It was already night and Bahamut just finished taking a bath. Wearing a Ghostly White Nightgown, the woman walked along the quiet hallway. As she arrives at the West wing with her Master's Armor guarding it on a stand, she notices a pretty pink flower on a vase. Seeing that there was no one else. She leaned in to take a sniff and absolutely loved it. After three seconds of waiting and thinking. The beautiful ghostly woman with her pale white skin takes a bite, exposing her dragon fangs as she munches at the flowers.
Out of luck, A random human maid of the Manor sees her eating the flower.
“OH MY! Your Divine! Please don’t eat that!”
She rushes in, hugging the Dragon God from behind and trusting backward. Bahamut on the other hand was as solid as a statue and wasn’t moving an inch as she munched faster in defiance.
“Your Divine! Please! That’s a very rare Peony flower that’s not natural to Schon! Lady Minuit had to buy it from a Merchant in Gareth!”
“Unhand me at once! I just wanted to taste it since I am now in human form! My Master told me I am not allowed to eat flowers in Dragon form, but now that I am in this, I SHALL EAT IT!”
“NO YOUR ALMIGHTY ONE! PLEASE! IT PAINS ME TO DO THIS TO A GODDESS!”
“Let me go human! Let me eat this!”
The rampant and chaotic scene then stops as Bahamut feels something from her throat. And all of the sudden, she cutely coughs out the flower and her eyes widen at the embarrassing sight.
“Ahem, ahem. Be on your way now human. I shall be with my Master.”
Pretending like nothing happened, the woman was once again back to her Masters room, she started reading while enjoying a cup of coffee. Constantly peeking over to Paul who was fast asleep under three layers of blankets as she constantly remembers how she coughed out an entire flower in front of a human. She’d also see if the blood was dropping properly and regularly checks his temperature and heart beat. After a while, she gets worried as the two Vampires still weren't home.
After a few more hours and the Moon and its small satellite which was oddly coloured red that night was right above the Manor, the bored Bahamut heads down to the kitchen. Planning on eating some pork when a Maid comes in, shocked by the woman in a ghostly look as if she came from a horror story.
“Oh, a human.”
“Y-your Divine. What’re you doing here?”
“Looking for food. Those two bloodsuckers are late.”
“Oh, well if you ever need to. Please just request from one of the Servants. We’d be glad to be of service.”
“Well, Master always said it's better to do things by yourself than let others do it. But, since I am busy looking over his health and I do not know how to cook since I can eat raw meat. Please cook me a good steak. Well made and don’t be lax with the herbs.”
“Of course.”
As the maid prepares the ingredients and takes out the meat from the salt barrel, Bahamut looks around the well tiled kitchen and its properly stocked cabinets and knives.
“Tell me, how does Alana treat human servants like you?”
“Oh, the Lady? She is very indifferent to us. Usually, human servants kept under a Vampire would be turned by their Masters in old age. But as you see. Lady Minuit has only turned two of us.”
“Really now? Why does one Vampire do that?”
“It's more of a tradition. After a certain servant has reached an age where they start producing wrinkles and becoming old. Vampire Lords and Masters would usually turn them into Vampires as a reward for their service.”
“Ehhhhh… though you are aware right? That is her Lord.”
“Yes, is a human.”
“What do you think? Do you think differently of her now?”
“No. She has taken care of us and though is very indifferent, she never did us harm. I’ve heard from the other Servants I’d run into at the markets, that their Vampire Lords would be very physical or even fatal with them. I am very lucky, and being a young woman. I am sure I won’t last as long with the others.”
“Hmmm… continue cooking. I shall be in my Masters room. Also, do prepare extras. I tend to not be satiated by one meal. Ta ta.”
Bahamut waves casually as she heads back upstairs. Though on the first step in the grand lobby. She got an odd feeling, jolting it down to one of the servants that would usually spook her. The woman continues and finally returns. After waiting and getting her meal served and asking for two more, she goes back to reading and eventually falls asleep. Snuffing out the fire in the lamp behind her and the room, completely engulfed by darkness. It was a misty midnight as snow started falling. Far away, one could hear the stagecoach of the Minuit family, rushing back home and its headlights piercing through the snow.
While in the room, the door slowly opens. A strange figure walks in and doesn't even make a single sound or disturbance. It was so silent that not even the sleeping Dragon God was disturbed in the darkness. Closing the door, the unknown assailant looms over the sleeping General. Ready to bite his neck till it felt a flow of heat from its left. The intruder turns its head and squints to see a crown with a veil discarded on the ground. As if it just remembered something traumatic, the unknown person starts walking backwards, but in its fright. The floor creaks, awakening Bahamut who instantly feels the stranger in front of her.
