The very next morning, Faith woke up to the smell of meat steaming coming from downstairs. As she opened her eyes, she was blinded by the light beaming from the tall window in her room. Light rays glistened over her body as she laid tired on the bed's soft fur. It felt like sleeping on a fluffy cloud, and getting up was virtually impossible. She didn't want to get up, but her stomach forced her to move her muscles and get out.
As she got off her bed and slouched her way to her door, she stopped by a full-body mirror just beside her bed. She stared at herself for the first time, admiring the minor details about her new body, and even did a lazy twirl with bags under her eyes. When she started playing with her hair, Parker opened the door to her room looking as clean as a baby. His eyes were wide open and his skin was shining. He looked happy to be alive.
Parker: [You coming to eat?]
Faith released the strand of hair she had around her finger and made her way to the door.
Parker: [You were sleeping for a while. We were getting worried.]
Faith: [Is that so?]
She walked passed Parker and started heading towards the wooden stairs.
Faith: [How long was I out for?]
Parker: [A little over fifteen hours.]
Faith stopped walking right beside the stairs and flinched.
Parker: [Must've been having a damn good dream!]
Faith angrily shouting: [I COULD'VE BEEN DEAD!]
Footsteps began to make their way toward them and the aroma of barbecued meat came closer.
Zack: [Oh! He's alive! Or... she?]
Faith turned around and noticed Zack standing beside the light-up log with a glass plate in hand and a fresh chunk of brown meat laying on it. Not only was the food a surprise, but so was the white and gold apron he had equipped. A long, silky, and soft, white fabric that went from over his shoulder and to his knees. Its borders were a golden brown and in the center of the cloth was a cursive 'L'. Zack smiled as he watched Faith and Parker continue their trip down the stairs.
Zack: [Food will be ready in a few! Feel free to look around some more if you'd like.]
The closer they got to the great room, the more light they were exposed to. Though there were plenty of windows by the railings, the amount of natural sunlight in the great room would blind anyone who would decide to sleep there. Once they made it, they noticed Sean laying on the long couch by the fireplace. A book covered in a blue mist was floating in front of him and turning pages whenever he commanded it to. Faith was shocked to see Sean using magic so freely.
Sean: [You finally woke up.]
Faith under her breath: [No thanks to you,]
While Zack was cooking in the kitchen, the three huddled up on the sofas around the central dining table. Parker sat to the left, Sean remained on his middle sofa, and Faith went to the right. She crossed her legs, one over the other, while the others sat with their legs spread apart. Zack's cooking created a peaceful atmosphere but only made Faith's stomach growl stronger than before. She tried her best to hide it with a conversation.
Faith nervously: [What's today's plan?]
Parker: [We start our quest to find Andy and Ismail.]
Sean: [We can't do that if Felix doesn't have any powers to take care of himself. He'll just be holding us back.]
Sean's floating book magically closed on its own and fell to the table like a feather.
Faith with an angered voice: [It isn't my fault that I can't use any powers.]
Sean: [Fine, the bitch doesn't want us to leave without him being able to wave his arms around and cast spells.]
He mimicked what he imagined Faith would be doing if she had magic powers.
Sean: [What do we do until then?]
Zack: [Take a look at the environment.]
Faith was shocked he could hear them.
Zack: [Leviere is a beautiful kingdom. It's worth spending a couple of hours looking around, in my opinion at least.]
From everything they've seen, the Leviere capital is a beautiful place to go sightseeing. Though they only saw a water fountain and the castle, Faith noticed a wooden structure to the east of the city that caught her attention for a while.
Sean: [That sounds like fun, but is it worth putting a couple hours into?]
Zack excited: [Of course!]
Zack lifted a couple of bowls with food steaming inside. The three couldn't see the food, but the smell was making their stomachs growl, especially Faith's. When Zack put the plates down on the table, the steaming steak was presented in front of them. A brown liquid filled the bowl up until it was a quarter full. Inside the liquid were freshly cut and glimmering chunks of meat, probably steak, but who knows what animals exist in this world? Around the steak were carrots and potatoes that looked better than they did in the normal world. Green leaves were scattered above the stew to give it a cuisine-style look and made Faith more hungry than she has ever been before. The food damn-near shined and glistened as she admired it and drool slid out of her mouth.
Faith licking her lips: [Can we eat?]
