I am writing the next chapter while you are reading this. Next chapter would return to our protagonist, Chase. Wait! don't click the 'x' button yet~!
I apologize for this temporary diversion but this chapter and the previous one are necessary to introduce characters, prevent plot-holes, set up the plot for this arc and future ones (so it would not look like I pull something out of nowhere later on) and also to save you from having to suffer through crazy long info dumps. Because I had broken them into little pieces and inserted them within the flow of the flashback.
If you are very observant, you might have already pieced out why this story would not be a classic tale between a Hero and a Demon King. If you did, I applaud you but please don't spoil others with your theories. Things will unfold slowly along the course of this story and everything that does not seem to fit (i.e.:a bunch of things that seem too simple) will betray their simplicity later on.
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Year 330, Inanis Calendar (Thanes' Destruction)
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A man covered in a sheet of moth-eaten brown blanket is lying down on a bed of straw. His closed eyes and still body indicates he is unconscious, perhaps sleeping. Once a brilliant shade, his dull, frayed blonde hair is now unkempt and dirty. His dried lips are locked together over his perfectly aligned set of teeth. Once in a while, a fly would land on his body.
His naked chest did not heave up and down like regular men, it simply remains static as if he does not breathe. As a matter of fact, he does not need to breathe for he is nothing but a corpse. A silver medallion shaped like a lion rests atop his torso, its string coiling around his neck. It is the only thing he is currently wearing.
"I told you he's alive, He was moving fine just now!" A young girl's voice enters the room through the gaps in the imperfectly patched walls. Her voice was laced with a tinge of desperation in it. She is not so stupid to drag back a heavy man in armour all the way from the woods. The man is alive, he is definitely alive. Such is her thought on the matter and she would not be convinced otherwise.
"Well, now he's dead! Let's just bury him before someone sees him and misunderstand" This time the voice was produced by an older man who blatantly exposed his frustration. He really could not comprehend just what had gotten into his daughter, to nurse a thief's corpse of all things.
"NO!!" She screamed out in absolute defiance. The man really might die if they bury him. How could her father be so stubborn? It had always been like this. No matter what she says, her father would always put the words of others above her own.
"Erin, he's dead I tell you, dead! As proof of it he's stinking up that room with that rotten stench" He points at the door separating them from the room he mentioned. The wood on the underside of the door has jagged holes bored through it. Rats, those damn rats have wrecked up this old building. If only they could afford to buy a stone house instead.
"Do you want to wait until he gets eaten by maggots? Or maybe you want to breed more rats?" His face contorted in disgust, it is revolting enough to be working in the mine everyday. Bat guano covering the cave floor everywhere he stepped. At least, spare him some hygiene in his own house.
"And that equipment and that blood! He obviously killed someone and stole it!" He averted his eyes and gave a furtive glance to a table located at his side. A full set of armour and a bronze-coloured sword had been placed on top of it. A thin layer of crusted blood is clearly observable on the breastplate. Since there was no injury on the corpse, it is obvious the blood is not his.
He recognised that white armour and the lion crest on the chest area, it belongs to knights of the Holy Order. That gold trim on it suggests that it is the property of some big wig in the organisation. There is no way someone that powerful would be out here in the middle of nowhere.
"He's not a thief, he saved my life! Why would he even do that if he was a criminal?" Of all the things that her father could have said, he called Erin's hero a murderer and a robber. The memory is still fresh in her mind, she was being cornered by a pack of wolves in the forest while picking up mushrooms. Then, the man appeared like a knight in shining armour and rescued her. Instead of a thief, he should be a prince.
In the room next door, Lawrence Gale begins to stir. Slowly opening his eyes, he starts to register his surroundings but not before a sensation hits him.
'Kughhh!' Having died a long time ago, his body should not be able to receive any sensation. However, he could feel a slimy fluid running in his veins and arteries in place of blood. With every movement he makes, even something small like moving the eyelids sent jolts of agony coursing through him.
Shocked by the uncomfortable feeling, he stopped moving and froze in immobility. The pain subsided as quick as it came. Lawrence submerged himself into deep thought to assess the situation while staring at the ceiling. Spiderwebs decorate the top of the room revealing much of the establishment's owner's cleaning habits.
He is definitely dead, that is already confirmed. His memories are perfectly retained due to him constantly being forced to see a playback of them. His ruptured organs feels like they have been repaired though his heart does not pump any blood.
Even without breathing, the fluid inside him is supplying him with sufficient air to operate his body. His stomach is completely empty, but no sense of hunger assaulted him. This means the mechanism of his body had been changed, and he is no longer human.
