Palace of Demeter – 5th Floor (Aeterna)
Astral Keep – Throne Hall
Day 1 – 9:00 PM Demeter Standard Time
After the party had concluded, everybody returned to their posts. The Floor Guardians returned to their Floors and the Ennead returned to patrolling Astral Keep. Goren and Asriel entered the Throne Hall, their eyes meeting those of Malacus and Zuriel, the Throne Guardians. They dipped their heads in a bow as the two Players approached.
“Welcome back, Lords.” Malacus said.
“Yes, welcome.” Zuriel added.
The two Throne Guardians smiled.
Asriel and Goren smiled in return.
“Thank you.” Asriel said.
Goren simply nodded, not really in the mood to speak.
“We didn’t see you at the party.” Asriel said, placing himself onto his throne. Goren did so as well.
“We did not wish to abandon our duties, my Lord. We exist to protect the thrones of the Supreme Beings.” Zuriel said.
“Exactly. If we left our posts, there would be no one left to keep intruders out.” Malacus added.
“What about the Elven Guard? They patrol Astral Keep too.” Goren replied, curious to see how they would respond.
Malacus and Zuriel shook their heads.
“The Elven Guard are not as powerful as the two of us. They would fall before we would.” Malacus said.
“Precisely. We are better suited to defending the Throne Hall than they are.” Zuriel said.
Goren nodded.
“I suppose. But still, you could have had some of the meals with us.”
Malacus and Zuriel smiled. They bowed their heads and placed a hand on their chests.
“Thank you for your consideration, Lord Goren. We are blessed to serve such benevolent masters.” They said in unison.
“You’re welcome.” Goren replied.
Just then, the Guardian Overseer, Kleran Reval, entered the room. He knelt before them on one knee and spoke.
“Masters, I have urgent news. The Palace of Demeter is under attack by a horde of undead.” He said, his eyes focused on the two Players.
Goren’s and Asriel’s eyes widened.
“What kind of undead are they?” Goren asked.
“Are they Skeletons? Zombies? Liches?” Asriel added.
“The Demetrius Elven Guard report that the horde largely consists of zombies of various species, such as humans, giants, beasts, and wyverns,” Kleran said.
Asriel brought a hand to his chin.
“Only zombies? Are they posing a significant threat to the Elven Guard?”
Kleran shook his head.
“No, my Lord. The Elven Guard are holding their own against the undead. None of them seem to be high-level enemies.”
Goren tapped his fingers on his throne’s armrests in thought.
Where did these undead come from? Is this the work of a necromancer, or is this just a coincidence?
Asriel’s voice pulled Goren back to reality.
“What are your thoughts, Goren?” He asked, his eyes meeting those of his best friend.
“This might be the work of a necromancer. Maybe a Night Lich or even an Overlord.” Goren responded.
Asriel nodded.
“That’s what I was thinking too. Reminds me of the time the Wayfarers attacked us.”
Goren smiled as the memory came to mind.
The event took place a year ago. The Wayfarers was a party of six that came to Alfheim, the world that the Palace of Demeter was located in, in search of places to plunder. They did not want to form a guild of their own, as they did not want to give up on their goal of exploring all of the Nine Worlds, nor did they want to deal with the hassle of managing a guild. So when they came to Alfheim, they made the guild of Chiaroscuro their target and invaded with an army of summoned beasts and undead.
Their party managed to blast through the Guardians and POPs of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Floors before they were stopped on the 4th Floor. Goren and Asriel, alongside Savina, Onus, and the forces of Acropolis, managed to kill the druid Player and forced the other five to retreat and leave the guild base.
Several of the NPCs were killed and over a billion gold was spent to resurrect them. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Floors had to be redesigned as well, to make them harder to get through. Goren and Asriel managed to get their hands on a unique helmet out of the invasion though, one that was dropped by the defeated druid, plus a bit more experience in defending their guild base, so it wasn’t a complete waste.
Goren’s smile turned into a frown as a thought came to him.
“Do you think it’s them again? It could be the work of that necromancer, what was his name…”
“I don’t recall his name either. But you’re right, it could be his doing.” Asriel turned back to Kleran.
“Has there been any indication of a Player’s involvement?” He asked.
Kleran shook his head.
“No, Lord Asriel. The Elven Guard have not encountered any individuals with control over the undead horde, nor anyone of sufficient strength.”
Asriel turned back to Goren.