Even though the room was dark, her golden eyes with the slits of a lizard glow bright with her ghostly white nightgown. Hoping to defend itself, the unknown figure takes Paul’s Greatsword Hellraiser which was being displayed on the wall. Swiping it chaotically as the horrific sight of a pale white lady with long black hair approaches it with an intent to kill.
“Oy bloodsucker. That’s not yours to wield. You're not even worthy of touching such a weapon used by an honorable human. I’ll give you this chance to walk away from this without your limbs scattered throughout the floor and ceiling. I do not want to dirty my Masters room, surrender yourself to me.”
Her head is instantaneously cut off, but Bahamut just grabs her falling head as her long black hair makes a whirl from it flying straight up. She was so fast in reattaching her head that before the attacker could swing the Greatsword again, her fist already hit the intruder and was flying through the room and into the balcony, breaking the glass door to it. Bahamut with the stride of a woman who is about to fuck things up, takes the intruder by the robe and throws it like a spear. Sending it far away from her Masters room.
The throw was so powerful, the thick snow covered trees in front of the Manor were taken down and Bahamut didn’t waste a single moment, flying to the exact location the attacker landed at. Still stunned at what happened, it was grabbed by the throat and the Dragon God immediately set the surrounding trees ablaze. Controlling its spread. She then violently jolts the assailant. Putting its hood down reveals a vampire woman with short red hair. Her eyes shine red as it slowly peels Bahamut’s intense grip at her throat.
“Tsk.” The Dragon God did not expect her to have that much power. “Who are you? Tell me your name bitch. Or feel the flames of a Star.”
“Like I ever will… Bahamut.”
“Ah, a Chosen One. Now what would you want from my Master who has been fighting for your sake?”
“I ain’t planning on heading back lady.”
“It's Dragon God Bahamut you bitch and you shall address me as much.”
Before the woman could peel off one of her fingers, Bahamut intensifies her grip. Slowly choking her and lifting her even higher. Her heeled boots were off the ground as the tall woman in the transparent white nightgown expressively showed her plans on crushing her airpipe. “Ancient Elven Ice Magic, Thorns of Whithell’s Halls.” A hundred spikey icicles strike Bahamut from her far left. Embedding her beautiful slim body with holes. Angered by such a disrespect, she buries the woman in robes down the snow and with a squeeze, burns her inside out like a furnace. She runs to the person who did that to her in extreme prejudice.
“Ah shit! You said this plan was gonna work!”
Buried in snow, the red haired woman just raises a thumbs up, already fully healed from the devastating Dragon Magic used on her, just in shock as to what just happened. The hooded man on the other hand starts running for his life as the Dragon God starts chasing him with immense speed. With his Vampire Speed, he was able to keep the distance at pace, but Bahamut was getting faster and slowly gaining lost space between them.
With the space he still had left, he returns to the woman in robes as he watches Bahamut get closer and closer to them with eyes full of anger and lust for the hunt.
“We’re running! I heard the stagecoach’s doors swing open! I shouldn’t have worn sneakers! She burnt me good!”
“TELL ME SOMETHING I DON’T KNOW! THAT’S FUCKING BAHAMUT OVER THERE!”
“We’ll just respawn oh wait. Bahamut eats everything and sends your soul to the Abyss. I guess that’s different now. Not gonna lie, I’m still traumatized by her. I’d rather fight the ancient Queen than that thing.”
“GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE SNOW AND FUCKING RUUUN! RUN BITCH, RUUUN!”
She reveals her bat wings and flies away just to be incepted by Queen Elizabeth who was visibly angered beyond hope. Her purple dress was painted full of blood splatter and at close, she smelled like rust and her eyes glowing Gold as it filled with bloodlust once again. Knowing the situation is dire, she pulls out a revolver and shoots the Queen at the head. Blowing her forehead out and throwing her brain matter into the dark snowy forest below. But it just instantly regenerates and as the Queen was about to rip her apart, a high explosive .50 BMG is shot at her, sending her flying away as her lungs and intestines come out of her stomach.
As Elizabeth turned her head to the direction of the fire, she could see the silhouette of a man in a midnight blue business suit, holding a massive black rifle. But after a blink as she gets shot once again, they are gone. This leaves the one Bahamut was chasing down. Flying back to the forest, she could see the Dragon God with Alana looking at the Vampire, slowly dematerializing as he respawns. Landing next to them. She was absolutely enraged at what just happened.
“Bahamut, please tell me they didn’t do it. I would never be able to forgive myself and I shall proceed to kill myself permanently.”
“Do not worry. She was near to doing it. But failed. Not a strand of hair was harmed on him.”
“Good, I would’ve never been able to forgive myself. Not a second time.”
“But now, we must rest first. Let this blow over… oy bloodsucker. Tell that red hair that she messed with the wrong people.”
