hold any sort of personal grudge against the king? She was morally bankrupt most of the time, maybe she just thought it would be fun to destroy a kingdom. He would ask her for her reasoning and try to convince her against this course of action again if they manage to get out of this whole Thieves Guild predicament in one piece. I''d better go get her up. Hideki left the stockroom and headed up the stairs to wake Megumi. He didn''t see how they could manage to stay here through the day. For one, if the shop didn''t open it would definitely raise some alarms. He wondered if she hadn''t thought about that little problem. The girl was smart, he had no question of that, but sometimes she thought about things too directly. He pushed open the door to her room and walked in. "Megumi. Wake up, it''s morning." Hideki put a hand gently on her shoulder and shook her awake. "Did you encounter any more thieves last night?" she asked while rubbing her eyes. "Throughout the rest of the night 8 more of them came. I was able to take care of them quickly and quietly. None of them came in large groups after the last time you were awake," he replied. "We need to talk. I don''t think this plan of yours is going to work if we wait all the way until night." "Why''s that?" "For sure they already know someone is targeting them. We already took out their operation in the slums, and then ruined their little fun house. When they don''t see all these guys around and the shop here is closed today, they''re gonna be on high alert. I think we should attack now, or as soon as possible." Megumi had a thoughtful look on her face. "You''re probably right, Poro-tan. Let''s go raise the rest of them and see what we can do to hide their wounds and such. Once that''s done we can go. I can send them a few at a time so we don''t raise suspicion by having such a huge group exit the shop at once." The two of them headed downstairs and Megumi brought the corpses back to life. After a bit of preparation, they were ready to go. Megumi took out her map and was examining it. It was eerie standing in a room with so many corpses just standing stiffly in place. He didn''t think he would ever really get used to it, even though he was one of the corpses in a sense. Megumi placed her index finger on the map. "We''re going to take this route, Poro-tan. Megu is going to give the undead instructions to leave the building and head over to here." She dragged her finger across the map to a spot a few streets over. "How complicated can you make their instructions?" "Not extremely, but enough. Megu''s spell also has enough range that they can go fairly far away, remember the ship?" Hideki nodded. "Are we going across first? What do you want to do with the money and random junk these guys had stolen and were delivering?" "Keep the money, leave the rest. We''ll go first. Let''s go, Poro-tan." The two of them exited the shop and into the cold morning air. The sun was just over the mountaintops now and there was frost on the rooftops of the nearby buildings. His breath appeared in front of him as they carefully ducked out of the alleyway and onto the main street, which was already starting to fill up with people starting their days. No one seemed to pay them much attention and they went up the street a ways before ducking into another alleyway as Megumi had indicated on the map. Once they were into the alleyway, groups of 5 undead thieves joined them shortly after until everyone was crowding the narrow space. They repeated the process and wound their way through the city over the next hour without any issues and found themselves near the enemy stronghold. While they waited for their horde of undead to catch up to them, he examined the enemy base. The old textile factory was dilapidated and several large holes marred the walls of the huge building. They were hiding near one of the sides of the building, but it seemed that they could definitely get in through one of those holes in the wall. He had to push down a feeling of apprehension. They saw a few people hanging around the broken down fence that surrounded the building, Hideki had no doubt that these were sentries for the Thieves Guild. Considering how many of their numbers the two of them had taken out, the people guarding the entrance to the place didn''t appear to be fidgety or anything. He didn''t see anyone looking out from the holes in the building, either, which was a relief. I wonder if they''re going to be significantly stronger than the weak ones we''ve faced so far. The caster was definitely on a different level from any of the ones we fought up until that point. "I''m going to go circle around and see if I can get the full picture of this place, okay?" "That''s fine. Megu will wait here until you get back. We need to be careful about how we do this." Hideki backtracked through the alleyway they were hiding in and made his way around the building to get a new vantage point. The building butted up against the wall of the city, so he couldn''t sneak all the way around it without getting too close. There appeared to be more people guarding the front side of the building. He counted eight people there. Looks like going in on the side with the holes and stuff might be our best bet. Since he couldn''t really get to the side that was against the wall, he once again backtracked towards the direction where Megumi was before working his way around to the back of the building. Fortunately, there only a couple people watching the back, but there was no entrance to the place from this side. Satisfied with what he had seen, he went back to Megumi''s location. "The front is pretty heavily guarded, there are eight of them. There''s only a couple of them watching the rear of the building. I wasn''t able to get around the building to the far side, but there''s just a narrow gap between the building and the wall anyway. If you ask me, we probably want to go in from the side." "Megu agrees that we should go in quietly to be on the safe side. Get ready, Megu is sending six of the undead to get those ones blocking the side entrances." Hideki unsheathed his sword and took a deep breath before stepping deeper into the shadows with Megumi and the others as he watched the six undead thieves walk over to their former allies, keeping their faces toward the ground. The three men who had been seemingly lazing about jumped to their feet and headed towards the group. "Where in the hell have you guys been? We''ve been waiting all night and almost none of you guys have checked in after making your drops. Did something happen?" The undead just continued moving towards the three men without responding. Hideki idly wondered if Megumi could make them talk before brushing the thought aside. "You got wax in your ears, mates? What''s wrong with you?" one of the three sentries asked. Megumi''s undead thieves were close to the enemy now and they began to move at a rush, drawing their weapons and going in for the attack. The stunned guards never had a chance to react. They each fell to the ground without a chance to sound the alarm. "So far so good. Let''s go, Poro-tan." They ran across the small street and through the fence. Once they were up against the building, Megumi raised the three dead guards and had them go back to their posts. It was feeling very crowded in the small space between the half-rotted fence and the building. Megumi sent a few of the undead in ahead of them in case the entrance held traps or anything of the sort. When nothing happened they went in behind them. The room they entered was a large one, filled with broken down looms that looked like they hadn''t been used in years. The place was eerily quiet and he glanced around for exits. There were doors on each of the three walls of the room. The one to the left was up some stairs and had a small steel walkway that overlooked the production floor. "Which way do you want to go? The leader will probably be up there," he whispered. Megumi looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. "We''ll go to the right. It''s toward the entrance. We can catch those ones at the front of the building off guard and add them to our numbers. We''ll have to be fast. Cut them down as fast as you can." "All right. Do me a favor and put that TP from my last level into Adrenaline, okay?" he wasn''t sure if she''d do as he asked, but it was worth a shot. He definitely missed being able to choose his own skills when he leveled up. Not that she had really chosen anything he wouldn''t have done himself, it was just the principal of not having control over it that irked him a bit. "Good idea." A moment later he saw that the gains he would get from the skill had doubled. This is definitely going to help if we have to fight a bunch of these guys. They didn''t waste any more time and went through the doorway and into the entrance room. It was much smaller, but he could see the front doors of the building ahead of them, wide open with people standing there facing the street. There was a large reception desk in front of them and the two of them ducked down behind it. Megumi sent all but three undead back into the previous room. He saw that they were spreading out and ducking down behind the machines for cover. Hideki gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and, with a nod from Megumi, he sprung into action. He sprang up on the men who had been watching the street like death itself and his cursed blade expertly ended life after life. In mere seconds there were only a few of the bewildered men left standing. They had taken out their weapons and were circling around him menacingly. One of the thieves blurred for a second as Hideki slashed through where he had been. What he had seen was an after-image. A sharp feeling of pain flooded through his side as a dagger pierced him just below his rib cage.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Hideki could feel his health flooding away, but he had five stacks of Adrenaline coursing through him and it allowed him to maintain focus. Without any hesitation, he smashed his elbow into the smug face of the man who held a dagger inside of his body. The sound of bone crunching against him as the man fell backwards was satisfying and he spun quickly, stabbing his blade into the downed man. The two remaining thieves, surely thinking that he was mortally wounded, charged in on the offensive. Hideki dodged the first man''s flashing daggers while spinning and managed to nick the second man''s throat. That was all it took as his cursed blade went to work. The man''s skin blackened and rotted and in seconds the wound which had been little more than a scratch, became deadly and the man fell to the ground lifeless. With just one man left standing, he reached down and yanked out the dagger that was still inside him. It hurt like hell, but it was hindering his movement a bit to have that thing in him. It seemed that the blade had been poisoned as his health was continuing to drop at a steady rate even though he should be resistant to stab wounds like that one. He grimaced and charged towards the last man, who had decided to run into the street. Shit. I can''t let him get away. His side hurt and his vision was getting slightly blurry, but he was much faster than the bony man and caught him in no time, slaying him right in the middle of the street. Now that the job was done, he reached into his bag and pulled out a health potion, downing it quickly. The poison must''ve been potent as even with the health potion, it took several seconds to put a stop to his draining health and stop the bleeding in his side. He went back through the front door to find Megumi standing in front of the desk waiting calmly. Does she ever get nervous? I know that I am. He leaned back against the wall. "It''s done. Got stabbed by a poison dagger. Do we have any more health potions?" His health had stopped going down but he was in pretty bad shape still. "Just three left. Here." She reached into her bag and pulled out two of the small vials of red liquid and handed them over to him. "Thanks." Hideki drank one and placed the other in his belt pouch while he waited for his health to recover. Meanwhile, Megumi was quickly raising more minions. Some of the corpses were missing body parts as he hadn''t been extremely careful while fighting such a large group of enemies, but he was fairly certain that she''d probably just be exploding those guys anyway. Just as they were about to go back into the room with the looms, they heard a yell. "What the fuck is this! Intruders!" "Damn," Hideki said. "Let''s go," Megumi said as she ran through the doorway and into the other room. The room filled with enemies in just seconds and Megumi''s undead sprang up from their hiding places and the cacophony of battle filled the room. Hideki ran around a few of the looms and engaged the enemy forces. Tiger Stance served him well here as he faced off against three more thieves. Explosions could be heard here and there as Megumi was using some of her army as fodder. It seemed to him like this would be an easy job as he cut down the three enemies near him. Before they even hit the floor, he saw that their eyes had begun to glow the pale green and they got back up, becoming his allies. That was when a large, red demon flipped one of the looms up into the air like it was a child''s toy and came crashing towards him. The thing was monstrous and was holding a large two-handed blade that glowed a deep red like the color of blood. Two large rams horns stuck out from the side of its head and it fixed him with a wicked grin. Hideki spared a glance to the upper platform, and he saw three figures, two beautiful women and a man. One of the women held a long staff, similar to Megumi''s, except that atop it was what looked like a human skull with a purple-black energy glowing from the eyes. Shit! Hideki jumped back as the demon swung its huge sword for him. The blade whooshed through the air and flames trailed behind it as it went. Bolts of black energy began shooting through the air towards him and his allies. Several of which were hit and exploded upon impact. Hideki had nothing but problems as he continued to dodge the attacks of the huge monster that was trying to take his life. He managed to get some distance for a moment and fired off three Shockwaves in quick succession. The energy from his blade slammed into the beast causing black blood to spray across the room. The thing roared in rage and pain, but it seemed to barely be affected by the wounds. Hideki reached behind him and grabbed his shield. He hadn''t really used Turtle Style as it wasn''t his favorite thing, but he needed defense against something like this. Backing away, and using the looms as cover from the blasts of dark energy, he managed to get the shield on. The demon smashed the loom that separated the two of them out of the way and came for him once more. Hideki ducked under the horizontal sweep of the thing''s blade and brought his shield up with perfect timing shoving the blade up and knocking the demon off balance. He took this opportunity and stabbed his cursed sword into the gut of the demon. The blood red eyes of the demon glared down at him with shock as blackness spread out from the wound across its body. Hideki rolled to the side as the large blade came down vertically towards him. The damage had been done, and he noticed immediately that the demon''s movements had slowed substantially. Hideki knew that pound for pound this thing was far stronger than he was, but he had the advantage of speed on his side. The room crackled with magical energy around him as bolts of black energy and balls of Eldritch Blasts exploded all around him. Hideki dodged the enemy''s blows and each time managed to score a scratch on the demon''s body. The thing was more black than red at this point and it was on its last legs. It made one more desperate swing for him, and he batted it away with his sword just enough that the could get in close. He brought his blade around and slashed horizontally, catching the demon in its side, his blade biting deep into the thing''s flesh. It fell onto its back howling in pain and rage and in one quick motion, Hideki brought his blade down into the its eye socket. *Ding* *Ding* *Ding*
