《The Forgotten Hero》


 Prologue - Shared Fate

    The starlit night sky, occasional faint cloud fluttering past, could be seen through the many large holes in the once magnificent throne room''s ceiling. The cold, white light of the full moon fell on the dark marble floor, illuminating debris that use to be a few of the decorated pillars, the light glistening off the metal armour and weapons, partially rusted with the passage of time and incomplete skeletons, black rings of metal around their necks.


    The room was eerily silent, even for what it was now considered, a tomb. The effect was only broken by the occasional drip of water, splashing in puddles created by the earlier thunderstorm.


    It was easy to see, even in its dilapidated state, that in its heydey the room would have been fit for even the greatest of kings, one which the entire kingdom would be proud of.


    A tattered banner, mostly rotten, gave a single flap as it got caught by a gentle breeze, dislodging a large amount of dust into the room.


    With the passage of time, seemingly meaningless, the seconds turned to hours, the only noticeable change to the room being the rays of light shifting as the moon reached its zenith.


    Suddenly, a loud coughing can be heard, along with a low, agonised groan.


    In the shadows, the shape of a huge man slumped against what appears to be a throne, shifts, dislodging more dust into the air. Dark spear-like shapes jut from his chest and legs, pinning him to the chair. From how he was sitting, as well as the angle of the spears, it was clear he was thrown back into it as he was impaled.


    If one were to look closely enough, they would see faint blue runes flicker from time to time as the weapons, their origins long lost in time, consumed the beings lifeforce and mana, leaving him powerless.


    With another cough, the figure used it''s free hand to scratch a single, bull-like horn on the left side of his head.


    "Hmm, this place is falling apart." A soft, almost angelic voice echoes around the room as the cloaked figure of a woman appears in one of the circles of moonlight. "So how are we today boys? Ready to give me your souls or just fancy a little chat like normal?"


    After pulling down her thin mantel, the woman put her hands on her hips, her featureless face, similar to a blank mask, pointed towards the man on the throne. The woman struggles to contain a laugh, though where it came from, no one knew. "Unless you have somewhere more important to be?"


    The figure stapled to the throne sighs. "Why do you always take your hood off? You have a figure to die for." The man chuckled at his own joke. "But your face is just creepy as hell. I still want to know how you see and talk? It''s been what, three hundred odd years? Tell us already."


    "Flattery, as well as an insult? It seems that imprisonment has been good for your personality. I remember the days where you would just rage and scream about vengeance and what you would do to me when you got free." The figure put her hand on her chest, "Oh, such lewd and... intriguing promises. You might have stolen this goddess''s, heart."


    "Pfft, what goddess? You''re just an ancient soul eater." Responded the Demon Lord dismissively, refusing to rise to her bait.


    "Hey, I even have a few of my own temples now and with the old gods gone, someone needs to take their place." The woman took an upset pose, but it was evident she was toying with him. "So about yo-"


    "Fuck off Styx." A cold, detached voice echoed through the room. "I am not in the mood."


    "When are you?" Styx tilted her expressionless head sideways. "Shame this little time out hasn''t been as beneficial to you. Do you ever stop and think that it was your personality had something to do with why they couldn''t just let you roam free?"


    Silence.


    "Then again," the woman said holding a small, white crystal above her head. When the moonlight hit the crystal it reflected, illuminating the room. "It''s better than when you were all doom and gloom. Mr Demon Lord over there was funny." Her voice turned monotone. "You were just nasty."


    In the middle of the room, what appeared to be a black chunk of armour, shredded almost beyond recognition, was impaled to the floor by nearly four times the amount of spears as the red-skinned, tattooed Demon Lord, who was shielding his eyes from the sudden bright light.


    Bits or the armour littered the floor around the figure, and where they should belong, raw flesh, bone and sometimes a bit of skin could be seen. The man was in a kneeling position; his head slumped downwards. In his hand, clutched for over three hundred years, the hilt of a broken, rusty sword.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Leaving the crystal floating in the air, Styx walked towards the figure, and slipping in between the unnatural spikes; she put her hand on the man''s cheek. If anyone were to see this scene, they would think that a Valkyrie had come to collect a fallen warrior and, in a way, they were right.


    Valkyries often gathered for soul eaters, the beautiful women tricking the fallen soldiers into thinking they were being escorted to the afterlife. Corrupt souls that had sinned and then suffered a violent death were like a delicacy for the soul eaters, add a few hundred years to them, and they would almost lose their minds. Styx sighed and mumbled inaudibly. "Shame it has to be willingly given. I bet you taste divine."


    Returning to her angelic voice, Styx lifted the man''s head. "The Demon Lord I can understand, but why do you continue to make yourself suffer? You were betrayed. By your friends, by the humans and their alliance. Even your lover. You never had a chance to return home, and by now, even if you could, everyone you know would be dead. Your wife, your children, their children. Gone. Why do you do this to yourself? What do you have to gain? I could release you from your torment. Just relinquish your soul to me adn the pain will be gone."


    The man''s face was illuminated in the light. He wasn''t exactly handsome, but he wasn''t exactly ugly either. Well, he wouldn''t have been if it weren''t for the fact that half his face seemed to have been melted, bone and even a few teeth showing through the thin, warped skin. The only thing that marked him out from other humans, bar his wounds, was his eyes. His raptor-like gaze bore into the self-proclaimed goddess''s soul, causing her to shudder. They were the eyes of a predator or worse, a monster who, even in defeat, would never submit.


    Styx sighed again, letting his head drop down. "You haven''t even lost a spark of your defiant nature, but I guess that''s why I like you. Apart from those you deem worthy, whether it be mortal or god, everyone else is just a spec of dirty in your eyes. An obstical to be used or crushed as you see fit. What was it you said? The end justifies the means?"


    "You sure its not because he gave you your name after telling that story from his home world in an attempt to insult you?" chuckled the Demon Lord, pain from his eternal wounds evident in his voice.


    The woman shrugged. "What can I say, I enjoy the name and his stories. Shame he stopped telling them after he realised we were enjoying them."


    The Demon Lord could only nod. "It did break up the bordem. Then again, I now look forward to the yearly visits of a lovely soul eater."


    The woman chuckled. "I have told you before; your flattery will get you nowhere. I want your soul, demon. No more, no less."


    "Hero, I will give you a few more decades, but I am getting tired or waiting and as you well know, there are fates far worse than death." Turning, Styx returned to her crystal and was about to grab it when she froze, the hairs on the back of her head standing on end, dark, haunting words, reverberating in her bones.


    "This thing devours all.''


    Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;


    Gnaws iron, bites steel;


    Grinds hard stones to meal;


    Slays kings, ruins towns;


    And beats high mountains down;


    Turning them into nothing but dust before, even that is consumed." replied the shell that was once known as a hero. "Corroding even the most powerful of seals... What Am I?"


    Even the Demon Lord, frowned, his red eyes watching the man cautiously. This has been the most he had spoken for over two hundred years, and if the past was anything to go by, that was never a good sign.


    The man slowly lifted his head, his eyes locking onto Styx. "Time little goddess, time. Unfortunately for you, I have all the time in the world, where yours is running out."


    "So you have finally lost your mind," responded Styx, though she was trying to convince herself that more than anything else "Not even a hint of magic yet those words contained so much power. Where does he get it from?"


    Her duty on checking the prisoners done, she faded from sight the moment she had retrieved her crystal. "Damn the reincarnation cycle. We should just kill him and every brat that shows a hint of his talents."


    As the light died, The Demon Lord''s eyes went wide as he used his only free hand to rub his eyes. For only the briefest of moments, he thought he saw the hero''s eyes glowing a blood red, the sign of a demon, or, in rare cases, ancient blood magic.


    The eyes moved to the Demon Lord before slowly closing, along with a bone-chilling, self-deprecating laugh emanated from the shadows "Such a shame that most seem to have already fallen to the passage of time. How I would have loved to hear their pained screams as they begged for mercy."


    "I gave up on that grudge a long time ago." The Demon Lord shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder who is the real monster here?"


    "Was there any doubt?" The fallen hero''s voice returned, in nothing but a whisper.


    "I guess not." The Demon Lord''s eyes scanned the multitude of bodies, mostly his honour guard strewn across the room. "Your kind has always been foolish but summoning pure beings and injecting them with mana to trigger rapid mutations was beyond madness. Though I managed to destroy all records of the practice, I guess the damage was already done."


    The room fell into silence.


    "Well, I guess they are no longer you kind." A dejected smile appears on the Demon Lord''s lips as once again shook his head, feeling a bit talkative after their warden''s visit. "Fucking idiots. No only did they not kill you, binding your soul to another vessel that would be native to this world, they locked you up in one of the most mana fertile valleys with a dying Demon Lord."


    Talking to himself, the Demon continued.


    "I suppose they thought that your mutation cycle had ended. Or didn''t really care as they would die long before you were strong enough to escape." Realising that his companion was no longer listening and getting bored of the same thoughts he had had for centuries, the Demon Lord got as comfortable as he could before falling into a trance, reliving memories of better days.

 Arc 1 - New World, Chapter 1 - No good deed

    Lazily sitting on a comfortable, green leather chair, in the centre of a room that would put most kings to shame, sat a thin woman in a black and white dress holding a small, silver goblet. Her skin was so pale that it was hard to tell where the white parts of her dress ended and her skin began giving her an odd, otherworldly feel.


    If one were to take a quick glance, they would be concerned about the woman''s health, being so thin, but upon seeing her face, they would probably pale and do one of two things, kneel and press their heads against the floor or, more than likely, quickly make an excuse and escape.


    The woman was often called the Goddess of the Fallen, or to those who knew her well, Styx. She was a Soul Eater, and because of her race, she did not have a face in the conventional sense. If someone were to paint a portrait of her, it would be fair in assuming that the artist had forgotten to add her features before considering she was anything else than human.


    As a Soul Eater, she was a spiritual entity and did not need any physical substance or features to interact with the world around her. The only reason she had a body similar to a human female was to lure potential prey into offering her their souls, though she preferred to use deals instead of trickery. This was one of the main reasons her existence was overlooked by the majority of religions in the world that held souls as sacred. Once consumed, a soul would become a part of her, slightly changing her personality.


    In the past, she and her race''s allies, the Valkyries, were seen as messengers for the old gods, collecting souls of the fallen so they would not rise as undead but after a rogue soul eater became infatuated with a mortal, a being with a finite life span, and revealed their secrets, they were despised as foul, ungodly beings. The Valkyries got off lightly, assimilating into the many races armed forces but the Soul Eaters were persecuted mercilessly.


    When it was found out that they could only take willing souls, things calmed down significantly but they never regained their past glory and were often shunned by society.


    This lead to her attempting to attain divinity, using the faith of millions converted into raw power, she would be able to ascend and evolve into a being known as a lesser god. This was primarily due to her being the last of her race, losing the need to consume souls and wanting to ensure that her kind would not be annexed to history like so many others.


    Her race, although disliked, was still stable until they came.


    The summoned heroes, at the orders of the Alliance, had mercilessly hunted her kind down as they were exceptional spies and infiltrators due to their spiritual bodies. In the end, the handful that remained surrendered and, reversing their allegiances, were put to work fighting the Demon Lord.


    When the dust settled and the Demon Lord had been trapped, she was the only one that remained and none of the leadership wanted the stain of ending an entire species, so she was left to be the warden of one of the most feared places on the planet, one she had a hand in creating.


    Swirling the empty goblet in her hand, a habit she picked up when socialising with physical races, she tilted her head towards the ceiling.


    "Three hundred and fifty-five years." Sighing the wannabe goddess let the goblet fall to the carpeted floor as she stood up and walked to an ornate window, overlooking a sprawling, medieval styled city. Plumes of smoke rose into the air as, what appeared to be a floating island, circled the perimeter. The occasional flash of light emanating from one of its many launch bays.


    When she reached the window, she stared at the ruins of what seemed to have once been an incredible fortress on the mountain in the distance. She was currently residing in the new, occupied capital city of the Demon Nation. The old capital was stripped bare for its construction only leaving the Demonic Palace standing.


    Though time had taken its toll and it now lay in ruins, it was still an impressive sight, even with the dreary weather. "I hate this dull place. I am just as much a prisoner as they are. Why can''t they find another spirit type to stand watch? It''s not like those two monsters are going to die of old age or that I am the only one that can pass the barrier."


    Dark grey clouds block out the fading sunlight as a hazy rain falls on the city, flashes of lightning flicker in the distance. "What keeps them going in that damn crypt? They don''t even talk anymore. Just sit there, day after day, year after year. Two souls are forgotten by time."


    She sighed again, another bad habit she picked up that didn''t need to do. She knew the Demon Lord from when he was just a child and the hero; she was sure during the time the spent together during missions, he started to develop feelings for her.


    Nothing in the romantic sense but he would always drag her to bars when they were off duty, nearly killing any that mentioned her race or were stupid enough to try and discriminate against her before forcing her to sit there in silence as he drank, muttering something in a strange language from time to time. She didn''t need protecting but it somehow made her feel appreciated. It was a weird feeling and it was at that point she decided she needed to be a little more picky on what she ate, realising that the stable diet of heartbroken youths was not doing her mind any good.


    Surprisingly, there were quite a few willing to offer their souls to her, but unlike the myths, they were not battle hardened soldiers seeking rewards for their lifetime of grizzly deeds, but often the young who were in hopless situations or, more commonly, were over reacting and wanted to end it all over, what she considered, trivial reasons. Still, she had to eat so she did little to discourage them.


    However, due to this, even though she was around four hundred years old, the soul''s influences made her act a lot younger than she was or even looked. As such, the weird, anti-social human that was like a magnet for trouble and mayhem sparked her interest and she found herself spending more and more time in his company.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    His behaviour was way outside the norm, even for his summoned peers, but the church and the Alliance leaders really took offence that he was more willing to accept and embrace monsters and the dark races, like her, as equals than his own race, often stating that at least they were honest about their nature and so worthy of his time.


    More often than not his assumption that they were any better backfired on him, and he soon started treating everyone equally. His ''kill first, ask questions later'' attitude caused nothing but trouble for the military and it wasn''t long before they assigned him to a death squad, a unit that specialised in high-risk, covert operations.


    It took six years but eventually a team of summoned formed around him, each one almost as much trouble as he was, and it wasn''t long until they treated each other as family. Even though on the outside the Hero seemed to be pretty much the same, she had spent enough time with him to know he was starting to enjoy life.


    Three years later, they were the last of the summoned, the rest having fallen in battle or due to assassinations. Not only did this make them pretty famous, but their infamous deeds caused people to fear them almost as much as the Demon Lord. Rumours spread about the heroes giving themselves over to the dark gods for power, though the military vigorously denied this.


    Their unit was soon given the nickname, The twelve Angels of Death. Feared throughout the Alliance and Dark races alike for their merciless, brutal and often near suicidal tactics, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.


    As the war drew to its end, the Alliance leaders began to worry about what they would do with them. No matter the mission they sent them on, they always returned and even with the enslavement collars, they always managed to figure out a loophole, even managing to ''lose'' a few of their handlers on the way, making them almost impossible to control. In the end, they made the decision to eliminate the problem once and for all.


    When she was ordered to prepare the God Binding ritual for them and Demon Lord, Styx was conflicted but knew that refusing would only lead to her death. The group was fun and never excluded her, seeing her as, in their own words, a faceless spectre mascot that kept the irritants at bay and wouldn''t steal their drinks, but her own survival took precedence and she quickly got to work.


    It was made worse by the fact that the one organising the operation was an elf that had managed to gain the hero''s interest, though she admitted that it had been the hardest seduction mission she had ever taken and retired soon after the mission was confirmed as a success.


    Styx knew that the Hero would take this betrail badly, worse than anything the leadership could do, and if they failed, then the Alliance could probably say goodbye to their entire ruling class, maybe even a few of their smaller cities


    Even though she was relatively sure that the summoned could not fight the whole world on their own, the group did not work like normal units and specialised in stealth hit and run tactics, making it very hard to pin them down.


    Where the army was a sledgehammer, they were a surgical blade, or more accurately, twelve surgical knives that you could not see coming. Their entrance into the Demon Lords palace was a prime example. They avoided an entire army, thousands of elite troops and even the many deadly magical arrays, formations and barriers and appeared right before the Demon Lord as he was relaxing in his throne room.


    When news got out, it threw the major powers into chaos, realising that their very expensive defences were almost useless to a highly trained hit squad. They all demanded to know how the summoned had achieved it but apparently, the death squad had gone rouge on this mission. Their handler''s beacon was never found.


    Even Styx had not heard much about how they did it, but she saw them boarding a customised observation balloon with weird looking shields and knew that had something to do with it. There were twelve holes in the ceiling of the chamber so she assumed they arrived from the air but the observation balloon travelled at an almost impossible height. Not even an iron dwarf would be able to survive that kind of fall so she dismissed it as a decoy.


    Before the summoned left, most celebrating the possibility of returning home after this mission, which Styx knew was impossible due to their mutated bodies, she did something she still couldn''t believe. Only pure bodies, those not effected by mana could pass through the interdental arrays. They could never return home, no matter what the higher ups told them.


    Styx shook her head. She remembered walking up to the hero, his dark armour oozing malice and, for a reason she didn''t understand, gave him a hug, causing him to freeze in an almost comical way.


    Dragons, liches even the fabled death worms and the man would laugh fearlessly and turn into a killing machine. A hug from a faceless girl and he locked up like a little child. Styx chuckled, wondering if this is why the elf had such a hard time.


    She remembered wanting to laugh at the time, but the pit in her none existent stomach lurching so much she could only manage a weak smile.


    "Be careful, We are surrounded by darkness, even in the light," muttered Styx to the empty room, her last words to him before they became enemies.


    Those words seemed to snap the hero back to reality and a bestial grin appeared on his face. "Wouldn''t have it any other way."


    Attempting to force her mind from the memories, Styx''s gaze shifted to a magnificent statue below, her figure briefly shaking. The statue was in the same shape of herself but where her face should be a decorative mask, with bright red and blue patterns along its edges. "So much has changed. Would you even recognise this world anymore?"


    The woman''s shoulders slumped in sadness as she pressed her hand to the window. "I am not even sure I do. You damned summoned changed everything."


    The memory of the hero standing up to the others, demanding that the stop influencing this world made her chuckle, relieving some of the sadness. "The hero was alwa-"


    "When did I stop calling him by his name?" Abruptly the woman turned around and marched to a wooden desk with a large yellow crystal on it. Without missing a beat, she pulled an ancient looking parchment out and scanned its contents. Some of the words were blurred, causing her to rub her eyes before looking more closely. She did the same with multiple documents, getting more frantic as she started throwing them on the floor. "How?"


    Styx took a calming breath before placing her hand on the yellow crystal. "Tathaln Karthell".


    She was clearly impatient for something but continued to wait, her foot tapping on the floor.


    Eventually, it flickered to life and a sleepy, masculine voice emanated from the device. "What is it Styx? It''s the middle of the night here."


    Ignoring the man''s words, Styx leant closer, placing her hands on the oak desk, tension evident in her voice. "Tathaln, what was the hero''s name? The one we have imprisoned?"


    The voice from the crystal sounded annoyed. "Styx, what''s wrong with you. How could you ever forget? It''s..."


    Silence emanated throughout the room, the sound of rain drumming the window only increasing the tension.


    The crystal glowed back to life, all signs of tiredness from the voice gone. "Styx, secure the palace now. I will alert the others and get to you within a few hours. Do what you must to ensure neither of them escapes. With any luck, we have caught this before it turns into something serious."


    "Fuck," Without waiting another moment, Styx''s figure flashed, and she disappeared from the room causing the scattered parchment to flutter around the room.

 Arc 1 - New World, Chapter 1.2 - Goes Unpunished

    With a low grunt, Styx landed heavily on the floor, kicking up a large amount of dust. She had appeared standing under the hole in the ceiling, closest to where the Demon Lord was imprisoned like she had done for centuries, though this time, every fibre of her being was pleading for her to be anywhere but there.


    As her vision was not the same as traditional beings, the dust and darkness did not hinder her as she glanced around the dark room, sucking in a deep breath and tensing when her gaze fell on the demonic throne.


    "Welcome to my parlour, said the spider to the fly." The hero''s voice, laced with malice, echoed around the chamber.


    Before Styx could move, a bright, white light erupted around her as a pentagram sprang to life under her. Feeling almost all of her strength leaving her body, Styx fell to her knees, beads of sweat running down her mask-like face.


    Although the light dimmed significantly, it was still enough to light up the room, casting haunting shadows on the walls from the debris and crumbling remains scattered across the floor.


    Illuminated by the formations light, slouching on the demon lords throne, one leg over the armrest as he held up a black skull, a single horn sticking out of its left side, lounged the hero. "You were just in time; the conversation was getting a little boring with my friend here. Alas, he is no Horatio, even though I knew him well."


    The hero chuckled at his joke as he dropped the skull, crashing into a pile of black bones, small clumps of rotting flesh and sinew still attached, sending them skittering across the floor. "Why are you here Styx? Although I lost track of time God knows when, unless the seasons have drastically changed, you are early."


    Styx had gained enough experience in her long life not to be shocked by much, but what she saw was beyond belief and caused her mind to grind to a halt as she attempted to work out what was going on.


    A magical array capable of sealing a spirit type entity, the absence of the Divine Spears, capable of imprisoning a god, the seemingly brutal death and consumption of the Demon Lord, whose flesh was known to be incredibly poisonous and his missing demonic essence. There were too many questions, and nearly no answers, Each more baffling than the last. She didn''t know where to begin or what to do. Styx even caught herself, suspecting that this could be a dream.


    Shaking her head, Styx eliminated the thought. This was no dream, not even a nightmare, and even entertaining the idea was wasting valuable seconds that she did not have.


    "A word of advice from someone who has experienced one for a long time, little demigod. It''s hard to wake from a nightmare when it''s real," smirked the hero as he lazily stretched, seemingly in no rush.


    Luckily for Styx, this wasn''t the most shocking thing that had happened to her tonight, that being when she discovered that her memories had been tampered with, and so she quickly regained her senses. "Why am I still alive. You may be a sadistic bastard at times, but you were never one to prolong the kill."


    Styx shivered, as she remembered the kind of man that was standing before her. He was the best ally you could ever dream to have if you were fortunate enough to earn his favour or for him to be in your debt, but as an enemy, or even an innocent bystander, he could become your worst nightmare.


    During her time watching over them, Styx had discovered that out of all the summoned heroes, there was only one the Late Demon Lord feared and respected in equal measure, and he now sat before her, on his defeated foes throne, looking down at her if she was nothing more than a slight inconvenience.


    Still, Styx didn''t lose focus. She knew she was alive for a reason and hoped that whatever it was, it would buy enough time for the other demigods to arrive.


    "I always liked you Styx. You''re a coward when it comes to a fight, but you''re quick on the uptake, and your schemes are quite straight forward." The hero unhooked his leg and sat up straight, his predatory gaze falling on the kneeling soul eater. "So let''s get down to it, shall we? How did you know?"


    The hero''s question was ambiguous, but she instantly knew what he meant. He wanted information and Styx internally sighed with relief feeling this was the best outcome she could hope for in this situation.


    She held no delusions that he was going to forgive her for being one of the main perpetrators of his imprisonment and let her walk away scot free but even so, knowing she wasn''t going to die a dog''s death was some comfort.


    If Styx could smile, she would be grinning like a madwoman about now. The world had changed so much since the time of the hero, and he was an inquisitive soul. She was almost sure she could keep him occupied until the others arrived. Not only that, she might be able to get some of her questions answered if she played it right. Whatever the hero had done to escape the Divine Spears or erase his name, was sure to be valuable information that if she survived, would secure her future.


    Not wanting to appear too eager, she scanned the room to try and glean more information, becoming more shocked with each passing moment. The room had more magical formations carved into it than the fortress in the Alliance capital. Mostly were advanced offensive and defensive arrays, but many were too complicated, even for her extensive knowledge, to understand. The implications that he could use formation magic more advanced than her sent a chill down Styx''s non-existent spine as despair gnawed at her insides.


    The next shocking thing was that the hero appeared to be nearly recovered. A faint scar ran down the side of his face and the gaps in his armour no longer revealed bone and flesh, but pale skin.


    Styx once again found herself at a loss. How did she know he was injured? Even though she was looking at him, the man in front of her had the appearance of a stranger. If it weren''t for the sound of his voice, she would not think it was the same man.


    Trying to recall what the hero looked like, she felt a sharp pain in her head. Every memory of him was vivid, being a spiritual being her memories didn''t degrade like other races, but his face was always a blur. She could remember his voice, his actions, even the annoying way he would down his drinks but every detail about his face was gone, just like anything that described him or his name in the documents.


    Turning her head to the hero, who now was resting his head on his knuckles, watching the soul eater with interest, waiting for her reply, Styx tried to control her shaky voice and redirect the conversation. "Do you think I am foolish enough to say anything to you or have you forgotten one of your many titles, Inquisitor?"


    A smile appeared on the hero''s face. "Interesting, so you are trying to buy time and suggest that you remember everything while remaining vague. Even more surprising, you are trying to find out if what I have done has affected my memory. Yes I know I am admitting that I have done something, and it has affected your memory, but my next questions would make that obvious, so it''s pointless to hide."If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The hero chuckled, leaning back into his chair. "You have come a long way, Soul Eater. Shame you are as predictable as ever. With the old gods gone and the sensitive nature of your mission, I guess you alerted the other Demigods who are rushing here at this very instant, not even knowing what the situation is? Idiots, the lot of you."


    Styx didn''t move a muscle, completely locking down her body in an attempt not to reveal anything.


    "So they are." Even without her response, the hero seemed to get his answer."Also, the fact that you did a double take of me and then looked to where I had been imprisoned means that at least some of the spell worked." The hero released a deep breath as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.


    Suddenly he started laughing, throwing his head back as his voice resonated around the large room. It hurt his vocal cords, being the first time he had laughed in such a long time. "Who would have thought an idea I got from a fantasy book in my old world would be so effective?"


    Eventually, he calmed down and, wiping a tear from his eye, faced Styx. "Say my name."


    Styx remained motionless.


    The hero moved onto another question. "What did I look like before?"


    Again, Styx didn''t respond. She knew that although she was purposefully keeping quiet, these questions were so easy and obvious that if she didn''t answer them, she was confirming his assumptions. Yet, to answer them incorrectly would be doing the same. Her only hope was that if she remained silent for all of them in the hope that he wouldn''t be able to assert which were true and which weren''t.


    The hero swept his arm outwards. "Can you tell me what happened here?"


    The heroes penetrating gaze locked onto Styx, causing to forget her previous decision momentarily. "The eleven her-"


    Styx was furious with herself for starting to answer but even more worried about what she had almost said. The moment the first few words had left her mouth, she knew it was wrong. Her memories told her that eleven hero''s had sacrificed their lives to imprison the demon lord but in contradiction to that memory, was the hero standing in front of her. She knew him; she knew he was a summoned hero, but for some reason, Styx didn''t count him when she recalled the story. It was as if two opposing memories had been overlayed. One where eleven heroes lost their lives to defeat the Demon Lord. The other where eleven died, and one survived.


    The hero had been watching her intensely, and even though she had no features to reveal tells, it appeared that he could sense what she was thinking.


    With a loud breath, he stood up. "Time to go big, or go home."


    Grabbing the black collar around his neck with both hands, the hero started pulling in different directions.


    Styx was shocked, though the owners could remove a collar, a slave would never be able to, especially a black obsidian one. If they attempted it, it would incapacitate them or worse; it would shatter their soul leaving them nothing more than a living doll.


    Slave collars used an ancient magic that utilised the name given to the soul of an individual, also known as their god given name.


    A sentient being could only be enslaved by another if their soul name was known, which surprisingly, was more common than not. If an individual wanted to use high tier spells and magic, they had to invoke their soul''s power by using their name and link it to one of the old gods in a chant. No one knew the reason why, it just seemed to work, and people had come to think of it as common sense.


    Due to this, using high-level spells in front of your enemies, or even people of a suspicious nature was extremely risky, but it was a seen as something unavoidable.


    Suddenly, one of the pieces of the puzzle fitted together, and Styx couldn''t help but speak aloud. "Your god given na-"


    With a loud crack, the collar shattered and turned to dust, enabling the hero to rub his neck, an unarguably large grin appearing on his face.


    "You erased your name so that you could escape the collar," stated Styx. She was worried that her usefulness was now over as he obviously was using her to gain information about how effective his spell was as, after all, he had no access to the outside world. "You escaped the Divine Spears, used some kind of magic to erase memories linked to you but you are not free yet."


    A sad look flashed across the hero''s eyes. "How can you escape something that can imprison a god?"


    Ignoring his question, Styx used her vision to analyse the hero''s energy, determined to find a way to foil his plans. If she were going to die, then she wouldn''t make it easy.


    Her voice shattered the silence, a hint of triumph in its tone. "You cannot escape the Emperors barrier. It might not be as strong as the spears, but with your current power, even if you were to absorb my life essence, it wouldn''t be enough."


    She knew she was being confrontational, and she knew it was a bad idea, but if any of her memories about the hero were true, she knew how easy it was to goad him into an argument which might buy her a bit more time. However, against her expectation, the hero continued to smile. "Of course not. To break this barrier, I would need the energy of at least eight demigods. It''s such a shame there are only nine in the world, including you, and that they are so far away, spread out across the world. It''s not like they would all rush here and offer up their lives if I sent out an invitation is it?"


    Styx blood ran cold as the hero''s smile vanished, replaced with an emotionless mask. "You will never get away with it! Hundreds of thousands will be caught in the blast, and all of the religions of the world will turn against you, not just the alliance. You may have the upper hand here due to all your formations and spells, but when that is gone, you are nothing more than a mortal, and all mortals can be killed."


    "Even gods can die." The hero chuckled before mumbling something about going from hero to villain.


    Styx was getting desperate, praying to the old gods that the others would hurry up or better yet, not come. If he was as prepared for them as he had been for her, then it wasn''t impossible for him to win, even with the vast difference in their strengths. He had beaten far worse odds in his time, and he had centuries to plan. They were rushing without thinking about the possibility that it was what he wanted.


    Another title that had been bestowed upon him by the masses surfaced in her mind, one she wished had remained forgotten, Death''s Orchestrator.


    "Why would they turn against me?" The hero didn''t seem affected by her threats, in fact, he seemed amused.


    "Because they will know it was you." Even as she spoke the words, her heart sank. It now made sense why the memories of not just his name, but his looks and even the sealing event had been changed. Though the others vaguely knew of him, the only people that remained who had any significant knowledge were her and the Demon Lord, who was now nothing more than a pile of bones.


    Her head dropped. The more she thought about it, the more she realised that the chances of her surviving the night were almost non-existent. "So, what will the forgotten hero do when he escapes? Seek revenge on the world that imprisoned him?"


    "The forgotten hero," mused the hero. "I quite like that. Shame it can''t be used as a title."


    The hero started to walk towards Styx slowly. "There was a time where I wanted to burn this entire world to the ground at the injustice against me, and my fellow summoned but now," his footsteps paused, just outside the magical array. "I just want to be free. To be able to taste food, to drink once again and feel the wind upon my skin. The simple things in life are wasted on those who do not appreciate their value."


    Styx was confused, was this really the same man from her memories. "I am asking what happens after you escape the barrier?"


    The hero sighed and slowly raised his right hand outwards. Abruptly a black liquid erupted from small holes in his hand, forming a spear that she knew all too well, blue runes flickering across its surface. The whole process took less than the blink of an eye, but for Styx, with her enhanced senses, she saw everything. Though she had once again seen the impossible, she wasn''t shocked.


    Styx shoulders hunched in defeat, she looked up at the hero, no devil, that stood before her, his eyes now glowing in an ominous blue. "I somehow always knew that going against you would get me killed. Some part of me wanted to believe the Demon Lord would get you first, the other than you would be trapped here for all eternity but now, I know I was just fooling myself. You were always a monster in a human''s skin, and I am just surprised it took me this long to realise. What was that saying you always use to say at times like this? You know, before you... end it."


    She knew what it was, but she felt her voice cracking.


    "You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everyone dances with the grim reaper," chuckled the hero darkly, "but I am afraid, you are going to have to disappoint him for the moment. There is another phrase that suits this situation much better. No good deed goes unpunished, and unfortunately for you, yours is that your behaviour gave me enough of a warning that something was up. Well, that and I have a better use for you."

 Arc 1 - New World, Chapter 2.1 - Every Journey

    A full moon illuminated the surrounding clouds with its cold light as the bitter wind cuts through my armour, freezing me to the bone.


    "Breath in, breath out." I watched through my helmet''s visor as condensation rose from my mouth, dancing in the air.


    "Let the human in." I can''t help but chuckle my old world''s song. If memory serves me right, it should have been ten bloody years since we were kidnapped to this world, enslaved and forced to fight a pointless war. Our deeds, as well as what they did to us, making us less human than most of the species on this god forsaken planet.


    Our calling wasn''t anything as grand or virtuous as good versus evil like the stories go. It was simply two different cultures violently clashing as they tried to impose their will on the other.


    On one side stood the Alliance, though calling them a conglomerate of imperialistic states would be more appropriate. On the other, the Dark races. A collective of different species, all having negative connotations linked to them, that basically practised Darwinism. Survival of the fittest. A society where weak obeyed the strong or died fighting.


