"AGH!!" [Nero] screamed upon abruptly jumping out of his newfound bed.
Oh my Janus… I was having a fantastic sleep right up until Lianix decided to get twisted. At first, she was overjoyed to have been spending the night with me in this derelict Dungeon… But then she remembered her true self. She could never be pleased by a bed of this caliber; she needs memory foam. So; she helped me to realize just how nasty this place truly was. Yes… I'm talking about the bugs. Yes, there are creepy crawlies within this very room. I believe the worst part about her manipulating my dreams to show me these bugs isn't because the bugs are particularly nasty… It's because they're real. These bugs are ACTUALLY FUCKING IN HERE AND CRAWLING OVER ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!
Yesh; and that's why I have begun to flee from the Dungeon. Someone forgot to supply the torture desk with a canister of bug spray; and this shit is no joke. They were actually crawling all over me… And I'm quite certain that they intended to devour me whole. That's the deep dark twist of these Dungeons… It must be. The Prisoners were slowly devoured by a horde of man-hungry insects… Leaving nothing but bones in their wake. The Jailors weren't overpowered simply because we were coming… The Jailors were powerful because they needed to be if they were to survive down here. It makes sense. One bed means that the Jailors slept in shifts.
But wait… If the mad King was capturing all of those people to feed his weapon of war down here… Then what's stopped these bugs from rising to the surface and consuming Reygid under the loss of sacrifices? D-Dont tell me… Someone's still feeding these things?! The sheer number of bugs… It's enough to destroy a small Town within a matter of weeks; if you ask me. I can't… I can't fathom as to why the old King would even deem it a possibility; let alone a desirable method of preparing for war… This swarm could have easily massacred the Lost Kingdom before I arrived; potentially even afterwards… So why didn't he unleash it after I had already dropped the Flesh Golem into his court?
Is it possible… That he lost control? He couldn't figure a way to actually manipulate these bugs into doing his bidding; so he decided to simply try and stave them off? As if they were a third freaking Dungeon?! Keep shovelings more and more undesirables to them and hope that they disappear on their own?! BRO! There are thousands of them… I can't… I can't with this FUCKING KING!
Thinking more deeply on it… I wonder who would continue feeding this doom flag in the King's absence? I… He didn't have very many followers… Not many truly loyal; anyways. If they were; they were effectively killed off before he was… We went pretty hard on the slaughter of Kingdom Knights; I can't sugar coat it. Orianna was the last person that I met who actually felt wronged by her father's death… But even she came around eventually. I doubt that she would've known about this… But then again; she was to be his successor. If she didn't know about it… I'll have low luck in finding who did. I suppose that I could ask Conrad to sit around the entrance; and just wait for whoever comes to feed them…
Oh? These bones… There are a lot of the same kinds of bones all in this small area… They look like… Cattle? So basically; someone's been feeding these things a form of Cattle ever since the King died. Well; the pile of bones is certainly large enough… But if the pile's here, then does that mean that I'm also nearing the exit? There are literally 6 doors to this room. Okay… Throwing down a new [Pumpkin Bomb]... I began to attempt finding my way out once more.
It took me awhile… That place was no joke; but I eventually managed to escape by not straying too far from the bone pile. It was the fourth door; but I still needed to go down a rather large hallway followed by a staircase; and then finally… Another floor; but it was pretty basic and straight forward. Only took me around 10 minutes; and I'm freakin' FAMISHED!
I really don't want to go to the Wailing Keep like this though… I feel disgusting. I'm heading to the Beach first; to wash up and ensure no more bugs are still on me. After arriving, I found that the Elven Councilman was comfortably nestled together with the sleeping Land Shark. How quaint. It would appear that the intruder has earned himself a friend... NOT! HAPPENING!
"WhuuuUHAU-WHYYYY?!?!?" [Terrance Olligar] hysterically screamed as a particular Halloween Cat ripped the Elf from the Land Shrake's clutches and threw him 100 meters out into the open sea.
