A Hero's Quest: Eye of the Demon Emperor

[Birdsie]

You answer all of the judge's question, maintaining sincerity and truth in every answer and every statement. Then, as requested, you tell of what happened in great detail. You describe how it started ––– with demons chasing you, and then going to Beronica's hut, her summoning Cervitou to help, and the events that occurred afterward. You made sure to underline the fact that he was doing this merely to protect you, and had no ill intent toward anyone save for the demons.

The attorneys ask you a couple more questions, then, once they are done, they give the green light to the judge.

You are then asked to sit on an empty bench, next to Beronica. Several more witnesses come in, who saw Cervitou break into the vault, and bargain his soul with the minotaur guard, taking the staff and then returning it sometime later. They, too, sit down once the time of their testimony and questioning are over.

Finally, comes the time of jurisdiction.

"Cervitou, son of Jaisa and Awdur the Enlightened," the judge speaks, turning to the black mage. "You were a servant of the Exarchy for over ten years. This court finds you excused of all charges, on the grounds of saving the life of a shielded fellow member and this... girl, as well as the destruction of numerous demonic entities. With that, I proclaim you non-guilty."

The elven judge flicks her wrist. "Court is adjourned."

***​

Cervitou exits the courtroom. "You did very well not to embellish the story. It shows maturity."

"Hm?" you look over at him.

"I will not gloss over the aid you offered to me, Artoria Baragar. I do not forget debts," he nods. It's pretty much true. He'd be dead right now, had your mother not saved his life. From what, you have no idea, but he kept his promise all these years. "Is there any way I can pay you back?"

[] "Perform the ritual and give me the power of a dragon."
[] "Become my magic teacher."
[] "Mind giving a friend of mine a few lessons in conjuration, enhancement, and such?"

***​

After you are done speaking with Cervitou, the two of you go back to the portal room. Cervitou says his goodbyes to you, then apports you back home, alone.

You still wonder about the place you saw. What was that? The Exarchy? That's the first time you ever hear of anyone such organization. No history books you've ever read or any stories from your mother mention a group, or nation, or organization called 'an Exarchy' or 'the Exarchy.'

You enter the mansion, then go upstairs to your room.

On your way through the stairs in the grand foyer, you hear someone whisper your name. "Artoria..."

You look back, expecting Roland, but surprisingly, you see no one. Is it your mind playing tricks on you? Another presumption that pushes into your mind is that this might be the dragon's spirit trying to haunt you, but that sounds rather unlikely. Besides, the mansion is given proper protective rites every year, so no malignancy could have followed you in here.

You disregard the call, then you return to your room. On your way, you pass by a maid and you politely request for a meal to be brought to your room in a few minutes.

***​

You are brought a sandwich with a juicy steak, a bowl of vegetable stew, and a literal piece of cake. Cheesecake, to be specific. You eat, and at the same time, you study some literature. A rather interesting tale of Baragar's adventure alongside with a friendly, if silly demon called Mephisto. The latter character interests you a lot. A demon who genuinely isn't evil, or at least selfish and flawed, is... well, something virtually unheard of. Besides, the book is interesting, even though it may or may not be fairy tales that never happened. At this point, not even your own family know what is true about Baragar.

After you're done reading, you quickly go to the village to hang out with Jaina, and then you spend some time talking with Tavish and showing him Enhancement tricks that you've learned. He makes you quite irritated by the fact that he seems to have already surpassed you in terms of Enhancement.

Once darkness falls, you go back home.

Mother says that starting with the next year, the whole family will go on a journey together. To do what – you haven't the slightest idea. Regardless, you have some time to prepare. Before that time comes, you should probably get to training.

[] Physical training. (Raises physical parameters.)
-[] Focus on strength.
-[] Focus on stamina.
-[] Focus on agility.
[] Melee combat.
-[] Swords.
-[] Spears.
-[] Order new weapon training for yourself. (Write-in.)
[] Ranged combat.
-[] Crossbow, including Auto-Crossbows.
-[] Bows, including Magi-Bows.
-[] Flintlocks.
[] Animal Ken.
-[] Taming.
-[] Riding.
-[] Animal Lore.
-[] Magical Beast Lore.
[] Strategy & Tactics.
-[] Theoretical Warfare.
[] Magic.
-[] Countermeasures.
-[] Magical Theory. (ie: how leylines work, the alignments of spiritual realms, why mana exists, etc.)
-[] Practical Thaumaturgy.
--[] Any specific school or desired type? (Golem-Crafting, Hermetic magic, Rituals, Alchemy, Transmutation, Mind Magic, etc.)
-[] Search for excerpts from the Codex Gigas and study them. This will take you down a dark path... black magic, so to speak, but you didn't hear that from me.
[] Diplomacy.
[] Logistics and management.
-[] How to run a mansion, maintain servants, and organize affairs.
-[] General logistics and management.
[] Etiquette.
-[] General Etiquette.
[] Art, including painting, dancing, and singing.
[] Write-in.

Calendar: 1005-03-30
Time: Noon

 

[Birdsie]

And so, the months of training began anew, this time for a new purpose. As your mother unveiled, Albion is going to war with a neighboring country; Estal. Your father, being good friends with the king, and even distantly related to the king, felt obliged to participate. As such, your mother began rallying adventurers and posters were hung all across the province informing the people that the Baragars are in need of stalwart warriors, be it mercenaries or brave adventurers. This is the best you can accomplish since your mother doesn't hold many fiefs other than the mansion itself, as well as the surrounding fields. There is no city that she could train soldiers professionally in that she owns, so she has to take whoever answers - and many surely will answer. Your mother has no obligations of the standard noble, so she does not have to bear arms if she chooses to, neither does she have to keep an army - because not even an army would be stupid enough to take her on.

In other words, you will protect the fatherland at all costs.

The weird thing is the fact she doesn't have many fiefs. It always struck you as odd that the most famous family of nobles in Albion; perhaps even beyond, has very little lands in their possession. Your mother throws it off as simple humility and refusal to take more than required, but clearly, that's a lie. She is without a doubt the most powerful woman in the country and the second; perhaps third, most powerful person in the country next to the king and the dwarven grandsmiths.

On another hand, Cervitou heeded your favor and now, every three or four days, he goes to Megafni for a regular training practice with Tavish. Even though Cervitou claims he's not too good at things like Conjuration, or Enhancement; Tavish personally told you that he's learned a lot in just the first two weeks, cementing Cervitou's reputation as perhaps the strongest mage you know...

And the harshest teacher, too. You're glad you didn't ask him to teach you.

***

1005-05-11
The peak of Dawn, Tavish Oshha's residence...
​

A single, exotic boy sleeping alone in his room, quietly snoring in a large, comfortable bed made out of wood and white sheets and pillows, next to a small pile of slowly-degrading metal that used to be conjured swords, therefore showing that he is already studying the permanency of his conjurations, or at least similar effects.

And then, suddenly.

BANG!

With a bang, a fluttering darkness explodes in the room, and at the same time - it paradoxically lights every candle in it, instantly waking the boy up. Blue mana gathers in Oshha's hands, forming a standard, if balanced and durable, longsword. He points it at the threat, then lowers it in surprise.

"Professor? What are you doing here so early in the morning?" he queries worriedly.

"TAVISH!" Cervitou screams brutally. "Are you awake?"

"Y-yes, professor?!" he said, in so much shock it came out more like a question than a statement.

"Good, you might be killed at any moment," Cervitou forewarned sternly.

"What happened?" Tavish uncovers himself from the blanket he slept in, sitting at the bedside and looking at Cervitou with utter seriousness.

"Nothing, you just might be killed at any moment in general," Cervitou mused.​

"Umm," Tavish didn't know how to respond, so he just stared awkwardly.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE, TAVISH!" Cervitou, once again, screamed brutally, prompting the startled Tavish to jump back.

"Now get some sleep..." Cervitou's silhouette turned black as if made from a shadow-like gas. It slowly faded into the air, as he whispered his last words in a gleefully creepy tone; "or rather... don't."

With a calm breeze of unnatural wind, the lights of the candles flickered, and a second after; they went out.

Tavish returned to bed, covered himself with the sheets very tightly, and turned to the wall of his room; but he did not dare to shut his eyes even once. He only shook. Cervitou's belief is that a mage must always be prepared for any circumstance.

Tavish did not sleep that night or the night after that.

***​

And then comes the fun stuff. Your training. As always, you tried to get buff and strong, like daddy or mommy. And as always, you make some steady progress. As you began training, the news reached you that the far northern isles are already in naval combat with the enemy. Fueled solely by determination, fatigue was no longer a serious problem.

