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The Era Before(Discontinued)
Chapter 29 - Hopes Last Chance

Chapter 29 - Hopes Last Chance

  Never again will I feel as powerless as I did those first few days. Bronzebeard heard my belly grumble earlier and is currently inside, he said something along the lines of cooking up the finest meal for the finest lass around.

I’m not used to being complimented or praised, never was as Ryu, and he’s the first as Rosie. I’m not sure if it’s just because he's a horn dog or not though. Maybe I should break it to him now that I’m technically a lesbian. I also need to ask him what the fuck that godsmith thing was about. Behind me lays the armor that me and him managed to whip up, he sure is a damn fine craftsman.

I wasn’t sure at first how this would go because of the fact he probably mostly dealt with metals, yet he perfected it beyond belief, even better than I had envisioned in my mind. I was interrupted as I was thinking things over again.

“Hey lassie! Are ya ready for the finest meat a dwarf can offer?” A mischievous grin was plastered over his face, but somehow managed to hold a minor amount of respect too. I was being brought to his dinner table that was made simply of wood, but had a nice orangish brown shine to it.

Sat upon said table lay probably ceramic plates filled to the brim, all kinds of meat, vegetables I’ve never even seen before. It looked almost like a feast, there were legs of meat waiting to be grasped, heavy tankers filled with hopefully water, and large sections of vegetables, the lovely aroma hit my face like a shield slam worthy of breaking teeth.  

My mouth started to water with the same ferocity as the earlier encounter of Elzare shooting a tsunami out his fucking hand. Thank the blanket goddess for this lovely little dwarf. He even just pulled the chair out for me. Happily accepting, I sat down on one end of the table, and he went over to the other end. The chair was a little small, I’m starting to really regret choosing my height as the max a fucking human can have.

I thought it would be noble looking and shit, I didn’t imagine on the character screen the thought of sitting in a chair from a dwarfs house. I decided not to complain, but to my surprise he got up, and approached me.

“Ahh lass, truly a kind soul to not say anything, get up for a sec” my curiosity got the best of me, and to my fucking surprise, he grabbed the wooden chair, and somehow started morphing it. His hands touched the wood, and the back of the chair shrank as the actual sitting portion of it widened. Not letting the opportunity go, I decided to mess with him.

“You trying to say the size of my reary dear wasn’t adequate for your chair Mr Dwarf?” instead of him blushing like normal, he actually confidently replied.

“Ahahaha! There isn’t a chair in the world that could provide comfort for the size of that tushie! Now don’t let my good will go bad. Please have a seat, my lassie”

Taking my seat again much more comfortably, we decided to chow down. I also decided I’d tell him something, before the charade goes on too long.

“I’m a lesbian Bronzebeard”

His reply was that of extreme laughter as he coughed on some food, furiously pounding his chest.

“Oh, lass! You’re killing me over here! How hot of forge flames do you think this poor dwarven sword can handle before it breaks!?”

I think that means he thinks I’m even hotter now.

“Thank you for all the compl-”

“Lass, settle down. Lemme ask you something. Do you think fine jewels cut by the finest craftsman aren’t worth looking at if they lay behind glass? Or heck, do you think the jewels lose value in the most secure dwarven built vaults?”

“Well no.. but what doe-”

“You are a jewel, lass. Not just any ole emerald or amethyst, you are a diamond, one that shines brighter than any forge I’ve ever seen. I don’t just want the diamond, or in what you may be thinking between your legs, naye. I just want to see a pretty diamond, even if it’s behind glass. Though I wouldn’t mind seeing some lesbian action behind some glass either! I’ll always accept the invite” He managed to wink at me, and believe it may or may not have made my heart skip a beat.

Not of love for him, in fact I still would never dream of being with a guy, but instead of the sincerity that he just managed. What a fucking charmer, I bet he gets load of action.

“Thanks for that Bronzebeard, I hope we can get along just like this for a very long time.”

“Aye, me too lass.”

“I wanted to ask you something as well.. What exactly is a Godsmith?” A small tremble of sweat could be seen moving down his brow,

“Uhh.. what makes you ask that all of a sudden?”

