Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation
Crimster
Chapter 12: Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Twelve: The Scroll Beneath the Floorboards
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Twelve: The Scroll Beneath the Floorboards
The only thing that surrounded me now was trees. Trees, the sun shining through their branches, and the corpses of beasts that once lived. "They couldn't even break through my 'Shield'." I wiped the sweat that collected on my brow. I'm pretty sure I needed a better name for that spell. I usually let my kids name any spells I had come up with. That's partly why some of them are particularly edgy in their naming scheme. I was probably better off not asking Sieg for names, but he kept giving me them, so it's not like I wouldn't use them. Still, I learned quickly that his naming sense was terrible after I asked him the first time—they aren't here to name them now.
It's just me.
To be fair to the beasts, they couldn't hope to do anything with me. After all, the spell could block a touki-infused thrown sword from a North King. "Still, the fact I need to think about fighting these things is a bother." I was weak. Weak compared to how I had been before I died. These animals would be scoffed at and tossed aside as a joke in the face of someone like Eris and nothing more than a nuisance to Doga, who would've just swatted them away. Even now, I could tell I had more mana than I ever had inside my body. It was scary to try and control it all, but I needed to be able to. I needed to be stronger so that I could protect the family I had.
I rubbed my eyes, trying to ease the blurriness in my vision. I was tired—dreadfully so. Sylphiette was right on the money when she called me out about not sleeping. At the most, I had been taking mere naps for the past couple of months. You tend to end up this way by using constant observation magic and keeping a defensive spell on you practically twenty-four-seven. I could tell my body was barely functioning at this point, but this was all I could do at the end of the day. I was practically wired from when I woke up until I finally managed to rest for an hour, but I needed to do this.
What was I supposed to do? Just let my guard down when I knew that Man-God bastard had it out for me? Hitogami had already sent an assassin my way, so what was stopping him from sending another? What if Aleksander meandered his way into my home and butchered me? I'd have no chance against the North God in my state. It didn't matter how much mana I had; I still didn't have any touki, and all it would take Alek to kill me was one solid hit—a hit he'd almost certainly get.
All I could do was try to guard the people in the village to the best of my ability. It was the least I could do if killing a couple of beasts helped out the villager-formed militia, and I'd do it in a heartbeat if killing a North King meant not seeing Paul die again. If safeguarding this village from any attack meant my body falling apart, I would continue, but I know I have limits.
And I know I'm reaching them.
The reason I'm in the woods, in truth, was to actually alleviate my stress. I was here for a straightforward thing: to help ease the burden I'd found myself carrying. I gripped the scroll in my hand. Its thick parchment gave little to my grip. It had some slight dust and was not a scroll anyone would look at and wish to steal. It was old and could fall apart at a moment's notice, but I knew what it was. It's a summoning scroll, one of remarkable quality and complexity. One penned by an ancient demon and gifted to me by the Dragon God. It would summon a familiar, not a guardian. This would be the solution to my recent sleepless nights. I may have used Nuckelgard's heads to scare that bastard Darius into submission, but that wouldn't be enough to get the Man-God off my back. I knew that. He was a persistent bastard at the end of the day, and the only way to get him off my trail was to throw another wrench in his plans.
I unfurled the scroll; in its center was a magic circle of untold complexity. Summoning magic was not my strong suit. Not even close, in fact, but my barrier magic had improved significantly in my later years. Thanks to Peruguis, of course. However, that mattered little to the subject at hand.
I placed it down infront of me on the grass. The scent of blood was still thick, but I didn't let it bother me. There were more pressing matters to focus on at the present. I placed my hand onto the circle and let my mana flow into the paper. Within a moment, it started to greedily pull on it as if it intended to suck me dry, but with the amount of mana I had, it appeared far too gluttonous for its own good. A second later, a white light bathed the area. If I wasn't as deep into the forest as I was, the villagers in Buena would've surely noticed the impossibly bright light.
I had the picture in my head already. The image of the being I was summoning was ingrained into my brain.
Not long after, a figure slowly started to rise from the light. Two majestic horns laid on his head, somewhat similar to Atofe's own horn, but instead of a fleshy protuberance, these were bony and left little to the imagination. His long white hair draped over his shoulders. Next was his face, full of intensity and rage. Red eyes stared back at me. His face was rough in its disposition but unmoving and robust, giving off the feeling of superiority. His skin was colored black like obsidian, and from a glance, its texture was like that of stone. He quickly overcame my six-year-old body and grew as his full height was revealed. His body screamed that this man was a warrior. All the evidence was found on his body, from the scars to the exuberant muscle encompassing his entire being. He looked similar to Badigadi, but there were stark contrasts. In fact, he also bore similarities to the enigmatic demon king's sister, Atofe, but even then, he was still very different. If you looked at him quickly enough, he looked like an immortal demon race, but I knew who he was and knew that he wasn't.