"...Is Terry going to fight again?" [Gluttatosk] sheepishly asked while clearly still half asleep.
"Yeah. Rest~" [Nero] softly said with a smile as he placed a hand down onto the Drarke's back.
"Okay…" [Gluttatosk] muttered before falling back asleep. To which, Nero stripped down and dove into the water.
It's incredibly cold. It's really snowing outside, too… But I can't. These bugs… I feel like they're still on me, and I need them to not be. This snow is really coming down. I bet it's going to stick. We won't be seeing any more grass for awhile; unless maybe if we head south. WELP! It's too cold for me; so I'm getting out of the water. I think I might've lasted a whole 30 seconds.
Thankfully, I have swim shorts for this. I don't need to leave here nude, but I'll be carrying a stack of wet clothing under heavy snow. It's not ideal, so I'd better move quick. On arrival to the Wailing Keep… It would appear that the children are playing around in the snow near the doorway. They're making snow angels. How cute… I wonder if they know how to make snow men?
"Hey Cindy!~ Nice angel you got there!" [Nero] called with a smile upon arrival.
"Thanks! It's bigger than Unit's, right?!" [Cindy] asked with a wide grin.
"Totally! Do you know how to make a Snow Man?" [Nero] begged the question with a laugh.
"HEY! IT'S NOT EVEN THAT BIG!" [Unit] screamed while profusely kicking his legs and arms through the snow. To which, several children could be heard giggling.
"No, what's a Snow Man?" [Cindy] asked with a confused expression as she suddenly started to sit up.
"It's when you make a ball like this… And then… Oh. I can't do it. Well; you make a small ball… And then you roll it around in the snow long enough for it to get really big. Then, you make a slightly smaller one and stack it on top. Get three of them and you've got an awesome Snow Man. But you still need sticks for the arms, and maybe a Carrot for the nose. If you grab pebbles or coal for the mouth and eyes, it'll be one of the best… But if you can even find a hat or a scarf for it to wear; it won't ever be beaten!~ And you want to know what I heard?" [Nero] explained with a dramatic expression.
"...What did you hear?!" [Cindy] asked while seeming quite entranced by the idea; as several other children began to flock nearby.
"If you can build the best Snow Man ever… There's a chance that it might start walking, talking, singing, and playing with you forever! You could have a Snow Buddy!" [Nero] explained with a smirk before turning to leave as a dozen children began frantically rolling up snowballs.
Huh… So if I'm excessively hot, and I hold snow… It melts. I'll never be able to have another snow fight; and I'm now quite limited for what future fun activities I might share with my unborn child. Snow games are practically all off the table; I mean… If my child were another Halloween Cat; they couldn't enjoy it either. What a shame… I used to love playing in the snow as a child; but mine will never know what it means… In a world without technology, and snow… Ugh. Lame. We'll need to do something like… Tree forts, or sports. Sports are kind of lame if status gets involved… So maybe Sand Castles and Card games; but can we take it up a notch? How about board games? Could I… Build a board game? Morris, my designated Woodworker Scientist?! You down to build a game with me?!
"Ahh… I was wondering when you'd arrive. Like most of the others, you wound up sleeping right through the day; too~" [Mary] sighed while stirring a bowl of stew.
"Good evening~ How was your sleep?" [Nero] yawned before approaching the sink and beginning to wash his hands and hair.
"...You live on a Beach yet you still come here to bathe…" [Mary] grumbled.
"I slept in a creepy, dark, and cold Dungeon infested with bugs. The water's too cold to properly bathe, but I tried my best before coming here." [Nero] confessed as he rang out his hair under the sink.
"Ah… Did you see the kids outside? I don't know how they're out there right now…" [Mary] sighed.
"How could I miss them? They were crowded around the front doors; but you should go and see how they're doing in an hour or two~" [Nero] laughed.
"An hour or two…? You can't possibly be expecting them to stay out there that long with weather like this… But by the Gods would I ever enjoy the quiet~" [Mary] laughed.
