Chapter 178
The portal between worlds opened, and legions spilled forth.
Hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers marched in columns through fiery gates, singing songs of war to the beat of thousands of drums. The sky was filled with the fleet of the Empire of Dying Suns, bearing the flag of an angled sword piercing a ball of flames on a golden backdrop.
The time for the invasion of Panu had finally arrived.
“Captain Vros Kinal.” The general addressed him as they stood alongside the king on a flagship in the sky - watching their armies venture into unknown lands to conquer whatever lay in wait. The old man’s piercing gaze caught Captain Vros Kinal off guard by the tone of his voice, and the general stroked his chin while inspecting the younger, muscular man before abruptly saluting. “Good luck. May you bring glory to the Empire of Dying Suns, may you find victory upon the boundless path of eternal war, and may you bring this new world of Panu under control for the glory of our empire. A lot is riding on this expedition, captain. I hope you realize that.”
Captain Vros Kinal abruptly saluted back, armored gauntlet slamming into his pristine breastplate as the robed, elderly king stepped forward to place a hand on his pauldron.
“Captain.” The king said with a smile. “You are the best we can afford to send. You will encounter 4 other invading forces there aside from the locals, as well as whatever other planetary quests the system decides to throw down as a gauntlet for the inhabitants to bypass. You will need to crush them all. Do so by the end of 5 years and the planet is ours, but if it comes down to it - you merely need to hold on and root yourself into position, keeping the beacon intact until then so reinforcements can arrive. Survival trumps supremacy, but supremacy will bring great honor. Do you understand what I am telling you?”
The captain abruptly nodded, piercing eyes shining under the barbute helm he wore. “Yes, my king!”
The old man smiled, letting go of the other man’s pauldron. “Good. Now go, the other factions who have acquired invasion tokens will no doubt be looking for a place to plant their own beacons too. Find out where they are, dispose of them early, and smash the locals into submission. For the glory of the empire.”
“For the glory of the empire!” The surrounding officers repeated in unison.
***
[World Quest 3 Update, Invaders from Beyond: Other factions of the multiverse have greedily been watching your small planet, wanting its resources for themselves. Be it mass slavery, genocide, forced societal integration, or being farmed as literal food - your planet’s people are in danger. Invasion tokens have been distributed, and the invasion portals have finally been opened.
Invading forces have until the end of the 5 integration years to either conquer Panu entirely, or alternatively survive that long in order to acquire reinforcements from the homeland. Any invading force left at the end of 5 years will have free access through system portals until a victor is decided. To rid this planet of an invading force, you must destroy their beacon - which will be highlighted by a marker in the sky above its location with the symbol of their empire. Maximum level cap for entry invaders has been set to level 80, with growth still enabled after arrival.
Invading Forces:
* The Empire of Dying Suns
* Pagaroth
* The Kingdom of Shatterstone
* The Black Sky Azag Hive Cluster
* Rippenvire
Prepare yourselves, natives of Panu. The enemy is coming.]
Allie dismissed the notification almost as quickly as it’d come. She had other, more important things to worry about. It was a far different reaction than Lahn’s elder brother and father, who immediately exited the manor to head for the palace.
Even Lady Shovi Lucio was troubled, and she hesitated at Lahn’s door on the second floor of their household to read the world quest update twice over before glancing Allie’s way. “Do you need to get back to your family?”
Allie didn’t even blink. “No. I’d like to see Lahn.”
Nodding in appreciation, Shovi opened the door - letting Allie, Riven, and Fay inside.
Allie had hardened herself to extreme degrees since the integration had begun, so she didn’t flinch when she saw the broken body on the bed. Lahn was bruised, swollen, with his two good limbs having been wrapped in soft casts and some kind of ointment being spread along his jaw and ribcage. The extent of the damage was obvious, and there were even a couple of isolated areas where the fire poker that’d been used to beat him half to death left imprints of the shape of the item.
There were even a few open, oozing wounds - though most of those had already been closed by the mediocre healers that’d been available here in the capital with all the good ones out to help in the war.
Riven, Fay, and Shovi watched from the door in silence as Allie approached, and she came around the bed to sit on the side where the window let light in. She glanced down at him as he stared absently through the glass, then looked out alongside him. Wordlessly they sat together, until she reached out her hand and clasped his own shriveled one.
Tears began to accumulate under his eyes and his lips began to quiver at the contact. He managed to get out a hoarse whisper after that, and rapidly started blinking to try to control his emotions. “Thank you for coming. But… why?”
She turned to look at him, kindly squeezing his hand in her own. “Why what?”
He choked back a cough, still only whispering through his teeth in order to keep his broken jaw from hurting. “Why did you come?”
“You’re my friend. Of course I would come.”
“Why though?”
“Why are you my friend?”
“Yes.”
Allie paused considering his question. “Because you’re genuinely kind. You are internally strong. You deserve to have friends, don’t think otherwise.”
