Shadowbane

"I completely forgot to ask till now, but who was the assassin that owned this armor? I found her headless in the home across from Godwin's tent. Was she there to kill you?"

{Tengu... His 'spawn' is unique. He turns humans into spawn. We just call them worshipers or cultists though, since that's basically what they are. Why they are so powerful or so well equipped is also because of the Tengu, somehow he has his own supply of artifacts. Also, the Tengu only creates worshipers from those whose mind is on the verge of breaking. Those who lost the most important thing in the world to them, those kinds of people.}

He sounds more like a Demon than an Eldritch then.

Aresa continued. {We didn't know who she was after, since Jasper located her with his ability beforehand, which allowed Hera to chop her head off without the girl being able to defend herself. Although, it's kind of obvious why she was there after Janet kidnapped me, right?}

"Hmm, you guys did tell me that she had lost her entire family, and it was clear to me that she was on the verge of a mental breakdown."

{Yep. Like I said before, the Tengu targets those who are... Unwell.}

"What is this 'Tengu'?" Ishar asked.

{The plague of Urza. He won't die, nor leave me or the Kitsune alone. This was the first time I left my chateau in many years, and he immediately sent one of his Lords to capture me. I'm so sick and tired of having to deal with him...}

"That leads me to yet another question I forgot to ask. How the hell did Janet hide her bombs beneath your tent? The mana signature those things gave off is insane. When I tried throwing one down into a hole above that Nisha girl, I saw both the spider Eldritch and the Satyr turn to look at me for a second because of how threatening an aura the bombs were giving off. There's no way in hell she hid dozens of those right under your feet and nobody noticed..."

{I'm... Not sure? Maybe she unlocked an upgrade to the bombs which hides them or puts them in stasis. Do you only take the base level of abilities, or also all the upgrades as well?}

"Right... That could be it, any upgrades I get are completely random after all. Either that or the assassin is the one who hid them. Yet another soul I forgot to eat. If I had done that, I would know what her ability is if she had one. Unless she used magic, in that case we'll never know."

"Eat her soul...?" The orange-haired girl mumbled.

{I'm surprised you forgot, isn't it important for you? That body is... Not exactly alive in a general sense.}

"It's complicated. Technically I only need souls for mana and to increase my strength, but if I am unable to eat regular food, I end up burning through my cores power, which begins to drain my strength to keep me alive. I was dangerously close to that during the end of the Satyr battle... Honestly, I'm so out of form right now, it's starting to really annoy me. In Xelba I had to let most of the humans we 'killed' go, so I've been conditioned to ignore anything I kill, leaving the soul for the creature back in Xelba. Hell I even forgot to eat that werewolf, I can't keep doing this..."

{It feels weird encouraging you on this, but I'm sure you'll get used to eating people again... Ugh.}

I laughed. "You can help. Put my next victim in a full-nelson for me, try to keep him still while I remove him from the cycle of life."

{No thanks... Oh, it's been awhile since we ate, want something right now?}

"I'm fine, I stole a bunch of burgers before hunting down that werewolf. I won't need food for at least another week."

"Well I would love some food. What you got?" Ishar said.

"Um, me too please. Besides new clothes, I also forgot to eat after leaving my ceremony." The girl said.

"Your ceremony huh... It looks like he couldn't wait to get that dress off of you. Also, what is your name?"

"Alicia, and nobody ripped the dress up. I've just been wearing it off and on for... Awhile."

I don't even know where to start with that, so I'm just gonna ignore it. I got enough to deal with as it is.

Aresa reaches behind our seats, opening a compartment filled with chilled sandwiches and cookies.

"Dear god, you even have cookies... I changed my mind, I'll have a few of those, then I'm gonna shut down for a few days."

"Keh, awfully complacent aren't you? Not worried something might happen?" Ishar replied.

"Don't worry, I'm sure our overconfident Crotia will protect everyone."

Ishar was readying another reply when a towel filled with sandwiches and cookies was dropped on his lap. He rightly chose to focus on the food instead.

After scarfing down a few cookies, I brought my legs up onto the seat, crossing both my legs and arms.

"Alright, I'm out. Wake me up when you plan on... Wait, this is the opposite of what I was doing before. Is it really okay for me to not be on lookout?"