Congratulations! You have reached levels, 27, 28, & 29! +1 TP
Hideki saw a blood golem charging toward the warlock''s location and he took a second to take in the battlefield. The room was in shambles and there were very few people left fighting on the ground floor. It looked like both sides had fought fairly evenly and their side only had about ten undead remaining. Hideki set himself into position and fired off a Shockwave towards the smug enemies on the upper platform. The energy of his blade bounced off of a magical shield and the woman holding the staff gave him a smug look before firing a barrage of purple energy his way. I won''t be able to dodge this! He tried to turn and run but knew that he wouldn''t make it out of this one alive. That was why he was surprised when the enemy''s spell was blocked by a barely visible wall as well. The shield cracked against the force of the spells, but it held, if only just barely. The blood golem was at the top of the stairs now and charging towards the three enemies. The other woman who was dressed scantily clad in red leather grinned and pushed the man aside as she casually walked toward the charging monster. She reached out and caught it with one hand as it leapt for her and slammed it against the wall with a crunch. Hideki watched as her fingernails grew long and into spikes as she plunged them into Megumi''s golem. Once it was pinned against the wall, the woman proceeded to rip off its limbs one at a time like she was pulling the legs off a bug. Hideki didn''t see a way that they would be able to beat these guys. They didn''t seem at all worried even though their numbers were critically low. He cut through a few more of the thieves as he ran back towards Megumi. Another barrage of black energy hit the shield protecting him, only this time, it didn''t hold. The shield shattered and dissipated and he looked back over his shoulder in horror as a dozen bolts of energy headed towards him. One of the bolts of energy hit him directly in the back and sent him flying across the room, skidding to a halt on his face in front of Megumi. His health was critically low and the world was once again going dark. He felt the feeling of four arms grabbing him and lifting him. "Hang in there, Poro-tan! Don''t you dare die on me! We''re getting out of here!" The world went black around him. Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 029 (57,644/59,230 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 21/2000 MP 75/75
TP 3 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 71 Magic 32
Endurance 66 Magic Resistance 37
Strength 63 Luck 6
Agility 54
Dexterity 45
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP) ? Adrenaline - Level 2 (Killing an enemy gains you one stack of Adrenaline. Each stack adds +2 to Strength, Vitality, and Agility for 4 minutes. Maximum stacks: 5)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 030 (66,542/76,103 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 137/1550
TP 1 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 81
Endurance 12 Magic Resistance 53
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 10
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 11 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 55) ? Undead Mastery - Level 3 (+15% to stats of Raised Undead) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 2 (+8 Minutes to summon duration. +10% defense, +10% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 7 (+28 to all stats of Summoned Soul, except luck. Max level reached. Lvl requirement for Lvl 8: 50) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 5 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 13 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 42: Retreat & Aftermath Megumi quickly downed her last mana potion and continued firing Eldritch Blasts towards the smug trio on the upper floor of the building while two of her minions scooped up the fallen Poro-tan and tossed him over one of their shoulders. She sent mental commands to her other remaining minions to cover their retreat and she spent a few precious moments casting Sanguine Infusion on several nearby corpses as she retreated backwards. Despite the horrible luck of running into a foe so much stronger than herself, the gods did see fit to grant her a reprieve because she luckily gained 2 TPs from the half dozen quick spell casts. Poro-tan''s limp body was carried back through the side entrance to the textile factory while Megumi fired off a few final blasts and used the very last bit of her mana to erect yet another Spirit Barrier just a huge ball of black energy came for her. The shield just barely held and spiderweb-like cracks covered the entirety of the ethereal barrier. She didn''t spare another glance at her enemies and ducked out of the hole in the wall as quickly as she could. Despite having just drank the last of her mana potions, her mana pool was basically empty. Just hang in there, Poro-tan! Megu will get you to safety. The four of them ran across the street and back towards the alleyway they had come from as quickly as they could and she could only hope that the enemy would be stalled long enough for them to get a little ways away at least. That warlock must be an incredibly high level. Megu couldn''t even dent that shield, and those spells she was firing off were absolutely devastating. She panted from the physical exertion of having to run away after a pitched battle, but she didn''t allow her tired body to stop running. Adrenaline coursing through her veins and the desire to not see her companion dead kept her moving. Megu will not lose Poro-tan, he came for me when he didn''t have to, and Megu will come through for him now. Within a few minutes they were far away from the textile factory and Megumi knew they needed some place safe to hide, but where? She considered going back to the hotel, but it was all the way across town, and it didn''t look like Poro-tan''s health was rising like it should have, in fact if anything he was looking worse and worse by the second. What in the seven hells kind of curse was attached to that spell? He would need medical attention beyond what a simple potion could do, that much was clear. We can''t stop now, that succubus demon might be coming for us right now. It tore apart Megu''s golem like it was nothing. Her legs burned and she spent one of her TPs on Undead Mastery to increase the overall stats of her summoned minions before having one of them carry her. The things had incredible endurance, and unlike Poro-tan, they didn''t ever get tired. That was mainly due to the fact that while Poro-tan was also undead, he still had his own soul and his body was more-or-less like a living one, while her raised minions were little more than marionettes. It was slightly embarrassing to be carried around like a little girl, but she could swallow her pride. Better to keep breathing and fight another day than to die for pride. She directed the two minions to take her to the local Adventurers Guild. If anyone will help us in this city and for free no less, it will be them. Hang in there, Poro-tan! She just hoped that they had a healer around when she got there. After what felt like forever, they arrived at their destination and Megumi had the undead let her down. She rushed into the building, which was markedly smaller than the one in Rivean and the building was even kind of run down. "I need a healer! My companion here is in bad shape, I think he''s been cursed by a warlock!" Several of the people who were sitting and relaxing in the common room of the guild hall stared at her dumbly, but thankfully a beautiful woman with skin the color of almonds and hair as dark as midnight, jumped up and ran over to the doorway next to her. "Bring him inside. I''ll see what I can do." "Thank you," Megumi replied as she sent commands to the one carrying Poro-tan to bring him inside. The woman knelt down next to Poro-tan and stuck a hand on him. "This man is not just cursed, he''s some sort of undead," she said but not loud enough that the others could hear her. Megumi was prepared for this sort of reaction and already had her guild card in her hand before she even came into the building. She leaned in and whispered into the woman''s ear while at the same time pressing the card into the woman''s hand, "I''m a necromancer, but I''m a member of this guild. Please help us. Megu doesn''t want to lose him. Please keep his secret." The woman gave her a momentary scowl but must have seen the desperation in Megumi''s eyes and after a second nodded her agreement. A white glow began to surround the palm of the woman''s hand and glyphs began to form in the air around them in intricate patterns. "I don''t know if this will work... considering his... condition, but it''s his only chance if he wants to ever awaken again, he''s afflicted with a nasty curse called Nightmare." Megumi nodded and she was somewhat surprised that she felt tears on her cheeks. She hadn''t thought she could still cry. She wiped away the tears and gripped her companion''s limp hand tightly as the healer slammed her fist onto his chest. An explosion of white light clapped through the air and Poro-tan began convulsing. "Hold him down! I have to keep my hand here!" Megumi let go of Poro-tan''s hand and put both of her tiny hands on his shoulders, putting every ounce of weight she had onto him in an effort to hold him still. The magical energy from the spell pulsed into Poro-tan''s body over and over at an increasing speed and intensity. For just over a minute she held him there until finally the woman released her hand and the white light disappeared as abruptly as it had started. He was still alive, just barely though. He took slow, ragged breaths and when she checked his health he was down to just a single HP point. The bond from her Soul Trap ability had been strained to near breaking from the spell the priest had just cast, but it had held and was probably the only reason he was been able to remain alive now that she thought about it. "Is he going to be okay?" she made herself spit out, although it came out only as a whisper. The woman gave her a sympathetic look and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If the gods will it, he will recover. I''ve managed to remove the worst part of the Nightmare curse, but he will likely be in a nightmare filled sleep for a few days. I''ve done all I can, the rest is now up to him." She stood up and turned to the other few guild members who were sitting at their tables gawking at the scene. "What are you idiots doing? Help me get this man to the infirmary!" The adventurers who had been gawking at them jumped up at the sharp remark and ran over to help, at the same time offering their apologies. A large man carefully scooped him up and carried him off towards the back of the building. Megumi started to follow but the woman grabbed her wrist. "I know that you want to go be by his side. I can tell that he means a lot to you and I''ll let you go soon, but for now I need to know what happened. I''m Aery, the master of this guild hall, and if there is in fact a warlock in this city powerful enough to do something like that, then I need to know the details about it." Megumi didn''t want to sit around and answer this lady''s questions, but she saw the merit in the woman''s words. If trouble followed her back to the guild hall, they would need to be prepared for what was coming. Megumi spent the next few minutes detailing everything they had been up to since they had come to the city. Aery asked questions here or there, but mostly just listened as the story unfolded. Once Megumi was done retelling everything the kind woman gave her a reassuring pat on the back before saying, "You should have come here and gathered a large party before going to take them on. Even if you had an army of those... things," she pointed at the undead with slight disgust in her voice, "it was reckless to go alone knowing that the enemy was powerful enough to create that death trap in the entertainment district. Don''t worry, though, you''ll be safe here. I''m much more powerful than I look, and although we don''t have a lot of members here right now, there are enough of us to keep those who would harm you from attacking you here. Go ahead and take care of your friend, he''ll be at the infirmary, which is straight down the hallway at the back of the building. I''ll come speak to you again later."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Megumi thanked the guild master again before heading off down the hallway with her remaining undead bodyguards. She found Poro-tan in a bed with a heavy blanket covering him and three of the guild members standing around in the room. They exited when she came and she grabbed a wooden chair that was on the side of the small infirmary and sat down next to Poro-tan. She couldn''t help but admit to herself that what Aery had said was correct. She knew that the warlock had been powerful, but she thought she was invincible. It was her fault that her companion nearly died for his second time. She couldn''t help but feel as helpless as she had long ago when she was separated from her parents. She leaned forward and placed her face on the blanket and allowed herself to cry and feel something real for the first time in a long time. After a while she lost track of how long exactly, she began feeling sleepy and passed out in the chair with one hand gripping his.
