The crowd in the distance neared him with every passing moment, and Kyle waited patiently as they approached. He was thankful for the butler’s warning, though he had already guessed the villagers wouldn’t simply stay in their homes as he tried to do his job.
He stood upright atop the large rock as they finally arrived, torches and pitchforks in hand. They had no swords or spears, no bows, or any other weapons he needed to be wary of. Just fires and pitchforks, which could be just as dangerous if he wasn’t careful.
“What brings you out here at this time?” He asked as the older man who had shooed him away from the village stepped up. “I thought you people were too busy keeping your village safe – your livestock may suffer, you know.” He warned them, nodding towards the village.
“We will not allow you to invite the devil worshippers back onto the mainland!” The older man declared, pointing his torch towards the bridge. “You want u
Heya! I will be travelling for the next four days, so there will be no chapters during that. Sorry for the inconvenience. I will, however, start posting two chapters per day starting April 1, so please look forward to it! Take care and stay safe.
The villagers’ expression turned into fear as the Fallen Knight glared at them. Her mere existence seemed to be enough to make them reconsider their actions, and the dwarf in mithril armour was more than enough to tip the scales towards regret. “Do you expect us to believe and trust the words of a devil worshipper?” The old man shouted. He was the only one of the villagers who still had some fight left in him. His eyes continued to burn with passionate belief, and he tightly clenched his fists as he spoke. “You will come and kill us in our sleep!” “I am Thornir, son of the King Under The Mountain.” The dwarf raised his voice. “Do you expect me to steep so low to worship demons? To come and kill a bunch of useless, powerless, helpless commoners in their sleep just because I can?” His eyes glimmered with anger as he nearly spat the words. Kyle flinched, along with the rest of the villagers, though for a much different reason. Thornir, huh? So, he was a prince –
“You’ve done well, Summoner.” The Fallen Knight spoke. Her armour reflected the moonlight as they walked through the open plains. “I expected a bloody battle, not a peaceful resolution.” Kyle softly chuckled. “I didn’t expect to be able to convince them either.” He brushed his hair back and looked up at the sky. After taking a short break, the negotiations had continued quite late into the night. Eventually, a resolution had been reached that made both sides adequately happy. “Will you accept the dwarven prince’s invitation?” The Fallen Knight asked after a short few seconds of silence. Kyle sighed, he knew that he had to if he wanted to get those materials for Cacophus. “Yeah, but I don’t intend to get too close to them.” He admitted. As much as he believed dwarves to be powerful and valuable allies, he didn’t feel quite comfortable enough around them. Dwarves held grudges, and Kyle spoke too freely from time to time. That was not a good mix at all.<
“Bolt of Light!” He shouted, pointing at the spear wielding player. As a golden orb of light magic leapt from his fingers towards the man, he raised his hands to try and block the spell. Kyle used the momentary lull in battle to take a few steps back. He had no time for much aside from trying to put some distance between him and his two opponents. He bit his lips as his gaze leapt from one player to the other. Luke the Paladin was certainly the more dangerous of the two, but he was slow, and seemed to be enjoying the fight way too much for his own good. The spear guy was much faster and was more focused on ending the fight rather than taking his time like his teammate. “Get back here, mage!” The spear guy shouted as soon as he recovered from the bolt of light he was hit with. He dashed towards Kyle, spear in hand. Kyle gulped, he couldn’t rely just on his magic to get himself out of this. His mana would never be enough to kill them both
The smell of burning wood, and the scent of mint tickled his nostrils, waking him up from his unconscious stupor. When he opened his eyes, he was met with the view of a cave ceiling, lit up by the crackling campfire not just a few steps to his side. He blinked a couple of times to try and fix his blurred vision to no avail. He felt exhausted, and it took a few moments to remember how he ended up in whatever this place was. His hand moved to his shoulder as soon as his memories returned. The wound he had suffered from Luke the Paladin’s blade was gone, he couldn’t feel it with his hand, nor did he feel the pain that knocked him out earlier. But how had he ended up here? He gathered his already little strength and pushed himself up to sit upright. The cave spun around him as he closed his eyes until the dizziness passed. Once he felt it was safe to open his eyes, he looked around himself, moving slowly to not trigger another dizzy spell. He was in a sma
Kyle dipped his hand into the cold water of the river. The waterfall roared behind him as he sat by the waterside with his legs crossed under him. He had learned a few things in these past twenty four hours. Number one; the Fallen Knight Aoris was not a good liar at all. She was avoiding him as much as she could, and when he did get her to speak, she gave short, one word answers. Number two; Aoris was still angry at him. For more things than one. She still resented his prying questions, and she was now pissed off because he had nearly died, while acting way too cocky. Number three; someone aside from Kyle and Aoris had been here. At least that was what the footsteps he found in the mud pointed at. He had also found a few strands of crimson hair, but he wasn’t sure of whether that hair belonged to Aoris, or the other woman who spoke with Aoris. He bit his lips as he watched the water flow around his fingers. Was the person he saw behind the wat
Never before had the path leading to the orchard seemed quite so long and arduous. Despite having walked this path many times in these last several weeks, Kyle found himself spotting new things, brought to his attention because now, time was of the essence. He longed for a day of rest, but the Elven leader’s letter filled with urgency kept him from that wish. What if it was already too late? What if the orchard had been overrun by the Locust God’s minions already? What if the elves had already been forced to retreat, or worse, had been killed? That possibility was what gave him the strength and willpower to make the trek from Cacophus’ cave to the Elven orchard, despite feeling exhausted already. “You should have sent your raven to scout ahead.” The Fallen Knight suggested as she walked beside him. She didn’t seem tired in the slightest, and her long steps were only this slow, so Kyle wasn’t left behind. He couldn’t help but feel like he was holding her back.