{It's okay, no monsters below a certain level of strength will approach my wagon. When we pull over to let the Grakka's sleep, I'd like you to go back to being on the lookout.}

"Okay, that works for me then." I said.

Closing my eyes, I reach deep into my core, telling it to shut off. My body enters a form of stasis immediately.

About two weeks later Viseux is finally in view. It was almost a week ago when the black clouds ended, allowing the sun to illuminate the land finally. Thanks to this, the other three are in much higher spirits.

"I forgot how much living beings depend on the sun. It was amazing seeing how happy you three became the second you saw the world being lit up again."

"Shit, you're the weird one here girl. I could never survive in a cold dark world like that. I asked Terra'ka to keep me relegated to the parts of Urza that the sun reaches, and he agreed thank god. Anything dark will be passed to the rookie here."

"Thanks Ishar, I really appreciate it..." Alicia said.

Aresa holds her board up to me. {You hate the sun?}

"Hate... No, I'm just not good with the light. The suns light hurts me a little but I can handle it. After all, even I like a bright sunny day every now and then. No denying I vastly prefer bad weather though."

Putting my aura up on a bright day like this hurts a hell of a lot more, but I'd rather these two don't know that. The Lizardmen aren't my enemy, however... They may be one day. I realized on the way here that if they decided to colonize the Elven continent then I would be doing the same thing the Ifrit Legion is doing right now. Even if everything the Lizards say is true, and I really do believe them, there's still this feeling of absolute revulsion at the idea of someone else showing up and taking your home from you, regardless of their intentions.

Not that I would even need to do that. The people of Urza have a hell of a fight ahead of them, but if it were the Elves being invaded? One of their spider mechs could probably devastate the Lizardmen's initial invading force all by itself.

... It really makes me wonder if Viktor went back to Aetheria. He hated other Elves, the sight of my ears annoyed him for years, but he got used to them over time. He's way too smart to think he could take them on though, not without major preparations. Even so, he wasn't exactly hiding his desire to kill the Elven Eldritch 'and all of his pets' as he would put it. Yet another reason I need to go home.

For awhile now we've been riding in the middle of the street with other wagons as we pass by people walking to Viseux, but as we neared the gate, the wagon went off to the side towards a much smaller gate.

"I should've known you'd get special treatment. Do only the nobles get to use that door?"

{... Yes. Please don't lump me in with those people though. I hate what they've turned my city into.}

A man in the same white ceremonial armor I saw outside of Godwin's tent runs up to the wagon, knocking on the window immediately.

Aresa sighs, reaching out to open the window.

"Lady Aresa! You have no idea of how relieved Lord Rai'ga is going to be upon hearing you have returned. Why didn't you tell him you were leaving? We would have prepared a much larger escort for you."

{And that's exactly why I didn't tell you. Now please have your men stand aside, I want to go home and rest. It's been a long couple of months.}

"Of course! We will inform Lord Rai'ga of your return in the meantime. Please do not fret, you know he won't call for you. Still... It's best if you visit him at least once. It's been many years and he misses you dearly."

{I promise I'll visit him soon.}

The knight smiles and nods, waving at his men to open the small side-gate.

As we move through the gate I look at Aresa. "Lord Rai'ga, I've heard that name before... Wasn't that the Eldritch who built a city near the south-western portal? Xelba gave up on attacking that region because he always saw us coming when we tried before."

{He owns Viseux now. Made himself nice and comfortable after the Eldritch who built this city died...}

"Hmm, I can't remember who created this place. Actually... I think it's the first time I was told an Eldritch had built Viseux."

{You wouldn't know them. They're dead and gone, old history now. I'll tell you another time if you're curious though.}

Looking out the window as the wagon rolls through town, I'm shocked at how beautiful the city is. The sides of each street are lined with tall stone homes that were obviously designed with a high degree of aesthetics in mind.

"Oh wow, this place looks like old images I'd find from my homeland. We used to have old Victorian homes just like these! Honestly, I thought you'd all be living in huts. Seeing a city like this gives me hope for this place." Alicia said.

"So Victorian was the name... How did you know that? Are you from Aetheria?"

"Hmm? Did I not say that yet? Maybe I didn't... Anyways yes, I lived in Termia, the largest nation in the south. The best nation on Aetheria as far as I'm concerned. I'll never understand why half my friends went to that frozen wasteland you call home, just so a bunch of vile robots could rip them apart."

