"Hahaha! I win!" Blake said as he threw his deck of cards on the table, which caused groans of displeasure to emanate from everyone.
"Seriously, what the fuck! You must be cheating." One of them grumbled when Blake merely grinned and said, "Don't get 'er panties in a twist. 'tis not a good look on ya'."
"No look is good on 'em." One of the occupants quipped, which caused others to burst out laughing. Laughing at him, Blake picked up a bottle of booze from the table.
"Where'er goin'." Someone asked, at which Blake replied with a slur of his tongue.
"To take a leak."
Then, without waiting for a reply, he made his way to the toilet, colliding with tables along the way, causing bottles or plates to fall. Finally reaching the toilet, he reached his hands to unbuckle his pants when…
*SHING*
…a red line appeared on his neck, that started to become more prominent until Blake's body fell and his head went inside the toilet, causing water to splash out of it, drenching his torso.
But the most noticeable thing turned out to be his grimoire, which started to disappear in emotes of light, and reached for a spot where, seemingly, no one was there.
Then, that place shimmered a bit, where a faint outline of a person with black hair, an unkempt beard, wearing clothes common amongst peasants, appeared.
This figure was actually Wilhelm, who had been doing his mission in the Diamond Kingdom, where, to his better judgement, had decided not to assassinate normal people, but only the people who were Warrior Mages.
As the light dissolved, Wilhelm checked his grimoire to see that it was showing one more addition to the constellation.
'Now it is proven. To get familiar with any attribute, I have to gain the magic of that attribute at least 3 times. Any more addition will enhance the power of it, and when it strikes 10 mark, the familiar will show a significant evolution in power that is almost exponential compared to its state at 9th.' Wilhelm assessed the situation with his mysterious grimoire, which had shown far too much improvement in just a span of 4 days, leaving him with 2 weeks before the tournament announced by the king.
He glanced at the corpse one last time and, releasing the air from his mouth in a depreciating manner, became invisible once more. Taking this invisible form, he walked out of the toilet, where he found the rest of Blake's friends playing merrily in this dingy old room owned by Blake.
'Well, I guess this is nice as an end as any for you.' Wilhelm thought as he swiped his finger a bit and then…
*THWACK*
…all 5 of them were decapitated on the spot, with blood splurting everywhere, creating a mess, but even if they did so, Wilhelm did not bother to clean up after the scene of his crime, because of one careful decision of his.
'If I kill silently, I can get many kills, but they will not be strong.
Now, if I go about doing it hapzardly, it is bound to attract attention, which will cause stronger warrior mages to be sent after me, that will reward me better if they are killed.'
After his 17th kill, he had become numb to the act, like Mereleona had become numb to the politics.
Now, all that mattered to him at present was the efficiency of the act.
Killing them, he stepped out of the shed, when he noticed something strange.
A man wearing baggy robes that were meant to hide identity but made them stick out like a sore thumb, carrying a knife that was dripping with blood, which reflected the moonlight. The man walked deeper into the city, which was the underworld of the Diamond Kingdom.
Becoming the target of Wilhelm's curiosity, Wilhelm started to follow the man, who kept on walking and walking, unbothered by the vile scenes happening around him.
Then, reaching a door made of dark oak, he looked around and pushed it open, walking inside. Wilhelm, too, wanted to walk inside when he noticed something.
'Array. This area is secured by a magic array. Something fishy is going on. Fishy for even this area.
But sad for them, I have just the magic to bypass it.' Wilhelm thought as he used Intangible Magic, which, after assimilating Gueldre's Magic, gave him the ability to move through magic as if it were not even there.
Though for the sake of security, he created an illusion around him and stepped inside the building as well. Entering the place, he found himself in a small room with a table, fireplace, and bookshelf.
This caused Wilhelm to look at the bookshelf, below which were skid marks on the floor.
'Gosh, they are not even trying to hide it.' He thought as he created a sound barrier to prevent any sound from escaping and pushed the shelf aside, which, to no one's surprise, was a door instead.
It opened without much effort and gave way to stairs leading downwards.
Wilhelm took the stairs and walked below, when sounds from the outside were becoming clearer to him, until he started to hear it all.
"Here is the 7th heart from a man of pure faith." The man that Wilhelm had followed, who was wearing a crow mask, said, as he passed a jar filled with preservation liquid and a heart to another man wearing an owl mask, who took it and, after inspecting it, passed it to a man wearing a bull mask.
Bull took the jar, then Owl turned to Crow and said, passing him a slip of paper, "Here, go to this address and then you will find what you were promised."
Crow unfolded it on the spot and, after gazing at the address, burned the piece of paper over the flame of a candle lit near him. As it turned to ashes, he said in a nasal tone.
"Hehehehe! Pleasure doing business with you." And then, cackling like a madman started to make his way up the stairs. Seeing that now there were two targets of interest, namely Owl and Crow, Wilhelm decided to duplicate himself.
Beast Magic: Budding Bloom
Soon, his figure was divided into two individuals, both of whom were intangible, and one followed behind Crow, while the other stayed and observed the Owl.
The figure who remained in the room observed Owl intently, who looked at people behind him and addressed them, making him appear like a cult leader to his acolytes.
"Prepare the altar." Owl muttered at which, four of the people wearing similar Bull mask, stood up carrying different items, namely a bowl filled with red substance, probably blood, a scepter with a black gem, a sacrificial knife, a jar full of eyes and a dull black sword that just felt wrong to the eyes.
Placing the bowl on the altar, the knife, along with the scepter, was given to Owl.
"Bring the hearts."
He commanded once more in his deep tone, hearing which 7 acolytes stood up and carried 7 jars containing hearts, while the previous four acolytes sat down.
"Begin chanting."