“Made by apprentice Godsmith Rosie, and Godsmith Bronzebeard was at the bottom of the inspection window of the armor we made.”

“For Eldrils Sake! I was told it wouldn’t show on my work!”

“Maybe because it was our work instead?”

I could see him admit a defeated look, and slump back into his chair after being worked up.

“I, Bronzebeard the fifth, and Godsmith to Eldril, am a loyal servant to Eldril, and forge weapons for him in my spare time, this little village and simple swords I make for the local guards is all a facade. I am sorry for the deceit, but its suppose to be a secret, in fact, I probably shouldn’t of just told you lass! I have a strong feeling about you though, I’m sure Eldril would forgive me if he ever found out.”

“Bronzebeard, what level are you?” I tried inspecting him earlier, but the entire thing was question marks, not even his name.

“Believe it or not lass, I’m only level 12! Not much experience in terms of combat is given when you are working in a forge for so many years, my only exception would be my dwarven strength brimming out every pore!” He spoke with confidence as he stood one foot on the table and started flexing.

“Oh, by the way lass, I also made this as a gift for you while you were cleaning yourself. Figured I’d pay back the extra 50 bronze from the silver you tossed me.”

Brittle Fake Smile

Made from an extremely demolished Erkins skull. Reinforced with leather to avoid scratches or discomfort from the bones, fashioned on useing a strap mechanism similar to a belt. The mouth piece almost looks like a forced smile where the teeth of the Erkin once were. As with all head protection, this provides less chance of a critical hit from head damage.

Defence + 5

Durability 50/50

Made by: ???

It was pretty much an Erkin skull that was carved out to fit my face, then glued? Or somehow infused with leather where my face would be inserted. It had pretty much a belt buckle to tie to my face, and the Antlers were chipped off. There was cracks all along it, but still held sturdy.

“Thank you again. You are a damn fine craftsman, and a person who’s company I deeply enjoy. I should be able to kick some major ass with this getup now!” Forgetting about being modest, my true self was starting to show, Ryu that is. I was getting excited about being powerful, it was a great feeling to be honest.

“Whoa lass! Don’t go start challenging no gods or anything with some simple bone armor! But I’m glad you enjoy it. Maybe you could pay me back, I hear cuddling with a fine lassie, such as yourself, can go for quite a lot around these parts!”

“You fuck! With the difference in our size, you cuddling would equate to the perfect position, wouldn’t it?”

“That it would.. That… it would.” He was clearly lost in his imagination.

“Alright beardo, I’m going to go back home, good night! Thanks again for making everything and showing me so much.”

“Don’t mention it! You alright walking home? Who am I kidding, I saw what you did to those Erkin, don't hesitate to ask for an escort back though, all jokes aside, I am a gentleman.. Er.. dwarf.”

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“Maybe another time, if it makes you feel better, I’ll equip my armor first for a test drive.” Slowly I’m tying up, and attaching every piece we made all through the day, the final thing being the Erkin skull that was being brought closer to my face in my right hand.

My vision was mostly brown from the hide, then slowly filled back up through the holes that were once its eye sockets. I felt like a total fucking bad ass, not going to lie. Underneath the armor I still had my simple green garbs so I wasn’t a scantily clad whore.

“Goodnight, beardo! I’ll be off.”

I found myself completely enamored by the armor that I wore, inspecting my gauntlets that held spiked bones out like a famous grumpy comic book hero. Admiring how fine of string that held the gauntlets together, tapping on the bones while meeting extreme resistance. I was satisfied for now, with this I could comfortably deal with anything roughly around my level.

I continued my stroll through the dark village, occasionally getting glances from a guard holding a torch patrolling. Some even stopped to ask for my identity, which was understandable. Most shrieked back in fear at the mention of Rosalin though. Guess they heard about my earlier Erkin present I dragged through the streets, and now saw just exactly what I did with it.

Getting closer to the outskirts of the village, I saw one of the most horrifying sites ever. Hundreds.. No.. Thousands of grey goblins were marching forward, some holding torches, and some.. Holding the sad familiar pain of spears.