{Why didn't you say you were from the Elven planet! Rei was too young the last time she was there, so she only has random knowledge about things.}

"So it's all the same then? Elves are still a bunch of ruin divers fighting machines?"

"You really have been gone awhile if you're asking such a basic question... Yes, everything is mostly the same. Recently though, the far western town went completely dark. I only saw it in passing on the news while I was preparing my apartment to warp here. Basically the news was saying that the city of Rykers went silent, nobody can contact them at all. There is around thirty-thousand people there that are now presumed dead." Alicia looked at Aresa. "I'll be more than happy to tell you about my home later on after we clean up."

"Western town...? There were no 'western towns' the last time I was home. All of Elven civilization was centered at the bottom-right corner of the continent."

"Whoa, being gone 'awhile' is an understatement if your knowledge goes that far back. Your nation has slowly been building massive fortress cities out west along the coast. This is the first time one has gone 'missing' though, so something major must be going down."

"What are 'machines', or 'robots'?" Ishar asked.

"They're uh... Metallic monsters, created by... Well, nobody knows actually. People? Aliens? Other machines?" Alicia replied.

"... Strange."

I guess that's all he can say on the matter. The whole concept has to be alien to him if he's from Urza.

"Oh right, if you're a Crotia, you must originally be from Urza."

"Close, but no. I was born soon after my people were exiled. Although I still have quite a lot of knowledge about Urza thanks to my elders never shutting up about it. You can imagine how they felt after being forced to choose between extermination and exile. Personally, I don't have any feelings on the matter one way or the other. This is just another corrupted moon Terra'ka is trying to colonize as far as I'm concerned."

Well at least he's honest about the colonize part.

After a little while longer, we pulled up to a rather large building atop a hill. There is a large gate out front, with a wrought-iron fence circling the building about fifty meters away.

"Wow, this is where you live? Look at that gazebo... Everything here is amazing!" Alicia said.

"It feels a little strange here... Something is off, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is."

{It should feel odd. You're inside my domain now after all.}

Me, Ishar, and Alicia all looked at each other.

Domain? I could understand if she said realm, some people are powerful enough to extend their soul realm into the real world. Domain though...? Only one kind of being uses that word. Should I ask her? It might have been a slip of the tongue... Looking at the other two, they seem intent on pretending they didn't hear it, so I might as well follow suit.

After the wagon stops, Aresa opens the door, exiting the wagon. The rest of us follow out after her, with me making sure I go before Alicia this time. On the outside, the driver bows to Aresa, disappearing shortly after.

"What...?" Ishar said.

{The attendants are created through my chateau. After the other one delivers Keith's group to the prison, it'll return here where it will also evaporate into its real form.}

"She came across as a childish teenage noble to me... But now I'm starting to wonder if I'm dealing with something else entirely." Alicia whispered to me.

I also thought the same after our conversations on the wagon, although there were a few odd parts sticking out here and there. Her seemingly infinite mana-pool is one such example. Meanwhile on the other side, looking that young despite her age is normal for hybrids so I paid it no mind.

The large doors open seemingly on their own as Aresa approaches them, while the three of us follow her inside the chateau.

Ishar was the first to speak. "What is this madness? How is the inside so much bigger than it appeared on the outside?"

I was also shocked seeing how big this place is on the inside. There are three stories all full of bookshelves on the outer half of the interior. In the center is a wide open area with a myriad of different couches, reclining chairs, beds, tables with chairs, and most surprising of all, a refrigerator. There are also magic crystals lit-up all over, basking everything in a beautiful golden light.

{Make yourself at home! The bathrooms are in the back, follow me. That includes you Rei.}

"What? Why me? I don't mind taking a soak, but it's unnecessary. You saw the grime come off of me when I slept."

"Yeah, we know... Thanks for that by the way." Alicia said.

When I turned my core off the first time, my body went to work cleaning itself, removing dirt and whatever else got stuck to me since the last time I rested with Hera weeks before. I can do it while I'm awake, but I don't always remember or care enough to. The problem is that it all slid off of me into the wagon, even Aresa was a little unhappy about that. The attendant had to clean it all up later on.

"Alright fine, I admit I'm a little interested in taking a bath again."