Zack smiled and nodded. The three of them quickly lifted their spoons, and like animals, started eating their food like they had been starving for days. They couldn't believe the flavor and texture, it was like nothing they'd had before. Even though it was a game world, where none of this is supposed to exist, it felt real. Everything felt real!
Once they finished eating, they were stuffed to the brim and felt like they had just gone up in pounds. Faith ate so much she couldn't take a step while the others compared it to being in labor.
Zack laughing: [How was your meal?]
Parker looked at him and stuck out a thumb.
Parker while stuffed: [That was the best fucking thing I've ever fucking had in my entire fucking life.]
Sean while stuffed: [Ditto]
He grabbed onto his stomach and groaned.
Sean: [What was that made of?]
Zack awkwardly: [I'll just wait for you to digest it before I give you the answer.]
Faith gave Zack a suspicious glare but shrugged it off seconds later. She could care less what this was made of, as long as it was as good as it tasted.
Zack: [Let's give you guys the tour around the city. Courtesy of its Paladin.]
With their stomachs full and energy through the roof, the three followed Zack out of his massive home and towards the kingdom's capitol. On their way there, they noticed several creature-drawn carriages moving towards the capitol's main gate. A huge wall made of a light brown brick-like material surrounded the entirety of the capitol. In front of the wall were several guards lined up around the passage that led into the gates, they were dressed similarly to the ones that captured them near the water fountain, only with a different colored emblem on the side of their waist. Rather than the white they remembered, it was more of a turquoise shade of blue.
Paladin Zack: [Those are the gatekeepers. They control who comes in and keep track of who goes out of the capitol city.]
As Zack walked in between the creature-drawn carriages towards the city, the others felt it was wrong and had a little sense of fear when doing so. They noticed the nasty glares coming from passengers on the carriages but couldn't do anything about it.
When they arrived in front of the gate, the guards standing right beside it took a look at Zack and spoke with him before letting the other three in. They didn't have to deal with the guards when heading to Zack's place because they used a different exit, one less guarded and known. Parker admired the tall flags hanging beside the open castle doors. They were enlarged copies of the emblems on the fountain guards's waists and swayed beautifully with the wind pressing against them.
As they walked through the enormous wide-open wooden doors, they were greeted with a large housing district. Houses of moderate size and style surrounded the roads and sidewalks in the city. Zack told them that this part of the city is a middle-class housing district.
Paladin Zack: [Rather than being placed closer to the castle, the king's great grandfather wanted to put the semi-attractive buildings towards the entrance of the capitol to attract the attention of travelers. He also pushed the ghettos to the far left, where no one can see.]
Sean: [Damn, even this world has a poverty system.]
Zack nodded.
Sean: [I think I have a basic understanding of it now.]
Paladin Zack with a chuckle: [I've been here for over a year, so trust me when I tell you don't know anything.]
Sean looked at Zack as if he misheard what Sean said.
Paladin Zack: [Anyway, let's go to the central district. The marketplace.]
As they walked forward, they began to notice the drastic increase in people walking around. Apart from the rocky dark grey road in the center and the creature-drawn carriages traveling forward and backward on it, other creatures were walking amongst a crowd around the main four as they headed towards the marketplace.
Because of Zack's presence, there was a noticeable gap between the crowd and the four. The people of the kingdom were paying their respects to Zack without actually saying anything. The only people who bothered to stop and talk to Zack were the occasional human adventurers, all from the same guild.
After a few more minutes passed while walking on the same path, Zack attempted to make conversation but only ended up talking to himself. He spoke a lot about the purpose of the kingdom and why the three spawned here over anywhere else. Turns out that the kingdom of Leviere was once considered the beginner's kingdom, the one where people start their adventures. The kingdom consisted of mostly low-leveled adventures and rarely had high-tier people visit. It was extremely diverse, in fact, Zack went as far as to call it the most diverse kingdom in the entire northern hemisphere.
Due to the situation with the demon lord, the title of 'Beginner's Kingdom' went over to another kingdom far north of Leviere named Rhimstone, their rival kingdom.
The four arrived at the central district, where they were reunited with the oh-so-familiar fountain spawn. The layered fountain with a tiny statue standing on the very top coated in quartz stood in the center of the entire shopping district. It perfectly mixed into its environment despite it being a whole different shade from the red and yellow marketplace around it. Turned out that when it came to city spawns, a wide radius around the fountain was the most common. It just so happened that every single one of the Vermont aliens spawned in the same spot. There was also some history revolving around the fountain about some bad voodoo or curse.