“Wanna fight for real?” His mouth curling into a smile.
Goren smiled in turn.
“If they’re so weak, they won’t be a challenge, but sure.”
“Awesome.”
“I will summon some guards for you. The Ennead should suffice.” Kleran said, raising a hand to his ear.
Asriel raised an eyebrow.
“Why? I’m a level 100 mage. I can defend myself just fine.”
“Yeah. It’s not like we’ll be leaving the sight of the Elven Guard defending Demeter.” Goren said.
“My Lords, it would be a tragedy if either of you were harmed, or worse yet, killed as a result. We can’t let you leave Demeter without an armed escort.” Kleran replied, his hand still raised to his ear.
“We could just take Onus and Savina with us.” Goren said.
“Or Malacus and Zuriel.” Asriel countered.
Kleran lowered his hand. The 「Message」 he was about to send having been canceled.
“Very well, my Lords, if that is your wish.” He bowed his head.
Goren brought a hand to his ear, casting the spell, 「Message」.
『Onus, come to the Throne Hall. Get into your battle gear and ready your weapons. There’s an army of undead attacking Demeter, and I want you to be my bodyguard on the surface.』
『Understood, my Lord! I will be there shortly!』 He said enthusiastically before Goren ended the spell.
“I’ll be taking Onus with me. Who are you taking?” He asked Asriel.
“Hmm.” Asriel pondered.
If I take only Malacus and Zuriel with me, then Savina would feel left out.
“I’ll take Malacus, Zuriel, and Savina with me.” He said to Goren.
Goren nodded.
“Gotcha.” He said as his bath robe was instantly replaced with his personal armor, though his head was bare, his helmet appearing in his hands instead. The armor was red and had black décor, with a scale-like texture.
Asriel turned to the Throne Guardians.
“Ready yourselves for battle. Tell Savina to meet us here and to be ready to fight.”
Malacus and Zuriel nodded.
“Understood, Supreme One.”
Goren looked away from the scene and reached into his Item Box, pulling out Eager Reprisal, a red and black shield with an open demonic maw engraved onto its surface. It had the ability to deflect an incoming attack back at the enemy three times per day. That does not mean that the deflected attack will always damage the attacker: if the attacker has a higher defense stat - magical or physical - than the incoming attack, then they obviously will not be harmed by it.
Afterwards, he pulled out one of his martial weapons, the White Masher. A large white club with golden spikes, it did bludgeoning and piercing damage in addition to Holy damage. Perfect for killing undead with in close quarters combat, whether they have flesh or not.
Onus materialized from his master’s shadow, transitioning into a physical form in less than a second. He wore midnight blue assassin gear and held a blade in each hand.
“I have arrived as requested, my Lord.” He said with a confident smile.
“Good.” Goren said as he gave Onus a quick nod.
“Now, are you bringing anything to the battle, Asriel?” Goren turned back to his best friend.
Asriel shook his head.
“Nah. I’ll be casting spells this time. I wanna blast them away.” He said with a grin.
Goren grinned in return.
“If that’s how you want it, then it’s fine by me.”
Malacus, Zuriel, and Savina came to their creator’s side, confident expressions on their faces.
“I’ll have a Gate opened for us.” Goren said as he put a hand to his ear. He cast the 「Message」 spell to contact Drasavus.
“Drasavus.” Goren spoke.
“I am here, my Lord. How may I be of service to you?”
“I need you to open a Gate to the Surface for us. We are in the Throne Room. We need to get there as soon as possible.”
“At once, sire. It shall be done.”
“Thank you. We appreciate it.”
With that, the 「Message」 ended. A Gate appeared before them not a minute later.
“After you.” Goren gestured.
“Let’s go.” Asriel said, deploying his black-tipped feathery white wings and blasting off through the portal, his four NPCs following right behind him.
Goren chose not to deploy his, as he would be fighting them up close and personal. He stepped through the portal and so did Onus, the Gate closing behind them.
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Palace of Demeter – The Surface
Palace Grounds
Day 1 – 9:17 PM Demeter Standard Time
Banging, grunting, and moaning could be heard as the zombies outside attempted to beat their way into Demeter. Zombie after zombie made their way to the front door and windows of the guild base, banged on them, and fell dead to the ground with arrows lodged in their flesh or spells having burnt them with fire or enveloped them in Holy energy.