He remembers everything, even the moment he was resurrected from death and the order he was given. However, this is the first time that he could control his body and feel it. Before this, he could only look from a distant place as if he was a mere bystander observing events through a small window.
Whatever it is that had caused him to regain command of his body, it does not matter. Now is his chance to end this and foil the Demon King's plan. Steeling his mind against the incoming pain, he swings his legs off the bed and stands up. The blanket falls onto the floor, leaving him stark naked but that is not his main concern.
Lawrence cringes from the sensation that attacked him. It feels like burning shards of glass are piercing every spot on his body. His involuntary reaction to the anguish he received only intensified his suffering.
'Guhh!! ... my sword, where is it?' Now that he have stood up, he could view the walls of the room. The walls are constructed from wooden panels and seems to be very old. Some wooden planks have been hammered into several spots. Most likely they are a form of shoddy repair for the run-down boards.
Pausing for a moment to listen, he notices sound coming from behind the closed door. Perhaps his equipment are placed there. He could just grab the blanket and cover his body but the pain he would have to endure is not worth it. What is there to be ashamed about when you are dead?
Tensing his leg muscles, he intends to jump in front of the door in one move. The less movement he performs, the shorter the duration of the pain. With that in mind, he leaps softly and lands accurately at his target position.
*Creak*
The wooden floorboards creak in protest from the sudden impact it had to bear. The argument next door is brought to a halting silence. Lawrence could not see through the walls but he could picture the image of two people turning their heads towards the door.
*Thump* *Thump*
The sound of approaching footsteps draw closer to him. Lawrence would be very thankful if the people could open the door for him, it would definitely spare him from so much agony.
The loose doorknob shakes slightly, signalling someone holding it on the other side.
*Click* The door swings outwards, revealing a middle-aged man with a trimmed beard and a young teenage girl peeking curiously from the side.
"Wha-?" The man stumbles backwards and fell on the floor. In a panic, he shoves his own body away from the door and accidentally hit his head against the table.
'Just what is going on? The man was positively dead, I've checked his pulse and heartbeat!' Unable to understand the sight before him, Erin's father could only stare agape at Lawrence while massaging the back of his head.The dead coming back to life, there is a first for everything even for someone of his age.
Erin is covering her mouth with both of her palms. The milky white tone of her face rapidly turns into a deep crimson. Her eyes are opened wide in surprise while she delightfully appraises Lawrence's finely sculpted body.
'Oh my God! Those blue eyes, those abs! Kyaaaaa!!' Erin screams inwardly. Her excitement has already reached the maximum due to the eye candy she is being served with. Compared to all the gruff looking men in the village, this is just heavenly for her.
Lawrence is not paying any attention to them, he focuses his eyes on his belongings set on the table.
'Lightning!' Finding what he wants, he prepares to jump again and grab it. Erin's father hurriedly rolls to the side, thinking that Lawrence is trying to attack him.
'Hup!'
Lawrence touches down exactly where he wants and grabs his sword with his right hand. For some reason, the pain he received is diminished. It was not as unbearable as before, he could actually put it off quite easily now.
Pointing the blade of the sword towards himself, he grabs the hilt with both of his hands in front of him. He hardens his resolution and tries to plunge the weapon into his own body. Faced with the illogical sight, Erin gasps and rushes over to stop him. She would not let her Prince Charming commit suicide in front of her.
*Thud*
For some reason, his hands gave away and the sword slipped out of his grip, impaling itself into the floor with a sharp thud. At the same time, he got thrown off balance by receiving Erin's life-saving tackle and crumpled onto the wooden boards below.
'Why? Why couldn't I stab myself?' Lawrence is not even bothered by the girl who had indecently fell on top of him. The fact that he could not end himself is far more pressing. Things would be bad if he loses control of his body again.
"Get away from my daughter, you bastard!" Erin's father straightens himself up and yells at Lawrence. He is enraged by the scene unfolding before him. How dare the naked bastard touch his daughter with that filthy body of his? Even though it was practically his daughter that jumped in, that does not matter to him.
The words snapped Lawrence back into the present situation. Blinking stupidly, he finally realised how improper his current position is. How could he have been so crude? To show off his body in front of a possibly unmarried girl of all things!
"Excuse me, miss? Can you stand?" Lawrence addresses Erin who is currently enjoying the skinship they are having together. A perverted grin is present on her countenance, showing her impure thoughts. She was not hurt because Lawrence had cushioned her but for obvious reasons she still had not gotten up.
"Huh? Oh! Sorry!" Blushing furiously, she scrambles up and moves away from Lawrence. Smoothing her crumpled skirt, she shyly looks away like a pure maiden. How embarrassing for her to have been carried away by the moment. What if the prince hates her now?