    After beating each other into a stalemate, some bright spark took experimenting with humans one step too far and decided to try gathering beings from other... universes, dimensions... where ever we came from. They never gave us the details. At least they weren''t that stupid. Anywhere that''s where we came in, a hundred or so people summoned to another world in order to fight and die just because we could.


    I didn''t give a flying fuck for their reasons, like most of us that were ripped from our lives, which I might add every other son of a bitch on our planet had, I just wanted to return to our world and forget this ever happened.


    It might sound like I am bitter at being one of the chosen ones. Well, damn right. Why couldn''t those bald monkeys pick some snotty nosed brat that wants to play at being a hero or someone who has nothing left to live for and just wants another chance?. I had a family, and although my life sucked as much as the next blue-collar slob, it was bearable.


    Letting out a deep growl, the black armoured knight sitting next to me placed his hand on my shoulder in understanding. I know that at the time, I was thinking about something else, but I always like to wind myself before I get to this point. If my dreams are going to be this vivid and consistent, might as well get what I can out of it. The comfort from a long dead comrade is still comfort.


    Remembering the song that got me on this line of thought, I can''t help buy sigh. I wonder how much of me is human anymore? Would they even recognise me now? Could we still laugh, drink and even cry together like a family?


    It''s funny really, this should have been our last mission before being returned, and yet all I remember is how depressing the atmosphere was. Not that I was helping. All that I could think about was the mountain of corpses we had to climb to get to this point and those we had buried.


    My memory looks around and carefully studies the eleven people sitting with me, their black armour looking more demonic and fearsome than even the most terrifying of demons.


    Ahh, my team, Death''s reapers. I would have gone to hell and back for these guys, and in a way, they are the reason I wasn''t completely fucked when the shit hit the fan. Say what you will about human nature, There is good and bad in everyone and these guys are pretty much the only reason I managed to reason myself out of destroying this world. Admittedly it took me a small amount of time... I guess about a hundred and fifty years or so, but still, I was always known for holding a grudge and being stapled to the floor and potentially imprisoned for eternity isn''t exactly positive thought inducing.


    I feel a sad smile creep upon the face of my real body. There were so many of us at first, but once again, the stories were woefully inaccurate. We weren''t greeted as heroes, well not at least until we had some achievements under our belts and could be used as propaganda material, but as expendable military assets. Very expendable until they found out that we rapidly adapted to this world and its mana.


    Our number halved in the first two months and although the death rate decreased when their scientists, or as we called them butchers, stopped with their experiments, we were then thrown into the meat grinder that was their hundred-year war. Out of the fire and into the frying pan comes to mind. Still, at least we had a fighting chance battling the demon hordes, dark elf assassins and the plethora of other deadly beasts that were sent to slow us down.


    Well, at least it never got boring.


    A few others are milling around the balloon, one in particular that I wish I didn''t have to look at. I know this just a memory, but it doesn''t make it any better. I can''t control or distort it in any way. Even my general thinking and emotions are defined. Luckily I was pissed off at the time. It would be unbearable if I were forced to feel happiness toward the main instigator to my comrade''s demise and my imprisonment.


    I watch as she checks the shields we will be using before straightening up and walking towards me. Her pointy ears reflecting the moonlight as her hips sway suggestively.


    I feel bile rise in my real bodies throat and can''t help but think about how lucky she was to die before I escaped. Elves have a pretty long life, around about three hundred years, and I am sure I could think up enough ways to ''entertain'' that bitch for all of them. No point crying over spilt milk.


    Looking back on it I was a fool. My team and I had survived countless plots and assassinations, mostly from our own masters, yet at the end, I fell for such an obvious ploy.


    Least I never gave in to her advances. I don''t think they make water, acid or molten lava hot enough to ease the disgust I would have felt at myself.


    Oh. My. God. I want a bath so bad. The first thing I am going to do when I get to a place that doesn''t look like a third world relief station is to stuff my face and take the longest bath ever. Anyway, I digress. I can think about that stuff when I wake up.


    Styx, the soul eater my team had adopted as a mascot, partially because of the guilt we felt for pretty much being solely responsible for exterminating her species, not that we told her that, but also because she had a calming influence on me, had tried to warn me that something was wrong.


    There was something about her mask-like face and quirky behaviour that normally, not saying that it always worked, managed to keep my inner demons at bay. It was kind of like having a creepy little sister that, by keeping her out of trouble, kept me out of trouble.


    It''s a shame she betrayed us. Yes, she got to live but I wonder if she feels it was worth the cost.


    I remember her acting funny, even going as far as saying something weird before we left that put me on edge though that damn seductress managed to distract me. I still managed to alert the others that something was wrong in the code we developed over the years, and we all made preparations, but really we were- No, I was an idiot.


    This was the mission to end the war. The Dark Races were about to crumble, and all they needed was a little push. They were just tying up loose ends. The Demon Lord and us. Obvious now I think about it. Fucking hindsight.


    I need to calm down, I can''t afford to lose mana, not until I secure a new source. Though I am trapped in a dream at the moment, my emotions still effect my body, kinda like having a nightmare and screaming but instead of looking like a fool, I lay waste to an area around me and tighten my proverbial chains.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Suddenly the moonlight is blocked as the enchanting elf towers over my sitting self, her piercing gaze locked onto mine as she leans in. She opens her mouth and says something but I can''t hear it.


    Everything turns black. This wasn''t the end of the memory but it is now, at least for this part. This was one of the memories I sacrificed when I was developing my original spell. No idea what she said but I am sure it annoyed the shit out of me.


    I have the feeling she called me by my name as well but that doesn''t matter. I will never be able to remember my name. Another thing I had to lose in order to free myself of that infernal collar. It was the first step to my freedom, and weirdly enough, the most painful one.


    Those bastards really did a number on me. A collar that will destroy my soul if I break a supreme command, Divine Spears, that were designed to imprison the old gods, trapping my body and probably the strongest magical barrier this world has ever seen just incase I ever did become more powerful than a god.


    Ha, more powerful. I would have thought that those basters would understand that everything has a cost. The greater the benefit, the higher it would be. I might have temporarily gained my freedom, but it has left me a crippled shell of what I once was.


    They wouldn''t even let me die as they were afraid I would enter the reincarnation pool as a vengeful spirit and seek revenge, which was very perceptive of them. Hell, even if there wasn''t such a thing I somehow feel I would have found a way to claw my way from whatever abyss I was trapped in and drag them back with me.


    Hell, even if there wasn''t such a thing I somehow feel I would have found a way to claw my way from whatever abyss I was trapped in and drag them back with me.


    OK, before I get big headed, those precautions weren''t just for me. They needed to keep the Demon Lord under control as well, seeing as if they killed him his essence would escape and find another vessel but like I said, the war was won and I like to take things personally.


    Urg, just remembering that guy makes me want to vomit. I needed the energy and to make sure I trapped the essence before it could escape and alert anyone but man... talk about inedible. Must have been some survival trait that enabled them to live without getting eaten when they crawled out of whatever primordial ooze spawned them. Black bones were pretty cool though.


    Still feeling queasy, time to distract myself again. After so long alone, I have gotten pretty good at it.


    The concepts and ideas we brought to this world revolutionised the Alliances technology. Even at a fraction of the size of the Dark Races, they still steamrolled them once the first prototypes went into production. The reason it took ten years was due to the size of the world and amount of people they, or more often we, needed to eliminate.


    Conquest is a bloody business, especially if you get the nickname of Death''s favourite. Was there even a God of Death? Who knows, the swine has been avoiding me like the plague ever since I got here.


    Actually, I think we introduced the concept of the Grim Reaper to this world. They believed in fairies that escorted souls until that point. Wonder if that spread outside of the capital? I tried to encourage Halloween but when monsters are real and a few dozen different sentient species, it kinda feels like Halloween every day.


    On another note, I always found it weird they thought it was a good idea to leave us in the same room. The ancient Demon Lord who had a vast amount of forbidden knowledge, most lost to time and a vengeful being that was susceptible controlled mutations.


    Forgetting the Miasma of the Demon Lord and the area''s high amount of natural mana, it was a recipe for disaster if I ever saw one. Not that I told them that.


    Oh well, their mistake. It''s almost ironic, their fear and heavy-handed methods actually gave me my greatest weapon. Time.


    Due to the planet, we came from, the other summoned and I continuously absorb mana from the environments and our bodies use it to mutate in a controlled, almost logical way.


    It''s nothing impressive. Enhanced muscles and eyesight, increased regeneration abilities and stuff like that. The biggest problem was that it took years to see any noticeable improvements. I would have died of old age before becoming truly powerful. Well before I got stabbed with holy sticks of undyingness.


    Whoever came up with the idea to make something strong enough to trap a god, but at the same time keep them alive was a sadistic arsehole who I would give my right arm to meet in a dark alley.


    It took me god knows how long, but finally I was ready. I might not be able to completely break out of my prison, but that didn''t mean I couldn''t be free. Well, it kind of did but meh, minor details.


    Idiots. It''s a shame they are all dead. It would have been good to show them what their foolishness created and watch as they dispair but alas, they are dead and gone, and unfortunately, the child doesn''t inherit the sins of the parent. I mean what kind of psycho would think that? I might have slight, niggling concerns about some of my thoughts but mindless genocide. I''ll pass thanks, it''s kind of pointless, takes a lot of effort and is pretty bad for your own lifespan.


    With revenge out of the question, and it being useless to return to my old world due to the passage of time, what was left for a semi-immortal like me to do?


    I felt an unhinged grin form on my real body.


    Quite a lot actually. I might not have any hatred to anyone living, OK there is one but she is useful at the moment, or any attachments but that doesn''t mean I can let the entity my comrades and I were sacrificed for, survive.


    Yet I am just one man, A forgotten hero that has nothing to his name, wait not even his name, and isn''t even a tenth of his previous power.


    Luckily there is more than one way to skin a cat.


    My senses gradually return as I hear the buzz of refugees filing past my temporary resting place. Sitting up and feeling the rough bark of the tree I have been leaning against through my cloak, I open my eyes, still feeling the evil grin on my face.


    Hmm, no screams. That''s always a good sign. Last time I woke up from a nap, I nearly scared an old demon lady to death. Haven''t seen myself in a mirror for centuries but my smile can''t be that bad, can it?


    I watch the horde of refugees stumble past, carrying the few possessions they own. A few of them stop near a large crystal-like screen that has been set up to give them updates on the current situation as well as distract them from their mundane grumbling.


    You would thing that someone had destroyed their entire lif-


    I watch as if it has nothing to do with me. Well, it depends on your perspective. Do you blame a bear that has been chained and beaten for breaking free and maiming a random? No, so I don''t know why I still feel a tinge of guilt. Maybe it''s the last bits of my humanity performing a valiant last stand, like the Alamo.


    The volume emanated from the crystal is low, so much so that a normal person would never be able to hear it, especially from this distance.


    Luckily I am not a normal person.


    A familiar face, wearing a black dress is giving a speech causing gasps of horror to come from the people that stopped to watch, most too busy rushing to get to the next town in the hope it''s not already full.


    I just want to find a dungeon that wasn''t upgraded due to the barriers explosion. In my current state fighting my way to its core would be impossible. I would use up my pathetic reserves too quickly and become a living statue. One that everyone had forgotten.


    I raise my arm out of my cloak and look at the skin on my arm, black splotches with glowing blue lines covering the surface.


    "Tsk" I used up too much energy escaping. I thought they were meant to be demi-gods. Barely enough power to light a lightbulb.


    Noticing that the air is rank with fear, people nervously talking amongst themselves, eyeing everyone with suspicion I can''t help but chuckle. "So far so good."


    Collecting my scavenged bag, I sling it over my shoulder as I start walking in the same direction as the refugees, humming a song with the occasional words. People look at me with disgust. Apparently, this is a sensitive time where everyone, no matter the species should be sad.


    All but one of the demigods are dead and they have just discovered the culprit of the destruction of the demon lands, the one who caused half the population to mutate into mindless monsters and upgrade every monster in a two hundred mile radius. This being is also being blamed for pretty much every evil that has occurred. A mysterious being that operates in the shadows. The Devil.


    Some guy from my world once said that the biggest trick the devil ever played was convincing man he didn''t exist. If that''s the case, convincing another world that he does have to come a close second.


    Not really original I know, but this world didn''t have an ultimate evil. It had good and bad gods, but they were always pretty grey around the edges.


    If religion taught me anything in my previous world, it is that every light has a dark and in a world where belief actually generates energy, while on an individual level is pathetic, times it by the countless number of sentient beings that inhabit this oversized world and maybe, just maybe, I will obtain true freedom.


    Becoming a god would be the icing on the cake, but then again, that sounds boring and dangerous. There is always a bigger fish, and as long as I am free to do what I want, I have no ambitions of starting that endless journey. Give me a warm bed, good food and drink and maybe some music without these cursed spear''s, and I''ll be happy. Honest.


    I am in too much of a good mood the other people''s stares affect me, so I just carry on humming as I think about the best ways to put my plan into motion. "...For the times, they are a-changing."

 Arc 1 - New World, Chapter 2.2 - has a beginning

    Looking up at the crystal clear sky, shaking my head slightly, I let out an impressed whistle causing the refugees that were closest to me, to flinch away.


    It''s not like the whistle was that impressive, but up until people that looked like typical adventurers started protecting the refugee''s flanks, I was free to engage the monsters that regularly attacked, looking for an easy meal, and harvest their mana cores.


    Without tools, and not wanting to reveal anything about myself, I just had to rip them apart with my bare hands, which even for the grizzled survivors, was a little too gruesome. Wimps.


    I soon got the nickname ''Blood Monster Ripper'', and people started keeping their distance. How... unoriginal and boring. It seems that creative thinking hasn''t improved much since my incarceration.


    Still, being given a nickname lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. If they were able to remember me, my custom made, infectious style spell worked better than I could have hoped for and my greatest fear never came to pass.


    People may have forgotten me as a summoned being or the hero, but I haven''t become a living ghost destined to be forgotten as soon as I disappear from their sight. As long as people don''t associate me with certain things, I should be able to live a somewhat normal life.


    I still need to find someone who was born mana deficient or one of those high magic resistant races like dragons to see how effective the spell was but at least I can rest easy for the moment.


    There aren''t hordes of religious fanatics chasing me for killing their wannabe gods or soldiers and civilians trying to mob me for killing a couple of hundred thousand in my bid for freedom.


    There is a bit of discrepancy with the numbers at the moment. I say that there was no more than a few hundred thousand, the crystal-like television news reports and other refugees say a couple of million.


    Like hell, they could breed that fast and overpopulate that barren wasteland. Propaganda and lies I say.


    People don''t really seem to be paying attention to the numbers anymore anyway. Some things are just too big to imagen, so it loses its meaning. They all appear to be more focused on this ''Devil'', my created persona, and the mutant uprising that threats to spill out into the neighbouring districts of the Alliance.


    The sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and I am free. All is right with the world or will be when I get rid of this... curse? Disease?


    Hmm, I will stick with curse, sounds better.


    The shadow of one of the massive, island-like structures, or what the nearby kids were calling sky battleships, that I was previously impressed with, floated overhead blocking the warm rays of sunlight.


    I feel a vein pop on my forehead. It''s not like the captain, or whatever commanded that floating mass of black rock, could read my mind and decided to steal my sunlight just to piss me off, but it still irritated me. I can''t help but mutter about how the bastard should be thankful I don''t have the energy to waste on him.


    I can''t help but chuckle. Absorbing the Demon Lord''s magical essence, the Divine Spears, and years of solitude, ignoring the two idiots, had not contributed to improving my anger issues one bit. In fact, it seemed to have made it much worse. I wasn''t sure what was the real culprit or even if it was just my old age but with the handicap I now had, at least until I got stronger and a regular supply of refined mana, I would need to be careful.


    Actually thinking about it, the refined mana needed to power one of those must be huge. I might not even need to go into a dungeon and can skip straight to hunting rare and legendary monsters. The only problem is the hundreds if not thousands of soldiers and whatever defences they have. Plus, how would I get up there without wings? They must have some transportation method, but I doubt I will get to see it outside of a combat zone or dock.


    Making a mental note to revisit the idea when I had more information, I watched as the ship passed and start to fade into the distance. On its surface, castle-like structures stood with a plethora of cannons, turrets and viewing platforms making even the most powerful seafaring version from my old world look woefully inadequate.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "The things you can do with magic, huh."


    The fact that the sky was full of these battleships, of varying sizes and shapes, protected by squadrons of flying races like Valkyries while the dull thud of thousands of soldiers marching in the opposite direction resonated in my bones, told me a lot about the current state of the world, or at least, the Alliance.


    Militaristic and in a state of perpetual war, which meant that Styx''s claims of everything being peaceful over the years were lies. It was evident that these weren''t conscripts brought into face the growing mutant threat. These were battle hardened veterans who''s grim expression, organised structure, and cold, calculating gazes, would make most armed forces hide their faces in shame.


    Even the adventurers protecting the refugees looked at them with sparkling, awe-inspired eyes causing me to roll my own. Impressive yes, their own ideas? Hardly. Things were too similar to our world not to spot the influence we had on this world. Those fucking collars made sure we revealed all the secrets we knew and these guys went to town. Maybe another reason why they decided to get rid of us?


    I scratch my head as I take a deep breath, wondering if I am always going to be this angry. Normally I would make a joke about needing to get laid but I really had trust issues and something that intimate, requires quite a lot of it, at least it does for me. It was one of the reasons that bitch of an elf never made off first base. Yes, I found her very attractive but there was always something niggling the back of my mind...luckily.


    Looking around in an attempt to distract myself, my gaze sweeps the crowd in front of me. Well, not everything Styx said was a lie. There were many species mixed in amongst the throng of fleeing refugees. Most were the red-skinned, yellow-eyed demons that called the Demonic Plains home... funny that, but I had seen at least a couple of dozen from every race, even some that I had no knowledge of.


    They all seemed to be getting along with each other, even the elves and dwarfs who had a blood feud due to the legends that stated that their old gods had something of a pissing context when the races were created, declaring the other as inferior.


    At first, I had assumed it was down to the crisis they found themselves in as nothing brings people together like the need to survive but upon witnessing two thugs nearly get lynched, I decided that maybe racism or any kind was taboo, at least in these parts.


    The pair had decided to release their frustrations and pick on a small, arachnid boy but unluckily for them, a group that had not yet stopped for the night overheard and caused quite a ruckus. Soon others joined in, and within minutes, it had everything an anti-racist lynch mob needed.


    Some soldiers intervened and arrested the duo, probably for their own safety, though it didn''t stop them getting spat on as they were dragged away.


    Not that I cared. Back on earth, my philosophy was a mixture of live and let live coupled with we all bleed the same colour. Of course, I needed to amend that last one for this world to ''we all bleed'', but so far, I would like to think I stuck to it.


    I have killed innocent looking beastkin that would make a teenage girl squeal in delight as well as saved creatures so repulsive that I doubt even their own mothers wouldn''t be able to repress a shiver as they hugged them. Most of the time it was orders, the rest was because they had done something to me or my own... or collateral damage... or they were in the wrong place and the wrong time... the end result was the same, and you can''t change the past, just like wiping a city or two off the map, so no point thinking about it.


    The thug''s unlikely rescue was quite an anticlimactic end to my evening''s entertainment, so I decided to go and do something constructive and hunt some monsters who were tempted too close to the road by the moving buffet.


    They were weak and held little-refined mana, but it might give me a couple of extra days if things get tough. When I get to a working town, I will need to register as an adventurer and get the locations of a dungeon or high levelled beasts but until then, every little helps.


    I glance over to another company of silver armoured soldiers marching past, their professions evident by their attire and weapons. Sword and shields for the Warriors, staves and daggers for the mages and staves and lots of pouches for the healers.


    It seemed the army still preferred structure over the flexibility adding other classes in would provide and there seemed very little variance in the quality of the weapons. The one thing that I still couldn''t get used, no matter how many times I saw them, was what appeared to be magical rifles slung over every soldier''s shoulder, even the healer''s.


    I couldn''t help but frown. Why would the army still use or even carry obsolete weaponry if they had guns? It made no sense. I guess a shield and armour could be imbued to resist a projectile but then again, they could against swords and spells. Or they could enchant the bullets to make them more effective? A magical arms race regarding offence vs. defence seemed more plausible but to carry both... there must be a reason, even if I couldn''t think of one yet.


    "Not so special now are you? Stupid rich kid. You had this coming."


    A boy''s squeaky voice broke me from my thoughts. Up ahead of me I watch as a group of ragged looking children pick on a teenage girl wearing noble if a little dirty, clothes.


    I feel myself smile. The drastic changes in the world had left me feeling more isolated than ever and even if most would consider it wrong, seeing something familiar, if a little cliche, felt good.

 Arc 1 - New World, Chapter 3.1 - Trouble comes

    "Just leave me alone," whimpered a thin, teenage girl, her pointed ears flattening against the sides of her head as her purple skin darkened.


    "Look, the dark elf is getting angry," chuckled a red-skinned boy, two small, bump-like horns sticking out of his forehead.


    A small, dwarf-like girl joined in, sporting what appeared to be the beginnings of a wispy beard on her chin."What''s wrong Elelth? Gonna start crying like a baby again? Mother... Father... don''t leave me alone."


    The laughing group had half surrounded and pushed the dark elf away from the road, cutting her off from the rest of the refugees, but it seemed to be a pointless gesture.


    Most of the refugees passing averted their gaze or pretended not to notice. It wasn''t that they didn''t care, it was that they shared a lot of resentment towards the upper classes and didn''t want to stick their necks out for a stranger, especially as the situation didn''t look life threatening.


    Most made excuses to themselves along the lines of ''kids will be kids.''


    Rumours were running rampant about the origins of their suffering, and most of them pointed to the upper classes or even the Alliance itself. Some said that a secret weapon malfunctioned during a test, others that it was all a ploy to cull the growing number of lower classes to secure the noble''s position.


    Though most dismissed the rumours and believed the official story, that a mysterious entity called the Devil appeared and battled the demigods, killing all but one in an attempt to free the Demon Lord, they couldn''t help but let some of what they heard cloud their thinking.


    Their reluctance was compounded by the fact that the girl was alone while wearing obviously expensive, if ruined, clothes after so many weeks. This hinted that either she wasn''t that important and had been abandoned or, more likely, everyone she knew had been killed. In comparison, the other kids, though scruffy, looked relatively well indicating that their parents were still around and strong enough to support them.


    Making enemies when every day was a fight for survival was not a smart move and so, having made their excuses, they quickly shuffled away and thought nothing more of it.


    The ex-hero internally laughed as he approached. He could see if one person stepped forward, the rest would but, just like the humans in his old world, fear of the status quo or standing out paralysed them. It meant that even if, as a collective, they were more powerful, they were cowards at best, mindless sheep at worst, who only thought of themselves and decided that, as long as it didn''t directly effect them, it had nothing to do with them.


    He knew there were limits to their apathy, thinking back to the two thugs, but it seemed bullying due to social status wasn''t seen in the same light as racism which once again confused him.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The ex-hero felt it was the same thing. Racism was just another form of bullying or discrimination. Whether the excuse was race, intelligence, gender, looks, social status or anything else, it was bullying. If you couldn''t accept one, then you couldn''t accept any of them and the one thing he hated almost as much as betray, was hypocrites.


    The largest boy, a green-skinned half troll, was about to say something when a shiver ran down his spine, causing him to look to the left subconsciously.


    There he saw a man, sporting an unnerving smile, walking towards the group, unlike everyone else who was avoiding looking in their direction, this man''s grey, raptor-like eyes locked the youth in place as his insides screamed at him to run. A small bead of sweat began falling down the side of his head.


    A short girl, another half troll, standing next to the boy looked around him to see why he had stopped only to release a small squeak and jump backwards. "It''s the bloody monster ripper! Run before he rips your hearts out."


    The group of kids, looking to be about eleven to fifteen years old scattered back into the crowd as a few of the people near the ex-hero took a step away, realising who they were walking beside.


    "Ouch, that actually hurts a bit," grumbled the man as he continued to walk forward, his eyes only glancing at the girl before continuing to look around as if enjoying a scenic walk, letting out a loud yawn before continuing his grumbling. "It''s like I''m the boogie man or something. Stupid kids."


    Elelth''s heart rapidly beat as she remembered seeing the man before, always followed by whispers as people did their hardest to keep away from him on the small road.


    The tales of the human looking man, wearing a grey cloak, pinned with a skull and sickle brooch, laughing menacing as he ripped monsters apart before crushing their mana cores with his bare hands was almost as talked about as the news from their homeland. Let alone beating a monster without a weapon, monster cores were notoriously strong, stronger than most metals and even the most powerful races couldn''t achieve such a feat.


    Over time, each story grew more unbelievable until he had almost become a living myth. No one knew where he came from or what he thought about everyone talking behind his back, but he didn''t seem to care, almost acting like he was crazy at times. Staring at flowers, almost crying when he ate anything or constantly rambling to himself, sometimes in a strange, unknown language.


    Before she knew it, the man was about to pass her. Elelth had lost her chance to run into the crowd and so, quickly looked to the floor studying her feet in an attempt not to draw his attention.


    The terrifying question of why this man, who was almost as famous for being a loner as a monster killing psychopath, had bothered to save her caused her ears to flatten.


    Nothing in this world was free, or at least that is what her parents taught her, and so he surely expected payment of some kind. She had nothing on her but her clothes and-


    Fearing the worst, she did not want to offend the man, Elelth tried to steady her voice. "T...thank you, sir, f...f...fo for helping me, but I have nothing of va...value."


    "Huh? I did what?" responded the man as he stopped and turned to look at her. "You''re talking to me right?"


    His light brown hair matched his short, unkempt beard, a large, white scar running down the right side of his face as his eyes scanned her, making her feel as if he could see the very essence of her soul.


    She watched as his confusion was replaced with realisation before dismissively waving her off. "Urg, don''t worry about it kid. I had no intention of interfering. I am just heading in the same direction as everyone else, and those muppets got the wrong idea."

 Arc 1 - New World, Chapter 3.2 - In threes [Draft]

    "Kid?" The word was spoken in almost a whisper, but the venom it contained caused it resonate outwards with incredible clarity, even over the noise of the passing refugees.


    Elelth''s voice continued to rise, and her right eye twitched as she hooked the hair tickling her face behind one ear. "You''re calling me a kid? Human."


    Even a three hundred and seventy-thee-year-old, socially inept, ex-death squad killer that had murdered eight of the closest beings to a god that his world currently had, as well as devouring the demon lord, literally, could tell he had made a grave mistake and could only grimace as he slowly turned around. "I forgot how much of a pain in the arse it was to deal with other people."


    "Ah, you''re an elf. My bad. I''m not good at guessing any species'' age other than humans. Doesn''t help you all age at different rates but look so similar. Oh, and I doubt I am human anymore."


    An awkward silence hung in the air. "... Why didn''t I just keep my big mouth shut? This is why I let Alice and Jake take care of the talking."


    "I''ll have you know that I am twenty-eight years old," spat Elelth, ignoring most of what he said as her fingers turning white from how hard she was clenching her fists. "And I am not an Elf... I am a Dark Elf and what the hell do you mean we all look the same?"


    The meek girl in front of him suddenly became a raging tiger, and the man couldn''t help but sigh and hooked his thumb into the crowd. "Save your anger for someone who deserves it, not some innocent bystander."


    Behind him, milling about in the crowd as they watched what was happening, was the children that had previously run away.


    The man scratched his beard, apparently irritated by its presence, and as he was about to turn away, he hesitated. "Anyway, since we are already talking. What year is this?"


    "The year of the Fisher, 1923," replied Elelth still seething but confused enough by his response to answer promptly.


    After thinking for a minute, the man revealed a dazzling smile, finally getting an answer to the most insignificant, but equally important issue that had been bugging him since his escape. "Three hundred and sixty-three years young huh."


    The smile rapidly vanished as a blue glow started emanating from his eyes and skin, unnoticed by everyone other than Elelth as the man was facing towards her with his mantel pulled up, his back to them. "Three hundred and fifty-five fucking years."


    It was then she noticed the black spots on the man''s arm, that had started slowly spreading, as if alive.


    Noticing the movement from her eyes, the man looked down and, almost as fast as it appeared, the glow disappeared but the black marks did not shrink.


    The few people in the crowd behind were warily watching the man''s back. They did not see what Elelth had, but they had trained their mana manipulation high enough to sense the alarming increase of mana around the man.


    They already thought that the man could be dangerous, but now it was certain. A few of them slipped off to hurry their families away from the danger as the rest waited to see what would happen. They knew that if a mage with that much power were to decide to attack, there was little they could do. Thankfully, all mages were required to register with the government and tightly controlled so although they were scared, they did not panic.


    Turning his head slightly and spotting the terrified looks of those watching him the man bitterly laughed before returning his gaze to the girl in front of him only to find her eyes sparkling with interest.


    "That was cool! What spell were you using? Are you a high tiered mage? I hear only those at the peak of power can materialise mana and even then, it''s typically faint and hard to see. The dark blue is as close to pure mana as you can get! Will you show me again" Elelth bombarded the man with questions about magic, ignoring everything that he had previously said.


    The man stared at her for a bit, making her feel like a sheep standing before a Wolf, before silently turning and walking off. "Thanks for the information Kid."


    Though she normally took offence at being called a kid, it was only when compared to the other races. To her own race, she was still extremely young, but to most of the others, like humans, she held the mentality of what they would find in an adult of their race... most of the time. Now she thought about it, the man gave off the same vibe as her elders and that no human mage had ever reached the higher Tiers of their class so, she decided to let it slide this once.


    Suddenly, her skin prickled, and she felt like she was being watched. Carefully looking around, she spotted the other children, as well as a few adults, moving in, casting nervous glances at the man they knew as the Bloody Monster Ripper.


    "What the hell did you do brat?" hissed an older lady. "You trying to get us killed by upsetting that freak?"


    "Everything that happens in life is for a reason. Every opportunity the goddess of fortune gives must be received without question, not matter the source." Muttering the words of her father, she started sprinting after the strange man, ignoring the woman. "They won''t touch me while he is around and he is the first not to notice, or at least mention, my disability."


    Due to her circumstances, most parents, especially those of noble birth, would have distanced themselves from her and although they did publically, they more than made up for it in private, at least in her eyes.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    They spent as much time as they could with her, made sure she had everything she wanted but at the same time, kept her grounded and realistic. They even spent a small fortune in an attempt to mask her disability, not out of shame, but so that she wouldn''t be picked on and could live a normal life. When things started getting hard for Elelth, they decided to live outside the noble district as wealth more than made up for lack of magical power in the poorer areas giving her some security and equal standing.


    That decision, in the end, had lead to their demise. Their home was outside the best barriers, only offered to those inside the inner walls of their town, and so when the sky turned blue, and everything was irradiated with mana, they could do nothing but sacrifice their life erecting a shield to protect their only child.


    They had provided her with a solid foundation so she could thrive when she grew up, but that had an even greater advantage now that she was alone. Somehow, she instinctively knew that the strange ''Blood Monster Ripper'' was her best security and defence against the other children and even some of the adults.


    The memories of her recently deceased parents caused her to stifle a small sob as she repeated the only phrase to give her comfort in these trying times. "Only the living have to worry, the dead have an existence of blissful ignorance."


    She quickly caught up the man, who didn''t seem to be in a rush, only to hear him grumbling under his breath in a strange, foreign language.


    She was confused at most of the man''s words but didn''t want to bother him, and after finally matching his pace, walked beside him.


    As they walked, Elelth became entranced as the man''s face continually contorted, displaying more emotions than she had probably seen in her entire life, constantly muttering to himself, mostly inaudible but there were times where she could tell he was pissed at something or someone.


    His constant ramblings, occasionally halted as he discovered something that most would consider normal or mundane, like the communication crystals, a hawk flying overhead or the magic propelled waggons that passed with the army, causing Elelth to frown. "Was this man living under a rock at the bottom of the sea? These things are common, everyday items. The only reason we haven''t seen any until now was that mana blast destroyed all of the magical arrays and foundations."


    As she watched what took his interest, she started to suspect that maybe he wasn''t a hermit but a foreigner, but as the only nations outside the Alliance were far in the north, and at war with the Alliance, she dismissed it quickly.


    The Alliance was the largest collection of nations, and decades ahead of the other countries regarding technology. Some rumours stated that after the Dark War when the Demon Lord fell they found collections of secret forbidden knowledge. Others said the information was left by the summoned heroes. Beings from another world that was much more advanced than theirs.


    Elelth sighed, thinking about how she would love to meet someone summoned from another world and all the knowledge she would gain.


    After a few hours, the man still did not acknowledge her presence, and as she was mentally preparing to talk to him, wondering what would break their awkward, one-way silence as he was still muttering about incomprehensible things from time to time, they started passing small stalls, mainly recruiters attempting to draw refugees in with the offer of money and lodging for their families.


    Elelth glared at the recruiters, hatred in her eyes.


    It was a typical ploy for any of the guilds or unions to set up recruitment booths in disaster-stricken areas and poach the best potential from the refugees, offering subpar wages and diabolical living conditions for their families. Once signed up, people found it extremely difficult to leave making them almost unofficial slaves. "Damn vultures."


    The man, ignoring her and her comment, seemed to analyse each stall carefully, slowing his pace significantly before coming to a stop before talking to no one in particular. "I wonder where the Adventurers Guild is?"