The members of the Demetrius Elven Guard were perched on the roofs of Demeter and nested at several of the windows on the Surface’s second floor, sending forth arrow after arrow and spell after spell. These elves are the POPs who defend the Surface of the guild base from intruders, as Demeter was located in the forested world of Alfheim in Yggdrasil. Having elves as the basic defenders of the base was thematically fitting. Now that Demeter was located in a land filled with undead, however, it was no longer as fitting.
The Gate opened, with Asriel the first to exit. Upon seeing the horde of undead, Asriel whistled.
“Now that’s a lot of zombies.” He said, flapping his wings as he hovered over the horde. The three NPCs he brought with him arriving at his side a moment later.
Goren and Onus were the last to arrive. The stood next to Asriel and his three escorts.
The zombies, having spotted the six arrivals, began making their way over to them.
“Attack!” Asriel shouted, pointing a finger at the horde.
“You dare lay a hand on the walls of the most holy home of the Supreme Beings?!” Malacus snarled as he charged towards the zombies at the front of the horde, his dark wings and legs propelling him forward. His halberd cleaved six zombies in half with one motion, then cleaved another six with another motion.
“Not only that, you further compound your transgression by approaching our masters?! Know your place, scum!” Zuriel screamed as she, too, charged forward. Her dual khopeshes decapitated four zombies each, her movements a blur as she moved to slay more.
Asriel’s outstretched hand glowed as a magical circle appeared before it.
“「Widen Magic, Seven Trumpeter」!” He shouted as seven magical trumpets appeared before him, blasting horrendous noise at an ear-shattering volume. It was perfect for dealing with large groups of undead and enemies with negative karma.
Thousands of zombies were instantly obliterated by the screeching of the trumpets. Malacus, unfortunately, was hit by it as well, as friendly-fire is a thing that exists in this world. He wasn’t injured severely, however.
“My apologies, Malacus! I did not mean to hurt you with that spell!” Asriel shouted over the fighting.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“Worry not, master! It is my fault entirely. I failed to react in time.” Malacus answered as he was healed from a distance by Asriel, who cast 「Cure Moderate Wounds」. He continued to cleave zombies in half, not stopping as his health returned to normal.
Goren watched as the battle unfolded, not having joined in right away. He wanted to see how Asriel and company would begin the fight. He turned to Asriel, and saw from the corner of his eye that Savina had not joined in either. She was clad in pure white armor befitting that of a Battle Cleric, with golden ornamentation just like her creator. She wore no helmet, as her intended gear was not meant to have one. She gripped her gladius with both hands, holding it up close to her chest. She swept her eyes across her surroundings, searching for enemies stepping too close to her creator.
Goren turned to Savina. “Not getting involved?”
She shook her head. “No, I must stay by Lord Asriel’s side. Malacus and Zuriel are fighting further ahead of us, so if I left his side, nobody would be around to protect him.”
Goren nodded. He gave her a kind smile.
“Understood. You’re a good girl, Savina.” He said as he placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair a bit. Savina blushed.
Onus frowned at the sight, jealous that she was receiving pats from his master. Goren, however, was unaware of this.
“Keep up the good work!” He said before turning to Onus and nodding. Onus’ frown vanished before Goren could see it.
“Get in my shadow. You’ll protect me from attacks I can’t block.” He said. Onus nodded.
“Understood, my Lord.” He said as his body transformed and sunk into the ground, hiding in his master’s shadow.
“Good. Let’s go.” Goren said before he leapt into the air, his wings carrying him towards the nearest group of zombies.
The Demon Lord swung his club at a group of zombies, their heads becoming a red mist as it made contact with them. He smirked as their bodies fell to the ground.
They’re weak alright. Let’s see if something’s stronger among them.
He flew towards a large zombie some ninety meters away, an undead giant from the looks of it. It’s eyes were missing from its sockets, but it continued moving towards Demeter regardless of its lack of vision.
Goren flung his club at the zombie giant’s chest as hard as he could, curious to see what the result would be.
The club cleaved the undead in half, its upper torso launched away from its lower half by the impact of the club. Viscera erupted from the bisected zombie. Despite how much damage it had taken, however, the zombie giant was still alive, propelling its torso towards the guild base using its arms.
Goren flew over to the flung club, which sat in the center of a crater it created upon impact with the ground and grabbed it. Before the zombie could crawl a single inch further, he swung the club at its skull at full force, obliterating it. This, too, left a crater.