'Eh? Just now, it didn't hurt at all?' When Lawrence was in contact with Erin, he did not feel any pain while moving. However, now the agonizing jolts have started to return with each motion he makes.
"Hey, can I touch you?" He has to confirm this. Maybe the girl has some sort of ability that could nullify his curse.
"What?!" The question came from two people in different tones. One was outraged and the other was shocked and excited. Lawrence realised that he had not phrased his sentence properly and restructured it.
"Can we make physical contact with each other?" It was not any better. He really has no talent at this, if only Warren is here. Erin's eyes bulged as she nods joyfully, this is just too much for her sixteen year old heart. At last, could it be? Is she going to get married at this rate?
"Why I oughta-" Erin's father starts to roll up his sleeves, revealing the thick layers of muscle on his arms. He had been swinging a pickaxe at hard bedrocks for a long, long time and crushing this vulgar bastard's skull is no hard task.
"Oh, sorry for being so thoughtless. May I touch you instead, sir?" Maybe the pain would go away even if he touches someone else?
"What?!" Again the question flies out from both father and daughter. This time one is shocked and disgusted while the other is weak and about to faint. The man's reaction is self-explanatory whereas the girl could not believe her prince would prefer her hairy middle-aged father over her.
After half an hour of bickering between father, daughter and zombie swordsman later, things finally start to calm down once Lawrence managed to explain his situation. Erin's father had went and grabbed the blanket from inside the room and covered Lawrence with it.
"You expect me to believe that bull-" He clenches his fist indignantly and begins to retort at the illogical claims made by Lawrence. The 107th Demon King is still alive and the Grand Priest is corrupt? Even a child knows better than to believe that.
"Oh no, you must have suffered so much!" Erin wails out in understanding, cutting off her father. Her eyes are already welled up with tears. There is no doubt she completely believes in Lawrence, and she very well should.
"Do you actually believe him, Erin? Seriously?" He knits his brows together as he frowns in disbelief at his gullible daughter. How could she possibly believe him? The man called himself Gale Tempest, of all things! Everyone knows Gale Tempest would be fifty years old if he is still alive, this man looks around twenty at most.
"Regardless of believing me or not, I have to kill myself. Would you stab that sword into me? It would be better if you could slice up my head as well" Lawrence is not even sure that would be enough to kill him. The Demon King's foul necromancy might even be powerful enough to completely reassemble his body.
"No way!" The father and daughter pair shouted in unison for different reasons. As much as Erin's father would love to cut up this bastard, cleaning up the mess would be too much of a hassle. Erin on the other hand had never even killed a rabbit, how in the world would she be able to mutilate her prince?
"Then let me touch you and perhaps I can kill myself" This leaves Lawrence no choice, he had wasted enough time. Things might take a turn for the worse if he dallies any longer.
"You are not going to touch anyone with all that stink coming off from you!" Erin's father is right, the stench might have even seeped into the floorboards. It actually smells worse than a pile of bat guano. It is a wonder that they have not thrown up their breakfast yet.
After four barrels of soap water later, the smell finally became bearable. Of course, it would not completely go away since Lawrence is partially decayed but at least they could breathe in comfort.
"Can you please touch me now?" Lawrence's pleading induced Erin's father to groan in hopelessness. By the look of things, this man really believes in his own ridiculous tale.
'Fine, I'll humour him' He bent over and placed his palm on Lawrence's soaking wet forehead.
Lawrence tests it out by blinking once. The stab of pain attacked him immediately, though it is bearable just like when he was talking. It is apparent then, that Erin is a special existence who could somehow nullify the hurting sensation.
"How about it? Could you m-"
"Didn't work, I need your daughter"
"Yeah, right! Don't push your luck or I'll-" Erin's father could not take it anymore. The man is definitely nothing but trouble. He must be aiming for Erin's body.
"Move aside, father!" Erin came closer and knelt beside Lawrence. She roughly pushes her aggressive father to the side. How dare he treats her prince like that. Having done that, it is her turn to place a palm on Lawrence's forehead.
Sure that this would work, Lawrence bravely raises the top half of his body up in one go. Feeling absolutely no pain, he flexes his fingers in order to test it again. Nothing, he is completely free from any agonizing sensation whatsoever.
"It worked" He mumbles softly as he stares at his own hands. Everything feels so right except for the sticky feeling inside his blood vessels. Discounting that, his body is as good as when he was alive.
"Hand me the sword please" It is time to try this one more time. If he still cannot harm himself, he would have to find another way fast.
*Thuck*
Erin's father plucks the sword out of the floorboard and passes it to Lawrence. He tightly held Lawrence's hand in an iron grip when he passed the sword over.
