Scepticus noticed that he couldn’t find the man in shining armour anymore, as he saw that his body was slowly floating up. He attempted to move downwards and it worked albeit very slowly. Eventually Scepticus touched the ground and when he did he very suddenly sank into the ground as his vision distorted and he woke up leaning against the tree logs. He rubbed his eyes. The man in shining armour was nowhere to be seen. At that moment Scepticus heard a scream. He just ignored it as he followed a blood trail presumably from the man in shining armour’s spear which had stabbed him earlier. As he followed the trail, it eventually led him into a forested area. Scepticus noticed that there was smoke coming from somewhere inside the forest, and began to enter it. Scepticus then felt the movement of wind as something flew past his shoulder and absolutely demolished a tree behind him.
“Ahh… Did I miss?” a voice said to himself. The man in shining armour then appeared behind a tree whilst playing with his spear. “I was sure that was meant to kill,” he said. “Well I have my own tricks,” Scepticus replied. As soon as he recognized Scepticus’ voice he hurled the spear at him again as it impaled Scepticus straight through the stomach and into a tree. “Breaking all these trees is gonna anger the druids you know?” Scepticus said before dashing out of the spear while his stomach wound healed almost instantaneously. Scepticus then shot a ball of Hell’s Pyre at the man at a very slow pace to which the man just laughed at him. Suddenly the ball’s pace accelerated as it hit the man in shining armour. He was flung back as he saw movement in the flames as Scepticus rushed through the fire and caused the man to guard Scepticus’ attack.
“That one caught me off guard,” the man said as his spear slowly glowed before light was expelled in almost every direction, knocking Scepticus’ back. “Interesting weapon you have there,” Scepticus commented. “I have to say the same to yo-,”. The man in shining armour realised that Scepticus had just appeared behind him and was about to swing his sword to his neck. His life began to flash before his eyes as time felt as if it had slowed down and the sound of the sword moving was more prominent than ever. “Shit. I screwed up,” the man thought to himself, waiting for the inevitable. But the sword never hit. Instead a buff man with a goatee had blocked the attack with his bare arm. “You bastards can’t do anything right,” he said as the man in shining armour used his spear and prodded at Scepticus with the intent of knockback and not death. Scepticus went flying a couple metres back hitting a tree.
“Hmmph. If you’re that weak I don’t see how you beat Vindsall,” he said in a particularly deep voice. “Ah boss, you’re here,” the man in shining armour said. “Let’s start, shall we?” the man in the goatee said whilst backflipping over the man in shining armour as he whipped out a violin. He then began to play ‘Sonata #14’ with the violin as a light enveloped the man, creating a sort of superficial vibe. Scepticus felt weakened to some extent as the man in shining armour charged towards him with his spear at blistering speeds to which he couldn’t even react before appearing behind Scepticus. Scepticus tried to move his legs to dodge but couldn’t move his legs. A few seconds later his upper body fell to the floor followed by his lower body a few seconds later. The man in shining armour then flicked his spear as the blood was cleanly removed from his spear.
Scepticus then used the force from his hands to push his upper body upwards as it reattached to his body. The man in the goatee clearly surprised by this motion stopped playing the music for a split second as Scepticus threw a ball of Hell’s Pyre at him but the knight in shining armour who was still buffed tanked the hit. “Well this isn’t working out for me,” Scepticus said to himself, as he got impaled by the spear and then flung off of it, flying into another tree. Scepticus coughed up blood. “Hehe…HEHEHE… THIS IS THE FIRST BATTLE IN WHICH I’VE BEEN TRULY STUMPED. I COMMEND YOU MEN,” said Scepticus. The man with the goatee and the man in shining armour both look at him with a confused look before the man in shining says, “I commend you as well. What is your name?” he asks. “My name? Which one? My name or my actual name?” he asked. The man in shining armour then says, “Your name I guess?”. “Devlin Asier,”. The man in the goatee completely stopped the music. “Devlin what?”. “Asier,” Scepticus said.
“Why?” Scepticus asked back. “That crazy woman… Why’d she keep the child?” he asked himself not expecting an answer. “Kid… I’m your father,”. “HUH?” Scepticus exclaimed. “Come here for a moment,” he said before punching Scepticus as he salivated. “I shall end the mistake you mother left ongoing,” he said. “Oh Dad please don’t do this… IS WHAT YOU THOUGHT I’D SAY,” he said whilst swinging his sword in front of him just narrowly missing the man in the goatee. “I knew you’d be like me son,” he said. “A coward, hiding behind someone else while buffing them? Nah, I ain’t no coward like you father,” Scepticus said. The ‘Sonata #14’ intensified as the man in shining armour charged towards Scepticus again. This time Scepticus managed to slide under him and punch him in the balls as the buff had yet to take effect. The man squealed in pain as Scepticus grabbed his arm and slammed him into the floor before stomping on him and attempting to stab his greatsword on him. However the buff had just about started so Scepticus was sent hurling into the air as the man in shining armour jumped upwards and threw his spear at Scepticus impaling him into the ground whilst creating a massive shockwave. He then landed on the floor gracefully before using the spear’s skill causing light to expel everywhere, further damaging Scepticus internally.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Scepticus then said to the man in shining armour, “You don’t really have a way to kill me now, do you?”. The man in shining armour’s expression changed from looking composed into a somewhat angered face. He then began impaling Scepticus over and over but his wounds healed too fast. Scepticus was just lying there with his hands resting behind his head. “You done yet?” he asked the man in shining armour about an hour later, who then stabbed his spear besides Scepticus as he stopped and began gasping for air. “In a war of attrition as he grabbed his sword and attempted to slice off the man in shining armour’s head. “Heh. You think I’m that dumb?” the man in shining armour said as Scepticus fell along with the man. His body once again translucent and hovering in the air. “Shit. You were waiting for the cooldown?” Scepticus said. As the man in shining armour appeared behind him. Scepticus just about managed to dodge his head getting impaled. “Whew, that was close,” he said before running towards him and punching the man in shining armour straight in the gut.
