(Author: Hello all. Now that introductions to the new world are in order, it is time for Odin to explore the world. Here are a few ominous words to consider while I write my story. The Thousand are called to fight the Chaos. They believe that they can stop the Chaos. They believe that they can drive it back and destroy it. However, there are those who support the Chaos and serve it, listening to the false promises of glory and power. No one can resist the touch of the Chaos. It is only a matter of time before you cave in and embrace it. Its followers are coming. Its allies are rising. The Chaos will come. So long as the Heart beats, the Chaos will come. Will you choose to embrace it and let it consume you, or attempt to sail through the waves of attacks and endure it? This is the final event before Odin leaves on his journey. I wanted to introduce an enemy and this was how I thought of it. In a book, an enemy is usually referenced early on but does not make an actual appearance. Enjoy.)
-----------Chapter 3: Blood and Fire-------------
Wake up. Wake up.... up....up. Wake up.
Wake up Odin Argent. Wake up!
Odin's eyes burst open and he leaned up quickly from his bed as he woke. Odin shook his head and held his head with his left hand as he stared out the window. He became alert as he saw a full moon become dark purple and saw the night sky become red.
"It is a Chaos Moon! The Chaos is attacking! Knights, to your stations!" a voice cried from below.
"My lord," a squire shouted as he burst into the room and saw Odin. "I was sent by the royal advisor! You must don your armor quickly! The Chaos appeared out of a tunnel some miners had made near the city. As the Chaos have appeared in the Baos Kingdom where you are located, Thomas said that you would not be teleported to the Hero Circle. They are currently mounting an attack on the townsfolk in the city outside the palace. You must aid them!"
A few of them have already reached the outer gates.
"I see them! I see them! The Chaos are attacking the outer gates! Archers, focus your arrows at the monsters below! We must protect the King!" a knight shouted.
"Go. I will fight them shortly. Follow the servants and other squires to a place to hide," Odin said and saw the squire nod furiously before running, not stopping as he ran half his body against the wall as he left.
A white glow illuminated Odin as he equipped his armor and donned his shield. He rolled his shoulders as Hex Lance appeared in his right hand. Odin ran out of his room and began running to the throne room. He was only level 2 and he had forgotten to set the five stat points he received when he leveled. He couldn't distribute them as he was on a battlefield. His golem trekked after him slowly as he ran.
The true danger lies not with Chaos here.
"Who are you?" Odin shouted as he ran to the throne room. "How can you talk in my head?"
Odin shouted in alarm as a sword suddenly cut downward in front of him as he ran past a door. Odin positioned his shield in front of him and ran through the sword like a battering ram. Odin heard a bone break and a scream behind him. He looked back to see knights in black armor glaring back at him, one of them holding his arm. Odin frowned as he saw a red health bar above their heads. There three knights in total and they were all level 5.
SYSTEM NOTICE You have begun quest: Blood and Fire.
You are under attack by knights who support the Chaos. You must slay ten Black Knights to succeed the quest.
Your actions will determine minor changes in the storyline.
Rewards
Prestige Stat unlocked
+10 Prestige
+500 EXP
Ring of the Witch King (Growth Item)
Increased hostility from the Chaos
"Oh great! Now I get a quest? I was right. I only get quests that affect the main storyline," Odin snarled he used his warrior art: Lion's Roar.
The Black Knights felt fear and were stunned while Odin ran forward. He slammed his shield on the broken arm of the injured knight and thrust his lance through the armor of another knight. The injured knight fainted from the pain and the third knight roared as he slashed at Odin.
"Golem!" Odin roared and his golem took the blow meant for Odin. Odin ordered the golem to crush the head of the fainted knight as he faced the last knight. He grunted as he took blow after blow from the knight's sword. He angled the shield and watched grunted as the shield deflected the next strike instead of blocking it, causing the knight to lose his balance at the lack of recoil. With a roar, Odin covered his lance with lightning and pierced the knight through to the wall. Odin heard a squishing sound as he collapsed on the floor from exhaustion. He didn't feel anything when he killed the knights and wondered why. Weren't you supposed to feel guilt when you killed someone? Rather, he felt so excited that he tried to control the urge to laugh.
Passive Ability Unlocked You have unlocked the passive ability: Heartless
As a descendent of the dragon race, you do not feel guilt when killing another life form.
