*Thoughts*
~Sound effects~
+”Whispers”+
+++++
Chapter 43: Banquet
To do so Neuron first went to the kings working desk and took a pen and paper, wrote something on it and placed it near the snoring king on his bedside table then he went towards the window to climb out of it but on his way there he glimpsed towards the wardrobe while thinking
*That ain´t enough* so he turned around opened the wardrobe and grabbed all the clothes that where inside and put them in his backpack while also placing another note inside, then he got another idea, grabbed the paper he placed near the King and added something on it.
*That should do the trick* Neuron thought with a devilish smile before he turned around and finally climbed out of the window. Once he was outside Neuron closed the window shut and put his hand on the glass he cut out and put it back into place. Then he connected it with the window while thinking *I don’t want anyone to know that the smiling Chinese came through the window*.
After he was done Neuron examined the part he cut out *Good, it is nearly invisible, only if you look at it from an angle it will be spotted*
Satisfied with his work he went back into the attic and placed himself on the highest beam to sleep while smiling viscously.
At sunrise Neuron was woken up by a loud shout full of terror and because of that he couldn’t help but crack into loud laughter which luckily was overshadowed by the noise of guards breaching open the door to the king’s quarter while shouting.
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After a good sleep the king woke up and went out of his bed and there he saw a note laying on his bedside table and without much thinking he opened and read it, and read it again, then he became as pale as a sheet and while dropping the note a shout full of terror left his mouth and immediately afterwards he was sure that he heard someone laughing, but since the two guards who were stationed in front of his door breached it open he forgot about that because the room was filled with loud shouts
“Majesty, what happened!” one of the guards shouted but the king could only point towards the note which laid on the ground with a trembling finger. The guard who shouted understood and rushed to pick the note up and read it becoming as pale as a sheet himself.
“Hey what’s the matter” his companion asked so the guard gave him the sheet for him to read.
* It seems the assassination failed.
PS. By the way, build an orphanage!
If not, I’ll come again!
Was written on the paper while beneath it a scribble was painted everyone who lived inside Saramas knew of.
The guard who read the note first rushed towards the window and opened it while shouting:”Alert, Alert, the Smiling Chinese is inside the castle!”
After he shouted this he went back to the king to calm him while a maid silently went inside to help the king change into his working clothes, but once she opened the wardrobe she silently fainted, luckily one of the two guards was nearby and able to catch her after he placed her on the ground he looked inside the wardrobe to see what scared her.
Inside the wardrobe was, nothing, only one note stuck to the lonely clothe hooks that where left inside
http%3a%2f%2fs8.postimg.org%2fvmhezjul1%2fface_001.jpg [http://s8.postimg.org/vmhezjul1/face_001.jpg]
Now rage overcame the guard and so he just shouted his frustration out loud while beneath him every guard rushed out of their quarters to search for the individual who dared to commit such a crime.
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Neuron satisfied with the results prepared himself something to eat and then he went back to training. Of course he installed something like an alarm to the hatch which was the only way to get inside the truss from inside the tower. This alarm was rather simple, Neuron just attached a thread to it which pulls on his hair once the hatch gets pulled downwards which wasn`t a good idea but it was most effective.
Immersed in his training Neuron completely blocked out the shouts and swears the guards produced while searching the whole castle for the intruder and because of that he couldn`t hear the guards talking under the hatch so he got the surprise of his live once the hatch was opened.
Because the hatch was designed to fall down while the ladder that was fastened on it opened itself the force executed on his hair was greater than Neuron thought and so he couldn’t react in time.
Neuron only felt a tugging force on his hair and then he lost his footing and fell down the beam, luckily his first reaction was to cancel the thread which was pulling him down and then he crashed onto the beam below while the whole air inside his lungs got pressed outside.
Now laying on the beam while gasping for air Neuron heard the heavy footsteps of the soldiers who were climbing the ladder so he rose up while grunting in his mind and then he climbed back up to his hiding place which was at the highest beam. He chose that place because it is hard to see from down below because the other beams where restricting the vision of anyone who tried to look up, also it was dark enough to hide his outlines completely.
So now Neuron was laying flat on the beam peeking down to see what the guards where doing. One after the other five guards climbed up the ladder and while moving around the attic they looked everywhere, but the floor of the truss couldn´t provide anyone cover so they immediately regrouped and one said:
“Hey can anybody of you climb?”, this of course preoccupied Neuron but what came next was even harder for him.
