His eyes still burned from the liquid fire attack but the pain had lessened slightly and Bakuno’s vision was recovering, though the stinging in his nostrils, ears, and mouth remained unchanged.
He looked down to see that his cherished amulet, fashioned of iron extracted exclusively from the blood of innocents, was missing. The familiar weight of the enchanted rings he wore was absent. He was not wearing his Dread Robe of Malice, nor his Torturer’s Gauntlets.
Instead of his usual garb, Bakuno was dressed in a simple, white cloth t-shirt and faded blue pants made of a thick material he did not recognize. His reflection in the glass window to his left provided an even bigger shock, though.
The horns were missing from atop his head and his teeth, once long and sharp, were now flat and useless like those of a rabbit’s. Worse yet, when he lifted his lips to have a look at his teeth, the reflection in the window was that of a moderately attractive human male with a charming smile. Bakuno threw up in his mouth a little at the disgusting image, and then looked away from the window with a grunt of frustration.
The metallic carriage roared like an angry lightning aspect sacred bear and lurched forward. Bakuno glared through metal bars at his captors with their backs to him. Restrained, caged, and impotent, Bakuno’s shoulders dropped and he let out a dramatic sigh.
“Are you minions of the tyrant grandmother?” Bakuno demanded to know.
The man seated in front and to the right turned back to look at Bakuno in confusion.
“What?”
“The tyrant grandmother, Vicky, do you serve her?”
“The old lady you assaulted?” the man asked, brows furrowed.
Bakuno jerked his chin down sharply in affirmation.
He was informed, but not entirely convinced, that these men did not in fact work for Vicky. They stated that their purpose was to serve the community as a whole. Altruistic nonsense…
The carriage moved smoothly down a paved and painted path. So smoothly in fact that Bakuno resolved to acquire one for himself as soon as he escaped this embarrassing imprisonment.
To either side of the painted path were buildings larger than anything he had ever seen, their entrances all festooned with lights and paint to draw in potential customers. The carriage came to a stop and many similar carriages passed by on a perpendicular course for a few moments. These luxurious vessels, apparently, came in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. Bakuno wanted a large one.
When the carriage reached its destination, Bakuno was taken a bit too-forcefully into a building with white floors, white walls, and a white ceiling. Other prisoners were being shepherded around by men in matching uniforms. This sterile place smelled of fear, testosterone, and abusive authority - an altogether pleasant aroma.
For the several hours that followed, different men came into the room where they had bound Bakuno to ask him questions. They demanded things of him that he didn’t understand. They wanted to see his driver’s license or ‘some kind of identification’, but he was the Tyrant King of Eldrysis. Everyone had always known who he was. What need had he for a slip of parchment stating his name?
After what seemed like an eternity, his captors, a group that called themselves ‘the Poleese’, released Bakuno. They informed him that, because he hadn’t done any real harm and because Vicky had chosen not to press charges, he would be allowed to go. But that did not stop them from warning the Tyrant King against causing problems in the future.
Finally free from these ‘Poleese’, Bakuno set off into this strange new world. He didn’t know where he was going, but he did know that he’d like to put some distance between himself and this world’s authorities. And so, aimlessly, he walked.
An unbelievable number of people crowded the city streets, each walking past him as though their current mission was of the utmost importance. Most didn’t spare him a glance as they hurried along, most staring at small, rectangular devices in their hands.
He found a place to sit and think beneath a fabric canopy. The shaded area had several circular tables, each with four chairs placed around it. A woman in formal attire brought trays of charred animal flesh and sliced plants to the groups of people seated at nearby tables. The people then placed her offerings into their mouths, why, Bakuno did not know. He was certain he would learn the common practices in this world soon enough though, and had more pressing matters to think through.
His first order of business was to find out exactly what had happened to his magic. Without it, Bakuno’s hope of surviving in this new world, filled with monsters like Vicky and organizations like the Poleese, would be slim. With a thought, he opened the Status page of his MENU tome. What he saw was disheartening.
