Standing in the middle of my throne room and suddenly feeling like an idiot, I could feel my face begin to flush slightly.
“Um… Summon: [Evil Eye]?”
“Create: [Evil Eye]?”
“Produce: [Evil Eye]?”
“Grow: [Evil Eye]?”
…Breed: [Evil Eye]…?”
[Evil Eye] added to [Unit Production Queue]!
Beginning Unit [Evil Eye] development within [Fertilization Hearth A-1]!
Fertilization Hearth? I thought as I read over the window, my face still somewhat flushed with embarrassment. I focused on the window, and my senses were pulled away to somewhere else in the Devil Keep, through winding halls and down into the catacombs. A large circular room was built adjacent to the Dungeon, one of the ones I hadn’t examined in detail in my tour, and as I peered inside now I was glad I hadn’t. Seeing this in the flesh would have been distinctly… unpleasant.
Within the room were eight large… things, each set around the sides in a compass rose formation. Masses of steaming red flesh, slick with purple, slimy sweat that ran in rivers down into the pools of purple fluid that each of them sat in. They looked almost like numerous wombs and hearts from different animals that had been torn out and then partially melded together into one larger organism, and were connected to numerous large veins and flesh tendrils like some sort of system of organic pipes and pumps. While most of them were shriveled up and barely pulsing with only a hint of life, one was much more active and spastic. It spasmed and bulged outwards, the veins and tendrils rapidly pulsing and pumping something in and out of the larger mass as the hearts beat rapidly and the wombs swelled and bloated with whatever was being fed into them.
[Fertililzation Hearth, Lv.1:]
Designation:
A-1
Location:
Devil Keep
Level:
1/4
Durability:
200/200
Current Production:
Evil Eye
Time
2 Days, 23 Hours
Base Cost:
20 Aether
5 Food
Emergency Cost:
60 Aether
10 Food
“A Fertilization Hearth serves as the foundation of production for Runeterria and the birthplace for all its Monsters. Filling with tainted fluids, these wretched Hearths summon defiled souls from the Hells and reincarnates them as loyal subjects of Runeterria.
-
“A Fertilization Hearth can either create a Monster from scratch with nothing but shredded meat and Aether, or it can use a Corpse as its base to create superior but less flexible Monsters. Living entities can also be placed within, and they will be reborn as Ruenterrians bound to the Demon King’s will as their mind, body, and soul putrefy as they are tainted with Evil and Darkness.”
So, this was how I produced Units? Interesting, and quite disgusting, though I suppose I shouldn’t have expected anything less when it came to creating Monsters such as those that served Runeterria. The fact I could also use these on corpses or living creatures was also an interesting prospect to consider, and I had some suspicions on what Units that may give me access to. But such things were plans to shelve for consideration later. For now, what I needed was my Scout and I needed one of them now. Turning my attention to the Fertilization Hearty and focused on the Emergency Cost option.
Activate [Emergency Production] for [Fertilization Hearth A-1]?
----------------------------------------
Warning:
- Emergency Production will greatly increase resource costs.
- Fertilization Hearth will also take 100 damage to Durability and require repair, and will not be able to produce new Units for 1 Week.
I had noted the increased Cost, but the fact that it would damage and leave the Fertilization Hearth unusable for a full week was also a rather unfortunate side effect to doing this. However, I needed at least one Scout, even if it used up some of the precious starting resources I had. Besides, a Week at this stage shouldn’t be too big of a drawback, hopefully. This was ultimately a small risk for an absolutely vital reward.
I confirmed the Emergency Production use and the results of doing so were instantaneous. The flesh tendrils bulged grotesquely as a bright red aura emanated from the entire Fertilization Hearth. The hearts beat madly and without rhythm, the wombs swelling until the entire structure was nearly three times its original side and was pressing up against the edges of the pool. Punctures and tears appeared across the tendrils and main structure, spraying a concoction of fluids across the room along with chunks and bits of flesh. Several tendrils finally tore away, spraying madly like fire hoses. The sharp point at the end of a long tentacle suddenly pierced through the structure wall and carved downwards, other tentacles sprouting through the gap and pulling outwards, widening the tear as something pulled itself from within the Fertilization Hearth.