Lahn scoffed, then winced as his jaw moved in a way that caused the fractures to grind against one another. “I am not any of those things.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because being kind and internally strong are the defaults I am forced to abide by. Being weak makes me act that way, I don’t have a choice. These are not admirable qualities. If I were to have power, if I were to be physically capable, and then I were to act the way I do with kindness - then it would be admirable. But being weak and therefore not having a choice in how I act should not grant me the same kind of admiration that a truly powerful man should get, because I don’t have that choice.”
Allie shook her head. “That’s not true. Not true at all. Those stray dogs you keep in your little animal sanctuary are proof of that. Even how you are now, you still have power over those helpless animals. Do you not?”
Lahn looked like he was going to protest, but he ended up not doing so - instead deciding to remain silent.
“And can you honestly tell yourself that you’d be a different person should you be granted power today?” Allie asked curiously, his shriveled hand still clutched in her own.
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Lahn let out a sputum filled cough, then managed a barely visible shrug. “I don’t know. I’d probably be the same, but that’s something I’ll never know. Not after this. The injuries are too far gone, even the best healers we have - should they come back from the front lines - won’t be able to completely heal me when the bones reset the way they are now. Even if you do manage to get rid of that worm, whatever you called it, and cure me… I’ll still be a broken man.”
Shovi immediately furrowed her brows, contemplating whether or not to ask about this ‘worm’ and ‘cure’ he was talking about - but didn’t want to ruin the moment and chose to stay silent. She was just happy someone had cared enough to come, and happy that he was willing to finally talk with someone. Watching the child that she loved not have any support at all aside from her had broken her heart - so this was an incredibly welcome surprise and it made Shovi’s heart swell to watch.
“I agree with you about one thing, you’d probably still be the same.” Allie said, pushing his hair out of his eyes to get a better look at his bruised face. Her expression turned sad. “I haven’t known you for long, but I can honestly say that I’m pulled to you. I haven’t met anyone like you before, and I don’t think it’s just because you’re weak.”
To this, Lahn began to laugh. It was a sardonic laugh. Even despite his injures he just couldn’t help it, and with every laugh came a wince. “Drawn to me. I don’t understand. Truly, I don’t. Don’t get me wrong, Allie, I’ve loved being around you… but you could have such better friends. Friends that don’t hold you back and friends who don’t need to be pushed around in a chair just to follow you into a cafe. Friends that have higher social status than me. Friends that have brighter futures than a cripple like myself that will hold no true position of power in the ruling classes despite my noble birth. I have nothing to offer you, and I don’t know why you’re wasting your time. You have everything, Allie - you’re incredibly kind, stunningly beautiful to the point that you make all the other girls jealous, and you’re talented. You have a far brighter future than I do. Being friends with me will only push away potential suitors that would no doubt make your family proud, as they’d probably get the wrong idea about your intentions and find spending time with me inappropriate - even if it is innocent and just as friends.”
Allie threw up her hands in mock despair. “Oh god! Not that! Whatever will I do should the suitors decide to go away!?”
Riven failed to hide his grin.
Then Allie gave Lahn an exasperated but still kind stare. “Come on Lahn. Catch a hint.”
Leaning down and brushing her long brown hair behind one ear, Allie slowly pressed her lips against his - kissing him to a sharp and excited gasp from his mother who was still standing next to the door.
Letting the kiss linger, Allie eventually pulled back and poked a very confused and very bright-red Lahn in the chest - getting a wince from him when she forgot that he had broken ribs. “Oh, sorry! I forgot you’re injured.”
She winked. “And you look like an apple right now you’re so damn red. You almost match the color of my eyes or my dress.”
The silence was palpable, and it took a while for the young crippled man to gain his bearings again as Allie laughed and the other two women held hands over their mouths with grins underneath.
“Your eyes are bright blue! They’re not red!” Lahn said snarkily through clenched teeth, trying and failing to hide his growing, giddy smile as his heart hammered loudly in his chest to the ears of the vampires in the room. “But yes, I can see why you’d… Uhm… compare my face to your dress. I kind of daydreamed this would happen… but I never thought you’d actually be interested in someone like me. Why me? You have so many other options.”
Allie flicked his nose. “Does it matter?”
“It does. I want to understand. You’re just so… you’re everything I’m not. As I said before, you’re kind, beautiful, talented, and I just don’t see what you see in me. And mother, please! You’re embarrassing me! Stop making those cutsie noises!”
Riven chuckled while Shovi mumbled an excited but hushed apology.
Allie raised an eyebrow, the smile fading. She turned to face him on the bed with one knee bent and tucked under her other thigh. “Lahn… I have been called many things since arriving on Panu. Kind is not one of them.”
Lahn blinked. “Huh? What are you talking about, you’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever met!”
Shovi was eating this up like an old woman watching mid-day soap operas with both hands still clasped over her incredibly wide smile - eyes wide and taking it in second by second. She was so, so excited for her son and she’d been desperate to get him to find someone - but not many people had been interested in pitching their daughters to a crippled man like him. Yet here Allie was - far better than anything Shovi could have hoped for, and it made Shovi just as giddy as Lahn to see it.
