OldBegginings:[Basically last Thursday I requested to my school to possibly retake, I also sent a letter off to do a college course in the off chance I can't retake. Now I need to wait another fucking week before I get to know my fate! So that warning of an additional hiatus is still on standby, apologies. And thanks for those who are appreciative of the hassle I'm going through and aren't blaming me for continuing to whine on...
Quick spoiler/ explanation. In the 2nd paragraph of the actual chapter I go into the races. Now I realize there may be confusion into the actual difference between the Devils and Demons. So I feel like explaining it here and now. Basically Devils are twisted humanoids, with bipedal builds, whereas Demons are are based on quadrupeds, having no arms therefore having an incapability of wielding weapons, instead adapting their bodies to have naturally formed weapons. Well with that little thing explained, let's go to the actual chapter.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the chapter.]
*'Doki'*
I'm still in mine and LOD's room, having spent the last two days reading books, I finally finished my research, and feel like I understand how this world works. Now here's a history lesson for those who want it:
Basically there was once seven dominant races: the hot-headed Amphibians, the respectable Devils, the ,now dead, Demons, the elitist Elves, the lazy Gods, the puristic Humans and the apathetic Plant-kin.
The gods were the most dominant race, but used their omnipotence to secure the safety of each of the other six races. But eventually, out of boredom, some of them pro-created with the other races, and therefore got demoted to 'Deities', and were forced to do the lackluster job of maintaining the world as the now fewer gods fled to space to explore stuff. (Imagine the gods being a race of One-punch mans and the others are powerless commoners in the same world, and that's the level of power these guys have compared to the other races. This power leads to boredom, boredom leads to science, science leads to rockets, rockets lead to space. Or at least that’s how I imagine it.)
At the start of their reign, the gods dictated the countries where each of the races could call home:
The Amphibians got the 'Dawn Islands'. It is an archipelago which is good considering they are surprisingly amphibious.
The Devils got the, now non-existent, Hell. This was supposedly bigger than the continent, to reference their second place strength rating. Alas, it now rests at the bottom of an ocean none dare to cross.
The Demons got the Continent, the largest area controlled by a sole race now, due to their once great power.
The Elves got Taiki, a nation comprised of one large island. It's comprised of a massive forest in which they make their homes.
The Humans got The Serith Union, a series of five islands including Fourth Island (the one we're on right now.) It's combined military strength is probably the strongest there is. To bad they aren't united at the moment.
And the Plant-kin got Emrico. An area similar to Taiki made of mainly forest, but with a purer, wilder ecosystem. It's one of the more isolated kingdoms, so not much is known about their way of life.
With the gods gone, the Demons started to attack the other races and tried to gain the same level of dominance they had in their wake. The Deities got pissed, and with a rushed choice, sunk all of Hell, which now rests at the bottom of the ocean of 'Death’. They ended up enslaving the rest to act in dungeons as bosses or minions depending on their strength, removing their previous status as a dominant race indefinitely.
The power of the devils ended up going into it's deities, leaving it's actual population becoming gradually weak. And with the large amounts of mineral rich areas the Continent has, the other races ended up raging constant wars to secure the minerals for themselves. This left it's coasts being a continuous war-zone in which the deities can't even control all of it, so people only get revived in the center, where the devils still hold strong. With the present wars on-going, not many, if any, tourists are allowed in their kingdom. They are apparently allied to the Plant-kin, and now Fourth Island.
A land called the 'Unnamed Desert' was discarded by all of the races and deities alike, due to its harshness to survive in, and no real resources. Being a frozen tundra to the north. So now is home to only those who are outlaws and on the run from their respective nation. The southern desert is just as deserted, but is sometimes used by the humans for hide-outs, ice and training their military. Sources say there is one god remaining in this world, this being the god 'Death', who, according to sources, roams the Unnamed Desert, resulting in the lack of life in the area. But that's basically an old wives tale...
Now onto human politics.
It can be summed up as 'Blah, blah, violence. Blah, blah, cheap and fragile peace and order. Blah, blah, revolution. Blah, blah, insecurities. Blah, blah, other's greed. Blah, blah, corruption. Blah, blah. Me.' Over-used dull story-line if you ask me.
Oh, wait... you don't want my cynicism and want to know what actually happened? Ha ha ha! Why didn't you tell me sooner? Silly.
Well, to start off. Each island has independent rule, but all of them eventually resorted aristocracy, since that's the only way they could get order into it's people. With the battle of independence of Fourth Island, sparked by oppression over its treatment of commoners, it became the only democratic island.
It's only been a democracy for a while, and since the democratic nature threatened the aristocracies due to the influx of immigrants coming into Fourth Island to escape the other island's oppressive nature, other nations have signed a treaty to remove their new found freedom. So as their army went to the Continent with the other Serith Union's armies and died horribly to the natives, the greedy from the other islands came into corrupt them and now it's a political turmoil, with even the Amphibians, Elves and Devils coming in to join it.
So now Fourth Island is in disarray and is in a secret civil war amongst with input from other different nations claiming it as their own. Our introduction produces a threat to them, since we threaten the two representative clans with relevant ease.
