AN: it is as of this day, that I have completely lost faith in royal roads rating system. Also, this chapter will be a little more serious, and I just wanna say: You brought this upon yourselves. Had you chosen the second option in my poll, perhaps things would have turned out differently, but...
Let justice be done, through heavens fall.
(I'm so sorry for the reference, but it had to be done)
Also, let me know what you think of Lich's true form. All opinions will be read, processed, and then discarded. Teehee! :D
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After leaving the pair of goblin spell casters, (And hugging App'Go about a hundred times) we headed back to the tribe. On the way, the shaman would randomly throw fireballs at me, and I would use diffusion to stop all of them. This was quite frustrating for the shaman, because even though he had a much higher affinity for fire than me, he still ran out of mana before me.
Once we arrived at the tribe, all the cannibals seemed to be in a festive mood. They had several bonfires going, and they were wearing all of their headdresses and jewelry while dancing around said bonfire. I turned to the shaman, and asked him what was going on.
"kuku, today is a special day in which we expand our tribe. It's a very important day."
Wondering what he could mean, I followed him up to a raised wooden platform. On top of it was a long table, with ropes and shackles. Standing behind the table and facing outward, were the thirteen young girls who, like Rena, had been captured by the cannibals. The thing is, all of them were wearing white clothing that was a single piece of cloth.
Looking at the table's in front of them, and watching the celebrating cannibals, I put that together with what the shaman had said, and I was reminded of the blacksmith who had taken care of me. In return for learning metalworking from him and getting food and board, he only asked for one thing.
I will never forgive anyone who does what has been done to me to these innocent girls. Turning to the shaman, I felt a small smile tug at the edge of my lip.
"Hey shaman... does this 'special day' mean a lot to you and your tribe?"
He turned to me, and smiled while nodding vigerously. "Yes, this is one of the most important days of the year for our tribe! Without this tradition, our tribe would have disappeared years ago!"
"Oh, I see..."
'Activate ability -True Form-.'
Activating ability -True Form- standby.
"Then, would it bother you if someone were to... I don't know, wreck it?"
The shaman looked confused, then afraid, as a dark mist gathered around me.
Due to your use of the ability -True Form- your physical ability has been increased twenty-five times. Your mana pool has been has been expanded one-hundred times. All affinity's except for Holy and Light have been doubled. Dark, Blood, and curse have been tripled. All spells require half the mana as usual. All mental stats have been increased thirteen times, including time-and-spatial awareness.
'Woah! Woah! Woah! Isn't this a little too overpowered?'
Answer: Yes. You will be able to maintain this form for -1- second.
'So...I get completely overpowered, for one second?
Answer: That is correct. Final tuning in preparation to take True Form- Emotions:
Off.
...
Holding up my hand, I felt the incredible power that dwelt within them. I raised my head, and looked down at the shaman. He was holding a piece of paper, and screaming something. I reached forward, and plucked the piece of paper from his hand. Taking it in two fingers, I pulled in opposite directions. Even though it resisted at first, I pulled harder, putting mana into my fingers, and tore the paper in two.
Had I still felt amusement, I would have laughed at the look on his face. Instead, I decided to actually try out my spells, instead of half-assing it like I have always done before. Stretching out my hand, I felt the barrier the shaman had erected, and, for the first time-spoke one of my true spells.
"Fell Blades"
Blades of ice shot forward, and pushed the shaman off of the raised platform, cracking his aura badly. Still, I had to respect his defense. I had used about a fifth of the elements needed to bring out the full effect, and he had blocked that much.
Seeing my transformation, all of the cannibals were frozen. However, they had already started to look for escape. I thought that it has already been a second, but then I answer my own question. Because all of my mental statistics have increased manyfold, time now seems to move slower to me. So, it looks like it will feel like thirteen seconds to me, and one second to everyone else. Neat.
"Freezing Chains"
Every cannibal was immediately bound to the earth with snaking frozen chains, and I turned my attention to the thirteen young girls standing before me.
For some reason, thirteen young, pure girls in white clothing assembled before me gave a sense of deja vu.
Holding out my hand to the tall, blond girl who I felt I knew best, I had the feeling I should do something. Reviewing what my objective had been when taking this form, I made sure I knew what I needed to do. My objective in taking this form-
Kill them all.
