Notice
James Horvak has become a Demon Lord.
Reward for capture/death:
100,000 Gold, Kingship/Queenship of Vashith, Title Demon Slayer
James looked again and saw that there were no options. If someone killed him, they would get all the rewards, not just one of them. He waited, but there was nothing else. No powerful title or spell given to him, no transformation of his appearance, no dungeon for him to control. He was exposed; vulnerable. He quickly pulled up his character information and took another look, taking the time to adjust his stats.
Name: James Horvak
Race: Human
Age: 32
Profession: Demon Lord of Devouring
Level: 29
HP: 295/310
MP: 15/220
Strength: 23
Agility: 26
Constitution: 31
Intelligence: 22
Wisdom: 20
Charisma: 18
Luck: 32
Abilities:
Drain (Level 10)
Daggers (Level 4)
Haggle (Level 3)
Trade (Level 3)
Medic (Level 2)
Halberd (Level 1)
Summoning Magic (Level 1)
Scholar (Level 2)
Riding (Level 2)
Analyze (Level 1)
Teaching (Level 2)
Healing Magic (Level 2)
Swordplay (Level 1)
Space Magic (Level 3)
Blacksmithing (Level 2)
Tailor (Level 1)
James wondered if his drain could still increase in level now that it was level ten, or if ten was the maximum. He supposed he would find out eventually. He still stubbornly put points into luck, because he knew he would have to be very lucky to survive after the announcement by the System and what he had done in killing Beyazid. He turned to Shaherabad.
"What do you want to do? Jessica and I found a hidden place you can stay, or you can-"
"No! Just get away from me! Ever since you came...why didn't you leave us alone?"
"Shaherabad?"
"Stay away! Leave me alone! Because of you, Melech, my father, my mother! Everyone is gone!"
She backed up from him in horror. James didn't blame her though, since although the invasion that had pillaged Melech had not been his fault she was also the last survivor now with the death of her mother. Indeed, where could she go? Melech was a mess, the fortress was where her mother had died, and Sagaste was...tricky.
"Alright! Just calm down!"
"No! Stay away from me! Because of you, my parents, my home...everyone, everything is gone!"
She stumbled back and ran for the portal.
"Wait!"
James wanted to help her, give her some gold. Something, anything. But she ran through the portal and he knew he couldn't chase after her. He just stared after her for a moment and then looked at Jessica.
"Do you want to leave too? I wouldn't blame you if you did. I can drop you off in the sea..."
She pushed herself up to his mouth, pulling his head down to hers. She kissed him.
"I told you. I want to take care of you too. I'm not leaving. I'm sure she will come around."
"I don't know. She's not wrong; I got her involved by trying to protect her. If not for me, her mother at least might still be alive."
"Or maybe she would be the sex slave of that prince. You really can't know either way. You aren't to blame, babe."
"Thank you for saying so. But I do hope that...well..."
His voice trailed off, looking after where the girl had gone. But he couldn't chase after her. She had made her choice, and now he had to respect it.
He took the two of them back to the underwater cavern where she had helped him recover after Elizabeth had stabbed him. Then he lowered them into the shallows and watched her tail flutter in the shallows as he held her hand.
"So Jessica...I've been thinking."
"Yes?"
"Hmm...I'm scared for you" he told her, abruptly diving in and sharing his thoughts. "I don't want what happened to Shaherabad and Afifa to happen to you. In fact, it partly makes me want to just go our separate ways thinking you might be safer without me, but..."
"But what?"
"But I love you. And I want to keep you with me. So with that in mind..."
James pulled out the Marriage Certificate.
"I know that we have a bit of an age gap. And I know that there will be problems, with me being a Demon Lord now and all. So I don't feel like I have the right to ask you this but...Jessica Klassen...will you marry me?"
She squealed with happiness and put her hands around his neck, pulling him to her for a long drawn out kiss.
"Yes, James. I will."