He grinned. Despite how weak these creatures were, it was fun destroying them. It made him want to crush more skulls. Looking up from the corpse, he spotted another zombie giant in the distance, and flew off towards it, club raised.
Nearby, Asriel continued to fire spells at the approaching horde. One divine spell after another was launched at the zombies, erasing their bodies from existence one at a time.
He watched as Malacus and Zuriel swung their weapons with gusto, annihilating the undead that came towards them. Seeing the bodies, the innards, the bloodshed, it made him wonder.
If this is a real world, does that mean these were all real, living people at one point? They don’t seem to be summons. None of their corpses are vanishing upon defeat like summons do.
It was a weird thought. How could he kill, or even see them be killed, and not feel a thing? He was a marine, a national guardsman, and a security guard back on Earth, sure, but that did not mean he was a heartless killer. Why the change?
Is it because I am no longer human? Angels are heteromorphs. A monster race. Do I no longer get affected by seeing death and destruction? Or is it because they are undead? Will I even care if I see a human get killed?
It was a scary line of thought. He did not know if he even wanted to know the answers to those questions. But he knew that he needed to find out.
He resumed casting spells at the horde. He had to defend Demeter.
“「Grand Fireball」!” He shouted as a ball of fire flew out from his hand and impacted a group of zombies, detonating upon contact. The explosion had the appearance of a mushroom cloud. He estimated that he had killed at least a hundred zombies with that spell.
He turned to his right, searching for the form of his best friend. After a few seconds, he found him. Goren was soaring across the battlefield, destroying every undead he came across. Even from such a distance, he could see a toothy grin on Goren’s face.
You don’t seem to mind at all. You’re slaughtering people like nothing and you’re enjoying it.
Asriel did not know how to feel about that. He hoped his friend hadn’t changed more than he did.
Please don’t become an actual demon. I don’t want to lose the real you.
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The battle lasted only half an hour. With Asriel and co. using spells and weapons, and Goren soaring around shattering the skulls of every large zombie he came across, it wasn’t long until there were no zombies left nearby. Especially since the 「Seven Trumpeter」 spell, modified by 「Widen Magic」, used by Asriel killed thousands of them.
The six combatants returned to Demeter by Gate, arriving back in the Throne Room. Goren put away his personal armor and switched back to his favorite clothes, the Devil’s Bathrobe, and ordered Onus to leave his shadow, to which he did. Malacus and Zuriel returned to their stations as Guardians of the Throne with permission from their creator, while Savina returned to her master’s Royal Suite. Having nothing else to do, Goren and Asriel sat in their thrones.
Guardian Overseer Kleran, who had not left the room, stood before the thrones of his masters.
“Congratulations on achieving victory against those pitiful creatures, my Lords. I would expect nothing else.”
Asriel nodded.
“You flatter us, Kleran. Thank you.”
Goren nodded as well.
“Indeed.”
Kleran’s mouth turned into a nearly imperceptible smile, bowing his head.
“Your words honor me, my Lords. I do not deserve such praise.”
“Nonsense,” Goren said. “None of you are unworthy.”
Kleran bowed his head deeper.
“Thank you for your kind words, master. It warms my heart.” Kleran said in his characteristic monotone voice.
Goren nodded, not sure what else to do.
He cleared his throat.
“Now then, what shall we do?” He turned to Asriel.
Asriel answered almost immediately.
“We should call all of the Floor Guardians here. The Marshals as well.”
Goren nodded.
“Ah, I see.”
Kleran bowed his head.
“I shall fetch them at once.”
He brought a finger to his ear and used the 「Mass Message」 spell. After a minute, he lowered his finger.
“It has been done. The Floor Guardians are on their way.”
It was after Kleran had finished speaking that a Gate opened at the end of the Throne Room. All six of the Floor Guardians arrived, as well as the The Marshals. They hurried over to the thrones and each of them knelt on one knee.
“We have answered your summons, Supreme Ones. How may we serve you?” They said in unison.
That’s kinda much, don’t you think?
Asriel thought.
Did they rehearse this or something beforehand?
Goren wondered.
“We are pleased to see all of you here. Thank you for coming promptly.” Asriel said, smiling.
“Yes, thank you. Your swift arrival is testament to your loyalty.” Goren added, smiling as well.
The gathered NPCs faces’ brightened at that. Wide smiles were on each of their faces. Some even had tears of joy welling up.