Zack: [It's also said that the fountain was built to commemorate the fairies for their contributions to rebuilding this kingdom.]
Faith: [You mean that this place wasn't always like this?]
Parker and Sean turn to Faith with their eyes narrowed.
Zack chuckling: [No. The last king did a lot to build this kingdom up from the ground, and the fairies had a part in that.]
Parker: [Are fairies the same as the ones in Cinderella?]
Zack: [Who knows? The last person to see one was the king, and before that, a set of adventurers the people of this world call the Heroes.]
Parker: [They have heroes and shit? Talk about cliche.]
Sean: [I thought we were supposed to be the heroes. Y'know, being summoned during the demon lord's attack and all?]
Faith: [We'll know the moment we see the fairies.]
The sorceress put her hands behind her head and smiled calmly.
Faith: [Maybe I just have to wait for the moment for my fairy to come for me to be the most powerful.]
Sean rolled his eyes.
Faith: [What? You said it yourself. If we were summoned here, we have to have some kind of overpowered ability.]
Zack: [Even if that is the case, I'm not going to let you guys get involved in a problem that isn't yours.]
Faith lost her smile.
Zack: [Your only objective here is to get back home. I got too involved, and that's not a fate I wish to share with y'all.]
Faith: [So if no one knows what these fairies look like, who's to say there isn't one with us?]
Sean: [They probably have so much magical energy they are easy to sense.]
Zack: [No. Fairies tend to sparkle and–]
Parker: [Wow! How original.]
Zack continued to show them around the large city: The grassy outskirts of the city, the lake that is connected to the long river that traveled across the kingdom named "Lake Alustage", as well as the many guilds within the city, especially the one that he joined back when he was just starting out.
Just as they were making their way out of the city from the western gate, a notification appeared at the top center of their peripherals. In a dark, blood-like color, it read:
You Have Entered A Combat Zone
Parker stared at it cautiously, and Zack seemed to have noticed.
Paladin Zack: [Don't worry, you guys aren't in any danger around me.]
Parker: [What's it about?]
Paladin Zack: [Anywhere outside of a city or village is a PVP zone. Anyone can attack you without warning or request.]
The three of them nodded and continued to follow him.
Zack took the three of them through a green forest and over a hill until they made their way to a cliff that was nearly at cloud level. It was chilly for summer weather, but nothing that their starting gear couldn't fight.
When they arrived, Faith's eyes widened at the sight of two suns setting individually and beside one another. While the suns were setting, Faith ran up to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the city of Leviere, and became amazed. The red-orange color on the rooftops around the city glistened with the suns's light, along with the lanterns that illuminated the skies making Faith incapable of believing her eyes.
Sean, Parker, and Zack walked up to Faith and looked down at the city. They all made noticeable smiles at the sight.
Sean with a relieved sigh: [Saved the best for last, huh?]
Zack nodded.
Sean: [Talk about a tour guide.]
Zack with a chuckle: [I tried my best.]
Faith: [This view is incredible! When did you find out about it?]
Zack: [Not long after I decided to pursue the Paladin class. After fighting through that forest, I came across here during the sunset hours.]
The three sat for a moment. Zack began to notice that the sky was getting darker.
Zack: [We should get going before the monsters start spawning in groups.]
Parker and Sean agreed while Faith decided to sit for a moment longer.
She couldn't keep her eyes off of the view for long, as it reminded her of something back home. She's always had a thing for nighttime city views, and this one was no exception. Her eyes glistened in the nightlight as she heard the footsteps of the others walk away from her. Faith sat silently for several minutes and began to feel the wind get chilly, and the dark sky begin to show. Suddenly, she felt a chill and the dark sky began to show. Suddenly, she felt an ominous chill over her shoulder.
Faith surprised: [Oh, I didn't realize how dark it was getting.]
She stood up and stretched.
Faith: [Let's get—]
She turned around and saw a dark, spherical flame hovering above the ground and just about the same height as her eyes. The sphere had a black aura around it, like a flying flame, only this didn't look like it was going to go away with the wind.
Faith: [What the?]
Black Flame: [Shhhh!]
A high eerie voice came from the sphere and scared Faith beyond a simple flinch. She jumped and shrieked when the voice played, but what freaked her out more was the sphere continued.
Black Flame: [I sense starvation for power coming from you.]
Faith nervously: [Wha?]
