“How?! How did you enter this place!” Demanded Luna with a powerful growl.
“A third option?” mused Io with a wide grin, amused by his presence.
“Pardon my uninvited presence Dragon Queen but nowhere is impenetrable, less so to my guild.” calmly responded Kyle as the Dragon’s golden eyes rested upon him, he turned to the other Elders “Allow me to introduce myself, as I already know each of your names.” Raising his right arm to his chest Kyle bowed respectfully and dramatically ”I am the last Chosen of Frost and Void, Dark Hero of this era’s Grand Quest, Holder of the Frostfire as Spirit Beast of Kori and more importantly…” he rose to face them again “A member of the Blood Pack Mercenary guild.”
Each Elder reacted with surprise, or in Io’s case glee but one of the Champions reacted much more hastily “Kitsune!” the longsword wielding Champion hissed angrily as suddenly an aura of red lightning surged around him before he himself surged forward.
Kyle only smirked as he expected the reaction, the Champion slashing empty space as Kyle re-appeared behind him having surged into his surge “Incorrect…Champion. I am much much worse.” Corrected Kyle as Spirit burst out of his back forming a large claw that grasped the Champion holding him in place. Kyle glanced back at him “I am a Yako.”
The Champion’s eyes visible widened through his helmet’s visor, the lightning surging through him suddenly bursting through Kyle’s created Spirit and with unfollowable speed he spun around and slashed his sword beheading Kyle.
Yet Kyle remained standing, his head still attached. Causing the Champion to pale slightly “An apparition!?” he exclaimed in annoyance.
“Hold Telsol, let the man speak!” exclaimed Isaac with a commanding tone and an amused smile.
Kyle bowed again “Thank you, Elder.”
Telsol the Champion only grunted in response, straightening himself but not leaving Kyle’s side or sheathed his blade.
“Tell me, Yako. You call yourself one of Kori, yet how is that possible?” Isaac asked, disbelief in his tone.
“I am a survivor, my family banished to the mana-less realm then Chosen.” Kyle quickly explained as he rose back (“Although none of that matters…”) he thought in amusement at how easily they fell interested in his existence.
“And?” suddenly exclaimed Eikel “Are you here to warn us of your quest for vengeance? Is this why you come to us yet not?”
“Oh no, I care not for what happened in the past. This is simply…” Kyle glanced back at Telsol “A precaution.” before turning back to the Elders “As I first said, I come with a proposal. One you might find quite to your liking.”
Io suddenly appeared floating before Kyle, her eyes wide with excitement as she looked him over “How rare!” she exclaimed with a wide grin causing Kyle to shudder in surprise “Well? What is this proposal then?!” she quickly asked, suddenly pulling on his left tail’s hair curiously as she floated around him.
Kyle glanced over at the three Champions that had been with her, he noticed that unlike the others they had sheathed and strapped back their weapons. One only shrugging at her behaviour, seemingly used to it by now. He cleared his throat “I come with a business proposal, from my guild. You have a problem, we have the solution.”
“The Blood Pack? Mercenaries I have not heard of, why should we trust you?” Fion’e asked, rolling her eyes as Io began poking Kyle’s right ear.
“Trust us?...” he chuckled briefly “No, no. There will be no trust involved, as for you not hearing of us…Well that should speak volumes in of itself. The offer I come with is not one of equal gain…More of a Devil’s deal. A contract.”
“And what I ask, would this contract pertain?” Asked Luna, her draconic eyes never once moving from Kyle, never once blinking.
Kyle turned to the Dragon “Simple, you stop the Court navy’s advance on Barik not only with Dragons but also your Champions and while you turn a blind eye to our movements…we deal with the other three Courts.”
“Declined.” Suddenly replied another Champion, female and wielding a pole-hammer “We do not kill our own.” she announced harshly.
“Oh no harm needs to be done, well…nothing permanent.” Kyle quickly added.
Telsol snorted behind Kyle “Stop the three Courts navy? Without bloodshed? You do not know what you speak of!” he exclaimed, raising his sword towards Kyle.
“A Dungeon.” Kyle then stated, pausing briefly before continuing “You use a Dungeon so no lives are lost.”
“And weaken our country’s defences?!” exclaimed Jeilen, the bulky warrior slamming his fist down onto his armrest “We know what you are Yako, we shall not fall for your tricks!”
“Then what if we lent you a Dungeon?” Kyle then offered, causing each Elder to look at him in disbelief “It is young, unable to communicate but I’m sure you know how to operate such one anyhow?” (“Lilior can create two cores by now…But no point telling them it’s created and not limited.”)
“Chosen…You are of the alliance are you not?” Luna asked, breaking the silence.
“That my guild is.” Kyle acknowledged.
“Then why offer us such a powerful relic? Young Dungeons…they are rarer than True Dungeons! Soulless and easy to control!” Luna exclaimed in disbelief.
