I looked like a corpse, which… well I was. But good enough to still walk around. Just had to wear a pair of shoes and gloves both.
As for the face. Well ugly people we quite varied in human society, I didn’t look that bad.
We entered a local pub that I got a tip from one of the muppets back from the opera. Well it wasn’t quite a pub; more like a underground gathering of… Well cultured people.
Yes, I could sit at the bar and get a drink here. But the original purpose of this place was to gather information and set up… odd jobs.
We quickly drew glances from all over. These people were mostly well dressed rich folk up to some ‘good’, so I could fit in. What drew the most attention was Maria; she was… well a tad bit overdressed for this place.
I’m the new guy… I can work with that.
I sat at the bar’s lounge and Maria stood behind me; looking quite uncomfortable too. She hasn’t put much conversation on the way here. Wonder why is that.
“Two of whisky over here!” I orderer the barkeep who swiftly go on pouring.
“I don’t drink.” Maria quickly remarked.
The barkeeper ignored her and poured all the same from the bottle. When he finished I placed an hand on his wrist.
“The bottle stays.” I said.
He just nodded.
I moved on cup to my side and motioned her to sit.
“No.” She said.
“Sit.” I commanded annoyed.
She sat by my side uncomfortably. This chick is getting on my nerves.
“Drink.” I motioned to the cup.
She frowned “I have never partaken in alcohol, nor which to.” She complained.
“Drink!” I said more loudly now. I’m just toying with her; but then again boundaries must be set.
“Why would i!? Father ordered me to keep an eye on you; and that’s why I came with you here. You can’t make me do anything I don’t want to. Remember I outrank you!” She growled. Doubt clear in her voice. She is faltering already…
“’Father'" appointed me acting grandmaster during this new ‘delicate period’ of his research.” I smiled at her mockingly. “I outrank you, girl.”
She smashed at the bar with both fists. Good she can tell I’m not lying.
Now she was was somewhat trembling; cold sweat too. “Fo… For how long…?” She asked.
I threw her my most devilish smile. “Long enough.”
She froze and stood upright as she sat at the barstool. Her expression a cute thing to behold; she muttered something under her breath.
Funnily enough after a few seconds she came back to it and… well she took the cup and drank it down in one go! Didn’t even cough and nothing!
“Hahaha! Atta girl!” I laughed aloud. I took mine and drank the same way. “To the future!” I said as I poured another round for us both from the bottle.
She drank, and then so did i. She just kept quiet.
And so we kept drinking.
After a few rounds i felt a strong grip on my shoulder; I looked sideways back. A tall man with a somewhat darker skin than the average local seized my shoulder. Early forties; a little more than two meters tall… he wasn’t bulk, quite thin actually. His head was bald and the most evident thing about him was a scar across his whole face.
The man was a rogue.
“I think the little lady had enough.” The big man spoke with a rough voice.
I turned around the barstool and leaned back into the counter. Took the bottle of whisky and drank the remaining contents as I sized him up.
A gang of others well… ganged up on me. The place’s clients just spread around watching the commotion. How fun.
Maria hardly noticed us, she just leaned her head between her arms on the counter not paying any head to the commotion. She was already quite plastered.
“This place belongs to you I assume?” I smiled at the men as I questioned him.
Some of the goons had wooden bats; and leader cracked his fists. “You assume right. Now get out, while I am still playing nice. And pay for that.” He pointed to the bottle that I was holding casually in my hand.
I smirked. “We came to find you actually. Business; hmm… sneaky stuff—. You know what the kind.”
“Does this involve that poor girl over there?” He frowned.
What is this guy about? Is he a feminist or something?
I couldn’t help but laugh aloud. He thinks I’m here to sell her to a bloody brothel! —…Tempting but… she do is a looker and all, but I have other uses for her.
I gently placed my gloved hand on Maria’s shoulder.
“This here is my sister… You place a grubby paw on her and I will rip it off.” I sent a stare over to the big man. The shiver the timbers kind; works on mortals.
“Your… sister, heh? and what why does your kind bring his sweet innocent sister to a place like this for?” The thug asked with a hint of sarcasm, he was somewhat affected though. Too dumb to catch a hint it seems.
“What for…?” Good question, I’m starting to ask myself that very same thing; I just want to cheer her up I guess.
“She needs to get out of her shell and such. Learn to get her hands bloody, princess routine is making her delusional.” I answered casually as I looked at her.
Pigtails over here was clenching blood from her delicate hands… It has gotten that far heh? I wonder...
“Get out. Both of you, I’m used to deal with freaks… But you, you beat my quota.” The man said as he moved aside opening way.
I got up. Smiled and took a pouch from my pocket.
The scar men eyed it. Then I casually opened it and let its content fall onto the ground; just a bunch of goodies I ro…. Eeeer collected from the monastery on my way here. Its all taxes of course!