One of the guards raised his hand and then he motioned his comrades to give him a leg-up because he wasn`t able to reach the first beam by himself. Once he was on the beam he walked around on it while looking for a way up and because he couldn´t spot any he shouted back:”This is a dead end, nobody would be able to climb up there!”
“Just go to that beam protruding from the one you stand on, yes that one who sustains the tip of the roof” the one who was the leader of the group said annoyed after the guard who was on the beam pointed towards it:”hurry up!” he added because the guard who was on the beam wasn`t moving
“No way am I climbing that, just look at it, anyone who tries is going to ruin his hands by all the splinters!”
“Do it, or I am going to report you to the king!” and because the guard feared what a completely frightened king would do once he hears that he refused to scout out a possible hiding place that savage who broke into his room could use. At first it went rather well, he embraced the beam and began climbing but after a few meters he began sliding back down and then he just let go while shouting in pain.
*Idiot* Neuron thought while holding his mouth to prevent any sound leaving it because he was on the verge of laughing out loud *for something like that use a rope and wrap it around and then just climb with little steps*
After the guard crashed down everyone else run towards him to see what happened, and they soon noticed a giant splinter that pierced trough his heel of hand while pointing out at the other side then they looked at each other and one said:”Guess he was right”
After hearing this the guy who climbed let out a barrage of swears while clutching his injured hand
“Shut up” the the leader shouted while gripping the splinter and pulling it out in one go which was accompanied by screams of agony while Neuron shivered due to the cruelty showed *Is that guy crazy, splinters hurt like hell!*
After that the truss went quiet again while from the pleasure garden many voices shouting orders could be heard while a shipment of more guards was on its way towards the castle but Neuron paid these things no mind, he just seated himself on the beam and went back to training.
During the afternoon Neuron got a system message:
* Due to your efforts an orphanage has been build.
Satisfied with the result Neuron decided to take a break.
While Neuron was diligently taking a nap a huge bomb hit the online forums and all of that happened because one single person completed his job.
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After a good sleep Kyle woke up inside his bed and while stretching himself he thought. *God, I haven`t slept so good in ages*
Afterwards he stood up and went into the bathroom to take a cold shower and after that was done a hearty breakfast was in order. After Kyle ate his fill he went back to his computer, turned it on and while cracking his finger joints he said to himself:”Let’s finish editing the video”
After a little bit more than an hour Kyle leaned back on his seat and pressed the send button before turning off the computer, then he went out of his flat to take a little walk since he was somehow feeling the need to move himself, and since he wasn`t living inside a concrete jungle the walk turned out to be longer than he anticipated because he was admiring the surrounding nature
Of course he saw way greater sceneries while he and Neuron travelled through the Willamar mountain range, but just knowing that it wasn`t real is able to dull even the greatest experience.
So Kyle returned to his home after two hours. As soon as he undressed his shoes he went to his Computer and turned it on while he went into his little kitchen to make himself a sandwich, now munching on it Kyle returned to his PC and opened the website where he posted the video and after he saw the viewer counts and comments he couldn´t believe his eyes, it where already over 10.000 views, and this for a channel who wasn`t getting much attention from the masses, to be true the viewer count never went up over 2.000 for all the videos Kyle already posted!
*Holy cow, these are already more comments than I am able to read within a day!* Kyle thought astonished, but he still began to read the comments which read like follow:
“I have to try this too!”, “can`t believe no one had such an idea”, “great idea guys!”, “I gotta try this” “how the hell did you make those skies, I want a pair” “Do you sell skies?!”, “wow look at those jumps!” and so on.
Satisfied about all those comments Kyle just leaned back while thinking *Neuron your ideas are just great* and Kyle just couldn’t stop his train of thought: *although most of the time they are suicidal*
After he was done reading some of the comments, they were posted at lightning speed one post caught his eye since the username was Unicorn Corporation:”This video is now added to the list of the best videos of the week
“Really!?” Kyle shouted and so he immediately went to the homepage of unicorn to check if it was true, there he could clearly see his video at the top of a list composed out of five different ones and of course he clicked on it.
There he noticed a description beneath the video which read like follow:
Congratulations to the Players Kyle and Neuron for coming up with such an idea; this is what we (the members of Unicorn Corp.) intended when we encouraged the players to find new ways to enjoy the game.