Marriage Certificate Activated
Confirm? Yes / No
They both selected yes. Then the System took them. Neither could tell how long it was, whether a moment or a thousand years, but James found himself standing in front of an altar wearing a crisp suit. It was as if it was the only thing he could see, with everything else being complete darkness. Turning around, he saw a breathtaking sight as Jessica walked-yes, walked!-towards him on two feet. She was dressed in a sleeveless ivory wedding gown, carrying a bouquet of flowers that trailed down like a beautiful string of pearly white flowers to her waist. She was also wearing a full veil that fell down over her upper arms. The path she walked on towards him was a white road suspended in the black empty space, and as she reached him he took one of her white gloved hands in his own ungloved one, facing the altar together.
Golden script began to appear in the air.
You have declared your love for each other. Do you consent to this marriage?
"I do."
"I do."
Do you promise to walk through life together, without betrayal, sharing both good and bad, whatever may happen?
"I do."
"I do."
Do you, James Harvok, consent to pampering this woman, Jessica Klassen, day and night, night and day, to pamper her and cater to her every whim and desire, prostrate yourself before her and obey her every command? To put her well-being and comfort above your own?
"No! But I will be there for her, cherish her, and love her in sickness and in health. Through good times and bad times, whatever may come our way."
Do you, Jessica Klassen, consent to obeying your husband James Harvok in everything, cooking his favourite meals daily, wearing what he chooses for you, and living your life according to his every desire and whim?
"No way! But I will be the best wife for him!"
Both of them wondered if the marriage was null and void by their answers. But to their surprise the altar, System, or whatever or whoever was in charge of the wedding ceremony gave them more words to read.
You have been found to be a true couple, one not based on desire or controlling the other, but desiring similar interests and pursuing the greater good of the other. All stats +1.
The System or whatever wasn't done though. Before their eyes, two rings appeared. For a moment James wondered if something would happen but they just hovered in the air between them. Picking up one, he looked at the gold band with leaf surrounding a white pearl.
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"Jessica, please accept this ring, as a symbol of my love and fidelity."
She held out her hand. Both of them were crying at this point, and he gently slid the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit.
Then it was Jessica's turn. Taking the other ring, a band that had crossing black and gold metal like X's and with six clasps holding a small ruby, she placed it on James' own finger.
"James, accept this ring, as a symbol of my love and fidelity."
The System interrupted their moment by announcing the words that every man wanted to hear.
You may now kiss the bride.
Looking from the words to his bride, James carefully lifted her veil. For an instant, he just looked at her with her happy smile. Then he reached up and took her hands. Twisting her around, he dipped her and with his arm around her back to support her, he kissed her as he swept her off her feet. Unseen to both of them, the System made one final proclamation.
I now pronounce you husband and wife, wife and husband.
They suddenly found themselves back in Vashith. Shaherabad was still gone. The city was now deserted. Everything was desolate and empty, but the two of them felt full. Noticing that they were still in their wedding attire, James was surprised when he saw Jessica standing beside him holding his arm.
"Honey...you're human!"
"No, I'm not."
"What do you mean?"
She revealed to him her status.
Name: Jessica Horvak
Race: Mermaid
Age: 21
Profession: Dancer
Title: Wife of Demon Lord James Horvak
Level: 3
HP: 60/60
MP: 30/30
Strength: 3
Agility: 5
Constitution: 6
Intelligence: 3
Wisdom: 4
Charisma: 27
Luck: 5
Abilities:
Dance of the Maiden (Level 1)
Mermaid Transformation (Level 1)
She still didn't have many skills, and she didn't tell him that she put all her points into charisma because she wanted him to find her attractive and beautiful. She felt special as she saw the System acknowledge her desire to take on James' last name as her own. But she did tell him about her new ability.
Mermaid Transformation (Level 1)
Can take human form for one hour a day.
James thought for a moment and then took her hand.
"Come with me."
He used his space magic to take them to where he had first found Jessica among the trees near his house. Then he turned and looked at his wife.
"I remember when we first met. I thought you were annoying; so obsessed with everything not important in a world that had suddenly gone to crap. But now..."
He ran his finger along her jawline.
"Now I can't imagine my life without you."