The sorceress took several steps back until she was backed against the edge of the cliff. She looked down and noticed how high up she was. Another step back, and she could plummet to her death.
Faith: [I have somewhere to be,]
Faith attempted to walk past the orb, but it suddenly moved in front of her and blocked her path.
Black Flame: [We're not done here!]
Faith was surprised that the flame could move and ended up back at the edge once again.
Faith scared: [W-What do you want?]
Black Flame: [More like, what do you want, Sorceress?]
The sphere floated up to her face and nearly made her take another step backward. Its high and ominous voice matched the dark and evil presence it was releasing. Faith remained speechless and frightened as the orb made disturbing noises as it swayed left and right.
Black Flame: [Is it power? Because I can give you that... at a cost.]
Faith with shaken voice: [I have no money, so back off!]
Black Flame: [Money isn't what I want... it's you.]
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Faith: [Y-you mean like... possessing my body?]
Black Flame: [Think about it, having me around will make you unstoppable! I can become your amulet. All I need is your permission.]
Faith gulped down some of her saliva as she watched the flame in front of her. She's seen what things like the Black Flame try to do in movies, and to her knowledge, things never went the way the possessed character wanted. All signs pointed to no.
Faith still frightened: [Once I give you access to my body, you're going to do the unthinkable.]
Black Flame: [Why think about the future, when you're living in the present? Come on, I know you want to unleash the devastating powers that you possess as a sorceress. They don't sell amulets with my power anywhere around the world! You need me – my power!]
Faith: [I'll pass, thanks.]
Faith walked passed the flame and it didn't try to stop her. Once she walked straight through it, the flame watched as she walked into the forest, then flew off when she disappeared into the shadows.
While walking around in the forest, lost and scared, she heard a wolf's howl in the distance.
Faith nervous: [This isn't good. If I'd known there were going to be wolves and evil spirits, I wouldn't have stayed here all alone.]
She groaned and continued to walk.
Not long after, she started to hear growls mixed with purrs right behind her. Going with her intuition, she decided that rather than turning around, it would be safer to quickly run in the opposite direction. With her eyes as wide as a petrified human, and nerves crawling up her spine, she raised her right leg and darted faster than she ever has.
Faith freaking out: [Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!]
She ran aimlessly around the forest, trying her best to outrun the purring growl, but the sound of four feet thumping behind her made it quite evident that the beast hadn't left her. Something was chasing her with the intent to do something, but she wasn't risking her life to check what it was. If all of those movies she watched including stupid characters investigating some creepy scene have taught her anything, it was to trust your gut and run before anything bad could happen.
She still hadn't turned to see what the creature was, but deep down, she knew it wasn't safe.
Faith started to lose breath and slow down with the beast on her tail. She knew this was the end for her as soon as he stamina depleted, so she turned to see what the monster that was chasing her looked like.
A fairly large creature with the head and legs of a wolf, the body of a tiger, and the tail of a poodle dog exited from a bush. Its whole body corresponded with itself, the color of its fur matched from head to paw, and the qualities of each creature mixed into one. Faith froze in place. Its sharp fangs stuck out like a sore thumb and drool seeped down its lips as it glared demonically at the young sorceress before it.
----------------------------------------
WARNING
Canis Ultra
Level 14 – 1400 HP
----------------------------------------
Faith: [This is it... My life... is over.]
The beast jumped on Faith and tipped her over, bashing her head against the floor and clawing at her stomach. Rather than eating her on the spot, which was what she was expecting, the beast waited for other wolves to show up. One by one, other creatures of its kind showed up and surrounded Faith like paparazzi, only this crowd wanted her dead.
Faith with a tear: [Goodbye.]
She gave up on everything. She was brought into a world of pure imagination, undiscovered territory, and cat girls. She achieved the much-anticipated journey of a lifetime she had dreamed of for years, yet she didn't get to do anything. She was the only one in her squad to not experience using magic, she only got to travel around the main city, and her overall experience was pretty terrible. Faith's eyes started to water as she feared for her life and wished for someone, anyone, to come to save the day. Felix never thought he would ever be a damsel in distress, never believed he would ever be put in a situation like this, but he needed all the help he could get. She didn't want to die here.
Black Flame: [Looks like you found yourself in a predicament.]
The strange sphere flew into the area from the dark sky and floated around Faith's left cheek, the one that was coated in tears.
Black Flame, connivingly: [You need help?]
Faith closed her eyes, to try and hide the tears.
