Author's Note: *Looks at threads. Sees comments. A single tear of happiness rolls down cheek.* Hello all! It's been a month, huh... Sorry bout that. I am really busy here IRL. School, training, yup, life's busy. After school I train for three hours, and then I have to do school stuff, so yea... I find time to write hard to come by. Though, do not despair! I have currently like, four chapters waiting to be proofread and checked for errors by your's truly, and they will be out soon! This chapter is a bit shorter, a little over 1,000 words. And yes, I love comments! They feed my starved soul! So comment on anything, mistakes, ideas, anything! Next chapter has more world info and mana/energy system, so stay tuned! Thank you for your patience, here is the newest chapter.
“Wh-what?” I stared at the judge. “‘A man as handsome and with such an interesting physique.’ Am I getting a bit of jealousy over here?” I said, stifling a laugh.
The judge seemed caught off guard from my remark as the crowd began to whisper among themselves. “U-um n-no! That’s not what I meant at all!”
“You sure?”
The judge slammed a hand down. “Of course! It’s just that, only a certain race can fit your profile of immense strength and capacity for cruelty and amazing looks! It’s impossible for you to be human, unless you received some blessing from a god or something!”
-Well, that’s technically true…-
The other judges seemed to be nodding in agreement, even my ‘friend’ in the middle! Nuuuooooo! Traitor!
“Anyway,” a judge to the far left broke in. “We must make sure as to what race you are, as it will influence our final decision. So, young lady,” the judge continued, turning their attention to Ulaya. “What race is he, really? This is your last chance to tell the truth. If you are found guilty of lying to the Court, you will be punished accordingly.”
Ulaya looked down uncomfortably, unsure of what to say.
“Umm, well, I was pretty sure he was human. I mean, when I met him he was human, and then something happened overnight and he became pretty, so…” Ulaya trailed off. She stared anxiously at the masks, and when nothing happened, she let out a relieved sigh.
“Hmm. So, you are telling us the truth. This means that you did not know he was not human when you told us otherwise. Therefore, you are not guilty of lying to the Court,” the judge in the middle said thoughtfully. It seemed this judge has the most influence of them all, by the way the judge took control of the situation. I was beginning to like this judge, until the judge came up with a terrible idea. “I guess, then, the only way to determine for sure is to thoroughly inspect his body. If he has the markings of any defining race, we will know, and therefore be able to judge him appropriately.”
-No! Bad idea! No!-
“Yes, great idea!” A judge on the right said, and a couple other judges nodded in agreement.
-Nooooo!-
“Good. Then, all in favor of using this method,” the middle judge said, raising a hand. Immediately all the other hands went up.
-So, seven out of seven judges want to see me nude. Great. Goddamn pervs.-
“Then, it is decided,” the judge said after taking count of the number. “Bill, hold him down and undress him.”
-Wait, what? No Bill, please don’t! I can already feel my dignity slipping away!-
Bill nodded and began to lumber over to me, but I quickly said, “I can undress myself! Please don’t do this to me! I don’t really like men touching me! Or being held down by large muscle-men in the middle of a room with hundreds of people watching!” I pleaded desperately to the judges, using my best puppy eyes.
“Hmm,” the judge pondered for a bit. “Oh well, I guess I can let you undress yourself. Bill, come back.” Bill nodded and hung his head a little, seeming dejected.
-Please don’t be sad about something like this!-
“Thank you!”
-Wait, did I just thank the judge for giving me permission to undress in the middle of about a hundred people? Ah, whatever. As long as Bill isn't doing it.-
So I slowly began to take my shirt off, struggling against the weight of the iron bands still around my wrists. I wriggled a bit, and my whole body tensed in order to get my shirt over my head. I barely noticed the sighs and gasps of certain groups among the crowd. When I was done, I was slightly perspiring and felt a bit cold from the draftiness of the room, but the large windows let the sunlight reach me, warming my skin.
Stolen story; please report.