The elf’s last breath was a heavy one, filled with pain. Kyle dropped the piece of cloth he had been pressing against her stomach, against the wound that caused her death. He reached for her open eyelids, and gently closed them. Not far from where he was standing, someone collapsed. He forced himself to get up, and rush towards the next dying person. He intentionally avoided looking to his left, towards the battlefield, because he knew all he would see was just death. More death. He helped the younger looking elf get up again. This was just a sharp stinger in his leg. Simple. He used a tourniquet to stem the flow of blood, then removed the black stinger that was the same size and thickness as his forearm. “Stand still,” He muttered, almost absentmindedly, as he pressed some herbs against the open wound. Leaves that the other medics had given him. Things they used to draw the insect’s venom out of the open wound. “Thank you,” The elf muttered, though h
Some began rising into the sky not too far away from where they stood. Gathered around the large tree at the heart of the orchard, Kyle and the elves shot worried glances towards the smoke and flames visible through the trees. They were burning the orchard. The elves gritted their teeth and tightened their grasp around their weapons, but none of them tried anything futile. Kyle respected their discipline. His gaze remained fixed on the oversized insects surrounding them. Large praying mantises, ants, and other despicable, disgusting creatures swayed back and forth, clicking, and screeching constantly. They were waiting for the elves to make the first move. “Stall.” Kyle whispered softly. The elven leader standing beside him nodded. He knew just as well as Kyle did that they couldn’t win against these bugs, even with the protective spells around the heart of the orchard. They needed aid, Cacophus needed to arrive, now! Kyle shot a glance east,
The serene white light changed as soon as they stepped into the garden. It grew brighter, lighting up even the darkest corners of the garden. “Finally.” Azazel whispered. He calmly stepped towards the bright white light. “It’s been so long.” He and the rest of the group arrived before the tree. The Fallen Angel reached for the tree, only for his fingers to touch a barrier surrounding it. The yellow-brown barrier rippled as soon as the Fallen Angel’s fingertips touched it. Azazel flinched, and pulled his hand back as a look of disgust appeared on his face. With furrowed brows and blazing eyes, he turned around, and shouted at the top of his lungs. “Show yourself, Demon!” Droigheann flinched. “He’s here?!” The Demon of the Nightbloom asked wide eyed as he unsheathed his blade, and put his helmet on without hesitation. Luke stepped forward, making sure to stand in front of Caille and Kyle. Igna tightened her grip on the hilt of her blade, while Cacophus’s bony fingers rummaged through
The fully armoured knight dropped his sword and tried to grab the slimy goo with both of his hands. The goo only latched onto his helmet further as he struggled. The man started to stumble a few moments later.Kyle couldn’t help but laugh a little, though his near brush against death kept him from enjoying Jeffrey’s suffering. The knight soon managed to grab onto the goo properly, and threw it away, only to be met with Kyle’s light magic.“Bolt of Light!” The young man shouted, then as the Knight raised his hand to cover his eyes from the bright golden light, he dashed towards him, blade in hand. He hadn’t used a sword properly in ages, not since he’d gotten his Summoner class, and started summoning powerful people such as Aoris, or Irena. But Aoris and Irena were busy protecting the cathedral, and Droigheann had his hands full with the remaining group of enemies.And he had a particular hatred against Jeffrey and his constant stupidity. He grabbed the hilt of his blade with both his
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Kyle rolled his eyes as the enemy charged at him and his allies. Jeffrey’s ridiculous accusations and ignorant behaviour was the last thing he needed at the moment.Droigheann unsheathed his blade and struck the ground with it. Black veins spread across the grey marble plaza, originating from his blade. They leapt off the ground, reaching for Jeffrey and his allies.“Fire storm!” A voice boomed. Kyle flinched as a whirling storm of flames burnt away the roots and veins. Droigheann gritted his teeth and removed his swords from the ground. “Damn mages,” The Demon grunted as he stepped forward. His helmet materialised in his hand, and he promptly put it on.“SHALL I DISPATCH OF THEM, KYLE?” Cacophus’ sudden question surprised him. “Yeah, please help Droigheann.” Kyle hissed as he pointed at the group. “We shouldn’t waste much time on them.”As he spoke, several shards of crystallised light formed at his fingertips. He fired them at the man leading the charge.“AS YO