As a reward you are exempted from paying the monthly fee for the next month.
“Yeah!” Kyle shouted at the top of his lungs *I have to write Neuron about this!* he thought and then he immediately jumped into the capsule
* Time till you can log on again: 12h 23min
After this video was posted a new fad made its round in Royal road, this was to climb new Mountains and then down go down again, some even managed to build themselves sleights and snowboards.
Of course Pale and his group also wanted to do so but since Weed and the Geomchi´s showed any knowledge about it or even interest they decided to stay quiet when they descended from the Horom Mountain.
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Once Neuron woke up he went back to training and then he saw that he received a mail from Kyle so he immediately opened it
K ”Hey Neuron, I have good news! I posted the video from our skiing tour and Unicorn liked it so much that it put it into the weekly best videos where it is now at top place!
*YESSS* Neuron thought while punching his fist into the air and then he read on
K ”But it comes even better! Because of that Unicorn made a statement that this is what they meant by the players should find new ways to enjoy the game. And since it seems that we where the first to discover such a way we are exempted from the monthly fees for a month!”
After Neuron read this he was barely able to suppress a snout of joy but the message still went on
K ”PS. Go into the Library and search for info’s about my class and our bow quest”
*Do I really have to* Neuron thought
K”PPS. Yes you have!”
*What the heck can he read my thoughts?!* Neuron asked himself. Of course Kyle couldn´t but he didn´t travel with Neuron for such a long time for nothing. He now knew what Neuron was thinking most of the time, well the times he didn´t know worried him since they were almost always accompanied by crazy ideas.
After reading the mail from Kyle he went back to training with new found vigor but soon he was distracted by some noise that came from the harbor, he thought that it was another shipment of guards so he decided to leave it be but then he could clearly hear voices chattering so he decided to take a look.
For some reason or another many fancy ships where waiting at the port while guards where checking everyone who tried to enter while those who had to wait for their turn complained loudly which was what disturbed Neuron
*Is there some kind of party planned?* Neuron asked himself since all the persons he saw where wearing something akin to occasion gowns.
*Lets go slumming* Neuron thought because he reasoned that this was the perfect occasion to wander around within the castle without fearing to be recognized since Neuron saw that the invitations were being checked at the harbor so anyone who got inside must have one so no one would bother rechecking it, to boot Neuton would now be able to look behind doors he didn´t dare opening during the night with the excuse to search for the bathroom!
So Neuron first put on his disguise of a noble man and to make himself look more respectable he tied his hair in a topknot while leaving the head on the beam. Then he carefully checked the pleasure garden behind the castle to see if anyone would be there but no one was since every servant who hasn`t received a specific order was down at the entrance welcoming the guests so Neuron had all the time in the world to climb down the tower but he just let himself drop down, then he broke his fall with a mana thread before he would crash into the Residential building.
Once he stood on its roof he again jumped off and before he landed on the ground Neuron broke his fall with the second jump.
Immediately after Neuron landed he got a system message
* You are starving!
Stamina is reduced by 50%
Stamina consumption is doubled
If you don´t eat soon you may die.
*Great, I at least hope the party they`re having offers something to eat* While thinking that Neuron looked around to see if anyone saw his circus act and after he was certain that he was alone Neuron headed towards the port to mix into the crowd. While he was on his way there Neuron spotted a girl that had a maid uniform, meaning a long black dress with a white apron and a hood over her hair, that was sitting on one of the benches that where arranged everywhere *Slacking off huh, lets surprise her* Neuron thought while a impish grin appeared on his face.
~hrrm~ Neuron cleared his throat after he positioned himself behind the Maid to give her a fright and just like he suspected she jerked up and turned around only to relax instantly after she saw him and asked:“Who are you?”
“I am a guest” Neuron simply answered and after hearing this the maid stood up without saying a word and left
*What was that just now?* Neuron asked himself but he soon dismissed it and turned his steps towards the main entrance of the castle where all those who arrived gathered.
*Guess today is a party, strange that it didn`t get cancelled after what I did* Neuron mused and then he noticed many guards which were placed all around in a subtle matter at least this was the intention but it where just too many to overlook them.
First those guards frightened him a little bit but then he got distracted by all those fancy jewels the women were wearing and only with great effort Neuron managed to put his hands into his pockets.