*loud gasping*
“Kyaaaa!!!!” “Oh my gosh!!!” “Is that an eight-pack?!” “Look at his pecs!” Omygoshomygoshomygosh!!!” “Ah! Aaaaahn! AAAAAAAAAHHHNN!!!!” “He’s so hard!” “HIs skin is so flawless!” “I’d hold him down, if you know what I mean!”
-I’m being objectified! I am being viewed as a sexually attractive thing and being acknowledged as a physically beautiful person, and that I am being degraded into a mere object of eye pleasing caliber! No one is thinking of my feelings! Oh the horror!- I thought, as my maiden heart began to weep…
-Ah, who am I kidding! This is fucking awesome! Yay, I’m an attractive person! Great to know that I am desirable and have a great possibility of adding to the gene pool and contributing to the survival of my race (which is apparently demons now, as Morpheus said)!-
I grinned a bit as I showered in all the praises, and I couldn't help but flex my muscles a bit, eliciting more “yaaaa!”s and “omygodsomygods!”. Yes, I like being admired. Yes, I like to show off a bit. Hey, what can I say? I’m a teenager! But then, another type of gasp sounded.
“Eep!”
-Ooohh, that doesn't sound good…- I cringed a bit.
“H-he-he’s a Champion!” One of the judges exclaimed, pointing a quivering finger at my chest.
“Hm, yes, yes that’s nice, oh yes, I see, I really see, hmhmhm—Wait, HE’S A CHAMPION!” The middle judge exclaimed.
“HE’S A CHAMPION! WE ARRESTED A FUCKING CHAMPION AND FORCED HIM TO UNDRESS IN FRONT OF US! QUICK, WHAT IS HIS PATRON GOD!”
Another judge, trembling, got up and around the table and approached me. This judge was actually pretty small, reaching only up to my stomach. I didn't bother trying to cover up. When the judge was close enough to make out my God-Beetle, I heard a gasp from underneath the mask.
“H-he is t-the Champion of Death!” The judge shouted in a fear laced voice. Silence immediately covered the room like a blanket, and all eyes were completely fixed on me. The light atmosphere from before had reversed completely, and pale faces were all around me. Suddenly, someone shouted, “There are some strange markings on his back!”
-Oh, this doesn't look good,- I thought. In all honesty though, I didn't feel very flustered or concerned. Just slightly amused.
“What! Marks? What kind of marks?” The middle judge cried out. “Boy, turn around so we can see your markings!” The middle judge said, seemingly desperate. I sighed. It was such a pain moving around while weighing so much, and I’d been standing around for a long time.
“Do I have to?” I whined.
“YES!” The judge snapped. “We must make sure you are not more of a threat than you are now! If you do not comply, Bill here will do it for you! And trust me, you do not want Bill to do it for you!”
I glanced at Bill, who straightened up at the sound of his name.
-Damn, that sack over his head is so intimidating… And those muscles! Yes, I do not want Bill to do it for me!-
Convinced, I grudgingly turned around and showed my back to the judges. I heard surprised gasps from the judges, and a whispered voice say, “Demon race.”
-Well, shit. Guess they know already, those skeleton wings marked on my back really give me away! Venus blessing my ass! You know what, fuck this shit. I’m already here, why not go all the way?-
So, for added effect, I gracefully unfurled my real wings. Well, as gracefully as one can when one’s wings weigh twice as much as they usually do.
“Aah!” “Gasp!” “By the gods!” “Th-this is!” “Zounds!”
A myriad of expressions of surprise resounded around the room when I unfurled my wings, which was much better than just gasping. I’d been getting tired of that, but zounds? Really? Then. I heard a surprising thing.
“All stand in the presence of Dante Luciferus, of the empirical demon family Luciferus!”
I turned around quickly, and everyone was standing up with their heads down, an arm across their chest, hand curled into a fist in a sign of respect. I stared, openmouthed around the room.
-…..WHAT!!??-