The hooded man disappears, turning into a pile of mana as they rush to the Manor and check every nook and cranny of it for any more intruders.
“Non. I’ll stay awake, Alana. Call in the UN. They used a modern weapon on me. Those dolts.”
“That red haired woman is like our Master. Hence why they were able to survive us even by a centimeter.”
“Not good enough, next time. I’ll have them staked and paraded throughout the Kingdom.”
The next day, inside the Manor, Alana had her Knights check every room and corridor once again for extra measure. She then sends a messenger to head to the UN Airbase outside of their borders and request an Officer. The next few days were restless as the trio couldn’t believe how close they were to losing their Lord and Master. One sunny Morning, three white Humvees drive into their courtyard. The middle one stops right at the entrance to the Manor. Exiting is a man in a black suit suit with an NCO. They’re led to the Masters Room where the three women were on the balcony, drinking tea as they attentively stared into the surroundings. The man in the suit removes his fedora and knocks on the door frame. With no response, he takes a gamble and walks in.
“Good Morning.”
No reply. But since the atmosphere was so calm and peaceful, he gained some confidence and tried again and this time with a 45 degree bow and his hat close to his heart.
“Ahem, Good Morning Ladies. I am Detective Tatyusa from the Greater Japan Guild’s Neo Tokyo Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau. I came here to ask about what happened.”
“Tokyo? What does that mean?”
“Well, the capital city was originally named Nōzankyapitaru or known as the Northern Capital. But since the Guild base and capital got teleported to the Eastern side of Geraldia near the Elven Empire’s borders. It was renamed Tokio or Tokyo. Also known as the Eastern Capital.”
“Mhm, and why you?”
Bahamut didn’t even look at the Caucasian man. Staring blankly into the forest, still angered by what happened a few days ago.
“Ah… you see. Report you put out of a red haired woman? Vampire? She’s a known bloodsucker back in Dark World VR. Part of one of the most bloodiest and hedonistic Mansions in the community. Where the beautiful and handsome do it all night long and only stop to wreak havoc on low leveled players.”
He then takes a note out of his jacket.
“I… uhm… have been investigating them for almost ten months now. But I’m merely human, and they’re vampires. A species far removed from human morals and cultures, I’m absolutely in the dead till this happens. I had to go here and see it for myself.”
Queen Elizabeth turns her head, lifting an eyebrow and her facial expression shows a cold hearted woman. Out for blood and revenge.
“They’ve been terrorizing the Greater Japan Guild’s Capital of Neo Tokyo. The players who had built that city from the ground up is extremely fuming and possibly malding over the fact that they’re citizens are being murdered brutally and left to die in crummy alleyways. So, if you can, please tell me in intense detail what transpired. Her group is also connected to some darker aspects the United Nations doesn’t want me to know.”
“We shall give you everything we know. But before I say anything, the one who fought her and her friend was me. If one ever wants to know more about their tactics and weapons, I’d like to request for me to come with you to this Tokyo you’ve spoken of.”
“Look ma’am. You speak good Dragonian but the language there is only Japanese and English. It's far different from the Common you know.”
“Good, I’ve been learning your language to better relate to my Lord and his strange proverbs and maxims.”
“Hah, as if. Seeing those eyes of yours your ma’am. It’s full of nothing but bloodlust. Interpol wouldn’t want someone as dangerous as you with such anger to roam around a city with a population of twenty one million players, most of which are refugees.”
“Then, you shall work with what Miss Bahamut and Alana can give. I won’t be giving more than what I wrote. Enjoy hearing Bahamut and her… rather creative ways in explaining things.”
Pouting and looking the other way, the Detective musters up a smile and bows to the other two.
“I apologize on her behalf, Detective. Her Majesty is… very fragile when it comes to men she loves. But her anger is in the right place”
“How can I not be?! Would you not be up in arms if a strange woman would come into your husband's room, planning to suck his blood or kidnap him!?”
The Vampire Queen's eyes were glowing gold and her anger could be seen in her expression and tone. Even Alana was silent as Bahamut just ate a Muffin leisurely. The detective on the other hand places his hand on his chin, seeing the powerful Vampire’s rage and control of the atmosphere as if she commanded the entirety of the balcony. Seeing her power and knowledge on controlling people, the man in his black suit phases around a bit and the NCO with him gives him a stare that could kill a bird.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Alright, how about this. I’ll take you with me. But promise me that you’ll respect the code of law in place and most of all, not expose yourself. You may walk around, it's no problem. It's not like the people are well versed in this world's history and past, but be warned. Even though Natives are barred from the city, the trip there will be-”
“Then so be it! Ladies! Protect the homestead! I shall avenge us and our Masters pride, upheld!”
Alana drinks her tea and calmly sighs while the NCO facepalms. He immediately gets into the radio and player menu. Contacting people and to alert them of what the man just did.