*Am I becoming some kind of kleptomaniac?* Neuron asked himself sarcastically, so he turned around and just looked at the huge fountain which was placed right in front of the entrance to the residential building and because of that Neuron didn`t notice the stares of disgust everyone around gave him. Well even if he would have noticed them Neuron gave a rat’s ass about other people’s opinions, especially those of the nobles within a game, they where NPC`s after all!
Soon after the last boat docked and the people on it went through the security program the entrance to the residential building was opened while many maids went through to guide the guests into the ballroom where a small band consisting of a lyre, a guitar and some flutes played a subtle music while the guests formed small groups and started chatting happily.
*What’s that, nothing to eat, just this stupid crap of music!* Neuron complained while he placed himself near a wall while clearly showing his annoyance, then he noticed someone familiar who was happily dancing with a maid while groping her but.
*hey, ain`t that Michael?* Neuron thought after he recognized him and because of his boredom he decided to kill some time so he went towards Michael and tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hey there, I heard that you work under Kyle and I am a huge fan so could you please tell me something about him?” after Neuron said that he was happy to notice that a dark shadow run over Michaels face then he taxed Neuron and his attire and said with utter disgust: “Who are you coming to this party while wearing that?” while pointing at Neurons garment
While slowly backing away Neuron asked:”what’s wrong with it?”
“What’s wrong with it!” Michael imitated Neurons voice while shouting:”Do you never pay attention to fashion, green is way outdated and poulaines, come on, what are you, some kind of country hick!?”
* New Skill: Disguise
Because you have already reached the 10 skill limitation it is impossible to learn the skill.
The skill can be learned if you repeat the action which let to its creation.
To be able to learn the skill you have to reach level 100 or choose a class
*Again I can only get the skill if I repeat the action, what action? Partying with a bunch of the highest nobility of a kingdom while one of them is insulting me, how the hell am I supposed to do that!?* Neuron thought while Michael continued insulting Neurons fashion sense without noticing that his adversary wasn´t paying any attention at all
After Neuron thought this he decided to pay again listen to Michael and so he heard:”And topknots, in which century do you think we live in!?”
“Hey, that that still isn't any sort of reason to become so offensive” Neuron answered calmly and then he added while whispering:”I heard that you cried like a baby when your squad was attacked by Hoodlums”
“You, you, you are lucky that I was courting a woman if not I would challenge you to a duel!” After he said that Neuron looked towards said woman who became bright red while shaking her head and backing away further from Michael *Hey, ain`t that the girl I encountered in the pleasure garden?* Neuron asked himself and then he decided to go on the offensive by saying:
“Courting a woman, is that what you call groping her butt?” Neuron asked while scratching the hair behind his right ear, and then he pulled out a paper and said:”Thanks for the advice I shall write it down right away”
After hearing this Michael looked around only to see that all surrounding conversations have died out and everyone was listening:”You, do you know who I am!?” Michael practically screamed
“Yeah, your uncle is the brother of the king, or something like that” Neuron said while picking his nose, then he continued:”Hey, aren´t you ashamed to use your status for everything?” while examining the booger that was on his fingertip; afterwards Neuron thought *hmmm, Maybe I shouldn`t have done that* because the expression on Michaels face wasn´t human anymore
“I challenge you to a duel, may the winner live!” Michael shouted before he tried to slap Neuron In the face but Neuron just evaded it by stepping backwards.
“You, you dare to evade my declaration of a duel!” Michael shouted and everyone in the vicinity nodded
*oi, oi, what’s going on, ain`t the normal declaration of a duel to slap someone with a glove?* Neuron asked himself then he stepped forward to slap Michael in the face who also evaded it but only because Neuron allowed him to do so by swinging his hand slowly.
“See, you also avoided my declaration of a duel” Neuron said deadpan: ”So, what happens now?”
“Raaaaaah” Michael just screamed and Neuron used this chance to poor some more oil into the already blazing fire by saying:”Come on use proper language, or hasn´t your mother taught you how to speak” after hearing this many onlookers snickered but they were immediately shut up by the glare of Michael that had some insanity mixed within it and because of that Neuron decided that now it was enough.