    Elelth frowned at the question, but at least she had something to talk to the man about as well as a use for all those boring history lessons her father forced on her. "The adventurers guild disbanded hundreds of years ago. They split up into different fields as specialised competitors started taking over more and more of the market. The closest thing you will find to what they once represented is the mercenary guild. They only take the dangerous requests that focus on fighting or protection. The other guilds and unions are pretty self-explanatory by their name."


    Noticing the man looking at her, Elelth nodded towards one of the stands where a wooden board held the golden letters, ''Blacksmiths Guild''.


    Next to it stood a similar sign that read ''Herbalist and Alchemist Association."


    "Sounds... tedious," sighed the man, noticing there was no booth for the Mercenary Guild, before turning and looking down at Elelth, who was no more than five foot three and barely came up to his chest. "What are you doing anyway? Shoo."


    Elelth glared back at the man who only humorlessly laughed and turned back around and started walking. "Right, not a kid... Please leave."


    Looking over his shoulder and seeing that she was still following him, the ex-hero decided to get some information before ditching her. "So, where is this mercenary guild and do they have information on dungeons?"


    "You''re interested in dungeons?" asked Elelth, surprised at his question. Most of the guilds and commercial alliances used them to harvest resources, and so, unless you were associated with one, it was almost impossible to get in."


    "Only in what lies at the end," replied the man as he continued walking, scanning the makeshift stalls. "So do you know anything?"


    Elelth stopped and gave the man''s back a hard look. "My uncle runs the mercenary branch in the next town, Yelve. It''s where I am heading." She paused as she watched the man''s steps falter. "Take me there, and I will put in a good word for you. They have access to a few low-level dungeons in the surrounding area that I am sure you could use if you register."


    "Ahh, miss," the man turned around, holding out his hand, as the intensity of his grey eyes caused her to flinch. "it seems we have an accord."


    Quickly regaining her composure, Elelth straightened. "A what?"


    Sighing the man shook his head. "I swear, the only thing worse than being the last of your kind, or the first, is that no one gets the references, or for that matter, ever will."


    Sadness flashed across the man''s eyes as he showed a sad smile. "It''s always the simple things in life."


    "Definitely not sound of mind," thought Elelth as she took the strange man''s hand and shook it. "Though he should be able to get me to Uncle safely, and uncle will be happy that I managed to bring in such a powerful mage."


    Suddenly, an idea came to Elelth. She didn''t think she would get any answers out of him if asked directly, but she could gauge his responses. He seemed to wear his heart on his sleeve when it came to his emotions like had forgotten people could see what he was really thinking. "Oh, you will need a few gold and identification papers of your eligibility to work in the Southen Regions and being a member of the alliance. Anyway, if we are to be travelling together, we should exchange names mine is El-."


    "That''s two."


    His interruption, once again, confused her. "Huh?"


    "Actually, if I add you, that makes three." The man looked behind them into the crowd, a strange smile appearing on his face. "Bad things... always come in threes."

 Arc 1 - New World, Chapter 4.1 - The harbinger [Draft]

    "What are you talking about?" asked Elelth, starting to get irritated at never receiving a straight answer before turning around and seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Groups of soldiers were marching to the Demonic Plains while refugees continued to stream past them, a few being tempted by the recruiter''s calls. "What makes three? And why am I trouble?"


    When she turned back, she gasped and almost fell backwards.


    For the briefest of moments, so short that she doubted her senses, where the man should have been standing, she saw a burning figure encased in blue and black flames, its blue, gem-like eyes glaring into the crowd as thick smoke billowed around its body.


    She had never heard of any creature that matched its description and while not utterly terrifying, every fibre of her being screamed for her to get as far away from it as possible.


    Stumbling backwards, she rubbed her eyes only to find the strange, cloaked grey man staring at her thoughtfully. "Time to move, Kid. Things are going to get messy around here by nightfall, and I am running out of time."


    "What the hell was that?" questioned Elelth, too shocked to take in what he had just said.


    After looking around and seeing that no one else seemed to have seen what she had, she could only shake her head. "I must be going mad."


    The man laughed, before turning way and starting to walk in the same direction as the crowd. "It''s easier to say your crazy than admit that you don''t have all the answers or that you need to expand your thinking. Reality is perception and perception is reality. I have given up trying to make sense of both since coming here. Just go with the flow, it''s less confusing and you will enjoy it more."


    Elelth quickly caught up and tried to calm her beating heart. "The perception quote from the mages manual? What has that got to do with seeing monsters?"


    The man''s smile vanished as his steps faltered. "What did you see?"


    After explaining, the man only nodded his head before regaining his normal stride. "You a seer or oracle?"


    "No," Elelth looked down, not wanting to tell him about her condition, that she couldn''t even interact with mana, let alone use it to see the future. Even though the town was only a few days away, she was enjoying having someone to speak to and didn''t want him to treat her like some an outcast. Worst of all she had already thought that she was safe from the the others, making it much harder to return to the way she had been previously.


    "Good, it would be... annoying to break my deal with you. I pride myself on keeping my word unless necessary," replied the man before falling silent, giving Elelth the impression that she had made the right decision in keeping her mouth shut.


    Little did she know that if the man had even suspected her of lying, she would have been dead before her brain could process what had happened


    After a couple of hours of awkward silence, Elelth was feeling bored and decided to try and introduce herself again. "My name''s Elelth Fenbrook. What''s yours?"


    The man started thinking, scratching his beard in irritation as he begun to slow, eventually stopping.


    Standing in the middle of the road, forcing others to move around him the man continued to think before finally snapping from his daze, and looking up. "Why not? I can always change it later. Call me Ruadan, or Ru if you prefer. To be honest, I don''t care what you call me. Names hold no longer hold meaning."


    Nodding Elelth smiled. "It''s OK, a lot of the older generation are still hesitant about revealing their true names even though slavery has been outlawed for decades, so I can understand why you would want to use a fake name. It''s nice to meet you Ru."


    Looking into the distance, Ru nodded once before starting to walk again. "A smart idea. You should follow their example."


    "I think it''s dumb. No one would stand for slavery these days, and it''s impossible to hide your name if you want to use high-level spells or register at any of the important organisations." Elelth smiled as if she had said something incredibly smart. Omitting the point that no one would be able to enslave her. "Not that I have anything against using an alias. I am just a stranger, but you might as well come to terms with revealing your name sooner rather than later, especially as you want to join the Mercenary Guild."


    "Times have changed. Also, my mother always said that if you can''t trust anyone enough to tell them your name, you are going to find yourself alone at the end."Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    "In the end?" Cold, emotionless eyes locked onto hers, nearly making Elelth trip as she forgot to breathe. "You really are a nieve, sheltered child."


    Ru took a deep breath, "But you are right, those that can''t trust always remain alone at the end but it isn''t for the reason that you think."


    "It''s because everyone else is already dead. Now do me a favour and shut the fuck up before I remove your vocal cords. The deal was to get you to your uncle. It didn''t mention anything about what condition you would be arriving in."


    The dark elf''s ears flattened, and she looked down at her feet before speaking in a quiet, miserable voice. "Sorry. I didn''t mean to offend you. I just wanted to talk to someone."


    Ru sighed and looked up to the sky, calming himself down considerably. "You will understand what I mean in time. You are a long-lived race and time is the cruellest mistress. The longer the road, the more you will have to walk on the dreams and corpses of, not only your enemies, but those closest to you just to keep living. It''s best to keep to yourself until you find someone worthy and even then, if you want to avoid the pain of loss and betrayal, don''t get too close."


    "That''s such a sad and lonely outlook on life," responded Elelth, daring to look up before instantly regretting speaking when she saw the look on the Ru''s face.


    "I am still here. Most are not. The victor writes history before even that turns to dust and is forgotten." There was no emotion in his words or on his face as stared far off into the distance.


    Elelth had seen that look before from her elders and knew it often came from long life or terrible experiences. She wasn''t sure which one applied to the man in front of her, but for his sake, she hoped it was the former. Though his words made her doubt that.


    The pair continued travelling to the town of Yelve for the next three days in silence, stopping at night to let Elelth sleep. Ru however consistently paced as he kept scanning his surroundings as if expecting something or someone to appear, slowly becoming more and more irritated.


    The sun was gradually setting on the third day as they were approaching the impossibly long line to enter the town of Yelve when Elelth looked at Ru with concern and decided to risk speaking. "Are you OK? you look really tired. You''re not sick are you?"


    Ru''s pale skin made the dark bags under his bloodshot eyes extremely noticeable but, just as he had done for the last few days, he continued to ignore the dark elf.


    Just as Elelth was about to join the queue, she saw Ru march past as if it didn''t exist, his grey cloak billowing behind him getting the occasional disgruntled comment from the line.


    Not knowing what to do, she followed. Only high ranking officials of the Alliance were able to bypass the inspection line to enter a city. It was one of the equality laws that the Alliance was forced to pass to appease the masses, sick with nobles abusing their power.


    Seeing a pale, grey-cloaked, man, followed by a small dark elf, approaching the guard house, bypassing the queue, the guard captain stood up from his chair and moved to intercept. Many of the noble refugees had tried to use their status or even bribe their way into the city, and he was sick and tired of it.


    Planting himself directly in their path, the held his hand up."Stop right th-"


    The captain''s eyes fell on the silver brooch on the man''s cloak then rose to see grey, bloodshot eyes, a darkness dancing in there that any man who had seen a significant amount of combat would recognise.


    Paling, the captain fell to one knee as he slammed his fist into his chest. "Lord Inquisitor, welcome to Yelve, please let me know if I can be of any assistant."


    The other guards, as well as those patiently waiting in line, released a collective gasp as they looked anywhere other than at the new arrival, wishing they could turn invisible.


    Inquisitors were an ancient order of the Alliance military, dating back to the days of the summoned heroes. When an inquisitor appeared, death and destruction were sure to follow, and nobody wanted anything to do with them.


    Most assumed he was here due to the situation in the Demonic Plains or they would have decided to continue to the next town, and so, as long as they kept out of his way, they felt relatively safe.


    Ru had initially anticipated this reaction as even back in his day, those who guarded the gates were highly trained individuals that had to remember hundreds if not thousands of insignias and covert signs. He also knew that it would draw unwanted eyes but it had taken him much longer than anticipated to arrive at a relatively secure town and he needed to escalate his plans quickly.


    Ru had originally intended to hide the insignia unless it was needed, but right now he didn''t care. He was running out of time and whoever was following them had yet to reveal themselves. He had expended a lot of mana keeping his senses sharp in anticipation of an attack at any moment.


    The fact that there had been no movement, apart from a few fluctuations in the surrounding mana, after three days only served to infuriate him further. He was a hunter, not the hunted and being forced to act like a weakling, watching every shadow, was driving him crazy.


    An evil grin appeared on his face causing the nearby guard to flinch.


    They pair quickly passed the checkpoint and into the town, as Ru momentarily pondered why they still had wooden walls when other things had advanced so far, where they were met by a bustling crowd of people going about their shopping, hawking their wares or just running about their daily business. By their attire, Ru could see that the guard had kept most of the refugees out. "


    By their attire, Ru could see that the guard had kept most of the refugees out.


    Elelth was about to lead him towards her uncles when Ru suddenly started walking in the opposite direction, towards the wooden, narrow alleyways of the slums causing her to have to run to catch up, almost sending an old lady flying on her way. "Where are you going? My unc-"


    "Funds," responded Ru in a matter of fact tone. "And to find out who our secret admirer is."


    "Do you always talk in riddles? Can''t you just give me a straight answer for once?" Elelth resisted the urge to stamp her feet but continued to follow. "Where are we going to find money in the slums? And you have a secret lover here?"


    "By fishing and no, though I plan to get reeeeeaaaall intimate with them soon enough."

 Arc 1 - New World, Chapter 4.2 - and the

    Realising she wasn''t going to get a straight answer, Elelth pouted as her ears twitched in annoyance. She knew she could make her way to her Uncle''s by herself, but felt somewhat compelled to follow Ru, and as he was going to head there anyway, it didn''t really matter.


    Feeling much more confident now that they were in town and the fact the Ru had finally answered her, she decided to try talking to him again. "You know, you are never going to find a woman with that kind of attitude?"


    Ru slipped down one of the narrow side streets, where the stone buildings looked a little worse for wear, a few beggars sitting along its edges.


    Seeing him turn his head slightly and raise an eyebrow, she continued. "Men then?"


    That got the first laugh she had heard out of Ru as he weaved around a small group of people, the stone buildings around them giving way to rickety, three-story wooden ones that looked like they could topple over with the slightest breeze.


    After a few moments, Ru responded, "I''ll stick with women thanks. Being rejected by both genders would be pretty damaging to my self-confidence."


    These were the sort of conversations he used to have with his companions, and it triggered a warm, familiar feeling. When you had been ripped away from home, forced to fight and could die at any moment, humour and philosophical debates where the weapons of choice to retain your sanity, even if the humour got pretty dark at times.


    "You sure? You haven''t even looked at me?" laughed Elelth, grinning from ear to ear at their first real conversation. She felt a little disheartened that it was only at the end of the journey but felt it was better than nothing.


    "Trap-like elves are off limits," chuckled Ru, actually slowing to let Elelth walk beside him.


    A confused expression appeared on her face "Trap?"


    "I like my women to look a bit more... mature." Seeing Elelth''s glare, Ru revealed a bigger smile. "You know... less kid-like, eighteen plus, not going to get ID''ed at every bar."


    "Go eat Ghost Hound faeces," spat the dark elf as she kicked a nearby stone, sending it flying into the wall. "I was only joking, no need to be so rude. Who would want to date a crazy tramp who rips monsters apart with his bare hands and talks to himself in his spare time? And what''s an eye dee?"


    "Touche." Ru waved her off as they reached the river, a dozen or so meters wide that acted as the natural barrier, inside the wall, between the town and slums. A few stone bridges, with low railings, allowed people to cross. "An ID is something that proves your age where I come from."


    "Like a status card?" replied Elelth.


    "Pretty much, fewer details though," nodded Ru.


    Elelth took a deep breath, wondering if she was about to ruin Ru''s new found talkativeness. "So, why wouldn''t you talk to me before?"


    "Umm," Ru scratched his head, looking upwards a puzzled expression appearing on his face. "First you pissed me off, then I didn''t think about it."


    Elelth stopped. "What? You didn''t think about talking in three days? What about when I asked a question?"


    "Too Annoying to answer and I have been on my own a long time. I am not used to interacting with people and..." Ru''s voice trailed off.


    Elelth waited, but when it was evident he was not going to speak, she laughed. "You stopped talking out loud. My grandfather was the same. Always lost in his mind but that was when he was about two hundred and eighty ears old."


    "It''s a hard habit to break. First few days I would find myself just standing there, staring at the floor," nodded Ru. "Still, it''s getting easier to keep focus."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The sun was just disappearing below the tops of the buildings, and the streets were mostly deserted as they started to cross the bridge, however, as they reached half way, Ru stopped and revealed a devilish, bloodthirsty grin, causing Elelth to shudder. "About god damn time."


    Slowly turning around, Ru''s smile only widened as he saw a cloaked man standing behind them, not yet on the bridge, his face completely masked by his mantle. "Any longer and I would have died of old age and that, let me tell you, would have been a feat."


    "You should have just taken the child to the Mercenaries. Then again, I guess you were only in it for the bounty as well," said the man in an intimidating voice.


    "So it''s her you wa-" Instantly, the cloaked man appeared next to Ru, pointing a short, stocky rectangular device at his chest before a deafening explosion rang out.


    Elelth watched in horror as Ru, lifted off his feet by the blast, somersaulted backwards before hitting the railing and toppling over., leaving behind pieces of shredded cloak and faint, blue smoke.


    It had been so fast that not even a full second had passed since the man made his move.


    The concussive force from the man''s weapon had blasted his mantle and cloak backwards, revealing his face. He was a scruffy, blonde headed man in his early thirties with a patch over one eye. His leather armour was littered with weapons ranging from small knives to pistol looking objects and this bare arms revealed many painful-looking scars.


    Sweat poured down his face as he gasped for breath. Not only had he used his quickstep ability, but an anti-tank cannon at point blank range, heavily damaging his insides but, once he heard that man was an Inquisitor, he didn''t dare to use half measures.


    "RU!" Snapping from her shock, Elelth ran to the railing where Ru disappeared and was about to jump over, in an attempt to rescue him, when the man grabbed her tattered travelling cloak and pulled her back, causing her to fall to the ground.


    The man dropped the extremely expensive, single use weapon onto the ground before grabbing Elelth by the neck and picking her up to face him. "Quiet brat. You only knew the man for a couple of days and hardly spoke. Anyway, seeing as you like travelling with strangers so much, why not come with me?"


    "Over my dead body," hissed Elelth, trying to kick the man but as her body''s entire weight was on her neck, and the man''s arms were longer than her legs, she couldn''t quite reach.


    The man chuckled as he turned towards the same direction Ru and Elelth had been travelling a few minutes ago. "Don''t be like that Manaless. You are going to help me retire early. Let''s try and get along."


    "Fuck you." Elelth spat at the man, hitting him on the cheek.


    Once again displaying his incredible speed, he backhands her across the face with his free hand before wiping away the spit. "Either you come quietly, or you come unconsciously... your choice princess."


    Elelth''s left eye was already swelling closed as she glared at the man. "You hit like a girl."


    The man laughed. "It''s a shame you look like a kid, If you had been a bit older, we could have had some fun. I love my women with some fight."


    The man raised his fist, "Night princess." hitting her once in the side of the head, crumpling one of her ears.


    Elelth''s eyes were dazed, but she grinned back. "Hmm, maybe a girl is too generous, maybe a baby."


    A second punch caused her to head to flop, but it quickly raised it back up, water filling her dazed eyes. "You will pay for killing Ru."


    The man frowned. "Jeeze, what is your skull made of? I was trying to be nice and not give you brain damage, but you leave me no choice."


    As he drew his hand back, Elelth''s eyes slowly rolled back into her head, and she fainted, causing him to shake his head. "Kids these days."


    Throwing Elelth over his shoulder, the man turned into a blur as he entered the slums. "It''s already late. I''ll hunker down for tonight and head to the region''s Capital tomorrow. Who would have thought a Demigod would be interested in the manaless enough to put a two hundred gold reward for their ''recruitment''? Shame there are no higher races about, would be able to make a killing."


    Little did he know, the reason why Styx, the sole surviving demigod, was trying to get hold of as many manaless and magical species had just been blasted into the river and if she had known, would have probably fled the continent.


    The man was long gone by the time a group of six guards trotted into sight and started investigating the bridge. While two examined the discarded weapon, sucking it into a weird black bag without touching it, the rest checked the surrounding area for any clues to the disturbance. According to reports, a man had been shot with a magical weapon, but they couldn''t find any blood on the bridge, making them wonder if the shot had missed.


    "Mick, see anything?" bellowed one of the guards on the bridge to another, walking down the left bank, a bit downstream from the bridge.


    "Nothing-" The man felt a chill settle in his bones, his heart missing a beat as a wet, squelch followed by drips of water sounded behind him.


    It wasn''t the sound that had terrified him, but the violent fluctuations in the surrounding mana that caused his soul to shake, which most associated with bloodlust or extreme anger.


    Slowly turning around, the guard visibly paled before he took a few steps back, barely able to speak. "By the old gods..."


    A cold, haunting laugh, sounding like it had come from the depths of hell resonated outwards as the sun disappeared behind the buildings. "Ready or not... here I come."

 Arc 1 - New World, Chapter 4.3 - Devil (Part 1)

    Mick felt a cold chill run down his spine as he staggered backwards clumsily levelling his magical rifle towards the unknown figure.


    While one would not mistake the weapon''s purpose, it was still a far cry from the weaponry of Ru''s world. No more than a wood stock with a grey, metal pipe that had silver runes carved down its sides and a small, unassuming trigger.


    Having said that, even though it was crude, to those not possessing mana cores, crystals that were able to dissipate the refined mana projectiles, even a scratch could be lethal.


    The slow agonising deaths of those not directly killed from being shot assured, that, unlike other magical weapons, magic rifles were illegal to own one outside of the military. Not that it stopped those that worked in the shadows, as the man who ambushed Ru and took Elelth had shown.


    "H..H...Halt! Identify yourself!" stammered Mick barely believing his eyes.


    A pale skinned, topless man, with large, white circular scars, blood red tribalistic tattoos and small patches of black skin covering his body, stood in front of him, or at least most of the man.


    The right half of the man''s chest was reconstructing rapidly, black liquid flowing out of the river, up his leg and filling in a massive hole, a pure blue crystal, held in place by what looked like black metal rods, where his heart should have been.


    Many different races existed in the world, some capable of remarkable regeneration but none of them even came close to this causing Mick''s mind to grind to a halt as his hands visibly shook.


    Although the sight was enough for even the sanest man to doubt his senses, this was not what was terrifying Mick and the other guards, who were inching their way towards Mick after hearing his challenge. It was the unknown beings aura.


    The surrounding area was deathly silent, only broken by the occasional screams of an inconsolable baby or the whimper of a dog that had strayed too close as civilians cowered in their homes or fled, fearing the unknown presence that had suddenly appeared in the midst of their town.


    Mana, being one of the core foundations of the world''s natural laws, had deeply engrained itself into every species, especially when it came to evolution, leading to most of what the sentient species called passive and racial abilities.


    The most well-known, one that all species shared, both monster and sentient, was the ability to vaguely sense the danger posed by other creatures, in a similar way to how some could sense bloodlust.


    There were many theories about what the senses picked up on, but it wasn''t known for sure and scholars hotly debated the topic.


    The consensus was that Bloodlust was based on how an individual''s emotions affected the mana around them, where being able to tell how dangerous a creature was, was considered to originate from the age of the creature, multiplied by the number of lives it had taken.


    Most thought that this was a survival mechanism that enabled those that had fallen prey to another, to mark the attacker so that they could either be avenged or that others would not fall to the same fate.


    This theory was supported by the fact that the most monsters would starve to death after reaching a certain strength, being unable to hunt when their prey would flee the moment they entered an area or would quickly be killed off by high-level adventurers that could easily track them, keeping the status quo somewhat balanced.


    With this common knowledge in mind, the guards were stunned that such an individual could appear so close to them without being sensed. It was as if he had appeared out of thin air and while there were methods to hide your aura, none were entirely capable, especially at close distances.


    The man in front of them was obviously extremely dangerous, but they assumed that as he was in the town, and they weren''t dead, that he was a sentient being and could be reasoned with.


    If the guards had examined all the facts they had available to them with a clear head, they would either fall into denial or run for their lives. The glowing blue crystal being the most obvious indicator but there were more, subtle hints that they were dealing with a being far beyond their capabilities.


    In the preceding silence, Ru slowly shook his head, grinning from ear to ear, not caring about his rampaging aura or his reconstructing body.


    The blast that had damaged his physical body had provided him with enough refined mana to relax, and although he wouldn''t be able to do it for long, it had been an age since he could let loose, feeling the storm of power raging through his body and invigorating him.


    For hundreds of years, he had restricted the amount of mana and energy his body could use, storing it for his escape and dulling his senses but now, he felt reborn and couldn''t help but laugh at the euphoric feeling. He was free. He was alive and most importantly, he had discovered another power source that seemed to be abundant.


    Seeing Ru''s gaze, as his maddened laughter echoed around them, caused the guards to flinch.


    One of the younger men released an almost silent whimper, looking like he would faint at any moment.


    If it weren''t for their years of rigorous training and desire to protect the town, even if it cost them their lives, the guards would have crumpled to the floor in an instinctual attempt to make themselves as small as possible.


    An existence like this was a law unto themselves, only the big organisations or the Alliance had any hope of controlling them, and the small town guards knew it. Yet, they remained, staying truthful to their oaths.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The rest of the guards finally arrived next to Mick and then, without even looking at each other, got into a standard formation.


    They, like all town guards, were well trained for peacekeeping duties and low-level monster subjugation but in this situation, especially with fear gnawing at their minds, they could only rely on their training.


    Ru completely ignored them, his wet, brown hair sticking to his forehead as he was examining the back of his hands, or more specifically, the black skin that had receded significantly. "To think that tiny stick has so much power... Interesting~."


    His voice was steady but foreboding, causing a shiver to run down the guard''s spines as they took a subconscious step back.


    Seconds turned into minutes as Ru was seemingly lost in thought but, just as the guards were about to reissue their challenge and try and get the man to identify himself, Ru flicked his hand outwards. A pitch black metal spear, covered in glowing blue runes, appeared seemingly out of thin air.


    The sudden movement spooked the already jittery guards, and by reflex, one pulled the trigger of their weapon. All but one of the other guards, who had fallen backwards in surprise, started shooting madly, still pulling the trigger after their five shot cartridge was spent.


    All but one of the other guards, who had fallen backwards in surprise, started shooting madly, still pulling the trigger repeatedly after their five shot cartridge was spent.


    Mana projectiles smashed into Ru, causing his body to twist and turn violently as he was pushed backwards before disappearing into the faint, blue smoke created by the exploding crystals that failed to penetrate his skin.


    The appearance of mana reside, blocking their sight, was an amateurish mistake made by the guards, but although their training was good, they were on the verge of panic, and once the first shot was made, they knew they had to kill the man or forfeit their lives.


    Those with strength or power rarely let any slight slide, especially an attack on them as it was seen as a sign of weakness.


    The silence when they had emptied their weapons, only disturbed by the panting breath of the guards, was immediately shattered.


    Mick''s agonised scream, caused when a foot landed on his knee, shattering it, ended as abruptly as it started, when a fist smashed through his skull, sending shards of bone and brain matter outwards in a gruesome mist, blinding those behind.


    The guard standing beside him in the formation faired no better, his decapitated head already tumbling towards the floor, confusion etched on his face as his body slammed heavily into the nearby building.


    Being a summoned, Ru had no way of gauging the threat of another, he simply didn''t inherit the instincts, acquired from thousands of generations, to acquire this skill, and so, the moment they attacked him, he responded without mercy as ten years of hellish combat experience exploded forth.


    Ru''s figure left afterimages as he quickly passed through the guards, his spear nothing more than a trail of blue light, leaving a trail of blood, spraying high into the air as body parts, sliced with a large amount of force, slammed into the nearby walls or splashed into the river.


    Ru stopped a couple of feet behind the last guard, not a single drop of blood staining his skin, before slowly turning around, his cold, grey eyes look at the gruesome scene behind him without emotion.


    The only survivor, the female guard that had fallen, was now in a kneeling position, shaking as she stared at their comrades remains, tears streaming down her face.


    The woman released a sob, drawing Ru''s attention. "Whoops, left one... seems I am a bit rusty."


    The black spear smashed into her chest, penetrating her heart before slowly being retracted. The spear turning into a black liquid that was rapidly absorbed into Ru''s skin.


    Ru, as well as the rest of the Summoned, learnt very quickly, that to hold back in any circumstance was beyond foolish, often leading to death or worse.


    Unlike the natives, the Summoned quickly gave up concepts like honour, fairness and mercy. They had been slaves, given none of these as they forced to take the ''jobs'' too disgusting or dangerous for others. To show even a hint of weakness in such an environment was akin to committing suicide.


    Due to this, it wasn''t long before they stopped referring to themselves as human, distancing themselves from the concepts and ideals of their old world. They believed they had become monsters in human skin, the idea exasperated by the mutations their body underwent, and had no right, or need, to follow any rule other than survival of the fittest.


    Their new, self-proclaimed identity enabled them to salvage what sanity they could and live, though as slaves, that was a very loose term, with the guilt of their deeds. Little did they know that their captors had been indirectly manipulating their minds to achieve this state. Broken tools were worthless after all, and the Summoned had nearly unlimited potential in the war against the Dark Races.


    The fact that they did not hold back did not mean that the Summoned did not pace themselves, or that they were in any way reckless, just that when they had to act, just like when the guards attacked Ru, they were fully committed to the eradication of all threats, present and future. The latter applying to the female guard.


    Luckily for the guards, Ru did not feel he had the time, or he would have identified and eliminate their friends and families, starting a domino effect that would have probably resulted in the purge of the entire town.


    In the early days, most of the Summoned were killed in revenge attacks, and they, or more specifically Ru''s squad, quickly learned to leave as few loose ends as possible, even if the concept was a very slippery slope.


    There were exceptions, like Styx, but after being forced to commit atrocities that would even make a god sweat in horror, they were few and far between.


    This line of thinking created a new problem. They needed to find out large chunks of information, which steadily became harder as their reputation grew, to identify threats as well as complete their mission.


    In the end, they resorted to quicker, more brutal methods, eventually resulting in Ru''s squad''s official name. The Inquisitors. A name that gave many sleepless nights to any that opposed the Alliance.


    After the demise of the group in the Demon Lord''s fortress, the Alliance had renamed its intelligence division after them, using the already well-established reputation to inspire fear in those who would go against them, though nowhere near as much as when Ru last stalked the shadows. This was why the badge, a creation of Ru''s best friend, was recognised at the town gate. It was no longer linked to the Heros of old but the cloaked dagger of the Alliance.


    This was why the badge, a creation of Ru''s best friend, was recognised at the town gate. It was no longer linked to the Heros of old but the cloaked dagger of the Alliance.


    The warped ideology, both from his Alliance handlers and his questionable sanity, became so ingrained, that even after centuries of imprisonment, Ru acted almost subconsciously, killing the guards before he realised what he was doing.


    Ru looked at the woman, her head, dead eyes still staring forward, resting on her chest, with a complicated expression. He had hoped to limit the number of new faces that would haunt him in his dream space, but it looked like it was an impossible goal.


    Not that he felt a pang of guilt. The guards had attacked him and so, paid for it with their lives, just like the man on the bridge would. The biggest problem with killing guards in a town was that it immediately put you in enemy territory and would certainly make his current objectives difficult, if not impossible.


    Ru chuckled as he removed the female guard''s cloak, only a bit bloody, and after letting her slump ungraciously to the side, wrapped it around himself. "Well... this is going to make things difficult."

 Arc 1 - New World, Chapter 4.4 - Devil (Part 2)

    The guard''s light-grey cloak scratched Ru''s skin as he pulled it tight around his neck. However, it was not its roughness that caused his frown to increase steadily.


    It was gone, obliterated in the attack, the last memento of his companions and what he considered to be his second life.


    Though most of the memories were unpleasant, the bonds that he forged with a few of his fellow Summoned, through the trials and tribulations they had faced together, was one of the few things that gave him the sense of genuine happiness.


    The only other memories that held any power were the ones of his family, but as they were formed a long time before his brain fused with mana, they had gradually deteriorated. He couldn''t even recall their features now, and he feared the day when he would forget them all together, just like his name.


    Before he realised it, familiar feelings, ones that he had consistently battled against since arriving in this world, banishing them to the furthest reaches of his mind, came flooding forward as if sensing his temporary weakness.


    Loss.


    Anger.


    Hate.


    But worst of all, emptiness. Ru didn''t have a purpose or anyone to share his, now painfully, long life with.


    The loss of the brooch had triggered memories that he despised, yet could not bear to bring himself to forget, with time or through magic.


    He had lost everything that he held dear, twice.


    The first was when he was summoned and enslaved. The second was when he and his comrades were betrayed by the few they trusted. Not only did he lose them, but the one being he trusted above all others, Styx, turned against him.


    He ignored the Elf for if he didn''t, he felt that the world would rapidly become a less populated place. It wasn''t that he cared more about her, more that he was actually willing to develop a physical relationship with her and that thought now sickened him.


    His original reason for approaching Styx was simple. The world rejected her kind and so, no matter what he became, she was unlikely to reject him.


    It was a weird logic, but despite what the world thought of him, he was not an emotionless monster. To him, a hug could be more dangerous than a sword, as long as it was from the right kind of person.


    He didn''t fear death nor pain, struggle or defeat but he was not invincible and even though it took them ten long years. Ru''s handlers had finally found his weakness. The special few that he accepted and, in a warped kind of way, cherished.


    He knew they had to. They knew him too well, and as his strength grew and his personality warped, he was becoming more of a threat than a boon.


    He had managed to, in a roundabout way, kill most of the first handlers and it was only a matter of time before they came up with a counter measure. It was only fair after all.


    The alliance had ensured that he would never see his family again, due to the summoning, and so he would find a way to make them, any anyone involved, pay. In biblical proportions.


    He knew it.


    They knew it.


    It was just a matter of time.


    The air crackled with mana as Ru''s jaw clenched. Just because he understood them, didn''t mean that he would forgive them or show an ounce of mercy but what could he do now? They were dead, and there was no point in killing their ancestors.


    He may have become, for all intensive purposes, a monster but he wasn''t as foolish or petty to think that lashing out at the world would solve anything. Yes, if he had anything to do with it, which he would, the Alliance would fall, but that was the entity itself, the ''thing'' that had decided to summon him. Not aimed at any specific individual that was unlucky enough to be spawned from a group that should be singing their god''s praises that they died before he gained his freedom.


    A chuckle escaped Ru''s throat, realising that he had changed since he had been imprisoned. Before, he would have burnt the world down in a fit of rage, but now, he just saw it as a waste of energy.


    Ru stretched, his bones creaking, racing to absorb the mana before the Divine Spears, as he let out a deep sigh and looked at his shadow snaking across the bloody floor. "Time heals all wounds huh?... My shadows the only one that walks beside me..."


    Ru, let out another sigh. "I really should have listened to better songs when I had the chance. They were the only things that kept me sane in that fucking tomb."


    "The Devil has come~."


