Kyros awoke in the same pitch black chamber, unable to see anything. He had wished this whole ordeal was a nightmare, but he knew better than that. This was the real world.
Body has successfully undergone racial transformation
Due to the nature of both races, only one can be in effect at a time. Race will change depending on user’s emotions and mental state. Race is currently set to: High Elf
“You actually survived… now that IS interesting.” Lilith’s voice carried into Kyros’s ear from somewhere ahead of him in the pitch black room.
“What did you do to me?” Kyros asked back.
“I should have killed you. Technically anyway. How fascinating. You’re still clearly a highborn, but I can also sense the Fae blood deep within you.”
“Wait, what? What do you mean Fae?” Kyros had no clue on what Fae was, only being in the world for just over a month and a bit, all of that spent in the mines.
“You really are newly born, to not know of the great Fae race. Fae is what I am, and what your part of now.”
“But how can I have two different races? That doesn’t even make sense” Kyros’s head was spinning from just trying to make sense of it.
“That’s why this is so interesting. When you mix two different racial blood, the stronger blood should absorb the weaker blood and thus changing your race. Or in your case, with your highborn blood should have fought against my Fae blood, until your body exploded from the two different energies. However, that’s clearly not the case. What exactly are you?”
Kyros shivered at that last question, his inner instincts telling him that he needed to get as far away as possible from her. However, his current situation doesn’t allow for that, and even if it did, there would be no way he could escape her.
“I don’t know that myself. I suddenly woke up in a forest somewhere around here, I don’t know anything.” Kyros explained, knowing if he can’t run, that he must entertain her. He knew she wouldn’t kill him while they were both trapped in here, but once he mined the way. Well who knows, Kyros hasn’t been able to read Lilith at all.
“Hmm. You said you awoke in a forest around here?” Lilith emphasised the word around.
“Well somewhere in this kingdom.” Kyros had only been out for a day when he got transported from the forest to the mines, so he obviously couldn’t have travelled far.
“I see. Well that just makes you an even larger mystery…”
“Why’s that a mystery?” Kyros remembered his master telling him about high elves being born from the forest, so that should make sense. However, Lilith seemed to know more about the subject than his master.
“Because your kind are only birthed in the holy forest, Elanor, home of your people. Either you’re not really a highborn or you’re lying to me, and you weren’t born here.” Lilith’s voice was icy at the prospect of Kyros lying to her.
“No, I didn’t lie! I really did just wake up in a forest around here.” Kyros couldn’t explain it to Lilith but he knew 100% that he was a high elf, as his status screen shows that.
… Silence filled the chamber, making Kyros nervous, wondering what Lilith was thinking. He still needed to get James’s ring to him, but he needed to survive Lilith to do this. After he got the ring to James’s family, he didn’t really care beyond that.
“Hehe what’re you so nervous for?” Lilith’s voice took a 180 and went back to how she was when he first woke up, no longer seeming so terrifying.
“Um so you believe me?”
“Of course. Any way things are much more entertaining this way!” Lilith spoke unbefitting for someone thousands of years old, more like a school girl in his old world. All he could think was this girl had crazy issues, and he better do his best not to set her off.
“Entertaining?” Kyros felt Lilith knew something he didn’t, and ever since he arrived in this world he has been short of answers.
“Yep! If I’m right about you, things should be getting a lot more interesting soon. First we have to get out of here, so get mining hehe.”
“Wait! You know something about me. What do you know?” Kyros couldn’t help but get excited at the prospect of getting some answers.
“It’s. A. Secret. Now mine.” Lilith’s voice said teasingly.
“Please, tell me!?” Kyros didn’t let up.
“I told you to start mining.” Lilith did another 180, her voice icy and sharp.
Fuck, what does she know? And why won’t she tell me? I learned somethings though, like I should have been born in that forest called Elanor. So the question is why was I born outside of it? Or maybe that’s the wrong question. What if I was born in Elanor? and I’ve forgotten for some reason.
“Well… I can’t mine in the dark.” Kyros knew that right now he had to just do as Lilith said, her personality change was too sporadic. Who was to say the next change wouldn’t end up with her killing him. She seemed crazy enough to him.
