The next morning I was woken up by five pairs of feet jumping on the bed.
Forcing my eyes open I see what was going on. I remember about the rank up last night so I was expecting to see five kids with many crow like features but I received a big surprise.
Jumping fiercely on the bed were 5 human kids with tight fitting pants that seem to barely fit. No matter from what angle you look at them they appear human.
Baal: Wait? I was sure I chose Lesser tengu.
The kids were all between 140 cm to 150 cm and all strong. All had straight pitch black hair that flowed naturally and shined even in the dark room like silk.
???: Ah! MASTER!!! You’re up.
One of the girls jumped on me and hugged me. I knew instantly that was Lily because she was the only one that ever did that.
Baal: Before we start, who is who?
Each one called out their names. All of them had black eyes and hair. The boys had hair down to their shoulders while the girls hair went down to their waist. They all had slightly tanned skin, just enough to not look pale. They all had lean builds, but Ideo had by far the most developed muscles. I believe hand to hand combat brings about the worst in a trainer since they think of so many unorthodox ways to train their disciples.
Lily: Master can we got outside to check our demon forms.
Lily’s eyes were shining.
Baal: Wait you guys can hide your demon forms now?!
Ro: Yes but we don’t know why. We just woke up like this.
Suddenly from Ro’s back a pair of long black wings appeared.
Ro: We can even bring out just our wings like master.
Baal: Lets go see Rachet. He might know.
They all nod and we get ready. I lend them a few shirts since their clothes are too small now. We walk to the throne room and open the balcony windows. I take a nice deep breath before looking down. Taking a few steps back I jump down. The other five follow behind me. ¾ of the way down my wings appear and gravity loses its hold of me as I slow down.
My new wings are very long and ash grey. As I land I see the guards already training and Rachet looking our way after feeling my presence.
Rachet: Well now this is a surprise. You ranked up. Variant...no Rare Variant.
Baal: Yep but I don’t get if it’s just the color.
Rachet: Maybe its this thing right here on your forehead.
He flicks my forehead which causes a world of pain, and it makes me see stars. I blink a few times as the pain subsides.
Rachet: Hm looks like these five also ranked up.
Baal: Thats what we came to talk about. Why do they have a human form now?
Rachet: Tell me, what do you know about tengu?
Baal: Crow demon. Noble I think, right.
Rachet: and what sets it apart as a Noble?
We all shrug.
Rachet: The difference between a Noble Demon and a normal demon is that they aren't savage. They are born without a demons savage nature. Also Noble demons gain their human form when they reach Higher Demon rank. Any other demon will only get their human form at Royal demon rank.
Baal: But a demon born without being savage? Is that normal or possible?
Rachet: Of course not. Though it can also be said where he was raised, can change that. You aren’t savage by nature though when angry I’m sure you would kill your enemies without batting an eye.
My mind returns to the battle and how I happily destroyed the enemy.
Baal: I kind of understand.
Mia: Master
She pulls my shirt to draw my attention.
Mia: Can we see our demon forms.
Mia asked in a timid voice. I smile and look at the others before I pat her head.
Baal: Ok lets see you guys.
They all nod and start changing. They grow some 10 cm each and, like myself, the feathers on their head form a crows head like cover.
(Just no third eye http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/027/c/8/Beelzemon_by_renadrawer.jpg)
The feathers continue below their chin and their canines become sharp. The feathers run down on their backs and all the way down to their heels and stopping before the feet. On their arms it was covered all the way to the wrist leaving their human hands with sharp crow talons. Their skin started to change color and ended at a dark blue. They also seem to pack a bit more muscle in this form since all of them gained a bit of muscle mass. The last thing to appear was their long black wings on their backs.
It was amusing to see them checking themselves from all sides. It’s like when a kid gets a new toy and looks it over several times before playing with it. After a moment they all look my way.
Ideo: Now master! We want to see you.
I raised my brow and smiled. I would have done it anyway but being ordered by my minions made me think of something really entertaining.
Baal: If you all can beat me in a fight I’ll show you. If not I’ll check it out in private.