This man's name was Kharn. A familiar I had summoned after Lara took Leo and left the house without a guardian. A thing I thought the house still needed, and the man infront of me was the one to fill that void.
>K455<
"What is it now, Rudeus?" Orsted's yellow eyes gazed deeply into mine, the slight scowl he always carried on his face ever-present. If you didn't know any better, you would think the president was overwhelmingly angry, but I knew that wasn't true. He was just mildly annoyed. To put context for my meeting with the boss today, it's been about two years since I went to the Red Dragon Mountains to learn god-ranked magic, and let me tell you. Learn them, I did.
On the one hand, I was terrified of using them and accidentally erasing the mountain I was on, and on the other hand, I was shocked by the fact that I could even cast them. Orsted had already told me I should've been able to, but feeling those spells take form and using them in practice was something I don't think anyone could have prepared me for. Luckily, I didn't destroy too much land. Keyword: too much.
I wasn't really at fault. How was I supposed to mitigate a hurricane the size of Ars that defaced a mountain by ripping it apart? Or a heat wave so intense that it would melt a person who didn't have touki—I don't even want to know what would've happened to me if I didn't have a summoning scroll for the Magic Armor.
Anyway, that was behind me now. It took me around two months of being out on those mountains to be able to cast all of the spells Orsted had so kindly given me… Well, besides the healing, detoxification, and divine strike magic, but I had already figured out as much when I was going up there.
I could cast three of them before running my mana pool dry. Which, to me, felt insane. Considering those spells can destroy an entire kingdom if I so wished, not that I would do anything like that. That's beside the point. My trip mainly consisted of chasing away any wildlife from my camp and resting until my mana had replenished itself. Of course, I wouldn't be using those spells for any common scrap I found myself in or even a significant battle. Their recoil was far too great, but my theory of those spells helping my understanding of magic was entirely accurate. It was like some clog in my thought process suddenly dislodged. Or like a part of my brain had been unlocked. Truthfully, it was remarkable.
The old version of me wasn't lying. Magic was omnipotent, and you could do anything with it as soon as you realized it—well, practically anything, that is… I wonder if it could even increase my libido…? Nevermind. That was a bad idea. It would be better to stay clear of that avenue for my own good. I liked my sex life as it was right now, anyway. Being the damsel in distress every three days was pretty satisfying in its own right.
I cleared my head of those intrusive thoughts. Those weren't important right now, anyway. I coughed and spoke. "I've finally managed to get the hang of god-tier magic." Orsted's eyes closed slightly.
"As expected of you, Rudeus. You continue to amaze me at every turn." Wow, if he lays on this much praise, I might just get too arrogant for my own good. "It took me a few loops to understand magic like you do now, but I already figured you had the talent to get it, Rudeus." He sighed. "My question is, what's the purpose of this conversation? I know you didn't come here to gloat." Whoops, it seems I'm making President angrier by being indecisive.
"Well, you see, I've been getting more worried lately—about Leo being gone." The absence of the beast could undoubtedly be felt in the house. He was effectively our beloved family pet for almost two decades at the end of the day. However, what I felt in his absence was a sense of security that I had while he was here.
"So you mean to tell me you're worried about your family?" Orsted struck a serious demeanor.
"Yes. So, I was wondering if you could give me another summoning scroll. The unease has been getting to me for the past few days." Asking for a favor from him every now and then wasn't uncommon. If anything, Orsted found himself regularly asking if I needed anything. Helping him out gave the man much more free time than before, so I'm sure his extra time on his hands made him antsy.
"You realize all of your children are gone." He upturned his brow as he said the question. "Sylphiette doesn't leave Sharia all that often. Roxy doesn't leave, and Eris has been accompanying you less nowadays. The remaining family you can reasonably protect are all self-sufficient…" He stopped as if waiting for my response but continued when I didn't respond. "I'm trying to say there's no practical need for a new guardian." He wasn't incorrect; I'll give him that. There was no reason to worry about my home as much as I did. Eris was effectively her own army and was more often than not seen at home or visiting the Sword Sanctum—all while training, of course. Sylphie used to be a bodyguard for Asura's Queen, so she was anything but a slouch in combat, and Roxy is my very own Goddess of Wisdom—and an instructor at Ranoa who everyone in the city knew. Hell, if any of them were having trouble with someone, all they had to do was utter my name, and people would run with their tails tucked between their legs without a second thought.