Ursei looked dejectedly down at the remains of her demon familiar. The cost of summoning her pets from the other realm was to give up a portion of her soul for each contract. It irritated her to no end that she had lost one of her minions on this job, which was supposed to be a routine bodyguard job. Her remaining minion, a succubus, stood at her side while the leader of this little Thieves Guild paced around ranting and raving about how a wisp of a girl, the necromancer, had been able to do this much damage to his organization single-handedly. She couldn''t hardly bring herself to care about this little man''s problems. The gold he had been paying her for this cushy, laid-back job wasn''t even worth it anymore. It would take him months to rebuild after this catastrophe and she didn''t know if she wanted to stick around. At the very least, he would need to pay her more; triple sounded like a reasonable amount for the new risk. The little necromancer girl had been formidable, but her powers were far below the caliber of Ursei''s abilities. The problem that could arise would be if she returned with help. Even though the girl was weak, she couldn''t ignore the fact that the girl''s companion had managed to take down her pet. Shouldn''t I just cut my losses and leave? One of the thieves who had gone after the retreating necromancer came back panting. "They''re at the Adventurers Guild. I wasn''t able to follow them myself, but after asking around I found out that people saw them running in that direction. One man even saw the four of them enter the building. They''re definitely there." "Damn them! They''re from the Adventurers Guild? That means there might be more powerful fighters headed this way at this very moment. We''re going to need to gather things up and change locations. Ursei, can you handle whatever comes like before? I can''t believe how fucking worthless you turned out to be. First, your little fun house didn''t manage to stop them, and then you let her get away! Are you listening, bitch? What the fuck do I pay you for?!" This man had the gall to address her like that after she had just literally saved their asses. She grimaced. This is not worth my time anymore and I need to get back to the villain''s guild in Traverst and find another job. It would take well over a week to get back to the guild, which was in a small town just outside of Oleander. She didn''t answer the thief and simply fixed him with a glare and a frown before turning to her demon and giving a slight nod of her head. The succubus sprang into action and tore the remaining half dozen thieves apart limb by limb. Ursei reveled in the screaming and agony that she was able to inflict, the pleasure that she got from hearing the screams of those weaklings was almost erotic. Seeing her pet tear them apart and seeing the blood and viscera splattered all over the place while they screamed and tried to run away was one of the few things that let her feel alive. When the bloody task was done, she leaned in and gave her succubus a sensual kiss. I guess it''s time to collect my severance pay. she grinned and left the bloody mess on the floor behind. Ursei and her pet demon went back up the stairs to the second floor and took all of the money the thieves had been hoarding. The fool didn''t even hide the location of his treasure trove from her. She grinned widely as she shoved bags full of pilfered coins into her bag. She and her succubus demon changed into commoner clothes so as not to stand out so much and then left the building, heading for the city gates. She was irritated at the necromancer, but losing minions was just the cost of business. She didn''t let it get under her skin too much, and at the very least, she had managed to sentence the one who killed her demon to a painful and terrible death. Who knows, maybe one day she would even get a chance to finish the job by killing the girl, but only if she was getting paid. Ursei had a rule, and that was that she never wasted her time doing anything unless she was profiting off of it. Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 029 (57,644/59,230 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 9/2000 MP 75/75
TP 3 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 71 Magic 32
Endurance 66 Magic Resistance 37
Strength 63 Luck 6
Agility 54
Dexterity 45
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP) ? Adrenaline - Level 2 (Killing an enemy gains you one stack of Adrenaline. Each stack adds +2 to Strength, Vitality, and Agility for 4 minutes. Maximum stacks: 5)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 030 (59,720/65,513 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 1330/1550
TP 2 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 81
Endurance 12 Magic Resistance 53
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 10
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 11 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 55) ? Undead Mastery - Level 4 (+20% to stats of Raised Undead) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 2 (+8 Minutes to summon duration. +10% defense, +10% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 1 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 1 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 2: (30)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 7 (+28 to all stats of Summoned Soul, except luck. Max level reached. Lvl requirement for Lvl 8: 50) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 5 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 13 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 43: Resolve Three days had passed since Poro-tan had been cursed and although his condition had improved each day, he still had not awoke. On the up side, when the city guards and Aery went to investigate the textile factory shortly after Megumi had arrived to the guild hall, all that remained of the thieves guild was blood and guts. Aery described the gruesome scene to her once she had returned and noted that they found the notorious thief Reynald''s severed head on the floor of the textile factory staring lifelessly at the ceiling. Since the quest had been technically completed, Megumi and Poro-tan received the reward money. Megumi couldn''t complain about that as she was running pretty low on funds. She had little doubt that the warlock must''ve killed the remaining thieves for some reason, but why? Megumi couldn''t help but worry that the warlock would be coming for her head anytime now. Maybe the woman wasn''t a member of the guild after all? Or maybe she hasn''t heard about the bounty on Megu''s head. She was beginning to feel like a shut in as she hadn''t left the infirmary for anything other than finding some food to eat in the entirety of her stay so far. The seclusion helped her to get a grip on herself a little bit. She had huge, extremely difficult, goals to achieve in this city, and she needed to focus. It was true that she felt terrible about what Poro-tan was currently going through, but she had to steel herself on the fact that she would likely have him risking his life again as soon as he recovered and she couldn''t let her feelings of sympathy and friendship towards the man stop her from getting her revenge. Megumi decided that it was time to spend her TPs. She had already long since decided where they would go and she put one point into Soul Trap, while placing the other into Eldritch Blast. The ability to increase her party''s size by one, permanently, was going to be instrumental to her take down of this kingdom. You can''t let yourself go soft, Megu, this world is rotten and it deserves to burn. With that thought she once again managed to force aside her feelings and replace them with the numbness she had spent years to cultivate. Poro-tan would be fine, he was in good hands, she had things to go do and she couldn''t remain hiding inside this guild hall like a scared rabbit anymore. The fact that she had not been powerful enough before only meant that she now had to really focus on getting stronger. She got up and headed for the door, turning back just once to look at Poro-tan before heading out of the room and then the guild hall. Megumi squinted at the bright day as she stepped out into the sun for the first time in days. The crisp air felt good and she breathed it in deeply. This part of her plan was going to be messy, but she had to get it started. The important thing was that she didn''t want to be seen by anyone who might recognize her. She reached into her bag and pulled out a dark blue hooded cloak and put it on. She drew the hood down over her face and went hunting. The day was young and she needed to blow off some steam, so she did what she had done in Rivean and allowed herself to be seen going down dark alleyways alone and then utterly destroying the scum who tried to rob or rape her. Megumi had built up an impressive body count of fifteen street toughs before the sun had begun to set. She had scored an extra two TPs and she placed one into Eldritch Blast and the other into Blood Golem Mastery. In just a day of farming, she had substantially increased her powers. Feeling good about herself she ducked out of a dark alleyway and out into the main street of the city. She also took a moment to allocate Poro-tan''s TPs that he had gained from the big battle. She put all three of them into his Adrenaline skill, bringing it to level 5. Lamp lighters were going along the street and lighting the various lanterns with long poles. She picked up the pace and in what felt like no time at all found herself outside the stone walls surrounding the palace. Megumi took a deep breath and circled around the wall, noting the guard patrols as she went. There were four guards in full plate stationed outside the main gate and she regularly saw patrols of guards in groups of five following a route around the walls. She ducked into another dark alleyway and pulled her hood down tight, watching for a patrol to pass. This was extremely boring work, but it had to be done. She couldn''t just go charging into this without being even more careful than she had with the thieves. Most of those pitiful wretches had been extremely low levels with poor equipment, which was just about the opposite of the palace guards. After a while, she picked up the pattern of the patrols, there were groups that came past her every twenty minutes or so. The large groups of well trained fighters would be a problem without Poro-tan, so she would need to rethink this and remember this information for later. Once the next guard patrol passed her hiding place, she headed out of the alleyway and back towards the guild hall. It was now getting pretty late into the evening and the crowds had thinned out. Just how long was Megu sitting there watching the guards? Maybe Poro-tan is awake. she mused as she trudged down the main street through the noble quarter of the city. By the time she got back near the guild hall it had gotten really late. The streets were more-or-less empty and most of the businesses had closed up for the night. Taverns were the only places open this late and as she passed by one near the guild hall, what she was looking for exited onto the street; a group of three guards, one of which had the marks of a minor captain on her helm, which she held at her side, walked out into the street about fifty paces in front of her. Finally. Megu was starting to think that she wouldn''t get a chance at this tonight. Instead of going back to the guild hall, she ducked into the nearby shadows and took out her staff. She watched as the two men and a woman headed up the street away from her chatting quietly as they swayed back and forth clumsily here and there. Once she was sure they were far enough away, she began trailing after them, keeping to the shadows, for the next several minutes. Once the guards were in a particularly dark stretch of street, Megumi grinned as she gripped her staff and fired off an Eldritch Blast, perfectly hitting her target and killing him instantly. The other two guards jumped back, but were clearly intoxicated as they staggered and had slow reaction times. Megumi took aim again in the confusion and took out the second male guard with ease. The captain had unsheathed her sword and had spotted Megumi. The woman took up a fighter''s stance and was prepared to charge in for the attack when one of her comrades stabbed her from behind. A look of shock and horror came across the woman''s face as her sword clattered to the ground loudly. Megu has you now! As the life drained out of the woman and her eyes went dim, Megumi cast Soul Trap and had the undead guard remove his blade simultaneously. The spark of life came back to the woman and instantly Megumi restricted the woman''s movements as well as her voice. It would take a little time to show this woman who was boss, but if she was lucky, she would break just as Poro-tan had at the threat of destruction of her immortal soul. With a silent command, Megumi had the two regular undead guards grab their former captain and drag her into a dark alleyway. Unfortunately for a few beggars, they had occupied the alleyway and had to be silenced. Megumi didn''t allow that to bother her as she had found her focus once more. She was going to kill the king and at last get a taste of that sweet revenge she had been thirsting for all of these years. Megumi squatted down next to the woman who stared up at her with wild eyes filled with fury and indignation. Megumi simply leaned in closer with a wicked grin on her face. "You belong to Megu now. Your existence is now and forever in Megu''s hands and if you do as you''re told, Megu won''t have to snuff out your immortal soul. Just so we are clear on this, Megu will now show you the agony of which she can inflict upon you."Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The grinning necromancer took hold of the line of Eldritch power that had bound this woman''s soul to the mortal plain as if by a net and exerted her will upon it. The power squeezed the woman''s very soul causing the penultimate amount of agony that could be inflicted upon a person. The captain could not scream, Megumi wouldn''t let her, but the agony and suffering showed in her face and tears flowed freely from the woman''s eyes. After spending the next hour doing this to the woman, Megumi relented and returned the woman''s control over her head to her. "Do you understand your situation? Will you be a good toy for Megu, or is further punishment required?" The woman squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again and staring at Megumi in defiance. "Go to hell, bitch." The captain turned her head and spat on Megumi''s shoes. Megumi sighed. She guessed that not everyone would be so weak willed as Poro-tan had been, but it didn''t matter. This woman would break eventually and would do as she wanted. Megumi didn''t really want to have to break her new toy, but it seemed that it had to be done. She mentally took control of the woman again and the four of them went back to the street. After a few minutes of walking, they found an inn nearby and went inside. The place was quiet and a elderly woman sat at the front desk, half asleep as they entered. "Welcome to the Red Cardinal, do you need something?" "We need a room for the night," Megumi replied. The woman''s eyes moved towards the guards and the captain who stood behind her. She had made sure that the two male guards had their helms on and were carefully hiding their wounds. The woman was half asleep and probably wouldn''t even notice, anyway. "Are you escorting this girl or something?" Megumi had the captain nod her head. "How much is it for a room for the night?" "120 GP per night." Megumi slid enough money across the table for two nights and the woman handed over a key, telling her that her room was on the second floor at the back of the hallway. The four of them silently strode through the inn and into the room. It was small and plain, but there was a window facing the street. It wouldn''t be fun to drop down from later, but it couldn''t be helped. She needed to get back to the guild and check on Poro-tan. "Put her over on the bed." The undead minions complied and dragged their captain over to the bed and laid her down. Megumi walked over to the bed and sat down next to the woman. "Since you aren''t being a very obedient toy, you''ll need to be taught respect. Megu has business to attend to, and until she returns, you will suffer in silence. Perhaps Megu will be back tomorrow. Have a pleasant evening," she said mockingly as she ratcheted up the woman''s pain as much as she could and walked over to the window. The cold night air greeted her as a gentle breeze blew through the window. Megumi rubbed her cheeks against the frigid cold and gingerly climbed out the window and let herself drop to the ground with a thud. It hadn''t been the most dignified escape she had ever made, but it didn''t matter. She stood up and brushed off the dust that had gathered on her dress from the fall. She grinned to herself and looked up at the window she had come out of. Now all that there was to do was to get Poro-tan a job with the guards. It would be easy with a recommendation from a ranked officer. Megumi hummed a happy tune to herself as she wandered off into the night and back towards the guild hall. Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 029 (57,644/59,230 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 9/2000 MP 75/75
TP 0 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 71 Magic 32
Endurance 66 Magic Resistance 37
Strength 63 Luck 6
Agility 54
Dexterity 45
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP) ? Adrenaline - Level 5 (Killing an enemy gains you one stack of Adrenaline. Each stack adds +2 to Strength, Vitality, and Agility for 4 minutes. Maximum stacks: 5)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megu-chan''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 030 (61,500/65,513 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 1500/1550
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 81