It was at that moment that all of them took an attack pose like they were waiting for this. I stood there but I unlocked my arms that were crossed.
I just grinned as I taunt them.
Baal: Come on or you won’t get to see.
In that moment Ro and Ideo attacked. Like the wind Ro flew at me from above while Ideo hid his wings and came at me low from the left flank with his arms already posed to strike.
Though he was 2 ranks below me I definitely didn’t want to get hit by a trained punch like that. I’ll humor him.
Ro in the air was in front and at 1 meter from me, he threw his punch which I grabbed with my left hand, but instead of holding it I held it for a moment and let it go and grabbed his wrist and spun him around right into Ideo who had already launched his own punch.
It wasn’t a pretty sound when his fist connected with Ro’s face. Ro fell limp on the ground. Not giving him the chance I gave him a punch in the gut, toppling him.
The three remaining didn’t stay idle while I took care of those two. Lily and Kia were coming towards my right flank and from behind while Mia was coming in for a dropkick from above.
Mia was probably sent in to distract me, so it would take only dodging her, to beat them but I think this will be fun. The next closest was Kia who was behind me. With Mia coming from the front I let her get close and dodged, but just as her legs gets below waist height I kick her legs making them rise into Kia’s chin while Mia falls down on her head. The last one was Lily whose fist I simply grabbed as it flew towards my face.
Baal: Guess that’s it done.
Lily: Buuuu Master we showed you our forms but you're being mean.
Baal: That so all of you learn not to order around those stronger than you.
Lily: Buu~~~~.
With puffed out cheeks Lily pouts. I go from one to the next healing their injuries and waking them up. I tell them what I told Lily which leaves them all sulking.
While they were sulking with their face aimed down, I transformed myself. My form is just like my old one, there is a feather cover over my head, while my feathers cover my body like the kids. The differences appear when I look at the color. My skin was a pale blue before, but now it is the color of normal human skin while my feathers were all ash grey instead of black.
My wings were the same color but they were really large now. Each wing was longer than my body. Besides that though nothing much changed. Well besides the feeling of being all powerful which is an effect of the rank up.
When the five notice the shadow of the wings they all look up and me while I smile towards them.
Rachet: Nice spar. I was able to evaluate the kids strenght from watching. Saved me quite a bit of trouble since it is hard holding back.
Baal: Really don't kill them.
Rachet: So what now?
Baal: Well we need to start farming. Know anything about its.
Rachet: Ask Dok he has been working the farmers to prepare the dirt.
I nod towards him.
Baal: I’ll work on this you start with them. After I’m done I’ll come for my own training.
Rachet: Be ready also take these.
He held up several pairs of weights I hadn’t used. Legs waist and hands, these were x6 weight each so I got x64 weight on me now.
Holding myself up right and grind my teeth and I hold myself.
Baal: I...can't wait...until I’m...strong enough...to kick your...ass old man. I’m going...to repay all...this torture.
Rachet: Hehehe I’ll be waiting.
With heavy steps I walked in my demon form because I wouldn’t even be able to stand otherwise. I hid my wings to conserve mana and walk in from the front and start climbing upstairs.
The Dungeon had gained some new residents. One we met before when we first arrived here. Standing like a ball of distorted muscle and fat were a pack of trolls.
Baal: Trolls appeared huh. Must be a pain to kill.
I pull out my scythe and slowly walk into the room catching their attention. There are 6 in this room all holding large clubs half as tall as them, and as thick as their fat arms.
They all growled like animals as they walked towards me. All of them were releasing killing intent, showing they were high leveled creatures. Though I clearly remember how high leveled they were. After taking a club to the chest by a brute and slamming into the wall I would be hard pressed to allow that to happen even with all this extra weight on my back. I released my own killing intent which make the 6 grumbling masses freeze in their spots. The look in their eyes changes from that of “We are hunting prey” to “We are fighting for our lives”.