Even with taking all of that into account, there was still the chance something could happen. It only took a stupid rodent for my other self to fall apart at the seams. "Even if it's a minuscule chance, something still might happen. Something unexpected can always happen. Isn't that how you think things through, boss? Don't you always take precautions?"
His eyes closed, and he leaned back in his chair. His chest rose from his inhale, and a long sigh followed his exhale. "Fine… You make it difficult to argue with you when it comes to your family anyway." He looked back at me with a slightly defeated look. Or maybe he was just tired from the conversation.
With that, Operation Nag the President was complete. "Come back tomorrow, and I'll give you a scroll." He moved from his chair, and I stood at attention. He, yet again, looked at me with a confused gaze. I still don't think he gets the whole undying loyalty attitude I gave him. "And please stop doing that already." I stood at ease.
"Yes, sir!" I saluted, and the man deadpanned and scoffed at me. Getting on his nerves was kind of fun. I can see why Lara always pulled pranks on the man now.
With that matter settled, I went home with a new peace of mind. I even had some nighttime fun with Sylphie that I managed to diplomacy my way into. The following day, I woke up feeling refreshed from the previous night, and with a hearty breakfast in my stomach, I left to meet with Orsted back at the office.
I opened the door to be met with a quiet but very polite "Hello." from our attorney, Faria Steer. "Morning, Chair-Man. The President is waiting down in the basement for you." She peered over her desk as she talked to me. She was busily jotting some letters down on paper. No doubt office work that Orsted was too busy to do.
There wasn't a day that went by that we weren't thankful we had someone as handy as Faria on the team. She didn't complain about any job or work we gave her. Actually, she insisted on working some days. It might be because she was raised in a poor household or something like that. "Ah, that reminds me. I'll mention to the President to give you a raise." She shuddered at my words.
"That won't be necessary, Sir Rudeus!" She jumped up out of her chair. She had a look of slight panic and fear in her eyes.
"Don't be ridiculous, Faria. Just think of it as my goodwill." Was she worried about how much she was being paid? I recall that we were giving her a very handsome salary. Or maybe she's just scared we're already paying her too much? Well, whatever. As I finished that train of thought, I headed down the stairs to the basement of Orsted Corporation's Headquarters.
It was easy to spot the man. He was wearing the same white coat with black fur accentuating around his neck. "You're a little early today." He spoke in a rough voice. Seeing him in such a pleasant mood this early morning was good.
"As much as I would've loved to stay nestled up to my adorable wife, I figured we'd better get this out of the way." I shrugged my shoulders as I sauntered up to the man.
"I'm sure you would, Rudeus." He rolled his eyes at my words and turned away from me. "This way." With a motion with his hand, he ushered me to follow.
We walked through the vast basement, passing some of the rooms with teleportation circles. Asura, Milis, Begaritt, we even passed a space that housed a magic circle that transported you to the center of the demon continent. We passed all these until we wound up by the second to last door on this floor.
"Wait, is this?" I recognized this circle. It was one Orsted recommended setting up.
"Correct, the village—well, what's left of it from our fight." The teleportation circle led to where I had fought Orsted years ago. After our little tussle, the area became relatively deserted. I mean, who could you blame? It was practically ground zero for the world's first mecha versus kaiju fight.
"Why are we going there, Orsted?"
"A precaution—in case you summon something less than satisfactory." He had a cold air around him. Did he think I would summon some kind of Balrog or something?
We walked through the portal with a little more talking. After having the familiar feeling of being sucked into the ground, we wound up in a fortified shack. I was the one who made these locations usually, so most of the masonry was my handiwork. Still, seeing that much of the greenery had grown back healthily over the years was pleasant. A few trees were even growing strong. Those were planted by me years before. It wouldn't be a hidden location if it was out in plain sight—that was my thought process.
"Here will be fine." Orsted stopped in place and turned around. Pulling a scroll out of his coat in the process. I didn't know where he stored items in that thing. It was almost like he just pulled stuff out of nowhere sometimes.
I took it from him. It was a reasonably dingy thing. It was evidently covered in dust not too long ago and had likely only seen the sun's light for the first time in decades. It was decrepit, to say the least, but the parchment was thick and worn. It clearly held some importance.