"?!" Lawrence looks at the man in a puzzled expression. The hand grasping him hardly has any strength to be noted of, he really could not understand what Erin's father is trying to do.
"I won't let that sword hit anywhere but yourself, punk" As if he would just hand over a weapon over to a stranger he hardly trusts. If Lawrence tries anything funny, he would crush his arm into tiny bite-sized pieces.
"Oh, how thoughtful of you! Make sure you push it into my chest" Lawrence spectacularly misunderstands. He thinks the man is trying to help him kill himself should he fail to do it on his own.
"What? No!" Erin shouts out in anger. She had volunteered for the sake of alleviating the pain and not to be a suicide assistant, why did things turn out like this? She tries to pull her hand away but Lawrence was faster and had grabbed her arm with his free hand.
"Please, Erin. I need to end my suffering" Erin bit her lip when she saw the sorrowful expression on Lawrence. It was a genuine look of a person who had gone through indescribable torment.
"Blah, blah, blah! Are you going to stab yourself or n-" The father's rude interjection is stopped short by a sudden jerk of his arm that had been gripping Lawrence's hand tightly.
The tip of Lawrence's blade stops an inch before reaching his own chest. The sword is violently vibrating along with his trembling hand. Mistaking Lawrence's inability as hesitation, Erin's father pushes the sword towards Lawrence with all his might. Veins pop up on his forehead and his temples starts to turn blue but he could not even make it budge. His pride in his own arm strength is utterly crushed.
"Why...are... you... hesitating?" He squeezes out the sentence through his bared teeth in a strained voice as if he is constipated. Sweating with the amount of raw power he is exerting, he could not even do anything. He would never have expected the lean man to be so strong.
"I'm not! My hand won't move any further, it's as if something is holding it back!" Lawrence clarifies himself profusely. It is now clear that this is a self-defense mechanism set by the Demon King. He is not allowed to directly hurt himself, thus ending his own state of undeath is no longer an option.
"Guh.." Lawrence stopped trying and places the sword down beside him. Things might still be fine now but there is no guarantee Erin would be able to keep the curse away from him forever. Nothing is eternal except for the Sacred White Lion.
"Hah... hah... hah.." Erin's father dropped down onto the floor and sits with his legs crossed. Breathing heavily, he wipes off the beads of sweat on his face using his forearm.
"All right, I believe you! I believe you!" As much as he would like to deny it, the insane strength displayed by Lawrence had confirmed his story. This zombie is no doubt Gale Tempest, strongest swordsman under the heavens. In a way, he is trying to save his own pride by putting Lawrence on a high pedestal.
"It's okay, sir Tempest. You could always live with us here... maybe you can work in the mine just like father" Seeing the dismayed expression on Lawrence's visage, Erin could not help herself and gives out words of comfort. She does not mind having to touch him 24 hours a day. Corpse or not, it does not change the fact that he is absolutely beautiful.
"Mine?" Lawrence's head jerks and faces Erin at the mention of the word.
"Well, not really a mine but more like a cave. We just call it a mine for reputation's sake" Erin's father scratches his nose in embarrassment while giving out an explanation.
"Which means?"
"It's a limestone cave, third largest on the continent. We used to mine limestone a long time ago but nowadays we are scraping off some white crystals off the cave walls and... collect bat guano" Erin's father hangs his head low, ashamed to admit the last part. From a miner to an animal droppings collector, how far have he sunk?
"Bat guano?" Lawrence raises his eyebrows in astonishment. As far as he is concerned, people can do whatever they like as long as it does not disobey the Sacred White Lion's commandment but collecting bat guano is just too odd of a hobby.
"It's not like we want to, it's the Grand Priest's order! We got to dump those guano in water and then filter them for the same white crystals" Erin's father did not waste any time to defend himself. That damn Grand Priest, telling them to deal with poop of all things.
'White powdery crystal...Grand Priest'A flash of insight burst inside Lawrence's mind. This is part of the Demon King's command given to the Grand Priest. With this, Lawrence might be able to take down two birds with one stone.
"Tell me everything about the cave" Lawrence inquires, he needs to make sure of something. The instruments he need are almost assembled. Being the third largest cave in the continent, it should be deep and huge enough. Now, to secure a method that would cause a cave-in.
"Well first things first, it's quite deep and then there's.." Erin's father begins to mouth off the details he was asked for. He does not have even an inkling of an idea about what Lawrence intends to do but since he already said he believes him, he might as well help him.