After that, you met up with some of the knights that trained you earlier. As always, you tried to do your best to impress and learn more. You learned a few neat tricks that mostly belong to the territory of one versus one combat, such as the famous pommel strike, or how to more effectively use the crossguard. You've learned more about breaking the opponent's guard, as well as how to behave on a battlefield to survive since the knights are aware of your participation in the war ahead. Even though your combat skills are average for now, it appears that you are slowly approaching their level of skill.

You learned some more practical thaumaturgy, such as Nature and Spirit magic. You decided to invest your time in these two schools, although each lesson you could feel Cervitou smacking you on the head for not learning Magical Theory instead. It's not like it matters, though. What will you ever get from reading from coffee beans, or tapping into leylines? No, you learned how to speak with trees. The forest will be useful. During the war, you will be able to lead your men to a stream of water or ask the forest to heal your wounds or give you food. You learned how to speak with the dead, so that you may commune with the soldiers who lost their lives and offer them advice, or hear their last words.

And you also studied something that would surely be neat alongside with Nature Magic; lore about Magical Beasts. Things like drakes, or ogres, or beholders came close to your understanding. You know their weaknesses, and should you come across them, you'll know how to defend yourself.

And of course, you learned some more domestic skills. Logistics and management were one of them, so that you could actually survive in the future and manage things like the staff of the mansion, your own finances; including income and expenses from any fiefs or adventures you embark on, and also how to arrange meetings with other nobles should you need one. You also learned arts. Although you always despised corsets, you have nothing in particular against dancing, painting, and singing.

***​

[] Physical training. (Raises physical parameters.)
-[] Focus on strength.
-[] Focus on stamina.
-[] Focus on agility.
[] Melee combat.
-[] Swords.
-[] Spears.
-[] Order new weapon training for yourself. (Write-in.)
[] Ranged combat.
-[] Crossbow, including Auto-Crossbows.
-[] Bows, including Magi-Bows.
-[] Flintlocks.
[] Animal Ken.
-[] Taming.
-[] Riding.
-[] Animal Lore.
-[] Magical Beast Lore.
[] Strategy & Tactics.
-[] Theoretical Warfare.
[] Magic.
-[] Countermeasures.
-[] Magical Theory. (ie: how leylines work, the alignments of spiritual realms, why mana exists, etc.)
-[] Practical Thaumaturgy.
--[] Any specific school or desired type? (Golem-Crafting, Hermetic magic, Rituals, Alchemy, Transmutation, Mind Magic, etc.)
-[] Search for excerpts from the Codex Gigas and study them. This will take you down a dark path... black magic, so to speak, but you didn't hear that from me.
[] Diplomacy.
[] Logistics and management.
-[] How to run a mansion, maintain servants, and organize affairs.
-[] General logistics and management.
[] Etiquette.
-[] General Etiquette.
[] Art, including painting, dancing, and singing.
[] Write-in.

Calendar: 1005-06-30
Time: Noon

 

[Birdsie]

Days passed by, months flying off the calendar like wings ripped from a bird's back –– cast to the earth by the harsh wintery weather because it could not make it to a warmer region quickly enough. You can't, however, have your wings ripped off. You have to be prepared.

Besides, it's not winter.

As always, you trained your condition furthermore, hoping to one day reach the very peak of human limit. You lifted weights, ran across countless miles of distance, and you drank countless fatigue-removing brews to amend the negative effects.

You also continued honing your swordsmanship, and shortly, you surpassed the very knights that taught you. Aided, of course, by your enhanced body, you could surely march straight into a squad of enemy spearmen and defeat them with no difficulty.

You have also reached their level in terms of strategy and tactics, capable of form such battle plans as to grant your troops victory in almost two out of three hypothetical scenarios. You have shown yourself to be a prodigy in planning, and the knights commended you for your progress, and truly earning the surname you carry. The weight of it has become lighter with their words.

And for the first time, you've delved into the arcane beyond simple spells. You started to understand there is more to magic than simply 'flashy effects' and 'results.' You started to understand the workings of the universe better with each lesson. Why celestial bodies move. Why leylines exist. Why mages live so long. It's all connected, and you even remembered what Cervitou told you. He told you long ago, that what magic destroys, magic can repair. What he told you, was, in fact, him quoting the first magical law. No matter the curse, it can be removed. With that in mind, you have hope for the future.

Lastly, you've come to interest yourself in the more down-to-earth, elemental spells. Specifically, a sub-type of water magic; ice magic. The mainstream mage discussion agrees that ice magic has mostly uses in combat, and it is a waste of time in any other area. With that in mind, you asked your teacher to tutor you with ice spells specifically. He was rather surprised you wouldn't want to train the elements overall, and you only wanted to focus on this, specific type of magic, but he taught you. And he taught you well.

By the twenty-first day of the Month of Entropy, Roland and father departed off to war, with a company of mercenaries, adventurers, traveling swordsmen, hired wizards, and simple braves following them. That kind of entourage is more than appropriate once you consider the fact that the aforementioned titles can be applied to your family as well. They might not follow orders as strictly and with as much discipline as a normal swordsman, but they are good men nonetheless.

***​

Leona gives Roderick a kiss on the cheek. "Don't die out there."

"You know I wouldn't. You'd kill me for it," Roderick laughed with a hearty grin. He turns around to face his soldiers, with hands clenched on his waist.

He looks at his soldiers. "Listen up men, we're moving north now! Cavalrymen, load up on your horses. Let's march! We're not stopping in Mora. It'll be a long road!"

You heed no attention to orders of your father, too occupied speaking with Roland. The two of you are standing way off to the side, far away from any of the commotion, or the crowds of armed men, ready for war and ready for moving out.

"Don't die out there," you demand from him. You realize you're becoming your mother. Not that that's bad.

"I wouldn't dream of it, sister," he answers. Roland, as well as everyone here ,seems to be in high spirits. That's good, morale are important, especially when going to war. You've only heard rumors of how terrifying armed conflicts can be. They'll need as much happiness as possible.

Roland gives you a warm hug. Normally, you'd accept it, but his mithril chest plate isn't particularly soft or smooth. Have you ever tried hugging someone in armor? Regardless, you get used to the feeling after a moment, and you ignore the uncomfortable plate of metal, embracing your brother.

"I guess we'll see each other in a few months, when mother and I ship off," you grimace.

"What's with the long face?" he asks, then laughs. His grin cheers you up. "I mean, just because you're late to the party doesn't mean anything. Better to be late than to never come at all. And... besides," Roland smirks but doesn't continue, closing his eyes and snickering self-confidently.

"Hum?" you raise an eyebrow,

"I'll leave some baddies for you," he ends.

Your surprise turns into irritation. You want to wave your arms around, but instead, you go on and rant. "Oh, yeah?! I'll beat you to it! Go ahead, fight for a few months! I'll best your score in days! A few darn months don't mean anything to me! Do you even know who I am!? I am Art–––"

"Artoria Baragar," a calm, composed voice cuts you off and finishes the sentence off. It sounds familiar. Roland's eyes fill with a mix of suspicion and surprise, but then he looks up and smirks lightly.

You turn around, to see a towering figure in black robes over you, with the same, gloomy mask in the shape of a frowny face. Cervitou, this time, carries some bizarre paraphernalia with him, in his hand. He stares at you for several seconds. "It is too early for my visit, however, I wanted to visit you before Roland Baragar shipped off. I have something to tell the two of you."

"And that is?" Roland looks at Cervitou curiously.

"Your drake, Ria, is a capable aerial mount."

"Really?" Roland folds his arms and answers with sass. "Who would have guessed?"

"Sarcasm is very unbecoming of you," Cervitou stares sharply and oppressively, prompting Roland to stop with his more-than-irritating gestures. "As I was going to say, the drake is still too young to be utilized properly. However, if your wish is such, I can accelerate her growth temporarily. She will turn into an adult within the next month, then stop as soon as she is of age."

"That's..." Roland starts, not sure what to say.

Yes, Cervitou's proposition seems really clever. Using a drake sounds amazing. The biggest fleet of aerial creatures and vehicles belongs to Espania, but Albion, too, has many aerial combat engines. From air balloons powered by steam power or magical energy, to the dragon and drake riders who are fairly rare in Albion. A drake like this, with a mercenary army like this, would be an unexpected combination. Whatever armies father encounters, they would be very surprised to find a flying monster shooting fire at their ranks, with a skilled archer, equipped with a magical bow no less.