Orsted looked at me as if to say to hurry it up. Okay, okay, I'll get going then! I kind of felt pressured being out here. Well, I did drag the man out here today all because I'm a little superstitious about protecting my family. Still, to think we were taking this much precaution to summon some familiar kind of befuddled me. I was even wearing the Mark Three. Though, I guess I kind of always wore it everywhere nowadays. I could never tell when Jino would randomly swing at me.
I walked a good couple dozen meters from where the man was standing. It was a simple process to power scrolls for me. Place it down and just start pumping my mana into it. This one was slightly different. It was most definitely taking a good portion of it. It was nothing that I couldn't handle, but I could already tell that if someone like Sylphie were to use this, she would've run out of mana pretty fast. Just what in the hell was going to be summoned. I had an image of what kind of being I wanted. Someone strong and scary yet dependable. A person whom I could reasonably rely on.
When light flooded my vision, I found myself frozen just a little bit with fear.
A being that I could only describe as a demon materialized infront of my eyes. He reminded me of what a monster from a fantasy game looked like, but this time, I was seeing the genuine article. We're talking if we took Atofe and Badigadi and turned their goofy, idiotic nature into natural horror fuel. It wasn't like the man was covered in needless gore, but something about him screamed at me that I should be afraid. Maybe he was cursed like Orsted or something.
"Whom has the gall to summon me to their soon-to-be flayed flesh?!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. If I thought Sauros was a tad loud when I was a kid, I clearly wasn't ready for the man now infront of me—also, wasn't that intense for a first meeting? Who just shows up and says that as a first impression?!
"Well, this is surprising." Orsted spoke in an unusually calm voice. Looking back at him, I saw how his face had shifted from its usual naturally scary one into one most obviously contemplating. What was surprising about this? I summoned some kind of raging behemoth that looked like he could give the Ogre God himself a run for his money—if he was still alive.
"You!" The man turned one of his large fingers towards me. "You're not that bastard Laplace! What's a lowly human doing summoning me?!" He looked beside me, and his rage grew in intensity. "And you! I can tell from a glance at you that you're the Dragon God! I'll take my time ripping your tendons from the body you call a sanctum!" Okay, this guy needs to relax. Like, was he constipated or something? I could understand the anger if he was constipated. That shit sucks, but venting like this was in no way a healthy coping mechanism.
"Who the hell is this, Orsted? I thought it was supposed to be a familiar summoning." Familiar summoning would entail making something from nothing and having them serve you—not threatening you with ripping off your limbs and shoving them down your throat. It was supposed to be precisely like Peruguis did with his twelve followers. Yet, this guy was definitely not what I considered 'trustworthy.'
"Well, I can tell you I didn't expect this from today." He gave a blank-faced stare. "The being infront of us is known as Kharn. You could call him a self-sustaining spirit of sorts." Self-sustaining? Aren't spirits absolutely dependent on their summoner to stay alive? So is he just saying he makes his own mana? "To put it lightly, he was the magnum opus of Necross Lacross before the man died. He poured his remaining life after the collapse of his world into making life with his own two hands." He pointed his eyes toward the raging man. "He's the product of that life work—don't let his rage get to you. You see, Kharn is similar in vain to other familiars. Just like how Arumanfi controls light, so does Kharn control something. That something is rage, bloodlust, and an unadulterated frenzy." Orsted calmly spoke as this Kharn only seemed to seethe with even more anger. "To surmise my point. He's the perfect warrior made by accident because a man didn't want to waste his precious study." Orsted looked absent-mindedly at the hulking man infront of him. When was the last time Orsted had so much to talk about? Probably around the time I started training like my life depended on it.
Orsted stepped forward, but I put my arm out to block him. He evidently knew the being infront of me. He made even Orsted realize he needed to be dealt with, but I couldn't let him fight the man. He needed to preserve as much of his mana for as long as possible. This was my fault at the end of the day anyway. "I'll handle this, boss."
"Gahaha! You have plenty enough courage for any one mortal man to possess! You really think one as tiny as you have but a chance against me?!" He boasted from the distance he stood at. His bloodlust hadn't abated even a smidge from our inaction, and here I thought Eris was bad. It looks like I'll have to do some reevaluation on that front.
"The summoner has to take responsibility for their summon, and there's no way I can have you run all over my boss when I'm here!" He cackled with a furious roar.