It is already approaching dusk by the time he finished his explanation. They had to pause for a while so he can cook lunch. After all, there was no way Erin could cook with one hand. He had been quite confused whether to prepare a portion for Lawrence or not, do zombies even eat? Asking would probably be rude of him, as if he had not been rude enough. Thankfully, Lawrence graciously informed him that he does not need any food.
According to him, the mine is completely vacated at night. There are no guards or miners present in it once the sun goes down, owing to the fact that there is nothing precious to be gained. Their pay is fixed so any extra effort for the sake of getting more would be worthless. Most importantly, there is a tunnel that is intentionally blocked off due to accidentally mining into a pocket of explosive gas. That is Lawrence's ticket to success, the gas should still be there. If he fires off a lightning bolt, things would blow up and trap him under the debris deep in the cave.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Lawrence explains his aim to Erin and her father. Erin greatly hesitates and pleads Lawrence to reconsider but she gives up in the end due to overflowing sympathy for the man's condition. Her father objects to the plan as well but due to a different reason. As much as he hates his job, it is the only source of their livelihood. How is he supposed to feed himself and Erin without any money? Lawrence nonchalantly told him that he could shave off the gold-trim from his armour later on, prompting him to immediately agree.
While waiting for the night to come, they spent their time chatting together. Erin should have been doing the laundry but that could be put off to another day. Her father is having a day off today, it was his mistake for not accompanying Erin to the forest earlier this morning. It is quite rare for wolves to be attacking humans, they usually avoid them. However, the monsters have been quite agitated lately. He had heard rumours of various towns being sieged by monsters recently. It is great that their village is located far away from any dangerous habitats.
If it had not been for Lawrence's sudden appearance, she would have undoubtedly be eaten. According to Erin, Lawrence fainted on the ground right after he jumped in to rescue her. His memory about the incident is a bit fuzzy but he does remember something of the sort. The very reason he had regained control of his body might have been Erin.
Under normal circumstances, Lawrence would have brought her to the Church of the Sacred White Lion. There is no doubt that she possesses an incredible purification ability which she is not aware of, to be able to hold off the Demon King's manipulation. However, he does not know how much the Church had been corrupted at the present moment. Sending her there might lead her on a path of despair and torment.
Now that he is paying attention, Erin is an incredibly beautiful girl. She does not bear any resemblance to her father at all. Her long locks of finely-combed hair run down her back in a beautiful silver shade of moonlight. It wonderfully contrasts with her rugged brown village attire, giving her the looks of a damsel in distress in need of rescue from her terrible stepmother. Her vibrant green eyes perfectly complements the milky white tone of her skin, causing it to look more attractive.
If Lawrence is still alive, he would have probably fallen in love at first sight. Alas, his heart did not even beat once at the sight now. It simply stayed motionless, like a useless lump of meat.
"You two look really different, are you really father and daughter?" He gives the comment offhandedly, not noticing the inappropriateness of his words.
"I found her when she was a baby, raised her up like my own ever since" Erin's father places a hand on top of her head and starts to pat it. Erin pushes it away while blushing furiously, she is not a little girl anymore. So, it was not a stepmother but a stepfather instead.
"Yes, there is no way I would be the real daughter of this hairy ape" Erin says that to her father's face, inducing him to grab her and ruffle her hair playfully. Things might look rough but upon closer inspection it could be seen that they are only playing around. Even though they are not connected by blood, it is clear that they share a genuine bond between father and daughter together.
Lawrence could not help but smile as he sees their natural actions. Being trapped with the Demon King inside the Earthscraper for thirty years was terrible, the only visitor that came by is the venomous snake of a geezer, Horus. His pretentious gait and oily sentences were a disgusting sight to behold.
Time flies by when you are having fun, the expression is proven true when the darkness had seemingly enveloped the sky out of nowhere. The sun had already fallen by the time Lawrence told them the story of his past. The pair paid him unwavering attention as they listened aptly to his tale.
"Damn that Warren. If it weren't for him things wouldn't have come to this!" Erin curses Lawrence's twin brother without any hesitation. Her father vigorously nods at her side in agreement.
"No, it is not his fault. If things were left as it were, someone else might have freed the Demon King. Horus, for example. Warren's intention was good, he just made a mistake" Lawrence replies calmly.
Erin's anger deflated like a punctured balloon and she apologizes. She realised that she might have been too emotional with her previous remark.
"It's time, let's go" Things have been enjoyable for Lawrence. Even though it was brief, this had been the most fun he experienced over the course of thirty years. However, the safety of the world must take precedence.
"Okay.." The pair replies in a weak tone, hinting of sadness. The short time they had spent together made the father and daughter attached to him.
"I'll grab some of my clothes for you" Erin's father stands up on his feet and shuffles away to his own bedroom. A few banging and cluttering sounds indicates him searching for an outfit in his wardrobe.