    A deep, yet friendly voice resonated around Ru causing him to arch an eyebrow in surprise. The persona he created for Styx to use as an anchor for belief was just that; there should be nothing linking him to that fictional being except the power he was absorbing.


    Ru laughed. "Don''t you know it''s rude not to introduce yourself first?"


    He did not deny of confirming the mysterious voice''s claim.


    "Forgive me~. I have no intention of insulting one so powerful... or merciliess~."


    "Yet you do not show yourself? If I wasn''t such a patient man, I might be getting a little annoyed about now," responded Ru.


    He sensed no threat but not being able to locate the mysterious voice, even utilising twenty percent of his power was starting to irritate him.


    "A man~ no. Patient~... Yes,~." A grey mist appeared in front of Ru before forming into the shape of a middle-aged man, wearing a white cloak. Quickly falling to his knees, the man''s head slammed into the floor.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Oh might Devil, who has risen above the demigods~, I know it is against your instincts, but if you spare my humble town, I can provide you with at least ten thousand mana now, and another ten thousand if you allow me to humble escort you to my borders~?.


    Ru showed no hint of emotion as he started at the weird man-like creature kneeling in front of him.


    Though he did not have most of the abilities the natives took for granted, Ru knew the man wasn''t a species he had come across, and his behaviour was completely unthreatening if a little strange.


    "What are you and," Ru''s eyes constricted. "Can you really give me that amount of mana, refined?"


    Due to Ru''s situation, he was in desperate need of refined mana, but at the same time, to acquire large amounts would require a significant investment. With his current stockpile, even if he was a little frivolous at the moment, he couldn''t afford to gamble, making the man''s offer, extremely tempting.


    Ru''s eyes narrowed. "There is no such thing as a free meal. Answer my questions, and we will see if we can come to an agreement."


    "Yes I can and I am this town''s spirit," responded the man, still on his knees.


    Ru had never heard of a town spirit before, confirming his suspicion that this was a race that he had not previously met. "Town Spirit?"


    The spirit looked up, hope dancing in his glittering, green eyes. "You must have only awoken from your ascension? Forgive me~. A town spirit is a dungeon core that was taken at a young age and nurtured to exist in harmony with the higher races~. We loose most of our arts and power but, in exchange for the mana of those living in our domain and protection, we power the walls and keep the weaker monsters at bay as well as other administrative tasks~."


    The spirit noticed Ru was still waiting, an irritated look in his eye. "This is one of the reasons my guards used their magical rifles on you was that no monster should be able to enter. I am sorry for not stopping them, but as it was a mana based attack, it should have given you more power and caused no lasting damage~."


    Ru could only chuckle, a piece of the puzzle finally falling into place. "So that''s why they still carry around those old weapons. Refined Mana is deadly to sentient races but as monsters have co-"


    Ru suddenly stopped as a shocked expression on his face. He knew his body had changed, but he did not see the blue crystal in his chest and so, did not realise he had something that should have been impossible for anything other than a monster or dragon.


    The sudden change in Ru''s expression terrified the town spirit who started shaking violently. As a town spirit, just like dungeons, he could accurately gauge the strength of those who entered his domain.


    The man in front of him, even if he looked like a beggar, held so much energy that the spirit couldn''t even start to comprehend the difference in their power and could only submit. It may be shallow, but like his Dungeon siblings, it was how they had managed to survive so long, giving gifts to adventurers so they wouldn''t kill them or outright submit to a new ruler.


    "I guess that confirms it," sighed Ru, as he looked at the red moon rising into the sky. "I am no longer human."


    Confusion appeared on the spirit''s face, but he didn''t say anything. Usually, he would try and contract any powerful monster that came close to the town into becoming a guardian, but in Ru''s case, he didn''t even consider it. He just wanted Ru gone. As fast as possible.


    Ru waved him to stand. "I''ll take your donation, but I have some... unfinished business here."


    "The manaless~?" The town spirits face momentarily showed the faint hint of disgust before disappearing as he stood. Beings that held no mana were useless to an entity like him."The manaless that was with you was taken by a bounty hunter intending to claim the reward set by the demigod, Styx."


    Ru had almost forgotten about the girl, planning to introduce the creature stupid enough to attack him to a new world of pain but at the sprit''s last words, his face hardened. "How did you know I was the Devil?"


    "The Devil? so ''Devil'' is not your names~ but a title?" questioned the spirit, trying to gain time for his mind to work.


    "Enough. Tell me." A blue glow illuminated Ru''s eyes. He had a dreadful feeling about this.


    If it could sweat, the spirit would be standing in a puddle about now. "The demigod has requested that all manaless and magical races be escorted to the Immortal City as a matter of urgency."


    "In fact, when I saw you with an inquisitors badge I assumed that you were transporting the manaless there yourself though, now I know you are an ancient monster, I wouldn''t recommend it."


    "Even for a being as strong as yourself. The Immortal Capital is the seat of the Alliances power, and the legendary figures that call it home are innumerable."


    The spirit prayed that the information he was giving ''Devil'' in front of him was enough. He had seen what he had done to his guards and felt that even if he alerted all of the beings in his domain, he wouldn''t be able to stop him reaching his core.


    "Tell. Me." Ru was losing his temper.


    If Ru''s expression scared the spirit before, now it was almost willing to crack his crystal and end his existence.


    Ru''s momentary elation of discovering a new power source, reaching civilisation where he could eat, drink and sleep in a comfy bed after teaching a bounty hunter a gruesome lesson vanished. Now his freedom was once again threatened and to say he was pissed, was an understatement.


    "The one called Styx has called on all to locate the ''Devil'' and monitor from a distance, the one she proclaimed to the masses to be the cause of the Mana Burst incident, while she gathers information from the manaless and those with high magical resistance. It has something to do with a spell that should not affect them."


    Realisation hit Ru like a bolt of lightening. He had seriously miscalculated.


    The scared, easily to manipulate womanthat he had factored into his plan with the greatest success rate was not the Styx he knew over three centuries ago.


    She had grown and, while he had expected her to cower in fear, Styx was already reacting in what Ru considered to be worst case scenario. She wasn''t just hiding, or preparing a defence; she was already counter attacking.


    "If they work out the details, they can undo the spell. They cancel the spell; they will know my weakness'' and, they can discover the handicaps I now have... I do not fear death but being locked in that infernal prison again... Never."


    "Fuck," He had thought he had anticipated everything, even having multiple backs up plans but this, this destroyed over three hundred years worth of planning in a mere moment.


    One simple miscalculation that was so glaringly obvious had almost cost him everything. If it wasn''t for the informative town spirit in front of him, by the time he found out, it might have been too late.


    Ru almost wanted to bash his brains into the floor. "Of course someone who had aspirations to become a god wouldn''t be willing to be controlled, even if they gained some benefit out of it. How Naive I was, stuck in my timeless bubble. Even I changed without the stimulus of others, how could she not have?"


    The spirit shuddered as the surrounding walls started to disintegrate with the intensity of mana being released by Ru, the black patches of skin, once small, steadily growing.


    Suddenly, as if someone had flicked a switch, the pressure and mana fluctuations stopped.


    A wicked smile appeared on Ru''s face. The loss he had felt earlier, the pointlessness of everything was banished as he felt the proverbial axe hanging above his head, waiting to end his existence.


    The awkward silence broke as Ru started laughing, quietly at first before becoming almost hysterical. "I see... so that is who I am? I guess until I find something more meaningful, I just have to fight against this accursed world."


    His eyes locked onto the spirit, fire burning in his eyes. "Take me to the manaless. Now! The game is afoot, and I can''t afford to dally any longer."


    His plans had changed, drastically and he would need a miracle to pull them off but, since his days with his comrades, he had never felt so alive. To be living on the edge of a blade, where one wrong step could spell your doom.


    The spirit almost disapparated at the grinning demon, no devil in front of him, never had he felt his existence so threatened before turning around and almost running in the direction of the slums.

 Arc 1 - New World, Chapter 4.4.2 - Devil (Part 2)

    The town spirit, at a steady pace, glided across the bridge and into the slums, Ru''s heavy footsteps echoing behind, each one sounding like a death-knell to those cowering in their homes close enough to hear.


    However, much to the surprise and relief of the spirit, with each step, the bloodlust slightly diminished until, when they were a few blocks away from the bridge, heading to the shadiest part of the slums, it had completely vanished.


    Giving a mental sigh, assuming that the being following had calmed down, the spirit continued in silence until stopping just outside a long street, only illuminated by a few streetlights. A few skinny, scantily dressed women leant on the side of buildings as a few, neon signs flicked on and off, occasionally revealing a few sordid acts in the cluttered alleyways.


    "This is as far as I can take you. If the townsfolk suspect that I betrayed a sentient, it will cause me nothing but trouble. I can give you the ten thousand mana now, and then we can meet at the south gate, and I can give you the rest."


    A deadpan voice responded. "I wouldn''t worry about that."


    A chill ran down the spirit''s non-existent spine as he slowly turned.


    Standing behind him, he saw a completely normal human-looking man. In fact, the only thing of notable thing about him was the bloodied cloak and even that wasn''t that uncommon.


    Frowning, the spirit looked closer. His senses had never been wrong before, and at the moment, were screaming at him that he was in mortal danger.


    As soon as he looked into Ru''s eyes, he understood why and floated backwards, dread filling his entire being.


    Ru''s eyes were cold andemotionless, to the point of almost looking dead. Not even the reflection of the nearby streetlights giving them the slightest glimmer.


    A town spirit, just like a dungeon, had incredible computational power and almost instantly, he realised what the problem was. It was obvious now he thought about it, but a big part of him didn''t want to acknowledge it, and so he had pushed it to the back of his mind.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The moment the creature in front of him stepped into his town and noticed his presence, the spirits fate was sealed, though he would not just lay down and die.


    The spirit started glowing in a faint, white light. "I won''t tell a soul, I swear."


    "..." Ru continued to stare as if he was nothing more than a statue.


    "I swear on my core." The town spirit continued to back away, having seen Ru''s impressive speed when he decimated his guards, he wanted to create enough distance that he might have a chance.


    Ru had already displayed he could control refined mana, making him one of the few existences that were dangerous to a town spirit away from their core, making dispersing his spirit form, pointless.


    A familiar, feminine scream, in anger, not fear, resonated from a few blocks down the street, causing Ru''s head to tilt, as if trying to pinpoint the source.


    "Please, I beg you." The spirit now understood why sentient beings cried at moments like this. The moment the girl had screamed, he outlived his usefulness and because of his own foolishness, revealing what he knew to Ru in an attempt to win his favour, he had actually sealed his own fate.


    "You know too much," Ru''s voice was so cold and emotionless, it was impossible to think of it originating from a human. "But worry not, you won''t be going alone."


    The spirit wasted no more words, preparing to attack with everything he had but, as a weak town spirit, it was not much.


    A blinding blue light erupted where the pair stood, drawing the attention of the prostitutes, pimps and the few people wandering down the street, however, when the bright light vanished, all they saw was a man with a bloody cloak, standing next to a plume of smoke, rapidly dispersing in the wind.


    Moments later, the streetlights went out and the ringing of bells resonated throughout the town causing the people that had not felt Ru''s bloodlust earlier and were already in hiding, to drop whatever they were doing and run towards their homes.


    As people rushed past, Ru walked down the dark street steadily, his face as emotionless as stone.


    There was no bloodlust, no foreboding power, nothing to indicate that the man in front of them was anything but normal however his cold, almost dead eyes would cause even the bravest to cower in fear. It was a state of mind he hoped never to use again and yet, here he was. About to commit another atrocity but this time, it was his own decision. He could not blame anyone else and felt that soon, he would be saying goodbye to the last of his humanity.


    Releasing a laugh fitting his new persona, he looked at the red moon. "No rest for the wicked... huh."


    The Devil had come to Yelve, and he was not amused in the slightest.

 Arc 1 - New World, Chapter 4.5 - Devil (Part 3)

    Running at breakneck speed, eyes darting about, flinching at every shadow, Elelth turned into a narrow alleyway only to be met with a dead end. "Ancients damn it."


    Nothing more than a solitary streetlamp illuminate the alleyway, boarded doors and windows on each side offering no place to climb or even hide.


    Elelth scanned her surroundings, looking for and escape route, quickly realising it was hopeless. "Damn it, damn it, damn it. Curse the fucking ancients."


    A laugh echoed behind her. "Hey now, no need to swear or bring the old gods into this. It''s not like you had any hope of escaping anyway."


    Elelth had woken up as the man was bartering for a room in a shady looking building, probably some sort of brothel, and made a break for it. However, instead of panicking, the man had taken it as a game and toyed with her, letting the elf exhaust herself before finally deciding to end the game and herding her towards a dead end.


    "Why are you doing this?" Tear''s streaked down Elelth''s purple cheeks as she tried to catch her breath, looking around for any possibility of escape while backing away from the man.


    The bounty hunter shrugged, walking forward with a steady gate. "Money and a chance to get commissioned work from the Alliance. Those contracts are worth your weight in gold."


    "Money?" responded Elelth, ignoring the second half as she would have no way of making a counter offer. "My Uncle has money. I am sure he will pay yo-"


    "Your Uncle? The head of the Mercenary Branch in this town?" The man could barely talk, trying to stop himself from laughing. "How do you think I knew you were coming? I wasn''t just sitting at the town gate enjoying the sights."


    Elelth''s long, pointed ears shook, knowing full well what the man was alluding to but refusing to believe it. She had been betrayed. Again. And this time, it was by family.


    However, instead of breaking down like he expected, she took a defiant stance, causing the man''s creepy smile to grow. "Oh, so knowing that he sold you out, for a few silver, doesn''t effect you much? After hearing what freaks your parents were, trying to protect an abomination like you, I thought you would have been sheltered, but it seems you''re no stranger to a bit of hardship."


    Tears pooled in Elelth''s eyes as her temper flared.


    The bounty hunters goal was to break her spirit, making it much easier to transport her, during the two-month journey, to the Immortal City. He knew she was immune to any mana based technology and could, if she knew how, create a field around her that neutralised any spells or abilities.


    Manaless were publically believed to be cursed creatures that had somehow offended the ancient gods, but a few, in positions of power, knew the truth. Back at the start of the Dark War, long before the summoned were called, they had been created as anti-mage weapons, some becoming so powerful that they managed to escape and integrate with the general population without arousing suspicion.


    Initially, when it was discovered that the manaless trait was passed on, a hundred percent of the time, to their offspring, the Alliance had attempted to cull all with the bloodline, in fear that unchecked, the general population would soon lose the ability to wield magic.


    This lasted until most sentient societies developed and their communities started to demand equality and fairness for all, mainly so their own race would not be persecuted.


    As the times changed, the Alliance was forced to use tamer methods, though, to some, they were just as brutal. Sterilisation, imprisonment and even deportation to the Deserted Continent were standard practices, though, if they had the sport of influential family, they could scrape by with a sub-par quality of life.


    "What makes you think I would put any value in the words of a bounty hunter," hissed Elelth, a feral snarl appearing on her face, displaying her two sharp canines, a common trait for dark elves.


    The man''s smile faltered, it seemed she wasn''t going to break like he hoped. For a manaless, she was strong and obviously had some survival training by how fast she woke up from getting knocked out and her attempted escape.


    His backup plan, which was the reason why he allowed her to flee, was to gauge Elelth''s strength. It had worked pretty well so he wasn''t too worried but it was going to be a long journey if she fought him ever step of the way and so he decided that he would need to put her in her place.


    Letting out a deep sigh, he wracked his brains. "You damn manaless freaks are always such a pain. I can''t even slap a slave collar on your neck."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Elelth wasn''t listening. The more she thought about it, the more she started to believe his initial claims about her uncle.


    Her uncle had never been nice to her, barely putting up with her presence for the sake of his sister, her mother. She remembered the disgust in his eyes and had to repress a shiver.


    "Wait, how did he know that I survived?" Elelth asked, the question confusing her. To her knowledge, her Uncle didn''t know she was alive, let alone heading towards him.


    "No idea, I would say you could ask him, but part of the deal was that he never see or hear from you again," chuckled the man, watching the elf''s anger and despair grow.


    Her last hope was gone and as cold reality sunk in, her thoughts turned dark, but instead of taking the blame, she turned it on the world that, at least to her, seemed to be the cause of all her suffering.


    Her parents had loved her dearly, and done everything they could to make her happy, but away from their sight, her life had been hell. Years of bullying and torment had hardened her, warping her personality, particularly since she had to hide it from her parents, but they were no longer here, and she was sick of being a victim.


    The more she thought, the more depressed she became but instead of wallowing, Elelth was getting angry.


    Really angry.


    To the experienced bounty hunter, it looked like she would attack him with her bare hands at any moment and he couldn''t suppress a conceited smile, thinking that he had won.


    "Looks like I am going to have to push her a little more. I need to show her that she cannot beat me," sighed the bounty hunter. "I can always work on breaking her spirit later."


    "What''s up little elf? Realising that you are an abomination that no one wants? You should feel lucky to get an escort to the Immortal City. The word is, you will be treated well and even given a job if you do as you''re told... well that is the ones that come peacefully. More than your kind deserves. You are lucky they haven''t sterilised you and thrown you to the dire wolfs already."


    "I am wrong or evil? for just being born?" Elelth''s teeth ground noisily, as her eyes turned vicious.


    "Your kind was never meant to exist. The fact that you have the willpower to carry on when you are hated by all is the only good thing about you," responded the man, carefully watching her every movement.


    "I am wrong for being born? My parents freaks for loving me? FUCK THAT! What have I done that''s so wrong?" Elelth was almost foaming as her purple skin gained a red hint and her chest heaved. "It''s not me that''s wrong, its this world and you sick, twisted fucks that inhabit it."


    "You want me to just lay down and die? Why should I? I am innocent. It''s you that should die. You and every other brainless zealot on this forsaken planet."


    The blond bounty hunter took a step forward. "What do you know of the world little girl?"


    Madness danced in Elelth''s eyes. Since the death of her parents it had been there but the small hope that she still had a family, and the delusion that he would care, had kept it at bay.


    Both were so tense, waiting for the other to move, that as bells started ringing in the distance and the streetlight flicked before going out, they jumped backwards.


    Though the human bounty hunter was at a disadvantage, not having the natural night vision of a dark elf, his experience and the red moon, bathing everything in a sinister red light, more than made up for it.


    Even with the slight advantage and Elelth''s rage, she still knew she was no match for him. "So this is my life? To be hated, imprisoned, betrayed and probably killed by this cruel, unjust world just for how I was born?"


    Her eyes turned hard. "You know what, even though they say he caused the explosions that killed my parents, maybe that Devil everyone is talking about has the right idea."


    "This world needs to be destroyed. If the world want''s to do nothing but kill me, then it''s only fair if I try and kill it back."


    The man''s eyes turned cold. "Steady on girl. There are bigger forces at work, and only a fool tempts them and what kind of logic is that? If he exists, he killed your parents yet you are saying he is right?"


    "OH GREAT DEVIL," bellowed Elelth into the air, her voice burning with wrath. "I have been rejected by this world and all that is in it. I offer you everything. My mind, my body, my soul, to do with as you please. I only ask that you give me the power to destroy those that stand against me."


    Elelth vaguely remembered reading about the old gods and how they would choose champions from the mortal races to act as their avatars, bestowing great power as long as they did as they were told. This Devil had killed millions as well as eight demigods, meaning that he must at leat been a God or higher tier entity, making it likely that he would hear her prayer. Not that there were many still alive who had once interacted with the old gods.


    She didn''t believe in the slightest that it would work, but she had to do something and seeing as escaping or fighting were out of the question, raging at the heavens seemed like a good place to vent. What made it better was that the man in front of her was obviously superstitious and even though she had no clue what she was doing, seeing his panicked face made her feel a little better.


    Silence resonated around them, and after a few moments, the bounty hunter let out a deep breath. "Damned brat. Don''t go messing with forces you don''t understand-"


    The bounty hunters eyes went wide, staring above Elelth''s head causing her to tense, however, she did not turn around.


    She had enough training, thanks to her overprotective father, not to fall for such a simple trick.


    "Who would want such a pathetic soul or scrawny, child-like body?" A cold, chilling, yet slightly familiar voice emanated from behind her, causing her muscles to tense and goosebumps to rise on her arms.


    As a manaless, no ability or skill would affect her but, as a native to the world, her instincts were still strong and whatever stood behind her, reeked of death causing her body to lock down.


    "Let''s talk later, I have work to do."


    The world tilted as darkness overtook her, the last sensation she felt before falling into unconsciousness was the hard, cobblestoned floor and the echo of blood-curdling screams from the one who had chased her.

 Arc 1 ~ 2 Interlude. Styx - The last Demigod

    *Bang*


    A fat, stubby fist slammed onto a dark wooden table. "Do you really expect us to believe that? Who do you think we are? Your idiotic followers?"


    An overweight, slightly bald man sat at the head of a long rectangular table, surrounded by other, equally angry-look people. All staring to the foot of the table where a woman, wearing a black dress, stood stoically, her mask-like face revealing no emotion.


    "Belive me or not, it matters little to me. That is what happened," replied Styx, her voice as emotionless as her face.


    "So you had nothing to do with the demise of the other demigods, the disappearance of the Demon Lord''s essence or the fact that you conveniently can''t remember anything about the perpetrator other than his name?" The fat man took a deep breath. "On top of all that, this so-called Devil''s spell has wiped the ritual of demigod ascension from your mind, making it impossible to create more?"


    "We are not created, we are chosen," hissed Styx. "And as already explained, and proven by your experts, an unknown, god tier magic has been used to manipulate our memories. If I didn''t bring this fact to light, you would still be ignorant to what had happened."


    "Why would this Devil destroy the knowledge of making demigods? He has already proven that they are not a threat to him," questioned a middle-aged woman, goats horns sticking from the side of her head.


    Styx replied in a mocking tone. "Who know''s what goes through a higher beings head. Maybe he just wanted the exercise, but my thoughts are that there was a hidden meaning behind it, though I don''t even have a hint at what they are."


    Styx was playing a dangerous game, revealing enough to sate the Alliance Council''s curiosity without revealing everything, though she already had a backup plan if things turned ugly.


    The youngest member of the room, a furry, humanoid-looking dog, leant on his elbows, his yellow eyes locking onto the demigod. "And so we return to the original question. Why are you alive, Styx? You state you were first on the scene and, after confirming the Demon Lords demise, woke up just outside the blast zone."


    Styx crossed her arms. "Isn''t it obvious? It''s not like I escaped. I was allowed to live, for a reason, I do not know. At first, I thought it was so that I could confirm that the end of the Demon Lord and his essence but the more I think about it, the more it doesn''t make sense."


    The hero had often told Styx she had a gift in method acting and, after his imprisonment, she had improved it to such a degree, sometimes she forgot what was real, and what was fiction.


    The wolfkin did not look amused and opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by the fat man. "Enough, you may leave. You are to remain in your room, here at the Alliance Headquarters, until we know what to do with you."


    Styx straightened. "You forget something important, Counsellor."


    The room stiffened at the coldness in her words.


    "I may be the last demigod, without the power to even be a minor threat to the Alliance but, to this room, no this entire city, I am more than enough to lay it to waste."


    The wolfkin sneered. "Ha, most of your followers'' di-"


    "You were always a slippery one Styx. You have used this event and are already regaining followers at an alarming rate. We are not ignorant of you movements." This time, an elderly human interrupted, causing the wolfkin to growl.


    The old man continued, ignoring the death stare. " You have also positioned yourself, at least in the public''s eyes, as the Alliance''s only viable weapon against this devil fellow... We can''t publically touch you, and if we did it in the shadows, it would only hurt us in the long run as religion is one of the best ways to control the lower masses. But do not forget. The demigods and the Alliance still has a concord and even if you are the last of your kind, once again..."


    The man chuckled before continuing. "You are still bound by it."


    Styx nodded, her voice becoming strained. "I have not forgotten. Now if you excuse me, I grow bored of these pointless meetings and accusations. I have a Devil to hunt and the world to save."


    The room didn''t get a chance to answer as Styx disappeared in a flash of light.


    "Martin," said the old man, all mirth gone from his voice, causing the fat man to flinch. "Open your mouth without thinking again, and you will never open it again. We cannot afford to ostracise Styx now. The other demi followers would flock to her cause and scream of conspiracies. We will let this incident blow over. If this Devil doesn''t exist, when it dies down, then we get rid of her, if he does... We will deal with it as we always have."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    A couple of miles away, still inside the Immortal City, Styx body reappeared inside an enormous mansion, Armoured soldiers, sporting a white mask emblem on their shoulder saluted as they patrolled, making the place look more like a fortress than where somebody lived.


    Without even pausing to take notice of her guards, Styx marched through the ornate entrance and down a long, dark corridor before slamming open a heavy wooden door and entering a well-lit room.


    "Mistress," echoed the voices of two women in sync, falling to a knee as they lowered their heads.


    "Report," said Styx in a friendly but firm voice. She has spent hours being questioned by the Council and was not in the best of moods.


    The two stood, looking almost identical, their long, elf-like ears and smooth, white skin standing out against their black leather armour.


    "Mistress, we have received word that the target has entered a small down. As ordered we have stayed at a safe distance, but somehow, he seems to have noticed our agents."


    The slightly taller elf, a scar on her cheek, frowned. "Are you sure this is the man we are looking for? He noticed but hasn''t done anything."


    "Alex... carry on with the report," Styx walked around the room. Sofas littered its edges with large, inspiring paintings adorning its walls.


    The elf with the scar nodded, "They entered the town a litt-"


    Styx abruptly stopped. "They?"


    "He appears to have picked up a manaless, though from what we have discovered, he doesn''t know it yet."


    Styx smiled, forgetting the initial reason for her question. "Does he know of our plans yet?"


    "We doubt it; he seems to be trying to keep a low presence and not draw attention... when not butchering monsters with his bare hands."


    Styx laughed, the only trouble she had of imagining the scene was that she could not remember the hero''s face. "It''s funny really. When he first told me what he wanted me to do, I thought it would never work, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I may have lost most of my followers, but in exchange, he has opened the whole continent to me while giving me the ultimate recruitment means. It seems that people from his old world had to use more... underhanded means to gain their followers."


    The elves frowned at the mention of a different world but said nothing.


    Styx walked up to a suit of black armour, strangely, similar to the ruined one Ru was wearing in the Demon Lords castle, and placed her hand tenderly on a black mask where a head should be, her own featureless face gaining a slight red hue.


    "Have you been at the suicidal, lovestruck souls again?" asked the smaller of the elves, displaying a cheeky smile.


    "Lovestruck? No Maya, this is not something as common or meaningless as that." laughed Styx. "This man has given me three of the greatest gifts. Life, an almost certain method to obtain godhood and an eternal nemesis that will never leave or forsake me."


    The two women looked at each other in confusion.


    "As I grow, so will he, and as he grows, so will I." By the tone of her voice, it was possible to imagenshe was smiling. "But although he is a terror when he gets going, he has always been lazy. He thought that he could get away with doing nothing to further our relationship. Ha, I am not the kind of woman to be walked over. Not anymore."


    "If he needs me as a god, then equally, I need him as a Devil. Two sides of the same coin, light and darkness, good and evil... oh, how enlightened his words were." It was hard to tell Styx''s emotions due to her face, but her voice was more than good enough for the elves.


    Alex cleared her throat. "You mean the reason we are looking for those who might be unaffected by his spell is to force him to act when he finds out? If he is half as dangerous as you say he is, why would we want to antagonise him?"


    "Hmm correct, it''s mostly about getting him to act but, in a roundabout way, to also help him. If what is left of my memories are correct, he needs purpose and if I left him to wander around, he would either fall into the depths of despair or find a purpose that isn''t me. I can''t allow that. If our fates are tied, then, just as he has done for me, I must help him find his path."


    The two looked worriedly at their mistress. Since she had returned from the Demon Plains, she had been different, almost fanatical.


    "Are you sure he didn''t do something else to your memories. This behaviour isn''t you?" said Alex, expecting repercussions for her question but none came.


    "You mean you think he influenced my mind for me to act like this?" Styx span, holding her arms outwards as if she didn''t have a care in the world let out a beautiful laugh. "Of course not. When he finds out I am looking for manaless, his paranoia is going to go into overdrive and the resulting tantrum would make a leviathan sweat blood."


    A yellow crystal glowed on a nearby desk. "V... you there? Come in gods damn it. V"


    Alex looked murderous as she walked over to the desk and placed her hand on it. "What is it? And don''t forget protocol."


    The crystal flickered again. "The town... The target is burning it to the ground."


    Styx laughter erupted. "Well, that didn''t take long... Guess he knows."


    Destroying a town was no easy feat, especially since the introduction of town spirts as guardians. The two elves paled. They would obey their mistress without hesitation, but there was a grain of doubt in her accounts of the man known as the Devil, especially as her stories seemed so... surreal.


    Styx moved to the crystal and spoke. "Are there survivors?"


    "Mistress!" The man''s voice tensed. "Though to the untrained eye it looks like some are lucky enough to escape... he is letting them go but" The man paused. "They are going to be mentally scarred for life."


    Styx walked over to one of the large sofas and flopped on it. "Lock down the area but do not interfere. When he is far enough away," She looked at her servants, her voice returning to its emotionless state. "You know what to do. It''s still too early to reveal everything. Any that know more than his name or true form are to be eliminated."


    They bowed and moved towards the doors, giving another bow before leaving.


    Styx lay there, memories of the hero and his team floating the to surface, large black like blurs distorting them heavily. Suddenly she started humming, a tune that she had heard them singing after they were called heroes for destroying a small city.


    The humming broke out into a song. "This ain''t no place for no hero, this ain''t no place for no better~ man."


    Sighing she stood up. "Ahhh Hero, or should I say Devil now, you always loved your music... I wonder what new name you are going to pick?"

 Arc 2 - Party Building, Chapter 5.1 - A Manaless Elf

    "...idn''t even get a decent meal, let alone a dri..."


    Haunting visions tainted Elelth''s mind as her eyes abruptly opened, sitting upright as she gasped for breath.


    ".... ed on how badly I need a bath... and a comfy bed. I would sell my so..."


    Fleeting scenes of burning buildings, bone chilling screams and the stench of burnt flesh continued to bombard Elelth''s senses as her brain slowly started working, taking in the surrounding area.


    "... is against me. I mean, why is it always me? I don''t know what would make it worse. If someone was enjoying my suffering or if there wasn''t and this is all a wa..."


    Gentle, golden rays fell through the forest canopy, bathing Elelth in warm light as the sounds of birds and insects gradually replaced the screams, causing her to visibly calm. She was laying in a small clearing, surrounded by tall oak trees.


    ".. nted to do was have a nice, simple life. Eat some good food and drink myself into a friendly stupor but nooo, not even five min..."


    Elelth finally took notice of the barrage of grumblings and turned to her right, finding Ru sitting on top of a log with a sombre expression as he mercilessly stabbed the dirt with a stick.


    He was wearing a bloodied light grey cloak, which did nothing to hide his bare, scarred chest.


    "RU!" Elelth immediately jumped up and threw herself at the rambling man, too caught up in his own world to react in time, knocking him onto his back. "I had the scariest dream ever. In it, you died and..."


    Her words cut off for two reasons. The first was that she realised that she had just tackled a basically topless man she had only known a few days to the floor, the other was the dark feelings that came from thinking about her uncle''s betrayal.


    Uneasiness stirred in the pit of her stomach, unlike every other dream she had, this one wasn''t fading and remained vivid.


    "Sorry, I don''t know why I behaved like that." Shaking her head, Elelth stood up, constantly telling herself that it was just a dream.


    Ru laying on the ground in front of her was proof of that. She had seen him get blasted point black with an anti-tank weapon, creating a massive hole in his chest. No one, not even a dragon, could survive that. "It was just a stupid dream, though I am really happy you are OK Ru. Typically people treat..."


    Elelth stopped, realising she had almost revealed her secret.


    "Manaless like a plague victim?" completed Ru, adding in his own analogy as he sat up and locked his cold, grey eyes on the dark elf. "Word of warning. Do not touch me again without my permission. Ever."


    The cold, almost dead like eyes staring at her caused Elelth to shudder and step backwards before speaking in a meek voice, thinking his attitude was due to the fact he knew she was manaless and not that she had just touched him. "You know?"


    Ru ignored her question. "And that wasn''t a dream. I got shot, your uncle sold your scrawny arse for a few silver, and the that bitch is collecting manaless in an attempt to battle the Devil."


    Elelth wasn''t as shocked as she thought she should be. She somehow knew it wasn''t a dream but the warm sunlight and seeing Ru alive had given her mind something to grasp onto, any excuse to escape the crushing despair that threatened to overwhelm her.


    Feeling like the weight of the world had just fallen on her shoulders, Elelth fell to the floor as her mind recalled everything that happened, up to the moment she fainted.


    -"OH GREAT DEVIL, I have been rejected by this world and all that is in it. I offer you everything. My mind, my body, my soul to do with as you please. I only ask that you give me the power to destroy those that stand against me."


    Her pledge reverberated in her mind''s ear, causing her to look at Ru, who was once against seated on his log watching her with curiosity.


    "The Devil answered my prayers and saved me? Did he save you too? I can''t believe it. He can bring people back from the dead?" Her mind racing, Eleleth did not notice the mocking smile creeping on Ru''s lips.


    "No he cannot bring back the dead, and it depends on what you deem as saved." Ru''s smile grew. "He did stop that man from running off with you, but only because you have some usefulness. Now, let''s play a little game."