They were marching right towards the fucking village, why haven’t the guards rang a bell or some shit yet!? For christ sake! Turning around to inform the guards, I saw the headless corpse of one of them that I recently walked by, inside his decapitated skull near him was a dark, almost mist like dagger. No.. fuck me. GOD DAMMIT. They could be surrounding me, right now, where?

Where the fuck at? Scanning my eyes over every single inch of the village, all I could see was shadows. This is a battle I can’t win, I need to get Elzare, right now, but the goblins are getting closer, my god what do I do? What do I fucking do??

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POV Change(Rosie to Village Child)

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“Mommy, what do you think that loud noise is? I can’t sleep, it sounds like lots of people are stomping”

“Sweetie, I just started hearing it too, I’m kind of worried as well. What if it’s a planet shake? You stay here my little pot pie, I’ll go ask the captain, see what we should do.”

Watching my mom leave the house through the window, I couldn’t believe my eyes, she looked down the street and looked scared, by what? Looking further down the window as I moved my face as tight as I could, I saw grey little kids with long ears! Before I could run out into the street, a black sword was stuck in her head. I wanted to hide, I wanted to run.. But my mommy.. Before I could move I was already opening the door, running to my mom, crying as I knew she was dead.

I heard the slow sound of the the grey kids walking behind me. I’m scared.. Mommy.. I grabbed her still warm hand and prayed. The loudest thing I’ve ever heard before came into my ears, it sounds like the biggest tiger that could ever exist, a scary feeling went up my back bones.

Taking what might be my last chance, I turned around to run in the house, but.. The grey things were walking back now? What.. whats going on? I’m not sure why.. But I felt like I should follow them. I knew in my heart, that my mommy was gone. I didn’t see any light in her eyes. I felt the need to see what the things that killed my mommy would do next

Staying away and hiding behind the cover of each house, I watched the grey things walk along the street. After what felt like hours and being near the outside of the town, I soon saw too many to count going to one point. In the middle stood a tall woman, easily 3 of me put on top of myself, wearing a skull on her face. There was a open area around her as many many tiny little hands held onto their weapons, it looked.. It looked like they were shaking.

The tall lady flashed in and out of the torch making light, one second she stood still, the next bright light of a torch, she had her arm stuck inside one of them, moving him around, almost holding him like a shield. The next torch light up, and the things body had more wooden sticks in it than I could count fingers. Torches fell to the floor one after another, giving light to the thing I was seeing, there was pretty lights in the sky too, something I can’t understand, it looked like when mommy tried to start a fire, with dark stuff floating through the light.

It was amazing. With so many torches on the ground, I could easily see the lady now. She had blood drawn into her armor, there was a long metal stick deep inside her, and it looked like her left arm was broken. But.. she held still, not moving, the light around her was red for some reason, not from the torches anymore.

No.. she was making red light somehow, her hair was starting to stand straight up, the golden colors I thought I saw before, are now all red. The next second, she pulled the long metal stick out, and threw it into the big bunch of grey monsters, I could hear the sounds of it hitting them, and see them fall down one after another. I heard a loud scream, that felt like something really really evil just spoke to me.

“HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU GUYS!? NOT.. FUCKING YET” She spit blood onto the ground that had lots of torches on it.

She was almost sitting now.. After a few seconds of coughing up blood, she.. Well.. she put her hand inside one of the long eared grey kids, pulled out a red thing, and just ate it like an apple in one bite. Her arm looked better after she did that, but for some reason, she broke it right after, with her other arm! They were dying a lot, and I could maybe count them now if I tried hard enough and had time. I actually thought she could win, but my happiness went away. Another long metal stick was flying like a bird, and stoped right in her head.. She fell down, with it still there in her head, she was now laying wierd as the metal stick held her up.

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Active Ability Unlocked: Hope’s Last Chance Must have Higher than 50 hope. Week Cooldown.

For maintaining above 70 hope while you defend someone or something, with no chance of winning, you’ve unlocked a powerful ability young paladin. Drain 2 Hope a second, restore 2% of your total health a second, and with every second active, your stats multiply by 2.

