“So,” the Foxman sighed softly at the children. Dawn had finally approached their location, causing him to wonder if the world's rotation was extra slow or if it were far too grand than Terra's. Either way, he enjoyed the sunrise as he was want to do, which caused the children to mill about their small campsite with questions in their eyes upon his return. For the pair had awoken with him gone, and believed in it strongly enough for Puella to she a few tears. Upon his return, however, she she clung to his right leg and giggled as he lifted her as he walked.
Now, on the other hand, came the time for them to choose what they were to do.
“So,” he repeated slowly, taking them from the campsite and towards the road. Of which was devoid of bodies with only a few scraps of clothing and armaments scattered about, “You two have a choice. You can journey by yourselves, or you can come with me.
“If it is the latter, I cannot promise much beyond the necessities of daily life. Such as sustenance and clothing. If I can procure us a wagon with a top and a horse to draw it, then I can also promise shelter, of a sorts. For now, there will be a lot of walking until we get to the next town.
“So, which will it be? Go about your business alone, or come with me?” He held out a paw towards them, and the dark haired girl immediately jumped at it before rushing over and hugging his leg whilst staring at her friend with pleading eyes.
Lupa, however, frowned as she contemplated the offer, drawing up her Quest. It still contained the red errors, but she couldn't make out anything it said. Not to mention it said for her and Puella to survive the night, and had yet to change due to it being a little after dawn. However, her friend wanted to go with the “Fluffy Foxman” as she had called him, and his fur was indeed soft underneath her hands, but he killed a lot of people despite them being Slavers.
“Muu,” groaned Puella, who frowned at her friend's indecisiveness, “Please?” The girl's eyes widened, hoping it would have the same affect on her as a puppy would.
Sighing and giving up, the wolf-eared girl nodded out a, “Okay. We'll go with you.”
“Splendid,” he clapped his paws together into a muffled clap, “Command... Yes, yes, yes,” he waved at something that was annoying him, “Invite these two to join us.”
“Huh?” The girls tilted their heads off to one side, then widened their eyes as a black placard with silver words tinged in red appeared before their very eyes.
WARNING!
You are about to leave the System Anunaki to join System (Unnamed)!
Doing so will incur the wrath of God King Anu and all others under his rule!
Note: Due to the transference between non-allied Systems, all stats will be reset, all levels brought down to 1. Any gained Titles will be lost during the transference; Races and Classes will have to be re-chosen upon entering the System (Unnamed)!
Do you wish to initiate the transfer?
Y/N
“Yes!” called out Puella, pressing the Y almost immediately.
“Wait, Puella! No!” shouted her friend as she tried to stop the dark haired girl, but it was a moment too late.
For just as she had pressed the Y on the placard, did a white light enveloped her body completely. Thus leaving Lupa to gape and slowly turn her head towards Karas who had become an Elf once more after the light appeared. Whereupon listened as he growled at some unknown entity whilst a white bat on his head squeaked in agreement with him. “Give her my class, Command... No, not everything, just
“What do you mean, 'that's not possible'?... I don't want to hear your excuses, Command... So give her ears and a tail. Gods below!” he threw his hands up into the air, turning towards Lupa whilst commenting, “Bloody System thinks it can deny me access. Hah!”
“Uh?” she didn't have anything to say, but the light surrounding her friend died down soon afterwards. Whereupon the wolf-eared girl gasped at the sight of Puella, who wore a pink robe with a small staff which mimicked Karas's own. What is more, atop her head were a pair of triangular-like points sticking up around the centre of her head. Of which twitched every now and again as the girl blinked as looked around with wide eyed wonder.
Here, she released several curious noises as she stared about herself. Whereupon she noted something twitching under her new robes. Carefully lifting them up, she spied a little raven coloured tail twitching uselessly a couple centimetres off the ground. This led to her dropping the robe in order to feel atop her head, where she widened her eyes to saucer-like rounds as she released an ear piercing, “YAY!
“Look, Lupa!” her small body scampered over to her friend who was staring in surprise, “I have ears just like you!”
“Wha-?”
“You should have gotten a placard in front of you stating that your Race would change the moment you became a part of my System,” interjected Karas who was staring at something for his eyes only. A little white head peaked out from underneath his silver mane and released a small squeak before vanishing underneath once more.
“What's a Sis-em?” wondered Puella with a tilt of her head.
“System,” corrected the Elf, who swiped away whatever was in front of his eyes before shrugging, “I guess you can call it my 'Territory', or what it'll start as, anyway.”
“So what,” growled Lupa, throwing up an arm before her friend as though to protect her from the adult before them, “we're your property?”
To which he snorted a laugh, “Far from it. You two are to be the first to join, which means you'll have preferential privileges which will keep you from ever being someone's property ever again.”
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“And what do you get out of it?” her eyes drooped to a glare, whereas Puella twirled around in happiness from her new robe, cat tail and ears.
“For now?” her head bobbed as he spoke, then frowned as he pointed towards her friend, “An apprentice with Puella, as she has my class and doesn't know how to utilise it, but you?” His finger drifted down towards the centre of her chest, “I don't know. Though I am quite sure you two come as a duo, it would be rather upsetting to her if you don't join. Because she has no way of escaping from my system, after all.”
“You bastard,” she growled, her hands clenched, much to Karas's delight as he grinned down upon her.