“Okay, so what’s the proper procedure for a duel?” he asked one of the bystanders but everyone just looked away then the maid which was sexually harassed by Michael stepped forward and said:”You need a second” and because Neuron just looked at her she explained:”someone who will ensure that the match is fought fairly, so if you want I could be your second”
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
“Yeah, why not” Neuron said and afterwards everyone just looked at him with a stunned expression that even Neuron couldn´t overlook so he asked:”What’s their problem?” but the answer the maid wanted to give was interrupted by Michael who shouted:”DON`T INGORE ME!!!!”
And Neuron just couldn´t stop himself from saying:”Are you a kid that you always need to be the center of attention?”
“Apologize, a duel is a noble act, you can`t insult someone you are soon going to duel, if you don’t he can choose the weapon of choice even though he challenged you” the maid said in a strict tone but her eyes showed that she liked what she heard
“Sorry, I won´t ever call you a mummy`s boy again, wait, I never called you like that, sorry” Neuron said nonchalantly while bowing his head a little bit
“You, what’s your name?” the maid asked ignoring Michael who just stormed away while pushing away everyone who was in his way and cursing trough his teeth.
“I am Alex” nice to meet you….” Neuron said choosing his real name because he didn´t want to be found out. After all being called by a name you aren’t accustomed to would cause some lag regarding the reply and that would cause some suspicion which Neuron wasn’t eager to cause, after all he was a intruder within the royal castle of a kingdom who was attending a party with its highest nobility.
“My name is… Leera, nice to meet you too” she answered with a slight pause before saying her name
*She invented that name, didn`t she?* Neuron thought but he reached his right hand out nonetheless to shake hers.
“By the way, why was everyone stunned after I accepted your offer to be my second?” Neuron asked curious
“You see, a second is someone who ensures that the duel is fought fairly so choosing a simple maid to do the job is rather… unorthodox” she said:”Are you regretting your decision?” she added
“Nope, why should I, all I have is to beat Michael and all is fine” Neuron said casually. And before Leera could answer to his statement Michael came back with a another guy who carried a long wooden box: “hello, I am Michaels second, please follow me to the place of the fight” he said and then he went on dragging Michael behind himself who glared fiercely towards Neuron while bumping into him on purpose.
“Such a kid” he whispered towards Leera who just had a rather nervous expression on her face and so Neuron asked while the followed those two outside into the pleasure garden:”hey, what’s wrong?” while every guest within the room decided that it was time to breathe some fresh air
“The weapon he chose, it’s the one he is most proficient with” she said in a serious tone
“huh, of course it is” Neuron just said
“You don’t get it, you have to fight with the same weapon as him to make it fair” she answered but Neuron couldn`t say something because Michael and his second stopped within a quadratic field of grass which was surrounded by bushes and approximately 16m² wide. And of course everyone who followed them placed themselves around the soon to be fighting ring to watch what would happen next.
There the second placed the wooden box on the ground and opened it, inside where two really thin swords, right after the box was opened Michael grabbed his weapon while Leera went to inspect the other and with a nod she gave the shining weapon to Neuron.
“Alex, I wish you good luck” she said before she went outside the ring, while she did so Neuron grabbed the sword and whispered:”Identify”
* Simple Rapier
Simple Rapier
This rapier has no edges and is used entirely for training.
Although it is highly polished It is in dire need of maintenance
Durability: 10/30
Attack: 2-4 (blunt)
*A foul player to the core ain´t you Michael* Neuron thought but he didn´t voice any complaints because first he didn´t want to embarrass Leera and second he wanted to shove his victory up Michaels ass while laughing. So Neuron performed some practice swings with the weapon to get a feel for it *It’s really light* Neuron thought and after he finished Michael sneered at him and performed some practice swings himself, While he did so the sword was just one metallic blur
*Show off* Neuron thought
“Alright, so do you know the conditions of winning?” Michaels second asked both of them and Neuron said to Michael’s amusement:”no, could you please tell them to me”
“Of course, the rules are rather simple to win you have to either kill your opponent or have him give up”
“Alright, so anything else?” Neuron asked
“Yeah, the usage of sword skills isn´t allowed, just pure fighting skills, so are you ready?” so are you ready?” Michaels second asked Neuron who nodded, then Leera asked the same from Michael who nodded also while his eyes where saying:”You are dead”, then both seconds looked at each other and said simultaneously:”Fight!”
As soon as they said so Neuron threw his sword towards Michael and charged right after it, judging by the gasps of the audience this wasn´t proper but Neuron didn`t care as long as he got to hit Michael.