Emeralds… Rubies, sapphires; even a diamond or two.
“Clear the place out off rabble and collect all the gemstones. Bring them to me!” The boss man quickly reacted and ordered his henchmen.
Hehe… They will steal; this will cause quite a good amount of friction in his ranks! What fun!
Maria was already up looking at the scene; quite dazed it seemed.
“You crazy corpse looking fool, follow me bring your sister too.” The boss man said.
I nodded. And walked behind him; he lead us to a private booth in another room. He took a seat and motioned us both to sit; me on and old chopped up stool and Maria on the couch… amusing; so I did as he said.
“I… I need to use the restroom.” Maria broke her silence.
“Sure lass; door on the left here, there is one.” The bald man said.
I cracked my fingers… Time to do business. Silly girl, she will miss a few tricks.
Maria’s FOV
I closed the door behind me. And sat against the door.
The ground is cold. And this thin red dress doesn’t help at all, silly girl… all I bothered to do was looking pretty. It would be fun I thought even fully knowing he was… a jerk. I just had to keep an eye on him and even in that I failed…
He went… took my place. Acting grandmaster… Father is not well, maybe his corpse is rotting over in that dank room. While this fucker sits around talking with nobodies; his claws still dripping red with his blood.
It was my dream… Grandmaster. I was so close too…
And he took it from me… just like that! I have to bow to his every whim now… I was so close.
“FUCK!” I shouted.
I got up; and leaned on the sink and looked at mirror in front of me. I saw… someone else… from the past.
“Mother…” She is dead.
“I don’t look nothing like him… I have nothing in common with him. I’m not like him! I cannot be!” I smashed my fist against the Mirror’s glass; making it bleed even more.
“HE KILLED MY MOTHER AND NOT EVEN REVENGE IS ALLOWED TO ME!” I punched it again. Now shattering a bit of the bloody mirror.
Why doesn’t it break… that stupid face! I hate you! Hate you… Hate…
I punched again.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
And again…
Again.
And still it didn’t break.
He locked up my mother and raped her… countless times through a whole decade… Made her go through so much misery.
She was the only one. THE ONLY ONE… who ever… Tears ran down my cheeks, my make up all ruined now; I noticed in the mirror.
“Rosy…” He killed her too… Made me do it… Rewarded me even, to be a master… it was all that I ever wanted. How meaningless this title was i came to find. I would throw all away just to be with her again.
Now all that what I want Is to be grandmaster… another meaningless title.
STUPID
STUPID
“Stupid… little girl“
I punched the damn reflection over and over again.
“And now he is dead! That monster took it away from me!” I punched again. I could hear the bones of my hand crack.
“Hahhahahaha” I laughed… as I stood still glancing to my reflection in the shattered mirror.
“My make up is ruined…” I muttered.
I am pathetic… why is this stupid make up bothering me so much?
I punched with my broken at the sink. It hurt. I muttered an incantation spell. It fell apart— it could not stand against the might of magic. All these mirrors…
I shattered them all…
I couldn’t look any more… I can’t think any more.
Adam—Zoldassim… Whatever his name is… Its all your fault.
I shattered everything. Mirrors, sinks… wooden frames even the FUCKING TOILETS.
I was standing on my knees screaming when I came back to it. All bloody… Hands, feet, legs…
Then I saw my reflection in some other mirror shard… I tore it out with my nails from my face; ripping it out… this disgusting façade.
It all came out with the strength of my spells… skin, eyebrows… All this useless crap that makes me the pathetic thing that I have become.
I stopped and sat on my knees looking at the ceiling. There was a lamp burning there… the only light.
Suddenly a gorge came to me. I threw up all over the floor… My dress is all brown and yellow now…
“My beautiful dress… Hahahaha…” I lied on the floor laughing as a shiver went through my spine.
I can’t help but laugh In disgust; crying didn’t do much for me so far so why not? Why not laugh…
DISGUSTING and weak pitiful thing…
I aimed a spell at the candle and just let it fall over me.
Adam’s FOV
“Its all I know; I fuckin swear man! You mad bastard….!!!” The big man spoke between jagged breaths as I cut with a new shard of glass from the bottle.
After that i took the bloody shard, and what remained from the broken beer bottle and placed it casually on the table.
“So let’s get this straight… This fucker came to town to investigate the murder of a ex-senator, one that was murdered the very same day that some, I quote you ‘lunatics’ came down from the old monastery uphill? Right…” I resumed the shambles this little man blurted out as I cut him.
He thinks he is doing me a favour by adding this last tip. Hoping to save himself? Haha; knowing that you know this will only give me the more reason to end you fool.
“Ye—yeah—-” He coughed blood. “The holy church sent him and his cronies to investigate the old monastery… He is some kind of legendary hero with otherworldly powers or some bollocks! I swear it’s all I know!!!” The man was on his last stretches.
