Stray Elf: Lost in the System

VIII.

The city fell quiet after the slaughtering ended. Those human soldiers who survived were released and kicked out the gates, to my surprise. I was expecting more bloodshed, but since my skill did not alert me of any Crowned enemies around I was not interested in trying to fight. The streets were mostly empty and since there were plenty of human captives to boss around, they were cleaned up in a matter of days. Two sections of the walls were destroyed by the tunnels and another by magic, since their cellars were unusually empty at the time of my duel. I mulled over the results of this battle. I survived through this with this extra time and all the delays, while the rest of the Tusks explored the city.

That Royal Guard’s presence puzzled me the most. If there was no other person in this city who was powerful to require such a warrior, why was he here? Did a VIP flee while no one was looking? This country was too easy to invade, with suffering around every corner caused by bloodthirsty demons. Where was the rest of his Guard? There was no reason for me to find out if it cost me money, so I waited for orders and patrolled the streets yet again.

The salt of the ocean waters powdered the winds, but I found myself drawn to the docks due to all the commotion happening over there while on break. Caspan was there, directing and overseeing cargo being loaded onto the warships there. I remember one of these, I think I was placed on one at some point prior to my amnesia. He greeted me with a nod, while examining the scrolls in his feathery hands. Beyond the seas and shipwrecks, the island of Perra loomed where presumably the Hatred navy was headed.

“Where are these headed?” I asked him. Caspan fluffed his neck and looked towards the gargantuan ship towering over us.

“The Hatred Army is going to advance towards the northern peninsula,” he plopped the scrolls in their wooden tube. Water sprayed the side of the boat and splashed us, which he appeared unbothered by. “To do more battle with Perra’s ships. That little fort over there is actually the final bastion where those humans are fleeing to, so they say.”

He scoffed. I squinted at the vague stony outline in the fog. That seemed like a good target for conquering this country. Blocking off Perra reinforcements from the sea was important, which meant we were most likely soon to follow while the Damned Army mucked about here. The Hatred Army seemed to enjoy murdering humans the most, followed by the Soul and Fair armies. The other legions of the Hells appeared to have little interest in the humans and the beast men, much to my surprise. The survivors were allowed to leave to that fort, but that put them at the mercy of the elements and getting caught up in other demon-human conflicts occurring in this country. The ones that stayed surprisingly were able to keep their houses, though if a Demon felt like it they could lose their lives easily.

The common humans were surprisingly malleable to Demon’s rule and they remained largely ignored, though the nobles were missing or killed already. I see them conducting business as usual, though in this age I had no idea what they did. Food was plentiful, and I did not care where it came from or how bad it tasted. Whenever I came by they scurried away like rats, though I assumed communicating with them might as well be just as futile. Yokgu left them alone, to my surprise. He was a man of odd principles, changing whether he destroys his captured victims or having honor and not pillaging them. An orc’s way, apparently, but I left him alone in that. During the night, not a soul was in sight due to the curfew imposed by the higher ups. I had no reason to be out either, so I holed up in an abandoned house at the edge of the city for the night.

The ground shook like it was struck by artillery, booming as something impossibly large stomped by, but I was unbothered. I preferred these quarters most of the time. It was not in my nature to be inside a city, let alone one as hopeless as this. I should be proud, right? I took down that beast man and allowed this carnage to happen. I did find myself looking towards the ocean again at those ships further out on voyages, where the destruction of the statue began. What was left of it was barely recognizable, and gave no sign of ever reaching towards the moons above again.

The stomping drew closer, and the foot of a massive demon lumbered by, shaking me off my bed. I had trouble sleeping on soft surfaces as is, you jerks! What a joke, I groaned. These improved stats kept my body from feeling the pain of thudding against the rocky floor I guessed. Whatever, I decided to step outside to watch the watchtower-sized demon make his nightly rounds. He was no doubt from the Hatred ritual circles carried out nights before my duel with the deceiver. His owner was nowhere to be seen.

There were no Moon falls happening tonight, but I felt calm when the world was not covered in an ugly colored aura. The wind cooled my breath into a fog as I looked around. I decided to experiment with my newly improved level. No one could see me, hopefully, though I did not care. There was a portion of a wall still left standing from the collapsed mines beneath it. It will make the perfect target to see how strong my newly promoted A-ranked STR could possibly be.