Michael wasn´t expecting his opponent to throw his weapon so he barely managed to block it and because of that the sweeping Kick Neuron performed nocked Michael off balance making him crash onto the ground, but Neuron didn´t use this chance to fight to jump on him using his Pankration skill, he just took his sword which laid on the ground and backed away while Michael got up trying to shout something but Neuron interrupted him saying knowingly
“You surely aren`t going to say that I cheated” and Michael who was just about to say that shut his mouth and went back into the typical stance of a fencer while Neuron just stood there his sword held low, then Leera said:”Alex, you aren`t allowed to throw your weapon” while the whole audience nodded.
“Alright, sorry about that” Neuron said while Michael used this chance to attack but Neuron already anticipated it so he just performed a jackknife past Michael and as soon as his feet made contact with the ground he turned around and smacked his sword right into Michaels butt with the broad side so that no one would know that the sword couldn´t cut, and the reaction Neuron got was worth it since Michael jumped up and turned around while shouting in pain and rubbing the hit part with his free hand.
“Oh, sorry, have you never been hit on that place?” Neuron asked tauntingly. But Michael completely ignored Neuron and showered him with attacks in full rage mode.
Neuron was able to block or evade all of them much to Michaels surprise since he estimated Neurons speed to be much less after he saw his practice swings. Well Neuron made him think so by intentionally performing them slower than he would be able to.
After a while Michael backed away and the whole audience just stood there silently since it believed that Michaels fencing ability had no equal, well all they knew was that he was able to defeat all other nobles who trained that art of fighting but everyone of those he defeated never experienced a serious battle since the kingdom was at peace since their birth, and to boot nobles stayed clear from the front lines while fighting hiding themselves behind row after row of their men.
On top of that Neuron was always close to his enemies while fighting in close combat since the reach of his weapon of choice was pretty small so he had to learn how to evade and block the hard way since Neuron wasn`t a fan of always staying in the back while letting Kyle fight.
“Oh, already out of breath” Neuron continued to taunt Michael and then he went on the offensive swinging the rapier with all his might, of course Michael managed to block it since the swing Neuron aimed towards his upper left body was performed in a wide arc mainly to gain momentum and after Michaels weapon blocked it the training rapier snapped in two and the broken half just flew away, luckily hitting no one, while Michaels rapier got nocked out of the way.
At the moment Michael blocked the swing his eyes showed fear because he didn´t expect it to be so powerful and after he saw Neurons weapon break the fear changed into confidence which was immediately wiped off his face by the right food that hit it.
Neuron already knew that Michael would either avoid the swing or block it, and if he blocked his sword would snap but since Neuron was sure that Michael would never avoid since he was too proud to do so Neuron performed the swing intentionally so that it would be easy to block while hiding the movement of his foot.
As soon as the high kick connected with Michaels face Neuron turned his upper body to augment the force of his leg so that Michael would be slammed into the floor and immediately afterwards Neuron seated himself on his back in one single motion. Once there he disarmed Michael by grabbing his right arm and twisting it around till he let the rapier drop with a shout of pain, as soon as Michael let go of his sword Neuron grabbed it and backed away to let Michael stand up.
Once Michael stood Neuron threw the rapier away and said:”So you ready to give up?”
“Never!” Michael shouted and then he rushed towards Neuron his intention being easy to read since his upper body was held low while his arms where spread apart.
*Going for a tackle huh?* Neuron thought while he just jumped upwards and brought his feet down right at the moment Michaels back was right below him. Because of his posture Michael couldn´t resist the sudden force which was executed on his back so he crashed down on the ground face forward while sliding for a bit
As soon as Michael stopped he went back on his feet while spitting grass and dirt and Neuron just couldn´t stop himself from saying:”How does it taste?”
After hearing this Michael lost all reason while everyone within the audience thought:*Just give up, he is toying with you* but Michael was too deep into his rage to notice such a simple fact so he just rushed towards Neuron while brandishing his fists.
*This is getting boring, time to end it* Neuron thought and then he greeted Michael with a fast jab which Michael blocked because he halted his advancement *oh, he learned something* Neuron thought surprised and then he closed the distance and grabbed Michael by his shoulders while trying to force him to the ground, of course Michael resisted but to no avail since his legs where just swept away by a kick.