Allie straightened on the bed, her back becoming stiff, and she hesitantly glanced over to Riven who gave her a nod of encouragement. Then her hand wrapped around the amulet around her neck, and her grip tightened. “No. I’m not a good person, Lahn. In fact I’m probably one of the worst people you’ll ever know.”
Confusion struck him like a freight train. “What are you talking about?”
Allie gave him another sad smile, and she pulled away slightly. “I like you, Lahn. I like you a lot. You inspire me to be a better person, I want you to know that. I admire you, in many ways, and you remind me of my brother back before he was forced to change. Perhaps that’s why I like you so much. Anyways… I’ve done some terrible things and I think you should know before you get too excited about - well, me.”
“There isn’t a lot that you could tell me that’d change my mind.” Lahn replied with a lighthearted laugh. “It’s not like you’re a mass murderer, Allie. What did you do? Embezzle funds? Bribe some officials? Is your family caught up in the syndicate or something? Because if that’s the case then - yeah, that’s bad, but… but I’ll work through it. I was thinking you and your brother were kind of odd in that way - mysterious even. I doubt whatever you did is unforgivable though.”
Allie’s face had become rigid as he spoke. She let out a deep breath. “No… No, I'm not part of any kind of syndicate. I didn't realize there was an organization like that here to begin with. I’m afraid it’s far worse than that. Lahn, I have killed people.”
Lahn blinked. “Oh! Like, in the war… right? Is that what this is about? I forgot you went on that trip concerning the elves…”
His voice trailed off as she shook her head.
“I mean… yes, I’ve killed a lot of elves too.” Allie said hesitantly.
“A… LOT of elves?” Lahn repeated, concern etched into his face. “Too?”
Allie nodded. “Yeah. Funny that you mention it, but I actually am a mass murderer. I think I’ve killed well over ten thousand people just by myself, and I’ve ordered many, many more to die too. Some people I killed out of need or revenge, but I’ve killed other people because it’s fun.”
Lahn’s confusion and concern matched Shovi’s own as his mother stood stiffly in the background. None of this was making any sense to either of them.
“Perhaps you’d better recognize me as Queen Allie Thane of the Thane Necropolis, Vampire Princess of the Blood Moon Requiem, or by what the elves are calling me: ‘Butcher of Carnis’ - rather than Allie Wraithtide. Wraithtide is my parent’s family name, while Thane is the name Riven and I used growing up.” Sighing and firmly tightening her hand one last time on the amulet around her neck, Allie gave it a tug - snapping the latch strap in the back and putting the item on the bed. Within a matter of seconds, her eyes began to go from bright blue to a bright crimson, and her vampiric aura along with her vast negative charisma hit the room like a cannon.
It was as if Shovi and Lahn had both been physically slapped, and the reaction only got more pronounced as Allie’s red dress faded away into her spatial sack, only to be replaced by a very famous set of soul-stitched bone armor. Boots, pauldrons, cuirass, gauntlets, underlying bone-linked chainmail, black robe, and finally - the skull mask appeared on Allie’s body one after the other. When the mask finally came to rest on Allie’s face and her crimson eyes gleamed out at him, she took it off and placed it on Lahn’s chest.
“Tell me, Lahn.” Allie said with a hesitant smile, displaying her small fangs. “What do you think of me now?”
Shovi was as pale as the sheets on Lahn’s bed, and slowly her eyes traced across the room to land on Riven. Putting one and two together, she started to literally shake - and her thoughts were only confirmed a moment later when Allies poke.
“Riven…” Allie said softly, still maintaining eye contact with the broken young man on the bed - still softly holding Lahn’s withered hand in her own slender fingers. “What do we do, to the people who harm our friends?”
Riven’s eyes narrowed, and his amulet shattered as a pulse of his aura rocked the entire manor in a sheen of red - causing Shovi to stumble and catch herself against the wall while maids downstairs could be heard screaming. “We brutally kill them.”
Allie’s eyes slowly lifted to Riven’s own as his aura began to fade. “I agree. Would you do me a favor and bring me the lordling Gleetus Nefrand? I do believe he has a very special role to play today after our ritual is complete. You know where to find him.”
Riven grinned. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
“Really? You’ve changed, Riven. Perhaps destroying that city was good for your character after all, you no longer balk when circumstance comes calling.”
“Perhaps, but I very much approve of your proposed methods concerning this scenario. I’ll be back soon.” Riven raised a hand, and a shadowy rift flared to life in front of him. Stepping through it, he disappeared and closed the portal behind him.
Fay began to walk around the bed, stopping beside Allie and dismissing her illusion to show what she truly looked like - which was pretty much the same, only that her skin color changed to blue, her eyes turned black, her hair turned white, and her demonic horns and tail were on full display. She kept her wings retracted. “Hey Lahn! I found some textbooks regarding the ritual we need to get rid of that worm… the problem is that it’ll be very painful, and normally we’d have to battle it when it gets out. Thankfully I believe Allie should be able to handle it rather easily and it’ll only be a very minor struggle, so there isn’t any need to switch locations. Are you ready to begin?”