But the notion of cutting a creature's childhood, even if it is more of a dangerous and exotic household pet than sentient being, sounds immoral. Not that Cervitou would care. From what you know about him so far, although humane, in a set of two choices, he will ultimately always pick the one that favors efficiency.

[] Make Ria into a war-drake.
[] Let her grow at her own pace.

""

"Other than that," Cervitou begins off-topic. "I wanted to discuss your birthday, Artoria Baragar. I ask you of this four months in advance because I wish to have time to prepare a proper gift. First, I'd love to hear what you would like to receive."

Cervitou, however, is always nice. You never brought him a birthday gift in your life. You don't even know when his birthday is. But it appears that at least since recently, he's been giving you gifts in ways you wouldn't notice had you not realized it much later on.

SWOOSH! A sword flies through Cervitou's body. As it does, his figure turns into black mush.

"Didn't I tell you not to talk to my kids, you pulpy magician? Why are you here?"

"My apologies madame," Cervitou apologizes. "I merely wished to say proper goodbyes to your son, as is proper of any servant."

"You're not a servant of mine, you don't owe me anything, how many times I've got to sa––––"

Cervitou interrupts, deeming that it was not Leona's turn to talk yet. "Furthermore," –– he raises his finger and forearm, without moving his arm –– "I would like to inform you, that, technically speaking, I am not here at all. What you see is a very smart astral projection capable of transferring sound and–––"

SWISH! SWISH! SWOOSH! Leona relentlessly tries to jab the mage with her sword.

"Wait, did you say... astral projection?" she asks, sheathing her sword with a grin. Leona brings up her fingers to her chin, contemplating something.

"Yes, exactly," he answers. "A very sophisticated one at that. I could teach it to–––"

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus," Leona chants some incantation you don't recognize.

"Oh, fu–––" Cervitou's form flashes and explodes into darkness. From his body language, you could tell it was painful.

"How do you enjoy an exorcism, you daft, cheeky, bugger?"

"Mooom, he wasn't doing anything bad!"

"That man is bad influence," Leona imparts onto you with a motherly tone, gently patting you on the head with a smile and tightly closed eyes.

You have a feeling that your mother just doesn't like him and that's how it will be. Until the end of time, or perhaps even longer. From what it seems, not even the Elder God can separate the absolute, pure malice that Leona feels for the guy. Ouchies.

Still, now you understand why he was always so very reluctant to talk with you. Mother is someone who's really scary to have angry at you. You're not really surprised. You'd have probably done the same as him. Actually, you'd have without a doubt done the same as him, because doing otherwise means that your jugular will be outside of your body, and your pancreas will be painfully stabbed with the tip of a sword several times, while your skull is pierced by a mace ––– no, this is an exaggeration. Mother isn't this hotheaded and over-protective.

Almost.

***​

The following day, Cervitou visits again. He barely spoke with you, and he only mentioned that he was still recovering from that exorcism. Apparently, your mom can pack a punch when it comes to miracles, or so he claims. He only left you a note and said to circle the one you want or write a different item. He'll try his best to give it to you for your birthday.

[] Dice of Chaos. It's a cool toy and can be as beneficial as it can be harmful.
[] Bag of Magic Beans. The bag contains magic beans of all sorts.
[] Robe of Useful Items. All over the robe are colorful patches with images of objects on them. Once a patch is ripped off, it conjures the item it represents for several minutes or less. Once the item is gone, the patch regenerates.
[] Rune Hounds. Up to twenty special runes. When thrown, once they hit the ground, the runes expand to form a metallic skull. From it, grows a rune hound; a half-metal, half-spirit creature with sharp jaws and claws. These creatures serve as your loyal familiars. Cervitou will bring you ten more runes every time he visits.
[] Spider Whistle. Summons spiders. It sounds very unassuming for a magical item, but what kind of spiders it summons is a mystery.
[] Efreeti Bottle. Cervitou will basically catch a genie for you, and it will probably fulfill three of your wishes unless it happens to be evil.
[] Gauntlets of Ogre Power. Wearing these gauntlets gives the user absolutely ridiculous levels of strength.
[] Phoenix Down. An extremely powerful potion. Drinking it grants the user resurrection upon death depending on the amount drunk. In this instance, it will allow resurrection thrice, unless less of it is taken and is instead stored for later use. As a side-effect, the user also lives ten to twenty years longer.
[] Winged Boots. Boots that have wings on them. Ingenious! And it will let you serve with the magical soldiers that use flight.
[] Love Potion. Even a few drops of this concoction is enough to make someone in love with Artoria. Does not work, or has a much lesser effect on people who are closely related. The aphrodisiac comes packed with an antidote.
[] Write-in.


Calendar: 1005-09-30
Time: Noon

 

[Birdsie]

Soon enough, the snow fell. And with it, came cold. You and Roland wrote correspondence to each other every few days, delivering it through carrier pigeon. You also sent the letter Cervitou gave you back to him, this time, through magic. The letter folded itself into a weird, triangular shape and flew off as soon as you made your choice.

What other gift than the Gauntlets of Ogre Power?

Soon, however, something happened.

***​

You and mother are sitting in the dining room, in between training sessions.

"How are you today?" Leona asks.

"I'm––" you swallow a piece of turkey, "––good all things considered. How about you?" You dig into more turkey with your fork and knife, while maintaining eye contact.

"I'm in a bad mood," she sighs. "It's kind of quiet without Roland around here."

You hear a sharp, but quiet growl from the right. You and Leona look in the direction of the entrance to the room, as Ria pushes past the old butler. She's grown nicely. Ria is, at the moment, the size of a runty wolf or dog, but the fact she's covered in thin, green scales and has reptilian, yellow eyes doesn't make her any less intimidating.

"And you," Leona sighs again, petting the creature and giving her a piece of meat. "You'll be hard to feed when you grow."

"We still have literal tons of dragon soup," you snark, biting into a chicken wing.

"Artoria... drakes don't eat dragons. They're cousin species. It's like telling a frog to eat a frogman."

"Yeah, but if you cook the frogman, they can't tell the difference," you drink some wine mixed with water to help the food go down more easily. There's hardly a more satiating meal than baked potatoes, beetroot, and three different kinds of meat; turkey, chicken, and beef.

Leona sighs, closing her eyes tightly and shaking her head then returns to her plate.

And suddenly, the two of you are interrupted.

CRASH!

The window in the foyer breaks, but you can't tell exactly which. After that, you hear the sounds of metal ringing against stone and several screams of fear released by the staff of the mansion. Without even a second wasted, you and Leona stand up, then draw your swords, rushing in the direction of the foyer where the sound came from.

***​

Staff rushes past you, including the hall boy, chauffeur, the stable keeper, and the nursemaid. You enter the grand foyer, only to see the main window broken with shards of glass before you. Among these shards of glass, was, however, a man. Or rather, a thing.

Sitting on top of a black horse, shadows licked the form of this knight. From his very presence, an eerie and unpleasant odor spread across the hall. It was something between rotten eggs and burnt rubber. He wore black armor and his exact silhouette was hard to pinpoint because the shadows over his body were like gas. His eyes glowed red, and so did the eyes of his hellish horse.

In a second, your mother recognized the threat. "A knight of hell."

"Oh, this will be easy," you raise Excalibur and get into an anti-cavalry stance.

"Could it be?" the black knight exclaims, staring at you.

"Huh?" you narrow your eyes.

"Could it be the sword; Excalibur?" the knight asks, riding his horse from the left to the right, almost circling the two of you clockwise. "I'm impressed. I never expected it to be so brilliant, but its radiance is..." The knight's eyes wander from the sword to your face, "contained."

His voice is guttural and harsh, and it echoes from the moment it leaves his mouth as if three voices spoke at once.

"What do you want, demon?" Leona barks.

The knight and his horse transform. They both turn into a pure cloud of black gas. From it, soon, emerges the knight, without the steed under his legs, as the cloud of gas disappears. Shadows still lick his body, however, not as much as before.

The knight walks up to the two of you but maintains the distance of four meters. His sword is still sheathed, but that doesn't mean you have to sheathe yours.

He reaches for his left gauntlet, then unpins the latches on it, before throwing it before the two of you.

It's a challenge. He's quite literally challenging the either of you to a match, or duel. Typical culture states that the challenger sets the time and location of the duel, while the challenged party may decide the rest, such as whether it is to the death, or first blood, what weapons are used, whether magic is permitted or not, and whether special rules apply; ie: the participants must wear blindfolds, or have their hands tied, or any other details. Refusing a duel like this is considered dishonor.