Kyle now knew it was his chance to fully sell it “Because we are as desperate as you. The coming storm will be nothing like this world has ever faced. The being at its lead, was a powerful Lich. Chaoz needs the Empire as much as the Empire needs Chaoz.”
Each Elder’s expression froze, each Champion clenched their weapons when suddenly Io’s face appeared mere inches away from Kyle’s, her eyes wide and expression cold and distant as she asked “What…did you just say?” Kyle was very aware of the Empire's hatred for necromancy, yet he didn't know why.
“The being who formed the enemy that is to come, the previous Chosen of the Scythe. He is a powerful Lich, a mage of Undeath and Necromancy.” Kyle fully explained, taking in Io’s rising rage briefly before continuing “My fellow guild member and Chosen, the Hero of the Dagger has already defeated the Lich at the cost of his own life. Yet the Lich’s allies still live, they still come.”
Io hovered down to the ground, standing before Kyle while emptily staring up at him “The Lich…is already gone?” she asked, her voice echoing out with power.
Kyle only nodded in response, a chill going through his spine as he sensed the full brunt of her hatred. So much hatred that his (Chilled Aura) had risen to 9 points out of 10 solely off of it.
Io sighed in relief “That is good. Undead shouldn’t exist.” Yet her eyes remained empty, her expression distant and her voice distorted with mana “Tell me Fox…” her eyes fully focused on his own as she asked “You creature of chaos and temptation, why would you stand with those of balance and against the vile creatures that is to come?”
Kyle considered her question briefly, sighing out a cold breath as he felt his own hatred surge “Because one of those vile creatures…I swore to make its existence come to a miserable end.” His eyes shone blue with Spirit, his body oozing more out, misty blue and frigidly cold as even Frostfire frolicked around him.
Io’s eyes focused as she glimpsed the hatred in his, suddenly she turned to face the other Elders. Her demeaner completely changed, her expression solemn and tone serious “I take back my vote and offer a third to the council. I accept the aid of these…Mercenaries.”
Eikel eyed Kyle suspiciously “You offer us quite the deal, Chosen….Your titles alone give me much to weigh you with but…” he raised his left brow questioningly “You and your guild, alone against the Three Courts and their personal guard. Elders they might not be, Champions they might not have but…I seriously doubt your capability to face them.”
Kyle’s eyes remained filled with the previous hatred as he turned to meet Eikel’s eyes who suddenly paled “Then I believe a demonstration is in order.” Kyle slowly raised both arms ahead of himself as the entire floor…the entire island turned to slime, the grass, the dirt, the pillars…All but the thrones which he could not replicate.
This was all (Spirit) slime, which had the ability to change colour depending on the spirit it absorbed. Kyle was a Spirit Beast, able to create any type of Spirit. He had simply drained every drop of his Mana and Spirit bars, devoured the entire island before anybody had even entered the room then used the Mana he gained from that to create even more slime.
He then condensed the slime at different stages, created the feel of soft brown earth below, the light and thin form of green grass that swayed with the slightest breath, the tough and bulky bark of a tree’s trunk.
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For the first time Kyle hadn’t just created a skill or a spell, he had created and named a brand-new slime variation which the system had accepted.
[{Ooze}] Type evolution!
(Spirit) type has evolved gaining a brand-new (Variation)!
Slime type: (Spirit)
(Spirit) Effect: The slime changes colour depending on the most prevalent type of Spirit surrounding it and is capable of storing that Spirit.
Slime type: ({Mimic}) variation of (Spirit)
[{Imitate}]; From water to stone, this slime can take most shapes, colours and densities other than gasses or metals.
Making use of [Shapeshift] and the (Spirit) slime type while trying to figure out where to hide within this massively open hall, he had a thought of replacing one of the tree pillars and hiding within it until suddenly he had created the ({Mimic}) variation and then it struck him…Why not replace the entire island?
And Kyle did, much to the surprise and horror of everybody else present within the room “You will find I am quite capable of much more.”
Jaik’ial who had been quiet the entire time suddenly rose from his throne and crouched down inspecting the ground “Slime!” the old Elf exclaimed excitedly “Haha! This is all Slime!”
“Yes yes! We get your point! Give me my floor back now!” Eikel was standing on his throne now and staring down at the slimy ground in utter disgust.
Kyle’s face suddenly blanked out “Ah…you might need a new floor…” he willed all the slime to move out of the way and form at the edges of the island leaving behind a flat stone floor as he had devoured all the grass and dirt “And trees…” he also pointed out the now missing pillars.
Eikel sighed in exasperation as he quickly sat back down onto his throne, glaring at Kyle now as he considered how to respond.
But Fion’e did so before he could “The Mercenary has proven himself resourceful, if you can truly provide us with a young Dungeon core. I stand with Io.”