Bakuno
Level: 1
Age: 1,793
Exp to next Level: 0/1000
Mana: 17/17
Attributes
Strength: 3
Agility: 3
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 1
Charisma: 2
Luck: 1
Alignment: neutral
Of all the absolute absurdity listed on his Status page, Bakuno was the most bewildered by his Alignment.
Neutral? My Alignment has been true evil since before the dawn of the second dynasty!
With a neutral Alignment, he would not be able to unlock the Skills or Abilities he would need to conquer this world if and when he increased his personal level.
On top of the ludicrous change to his Alignment, Bakuno, Tyrant King of Eldrysis, had been reduced to Level 1. Indignant, he closed his Status page.
Everything he had done over the past 1700 years had been effectively erased. And worse, he hadn’t the slightest idea how or why, or even who was responsible for this madness.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
He recalled his most recent memories from before Vicky’s underling had attacked him. It had just been a typical Shinday.
He’d spent the morning draining human infants of their blood for his bath, which was delightful. Rejuvenated from the bath, Bakuno did a bit of light exercise to maintain his impressive Strength and Agility. He raised the taxes on the citizens of Eldrysis’ underworld in the afternoon and spent the evening herding the humans of a nearby town into their church before burning it to the ground. It took hours for the woody he got from the glorious sound of their screams to abate.
And then, nothing…
It was as if a block had been placed on his memory, blanketing his passage to this new world with an impenetrable fog.
“Can I get you started with something to drink?” asked the woman in formal attire that had been bringing trays of flesh to the other tables. She held a pen to a small clipboard and wore a too-bright smile as she awaited his response.
Snatched from his reverie, Bakuno jumped. She waited, looking at him expectantly. At a loss, he finally answered.
“Yes?” he said, unsure of what this woman might expect in return for her services.
She laughed, a cheery smile twisting her lips. “What would you like?”
Bakuno waffled, no idea how to answer her simple question. He doubted they served his preferred beverage, fresh blood. Fortunately, the helpful young woman gave him a few options.
“Coffee? Tea?”
“Yes,” he said. “Coffee.”
He had no idea what either of the presented options were, but the word ‘coffee’ sounded a great deal like coohi - the word for death in his native tongue. The obvious choice.
“Great! Well, I’ll be right back with your coffee. In the meantime, have a look at the menu and let me know if there is anything else I can get for you.”
She set a colorful, tri folded piece of parchment on his table, smiled again, and then bounced her bubbly way back into the building. Bakuno had no interest in her menu. He was more interested in his MENU. Bakuno did his best to avoid getting his hopes up when he accessed his MENU to open the page that would list his available Skills.
It was a good thing he didn’t get his hopes up, too, because there was only one Skill available to him. The Skills section of his MENU tome had once spanned over 100 pages, containing everything from Hellfire Breath to Corpse Reanimation. Now though, the single entry was, in line with how the rest of the day had gone for Bakuno: infuriating, belittling, and frustrating.
Feeble Blessing (Rank: 1)
Cost: 3 Mana
Cast Time: instant
Range: touch
Cooldown: none
Effect: Bless your target, granting them +30 Luck for 60 minutes.
***Note: though your target will not be consciously aware of Feeble Blessing, they may subconsciously feel the need to reciprocate your kindness with acts of generosity of their own.
Bakuno closed his MENU tome, disheartened. The only ability he had access to was not well-suited for a true evil Tyrant King. Even so, he supposed a Skill like Feeble Blessing could be useful, in the right hands. It was a spell that he was not familiar with and would require a bit of trial and error. He looked around, searching for a suitable test subject.
The young woman returned to the outdoor dining area and delicately placed a steaming cup filled with a dark, aromatic liquid on the table in front of Bakuno.
“Here’s your coffee,” she said brightly. “Did anything on the menu catch your eye?”
“No.”
“Just coffee, then?” she asked.
Bakuno nodded and waved her off.
“Wait,” he said, reaching to grab her arm as she walked away.