It was disgusting.Yet strangely enough, I seemed to be only aware of this fact on a more purely intellectual level, instead of a more emotional or physical one. While I was never really a squeamish person, this was ridiculous. I could only assume this was some side effect of becoming The Demon King, most likely the same reason also I wasn’t more panicked or mad from the reality of this situation I was in. Deciding it was best to try and simply ignore the rabbit hole, I quickly turned my focus on the Monster that had just finished its birth.
It was another basic Unit for Runeterria and was its dedicated Scout, an Evil Eye. It was an oculothroax Monster, appearing as a huge eyeball with a pair of bat wings and a dozen of large tentacles coming out of the bottom of its body, each of which was tipped with a wicked claw or hook made of bone. Its body was dark purple in color with bulged out blue veins, the iris of the eye a bright red color with a slit serpentine pupil. While the Wraiths could serve passably for scouts, the Evil Eyes were much more effective at it and were the only Units that could actually separate from and move independently of a General, scanning areas for Resources or other points of interest. Of all the Factions’ Scout units, Evil Eyes were easily the strongest of them, both due to them being among the few that could fly as well as them being able to serve as offensive casters in combat. As such casters otherwise could only be obtained by promoting starting Units, they were particularly valuable in the early game.
[Evil Eye, Lv.1:]
Name:
Oculus
Age:
0 Years
Race:
Evil Eye
Class:
Dark Gazer
Affinity:
Darkness
Type:
Monster, Evil, Flying
Exp:
0/100
Level:
1/5
Hp:
20/20(20)
Mp:
20/20
Strength:
10
Defense:
13
Magic:
18
Resistance:
18
Skill:
16
Speed:
15
Constitution:
11
Luck:
2
Skills:
[Evil Gaze], [Black Magic I], [Red Magic I], [Magic Barrier], [Aethervore], [Superior Analyze]
Evil Eye:
“Evil Eyes are ocular Monsters who serve as the Scouts of Runeterria as well as The Demon King’s eyes outside of their domain. Capable of seeing far more than most creatures, nothing escapes their tainted gaze as they fly through the skies. In combat, they serve as potent spell casters to support other Monsters, but are still fairly fragile and rely on their magical barriers to keep them safe.”
----------------------------------------
Dark Gazer:
“Dark Gazers are newborn and weak Evil Eyes. They possess limited abilities in combat and prefer scouting or examining their enemies for weaknesses their allies can capitalize on. However, they do possess some limited magical abilities as well as their signature Evil Eye in the event they have to fight, and their flight allows them to effectively harass. Dark Gazers are a sort of imago state for Evil Eyes, and once they Promote they will begin to favor which of the mightier ocular Monsters they will metamorphosis into.”
I ordered the Evil Eye to begin scouting further out into the forests and see if he could find any Monster Dens or hints of other Factions. The Wraiths had searched much of the immediate area, and had successfully killed and hunted some minor animals who still needed to be harvested, but they lacked the Analyze Skill that the Evil Eye possessed and thus were only able to gather so much data. With the Food I had and the natural Resource Generation of the Devil Keep itself in mind, I created two more Evil Eyes though I would let these two come out naturally. Their Aethervore Skill meant that they consumed Aether instead of Food for their Upkeep, so I could afford several of them without risking starvation by relying on the passive Aether from the Devil Keep itself. My immediate plan was to have these two new ones do a more thorough analysis of the mountain range and forests for Resources to harvest while the current one focused on distance and pure exploration for now.