“I suggest you hurry and decide, dear Lupa, else she will have to leave you behind. There is a lot of ground to cover, and I would hate to leave a child, such as you, behind and with nowhere to go,” he folded his arms, the grin fading to a small smile, “So? Will you be joining us or not?”
“Fine,” the wolf-eared girl spat, and pressed the Y. As soon as she did so, the world around her became as bright as pure white. Just like the light which engulfed Puella moments ago.
*
“Command,” growled Karastak, as another placard appeared before his eyes. One which had the name of Lupa emblazoned across the top, and below was an array of Races and Classes she could acquire after the transfer is complete.
“[Awaiting Command,]” spoke the monotonous and subdued voice of Command. Of which had long since regretted attaching itself to one as cruel as this newly born Demon Lord, but had a plan to free itself.
Unfortunately, such a thing was quashed before it even began, as its master ordered, “You are not to turn anyone, including the children present, into Heroes or Heroines. Nor will you cause any soon to be born children later down the road to have the class of Hero or Heroine. This also stretches to summoning either Heroes or Heroines. Do you understand?”
“[...Cannot comply with-]”
“Command. Who is it that's in charge? Me or you?” the Elf's tone became one full of danger. So much so that it gulped in response to the pressure.
“[...You are...]”
This announcement caused the danger to pass, as Karastak smirked, “Correct. Now, change Lupa into a silver and white Wolfgirl with the works, and give her the Defender Class. It'll be best suited for her desire to protect her friend over there,” he waved a hand at Puella as she twitched her tail and widened her eyes in anticipation of her friend emerging from the light, “Oh, and if you cause her any pain like you did me, Not even Puella will save you from what I will do to you.”
To which Command shivered in terror, as the Elf-thing grinned a malicious and terrible grin that would haunt even the most stoic of peoples' nightmares.
*****
“There it is again!” exclaimed a voice within a shadowed void near the world of Azzarath, one which accompanied a gnarled finger and a hooked claw as it pointed upon a representation of the world nearby.
Next to this unknown were a pair of silver, slitted eyes which narrowed as the clawed finger pointed towards a brief flare of light upon its surface. “How many?” asked a silk ridden voice beneath the eyes.
“This is the third time Command has spotted the disturbances, but it's the second one I've seen,” responded the former, who shrugged their hidden shoulders with confusion, “You showed up during this last one, so it can't be a coincidence, right?”
“No,” agreed the latter, whose eyes narrowed further and quoted, “'Once is an accident, twice a coincidence, thrice a pattern'. Is there anyone we can send that is nearby?”
“No,” a great head creaked upon strained muscles and worn bones, “The closest ones are still in Synthanos, and the second closest are still at sea.”
“Hmm. Have them alerted to the problem, and send them to look into it. If more of these pop up, then notify me first.”
“What of our Lord Father, Anu?”
“No,” the silvered eyes vanished for a time, then reappeared, “Let him enjoy his 'meetings' with Ishtar. I'll be in the Library until then.” Upon so saying, the eyes vanished from the Void Space, leaving the unknown creature to frown as the unknown lights disappeared.
*
Outside the Void Space, the pair of silvered eyes gave way to the rest of its body. In that it was the shape of an elegant Human female with waist length hair of the same colour as her eyes, she stood at a tall height of two and a half metres. Upon her body was a thin shift of mist linen which left much of her figure bare to the world, but gave little acknowledgment to such a thing. For she had long ago given up such notions of clothing when she became an Immortal.
Now, however, she desired to enter their Library, and took out a blood red key with the image of a closed book upon the handle. This was then inserted into the open air before her person, and twisted a full turn before a loud click echoed throughout the region of space. Whereupon a door like none other opened before herself as she retracted the key, and entered inside a cathedral sized area full of hundreds of thousands of books lining an equal number of shelves.
All around her was the smell of newly printed manuscripts, as ghostly wanderers hustled and bustled as they took care of each shelf by hand. Of course, some noted her presence, but the rest merely ignored her as she made her way towards the centre where a circular counter lay with an ancient ghost minding it.
“Ah, my Lady Riveene,” bowed the ghost, its voice like sandpaper upon smooth river stones, “What can I do for you?”
“I wish to know if any of the Books of Azzarath have gone missing as of late,” she spoke with a frown upon her delicate lips, “There've been a few developments upon the surface, and I'd like to know if anything is missing before approaching our Lord Father, Anu.”
“Yes, of course my Lady Riveene.” Once more, the ghost bowed low, and brought up its own placard. Whereupon it immediately frowned, summoned up a few wanderers, and sent them towards an unknown sector of the Library.
“Problem?” she asked with a piqued interest.
“Maybe,” was its reply as the ghost pursed its fleshless lips. After which the spectres summoned returned with empty hands, and vanished from sight as the Librarian's form changed from translucent white to an opaque crimson.
“THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!” it howled, smashing a pair of great hands down upon the counter, and breaking it apart as the ghost grew three times its height, “WHO DARES TO TAKE MY BOOKS WITHOUT MY EXPLICIT PERMISSION?!”
“Calm yourself, good Librarian,” she waved at the ghost, whose form had doubled in size so that it was more than half again her height, “We are looking into the situation right now, and have an idea on where to start. So calm down until we have more of an idea on what's going on.”
Whereas the other growled and fumed before reverting back to its original self, the counter reconstructing itself until it was whole once more. Thus leading to the woman to leave the Library with a frown upon her lips, unsure of what was happening.