Jaik’ial laughed weakly as he stood up from the floor “I am in agreement! We should hire this guild!”
Isaac cleared his throat before facing Kyle “I am a man of business young Hero, your proposal comes off as…a bit forced but I appreciate the gains that would be obtained. Yet for your proposal to truly succeed…I still have two concerns.”
“Speak your mind, Elder Isaac.” Offered Kyle, his hatred completely gone from his eyes as calm settled back.
Isaac gestured at the Champions around him “The first…if we did have a Dungeon core to resurrect fallen soldiers through. Would the six Orders then assist the Dragon Order in stopping the three Courts navy?”
Silence settled through the hall as the eighteen Champions briefly glanced at each other, until all looked at one of their own. The Champion who was Io’s aid, the one who only casually shrugged at her previous demeanour. The Elf was male by his armour’s shape and strapped to his back was a simple Bo staff. He seemed nothing special at first sight, not the tallest or the bulkiest.
Isaac also stared at the Champion with curious eyes “Nix? What do you believe, you were the First Order’s commander of Champions after all? Broken into groups of three they may be, each one follows you.”
Nix sighed as he removed his helmet “Would we harm our own? Would we fight those who swore to protect our people? Our homes? Our families? Even if they won’t truly die?” revealing not just any common Elf.
Nix was humanoid and average height for an Elf, even his long pointy ears were the same but…His skin was covered in patches of spikey white crystalline-scales, his eyes glowed a fierce gold and his hair was a crystalline white.
Kyle immediately inspected the man, surprised and slightly terrified by what he found.
{Dragon} Nix Luna [{Dragon Mage}] ({Draconic Elf}) ({Champion of Durga}) Level 307
Nix stepped forth towards Luna, kneeling down before her “They put our people in danger, they break their oaths and blindly turn their backs on home.” He looked up at the Dragon Elder “I would lead the charge.” his voice turning almost monster-like, beastly deep.
Luna growled down at her child “Your opinion is noted.” She then turned to look back at Kyle “Yet this still seems too good to be true. Isaac, what would be your second concern?” she asked without looking away.
“Well if the Order does as it is told then…All I would ask of is who will be blamed?” Isaac exclaimed dramatically “Who do we blame for the murders of Royalty? Chieftains and clan leaders?”
Jeilen nodded in agreement “True nothing would change if the deaths fall on us Elders. The population will be torn in half. We are still left with the same question, risk the children’s thirst for power or risk civil war.”
“Oh not at all.” stepped in Kyle “We of course would take full credit.” He casually stated.
Eikel snorted “That would only cause further problems in your strategy, instead of the Courts starting the war with the Dezol it would be the alliance starting the war with us!”
“That is why I solely will be taking the credit, not the alliance, not my guild or the Chosen…But as the last surviving Spirit Beast of the legacy of Kori.” Kyle explained dismissing the issue “Who you will later slay.”
“You would sacrifice yourself?” asked Luna in disbelief.
“Sacrifice? No it will only seem that way. Let me ask you all, can you tell just what this body I am speaking to you through even is?” Kyle asked gesturing at himself, silence fell as the Elders looked him over unable to determine an answer “No, no you cannot. So would the general populace? No, no they wouldn’t. It wouldn’t be difficult to fake my execution, I’m sure.”
Isaac suddenly bellowed with laughter “A survivor of the Beasts! Hell bent on vengeance it waits for when we are at our weakest and strikes each Court! Yet unable to face off with our Champions! A beautiful tale!” he wiped a tear off his eye and stared at Kyle with a wide grin “You’ve thought this through, haven’t you?”
Kyle only bowed respectfully, awaiting further response.
“Hah! So be it then! When the apple falls into the basket why question it!? Elders Io, Fion’e, Jaik’ial and I vote for hiring these mercenaries! That is a majority vote for us Elven Elders. Elder Luna, what do you say?”
The Dragon grumbled under its breath, briefly staring down at Kyle before responding “I shall not object. My children are ready.”
Isaac nodded before turning to Jeilen “How about you Elder Jeilen? How do you stand?”
“I stand for, putting the vote over majority.” Solemnly responded Jeilen.
Isaac was about to turn to Eikel but the Elder spoke first “And I object!” slamming both fists down onto his armrests “This scoundrel dares infiltrate and vandalize our hall! His allies resorting to killing a Hero, Chosen of our patron! He even insults our Goddess!” Eikel rose from his throne, glaring at Kyle “Indeed I know who you and your guild are! I know what you do, liars and conmen the lot of you!”
Each Elder and Champion glanced from Eikel to Kyle, the Elder glaring victoriously at the still bowing mercenary when…it began as a muffled held back laugh but slowly moved on to a chuckle and then a maniacal cackle as Kyle straightened himself, his eyes wide alongside his wicked smile.