"Whoever wins, shall have the loser's soul," the demon explains. "Forever."

You look at Leona. She's hesitating, between a pair of choices. Does she rush the demon, or accept the challenge?

[] Wait for Leona to make the choice.
[] Pick up the gauntlet.
[] Attack the demon without a word, and use enhancement on yourself.

Mana: 200/200
Calendar: 1005-10-16
Time: Noon

 

[Birdsie]

Your mother stares at the demon. She hesitates to make any movement.

And then, she jumps at you and takes Excalibur from your hand. In a swift movement, she makes a one-hundred and eighty degree turn and swings Excalibur horizontally. As she does, it releases a wide beam, similar to a cone, of holy energy. Like a golden mist, the energy spreads forth in the direction of the demon, shaking the ground.

The demon summons his own sword in hand and swings it forth. From it, a cone of black decay shoots, to meet the radiant attack your mother unleashed.

The two waves of opposite magic clash in the very middle, generating enough force to push you and Leona away. It seems that the demon, too was pushed several meters away.

The demon stares at the two of you. "I beg your pardon?"

Leona dashes forward. She closes the distance between the two and fights the demon with Excalibur. He raises his own sword and parries and dodges her attacks, constantly stepping back to create more space, and not once getting hit.

Soon enough, the knight manages to make up. His speed increases, and he catches up with Leona. The two fight on par, throwing hits, parrying, dodging, blocking, counter-attacking and trying to outmaneuver each other. Their weapons fly so fast that sparks fly off of the ground and their swords when they clash. The friction in the air is so powerful you can feel it push you away.

Regardless, you keep watching, clenching your fists and rooting for your mother. You are confident she can win.

The two warriors clash with all their might. Both swing at the same time, giving in all of their force. Darkness covering the demon's sword clashes with Excalibur's brilliant and holy light. The two attacks generate force of red and yellow color respectively that flies in opposite directions.

The attack pushes the two away from each other. They stand on opposite ends of the hall and stare at each other. Leona scowls.

"How can you fight on par with me? I have Excalibur! You should be dead!"

Leona swings at the demon, from up to down. Excalibur gushes out a wave of holy energy, like a speeding pillar. The tempest of energy is blocked halfway there by a similar, but dark attack released by the demon. Said demon laughs at Leona.

"You misunderstood. I am not a knight. I am a Duke. Your pitiful holy sword is a mere Archangel and neither of you can use it at full power."

"You're pissing me off," Leona growls.

"But I'm right. The sword chooses the owner, and it considers neither of you worthy."

"What's your point?" Leona points the tip at him, almost accusingly.

"Trying to fight me is futile and will lead to a tragedy unless we fight on even grounds. And unless you fight me by accepting my challenge, I don't intend to make it fair."

Silence. Leona doesn't respond for some time. Instead, she thinks. You see your mother adopt the calculating frown she always has when fighting an opponent she considers genuinely dangerous. Soon enough, her eyebrows rise and she prepares to continue the conversation.

"So, a Duke of Hell, huh? I don't believe that. You came here alone."

"I am a Duke of Hell. My name is Galiel."

"And you're alone because why?"

"I have the right to choose when my entourage and soldiers come with me. I thought to myself this day: Hell is so unsightly. Why not go for a walk? The fact I happened to materialize near the Baragar mansion is an accident, but since I was already here, I decided to challenge you to duel, because I didn't have any better way to pass time," the demon lowers his sword and says the next words with politeness. "That is all that transpired. I swear it upon my honor."

"Honor?" Leona hisses at the infernal creature with utter contempt, raising Excalibur to the level of her head. "You're ridiculous. Time to dance! Prepare to die... Galiel!" Leona prepares to rush the demon. She watches him carefully, pinning her eyes to his figure and observing the enemy for several seconds.

She lunges forward, jumping. She amasses force in her legs and launches herself toward the Duke like a raging cannonball. The Duke, rather than being overwhelmed, decides to do the same. The two of them hit each other like powerful projectiles, and they continue their duel at speeds that your eyes can barely track.

The two launch powerful sword attacks, stabs, parries, swings, blocks, counter-attacks, and even kicks. They dodge each other's attacks and move all around the foyer, almost like a profound dance of holy gold against cursed black. The exchange of words turned into an exchange of blows the likes of which you hadn't seen. Although you've been with your mother on adventures before, you only started training a few years back. But not even once have you seen someone manage to overpower or fight on equal grounds with your mother. This is something completely new and unimaginable, to the point where you feel anxious over whether your mother can win without help or not.

You have to make a choice here. You need to do something. You can't just stand and watch... but... that might be the best option. What if interfering only causes your mother to lose? What if the Duke is lying?

You clutch the Dragonbone sword into your hand, but you don't draw it. Since mother wrestled Excalibur from your hand, joining in isn't the best idea. Especially that your speed is inferior to the one they are at. The two of them are moving beyond what humans are capable of. Even if you tried, you'd be blown away simply because you tried.

[] Pick up the gauntlet and declare you accept the challenge. This should stop them from fighting, at least.
[] Aid Leona with ice magic.
[] Inform someone. (Who?)
-[] Cervitou.
-[] Beronica.
-[] The Army.
-[] The Holy Paladins.
[] Stand and observe.
[] Write-in.

Mana: 200/200
Calendar: 1005-10-16
Time: Noon

 

[Birdsie]

"Why not lay down your sword?" Galiel asks.

Leona answers with a mighty motion. Galiel stops Excalibur in place by blocking it with his own sword.

"You still hope to defeat me? How uplifting," Galiel mocks. "Hope, however, is a scarce resource. And it is overrated."

Galiel collects force in his hands. He breaks the sword-lock with a fluid motion of his arms, that led to him knocking Leona back several steps. She is off-balance, and even though Galiel has a perfect chance to stab her in the chest and end her life, he doesn't.

"I am his majesty's greatest warrior. If you maintain your disposition of trying to fight me, you will fall from hope and into despair. Accept my challenge instead."

Leona, once again, runs at the knight. She swings her sword from the left to the right. Galiel easily jumps over the attack, then over Leona's head. With her back turned to him, he swings his sword just in time for her to catch it with her own. The two exchange five, maybe six more blows before Galiel breaks Leona's guard once again, and delivers a powerful kick into her upper torso, just below the neck. The kick has such inhuman strength that it throws your mother across the hall and into a pillar upholding the balcony that the stairs led to. The impact makes the pillar crack, but the most damage is done to Leona's back.

While your mother is now injured and recovering, Galiel isn't even phased. Before Leona even hit the pillar, he collected the force in his legs and leaped after her. He waves his sword in a wide arc, cutting the pillar in half while Leona ducks. She then proceeds to deliver a sweeping kick to his legs, knocking Galiel to the ground. She brings Excalibur with the tip aimed downward, aiming for his head, but Galiel rolls away from her. She attempts to stab him, but he keeps rolling away until he turns into an inky cloud of smoke and flies up into the air, in the middle of the room.

Galiel gestures with his arm, closing his palm while pointing it at the cracked and cut pillar. This caused it to split into two pieces, that Galiel hurled telekinetically at Leona. Leona jumps on top of the first pillar and uses it to jump even higher, above the other one. The rubble hits the wall and makes a hole in it.

As the two of them fight, you've gone away and told the servants to inform someone. To get reinforcements. Anyone they can.

Now, you enter back into the foyer, only to witness the resulting destruction. Pieces of rubble and cracked marble floor tiles everywhere. White dust was thick in the air. The same kind of dust that you see during the construction of a new building.

You focus your mind and materialize ice. The solid water sublimates into several, blue crystals floating around you. You mentally aim them at Galiel, then fire.

Galiel exchanges several swings with your mother. The crystals of ice hit him, but they shatter as soon as they impact his armor, not even doing the slightest bludgeoning damage to him. Galiel nonetheless lets out a groan of annoyance. He jumps high, onto the balcony of the foyer.

Galiel sits down at the railing in a casual manner. "If you won't accept my challenge, then, well. There's other ways to entertain myself... Bibbidi-bobbiddi..." he snaps his fingers.

With the gesture, a heavy odor of burnt coal and sulfur fill the room. Before you realize it, a pair of imps are trying to chew on your legs, but their teeth merely slide off of the dragonbone armor which is too durable for their fangs to penetrate. You slay the creatures with a swing of your sword, then you turn.