But I like my own story better. No bullshit, no long words attempting to hide their hypocritical nature, just the simple, unbiased recount of facts.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
So basically we've been told not to affect the other parties before a target gets put on our heads. My response? Good luck. To them that is. I feel like this could make me try, so be it.
I basically have four options. I could care about these new adversaries, or not. I could also use either as reason to leave fourth island, or join in the havoc. The first option was simple. Why the hell would I care? The second option, less so. I feel like leaving would make me more free, but fuck it. I want to see how challenging making an in-game democracy really is, and that's all it takes for me to do something. Promise of a challenge.
So the lesson's over. Now to explain what the others are up to right now. Me and LOD split with Nio and Jeehan, only temporarily though. I stated that I wished to learn more about the area, LOD being kind enough to join me, whilst Nio and Jeehan wanted to go back to Simpson to tell Jeehan's family about what's going on. They used transportation, but only left yesterday. I assume they'll stay the night over there. LOD went to a restaurant, as I said I'd be done with my research soon, he said to join him when I'm ready.
-
I picked up the books and dumped them into my pockets. I gathered I knew enough about the world now, so my next step was to join LOD. Thinking about that I checked out of the hotel room, and started to walk the streets I haven't seen in awhile.
The town now looked far healthier than the shell we arrived at. The streets bustling with humans, horses and prosperity. The clans protecting the town were now doing their job, and the social gap had somewhat closed between the officials and the peasants.
As I walked the streets I heard something disturbing from others as I passed...
"Kya! Who's that cutie?" "Isn't he like the cutest?" Similar utterances like this, and threats by people who wanted to hug me were now almost continuous... and it wasn't just the females.
It's not like I have anything against people's choices, I don't care about others enough to do that. It's just the fact they seem to have something against mine. I'm asexual, what do you expect me to do in response to this? Go along with it and make a harem? Hell no!
-
Anyway, ignoring my now expanding fan-club, I walked through the streets, arriving at a restaurant called 'Lin's Diner', where a similar looking assassin was now flirting with two tables of girls simultaneously... I obviously had to ruin this, right?
I sneaked up behind him and weakly chopped his head. The reaction from his shock was great. He spasmed as he crouched, then decided to look back and realized it was me.
"W-w-what are you doing y-you moron!" he got up, starting to halfheartedly punching me for the prank I had done.
"Ha ha ha. Sorry ladies for this guy's flirting, I really need to keep him on a leash sometimes..." I joked as I stopped LOD and bowed to the girls he was shamelessly flirting with. As I said this LOD started growling in contempt.
He stopped shortly after starting, "so you're done? That took way longer than you said it would."
"Yeah, my conclusion is we'll get involved, regardless of any competition that arises." I smirked thinking of the plan I had for them.
"Well that's a surprise. I assumed you'd leave this dump in search of something more fun." He pat me on the back as we sat at the counter. "Well, if this is what you want sir, I'll fight."
"Since when did I become a 'sir'? Ha ha ha." I said lightly. My expression changed to a more serious one, "don't worry. Do as I say and we won't lose, just don't trust a soul apart from me. Traitors, spies and scum line the streets."
Slightly flinching at the change in tone, a meek LOD responded by asking "What do you want? What's the end-goal?"
I paused, since two individuals had caught my eye. One was the person I suspected as being the leader of the Samurai_Girls, the other being another Samurai girl who seemed to spot what I had. The boss' ear was showing, I now knew what to do.
I rested my head on my hand and smiled again, facing LOD.
I was preoccupied with my new plan, and accidentally slipped out "fun." Understanding naught, LOD could only tilt his head at this point, he must have thought that was in response to what he said... oops. "You'll understand what I mean soon enough."
I left those hollow words, and left.
I knew representatives from the Samurai_Girls and the Back_Hands both heard, this is what I wanted.
I walked off, and as I did, I whispered something in one of the girl's ears. She responded in shock.
'We know you're elves. Tell your boss to meet with me, I have an interesting offer to make. I'll be waiting outside.'
Hearing this, she panicked and told her boss as I had left. The boss followed my steps soon afterwards. I picked to tell her this since she was the one who I saw mention her ear showing to her boss.
-
"So you know?" she caught up with me, and said in a cold, threatening tone. To anyone else, she'd cause them to freeze in fear... I'm me though. I don't tend to care enough to get scared.
"Yeah, as I told your lackie, we do. Nevertheless I want to know your motives. I don't care about racism, if you're motives align with ours, we'll help you out. If they don't, our offer of massacring you is still up for grabs." I replied in a similar cold tone. "Now then, let's discuss the rest in private."
"And if you kill me?" Her emotions buckled, showing how threatened she was at me.
"If you don't give me a reason, I won't. If you give me a reason, it's war." I smirked as I said it, encompassing the area with a dark aura, keeping in control of the conversation. She knew I was the strongest of my group, and was very capable of killing her one on one.
Well I probably wasn't, but she thought I was from our assassination in the earlier fight.
-
We walked to my hotel room, without any conversation or irregular movements, we maintained a peaceful cold atmosphere. We walked the streets with my regular making remarks, just to stop dead in their tracks at the girl walking besides me. We ignored them and maintained pace, until we had reached the door of my room. I set the permissions so she could enter and we started sat down, staring each other down.
"So then, your motives?" I broke the ice, demanding the answered to be stated.