Early morning, in the Valerium Empire, in the capital city of Solun.
A handsome young man with a chiseled jaw and deep golden pupils sat behind a large embroidered mahogany desk, his crimson hair falling to his shoulders as he drank tea from a porcelain teacup engraved with an image of his face.
To the left of his desk, a large window overlooked the royal gardens, where men were currently trimming bushes and tending flowers. What a wonderful morning! He smiled and took another sip of tea.
Knock. Knock.
Alexius closed his eyes and enjoyed the taste of the tea before saying with a loud exhale, “Come in!”
An old man with long white hair that fell down his purple and gold robe entered and bowed.
“Good morning, my Prince,” he said.
“Oh, Chancellor Ovid. I hope that you are bringing me some good news this early in the morning,” Alexius said calmly.
“Actually, I have no news about our little mission. I do not doubt that the Captain will make his report once the mission is completed perfectly.” The old man spoke confidently.
“Alright then, I’ll hold you responsible for this. What did you need from me, then?” Alexius asked coldly.
“My Prince, the Beastkin Coalition has begun its plans for the raid on the Scourgefell Plains of the North. They will attempt to cleanse the lands and reclaim the Blade of Exodus. My lord, if they succeed, their next target will be the Empire and the Holy Isles,” the Chancellor explained.
Alexius frowned. “Who says that they will succeed? That damn land has been cursed ever since the last Crusade. Any living being is mutated by even stepping inside for a short while. Why do you think they will be able to cleanse it now?”
“Our spies have reported that a new faction has emerged on the other side of the continent beyond the World’s Spine. Lion-kin are led by someone named Leonidus, and it would seem that he possesses a Mythic-level Icon alongside an Archangel’s relic. The Beastkin Coalition has started working with his faction to finally put a stop to the constant threat of the Scourgeborn.” The Chancellor said in one breath, finally taking a large inhale once he finished.
“A Mythic Icon, you say? That would be a second one on this continent after Father. Send scouts and make sure to confirm this. I’ll make a report to Father. If it’s true, we must prevent them from cleansing the Scourgefell. It is the biggest barrier, alongside those damn mountains, separating our side of the continent from theirs. Go now, and make sure to report whatever you hear from the Captain,” Alexius ordered and waved the old man away.
“This is starting to get interesting. I might finally get rid of the old man...” he chuckled and stood up, leaving his office.
***
“Young master, come outside!” Lucian shouted suddenly, shaking Corvin awake, who had still been sleeping.
“What is it now?” Corvin moaned as he got up, rubbing his eyes and snapping his neck, which crackled like dry twigs.
He exited the large tent and squinted until his weary eyes adjusted to the morning sunlight. Then, as his vision cleared, he noticed Iris standing over Mina and Liara, who were currently kneeling with ropes binding their hands.
“What is going on?” Corvin asked as he approached.
“They tried to escape. It took me an hour to track them down and bring them back,” Iris complained.
“So what? Let them run. They signed the contract. If they try anything, they will burst into flames.” Corvin shrugged and yawned.
“It’s easy for you to say, but they are our comrades. We have been working, living, and fighting together for ten years now. I won’t allow them to throw all that away because of some ridiculous notion that one side is better than the other.” Iris said, her tone rising.
“What then? Will you chain them up so they don’t hurt themselves? Freedom is the ability to make choices for yourself, whether they are good or bad for you, but that’s freedom. Let them go,” Corvin said simply.
Iris sighed and unbound the two stubborn women. “Do what you will; just know that you are still my friends and members of our guild.” Iris sighed, defeated.
Mina stood up, dusting herself off. “Aren’t you wise for a demon...” She scoffed and grabbed Liara. “Let’s go. I’ve had enough of this insanity.”
She pulled, but Liara held her ground. “I think I’ll stay. He is right, you know. He is a monster, but he defended us with everything he had. I think that maybe we overreacted.” Liara muttered.
“Did he charm you as well? What is wrong with you all?!” Mina shouted and kicked dirt as she grabbed her staff and activated a skill that propelled her hundreds of meters to the north.
Iris hugged Liara, who squirmed awkwardly. “Thank you, Liara. I’m still me. I promise,” Iris whispered.
Liara nodded. “I can see that. Maybe I was wrong before.”
“I don’t buy it. What’s with the change of attitude so suddenly?” Lucian asked, amused as he licked his paw.
“I was thinking about everything that had happened and, well, I’d rather be on his side than on the Empire’s. At least he didn’t try to kill me multiple times.” She smiled innocently.
“Oh, I see. You like powerful men.” Lucian winked.
“Lucian, stop it!” Corvin massaged his forehead, annoyed. “If you are going to stay, then change your attitude. I don’t need constant negativity around me. I’ve had enough of that.”
“What about the mage bitch? She will die alone in the wilderness,” Corvin added with another sigh.
“It’s as you said. We cannot force her, but she did go in the opposite direction of any civilization.” Iris spoke quietly, worried.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. More people, more fucking problems.” Corvin cursed and sighed. “Tell Graves that I’ll be back in a few hours. Nera, Lucian, let’s go.”
Corvin grabbed Lucian as Nera exited the tent and followed him while he activated Sprint.
***
“Why are you doing this?” Lucian questioned.