To your eyes, reveals itself a room full of demonic creatures. Your mother is fighting a crowd of twenty-eight knights of hell, holding them back and slowly destroying them with fair ease. In your direction, however, is running a flock of imps, and a pair of knights of hell. Galiel is underestimating your potential.

[] Pick up the damn gauntlet.
[] Fight and await reinforcments.
[] Write-in.

Mana: 196/200
Calendar: 1005-10-16
Time: Noon

 

[Birdsie]

Your legs snap into position. Your hands become as solid as iron. You hold onto the sword as a knight of hell attacks. You block his blow, then reply in kind. He manages to dodge, but not without a small graze to his chestplate. An imp lunges at you, but you cut its head off.

Several more of the creatures rush. You swing your sword about haphazardly, in wide arcs, cutting through the rows of monsters and leaving behind bloodied pulps and mangled corpses that used to be hellish creatures. Dots of dark imp blood now adorn your dragonbone armor. You look up at the two knights of hell still there, waiting to fight you, but they do not strike yet. They stand their ground, shoulder-to-shoulder with each other, both bearing swords. Why are they not attacking?

Galiel laughs. "Excellent. I'm impressed," the Duke in black armor claps his hands, one in armor, one without. "Why not improve the game a little? Make it more interesting~!"

Galiel, still sitting at the railing, begins humming a melody of some kind. For some reason, you recognize it vaguely. Perhaps it's popular, not from his world, but from yours. Galiel snaps his fingers. As the crackling sound spreads across the hall, another demon appears.

Red smoke gathers at the center of your vision. The knights of hell brace themselves, only to be blown away by an explosion of huge fire. A giant, red, fiery mist fills the middle of the hall. From it, emerges a beast you've never had the displeasure of facing before.

A two and a half meters tall, red devil. He has black horns and glowing red eyes. The demon's eyes glow maliciously and stare at you with bloodlust. He has teeth as sharp as razors and he has more of them than you have fingers on all limbs. With just one bite, he could rip you to shreds. At the end of his hands, are sharp, long talons. Rather than these talons being fingernails, his fingers actually turn into them halfway through. He appears to carry no weapons, but his body should count as a weapon on its own. The brutal demon has more muscles than ten lumberjacks lumped together. On his midriff, he wears a large, brown leather sash made out of some kind of fur, and a belt that pins it to his chest that has several skulls on it.

"Meet Dernael. He's a friend of mine... a servant?... a slave. He's a slave."

Dernael roars, shaking the room. He proceeds to charge wildly in Leona's direction, throwing random imps aside and across the room. He runs into your mother and punches, only to find his fist split in half by a slice from Excalibur. Dernael falls onto one knee before Leona beheads him with the sword.

"Are you not entertained?" your mother spits out blood, turning to Galiel.

"That was dull," Galiel snarks. "You didn't give him a chance."

"I don't have to give him a chance," Leona gathers her legs and leaps wildly into the air. Her armored form flies toward Galiel, who leaps back in her direction, aiming slightly above her. The two meet in midair, only for Galiel to flail his armored hand around Leona's back.

You don't know what happened. Only when the two of them land, do you realize.

Galiel, still not looking back, grins. "Ha. I don't have to give you one either."

A wide hole opens in Leona's back, pouring excessive blood. With shock in her eyes, your mother falls down from the railing, only to be caught in your arms, barely, just before she hit the ground. Excalibur is released from her hand and it lands near the two of you.

The first thing on your mind is to take a healing tonic and heal her wound, but your adventuring items are upstairs. She'll bleed out soon. Leona has, from what you read, anywhere from forty-five seconds to one minute of life left. You stare with tears as your mother bleeds out in your hand, incapable of speaking from the damage the demon dealt with only his hands. Your mother, who you perceived to be unbeatable, was put down by a fiend like this? No. No way. There is no way. That's impossible.

"Art... or... ia..." Leona mutters, laying her hand on your cheek.

"And you call yourself a Baragar?!" the demon turns with a grimace, yelling in outrage. His tone has pride. "I expected that to hurt you, not take you down! I've fought the real Baragar, I know what he was made of! You're nothing like him! Just imitations!" he clenches his fists, furious and bewildered.

Galiel growls. "I'll burn this mansion. And I'll kill you both, and then your relatives. This... this... pathetic family is unworthy of carrying His blood."

Flames sprout at the edges of every wall and every column. The deep, crimson fire grows tall very quickly. It covers every exit and every window. Escape should be impossible unless you use ice magic to extinguish the flame. And even then, you can't leave Leona here.

Galiel begins walking in your direction, but he stops, surprised about something. "What? Who's that?" he looks up, above the railing. From the place you're standing in, you can't see who's up there.

Suddenly...

T-BANG, T-BANG, T-BANG!

A trio of sharp, large projectiles fly at Galiel. The demon, as stalwart as always, blocks the projectiles by merely flicking his cape in front of them. The cape turns into an inky, magical shield, and devours the projectiles, decomposing them into mana before your very eyes, as glowing black particles of what used to be swords evaporate into the air.

"Swords?" Galiel exclaims.

Suddenly, another warrior, clad in a black, fluttering outfit, flies at Galiel with a fearsome velocity. With a staff in his hands, he forces Galiel to block. Cervitou! Cervitou, holding Galiel in a lock, turns his masked face slightly to the side. "Help the Baragars," he barks, as an order, before Galiel knocks him off-balance. The two proceed to fight.

Suddenly, a familiar face jumps down from the floor above. You are met with the face of Oshha Tavish. Tavish runs up to the two of you, then examines Leona's wound. Without even a greeting, a permission, or an explanation, he lays his hand on your mother's bloodied back.

"What are you do––" you begin, accusingly and angrily, only to be stopped by a white light coming out of Tavish's palm. Before your very eyes, the blood that poured out of your mother's wound literally winds back inside of her body, forced by Tavish's magic to return to Leona's circulatory system. And then, the light intensifies, and its heat sears the wound closed. There is still a scar, however.

"Cervitou will handle the rest," Tavish exclaims. "I can't handle wounds this big, but I stabilized your mother."

"When did you learn healing magic?"

"I began practicing two weeks ago."

"Yes, but I think there's something more important to take care of," Tavish jerks his head in the direction of the fight.

Galiel and Cervitou are fighting each other. The two warriors have as much speed and force as the duel between your mother and Galiel. Cervitou swings his staff time after time, and every time he does, a blue, glowing blade of hot magical energy forms at the tip. It appears that blocking it is impossible because all Galiel does is dodge the tip. When he blocks, he only blocks the wooden, long part of the staff that Cervitou is holding onto. Regardless, Cervitou is a very skilled, fluid duelist. More than you expected, and definitely more than you could have imagined. He fights with prowess rivaling the greatest Elven warriors.

"We need to extinguish the fire," you caution Tavish, realizing the flames are still burning away the mansion. The only reason you'd have thought to say that is because the otherwise clear air is slowly causing you to cough, and the clear, easily visible hall is slowly becoming flooded with thick, black smoke near the ceiling.

You lay down your mother on the ground carefully. Tavish nods. "I know a few basic water spells."

Tavish runs off in the direction of the left, while you go right. The two of you proceed to extinguish the flames, using water and ice respectively. Tavish points his hands at the flames and shoots weak, if potent streams of water from them, while you cover everything in a thin sheet of frost that makes the fire weaken until it is gone.

Cervitou manages to hold Galiel to a standstill for several minutes. You constantly hear sounds of weapons clashing, but you can't intervene.

Cervitou huffs. "You're well-trained."

Their weapons clash against each other several times before Galiel replies.

"I am the Constable of Hell, the First Duke, and a Demon General. I'm not like any other of the pathetic overlords, black mage."

Cervitou waves his arm across the space in front of him. As he does, ten, large, glowing balls of pure, yellow-white light materialize as his hand passes by. With another gesture, he sends them forth after Galiel, who jumps back only to discover the balls are tracking him. Galiel stops in place. His shadow and cape merge suddenly, creating a huge wall of darkness in the middle of the room. As soon as the balls hit it, they are consumed by it. After that, the darkness grows weaker until it is once again but a shadow and a cape.

"I've noticed that." Cervitou, once again, blocks a leap attack from Galiel and the two continue their fight. "What you don't know is that I'm not like any other pathetic black mage, constable."

Cervitou jumps back, his outfit fluttering through the air. Mid-air, he turns into an inky cloud of darkness.