“Such kind words!” Ullr, the yeti Floor Guardian of the 1st Flood said, a hand over his heart and a smile on his face.
“We are fortunate to have been created by such kind beings as yourselves, my Lords.” Said Kontar, the mummy Floor Guardian of the 2nd Floor.
Before any more of the Floor Guardians could speak, Asriel held out his hand.
“Yes, yes, we are grateful for your devotion, but we are pressed for time. You may continue after this meeting is adjourned. There is an important matter to discuss.”
Goren nodded. He had nothing to add.
“Yes, sir!” The NPCs before them said.
Asriel cleared his throat before continuing.
“As you may know, we have just been attacked by a horde of the undead. Thousands of zombies of humans, giants, and others assaulted the Palace of Demeter, driven back by me, Savina, Zuriel, Malacus, Goren, and Onus. The members of the Demetrius Elven Guard assisted as well.”
The gathered NPCs frowned at this. At least, those who could frown did.
“Your reactions are understandable. Fortunately, the horde has been destroyed. Now, we must discuss what we shall do to prevent such a thing from occurring again.” Asriel said. He turned to Goren and nodded. Goren nodded in turn.
“I think we should plant trees all around Demeter. Create a huge forest that can allow us to blend in with our surroundings. There should be large trees big enough to match the World Tree Sapling growing out of our roof.” Goren suggested.
“Then we can have the Demetrius Elven Guard patrol the forest and take out incoming threats before they’re noticed.” Asriel nodded. It was the same type of environment that the Palace of Demeter was located in back in Alfheim, so creating one such environment here would be quite the boon.
“Exactly.” Goren said.
“But how would we accomplish such a thing? We shouldn’t use any of the high-level seeds in the Treasury for it.” Asriel questioned.
Goren stayed quiet for several moments, thinking it over. Then, he answered.
“What about Super Tier magic? I’m not sure if it’s going to work, but 「Creation」 might do it. Since both of us know that spell, we’d be able to use it more than once per day.” He said.
“That could work. And, if either of us use that spell outside, it would lure out any Players nearby that are hostile to us. We should keep some forces on standby if that happens.” Asriel added.
“That’s what I was thinking too. I’ll bring Onus with me to protect me. You can bring whoever you think would do well.” Goren replied.
“I think the Ennead would do well. They are an all-purpose team, after all.” Asriel said.
Goren nodded.
Asriel turned back to the NPCs kneeling before them.
“What do you all think?” He asked them.
“If it is the will of the Supreme Beings, then it will be done. We shall ensure the safety of our masters while this is underway” Said Kleran, lowering his head as he said it.
“Agreed. A forest surrounding Demeter would make it difficult for large armies to reach us. Any cavalry or siege engines, such as trebuchets, would not be able to get through the trees. And if any hostile Players attack, we will destroy them before they get a chance to harm the Supreme Ones.” Spartacus said. He turned to look at the Marshals, his eight Arachnoid eyes focused on them. They nodded in agreement.
“Indeed. We could also set up traps once the forest is created. That way, those who try to make their way to Demeter will be taken out.” Said Urviat, the Dragonoid Marshal.
“High-level ranger-type units could also patrol the forest to detect those using spells like Perfect Unknowable. I do not believe the Demetrius Elven Guard would be able to detect them on their own.” Said Pero de Tiedra, the Forest Elf Marshal.
“What about those using non-detection spells or items? They would block the senses of rangers and remain hidden.” Asked Sigmar Beastbreaker, the Dwarven Marshal. He turned to Pero, his brow furrowed.
“If they used such a thing, they would still be visible, even if they used Perfect Unknowable, to said units.” Pero replied, his head facing the thrones but his eyes looking in the direction of Sigmar.
This is new. Our first argument, Asriel thought as Pero and Sigmar continued to argue.
Goren smiled.
This really is a new world. I never thought the NPCs could argue.
Asriel raised a hand. Pero and Sigmar ceased their arguing immediately and turned their heads towards their creator.
“There is no need to argue. We will make sure everything is accounted for. We will make Demeter into an impregnable fortress.” Asriel said as he lowered his hand.
“Exactly. If you do everything correctly and efficiently, you will have nothing to worry about.” Goren added.
Asriel nodded.