With these basics complete, I found that all of the Arachnids had completed their outfits and had transferred them to my room before returning to rest. Checking on the sleeping Webster, I was thankful to confirm that resting did indeed let them recover both their spent Hp and Mp, with Mp seeming to come back around three times faster. Once they were recovered, I would begin construction outside the Devil Keep of smaller structures like Outposts and small Forts in the forest and on the mountain. As for larger structures, for that I retreated to my personal study. It was time to see if the Construction and Research from Sacred Chronicles still worked the same or not. If I could figure out those, I could finish the checklist that I always ran down for the first ‘turn’ whenever I started a new campaign.
I entered my personal study, which appeared as a small library. Shelves were packed with books and scrolls, all of clear age and value. Several desks and cabinets were also placed around, each having various materials like loose paper or pens and different colors of ink scattered across them. The room was illuminated by various black candles set upon the desks, which burst to life as soon as I walked into the room. The object that I focused on immediately, however, and the one that seemed to stand out the most in the room, was an orb. Made of a smooth, glassy purple material that almost reminded me of pearl, it was set into a holder that resembled four golden dragons with red eyes in a circle facing outwards, their expanded wings fused at the tips and tails wound around the bottom.
This room was, technically, in Sacred Chronicle. Specifically, this room was depicted in the aesthetic art for several of the tabs, mainly the Research one. The orb in particular was where much of it was typically depicted, and was what the world map was shown in. Hopefully, this aesthetic had become actual abilities that were maintained to some degree even now. I approached the orb, and immediately the eyes of the dragons began to glow brightly. I could feel my own also beginning to glow to match them, and watched as the cloudy and shiny surface of the orb slowly began to swirl around and around itself before partially dissipating into a more familiar view.
[Devil Orb:]
Primary Resources:
500 Production
400 Aether
500 Gold
480 Food
Growth/Upkeep (per Week):
+25(+25/-0) Production
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
+16(+25/-9) Aether
+25(+25/-0) Gold
-35(+0/-35) Food
Research Project (A):
(Choose)
0%
Settlement:
Leader:
Population:
Construction:
Devil Keep, Lv.1
The Demon King
71 Combat
0 Serf
(Choose)
I looked over the Stats, checking what I did and didn’t recognize and noting any immediate differences. Thankfully, this seemed to largely be the same from Sacred Chronicle, though the Growth and Upkeep were now weekly instead of every ‘turn.’ The Food Upkeep was alarming, though it could have been much worse, especially considering the unusual amount of starting Units I had been given. Twenty Bone Swords, twenty Revenants, sixteen Wraiths, and thirteen Arachnids. Such high numbers would have been disastrous for nearly any other Faction at the start. However, thankfully, not only did the Wraiths have the Aethervore Skill like the Evil Eye did; as Undead Units, the Bone Swords, Revenants, and Wraiths only cost half the usual Food Upkeep, Arther Upkeep for the Wraiths, that they normally would have.
Still, Food was undoubtedly an issue. Hopefully the surrounding Forests could serve as hunting grounds, but in addition to that, it was clear I would have to go with my ‘old reliable’ for my first construction. It was the one I almost always chose unless I was going for some higher risk rush strategy or there was very plentiful Food around my spawn.
“Construct: [Ouroborus Garden.]” I said cautiously. The vision within the Devil Orb once more shifted, this time to a view of the world outside Devil Keep. After a moment of consideration, I placed down the structure in the forests not too far from the Devil Keep and off to the side, closer to the mountain range.
[Ouroborus Garden] selected for [Devil Keep]’s current Construction.
Time Remaining: 2 Weeks
Base Cost:
75 Production
25 Gold
Emergency Cost:
200 Production
100 Aether
50 Gold
A trio of huge purple magic circles wrapped around the section of forest I had chosen. The outermost one began to move upwards, and as it did, all the flora and fauna began to decay and fall apart while the earth and soil seemed to liquify into quicksand, shifting and flattening out into a smooth foundation.