"Got it!" He shouts happily as he reenters the living room along with a set of shirt and pants draped over his arms.
"This.. are you sure?" The fabric of the clothing appears to be new. The colours have not faded off like the ones Erin and her father are wearing. It does not have the air of extravagance to it but Lawrence could guess that this is the best outfit in the man's possession.
"Got to look good for a proper burial, right?" Smiling widely, he throws the clothes onto Lawrence's lap. It is the best thing he could do for this ill-fated man.
With Erin covering her eyes behind one of her hands, Lawrence begins to change into the shirt and pants. Erin giggles softly from hearing the rustling sound of clothes, her imagination going wild. What a pity that she could not see it.
Once he is done, Lawrence tries moving around his body. The fabric is as nice as it looks, smooth and comfortable though a bit over-sized. It is a pleasant sensation to be wearing something other than that bulky old armour of his. Small things like this makes him wish he is still alive.
"Let's Go" Putting on a patched-up cloak and grabbing a lantern, Erin's father is already standing at the door leading outside.
They exit the house and close the door after Erin had blown off the candles. Even candles are costly to them, that is how poor they are.Erin's father did not bother to lock the entrance, the people here are all poor. Beggars would not steal from other beggars, would they?
With his back against the house and Erin holding his hand, Lawrence observes the surrounding. The houses are barely fit to be called houses. They are more like dingy old shacks. Erin's house is perhaps one of the better off buildings around here. Some of the shacks do not even have a door, their entrance open wide revealing the shabby interior within.
"Going somewhere, Charlie?" A man sitting on a rocking chair outside the hut across the street calls out to Erin's father. He takes an occasional swig from the bottle of cheap liquor in his hand.
'So his name is Charlie..' They had been talking for a long time but Lawrence had just found out the name of Erin's father.
"Ho, Blaine! I'm off to see this man to the village outskirts! He got lost in the woods this morning" Charlie gives out a lousy lie to the man on the rocking chair.
"Oh. Say, how bout you leave your daughter here and I can-" Blaine spares Lawrence a brief glance that held no interest and then shifts his eyes towards Erin. A sickening grin extended from ear to ear on his face.
"See you later, Blaine!" Charlie does not have time to be patronizing the drunkard. He brushes him off with a simple goodbye.
"All right, see you too!" Blaine chuckles to himself and continues to drink his alcohol.
"Disgusting.." Erin mutters under her breath. Her body shivers weakly after being eyed by the drunkard.
They make their way to the northern part of the village without any more interruptions. Occasionally there would be subtle strums of guitar coming out from the houses. In the absence of an inn or tavern, there must not be much to do for a good time. Life in a mining village is quite drab.
Reaching the outskirts, they came upon a finely constructed warehouse. The warehouse sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the numerous poor establishments back in the village. Made out of neatly layered bricks, there is not a single air hole that can be spotted on the exterior. Right outside the warehouse is a significant amount of orderly arranged barrels which suspiciously reeks of poop.
"It's the warehouse we store the crystals at, and those barrels are where we dunk the bat guano in" Noticing Lawrence looking curiously at the building and barrels, Charlie chips in to explain. Even though he had been doing this for quite a while, he still could not prevent himself from wrinkling his nose. You just never get used to that distinct odor from bat poop.
"Come here" Charlie calls out from the side of the warehouse, a few minecarts lay on little railway tracks set on the ground. The tracks steeply sloped downwards, following the terrain and leading straight into the mouth of a dark cave. From the lingering scent left on the carts, this must be how they transferred the 'goods' out.
Acting like it is the natural thing to do, Charlie jumps into the minecart and beckons Lawrence and Erin to join him. Since they do not know the interior of the cave, they passively followed into the stinky vehicle. The cart is too small for all three of them to sit in, so they have to stand instead while holding the rim for stability. Charlie pulls a lever in the center of the cart and released the breaks and they quickly hurtle off towards the cave.
They descend into pitch black darkness with a dim illumination from the lantern held in one of Charlie's hands. His other hand is steering the rattling cart on the tracks through a maze of twisting passages. Lawrence's eyes stung as the cold air rushes past them, but he kept them wide open to take in the view of his own would-be tomb.
The ground evens out soon after they entered the cave, so a swift return via the cart is possible. They plunge deeper and deeper into the cave, passing by beautiful limestone formations in the middle of an underground lake. Erin sighs as they sped by it, it was too brief a moment to properly appreciate the aesthetic quality of it. Hundreds or maybe thousands of stalactites and stalagmites grew from the floor and ceiling of the cave. Some are as thin as Lawrence's thumb, some as huge as a tree trunk.