"Summoner, eh?! You expect me to call you my summoner?! And I, your familiar?! I'd rather pledge my life to a pheasant!" His tone grew even more furious to the point I swore I could see the steam rising off of his body. "I'll rip thy head from your shoulder blades and turn you into a fountain of viscera as your repentance!" At least I knew he was something like a manifestation of rage now. That meant there was, at the very least, some justification for how he talked, but was he seriously going to keep egging me on?
If we're going to fight, we're going to fight. This guy wasn't someone I could reason with. He seemed even crazier than Atofe, and that's saying a lot, considering I knew how the woman got when she was in a fight.
Orsted stepped backward to avoid getting in between us; as he did, I activated my eye of foresight. The moment he moved, Kharn ducked down and, with his powerful legs, pushed off the ground beneath him and launched towards me. Fast! That was all I could think of as he did so. His right fist shot towards me like a bullet out of a gun. Luckily, because of my eye, I already saw that attack coming, and I strafed backward. His fist was fast to the point I could hear it whistle past infront of my face. His fist plunged deep into the ground from where I stood only a fraction of a second before. I could already tell this man wasn't someone I wanted to fight up close.
"Get the hell back here, you spineless curr!" He ripped his stuck hand out of the ground and, with one bound, reached me again.
The image of a deep bog flitted through my mind, and a 'Quagmire' was formed instantly. As his form lurched toward me and his fist approached, his feet sank in the mud. His sense of balance was wholly ruined as he landed face-first into the spell. "Stone Cannon." I ushered in a whispered tone. I lifted my arm, and from the shotgun cannon on the side of my gauntlet, a hail of stones was shot out in an all-encompassing blanket of death.
The stones tore into the prone man, completely obliterating one of his arms and gouging through his skin, but no blood spilled, even with his grievous wounds. Taking a page out of Orsted's book was best in this scenario. All I had to do was maim the man; maybe it would end like it did with Alek.
I thought he would stay down, but to my surprise, he heaved his body out of the mud and continued the assault. This man made no effort to slow or calm even with his wounds. It was like being injured meant nothing to him. "Cheap tricks are worthy of a mage like you!" His remaining hand shot out. I already saw this much, but then my eye saw multiple after images. He feints his punch into a kick. I tried to block, but his leg made contact with my chest.
His punches were nothing to scoff at, but they weren't anything like a Sword God practitioner's blade speed. So I naively thought the same for a kick if he threw one. I was wrong. When his leg smashed into my chest, I knew then that if I didn't do anything, my ribs would be crushed. I made myself lighter with gravity magic, hoping it would mitigate some damage. It did, but the force still sent me flying far away.
A dull pain throbbed in my chest. I knew I would be dead if I wasn't wearing Mark Three. The thought of fighting in just my Mark Two crossed my mind for a brief second. If I was still wearing that nowadays, I would've already had another hole bored through the center of my chest. The power in that kick was something else. I was lucky to react quick enough to use gravity magic at the last second.
He was strong. Strong like the Ogre God. I hadn't fought him, but from the accounts of Zanoba and Doga, he was a beast of a man. This man infront of me, Kharn, was one hundred percent stronger than Doga…
That was something I could deal with.
"I see now that you aren't meaningless fodder! Even if you're some spineless cretin that summoned me, you're still a genuine article! Like a magician of old! I find you worth killing!" I could hear him clearly even now from the distance that was between us.
"And it looks like I'll have to take the training wheels off!" I screamed back. His face grew an irrational smile—one of absolute mirth… Just what did people like him see in fighting like this. I would rather be in my house, laying on my bed with my wives lying all around me, but I guess each man has his own pleasures.
Speaking of my family, what would they think about me bringing home a large, scary man to look after the place anyway? Well, I'm sure I could charm them into accepting him in one way or another.
I could win this, though. I can see it now. The path I had to use to reach my victory. He wasn't as fast as Jino. Sure, he was clearly an incredibly seasoned warrior. Still, he wasn't as elegant as Isolte, nor was there such an overwhelming disparity between our abilities as there was when I fought against Orsted. This being had a ferocity that matched Eris's and a strength superior to Doga's.
In terms of a battle, he was everything I was used to in a fight. I was used to fighting people physically stronger than me, and because I spar with Eris, this amount of aggression was nothing to me.
His manic smile grew, and the stump of the arm I had eviscerated steamed.
An arm extended from it, and the rest of the wounds from my Stone Cannon were healed a moment later. Any damage previously sustained was gone. Great, I have a few bruised ribs, and he's good as new. I readied myself by putting one foot infront of the other as I lowered my stance. My hands were bound tightly into fists infront of me as I braced for his impact. "Well, come on, you slow piece of shit!" I instigated this time, and without delay, he yet again launched toward me. All of those years of grueling training were finally going to be used.