I doubted it mattered if it was destroyed or not during my tests and if anyone complained then I would destroy them too. The stones were still kept together for ages. I braced myself and assumed a fighting stance, then delivered a roundhouse barefooted kick to its surface. To my surprise, the wall toppled down like trees in an avalanche. Shit, I hopped back but cleared an entire city block with a simple jump. The whole city was definitely aware that something was wrong.

I made myself scarce, cloaked by the dust and noise as the familiar thumping of the ritual demon came running back. The witless brute’s glowing crimson eyes stopped me in my tracks. I realized the red glowing runes etched upon my skin was the reason why he tracked me so easily. As the smoke cleared, he stared at me with a confused look on his three eyes. The massive boulder sized marbles shifted back and forth. He was unsure if he should eat me or not. I was not in my usual armor, so my tunic and ragged leather pants must have confused him. I waved my hands in surrender.

“Easy, boy,” I told him, chuckling. He sniffed the air and me, but stood back up and resumed his patrol duty. What a foolish creature! I stifled a laugh as the thumps carried further away from me into the city. I slinked back into my squatter’s house and chose the floor to sleep on instead of the bed. With such strength, I was certain life would be a bit easier even if I had no time to upgrade luck and I could even survive this house falling on top of me. Strangely, the STR stat only applied if I put my mind to it. I could open doors just fine, but if I wanted to smash that wall I merely had to have the intent inside my head ready. Was this because the Unique Skill functioned this way? The ritual demon’s dumbfounded face made me chuckle and I decided to end the night with that thought.

Little did I know, it was the last bit of fun I would have for a while.

“How did things end up this way?” I muttered, my face twisting in disdain. A soft, wet hand covered in soap ran itself up and down my body. I was surrounded by succubi, though their inherent ability of mind alteration did nothing to me. I could not remember the last time I bathed. The succubus rubbing me took her sweet time, caressing any soft parts of me she could get her hands on. Or perhaps I was that disgusting. I felt like a dirty car getting washed in the front yard.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Silmil sighed. She was in the other bath barrel next to me, receiving equal treatment from other succubi. Their giggles annoyed me, but I felt the demon girl’s eyes scried up and down my body as if it was a scroll. Though she probably was reading the runes on it, written in the Infernal. I turned away from her, feeling suddenly self-conscious, but another hand clenched my buttocks while a third hand messed with my stomach. “You look…”

“Don’t look,” I groaned. It was bad enough already, lady! Silmil snickered as a slippery hand yanked at my hair, wringing out the mud and who knows what out from its strands. She yelped as her short hair went through the same thing. The succubi never uttered any words, merely carrying out their washing duties while making small gasps and giggles as they worked. I realized they were making progress, despite the piles of dirt gathering in heaps around the tub.

I was filthy, but all I was ordered to do earlier was head to this human place which was converted into some kind of beauty shop. I did not expect the ambush lying within.

After the initial hair pulling, another hand gently swayed my vision over towards another succubus holding several thin pieces of clothing. Dresses? No doubt ransacked from these humans. Silmil was given the same options, though they were smaller in size. Wait, I realized. The women surrounding us giggled even louder as they drew closer with the one my eyes first looked at. They were going to stuff me into one of those things! This occasion must be serious for a company gathering. I had a horrible, sinking feeling about this as they took measurements of my body.

My body felt unusually cold and light. I felt like I was naked and constricted in a thin fabric. I shivered. This must have been what Nanishtar feels like all the time. One of the demons brought a mirror before me and I gasped at the sight. Was this truly me? A blonde elf stood before me in the reflection, copying my movements. Silmil looked at me oddly, but said nothing. I must have spent a long time in the character creator menu, I sighed. Even my hair was longer than I thought after being stuffed in a helmet for so long. How come my Status skill did not have my body measurements listed within a window or something?

I was given a pair of ornate sandals that did not even match the pale gold dress on me and instructions to head to the Grand Hall at night, but I was not sure on how to walk from here across all the rubble in the city. Especially in a dress. Everything felt horribly loose, and moving around without a heap of junk attached to me was quite alien. The foreboding challenge ahead of me was on, something my Status skill could not help me with. Wind pushed the fabric up further, tightening how much I could move my legs yet warm air greeted me as I made my way towards the castle. Despite this, if anyone came near me with bad ideas, I think I could easily fight them even if I lost the dress in the process.

