72- LOBBY

Osiris vomited when he woke up.

Pressure.

He grabbed his head and moaned. It felt like it was going to pop. He tried to move but ended up throwing up again.

How much time?

He was in a cave.

“..”

Or a hole. He was in a stone solid hole.

He tried again to get up only to hit his head.

“..”

He was going to have to push himself back until he could slip out of the hole. Osiris started his journey slowly. He threw up a few more times and realized he had a concussion.

At least I’m awake.

He was on a mountain.

Osiris squinted then had to cover his eyes as the sun bore down on him from the heavens. It took him ten minutes before he could see again.

What he saw was a land turned to dust.

Half of the forest line was gone, with nothing but flat, barren lands from where the battle took place.

“MY MEN-”

Osiris tried to run but tumbled his way violently down a slope. He caught himself before he flew off the cliff.

“Fuck.”

They lost.

Osiris grit his teeth as he forced himself to slowly go down the mountain. He collapsed on the ground to catch his breath. He felt his eyes heat.

“No.” He punched the ground. “They’re alive.”

You trained them Osiris. Not father, not the Queen, you.

Summoning his mana he shoved himself across the land and tumbled into the field before the camp.

The landing hurt.

His father was there not a second late.

“Osiris!”

He gripped his shoulders as his hands shook. He then lowered his eyes.

“Where are they.”

“Med tent.”

Osiris pushed him away and stumbled towards them.

Mikael turns to his men with a face lit with rage.

“Gather the survivors. I want them offered to my son by lunch.”

He only needed to see them once to know they were dying. Osiris turned his eyes to the floating, sad eye looking down at Fibble. So even she can’t do anything.

“Tell me what I need to do.”

The healers jumped and turned to him. He wasn’t looking at them, but at something in the air.

Lux descended and grimaced as she felt her prophet’s life fade even further.

“You have five minutes to find me three lives for an equal exchange.”

Osiris turned and stormed out of the tent.

To his pleasant surprise his father gathered up the stranglers left behind by the enemy and had them all in a little pile for him.

“Sorry to cut it short, but.”

Osiris first turned to his army and pointed toward his left.

“Anyone willing to give up their lives stands there. Unfortunately I can’t just pick someone to die for them, but know.” His eyes were devoid of light. “If my men die I will personally find each and every one of your families and gut them in front of you.”

A few people moved to his left.

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“But first.”

His grin pulled deep lines across his face, casting an eerie shadow to the enemies at his front.

“Any volunteers from the crowd?”

“Like hell we would die for your men-”

“Fuck you-”

“I hope they rot in hell-”

“No volunteers? What a shame.”

Osiris walked up and pulled someone at random from the pile. It was a dwarven man.

How unfortunate.

Osiris laid his thrashing body before the group and clapped his hands.

“Listen up kids! Today we are learning about torture!”

The prince lifted a foot.

“Make sure to melt everything but his vitals.”

Osiris scooped a handful of his magma and lifted it above the dwarves head and dropped the clump down. It immediately started to eat his flesh, burning and searing his skin from his face. His beard caught on fire and soon he was seizing and coughing with screams that filled the lands.

Right before he died he healed him.

“Hand me all your healing potions.”

Everyone in the camp started to make a pile beside him as he went for round two.

“Torture is a form of power play.”

Osiris squatted by the man begging to die.

“If you do it well enough the other will submit.”

He looked like a burnt victim with chunks of his flesh missing. Osiris prepared for another one when the dwarve caved.

“I’ll do it! I’ll-”

Lux took the first life.

“Who's next?”

Osiris hummed as he looked around the group.

He smiled.

He pulled a young sixteen year old human and dragged him to the front.

“What are you!”

“You can’t!”

“He’s a child!”

“Don’t-”

“And I’m barely nineteen, your point?”

The body shook on the ground.

“Unless any of you want to take his place?”

No one met his eyes.

“Lesson number two.”

Osiris watched the stubborn boy keep his mouth shut as he turned his head to the ground.

Even now they won’t give up their lives unless I make them. Seth raised his people well.

“Sometimes it is not just about power play, but revenge.”

He decided to take a different approach this time. Osiris slowly lowered his foot over the boy’s leg and began to sever it from his body. The boy’s screams were much higher and louder than the dwarves.

“You’re lucky.” Osiris smiled down at his tears. “My mana cauterizes the wounds immediately, so no need to worry about an infection.”

Mikael had to look away as his son started on the boy's thigh. It’s only been three minutes since he stormed out of that tent.

Finally the boy caved.

“Okay, okay, please just stop-”

The second life was took.

Osiris had one minute left.

“I’ll volunteer.”

It was a little woman with a giant sword. She was one of theirs.

“Name.”

“Cena Novak.”

“Any last words.”

She smiled sadly at him before scratching the back of her head bashfully.

“J-Just please help my daughter. I’m doing this for money, and-”

“Deal.”

They shook on it.

Osiris caught her body before it hit the ground. Mikael came and took her from him.

“Do what you want with the rest.”

Osiris stood before the body of the thing.

It smelled like shrimp. His mouth watered.

“He left such a treat for me.”

His mana purred at the dead Eldritch.

It had so much mana that Osiris would be able to finally hit the halfway mark towards his ninth ring. He hasn’t just been fooling around all these years.

“The demand is so high.”

He pulled off a chunk to eat.

It melted in his mouth.

He was in love.

Osiris moaned happily.

“This was the best thing he could have done for me.” Osiris licked his fingers clean. “Can’t let it go to waste.”

Mikael watched his son clear the beasts that began eating the corpse by simply walking up. He circled it a few times, then began to….eat it.

“….”

“Does he just eat anything?”

Luella had on a uniform, but still had her trusty fan as she motioned a circle around Osiris. She then held a hand over her mouth as her brother started to eat into it like a turkey leg.

“He did say he liked fish once.”

Mikael grimaced.

“I think I heard that too, once.”

The two stood and watched.

Osiris was sitting in a cot across from his men like a creep when they woke up. His legs and arms were crossed with eyes that looked black. Fibble sat up first.

“What happened?”

His voice was hoarse.

Next was Vep, then Sunnie.

They stared at the Prince who was still staring at them silently. They looked at the foot of their beds.

“Eat.” He stood. “Then meditate. I’m forcing you three into High A Class by the end of the week.”

LOADING MAP . . .