“I still have a project with Bahamut anyways. Opening the first Dragon Courier service, this should gain the favor needed for Outworlders to have a better reputation here. I also have to help the other Diplomats.”
Bahamut looks at her, whose mouth is full of Muffins. Her eyes widen, remembering that she had a job to do and save her kin in Schon as their numbers veer into extinction in the gigantic continent.
“I still say we should expand it to overall Freight. If the tower is tall enough that is. Dragons love to fly, I love to fly and having a big tall tower to easily drop freight into will be very good for the wings.”
“That is the problem. The material you wish for it to be built on is dependent on volcanoes which only the Demon Kingdom has. Hence, we’ll be requesting importation of these materials in bulk which will require a lot of bills and money to be moved around and people to be contracted.”
“I can see now why my Master wished to keep adventuring rather than perform his duties as a Knight General…” After a sigh, the long black haired woman with a veil deflates and looks down on the Balcony’s marble floor. “So be it, I’ve gotten myself into this anyways. I’m sure he wouldn’t want his trusted second hand loitering about and letting those of her kin die.”
After three full hours of Detective Henry questioning the trio, he heads back to the Courtyard, talking to the UN soldier in charge, all of them wearing green armbands while behind the Humvee, the NCO is having a rave on the radio.
“Change of plans. Tell Herr Rudentoft the Queen will be with us.”
“Sheisse. Are you sure? The Oberst will be up in flames with this. He specifically told you not to involve the Vampires of this Kingdom.”
“I have a good feeling that this will hasten things. I’m not dumb, I know they wanted her and not the General, what does a random Human general give them? Control over her… and I know you and your UN overlords are planning on revealing the Queen in the near future and use her alliance with General Paul as a leverage to bring an assured Neutrality with the Vampires.”
“You know I’m very surprised you haven’t died yet. But Herr Brentford won’t be happy.”
“I’m best friends with the Guild Leader of Greater Japan. As if the Men of the Woods can just disappear me. That guy can scream at me all he wants, but she’s the key to this entire thing, from the beginning. This is the answer to their ever growing and mysterious operations, whatever she had. Triggered something in the Circle. As if they found what they’ve been looking for.”
The NCO comes blazing in with the handset of the radio still attached to his hand and its cable dragging the long range radio.
“YOU FUCKING- GRRRR… You know what can happen to me? You know those black suits the UN sends?! I’m fucked! Your fucked too! You better watch out for jet black SUVs now!”
“Woah, are you guys telling me you don’t have control over the Ancient Vampire Queen? I thought you had everything under control.”
“Your fucking lucky the Guild Leader that represents the Japanese of our world is your buddy, he even pulled strings just to get you to meet the Queen, for you to do this! Do you know what she’s capable of?!”
“If anything, you guys should be more afraid of Bahamut. Since the Seven Pillars no longer control her power…”
“Don’t you dare go there, we’re already tied up with all the bullshit in this world and your telling me you wanna take out the FUCKING VAMPIRE QUEEN FOR THE SPIN?! What is she? Some Seventies Ford Charger? You better be fucking ready if she lays waste to the entire city.”
“Jeez, calm down. You’ve been hollering at me since Woodstock’s airport. How long are you gonna keep giving me this attitude? I trust her, even though she’s a bit unhinged, that woman has skills and capabilities that can turn this long drawn duck hunt into a short and quick one. Or would you rather have another incident where one of your precious AWACS and Raptor jet gets shot down?”
“Wha- how did you know that? That’s classified… I’ll report you and that Guild Leader, this is getting out of hand! Do you know why we have to keep things a secret?!”
“Yes, because you’re afraid of the truth. The truth is that people will find out and there’s a group out there so hardened to stay here and they’d rather fight an armed war against you, and they’re not a bunch of ragtag people. I’ve been investigating Havannah and her group for a while now, and they’re not the type to just ally with a bunch of morons.”
NCO was about to blow up on the detective but loud voices coming from the radio got his attention as he dragged it to the back of the Humvee. “Yes sir, prepare all the protocols.The detective just did it. Yes sir, I’m sorry sir for not doing any better.” The Officer then breathes heavily, knowing the consequences he will face later on.
“Don’t worry, believe me. You’ll be saving more lives than letting me follow along a goose chase that has no end. From the beginning, it was already apparent Havannah was planning on making me look for nothing. Wasting time as she advances her plans, but the Vampire Queen. As crazy as she is, she might be the one that will finally break the ice and end this investigation once and for all.”
“You better be right, I’m about to get my ass canned or sent to the frontlines. There goes my career as an Intelligence Officer.”