Yokgu was in there, awaiting us and the others. Ake was busy doing whatever Commanders do, but the orc looked at me oddly while we stood by. He, too, went through some ordeal and was stuffed in some kind of suit. I gave him a questioning look, but then he suddenly burst into laughter.

“You look ridiculous in that!” He pointed at my dress. “You don’t look nothin’ like a warrior, no one would know! Like a true proper lady!”

“Yeah, yeah,” I sighed. “Make fun of me all you want.”

Yokgu paused and studied me for another moment before his laughter turned to howling. When Silmil walked in, the orc wheezed and choked up at the sight of her as well. A familiar, yet colder presence walked in, making me shiver even more than I already felt in this dress. I could smell her lusty fragrance before she entered. Yokgu instantly shut his mouth as she approached.

“Yokgu, my dear,” Nanishtar’s lips spat venom from beneath her veil.

“Y-Yes, ma’am?” The orc straightened out instantly, while turning pale.

“Let us have a chat about etiquette, shall we?”

With that, she dragged him into the darkness past Caspan. The Birdman simply shrugged, though he was cleaned up and dressed as well. He always was the clean one out of all of us Tusks. The inside of the Hall was full of officials, hailing from several Legions. The air was full of celebratory chatter as things broke and humans cried out as they were slaughtered. Still, the night drew on slowly. I stuck to myself, eating whatever food I could get off the tables before they inevitably became soaked in blood. Company parties were so not my thing, but I assumed we were celebrating over the successful takeover of Sarwitz's Favored City.

The moons dipped over the ocean, revealing the faint shimmer of light from that fortress out faraway from this place. Humans were fleeing for their lives to that place, while we celebrated and plotted their deaths here. A sudden chorus of summoning horns resounded from the other side of the massive hall broke me out of my thoughts, and we were to assemble past all the rotten festivities.

As we marched along, I noticed there were many knights and Damned soldiers standing to the sides. To my surprise, Ake stood tall by others, who I presumed were also Commanders. They were welcoming us to stand before a host of Demon Fair Nobles and a massive crimson crystal summoned by magic. I gulped but noticed Yokgu had entered unusually quietly. He was sweating bullets from whatever Nanishtar did to him.

Vastil stood heads above the other knights, making me realize he was much higher in the chain of Command than I thought he was. Furthermore, and more terrifying, were the two Inquisitors matching his height. White Robes, dangerous enough to freeze a soldier at the mention of their organization. One wore a much more decorated robe, appearing to me as more important then his counterpart. The Knight cleared his throat and gave an order.

“Kneel.”

Immediately, all of us dropped to our knees, though I was secretly worried that the dress I wore revealed too much as I did. I checked my surroundings, and noticed the soldiers avoided eye contact with the front of the room so I dropped my vision to the blood soaked carpets. A magical rumbling resonated in the crystal and as it hummed every hair on my body rose in protest. Something, or someone, was watching us through that thing.

It said something, but my ears could not understand it. I felt blood leak from both of them and my nose, but I dared not look. Other cries of pain echoed through the hall. The speech it gave seemed like it lasted for a long time even though the presence only spoke one phrase. The blood from all of us pooled between me and the crimson crystal, with something rising out of it and eventually clattering on the floor. The White Robe next to Vastil somehow understood it and moved to speak. Though beneath that covering, I could feel his eyes upon me. Am I supposed to do something while I’m bleeding all over the place? I did not want to know the state of the others, but the demon spoke.

“The Ack’Sa has seen your deeds, Nameless,” he called for me. “Come before me.”

How many nerve wracking experiences do I have to go through this week? I nervously stood up and slowly approached the tall demon. As I knelt down, I saw something flash within his hands. It was the thing from the pool of blood! A sword! I frantically checked my Status alerts, but nothing showed up. Why is this stupid skill hiding in dangerous situations like this? I was too terrified to move or groan.

“Rise, Nameless,” the Inquisitor’s voice sounded like it was proud of me. “The Ack’Sa finds you worthy. Take this.”