Taking a life makes you faster. You feel as if time slows down after killing someone.
Movement increases by 5% for five minutes after every kill.
This effect stacks up to three times.
"Are you serious? Such an ability exists?" Odin said, incredulous. "I don't even get a notice if I am hit or when I hit? I have to watch the HP bar above them then. Got to find seven more."
Odin ran all over the palace, killing knights in a hurry. The royal guards and servants he passed through looked at him in fear as he attacked isolated Black Knights mercilessly. He would slam at them with his shield like a battering ram and activate Gravity Repulse to slam them in the wall. Then, he would proceed to finish them off with one thrust with his lance covered in lightning. injured royal guards and servant he rescued would follow him as he proceeded to the throne room.
The palace was on fire, but Odin walked through it unfazed. He was immune to fire and would shield the servants and injured until they entered the throne room. By then, he had become level 4. A Black Knight spotted them and ran at them. This knight was different. He carried a broadsword made of crimson metal with veins of a dark purple metal along the side of the blade.
Black Knight Captain Level 7Leader of a squad of traitorous Black Knights
Kill him for the good of the people.
Ally of the Witch King
HP 103/120
MP 165/190
"A mini-boss! I have to kill him, but he is three levels above me. No choice but to go all in," Odin shouted as sparks of lightning crackled all over his body. "Get over here!"
Odin's shout dragged the attention the knight captain's attention. Odin stuck close to the wall on his right. The knight captain would be handicapped in the narrow hall and he would not have to worry about attacks from the right side as the wall was there while he wielded a shield on his left. He repeatedly thrust with his lance as he stood close to the wall. The knight captain could only swing on Odin's left side or step back and attempt to stab him.
Realizing he couldn't do much damage, the knight captain threw his great sword at Odin. Odin grunted as he blocked the blade and took three steps back against the weight of the attack. The knight captain lunged forward and grabbed the shield, wrenching it from Odin before slamming him in the gut with it. Odin gasped for breath and yelled in pain as the knight captain slammed the shield on his exposed back as he bent forward from the first strike. The golem rushed forward, but the knight captain slammed the golem with the shield as a bat, destroying the upper half of the body. The lower half was sent flying and would take some time to regenerate.
Odin had a little over half of his HP as the knight captain tossed aside the shield and lifted him by the neck. Odin quickly stored Hex Lance in his spatial ring and tried to pry the hands of the knight from his throat. He activated Guardian's Aura with a shout and felt less pain as he continued to be strangled.
"I'm not letting you kill me!" Odin rasped and closed his eyes. Dark purple dragon fire spread all over his body. Odin's eyes suddenly opened as he used his trump card: Shadow Flare.
A huge explosion of dragon fire, with Odin as the center, exploded. The knight captain was immediately incinerated by the blast. The floor and walls melted while the stain glass windows and the throne room doors were blasted into tiny, burning pieces. Odin collapsed on his knees, both hands on the ground to keep him from falling on his face. He panted heavily as his health was reduced to less than a quarter remaining. Usually, one could kill monsters up to three levels no problem in MMOs, but this was a mini-boss so the stats were obviously much higher.
Level Up Gained 5 selectable stats.
Current stats unused: 20
Racial stats rewarded
No class stats rewarded
Congratulations Completed: Blood and Fire You have defeated the knights who betrayed the kingdom.
The Chaos will take note of you for slaying their allies.
The Witch King has fled, dropping his precious ring.
Rewards
Prestige Stat unlocked
+10 Prestige
+500 EXP
Ring of the Witch King (Growth Item)
Exceptional hostility from the Witch King
Increased hostility from the Chaos
Level Up Current Level: 6
Current stats unused: 25
Title Unlocked: Fiend Savior Your ruthlessness in killing while saving others has inspired awe and fear in the hearts of others
+2 DEX
+15 HP
"I didn't expect this title. I guess my Heartless title is too blame for this one," Odin laughed as he stumbled into the throne room. The servants he saved helped him sit on a bench against the wall to relax. His armor was broken and slightly burned while his shield was incinerated in the blast. His golem was his minion and was not affected by the blast.
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Once he relaxed and caught his breath put the black spatial ring on his left hand while he put the Ring of Witch King on his right hand and observed it.