Queen Elizabeth on the other hand begins to prepare for her trip. Planning on avenging those who wronged her Lord, stealing his powerful Greatsword. Alana and Bahamut arrive in her room, with its pretty red coloured wallpaper, on the King sized bed. The Dragon God eats some more muffins she bought with her that Alana made while the Countess takes a look at the clothes she has. Mostly old and dusty ones recovered from her Castle.
“Hm, I’m still surprised my Village outfit fits you. Your breast size is a bit bigger than mine.”
“Enough with the small talk Alana. What is it?”
“Are you sure about this? What would you do if everyone finds out and you're alive?”
“Our Lord's commanders are already planning on using me as a trump card. I might as well do it on my terms. I won’t let them control me, not them. Only he may control me.”
“Don’t overdo it your Highness… I hope you’ve learned from before.”
“I have, though, if it may come to it. I’ll kill every single one of them and retrieve our Lord's weapon. For them to defile a Knights weapon like that, it shouldn’t be forgiven.”
Bahamut stops eating the third muffin she bought with her and swallows all of the food inside her mouth.
“Hellraiser was his favorite, Master always used it on the biggest enemies he could find so be careful, it was packed with enchantments meant to stop regeneration. We might be lucky that there were three of us and it equalized the fighting ground, but with only you? You might be pushing your luck bloodsucker. Get hit with it long enough, even you might stop regenerating.”
“And anything else? I already know this information.”
“Hmmm… he had been using it since the beginning and was still wielding it before he got the sword of King Paimon.”
“What about that anti-regeneration? How powerful is it?”
“It’s been blessed by the Divine itself. Maybe you may be able to regenerate with one or a dozen slashes, too much and it might start working on you and start slowing your regeneration. There’s also the problem with your lack of blood. I know much that your kin needs blood to become stronger.”
“I see, hmph. Seeing how I destroyed those would be intruders, I won’t need blood. I also do not want to drink from our Lord, he’s already in a bad state and needs as much care. His blood, preserved and taken care of.”
“Yes, so do be careful. Do not make a repeat of your folly. You’ve already told me, do not repeat it this time like back then, no one will save you.”
“I’ll see to it…”
After packing her things, the Queen heads to Paul’s room first with the two ladies in tail. She hugs him and fixes his pajamas. “I shall return with your weapon and be victorious under your name.” As she leaves for the Humvee she looks back at Bahamut again.
“He’s already saved me once, I believe that he’ll come and save me again if I ever do come in peril. He’s the only human stupid enough to do so. I know you know.”
Bahamut smiles, knowing full well what she meant while in the bedroom of General Paul, one of his fingers twitches a bit, trying to feel something before stopping. All of the soldiers and the Detective are wearing green armbands except her. The trip took hours when they reached the Vampire Kingdom’s Naval Port next to a large river where a helicopter awaits them.
The Queen is perplexed by the giant Man O Wars moored on one of the only rivers that passes through her Kingdom. With Four Masts and almost a hundred and forty guns, it was a mighty ship and dwarfs any other sailing ships. One of which, with a gold lining and a shiny golden statue of her on the front, aptly named “Queen Elizabeth’s Revenge”. Her mouth was a little open to it, and the homage to their ancient leader.
“Is this your first time here your Majesty?”
“Yes. I’ve tried to limit my interaction with my people due to the circumstances of my name and status. As much as my Masquerade mask works, more powerful vampires would still be able to see through it when close enough.”
“I see, well. Don’t worry, King Harold has allowed us a portion of the Port to be used exclusively by us.”
“Don’t fall too much for his dribble. He's a good leader, but he also knows how to be a cheater and career politician. I don’t call him Monkey for no reason. Hmph, to think he was the last one to stand with all of my Imperials and Royals. What a joke.”
“I guess even Vampires aren’t immune to the eternal problem of the worst politicians being the last standing. But I guess they earned it for playing with their heads and brains. So, Your Majesty-”
“Enough with the title, I am no longer the highest rank Monarch. Just call me Elizabeth, or if you so desire, Carmilla.”
“Of course.”
The Humvee stopped and the afternoon Sun was already halfway through and only an hour was left before it’d disappear into the horizon. Inside the walled off portion, an Agustawestland AW101 VVIP Luxury helicopter is waiting for her. The UN soldiers open its passenger doors to reveal its leather seats, the marble finnish and the table with complimentary wine. On one of the seats is a player with an Avatar having visible Asian features.
Seeing the beautiful Queen, he fixes his jacket and stands up to meet her. His height only reaches her nose. Looking down, the blonde woman immediately bows properly, lifting her skirt a bit and like a Noblewoman she gives respect to the man. The man in return with a 45 Degree bow and with his head down, gestures for her to sit down next to the table so that they could chat while enjoying the wine. The Queen agrees and seats down.
“Please, have a drink.”
The man with a pin of the Rising Sun on his collar carefully and slowly pours her tea.
“Thank you, please forgive my plebeian English. I am still trying to get used to it.”