Once on the ground Neuron expected that it would take rather long to beat Michael into submission but once on the ground it was already over. Of course Michael tried to resist but Neuron was just laying beneath him holding him in a chokehold with his right hand while he wrapped his feet around Michael’s lower body and his left hand pushed on his back from below so that it arched upwards then he executed some pressure while Michael just flailed around but to no avail.
Then Michael’s movements became slower and slower till his second stepped in and shouted:”Stop, you are going to kill him!”
“This is a duel to the death, you said so yourself” Neuron answered casually and then he asked Michael:” “So do you surrender?”
“Never!” Michael hissed his head becoming read due to the lack of oxygen, after hearing that reply Neuron just sighed and let go of Michael who stayed on the ground gasping for air while Neuron stood up and brushed the dirt from his clothes
While Neuron did so the second continued to speak: “this wasn`t a duel, you where fighting dishonorably!” he practically shouted and everyone else nodded while looking grim so Neuron went closer to the second and whispered into his ear:”Dishonorable huh, who gave me a training sword which was already broken, and who used a high leveled real sword?” Neuron asked since he identified Michaels sword before throwing it away.
“Hey, what’s going on here?!” a guard shouted while several others already surrounded the perimeter.
*Now you arrive!?* Neuron asked himself in disbelief
“Oh nothing, just a little scuffle, right?” Neuron asked Michael who was still on the ground while staying silent. Because of that Michaels second decided to speak:”yeah, just a little scuffle and it seems like it is over already”
After hearing this reply the leader of the guards looked towards Neuron and said:”I’ll keep my eye on you” and then he turned around and left while everyone else did the same.
While Neuron was slowly walking back where he came from Leera appeared by his side and apologized:”Sorry, sorry, I should have noticed that your sword was just a training sword”
“Since when did you know?” Neuron asked
“After you threw his sword away I went to bring it back and there I noticed it.”
“Bring it back huh, I thought as my second you had to watch the fair fight” Neuron said jokingly
“fair Fight huh, one sided massacre is what would be the more appropriate term” she said smilingly:”anyway, I have to go now, so see you later” she said while waving her hand
“Yeah by” Neuron said while his thoughts where somewhere else:*How come it was so easy to hold him down with my Pankration skill, is my strength training already paying out?*. This was true, although only partially after all his standards by what he measured the force needed to hold someone down with his Pankration skill was Kyle who had inhuman strength but his musings got interrupted by a system message
* You are starving!
Stamina is reduced by 80%
Stamina consumption is tripled
If you don´t eat within the next 30 min you will .
*What the fuck, what is with the short time I have left to live * Neuron thought and then he immediately checked all the system messages he got during the day, there were quite a few but then one leapt into his eye, this of course was the first message that he was starving: *I must have gotten that message while I was sleeping, talk about unlucky timing. Well at least there has to be some kind of banquet soon* Neuron tried to calm himself down while he again placed himself near a wall of the room observing everyone inside. But soon after he placed himself on the wall a crowd of people formed itself around him while questions were asked from all over like: “Where do you come from”, “What’s your name”, “where did you learn to fight like that?”
Because Neuron was overwhelmed by the sudden attention he was only able to mutter some words which nobody understood.
“Hey, come on tell us!” one of them shouted
Luckily for Neuron a bell rung at this moment and when he turned to look to where it came from like everyone else he saw a butler who rung it once again to be sure that everyone was paying attention to him:”Dear Ladies and Gentlemen the Banquet is now ready, so if you would be so kind to follow me.” He said and after bowing he turned around while everyone else was following him
*Ain`t he going towards the Throne room?* Neuron asked himself and indeed he halted right before a huge ornamented door which needed the force of two pages to be opened. After he opened it almost everyone looked around the huge room which had pictures all over the walls with pillars who where sustaining the roof but Neuron only had eyes for the two long rows of tables bending under the weight of many different dishes. Those tables where aligned at each side of the red carpet that led to the throne where a lone table was placed right before it.
*Finally* Neuron thought and then after the guests overcame their stun they rushed inside trying to seat themselves as near to the throne as possible, at least they had as much common sense as to not seat themselves on the lone table. Neuron of course seated himself as far away as possible from that table while ogling the biggest chicken he ever saw which was placed on a platter before him.
After some long ten minutes during which Neuron made a puddle on the table consisting of saliva but since no one dared to touch the food in front of them Neuron did the same, then the king and some followers entered the room trough the main door while treading elegantly on the red carpet.