Their entire demeanor changed as well. They were just dragging the clubs behind them and walking just as a group but now they spread out and held the club on their shoulder ready to attack. I stood in the same spot about 10 meters away from the door. I was planning on staying as close as possible to this spot and move as little as possible. This will be worthwhile training. Seems the dungeons adapts to the strength of its leaders. I didn’t notice any Trolls yesterday but that could be because I was releasing almost fatal killing intent, so I probably scared them away.
The first troll to move in to attack came from the back to my left, and came with an overhead smash. I stepped forward while turning myself to the right while swinging my scythe in a circular motion. The moment the club smashed the spot I was at a moment ago, the scythe bore itself deep into the right side of his gut, right below the ribs. It dug in a good arm length in and as I pulled the scythe out his deep crimson blood gushed out as he roared in pain.
I look at the wound as it bled out and rapidly closed off but the damage was done, and it would need time to repair the internal damage.
With the cut closed the troll roared in rage and grabbed his club, and slides it along the ground before swinging it towards me horizontally. To counter it I plant my scythe into the ground and brace myself. The club hits the shaft like a bull hitting a cement wall and the power behind it was no joke but I did stop it. Caught off guard by this the troll looked with a stupid look on its disfigured face as I quickly spin my scythe and swing it horizontally through its neck, severing the head and killing it in one cut.
Like a big rock the head hits the ground with a loud thud as the body follows with a loud crash before it all turns to grey smoke leaving behind the club and a bottle of its blood. I never understood where the glass bottles appeared from, but then I remember Dok saying this world was a game to the foreigners, I understand where this nonsense feature comes from.
The other trolls look in shock at the fast kill of one of their brethren. Normally they would go into a frenzy to kill the culprit, but the way and how fast I killed him caused them to feel a tingle of fear. They grumbled a bit and three stepped forward at the same time. One came from behind while the other two came from the front. With a low sweep coming from the club of the troll behind me, an overhead swing from the one in the front left and a horizontal swing from the troll to the front right, it looked like they block most of my physically possible escape routes. I stick the scythe into the ground just behind me and hold it in place to stop the low sweep and begin casting magic.
Two large earth walls rise in front of me and block the clubs but not without being riddled with cracks. I turn to the one behind me to kill it before the walls are destroyed. Being basic level with earth magic and having so little affinity doesn’t help keeping them standing, so I try to end it like with the first one, but he seems to have expected that and blocks the incoming attack with his arm.
At the that moment the others break through and I see the remaining two joining the fight. I guess with things this bad I have no choice, or I’ll die.
My hand goes behind me and grabs the pitch black gun in its holster. I pull it out and aim it at the bastards face, and with a spell bullet loaded with the fire bomb spell I shot it right into his mouth and it activates inside him.
Though it doesn’t outright kill him it takes an incredible amount off his health, and I finish him up like the first one, while he kneels and roars in pain.
Before I could put my gun away, I see out of the corner of my right eye the huge club of one of the trolls coming towards my face, it connects with a resounding SMACK and it sends me flying into the wall.
Baal: Hehehe. I wasn’t careful enough. To be sent flying in such a similar fashion.
My eyes were now bloodshot as rage coursed through every fiber of my being. I felt like the weights got much lighter and I got faster.
They were roaring after hitting me, and the ball of fat that hit me was running towards me, ready to do so again. I was going to make him feel fear like never before. As he swung his huge club, I matched it with an upwards cut and my mana coated scythe ran right through the club. I pulled it and made sure to leave a large cut in the club.
He looks at it with wide eyes but I don’t stop there. I spin the scythe a few more times and all the swings pass through the club. With each swing another chunk fell off until there was just the little trunk that made up the handle.
In his eyes was uncontrollable amount of fear no troll had faced in a long time, since they were near the top of the food chain and few creatures could kill trolls with their annoyingly fast regeneration. He began trembling and reacted on instinct by dropping the handle and throwing a punch, only to have his arm chopped off. In his pain as he held his arm he fell to his knees. Forcing his eyes open he saw what he was truly up against. Releasing a steady stream of miasma and killing intent, the feathered man they were fighting was now only like a shadow with two glowing red eye piercing the darkness. He lifted the scythe and finally finished the troll off.