Two weeks should work, or at least work enough that I couldn’t justify the huge cost of using Emergency Production again. An Ouroboros Garden was a massive chamber that contained a single gigantic cursed snake called an Ouroboros, which was completely brain dead and could only mindless attempt to eat its own tail. The Ouroborus was a unique creature in that it couldn’t truly die. Its curse was complete immortality, and it would regenerate and heal from any wound no matter how severe or life threatening it should have been. The Ouroboros served two purposes for Runeterria, an economical one and a support one. It was their primary Food Production structure, the Ouroborus being routinely cut up and harvested for its meat. Compared to the Food Production of other Factions, it was rather weak overall honestly. However, it was also much simpler and safer, being difficult to sabotage and requiring very little land compared to vast farms the other Factions relied upon.
The Ouroborus Garden also allowed for the crafting of a basic healing item for Runeterria, called Demon Wine. It was a type of cursed snake wine made by fermenting the Ouroborus’ blood and poison with normal wines. As a healing item, Demon Wine would regenerate a large amount of health over several turns instead of a quick flat amount. It would also give a unit Death Immunity for the next attack, meaning that that attack couldn’t reduce them past one Hp and kill them. It was useful in a few scenarios, particularly for suiciding Units that were already screwed and going to die anyway.
With the Ouroborus Garden, my Food Upkeep problems should be taken care of for the moment. I still wouldn’t have very much passive Growth for Food, but I could rely on more direct harvests instead for the larger gains Runeterria would need. And with that taken care of, I only had one more thing I left needed to immediately look into and hopefully figure out: Research.
Research was perhaps the one I was honestly the most nervous about there being any major changes to. For the most part, it cost three things. Two Primary Resources, Aether and Gold, as well as the Faction’s Alignment Resource. The three different Alignments that the Factions of Sacred Chronicles were divided between each had a unique, secondary Resource to them that was typically required for big advancements and major milestones, such as Research or creating more powerful Units. For the Good Factions, they have Faith, which was gained through special buildings and their population as well as certain deeds like killing Monsters; the Neutral Factions have Influence, which was gained through trade and having good relations and vassals; and finally, the Evil Factions have Souls, which was gained through killing non-Monsters or through Corruption.
Souls were probably the easiest to gain in bursts, but unlike Faith and Influence, had absolutely no long term passive gain possible. Killing would result in instant Souls, while Corrupting would result in a short influx of Souls for only a dozen turns at most. Thus, the Evil Factions relied on both aggression as well as sabotaging the other Factions’ passive Faith or Influence income in order to gain a tech advantage and stay ahead. While I didn’t have any Souls to start off with, thankfully the earliest Research options were the only ones that were completely free and I should theoretically be able to start one of them.
“Research: [Adept Classes].”
[Adept Classes] selected for [Research Project A]
Current Progression: 0%
Complexity: 5
Adept Classes was the start of the Military Research Tree. It allowed for Units to Promote once they reached Level 5, with different Units having different Promotions and different numbers of Promotions. The Bone Swords for example could become Skull Warriors, Skull Ranger, Skull Cavalier, or Skull Priests. Promotions led to big Stat increases, particularly so with Runeterria’s Units, as well as new Skills and attacks. Normally, some Promotions would be more straightforward upgrades, like Skull Warriors who had better defense or Skull Cavalier who were mounted and thus had better movement; while others would be very different Units altogether, with the Skull Ranger being ranged Units and the Skull Priests being Healers with Black Magic for offense. On the other hand, Runeterria’s more monstrous Units like the Arachnids and Evil Eyes tended to have much more limited Promotions, while the Wraiths’ Promotions were easily the most varied of any Unit in Sacred Chronicles.
Of the most basic techs, Adept Classes was actually a rather low priority for me normally unless I was doing a rush strategy of some sort. However, in this new world, I needed power. It wouldn’t make me feel ‘safe’ by any stretch of the word, but it would at least help me feel less nervous about moving forward. I didn’t know what sort of enemies Runeterria would be facing, how quickly we would be forced to face them, and in what sort of numbers or strength.