Endurance 12 Magic Resistance 53
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 10
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 11 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 55) ? Undead Mastery - Level 4 (+20% to stats of Raised Undead) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 3 (+12 Minutes to summon duration. +15% defense, +15% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 2 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 2 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 3: (60)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 7 (+28 to all stats of Summoned Soul, except luck. Max level reached. Lvl requirement for Lvl 8: 50) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 5 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 14 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 44: Resurgence, Recovery, & A Broken Soul Megumi entered the quiet guild hall and made her way back to the infirmary. She was tired from all the recon work she had done that day, but had a good feeling everything would pay off. A small voice deep within her that she had thought had been completely quashed over the years screamed at her for doing something so terrible as what she had done to that guard captain, but Megumi was able to silence it. She would not let anyone get in the way of her vengeance. She pushed open the door to the infirmary quietly and stepped inside. Poro-tan was still sleeping and breathing hard. She resolved that if she ever got the opportunity for payback against that bitch warlock, she''d take it. Megumi stretched her arms above her head and pushed the heavy wooden chair that had more often than not been her bed over the past few days over to its customary spot and she sat down. "Hang in there, Poro-tan. Don''t leave me alone in this rotten world, as your master, I command it..." she bowed her head and leaned against Poro-tan''s slowly rising chest. "...please." Megumi had once again fallen asleep in that uncomfortable chair, and awoke to movement next to her. She had been dreaming of her past and the things she had gone through and done to get where she was now, unpleasant dreams, and so it was a relief to wake up. Poro-tan had been thrashing in his sleep over the past day or so and Aery told her that it was a good sign; it meant that he was fighting to survive. What time is it? How long was Megu asleep for? She stood up and stretched her legs. Megumi knew that she would need to sleep in a real bed if she was to get any real rest, but it was hard to leave him there like that. While it was true that he was basically her slave, she knew that he cared about her and that made her care about him. It was an odd thing for her to admit to. In fact, she hadn''t really cared about anyone other than herself since her sister had died. Is it a betrayal to her memory and the memory of my parents to let myself care for someone once more? She shook her head and dismissed the thought. It wouldn''t do her any good to go down that road anyway. Her stomach grumbled angrily at her and she realized that with everything that had been going on as of late, she hadn''t eaten anything since breakfast the morning before. Her body was telling her that enough was enough at this point and despite not wanting to leave, she relented and decided that she could go grab something to eat in the common room; there was always a cook on duty, 24 hours a day, it was one of the best things about the Adventurer''s Guild in Megumi''s opinion. The guild hall was quiet still, it seemed that it was still the middle of the night. It was time to consider her plans. She knew what she wanted to do, and it was going to be terrible. Did she care though? The world had basically pissed on her and she wanted to watch it burn, but something pulled on her... conscience? She went to the counter in front of the kitchen and saw a cook who was half asleep lounging in his chair. "Megu would like something to eat. Can you make pancakes?" The man eyed her with a sense of irritation. He clearly didn''t like having to actually do any cooking this late at night. He sat up slowly and growled at her. "Can''t wait until morning? It''s the middle of the bleedin'' night!" Megumi didn''t reply and instead just stared him down. They both knew that by the rules of the guild he had to do his job and take care of the guild members at any time of day. After a few moments of staring each other down, he gave in and stood up with a grunt. "Give me a few minutes." Megumi simply nodded to the man and took a seat at one of the empty tables near one of the blazing fireplaces that kept the place warm and stared off into the dancing flames. Megumi would have Poro-tan enroll in the watch and then descend upon the palace like a slow moving plague. The grumpy cook returned from the kitchen a few minutes later and slid a stack of three pancakes covered with strawberries across the table towards her. "Thanks." All she received in reply was a grunt and the man went back over to his post by the kitchen. Megumi dug into the deliciously sweet pancakes as she enjoyed sitting by the warmth of the fire. After only her third bite, however, she heard the sound of screaming coming from the infirmary. She dropped her fork roughly onto the table and jumped out of the chair, running for the room. That was Poro-tan! She slammed the door of the infirmary open and saw Poro-tan laying in the bed with his eyes still shut. His back was arched in pain and he was screaming. Megumi didn''t know what else to do, so she ran back into the hallway and back to Aery''s quarters. She banged on the door loudly. "Help! Something''s wrong!" Seconds passed which felt like eternity before the guild master opened her door and ran down the hallway with her. Poro-tan was still clearly in agony and Aery rushed to the side of the table and put her hand on his head. "It''s a resurgence. By the gods, this curse is truly something wicked. Stand aside, girl." Megumi complied with the request and began to pace back and forth at the foot of the bed nervously as the healer placed her hand once more on Poro-tan''s chest, her fingers glowing with white light. Megumi checked Poro-tan''s status using her link with him and found that his HP which had been finally starting to recover, had started to drop again. She ground her teeth thinking about how much she wanted to kill that warlock for this and watched as Aery went to work. After only a few moments and a lot less time than the first time it had been done, Poro-tan''s body fell limp once more and his health stabilized. "Is he okay?" "That should have been the last of it. He''s a fighter, I''ll give him that. Go get some sleep, you can take my room so that you''re close. You look like you haven''t slept in weeks. I''ll need to stay here and keep a close eye on him, with luck, we should be out of the woods now." "Megu is fine. Let me stay." Aery stood up and came over to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You need to take care of yourself. I''ll send someone for you if anything happens. Go get some rest." Megumi''s eyes flickered over back to Poro-tan again before she finally relented. She turned and went to the guild master''s room and sat down on the woman''s bed. It was soft and inviting. Megumi took off her shoes and climbed up into it and leaned back against the wall, pulling her knees to her chest. She put her head down and closed her eyes tightly. Memories and past traumas flooded back to the surface of her mind when she thought about how alone she now was. She saw an image of her holding her little sister''s tiny hand in hers as they stared back at their home as they were urged onward by their guardian. Her mind flashed forward to when she once again held her sister''s hand, this time as she died in a horrible orphanage after the head mistress had beaten her for not completing her chores fast enough. Megumi had tried to stop her, but wasn''t strong enough. Tears forced themselves out of her eyes. Why can''t I ever be strong enough to protect anyone that matters to me? Part of her knew that it was irrational to think that she could have done anything to save either her parents or her sister, but it still hurt down deep into the depths of her soul. She knew that while she hadn''t been able to protect the ones she cared about back then, and that she really had no blame in what had happened, she was to blame for what had happened to Poro-tan. If she hadn''t been so arrogant, she could have gone to the guild for help. They would''ve been able to go in with a full team and this wouldn''t have happened to him. She needed to be more prepared in the future. Megumi flopped to the side and landed with her head on a soft pillow. She continued to relive memories of the past and she struggled with her emotions as they warred with one another on how she had been living her life. After a long while, she fell asleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The next morning, Megumi awoke as sunlight streamed through the window of the guild master''s room. She once again checked on Poro-tan''s status and breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that his health had nearly completely regained. Is he awake? Megu needs to go check on him. She jumped out of the bed and threw her shoes on quickly before running out of the room and down the hall in a rush. She opened the door to the infirmary and saw that Poro-tan was sitting up and talking to Aery. "Poro-tan! You''re okay!" she ran over to the bed. "I''m okay. I heard from Aery that you haven''t left my side in days. Sorry to have worried you so much." Aery turned her attention away from Poro-tan and towards her. "He is still in recovery. I don''t want him leaving the guild hall for at least another 24 hours. As I told him, he''s free to move about here though. I just want to be sure that there isn''t any remnant of the curse left in him."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Megumi nodded her agreement. She was just happy to see that her companion was better. "Want to go get something to eat? You must be starving? They''ve been force feeding you broth for days. How about we go have that cook make you a large platter of spicy meat?" She reached over and took hold of his hand, practically dragging him out of the bed. Poro-tan simply gave her a smile and allowed himself to be dragged out of the infirmary. At first he seemed a bit wobbly on his legs, but after a few steps he was moving like normal. Megumi dragged him to a table and went over to place the food order. A different cook was on duty now and he was much friendlier. Once her order had been placed, she went back over to the table where Poro-tan sat and sat down next to him. "Was it terrible? We will find that bitch and make her pay someday!" Poro-tan looked down at the table and ran his fingers across the grain. "I thought I was in one of the seven hells. It was a nightmare, I guess, but it was so real. I was tortured and my mind used my worst fears against me. It was terrible. I don''t want to find that warlock, I want to never see another one of those mages for as long as I live if I can help it." Megumi suddenly felt bad for what she had said. Of course he wouldn''t want to hear about getting revenge on that monster of a magician. He just wanted to move on, and could she blame him? "Okay. Well... we have other things we need to do anyway. Megu has put her plan into motion already. You''re going to join the palace guards." "I know that you''re focused on this mad goal of yours, but all I ask is for an explanation of why. What did that man do to you and why do you seek revenge so strongly?" Megumi was taken aback a little by Poro-tan''s direct questioning. She hadn''t really told anyone the story of how she ended up where she was, but didn''t she owe him an explanation at least? She cleared her throat and tried to speak, but found that it was hard to make herself talk about it. She looked down. "Megu will tell you everything, but later, in private. Food is on its way, let''s eat and enjoy the morning. Megu is glad that you''re okay... I don''t want to be alone in the world again..." Poro-tan slowly put his hand on top of hers. "Don''t worry, as far as I can tell, you''re stuck with me for all eternity." He gave her a weak smile and then took his hand away as two heaping plates of spicy smelling meat were put in front of him. Megumi was given a new stack of pancakes. This time it was covered with blueberries and some sort of light cream. It was a lot better than the ones she had a few bites of in the middle of the night. The pancakes themselves were fluffy as they should be, rather than dense and tasteless. The two of them continued with small talk throughout the meal. Poro-tan ate like a starving man and in a short time, both heaping plates were gone. "I''m pretty exhausted, believe it or not. You wouldn''t think I would be after sleeping for days." "Go ahead and get some sleep, Poro-tan. Megu has business to attend to outside the guild." Megumi stood up and turned to head for the door. The guard captain had been alone in that inn for nearly half a day at this point. Megumi knew that she needed to go check on her and see if she was more willing to cooperate now. "Don''t do anything reckless. Also, remember that you said you''ll give me an explanation later." She nodded and headed out the doors and into the mid-morning light. At least it wasn''t so cold today. She turned down the street and headed towards the inn. A few minutes of walking and she found herself inside the inn. A different person was at the front desk and Megumi told them that she was a guest, returning to her room. The young man at the desk simply nodded to her and she went on her way. The old stairs of the inn creaked as she made her way up them and into the long hallway above. She went to the room and willed her undead to open the door for her. She stepped inside and found the guard captain just as she had left her. Megumi walked over to the bed and stared down at the woman, whose eyes were bloodshot and staring dead up towards the ceiling. Megumi quickly removed the pressure she had been placing on the woman''s soul and allowed for the woman to have control over her head again. "Are you ready to cooperate?" Silence. "Hello? Megu is talking to you." The woman just stared up at the ceiling, eyes dead. Damn. Megu must''ve gone too far. This woman is completely broken. Megumi willed the woman to sit up at the edge of the bed and Megumi went to stand in front of her. "Can you talk?" Nothing. Not knowing what to do, Megumi went over to the wash basin and grabbed the pitcher of water that was there. She forced the woman to take a drink, and then she dumped the pitcher of cold water over the woman''s head, hoping for some kind of response. The woman blinked blearily, but still simply stared forward at her, or maybe through her. Surprisingly, guilt flooded its way through Megumi as she stared at the broken woman. The captain had done nothing to deserve what Megumi had done to her. Was she really so much of a monster that she left this woman in such agony that she broke like this? Isn''t that what you wanted, though? a voice said in the back of her mind. No. Megu just needed a new tool to use to ensure Poro-tan could get into the watch. She paced around the room arguing with herself in her head, but ultimately decided that there was nothing to be done but to move forward. Poro-tan would definitely been against doing what she had done. She wondered why she cared about that though. It was true that he acted sort of like a counter-weight to her darker impulses. Maybe that was a good thing. "Megu is sorry for what she did to you. Rest." Megumi commanded the captain, whose name she still did not know, to lay on the bed and close her eyes. Hopefully some rest would do the woman some good. She made sure the woman wouldn''t be able to talk and then silently exited the room. Tonight, Megu will come again. If she isn''t responsive by then, Megu will release her soul and let her die. It''s a small mercy, but that''s all that can be done. Poro-tan can likely get into the watch on his own merits anyway. With that, she exited the inn and headed back to the guild hall. Spoiler: Poro-kun''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 029 (57,644/59,230 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 1871/2000 MP 75/75
TP 3 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 71 Magic 32
Endurance 66 Magic Resistance 37
Strength 63 Luck 6
Agility 54
Dexterity 45
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP) ? Adrenaline - Level 2 (Killing an enemy gains you one stack of Adrenaline. Each stack adds +2 to Strength, Vitality, and Agility for 4 minutes. Maximum stacks: 5)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 030 (61,500/65,513 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 1550/1550
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 81
Endurance 12 Magic Resistance 53
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 10
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 11 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 55) ? Undead Mastery - Level 4 (+20% to stats of Raised Undead) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 3 (+12 Minutes to summon duration. +15% defense, +15% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 2 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 2 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 3: (60)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 7 (+28 to all stats of Summoned Soul, except luck. Max level reached. Lvl requirement for Lvl 8: 50) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 5 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 14 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Chapter 45: Infiltration
Not everyone in this world is bad. Tara is good, as is her aunt. Poro-tan is also good and some of the guild members, too.
Those were seriously the best cakes Megu has ever eaten. Once this is done... hopefully we can go back and see them again.
Success. She''s going to give in.