Still, my hand refused to go further. The girls were trembling in fear, and I thought maybe I should start with one of the others. Perhaps there was a pattern? Focusing my eyes on the girl furthest from me, I spoke another of my true spells.
"Frozen Threads"
A circular object rolled on the floor, and blood flowed from the girls throat in slow motion. Turning to the next in line, I repeated the spell.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And finally, I turned to the blond girl, who didn't shake. Who didn't tremble. And even though she cried, I decided she was crying for me.
Then I ripped her head off. Why would a pitiful human cry for me?
Notice: The ability -True Form- has worn off. The cooldown period for this ability is 24 hours. All physical stats have been returned to normal. Mana has been returned to it's former amount. Affinity's have returned to normal. All mental statistics have also been returned to normal.
I felt as if I got shorter, and I held up my hand. It felt so fragile.
Emotions:
On.
At first, I wondered why I didn't cry. Why wasn't I sad? But, why did I want to cry? Kneeling beside Rena's body, I tried my best to put her head back on. Why didn't it work? Why was she still dead?
I should be weeping. I should be screaming. But, my body was dead. And so am I. But, why should I cry? I don't know Rena. I don't care about anyone. She just...
"Hi, Shess!"
Her smiling face...
"Why are you sad?"
Her warmth...
"If you want to think, you can think here."
As I looked up, I saw thirteen souls. Twelve were slowly floating away from me, but one stayed right here. I reached out, and just kept myself from touching it. Everything I touch withers and decays before me.
But, that light that shined brighter than any other went right up to my chest, and I hugged it. I felt the pulsing warmth, that heated me all the way to my fingertips. And, for just a second, I was warm.
Then the soul turned dark purple, and was absorbed into my chest. Thinking logically, I should be sad.
But I'm not. Perhaps I'm confused, and don't know what's happening?
But I do. Perhaps I should just take this as what happens. After all, everything disappearing before my eyes is a common occurence, isn't it?
But I don't. I refuse, to be sad.
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I refuse, to be ignorant.
I refuse, to accept this.
A small bird with frozen wings landed on my shoulder.
"Rena! Get up! You cannot die yet! What about your father? What about your family? I refuse, to let you die! Rise! Rise!"
"Rise"
Slowly...ever so slowly... Rena's body got up. I felt so happy I could-
"What is your command, my master."
A corpse, that moved at my wish. Undead, just like me. I, who should've honored Rena even a little...I defiled her body, I corrupted her soul. I killed her little sister, and forced her to treat me like a sibling.
"Kukuku...you seem to have realized what you've done."
'Why? Why wouldn't the tears come?'
"kuku, now you must know that I have no choice but to kill you. You are too dangerous."
'If...if I can't cry salty tears...'
"Kukuku! You killed the only person who actually treated you as a human being! You should be disgusted of yourself."
'Then...Then, I will...'
"Now, enough playing around, kuku. Take my trump card!"
"Vengeance of the Forest"
From all around, vines erupted from the ground. Without pause or warning, they immediately shot toward me. However, I was busy. I gathered fire element, and reached out to gather that forbidden element that undead must never touch. I took a tiny amount of holy element, and infused it with the fire. Even though three-fourths of my mana disappeared, and I felt as if my entire body would disintegrate, I kept crafting my spell.
"Purifying Flame"
The vines and remains of Rena vanished in an intense white flame, and I felt my vision darken. I did not have long to stay conscious.
Standing up, I finally felt a purpose in my life. If the tears of man cannot reach me...
"Activate ability -True Form-."
Warning! Activating this ability while still in cooldown will result in drastic side-effects-
"Do it anyway."
Activating ability -%$#@&* Form-. Physical abiltiy has increased ??? fold. Mana has increased by ???? times. The affinity for &^%$#*&^ has increased twenty times. Mental capabilities have increased by ??? times. Ancient knowledge of %^$&#*#$ &*%$& unlocked. Due to the nature of your transformation, your body has become unstable. This ability can cancel at any time, resulting in severe kick-back. Future uses of -True Form- will result in severe pain, if successful, and death or being erased from existence if failure.