    Elelth''s mood instantly sank. Though she still did not completely believe the devil existed, the thought that he might be able to bring back her parents had given her a brief spark of hope, only for it to be crushed moments later.


    "I am going to tell you a story. You are not allowed to say anything," stated Ru, making it clear there as no room for negotiation. "When I say something that you believe is wrong, I want you to raise your right hand.


    "Why shou-" Elelth''s words stopped dead as the tip of a black spear pressed into her throat, drawing a trickle of blood."


    Ru continued as if he wasn''t pointing a spear at the girl in front of him. "Understand?"


    Eleleth nodded, looking at Ru in a new light.


    "A long time ago, around a hundred hero''s were summoned to this world by the Alliance to help them with their war against the dark races."


    "They were enslaved and forced to fight in the war."


    Elelth raised her hand.


    "They fought for the noble Alliance cause, sacrificing their lives for the greater good?"


    The elf''s hand dropped, however, the surrounding area got a few degree''s colder as Ru''s eyes narrowed. After taking a few deep breaths, wondering why them twisting history irritated him so much, he continued.


    "In the end, there were only eleven le-"


    Elelth''s hand raised once again, and a bitter smile appeared on Ru''s face.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "twelve left. The heroes launched a sneak attack on the Demon Lord and sacrificed their lives to imprison him. There were no survivors."


    Watching Elelth''s hand raise, Ru''s shoulders seemed to sag. "There was one survivor."


    The hand fell.


    "FUCK!" Ru shouted, causing Elelth to jump backwards, as the spear in his hand disappeared, and he started pacing back and forth. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."


    Thoughts of running floated across Elelth''s mind, but then the cold realisation that she had nowhere to go sunk in, even overriding her survival instincts.


    "Ru..." Elelth tentatively called out to Ru, to see if she could speak yet. It was clear he had more to say, but it seemed he had given up. "Why did you ask me those questions?"


    "Pretty dumb aren''t you? Think about it," hissed Ru as he held his head in his hands.


    Elelth didn''t have to think long, Ru''s story highlighted something that had been irritating her for weeks.


    Everyone kept talking about eleven heroes and their sacrifice when it was obvious there was twelve. From the twelve statues outside temples, the twelve days of holiday in celebration of their victory over the Demon Lord to the twelve Alliance carriers named after them.


    She had got into arguments with the other kids about it when they were fleeing the Demon lands, giving them more ammunition against her and no matter who she asked, they all gave the same answer.


    She had started doubting herself.


    Elelth froze.


    Ru apparently knew the truth as he amended it every time she raised her hand. He was also watching her carefully as if it was a test. The fact that he wouldn''t just ask her outright also bothered her. -"Why the roundabout approach? Does that mean that memories have been changed? Is it because I am manaless so I am not affected. Then what about Ru? How does he know?"


    Elelth subconsciously sat, her long, pointed ears twitching as she held her hand to her chin and her eyes glazed over.


    Being a manaless, she did not have many friends growing up and so lost herself in books and the hunt for knowledge, with her favourite past time being solving puzzles.


    Minutes past and Elelth''s head snapped up and her face became emotionless.


    Ru had been pacing the entire time, the grass already showing a small path, as he mumbled.


    He had expected the manaless to have been affected in some way or at least for the knowledge to be lost over time as those with mana forgot but for the elf in front of him to remember, and being only twenty-eight years old, meant that things were a lot more fragile than he thought.


    Having created the spell from scratch, he was painfully aware of its weaknesses.


    "Did I act too early? Should I have given it a few hundred more years? Is the spell faulty? Is it just manaless or are thereothers?"


    He let out a deep breath. -"It will be all right. The memories have been destroyed, the magical documents corrupted and any new information that matched the conditions would suffer the same fate as long as patient zero, me, isn''t compromised."


    "Did you kill my parents?" Elelth''s voice, cold and filled with hate snapped Ru from his thoughts.


    Ru looked down at the sitting elf. "If you kick a can, it spooks a horse which bolts, knocking over a ladder that falls and kills a person, are you to blame?"


    "Answer me." From all the information Elelth had, she started to put together a story. An unbelievable, terrifying story.


    "Yes." Ru''s voice was emotionless. "In a convoluted way, I did. You can blame me, or those that forced me to take such actions. I don''t really care."


    Elelth didn''t even flinch. "Are you the Devil?"


    Ru put one leg back, causing Elelth to flinch, before making a dramatic bow. "I guess that is one of the names I go by now... wait, only you know me as Ru, so I guess that is my ''real'' name for the moment."


    A dark shadow flickered around Ru, and his eyes started giving off a blue hue.


    Elelth stood up. "Is that your natural form? I thought the heroes were human?"


    "This?" Ru looked at his human hands, sadness crossing his eyes. "This is the closest I can remember my old form. You can''t expect flesh to escape a prison built for the gods."


    "Do you really want to destroy the world?" Elelth''s voice sounded like it would crack at any moment.


    "In the past I did, but that was a long, long time ago. Now I just want to be rid of my curse and enjoy the simple things in life." Ru crossed his arms, pouting. "Not that this shitty world will let me."


    Tears started to stream down Elelth''s purple skin. "Why are you doing this? Why did you kill my parents? Why? Is it because I am manaless. Am I cursed never to be happy?"


    A cool breeze crossed the clearing.


    "Not everything is about you brat. You think you know suffering? You know pain?" Ru knew he shouldn''t be talking, but for some reason, he needed to. It was as if, and in fact was, centries of pent up emotions were bursting to get out.


    "You believe that you have it so hard because the parents that loved and spoilt you as everyone else scorned you are dead? That life is shit because you are manaless."


    The glow in Ru''s eyes grew, causing Elelth to take a step back. Where he was emotionless before, it was clear that Ru was upset at something, confusing her.


    "You don''t even know what you are or what you are capable of. The reason your kind faces such hardships isn''t that of what you are but what you can become. They fear your kind. Oh boo freaking hoo. "


    Elelth was beyond confused. A part of her wanted to scream at the man that admitted that he was the cause of her parent''s death, another wanted to know more about what he was saying, and something else felt pity for him. Something in his eyes and emotions screamed of despair and hopelessness yet this was the first time she had seen it. She felt a weird connection between them, understanding that maybe they weren''t so different.


    "You want me to feel sorry for you? Ha. I envy you. To me, you''re nothing but a spoilt, naive princess that doesn''t know a single thing about the world." Ru''s breaths were becoming ragged, and he felt his control slipping.


    "What are you saying?" screamed Elelth. "You are strong enough to kill demigods, millions of people and do as you want whereas I can''t do anything. I can see it in their eyes. Do you see manaless running around happy? no. Without my parents, I will be lucky to survive the year."


    Ru''s expression slowly changed before he finally burst out laughing, destroying the depressing atmosphere instantly. "You''re weak, and I am strong?"


    Elelth glared at the man in front of her.


    "You do know that you are my kryptonite, or your kind is anyway, right? To escape, I had to sacrifice everything that made me human, no mortal. Nothing in life is free, and strength is the same. Everything has a price."


    Ru started making hand gestures. "Rock paper scissors. Those with mana are scissors, I am the rock, and the manaless are the paper. Well... I''d say more dynamite but then calling myself the rock wouldn''t be right... you know what. Forget that example."


    Elelth could only blink. From rambling madman to emotionless, to raging wreck and back to a rambling madman in less than five minutes.


    "Fine, seeing as you are going to die anyway, you can come with me." Ru''s eyes narrowed, looking like a starving wolf that had found a lamb. "You are more... fragile than I was looking for in a comrade, but I guess it makes the whole thing more fun, sticks a middle finger up at those fools in the alliance and gets me a mage killer all in one swoop."


    "Why would I go with you?" shouted Elelth, only to flinch as she caught a parchment thrown at her.


    "I didn''t realise that the sleeper hold would be so effective on manaless. You were out for three days, my little harbinger."


    Unrolling the scroll, Elelth gasped, seeing a relatively accurate picture of herself.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Wanted Dead or Alive


    The Devil''s Priestess


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Birth name: Elelth Fenbrook


    Class: Manaless</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">The Demigod Styx has offered to quadruple the bounty if they are captured and brought before her before the new moon.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "W-w-what? How?" Elelth''s brain jarred, not even wondering how Ru had got hold of the bounty


    Ru, looked up at the sky, not meeting Elelth''s panicked gaze. "Well... I kinda played with the blonde bastard a fair bit, letting him think he could escape and he was shouting a lot of information about how you summoned me, cursing your ancestors and such. He used your full name and even mentioned your uncle a few times."


    Elelth''s jaw dropped.


    "What?" Ru looked defensive. "It wasn''t about me, so I didn''t really care. Plus I need the PR if I am going to do this without that wannabe god''s help. Don''t worry I didn''t let many people escape."


    "Don''t worry? They have my bloody picture!" screamed Elelth. "And we still haven''t resolved anything!"


    Ru chuckled. "You should see mine. I look like a hungover elemental that has been dragged through hell and back."

 Arc 2 - Party Building, Chapter 5.2 - and her deal [Draft]

    "So..."


    A small fire illuminates the forest clearing, a dozen of miles from even a hint of civilisation, as two individuals sit, starting at each other.


    Elelth paused as she tried to find the right words, the crackling of the fire, rustling of the leaves above and the slow, rhythmic tapping of Ru''s boot the only thing keeping the silence at bay.


    Ru was not in the best of moods, forced to recount this story or face Elelth''s insistent nagging.


    It was evident that Elelth was not comfortable around him, often glaring angrily, but at the same time, that she wasn''t going anywhere and after five hours, Ru finally gave in. Momentarily considering killing the elf before recounting his tale and showing her how to start a fire without mana.


    When asked why, Ru replied that old habits died hard but in truth, with his new body, he could no longer manipulate the elements.


    Three hours, and an uncountable amount of interruptions, later the girl had finally stopped asking questions and now sat deep in thought.


    Elelth''s purple ears twitch as her face continually contorts from a frown to confusion and back again as she digests all the information she had learned."You haven''t told me everything have you?"


    "Do you think I am an idiot?" responded Ru dryly. He had only told her what Styx already knew in case the elf was captured.


    He honestly didn''t intend to reveal as much as he did, but finding someone to talk to after so long, had been enjoyable and distracted him from his dark thoughts.


    Ru found himself liking the dark elf, even if she was extremely annoying.


    "So...," repeated Elelth, finally finding her words. "You are the last ofthe heroes, who, to escape eternal imprisonment, created a spell that would erase you from everyone''s memories, breaking the slave collar and the enslavement runes."


    "You became something... else, merging with the Divine spears that imprisoned you, eating the previous Demon Lord and absorbing his essence before somehow killing eight demigods and using their mana to overload the last barrier trapping you."


    Although partially correct, Ru had been purposefully vague regarding the Divine Spears, at least the ones that were his prison, only hinting at his abilities for the thirteen that he acquired from the late Demon Lord.


    The look in Elelth''s eyes turned hard. "Killing millions of innocent people in the process."


    Ru continued tapping his foot and let out a deep, bored sigh as if Elelth had just declared that the sky was blue.


    "Then, because your plan to live a carefree life was put in jeopardy, as the last demigod didn''t follow whatever plan you set out for her... Why would she by the way? You decide to revert to your old ways and become this alternative persona that you created."


    "I didn''t create it. I borrowed the concept from my old world and I will not be trapped again." Madness danced in Ru''s eyes. "I will burn this world and everyone in it to ashes the before that happens."


    Elelth repressed a shiver. Even though she couldn''t feel the aura, it was evident by the lack of the natural sounds around them that the local wildlife was terrified.


    Elelth''s mind was in overdrive, trying to discredit what she had heard, coming up with argument after argument against the story but, even though it was almost unbelievable, the way he had described it in excruciating detail and how if fitted so well with all the facts, made it impossible to dismiss entirely.


    She also knew that deep down, she wanted some closure on her parent''s death and this, even if it was a pathetic reason, gave her that.


    Elelth shook her head. Her parent''s indirect murder was sitting in front of her and yet, instead of anger and hatred, she had started to feel pity. In a warped sense, using her own experiences, if she believed everything that was said, Elelth could vaguely understand Ru and what he had done and though that did not lessen the pain, she realised that it wasn''t entirely his fault.


    What was more worrying, at least to her, was how ready Ru was not only ready to kill at the drop of a hat but to commit genocide as if it was nothing. Even the dragon race, renowned for their short tempers and legendary rages, could be considered amiable and kind-hearted in comparison.


    Ru, let out another sigh, watching the elf''s varying expressions. "Look, if you are going to go, then go. I will not force you to stay or do anything for that matter."


    Elelth''s eyes narrowed. "You destroyed an entire town, full of innocent men, women and children just because you needed to make a point. What makes you think that I believe that you will let me walk away from here alive?"


    Ru had not explained to her the methods of obtaining godhood or the power of belief, and so she thought that he was just trying to send a message to Styx and the Alliance to keep out of his way. She believed such an action was beyond idiotic, as what world power would let someone so dangerous and unstable roam free, and so had started to think that Ru was more than a little deranged.


    "Hmm." Ru frowned for a moment. "I don''t feel like killing you, so you''re safe... for now."


    "What the fuck is wrong with you? How do you decide when to kill and not to kill? One moment you are a bloodthirsty monster, the next you are willing to let someone waltz off who knows too much," shouted Elelth, frustrated that she could not understand what Ru was thinking.


    "You know nothing, John Snow," chuckled Ru but, like most things he said, his joke was lost on Elelth. "Wait, are you trying to convince me to kill you? Have you finally given in and decided to end it all? Suicide by Devil. Got to say, its original."


    "No... I just want to know what makes you... you before I make my decision," responded Elelth in a panicked voice, finally realising what her words were suggesting.


    "Ha, good luck," snorted Ru. "Anyway, killing is pretty simple, when you have done, seen and felt what I have. The lives of those that do not matter to me are as significant as an insect''s... maybe less. My only goal is survival. First I sacrificed my mind, then my soul and finally my body. I am now longer a human-"


    Ru chuckled darkly, remembering his recent discovery of his monster core. "I am not even what you would class as a higher being anymore."


    "And why should I stick to the moral code of others when it had never applied to me? An eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth is too forgiving. Someone hurts you; you make sure they can never hurt you again... ever. Too many of my friends died with misplaced mercy or compassion. In fact, I should have killed you the moment you realised my involvement in your parent''s death-"Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "What are you then?" asked Elelth with a serious face, trying to redirect the conversation. It was turning dark very quickly, and if it kept going, she instinctually felt it would not be good for her.


    Luckily, it seemed like Ru could be easily distracted, at least when he was in his rambling moods.


    Ru''s eyes closed and his next words were nothing more than a whisper. "I have been asking myself that for a long time. I do not talk to myself because I am crazy, at least I don''t think I do, but because I can''t bear the silence. The voice that constantly asks what am I? Who am I? What is my purpose? I can''t even tell you if this is my real face or my name."


    Ru''s mood continued to plummet, holding his hand out in front of him as it burst into black and blue flames before, just as quickly, retracting and turning to skin. "What am I indeed..."


    Elelth took a deep breath, deciding to take a gamble. "You said you see no value in other''s lives unless they mean something to you... Does that mean I hold some value in your eyes as you are willing to let me go?"


    "It mean''s I am too lazy and you are no threat. You don''t know anything that would put me in any danger," responded Ru in a bored tone. "... and, excluding the bitch that shall remain nameless, you are the only person I know."


    Moments past as Elelth sat with a conflicted expression before sighing. "I don''t know if you are mad, an idiot or that you just are running away from yourself but I have nothing, thanks to you, and even though I hate this world and its ways, I think that leaving you to your own devices is a bad idea. Urgh, I must be crazy."


    "What do you mean?" Ru looked offended.


    Elelth expressionlessly looked at Ru as if he had asked the most stupid question in the world. "You think that you can solve all your problems by killing. I use to believe that the myth''s of the Black Heros, the fated twelve, was elaborated over time, but now I think, in reality, they have been dumbed down. If left to your own devices, I am pretty sure that not only will you get yourself killed, but a lot of innocent people."


    "Kill one man, and you are a murderer, kill millions, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a god," huffed Ru.


    ".... my point exactly. Your way of thinking is fucked up," glared Elelth as she stood up, planting her hands on her hips. "Looks like I have no choice. I will be joining you, but I am amending my pledge."


    "Pledge?" Ru was confused as he had completely forgotten about it.


    "I will give you my everything," Elelth was too embarrassed to repeat the words she had previously used. "But you will agree to the following terms."


    "Why would I?" Ru didn''t like where this was going. It felt too familiar, like being trapped and he subconsciously started putting up his defences. "Do you think that you are in a position to make demands?"


    "Because, if you agree to the conditions, I will never betray you. Ever. And you need someone to keep you from doing something stupid. As I have nothing else, it might as well be me." Elelth was incredibly perceptive for her age, mainly due to her upbringing and quickly grasped Ru''s weaknesses, not that it was hard as he highlighted them in his story.


    "Why wou-"


    "One," interrupted Elelth. "You owe me two lives. I do not mean you need to save mine twice. Combined, my parents would have lived for around five hundred years, and so, I want five hundred years of your time in payment."


    Ru blinked at her, shocked at what she had just said. "And you said that I might be mad? Why would I want to replace you, parents? That''s hardl-"


    "NO!" bellowed Elelth. "You can and will never replace them. You owe me that time, like a prison sentence and nothing more."


    Ru grumbled, crossing his arms. This was not what he was expecting.


    Watching Ru carefully, Elelth nodded. "Two, you will never harm me."


    "Who would ever agree to that," growled Ru. "You have to be the most irritating elf I have ever met. I am amazed you survived to this point. Are you sure people picked on you because you are manaless and not because you are an obnoxious brat?"


    Even though it looked like he was pissed off on the outside, inside, he was enjoying the banter and interaction with Elelth. He wasn''t sure if it was because of her personality, the fact that she didn''t appear scared of him or that fact she was the first person he had properly interacted with, but it didn''t matter. He was having fun, and that was one of his main priorities.


    "And lastly, you will train me to become strong as a manaless. So strong that I will never be walked over again. Strong enough to not only hurt but utterly destroy those that attempt to harm me, no matter who they are." Elelth''s eyes blazed with determination.


    This was the biggest factor in her decision. She knew she needed to get stronger and Ru had hinted that her kind, with the right training, would become be a force to be reckoned with. Elelth couldn''t deny that the thought of exacting revenge for her parent''s death didn''t cross her mind, multiple times, but she decided to push that to the back of her mind until she could actually do something about it.


    "And I am the bloodthirsty one?" laughed Ru, forgetting he was trying to act pissed off.


    "There is a difference between using strength to protect, and wanton murder," spat Elelth as the pair fell into silence. Ru''s change in attitude once again shocked Elelth.


    She had the sneaking suspicion, particularly since Ru had initially wanted her to join him and then tried to get rid of her, that she had been manipulated somehow. His smile only furthered her paranoia.


    Minutes past and a smirk appeared on Ru''s lips. "Ah, I get it. You want me to be your lover for five hundred years. Sorry Kiddo, like I said. No kids."


    Elelth throws a rock at Ru. "Hell no. You look like a tramp, smell like a dead goblin and from what you have said, you can never have child-"


    "Ouch... Talk about a low blow," laughed Ru, though it was clear that Elelth''s statement actually hurt him.


    "I didn''t mean it like that," said Elelth, regretting her words. Ru had told her that the summoned had been sterilised when they first came to this world. It hadn''t even been a day, and she had already used it against him. -"Damn it, am I no different from those bullies."


    Ru waved it off as if brushing away an annoying fly. "Fine but I have conditions of my own."


    "If you are to travel with me. You will follow where I go, never betray me, always be honest when it matters and..." Ru''s grey eyes unfocused. "Never die."


    Elelth was shocked by the last one, but after thinking about it, it made sense. After a few moments, she nodded her head. "OK, I agree."


    Ru regained his focused and laughed in a self-depreciating manner. "One down, four to go. Get some sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us."


    Elelth, still pained by the death of her parents, could only force a smile. She knew that it would be some time until she stopped seeing their faces everytime she looked at Ru. "So what''s the plan?"


    "My biggest enemy at the moment is order. The world is too stable, giving people too much free time on their hands. With nothing better to do, they can focus on me and that is... undesirable. Seeing as there is only one governing body, all I need to do is take them out and boom, instant chaos. If it helps spread the Devil''s name, then even better."


    Elelth almost burst out laughing. The Alliance had complete control over the content and showed no signs of weakness in the last four hundred years. Talking about its destruction as if it was a simple matter was absurd.


    "But before that. I need my generals," Ru looked at Elelth before shaking his head. "It seems my first one is a pathetic weakling at the moment, so I will have to be more picky with the rest."


    "So you are putting together a party?" Elelth decided to ignore his insult, causing Ru to frown. "Isn''t that something the good guys normally do? You know, a heroic party to slay the Demon Lord or something? I don''t mean to be a party pooper but you aren''t exactly hero material anymore, more Demon Lord/evil god."


    "It something works, why change it? Good and bad are just matters of perspective after all," shrugged Ru. While keeping a low profile, it was best to be alone, but now he had decided to take a larger role in the development of the continent, he needed a team.


    "Not really, Miasma is formed from evil deeds and kills the land around it. From that, which is a natural occurrence, we can put what''s good for yourself and others and what is bad into categories. In broader terms, good and evil," said Elelth in an almost monotone voice as she recalled as much as she could from one of the many books she had read.


    Ru sighed loudly and rolled his eyes. "More nonsense... Shut up and go to sleep before I knock you out for another three days. We are heading to the Deadlands tomorrow. Going to get me a Lich."


    Elelth lay on the ground, use to sleeping rough after weeks of travelling with the refugees. "You know they are extinct right? Only low-level undead survived the purge,"


    Ru just stared at the girl, who was revealing a smug smile. "You''re joking right?... FOR THE LOVE OF GOD."


    Elelth couldn''t help but chuckle, having finally got an expected reaction from Ru. "I thought you were the opposite of a god, oh mighty Devil? Why would you ask for the love of a God?"

 Arc 2 - Party Building, Chapter 5.2 - Entering a town

    Pushing their way through bustling streets, filled with a multitude of diverse races, Ru, holding Elelth''s hand, marched towards the centre of the town.


    Even though during his ''service'' in the Alliance, Ru had seen many species, even during his ten years, that number paled in comparison to what he saw now causing him to display a wiry grin. -"I wonder if they exist?"


    His good mood was ruined as yet another person bumped into him, falling backwards as if they had walked into a steel beam and cursing at the unimposing man in front of them not seeing Ru''s free hand flickering into his pocket.


    Ru ignored the man and continued walking. "Why are there so many people?"


    "Why are you complaining?" muttered Elelth, her rosy cheeks showing she was embarrassed to be holding his hand. In elven culture, they would only hold hands if they were engaged or married, even if they were the same gender. "It just increases your ill-gotten gains."


    Elelth was unsure if Ru was ignorant of the significance or what he was doing, didn''t care, or enjoyed messing with her, though it wouldn''t surprise her if it weren''t a mixture of all of them.


    "Bumping into Ru Tax," chuckled Ru Darkly. "It''s not like they need it and those bounty hunters didn''t have a lot of coins on them and from what you say, selling bloodied gear is asking for trouble. Why is everything such a pain?"


    Over the few weeks, they had been travelling, Elelth was shocked when she realised just how little Ru knew of the world or his warped way of thinking. It seemed that Ru and the rest of the summoned had been intentionally kept in the dark as much as possible. "Who would think selling stolen, bloody armour would be a good idea? Even if you washed it off, it''s still suspicious as hell."


    If the others were anything like Ru, then she could understand why.


    Intelligent, only in weird things, resourceful, merciless and beyond a doubt, crazy was how she would summarise him. A danger to himself and others would be another.


    Sighing, Elelth looked around at the crowd. "It''s market day. People from the surrounding area come and sell their produce, and everyone else stocks up."


    Ru stopped and looked at the dirty-faced dark elf, her short, messy hair making it seem like she was a boy. "Are you OK? You''re not still mad at me, are you? Well, more so than normal."


    "Do you even know how important her hair is an elf?" bitterly responded Elelth. She had momentarily forgotten that Ru had pinned her down and cut her hair before rubbing dirt in her face in an attempt to change her appearance. "It''s one of the few ways to tell our genders apart at a young age."


    "So as you now look like a boy, you admit you are a kid?" said Ru as he started walking again, dragging Elelth through the crowd. "And if you''re getting all embarrassed, think about me. I have to walk around holding the hands of a small boy... What will people think?"


    "You don''t care," rebuked Elelth dryly.


    Ru could only chuckle. "Why would I?, They mean nothing to me. Now come on. We need to get a map and then," Ru''s face turned serious as if he was about to walk to his own execution.


    Elelth rolled her eyes and sighed. "You want to get food and sleep in a soft bed right?"


    "Don''t forget the bath," added Ru, still completely serious. "My god I want a bath or shower."


    Eleth crinkled her nose. She had got used to the smell after a few days, but that didn''t mean it had stopped causing her eyes to water when the wind changed. "And they know you need one, but you are missing out one important detail. If I let go of your hand, the town spirit will be able to sense you."


    It had only been a few weeks, but with Ru''s less than helpful aid, he wasn''t a manaless but had met one who could control their abilities, she was able to get the basics down. At the moment, she could absorb the eliminate the mana that Ru released, masking his presence, and if she concentrated to the point of getting a severe a headache and nosebleed, could turn his hand to liquid metal, though it would regenerate quickly.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Ru''s face fell, and despair could be seen in his eyes as his steps faltered. "My... bath."


    "You seriously didn''t think about that?" Elelth shook her head -"Maybe I should remove the intelligent part. All he is good at is killing."


    Ru, once again, turned towards Elelth causing her to try and back away. "Oh, hell no. Like hell am I going to share a bed with you, let alone a bath."


    "Yeah, you''re right. I''m the Devil, not a pedo," responded Ru as his eyes hardened. "Looks like I am goi-"


    "You destroy the town, and there won''t be any food, beds or hot water. It''s not like you are subtle in the art of killing," interrupted Elelth. Even though it wasn''t long, the time she has spent with Ru was enough to realise start to understand they way he thought. "And even if you were, we would have to leave immediately so it would be pointless."


    "But-"


    "No buts. Remember the deal. I hold your hand and help you integrate with society without getting noticed by town and city spirits, and you wouldn''t do what you did to the last place." Elelth shivered slightly. Part of her training had been to fight some of the bounty hunters that somehow always managed to find them. Although she hadn''t been able to finish them off, Ru always stepping in when it was clear she couldn''t do it, while they fought they had told her of the atrocity that befell the town and why her bounty was so high.


    When she had asked Ru, he had just shrugged his shoulders and told her they weren''t exaggerating before carrying on with whatever he was doing, normally looting their corpses.


    Taking a deep breath, Elelth forced herself to relax. "Let''s just stick to the plan. I remember seeing a poster when we entered about a hot spring on the way to one of the dungeons. You can bathe there. I am sure they offer food and beds as well. No wanton killing of innocents."


    Elelth didn''t exactly hate the world, or everyone in it, like her pledge, suggested. She just hated those who oppressed others, just like she had been and, although it had seemed like an impossible task before, standing next to Ru, she felt that it might be possible to change the world.


    A chilling smile appeared on her face. If it meant the world would see her as evil or the Devil''s priestess, it did not matter, and although their goals might be different, it seemed that their paths were the same.


    If she wanted to change the world, then certain obstacles would need to be removed. All but one of the demigods, one of the main sources of persecution, were gone and now, only the Alliance remained. It was the one that enforced the laws and tailored everything to suit their own agenda. It was their fault that her kind was persecuted. It was their fault that her parents were killed and she lost everything.


    -"They should have left Ru alone or killed him outright. Their mistake hasn''t just caused me pain, but millions of others." In her mind, they had lost the right to rule.


    It was debatable if the world she started to envision was better than the current. No, she knew it wasn''t. If anything it would take things back to darker days. To those of war, atrocities and fear but, to her, stability appeared to be a curse. By removing the worst, they had also stifled the ability for people to show their best.


    Something deep down screamed at her that her thoughts were wrong, broken and made little sense but she ignored it. The world would change or it would burn. Resolve smouldered in her eyes.


    Ru''s laughter brought her out of her dark thoughts. "Come on, admit it. You want to burn down the town. I can see it in your eyes.... I can tell by the moon light~"


    Elelth shook her head, ignoring the fact that Ru had once again, broken into a song she had never heard of. Although even if she achieved a fraction of what she wanted, it would undoubtedly cause the deaths of countless innocents, it didn''t mean that they should do it for no reason. Even if she knew that logic was warped, she could only sigh and carry on. Once again, Elelth felt a cold chill run down her spine." What am I becoming?"


    Ru rubbed his chin, "Hmm, maybe we aren''t so different after all. I ask myself that question all the time."


    Elelth jumped, not realising she had spoken out loud. In an attempt to redirect the conversation, she snapped back. "You don''t have to tell me... you say it out loud at least four times a day along with many other pointless questions."


    "I do?" Ru shrugged, "Oh well, come on. Let''s get to the mercenary union and then we can work out how to achieve the important stuff."


    Elelth grunted as Ru turned away, looking at the exposed skin on his hand. The black skin had reappeared recently and was starting to grow again. "Don''t you think finding a dungeon is a little more important at the moment? Don''t expect me to carry you around when you are nailed to the floor."


    She still had not forgiven him for the death''s of her parents, but slowly, she was starting to see that, for her, he was her only chance of survival. He gave her the means to gain strength, protected and fed her and, would actually listen to her advice and suggestions. Something that only her parents had done before.


    This had confused her at first, but he waved off the question with a ''No matter who it''s from, good advice is good advice'' response.


    A small tug on her hand reminded her of a more pressing issue, and her face returned to his red glow. "Yes. Then we can get out of here, and I can let go of your sweaty, stinky hand."


    She looked at Ru, expecting a sharp reply only to find that he looked genuinely hurt. "Hey, you are the first person I have had skinship within an age... Be kind with your words, or my issues might get even worse."


    "Issues?" responded Elelth, a pang of guilt rippling across her chest as she saw Ru''s downcast expression.


    "Never mind," sighed Ru. "We are going to be together for a long time, so you will work it out eventually."


    Elelth nodded without thought, her heart giving a subtle jump at his words as she refocused on his hand. "What the hell does he mean by that?"

 Arc 2 - Party Building, Chapter 5.3 - Trap

    Ru''s grey eyes hungrily devoured the sights around him, a warm smile appearing on his face, as the pair continued to push their way through the bustling crowds. "So... normal."


    He let out a contented sigh. "Now if only I could find some good food and a comfy bed, I would be in heaven."


    "Huh?" Elelth wasn''t listening to Ru, too busy trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. Deep down she didn''t feel attracted to him, but that didn''t stop her body''s reaction.


    If anything, she still felt a small amount of revulsion at being so near her parent''s killer, no matter the excuses her mind came up with but luckily, it wasn''t at the level it was a few weeks ago, and so she quickly suppressed the feeling.


    Thinking of her parents, she recounted when they use to visit her local town on market days, her mother pulling her along in a similar fashion as they enjoyed the sights and the delicious smells of the food stalls. Her stomach grumbled. -"Maybe we can get some-"


    Elelth''s thoughts jarred as she looked around, finally paying attention to their surroundings, her eyes going wide as she almost tripped over her own feet.


    Noticing her behaviour, Ru looked over with a raised eyebrow. "You OK?"


    "Ru," Elelth paused, her voice shaky. "How often have you been to a market?"


    "In this world, never," Ru''s eyes locked onto her, realising she was acting incredibly strange and it had something to do with their surroundings.


    Without needing to look, as he had already mapped out the street and predicted where most of the people would be; he guided Elelth to the gap between stalls that led into an alleyway. Stopping just inside its entrance, Ru turned and scanned the street with a critical eye.


    Dropping his voice to a whisper, he leant towards the dark elf. "The only interactions with civilians we got, was on missions and that never ended well... for them. Other than that and the fortress tavern, we were pretty isolated. Why? What''s wrong?"


    Since before they entered the town, Ru had a bad feeling but, try as he might, couldn''t put his finger on it. There were no mana fluctuations near him; the people were just milling about their own business having generic conversations about the weather or other menial things and everyone appeared to be happy.


    A few of the townspeople carried a sword or dagger but nothing that would be a threat to him and so, he decided that he was just paranoid. Now Elelth had noticed something, this thought changed completely, and he was quickly calculating their options.


    Elelth''s ears were twitching as they lowered."Ru... There are no food stalls. Normally there would be one for every two vendors. Also, there are no kids or old people. Everyone seems around the same age, and they move unnaturally. The left side is typically moving forward while the right moves back but everyone here... is just moving about but not going anywhere."


    "..." Ru''s pupils sharply constricted before he let out a deep breath and shook his head, a self-depreciating smile creeping across his face. "Seems like my imprisonment has cost me a lot more than time. I knew something was wrong, but I didn''t listen to it and missed some pretty obvious signs. David would never let me live this down if he were still alive, walking into such an obvious trap."


    "David?" Elelth was concerned when Ru mentioned a trap, but after encountering the bounty hunters and overcoming their many devious schemes over the last few weeks, that were by no means weak, she felt Ru could deal with pretty much anything that was thrown at him. He was the Devil after all.


    Ignoring her Ru, continued to watch everyone passing. "So my little elf, as you noticed first, it''s your call. Fight or flight?"