My eyes went from the lifeless troll to the 3 live ones. I felt a sudden burst of rage, and as if I had no extra weights on I vanished from my spot and appeared in the middle of two of them, and in a flash my scythe had cleaved the two of them in half. They didn’t even have time to scream in pain as their body faded in a cloud of grey smoke.
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When the last troll finally realized where I was the blade of the scythe was already flying through his head and finishing him off leaving the room in an eerie silence.
I looked up and bellowed out the rest of my rage and started to calm down. The miasma I had released I absorbed again and slowly my body began feeling the extra weight again. It was then that it felt like something hit my entire body, like a great hammer smashing me.
Do to exerting yourself in the berserk state you have gained the following penalties:
-30% HP
massive muscle pain
1 day -⅓ strength
I roared in pain as my body slammed into the ground under the weight. The pain along with the sudden drop in strength took me to my knees and just by sheer force of will I was able to stay on my knees and not lay completely on the ground.
Baal: This must be Rachets reason for taking my flight away. Guess I need to start trying to control my anger as well. Would be bad if after every fight I ended up with this happening
Still breathing heavily I stay on the ground on my knees not being able to move or remove the weights. After a half hour the pain in my head started to subside but the muscle pain was still there but I began to try and move. I let my waist tip backwards until I was sitting in the seiza position. My arms were still dropped down since I couldn’t move them and I was trying to move my legs so I could sit cross legged, but that wasn’t happening thanks to the ankle weights.
I sigh deeply and close my eyes. Might as well meditate then, at least while I do that I can pass the time and heal myself at a quicker rate.
I begin meditating and I could soon feel the mana around me. Slowly in my mind the room began to form but it was a transparent blue color. It lacked the details but I could more or less make out the room. This was the first time I had felt like this. I had felt mana while meditating before but it was never at such a level as this. As I look around the visible space slowly expands and the floor slowly begins to build itself. When the next room was forming I spotted several blue wisps in its center. It reminded me of a will-o-wisp. Its a fire elemental and is small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.
I knew better though, that wasn’t a will-o-wisp because it’s a monster not a demon. Even if Rachet has brought back goblins that have become guards, it wouldn’t attract them because me and Lilian aren’t monsters. I was sure those floating flames were trolls.
I couldn’t be sure if it was their mana or their soul but I knew it was them.
???: So this is where you’ve been.
I pulled myself back and slowly opened my eyes before I turned my head in the voices direction and looked out the corner of my eye. Rachet stood behind me with a blank face.
Baal: Thanks for telling me trolls were living in the dungeon.
Rachet: What happened they break something that isn’t letting you move?
I explain to him what happened and he raised a brow but pulled out a small key and unbuckled the waist weight and relieved me of a lot of weight allowing me to get up slowly.
Rachet: Berserk state has a hell of rebound doesn’t it. You need to control your temper from now on. Second and third rank higher demons and above can all enter frenzied berserker state. Its much more intense than a normal state of berserk. Power nearly triples but as you are feeling now your own strength goes down and it hurts like hell.
Baal: Mind helping me get to the library. I can walk but fighting is a bit beyond me at the moment.
He chuckles and begins walking forward with me following behind.
The walk was much faster and I got to see Rachet fight a bit more seriously than what I’ve ever gotten him to do. His hand to hand combat skills are amazing if not brutal. Punching a hole through a troll. Crushing his skull from behind while he is still alive. Cheap shots...Ya.
When we reached the 5th floor I was more than a bit interested, when I saw the wolf mini boss. He had grown nearly three times his original size and his black fire now had a metallic shine to it. His long canines were like daggers. His minions were all his original size. Rachet said he ranked up with the appearance of the trolls and making them a new stronger source of food. He was now a Steel Hide demon wolf as rachet called him. The lesser wolves were all Iron hide wolves and all had a much duller metallic shine to their fur.
Rachet: Hehehe this little puppies have been bringing in some really good gear. Leather armor with the strength of iron plates cant get better.