Faith with a shaky voice: [Please... help me,]
Black Flame: [There's only one way to receive my help.]
The flame flew above her breasts and hovered there.
Faith scared: [You want my body?]
She thought about the situation a bit but refused to let the flame control her. If she was going to die, it wasn't going to be due to poor life choices.
Faith: [In your dreams,]
One of the beasts stuck one of its claws into Faith's wrist and made her scream in pain. This was nothing like what she had felt before. The pain was excruciating, like stabbing yourself with a pencil on the shoulder or cutting open your thigh with a knife, only more painful. Her eyes widened and her iris shrunk. The main beast stuck its large fangs into Faith's neck which caused blood or spew all over her wrist and neck like a fountain. Screaming began to feel painful and made her voice dampen.
Black Flame seriously: [Are you sure?]
Faith painfully: [I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!]
She cried while tears seeped out of her eyes and dripped onto the ground.
Faith: [HELP ME!]
The Black Flame flew into Faith's body like it was a ghost. The area fell silent. Faith suddenly stopped screaming and the growls of the beasts turned more into cat whimpers. They sensed an immense amount of magic coming out of Faith, like body odor.
They took steps back away from the body as it opened its eyes and revealed a completely dark abyss. Any hint of color coming from Faith's eyes turned completely dark. The deep wounds on her wrist and neck closed on themselves as Faith's body rose from the ground and began levitating slightly above the air. An immense amount of transparent black fire surrounded her and made her look like a demon. Faith's hair started to defy gravity and her body had completely restored itself.
The beast that chased Faith from the cliff to where they are now, attempted to run away but a black spike grew from the ground and struck the beast right through the throat. The spike had a black flame-like aura around it and its dark red blood began to slide down it like it was magnetic.
It appeared that Faith had done that... or was it the Black Flame? She had a single hand out towards the beasts but her attention was towards the moon. The rest of the wolves back up slowly. Faith raised her hands, telepathically raising the beasts from the ground and scaring them.
Faith's body smiled maniacally, to the point that her lips nearly touched her ears. A grin so creepy it brought fear into the beasts.
The beasts started whimpering louder like they were frightened dogs. Their bodies seemed to be getting tighter as if they were being squeezed by a massive hand.
The beasts suddenly exploded, getting their blood everywhere, including on Faith's clothes and the new necklace that appeared on her chest.
----------------------------------------
Level Up!
[Level 12]
Ten new Skill Points available!
----------------------------------------
Faith's eyes returned to normal and she found herself out of the forest and back at the city gate. The flaming aura and the immense amount of energy circulating around her... disappeared, and she had no recollection of anything that had just happened.
She also noticed a black amulet wrapped around her neck with a silver vine that looked to be corrupted holding it together. A purple orb was the centerpiece that released the same ominous aura that the flame itself did.
Amulet with Black Flame's voice: [With me inside of you, you can control your magic more freely.]
Faith heard the voice behind her, but when she turned with a blink, she found herself in a plain white abyss. There wasn't a soul or thing in this empty place, only her.
Faith confused: [What the..?]
Black Flame: [Don't lose that amulet.]
Faith turned around and saw the little flame floating in the plain white field.
Faith scared: [You gave me this?]
The Black Flame transformed into a character that looked nearly identical to Faith but had black hair and clothes. Faith's replica nodded.
Faith: [There has to be a catch to all this.]
Replica with a smirk: [You wanted power, so I gave you some. All for the price of you using it as often as you possibly can.]
The sorceress furrowed her brows and raised the amulet to eye level.
Faith confused: [You want me to level up with this?]
Her replica nodded.
Faith: [That seems simple enough. You're just gonna have to teach—]
When Faith looked back up, her replica disappeared and she reappeared in the room she slept in the night before. She frantically looked around and shouted for it, but no response.
Paladin Zack: [WHAT WAS THAT?!]
Faith heard footsteps trampling and weapons being summoned from outside of her room. The door was busted open and the three companions were on the other side. They locked eyes. Sean and Parker were frightened of an intruder, while Zack seemed relieved it wasn't anything bad. Faith had no idea what was going on. Zack sighed and then caught a glimpse of the amulet.
Parker freaking out: [FELIX?! YOU SCARED THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF US!]
Sean confused: [How did you get here?]
Faith raised her hands and looked at the blood splattered all over her body.
Faith: [I...]
She looked at the three of them.
Faith: [I don't know.]