    "I am not your anything," hissed Elelth, "and why ask me? I can already tell you are getting ready to fight. You''re like an Orc. All you care about is your stomach and killing things."


    "Well, to be honest, you have only just stopped whining about the last town, and you didn''t even see what I did," sighed Ru, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if the last few weeks spent with the elf were more daunting that being in the middle of a trap. "And I do care for other things."


    "Like what?" snapped the Dark Elf, failing to cross her arms as Ru still had hold of her hand.


    "Umm," Ru looked at the sky briefly, which further put Elelth''s mind at ease. If they were really in trouble, he wouldn''t be acting like this. "I like the way you''re ears twitch and reveal how you are really feeling. I think it''s pretty cute."This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Just as Elelth was about to answer, her face flushed red, a cheerful voice interrupted.


    "High Inquisitor, I apologise for interrupting, but it seems like you have noticed our little farce. Please be at ease; we mean you no harm." A man in a white-robed appeared in front of them, as the conversation on the street died out, and everyone stepped away, only to be replaced by black armoured soldiers stepping out of the many alleys, magical rifles in hand.


    The soldiers quickly got into formation, their black plate armour, that appeared to absorb all light, clanking so loudly, Ru wondered why he hadn''t picked up on it before. The yellow insignia, a circle of stars, of the Alliance was the only noticeable variation on their right shoulders, indicating the individuals rank.


    Ru shook his head once again. -"These aren''t your every day G.I Joe... things are going to get interesting."


    Behind him, Ru heard the clutter of metal and knew they were surrounded, however, instead of fear, he smiled as if he had just won the lottery. -"Seems like the information that I am no longer what they class as a higher race hasn''t got out. Yes, it hurts, but free mana is free mana... crap, I better stop thinking like that. don''t want to add masochist to my list of defects."


    A frown momentarily passed over the robbed man''s face before his hand flickered and a sealed envelope appeared, holding it out to Ru. "Do not worry about your mana signature being registered. The town spirit has been isolated, and none of the soldiers are capable of identifying unique signatures. You can let go of the manaless''s hand."


    "What kind of idiot do you take me for?" sneered Ru as he accepted the envelope, checking it for spells before using a single hand to open it, discarding its wrapping on the floor and unfolding the letter.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    My Dearest Hero,


    First of all, I wanted to thank you for giving me the chance to spend eternity with you. The common people were initially resistant to the claims of a being like the Devil, but with the destruction of a town and eye witness accounts, it has now become an accepted fact. With it, our power grows daily.


    Even though it is beneficial to our long-term goals, I have to ask that you try and refrain from destroying too many developed areas in future. It has been hard enough keeping the army out of this, and I have had to call in many favours.


    Still, even with my best efforts, it seems like the Council will soon be putting together a hero party in order to slay you. I have some leverage and will have an agent on the team so we can know of their movements and plans.


    I have decided that although your current persona fits perfectly with what we need, I want to remember the old you and so, when I have put my plans into motion in the capital, I will remove the memory-altering spell. I know that the memories are permanently destroyed, but I have been gathering manaless and resistant races and getting them to pool their knowledge together.


    We do not have to correct the masses, I just want to know everything about you. Not to mention I feel a little hurt that you have messed with, and still are, my mind. If I find out that you have done anything else to me, I will not be impressed.


    I know you might be a little angry at this, but once I control the Alliance, there will be nothing to fear, and we can finally be together. We will have to take things slow, as I get to re-know you and you, I, but I am sure it won''t take long as you are my darkness and I am your light.


    On that note, I regret to inform you that the elf you are travelling with is to be executed, immediately. You have no say in this matter.


    In future, I suggest you stay away from other women. I may not be able to remember your god given name, but I do remember that you have a soft spot, even if you don''t trust them, for the opposite gender. I would have thought you had learnt from your mistakes.


    Even now, I am not sure whether to love or hate Travilia. Yes, she did set you and your team up, causing you so much pain, but at the same time, she made you immortal and led us to where we are today.


    I know I have been one of those mistakes, but as you have given me a second chance, I will take that as forgiveness and that it is my duty to make sure you do not fall again. I can''t afford to lose you just as you can''t afford to lose me.


    .....


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Ru felt his eye twitching violently.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    .....


    As soon as I can, I will visit but in the meantime do not worry. I have my best agents looking out for you. They have been stopping any threats that were too much for you to handle with your current strength. You may be weak now, but with time we will stand shoulder to shoulder, together throughout the ages as we rule over this world.


    With love,


    Styx, your one and only light.


    P.s Why don''t you send a letter back with Gerrard?


    Also, make sure you eat properly and find somewhere decent to stay. The woods is no place for someone like you. My hands are tied at the moment with politics, but as soon as I can, I will sort you out somewhere nice to stay. With the death of the other demi''s, I have inherited most of their assets.


    And don''t try and protect the elf. It won''t work. You also owe me a desk and the costs to repair my office. You are lucky I am so forgiving of your unfaithful behaviour.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The letter exploded into blue flame as Ru ground his teeth, the air shimmering around him as if he was about to combust. Elelth''s mana suppression was instantly overwhelmed though, unlike everyone else who had visibly paled and moved a few steps back, she felt fine.


    Ru''s words were spoken in nothing more than a whisper, but as they were laced with mana, everyone in the town could hear them as if he was next to their ear. "What the actual fuck?"

 Arc 2 - Party Building, Chapter 5.4 - Acceptance [Draft]

    Blinking in confusion and ignoring everyone else, Ru tried to make sense of the message and conflicting emotions raging inside him as the letter slowly turned to ash, falling from his hands and scattering on the gentle breeze.


    "Ru?" asked Elelth nervously. She had never seen him react like this before and could only wonder at the content of the letter, causing her imagination run wild as dread filled her heart.


    Ignoring the dark elf, Ru absentmindedly raised his hand, causing a few of the surrounding soldiers to grasp their rifles tightly, before rubbing the area where his slave collar once occupied. The dark feelings of being control by another, twisting in his gut as Styx''s words resonated in his mind.


    One-half of him wanted to rip Styx''s intestines out through her none existent mouth before giving her a slow, agonising death. Not only had she been incredibly patronising, to the point where Ru felt like he could vomit blood, but she was attempting to dictate and control his life. Something he would never, ever allow to happen again, even if it cost him his life.


    Dark, trapped, claustrophobic emotions and memories of the past bubbled in the back of his consciousness, taunting him from the shadows.


    "Fucking delusional bitch," muttered Ru, his eyes still unfocused. "What the hell is she thinking or playing at?"


    Even though his wrath was by far the strongest emotion, he also felt a strange, comforting warmth deep in his chest. He had always liked Styx, not in a romantic way, but as a person. She had stood by him in his darkest moments, generally when he drank himself into a stupor when the burden of his sins became too much to bear.


    The Soul Eater''s betrayal had been one of the worst for him, even more so than Travilia''s yet he couldn''t confidently say that his plan, of making her into a goddess, was just to gain power, or if some part of him wanted an excuse to let her live.


    What made it worse, was that even though he didn''t see her in a romantic light, he would have to admit that spending three hundred and fifty-four years confined with her being the only female he had any sort of contact with, had caused his mind to wander more than once. He was only a man after all, or at least use to be.


    -"Why would she suddenly start thin-" Ru''s thoughts drifted to the past, where Styx would always welcome them back from a mission, giving off a concerned aura. Ru had shrugged it off at the time, thinking that it was directed at someone else, an easy mistake as without eyes, it was hard to sense who she was focusing on, but now he thought about it, things were starting to make sense.


    -"Was it really that obvious?" Ru thought about the times Styx had followed him around pointlessly, tried to mitigate the damage as he used unspecific rules to bend the commands of his handlers and the most strange, she guarded his prison for hundreds of years even though she technically could have got someone else to do it.-"Wait, does she even have a normal female''s anatomy? She has no face, so maybe she doesn''t have a-."


    "Hand over the girl, by order of the Demigoddess she has been found guilty of consorting with the Devil and will be executed."


    The sharp, no-nonsense tone brought Ru back to his senses.


    Standing next to the robbed man, who he assumed to be Gerrard, was the only black armoured soldier not wearing a helmet. If he wasn''t so distracted with his thoughts, Ru would have made fun of his villain like bald head and a thick moustache. "Piss off... I am trying to think."


    Being used to having months if not years to think about things, Ru was irritated that he couldn''t take his time. His mood only darkened when he remembered that main point of the letter, even if it was hidden quite well. They wanted to kill Elelth, but for what reason, Ru didn''t fully understand or for that matter, care.


    The man''s face turned red with anger. "Let go of her hand and move away at once or we will assume that she is your comrade and act accordingly. Inquisitor or not... you shall die."


    Ru tensed, visibly straightening as he glared at the man. -"Comrade? Elelth? I know I wanted her in my team for her abilities but... what is she to me? Pawn or Knight?"


    Gerrard grimaced and looked nervously at the Captain. -"Fucking idiot, why would he use that word or provoke him. We were given over four pages of words and actions we shouldn''t take."


    Taking a quick glance to his side, not willing to look away from Ru for more than a couple of seconds, Gerrard saw the moustached man''s lips curl into a slight smile. -"Something''s wrong. They would only intentionally disobey a direct order unless it was from someone with a higher rank and the only ones that outrank my goddess are the Council."


    Gerrard couldn''t help but swallow loudly, watching Ru, who if it weren''t for the mana radiating from him, causing the air to distort menacingly, would look like nothing more than a mere beggar.


    He had done his research on the individual and found nothing. No name, no registered mana signature, not even a birth certificate, which had been compulsory for hundreds of years for all higher races, creatures that were sentient and did not have a monster core.


    The only information he had to go one was the title his Goddess had given to address the man, a title that made no sense.


    The title, High Inquisitor, existed, but from all his research it appeared that it never been given to anyone except the first inquisitor back in the days of the last great war, though it appeared the documents on that person had been damaged and lost over time, not even a name remained.


    The lack of information made Gerrard extremely nervous, and the moment it looked like their trap had been discovered, he immediately acted in an attempted to defuse the situation. The trap was only meant to give them greater bargaining power, but as it was sprung early, only a small amount of troops could actively surround and engage.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Also, if this man were linked to the inquisitors, a group that were a law unto themselves and no one in their right mind would want to cross; then Gerrard did not want to start anything, particularly since he was acting as a representative of his Goddess.


    He let out a deep breath. Styx''s second in command, Alex, had assured him that, although the man would not be happy, he would not go against the execution of his travelling companion and would leave without much of a fuss. He felt there was something they were keeping from him but understood that even gods had their secrets and that trust in your God was a key aspect of faith.


    Little did Gerrard know, or Styx for that matter, that Ru was not the man that he once was. Unlike the Demon Lord, that kept himself sane by speaking to Styx and reliving his memories, an ability that some demons possessed, Ru fell into solitary darkness, warping not only his body but his mind and soul in order to survive and have a chance of escape. The shell that he created on the outside by manipulating mana was the only link, bar his memories, of what he once was.


    Watching the expressions flittering across Ru''s face, Gerrard had felt his skin prickling as his insides squirmed violently. -"Something really isn''t right here. First the Captains behaviour, and now the inquisitor''s reactions."


    -"There was the blast of anger after reading the letter, but other than that, he showed little to no concern for being surrounded by the Alliances Elite that are demanding the death of someone he is travelling with. Either he doesn''t care, or he doesn''t see us as a threat." To Gerrard, if felt as if a pack of dogs had surrounded, what they thought was a lizard, but turned out to be a dragon.


    "High Inquisitor, I must politely ask you to leave this town without the elf. I hope you understand. The Goddess has assured me that you will be compensated for your loss," said Gerrard, trying to keep his concern from tainting his voice as he held out a bag of coins.


    Elelth had been shaking the moment the bald man spoke, realising they wanted to execute her. Fear and doubt bombarded her mind, knowing that without Ru, she had no chance of escaping, even with all the training she had undergone.


    Though he had been friendly, Ru had kept his distance from her during their journey, especially at an emotional level. He would engage in general talk and a bit of banter, but it was clear as day that he didn''t want to get too close to Elelth.


    The more she thought about it, and how Ru liked to avoid anything he deemed troublesome unless she suddenly turned into something delicious or a hot spring, the more she was certain he would agree and leave her to her fate.


    The silence was almost deafening, the only noise Elelth could hear was the beating of her own heart.


    Eleth stifled a sob from escaping, briefly contemplating revealing Ru''s identity. The only reason they would be after her, to her knowledge, was that people thought she was the Devil''s priestess. If Ru were exposed as the Devil, they would inevitably focus on him and not her.


    Grasping Ru''s hand so tight it hurt her, Elelth took a deep breath and calmed herself. Even if she did that, she doubted it would change anything and, on a moral level, she knew she was better than that. What little faith she had left in the world started to crumble, but instead of falling into despair, she drew strength from it.


    Ru, through his words and his past, if they were to be believed, made it clear that he did not care about the world and would only move to protect himself and those he considered close.


    Elelth bitterly smiled, thinking that at least Ru stuck to his principles, ones that she could actually agree with. "Ru..."


    "If you are going to aband- leave me, please promise me one thing," Elelth''s voice cracked as her hand shook violently, her voice nothing more than a whisper. "Become what they fear most. Never stop. Never Surrender. Never... fall... Not until you have brought this corrupt world tumbling down on their heads."


    Relaxing her grip from Ru''s hand, she felt it fall to her side, causing her heart to tighten.


    He let her hand go.


    She hoped, even though she knew it was pointless, that he would hold on. Tears start streaming down Elelth''s face as locked her knees, forcing herself to remain standing.


    "Why don''t you let them know who I am? I am not sure even dress man knows, and it would definitely make things interesting," Ru''s voice, echoed around the small alleyway, no hint of keeping what they were discussing discreet.


    Elelth couldn''t even force a smile, wondering how they were going to murder her. "Why? Because I am not like the scum that populates this world. Even though you have done nothing but cause me pain, we are frie- comrades. I would rather die with one friend, who would remember me, than an enemy that will forget."


    Looking up, she saw Ru''s grey eyes observing her carefully, and felt her resolve crumbling. "Go... I don''t.... I don''t want you to see this." Elelth''s ears were drooped and shaking. "Just keep your promise."


    Ru''s right eye twitched before revealing a smug smile, having made his decision. "Idiot, like fuck I would let someone else dictate my life when I have only just obtained my freedom, especially some psycho bitch with boundary issues. Plus, I remember someone pledging their mind, soul and body to me. The Devil doesn''t let others take what is his. I''m a greedy bastard after all."


    Elelth frowned. "Body?"


    "It was a joke to stop you crying but having you repeat it just makes me feel so... dirty," replied Ru rolling his eyes as he released a sigh. "Grow up so I can stop feeling awkward around you."


    Too stunned by the rapid turn of events, Elelth didn''t respond.


    Even though Ru''s wasn''t trying to be quiet, the only two close enough to hear the conversation, Gerrard and the soldier, paled. This girl was known as the Devil''s Priestess, and from the conversation, it wasn''t hard to assume who the strange man was.


    Elelth stared into Ru''s eyes with a confused, yet hopeful, expression, not daring to believe what his words implied.


    Patting her on the head, Ru''s eyes hardened as he turned around and faced those blocking them in the alley. "Tsk, only known me for a few weeks, knowing I had a hand in your parent''s deaths, and you''re still unwilling to give me up in order to save your own skin... Stupid elf... Welcome to the team, no pay, no holiday but meals are provided."


    Facing the soldiers and Gerrard, a cold, emotionless smile crept up on Ru''s face as he continued to talk to Elelth. "El, I swear, if you complain about what I am about to do, I am going to cut out your tongue."


    Elelth shook her head even though Ru could not see it, her voice a timid whisper. "Burn them all,"


    "You''re surrounded, and even if you could escape, the girl will die, Surrender." Sweat poured down the captain''s face. His unit, until recently, had been on the front lines holding the mutants from the calamity back and had witnessed first hand what the man in front of them was apparently capable of. Even if Ru surrendered, he would still attack. "Men, prepare to fire."


    Ru sniggered. "Burn them all huh? Let God sort them out? Simple, flexible and easy to understand. I like it."


    The dull hum filled the streets and alleyway as the magical rifles primed, pointed at both Ru and Elelth."


    Gerrard started to panic, his Goddess was going to be furious. "Please Hi-"


    "Diplomacy is over. Now we use force. Gods help you if you have held anything back from us." shouted the captain as he drew a sword as he was too close for a rifle to be useful. "Command will hear about this."


    "Oh, will they now?" The wicked smile on Ru''s face, now turned terrifying, distorting from what an average human could achieve, causing those that could see to flinch. "I only have one question. Would you like to play a game?"

 Arc 2 - Party Building, Chapter 5.5 - Assumptions

    Instead of replying with words, the soldiers responded to Ru''s taunt with the multiple, small explosions generated from their magical rifles.


    The mana based shells streaked towards Ru and Elelth in a dazzling display of bright, white lights.


    Ru took a deep breath, his eyes turning cold as time seemed to slow for him, though it was only his perception. The soldiers had exceptional aim and knew what they were doing, half aiming for Ru, with the other half aiming for Elelth and within the constraints of the alleyway, there wasn''t much chance of dodging.


    Ru''s mind went into overdrive, analysing the situation the best he could with the limited data available to him and, even though the magic projectiles were incredibly fast, he had come up with a plan before the first shell was a quarter of the distance. -"Time to draw friendlies into the firing line."


    Ru was not one for words, and the only reason he had engaged in conversation instead of immediately jumping into action was to stall for more information and to increase his chances of survival. Subconsciously, even before he made the decision that he would protect Elelth, Ru had already been preparing to get her out the way and, though it wasn''t complete, he felt confident his backup plan would work.


    As the bullet''s hissed towards them, the yellow, brick road beneath Elelth crumbled as two black tendrils wrapped around her feet and dragged her downwards at an incredible speed.


    Initially, Ru was happy to let gravity take its course, but with the incoming onslaught of bullets, it wouldn''t be fast enough. So, even if she had a few bruises from her rapid descent, he decided that he had no other option but to reveal another one of his abilities, hoping that none of the soldiers saw it or at least, would not survive the encounter to tell others.


    The pit was barely deep enough for Elelth to be completely covered, the top of her pointy ears sticking out of the ground like shark fins, as she landed heavily on the uneven floor, not even having time to scream due to the increased speed of her descent.


    As she fell, Elelth had raised her head and watched the streaks of light hiss past where her body had been moments before and felt a chill run down her spine. Even as a manaless, if those hit her, the kinetic energy generated by the displacement of air, she would be dead.


    She had learnt the limits of her ability first hand when facing the bounty hunters that, while Ru continually praised her kind''s abilities, stating that she was, in his words, his Achilles heel, proved that magic could still hurt, if not, kill her.


    Opposite to every book and bit of common knowledge she knew, Ru explained that he believed mana was just a fuel or binding agent that triggered a reaction by changing unseen things he called atoms and molecules. The mana rifles were not firing mana but condensed air, saturated with mana to propel it forward.


    Elelth shivered at the memory of when Ru shot her to prove his theory. Admittedly he had been a fair distance away, and she had what he called her anti-mana armour activated, but it still broke one of her ribs which had yet to heal. She still remembers Ru walking over with the innocent; I told you so expression as she rolled on the floor in pain.


    -"RU!" Thinking about the man who made her, in a very conflicting way, feel terrified for her safety at the same time as completely safe, reminded her that they were under attack. They had only been travelling for three weeks and while they had been attacked nearly every day, instead of falling into nerves, like she expected anyone would, Ru turned it into a game and she quickly found that, at least while Ru was dealing with it, her mind would wander.


    They had only been travelling for three weeks and while they had been attacked nearly every day, instead of falling into nerves, like she expected anyone would, Ru turned it into a game and she quickly found that, at least while Ru was dealing with it, her mind would wander.


    Pinching her leg and letting the pain focus her, she cleared her mind. This wasn''t like those times; they were in danger. Without waiting for a second longer, Elelth rose on her tiptoes as he fingers grasped the edge of the pit and she heaved her body up enough to see what was going on, wondering if Ru had dug a hole for himself.


    As her eyes rose over the pit''s edge, she sucked in a deep breath and almost fell back into the hole.


    Ru, even though she doubted more than a few of his stories and thought that he might be one harpy short of a flock, was the strongest man that she had ever met, Devil or not, and even with the Alliance military surrounding them, subconsciously she hadn''t been afraid. However, what she saw caused fear to claw at her heart. She knew that Ru was the only one keeping her alive. If he died, she would, and he did not look to be in good shape.


    "Ru, Get out of there," screamed Elelth as the alleyway fell into, what felt like, deafening silence after the soldier''s noisy salvo.


    Ru was barely standing, his clothes once again in tatters as large, circular holes littered his body, displaying the swirling, black liquid of his insides.


    "Hmph, resilient cockroach aren''t you?" shouted the Captain as he smiled wickedly, "I would ask what the hell are you, but honestly, I don''t care. Though I will admit, I am impressed. Even though we are using metal casings designed to maim, not kill, you are still standing after so many hits in what should be vital areas."


    Ru slowly straightened, a faint blue flicker of lightning jumping from his hand as the Captain''s smile grew.


    "FIRE!"


    Elelth fell back into her hole as the soldiers fired another salvo into Ru before silence returned to the alleyway.


    "Ru~," whimpered Elelth, her body starting to shake. Even though he was partly responsible for her parent''s death, she felt tears running down her face. Over the weeks, even though he irritated her to no end, he had grown on her, and she couldn''t deny the only reason he was in this situation because of her.


    He could have handed her over or tried to escape on his own. Even though she knew he was always holding back, she had seen a bit of his strength and had little doubt they could keep up if he decided to run. She just couldn''t understand why he was still here.


    What confused her, even more, was she felt like he was letting himself get shot.


    Realising that these might be the last few minutes of her life, dark thoughts began swirling through her mind. -"At least I won''t die alone."


    Slapping her cheeks, she scolded herself. -"No, I am not like them, and even if it seems helpless, Ru is an ancient hero that has killed Demon Lords and Demigods. He isn''t going to die he-"


    The dull thud of a body hitting the ground, splashing in liquid reached her sensitive, elf-like ears and echoed around her hole causing her heart to lurch. There was only one person close to her, and he had fallen.


    The Captain, while walking forward with his sword pointing at Ru, released a hearty chuck. "All bark and no bite. Just like those filthy demons."


    Gerrard significantly paled, thinking he had failed his mission and his Goddess, before turning and quickly walking away, contemplating how he would phrase his report. From what the head priestess, Alex, had told him, his Goddess held the man, the girl called Ru, in high regard and he was almost certain there would be consequences for his failure.


    Ignoring the disappearance of the priest, just as he was within striking distance of Ru''s body, the Captain''s body flickered forward, and his sword pierced Ru''s head. "Hmm, guess he was really dead. Still, better safe than sorry."


    Drawing his blade out and only frowning when it didn''t even have a spec of the black liquid, that had pooled around Ru''s body, on it, the Captain turned and signalled one of the nearby soldiers to approach.


    Pointing to the hole, in which Elelth hid at the bottom of, before turning around and walking away, he sighed. "You know what to do."


    Ru''s body was only a couple of feet away from the pit, but the soldier paid it no mind as his black, metallic boots marched forward so he could get a good look at the cowering dark elf.


    Standing next to Ru''s body, his face hidden by his helm, the guard slowly lifted his rifle and pointed it at Elelth, who, even though she was cowering, glared back defiantly. "Sorry about this. Just following orders."


    Just as the man was about to pull the trigger, he froze, terror wracking his mind as his skin crawled. A white, frail looking hand had wrapped around his ankle, but to the man, it felt as if Death himself, had claimed his soul.


    Ru''s joyful voice reverberated off the walls. "That''s good, but I should let you know, I am not sorry for this in the slightest, hope it hurts like hell."


    The Captain''s steps stopped but still had his back to the them as he felt a cold sensation settle on his skin and the hairs on his arms stand upright.


    Even though the voice seemed to be cheerful, the pure rage and bloodlust it contained were enough to cause him, and most of his men, to forget to breathe.


    A loud snap, followed by a scream, as Ru crushed the man''s greaves and the bone underneath woke the soldiers from their stupor.


    The Captain was the first to regain his senses and, in a flowing motion, drew his sword as he turned, intending to attack Ru immediately, however, for all his speed and training, he was too slow.


    As the Captain completed his turn and his enchanted sword struck forward, the screaming man flew towards him and was impaled, sending him stumbling backwards as his mind scrambled to make sense of what had just happened.


    Pushing the man to the side and off his sword, the Captain''s eyes returned to the front only to narrow in shock.


    Standing in front of him, the Ru stood like a vengeful spirit, a faint blue glow emanating from his eyes as his haunting smile stretched across his face.


    With a slight tilt of his head, indicating the dead soldier at the Captains feet, the smile only became more twisted and sinister. "Aww, you drew first blood. Well, it looks like I am going to have to go for the other... achievements."


    Before the Captain could even blink, Ru had backhanded his enchanted sword into the nearby wall, breaking the bones in his hand, and was lifting him up by his neck as if he was weightless.


    The rest of his men looked on in terror as black chunks, of what they assumed to be the man''s flesh, melted and merged with the streams of black liquid snaking towards Ru before being absorbed, rapidly filling in his wounds.


    They were not shocked by the black blood or flesh as more than one species shared that particular trait, especially in the south of the continent, however, what they had just seen terrified them to their core.


    Not only was Ru able to lift a fully grown man, wearing the enchanted armour gifted to all captains, into the air with a single arm, survive such grievous wounds, including a penetrating strike to his head, but he was able to heal faster than even the strongest dragons and healing potions.


    They had not been close enough to hear Ru and Elelth''s conversation, but already knowing the girl''s title, the Devil''s priestess, they were quick to put two and two together.


    The man standing before them was not the High Inquisitor. He was the Devil.


    What many initially thought to be overkill with the extent of preparation undertaken, pooling the resources of two rapid response divisions to capture a single, manaless girl while the Demon Lands were being overrun with mutants and abominations, made sense.


    "Fuck, you''re a regenerator," gasped the Captain as he tried to relieve some of the pressure on his neck knowing full well that if Ru wanted to, he could snap his neck before he could even act.


    Ru tilted his head to the side as if listening to something as his eyes narrowed in thought.


    The Captain knew that threats never worked in this situation and repressed a shiver. He was ultimately loyal to the Alliance but if he could escape death, he would. His expression turned apologetic and his voice, gentle. "Look, let''s make a deal. You let me go, and we will give you a day head start. I can''t say we won''t chase you and if I did, you would know it was a lie. It''s the only way you and the girl will leave this town alive."


    Slowly, Ru lifted his free hand to his chin as if he was thinking about something before his eyes snapped to the Captains.


    Second ticked away, before the man let out a terrified groan and a yellow liquid started leaking for the joints in his metallic armour.


    Ancient, merciless eyes that held no value for life, especially his own bore into his soul as Ru displayed an amused expression. "Sorry. No deal."


    Knowing his death was assured and already losing most of his dignity, the Captain scrapped together the remnants of his resolve and took a deep, calming breath.


    Defiance replaced the fear that was in the man''s eyes as his lips twitched in what could only be assumed to be an attempt at smiling. -"Yes, I may die, but if this thing really is the Devil, then my name will go down in the annuls of the Alliance. He must be killed."


    Watching the sudden change of emotion, Ru raised an eyebrow.


    "You are a curse upon the Alliance and its people. You must be destroyed, even if the cost is my life and that of my men," spoke the Captain in a calm voice as if he was stating a glaring fact.


    He had killed many people, both deserving and undeserving, and ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, they fell into despair. In fact, he had only known one other person stare into the abyss known as death and laugh in its face.


    The memories of the Demon Lords last stand, as his friends fell one by one, flicked across Ru''s mind as the Captain took a final, deep breath and released a mana infused shout so powerful, that the shockwaves were visible to the naked eye. "CODE HELLFIRE! KILL THE DEVIL."


    Mana surged from all around Ru as the soldiers dropped their rifles and drew their melee weapons, runic patterns on their armour glowing in different patterns as the grown started to shake.


    Though the glowing runes on their armour intrigued Ru, faintly looking like an inferior imitation of the ones found on the Divine Spears, he did not have time to think as a long forgotten feeling squirmed through his insides. He had always trusted what he called his gut feelings, even if had been silent for centuries, and right now, it was screaming that he was in danger.


    Breaking the Captain''s neck with little effort and throwing him to the side, Ru''s arm stretched to grab Elelth as he ran past, pulling her to his chest as he sprinting deeper into the alley.


    After evaluating his options, even though the possibility for ambushes and hidden threats were greater in the narrow alleyways, Ru did not want to risk the open streets, and breaking through the small group of soldiers blocking his path seemed to be the safest option.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    When he was no more than twenty feet away, the wall to his left exploded as two, large stone hands, easily half the size of Ru, reached out to grab him. Falling to his knees in a slide, Ru dodged the hands and growled as what was left of his leather trousers started to fall apart. -"What the fuck is everyone''s problem with my clothes? I swear the world want''s me to be a bloody nudist."


    Slowly a golem''s head, green glowing eyes, came into view as it emotionlessly looked for its prey while Ru silently mouthed the words. What the fuck.


    Even towards the end of the war, golems had been considered a fantasy that the summoned brought with them. Too complicated and mana intensive to even be considered by the native mages and even Zed, his squad''s most eccentric mage and only guy to get most of Ru''s jokes, gave up after a few years, stating it couldn''t be done.


    A sudden surge of mana in front of him drew Ru''s attention. Standing in front of the soldiers, who now had locked shields together in a weak attempt at forming a wall, stood a tall man holding his palms out.


    Ru''s mouth twitched as he saw the swirling red energy gathering in the mage''s hands. -"Fireball. About time they used something I recognised. Was starting to think I was in a different world."


    Instead of the flying ball of destruction, Ru was expecting, a stream of fire erupted from the man''s hands causing the ex-heroes eyes to bulge, the laws of magic, at least from what he was taught, were being broken right before his eyes.


    Separating his hands, the steam of fire spread, filling the entire width of the alleyway and causing a wall of flame to rapidly approach Ru.


    Not even given enough time to be shocked by the duel wielding mage, who once again challenged his understanding of the world, Ru slipped to his feet and kicked off the floor, covering Elelth as his shoulder smashed into the wall next to the golem, and the pair fell into what appeared to be a tea shop.


    Momentarily wondering if he could take some tea with him, and how they managed to get the golem into the shop without trashing it, Ru was forced to throw himself through the front window and into the main street as the building exploded in ice.


    Still in mid-air, cradling Elelth''s head close to his chest to stop her getting hurt from the sudden movements, Ru resisted the urge to laugh at the frozen golem''s rear just as a shimmer to his left drew his attention.


    Not hesitating, Ru kicked out his left foot, sending a woman in brown leather sailing through the air as he twisted his body to avoid a dagger she had thrown moments before.


    "Out of the fire and into the frying pan," chuckled Ru as he rotated his body in preparation to land. Just as his feet touched the floor, Ru twisted his body and span, taking extra care to make sure Elelth was out of harm''s way, as two metal disks shot past them at near supersonic speeds, sparks of electricity left in their wake.


    Taking a deep breath during the momentary reprieve, Ru''s face twisted in anger. -"Automation, flamethrowers, a large area of effect spell that can be triggered away from the caster, what I can only consider being a rail gun, stealth... What. The. Actual. Fuck."


    To say that Ru was shocked was an understatement. To say he was pissed off with not anticipating that not only technology but magic would advance couldn''t even be put into words.


    Before he was imprisoned, both the military and adventurers relied on small; cohesive combat groups called parties. Each member would cover a particular role and relied on, at least what the summoned considered simple spells and tactics.


    Even though the spells were simple, at least compared to the fantasy stories of the summoned''s home world, they were terrifyingly powerful. Enough so, that the strategic concept of having groups larger than ten people were considered beyond madness. They wouldn''t even be cannon fodder for a well-placed battle mage who could, in the right circumstances, kill hundreds with a single spell.


    Towards the end of the war, when the summoned had the most experience and power, people started taking note of their theories, strategies and tactics but Ru had considered it too little, too late. There was only a handful of them left and, through bitter experience, even with the slave collars, the zealously guarded any knowledge they had.


    Ru wanted to spit blood at how foolish he had been for not anticipating this. Even without the summoned, logic was logic and just like on his home world, people always found more efficient and pragmatic ways to kill each other. Throw in a couple of different species with a similar sort of intelligence, and it was a poultry dish for rapid development, especially when they were unified under a single banner and constantly under threat from monsters.


    It hurt his pride, something he hadn''t really considered before, that he didn''t recognise the telltale signs of change. The large groups of armoured men heading towards the Demon Lands, the dissolution of the adventures guild as it split into various entities and the fact that even if she was a minor noble, Elelth had knowledge that would make the Alliance''s researchers, at least in the past, scream in ecstasy.


    Ru backflipped, dodging an ice lance, letting out a relieved sigh. -"At least there is one attack that I recognise. I guess things like stabbing your enemy never go out of fasio-"


    Ru''s thoughts jarred as, high in the airabove him, two shapes shimmered before, like a cloth pulled from the table, two sky battleships slowly revealed themselves. The floating islands, a mass of metal and what looked like cannons, instantly darkening his mood.


    "..."


    Ru landed on his feet, as quickly release Elelth''s head and pushed it to the side as she vomited, the constant, irregular movement making her nauseous.


    Ignoring the elf, as he slapped away another dagger, Ru recalled his last few weeks.