As soon as he made contact with her skin, Bakuno triggered Feeble Blessing. The look on her face gave him flashbacks of that monster, Vicky. He then realized that his sudden and unsolicited touch was unwelcome and quickly retracted his hand. He did not wish to incur the wrath of the Poleese again so soon.
“Thank you for the coffee.”
Clearly relieved that this strange man had released her, the young woman smiled nervously. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can get for you.”
Bakuno watched her go, but the Feeble Blessing didn’t leave any visible effect. Once the woman was out of sight, he turned to the steaming cup in front of him. He proved the liquid with one finger and then pulled it quickly away as if the contents had bit him.
This beverage is much too hot to ingest.
Bakuno preferred his drinks to be exactly 98.6 degrees.
***
Inside the restaurant, the young waitress placed her now empty tray on the counter and pulled her phone out of her pocket to check on her stocks. She didn’t have much to invest, but every dollar she could spare was placed in HTO - a video conferencing company recommended to her by a friend that worked in finance. Her boss approached, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and thick glasses, before she was able to refresh the page on her phone.
“Mel,” he said. “It’s pretty slow in here today and I need to send someone home for budget’s sake. You’re the lucky winner. Go enjoy some of this beautiful weather or something.”
“Lucky me,” she said under her breath. Melissa would have been thrilled to leave, if she didn’t need the hours. But she did.
“What’s that?” he asked with a threatening tone.
“Nothing, Tom. I’ll finish up my tables, then head out.”
Tom nodded and walked back toward his office, likely to congratulate himself on saving the company a few pennies. With only the one guy sitting in her section, she didn’t want to stay at all. Frustrated, Melissa glanced down at her phone. Her breath caught in her throat. HTO had increased from $0.69 per share to $1.89 per share since she’d arrived at work that morning. The 1,141 shares she had to her name just increased in value by over $1300 - almost a whole month’s rent. She refreshed the page again, and her breath caught in her throat. In only a second, HTO had jumped again, this time to $2.11 per share.
Feeling as though she were walking on clouds, Melissa clocked out and left the building. Her coworkers would be able to handle the one guy with his coffee. She passed him as she walked through the outdoor dining area. The knowing look on his face gave her pause.
“The coffee’s on the house this time,” she told him. If Tom asked about it, and he probably would, she’d just pay for it out of her own pocket. “I’m headed out but you can let any of the serving staff know that Melissa said you’ve got free refills all day.”
***
Bakuno watched the blue liquid swirling around in the corner of his vision, the orb that represented his available Mana. It remained three points below capacity, though enough time had passed that his beverage had entirely cooled. Only a day ago his Mana pool of several thousand would regenerate the three Mana it had cost him to cast Feeble Blessing in a fraction of a second. Now, it didn’t seem to be regenerating at all.
Curious, Bakuno took a sip of the coffee. The bitter brew was not at all to his taste but, after only a sip, the blue orb containing his Mana began to refill.
He took another drink, face souring as he swallowed the bitter liquid. His Mana regenerated to 15/17. It continued to refill as he downed the remainder of the bitter liquid, eventually reaching the full 17/17 by the time he finished the last of it.
Bakuno looked down at the slightly browned, empty mug in his hands, impressed. It may not be fresh blood, but if coffee was the secret to regenerating Mana in this world, coffee he would drink.
Bakuno’s mind was working on overdrive after drinking the coffee and sitting still was quickly becoming a less-than-attractive passtime.
He got to his feet, suddenly buzzing with energy. As he continued his walk, still moving away from the headquarters of the Poleese, Bakuno began triggering Inspect on people as he passed them.
An excitement for this new realm began to swell within him as he saw that every single human was only at level 1. He would reign supreme with nobody powerful enough to stop him… unless he ran into that monster, Vicky, again.
With visions of dominating these pathetic people playing in his mind, Bakuno’s pace quickened. Due to his incident with the Poleese, Bakuno reasoned that farming experience to level up (killing things) in broad daylight would likely be met with a force he was not yet ready to face. He would refrain from such activities until the sun set.
If only I had a liquid fire dispenser like Vicky’s…