“Now then, we must get this underway. Since it was your idea, Goren, how about you be the one to use 「Creation」 to create this forest of ours?” Asriel said as he turned to Goren, a smirk on his face.
Goren chuckled, rolling his eyes.
“If you say so, Guildmaster.”
Asriel turned back to the NPCs.
“You’re dismissed. We have work to do.”
The NPCs bowed their heads in unison.
“Yes, sir!” They said in unison.
Goren and Asriel used their Rings of Chiaroscuro to teleport to the Surface.
Goren brought a hand to his ear, then lowered it after a minute. Moments later, Onus appeared before him, on one knee.
“I’m here, master.” He said, his head lowered in a bow.
“Good. I’ll be stepping outside Demeter for a few minutes, and I need you to be in my shadow once again. You know what you must do.”
Onus nodded.
“Understood, master. I shall do my utmost to keep you safe.” He said before melting into the floor and merging with Goren’s shadow.
“I can’t get over how cool that is.” Asriel said from Goren’s side.
“I know, right?” Goren replied.
A moment later, the Ennead appeared, stepping through a Gate behind Asriel. They knelt on one knee.
“We’ve arrived as requested, master.” Aiden said in his characteristic southern drawl, lowering his head to his creator.
“Good. Goren will be stepping outside to caste a Super Tier spell. I need you here with me in the event he is attacked. I want all of you prepared to join battle at a moment’s notice.” He said to Aiden.
The Half-Golem gunslinger nodded.
“Understood, m’Lord. We shall do our best.”
Goren smiled. He found Aiden’s southern drawl kind of funny. It made him like the cowboy much more.
“Now, then.” He said as he cracked his knuckles. He pushed open the front door of the guild base and deployed his wings. In less than a second, he flew fifty feet into the air.
Using Super Tier Magic up here should make me a tempting target. If it was a Player who commanded that undead horde, this would be the opportune moment to attack me, Goren thought as he surveyed the land around him. It was quite a beautiful world, the undead notwithstanding. It looked nothing like the polluted wasteland that Earth had become from the insatiable lust for profit.
A bright blue magic circle appeared around Goren, followed by several more with some runes on them as the activation period of 「Creation」 began. Goren took another look around him as the activation period ran its course.
“「Creation」!” Goren shouted as he imagined a large forest surrounding the Palace of Demeter.
The land surrounding the guild base lit up as the spell took hold, the dead grass and the mangled corpses of the undead suddenly vanishing from view as thousands of trees sprung from the ground. The soil, which had barely any nutrients before, suddenly became fertile as the magic transformed it.
The largest trees were the ones surrounding Demeter, matching the World Tree Sapling on the roof. The tree tops were so thick with leaves that it obscured all view of Demeter from the sky.
Goren took in the transformed surroundings, inhaling deeply the smell of the trees as it entered his nose.
Oh, what a beautiful scent. It’s a shame my parents never got to smell something like this.
Thinking about his parents instantly put a damper on his mood. He found it hard to enjoy his new life when his parents weren’t here to enjoy it with him.
After waiting for five minutes, Goren was satisfied. There weren’t any Players nearby after all. He flew back down to Demeter and stepped through the front door, closing it behind him. Onus emerged from his shadow and remained by his side.
“So, how did it go?” Asriel asked. He had brought out a Mirror of Remote Viewing and was observing the surroundings around Demeter.
“It was uneventful. No Players in sight. The forest smells great, though.” Goren sighed.
Asriel raised an eyebrow.
“Why the sigh? Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing. Just thinking about how nobody back on Earth could smell something like that anymore.”
Asriel nodded.
“Ah, I see. Yeah, it’s a shame.”
He turned to Aiden.
“Your team is dismissed. Thank you for coming here.”
The members of the team lowered their heads.
“Thank you for your kind words, master. We shall return to our regular duties.” He said before another Gate appeared. They stepped through it, the portal disappearing moments later.
Asriel turned back to Goren.
“Now, let’s have the Elven Guard patrol the forest. We’ll have them set up traps as well.”
“Got it.” Goren replied. He brought a hand to his ear, sending a 「Message」 to Kleran. After the order was relayed, he brought his hand back down.
“What should we do while we wait?” He asked Asriel.
“Wanna have some pizza? I kinda want some more.” Asriel said with a grin.
“And some wings too would be great.” Goren grinned in turn.
“That’s the spirit!” Asriel said as he wrapped an arm around Goren’s neck and brought him close.