He spared me no words of aggression or petty insults when he reached me. He simply let his fists hail down on me when he entered his striking distance. He was fast, but I could see the openings. His right fist would come towards my face, and I would redirect it with a Flow from the Water God Style. His left would sail towards my stomach, and I would hit his wrist to change the directory of it.
He wasn't trained in any of the Three Sword Styles, but that didn't mean he was weak. Ruijerd didn't practice any styles and could still be considered equivalent to a king-ranked swordsman in strength, but this man was different. He was skilled, and with every punch, I could tell he was used to this, but even then, he was just wailing down on me with his fists to pulverize me. Maybe the anger was getting to his thought process as well? My eye wasn't being deceived by his actions. He seemed intent to end this in the most straightforward way possible. His leg came up to knock my head off. It was fast. Fast enough to render me headless if I didn't already know it was coming. His action, while clever, was something I had already anticipated.
"It's important to not leave your sense of balance at risk of being ruined." I ducked underneath the leg coming straight towards me and swiftly swept his leg from underneath him.
He tried to fix his blunder and quickly rebounded with his hands, but he was too slow. I was already in position. With a glance, realization dawned in his eyes. My stance widened as I charged my right arm with more magic.
He must have realized what would happen as he quickly put up his guard, but it was useless against what I would use. "Electric." The words flowed effortlessly out of my mouth as a shock was sent through my body in the blink of an eye. My body convulsed slightly from the shock, but I recovered quickly, mainly thanks to my armor's added defense against this spell.
The same could not be said about the man as I watched his body tense and spasm as the lighting stretched and cascaded over him. He was rendered entirely open as his body steamed. I drew my fist back in a moment and powered my right arm further with my mana. I breathed in deeply and moved forward in one motion. His guard was entirely discarded, just like I wanted it. I put all the weight in my body into my fist as it made contact with his torso in a flash, and a moment later, a hole was blown through it, followed by a sound that could only be compared to a bomb going off.
The force of the strike was strong enough to blast the large man soaring into the air. The sight was something I hadn't seen since my school days when Badigadi had decided to duel me, and I shot him with one of my Stone Cannons.
That was when I realized one crucial detail I may have glossed over. I blew a hole through him. "Uh, did I kill him, Orsted?" I eyed the stern-faced man. Sure, Kharn was a spirit, so you could assume he didn't abide by the same laws as regular mortal creatures. He even healed himself earlier without saying anything, but I still put a gaping hole through his chest.
"Kharn feeds off rage and malicious intent, Rudeus. He's been living on the demon continent for thousands of years. That won't be enough to kill him." He had a severe look as if to tell me to hurry it up. We looked back and saw the tall, muscular man standing back up. The hole was now gone, but his maniacal smile was even larger.
Can I convince Sylphie to do some S&M play after I get back? I could use the pick-me-up after today.
"Mortal!" His tone was somewhat more subdued. "Would you bequeath me your name?!" Instead of screaming in a rage, he sounded more excited than anything. Having a hole blown through him made him mellow out a bit, I guess. He was lucky; I was left with PTSD after my similar brush with death.
"Rudeus Greyrat, otherwise known as the Quagmire!" He nodded at me. He moved closer to me, and I readied myself again. His movements weren't jagged or aggressive, and I noticed this. He moved deliberately. He stopped infront of me and sat down slowly. The position he settled on was similar to a dogeza.
Huh?! I looked back towards Orsted, his face contorted into one of what could only be a slight shock. "I humbly agree to be thine companion! Use me as you would see fit!" His head was planted toward the ground.
"Didn't I just put a hole through you?! What about the fighting or those insults you threw my way earlier?!" I didn't think the man would just bow out of nowhere. That was probably the last thing I expected.
"I deeply apologize, but I was enraged at the time." He stopped shouting. "I unconsciously feed on the emotions of the beings around me even while I fight. These feelings empower me and allow me to continue without pause—" So that's why he was coming at me like that even as I was thrashing him. "To be frank with you, Lord Rudeus, no rage came off you as we fought. " His voice, while booming with noise, had definitely calmed down.
"Please drop the Lord. I don't like it much when people address me with such honorifics." It wasn't like that I didn't like them. I just preferred to be the one using them instead of being addressed by them.