Parker concerned: [Dude, are you ok?]
Faith lowered her head, but before she could respond.
Paladin Zack: [He has an amulet now...]
Parker and Sean turned their attention toward the amulet laying on her chest.
Sean: [That thing looks...]
Parker: [Fucking terrifying.]
The orb in the middle of the amulet shimmered.
Paladin Zack: [Where did you get that?!]
Zack sounded nothing like the friendly person he usually was, he sounded strong... but looked scared. He stomped towards her and creaked the wooden floors as he did.
Faith stepping back and terrified: [I–I don't know! A fire in the forest gave it to me–]
Paladin Zack interrupting: [Fire? What kind of fire?! What did it look like?]
Sean stopped Zack's pursuit.
Sean: [Chill out, Zack. You're scaring him.]
Zack turned to Sean.
Zack: [You don't realize how dangerous dark magic can be.]
The Paladin lowered his head and furrowed his brows.
Zack: [There's a reason why users of dark magic are banned from the city. Not long before me and the others arrived, there were stories about a sorcerer that nearly ended the world. Ever since that event, people who practiced dark magic were killed on the spot by any member of any royal family!]
Faith frowned while clenching her amulet in her arms.
Zack: [If Felix is found with an amulet that holds dark energy, there's no telling what could happen.]
Parker: [Are you saying they would kill him?]
Paladin Zack: [Yeah... or worse.]
Faith to herself: [That explains the princess's reaction.]
She immediately thought back to how the princess and her servants reacted when Faith mentioned her class. The fearful glares and the intent to get rid of her... like she was a monster, finally made sense.
Paladin Zack: [Now that you have an amulet you can begin your journey to find the others...]
He pointed towards the door outside of Fatih's temporary room.
Palazin Zack: [So get out of this kingdom before someone with the jurisdiction finds you.]
-
With that, the three of them walked out and sat by a potion merchant's shop. She kept an eye on them, especially on Faith's amulet, but didn't interact with them in any way. Zack allowed the three of them to keep their weapons and let them out with a few parting gifts, a lot of pieces of the same meat he gave them in the morning, a compass, and lots of silver.
Sean: [Great!]
He threw his back against the wall behind him and slid down to his bottom. One of his legs laid down straight while his other knee poked upward and had his left arm resting on it.
Sean: [Kicked out of the main kingdom all because of one person.]
He and Parker turned to Faith and simultaneously thanked her.
Faith surprised: [You're blaming me for this?! You guys wanted to go and find the others anyway! Why are you suddenly pissed?]
The potion vendor listened to their conversation while dealing with a customer.
Parker: [The one person we could turn to for help now hates us. You ruin everything, Felix. You may be in a new body, but you're still the same disappointment.]
Faith, having trouble picking her words: [Zack– Zack wouldn't hate us for simply p-picking the wrong class!]
Felix was starting to show through his female body.
Parker: [This isn't the same Zack we knew from Winooski! He's been through enough to become a fucking Paladin, Felix.]
Faith: [That doesn't mean anything!]
Tears began to form in her eyes, but not enough to be noticeable to the others.
Sean with a sigh: [You don't know "people" enough to get a firm grasp on how quick they are to break a bond.]
The wizard stood up and walked away from Faith with Parker by his side.
Sean: [Good luck finding the others on your own. Parker and I are gonna set things straight with Zack and the princess. Without you around, that should be easy.]
Faith with a shaking voice: [You guys can't just leave me!]
Her tears began to show, but without even turning to him, Parker and Sean already knew her current state.
Sean: [Don't be a bitch. You've always dreamed of coming to another world, right? Now that you're here, live the dream.]
Faith made a fist and dropped her head down.
A dark flame grew around Faith's body in the form of an aura. Like back in the forest, she had lost all control of her body and something was making her do the things she was doing. Her eyes turned black as she raised her head with a maniacal grin, and the tears that were once around her eyes were now gone. She raised a hand in the direction of Sean and Parker, making them freeze in place. They didn't understand what was going on, but when they turned, the entire picture was drawn out in front of them.
The potion vendor ran off into the distance once he caught notice of the sorceress using her power.
*
In a far, torn-down, and city set ablaze, three young men, a dark-skinned vampire, an Asian human, and a brown-skinned ninja were sitting together and suddenly turned northward. Beneath them was a pile of bodies consisting of countless men and children, all dead and covered by black marks starting from their necks. High above them on a flagpole was a massive red and black flag with three strokes made with a sword. Two parallel from one another like tally marks, and one in between, forming an 'H'.