I held my hands out flat, witnessing the tall demon place the blade upon my palms. It was ornamental, I assumed. The sword was as large as a claymore and just as imposing. Both the blade and the sheath were black as night, with a blood red crimson trim and runes dotting along the claymore’s razor edge. It was heavy, but with my Unique skill I could hold it with ease. The crowd roared in applause, while I stood there not knowing its significance, bleeding and embarrassed like I did not belong. The higher ups witnessing me hold the blade seemed impressed. Why? My eyes widened as my Status skill told me this was not just a decorative sword.

Notice: Legendary Item ‘The Black Blade’ acquired.

“All for the Champion of Moonwatch!” Vastil cheered. I was not sure what to do, so I stood there stupidly next to the massive crystal holding an evil blade in my hands. Could I stand out even more than I possibly could be right now? What a hellish disaster! A hand pulled me out of my stupor. Everyone had already gone back to partying, as if the intense crystal incident never happened. I strapped the blade to my back, feeling the sheath's tough texture poke into my skin. The scaled hand of Ake was patting me on the back. He was directing me to the two individuals I wanted to avoid the most.

Those who elected me Champion and carved these runes upon me in the first place! General Tulroz laughed as I noticed him, while I sensed something off in the confident smile of Knight Vastil. The Inquisitor who handed me the sword was also with them. I looked at Ake and sighed while he laughed. I had no choice but to see what they had to say. It was time to have drinks with my bosses.

Tulroz clapped as I approached.

“Ah, the Champion is here,” he praised me. “You’ve grown up so well, since I last saw you.”

There it was again! He must be referencing a time before I came to this world! Should I be truthful about it? Has being honest to a boss ever worked out in the underling’s favor? I decided against it, but simply opted for a better approach.

“It’s thanks to you, General,” I attempted to wring out information on my past. The General simply laughed. My gambit paid off, since it seemed he was going to reveal things about me so I don't look foolish asking about them.

“It’s been some time since I freed you from the Lands of Gold,” he went on. Heh, I could not help but let a small smile curve with the blood on my lips. “The Anheim Tree was no simple mission, Child of the Nameless. I’m sure you do not remember this, but I must extend my apologies unto you on their behalf.”

Their behalf? I kept my face neutral. I assumed there were more of these Children of the Nameless Goddess at the site he found me at. The Anheim Tree, I will keep that name inside my mind. It was the Inquisitor’s turn to speak next.

“The Ack’Sa has heard of your deeds, Child,” the Inquisitor told me. “The gnashing of teeth and cries for vengeance against you scream across the Hells. He is pleased, the Ack’Sa is pleased.”

A stone formed within the pit of my stomach as I realized the gravity of the Inquisitor’s harrowing words. It simply had not occurred to me that all of those I have slain, along with their souls, have been sent screaming all the way to the Hells. They all wanted me dead. The General laughed as the decorated Inquisitor walked piously away with the other White Robes.

“After Sarwitz, Tusk, where do you intend on going?” He asked me. I gave him more time to elaborate. “Shall you retire after the mission? Or perhaps, join the invasion of the Land of Gold and free your comrades, hmm?”

He chuckled and raised a hand to Vastil to follow. He hesitated for the first time I have ever seen him, and turned to me. General Tulroz raised an eyebrow, and I sensed something red in the knight’s cheeks. Was he flustered? I almost instinctively checked my own cheeks, just in case disgust marred them.

“P-Perhaps, Nameless, after Sarwitz is complete,” he stammered. Wait, he stammered? “You can come and live with me in my House. I could even give you a name!”

“A tempting offer, Sir Knight,” I bow, but I did not hide the coldness in my voice. I wanted to match Nanishtar’s tone, but perhaps I went overboard. “But I am a soldier at heart.”

Tulroz cracked up, while the Knight looked dejected.

“I see,” he turned. “I shall prove my House to you soon!”

Yet all I could hear was the General laughing. A shocking sweat overtook me as I stood alone finally realizing what I had done. I rejected my boss’s offer and survived the dangerous drunk performance review with the higher ups! Corporate life is terribly hard, I sighed. I think I deserved a level up from that encounter alone, but nothing happened. I wiped the blood off my face the best I could and slipped away in the night with as much food as possible back to my house. There was too much to think about, and daylight was quickly crawling upon us.