“No worries, me? It's not my first language too. But Henry-san has been very helpful in aiding me. If not for him, I would’ve said a lot of bad things to the Yankees. Hahahaha…”
The two share a laugh as the helicopter takes off, giving her a full view of the large riverside port the Vampires had built long ago. Seeing her kin doing their duty and moving around, enjoying life and having an overall good time makes her smile. Proud to see her Kingdom flourish.
“I had that feeling too… when my Girudo became one of the most famous Asian groups.” he stands up even though the chopper is already in the air and is shaking a bit. He once again bows “I am Prime Minister Hideaki Tojo, Leader and Founder of the Greater Japan Girudo. I led the group through great perils, even one that required the first Guild Alliance to take down. Good times, I had… a many adventures with my Samurais.”
Realizing his position, the Queen is perplexed and blushes at his immense hospitality. Looking at Henry, he merely nods his head. She in return stands up and bows too.
“Former Queen Elizabeth Marie Bartley of House Bartley, how may I be of service?”
He once again gestures for her to sit down and this time, he brings out a leather bag with a lot of paperwork and envelopes. Skimming through it, he finds it. One labeled with “CLASSIFIED” in English. He puts it on the table and it's evident that it has a lot inside with how bulky it is. After grunting from the weight of his bag, he opens it and reveals its content. Showing a file of the “Mansion of Harshland Peak”.
“The woman you are looking for is the owner of this. A mansion of great proportions. But rather than being known for its beauty and history, it is instead known as the Blood Mansion. For every week, a gathering of the most powerful Vampires in Dark World, excluding the most powerful Dracula. attend its Dinner and the grandiose party that comes after..”
“I can already surmise where this is heading.”
“Yes, they’d feast upon Non player characters or… what we call the Smart A.I. to the bones. After three years of operating, Knightly players from both Dark and Light stormed it. Finding out how sick the people there are. Did you know…” he browses through some of the papers and finds the one about its Underground chambers.
The large basement was full of bones and blood, stacked twenty meters high in some places. It was dark, gloomy, and dirty. One of the photos shows a Knight digging his Longsword into the pile just to see how far it goes and it reaches his pommel. While others showed Dark Knights holding up disgusting black Ghastly Leeches that were as large as their torso, the creature spawns whenever an enclosed area gets a lot of piled bodies.
“When Virtual Reality became… what was that wurdo again…”
“Indistinguishable Tojo-sama.”
“Ah yes, indistinguishable from reality. It not only allowed us humans to show our best sides… but also our worst. This very photo here led to a massive scandal. Showing that we might have crossed the line and have gone far too deep into it… From this on forward, people became afraid of what might happen. Africa and the Middle East already banned Full Dive for this exact reason and the Evils of humanity was translated into another realm.”
Queen Elizabeth stares at the photos and remembers that she knows some Nobles that have the very same set up in their Manors. Some, having bigger catacombs and piles than those, and mixed with were bones of Elves and of the other Species.
“When… I got the news that you were also coming… and that the other Guild Leaders wouldn’t interfere. I had to tell you everything and end these Monsters. Before them and whatever they were planning with that armed group would come to fruition.”
“But by your definition Prime Minister, I’d be a Monster too.”
“But the good Monster. The thing that makes us humans different from animals is sentience and discipline. You have discipline. From the way you treated me and the fact that you serve a human and haven’t betrayed him shows me everything I must see. Please, look at the files if you want.”
Though still learning English words, she’s able to piece together some of the sentences on the reports. It was so damning that even she could see the man typing it down was disgusted by what he saw and she started playing with her bangs. Deep in her mind. One of the paragraphs on the paper takes her attention. Seeing a familiar word.
“The Knights of Eldwood, Blue Sentinels of High Hope, Death Knights of Revelliron, with the Paladins of Midreach fought the Headmaster of the Mansion and made their way to the top floors where they encountered her. Madame Havannah. I was the last of my Guild members as many died in the fight to the top and the respawn was relatively far. The woman was so powerful and even through the large door, we could feel her power emanating from it.
Divine Paladin Hardon and Death Knight Hassan sent their men to the surrounding rooms to clear out any remnants while the two charged into the room. I joined them and the fight was one of the most magnificent things I’ve witnessed in my two years of playing this game. Mister Hassan most of all turned into this massive hulking Skull Knight that wields a Greatsword as if it's a plastic toy. Her defeat came when the two powerful Leaders gutted her and took out all her limbs repeatedly. Not giving her a chance to regenerate or drink blood from the disgusting pools around us. This sight… no human can do this. To think that they were all just players, it scares me that we can do such horrors but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this game contained a rather gruesome fetish of an evil woman.”