Kyle took the first step down the grey marble staircase. As his feet touched the ancient slabs, he involuntarily flinched.Azazel and Droigheann followed just a step behind, along with Cacophus, who chose to float next to them.“AMAZING, IT HAS BEEN PRESERVED PERFECTLY!” The Lich exclaimed, pausing just a few steps in, and carefully inspecting the waist high walls preventing them from falling off the side. “LOOK AT THIS CRAFTMANSHIP!”Kyle shot a glance at the waist hight wall. It was covered in intricate carvings from top to bottom. Just a few meters of this wall must have taken weeks to create, if not more. “Yeah, it’s amazing.”“Just like the legends.” Droigheann carefully ran his finger along the carvings. “A city of ancient wonders, housing powers beyond imagination, made from the most beautiful materials by the best craftsmen ever to grace the face of this world.”“Seems about right.” Azazel pointed at the buildings. “Any one of these would have taken months to perfect, if not y
The Necronomicon’s pages turned on their own. Kyle waited patiently for the book to settle on a page. Once it did, he read through the spell. It was a modified dispel spell.“Stand back, just in case.” He said to the others. Everyone took a few steps back, even Cacophus who had just arrived. The Lich didn’t speak, but the green glows in his eye sockets glimmered and lit up brightly with excitement.Kyle’s lips curled up with a faint smile for a moment before he turned his gaze back to the Necronomicon. “Open thine gates, lift thine veil.” He recited the spell’s words clearly. “Allow me passage to what is rightfully mine, as I hold the Book of Ancient Secrets!”A moment passed before the spell fully took effect. The barrier around the Ancient City of Necron began to lower as Kyle felt his vitality drain with alarming speed. He looked down at the back of his hand with a panic as the few locks of dark hair dangling before his eyes slowly began to turn white.The mark of the Evertree glow
The elderly woman took the two pieces of the hourglass in her hand. A faint, almost mellow smile appeared on her lips as she closed her fingers around the pieces of the hourglass. “I am in your debt, Azazel, young man.” She whispered as she clenched her fingers further. The muffled sound of something cracking sounded. Then, a fine dust flowed from between her fingers. The cool breeze caught the dust, carrying it away from the patio. The elderly woman smiled. “No, come back.” Her voice was calm, almost as if she was speaking to an old friend. “I’m right here.” The wind whirled, suddenly changed its direction, and blew the dust right back at her. She closed her eyes and smiled. Kyle braced himself for… something. “It’s alright now.” Her motherly voice reached his ears. “It feels good to be whole again.” She turned her gaze towards the sky. “It is a beautiful day, isn’t it?” Kyle disagreed. Dark clouds covered the sky. “It is good to have you back, Record Keeper.” Azazel bowed his
It was a misty morning and getting out of bed felt like a huge chore. He still dragged himself out of bed, albeit slowly, and staggered towards the hot spring. He paused in front of the mirror for a second. The bite marks on his neck were awfully visible. Vis had definitely taken some of her frustrations out of him last night.He let out a sigh and went to take a bath. She was rightfully upset, and he didn’t care about how he looked too much. He bathed, then got dressed and opened the door of his room, only to see Droigheann standing there, leaning against the wall.“I didn’t realise you’d come out.” Kyle said as he fixed his cloak and hair before the mirror.“You were asleep.” Droigheann explained with a faint smile. “You found the second half of the hourglass.” He stated with a hint of curiosity in his voice. Kyle nodded. “We did. We almost died for it too.” He shuddered. “I’m never going back to the Celestial Plane.”Droigheann laughed out loud. “That is indeed a good idea.” The De
His eyes shot wide open, and he stared at the grey ceiling above him. A couple of moths were walking in rough circles. One of them tried to fly, only to continuously hit the ceiling afterwards.He blinked a few times as he tried to figure out where he was.“You’re awake!” A panicked voice reached his ears. “Rhealis, they’re back!” It took him a moment to recognise Vis’ voice. A cold hand pressed against his forehead as he slowly began to notice the numbness around his right arm. There was a mild pain too.Footsteps approached as Kyle tilted his head to look at Vis. “Did something happen while we were gone?” He asked with a crusty voice. He licked his dry lips. He could use some water right now.“Your arm got charred!” Vis hissed wide eyed. Was she angry? “And the Fallen Angel’s wings started bleeding!”“Indeed,” Rhealis approached them with a glass of water in her hand. She helped Kyle sit upright, then gave him the glass. He drank it without hesitation. The water passing through his
Azazel led him through the distorted landscape in a hurry. “They can’t see as well here.” The Fallen Angel explained as soon as they walked through a cathedral door and fell upwards. Kyle hit the ceiling with a muffled thud. A thick, soft carpet had broken his fall.He moaned with pain still. Constantly falling somewhere was slowly taking its toll on him. His back couldn’t take many more falls. “Why?” He asked as he sat upright and rubbed his sides.Azazel flew up and closed the cathedral’s door. “Because of the distortions. They don’t see things as you do. They see what something is, can be, and was.” The Fallen Angel hesitated upon seeing Kyle’s confused expression. “You don’t understand, do you?”Kyle shook his head. “Nope.”Azazel’s shoulders dropped with disappointment. “When you see something,” The Angel said, speaking slower th