They kissed again, then James picked up his beautiful queen and headed back to see if his house was still standing.
The next morning the two of them began to make plans. With James' identity as a Demon Lord, they couldn't blindly trust anyone who might be tempted by the reward, and they also didn't want a repeat of the massacre at the Fortress of Unyielding Night. Returning to the underwater cavern where they hoped to hide, James informed Jessica about the requirements to build up the fortress. For the first time he actually pulled out everything from his inventory to catalogue it all, and the results stunned even him.
1,217,304 Gold Coins
214,419 Pieces of Jewelry
967 Gems
109,248 Books and Scrolls
617 Pieces of Furniture
205 Crafting Sets of Various Trades (Mixed Quality)
412 Tapestries
804 Paintings
1,213 Tanned Hides
2,097 Bales of Wool
3,047 Candles
20,116 Sticks of Incense
616,442 Sacks of Flour
2,033 Pounds of Preserved Meat
3,115 Kegs of Alcohol
50,772 Pounds of Other Foods
4,275 Pounds of Seeds
1,233 Copper Billets
3,274 Iron Billets
10,295 Billets of Other Metals
343 Pieces of Charcoal
5,283 Coal
212,006 Bales of Hay
101,859 Weapons
211 Instruments
974 Bolts of Cloth
231, 254 Clothing Sets
212 Wood
112 Stone
674 Herbs (Mixed)
1 Free Djinn Method
1 Mysterious Egg
2,973,295 Other Pieces
It was a ridiculous, staggering sum. His hoarding and stealing from stores and warehouses and Tol-Namith had obviously paid off. Even the random bits and bobs like candlesticks and rugs and butter left him feeling like a wealthy landowner. James was thankful when he learned that he could sort his inventory to organize it. In this way, he was able to read the numbers in his inventory that said how much or each item he had, or else they both might have been there for months counting everything.
They started to discuss how to use the windfall of wealth. Jessica wanted to use her Mermaid Transformation skill to go to different cities and buy what they needed to build up the fortress, but James was not thrilled with the idea and feared that he would only invite another massacre. He still felt guilty for Afifa and Grobar and the other dwarves deaths. In the end they both compromised though, with James asking her to increase her level and develop more skills first. He also asked her to look into what other items and abilities she could find for both of them. They also made sure to find time for each other as they began their married life together.
Without a skill like James' drain, and with a dancer profession, James gave her a spear to use. Soon she was soaring through the water, hunting fish and also other dangerous sea life like kraken and sea serpents and kappa. In only a few weeks Jessica had managed to improve herself amazingly.
Name: Jessica Horvak
Race: Mermaid
Age: 21
Profession: Dancer
Title: Wife of Demon Lord James Horvak
Level: 14
HP: 50/50
MP: 100/100
Strength: 12
Agility: 15
Constitution: 17
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 34
Luck: 11
Abilities:
Dance of the Maiden (Level 2)
Mermaid Transformation (Level 3)
Spearmanship (Level 3)
Healing Magic (Level 1)
Siren Song (Level 2)
Siren Song was a special gift, an ability perhaps only available to mermaids. It allowed her to lure monsters to herself, taunting them. She also enjoyed watching her new husband's face when she used the ability. For his part, James knew it wasn't just her enhanced charisma that made him love her more with every passing day. He found being married to her a thrilling, yet also terrifying experience. And as more time passed, he found he wanted to better himself and make his wife the happiest woman in the world.
During this time, they had not been discovered. But eventually Jessica got bored with training and began to show signs that she wanted to get out and explore. So despite his overprotective husband instincts telling him to keep training until they were both level one hundred, he finally agreed to take Jessica to different cities while he looked for other caches of supplies and anything else they might be able to use. Drawing his wife out of the water into his arms, James looked into her eyes and felt compelled to ask her a question.
"Mrs. Horvak..."
His voice trailed off.
"What?"
"Do you think...how many children do you think we will have?"
She smiled, looking more beautiful than Cleopatra or Helen of Tours.
"As many as you want."
They delayed their departure.