Spoiler: Hideki''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 029 (58,044/59,230 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 2000/2000 MP 75/75
TP 0 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 71 Magic 32
Endurance 66 Magic Resistance 37
Strength 63 Luck 6
Agility 54
Dexterity 45
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP) ? Adrenaline - Level 5 (Killing an enemy gains you one stack of Adrenaline. Each stack adds +5 to Strength, Vitality, and Agility for 4 minutes. Maximum stacks: 5)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 030 (61,900/65,513 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 1550/1550
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 81
Endurance 12 Magic Resistance 53
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 10
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 11 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 55) ? Undead Mastery - Level 4 (+20% to stats of Raised Undead) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 3 (+12 Minutes to summon duration. +15% defense, +15% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 2 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 2 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 3: (60)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 7 (+28 to all stats of Summoned Soul, except luck. Max level reached. Lvl requirement for Lvl 8: 50) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 5 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 14 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Spoiler: Velyie''s Stats
Name Velyie
Level 015 (9,017/9,500 EXP to next Level)
Class Guard
HP 1250/1250 MP 75/75
TP 0 Rank Lesser Captain
Attributes
Vitality 48 Magic 33
Endurance 46 Magic Resistance 31
Strength 46 Luck 5
Agility 43
Dexterity 40
Passive Skills
? Heavy Armor Mastery - Level 1 (+5% mobility when wearing heavy armor) ? Spear Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with spears) ? Fortify Health - Level 1 (+50 HP)
Active Skills
? Detect Truth - Level 2 (When questioning people this skill will cause a red aura to glow around a person if they tell a lie) ? Impale - Level 4 (Stab an enemy with extra force using a spear. +20% speed and power behind spear thrust)
Chapter 46: Revalation Megumi had spent the next several hours dispatching and replacing palace guards until almost all of them were now undead soldiers under her command. The plan had worked out perfectly and she now had an iron grip on the palace security. She now commanded just over 40 undead and the strain on her mana was starting to make itself apparent. "You said you would let me go once I got him in. I should have known that a vile monster like you would not keep her word!" The woman''s comment stung, just a little bit, but Megumi ignored the insult. "Megu will keep her word. There is just a bit more to do and you will have your release. Until then, be quiet and do as Megu says." Velyie ground her teeth and cursed under her breath. Poro-tan had been pacing around the guard house in his new uniform and appeared to be quite troubled. "What is wrong, Poro-tan? The plan is going perfectly." "We''re going to get in there, and what? Kill the king? Best case scenario is that we succeed and then we''re wanted throughout the whole kingdom for regicide. You do realize that we have to escape all the way back down the mountains to even get out of this cursed country, right? This whole thing is suicide." Megumi had left out a couple important details in what she had told Poro-tan about her plan, but that was because she hadn''t been sure herself on what she was going to do. As of now, she kept quiet about that. "By the time he''s found, no one will even know." "There''s also the matter of the amount of guards in this place. You can only control so many at once, there are still tons of guards that patrol the inside of the palace. I can''t protect you from an entire palace worth of guards, you know?" "You worry too much, Poro-tan." This caused him to fume even more and he left the room. She shrugged and went back to debating on her ultimate course of action. The best thing she could do would also be the most painful and difficult, but it seemed that it would be the only way to make this work. Velyie just stared out the small window on the side of her office that overlooked the courtyard and they ignored each other in silence. Once night had come, Megumi had maxed out her allotment of undead. It was time to move into action. Poro-tan had finally come back in after he had gone out on patrol with a group of undead. They had to keep up appearances to make things seem like they were normal. It was time for a shift change and Megumi gave commands to several undead to continue the patrol patterns as Velyie had written down on a map on the wall. "We''re going into the palace now. Velyie, you''re going to come with us, and you''re going to keep your mouth shut. Once the operation is done, Megu will release you, but not sooner." Megumi didn''t trust the woman to stay silent, and so she forced her. The woman was surely still loyal to the throne, and Megumi was certain that she''d try to pull something if she got the chance. She put her dark cloak back on and pulled the hood up over her head before the three of them exited the guard building and headed towards the palace. She had intended to go about this infiltration at a slower, more careful pace, but it didn''t seem that would work. After all, she couldn''t just wander around the palace and turn soldiers to her side whenever she wanted to. This would be their only chance and it was important that no one saw her. Megumi stayed back and remained hidden within the shadows of the palace. The guards that weren''t on patrol trailed behind them at a distance, also keeping to the shadows. There were over thirty of them, and they were her backup plan should stealth fail them. Velyie had clearance to enter the palace proper and the guards waved them by without a word. Megumi watched and grinned as her two soul trapped minions took the two sentries out from behind after passing them. Megumi had some of her undead take their place at the door and had others drag the bodies away after she cast Sanguine Infusion on them. Neither corpse yielded any TP, which was a disappointment, but she couldn''t always be lucky. The entry hall of the palace was extravagant and polished marble floors shone in candlelight from chandeliers hung above them. This palace, like anywhere else in this kingdom, was built for defense, but she had an idea of where she was going and where the old man would be. The group waited until everything was clear and then ducked down a hallway to the left, following a spiraling staircase up to the second floor of the palace. It had taken a little patience, but a group of undead guards were crowded in the second floor hallway behind them. "We need to move forward carefully. There will be guard patrols and we''ll need to take them out. We can store the bodies in these rooms as we go and replace the patrols with the minions we have here." Poro-tan nodded and now that they had all assembled, they could move forward. The palace as humongous and they wound their way through halls for what felt like forever, taking out guard patrols as quietly as they could each time they came across them. Having Velyie with them had turned out to be a great plan. Each time they encountered a small group of patrolling guards, they tended to stop and salute the woman. Megumi never got tired of the looks on their faces as they went down with a surprise shortly afterward. At this point, she was getting extremely low on guards, however. After ages of winding their way through the palace and through internal security barriers, they found the staircase leading to the third floor. Velyie had refused to give her any more information, and so things had taken a long time. Megumi didn''t want to resort to torturing the obstinate woman any more, so she just kept using her in the best way that she cold. The third floor would be where the king''s private rooms would would be. So far they had been lucky enough to not run into any of the other guard captains or elite guards. Just as she thought they were in the clear, that was when the worst possible thing that could happen, did happen. A young man in his early twenties with short-cut, dirty blonde hair stepped out of one of the rooms down the hallway with four heavily armored guards next to him wearing gold cloaks. Damn. Megu thought he was dead. Megumi hadn''t had anywhere to hide and so she stood there between Poro-tan and Velyie with her staff in hand. "Intruders! Velyie, you traitor! Who are these people? You dare bring an intruder into the castle?! Your highness, get behind us." The sound of ringing steel echoed down the corridor and the man''s azure eyes met hers beneath her hood. His eyes widened in realization of who he was looking at. He shoved his way forward through his guards. "Megumi? Is that... really you?" The jig was up. She used her free hand to remove her hood and reveal her face. Poro-tan turned his head slightly and gave her a wary look as he drew his sword and stood defensively between her and the enemy. "It''s me," she replied flatly. "Put your weapons down you fools, do you not realize who this is? This is Megumi Yasuzuno, crowned princess of Vaeliea, and my betrothed." Poro-tan''s jaw literally dropped when he heard this. Megumi had simply told him that she was of a noble family from Vaeliea and that the king of this country had played a part in her family''s downfall. All of that was true, but it had mostly been that the man had failed to send aid and let her family die as the noble houses of Vaeliea turned against them and commenced a coup. The enemy guards slowly lowered their weapons and Poro-tan as well as Velyie did the same. "Why have you come into the palace like this, Megumi? If you had let it be known that you were here, we would''ve welcomed you instantly? Surely you don''t blame father for the terrible things that happened?" Megumi wavered slightly. She had thought Reynard had been killed in action a few years ago. Maybe the information that Cerberus had given her was in error? This was far from their territory, but why would he lie about that? What else had he lied about? No. The information she had been given had to be true, didn''t it? Reynard was trying to trick her. "He orchestrated the coup! My family... my parent''s they died believing you would send aid! Miki and I ended up in an orphanage where she was beaten to death like a dog! He must pay! I won''t let even you get in my way! I''m here for revenge! For justice!" Tears streamed down her face as she gripped her staff so tightly her knuckles were turning white. It hurt her to say what she just had and she never expected to see him again. Megumi had actually loved the man who stood before her now. He had aged, and she had not, but they had spent years playing together from the time she was very young. His face looked pained and shocked at what she was saying. "Father fell ill last week... The healers say he is dying. You don''t have to do this, you seek revenge against the wrong person. I will protect you. I''m sorry that we couldn''t be there for you, but reports came to us saying that you had died in the coup. I don''t know where you''ve got your information, but it is false." Her free hand trembled. Who should she believe? Cerberus had saved her. Saved her from that awful place and raised her as if she were his own daughter. Why would he lie? She was his favorite. But this was Reynard. Reynard was alive and he was right here in front of her. I don''t know what to do anymore. I wanted to kill the king... and then leave this place once and for all. I will lay waste to the usurpers and reclaim my throne on a pile of a thousand corpses. This is what I''ve lived for. Who''s really been pulling the strings? Could it have been... Cerberus all along?The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Megumi looked down at her hand and felt as though she saw it covered in the blood of all those she had murdered to get where she now stood. She had just murdered over fifty people, people with families, and for what? For nothing? She dropped her staff to the ground with a clang and sat down hard. She shook with the realization that she had been played for a fool. She had been trained like a loyal hound and sent out into the world. How could she not have realized? She had seen first hand the terrible things the vampire king had done to achieve his goals. She was an idiot. "I don''t... I can''t¡ª" Megumi curled her legs up against her like a ball and began to weep. Poro-tan was at her side in an instant with his reassuring hand on her back. Reynard had run over as well once he had seen her fall down. "I will protect you, Megumi. Tell me what happened? Where have you been all these years? How have you not aged a day since I last saw you? I will be your shield. It seems like you''ve done something horrible this day to get this far... but I will find a way to make it right." Reynard''s warm hand brushed her cheek, wiping away tears and he pulled her into an embrace. "Come with me. Your... knight can come as well." He scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the king''s private quarters. Megumi continued to weep. It all flowed out of her. Nearly a decade''s worth of tears and repressed emotions flooded to the surface. I''ve been such a fool. What have I done? I''ve killed... so many people. So very many. For what? For a lie? I''ll make him pay for making me into his dog. My journey is only just beginning. END ofBook 1 of The Necromancer and the Would-Be-Hero
Epilogue: Cerberus, King of the Vampires, and most powerful of the council of 9 listened to the report that Revia, his spy master delivered. His well laid plans had been ruined. His plans had all been ruined and simply because that fool Reynard had returned from his post in the south at the news of his father becoming ill. Revia was supposed to have killed him and disposed of him before he could meet up with Megumi. She had failed him. He felt an incredible amount of rage as the spy continued to give him information. She continued blathering on and on and he grabbed a nearby chair and threw it with all his might. It smashed into the wall, shattering into splinters of wood. My well laid plans! Wasted! Cerberus had meticulously raised that girl and molded her into what he had wanted. She was ruthless, a perfect dog for him to use who he could point in whatever direction he wished. She was a prodigy and had gained the rare skill Sanguine Infusion. She was unique and could become ridiculously powerful. He had sewn chaos in Vaeliea for the fun of it, and saw an opportunity to take the kingdom as his own through the girl. He had planned everything so carefully, all for naught. It all began when ''saved'' the girl from the orphanage that he had arranged for her to be ushered into after his subtle moves had sewed chaos within her kingdom. He had then trained her and helped her to gain her class. It was all for nothing! Things had been going so well. She was on the road to becoming stronger and would have not only ruffled the feathers of Thera, but was poised to take over the kingdom of Castellum for him as well as she had enough royal blood to lay claim to that throne as well. If only his assassin had been faster. Revia had failed to kill Reynard before he had returned to the palace, and so his plans were ruined all because of her. His hand reached out like a viper and gripped the throat of the spy tightly. Her eyes bulged and she kicked her feet weakly as he effortlessly raised her off of the ground. "Do you realize what you have cost me? Do you realize the enemies that we will now have rallied against us? Over a decade''s worth of planning is ruined. Megumi knows too much and now she will have a kingdom at her back." The woman continued to kick and squirm, but she couldn''t get free. Her face was beginning to turn blue. Cerberus squeezed and crushed her neck with ease. Her body convulsed and went limp. The vampire king threw the body at the wall in much the same way he had tossed the chair. Her body crashed through the wall, broken and lifeless. He clenched his fists at his side and strode out of his room with purpose. He would have to change locations, much had to be done and there was little time to do it. There was no question that the girl would come for him, she wasn''t so stupid that she wouldn''t have figured everything out already and he would need to ensure that she was crushed before she was allowed to get any stronger. Cerberus ordered all of his things to be moved to a new location and he stepped out of his manor and into the pouring rain. This was a setback, but a minor one. He could still salvage the situation, he still had one more ace up his sleeve. He smiled as he sat down. A beautiful girl sat across from him. She had silver hair tied into a ponytail and violet eyes, just like the others in her bloodline. "Miki. It''s time for us to leave this place." The girl nodded silently and the carriage began to pull away. Spoiler: Hideki
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 029 (59,144/59,230 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 2000/2000 MP 75/75
TP 0 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 71 Magic 32
Endurance 66 Magic Resistance 37
Strength 63 Luck 6
Agility 54
Dexterity 45
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP) ? Adrenaline - Level 5 (Killing an enemy gains you one stack of Adrenaline. Each stack adds +5 to Strength, Vitality, and Agility for 4 minutes. Maximum stacks: 5)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi
Name Megumi
Level 030 (64,600/65,513 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 1550/1550
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 81
Endurance 12 Magic Resistance 53
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 10
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 11 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 55) ? Undead Mastery - Level 4 (+20% to stats of Raised Undead) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 3 (+12 Minutes to summon duration. +15% defense, +15% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 2 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 2 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 3: (60)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 7 (+28 to all stats of Summoned Soul, except luck. Max level reached. Lvl requirement for Lvl 8: 50) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 5 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 14 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Spoiler: Velyie
Name Velyie
Level 017 (12,117/13,655 EXP to next Level)
Class Guard
HP 1250/1250 MP 75/75
TP 2 Rank Lesser Captain
Attributes
Vitality 48 Magic 33
Endurance 46 Magic Resistance 31
Strength 46 Luck 5
Agility 43
Dexterity 40
Passive Skills
? Heavy Armor Mastery - Level 1 (+5% mobility when wearing heavy armor) ? Spear Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with spears) ? Fortify Health - Level 1 (+50 HP)
Active Skills
? Detect Truth - Level 2 (When questioning people this skill will cause a red aura to glow around a person if they tell a lie) ? Impale - Level 4 (Stab an enemy with extra force using a spear. +20% speed and power behind spear thrust)
Chapter 47: The Vampire Princess Miki stared at the looming structure that would be Cerberus'' new base of operations. They had only just arrived and rain was pouring down from the heavens towards her, getting her completely soaked. She paid it no mind, however, as it was simply good to finally be out of that cursed carriage. "Let''s go inside, Miki. I have an important job for you." She nodded and followed Cerberus inside the place. It was dimly lit and she saw a couple familiar faces when they entered the front door. Apparently, the others must have gotten here faster than they had. She ran her hand through her fairly short silver hair, which was now completely soaked and wondered where she would be sleeping tonight. The place wasn''t as huge as the previous manor, but it was more than acceptable. Miki remembered a time when she was very little when she would have considered either of these places small; that was before she had spent some time on the streets with her sister, and then some more time in a shit hole orphanage.