"Oh, you'll be surprised~ Take a look for yourself… I've got this." [Nero] laughed before taking the ladle and beginning to stir it for her.
"Alright~" [Mary] sighed before leaving the Kitchen and returning a few minutes later to continue…
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"What are they doing?" [Mary] laughed.
"Building Snow Men~ I told them that if they built a really good one… It might come alive and be their friend; so they're probably pretty into it." [Nero] explained with a wry smile.
"A Snow Man… I've heard it all~ Thanks for getting them out of my hair a little while longer though. What will you be having?" [Mary] sighed with a smile before asking.
"Some of that stew looks delicious~" [Nero] muttered while giving the ladle back to Mary.
"This? It's already good to go; I'm just keeping it warm. Let's get you a bowl right away~" [Mary] confessed before turning to open a cupboard.
"Thank you, do you know if anyone's already out there?" [Nero] asked while tilting his head to the side.
"In the Dining Hall? Should be a few if they didn't go out; I think they were playing with the dice." [Mary] explained before handing Nero a bowl of soup.
"Thanks Mary, I'll see you later." [Nero] replied with a smile before turning to leave.
"No problem, just make sure to keep us all safe~" [Mary] shot back while raising an eyebrow.
"Promise!" [Nero] called back.
And so… On arrival into the Dining Hall, it would appear that 11 different individuals are currently seated at the table. Pretty low turnout if you ask me. I guess that everyone else is still sleeping. Cetilla, Roah, Trudy, Edgar. Rosa, Orianna, Gillie, Kendra, Frey, Jon, and Gayle are to be my company. Taking a seat, I began to happily relish in my soup as I watched the game unfold. Without knowing the score, I had very little to go off of. I didn't overly care… So I just kept watching. Cetilla and Gayle seemed to be getting the best rolls… But I guess that Frey actually had a solid lead from the beginning because he wound up winning the game.
I don't see Frey partaking in any Wailing Keep activities very often… He's usually just nursing his newborn daughter; Freida. They're our resident Fox people. They appear more Fox than human, and they carry quite the tragic tale. Frey was a Navigator from a distant land; coming here for work. When overseas travel was almost cut off entirely, he got stranded here. He was forced to become a Dungeon Navigator; where he met his later-to-be wife. They worked together while helping parties Navigate Dungeons. The Mother eventually died while giving birth and left Frey to raise the child by himself. Under the pressure, he wasn't able to keep his job. It's not exactly like you can bring a baby into a Dungeon; or most other workplaces. It's just… A lot, when there's always a wailing baby in the picture. Too much for a workplace environment; so he had no choice but to seek our help and I'm quite glad that he did.
We can't save them all… But I'm happy that we saved Frey. At least for a while, anyways~ Sadly, the jury's still out on whether or not we'll go up in smoke. Welp… Now that I've finished my meal… There's no use in putting it off any longer. It's a damn shame that it might spell my undoing, but I'm long overdue for a Prestige. Taking a stand, I sighed; and turned to leave the Dining Hall.
"What's going on?" [Cetilla] asked with a smile.
"Just, you know… Selling my soul to Allwe things." [Nero] yawned.
"Fun, fun… But are you sure?" [Cetilla] asked while tilting her head to the side.
…Eh?
"Cetilla… Uncertainty over the potential of gaining greater power isn't something that I'd have expected from you." [Nero] confessed with a baffled expression.
"Nah, I think it's a good idea. I think it's terrible that it took you so long to do, but better late than never~ Just wondering why now and not before?" [Cetilla] explained while casually floating backwards.
"To be completely frank… I think we might have lost. This is the last thing that I'm capable of doing right now. I've spent all of my MP, and my Candy… I've got nothing left but Coins, and almost no hope to spend them." [Nero] muttered while glaring at the ground.
"One last ditch effort to instill greater power to your followers… Commendable behavior for someone about to give up." [Cetilla] sighed.
"...You think I'm done?" [Nero] shot back with eyes wide.
"...Do you?" [Cetilla] shot back with a blank expression.