RIng of the Witch King A ring containing the power of the Witch King.
The owner of this ring will walk the path of darkness.
Stat rewards increase every 10 levels
Legendary Rank Item
Cannot be unequipped
+20 STR
+17 DEX
+14 WIS
+21 VIT
+100 HP
SYSTEM NOTICE Warning
You have worn the Ring of the Witch King.
You have been tainted by the Chaos.
Permanent Affliction: 10%
No longer able to be tainted further by the Chaos.
Will not become a monster of Chaos.
+10% Damage and Defense against the living.
"Holy....Those stats are unreal! Just what is that Witch King? Was it a high tier boss among the Chaos? Tainted by Chaos? What does that mean?" Odin asked and grit his teeth as he felt his right arm burning. No one noticed him as a knight burst in to report of the aftermath of the attack. He growled as he tried to endure the pain. A weird jade energy spread from the ring and entered his right hand all the way to his right shoulder. Veins of azure energy appeared on his entire arm like a tattoo. His eyes began glowing an iridescent blue.
Level Up Current Level: 7
Current stats unused: 30
Immediately after the pain subsided, Odin wore a cerulean hooded jacket, a white shirt with a griffon emblazed on the chest, and black paints to replace his destroyed armor. He wore a white chain mail shirt underneath his shirt as a symbolic piece a knight would wear. He held his head as his eyes felt like they were burning. His whole body was brimming with power and Odin immediately set all the stat points he had half split between STR and INT.
Odin Argent Level 7
HP: 70/297
MP: 31/200
EXP: 710
Next Level: 1000EXP
Class: None
Gold: 15Statistics STR: 59
VIT: 48
DEX: 36
INT: 34
WIS: 40
LUCK: 18TitlesHero of the Thousand
Knight-in-Training
Enemy of Dragons
Lightning Demon
Half-Blood Scion
Dedicated Scholar
Golemancer
Fiend SaviorEquipmentRune Spatial Ring (Equipped)
Hex Lance (Stored)
Ring of the Witch King (cannot be unequipped)
"Wow. These monster stats are because of the Ring of the Witch. I can't believe it," Odin sighed with awe. "This is great. I can wear these regular clothes and not worry much about obtaining special armor with enhanced effects. I can stand out less and avoid more trouble."
"Is that true?" a voice yelled, drawing Odin's attention. "The fabled Witch King actually appeared? Which greedy miner caused all this mayhem to dig a min so deep?"
"I know not Princess Reina," the knight cried as he fell on one knee and slightly bowed his head. "The Witch King entered into a rage as one of his rings mysteriously disappeared. The enter mine as well as a few surrounding towns are nothing but a field of craters. A quarter of our forces were wiped out by him alone. Another quarter died trying to fend off the Chaos Beasts that entered the capital. Luckily, three heroes assisted us evacuating the civilians. They did not fight as they were too weak but many lives were saved due to their efforts. They also fought the rebel knight army, saying those groups of experts were only level 2 and up. They single-handedly wiped out the rebels and mentioned something about passing level 10 and gaining their classes. I know not what that means."
"What?" Odin asked, confused. "They must have faced more knights than I did. Seeing as I got the ring and they didn't, they must have gotten a different quest than I did. I only learned one skill outside of my class called Golem's Creation. That should be enough as I have this awesome ring."
"Were any of the knights and citizens tainted by the Chaos?" the princess asked.
"Yes," the knight said, tears falling. "Many of the palace guards and civilians were tainted. Some of them immediately turned into monsters. Fortunately, none of them turned into Chaos Beasts, but the devastation is tremendous. At least 10% of the capital lies in ruins."
"We are lucky the attack occurred close to the capital where we concentrated our forces," the princess sighed. "Many more lives and homes would have lost if it occurred a further distance away. Go and return to my father and the three other heroes. I must talk with the hero here. He has saved many of the people in the palace as well as a terrifying brute outside where the doors used to be."
"Sorry about that. I was on the verge of death," Odin said as the knight left as all the remaining people shifted their attention on him.
"No need to apologize Fiend Savior," the princess said. "We all know that you faced the elite of the forces here who meant to wipe us all out. On behalf of my father, the king, thank you for protecting the people. What would you like as a reward of your valiant effort?"