"Nonsense! It's only right to give your utmost respect to your master! Not to mention the fact that I was the one who instigated our confrontation in the first place! Truthfully speaking, it would be your duty to punish me for my inadequate actions!" His voice made my ears ring. Was he seriously just okay with how everything went down?
"I mean, I would be pissed if someone on the opposite side of the world summoned me out of the blue. So consider us even, okay?" He eyed me up and down. I could see Orsted in the corner of my eye. He was probably still trying to comprehend everything happening infront of him.
"If it is your wish, then I'll abide by it no matter the cost." His tall body bowed deeply toward me.
"And can you please stop talking like that? We'll be working together from now on, so I'd prefer if we were friends." I smiled at him, and he returned the favor. I didn't think it would've ended like this a couple of minutes ago, but it looked like I had ended up where I wanted.
That day, I gained Kharn, an unlikely individual, as an ally.
"It's been a long time since then, hasn't it?" I looked forward into the raging eyes of the man.
Can I even win against him as I am now? I'm confident in what I can do—not ignorant. I have neither the magic armor with me nor a fully grown body. Kinda looks like I'm screwed.
His eyes peered at me with a burning rage. It was best to try to de-escalate everything. "We can just talk this out, okay? I'm sorry about interrupting—" You. That was the word I couldn't say as I watched his anger die almost immediately after I started talking. His face softened as he looked at me.
"Is that you, my Lord—is that you, Rudeus?" His voice held an even timbre, and almost miraculously, his face calmed.
What…? Did he seriously just?
"Kharn?" My response was made from a shaky-sounding voice. Did he follow me?
He took a knee to reach my eye level. "Why do you don the appearance of a child?" He had a quizzical gleam in his eyes. That was the first proper sentence the man said to me. He could've asked me anything, but he asked me a question like that.
It really is him, isn't it?
It was just like him to do this. He wouldn't even ask about what was happening or how I'd been. Instead, all he asked me was about my appearance. "Hahaha…" I heard laughing. It didn't take long to realize it was my own.
"Do you never change Kharn?" I held my sides as I laughed. I couldn't help it. I thought that I was going to be alone in this life. Then Orsted had come around. After that, I dedicated myself to my mission, but everything else happened, and ever since, I've been slowly losing control.
"Uhh—" His deep voice dragged. "Are you doing well, my Lord? You're, ahh—crying…" Huh? I touched my eyes, and wouldn't you know it. There were tears. When was the last time I cried like this? It had to be after that nightmare about Lara.
"Honestly, I don't think I'm okay, Kharn." There was no one else around us. I could tell from my magic. "I died… I—I was okay with it. I was ready to go… Then, when I woke up Buena, all I could do was think about everyone I left behind and realize they were all gone." His face sunk at the mention of everyone.
The large man moved a little, and with a clear mental back and forth, he laid one of his hands on my head. It easily encompassed it. If he wanted, he could crush it like a grape. "I don't know why I'm here, but I know one thing." I tried to stop my tears. "I'll help you to the best of my ability—I'm your faithful ally, after all."
He sat down and gestured for me to do the same. "So I take it sealing him wasn't enough?" He spoke flatly and matter-of-factly.
"It wasn't—" His words struck a chord with me. "I—I almost forgot you were there." Kharn knew they tried to seal the Man-God because he would've been there. At the end of the day, he was a spirit that didn't need a master to sustain his form.
"I'm sorry." The words came out with zero hesitation.
"Sorry for what, Kharn?" It should've been abundantly evident what he would've been sorry for.
"Because I was slow. Because I wasn't strong enough… Madam Roxy—she—" Tears formed in the corner of his eyes.
"There's no need to get emotional. I already know." He looked up to me as if to ask how. "Orsted dropped by a couple of years ago and told me about it." I couldn't bring myself to cry. If I started, I wouldn't stop. "You all did your best."
He bowed his head to me. "And that wasn't enough!" He looked back up to meet my eyes. "For my inability to protect them, I humbly ask you for a punishment!" His head smashed the ground, causing the earth to split where it hit.
"I know you won't stop if I let you off easy." To see him grovel only brought back the memories of when we first met—that was the only time he had ever done so. "So, for your repentance… Let's see." I rubbed my chin. I had long figured out what I wanted from him. "You'll help me until we kill the Man-God. That's how you'll earn my forgiveness."
He pulled himself up and sat cross-legged. He sat there rubbing his eyes for a while. I just watched him. That's all I could. "So, Sir Orsted has been around, you said?"