"No, but the Monster Knights as we know it are probably beyond repair." [Nero] confessed with a look of uncertainty.
"So you agree with me then? Reygid's doomed and we need to leave?" [Cetilla] asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Probably. I'll still try, but if things go south… I'll save as many as I can." [Nero] sighed while shrugging his shoulders before finally stopping in front of the Hallowed Orb.
Four options… I can release a Clansmen, enhance a Clansmen, call for my Allwessistant Dott, or I can Prestige. I could also call Hoen, but the option isn't available yet… [Prestige]!
Moments later… A large menu appeared in front of me. Turning to face Cetilla… She's turned into stone. Actually… Everything is made of stone right now. Even the freaking ladders! OKAY!~ Looking back at the big orange menu… It's telling me…
"ACTION REQUIRED!
Wailing Keep ability is still in use! Upon Prestige, would the individual 'Nero Miki' prefer to evacuate the Wailing Keep by cancelling the ability, move the visitors to Halloween, or devour the visitors?
...
ANOMALY DETECTED!
Excess Mana caused by anomaly 'Chaos Liannas String Dark Phoenix Claw Broom - Lianix' has been found!
…
CURSE SOUL FUSION FOUND!
'Chaos Liannas String Dark Phoenix Claw Broom - Lianix' has been successfully fused to the individual 'Nero Miki'!
NEW OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE!
Due to the excess Mana caused by anomaly 'Chaos Liannas String Dark Phoenix Claw Broom - Lianix', a new opportunity to solve the Wailing Keep ability's activation has been found. Would the individual 'Nero Miki' prefer to use the excess Mana in an attempt to keep the Wailing Keep activated throughout the course of Prestige?" [Hallowed Orb Sama]
...Okay, so I decided to choose the new opportunity. Thanks to Lianix, I can have the Wailing Keep not be spontaneously destroyed upon Prestige… And also; what the fuck?! I can devour everyone inside of it if I really want to… It would probably give me more power to bestow my Clan. Now that I've picked the new option… It would appear that more action is required.
"ACTION REQUIRED!
Individual 'Nero Miki' has survived a total of 2315 nights, 6 hours, 32 minutes, and 9 seconds as a first Prestige Halloween Cat… Having risen to a total level of 21874. The individual 'Nero Miki' had a total of 239 nights, 17 hours, 27 minutes, and 51 seconds remaining before he would have perished.
...
EXCESS EXPERIENCE FOUND!
Individual 'Nero Miki' has surpassed the required level of 1024 by a total of 20850 levels. Individual 'Nero Miki' has surpassed the required level by 2136%, harnessing a far greater amount of power than necessary. Due to the excess experience found, individual 'Nero Miki' has been deemed eligible for a Level 21 Allweiian Fiesta! All registered Clansmen to the individual 'Nero Miki' will be compensated.
...
TOTAL ALLWEIIAN FIESTA POINTS FOUND!
Individual 'Nero Miki' has been awarded with 192 Allweiian Fiesta Points. Individual 'Nero Miki' will need to decide which Clansmen to help Evolve." [Hallowed Orb Sama]
Okay… So now it's just giving me a list of my Clansmen. It seems that if I want to Evolve Robert for example, from a Tier 1 Bat into a Tier 2 Bat… It's going to cost me 1 Allweiian Fiesta Point. If I want to Evolve Luna Pratz, the Tier 6 Vampire into a Tier 7 Vampire… It's going to cost me 6 Allweiian Fiesta Points. I have 192 of these bad boys. Not a lot. Strangely, the Hallowed Orb Sama claimed that (/s)he would help compensate all of my Clansmen… So not just the ones I pick? It's weird. The Allwessistant Dott certainly never mentioned anything about this…
Welp, Conrad's already Tier 16. If I want Luna to catch up to him… It's going to cost me 105 points. 137 total points if I want both of them to be Tier 17. 171 total points if I want them both at Tier 18… Leaving me with 21 total points remaining. I could easily spend that on an additional Tier for Conrad, giving me 3 points left… To give to Robert. He's been Tier 1 for so long, I just want him to know what it's like to be Tier 3. Yep. Okay!~ Ah… More action is required~
"ACTION REQUIRED!
