Before I died, I wondered to myself.How had I lost so badly? Was it not a fairly normal question? Why had this sword, a blade renowned for its power and ferocity, become so weak? It was as if I wasn't even using a magic sword anymore.I pulled all my strength back and slowly tried to stand up.The after-effects from Rage of Iratus were severe on the body.It made it nearly impossible to function after using it.The skill had incredible power, but it was only to be used as a trump card. A final ability to end a battle quickly.I eventually got to my feet and stared at my opponent.I knew I was probably going to die.Arvild had sustained a fair amount of damage from me, but he was still fighting at mostly full strength.By comparison, I was already waist-deep in the grave...Why was Vengeance so weak? Why was it acting like it wasn't even my sword? Didn't I at least deserve to know? I tried talking to it so many times before, but it never wanted to respond.The last time I heard it wa
Several days passed since the incident with Arvild. At this point, the castle was back on track. There was damage to the castle and several guards were injured. Luckily, no one was killed in the incident.Unfortunately, Arvild also survived.Still, he was no longer a threat to me. His sword abandoned him and he had been disarmed.I chuckled to myself at the thought of him trying to do anything while missing an arm and the tips of most of his fingers on his remaining hand.All while hoping he would just bleed to death in a ditch somewhere.I had time to speak with both Sir Gordon and Walter at one point about Bravery.What they told me was very interesting.No one actually knew where they came from or how they were made, but the swords had special properties.The hilt and crossguard of the swords were completely indestructible.The blades, themselves, changed their properties based on the wielder.A wielder that rejected the philosophy of the blade they held or misused it was labeled a
I opened the door to leave our room and found Walter sitting on a bench across the hall."Ah, good morning, my lord," he said with a smile."Is that...really necessary?" I asked him."I call Isabella my lady, it is only natural to call her husband my lord. Isabella is the First Princess. The crown Princess. That makes you the crown Prince. You're a Prince now and I must address you with respect," Walter said.Then why call us lord and lady if we're royalty? Or is that just your thing?"Feels a bit odd..." "Really? I've been memorizing it all morning. I already have it down. It would be harder for me to unlearn it at this point. With me being an old man and all...""Fine fine. But if I forget to respond, don't blame me." "I am quite sure that you will get used to it, my lord. Where is Isabella?" "She's sleeping. She isn't feeling well right now.""Ah. I see. Morning sickness, is it?""Morning what?"What is this old man talking about? She's not sick, she's exhausted! "Well, did you
For the next few days, Isabella would go in and out of consciousness. She seemed to be a tad out of it, but still remembered everything. I made sure to keep a close watch on her.But sometimes, I would catch her doing strange things like playing the violin in the middle of the night or muttering to herself while I wasn't paying attention. Which usually was about numbers, negotiation tactics, or politics.Things far beyond my understanding, of course.Her condition was slowly improving and her ability to stay awake was getting better over time.I made sure she was well taken care of.In the meantime, I tried to keep myself busy by reading any news or materials I could find related to the Black Ooze.The King had granted me full unrestricted access to all of their information on it.This included a list of every known and documented location that it had appeared, its apparent behaviors, the monsters that sometimes spawned from it, its effects on people, animals, and the environment.My
My dreams the next night were terrifying.I was so concerned with the Black Ooze, that I couldn't stop thinking about it. The result was a horrible nightmare. I saw everyone I love consumed by the darkness.Every time I would try to fight back, it wasn't enough. It was so horrifying that I woke up screaming... Luckily Isabella was there to calm me.She had mostly regained her senses and was very worried about me... Truly, I was lucky to have her. I managed to sleep again after she comforted me.When I awoke, there she was as usual. Holding onto me and shoring loudly.In the past, I might have found it hard to sleep with such noise, but knowing Isabella was close made me feel at ease.I moved to get up and her grip tightened on me."Please stay a little longer, Mizik... You need to relax..." She said as she slowly opened her eyes.I didn't want a repeat of yesterday, but I knew she was right... Especially since I had that nightmare..."Isabella...are you feeling well?" I asked her."
We awoke that morning feeling particularly refreshed. We got dressed and said our goodbyes to everyone at the diner, then we were on our way.After we had arrived at the castle, we found two large carriages surrounded by knights on horses. These men were to be our guards for the trip. I could see Sir Gordon at the front of the convoy. He was speaking with one of the knights and I chose not to bother him. We would have plenty of time to speak later, most likely.We decided to go into the castle and say our goodbyes to the King and Queen as well as Walter before leaving."I hope the two of you have a safe trip. Mizik, your documents are in order, I hope?" The King said."Yes. I have everything I need to prove my identity and ownership," I replied.Of course I did. The documents scarcely ever left my inventory because they were far too precious to just leave lying around..."Protect my daughter for me, Mizik. I'm counting on you. I don't expect Tyranus to just simply roll over, but if h
Four days passed as Isabella and I continued on the road to Kalsa.Somehow, we kept ourselves entertained and managed to find things to talk about. Sometimes we would simply stare out of the carriage window at the scenery.The convoy would occasionally stop for breaks to allow the horses rest and for everyone to eat. For the most part, however, we were left alone. That is to say, aside from the occasional knight checking in on us as well as the Grandmaster.At one point, we invited him to sit with us but he declined. He wanted to stay at the front and keep watch.Sir Gordon was a great guy, but I always felt he was too serious about his job... Although I suppose one didn't become Grandmaster without that kind of determination.Eventually, we could see large stone walls in the distance.A short while later, we pulled up to the border gate and were stopped. "Looks like we're finally at the border," I said."Yes. I hope they let us through... We mean no harm," Isabella said."Would the
"What the hell was that!?" Amelia shouted."NOOOOO PLEASE!!! STAY BACK! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH-" a bloody scream was heard followed by a loud crunching sound."KILL IT! SHOOT IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!!! KEEP IT AWAY FROM THE WALL!!!" Another voice screamed from atop the rampart.Then I saw it.The Black Ooze spread over the top of the rampart as a massive creature that looked like a dark shifting blob covered in eyes, mouths and tentacles, climbed over the wall.It sat atop the wall and grabbed several soldiers. Throwing them all screaming into it's mouths and chewing them up.Several of the guards vomited at the sight and everyone backed away."WHAT IN THE DIVINE REALM IS THAT THING!?" Amelia shouted."THE REASON WE'RE HERE, DUMBASS!" I screamed at her."What'd you say!? Are you the cause of-" "SHUT UP! WE'RE HERE TO STOP IT!" I continued."..." Amelia was silent."Let's call a truce! If you still want us dead after we deal with this thing, we can pick up where we left off!" I said."