Galiel does the same, waving his cape across his body and turning into a sooty, pitch-black mist. The two clouds fly at each other, then materialize back into mage and demon. Galiel and Cervitou clash in midair, with Cervitou now wielding a sword, materialized out of the same, dark substance.

The fight soon turns even more brutal and impressive. The two of them begin to use spells regularly while clashing their weapons, turning it into a breath-taking duel between two, incredibly powerful entities. Neither of them seems remotely grounded, even though Cervitou is mortal by all definition. Theirs is a fight of demigods, operating on a whole different physical plane from you. The two of them fight at speed and power outmatching even your mother. Cervitou could become a famous man of adventure, or hero had he really wanted it. Not only has he magic, combat skills, and prowess in many other fields, but he is also a true man of the renaissance, capable of nearly anything you can think of.

You've seen him cast magic the likes of which is beyond you, even though he has a broken soul. You've seen him fight a Duke of Hell to a standstill. You've seen him surpass even Leona, who, up to this point, you thought of as an immortal hero.

Cervitou's blade manages to go through Galiel's defense and cuts off a small chunk of his helmet, uncovering his face. Much like a human, he has two eyes, however they are glowing red. He also has a wide, somewhat monstrous mouth, with huge jaws and many, small, sharp teeth.

"You're getting cocky, but I like it," Galiel smiles sadistically. "I haven't had this much fun in years!"

Galiel swings his sword, this time, with all the might he has. The force of the blow is so hard that the negative pressure in the air generated by his sword creates a small whirlwind in the middle of the room, blowing your hair back strongly. As Galiel's hit connects with Cervitou's chest, the latter is blown away, unable to defend.

Cervitou hits the wall after flying across the room. He's... unconscious.

Galiel takes his time and slowly walks in Cervitou's direction. One, slow step after another. He appears to be ignoring you, Tavish, and Leona.

You don't know what to do. You're frozen still, incapable of moving. You can only observe, in shock. This demon has defeated not only your mother but also Cervitou, who has shown himself capable of surpassing even her - a deed you thought to be impossible.

Galiel is a meter away from Cervitou, who is sitting with his back against the wall. Galiel stops.

"In the end, you're just another sad black mage. You are filthy. Perish!" Galiel rises his sword above his head, preparing to swing. But, before he can...

A growl catches him off-guard, as Ria bites into his shoulder with powerful teeth. "Aghh!" Galiel drops his sword in pain, then haphazardly grabs Ria by the head, wrestling her away from his left shoulder with his right hand. He throws her out the window in rage.

"Bitch..." Galiel mutters in fury.

Suddenly, Cervitou springs up and stabs Galiel in the back, killing the demon. "GET JUKED, LOSER!"

Cervitou rips his mask off, to reveal a grin of victory and a joyful laughter. "It was a part of my plan all along! You got played."

Cervitou is, very uncharacteristically, celebrating a victory.

Galiel turns his head to three-hundred and sixty degrees, looking directly at Cervitou for a moment. You hear a mean snapping sound. The demon commited suicide as to not have to bleed out.

"D-damn you," Galiel spoke, with a last of his breath.

Galiel's body breaks down into black particles of mana, then fades away. Ria slowly moves back into the room through the window she was thrown out through, helping herself with her slowly-developing wings. She lands in the middle of the room, then walks up to Cervitou, smells him, plays with him for a few seconds; probably recognizing him from the time she was still an egg, and she returns to the garden.

...

Cervitou lets himself fall on his back, completely exhausted from what you can read from his body language, then he continues laughing. "See you in hell, overlord," he mocked, putting emphasis on that last word. While Cervitou is still lying down, he puts his mask back on, then turns into an inky cloud of darkness. This cloud flies over to your mother's unconscious body and solidifies back into the robed, black mage. Cervitou casts some kind of healing spell, as evident from the white light. Cervitou takes Leona, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her over to you.

He gives her to you. "Bring Madame Baragar to her room."

As soon as you grab your mother's body again, only capable of carrying her thanks to a bit of subconscious enhancement, you snap back into reality.

"What... was that?"

"What do you mean, Artoria Baragar?" he returns to his cold voice.

"Oh, damn it! Don't pretend you don't know!" you bark. He's so irksome! "You were so happy just a moment ago!"

"Yes, but now is not the time for celebrations. That fight, believe it or not, cost me all of my mana. I must go into the forest and gather ingredients for a mana potio–– actually, no," Cervitou reconsiders what he just said, then steps back and sits down in the middle of the room. He just sits down there, cross-legged.

"What are you doing?!" you yell at him from a distance. Both you and Tavish stare in awe.

"Meditating. It's good for your soul and for mana regeneration. I will stay here like this for a few hours, then begin repairs of the residence. Do not bother me."

His lack of mana explains why he could fight with so much power. For a moment, you thought power like that was normal for Cervitou, but it seems he spent all of his mana over these last few minutes, emptying all of it into enhancing his body so he could have a chance against Galiel.

You sigh and carry Leona upstairs, while Tavish remains with Cervitou. Cervitou briefs him on what just happened, as it seems Tavish had no idea that what Cervitou just manhandled was a Duke of Hell.

***​

Leaving your mother's room and closing the door, you meet Tavish again, just outside.

"That was pretty crazy. What did Galiel want?"

"Entertainment," you scoff bitterly, but then, you turn milder. "Also, I'm impressed. You're turning into a real mage."

"Yeah, Cervitou is a great teacher. In just these few past months, he taught me the basics of the Elemental, Healing, and Spirit magic. And I'm also good at Magical Theory, plus, my Enhancement and Conjuration is at least twice as good as before."

Is Cervitou really this good at teaching? "Amazing."

"Anyway, think Galiel will come back?"

"Didn't Cervitou kill him?" you bleat.

"It doesn't work like that. Cervitou only killed his body. Exorcisms, or destroying a demon's material form does nothing to his soul. He'll just go back to the Nether and heal back up in a few weeks, then he'll be as strong as he was now. To destroy a demon, you need the correct purification ritual, or a weapon enchanted with said ritual. It will burn their soul and destroy them permanently."

"I see," you nod.

Suddenly, your tummy starts making sounds. You're still hungry and you want to finish dinner, but you doubt any of the staff is still in the mansion.

"You're hungry?" Tavish asks, surprised.

"Of course! He interrupted dinner, and since the staff is gone, I can't do much. I'm going to die like this."

"D-die? Do they starve you in here?!" Tavish jumps back, even more surprised.

"No!"

...

"So, you like to eat, huh?"

You blush in embarrassment, staring at him with an irritated look. "Y... .... ...no..."

Tavish stares blankly.

"Yes..." you admit to being a glutton, shamefully.

"I can cook something for you if you want."

"Pfft. You?" you fold your arms. "What would you know about cooking?"

"Apparently more than you, since you're complaining about starvation ten minutes after you had dinner and you're not capable of taking care of that yours––––" Tavish drops a truth-bomb, but you stop him.

"OKAY, Fine!"

Tavish sighs. "I'll get to it."

He leaves you alone in the corridor, going down the stairs, probably in the direction of the dining room which is connected to the kitchen.

Well. This was an... exciting... day. A lot happened today. First, you did some cardio training, then you had breakfast, then you did some weightlifting, sparring, and strategy training, then you had dinner, and then a Duke of Hell stormed your mansion.

You should find yourself something to do. You definitely can't train in these conditions. You should probably take the rest of the day off.

(Choose up to 3.)

[] Check up on your mother.
[] Check up on Ria.
[] Bother Cervitou.
[] Bother Tavish.
[] Go and try to find the staff. Where did they escape? You should tell them it's okay to go back in.
[] Write a letter to father and Roland to tell them of what happened. They should be informed without further ado.

Mana: 194/200
Calendar: 1005-10-16
Time: Afternoon

 

[Birdsie]

After you are done discussing the terms of Tavish's cooking and he walks away, you go back in and spend a few minutes with your mother. She seems to slowly be returning to consciousness thanks to the healing. You explain to her what happened after she blacked out. Your mother is relieved to know that you're safe, but she needs more time to rest. With that, you left her in the room and told her you'd take things from here, at least for now, that is. As to not bother Leona anymore, you decide to find the staff on your own.

You saddle up and look around the edges of the forest, but you find no one, so you drive in the direction of Megafni and find the staff roughly two-hundred meters on the road, standing and waiting. You round everyone together and you all return back to the mansion. You also let the cooks know that the boy is allowed in the kitchen.