"Where am I to sleep?" she asked. "Damned if I care, girl. Sleep anywhere you want. Get cleaned up and meet me in the study." He pointed to a room on the right which was obviously a study. "Fine." She took her leave and went up the stairs to the third floor. She picked the room furthest back at the end of a long hallway. It was incredibly dark in the room, and she saw an unlit oil lamp on a desk. Raindrops pounded against the ceiling above her and she closed her eyes, taking in the sound. It was soothing. She turned and looked out the large window that overlooked the expansive grounds for a moment. It was nearly dusk and the sky was getting darker by the minute. Miki wondered where the old wives tale about vampires being unable to walk in the sunlight had come from. She had no such weakness and was glad of it. Before Cerberus granted her the power of being a child of the night, she had feared that she would never again be able to go out into the sun. All in all, there were no downsides to her condition, other than the fact that she now exclusively craved blood, that is. She saw that only as a minor downside, however compared to the enhanced speed, strength and raw magical power that being a vampire afforded her. It didn''t hurt that she would never age a second beyond when she had been turned. A tall mirror stood next to the dresser and she stepped over to it and had a look at herself. Cerberus had refused to turn her into a vampire until recently, and so she looked only a little younger than her actual age. She supposed that it would do her some good to get into some clean clothing. She pulled off her gloves one at a time, which ran from her fingertips all the way up beyond her elbows. She tended to cover her arms to hide what was beneath. Rows of runes that had been carved into her skin covered the tops of both forearms. Miki was a Runemage, and by placing these special symbols into her body, she had gained various powers. The things were disturbing to others, but she found them beautiful. They were symbols of strength, an embodiment of an ideal that she sought for herself; to be the strongest. She stripped off the rest of her clothes, and looked at the scars that covered her whole body. They were beautiful. A sign of what she had gone through to get where she was now. Miki knew that her mind was somewhat unhinged, but what did that matter? She had endured more than anyone her age should have had to, and she survived. Miki was little more than a weapon, and she loved to be used like one. She closed her eyes for a moment thinking about the time she had returned to that orphanage so long ago and slaughtered every single person with her bare hands. Blood had been everywhere. She had only been seven years old when Cerberus allowed her to do it. It was her rite of passage, and afterwards she had become a Runemage. The symbols were not something one could carve upon themselves, but rather they burned themselves into the user''s skin when they unlocked more power. Miki had gained runes for each of the four elements as well as ones increasing her physical stats. She reached into her bag and threw on some dry clothes before heading downstairs. Maybe she would be allowed to cut loose again soon. It would be wonderful. She shivered at the thought of all the blood she would rend from her victims. The study had a lamp lit and Cerberus sat waiting for her when she entered. "What took you so long?" "Apologies. What task do you have for me?" She stood in front of him with her hands crossed beneath her breasts. Miki was a lot of things, but patient was not one of them. If there was a job to do, she wanted to get to it already. "I''ve kept you close to me all these years and now it''s time to make our move. I want you to go to Yelevair and dispatch Magnus." "We move against the council?" "It has served its purpose. I will not move openly, but I have faith that you can accomplish this task. You are not yet strong enough to stand against one of the council, you are free to do as you wish along your journey." "I''ll leave in the morning. Is there anything else you need of me for tonight?" Cerberus shook his head and she stepped out of the study. Finally. Finally, I''ll be able to do things my way. She climbed the stairs to her room with a skip in her step. She hadn''t been this elated in ages. She actually couldn''t remember a time where she was more excited about something. She was not being sent after some small fish, either. She was being fired like a crossbow bolt straight for Magnus'', the master of the sands, heart. This was exciting. This was what living was all about.
The next morning, Miki gathered supplies and took one of the horses from the stables. A large black stallion that she had named Midnight. She climbed up into the saddle and took one final glance at the manor before having the horse begin to move. Yelevair was not anywhere close to where they now stood. It wasn''t even on the same continent. Miki looked forward to the journey. She wondered why the old man had decided to make a move on that particular council member. If it were merely bad blood, she would have thought he would send her after Thera. It didn''t really matter to her though, she wasn''t one to question orders. She was his weapon, and she would cut down whoever she was ordered to without any remorse and never any mercy given. The grasslands swayed around her in the powerful winds that gusted now and again. She had been riding for the better part of the day and according to her map, would be reaching Asheborne soon. A few trees popped into existence alongside the muddy road as she made her way around a small rolling hill.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. There, in the middle of the road stood a dozen armed bandits. Great. I haven''t had a bite to eat in days now. She pulled to a stop a few dozen feet away from the men who were leering at her from a distance. She stifled a smile and just sat atop Midnight waiting for them to say something or make a move. It would be more fun for her that way. The best prey thought that they were in fact the predator. Two of the bandits had bows out and arrows nocked. She ignored them as their leader stepped forward with a bit of a swagger. "A long ways from civilization to be out here alone, milady." Her clothes were of fine quality, so it was easy to make that assumption. She supposed she was a lady, however, or at least she had been when she had been a child. She decided to play the part. "If you know what''s good for you, then you will step aside and allow me to pass, ruffian!" The dirty man sneered at her and then spat to the side. He was filthy and she could smell him all the way from where she sat. It wouldn''t be fine dining, but what could she expect from a meal on go while on the road? The man continued moving slowly towards her and she calmly held her position. It wouldn''t do to have them all run away. "Tell you what, milady, you look to be a little lost. As good citizens, we would be more than happy to point you in the right direction. It also looks like you''re a little overburdened, we''ll help you out with that as well. Don''t try to run, cooperate, and hop down from there peacefully to give me and the boys each a good ride, and we''ll see you on your merry way." He grinned at her showing his teeth, which were black and rotting. Several were missing as well. She didn''t understand how commoners couldn''t at least take care of basic hygiene. She wondered about his threat about not running and turned her head so that she could see behind her. Sure enough, there were a few more of the bandits behind her on the road now as well. "I-If you mean to harm me?¡ª" "Naw. Who said anything about hurting you? We just like to help lost travelers on their way. It would be terrible to see anything bad happen to anyone. Come down from there, let me and the boys show you a good time before you go on your way." The man was more than vile. He was repugnant. That was a good word for it. She didn''t need to feed so much as she wanted to feel the rush of energy that fresh blood provided her. It was said to be like a drug. She couldn''t disagree and loved how it enhanced her abilities even further for a short while. She watched as all the leering men closed in on her now and were less than a dozen feet from her now. She was completely boxed in, and that''s just how she wanted it. They were close, and wouldn''t be getting away. Miki swung her leg out of the saddle and climbed down slowly. The man who had been speaking to her had a surprised look on his face as she sat down. Clearly, they had thought she would try to bolt, forcing her horse to run right through them. "I guess since you boys said you''ll show me a good time. I don''t mind a small delay." She gave them her cutest smile and took off her overcoat, putting it over her saddle. Beneath, she wore a short sleeved shirt that allowed her to move easily. Besides, she didn''t want to get blood all over her nice, clean, coat. Miki reached around the back of her neck and undid the pendant that she always wore. It was a memento that her mother had always wore. The pendant was a single diamond cut in the shape of a small teardrop. She put the necklace atop her coat and stepped away from the horse. Midnight wouldn''t run, he was used to battle. "That''s a mighty fine necklace you have there, milady. We''ll be taking that, and the horse as well. I''m sure you knew that already. Since you''ve cooperated though, we''ll let you leave. Once we''ve had our fun with you though." He stepped towards her and caressed her cheek with his grimy hand. She remained impassive. She closed her eyes at his touch and could literally smell his blood. She could hear his heart pumping the delicious substance even from a foot away. The man trailed his hand downward ever so slightly to the nape of her neck and that was when she shot her hand out like a viper and ripped out the man''s windpipe. Blood. Sweet. Warm. Blood. It splattered her face and the man dropped to the ground like a rock. Stunned faces looked at her as she raised her index and middle finger and licked her fingertips. Energy filled her and she didn''t have to look into a mirror to know that her purple eyes had changed color and were now glowing a deep red. She grinned wickedly, showing her fangs. "Didn''t you say that you were going to show me a good time? I think I''ll take you up on that offer. Thanks." She stepped over the corpse and the other bandits looked at her nervously. It was clear they weren''t sure whether they should run or if they should overwhelm her with their advanced numbers. Another man stepped forward and slashed at her with a knife. She caught his wrist with her lightning reflexes and then effortlessly snapped his wrist. The man screamed in sweet agony and fell to the ground clutching his hand. That was when the rest of the bandits decided to attack. Miki activated her Strength and Speed runes, causing the fabric on her long gloves to glow from underneath. The world slowed around her, just a little bit, and she moved like the wind. The helpless fools who had thought to rob her fell left and right as she tore out their windpipes one by one while dodging arrows, daggers, and swords. She loved destroying the vein in peoples'' neck. It released so much blood. It was wonderful. She relished the screams of agony and the pools of blood that were soaking into the earth around her. Mere moments had passed, and she had dispatched over half of the enemies. Those who remained decided that it was past time to flee and turned to run. Miki activated her magical rune, Flame, and felt the air around her arm ignite. The magical energy burned the red of blood, not of flame, and she charged towards the fleeing enemies, lighting them on fire as she pounded them with her fists. Silence filled the plains around her once more as the last corpse fell to the ground, a smoking heap that was a charred corpse. She smiled to herself for a job well done and went back over to Midnight. She patted the horse on the head with one of her blood covered hands and then leaned down to pick up the leader. He had been bleeding all over the ground, but there was still blood to be had there. She leaned in and placed her mouth over the hole she had made, downing the warm liquid as it continued to weakly spurt. Satisfied with her meal, she dropped the corpse to the ground and retrieved a water skin from her magical bag. Once she had rinsed herself off a little, she put her pendant and overcoat back on before continuing on her way. She smiled to herself as the town of Asheborne came into view a half hour later. The town was beginning to light up as dusk had now approached. It was good to be free from supervision. She was going to have so much fun. Spoiler: Miki''s Stats
Name Miki
Level 037 (121,487/130,580 EXP to next Level)
Class Runemage
HP 3200/3200 MP 1560/1560
TP 0 Villain Rank A
Attributes
Vitality 128 Magic 105
Endurance 133 Magic Resistance 187
Strength 149 Luck 58
Agility 152
Dexterity 147
Passive Skills
? Strength Rune - Level 5 (+25 Strength) ? Blood Rage - Level 1 (+25 to all stats for 10 minutes after feeding. [Vampire racial skill]) ? Speed Rune - Level 5 (+25 Agility) ? Endurance Rune - Level 5 (+25 Endurance) ? Elemental Resistance Rune - Level 4 (+20% Resistance to all elemental magics.)