He coughed up some saliva and stumbled backwards a bit to notice something looming over his shoulder. A horrifying aura flattened the man and gave him no will to fight. “W-what kind of b-bloodlust is this?” the man in shining armour said. “It’s the aura… of a demon,” he said before striking the man in his shoulder. It left a small crack in his shoulder as his body disintegrated. “Ah so this skill did have something to do with the soul. What a weird name he gave this skill. Middle life, was it?” Scepticus then stood up from the floor as the man in shining armour looked back at the man in the goatee. “This child is- is a monster,” he said with a genuinely horrified look on his face. “Man. Screw this,” the man in the goatee said whilst looking at Scepticus he then charged towards him at a somewhat surprising speed for being a buffer.
Scepticus obviously managed to dodge but then suddenly the man in the goatee’s speed increased as he began to sing. He blitzed by Scepticus leaving a giant hole in his chest. “Interesting… VERY INTERESTING,” Scepticus said as he rushed towards the man and tried to slice him in half. By the time the sword’s swing had been completed the man in the goatee had disappeared. “Hmm… You’re a bit too fast for my liking,” Scepticus said as the man punched his head off his body. “Well you aren’t quick enough,” as his esophagus extended from his headless body grabbed his head and reattached it. “Ueh, that’s a scene I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” he said. “I think you meant to say 5 minutes,” Scepticus said as he tried to strike his sword down. “Well I guess this is enough playing around. Time to get serious,” he said as he coated his swords in fire and then charged towards the man in the goatee. The man in the goatee dodged the attack, only for the fire on Scepticus’ sword to turn into a tendril which touched his shirt. It was set ablaze.
The man in the goatee quickly tried to remove his shirt as Scepticus prepared for the next attack in which he would throw his sword at the man in the goatee. But before he could do so the man in the goatee threw his shirt at Scepticus before dashing behind him and punching him through the gut and then flinging him into a tree. “You have quite a bit of battle IQ,” Scepticus complimented the man in the goatee. He didn’t give a reply and began to uproot a tree before throwing it at Scepticus. “Same tricks don’t work on me twice,” Scepticus muttered to the man in the goatee who was behind him and attempting to use the tree to block his vision. Scepticus carried his sword in one hand cutting the tree in half whilst using his other hand to uppercut the man in the goatee before quickly back-flipping away from his position to avoid the hitting of the tree logs which hit the man in the goatee.
“Ironic isn’t it,” Scepticus said whilst wiping the blood from his mouth, “Getting hit by your own attack. Well it's about time to wrap things up,” he said before trying to kick the man in the goatee’s head off, only to be blocked by a spear. “Oh I almost forgot that you were here. I don’t have time for this shit though,” Scepticus said as he released his bloodlust again, flattening the man in shining armour again. He then noticed that the man in the goatee wasn’t on the floor and was instead behind him with his fist. “You’re weak,” he said before punching Scepticus through a few more trees and then dusting his hands, “But strong for a kid,”. “You’ve struck a chord you’d never wanted to strike,” Scepticus replied whilst appearing behind the man in the goatee. “But I’m a Bard,” he said before his head exploded after Scepticus cut it. “Well I’m just about done. Oh right we still have you,” he said as he kicked the man in shining armour’s head off.
Scepticus then noticed both of their souls slowly shuffle their way through the thousands, maybe even millions of souls behind him. “Ahhh… It’s finally over isn’t it? Why was a mere bandit camp so strong?” Scepticus said as he began to look for a good place to lie down at. He then collapsed out of exhaustion before finding anywhere to sleep. “Oh well…” he said as his eyes closed.
A Few Hours Later in an undisclosed location
A messenger had appeared at the front door of an exquisitely designed room. He knocked on the door with a lot of fear in his eyes as he heard the words, “Come in,” he then saw him there. Prince Deric Santos the brother of Edward Santos. “Your Majesty, I have c-come with some news to bear,” he said whilst kneeling, the fear in his voice obvious. “What is it?” he said whilst twirling his cup of wine. “The Mortuus Flumen has been destroyed,”. Prince Deric stopped twirling his glass of wine as he crushed it while it was in his hand, his own blood mixing in with the wine on the floor. “W-What happened again?” he said with a look of frustration on his face. “Th-The Mortu-tuus Flumen h-has been destroyed, your majesty,”. “SHIT,” he said, “AFTER EVERYTHING I GAVE THEM THEY STILL GOT DESTROYED? Ok my faithful messenger, you are dismissed” he said as the messenger left the room glad that he could keep his head on his shoulder. The prince then signaled his hands and someone appeared by his side in a very dark cloak. “Kill him,” the prince said, “The one who destroyed my precious Mortuus Flumen,”.