“Better?” Suddenly the whole chamber was lit up, a white ball sitting in the middle of the chamber, illuminating the whole area.
“Ugh why do you stay in the dark if you could do this?” Kyros also made note that he should learn a similar spell, it would be convenient.
“Why would I? Fae can see perfectly in the dark. You should be able to as well… It seems the Fae blood that is buried within you, is unable to manifest any of its inherent abilities.”
Well she’s right, it seems at the moment I’m still a normal high elf. I wonder how I change into a Fae? The ability to see in the dark alone is convenient enough.
No longer thinking on it, Kyros picked up the sharp piece of ore that he was using as a makeshift pick, and headed over to chamber wall. He started to mine into the wall, figuring the faster he can get out, the faster he can get away from the psycho who was humming to herself behind him.
After a few minutes of relentlessly smashing the ore in his hand into the wall, a chunk of adamantium broke off the wall.
+100 EXP
+0.25% increase to mining
Woah, that much experience for just mining off a chunk of ore! If I were to mine this whole chamber, I’d get at least 10 levels! However, I don’t think Lilith will just let me mine all over, she’ll make sure I’m not wasting time.
“Hahaha I can just imagine their faces when they realise they willingly gave me the key to escape.” Lilith was laughing in joy as she saw Kyros yet again mine another piece off the wall.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“Um actually, why are you trapped down here?” Kyros asked out of curiosity, as well as to distract himself of the pain in his hand, which was starting to bleed.
“Well long story short, I’m a prisoner of war.”
“Oh right… then how long have you been here?” Kyros suspected her of being here for thousands of years, but if she was a prisoner of war, then surely she wouldn’t be kept around for that long. They’d either sell her back to the enemy or torture her for intel and then execute her.
“I think it’s been a little over 30 thousand years now. It’s hard to keep track in here hehe.” Lilith laughed normally, as if she hadn’t said anything outrageous.
“Wha-what?! 30 thousand years, why would the even keep a prisoner for that long?” Kyros wasn’t one to get worked up easily, but just living for 30 thousand years was enough to send his mind reeling.
“It’s not that long…” Lilith smirked at Kyros as she spoke mysteriously. “Anyway, those puny humans know they can’t harm me. Unless they want to start the next world war, that is.” An arrogant tone to her voice.
“Oh… right. So you’re someone important than?” Kyros continued the conversation, his hand now burning.
“You could say that…” Lilith went silent, Kyros realising she no longer wanted to speak.
So Kyros continued to mine into the wall, until he had to stop from the pain. He’d rest for a few hours and continue. This is how he spent his days.
----------------------------------------
Status Screen
Name:
Kyros
Level:
35
Race:
High Elf
Mana:
480/480
Health:
521/610
Stamina
343/640
Titles:
None
Stats
Strength:
79
Intelligence:
21
Agility:
63
Wisdom:
48
Vitality:
61
Dexterity:
10
Stamina:
64
Luck:
10
Perseverance:
19
Unused:
35
Kyros was still mining the wall, however, he had mined a tunnel a few metres long now. His stomach was aching in hunger, his mouth felt as dry as a desert. He couldn’t tell the passage of time down here, but he figured it’s been at least 14 days.
With knowledge from his previous world, he knew he should have long ago died from dehydration. He figured it’s either got to do with being a different race or maybe his vitality stat affected how long he can go without. He had noticed that he was regaining health and stamina slower and slower though.
How thick is this fucking wall! I’m going to drop dead without getting through this ore!
He had built up quite a few stat points from levelling up, however he wasn’t going to blindly spend them. He knew now that he had to be smart in the use of them.
His mining skill had levelled up twice now, making it master level 3. However, it didn’t seem to speed up how fast he mined the adamantium ore. He assumed that this was because he didn’t have an actual pick and the ore itself was just too hard.
Argh fuck this wall!
Kyros raged and smashed the ore into the wall. This wasn’t the first time he lost it at the wall and pointlessly wasted his strength. However, he continued to do so because he felt himself going crazy and needed to relief the anger that was building up inside of him.
Lilith had been growing more silent the further he mined into the wall, her face growing serious in contemplation.