Rune Magic
? Flame Rune - Level 4 (Channel energy through the rune to conjure flames around your arms. Duration: 2 minutes.) ? Ice Rune - Level 3 (Channel energy through this rune to conjure frost around your arms. Impacts upon enemies will freeze upon impact. 18% chance of ice to spread and freeze victim completely. Duration: 1 Minute 30 Seconds.) Wind Rune - Level 2 (Channel energy through this rune to conjure blades of wind along the edges of your arms to cut down your enemies. Duration: 1 Minute) ? Earth Rune - Level 8 (Channel energy through this rune to harden your skin like rock. Mobility reduced by 50%. Duration: 5 minutes)
Chapter 48: Goodbyes and A New Beginning Megumi woke up, not in an inn or the Adventurers Guild, but in the Castellum palace. She slowly sat up in her over sized bed and looked around. It had been three days since Reynard convinced her to stay and somehow swept the whole incident of all the guards she had killed under the rug. The king had lapsed into a coma before she had even gotten to see him, and would likely never wake again, so Reynard was effectively the new king in all but name. Something told her that the king''s condition was likely not just some random twist of fate. Her memories flickered back to a certain high lady in Rivean who wanted the man dead for some reason. Was she going to go after Reynard next? Megumi climbed out of her bed and went over to the large gilded mirror, picking up a fine brush and running through her hair while she thought. Everything had changed, she had been used like an idiot and for just over a decade. Her face grew hot with rage and she gripped the brush so hard that her knuckles turned white. Why was she sitting in a palace doing nothing? Had that much really changed? Sure, she didn''t need to kill this king and do what she had intended, but that didn''t change much. Instead of the king being on her hit list, Cerberus now was. The fact remained that the high nobles in Vaeliea connived with or were manipulated by Cerberus to bring down a centuries long monarchy that had long been loved by its people. A usurper sat upon the crystal throne now and had so poorly managed the affairs of her stolen subjects that news of riots all over Vaeliea had been widespread for years now. Soldiers quelled those riots with extreme violence at every turn, but they continued to pop up like rats in a disgusting sewer. People who were overtaxed to their breaking point and who couldn''t afford to feed themselves or their families tended to do desperate things when backed into a corner. Didn''t Megumi owe it to them at least to kill the bitch who sat on her throne? Megumi knew that Cerberus had wanted her to take down her former kingdom at some point so that he could de facto rule through her. The vampire talked of little else other than world domination. It was his end game and Megumi couldn''t help but wonder how many fingers he had in the pie at this point. She finished brushing out her long hair and got changed out of her new, elegant nightgown. It was time for her to make a decision: would she stay here and let Reynard try to shelter her in this stuffy palace, or would she once again go out into the world and make her own way? She had come so far, and bloodied her hands beyond reprieve, didn''t she owe it to the world to put down Cerberus like one would a rabid dog? She stepped out of the lavish room and into the royal living quarters. A large sitting room stood before her with shelves upon shelves of books lining the edges of the room. The furniture looked comfortable, and she had to resist the urge to browse through the books and just laze about like she had when she was young and visiting this place. She had a couple pressing matters to attend to, and then she intended to get back to her real life, the life where she wasn''t stuck in a castle being waited on like a helpless child. A butler had seen that she had left the room and was already approaching her. "Your highness, is there anything I can do for you? Breakfast can be prepared for you if you''re hungry. What would you like to eat?" Megumi half opened her mouth to object, but her stomach grumbled and demanded that she at least take advantage of the royal chef''s delicious cooking. "I would like some of those pastries that the chef made yesterday. The ones that were filled with fruit." The butler bowed deeply. "It will be done, your highness." Megumi watched as the man left her and headed out of the sitting room. Megumi was about to follow when Amalisa, the royal attendant, popped out of her room and made a b-line for her. "My, my, my, dear. You can''t be serious about wearing that. Just a moment and we''ll get you dressed in proper attire for your station." The woman clapped her hands three times and four more women came into the room. Megumi silently ground her teeth, but reluctantly let them shove her back into her room. I can''t even wear what I want to in this place. I need to get out. She had made a conscious decision to not refer to herself in third person anymore. It had been a habit she had picked up in the orphanage because she thought it was cute. Somehow, now that she was no longer hiding her identity, it didn''t feel right to continue playing that game anymore. The attendants fussed over her and made her try on three different gowns before Amalisa decided for her which suited her best. Megumi had to admit that the gown was beautiful and it made her look more grown up to wear it, but gods was it uncomfortable. The evil woman had put her into a corset and squeezed the air out of her lungs. Megumi was pretty much the opposite of what one would call fat, but the woman had said that she needed it tight to give her extra lift. The group of women finished by braiding her hair in an intricate design, and by the time she was done and left her rooms again, the butler was returning to tell her that breakfast was prepared. Just how long was I in there? It''s no wonder that royals never get anything done. I had completely forgotten about this. Megumi followed the butler, who escorted her to the dining hall. Reynard was sitting at the end of a long table and Megumi was seated on the opposite side. "Good morning, Megumi. You look absolutely stunning, as always." The table was so long that it felt like she was being talked to by someone in another room. She couldn''t help but feel her cheeks get red from the compliment, however. "Thank you, Reynard." "If you''re not too busy, after our meal, would you like to accompany me on a walk through our gardens? It is a nice day today." Megumi needed to go find Hideki and Velyie. Velyie had resumed her job as a guard and Hideki had been given rooms inside the palace as he was her knight. Nobody knew that both of them were already dead. Velyie had continuously insisted that Megumi release her from the Soul Trap even after discovering who she was. It appeared that the woman had a strong stubborn streak and didn''t like the idea of being Megumi''s puppet even if she had to die for real to get out of it. She couldn''t blame Velyie. After all, she had in fact tortured the woman in the most horrible of ways for well over a day. Megumi would release the woman today. She had use of another Soul Trapped companion, but Velyie didn''t deserve what had been done to her. Megumi had another person in mind for the job anyway. She pulled herself back to the present? "Megumi?" She jumped a little, being pulled out of her head once more. "S-Sorry. I''d love to go for a walk with you, but can it wait until a little later? There''s something I need to take care of. We need to talk anyway." Megumi watched as maids exited the kitchens with plate after plate of food and placed it on the table in front of them. The maids set the table in front of each of them and asked if they wanted anything to drink. Reynard requested black tea, and Megumi asked for orange juice. The two of them were left with only a couple butlers standing at attention by the kitchen doors and two of the elite guards that always followed Reynard around who stood behind his chair. Her plate had pancakes with blueberries atop them as well as three of the pastries she had requested. They were in the shape of squares that were puffed up. The outside was covered with cinnamon and sugar, while the inside featured different fruits in each square she had received. She cut off a piece of one and took a bite of the flaky pastry. It was like she had died and gone to heaven. It was tempting to stay in this place, just so that she could eat like this every day. "We can talk now, can''t we?" "I can barely even see you, you''re so far away at the end of the table there. Also, what I want to talk about needs to be done in private." She eyed the butlers who continued to stand like statues at the doorway. "Very well. I have some matters of state to attend to for much of the morning. I will be free again in the mid-afternoon. We can go for a walk then, yes?" "Yes. Thank you." The remainder of the meal was spent talking about times past and the various antics that they had gotten up to when she had come to visit with her family on several occasions. The two of them had been betrothed since Megumi was five, and as such, she had spent a couple months a year living in this place. It was almost like a second home to her. She felt so relaxed here, and that bothered her. She felt as though she didn''t deserve it. She had failed to protect Miki from that evil bitch at the orphanage, and had subsequently been manipulated into becoming the monster that she now was. After the meal had ended she headed for Hideki''s quarters. Two attendants followed her everywhere she went, but when she got to the room, she asked that they stay outside and they, of course, obeyed. When she entered the room she saw that Poro-tan was playing a game of chess with Velyie. It was good that they were both in the same place. "Hideki, we''re going to leave here soon. There''s just a few things that I need to wrap up first. I''ll let you know more after I talk to Reynard alone later today." "You say that every day. Also, I''m not complaining or anything, but why have you decided to suddenly call me by my real name?" "You deserve to be called by your real name. It was childish of me to do that to you. I''m sorry." He looked down at the chessboard and moved his knight to take a pawn. "It was embarrassing at first, but it''s kind of nice that you gave me a nickname that only you call me." She was genuinely surprised to hear this. Megumi thought for sure that he absolutely hated to be called Poro. She smiled and stepped over to where the two were playing. After examining the board for a few moments, she could see that Velyie was going to have him in checkmate within four moves. "If that''s what you want, I''ll keep calling you Poro-tan." Velyie interjected, cutting Poro-tan off as he was about to reply. "I demand that you release me. I see that you''re more than I thought you were originally, but I don''t want to live as a slave. I can''t forgive you for what you did to me." "I''ll release you today. Is there anyone that you want to say goodbye to?" The woman stared down at the board and then moved her queen to capture Poro-tan''s bishop. "I''ve already said my goodbyes." "I''m sorry for what I did to you, I know that I can''t make it up to you. I can release you at any time, is there somewhere you wish to go in particular?" Velyie shook her head somberly. "Okay. After you''re done here, I want you to go to the courtyard." Velyie nodded her head and Megumi left the room. *** "Checkmate," Velyie said and Hideki tipped over his king. "Are you sure about this? She isn''t as bad as she seems. Things are going to be better now. Wouldn''t you rather live?" "My husband and son''s graves are here. I will not leave them. The truth is, I''ve been dead for a long time." Hideki felt for the woman sitting across from him. They had a certain kinship, being bonded to Megumi and having such a terrible time of it at the start, and he liked having her company over the past few days. "Would they want you to die? For nothing? You could come with us, Megumi is on the right track now. We''ll be doing good in the world, not evil." "I don''t think she has it in her. It will be hard to change what she is. She will still feel the need to kill people without remorse. I''m a guard and started out in the city watch. I believe that people who do wrong should be imprisoned and rehabilitated. I can''t go along with her way of doing things." Hideki knew that what she was saying was true. Megumi had little desire for giving mercy. He remembered what they had done to that mining town. Those people had deserved to rot in a dungeon, but probably not to die. At least not the entire town. He knew that she would do it again and again if she was given the chance, even now. "I understand. I wish that we could have met under different circumstances." Velyie nodded and stood up. "Goodbye, Hideki. Do what you can to soften her heart. She is still young, maybe she can change. She likes you, you know? It''s pretty obvious to me." "She''s a princess and she''s betrothed to this prince guy. She wouldn''t want anything to do with me anyway. I''m just a pawn to her." "I think you''re wrong about that. Also, if she wanted to continue on here with the prince, then she wouldn''t be so adamant about leaving. Consider that." Hideki looked down at the chess board once more before nodding slowly. He wasn''t really sure how he felt about Megumi. When he first met her, he thought he was almost ten years older than her. She had the body of a sixteen or seventeen year old girl, but the truth was that she was probably about the same age as he was. It wasn''t wrong to like her, was it? Did he like her? Or was she more like a sister to him? He couldn''t say. "I''m going to take my leave now. Thank you for the game, it was a pleasure getting to know you. I will be with my family again soon. Goodbye, Hideki." "Goodbye." He watched as she opened the door and strode away towards her desired fate. *** Megumi waited near the courtyard, looking out one of the large windows on the second floor that looked down on the space. She didn''t know what she could do to atone for what she had done to Velyie, but at least she could honor the woman''s wishes. Several minutes passed by and then she saw Velyie walk out into the courtyard. The woman looked up at the sky for a long moment. She could see that Velyie''s eyes were closed and had a feeling that the woman was weeping. It wrenched Megumi''s heart, but she gritted her teeth and released the Soul Trap that had bound Velyie to this world. Instantaneously, the woman collapsed to the ground. She was gone. Megumi pressed her hand against the cold glass of the window and then leaned her head against it. That had been hard to make herself do for some reason. She felt sick. "I''m going to go back to my rooms. It looks like that woman may need help. Go tell someone." "Yes, your highness." One of the attendants said and she ran off to do as she had been told. After the long walk back to her room, Megumi suddenly felt exhausted. She had the attendants help her with her dress and felt sweet relief once they removed the corset. She could finally take full breaths again. She dismissed them and flopped onto the bed. "Wake me at 3."