And then, the noble drake that helped you and Cervitou save the day. Ria seems rather unbothered by the fact that the mansion almost burned, but she's a good girl. The two of you spend some time playing together, and then, you decide to go to check on Cervitou. He said not to bother him, but he's already been meditating for the past fifteen minutes and you can't help your curiosity.

"So, how did you know we were in danger?" you slowly walk out from the main hall, into the grand foyer, where Cervitou is meditating. His back is turned to you.

"I have spirits constantly surveying the mansion grounds for security. One of them saw the staff running away and asked tham what happened. Are you positive you won't tell your mother?"

The sentence he just said... is confusing to you. "Urm..."

"Don't tell your mother," he grossly simplifies.

"Oh, sure!" you tap your chin and nod.

"My soul is withering," Cervitou catches you off-guard, speaking off-topic.

"What?"

"My soul. It's withering," he repeats sternly. "My soul has reached the state of decay in which I can feel it, even through my nerves. My calculations were... out-and-out wrong."

"I don't get it, where's the punchline?" you ask, not believing he would be doing anything else than joking.

"I thought it'd happen in a few decades, but at this rate... if I wear my mana out so much, my soul won't make up for it. Just like a fatigued man being forced to run further. He'll just fall unconscious and his health will deteriorate. And even if temporarily, that doesn't change the fact that he is already plagued by many other, dangerous conditions. I have fifteen years at best if I don't use much magic."

You realize.

You come to a realization of what Cervitou is going through. A soul is the most important part of a being. He said so himself. Without it, there is nothing. Once you die, without a soul, your mind will fade away. The sparks in your brain won't be able to turn spiritual and enter your soul to form a spirit. There is no afterlife for Cervitou once he dies. Only... nothingness.

This is depressing.

"Can't you find someone to fix your soul for you?"

"I've prayed day and night. If the Gods are blind to my penitence, they can all go to Hell," he states harshly, not once looking at you. "More than that –––– I've summoned angels. I spoke with deities in person. They all refused because they refuse to save a soul that shamed itself with taint. And still, I pray. But each day... my hope grows weaker."

You stare, speechless. If you were Cervitou, you'd unleash a campaign against the worship of Gods. But he? He not only takes the beating but instead of fighting back, he turns the other cheek and begs for it to stop.

"This isn't right," you protest angrily.

"Life isn't right," he snarks back.

Cervitou stares forward for a few moments. Then, absently, he starts, on yet another, closely related topic. "You know. I've been thinking."

"Hm?"

"If my soul is going to extinguish, why let it go to waste?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think of that boy? Tavish."

"He irritates me sometimes, but he seems like a good person," you state the truth.

"I've been thinking about giving him my soul."

"What?!" You walk up to Cervitou, like a tempest of bewilderment. "That's insane."

"I don't see why not. My time is over. And that boy is talented. If I give him my knowledge, and my soul, he might even surpass me one day."

"But..." you clench your fist, searching for an argument against this. "Didn't you say eating souls is evil?"

"This doesn't count. I willingly give away my rejected existence. Neither will it taint Tavish, nor will it damn him, nor will it harm him. It's a good way to utilize my soul. In a way, I'll still be alive, just inside of that youth."

You're baffled by this choice, but you can understand why he'd do it. It does make a difference, after all. At least for Tavish, not for Cervitou himself. "I get it," you sigh sadly and sit next to Cervitou.

"Would you prefer to have my soul?"

"Heck no," you snap dryly. "My surname is enough of a weight on my shoulders. The thought of carrying you as well is depressing."

"I see," Cervitou springs up and stands. "I've enough mana now."

Cervitou reaches out with his hands, then begins moving them accordingly. As he does, the subjective time of particular objects rewinds backward. A very basic time spell that reverses the history of items. Think of it as your web browser history; Cervitou is merely putting it back to the last point the rubble was in – when it was all in a state of repair. After he makes the repairs, Cervitou casts another spell to get rid of the ash left over from the fire spreading across the place, then he gathers all of the demon blood spilled in one point, in the middle of the foyer, and makes it into a huge ball. He floats the ball to the window, transmutes it into water, then throws it outside.

After that, Tavish drags you off for the late dinner and Cervitou leaves the mansion, this time, on foot. What Tavish cooked is a meal completely foreign and unknown to you. It was some kind of soup with mushrooms, pieces of bread, and vegetables. Despite that, it tastes really good. Once you are sated, you thank him for the meal. Tavish leaves off after Cervitou, hoping to complete his lessons for today, as it appears. After that, you decide to do some push-ups and take the day off. You'll begin your new training graphic from tomorrow onward, speaking of which.

[] Physical training. (Raises physical parameters.)
-[] Focus on strength.
-[] Focus on stamina.
-[] Focus on agility.
[] Melee combat.
-[] Swords.
-[] Spears.
-[] Order new weapon training for yourself. (Write-in.)
[] Ranged combat.
-[] Crossbow, including Auto-Crossbows.
-[] Bows, including Magi-Bows.
-[] Flintlocks.
[] Animal Ken.
-[] Taming.
-[] Riding.
-[] Animal Lore.
-[] Magical Beast Lore.
[] Strategy & Tactics.
-[] Theoretical Warfare.
[] Magic.
-[] Countermeasures.
-[] Magical Theory. (ie: how leylines work, the alignments of spiritual realms, why mana exists, etc.)
-[] Practical Thaumaturgy.
--[] Any specific school or desired type? (Golem-Crafting, Hermetic magic, Rituals, Alchemy, Transmutation, Mind Magic, etc.)
-[] Search for excerpts from the Codex Gigas and study them. This will take you down a dark path... black magic, so to speak, but you didn't hear that from me.
[] Diplomacy.
[] Logistics and management.
-[] How to run a mansion, maintain servants, and organize affairs.
-[] General logistics and management.
[] Etiquette.
-[] General Etiquette.
[] Art, including painting, dancing, and singing.
[] Write-in.

What is your policy on the war?

[] Stay at home.
[] Go to war only if Leona heals.
[] Go alone.

Calendar: 1005-10-16

 

[Birdsie]

Alas, you trained.

Lifting weights and running. Clashing enhanced swords with Tavish. Clashing enhanced swords with the local knights. Learning the mysteries of the arcane with Cervitou as your teacher, and studying nature and ice magic while practicing it in open combat as to test its usefulness.

After numerous sessions of healing magic, your mother healed just in time for your birthday, and it was time to set off. You took the gift from Cervitou with you and prepared.

As you drove by Megafni, people waved at you and cheered your name. You, a girl of age fourteen, was about to become a war-hero. Followed by an army of mercenaries hired by your mother. The thought that this is a war was constantly on your mind.

***​

You are sitting on Dullahan. Just a few hours ago, you passed through the capital city of Albion: Lanerfield. To your right, and slightly forward, is your mother, leading the group of soldiers onward. Behind you, follows a long cohort of swordsmen and armored knights, creating the quiet thud sounds of metal against the ground. Behind them are spearmen with shields and a few archers and crossbowmen. And further behind them are mages and the cavalry. Because your mother hired mercenaries to fight for her, rather than raising a professional army, the men had various, personalized armaments. The mages had different staves and robes, the soldiers had different sets of armor and melee weapons, and some archers had magi-bows, while others were stuck with the normal thing.

"We'll be passing through Baragar's End soon," Leona exclaimed. The soldier behind her nodded and passed it onto those behind him, only for them to pass it on further, and further, like a slow wave of vibrating information. You look at your mother.

"What's Baragar's End?" you query curiously.

"A huge necropolis," one of the soldiers marching next to you replied with a grin. "Baragar ordered its construction and paid for it. All those who fought side-by-side with him and his children are allowed to rest eternally there should they choose so. That includes us, so I guess if I get hit by an arrow, I'll be sleeping nearby."

"What he said," Leona confirmed.

"Why didn't you tell me this place existed?"

"You were never interested in places of history, like museums. Only heroic tales of our ancestors. So I only told you the heroic tales of our ancestors," Leona explained with a slender smirk.

"Do you often visit here?"

"Only when I pass by," Leona answered. "Just to pray for those departed and move on."

"Will we be making a stop?"

"Of course."

You're rather curious what the place looks like. A graveyard funded by Baragar. It's got to be at least a few hundred years old. That means it's probably huge and takes up an absolute heck of space. Your family, even though it might not look like it to an outsider, has access to plentiful of resources and influence over the country. It's just that no one in the family thus far has bothered to use them for their own, selfish benefit. Because all your ancestors carry the weight of their surname, they could never afford to do so. And with each generation, this weight becomes even bigger. And so, the amount of selfish benefit they can allow themselves for is even smaller.