    As his journey had started out in the deepest parts of the South, an area where the Alliance had intentionally kept as technologically and socially backwards as possible due to the rebellion that sprung up every couple of decades, Ru had assumed that the world had not changed very much. His fight with the town guards previously had only reinforced this belief. However, after facing off against a minor detachment of Alliance troops, that illusion was now well and truly shattered.


    Cold dread filled Ru as he realised that his plans were a stone throw away from being completely destroyed. He had anticipated lots of things, but he was quickly realising that the foundations he had built those assumptions were gone. Just like when the concepts of gravity, the earth being round and the theory of relativity fundamentally changed his planet, the world he now residedwas now completely different, even if it had the same skin.


    Anxiety gnawed at his mind, the risk that he would once again, be trapped trying to overpower his mental defences causing his face and body to twitch as emotions as varied as snowflakes rapidly transitioned over his face.


    Two massive explosions, either side of him, distracted him long enough to regain control and repress the emotions threatening to overtake him.


    Two golems, covered in what looked like steel plate, slowly rose from the ground, however, unlike the one that ambushed him in the alley, their right arms were nothing more than long, hollow tubes with what appeared to be a large box on their shoulders.


    Ru had a very bad feeling. "You have to be shitting m-"


    Feeling like all he had been doing lately was throwing himself around, large metallic cannonballs flew past him, obliterating the buildings they hit as the golems started to slowly march forward as they reloaded, shadows of people seemingly forming up behind them.


    The rage that had been simmering at the back of his mind exploded forward, egged on by his fear, as Ru realised that he was outmatched. It wasn''t the individual skill or powers of his opponents that stumped him, but their numbers, variety of attacks and most importantly, they hadn''t given him even a chance to retaliate by always keeping him on the back foot.


    The only chance, so far, that he had to get a kill was when the woman appeared at his side. Ru shook, feeling his fragile control slipping. If he had used his Spears instead of kicking her, she would be dead. He couldn''t afford to pass up opportunities like that.


    Ru had been trying to hide his abilities. If he revealed them all, it wouldn''t be too hard to work out his weaknesses were. In a world that he no longer knew, that would result in his end without a doubt.


    Something deep down told him that, if he were to be imprisoned again, that Styx wouldprobably rescue him but instead of comfort, that only fueled his fears and insecurities.


    Ru could almost hear it, the chains that shackled him drawing near, the cold, unending darkness and solitude calling to him as a spurned lover wanting her pound of flesh.


    From behind the golem that was on the same sideas Elelth two men carrying tower shields sprang forward, approaching Ru at a blistering speed.


    Letting out a muffled growl, knowing that if he moved fast enough to dodge their shield bash, he would kill or at least seriously injury Elelth, Ru''s body flowed over the manaless and reformed on the other side.


    It was a dangerous move, even with Elelth only being able to use a fraction of her ability as she could quickly cripple him but he had little choice, especially when she was so close to his core.


    Just as he solidified, his skin now littered with black patches of skin covered in glowing blue runes, the Woman in brown leather, who Ru thought of as a rogue variant, appeared above him with a huge man in her arms.


    The man was already swinging at Ru head with a giant axe as he released a battle cry loud enough to wyvern proud.


    Two more metal disks, without seeming care for their allies, screamed towards Ru''s right as the the golems charged forward, dropping their cannon-like arms as they clenched their fists.


    Realising he was out of options, madness danced in Ru''s eyes as he pulled Elelth''s head close to him. "Bite down. This is probably going to hurt."


    Elelth had no idea what Ru meant and refused to believe he was making an innuendo at such a dire moment, but before she could even question his words, the wind tore at her skin as she was abruptly thrown high into the air.


    Rotating, so she faced downward, enabling her to open her eyes, she saw Ru rapidly getting smaller, being charged at on all sides, as she rose further into the sky.


    The street they were in, as well as the surroundings, were almost entirely destroyed as hundreds of soldiers, now looking like ants, swarmed towards Ru.


    She felt a gust of air, momentarily halting her deceleration, as a loud explosion erupted from Ru as what appeared to be a ring of blue smoke shot outwards, disintegrating golem and man alike. Stone, metal and gore were sent spiralling outwards in a horrifying dome before raining down on those that charged forward.


    Not waiting for them to recover, Ru''s figure flickered and appeared in the midst of an approaching column, holding two black spears, crackling with energy in each hand as he spun and twisted through the group.


    No movement was wasted, no energy lost as Ru became a whirlwind of death, occasionally throwing a spear, another reforming in his hand the moment it departed, at any casters that were gathering mana for an attack.


    It had only been seconds, and Elelth hadn''t even reached the zenith of her flight, but Ru had slaughtered over a hundred soldiers, destroyed another golem as he filtered across the battlefield like a spectre of death, prioritising killing the mages over the body enhancers.


    It was at this moment that Elelth realised what a burden she had been to Ru, her view finally being hidden as she uncontrollably turned to face the sky, her accent slowed enough so she could see the clear blue sky and feel the warming rays of the sun upon her skin.


    Over a hundred feet below her, Ru was almost unrecognisable, his arms, legs and half of his face and chest revealing the black and blue flames that were his true form as he gradually lost control of his body manipulation.


    Screams of pain and despair filled the air around him as black smoke and dust clogged the air.


    Starting off as no more than a chuckle, Ru''s laughter grew until it was almost maniacal, but to those who still had the frame of mind to think, it was laced with despair. Though he hated it, he felt home. He had returned to the battlefield where everything was simple. A small part of him, one he refused to acknowledged longed for the days when he was just pointed in a direction and set lose.


    As Ru''s slaughterwas reaching its peak, Gerrard stood on the top of a nearby church tower, confusion and fear etched upon his face as he watched what had rapidly become a massacre.


    He had made a grave mistake.


    All was not what it appeared to be between his Goddess and the man known as the Devil, and he knew deep down, he had made things worse. He was fanatically devoted to Styx, and would happily lay down his life for her, but at that moment, he felt that even if he had a million, it would not be enough.


    He had woken and enraged the beast, potentially setting it directly against his mistress.


    Not knowing if he was making the right decision, Gerrard shakily brought the hand clutching a yellow crystal to his lips. "Admiral?"


    A moment later, the crystal clear voice of an old man responded, the gem flickering as his tone rose. "Yes, High Priest?"


    Though he was the highest ranking official here, the Military had their own command structure, and it was likely that the admiral, with all the observation equipment on the battleships and his scouts, knew everything that was happening.


    "Code Hellfire has been initiated. I am also granting the use of Devastator rounds under the authority of the Goddess Styx. Mobilise all forces and prepare for combat drops." Gerrard watched as the dark elf he had been tasked to kill, plummeted towards the ground, screaming incoherently as she fell.


    "But we still have troops on the ground. They will be caught in the fallout," responded the Admiral.


    "I will take full responsibility. As I am sure you know, we suspect we are engaging the Devil. The one who has killed demigods and destroyed entire cities. We cannot let him escape, or more innocents will suffer. May the Goddess forgive us."


    Silence fell on the tower for a few seconds before the crystal light up again. This time, the Admiral spoke with a regretful voice. "So be it. For the Alliance."


    Gerrard shook his head as he put the crystal back in a hidden pocket and started muttering. "I pray I am doing the right thing. Surely my Goddess would want me to stop this monster now that it has come to this?"


    Meanwhile, hundreds of meters away, screaming at the top of her lungs, Elelth closed her eyes at the rapidly approaching ground. There were no last thoughts, no life flashing before her eyes, just confusion, fear and regret.


    Luckily for her, Elelth''s screaming had snapped Ru from his bloodlust as he remembered the falling elf.


    Meters from the ground, Elelth felt herself lurch to the side, her insides screaming in agony as the air was forced from her lungs. Opening her eyes, blurred with tears, she noticed she was once again in Ru''s arms. "Y..y...yyou bbassstad."


    "Enjoy your flight?" Asked Ru as he turned, slamming his hand into an armoured man. Elelth felt a prickling on her skin, similar to when she actively used her ability, as the man exploded in a gory arch, flesh tearing from his bones.


    Nothing felt real to Elelth anymore, and where she knew she should be disgusted by what she saw, instead it seemed like a dream. Looking up at the black and blue flames that covered half of his face, something she knew that should have scared her, she tried to calm herself down and took a deep breathe as Ru dodged towards the sides of the street. "You ever do that again, and I swear to the Gods I will kill you."


    Ru, threw himself to the ground, spinning so that he landed on his back, ensuring Elelth would not get injured, as the place they had previously been exploded in ice. "Fucking Ice mage. I swear when I find them, even the real Devil won''t get his due." Flipping himself up in a way that would be impossible for most species, as it would have broken their back, Ru darted down a nearby alleyway and towards a group of soldiers with shields.


    Ru''s body flickered past the group, as blood sprayed up the stone walls. "Anyway El, Your vow to the other gods is pointless, I own you. Mind Body and Soul... remember? They have no power here."


    Ru briefly smiled as recalled a movie he had watched a very long time ago, his thoughts leading to another quote. "In a galaxy far, far away."


    He knew he was only trying to distract himself from the growing tension in his body. Something was wrong, but he just couldn''t work it out.


    "My name is Elelth," hissed the dark elf. "Not El."


    As Elelth glared at her saviour, most notably his dark blue, flaming eye, she realised something. While everyone else was firing spells at Ru, causing a dazzling array of lights and explosions around them, he had only been using raw mana, indicated by its dark blue colour. "Ru? Why aren''t you using your magic? Like the earth magic, you used in the alley?"


    Ru briefly glanced at her, before returning his focus to the fight at hand. "Do you really need to ask that? It''s kind of obvious, and I didn''t use any earth magic, I just dug a hole."


    Black liquid seeped from the side wall, returning from his brief time at a spear that had been thrown, and was quickly absorbed by Ru as he ran. As he turned down a side alley, Ru made his mind up and decided to trust Elelth a little more; she was his comrade after all. "I can''t use elemental magic anymore. Just good old raw mana. If I try, my core absorbs it instantly and becomes part of my... "


    "Your core?" Elelth was shocked while Ru was happy she had interrupted him. Only monsters and mutants had cores. She immediately dismissed what he said, assuming it had to be a reference that had fallen out of favour with time like so many of the things he said.


    Ru smiled bitterly, remembering his old magic and what it felt like but almost instantly, the smile was wiped off his face as hs skidded to a halt. He didn''t recognise it immediately but the constant attacks had stopped, and he doubted it was because of the damage he had caused.


    Having a greater control over mana, he could vaguely tell that, most of the lifeforms around him were retreating, leaving only a handful behind.


    Turning his head up to the sky, as his skin tingled, Ru''s eyes fell on the front of one of the battleships as it glowed ominously. Black boxes, covered in glowing markings, surrounded by winged humanoids hovered nearby as if waiting for something before starting their approach. "... Oh, Fuck."


    Focusing his senses on the battleship, the side of Ru''s face that remained human paled. "... Oh, Fuck."


    Dropping Elelth to the ground, Ru''s body turned into a blur as he carved runic markings into the stone around him, pushing the fear of the consequences for what he was about to do to the back of his mind and praying that his trust in Elelth would be repaid.


    As if realising what he was doing would ruin their plan, figures appeared at both ends of the alleyway and from above. Unlike the majority of those he had been fighting to this point, they were dressed in dark leather armour and did not wear helmets. The only variance of colour, except their hair and skin, was the dull grey collars they wore.


    Ru knew these were the scouts that had frustrated him so much. The ones that had been observing and directing the attacks on him, however, even though he would love to tear them limb from limb, he didn''t have time.


    His rest of his human body erupted into black and blue flames as he continued to carve runes into the ground while the scouts attacked with suicidal vigour. Surprisingly to Elelth, both her and Ru were not the targets but whatever formation he was creating.


    The first man, falling from a nearby roof was instantly impaled by a spear and sent flying into his comrade nearby, sending them slamming into a wall as an arc of dark blue lightning erupted from Ru''s blurred form, slicing through a group of four approaching from his back.


    Elelth''s heart hammered in her chest. She had experienced so much today that she didn''t feel like she could be shocked anymore but Ru was doing something she would never, in a million years, expect. He was using his mana without reserve.


    He had never told her why, but he seemed to horde it as if it was life itself and was begrudging to use even the smallest amount for anything.


    A wail, so cold and unearthly that even Ru shivered, erupted from high above them as the glowing light of the battleship focused on one point, at the bow, before the entire ship violently shook and a loud explosion tore through the air, followed by asupersonic boom.


    Ru''s figure stopped as he kicked Elelth to the centre of the circle and slapped his palms to the ground, ignoring the single surviving figure leaping at him, a blazing sword made from the flame in their hand as the other hung limply at her side.


    A blinding blue glow had erupted around them before the entire area exploded, obliterating everything withing hundreds of meters.


    Within less than a second, the town had been reduced to rubble. The sound of horns and whistles filled the deafening silence as the airborne soldiers descended with military precision. It was unlikely they were to discover any remains, but they had to be sure. They were fighting a figure with almost mythical strength One that caused, and more impressively survived, what many were calling the Demigod''s purge.

 Arc 2 - Party Building, Chapter 6.1 - Meeting an old friend

    Swirling lights of every colour and snippets of sound hammered Elelth''s senses as her vision uncontrollably spun. The last thing she remembered clearly was Ru painfully kicking her to the centre of his hastily created magical array before the world seemed to violently lurch.


    Not able to make anything recognisable out in the swirling vortex, Elelth started to panic. Thoughts that she had died, furthered by the fact that she couldn''t breathe, hindered her ability to think clearly.


    All of a sudden, as she flailed in the unknown, Elelth felt her fingers brush against soft skin and instantly reached out, her fingers curling around something cold and metallic.


    Not wanting to let go of the only sensation she recognised, even to the point of subconsciously using her ability to try and distort the mana that was repelling her hand, Elelth held on as if her life depends on it. For all she knew, it did.


    Her determination somewhat worked. However, the weight of the object disappeared when she used her ability, and all she was left with was a circular, cold metal object.


    After what felt like days, what first appeared to be an ordinary scene appeared in front of Elelth as she fell heavily to the stone floor and rolled down over a dozen or so steps before landing in soft, fragrant grass.


    Panting for breath, the dark elf shakily rose to her knees and looked back, wondering what had just happened, before her jaw dropped. "A...a...a transportation portal."


    Located at the top of marble steps, a swirling vortex of vivid colours, faint, unrecognisable sounds leaking from its edges, stood at around ten feet wide and five feet across giving off a sinister, otherworldly vibe.


    It was not the portal itself that shocked Elelth so much. Even if they were extremely rare and considered a lost technology, only to be found in dungeon safe zones or ancient citadels, what portals looked like and what they did was common knowledge and with recent developments in luxury transportation, not that impressive.


    What had shocked Elelth was that they were previously in the centre of a town, Ru fighting for both his and her lives, as he carved runes into the stone floor beneath them.


    The only explanation was that Ru knew the secret behind portals, the right rune combination to connect to their destination and had, the most terrifyingly, he had the mana to transport them.


    To her knowledge each of those facts should be impossible but, she once again reminded herself that, Ru was anything but normal. He was not from this world. He had fought in a brutal war that was still spoken about centuries later, killed demigods and... had turned into something else. If she had not spent over three weeks interacting with him, she would laugh at those statements, putting them down to myths that had outrageously grown over time.


    Even after travelling with the man, she wasn''t certain all of it was true, sometimes thinking he was either an exceptional liar or, more likely, that he had one or two screws missing. However, after witnessing the fight against the Alliance troops, she had little doubt now. She was travelling with one of the most feared and hated creatures in the world. The Devil.


    A chill ran down Elelth''s spin, and she quickly surveyed her surroundings. Thinking about Ru reminded her of the first lesson he had taught her, rather painfully. Mind your surroundings.


    Multiple light stones were embedded into a cave-like ceiling, shining in, what felt like, natural light, as a gentle fog hung about a foot above the short, green grass.


    Dark stone walls could be seen in the distance, of at least two hundred metres away, from where she stood. Small torches hanging every couple of feet as bushes and vines attempted to climb the walls.


    Realisation hit Elelth like a train as she backed away towards the portal. This was not a fortress or palace. "I''m in a dungeon."


    "Well, I knew you were pretty green when you spectacularly messed up your landing, but I guess I can''t even ask you why you are here."


    A cheerful voice resonated around her as the air distorted a couple of metres away and a handsome, blonde haired man with blue eyes appeared in front of her, his clothes fitting tightly around his impressive muscles.


    Elelth shook her head as she forced herself to look into the man''s eyes, which was almost as painful as staring at his body. "I won''t fall for your charms, dungeon core."


    "Please. You know us dungeons only do this so we are not attacked on sight," responding the Dungeon, holding his hands up in a gesture to indicate that he meant to harm.


    Elelth painfully bit the inside of her cheek. As a dark elf, she was still in the puberty stage of her growth, and her hormones were hard to control at times, especially when presented with, at least to her, was a feast for the eyes. "And to put people off guard and manipulate them. I may be young, but you won''t trick me out of the safe zone. Now stop looking into my mind."


    "We can''t help it that all you mortals think with your genitalia. Though your ''ideal'' partner is a little... bland. You must be pretty young for an elf to still believe in Knights in shining armour," shrugged the dungeon, becoming bored with the back and forth. "And I have no intention of tricking you out of the safe zone. It''s not my style, and I have an agreement with the mortals on the surface. I only want to know why you are here but I guess it''s pointless asking you. I will have to question your companion instead."


    "RU!" Elelth span around, feeling slightly guilty that it had taken this long to think about Ru''s safety, but her mind jarred as the figure, sitting a couple of meters away, came into view.


    Everything had happened too fast at the end, and although she knew they had been under attack, Elelth had not been able to see any of the perpetrators, but she felt she could assume anyone, not Ru was a potential enemy and immediately put up her guard.


    With a stunned look on her face, as if she couldn''t believe what was going on, sat a red-skinned demoness, continuously rubbing her neck as if desperately looking for something.


    Brown leather armour creaked at she moved, barely concealing her well-endowed chest or curvy hips as she examined herself, pinching herself on the cheeks a few times to make sure she wasn''t dreaming.


    Finally noticing the other person''s gaze, the woman''s deep red eyes locked onto Elelth''s before travelling to the collar the elf still held in her hand, hope raging in her eyes.


    "Fuck the Alliance." The woman flinched as if she was expecting to be stuck by lightening, her eyes momentarily squeezed shut.


    "Fuck the Alliance," repeated the woman, her voice almost breathless. After a few moments, she shouted at the top of her lungs. "The Demon Lord will reclaim his rightful place."


    Small horns poked out of her forehead, no more than little brown lumps, as a thin, black tail whipped back and forth as she shook with joy.


    Elelth frowned as she muttered. "Great, Demon nobility. Nothing but zealots and madmen."


    "I''m free~" The woman stood up, her height reaching a little over six foot before her eyes once again locked onto Elelth. It was only at this point that the elf remembered that the demoness had been with the ones that wanted her dead, and in the sudden panic, ignored that the woman had a slave collar on or that every action she made so far, indicated she had been acting under duress.


    A beautiful smile bloomed upon the woman''s face as her figure turned into a blur before slamming into Elelth, picking her up and spinning in circles as she laughed. "You freed me. You freed~ me~."


    Letting out a sigh, the dungeon shook his head. "First company in an age and they are immature brats. Looks like I will need to wait for the one who opened the portal to get some answers. He is lucky this portal is in a safe zone. We dungeons do not like unknowns."


    "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." The demoness completely ignored the man, tears streaming down her cheeks, as she kissed Elelth''s before hugging her into her well-endowed chest, refusing to let go as the dark elf struggled to free herself, dropping the collar.


    A loud screech stopped the woman''s celebration, giving Elelth a momentary reprieve, while the demoness, still hugging the teenage-looking girl, moved the elf between her and the portal, backing away slowly.


    With a flash of light, the portal collapsed as a figure appeared, black and blue flames swirling around it''s massive, eight-foot frame.


    To most, including the ancient dungeon, the sight would be horrifying, but to Elelth, she only felt a confusing sense of relief knowing that the man that had stood by her, for no gain of his own, was OK.


    "What in the dungeon mother''s name-" The dungeon''s exclamation ended the silence as Ru shook his head and tried to get his bearings.


    "RU!" Elelth shouted, trying to break free from the Demoness''s grasp.


    "YOU!" bellowed Ru, his glowing blue eyes pulsing as his mana embed voice shook the ground, causing Elelth''s ears to sink as she stopped struggling and, against expectations, pushed back into the demoness''s embrace.


    "You used your ability in the portal. You nearly killed me," roared Ru as he took a step forward, cracking the stone under his foot.


    "I will have to remind you that damaging a safe zone will get you expelled. This is you first and only warning," interrupted the dungeon with a matter of fact tone.


    "Cut the crap May. I am not in the mood for your shit," growled Ru though he stopped moving forward and took a deep breath to calm himself. He knew it wasn''t the manaless''s fault. He hadn''t given her any warning before throwing her in the portal.


    Remember his first portal jump, Ru shook his head again, pushing down the urge to destroy everything in his sight. He wasn''t really angry at Elelth, more that, despite everything the Alliance tried to do, the only near death experience he had was when she activated her ability, nearly destroying the portal and his body in the process.


    "May?" The figure almost instantly recovered, a testament to its logical nature. "I haven''t been called that for some time. In fact, there are only eleven people who called me that, and they are long dead. Who are you?"


    Ru''s body started to shrink, the flames seeping into his pitch black skin. After a few seconds, he was around five and a half foot, he stopped shrinking, and his body returned to the form Elelth was most familiar with, only with a noticeable difference.


    His skin was almost entirely black, only a few patches of flesh remained, with tiny blue lines crisscrossing its surface, like veins running across his body, while large red rune-like markings that glowed ominously sat on top of them.


    Elelth took a deep breath, no longer struggling in her captor''s arms. "Ru, I-"


    "El, not now. I know it''s not your fault. Let me calm down, and we will speak." Ru waved her off as he momentarily closed the eyes, a dull but relentless heading thumping in his ears. The alliance had pushed him to the edge, and upon feeling the power of the weapon they used at the end, it was evident to that Ru could not win a straight up fight.


    His body may be resilient, but it depended on mana. When it was low, the divine spears that imprisoned his body would activate, if it runs out, his body will disintegrate, and he didn''t know what would happen next.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Elelth''s ears were flat against her head as she stared at the floor. It had been a long time since she had been reprimanded like a child and it reminded her of her father.


    "Demon Lord~" whispered the Demoness, her eyes widened as they filled with awe as she analysed the red markings.


    Looking at his arm and sighing when he saw the red runes, Ru sighed again. "Shut up. Not one word from you."


    With Ru''s enhanced perception, he noticed that those that attacked at the end were slaves. Most likely ordered to disrupt the circle at the cost of their lives yet he held little sympathy for them. A slave, a zealot or a reluctant warrior, each were just as deadly when their weapons hit.


    The demoness''s mouth slammed shut, but her tail was almost a blur as it waved around behind her, excitement danced in her eyes as her heart beat furiously.


    Elelth could only let out a depressed breath. At least the newly freed demoness wasn''t being treated any better than her.


    Little did they know that, if Ru had the energy, he would kill the demoness without a second thought. As it stood, right now, it was taking all of his energy to remain to stand and, he hoped, to find a place to rest.


    He didn''t have long, and he needed to make sure May wasn''t going to turn hostile. The demoness wasn''t a threat, and as they should be pretty deep in the dungeon, it was almost impossible for her to escape or notify others of their position, so he pushed that problem to the back of his mind.


    Looking at May, Ru stumbled down the steps before turning left and heading towards the nearest wall. "Not all of them are dead, just forgotten. You still keeping the camp in good order?"


    "Ah," understanding appeared in the dungeon''s eyes as his body warped into a female with long, silver hair that had the points of elf-like ears sticking out at the sides.


    Even though the dungeons new avatar was undoubtedly a beauty, if a little thin, the woman''s face was set in a scowl. "So you are the shadow in my memory? I think you better explain things before I do something you will regret. A dungeon''s memory is it''s most precious treasure. You or someone you know has tampered with something they shouldn''t have."


    "What can you do? You can''t hurt people in the safe zone or change it while there are sentient beings inside," said Ru, irritation heavy in his voice. The portal had nearly drained him, Elelth activating her ability nearly bled him dry. If he wanted to recover anytime soon, he would need to return to his dormant state.


    "You are a monster, and thus, I can move you to anywhere in my domain," responded May as she folded her arms, her almost none existent cleavage bulging from the action.


    Ru looked over his shoulder, "May, did you fear the hero''s?"


    May''s eyes turned hard. "I did, but I do not know the reason why. Maybe you can enlighten me before I move you into the midst of a horde of undead. My patience is growing thin."


    Ru smiled, his dry lips cracked. "Maybe it wasn''t the ones that you remember that you were afraid of?"


    His smile vanished. "Do not threaten me again or I will...re-educate you on the reasons why you hated me. I would like to think that, as one of the few beings that I have something history with, that we will be able to get along this time. Though after the last attempt, I am debating whether it''s a good idea."


    May''s face hardened. "Oh, and what makes you think I believe you? You''re a monster, not a summoned hero. Maybe the shadow isn''t missing memories but those that have been inserted."


    Ru slowly turned around, his gaze settling on May as his face twisted into a terrifying grin. "I have had a very long, irritating day and I have pretty much used up all of my reserves. If you don''t want me to feast on your core, instead of absorbing the ambient mana in the air, I would kindly suggest you stop provoking me."


    "Or wha-" Mays words stopped as her eyes widened, fear etched on her face.


    Blue lines snaked through the air, starting off no more than a thread of silk thick before rapidly growing as they approached Ru, disappearing into his body though, unlike when he absorbed mana before, the black patches of his skin did not retreat.


    "What are you?" May''s voice was one of shock and disbelief. There was no creature known to mortal or god that could absorb and process raw mana. The closest entities were dungeons, and they could only do it by letting monsters and adventures slowly absorb it first, purifying it with their glands or cores before consuming the refined mana when they used spells or died inside their area of influence.


    The streams of mana increased in intensity, creating gusts of the wind as a bead of sweat ran down May''s face. Unlike town spirits, dungeon cores could replicate a complete and functioning body and with enough experience in their puppets bodies, started to display natural emotions.


    Realising that the creature in front of her could probably absorb what would take decades to gather before she could take him down, May shouted to be heard above the raging wind. "Stop. I apologise."


    Almost instantly the air returned to normal, yet Ru''s expression did not soften in the slightest.


    Elelth, still in the demonesses arms, nervously looked between Ru and the dungeon. She had never heard of one being intimidated without a magical weapon being held above their crystal. Dungeons were well known for only making deals that benefited them.


    "What do you want?" May glared at Ru with hatred, causing her former hero to wince as he realised, that he was once again, making enemies with the dungeon.


    "Fucking promises and honour," Letting out a deep breath, Ru''s shoulders sagged. "Look May. I apologise. Zed was what I consider my best friend in this world, and he would be spinning in his grave, if he had one, knowing that I have threatened you. I promised him that if anything happened to him, I would look out for you."


    Ru''s eyes turned cold as May displayed a shocked expression. "Don''t get me wrong. If it weren''t for that promise, I would have sucked every bit of mana from your before consuming your core. As long as you don''t attack me, " Ru nodded his head towards Elelth. ", or El, you are safe. Breach those conditions, and we are going to settle a very, very old score. Promises and honour be damned."


    May watched Ru, conflicting emotions flittering across her face, as he turns and after reaching the wall, like kick a stone and what appeared to be a rustic camp shimmered into existence.


    Twelve tents circled the remains of a campfire with logs for seats at its edges. At one side, a board was staked into the ground next to a chest.


    Twelve tankards hung from the board, weird markings next to each. Ru took the silver tankard that had a laughing skull carved into its side.


    A bitter smile came to Ru''s lips as he turned to face May who had followed him at a distance. "Don''t suppose I can get some mana wine, I haven''t had a decent drink in centuries. Every town I enter ends up turning into a war zone. Totally not my fault by the way."


    May didn''t understand why he added the bit on end, why would she care, before responding to a question. The entity in front of her was incredibly dangerous, mysterious and from his actions, fearless. She needed more information before coming to a decision on what to do. "Three hundred and fifty-four years, eight months and twelve days?"


    "So that''s how long it''s been," sighed Ru as his tankard filled up with a light blue liquid. Without pausing or even sniffing it, he downed the drink.


    Even though he knew he was overreacting, Ru couldn''t help but let his eyes roll as he let out an almost sensual groan. "Oh my god. That is heavenly. If I wasn''t so sick of enclosed spaces and you weren''t Zed''s woman... dungeon... thing, I might be tempted to marry you and live here forever."


    May responded in a dry tone,"Dungeons don''t marry, and even if we did, we have standards."


    Ru realised that, even though it had been so long, due to the environment, he had slipped back into the old, joking ways his team enjoyed. Almost instantly, his mood turned sombre.


    Noticing his change in attitude, May walked into the camp, followed at a distance by the Demoness carrying Elelth, which looked ridiculous as Elelth seemed like a late teenager, not a child that needed carrying.


    "So, oh great hero turned monster, who is foolish enough to barge into a dungeon''s safe zone, threaten it and then asks for favours. What do you want?" Even though she liked the hero called Zed, she had got over his death a long time ago and no longer felt much towards the man.


    Seeing her almost emotionless face, Ru held his tankard out, waiting for it to be refilled. "Time heals all wounds I suppose. Though I thought he would mean more to you. You will have to teach me how."


    "It has been a long time mora- what do I call you?"


    "Call me Ru, and in answer to your previous question, all I want is a place to lie low for a few months and prepare. As you can see," Ru tapped his neck," I am free of the burden that was forced on the Summoned and in doing so, have made enemies of the Alliance. How often do their raid groups come here?"


    "They don''t," An ornate, wooden chair appeared, and May sat on it feeling relief that the monster in front of her wasn''t an enemy. She could tell he was wounded, but instead of seeing an advantage, she saw a desperate animal that would do anything and everything to survive. "Ever since the mortals worked out how to make the most of the resources in the upper levels. they only travel to the tenth floor or rarely the twentieth. It has been over two hundred years since anyone ever bothered coming to the eighty-seventh or even attempted taking on my boss monster in my chamber.


    Ru chuckled, "You still kept to that huh. I would have thought with the memory wipe, you would have ignored it and kept growing floors."


    May''s eyes turned into slits. "So you are the reason why I go against my nature and limit my growth."


    "Kinda. Eight is my lucky number, and so I refused to participate in the clearing of floors eight, eighteen and eighty-eight. Mike always said I had it backwards, that those should be the floors I cleared but I never liked that logic," mused Ru.


    "That way, I would clear every level regardless. Anyway, I was also the one to gift you the cores from the wild dungeons to enhance your chamber."


    "Then again, even if you expanded downwards, you couldn''t move them down, and so it would be weaker. Particularly since you need a safe room on the floor above, that people who have reached it can use the transportation array."


    May nodded her head. Even though her instincts drove her to dig deeper into the earth, she knew it was a foolish thing to do. At the moment, her chamber was easily equal to a level 200 dungeon and almost double secure due to the wards so creating extra floors would actually weaken her. "Why?"


    "Because of the agreement," responded Ru, knowing what she meant.


    "All to avoid your handlers huh?" May didn''t know about the man in front of her, but her memories of the other heroes indicated that they hated the alliance and their handlers with a passion.


    After more than a dozen had fallen in the dungeon, normally to the summoned purposefully misinterpreting an order, the dungeon had approached them and offered two deals.


    One that was public knowledge, aimed at benefits for the Alliance so its safety would be secured, the other to the heroes providing a refuge in exchange for great stones, crystals and cores. Her power would be stifled by the first, but the second would more than make up for it.


    "Yep, though I can''t complete my end of the agreement this time, I won''t forget that you helped."


    May remembered a phrase that the group of heroes always used. "A summoned always pays their debts?"


    "Ahh, that brings back memories. Not knowing how that ended destroyed Zed for the first five years," chuckled Ru, though it was evident he wasn''t feeling happy. "I will. I would like to say you know me but, you don''t. I will just have to prove that I am a man of my worst."


    "Monster," May smiled. "I trust them more than the ''higher races'' anyway. Speaking of Zed, I really did enjoy him. He was one of the few mortals that truly saw the world for what it was."


    "I know, that''s why you chose that female avatar that he always pinned after when he had a few drinks." Ru pointed to the dungeon.


    "By the way, I always wanted to know. Did you to bump uglies," In the past, Ru kept himself to himself, not really bothering with people''s personal lives however he was feeling nostalgic.


    "Though it doesn''t feel as good as absorbing a mana core, it wasn''t entirely unenjoyable. Why? Fancy having a ''roll in the hay'' as Zed called it?" responded May without a hint of embarrassment. She was a dungeon after all and, even though she didn''t understand why mortals were so obsessed with procreation, she knew it was a quick, easy way to earn their trust.


    "Alas, even with my great age, I am a bit of a prude. No offence indented," replied Ru. "Then again, beggars shouldn''t be picky. I wasn''t exactly popular before, and now I am a bonafide monster, core and all, I am not exactly partner material? What woman would want me?"


    "Lots of female monsters find strength attractive and unlike those silly ''higher races'', they would probably fall head over heals to be your mate, Strong offspring and a partner that could scare a dragon''s scales off." May didn''t know why, but for the first time since the Heroes died, she felt comfortable to sit and talk with, what she considered a mortal. A smile appeared on her lips.


    Ru staired at May before they both started laughing.