However, there was also the problem of how exactly I did Research now that I had chosen it. I looked around the room, and to my surprise, several of the scattered books and scrolls were glowing with a soft purple light. Selecting one of them at random, I slowly opened it up.
Oh hell… This is really going to suck! I thought with a grimace as I skimmed over several of the yellowed pages which were alight with a faint glow. It was a book of magic of some sort clearly enough, specifically containing diagrams from the monsters and for various rituals related to strengthening and altering them. Apparently, I would have to literally research this myself if I was understanding the implications of all this correctly. Could I get help? I seriously hoped so. There were some ways to speed up Research in Sacred Chronicles. I would need to see what worked here, or this alone was going to take up a huge amount of my personal time and effort.
Without much else to do, I started reading various parts of the books and peering over the scrolls, the knowledge and concepts coming surprisingly and mercifully easier than it probably should have naturally been able to. As I read the words and memorized the symbols, I couldn’t help but notice that it all felt oddly… familiar. Like I was reading old and long forgotten childhood diaries of mine, instead of tomes of forbidden magic and eldritch lore.
I looked over them, wondering to myself as I absorbed the information. These systems that had been pulled from Sacred Chronicles, how concrete were they…? If I could learn enough about their foundations, about how it all worked, could I possibly… ‘tweak’ the programming, so to speak? Why does this all resemble Sacred Chronicles? It can’t be a coincidence, surely. To help me understand, then? Or is this a crutch of sorts, one that I will have to outgrow to succeed? Succeed at what, exactly?
“Kill Her…”
I dropped the book in surprise and spun around, wondering if a Wraith had phased in here for some reason. There was no one besides me in the room, however. It was completely empty of life besides my own. The only ‘thing’ that was behind me was my own shadow, a fact which my own senses and the shared subconscious confirmed easily enough.
Maybe I had gone mad. I don’t think I could be blamed if I had.
*Your Majesty?* One of my Monsters directly contacted me through the shared subconscious. Alarmingly, it was the Evil Eye I had sent out to scout.
I quickly focused on it, demanding to know what it had found so quickly and hoping it wasn’t anything too bad. I could clearly see through the Evil Eye, as if it was my own eyeball floating in the sky. The clarity of the view had something to do with the Evil Eye being a Scout Unit, I suspected. But as I saw, my heart rate slowed to a near stop as I saw my hopes had been in vain.
*A battle, Your Majesty. I have found at least two opposing Factions.*
Indeed, what appeared to be a small skirmish of some sort was currently happening in a relatively open span of forest. It, unfortunately, wasn’t between Monsters or territorial animals, but between equipped soldiers and what looked to be Barbarians or Bandits of some sort if I had to guess by appearances. The Evil Eye’s Analyze Skill ran over them, and I focused on the information of the strongest ones who I suspected were the leaders of these two groups:
[Bronze Knight, Lv.12:]
Name:
Alys
Age:
24
Race:
Highman
Class:
Armor Knight
Affinity:
Air
Type:
Human, Mounted
Exp:
178/250
Level:
11/15
Hp:
29/30(32)
Mp:
15/19
Strength:
30
Defense:
47(37)(+10)
Magic:
24
Resistance:
24(21)(+3)
Skill:
29
Speed:
49(33)(+16)
Constitution:
38(+10)
Luck:
23
Skills:
[Walking Fortress], [Armor Control], [Leadership], [Chivalry], [Rider - Land], [Mastery - Piercing I], [Mastery - Blades I], [Agility of the Wind]
Equipment:
(3/4)
Green Armor of Mending(Body): [Mending Armor], [Protection from Green Magic], [Regeneration I]
-
Beast Slayer’s Lance(Piercing Weapon): 10 Attack, [Beast Killer], [Protection from Beasts]
-
Wind Blade(Blade Weapon): 15 Attack, [Magic Attack - Yello], [Wind Cloak]
Highmen:
“Highmen are among the Races of Humanity. They are blessed with high fertility and adaptability, and are among the Praying Races with the highest population. They also mature quickly, and recieve their Protector Goddess’ Blessings at an early age. While individually weak to begin with, they have high potential for growth.”