I haven't had one since before I attacked Xelba after all, and that feels like a completely different life at this point.

Aresa's attendants appear again, this time with one female in the mix. They begin walking in a straight line past the center area, leading us through a few bookshelves towards a large door-shaped opening in the wall. Once inside, the male attendants lead Ishar to the right, and the female took us to the left.

"Oh you have no idea of how bad I needed this..." Alicia said, clearly in awe.

The bath is as luxurious as I expected it to be, already filled up with hot water. As I near it, the artifact armor transforms into that of a small loose bracelet on my arm.

"Wow, I'm beyond jealous after seeing that."

"I do have an amazing body, thank you for noticing."

"You ass, that's not what I meant and you know it." Alicia smirked.

The two of them begin undressing as I walk into the pool.

It's a pool after all, not a bath. This thing is fucking huge.

Laying down under the water, I close my eyes and empty my mind, letting the silent shifting of water take over.

I'm glad she invited me, I really needed that. I don't know when they got out, but everyone is all dried off already, sitting around in the center of the room.

As I walk over to them Ishar yells out at me. "Bah, what the hell happened in there? We got out hours ago and have been waiting for you."

"Will you quit your bitching already? It's only been twenty minutes since the attendant told us it's time to meet up with the ambassador here." Alicia said, pointing to the large clock on the shelf nearby.

"Why'd you guys wait for me? This sounds like your problem, not mine."

"The hell? The lady here said you'd want to go."

Aresa nods. {I assumed you'd want to be there. Do you not?}

"Well now that I'm here I'll go. However, if you had left without me I'd have just relaxed and read a book."

Ishar throws his hands up into the air.

{Oh, maybe I don't know what you plan on doing here then? You can stay in my chateau as long as you want, I don't mind! I just felt like you had something you needed to do.}

"I do, it involves absorbing Eldritch. Since the forces here are going to be stretched thin, this is the perfect opportunity for me to invite myself into some Guardian groups. They apparently don't do anything with the souls, so it's perfect for me."

{That's good then, because soon they're going to need all the help they can get.}

Aresa stands up from the couch and begins walking towards the entrance. Leading to the three of us following behind her yet again.

After exiting the wagon, I immediately feel like like going back inside and turning my core off.

"... Please tell me we have business elsewhere?"

"No? This is the spot we are to meet them." Ishar said.

We're currently standing above a large open theater hall, where there is a commander giving a speech to hundreds of well-dressed soldiers standing at ease.

"Remember men, there is no such thing as a 'friendly invasion'. Outsiders are the enemy, period. No matter what pretty words they use, no matter what they offer you, always respond with one simple action. AND WHAT IS THAT ACTION?!"

"KILL THEM ALL!!"

"Heh....hehe...hahahaha...."

Aresa looked back at me.

{Rei...?}

Oh god, this is bringing back so many bad memories. I can see myself down there right now saluting Xelba's higher ups...

"CORRECT!! Now this is what I like to see... No pussies from the Guardian corps or Templars speaking of holding hands and fighting for a better tomorrow with a bunch of god damned invaders."

The men down below laugh.

"I wish this were a better time. I wish I could tell you men that on this day, your very own graduation day, you could go get some much needed rest before your nation needs you. However, there are barbarians at the gate, so I must ask you fine gentlemen to take up arms for your brothers and sisters this very moment. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?"

"NO SIR!! WE ARE HONORED SIR!!"

... Unreal, we were told almost the exact same thing at our graduation. It was called a knighting in Xelba though.

"Duty comes easy, honor comes later. Listen to your leaders, never compromise with the enemy, protect your home above all else, and honor will come to you. You'll know it when it's there. I look forward to the day you men turn from graduates, to honorable veterans like the men behind you."

The graduates turn around in one swift motion, saluting the veterans, before turning back around.

Honor... Duty... Again, like clockwork.

"What a beautiful time to be alive. The forces of Viseux truly are on another level, I couldn't be more proud..." The commander said.

Is it like this everywhere? A lot of the ruin divers were soldiers who went MIA. When you partake in ruin diving, no country is allowed to go after you anymore. I was a kid so those stories meant nothing to me, but now that I think of it from the mind of an adult who served a nation at one point, the whole situation back home is very suspicious. MIA soldiers from all over Aetheria, fighting ruthless deadly machines all in the hopes of making it rich... They deserted for that? I saw a video of a group of divers being assaulted by a machine once, I had nightmares for months. I was a kid but still, even as an adult I don't like to remember it.