Kyle clapped his hands a few times “Thank you, Elder Eikel!” he announced with an amused tone.
Eikel’s eyes briefly widened before he quickly regained his composure, taking a step back as he asked “W-Whatever do you mean?!”
Kyle chuckled some more “My guild’s assassination of the Hero of Light, Zeeke. My meeting with your patron Goddess, Durga. Do any of you other Elders know of these two events?”
Eikel paled as the Elders glanced at each other, “It seems not.” responded Isaac with curiosity and a raised brow.
Kyle’s smile widened “So only Elder Eikel knows of these two happenings, Elder tell me…you are the newest to the Hall of Elders aren’t you?”
“Elder Eikel has joined our Court four decades before, after the untimely death of Elder Ao at the hand of a necrotic abomination.” stated Luna, her interest on the conversation increasing tenfold.
Kyle noticed Io’s worsening emotional state (“So…that’s what happened…Scythe you bastard.”) Kyle’s eyes focused on Eikel, his amusement entirely gone and replaced with a cold hatred “I may be unable to fully prove what I am about to divulge, I shall leave it to this court to decide. Elder Eikel, 40 years ago you joined the Elders Court, after the death of a current member at the time to a creature of Dread. Now you not only know and have stated to know one but two events which the three Courts of Night, Forest and Tundra haven’t divulged to the Elders…”
Unmoving his cold glare from the ever paling Eikel, Kyle continued after a brief pause “Tell me, isn’t this Court supposed to act and decide albeit your patron Goddess’s wishes?”
“That it is.” Suddenly spoke Io, who’s cold glare similarly to Kyle landed solely on Eikel. The seemingly young Elder putting two and two together.
“So, let me present you with this theory.” Kyle continued “Elder Eikel Noel, brother to the Noel Night Elf Chieftain. 40 years ago during the Dezol war, the Hero Scythe was summoned to Chaoz. The Lich who’s allies now threaten reality…The Lich who I believe assassinated Elder Ao…The Lich who planted you, who has ties with the Night Court…Into the Hall of Elders.”
Eikel would of laughed and denied the charges, yet Io’s hand grasping his throat prevented him from speaking at all “Yoouuu!” exclaimed Io surprising everyone by her outburst as she dashed at Eikel and blinked out of existence alongside him only to reappear at the western wall where she slammed him into the vines, roots and even stone creating a large crater. She held him there, glaring down into his terrified eyes as she choked the life out of him.
Everyone, even Kyle watched in bafflement as Io pulled Eikel back and re-slammed him into the wall, time and time again until the Elder had passed out from the constant concussions. Until Nix, surged to her side and grabbed her arm “Elder, he’s had enough.”
Io looked up at him, her eyes surging with white light “Ao…Ao…” she repeated.
“Your brother has been avenged, if what the Yako says is true. The Lich is gone.” Nix reassured her “Now let him go, killing him will prove nothing.”
Shakily Io let go of Eikel’s crushed throat, before falling to her knees and screaming out enraged. Kyle couldn’t see from where he stood but he was sure, tears were rushing down her face.
“Mother.” said Nix as he glanced back at Luna “I shall leave judgement of this excrement to you.”
Luna grinned, strangely enough “It would be my pleasure.” Nix suddenly disappeared alongside Io, leaving Eikel’s broken and unconscious body behind. Luna then turned to Kyle “You have done us a service, mercenary. It seems most of the Court is in agreement too, Eikel’s objection being over ruled by his charges. You will have your contract.”
Isaac cleared his throat to gain their attention before speaking “I shall…Ah…provide the mercenaries with a base of operations.”
Kyle bowed dramatically “The payment of avoiding Barik’s destruction has been promised, by the guild’s regulations the contract is signed. The three Court’s lives are forfeit to us.”
“The Dungeon core.” Suddenly asked Fion’e “When shall we acquire it?”
“On my leave, you will detect the core within Fei’tel.” responded Kyle before turning to Isaac “Elder Isaac, do you wish to discuss terms?” he casually offered.
“That would seem to be my calling in life.” Jokingly replied Isaac with a smile “Shall I show you to my office then?”
“I would rather be more discreet, I shall wait for you there.” said Kyle before suddenly all the slime that had been collected at the island’s edge dissipated into a misty blue Spirit before scattering into the surroundings. Kyle on the other hand melted away into slime, instead of dissipating though the puddle flowed off the side and down into the water.
“Champions, one of you escort Elder Eikel to healing and right after, a cell. Don’t be seen.” commanded Luna before both the halberd wielding Champion and Eikel’s body disappeared “The rest of you, find the promised Dungeon Core. My Drakes will be ready to escort you and it.” She glanced at each Elder “Court is adjourned.”
“Well then.” said Isaac as he rose from his throne, the Champions took that moment to all suddenly disappear “Hasn’t this gotten interesting all of a sudden?”