Baragar truly left behind a legacy, didn't he?

Soon, you arrive at the location.

The forest road branches off forward and to the right. You turn right, only to find the road to quickly turn into a road of stone and bricks. You travel a hundred meters, then you find yourself in a huge clearing, away from the forest trees. Snow covers the small hills and elevations, and among them, is a huge construction.

A humongous, giant building. Made out of stone, in the style of a gothic church. With numerous fractal windows, a pair of iron golem guardians at least four meters high in the entrance, and gates that could fit a titan in them. As you drive forward, the gates open and the army enters. Well, at least it's warm in here, so you can take off this bothersome coat of yours... that's much, much better. You don't like being hindered in movement by too much clothing, even if it's there to protect you from the harsh cold.

The place, indeed looks similar to a cathedral on the inside, with numerous corridors and stairwells leading either downward, or upward to higher floors. The fact they call this place a graveyard troubles you. It makes you question the nature of the place.

"This is a... necropolis?"

"Yes. This is a true paradise for a necromancer," Leona says. "A crypt full of the bodies of ancient heroes. Flooded with them, still in their armor, and with their weapons and still prepared to, perhaps arise one day. The golem guardians undergo maintenance every month, though, so there shouldn't be any vile black mages in here."

"Is Baragar's body here?"

"Yes. There are numerous levels above and under the ground in here. The higher one is buried, the more direct their relationship with our ancestors was. Baragars rest in the highest tower with Baragar himself at the very top. Do you want to go there?" Leona asks.

"I'll be up there one day anyway," you jest. "Let me think about it."

[] Sure. Getting to see your ancestors will not hurt. You might just be lying next to them in a few weeks, considering this is a war.
[] I'd rather stay here and talk with the soldiers. Grim things like these give me the hibbie-jibbies.

Time: Noon
Calendar: 1006-01-16

 

[Birdsie]

"Sure," you answer Leona. You take a torch from one of the soldiers, and so does she.

Your mother nods. The two of you get off of your horses and proceed to the furthermost eastern part of the large chamber, where Leona leads you up a round stairway. You climb numerous floors, then you reach the very end of the staircase, but not the tower yet. You have a bizarre feeling. A fear that someone or something is watching you in here. The place has very little light anywhere, with the most coming in from very small, occasional windows or magical lamps that barely generate enough light to show you an outline of the path.

"We are in the inner sanctum. From here, we get to the tower."

"Why is this place... so..."

"Complex? It was built like a maze to make it even harder for grave robbers. It has plenty of traps too, but they won't activate as long as we're here," Leona explains, leading you through a poorly-lightened hall and toward another set of stairs. You go up, to the floor, above.

CRACK!

Leona and you turn around. The both of you heard a sound behind the two of you. Leona shrugs and continues back upstairs, but you stay for a moment, staring at the darkness in fear. Once you realize it is staring back at you, you proceed after your mother.

The two of you stumble on a weird, crypt wall with several inscriptions and runes on it. Leona brushes some dust off of it with her hand. "Weird. This door should be open unless someone reactivated the riddle," she exclaims, completely clueless.

Leona starts pushing blocks of runes on the wall from one place to another, slowly solving the puzzle. As she does, you turn back with your torch and look around. You... holy shit. There's an actual silhouette in the darkness. Your jaw drops.

"Mom..." you whisper in horror.

"Not now, I'm busy," she replies.

"Mom," you call again, more firmly.

Leona doesn't reply. The figure in the darkness approaches closer.

"MOM!" you yell this time, very loudly and sounding with concern.

"WHAT?!" she turns to you angrily, then looks back at the figure and her jaw drops as well, in a mixture of sudden surprise and fear. Just as she's about to draw her sword...

The skeleton looks at you with a smile.

Suddenly, he raises his finger toward the sky and poses. From it flows a lightning of pure glamour energy. Whatever you are looking at is beyond human.

Spoiler

"Buenos dias, senoritas," the skeleton welcomes you in Espanian.

Both you, and Leona scream, overtaken by sudden fear.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-what?! W-w-w-w-what is that thing?!" you ask, squirming against the wall.

"I have no idea!" Leona replies, equally shocked as you. This thing is not mundane. For some reason, you can't help but yell in fear.

"Lo siento?" the skeleton asks, bewildered at your yelling. Chills of pure fear run down your back as the skeleton speaks.

"S-s-s-s-speak in common, y-y-y-you f-f-freak!"

"Por favor, habla mas despacio?"

"I said... speak in common!" you kick the skeleton in the leg. To your surprise, this damages him.

The skeleton in front of you falls onto the floor, each bone separated from the other. He falls apart, but he appears to still live. His angered head looks at you. "Por que?!..." he asks in Espanian, then stops for a moment. His face brightens with reveleation, as he understands you are not Espanian.

"Wait..." he says, suddenly, prompting you to feel less afraid. "You are Albionian! My apologies, senoritas. I did not mean to startle you."

"What... the hell are you?" Leona asks, returning to a calm, composed posture. She is, however, rather angry at the skeletal... warrior... in front of you. Probably because he snuck up on the two of you without a word, which definitely isn't the best idea. He's lucky that both of you somehow failed the fear check.

The skeleton's hands move across the floor. The joints of his body reconnect, forming itself back together. Soon, the skeleton's headless body stands up. It picks up the head, then firmly attaches it back to the spine's end. The skeleton looks at you. "I am Frederico de Caballerio, but most call me Senor Fred."

Senor Fred takes your mom's hand, then, somehow, kisses it despite the fact that his head is a skull.

"What."

Leona's 'what' wasn't a question. It was a statement. It was as if 'what' is the only word that can be used to actually describe Senor Fred.

"Wait..." she exclaims in sudden realization. "Frederico de Caballerio? That can't be."

"Why, yes, it is me, in the flesh!" the skeleton states, ironically.

"Who is Frederico de Caballerio?" you ask, turning to Leona.

"He was an Espanian hero, who often worked together with Baragar. They say that Senor Fred was the Elder God's favorite being in the universe at one point, so he obtained incredible powers above even Gods. But... he died."

"Died?!" Senor Fred asks, bewildered. "Senorita, please! I've never felt more alive! I am standing here, before you. That by itself is a testament to my justice! Death shall never fall upon me! If anything, it is an inconvenience at most!"

So, he doesn't even know he's dead. Or rather, he doesn't acknowledge the fact that he is undead which means he kicked the bucket in the past. That's quite the level of egocentricity. Senor Fred smirks, then takes out a Hello Kitty™ Hair Brush in his hand. With several, swift movements of the wrist, he repairs his drill-shaped, blue hair back to how it was.

"What is that thing?" you ask, curious.

"An artifact from another universe, Senorita."

"I'm out," you take your torch and go back downstairs while Leona and Senor Fred stare at you.

Senor Fred smiles at the camera brightly.

***​

You return downstairs to the mercenaries. You converse with them for a few minutes about what you and Leona found up in the Inner Sanctum. Not one of them believes you, until Senor Fred comes down and reveals himself to the mercenary army. They take him for an enemy at first and each and every single one of them is terrified, standing in place. Senor Fred immobilized your army with his presence alone.

"Senorita, I must thank you," Senor Fred approaches you. "I have been stumbling in this grim dungeon for the last five decades, until you finally led me outside."

Seriously? Is this place so complex he couldn't find a way out for fifty years? That's just ridiculous. You refuse to believe that. Regardless, because it'd be best not to tell him the truth, you decide to just act humble about it. With a sigh, you say, "Sure. No problem."

Senor Fred chuckles.

"So, how did you die?" You interrupt his laughter.

"Die?" he asks.

"Yeah, you're a skeleton."

Senor Fred looks at his hands. His eyes narrow paradoxically. How a skeleton can have facial expressions is beyond you. He stares like that, then clenches his fists and looks back up at you. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ask Senor Fred some questions. (Up to three.)

[] How strong are you in a fight?
[] What was Baragar like?
[] Tell me about yourself.
[] Why is your sword... bent?
[] What's with the hair?
[] Write-in.

***​

After your short conversation with Senor Fred, you...

[] Return upstairs, to Leona, to see if she solved the puzzle yet. Perhaps you can help her?
[] Spar with Senor Fred, to test his mettle.
[] Tell Senor Fred the story about you killing Pyndwyn, then ask him for some equally interesting story.
[] Write-in.

Time: Afternoon
Calendar: 1006-01-16