-Knight General of the Blue Sentinels Third Knight Order of the Great Moon, FakeCarriage543 “Sir Gerald”
Her eyes go on a frenzy, remembering that was how the Saint from the Second Reset defeated her. Cutting off her limbs and letting her bleed out, unable to regenerate. But after a twitch, she snaps back as the cabin rocks from the snowy weather.
“There’s also rumors that she had a secret room just for her… unique fetishes.”
Giving back the paper, she stops playing with her bangs and puts her hand on her chin.
“This is problematic to a degree, Prime Minister. This woman has her connections and her people. Do you have any information as to why she’s in your city other than the need to feed?”
“I have no idea, truth be told. All I know is that there’s been a string of attacks where men and women are brutally murdered. Worse is that they’re mostly natives as they don’t respawn, no witness.”
“I shall see to it, Prime Minister. I apologize on behalf of all Vampires.”
“Oh please, No need. We are different from you, I don’t expect you to burden yourself with our mistakes.”
Looking outside, she sees the beautiful forest of her Kingdom as the helicopter arrives at the UN Airfield outside of the borders. A Boeing 747-400 with a large red text of “Greater Japan Guild” plastered on both of its sides with a tail decal of the old Rising Sun could be seen towering over the treeline.
Boarding the aircraft, bulldozers perform one last snowplowing and FOD check and it takes off from the dirt runway. Creating a gigantic dust of soil and snow. After gaining altitude, the Queen is taken aback by the aircraft's height and the screen showing how fast it is going. Twirling around like a professional ballerina on the aisle, she is amazed by modern avionics technology. Suddenly, a Pilot performs a briefing.
“16時間以内に、途中でレトロ東京に到着します。私たちは最初の着陸のためにウッドストックに着陸します。ありがとうございました. We'll be arriving at Neo Tokyo, Southeast Geraldia within Sixteen hours, midway through. We'll be landing in Woodstock, North Geraldia for an initial landing for the delegation's emergency meeting. Thank you.”
Being lighter than a commercial 747, the fighter jets that started escorting it had to speed up to properly catch up to the high flying jumbo jet.
“Greater Japan One, This is Falcon One and Two. On wings, keep her in the current heading. We’re expecting no Dragons or Winged Fingers for the day. Snow shouldn't be a problem.”
“Thank you Falcon. Any news of thunderstorms or strange weather patterns?”
“We do, but no confirmation yet. You might wanna talk to the Navy boys when you cross over the Ocean of Sir Jack. They have better experiences with those.”
“Copy.”
“Is the Vampire Kingdom that good? How hot are the girls there?”
“Gomen Falcon, I stayed in the aircraft the entire time.”
“Awww shucks! Backwater Inns are good and all since Magic can heal sexually transmitted diseases but I need me some high level lady! Wahahaha!”
“Don’t get too attached Falcon. We have a war to fight. How’s the situation in the West? I heard your FOBs have been getting a lot of fighting.”
“Yea, you see my victory marks?”
The F-4 Phantom IIs fly next to the cockpit. The Pilots could clearly see its victory marks, two Wyverns and a lot of Werewolf men and some huts. Near its nose, painted a text “Flying for my Wife and Waifu”.
While waiting in the Presidential Suite, a knock on the door comes and it's a Bodyguard with a box. He kneels and opens it revealing it to be her shiny Golden Crown.
“We found this backlogged in Woodstock’s Port. It was supposed to be delivered to you in the name of Knight General Paul of Eldwood but it never arrived. The Prime Minister had it put on a special teleportation ring and had it teleported here instantly.”
“My…”
She felt as if she fell in love again, seeing her magnificent Crown back in her hands. Taking it, she takes a good look to see if any of the rubies or jewelry was missing. After a while, she smiles and hugs it. “Even when you're not here, you're still giving me hope.”
“Mortal, tell me. When did he request this?”
“It was in the beginning days of his Diplomatic mission to your Kingdom Elizabeth-sama. From a desert Air Base though it did seem he has been requesting for it back back..”
“Oh, I vaguely remember that. Before his aircraft was shot down, am I correct?”
“Hai. But due to the circumstances, it was forever backlogged and forgotten as the war ramped up on both sides of Schon. Recent documents of its request were found and the Prime Minister had it be put on a special one of a kind teleporter that’s capable of teleporting items even thousands of kilometers away on a moving object. As usual, our Guild Leader is very thoughtful.”
“Why? Do your teleporters work differently?”
“We inscribed it in the ground, but due to engine limitations. When teleporting an item, it's usually an inch or two of the ground. This and coupled with the calculations the game engine had to do, it usually resulted in a fiery or messy ordeal. Though we don’t know how it would work in real life, we still had to be careful and did it the old way.”
“Hmmm… interesting. I’d like to see that for myself.”