'I will cry tears of blood!'
Final tuning: Every emotion except for-Hatred-and-Derision-:
Off.
...
Filled with power, I couldn't help but marvel at myself. Looking over these sorry excuses for vermin, I could laugh. But, there will be time for amusement later, right now-
Murder.
"Hahahaha! You were saying, old man?"
Ha! that look on his face belonged to someone who just had their entire tribe massacred before them-why don't I make it fit?
"Doom Scythe"
A large purple scythe that undulated slashed through ninety percent of the village, eradicating them like the vermin they are!
Standing on top of a podium, surrounded by thirteen virgin corpses-how did it get better than this?
"ku-ku-ku-. You...you will die a slow death, Lich!"
"Lich? Oh! What a nice name! Do you mind if I take it as my own?"
"Monster, you will die by my hand!"
Standing behind him, tossing a cannibals head up and down, I replied.
"You think so?"
He spun, vines coming out of nowhere to spear me, and fireballs appearing in his hands-
"Tsk, too slow. A thousand years too slow."
As the tiny pieces that had once been a shaman scattered in the air, I fell to my knees, and laughed. However, I felt myself weakening. If I don't act fast, I'll return to being a defenseless doll. Searching with my mind, I find two cannibals who had survived my scythe.
'Che, vermin that dare to live in my presence!'
"Chel'Kre'Gash"
Stepping out of the other dimension, I appear before the two cannibals. Activating my Ultimate ability -All Hope is Lost- I relinquish them of their will. Ordering them to kneel before me, I tell them to offer up their souls to me.
Willing, glowing golden souls drift from the chests of the two men. Their eyes go glassy, and I dismiss the brain-dead vessels. Beginning to gather my own element, I start to change the souls. They go from a radient golden, to a soft yellow, to a deep purple, and finally-to darkest black. Streaks of lightning bounce off of the souls, and I reach inside both with one finger each, and take out a single golden thread. After wrapping this thread around my pointer fingers, I place the blackened souls back into the humans. Using my last spell, I know I need to make this count.
"Dol'Thruk Gol'Crusck"
Holding their heads, the fragile human hosts scream in fear and pain. Noticing that their bodies are quickly burning up, I start taking huge amounts of %$&'%$&*#@, and infuse the humans with it. Their bodies strengthened, the humans are forced to tremble and spasm in torture for several minutes. Tapping my finger and getting very anxious, I wish that they would hurry up. Even as I think this, the humans start steaming.
Their clothes burn up, and their skin starts changing to an angry red. Catching a glimpse of one's eyes, I see that the demons are already in the host. Next, the humans start trembling even faster, their very bone structure being changed. Soon, long, hard ridges of bone that seem to underlay every part of the skin appear, and when the spasming makes the bones come in contact with rock, it is the rock that breaks.
As their bodies start to slow down, they begin screaming anew. But this time, the voice box has been altered, and what comes from their mouths are hellish squeals worse than a banshee. The humans-turned demons hold their foreheads, where protrusions suggest something greater. As I watch, long, straight red horns break from the skin and extend to their fullest.
As the demons calm down, they look up at me with red pupils full of anger, highlighted by a black background of hate.
Perfect.
The two of them attack me as one, but before they can move more than an inch, I grasp them by their throats, and lift them from the earth. Crushing their throats, I feel resistance. Squeezing harder, I feel the one on my left give up. However, the one on my right is quite determined. Sending black lightning running up my arm and into his throat seems to pacify him, and I let them both fall to the ground. When they look up again, the anger and hate are still there-but now it is overshadowed with worship.
Feeling the tug from the other world through the strings attached to my fingers, (which have turned black) I inject mana directly into the demons and the strings, hardening the shape around my fingers and strengthening the cord that extended between me and each of them.
Finally, exhausted from all my casting, I feel the darkness closing in.
'I'd better be grateful to myself when I wake up. Now all I can do is hope those demons don't kill me while I'm sleeping...'
End of arc I: Lich
*dododododod!* (Just imagine those corny advertisements for McD*nalds in the old days)
Make sure to stay tuned for the next arc, 'Siege' for more Lich action! Oh, and sorry all of you who wanted a RenaXLich...
plz don kil meh