The dark-skinned vampire stared off into the distance with a maniacal grin, while the covered ninja and armored human stood concerned.
Human: [That doesn't feel right.]
The human took off his helmet revealing his black hair and crimson-red eyes. His pupils were slit, which usually meant they were related to a dragon or reptile of some kind. Those were the eyes of a dragon tamer. While adjusting his curly black hair, the dark-skinned vampire replied.
Vampire in a deep voice: [I'm gonna go check it out.]
And with that, the vampire vanished.
*
Faith demonically: [Just who do you think you're calling a nuisance?]
The sorceress walked in front of the two. They looked at Faith's amulet and noticed it was shining.
Faith: [I can snap your heads off right this minute if I want to.]
Parker: [Felix?]
Faith gave him no response, only a cold, dead stare right to the soul. From that alone, he could tell this wasn't the Felix he knew.
Royal Guard: [Hey!]
The sound of rustling armor grew from behind Faith. When she turned around, the grasp she had on the two released.
Royal Guard: [The use of magic publicly requires a permit! I'd like to see yours.]
The aura around Faith faded and her eyes returned to normal. She regained consciousness, but she had no idea what had happened. Behind the guard was the potion vendor. He happened to have called the guard over but went back to his spot like nothing ever happened. He kept his ears open but eyes on his new customer.
Faith confused: [What the...]
Royal Guard: [No permit?]
Faith looked at the tall guard. He was wearing the same uniform as the guards that first captured the three of them and brought them to the castle.
Royal Guard: [You'll have to come with me, ma'am.]
Parker turned to Sean, wondering if they should say anything about it, but Sean remained silent.
Faith honestly: [I wasn't in control, Officer. It's not—]
The guard grabbed Faith's wrist without hesitation and turned her around. He quickly cuffed her and it all happened within the blink of an eye.
The guard wrapped a single circular stone cuff around both of Faith's hands. Once connected, the cuff released a purple light that stuck onto the back of her hands and disabled any form of interface she could access. Nothing appeared in her peripherals and she couldn't do anything but walk. Confused and scared, Faith followed the guard to wherever he was taking her.
Parker silently: [You didn't have to be so cold.]
Sean boldly: [We're in an environment we don't recognize. At this point, it's survival of the fittest, Parker.]
The wizard turned around and headed towards the guild building Zack introduced them to.
Sean: [Zack never said that we were prohibited from being in the kingdom. Without contacting the big dogs, he doesn't have permission to do so.]
Parker turned his cheek and watched Faith being dragged while in custody.
Sean: [We're gonna apply to a guild to start making some money through quests. After that, we'll make up with Zack.]
Parker: [Then what about Andy and Ismail? Are we just going to forget they exist?]
Sean: [We get our grounding first, and then we deal with them. Unless you want to walk around broke.]
-
Left alone in the white abyss known as her own consciousness, Faith was in search of the black flame that she accepted into her body during a life-or-death situation.
Faith shouting: [Hey! I know you're in here somewhere!]
She received no response from the flame. Faith felt a little uneasy being alone in the dark.
Faith: [Hello?]
Replica suddenly: [Don't be scared.]
Faith's replica appeared behind her, grabbing hold of her shoulder and scaring her out of her shoes. Unlike the last time they met, Replica's voice mimicked Faith's but was a lot deeper.
Replica: [You called?]
Faith, recovering from shock: [You took over my body and made me use magic in the city, didn't you?!]
Her duplicate stared her in the eyes before deciding to respond.
Replica calmly: [I did no such thing.]
Faith: [What do you mean? After you used magic, I couldn't remember what happened, just like last time!]
Replica with a chuckle: [Just because you ended up in a cell within a few minutes of possessing my power, you blame me?]
Faith nodded confidently. To her, it was the only case that made any sense.
Replica: [You're quite the idiot, aren't you?]
Faith pouting: [I don't want you to look down on me too. Besides, I couldn't have used magic. I don't have any knowledge.]
Replica: [I went ahead and caught myself the idiot. Listen, surely you've been told this before. An amulet does nothing but help its user control the power they have within them, just like a staff or wand. You're a special case when it comes to using dark magic because of that stupid demon lord!]
Faith's eyes widened as she listened to her dark clone rant.
