Chapter Seventy-Eight

Eric Delrosa appeared in a forest. Bright sunlight played like a merry child through swaying leaves. A green snake was wrapped around a tree branch, forked tongue slithering in and out of its mouth. A flock of brown birds flew forth from a branch, the sound of their flapping wings cutting through the air.

Eric even picked up the noise of a stream flowing over rocks. Anyone else might have appreciated the beauty of the place and revelled in the call of adventure that felt almost physical. Eric Delrosa cared not for any of it.

He had an agenda, and a rather simple one.

Gain power.

One of the wares a merchant could sell was information. Eric had inquired about possible mythical item locations, because he did not have any himself. No, he relied on his legendary skill to achieve dominance.

That had been a mistake.

He didn’t make a whole lot of mistakes in his life. But relying on only two skills had been one. He needed more, needed to actually put forth some effort into growing and acquiring a mythic item was a good place to start.

Facing Ambrose had shown him that. Oh, sure, he likely could have used his skill to subdue him. For a few moments, if that. Eric paused in his walk, remembering the pressure that had come from him. It was as if the hand of God himself was pressing him down, doubt nibbling at his mind like a worm in an apple’s core.

He rolled his shoulder where he had felt Ambrose’s flaming axe tear into his skin. Even remembering the pain caused him to swallow and a phantom throb to pulse in his shoulder.

If I hadn’t bought those healing potions… Eric shrugged, dismissing the thought. He had them, and was alive. That was all that mattered.

Shouts and the clash of steel could be heard not too far away. High pitched snarls anointed the air. A smile split his face. There was a battle ahead, and that meant people, monsters, and best of all, experience.

He picked up the pace, eventually finding himself between two giant tree’s, watching a battle straight out of an isekai anime unfold. Two elves decked out in lithe armor danced between a group of green bipedal creatures with puss yellow eyes, sharp, broken teeth, droopy ears and protruding green bellies. Some wore loincloths, others wore nothing at all.

It wasn’t a sight Eric cared to describe, even with his brutal tendencies.

A tiny human girl in white robes emblazoned with a bright gold hawk lifted a staff exuding silver radiance, and a bolt of that same power flew out of the staff’s end, washing over the elves. Whatever the power was, it caused small slashes to disappear from the elve’s otherwise fair sun kissed skin.

They straightened, and their attacks became less sluggish. One’s large sword managed to cut a goblin in two like a sliced apple, puppy red innards gushing out.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

After noting all of this, Eric flashed a smile to himself, and tapping his skill, said,

“Halt and do not move.”

The entire group froze as if looking into the eyes of medusa herself. Eric strode out from between the trees, hands rubbing together.

“What a lovely bunch. I really am very sorry to interrupt this exchange,”

He flashed them all his best apologetic smile as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“It’s just that I am in need of information, you see. Well now, I don’t think we need these creatures do we? Ah, the System tells me they are goblins. Interesting. Kill eachother,” Eric commanded the goblins.

Like a swarm of locusts, the goblins fell upon each other. Blood showered upward as claw hands tore skin, teeth bit hard, and rocks bashed skulls. Before long, only one goblin remained, his small green chest heaving like tiny bellows in a smith’s forge.

Eric gave him a gentle smile, kneeling down. Its eyes had no hate, nor any anger in them.

Merely fear. They rattled to and fro in the creature's skull as it looked for some avenue of escape. Eric shook his head,

“I’m afraid this is the end for you, little one. Such is the price that the weak must pay. Bash your skull in.”

Its rock clattered to the ground moments later, stained a pinkish red, an iron and copper scent coating Eric’s tongue as he licked his lips from the pleasure that zipped along his spine.

He turned to the elves. They were beautiful women with long flowing locks of burnished gold, faces fit for fairy tale princesses off on adventures. Their ears were long, slicing up through their hair like sharp knives.

It was going to give Eric intense pleasure to kill them all.

He rubbed his hands together,

“Now then, I have a few questions for this group. Then we can all be on our merry way, yes?”

Eric’s beaming smile was not one of assurance. It was a predator's smile.

A predator who had just caught his prey.

“Where am I?”

One of the female elves answered, her voice never quavered, her warm brown eyes as fierce as a hunting falcon.

“The forest of Jord in the world of Midgard.”

Eric bobbed his head from side to side, his lips working.

“Where is the nearest town? How long has your world been System Integrated?”

All necessary questions.

“A few miles north of here. The town of Nidaros. Our world has been integrated for as long as anyone can remember.”

He rubbed at his chin, nodding along.

“Where and who is the nearest forerunner?”

Again, the same elf answered,

“Egir, lord of Nidaros. He can be found there, in his castle on the hill, overlooking the sea.”

He beamed at the group.

“You’ve been so helpful, you know that? It’s almost a shame that I have to kill you. Have you ever heard the term ‘dead men tell no tales?’ No? Well, it applies to elves as much as to men. Goodbye, all. Kill each other.”

Much like the goblins, the group fell on each other. The white-robed woman died first, eyes bulging, her throat constricting as her mouth opened in a silent scream as blades pierced her body. Crimson-pink blood coated her robes, and she collapsed to the ground, where she convulsed and then went still.

The two elves opened each other's throats as easily as slicing open mail with a letter opener. Bits of their fair flesh thudded to the ground, drops of blood coating the grass as they two fell, blood draining out of them. They too, could not scream, and their hands slowly opened, swords tumbling out of them, resting on the ground.

The grisly scene was a fresh wave of pleasure for him. He pushed his notifications aside.

He would address them on his stroll to the town. He had the information he needed, and hopefully this town would lead him to his goal. If it didn’t, then maybe he could take it over, use it as a base. There were many opportunities here he could make use of, after all.

That spear and armor is going to be mine. One way, or another.

Eric whistled, corpses in bloody heaps behind him as he walked away. Next stop, Nidaros.

If you looked closely, you might notice a slight skip in his step.