"I only need information about Chaos Beasts and about how they taint others," Odin said. "It sounded quite serious seeing as it made the knight cry."
"Alas, you ask of a sad reward," Princess Reina sighed. "Chaos Beasts possess an impure energy consisting of the life force of the planet. In essence, they possess the mana of the planet itself. As you know, once you surpass the amount of mana you possess, you explode right? Planets also explode if too much mana is extracted than it can regenerate. It is said that Chaos Beasts were once the wild life experimented on when other life forms came to this planet."
"What about the Witch King?" Odin asked.
"Many of those horrible scientists have ascended but a few have not. One of them is the Witch King. A scratch of bite from a Chaos Beast spreads the Chaos, the impure mana of the planet, into a new vessel,. It changes you. Twists you into something more. Something that should not exist. It is said that the Witch King and his peers possess the pure mana of the planet and create more Chaos to absorb more and refine it in their bodies. Whenever a Chaos Beasts or monster tainted with Chaos dies near them, the Witch King becomes more powerful."
Just like the azure energy that resides in your right arm. Finish what you need done here. We need to meet. You have much to learn boy. Much to learn about this world you now call home.
"Thank you Princess Reina," Odin bowed. "I must leave. I plan to go to Matran City in the Kingdom of Frildor. There are many warriors who gather there and I wish to learn some pointers from them."
"Goodbye Fiend Savior," the princess bowed. "We will meet again when you appear in the Hero Circle."
Odin left the throne room and quickly left the palace. Not many people were startled upon seeing weird veins on his hand uncovered by the coat and glowing blue eyes. It seemed that all sorts of being lived on the planet. Odin was glad as it would be easier to avoid attention. He was to be a knight, but he did not want to be tied down to one kingdom like a knight would be.
Odin followed the mysterious voice into a ruined part of the city desolated by the attack. Many broken statues lay on the ground as he approached the ruins of some sort of ancient temple. Odin stared silently at the ruins of a giant statue. It was a huge lion stone sculpture with wings of a dragon. It was a simple, but highly detailed statue but it radiated power somehow.
At last, we meet. Well, we could never meet physically but it is as close as it gets. Break the head of the stone sculpture and wear the ring. It will bind itself to you and allow only you to speak, touch, and hear my son. As you might have guessed, I am the Primordial Beast. The same Primordial God that granted you your lance. You should use a Hex Bolt sometime. It is a small piece of my own power and has many interesting effects depending on what it hits. I must go now. Primordial Gods are only allowed to converse until their avatar obtains a tutor to guide the, not matter what path they choose.
Odin took out Hex Lance as he stood over the sculpture's head. His eyes widened in shock as the dark crimson energy in the lance transformed into the azure energy similar to the one in the veins on his right arm. He realized it must have been the pure life force energy Princess Reina suspected the Witch King had. He stored the lance away after he destroyed the head. Inside was a ring made of an ash colored wood on a black metal chain. He shrugged and put the necklace around his neck.
Title unlocked: Avatar of Beasts You have worn a wooden ring containing the spirit of the son of the Primordial Beast.
You are recognized as an avatar of a Primordial God.
You may now learn from the spirit as you travel on your journey.
The necklace cannot be unequipped.
Ability unlocked: Eyes of the Beast You are an entity with pure, planetary life force and the avatar of the Primordial Beast.
You have gained the ability to see through the eyes of any beast, magical or ordinary.
You can control the beast's movements if it is below your level.
Your body cannot move while you use this ability.
"Wow! This is great! I can manifest my spiritual body now!" a voice said. "Only you can hear me, but someone finally can! Thanks kid. You have no idea what it's like being stuck in a statue and being mistaken as your father. The things people said to me...it has been way too long. You may see a body, but I exist in your mind. It's complicated. The necklace is just a decoration now but you can store mana in it. When you run out, draw out the mana you poured into the ring. Pour in mana daily and use it wisely. You have a golem so you might not have to worry about using a lot of mana for now. Later on, your enemies will be numerous and more powerful than you and your golem can handle."
Odin stared in front of him as a ghost-like body appeared in front of him. A purple furred lion with a lighter purple main and purple dragon wings appeared the size of a cat. The spirit obviously did not care about its lack of size as it could move around and fly. Still, it took all it had for Odin not to laugh at how uncomfortably cute it looked.