    Wiping a tear from his eye, Ru stared into the fire. "Never thought I would say this, but it''s good to see you May. I am glad you''re still about."


    May laughed, genuinely happy about the encounter even though the man kept hinting that they had a negative past. "The more you speak, the more my memories start to make sense which is relieving. I began to think that my core was faulty. Did you bed the elf in the end? There was a running bet between the heroes if you would ''man'' up. Couldn''t work out who they were talking about until now."


    Ru''s face soured. "Thank fuck no. That bitch set us up and got the rest killed. All I can say is she is one of the luckiest people to have ever lived. If she were still alive, now I am free, not even her soul would be left after I was done with it."


    May stood, though her memories of their visits were a mess, mainly due to the ''shadow'', she knew that the other always avoided the blurred figure when the mood turned sour. "Rest up. I have refrained from asking too many questions as you don''t seem to be in the mood, but my curiosity can only be repressed for a small period of time."


    Just before she turned, she raised an eyebrow" Also, Do you want to serve me? I think you could get my boss a run for his money even in your state."


    Ru shook his head, a smile on his lips. "Do you really want to put me on a leash? Remember what happened to the handlers?"


    May chuckled. "Maybe not, but it''s not every day an unaffiliated monster wanders into a dungeon and asks for sanctuary. Can''t blame a girl for trying."


    "You''re not a girl," responded Ru with a raised eyebrow. "You have no gender."


    "Tsk, pedantics. When you can make anybody you envision, you can be whatever you want," answered May with a coy smile. "Why don''t you stop resisting and let me scan your memories? I could be your dream gi- monster."


    Her lips twitched as she refrained from laughing at Ru''s reaction.


    Shaking his head, Ru could only sigh. "You haven''t changed. Why are you the only dungeon who, instead of running from danger, throws themselves at it? You know you nearly gave Zed a heart attack when you tried to tame that wandering dragon."


    "Life gets boring after a while, seeing as you have lived this long, I am sure you will understand in time," shrugged May


    Ru watched the woman dissolve into mana and looked around the camp before letting out a deep sigh, ignoring Elelth and the Demoness standing nervously to the side, as his eyes unfocused. The site triggering memories and emotions from a long time ago.


    After no more than five minutes, he stood, telling the pair to stay where they were as he started walking towards an empty space nearby, small black stumps forming on his body before growing in length. "Time to pay the piper."

 Arc 2 - Party Building, Chapter 6.2 - Dungeon [Draft]

    Releasing a drawn out, lethargic sigh, Elelth stared into the embers of the dying campfire as she leant against one of the wooden logs. "How long has it been?"


    "Like I have said, what, a hundred times now? How in the Demon Lord''s name am I meant to know? We are inside a dungeon that is set in constant twilight without any way to tell the time," hissed the Demoness with irritation, laying on her back as she watched the crystal-like ceiling glittering above.


    Elelth rolled her eyes, "Kalis, I wasn''t talking to you."


    The pair had, after an uneasy beginning, become somewhat friendly to each other over the last few days. This stemmed from the openness they shared as Kalis revealed how she was enslaved to the Alliance and Elelth, about how she met Ru, including her family''s demise.


    With no one else to talk to, it was either that or sit in silence, though, as the days passed, their conversations had descended into near constant bickering.


    "Not all of us like the sound of our own voice," responded Kalis, lifting her head to look at the dark elf. "So maybe do me a favour and keep it to yourself?"


    "Why don''t you leave already?" snarled Elelth, her long, purple ears turning red at the tips. "I wonder how much your sub par wit will help you as you are digested inside the stomach of a monster."


    Luckily for the pair, as well as someone else to keep them company, the Dungeon, May, had provided food and water, creating a small, fresh water pond close to the campsite and some fruit trees.


    "Because my Lord is in there." Kalis pointed over her shoulder to a pitch black dome, a couple of dozen feet from the edge of the ancient campsite. "When he emerges, I will lead him to the others, and he can take his rightful place as our ruler. Finally, the demon race can return to its rightful place."


    Elelth rolled her eyes and laughed before sitting up with a mocking smile and watching the demoness. "And you have the audacity to mock me for repeated, stupid statements. Ru is not your Demon Lord. He isn''t even a demon and besides that, do you think he is so weak that he will just obey you? No, if I have learnt anything from my time with him, it''s that he will do as he pleases or kills those who stand in his way."


    "What do you know elf?" snarled the demoness, her pale, red skin masking her anger as she stood up, fists clenched at her side. "He has the markings. He has the temperament. I will be doing our lord a great service by letting him claim the throne. He will, no must, do what is required of him. It is the natural order."


    "Zealot," chuckled Elelth, shaking her head and flexing her cramping muscles. "Keep your religious nonsense to yourself if you want to keep your life though, I am not sure that it is possible... slave collar or not, you did attack us, and Ru doesn''t seem big on the whole forgiveness thing."


    "He forgave those who imprisoned him," snapped Kalis.


    "They are already dead." Elelth sighed, taking a deep breath. "Last time I checked, even though you are brain dead, your body is still alive, so it makes you much easier to kill."


    Just as the Demoness was about to respond, May''s body started to form in front of them, like a thick mist condensing, ending their conversation.


    After the few seconds it took for her features to become defined, May looked at them with minor interest. "You two argue over the silliest of things. You are so weak, even my level two monsters would make a snack out of you, and yet you believe you have the power to control or anticipate an entity that, just by its existence, shakes the very foundations of our world."


    The dungeon smiled smugly as the dark elf and demoness looked away, not meeting her gaze. "Good, I was starting to wonder if your species had devolved so far that it''s survival instincts were faulty. You act like tigers in the presence of lions when you are nothing more than kittens in the presence of dragons."


    Turning away from them, the Dungeon stared at the black dome, the air shimmering around its edges as it rapidly absorbed the ambient mana around it, and her smile disappeared. "Even one, as old and powerful as I am, can only wait and let it consume my mana, praying to the divines that it is satisfied when it is done and does not decide that my core will be the perfect dessert."


    "Why would he go for your core?" asked Kalis, spotting the change in the dungeons humanoid representation.


    "It is a being of mana that consumes mana. The strongest and purest mana is always in a core. My monster''s cores are small and insignificant compared to my own. In fact, it being here is such a risk that my instincts scream at me to attack it with everything I have. The only thing stopping me is that, besides our history, instead of heading for my core, it chose to passively absorb the mana from this safe zone," responded May with an absent expression. "Too many unknowns.


    "Do you know why he became like that? The spears and black stuff, not the being made of mana," interrupted Elelth, remembering the black spears with blinding blue runes erupting for Ru''s body, pinning him to the floor in a kneeling position, before he was covered in the black dome.


    It happened so fast that both Elelth and Kalis panicked, thinking they were under attacked, however, May had returned and reassured them that Ru was simply entering a restorative state, though, for what purpose, she did not know.


    May shrugged. "I have asked the other dungeons, and the consensus is what I initially thought. It used too much mana or became damaged and so has regressed to a state which minimises energy expenditure while maximising the ability to regenerate and absorb mana."


    Turning back to Kalis, May stepped forward and grasped her slave collar. "I think it''s time to get rid of this."


    Without waiting for a response, the dungeon pulled the collar apart and let it fall to the floor as if it was nothing more than a useless trinket.


    Blinking in shock, the demoness''s hands rose to her neck before a dazzling smile appeared on her lips, and she literally started dancing on the spot, twirling in circles. "I''m free! I''m free. You removed my collar, thank you so much! I don''t know how I can repay you?"


    May tilted her head in confusing. "Why would you need to compensate me? You cannot train and become stronger with that thing suppressing your abilities and skills."


    "Train?" The demoness stopped dancing as her eyes took on a weary look.


    May continued her confused expression. "Yes, train. As a dungeon I have an insatiable desire to train and test sentient beings that enter me and, even though you are both subpar, you are its companions. If my conclusions from the fragments of memories I have retained are correct, then everyone will benefit from you becoming stronger."


    "Dungeons train adventures? I thought you just tried to kill them for their mana?" asked Elelth, the new knowledge drawing her in like a moth to the flame.


    "Of course we train sentient beings. Why else would we waste our resources on bringing them in? We train those we consider worthy and imbue them with a fragment of our ethos. When they conquer other dungeons, they collect that dungeons ethos and the two are combined to make a new dungeon core inside of them. We pick the strongest, most active individuals so that the chances of them dying in a safe place, at least for a new dungeon is increased."


    "And that''s how baby dungeons are born," laughed Kalis. "I would have never guessed. "


    "Why not? Propergation is the foundation of all species, sentient or otherwise. Why would dungeons be any different?" Though May said this, the summoned heroes had left a large impression on her, and since their disappearance, she had not bothered interacting with the adventures that entered. They were too weak and, though she would not admit it, boring.


    Elelth frowned. "I thought it was because dungeons wanted to absorb the mana from adventures while they were in them, especially if they died?"


    May laughed, though the expression on her face wasn''t entirely correct and made her look more than a little weird. "Why would we waste so much mana creating our homes, constantly regenerating them and having items stolen just to claim mana? Even if there weren''t a huge flaw in the theory, it would be woefully inefficient."


    "What''s the flaw?" Elelth leaned in towards may, her eyes wide at the prospect of learning something that she could not get from books.


    May shrugged her shoulders. "That all creatures absorb mana and they use it constantly, even the none mage types. Even you manaless are not immune, though where it goes for you, no one really knows, and that''s a different subject. If a creature absorbs mana from the environment, which would be me, and uses it to live and cast spells, transcending the energy, then how do I get anything from it?"


    "Oh," Elelth and Kalis stared at the Deugeon with blank expressions, a fundamental piece of knowledge shattering a conventional theory that most believed to be fact.


    May released a warming smile as she felt the comfort of teaching others once again."We also collect knowledge. Knowledge from conversations, thoughts that are not protected and memories from the dead. This way we can better prepare and defend ourselves for those that would wish to destroy us."


    Elelth mind was whirling at the implications of what May was saying. People thought that Dungeons were semi sentient entities that only lived to absorb mana and increase the size of their domain. "Do people know you train them or are they not allowed to speak of it?"The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    May''s face contorted into a serious expression. "Only the destroyers know. Those designed to go out and destroy other dungeons. We are pretty much immortal, and it keeps our species strong by weeding out the weak."


    "Though," May paused a bit before continuing. "That technique fails more often than not as the defending dungeon will just offer more. We can create any creatures ideal mate, habitat and even provide them with riches not found on the surface. As such, we need to be careful when selecting destroyers and attempt to get them to bond with us. Friends, even better lovers, cannot be easily replaced for some."


    Kalis'' eyes were still thick with suspicion. "So, you are telling us this because you want us to be destroyers?"


    May laughed again. "No. I want you to stop one, even if it is not the standard type. Reading your surface thoughts, both of you are unlikely to leave it and, by the fact that the Dark Elf injured it and holds the potential to be a serious threat, yet it does not act, it is easy to assume you hold some worth to it. If I prove that the benefits of my continued existence outweigh the destruction. Logically I should be safe, and the potential for such an alliance is not something to be passed up."


    "Told you he wouldn''t mind me staying," snickered Kalis, some but not all of the suspicion eased from her eyes.


    Elelth ignored the demoness, knowing May was referring to her and not the ex-slave regarding their importance to Ru. "Why do you keep calling Ru, it?"


    "Because there has never been, and hopefully never will be again, one like it. It lives, breathes and eats mana. It is mana. It may wear a skin of the false flesh, but that is out of choice. I do not even know it''s true gender or even if it has one. It is an anomaly and by allowing ourselves to stereotype and label it based on our limited understanding of the world could be detrimental," May frowned. "Also, as with any threat, we de-personify the entity. To a dungeon, a being that harvests, stores and refines mana throughout its existence, we are nothing more than the ultimate food source. It could harvest us like your farmers or could devour us like a swarm of locusts. By helping you, I help it. By helping it, even now by freely providing mana, as previously mentioned, I am more useful alive than dead."


    "Why wouldn''t you just kill him?" Elelths eyes narrowed. "If he is healing, then he is vulnerable?"


    May shrugged. "Because, apart from an exceedingly skilled manaless, I am not sure he can be killed. Even if we destroy his core."


    "He has a Core?" shouted Kalis, shock evident on her face.


    Ignoring the outburst from the now irate demoness, May continued rephrasing her earlier statement. She could just come out and state that she, and most of her kind, were terrified of the creature but her pride wouldn''t allow it and she continued to make excuses. "Mana is a form of energy. Energy cannot be destroyed or created, it just is. We have no knowledge of the one called Ru and what we don''t know is terrifying. Yet, we are not as foolish as you mortal creatures. We don''t attack the unknown, we study it. If it is a threat that we can deal with, we deal with it, if it''s not a threat, or it''s beyond our means, we pick the most optimal method to survive."


    "Why would training us help Ru?" Elelth emphasised his name, growing angry at the dungeons objectification of Ru.


    "Dungeons can read the emotions of monsters through the mana output of their core. It has a core. " May looked at the Demoness, daring her to interrupt. When it was clear she wouldn''t, she continued. "Although it is different and I can sense what is stirring belief."


    "It is one of the many ways we use to control those that call us home, however, in this circumstance, it enables me to get a good idea of what It is feeling," continued May. "Sadness, grief, emptiness, loss of purpose... but most of all anger and cold acceptance. From your conversations and those who use the upper layers to train, it is apparent that it wants nothing more than peace however it seems that It has realised that is an impossible goal."


    "His name is Ru. I am pretty sure calling him It will only provide him," hissed Elelth."


    May nodded once. "Sounds logical. I will amend my speech patterns. His anger is building as well as... something else. When he emerges in a few years, I doubt he will be following the same policy as before."


    "Wait? Years?" Elelth and Kalis'' mouths hung open.


    "Yes, though it is clear that Ru does not feel that years is a long time. Like I said, he is exhausted from his battle and near death experience at your hands." May looked at Elelth. "Please don''t make me repeat myself. Anyway, to capitalise on the time, build bonds with you and... prove that I harbour no ill intentions, we will be using a trick us dungeons have been using for millennia."


    "We will create a separate dimension of my levels, known as instances, but increase the time speed significantly for you manaless. The demoness is at an acceptable level that when Ru awakes, she will be ready but you need decades of training,"


    Elelth tensed. "But-"


    "There will be no excuses. You are stuck here, at least until Ru awakens. I have requested the knowledge of manaless from my sire dungeons. We have much to do."


    May placed her hands on her hips. "If you don''t like it, you are free to leave though travelling eighty-six levels of an SSS rank dungeon will inevitably lead to your death. If you make it past a minute, I will be impressed."


    Kalis looked smug, knowing that Elelth was the weak link.


    Pointing to the Demoness, May tilted her head slightly. "You will start training on the ninth floor. It will be a struggle and too much at your current level, but the creatures will not land fatal blows. Do not be seen by the external beings."


    Kalis'' mouth opened and closed. "On my own? Everyone knows never to go into a dungeon without at least a six man party."


    Demons sought strength no matter the cost, which had led to them being persecuted and so, even though she was still suspicious, Kalis was prepared to accept the Dungeons conditions.


    May shrugged. "They do not have the blessing of the dungeon. You will go alone, and if you don''t move to the transportation circle now. You will go naked. I can''t move inorganic material."


    With a sense of defeat, Kalis moved to the transportation array that she had arrived in previously.


    The moment she stepped onto it, she disappeared in a flash of light.


    "Couldn''t you just let us out through that?" asked Elelth.


    "I could, but why would I? You have already cost me mana, and so, as you mortals put it, I have a vested interest in keeping you around," chuckled May as she walked towards the elf. "Besides, I know what your heart desires, and for that, you need strength. To kill, to love, to be free. You are in need of my services more than any other."


    Elelth hands shook. "How strong?"


    "Like I said. Enough to kill or love the target of your conflicting emotions. For that, you will need to stand at the pinnacle of this worlds strength."


    "I thought you said you wanted Ru as an ally," frowned Elelth as she quickly glanced at the black dome, fearing he could hear their conversation.


    "I would only be harmed if you tried and failed. To that purpose, I just need to make sure, if you chose to, you would not fail," responded May dryly.


    "Strong enough to kill those that have destroyed my life? Those that would control me? Those that would stand in my way?" a sliver of madness, that had formed back when Elelth was attacked by the bounty hunter reappeared.


    A wicked smile appeared on May''s lips. Without the Demoness here, it was exceedingly easy to manipulate Elelth. "That is for you to decide. All I can say is, the world is never stagnant. As you grow in strength and power, so will the creature you call Ru. He is in a state of constant evolution. If you use him as the goal, you may never beat him in a straight out fight, but when you stop and take count, you will see just how far you have come."


    Elelth''s smile was twisted, without a hint of joy as she let out a mirthless laugh. "I am sick of being weak. When do we start?"


    "Now." A portal erupted from the side of May as she held her hand out. "There are only two absolute rules. Nothing lasts for ever and that only those with the power to do so, will be able to control their destiny. I wonder which one you will find first."


    Elelth stepped forward and disappeared with a white flash, along with May, as the camp became deathly silent.


    Far away, but close, in a place that existed but doesn''t at the same time, beyond consciousness and physical laws, kneeled Ru in his ancient ruined armour. Thirteen spears pierced his chest, legs and arms, pinning him to the ornate marble floor as blood slowly dripped.


    Around him, the scattered remains of his only friends, not a single body intact, lay crumpled in gruesome positions, each surrounded by dozens of red skinned, armoured warriors. The Demon Lords elite bodyguard.


    Even with the magical seals slowing the rate of decay, after fifty years, the stench of their rot was rising at an alarming rate.


    "So you have returned?" declared a voice, full of amusement. "Did you decide that freedom wasn''t all it was cracked up to be or could it be that you missed us?"


    Ru sighed. "I was actually hoping my subconscious would let me revisit a beach, brothel, restaurant, hell even a sewage works other than this place."


    The voice chuckled as the Demon Lord shuffled on his throne, the spears piercing his body seemingly ignored. "Isn''t it enraging? Knowing that this is all in your own head yet not being able to control it in the slightest."


    "Who said it was in my head. With everything I have seen, I am not sure I believe anything anymore," responded Ru.


    One of the decapitated heads rolled to the side, its rotting blood plastered to his blond hair. "Now, now. We all must believe in something or else we become nothing. You know that $%¡ê."


    Ru shook his head, thankful that the magic containing his name was still active. He might have been able to destroy the memories he knew of, but from all his experiments he had discovered that they were not just linked to the grey matter that once resided in his head. They were connected to his soul, and he would never be able to escape them. "So are you guys going to help, or hinder?"


    He knew what he was doing, or at least what he felt his subconscious was trying to do. It was distracting himself from the surging rage that was threatening to overwhelm him at any moment.


    The Demon Lord laughed. Out of all the figments of his imagination here, he was the one that caused Ru the most distress. "So your plan to escape and live a peaceful life was a bust. The false persona you created to gain power has now become who you are and, after the last engagement, the alliance will never let you remain free. I have to say, it was a pretty pathetic plan."


    A feminine voice interrupted the Demon Lord as he started to open his mouth. "Least you found some company, I was afraid you would find it had to-" the top half of a torso, its long, red hair falling over its features paused as if searching for the right words. "- find someone worthy."


    "Who said she was worthy," a deep, booming voice erupted from a pile of flesh and scattered bones. "She''s weak and pathetic. And Zed, don''t go saying that''s why $%¡ê has picked her. She''s a threat. One $%¡ê doesn''t need."


    The blond head smiled. "Why not, $%¡ê can mould her into the perfect companion while she is weak, and then when she gains strength, $%¡ê can rely on her as a friend."


    "That isn''t what being a friend is," responded the redhead. "$%¡ê shouldn''t use people because, as we all know, that only leads to ruin."


    Ignoring the interruption, Zed continued. "Plus when she grows she is going to be-"


    "Zed." Ru''s voice was cold. "Please stop. I know you are trying to cheer me up, but at the moment I just want to be alone. I need to think."


    "We are just voicing your own thoughts. We are you, you are us. Your mind made us behave like we did in life but that doesn''t change the fact that our personalities are just based off what you witnessed," responded Zed. "Like how you feel like you failed us and are the cause of our deaths. You think, through all our interactions, that we will not blame you, so we don''t but can you be sure that is the case?"


    Ru closed his eyes. "No, I can''t."


    The Demon Lord laughed. "You know, they say that the mad do not realise they are crazy but you, little hero, think you are and yet can''t find any definitive proof. How is it that someone so insignificant and broken could beat me?"


    Zed sighed. "Your senses tell you this is real, yet your mind finds fault with the possibility. You can''t control your senses, and because they can be faulty, that means you can be sane with incorrect input."


    "Zed, Shut it. I know you always liked winding me up and getting me into debates, but I am not in the mood," growled Ru.


    "Fine, let''s get back onto topic. Destroy, conquer or escape," said the head as it rolled towards the throne. "As flight has proven... difficult for $%¡ê and none of you pansies will even give it the time of day, I vote to Destroy the world."


    Ru chuckled darkly, "at the moment, that doesn''t sound like a bad idea."


    Ten voices rose in protest while the Demon Lord slumped with an amused expression on his face. "The last decision took over a hundred years, try and speed it up this time."

 Arc 2 Interlude 1

    Gasping for breath a man covered in black steel armour, the insignia of the Alliances Rapid Response troops, a flaming angel, sitting on his shoulder, skidded to a stop, glancing in all directions as the glow from his armour''s enhancements pushed back the darkness.


    It was only early evening, but the ruined buildings around him and the threatening dark grey sky above the former Demon Capital made it almost impossible to see clearly and, unfortunately for the soldier, caused him to stick out like a sore thumb with the blue hue surrounding him.


    Bodies and rubble littered the nearby streets, portraying a scene reminiscent of any of the seven Hells. Yet that is not why his heart hammered against his ribs, feeling like it would burst at any moment, and terror threatened to overwhelm his mind.


    He was being hunted.


    The last survivor of his squad, possibly even his battalion, though the sounds of sporadic fighting lead him to believe there were still a few others left out there, the man let out a deep breath as he cocked his head to the side to listen.


    Memories of the briefing, a few days earlier, distracted him as he internally cursed the high command. The mission was meant to be dangerous but simple.


    Make a path through the unintelligent abominations, the cities previous citizens before the event which was now being called the Demon Cataclysm, identify if the City Stone was still saveable and if so, extract it so they could find out what had actually happened.


    A simple smash and grab before sending in the ground troops to retake the city.


    How wrong they were. Not only was the city infested with abominations, but a new type had also emerged and was quickly given the simple name of mutant.


    Mutants looked very similar to what ever base race they mutated from with the only differences being light grey skin, white hair and piercing blue eyes. They were extremely intelligent, without mercy and, worst of all, could control the mindless abominations.


    Due to earlier events and the leaks of combat footage from the failed attack on the Devil, giving them a good view of Ru''s true form, everyone immediately saw the similarities of the glowing blue eyes and came to the assumption that the Devil was just another variant though they had no time to speculate further.


    Two sky battleships, the pride and joy of the Alliance navy had joined their sister, the Scourge, as wrecks littering the Demonic Plains as giant abominations hammered them with magical beams of pure mana, melting through magic, metal and flesh alike.


    Never in alliance history had a sky battle ship been grounded and now three of them were beyond salvageable yet that was not the worst blow. From the chatter of the communication gems, the fifteen battalions sent to secure the city after the ARR had completed their objective had been slaughtered to a man.


    The single largest loss of life since the Dark Wars. Over fifteen thousand elite troops killed or missing in action. Combined with the ARR, support divisions and battle ship crews, the final number would easily be double that and become a devastating blow to morale in the north as they realised their military strength were no longer undisputed.


    A falling stone broke the man from his depressing thoughts as he turned his head in the direction he had come from.


    Slow, heavy footsteps rippled the water in a pot hole nearby as his eyes once again darted about.


    Spotting a large clump of Alliance bodies, who looked like they had attempted some sort of the last stand, the man sprinted forward and dove into the pile, deactivating his armour''s runes and lying motionless.


    A couple of moments after he had done this, a giant abomination, its thick grey skin covered in blisters of blue liquid, stomped around the corner followed by a squad of mutants. They wore a mismatched combination of pillaged armour, mainly silver and black but did not bother with the helms as their blue eyes scanned the street around them, looking for any sign of life.


    At first, with its technological advantage and highly trained troops, the Alliance had held the advantage, but as each body fell, either alliance, abomination or mutant, the remaining mutants nearby became stronger.


    It had been decided that they fed off the mana released at death. Not only that, but many suspected that they transformed the acquired mana and turn it into physical and magical strength. A few even believed that they also absorbed the memories of the fallen after seeing the rapid advancement in tactics and strategies employed since the start of the battle.


    It wasn''t long before the opposing forces were at a stalemate, and even shorter until the pockets of Alliance resistance were overrun.


    Luckily for them, at least at the start, it seemed the mutants fought amongst themselves almost as much as against the soldiers, trying to establish a hierarchy where none was needed before.


    It appeared that the mutants with the most power quickly subjugated or absorbed the others and then started the systematic elimination of anything that wasn''t a mutant or abomination.


    The group slowly moved down the road before another batch of sporadic fighting drew them down a narrow side street and out of view.


    Waiting for a little over five minutes, the man''s armour flickered to life as he jumped up and ran towards the city walls, just visible through a few crumpled buildings.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    His team, against all the odds, had completed the first half of the mission. They had identified the damaged but working City Stone. The problem was that it was in mutant hands and, unsurprising with what they now knew about their new foe, the mutants knew how to use it.


    They were bringing the city slowly back to life, at least regarding defences and surveillance providing the new defenders with incredible amounts of information and support, turning a bad situation for the Alliance, into a hopeless one. They didn''t stand a chance and, before declaring crystal silence, the last order was for all troops to escape and deliver as much knowledge to the high command.


    Luckily for the man, it appeared the City Stone was too damaged to track everyone at once and by moving alone, he had made it to the outer districts with relative ease.


    However, he did not feel relief. He knew it was just a matter of time until they worked out that by feeding it mana, they could increase its repair rate. If the city became fully functional, without other lifeforms to hide amongst, he would be found in minutes.


    Sucking in another deep breath through the ventilation slits of his armour, the man peeked around the corner only to instinctively stab out with the small dagger in his hand as his eyes went wide with fear.


    A sharp faced, female mutant smiled warmly as she slapped the knife from his hand, bending both it and his metal armour in the wrong direction which elicited a blood-curdling scream, echoing off the walls around them, from him.


    "Weee, I finally get my own toy," smiled the woman as she lazily kicked the man in the chest, sending him flying into the nearby wall before he slid to his knees.


    Spotting a few mutants appear on the surrounding rooftops, the woman waved them away as she hooked a strand of her long, white hair behind an ear and walked forward. "You are good at hiding. It took me forever to find you but was fun."


    The smile started to wane. "But you look weak... If you''re not strong, I have to take your mana. Stay strong for me. I promise we play hide and find again."


    The man''s armour increased its glow as it released pain suppressants and stimulants into his blood stream and its magical runes prepared his body for fight or flight. "I''ll tell you nothing mutant."


    He knew, from watching the scene he now found himself in, many times while on the run, that more than likely, he would die and have his life mana taken from him, but the alternative seemed worse. If they were this brutal with standard interrogation, what would it be like if it was proven that he had any useful information on him?


    "We are not mutants, the old people of these bodies are dead. We are new. We have new... what do you call them. Souls and mind... yes that''s it. So we, not mutants," declared the woman as she tilted her head to the side as she watched him. "Now, where are you friends and what did you see in the centre of buildings?"


    "I will never betray my kind." The man immediately knew that this conversation was important and activated the recording function of his suit. They knew precious little of the mutants and anything they could get, even at the cost of his own life, would perhaps save hundreds if not thousands in the future.


    The mutant frowned in confusion. "I do not want to know about your kind, or for you to hurt them. We have already absorbed the people coming to help you in the sky and pushed back the people that walk on land. What I want to know about is where your friends are and our Prime."


    The man displayed his confusion on his face, only to realise he was still wearing his helmet and so coughed a little, relieving some of the pain from the kick. "Prime?"


    "The one who is like us." The woman''s body flickered as it changed into an exact match of Ru in his true form before returning back.


    The man let out a deep breath. He had avoided the topic of his companions, even if he didn''t know if they were still alive.


    Unlike Ru''s transformation, hers seemed to shift and move, bones cracking audibly as they readjusted.


    "This man. Black skin. Blue eyes. Kills Alliance. We have seen the memories your friends have. We know you are looking for him. Like when I was looking for you."


    "What do you want with the Devil?" The man felt his breath catch in his throat. There was a link between them. The Devil was their Prime, what ever that was. It sounded important. He knew that he had to get this information back somehow. "Who is he to you?"


    "Who is he to me?" The woman smiled and crouched. "He is strong, and from the shiny stone in the centre of buildings, he is our creator. Also, he seems fun."


    She frowned. "He is not like us, but is at the same time, order givers say he is. That we will become like him when we absorb enough but many don''t believe it. Big ugly guys are bottom, we are better, he is best. We have been told to find him. Whoever finds him and makes friends gets to be the top order giver."


    "He like the golden stripes on your order giver''s shoulders," continued the woman. "You call him Devil?"


    "Yes," responded the man, trying to take everything in.


    The woman stood and stretched her long legs. "Does that mean the faceless one a lot of you kneel to is our enemy?"


    "Yes. So you want to find him to lead?" The man was only giving one-word answers in the hope of keeping the mutant happy so he could get more information out of her without revealing too much.


    "Me? No. I am too.... little and do not want to be attacked for being top, but I still would like to be friends with the Prime. Memories told me that he looks after weak pointy ears. If he looks after her, maybe he will look after me. That way I won''t need to run away when the big order givers get hungry. I might not even need to fight and find people anymore."


    The man laughed, though there was no humour in it. "You guys are like children."


    "We are new but not like your weak children. We are strong," pouted the woman.


    The man sighed, knowing that this was going to be the end, but at least maybe it would make a difference. He didn''t regret his life, but he wished he could have been more. "Are you sure you just don''t want to absorb him? He is made from pure mana after all?"


    From the eye witnesses and the multiple recordings of the battle with Ru, it was now well known he was a being of mana and it wasn''t just because all of the alliances sensors said so. Projectiles passed through him, his body broke down and repaired, and when he was in his true form, it had no rigid structure.


    "He''s pure mana?" The woman''s eyes lit up before worry overcame her. "I do not think we would be able to absorb that. Big guy tried with the stone. He died by falling apart and sending his body everywhere... Do you think he would he eat us?"


    The soldier laughed. "Why not. You are basically walking mana meals for him. You wouldn''t even put up a fight. The men that he faced were the best of the best, we don''t even compare, and he took them all on, by himself, while protecting another."


    The woman revealed a warm smile. "Hmm, maybe he will not be hungry when I meet him. I can show him to the order givers, they are much tastier than me."


    The woman''s hand touched the man''s armour, causing the blue glow to fade before reaching up and grasping his helmet. "You''re fun. I will keep you. My name is Felina. Whats yours?"


    Pain assaulted the man''s senses as his armours support died. Marks training kicked in and he revealed the bare minimum information. "Mark, ARR,405SH."


    "Well Mark Arr 405sh, let us go. I need to have you marked or you may be absorbed by another."

 Update, Schedule plan and Patreon

    Hi All,


    First of all, I wanted to say a huge thank you for the support, constructive criticism, ideas and most, for being such an awesome reader base.


    I would also like to give a massive shout out to Felix, who has provided an awesome new cover for TFH. (See below)


    Felix, you rock!


    I am really sorry that updates have been very few and far between recently. Life, like always, manages to find a way to ruin the best-laid plans and as I have been writing for fun, it has been extremely easy to put writing to the bottom of the priority pile.


    With twins and trying to run a company, my time has never been more ''valuable'' *laughs at self* and so I have tried to implement a new ''ranking'' system. My new schedule for all my works will be to aim to release a chapter a week, however, priority will be given to the works that havePatreon support.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    This means I will work on those that have secured funding first (on a weekly basis, resetting at the beginning of every month), and then the others secondary. This should mean that I focus on the most popular works instead of just doing the chapters ''that I feel like'' but in the likely event that there are no pledges, I will stick to a round robin system.


    I understand pledging isn''t everyone''s cup of tea but worry not. Sponsors of my works will only have the chapters available 48 hours before I release them here on RRL.


    Below is my planned schedule:


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Once Human</td>


    <td>Ongoing</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>The Forgotten Hero</td>


    <td>Publishing new chapters from the 31st of October</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>The Book of Mors: Summoned</td>


    <td>Publishing new chapters from the 20h of September</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    If you have any questions or concerns, please send me a PM.


    Once again, thank you for being awesome and giving me the confidence to continue writing.

 Status Update - Dropped

    Hi All,


    First of all, I want to say sorry for the enormous delay in posting an update. Honestly, I started writing the story on a spur of the moment and hadn''t really planned it out in too much detail. As such, when I reached the dungeon component of the story, I got stuck with the plot and have been putting it on the backburner (for other stories/due to work/life commitments).If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Unfortunately, I have decided to drop this story. While I had a vague plotline set out, honestly it was boring and clich¨¦, the only interesting part (at least to me) being the MC/Styx interaction. Having said that, the main reason for this update is that I don''t see myself having much time to write in the next 3~5 years, and when I do, I want to focus on something I find more enjoyable.


    I''m really sorry for any disappointment this decision has caused.


    All the best,


    Skada