He said, at which everyone stood up all at once, and started to sit around the altar on their knees, and started to began muttering something in gibberish.
"Un-ha-tum-khai"
"Un-ha-tum-khai"
"Un-ha-tum-khai"
"Un-ha-tum-khai"
Everyone started to mutter in a rhythmic tone, while swaying at every word in unison. The sight wierded out Wilhelm, who could not help but think.
'Well, I have met my first cult, so I guess there is one thing off my bucket list.' Wilhelm thought when Owl started to speak.
"We, the unworthy, offer ourselves in the name of our Lord!"
"HUNGAI"
Everyone spoke with a different intensity following Owl's words, when once acolyte went ahead and placed the sword between the bowl and the Owl.
"We offer this artifact we have, in the way of our Lord of Corruption."
"HUNGAI"
Then another acolyte stood up carrying the eyes and placed them in Owl's hand, who continued in a fervent tone.
"We offer the eye of the just and righteous, so the world can see what true malice looks like!"
"HUNGAI!"
*THCK*
The sound came as Owl slashed the eyes, and their blood dripped on the sword.
Then the 7 acolytes stepped forward in front of him, kneeling on the ground, and presented the hearts to him on their palms.
As this happened, the candles flickered in the room, at which point Wilhelm decided to take action.
'Yeah, this feels way too much like a ritual to release something bad, and flickering candles in a room with no wind is a bad sign.'
As he thought so, the world around him…stopped.
He tried to move, but could not, no matter how hard he tried. His eyes could move, his mouth as well, and his brain seemed to be working fine.
'Damn it! What is wrong? Why won't my body move!'
He screamed internally, when in this world where the movements of everything else, including fire, were halted, a commanding, strong, and majestic voice was heard.
'Mortal!'
'Who said that?'
Wilhelm asked as he darted his eyes around, but could see no one.
'Thou art unfit, frail mortal, to endure the blaze of mine eternal radiance—
Yet out of mercy, I shall grant thee this boon: my name.
Rejoice and tremble, for thou now standest before Meridia,
The Daedric Prince of Life made manifest.'
'Daedric Prince? Are they the Gods here? Then why have I not heard about them before?' Wilhelm thought to himself, but his thoughts were laid bare to Meridia because she spoke not to his ears, but to his soul.
'We are not they who art worship'd upon these soulless plains, barren of all sacred order.
Our being doth unfold upon a realm far above the petty sphere thy kind doth defile.
And now, having sated thy paltry curiosity through mine infinite grace,
I charge thee with a duty, mortal—divinely ordained.'
Before Wilhelm, who was far too shocked to process what was happening, could ask, Meridia continued in her regal tone.
'I bid thee, mortal—take up thy blade in mine hallowed name,
And smite these wretched vermin who bow before corruption,
Daring to profane mine sanctity with their blasphemous rites.
Sever their heads—the thralls of taint and shadow—
And with each stroke, cleanse thy steel of the foulness wrought by that heretic, Molag Bal.
Fulfil this charge, and thou shalt earn thy reward:
The Dawnbreaker, my blade of righteous fire.'
She said in one go, leaving no room for refusal, something that Wilhelm did not intend to do anyway, because if she can freeze time and is really a God, he does not wish to piss her off. He is no fool.
Choosing his words carefully, he asked.
'Great Goddess Meridia. I will cull them if you ask me to, but how shall I purify your blade?'
'Mine blade hath been stained by the blood of the guiltless,
And naught but the crimson of sinners may purge its sacred edge.'
She replied in a heated tone, at which Wilhelm replied.
'I shall be done.'
'See to it with unwavering zeal, mine chosen Champion—
Let not mine will be questioned, nor mine command left unfulfilled.
Go forth, and let the light of mine purpose shine through thy every stroke.'
And with this command, the time resumed.
Owl, who had raised the knife in the air, shouted at the top of his lungs.
"We off-"
*THUCK*
But his words were halted as his severed head rolled on the ground, which caused the darkness that had seemingly encroached the room to recede.
The effect of this action was also on the acolytes…
"Wha-"
…for a whole 1 millisecond.
*SHUNG*
*THUCK*
*THUD*
Wilhelm swung his sword with never-before-seen urgency and quickly killed every single acolyte. Those who were farther had their head pierced by javelins or mineral spikes.
Before a total of 3 seconds could be completed, Wilhelm had killed all of them, making sure that the heart, along with everything on the altar, remained untouched.
Then, in front of his eyes, the sword that was as dull as dirt started to shed that darkness with a fiery light, and brightened the room with its radiant glow.
When this was happening, the voice of Meridia resounded in the room without the time stopping, the radiant light acting as a prop to expand her majesty.
'Excellent, O Champion of mine—
Thy steadfast blade hath struck true, and with resolute might hast thou driven back the creeping darkness that dared encroach upon this hallowed realm.
For this deed most valiant, and as I, Meridia, did vow,
I now bestow upon thee the highest of honours:
Mine sacred blade—Dawnbreaker, born of light, bane of the profane.'
At her words, the sword floated towards Wilhelm, who slowly brought his hand and grasped it by the hilt.
"This feeling is…indescribable…" He muttered as he felt not only his strength but mana skyrocket in both quality and quantity.
Then, Meridia continued, snapping him out of the stupor.
'Now, Champion of mine, I depart, and entrust this realm unto thy vigilant watch.
Guard it well, in my name, against the talons of encroaching evil—
For thou art more than mortal now; thou art my chosen blade,
And through thee, my light shall ever shine.'
With this, Wilhelm was left behind in a room full of corpses and a shining sword.
***
How was it?
Did you expect it?
Leave Power Stones.
Suggest me some good games too. Not racing or horror.