----------------------------------------
Adventurer:
“Adventures are warriors, scholars, seekers of glory, thrill, and wealth, and those who want to become Heroes or legends. A collection of individuals from all manners of backgrounds, races, and motives, Adventures serve as a fix-all for the multitude of issues the citizens of Kingdoms face that the Kingdom itself can’t handle. They are divided into three categories: Explorers, Mercenaries, and Slayers.”
----------------------------------------
Armor Knight:
“Knights are among the strongest martial classes, blending high defense with good offense as well as a dependable steed to further augment their abilities. Outdoors and in the open, Knights are unmatched in their natural abilities. Armor Knights have among the best defensive growths for Knights but are more vulnerable to magic. They strengthen and manipulate their armor to protect from even the most devastating of blows while still moving freely, but they rely on it heavily and an Armor Knight with poor quality armor or of the worst were to happen and it were destroyed, many of their Skills lose almost all function and they are left largely helpless.”
[Brigand Knight, Lv.9:]
Name:
Mari
Age:
27
Race:
Centaur
Class:
Wild Knight
Affinity:
Earth
Type:
Beastkin
Exp:
234/250
Level:
8/15
Hp:
32/39(52)
Mp:
10/17
Strength:
36
Defense:
31(24)(+7)
Magic:
20
Resistance:
15
Skill:
28
Speed:
42(32)(+10)
Constitution:
28(23)(+5)
Luck:
12
Skills:
[Beastial Fury], [Predator], [Berserk I], [Leadership], [Mastery - Heavy I], [Green Magic I], [Heart of the Earth], [Pillage], [Murder]
Equipment:
(3/3)
Savage Armor of the Wolf(Body): [Savagery]
-
Bloody Battleaxe(Heavy Weapon): 17 Attack, [Sanguivore], [Bleed I]
-
Handaxe(Heavy Weapon): 10 Attack, [Return]
Centaur:
“Among the oddest of the Beastkin are the Centaurs, who possess the upper halves of Humans but their lower half is that of an entire equine. Large, strong, and proud, Centaurs are unique in that they have the powers of riding classes without the need of a mount. However, because of this, they are among the most limited Races as they can only become some type of Knight. Blessed with naturally high Hp and Speed growths, Centaurs are rare but difficult to bring down. Lordship however is an ambition few of them have, with many preferring to serve another in some capacity as long as that leader proves themself worthy. Despite what they claim to be an ‘inherent’ nobility, Centaurs are known for their arrogance and their love of the more earthly pleasures. In part due to their relative rarity, Centaurs copulate with other Races more than any other Civilized and rarely amongst themselves, and many of the best riders of other Races are said to have some Centaur blood in their lineage.”
----------------------------------------
Brigand:
“Those who have forsaken the Divine Will of the Goddesses and serve no Ruler or Country, but only themselves and their own. Murders, pillagers, rapists, these individuals have more kinship with Monsters then their fellows and despite being members of the Civilized Races they have chosen to abandon the greater callings of civilizations to satisfy their own greed and lust. Their sins and decrepit ways stain their souls and all who associate with them, and many Brigainds have learned how to draw upon that taint to empower them with Goddess-forsaken Skills and special Classes.”
----------------------------------------
Wild Knight:
“Knights are among the strongest martial classes, blending high defense with good offense as well as a dependable steed to further augment their abilities. Wild Knights are Beastkin Knights who have abandoned the code of chivalry and embraced their inner Beast. Striking with predatory strength, savage skill, and predatory speed, Wild Knights trade some of the defensive abilities of Knights in exchange for greatly heightened offense, and are able to easily capitalize on any weakness to slaughter their prey.”
This… is going to be a problem.