Ability is turned off once at or below 10 hope. You will be left in a very vulnerable state with only 10 hope to keep you clinging, as I’ve said before, hope does affect you mentally young paladin, use with extreme caution.

Almost ready to turn away and run for the guards, I saw a movement to the lady, not of dying though. She grabbed the metal stick with both her hands, and slowly pulled herself up, one hand after another, rising back to her feet off the big stick that was clearly inside her head, with a gross sound from each pull of her hands up.

The red light she was making that came out of her before was now getting really big, bigger with every second, it was like the brightest light of a mage fireball. The light kept getting bigger and bigger, I could feel light on my face, it actually.. Made me feel safe. The sound of like a wolf or something could be heard, except it was from the tall lady instead. The red light was getting bigger and smaller really really fast now.

The grey things heads started jumping into the sky, one after another before the last one could fall back down, a grey thing was on her arm with lots of wooden sticks inside him. The next second gone again, I couldn’t see her.  With every second that went on the huge group was getting smaller.

The red light she made was getting smaller too, and she was coughing up blood with many many wooden sticks and cuts in her clothes, the light was super small, and only getting smaller. With many many torches on the ground now, I saw a big pile of the grey things dead, all across the forest, some were on trees, other’s just a blood mark now. She was.. Crying now.. Crying walking into the forest. Behind her, there wasn’t anything left moving.

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POV Change(Village Child to Rosie)

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“Hi, Rosie. I can’t say this is the best way to meet again, I always figured I’d get you from good ole normal hp drain, not by that Hope stat. Had to take a few other crimson paladins that way too ya know?”

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Voices inside Rosies head, not nessasarily flashbacks to the past

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I’m shaking violently, edging closer and closer towards the closest clift I can find in the dark forest. KILL YOURSELF.. YOU'RE WORTHLESS. A piece of trash that's only need is to be wrapped around a mans cock. SHUT UP!? Or what? You’ll hurt me? Good.. good. Just let it end. You were a failure as Ryu, and a failure as Rosie. You’ll never amount to anything!? Why were you born..

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The past

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Flashes of my father standing above me, hitting me with his belt entered my mind “You worthless bastard! No asian cunt is worth having to help support a child, especially now that I’ve just lost my fucking job. God fucking dammit, that's right, lay there like the dog you are, I need to get some steam out before your whore of a mother gets back. That’s right, your mother is a fucking whore, caught her running around the other night, you think I’m the bad guy? You wanna know who you can blame for this? Your fucking mother” Smack, another loud crack of the belt against my face, relentlessly.

Hope.. Cri.. 3. rem..

Soon the door was opened, my mother stood there shocked staring at me. Before I realized it, she had a lamp in her arms, and held it really high into the air, slamming it down.. Over.. and over.. And over again. Soon the blood stains of my father lay across my face, deep red.. Almost crimson. She never stopped while I watched her, there was no break in the rhythm, soon all that was left was a blood stain where my father's head once was.

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Current

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“Ya know kid, I don’t really want to take you like this.” I felt that warm feeling of taking a bath that never ends, firmly on my shoulder. Me and death stood sitting on a cliff, with his hand held on my shoulder. I don’t know how long it’s been, the sun was starting to come up.

“I’ve been raped 72,402 times. When I determine how a soul lives, I have to live through it to see it’s actions. I can feel everything, I can see everything. I’ve been murdered even more. The worst thing of all, is that I don’t even have a soul. I can never die, never be reincarnated into any fucking thing, no.. just me.”

“I like you, I don’t get to remember many faces because of the fact my first encounter, has always been my last for most. You.. you though. You seem to linger around death. A familiar face I could get used to, one that's not half bad to look at either!” A heartfelt slap on the back was felt in my mindless state. I appreciated his effort, but I just can’t.

Free falling from death's grasp into the air, I couldn’t go on.

“That’s such a shame Rosie”

Blackness embraced me. I’m ready.

Ho.. 1.

“Foolish girl!” I felt the strong embrace of arms wrapped around me as I was free falling. A strong sense of protection came over me. Blackness still embraced me though, soon.. There was nothing.