I couldn’t help smiling while I watch Rachet dominate the wolves easily. After a few were killed they all backed off including the boss. Seems Rachet has already domesticated them so that with just a few deaths, they retreat.
Doing just that we walk with Rachet’s 4 trophies to the sixth floor and to the library. He removed the weights before leaving me.
I walked in to the somewhat busy library with several minions and some townsfolk who were working in the library. I saw Dok near the back sitting over a mountain of books with 3 tables around him stacked with books. The one in the middle had lots of papers and ink wells and some new looking books on it. The other two varied from old and new books.
I grinned evilly as I walk forward.
Baal: Hey Dok.
I called out as I walk closed and return to my human form. He turns around and looks my way after hearing my call.
Dok: AH! Baal your back. I’ve been busy making new spells from all the magic tomes I could find in here, and surprisingly there are some good bo *Swish*
A sudden mass, that flew just past his face after I was in front of him just barely scratching his cheek, made him stop and look at me. I was smiling but my eyes weren’t. He moved his hand to where he felt a slight sting. Pulling his finger back and revealed bright red blood. His face completely paled, drained of blood.
Baal: That was for so readily making a teleportation circle to the underworld for Lilian.
Dok: …
No excuse came out of his mouth because his fears kept him from uttering even a little sound.
Baal: Now then what were you saying.
I sit down as if nothing happened and looked at him. With his mouth opening and closing without a word leaving I lean over and with a weak slap in the face I wake him up.
With a few blinks he stares at me with a blank expression.
Dok: That was horrible.
Baal: Your fault for doing something without thinking about the consequences.
Dok: Did I have a choice with a Lich looking over my shoulder.
Baal: Who is this Lich, I’ve heard about it.
He told me the details, name, position he had when he was in the Underworld. I sigh knowing full well that even Rachet wouldn’t be able to stop this kind of guy. I would say they were lucky they weren't killed by him.
I then pull out a few sheets and hand it to Dok.
Baal: Those are two combos for multigram circle formations I used. It has their effects and all the details about them as well as how it looks as it activates.
He looks them over. His face turns grim and his eyes bulge.
Dok: Hey hey, what the hell kind of spells are these. Seriously what's with the power behind them. And these rebounds.
Baal: Every spell like that overheats my gun. I think they have too much mana in each bullet and it can't handle it.
Dok: It’s not a high imp gun anymore right, why does it still have so much rebound.
Baal: The power of the bullets must be too much for it. The bullets are probably for larger guns.
I pull out a circle bullet. The bullet was a .28 bullet about as long as the top digit of my thumb. It gave off a faint blue glow but the groves in it gave off a different color after you set the spell.
I hand it to him. Though he has seen the normal 50 mana point bullet, this is the first time I let him see an almost complete circle spell bullet.
Dok: It really is packed with mana. I think you're right that it needs a higher caliber gun before it can be used.
Baal: Didn’t you make guns to begin with. Dont you know how to make ones that run on magic.
Dok: I’m no mage. What I know about magic i’ve learned here and its not on par with mages.
Baal: What about enchanters? Enchant a gun to shoot magic.
Dok: It will last only a few shots before wearing off or breaking the gun.
Baal: Fine I give up. Now come on we need to go start having the farms plant the crops.
Dok: Why do you need me?
Baal: Because you know more than I do about what needs to be done.
I grab him by the collar and start pulling him.
Dok: Hey stop...dragging me. I can walk...on my own.
Baal: To slow.
As he pulls I just kick his feet from under him and start dragging him towards the large window.
I drop him to open the window and then pick him up and toss him onto my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Dok: Now what are you doing!!!
Baal: What do you think we are flying to the storeage.
Before he could say anything I jumped.
His screams of terror were lost in the wind as we fell. As we passed the third floor I spread my wings and leveled before going up at a 45 degree angle and over the wall. All the while Dok was screaming his lungs out. To make it more fun I started doing a few barrel rolls and sped up before we reached the storeage where the seeds had been all unloaded.