He now found himself nailed on nearby wall— The reaches of his skin flayed and holstering him up as he held his weight on a stool.
I kicked him in the guts.
And he coughed some more blood. Well what did I expect; this bloody idiot is two meters tall and can only endure half an hour… Almost dead. I’m actually losing my touch— Then again interrogating an holy monarch from hell and torturing mortals are different things to some degree.
“Fine… you made yourself useful. I believe you.” I cracked my shoulders.
“You… Will let me down?” The man asked.
“Let you down? Well sure. I’m such a kind fellow and all; I will even…’let you go’ Heh” I game the stool a good back kick.
*THUD*
The man fell on the ground as his skin was audibly separated from his body.
“Off you go then.” I said with a smirk.
I exited the room. There was an oddly familiar thing in the air; smoke. Maria has been silent for a couple minutes now… I could hear almost everything, that restroom was right the next room and wood walls and everything…
We all have our demons.
I opened the room’s door, and gazed at the scene.
Goddammit; I’m never giving you hooch again… silly girl. I cast a protection charm and walked into the flames taking her into my arms.
She reminds me so much of Dae…
But this wasn’t Dae… Dae would set the whole country on fire to make a point… not this.
She was pretty much all burned up. But still alive to a certain degree.
“You are lucky… Very lucky that I am around.” I muttered unimpressed.
Walking out was easy… the bodies of the goons ended up decorating the whole place; they intended to lock me down here… shame that the only ones that ended up locked were them, with me. Also they gathered the gemstones back into the pouch, how nice of them.
I cleaned up a nearby table and placed Maria on it. She was badly burnt, but it seems all her training and the resilience that her new contract provided her managed to grant her about just enough vitality to survive that.
My assort of spells is nearly limitless in this context, I wasn’t a mage exactly never really focusing on magic; but given my status I had no choice but to master it in a more general way… of course.
Just enough to be able to actually understand what my various opponents were doing in fights.
Even if they were masters of that specific kind of magic and used it on a deeper level, just knowing it’s basics was enough to have a general idea in how to break its efficacy. Most of the time anyway.
I knew healing spells. And no, the contract just provided me the power that said the magic to use these spells; which I already knew. In case of Maria’s flaming spear or Ruth’s shockwave well they didn’t even knew the basics through these.
That was why these contracts were generally quite popular.
A way to use magic without having to actually understand the underlying principles of it? without putting in the effort or spend time to actually comprehend its workings?
Truly an unambitious and distasteful thing. Worthy of humans indeed.
Not to say that humans aren’t ambitious, they are. But they usually tend to skim over the contents. Given they are such short lived creatures that is excused, most of them don’t have much of a choice and that’s why they are the bottom of the food chain in terms of power at most worlds were other races are prevalent.
Being numerous is quite a boon compared to elves and higher demons but rarely worth anything in the face of true arcane might.
I looked at Maria’s burns and cuts and decided to cast a healing spell repairing the damage. She sure had fun in there.
It took about ten minutes, she now looked good enough; her hair and skin now restored back to normal. I could keep at it and finish the job but given the nature of healing spells it isn’t safe to stimulate her body much longer, otherwise it might die of… well healing overdose.
A common mistake among amateur healers. She just needed to sleep it off.
Her burns were gone and also the cuts, the only thing remaining was a nasty burn that she had on her shoulder most likely because that was where the fire started and were it burned deeper. A nasty scar… may it serve as a memory of whatever she had learned inside that restroom.
I took a cloth from one the nearby tables and covered her naked body in it, then took her unconscious body in a piggy ride out of this place.
None of the clothes that she was using survived the ordeal.
I actually committed a little massacre over this way and without a doubt someone would be due to come over and investigate the spreading fire... I wouldn’t mind another round; but then again I have much to do today and its already noon.
Casually walking out of the underground bar with the unconscious girl I entered the streets some locals threw me those weird glances but none of them actually came over and bothered me, the local authorities were coming to the place, I noticed as I had already walked far into distance.
The girl breathed against my back, and that allowed me to know that she had stabilized, that’s good I will be able to put her to work soon.
I found some sort of hotel and rented a room, throwing a gemstone to the servant and no questions were asked.
It was a simple place, mostly made of wood a single bed and a small fireplace, a desk by the window.
I laid Maria on the bed she would wake up soon enough, still it is better if I watch over her in case any anomalies occurred. Healing… well it wasn’t my speciality.
So I pushed over the nearby chair and sat facing her; I told the local servant to get some clothes for her.
Maria’s FOV
I had a bad dream… I cut myself and screamed at my reflection then the flames engulfed me. I thought I had died in there. But consciousness was coming back to me.
I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar roof. Wait… this isn’t my bedroom. Where am I?