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "As you wish, your highness." Megumi heard the door click shut as the women exited. She closed her eyes and rolled herself up in the soft goose-down blankets. In just a few moments she fell asleep. *** "It is 3, your highness." Megumi awoke with a start at the soft voice. She still wasn''t used to having all these people around her. A decade of being more-or-less alone had taken away all of the training she had received as a child. She sat up and then hopped out of the bed. "I''ll call the others to help get you dressed again." "No need. I want to wear my own clothes." "That... is unbefitting of one of your station." Megumi ground her teeth. She would not be made up like a toy doll again. She wanted to wear her own clothes, and would not budge this time. She was leaving this place soon anyway. She didn''t care that it irritated Amalisa. "I will wear what I want. Is that clear?" The attendant shrank at Megumi''s tone and curtsied before exiting the room. Finally. It''s about damned time that I get to do what I want again. She got dressed again in her own clothes and gathered up her few belongings into her magical bag. Once she was sure she had everything, she exited the room and headed straight for the butler who was by the door leaving the royal apartments. "Do you know where Reynard is?" "The prince told me that he would be waiting for you in the center of the hedge maze. I will take you there." "No need. I remember where it is. Thank you." The man bowed deeply and Megumi headed straight for the gardens. Conflicting emotions within her raged like a tempest, but she had made her decision this morning and she would stick with it. She would send for Poro-tan after she was done. The gardens were much less pretty than she had remembered them during her spring and summer visits. The maze was not the beautiful green, covered with flowers that she remembered, but rather an assortment of fall colors as the leaves were prepared to fall off. Hues of yellow and orange hid the path even this late in the year, but she remembered her way. It was nostalgic to be walking through this place again. After several minutes of meandering through the various paths, she found herself at the center of the maze. Reynard sat next to the large fountain that was the focal point of the maze and was reading a book. She wondered how often he had time to read with everything he now had going on in his life. Contrary to commoner beliefs, royals rarely had time to sit around and do nothing. Every second of their days were often planned out weeks in advance for them. It was refreshing to see that her childhood friend was still a bookworm at heart. He looked up when he heard the sound of her footfalls crunching leaves that had already fallen from the maze''s hedges. "There you are. I was beginning to wonder if you''d show or not. Back to wearing your adventurer clothes? Amalisa must''ve wanted to throw a fit over that." That comment brought a smile, a genuine one, to Megumi''s lips. "Well, they argued with me for what felt like forever. But at least I was able to get my way this time." "Come. Sit next to me. What is it that you wanted to tell me?" Winter was nearly here, and she didn''t want to spend it in these high mountains, that was for sure. "It''s not good news, unfortunately..." "You want to leave?" "...I have things I must do. I''m sorry, Reynard. I can''t go back to living this kind of life. Not when those responsible for the death of my family still run loose." His face twisted with sorrow at her words. She knew that he didn''t want to let her go. "Castellum is not powerful offensively, or I would offer to go with you, an army at our backs. We can''t march across the world recklessly though, despite how badly I want to right the wrongs done to you. I have to think of more than just myself..." The burden of royalty. She understood. "My people are being mistreated by Terinisa, and I won''t rest until she no longer sits upon the Crystal Throne. There is much more that I need to tell you about, however." Reynard gazed into her eyes and gave her his undivided attention as she told him everything she knew. She spilled all the details about Cerberus and the Council of Nine as well as the locations of the guild halls that she knew about. His face grew serious the more she went on and at the last, she revealed Lady Undine''s plot against his father. He stood up and began to walk towards the exit, but she grabbed his hand. "I''m sorry for what happened to your father. It turns out... he didn''t deserve it and I was just a fool." His grip tightened slightly and she saw that his other fist was clenched tightly. "I will have her head, on the morrow." Megumi held onto him and pulled him back into an embrace. "I''m really sorry, Reynard. There is another way that we can see the woman punished, if you''re willing to hear me out." He pushed her back after a moment and looked down at her. She could see the beginnings of tears in his eyes, then she explained her plan to him. At first he brushed aside her idea, but eventually she convinced him to do as she suggested. A messenger left the castle shortly after they left the gardens and Megumi went to tell Poro-tan of her plans. *** Three days later, Megumi crouched behind some curtains at the end of the throne room leading to the king''s war room. She couldn''t see the Obsidian Throne where Reynard now sat, but she heard the large doors at the end of the room open with a thud. The old king had died, and Reynard was now ruler of Castellum. People stepped inside the room and Megumi felt her heart pounding in her chest. This was it, she was excited to see that smug woman get what she deserved. "Your highness, I present High Lady Undine of Rivean." It was the voice of one of the attendants and she heard the cool voice of the Aquamancer. "As you have requested, your highness, I am here to serve. What do you ask of me in such haste?" Megumi knew why she was so smug. She expected that he was going to announce their engagement. Megumi hadn''t known that before all of this had happened, Undine was supposed to marry Reynard and become the next queen of Castellum. Apparently, she had grown tired of waiting for Reynard''s father to die and wanted to take the throne now. Megumi had little doubt that Reynard himself would have had some sort of ''accident'' shortly after the marriage would have been official. This was going to be fantastic. "It has come to my attention that my father did not die of a mere illness. He was assassinated. On your orders." Gasps rang out in the room which was filled with attendants and guards. The sound or steel rang in the air and resounded through the room. "On what basis do you make these accusations, your highness? I would never do something so vile." "We caught a girl, a necromancer, who told us that you had ordered her to try to kill the king. She didn''t succeed, but she wasn''t your only asset, was she?" "I''ve never met any such person. I deny this accusation unless you can provide real proof. This is an outrage!" Megumi stepped out from her hiding place in a fine gown fit for a princess and stepped forward. She saw Undine''s jaw drop and couldn''t keep a smile off her face at the sight. "My witness is reliable." "She is a commoner! A mere adventurer. She lies!" "She is Princess Megumi of Vaeliea, true heir to the Crystal Throne and my betrothed. I trust her word far more than I do yours. Guards!" Undine''s face turned as white as a ghost as he had revealed Megumi''s true identity. She cursed under her breath and reached into the cleavage between her breasts and pulled out a long vial of water, tossing it to the ground. The vial smashed and water formed into an orb above the woman''s hand. "You would dare attack me here?" The lady screamed in rage and the orb of water formed into two large spikes of ice which shot forward at both Megumi and Reynard. The elite guards, however, were very quick on their feet and the shards of ice shattered harmlessly against two shields. Undine sank to the floor sobbing and the head of Reynard''s elites stepped in front of the woman, his sword in one hand. "For the crime of treason, I find you guilty and sentence you to death." The guard captain stabbed the woman as she started to object to the death penalty. Her body lifelessly fell to the side and thudded against the floor. "There''s nothing more to see here. I want all of you, other than Megumi, her knight, and Adornus out of this room right this second!" Everyone jumped at the command and exited the room as quickly as dignity would allow. Megumi, however, was busy concentrating on her spell. She was in the process of casting Soul Trap on the fallen Aquamancer and it took a lot of concentration to bind a soul to the plane of the living. Once the spell had finished, she issued a silent command to the dead woman to remain where she was with her eyes closed until the very last person exited the room. "Congratulations, Undine. You get to live, as my brand new toy. You should consider yourself lucky." Megumi grinned and ordered the woman silently back to her feet. The plan had gone off without a hitch and tonight would be the night that Megumi and her two companions would leave the city and continue on their adventures. Megumi savored the look of outrage on the woman''s face and turned to Reynard. "Thank you for letting me have her. She will be useful." "This is a fitting punishment. She will no longer have her status, and will live as a commoner. She will be a servant and be forced to fight monsters. I''m glad that I could help you with this and avenge my father. I hope that if you manage to survive what you have planned, that you will consider returning and marrying me." She didn''t reply and simply gave him a huge hug. A part of her wanted to return and do just that, but another part of her wanted something else. She broke the embrace, gave the king one more smile, and then exited the room from a secret passage that Reynard had showed her when they were little with her two companions. They would change in the passageway and follow it outside the city. This was goodbye, an ending, but a beginning as well. Spoiler: Hideki''s Stats
Name Hideki (Poro-kun)
Level 028 (52,822/54,310 EXP to next Level)
Class Warrior
HP 2000/2000 MP 75/75
TP 0 Adventurer Rank B
Attributes
Vitality 71 Magic 30
Endurance 62 Magic Resistance 37
Strength 59 Luck 34
Agility 50
Dexterity 45
Passive Skills
? Warrior''s Essence - Level 5 (+50 HP regeneration/min) ? Sword Mastery - Level 7 (+70% proficiency with swords) ? Tiger Style - Level 2 ? Turtle Style - Level 2 ? Stalwart - Level 1 (+10% natural defense) ? Fortify Health - Level 3 (+150 HP) ? Adrenaline - Level 4 (Killing an enemy gains you one stack of Adrenaline. Each stack adds +3 to Strength, Vitality, and Agility for 4 minutes. Maximum stacks: 5)
Active Skills
? Holy Blade - Level 1 (Envelope blade in holy aura for 15 seconds) ? Shockwave - Level 3 (Release shockwave from blade)
Spoiler: Megumi''s Stats
Name Megumi
Level 030 (63,500/65,513 EXP to next Level)
Class Necromancer
HP 475/475 MP 1550/1550
TP 0 Villain Rank C
Adventurer Rank D
Attributes
Vitality 19 Magic 79
Endurance 12 Magic Resistance 53
Strength 6 Luck 19
Agility 10
Dexterity 10
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 6 (+180 MP regeneration/min) ? Fortify MP - Level 2 (+100 MP)
Active Skills
? None
Necromancer Magic
? Sanguine Infusion (50 MP) - Level 15 (Absorb life essence of recently deceased, 15% chance to gain +1 TP from human victims [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 16, (50)]) ? Corpse Explosion (30 MP) - Level 7 - (+70% damage from explosion) ? Corpse Absorbtion (10 MP) - Level 1 (Absorb a corpse''s essence. Recover 80 MP) ? Raise Undead (20 MP) - Level 11 (Raise weak undead to fight for you. Max: 55) ? Undead Mastery - Level 4 (+20% to stats of Raised Undead) ? Summon Blood Golem (500 MP) - Level 1 (Raise a Golem to fight by your side by using the blood of the fallen. Max: 1) ? Blood Golem Mastery - Level 2 (+8 Minutes to summon duration. +10% defense, +10% attack power) ? Soul Trap (350 MP) - Level 2 (Trap soul of a recently defeated foe. Max: 2 [Cap reached. Lvl Requirement for Lvl 3: (60)] ) ? Soul Trap Mastery - Level 7 (+28 to all stats of Summoned Souls. Max level reached. Lvl requirement for Lvl 8: 50) ? Spirit Barrier (100 MP) - Level 2 (Erect a barrier using souls of the dead for fuel. Blocks spells and projectiles) ? Magic Skin - Level 5 (Actively consumes MP to negate physical and magical damage. Higher levels lower the MP cost) ? Decay (120 MP) - Level 5 - (25% chance of success. Causes body to rot from the inside out causing extreme pain and slowing movement at joints) ? Siphon (70 MP) - Level 1 - (Drain health of enemy at a rate of 10 HP/second for up to 5 seconds. 30% chance of success.) ? Eldritch Blast (75 MP) - Level 13 (Unleashes a roiling ball of Eldritch energy that burns its subject on contact for 5 seconds)
Spoiler: Undine''s Stats
Name Undine
Level 019 (16,121/17,528 EXP to next Level)
Class Aquamancer
HP 950/950 MP 1672/1672
TP 0
Attributes
Vitality 38 Magic 88
Endurance 44 Magic Resistance 103
Strength 39 Luck 38
Agility 39
Dexterity 43
Passive Skills
? Mage''s Essence - Level 3 (+90 MP regeneration/min)
Aquamancy
? Manipulate Water (50 MP) - Level 8 (Water moves at your will. The amount of water that you may control at once and the mana infused within it increase per level.) ? Freeze (30 MP) - Level 1 (Freeze liquid water instantly.) ? Evaporate (30 MP) - Level 1 (Turns water into hot steam instantaneously.) ? Liquefy (30 MP) - Level 1 (Turns ice or water vapor into liquid water.) ? Ice Spike (100 MP) - Level 1 (Conjure spikes of pure ice and mana for use as projectiles) ? Drown (200 MP) - Level 3 (Encase your victim in a bubble of water. Effect remains in place until you dismiss the spell.) ? Frozen Orb of Destruction (250 MP) - Level 1 (After channeling for 3 seconds, form a large ball of ice that can be thrown at enemies. The ball of ice will shrink as it moves, firing off spikes of ice.)