(This whole scene you can think of as a roller coaster without seatbelts or supports)
Putting Dok down in front of the storeage he fell down and was fighting not to throw up. The demon farmers who were here waiting looked and a few chuckled saying how weak he was to flying.
I personally can’t blame him. I’ve been flying since I first got my transformation ability so I’m used to flying fast. Dok on the other hand isn’t.
He starts taking deep breaths and every few seconds he lets out a few curses before he feels woozy again and takes more deep breaths.
While he calms down I walked over to the farmers and start talking with them, and sees if they know what to do. Most of them shake their heads. Seems Dok only taught them how to prepare and fertilize the soil, which they have been doing since I left, we need to wait for him to recover. I unlock the storage to see what we have. Inside there is a few dozen boxes with an image of different crops on the side, the seeds were all stacked one on top of each other. There were a few different piles. Wheat other grains were in one pile together. Some other crops labeled were tomatoes, potatoes etc. Put simply there were seeds for every known crop here. Besides that, the king also added medical herbs and from the pictures on them a few seem uncommon.
Dok: Urg hey you're in here already.
I looked out and see Dok walk over with shaky legs.
Baal: Feel better?
Dok: No thanks to you.
Baal: So what are we going to do.
Dok: This. Everyone come over here.
He called all the farmers and with my help made a table with the boxes. He pulled out a newly made and very detailed map of the city. It had all the streets neatly drawn and each district was marked in a different color. Outside of the town walls were the fields all included with the proper distance it was made before it breaks into a new field.
Dok moved around a bit checking out the stock then came back and began writing to fields. When he showed everyone all the fields had a bold square drawn around the fields and within said square a name of different crops. Around 40% was for the grains, 10% for spices and the remaining 50% would split up into the other crops when the proper season came which would allow us to plant them.
Done showing where they need to go, Dok explained how to properly space the crops and how it should be planted. Using small 1 horse drawn cart we through different crops we could plant during the summer and they were dragged out.
The farms all belong to me and Lilian so the farmers work for commissioned and are paid properly for it. That said it became easy to recruit farmers from the highly unemployed demon villagers so there were more than enough free hands to plant the fields.
About 34% of the fields were actually be used every 3 months. The crops are supposed to grow quickly and in a month most should be ripe (damn game logic). This is why we can reuse the rotation method quickly in the first part of the field before allowing it to rest.
With that all set I help carry some of the boxes and then head to my next necessary conversation.
I tell Dok that I need to go and he can find me at the castle if he needs me. He nods and shoos me away. I almost fall over laughing seeing him do that but I hold myself back since I’ve done enough to him today.
I fly to the castle and from above I can see Rachet training the guards and Lona with him going a bit more hands on and up close to fix problems she spots.
A quick look through the ranks I find a few interesting differences. First off are the Orges. Not the 3 meter tall fat muscular brain dead idiots. These were were shorter about 230 cm, very muscular but not massively muscular that it would slow them down. Their face looks really human as well and if it wasnt for the green skin and the sharp lower canines you would mistake them for a really tall human. There were 10 Ogres like this and 5 large ones who are 3 meter tall and would look like bulls if they bend over on all fours.
Below them were hobgoblins. They look like 12-16 year old young kids. Fit from the training, ones more than others, green skin with the girls having a human like face while the boys vary a bit since they still look very goblin like. Around 40 of these.
The last were the goblins. Short about 80-100 cm tall green skin, boys bald, while girls with short hair. None were skinny like those from the dungeon and all looked strong enough to match a low level adventurer. There were some 100 of them.
I land behind Rachet who was yelling at the Ogres.
Baal: Hey Rachet. Hey how did you get so many variant Ogres?
Rachet: Hey Prince. I made sure they weren’t dumb asses and had Dok teach them like kids. Basic studies you know, this made them different from normal and as such most come out like this.
Baal: I think your training could also have a made a difference. Anyway i need to talk with you about something.
Rachet: What?
Baal: Well...We need to build an outpost to make the forest safe.