The king in front with a long train behind him made entirely of fur *damn, I thought I took all of his clothes* Neuron thought displeased. Well he did so the King had to order some clothes from a specific tailor shop which were made in a hurry; right behind him a woman was walking which Neuron thought to be his wife. Wearing a really long dress and just by looking on it Neuron asked himself how she wasn´t tripping over it
*He has a wife, so why aren`t they sleeping in the same bed, it is big enough anyway…., well no point brooding over nobles and their behavior* Neuron immediately dismissed this thought.
Right behind the queen another female followed, this one was younger, still in her teens with long well-groomed blond hair that should at least fall to the middle of her backs if let down. Once she walked past Neuron their gazes met and Neuron couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew her from somewhere.
*So this must be the princess, but why was she smiling at me…. Must be a smile of pity since I am dressed like that, Michael already made a point about my fashion sense, not that I care either way* Neuron thought while his stomach began to make loud sounds and a system message appeared.
* You are starving!
Stamina is reduced by 80%
Stamina consumption is tripled
If you don´t eat within the next ten minutes you will die!
*Right, just seat your fat but on your throne mutter some words and then let your guests EAT!* Neuron addressed his thoughts towards the king but the King seated himself on the throne his wife to his right and his daughter to the left then he said some names and the persons he mentioned literally jumped up and seated themselves on his table, one of them was Michael who seated himself right next to the princess while clearly looking towards Neuron as if he won something, once all seats where filled the king cleared his throat and then he began talking:” We are very pleased that you have come in such large numbers, thereby showing the interest you take in your king”
*What else should they do if the king invited them to his castle, now finish already! And talking about yourself in third person, come on!* Neuron thought clearly annoyed but the king just continued talking and due to his hunger increasing Neuron was only able to hear blah, blah, blah, while his hunger grew inhuman but he didn´t dare to touch the food in front of him since he wasn`t eager to receive attention from the king possibly leading to being known that he wasn´t invited
Blah, blah, blah
*Shut the fuck up already!* Neuron thought while the growling of his stomach grew so loud that it drew weird stares from the ones sitting in his vicinity, then the king finally came to an end saying:”Now please enjoy the food”
*Finally!* Neuron thought while he rolled up his sleeves but then one of the guests stood up and cleared his throat while saying:”If you would be so kind as to let me speak some words”
*NO WAY!* Neuron barely managed not to shout out, but the king just waved his right arm giving permission
* If you don´t eat within five minutes you will die!
*Come on, come on, finish already!* Neuron thought anxiously but after that person another stood up to say his careful prepared words
* If you don´t eat within three minutes you will die!
*This will be the first time that someone starves to death while the plate before him is filled with food* Neuron thought with gallows humor but then after the next system message his survival instincts kicked in
* If you don´t eat within the next minute you will really die!
*Screw it, I am not going to die of hunger!* Neuron thought and so he grabbed a chicken leg with each of his hands, ripped it off from the body, took a inhuman bite from it and began to chew and swallow alternating between both chicken legs. Due to his eating he wasn´t able to listen to what was said next, well he wasn`t listening before, so why should he do so now.
The only thing he heard where some loud shouts which he thought to be due to him eating then Neuron noticed something, the whole throne room has gone silent, when he looked around still chewing he noticed that all eyes were looking towards him but because he was eating like a glutton his mouth was overfilled and so he wasn`t able to say anything. Because of the silence the sound of him chewing echoed through the big room so Neuron placed both chicken legs on the plate before him and
~chew~ ~chew~ ~chew~ ~chew~ ~chew~ ~chew~ ~chew~ ~chew~ ~chew~ ~chew~ ~chew~ ~chew~
~Swallow~
“What’s the matter, never seen someone eat?” Neuron asked daringly already anticipating what was in store for him from now on, but the king only said:” Alex, come with me!” while standing up followed by his daughter and wife
*Huh?* Neuron asked himself but he still followed the command of the king.
End Chapter 43
Yeah, I love cliffhangers, so no point arguing about that.
But don`t worry Neuron will prevail at the end `:^:^)~
Feel free to guess what happens next^^
If you think the king hasn´t suffered enough, there is still more to come :twisted:
Please vote for the class Neuron should choose, link is below, and a detailed description of the classes is at the beginning for all of you who are too lazy to read the wall of posts^^
Class for Neuron