Individual 'Nero Miki' has designated the individual 'Luna Pratz' with 121 Allweiian Festival Points to allow her to Evolve to Tier 17; granting her with the title of 'Most Desirable Clanswoman'. Individual 'Nero Miki' has designated the individual 'Conrad' with 51 Allweiian Festival Points to allow him to Evolve to Tier 18; making him the strongest registered Clansman and granting him with the title of 'The Cat's Champion'. Individual 'Nero Miki' has designated the individual 'Robert' with 3 Allweiian Festival Points to allow him to Evolve to Tier 3; granting him with the title of 'The Chosen One'.
…
All designated point allocations have been distributed. Due to the excess experience found which granted the individual 'Nero Miki' with adequate eligibility for a Level 21 Allweiian Fiesta… All registered Clansmen have been bestowed with 192 levels regulated under the Allweiian Fiesta experience modifier. All registered Clansmen will also gain the title of 'Allwescension Sharer+21'. Individual 'Nero Miki' will gain the title of 'Allwescension Bestower+21'.
…
Individual 'Nero Miki' has formally bestowed 84 individual Clansmen with names, and has currently captured 40 different variations of Clansmen. Conditions have been met. The individual 'Nero Miki' will gain the title of 'Clansmen Collector+4'.
...
NEW HIGH BLESSING OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE!
God's Manipulator, the Seraph of Change; Janus has deigned to enlighten you with his High Blessing.
…
God's Favorite, the Seraph of Kindness; Hael has deigned to enlighten you with his High Blessing.
…
NEW HIGH CURSE OPPORTUNITY IS AVAILABLE!
Satan's Concubine, the Mother of Demons; Lilith has deigned to bestow you with her High Curse.
…
Mixture of High Blessings and High Curses is not possible. The individual 'Nero Miki' will need to decide between High Blessings and High Curses. The change is irreversible.
...
ANOMALY DETECTED!
Due to 'Chaos Liannas String Dark Phoenix Claw Broom - Lianix' Curse Soul Fusion, individual 'Nero Miki's proficiency for High Blessings may have been decreased, while proficiency for High Curses may have been increased.
…
Would the individual 'Nero Miki' desire High Blessings or High Curses?" [Hallowed Orb Sama]
Okay… So it's a pretty tough choice. I get favoritism and kindness paired with manipulation and change… At a minimal degree, thanks to Lianix… Or I get to be beloved by Hoen, and the mother of all Demons… To a phenomenal degree. It's a tough call. It really is. On one hand, I could solidify my race toward being everyone's favorite Cat… Toward ruling this Empire thing of ours that we've got going for us, and I might even get some better odds should we need to change things up. On the other hand, I might find myself being capable of capturing those less savory of Clansmen; and who knows? Maybe… More Demons. Demons are a powerful force on this continent. One that I haven't really taken any steps toward favorable relations. If Lilith's backing me, maybe they will too? Do I really need to master freaking manipulation? With a kindness façade? Sounds dangerous… Really dangerous for someone supposedly on the good team, if you ask me~
I'm at an impasse. I really have no idea. I can't ask anyone for help, because time has literally stopped for me to figure this out. UGH!!!!! Where's my call-a-friend?!
**************************
Okay… I choose Lilith!~ To beat Hoen, I'm going to want stronger Clansmen! No offense, Janus… YE'BASIC! Agh~ More of Hallowed Orb Sama's legal jargon…
"HIGH CURSE HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY ATTAINED!
Satan's Concubine, the Mother of Demons; Lilith has bestowed the individual 'Nero Miki' with her High Curse.
…
PRESTIGE WILL NOW COMMENCE!" [Hallowed Orb Sama]
And moments later… My vision faded away into a sea of bright; orange flames.