Back at the cockpit, the Pilot and the escorts are still conversing like good friends. Enjoying the peaceful air of the foreign world. After a few hours of flying, the Phantoms wave off and are replaced by F/A-18 Super Hornets.
“Hello Greater Japan One, this is Seagull One from the Combined Fleet.”
“Good Afternoon Seagull One, we’re heading to Woodstock right now. What’s the status of the weather? My aircraft is telling me it should be clear of any anomalies.”
“Negative Greater Japan One, there’s a big problem with radar right now. It's not picking up the strange weather patterns occurring within the Ocean of Sir Jack. So beware if sudden thunderstorms occur, over.”
“Thank you Seagull One.”
“No problem. But do keep checking for normal weather anomalies. Sky should be relatively clear though. No Water Dragons or Aquatic Wyverns spotted but there are some pesky Cornelion birds going around. I think some Dareback Whales are about to surface and they wanna annoy those things again.”
“Yes, it's been my dream of flying like this. I can do as fast as I want and do anything I want with so little air traffic.”
“Yea, you can say that again. Flying has never been this great. Visibility is also ten times better and the quality of the air is insanely good.”
The Super Hornets get warnings as large V-shaped birds that are the size of buses zoom past them, going higher than the altitude of the planes.
“Woah! They’re they are!”
Magnificently white feathered birds with its orange sharp droopy nose slows down just above them, the Cornelion birds could be seen spreading its hair thin wings as it prepares to dive once again. Owning the skies far before the metal aircraft, the birds would intimidate the Pilots by knifing around their wings. Showing off their beautiful agility no man made machine could match as their long flowy feathers on the edge seemed like contrails of an Angel dancing above the clouds.
Soon, they disappear. Going back to the surface of the water to strike its prey while others zoom past them, with large chunks of meat on their beaks.
“Seagull Two, Don’t do anything. Keep flying straight.”
“Roger One. It's my first time flying around this area.”
“Enjoy it, those things can be a bother when you try to square up with them. They’re faster than any jet can go when diving so don’t even try to be smart.”
“Affirm One.”
“They own this sky, we’re merely passing through and soon, gone forever.”
“I heard one of these things bit the wing off a Hornet, is that true?”
“Is that true, that story came from my Wing. Guy was a freshie transferred from a lowly Guild. He thought he could race one but forgot that our birds had limits unlike those beautiful things. Good thing he knew Gravity Magic and managed to keep it steady and reached Bebop unscathed. Airframe trashed though, the aircraft was dumped in the ocean of Pons Terra.”
“Geez.”
Inside the jumbo jet, Queen Elizabeth picks an empty window seat with a folded table that has a view of the magnificent birds, with its long silky feathers on the edge of their wings and on top of its sleek head, the creatures danced about the metal flying birds and in and out of the clouds as if it was a playground. The beautiful Queen then removes her right hand white glove and traces the intricate design of her Crown with her polished and manicured nail.
“As always, my grandeur and power is reflected upon this piece of headwear.”
“Looks expensive, Elizabeth. May I take a seat?”
She merely nods, letting the detective sit in front of her.
“What’re those birds anyways?”
“I’ve only seen them a few times. On the deck of Galleons, Cornelion birds are what they’re called. Named after the Magister that first discovered them with the historic Elven explorer Sire Jack.”
“Interesting, I presume their a rarity?”
“That I do not know, but it is widely seen that they’re not as much like the smaller birds due to how big they are, the lack of prey that can feed them unless they’d travel to the far more dangerous continents.”
“What do they eat anyways?”
“Surfacing whales, they’d dive in and slice them up with those sharp long beaks of theirs and others would pick the intestines and flesh.”
“Forget what I asked.”
“Hmph.”
She then stops tracing her crown and it disappears. Shining brightly and like a magician, was gone right before the detective's eye.
“Is that a type of teleportation magic?”
“No, it's an old Dark Elven magic that the humans used and made more efficient. Since humans are feeble and hold a smaller pool of Mana, they’d modify the more powerful spells from the more superior races to suit them.”
“Even here, we humans still strive to survive. I’ve been living inside the cities for many months now and hadn’t really gone around. I was surprised to know that humanity wasn’t extinct from how many superior creatures that roam this world.”
“Supposed to be, humanity should’ve been extinct long ago. It was their primordial alliance with the Dragons that kept them from being destroyed and fully enslaved by Elves or Ogres. A certain human mage by the name of Nergal came and introduced a magic system very similar to yours.”
“Hmmmm… very similar to ours? Could it be just a coincidence? Since Human Magic is very diverse and takes from all… that seems to be similar to what you said.”
“Our two worlds might have been more intertwined than we know. Maybe after all this ordeal, I shall take a more closer look at you Outworlders and your involvement with Threa. The Countess did tell me it was a Dragon spell from your world that put me to an eternal sleep.”