Seems like even she has things that weigh down on her. At least she- Kyros cut his thought off there, he felt his piece of ore break through the piece of adamantium and into a stone wall behind it.
“Keep swinging! Don’t waste any time!” Lilith suddenly commanded, a slight anxiousness to her voice.
Fuck she’s bossy. Doesn’t even thank me or anything for getting to this stage. Kyros complained in his head, not daring to voice it out loud.
“I said faster!” Lilith was right behind him suddenly. Kyros could sense something was wrong, so he picked up his speed, smashing through the wall even faster.
----------------------------------------
Thousands of miles away, in the Holy Athearan Empire’s capital Exdarr.
“Your Holiness, we’ve received reports that there has been demon activity in the south. Arch bishop Joseph has directed a squad of paladins to investigate.” The man was one knee and spoke in reverence to the man standing in front of him.
“Stand bishop Simon. Keep in touch with Arch bishop Joseph, and report any findings to me.”
“As you command, your Holiness.” The bishop bowed, before quickly hurrying off to follow his command.
The man now stood alone in his vast hall. He had long flowing blond hair, and yellow eyes to suit his hair. He wore a beautiful white silk robe, trimmed with gold. The man was the pope of the Athearan Empire, one of the most powerful men in the world.
The pope was standing there with his eyes closed, when his face suddenly twitched.
This feeling… No! That shouldn’t be possible! I don’t have the time to inform the others. The pope suddenly waved his hand and gold wall of light suddenly appeared in front of him.
The pope walked into the wall of gold, disappearing from the hall.
----------------------------------------
Kyros had just smashed another piece of the ore off, judging the size should be enough for a person to fit through. Now he just had to mine his way through the rock, which won’t be to hard. Mining rock was like digging through sand for him now, almost no resistance.
However, as he was about to start mining through the rock, Lilith’s hand grabbed onto him and pulled him behind her. Suddenly she released an aura of power so strong that Kyros struggled to breathe as he stood behind her.
“So you’ve arrived Michael.” Lilith suddenly said, Kyros still struggling to breathe behind her.
“Lilith. I strongly advise you to stay within your prison.” A voice suddenly echoed in the chamber, soft yet powerful. Kyros looked around the chamber but couldn’t find the owner of the voice.
“As enticing as you make that sound, I think it would be rude of myself not to come up and greet you.” Lilith spoke back to the voice, Kyros wondering what the fuck was going on as these Lilith and this mysterious voice conversed.
Suddenly Lilith pointed a finger to the gap in the wall Kyros had made, and the next thing that happened left Kyros’s jaw hanging.
A black beam a few metres wide shot out from her fingertip into the rock no longer protected by the adamantium ore. The beam disintegrated the rock and suddenly Kyros could see a massive tunnel running miles upwards, and the bright sky at the end of the tunnel.
This show of power was something that completely baffled Kyros.
Lilith turned to stare at Kyros, her blood red eyes gazing deep into him.
“This is where we part. For now.” Lilith no longer looked terrifying, but loving in Kyros’s eyes. However, suddenly his vision went black as he dropped to the ground, unconscious.
Lilith looked down at him one last time, before turning and floating up the tunnel she had made. She breathed in the first breath of fresh air for what was over 30 thousand years. However, she didn’t have the luxury to relish it.
She now hovered thousands of metres in the air, the vast mountain below her. She looked at the blonde haired man floating just a few dozens of metres from her.
“How’d you escape Lilith?” He suddenly asked.
“Not even a how are you after all this time Michael. For such a holy man, you surely are rude.” Lilith responded with a smirk.
“You know I can’t let you leave.” Michael declared.
“Good. I haven’t been able to stretch my body in soooo long.” Lilith playfully said.
“I see. Let’s not waste any more of each other’s time.” Michael raised his arm above his head, where a gigantic golden sword materialised above him, tip aiming towards Lilith.
“You religious men really don’t know how to treat a lady.” Lilith giggled, as she materialised a pitch black spear into her hand, only a few metres long.
Suddenly the gigantic golden sword started to fly towards Lilith with the intention to impale her, however she hurled the black spear into the sword.