I looked to my side and saw a corpse like figure. Long grey hair and an somewhat wrinkled face… his eyes were closed, was he sleeping? Wait… the stench. He spells like a corpse.
Adam! I mean… The devil that took his place.
I sat up.
Suddenly a flush of memories rushed into my mind… the bathroom. And that he made me drink… That he killed father and took his place! I should be dead. Why am I not dead?
Wait…
Did he save me? This devil? Impossible.
I looked down… why, why… am I naked. What has he done to me!?
Calm down… Think Maria. Think. My clothes must have burned… But it doesn’t make any sense! I should be dead at that point!
I looked at my right shoulder. A burn scar… it seemed quite well healed but it still stood out quite a lot. It did happen!
I feel so stupid…
He did save me.
Why?
The bedclothes were under me and in instinct I hid under them. He woke up, his purple eyes stared right into me. He had a sombre and strange expression.
What is this feeling?
He poked me at my shoulder with a finger where I was burnt. And that did hurt a lot! “Slept well?” He asked.
I instinctively blushed. What is going over me!?
“What? Are you angry? I am the one who should be angry? Having a breakdown in the middle of a job? What went over you you dumb cow?” He asked with a cruel and… at the same time playful expression. Something I only saw him do.
“Why are you staring at me while I sleep… Naked? You degenerate! Pervert!” I angrily threw a pillow at him.
But he did save me… I… didn’t want to die. I am actually a little grateful. Even if he is the reason that happened… This mad bastard.
Why does he have to be so queer about everything he does?
As I threw the pillow he dodged it with a motion backwards and… almost fell off his char.
“Hahaha! Who is dumb now!” I pointed at him, as he recovered and removed the pillow off his face.
“Good that you got your sense of humour back. As bad as it is… Anyway I didn’t bother to dress you up. You got a perfect good pair of hands.” He spoke as he got up.
“And… as for me seeing you naked. Well… I have been with many much fairer maidens than you. If that brings you any comfort.” He said with a smirk.
It doesn’t. Prick.
He actually ended up saving me… I feel grateful… even thought I hate his guts. He is unforgivable but… i almost died so many times even before reaching adulthood and no one ever lifted a finger to help me as they watched… Father, Ruth… Dough and Rob.
The people I always thought that cared about me. But they never did.
Just this demon.
I remember the restroom… I realized what I felt. All those emotions that I bottled up along the years, even thought he did it an cruel way he made me vent… And I realized what I was actually about.
This demon will burn the monastery down along with those monsters and fuckers who made me miserable all my life? Well then. Let him.
They deserve nothing better. I will even help him out, I just don’t care about it anymore.
Once I dreamed of making that place somewhere better… where we all could smile be a family. But these dreams are dead now that I realize what that place truly is—Corrupt. Disgustingly so.
They were the reason I lost mother and Rosemary. Maybe it was father’s fault; but now that he is dead I will end what he started.
I vow this.
Adam’s FOV
I rested my head against the door. Damn… I dreamt again of Qhavelia. Why does she torment me so? Even after a thousand years maybe more. I miss her…
“Are you alright?” Maria asked from behind me.
“Hmm? Hah yes… get dressed and come down the stairs, I will have them arrange a meal. We have much to do today. I hope you are feeling better.” I answered as I opened the door to leave.
“Alright.” She answered.
“Maria… Well, thanks. Others don’t often ask me if I am alright… At least not when it matters or by some genuine feeling.” What exactly am I saying…? What is going over me?
Qhavelia do is really getting into me… Damn I miss her. These dreams make me realize just how much.
I went down the stairs and took a seat by the table. The same servant that brought the clothes for Maria addressed me. This was but a modest country hotel after all.
“Make you best dish for two… and water.” I ordered after I sat.
“Right away sir.” The servant went about his business.
I gathered my thoughts. That fool I interrogated… He told me many things, he did had a good network. I found out were the goons who were planning an attack to the monastery were holing up and even served me the name of who they worked for.
Some noble by the name of Cornelius. He had an ill repute in town and it seemed that the boss of the local militia, or the police in charge of this town was his cousin or some such; that’s why he could carry on with pretty much any business he wished without having much repercussion.
Humans and their silly power systems… Trying to uphold righteousness and all of that by leading with tyranny. And what was funny was that it mostly worked.
Well, not that I can talk much about that back when I ruled over my land I was by all means a tyrant. And everyone loved me for it. I mean… mostly everyone. Just the locals; I’m not getting into that.
Just saying that it worked, as long as I ruled it. Now I wonder what happened to my wonderful kingdom; it probably fell into chaos. Well… I just have to go and do it all again.
He was also talking about some fools who came over from the church to investigate a murder that I happened to commit. I will need to get into that…
Who would guess that creature was an ex-senator? I murder a few peasants no one gets around, I murder a pig and out of nowhere suddenly there is a crisis! Lucky me.