"These primal Reptiles think they can come here and 'save us'. Let me ask all of you a question, and that includes the veterans in the back. DO WE NEED TO BE SAVED?!"

"NO SIR!!!"

Here it comes, the 'we're still here so that means we don't need help' speech.

"Damn right we don't! We've been fighting for this land long before those beasts showed up. We didn't need them then, and we sure as hell don't need them now." The commander said.

I wonder how many of them are like the me of old... I had just spent all of my childhood in a realm infested with monsters, all alone. I had slowly grown close to everyone there after training with the unit for a few years, finding myself smiling again for the first time in years. I was... Happy. Happy to be knighted with them, ready to serve with the others. While the men down there obviously don't share the same backstory with me, I'm sure they're all happy to be knighted into service for their nation.

"Khan Uluhm has always had a shaky relationship with us to say the least. None of that matters now. Soon we'll be making a joint attack on both the Lizards and the Demons. WE WILL SHOW THEM BOTH THAT THEY ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!! DO YOU AGREE SOLDIERS?!"

"YES SIR!!!"

I sighed. "They're going to help the Demons if this continues."

"You know that at a glance? Impressive, for a merchant." Ishar smirked.

"And you know exactly why I'm saying that. These idiots know nothing about Demons, that much is clear."

{How will they help the Demons?}

"Obviously I'm not doubting that the soldiers here want to attack the Demons too, but the Demons are on the other side of where the Lizards portal is. The Lizards will have to pull away from the Demons to protect themselves, otherwise they'll get pincered."

"Leaving Lord Terra'ka no choice but to relent on assaulting the Demons so he can defend against this worlds forces." Alicia added.

"The Lizards knew it would come to that the moment the portal opened behind them. Terra'ka closing his portal and opening another isn't an option, it doesn't work like that. So this world will just have to deal with the fallout of letting a bunch of Demons escape the portal while the Lizards defend themselves." Ishar said.

"Interesting opinion Crotia." A female knight in reddish black armor approaches us.

Aresa grimaces upon seeing the girl, holding her board up to me.

{This is Freya, she is one of the Ifrit Legion's platoon leaders}

"Opinion huh? Mind telling me where we went wrong, oh wise one?" Ishar said.

"Wrong? No, it was correct. However, your blatant pro-invader attitude is what sickens me. Not that it comes as much of a surprise from one of those very same invaders, who just so happens to be from the only race that was ever exiled from Urza."

{You don't know what it's like down there Freya! The whole bottom half of Urza is pitch black and freezing cold. The Lizards said Urza is now corrupted to a level that Eldritch and Demons can now open doorways here. Also, some strange faceless creatures are going to start popping up everywhere.}

"'The Lizards said'... Apologies Lady Aresa, but I do not believe anything these 'Lizards' say. Even if it were true, they are still planning to take control of our home, making us the guests here."

"Look, I already know it's pointless, but I'll try speaking on this once. Some of the Demons will use this opportunity to flee, escaping to other parts of Urza where they will become an absolute menace. It will all be thanks to this 'alliance' forcing the Lizards to retreat and defend themselves, giving the Demons a reprieve they must not be allowed to have."

"... I've heard of you, the one known as 'Reimia'. Unlike the fools in Viseux, we are actually required to read up on history. Urza matters to us after all. Because of this, I know quite a bit about your Xelba, at least what had leaked out from it. There are a few accounts of your actions as well, most of them bad, and a single good one. The Dwarves even worshiped you as a goddess before they died, but they were all mad by the end anyways."

That aligns with what I remember of Dwarves. They got their hands on a book that turned their culture into something else entirely in only one generation. Obsessed with dying in battle, always looking for a new enemy. I can't remember why, but Xelba became their number one target, despite the fact that Xelba was literally on the other side of the moon from their nation.

Freya sighed, "Anyways, you make a point that we had already figured out on our own. We're going to do our best to wrap around the area before hitting the Lizards, making sure we hit the Demons too. If some escape, then it can't be helped, we'll deal with them later. However, allowing either side to build up forces through the portal is not an option. We are hitting them both, and soon, end of story."