After a minute of riding the bumpy cart, Charlie slowly pushes the lever and brings the cart to a screeching halt. Bright sparks shot out from the friction between the wheels and the tracks as they begin to gradually slow down and stop. Amateurs often push the lever in one go, causing the cart to jerk violently and send them flying out but Charlie is a veteran who would not make such trivial mistakes.
They stop in a vast chamber within the cave. The light from the lantern is not sufficient to reveal the entire radius of the place but the flapping sound of wings and animal screeches told them of the presence of a large community of bats on the ceiling.
"Sigh.. they extinguished the lanterns to save oil" Charlie grumbles in an annoyed manner. He had never been inside here at night before, so he did not know the protocol of putting out the fires.
Lawrence draws out a little of his mana from a warm spot next to his heart and channels it to his open palm. It feels extremely different from usual, the act of reaching his mana source is nauseating. Contrary to the smooth, fluid feeling of mana flowing through his body that he remembers, this time it feels slimy and disgusting. Nevertheless he managed to produce a light ball and sends it floating to the top of the ceiling.
Increasing his mana output despite the queasy sensation, he pumps it into the light ball and increases the intensity to light up the whole chamber. An uncountable amount of bat guano litters the entire floor of the cave, looking like grains of black rice. Taking a step out of the cart would cause them to step on it.
"Yes, this looks right" Charlie says that with a stony face while looking at the floor. Bat poop, tons and tons of bat poop. Just the way he remembers it.
"Follow me" He steps onto the squishy guano matted floor without any hesitation and begins to walk away in a certain direction.
Lawrence too, did not really mind stepping on guano but Erin is trembling with repugnance while eyeing the floor. As a resort, Lawrence lifts Erin up and cradles her like a princess. Without further ado, he jumps off the cart and trails behind Charlie.
Charlie stops in front of a section of the wall where a roughly circular tunnel leading to another chamber is present. A faintly visible barrier flickers over the entrance.
"That's the barrier keeping all the gas inside, there's a bunch of glowing moss in there so you won't be needing any light" he gestures with his hand to give an image of moss growing on the floor.
"Well, that's it then... it's time for the both of you to leave this cave" Lawrence grabs the string of his silver medallion and slides it off his head then passes it to Erin. He stares at the pair and urges them to move on. If they spend too much time getting back, they would get caught up in the cave-in.
"Yeah.. I hope you can rest in peace" Charlie pats Lawrence's back, a sad frown evident on his countenance.
"Are you sure about this? Sir Lawrence?" Erin asks him for the last time. She could already guess the answer that would be given but it is just too tragic a fate for this fine man before her.
"Yes, thank you.. to both of you and goodbye" Lawrence stares into the eyes of them both and lets go of Erin's hand. A slight tingling pain returns to his body which will soon increase in intensity as Erin moves farther away from him.
"Please be quick, I do not know how long I can hold off the Demon King's influence. If you could, I entrust the task of informing the King to the both of you" Turning his back against them, he unsheathes his bronze-coloured sword and holds it in both hands. He is ready to cut down the barrier and let the gas seep all over the cave.
Charlie grabs Erin and places her on his back. He then runs towards the cart as fast as he could, heeding Lawrence's advice. They have done what they could, now they need to leave or they would be accompanying Lawrence in a live burial. In less than fifteen seconds, he managed to unceremoniously dump his daughter into the other minecart and gets inside. With a swift pull of the lever, they sped off into the distance and out of the chamber in no time.
As the distance between Lawrence and Erin continues to grow, so does the intensity of his pain. Not wanting to risk his chance of success, Lawrence slashes the barrier and shatters it into pieces. The barrier is one of basic design and does not hold much resistance against physical force.
The invisible gas seeps out from the hole and mixes in with the air outside. The bats began to flee, as they are able to sense the dangerous odorless gas entering the chamber. The flapping sounds of wing overlapped over each other as they fly away.
Lawrence prepares to jump deep into the opening of the gas-filled room and gathers strength into his feet. With a powerful kick to the ground, he propels himself over fifty meters forward and plunges deep inside the hole, landing on top of a slippery bed of glowing moss. He loses his footing due to lack of traction and falls on his back onto the cold, hard floor.
A luminescent blue glow radiates over the entire room, giving it a ghostly appearance. Lawrence does not have the time to appreciate the view because he is suffering from the intense pain in his body. His action just now felt like he had pushed himself onto a bed of needles and grind against it.
'This is just like the time I died, huh?' Lawrence thinks to himself in a nostalgic sprawling position with his head tilted back. However, this time he is holding his weapon in hand.