"When I was two, he appeared at my doorstep." I chuckled. "It's remarkable how much of an impact my kid's had on him."
He smirked. "Most of that was you, you know." He spoke in such a matter-of-fact tone that I couldn't help but stare at him.
"What are you talking about? He was never like that when I was alive."
His expression softened. "Not when you were around, that's for sure, but he sure as hell was like that whenever you were off on a job." He had a warm smile on his lips. One that I couldn't help but replicate.
"So, what jobs will you hand over to yours truly?" He thumped his thumb into his chest.
"Well, you know the President. He likes to offload all the tedious work." I sighed after I spoke. I told the man to give me a few jobs, but it was just like him to overestimate me and give me far more than I had expected. "I actually already finished up one of them a year back."
"Finished up? What was it?" His body leaned forward.
"It was to kill one of the Three Swords of the North God—Nuckelgard just so happened to be sent here by Darius to kill my family." I shrugged my shoulders. "You can surmise how that went down."
"Hmm." He nodded, his mouth opened and closed as if he couldn't quite put his thoughts into words. He scratched his scalp, a look of consternation on his face. "You killed them then…? You?"
"If you're hung up on the fact that I took a life, it wasn't my first time. It was a job; Paul would've died if I didn't kill them."
He nodded his head again. "I understand…" He stopped speaking as he entered deep into thought. "You've changed, Rudeus." I couldn't tell what he was thinking when he said that. "I can tell by your eyes… Are you sure there isn't anything else bothering you?"
"Besides being reborn again, leaving all of my family behind me, having to know that my wife died without me there, and nobody remembering me? Then yeah, I'm doing honky dory." His face scrunched. I knew that from our pact, he could somewhat feel my emotions.
"Then forget I asked." He waved his hand infront of himself. "Please, tell me about the jobs I could take off your hands. You look like you could use the shuteye." He pointed toward my face.
After that, we talked for a while. When we started, the sun was still in the sky, and by the time we finished, I could see it beginning to set. I'm sure my parents are already worried sick—well, at least my mother would be. As for the jobs I gave Kharn, they had little importance. They were the same kind of minor jobs that Orsted gave me in my previous life that Hitogami didn't care too much for but would take precedence in the future.
One of them was to kill a stray red dragon that would end up in the warring lands of the Strife Zone. Another was to kill a merchant dealing in unsavory practices in Neris. To say they varied would be an understatement. I didn't question them, though. I'm sure they each held importance in their own right.
He stood up as his arm flexed under the weight of supporting his body into standing. "It's time I set off then!" His booming voice returned.
"Before you leave, at least let me give you something." One of his eyebrows raised in question.
What I was going to do was simple. I already had the image of it in my head. From my hand, it was already forming as well. I focused on it being as tough as possible. Soon, the shaft formed, then its head—then, a spear was in my hand—or, more appropriately, it was laid on the ground because it weighed too much for my child arms to hold up. A three-pronged trident, to be exact, colored an off-white bordering on grey.
"This is?" He leaned down and picked it up. He waved it around a little and tested its grip. "It's good." He sounded almost astonished at the weapon.
"Please use that while you're traveling. I'm sure a big, scary, but friendly warrior who uses a spear to go around and help people will lessen Ruijerd's load. If even a little." I smiled up at him.
"Gwahahaha! Now I like that idea! Try to preemptively get rid of some of the Superd's remaining curse! Now that's the master I serve under!" He came over and patted me on the back, which caused me to get pushed forward a few feet from the unintended force.
He gripped the spear as he looked down at me. "I'll do my best."
"I know you will." It was a somber moment, letting a friend go off on an adventure, but I'd been through this enough times to get over it.
"Take care, Kharn." I patted his back as I began to leave the forest.
"I should say the same to you, Rudeus!" The last thing I saw on his face was that stupid smile. He reminded me of that demon lord too much. Well, I guess if he was made by that guy's father, it couldn't be out of the realm of possibility that he took some inspiration from his kids.
I had another ally in this life. I was now doubly less alone…
…It didn't really feel like it, though…
Notes:
Author's Note: Well, here we have chapter twelve. This is the one chapter I've worried about the most, mainly because of the OC. I know for many people, it's a turn-off, and that includes me. You can rest assured that this is going to be the only one. Of course, I'll have original characters that are minor to the plot that the cast meets along the way, but Kharn will be the only major one (At least for what I have planned). I have things planned for him, so I hope everyone can deal with me and continue to look forward to the rest of what I have planned for this story.
As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. Especially in this chapter.