"So it's the usual response we receive upon our arrival. I'll say it now for posterity sake, you are going to lose." Ishar said.

Freya smirked. "Sadly for you, we have no intentions of losing."

"There is one part I don't understand, how are you planning on dealing with the Templars? A man named Markus told us that his old god is willing to work with us." Alicia asked.

"We do not have 'Templars' in Khan Uluhm. However, I have been told that the ones here in Viseux are on house arrest, pending a trial about conspiring to cause a coup." Freya replied.

{Freya, you... Are you going to kill Markus?}

"... If he stands against us, we will have no choice. That includes Godwin's family too, as I see they are not here. I can only assume they picked the wrong side."

For the first time yet, I saw what looked like pure anger appear on Aresa's face.

Freya looked at Aresa softly, "It can't be helped Lady Aresa, please understand... If they meet us on the field, we have no other options."

Aresa glared at Freya for what felt like ages, before turning her board towards us.

{I'm leaving. You coming with?}

The three of us nodded, following after Aresa as she stomps off towards her wagon. After we climbed inside, I called out to Ishar.

"Is that truly it for you? Just one quick meeting and that's that?"

"That's that indeed. Can't do anything else past this... For now anyway. Don't worry, I always end up relaxing for a while until the world we're invading can't keep up a protracted war anymore. They'll come to me with 'terms' that I'll tell them to shove up their asses. That will continue for a few months until they can't delay a peaceful resolution anymore, which leads to a temporary truce. That's only phase one, but you get the gist of it."

The wagon began moving again. None of us spoke the whole ride back to the chateau. Once we were inside, the silence remained, as Aresa had immediately grabbed a book and laid down on a couch, burying herself in it.

Ishar looked at us and shrugged. He then sat down on a recliner, pushing it all the way back as his wings expanded over the back. Closing his eyes shortly after, preparing to sleep.

Well... Guess I'll read a book too? Nothing else to do for now. Aresa said her attendants informed the Guardians Guild to send me a missive the next time they are sent out to take care of an Eldritch or Demon.

Looking through the same bookcase Aresa took her book from, I find something so familiar that I have a hard time believing it's real.

"Irvine C. Velrune..."

My Uncle's name. I know Aresa said she bought things from my family, I just didn't expect to see things that are literally made by them. This book is about all the pros and cons of every type of gun. I saw the cover as a kid, but obviously I had no interest in reading it.

Picking the book up, I take it over to a recliner, kicking it all the way back like Ishar has his.

Now then, let's see how good of a writer my Uncle is.

Eight days later, I finally get word that the Guardians are setting out soon.

"Good luck, hopefully we'll see you again." Alicia said.

"See you in forty-two years if I die."

Alicia raises an eyebrow at me before going back to her book.

I still got some time before the meeting, so I'm reading a newspaper right now which is making me laugh way more than it should.

"Hey Ishar, listen to this. 'The ten feet tall Lizardmen claim they are our saviors, but are they really? This seasoned writer knows otherwise. All signs point to the heartless cold-blooded Lizards bringing the Demons with them, hellbent on stopping our warm-blooded compassionate hearts, no matter who they need to ally with to see their vile ambitions come to pass'."

Ishar grabbed his stomach, laughing so hard he had trouble breathing.

"Isn't propaganda great?"

Ishar wiped a tear from his eye, "Fucking hell, I've never invaded a world that had such an easy means of spreading word to the masses. At first I found it impressive, but after reading a few of those 'newspapers', I'm starting to think that 'printing press' was one giant mistake."

{It's been great! I love all my books, but... Yeah, Viseux is only using it to control people.}

Aresa looks at me.

{By the way, what did the note say? An Eldritch hunt, or Demon?}

"They're not sure. They aren't even sure if there is only one or two."

"So in other words, they know nothing." Ishar said.

"Sure seems like it."

{Ah, the attendants told me it's time. They will take you there, um... Be safe, okay?}

"Don't worry, I'm very good at escaping when I need to."

"Shit, I don't doubt that." Ishar said, still relaxing in his chair.

Standing up from my chair, I begin walking towards the exit.

Honestly, I'm excited. I loved this little downtime, but I'm also dying to get stronger right now. Hopefully whatever is waiting for me isn't something I can't handle at my current level.