'It should have been a minute since they left... I need to give them another minute to make sure'
It would probably take some time for Erin and her father to climb up the slope outside the cave.
'Hurk!' The fluid running within him starts to pulsate faintly, giving an uncomfortable sensation all over his body. Lawrence could tell, this means he is beginning to lose control.
'Just a bit more..' He focuses his mind on one thought, to initiate a spark and blow up the cave.
His body gradually feels heavier with every passing moment. His senses are slowly being taken away and his mind is starting to get fuzzy. The numbness had already crept up from the soles of his feet up to his waist.
'ten more..seconds...' Despite the drowsiness, Lawrence faithfully counts the time. He could no longer feel anything below his neckline.
'Three... two... one! Lightning, ignite!' Empowering his legendary blade with the last vestiges of his free will, the sword begins to shine and crackle.
The reaction was instantaneous, starting from a small spark to a fireball and then expanding into a wide-spread inferno which travels through the corridors of the entire cave.
The blazing fire painfully melted off Lawrence's eyes out of his socket and incinerated his skin, muscles and organs.
The terrifying blast sent shockwaves into the very foundations of the cave, bringing about violent tremors. Stalactites begin to break off and fall down from the ceiling, impaling the floor below with loud cracks. Even the ceiling itself starts to crumble and crash onto the ground, producing clouds of dust.
The mouth of the cave is lit bright while an ominous rumbling sound escapes it. Erin and Charlie looks at the scenery from above the slope, feeling the air warming up down below. The cave is starting to look like the entrance to the burning pits of hell.
Soon, the entrance too, begins to collapse and seals the cave with Lawrence inside it.
Erin could not bear to look anymore and sobs into her father's chest. Charlie gently pats her back in a comforting manner. They would have to move away from this village and inform the king. The question is how do they, as mere commoners, seek an audience with him?
Inside the cave, the fire rapidly dies down due to burning up all of the flammable gas. The charred remains of Lawrence lies below a huge heavy boulder which had previously been part of the ceiling. The chamber is engulfed in utter darkness now that the moss had been burnt away.
From between the spaces and cracks in between the debris, a dark, shadowy fluid slithers and coils around Lawrence's blackened skeleton.
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Within the hidden room located deep beneath the earth in the lowest point of the Earthscraper, the Demon King is sitting down in a meditative stance. Right foot crossed over his left thigh and left foot crossed over his right thigh, palms symmetrically placed on his lap, he is in a perfect lotus stance. He is currently immersed in a trance with his eyes peacefully closed.
The runic scriptures carved into the walls throb with their eerie red light as usual, casting their glow on everything except for the Demon King. The pitch black shadows that writhes around his body consumes the light before they even reach him. As a result, his long flowing black hair remains as ominous as ever. Despite the thick looming darkness, the pale skin on his hands and head is still visible to the naked eye. It is a very mind-boggling sight to behold.
Out of the blue, he snaps his eyes open, revealing the silver irises beneath the previously closed eyelids.
'How did he break free? Was it due to my lack of power?' He had done a shoddy job of reanimating the corpse. Instead of completely putting it under his influence, he had reinserted the dead soul into the vessel. All in order to enable the zombie to pass through this room's barrier.
The Demon King could not see through the eyes of his puppets but he could sense their whereabouts and condition. Gale had not been moving at his usual speed for the entire day and is now stationary.
A moment ago, his connection had been severed. It implies that Gale's body had been damaged critically to the point that it had become uncontrollable. To finally regain freedom and deciding to throw it away, how tragic. However...
'You would not escape my grasp that easily, my puppet' A sinister smile which is not directed to anyone dawns on the Demon King's face.
'You have only delayed the inevitable' The connection between him and the corpse starts to reestablish itself. He shall fashion a new, stronger body for Gale. One that would do a better job.
'Perhaps I should send Horus to check on him' With nothing left to worry about, the Demon King reseals his eyes and sinks back into his deep meditation.
There is much training to do.
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Next chapter coming up in a few days, things are getting back to the Academy. Oh, my lovely third person view!
Yep, I don't like static villains who sit around doing nothing while the good guys get stronger.
Science facts:
Apparently methane is not all that common in limestone caves. So, here's an explanation I came up with in case you are scratching your head at my stupidity.
Naturally occurring methane is mainly produced by the process of methanogenesis. This multistep process is used by microorganisms as an energy source. <--taken straight from Wikipedia
So, I'll have to go with this:
The miners opened up an ancient part of the cave with a bunch of ancient microorganisms that had been pooling up the gas for ages. <--best explanation I could give
The First Death Armus The Grim Reaper
For The Curious Mind