Replica: [I could've chosen any one of your friends, but I figured you needed the most help, considering your intelligence is the lowest. Your dark magic ability, Sorcerer's Imagination, is something you need to figure out how to use. We don't have much time.]
Faith's replica faded and she found herself back on the cellar bed.
After being dragged into a prison by the guard, she was thrown behind a cell and told that she would stay there until further notice. She sat up and put her back against the bland wall, and started thinking about what possibly could have happened back there, and what her dark clone could have meant when it brought up the demon lord.
Was she connected to it somehow?
The replica let out a lot of information, but only that bit stuck with her. With her interfaces locked, she couldn't check out her abilities or anything.
Nothing came to mind and she fell into a state of stress. With a groan, she fell to her knees and grabbed onto the bars.
Faith: [What was all of that about?]
She heard footsteps come walking towards her cell. With every step, her heart began to race even faster.
When the person came close, a fairly tall human royal guard looked down at Faith with a tray full of food and a drink in hand.
Guard: [Faith?]
Faith nervously nodded. This was a different guard from the one that brought her here. He had a different set of armor, different from the ones at the gate and the ones that roamed the streets. Though the color scheme was similar, he had a streak of gold that went down the center of his torso like a zipper line. He was probably some big shot in the guard system. The guard softly placed the tray on the floor and bent down with it.
Guard: [Why are you here? Were you being a skank?]
Faith suddenly irritated: [No! I just broke a rule I didn't know existed.]
Her nervousness seemed to have brushed off within an instant. The guard laughed to himself a little as he stood back up.
Guard: [Ah, so you'll be out in no time.]
Faith reached for the brown chicken leg on the tray.
Guard: [The judge is pretty easygoing on women, so you lucked out.]
The guard chuckled a little bit. Faith couldn't really see his face, but his tone and accent made it clear to her that he was a laid-back guy. Though she isn't usually comfortable talking with strangers, she could easily talk to him for some reason.
Faith: [You seem really chill.]
The sorceress took a bite of her food.
Faith: [It's not every day that you see the guards talk with the prisoners.]
The guard looked at her silently. He seemed confused.
Faith: [What's up? Don't receive compliments often?]
Guard nervously: [Yeah,]
Faith: [Well, You're my type of guy! No homo, of course.]
She reached for the white milk on her tray and began to sip.
Guard: [No homo?]
Faith looked at the guard like she messed something up.
Faith swallowing her drink: [Forget I said anything.]
The guard stared at Faith for some time.
Guard: [You know, it's quite rare to see a sorceress in Leviere. What brings you around?]
The sorceress placed the remains of the chicken leg onto the plate and gave the guard the same look he was giving her. She crossed her legs and narrowed her eyes.
Faith: [I was brought here by a mysterious force to accomplish an unknown goal.]
She stood up and flicked her long hair over and behind her ear. She had a piece of chicken resting on her cheek.
Guard in sarcastic awe: [With an unknown goal? What do you wish to accomplish?]
Faith after a silent groan: [I plan on finding my friends.]
The guard watched her talk and talk about her situation with a smile. He looked – or at least acted like he genuinely cared about her.
Guard: [If it's finding a lost person, I'm sure the guards could be of use. Though things are looking dull for the kingdom, I'm almost certain that they'll help you out.]
Faith seriously: [I already asked a guard – well, the Paladin.]
The guard raised his head in shock.
Faith: [He said that they disappeared from the face of the kingdom last year and that finding them in this vast and open world would be near impossible.]
Guard: [Well, if the Paladin has already tried and failed, asking the other guards may not be helpful.]
Faith nodded with a silent groan.
Guard: [Maybe you can ask the Northeastern Alliance Messenger, James Zhang. He's the most reliable person to ask for help that involves the other kingdoms.]
Faith: [James Zhang? Where have I heard that name before?]
Faith thought to herself, but nothing came up.
Faith: [Are his services free?]
Guard: [Of course not!]
He chuckled.
Guard: [His service is quite costly. Only the kingdoms can really afford him, but if what you said about the Paladin is true, maybe he can get the both of you in contact.]
Faith: [There's a problem there... I kind of ruined things with him.]
Guard: [With your class, I'm surprised he even gave you the time of day. Well, I have to get back to work. I'm the guard in charge of you, so I'll see you quite often.]
He started walking back to where he came from with the empty tray in hand, and Faith watched.
He didn't end up returning for the rest of the day, leaving Faith in her cell with nothing to do.