“Frankly, I don’t even know. But they seem like a dysfunctional family and, well, I don’t want to be the reason for breaking that family into pieces. Let’s just observe her for a while; she cannot be stupid enough to think that a simple Mage can survive alone here.” Corvin shook his head as he followed behind her, his Enhanced Vision observing her from afar.
“Ooooh, look at me, I’m a mighty handsome man. But actually, I’m a demon and an angel and whatever else you want me to believe, and I’ll be taking over your guild. Fucking bullshit.” Mina shouted, kicking a rock, her robe revealing a simple blue dress underneath and a pair of pale, slim legs.
“I will not be buying whatever he is selling, no fucking way. I did not spend all these years in the fucking south to follow a crazy handsome man. And that Liara, bitch, to betray me like that. ‘Actually, I’m going to stay.’ Bitch.” She cursed as she used her staff to help her climb the rocky terrain.
“Are there no villages around here? Argh, my legs are not made for climbing!” She muttered and continued struggling up a small rocky incline.
** Skill Leveled Up: Enhanced Vision Lv. 6 **
** Skill Leveled Up: Enhanced Hearing Lv. 5 **
“She is weird. And a bit crazy.” Corvin muttered as he continued to follow her.
“What? You won’t comment on her obviously having a thing for you?” Lucian chuckled.
“She could be a good match. Weird and crazy. Just like your father.” Nera teased.
“Oy, you two bastards, no lunch for you today. Continue, and dinner is off the table as well!” Corvin growled. I’d never be with such a judgmental woman...
Rip.
Suddenly, further ahead, Mina stumbled and fell, ripping her robe around the knees.
“Oh, you must be fucking kidding me!” She muttered and struggled to stand up when a growl echoed out, followed by heavy breathing a few meters in front of her.
She raised her head and paled.
A large mountain lion stood there licking its lips. Its rock-gray fur almost blended into the terrain, only its silver eyes glistening and revealing its location.
“My damn luck, a fucking Granite Chameleon Lion.” She cursed and unleashed a barrage of earthen spears that struck the beast, only to crash into pieces as the lion’s frame turned to solid rock.
“Heh, just what I wanted! You fool!” She smiled and slammed her staff into the ground.
The ground shook, and a large crevice opened up, swallowing the statue-like lion and closing without a trace.
“Heh, easy enough!” She smiled and continued forward.
“Is she stupid?” Nera asked.
“No, I think she is just that confident.” Corvin shook his head.
As Mina walked forward, the earth behind her shook and erupted as a large mountain lion jumped out amidst an explosion of stone and rubble. Then, as it roared furiously, two more appeared from the left and right, circling the mage.
“You don’t learn, do you?” She stabbed her staff into the ground.
“Tremor!”
The whole rocky area shook as the earth cracked and split apart, leaving large crevices that the beasts fell into while she rose into the sky atop a single earthen pillar.
And as the beasts fell into the wounds in the earth itself, she added, “Earthen Coil!”
Rubble rippled and morphed into four large coiling vipers that attacked the cats, crushing them, burying them deep underground, and strangling them within their coils.
The last viper remained coiled around her as she descended, closing the wounded earth with a wave of earthen mana.
“Making me use up all my mana, bastards!”
She was about to drink a potion she kept in her satchel when suddenly her body froze.
Another lion lunged from the side, much larger than the other three.
Her spell activated in self-defense, and the earthen dragon lunged into the lion, which swiped with its massive paw and shattered it into pieces while its other paw lashed out at Mina.
Woosh.
Corvin appeared before her, his coat fluttering as he punched forward with green-flame-covered arms.
As she gasped and fell onto her buttocks, Lucian appeared behind her and grabbed her with his maw, tossing her onto his back as he jumped backward to where Nera had taken up position in case support was needed.
“Human wench, you ought to be grateful to young Corvin. If he wasn’t here, you’d be cat food by now!” Lucian growled.
The large mountain lion raised a wall of spikes that exploded toward Corvin while it jumped backward, parts of its burning stone-like fur crumbling from its body.
Corvin activated Iron Skin and Aqua Barrier and walked through the spikes before Dashing into the lion and releasing a barrage of punches, each one devouring the lion’s vitality with unstoppable flames.
The lion again jumped back and turned to run, only for Corvin to activate Dark Pact alongside the second part of his skill and detonate the flames.
[Critical Hit]
Boom!
A large explosion shook the land as pieces of the beast fell around them like rain.
Corvin dashed forward, grabbed the beast’s core, and stored it away just as the system congratulated him.
[Experience Gained: 27,425][Level Up!][Experience toward next level: 4%]
[Congratulations, you have reached level 200. The Third-Tier class skills will be unlocked now]
[Skill: Demon’s Descent partially unlocked]
[You may now continue with the Crow’s Inheritance Quest!]
[You have picked a skill 32 levels ago. You can pick 6 skills this time.]
[You haven’t picked 5 or more skills since your last time.]
[You can sacrifice 5 of your remaining choices to pick a skill from the Epic Second Tier list.]
[You have 12 Hours to pick skills, or they will be assigned randomly.]
***
I'll be travelling for work until Friday, so I will post Thursday's chapter today as well.
Will be up soon!