The two set off to the Dining Hall on the 5th Floor, eager to partake in the bounty of their new lives. Onus remained at his master’s side, following them as they left the Surface.
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Invern Palace – Inveria
Within the Royal Bedchamber
Day 2 – 4:09 AM Demeter Standard Time
To the southwest of Demeter stood the city of Invern, the former capital of the fallen Kingdom of Inveria. The kingdom was one of four nations that fell simultaneously two centuries ago, when all of their inhabitants suddenly died and rose up as zombies. None of the surrounding nations know why that is. What they do know is that they cannot leave their borders unguarded, lest wandering zombies reek havoc on their citizens. As such, each of the surrounding nations maintains a quarantine zone, manned by military forces trained to fight the undead. Clerics, paladins, and other such individuals make up the bulk of these forces. Those patrol these quarantine zones don’t find much action, as there isn’t a rampaging zombie horde coming along every single day, so they tend to become bored. But when the action does come, they find it a welcome reprieve.
The fact that a zombie horde had begun rampaging not towards the borders, but towards a forest that had suddenly popped up, surprised Simak. Not only that, but his undead servants reported the use of high-tier spells in the vicinity of the forest.
“Could it be the work of a rival?” Simak said to nobody in particular. He gazed at the image of the aforementioned forest before him, one that he had conjured using a divination spell.
Born an Elder Lich from the negative energy fields that came into existence from the millions of zombies that wandered the land for two centuries, Simak Taril Disada begun researching magic to strengthen himself. He was eventually invited to join the Corpus of the Abyss, and after several years, joined the inner circle of the undead organization. It was not that long ago that he had reached the 7th Tier of magic, and it wasn’t long after that that he had taken Invern Palace for himself.
The entire city of Inveria was his territory as well, one that he took control of once he had eliminated all who challenged his claim. He had big plans for the city. He would transform it into the capital of an undead kingdom, one with him as its sovereign, once he had reached the height of magical power. He would even transform Corpus of the Abyss into loyal servants for his new kingdom, which he would use to spread death across the lands of the living. The fact that a powerful entity had used high-tier magic so close to his territory worried him.
This forest wasn’t here before, he thought.
Who would be powerful enough to sprout an entire forest in the blink of an eye so close to my realm?
There weren’t any undead that he knew of who use such spells. In fact, it didn’t make sense at all for undead to learn such spells. Doing so went against every undead’s desire to exterminate the living. Not even undead druids could grow trees, as the spells they would be able to use could only accelerate the spread of negative energy.
Negative energy, which was made up of negative emotions such as anger, hatred, fear, despair, and suffering, was generated by the deaths of the living. The more living beings died in an area, the more negative energy was generated. Eventually, if there was nothing to counteract it, there would be enough negative energy for undead to naturally spawn from it, something that is called a negative energy zone. Places like cemeteries and battlefields like the Katze Plains are examples of negative energy zones.
Positive energy, on the other hand, was something that all living beings generated. Plants, animals, and even people required positive energy to live and to heal. The living thrive on positive energy, while the undead thrive on negative energy.
The fact that someone had planted an entire forest meant that it couldn’t have been an undead. It just wouldn’t make sense.
It is either the work of the living, or an undead attempting to conceal their intentions. But if it is the second one, what would the point of it be? And if it is the first, what would their objective be? Do they intend to reclaim this land?
Simak could not rule out the possibility of a violent confrontation. He had to send someone to investigate. Going personally would be unwise, especially since he has no idea what he is up against.
The image of the forest panned left and right, as Simak attempted to spot anything he might have missed. But no matter how hard he looked, he could not see anything other than the trees.
Perhaps I should burn it to the ground. It would be wonderful after all the trouble it has given me.
Simak sighed. He lowered his hands, the image of the forest fading away entirely. He turned around, making eye contact with the nearest Elder Lich.
“Go to the forest that had appeared to the northeast of the city. Make contact with whomever is responsible for its appearance, but do not antagonize them. I do not want conflict to erupt from it. Take one of my carriages.”
The Elder Lich he spoke to bowed its head.
“It shall be done, master.” It said as it turned around and left the room.
Simak turned away from the retreating Elder Lich and made his way to the bookshelf nearby. He took out a book labeled ‘History of Inveria: Volume One’ and opened it.
I’ll reread this in the meantime. Hopefully, this will be resolved peacefully, he thought.