By now, Ren was leisurely traveling with a small caravan for a few days. It contained a few Imperial Army members, Nameless and Ariana, as they were transporting captured Ironclaw members toward the north. In reality, they already knew about Neiro’s plan thanks to Sentios’s and Kitten’s tips, and everything was set up in a way that gave the perfect opportunity for him to plan an ‘ambush.’
“Are we sure this will be fine, Master?” Ariana asked with a voice transmission as they sat on the carriage containing the prisoners.
“Oh, my dear disciple, you already asked me this question for the hundredth time!” She sighed, stretching her arm, and ruffled Ariana’s hair. She just yelped out helplessly as it got jumbled up completely. “Did you forget that your Master is already working toward the Demigod realm? I am fusing my energy points; give me a few years, and I’ll be done with it.”
“That fast? Even Sect Head is stuck at the final stage….”
“Yes, because he also needs to work on understanding the realm’s laws. Your Master is a genius. It is an easy task for me!” She laughed, but Ariana just smiled, thinking to herself.
“And you have experienced it once already… that’s cheating!” She giggled with her in the end. “So… are you going to capture him?” She asked after the laughter died down.
“Nope!” Ren answered immediately. “I’ll beat him down, scourge his mind right here and now, and finish him off. After that, I’ll go to Thunder Valley, do the same with their captured people and see if I gain any useful information from their brains. Feynor needs all the help he can get so we can wipe the Empire clean of this vermin.”
“And after that?” Ariana asked as she tilted her head.
“I’m off to the Kingdom and start doing it all over again until I find that scumbag.”
“Do you think he could reach the 3rd stage, Master?
“I hope so.” Ren said as she leaned backward, stretching with a loud moan, “I want to crush his pride. If he fails to reach it, it is good too. Because then I’ll mentally torture him a little before squashing him like a bug.”
“Something is heading our way.” Nameless’s voice traveled into their ears. “And it is fast.”
“Finally! I was getting bored!” Ren said, cracking her knuckles, “Stay out of it!” She ordered as she flew up with a flash. Soon she was high up in the air when a different, yellowish lightning bolt traveled towards her before stopping a few meters away, revealing Neiro’s figure, holding onto a black spear.
“Oh? This is going to be fun….” Ren said as she licked her lips. Her body flashed with purple lightning, summoning a pure energy spear into her hand.
“Are you Ren?” Neiro asked with a cold voice, tilting his head, looking dead serious.
“Yep. Why? Do you need a blood sample? Some kind of birth certificate? Hm?”
“Very funny. You have one chance! Release my people, and we don’t need to fight. We can both be on our way as if nothing happened.”
“No can do! Sorry, it is against my religion.”
“Against what?” He blinked his eyes, looking confused for a moment.
“I believe in fucking up those who hurt my family! So sorry, no chance that we will come to an agreement!” Ren said with a smile, “Anything else? Or can we start already?”
“Hmf… it seems you are indeed an insufferable little bi-”
“Bitch. Yeah, yeah, I heard it a million times!” Ren sighed, but she was already behind Neiro, her spear in a stabbing motion, going towards the middle of his spine.
“Hmf!” The leader of Ironclaw snorted as he quickly, keeping up with Ren’s pace, swirled backward, meeting her spear with his own, deflecting her attack.
In only a flash, they exchanged multiple moves, sending sparks and loud thundering noises through the sky. While Ren’s movements were elegant, more like a dance as she wielded her spear as an extension of her arms, Neiro’s were missing her fluidity. Yet it did not mean he was weaker, no, his counterattacks were precise, instinctively capitalizing on any minute changes, and he was trying to disturb Ren’s rhythm with them. Every swing or stab with his spear contained an insane amount of force behind it. They were quick and precise moves aimed at killing with every strike. When they finally separated again, Ren spun her weapon between her hands with an excited smile while Neiro was recollecting his breath. Yellow lightning was vibrating alongside his hands, dispersing Ren’s powers that constantly tried to invade his body.
“You learned on the streets, huh?” Ren asked in the end as she felt the moves displayed by Neiro were all picked-up skills and not taught ones. They were birthed by the experience of life and death battles and not by a teacher.
“Oh, sorry that my techniques can’t match your highness’s!” He said, with a mocking voice, imitating a noble’s bow.
“No, no, no, I don’t mind!” Ren laughed. “They are not that bad! Were you a street kid? That is why you picked up the spear?”
“A stick is always available on the streets.” He nodded with calmness. “I had no opportunity to learn anything fancy like sword fighting or any frivolous moves!” Neiro said that while concentrating his powers on his spear. Then a yellow lightning beam flew towards Ren when he stabbed out.
“Nice~” Ren chuckled, imitating him and sending forward her own, meeting it head-on in a loud explosion that raised both of their hairs towards the sky. The air was quickly filled with wildly crackling electricity around them.
“I’ve got more if you like it!” He shouted while he struck out once again. “You still have too little experience, girl; I wouldn’t be so stuck up in your place!” Neiro shouted as he swung his spear diagonally and let loose a giant arc of yellow electricity sweeping before him, heading straight towards Ren. As he did so, multiple yellow electric balls appeared behind him in a half circle. They lit up randomly as they sent forward attacks, forcing Ren to dodge or deflect the incoming bolts with her spear.
“Look who's talking?” Ren grinned as she also raised her spear. Purple lightning struck down at its tip immediately from the sky as she roared before swinging it down, releasing an arc of her own.
As the two met, it was accompanied by an explosion, stirring up the air and causing strong wind throughout the region. Above them, the clear sky had already darkened as clouds hid the sun, and it was close to breaking into a downpour.
“How are you planning to do this…?” Ren thought, watching Neiro’s every movement as they rushed at each other. She matched his strength completely, restraining her own to the same level as Neiro’s, so they could go toe to toe for as long as needed.
“Damn…” Neiro thought to himself after they separated and barely dodged Ren’s spear’s sharp end. “Her lightning is weird… It’s trying to get under my skin, tsk! This is fucking dangerous!” He grumbled deep inside, yet it did not show on his face. “Little fucking bitch, you are not just sexy but wild… I should’ve found you earlier so I could make you my own… well, shit! No matter, it's time to end this. I don’t want to tire myself out completely!” He said to himself as he took a deep breath. He switched up his movements, going in more aggressively, making mistakes deliberately that Ren immediately realized.
“Oh? Is it starting? Okay… I’ll play along with you… let me see~” She smiled, capitalizing on his ‘mistakes,’ landing in blows that injured him, drawing blood for the first time since they started their fight.
“You’re strong….” Neiro gasped for air as they separated again, now bleeding from multiple holes in his arms. “Let’s decide this with one attack!” He roared towards the sky, raising his spear as yellow lightning came down, drawn to it. Soon, a giant column of lightning connected it to the clouds, constantly growing and expanding. It was evident if someone in the 1st stage of Harmony got hit by it, they would perish instantly.
“Oh? A suicide attack?” Ren asked as she tilted her head, understanding his play, but Neiro just laughed as an answer.
“I won’t let myself be captured! If nothing else, let us die together!”
“Sorry! That won’t happen.” Ren said as she let go of her spear with a gentle smile, looking like an innocent little girl. Neiro’s heart skipped a beat, feeling that something was out of place, something that he did not realize until now. “Disperse!” She said as her genuine aura swept out, washing through Neiro’s body.
“What…?” He gasped, but everything happened in an instant.
The lightning he was gathering was almost ready for release. He wanted to use the small window of opportunity to disappear among the chaos, faking his death and making it seem like his spell destroyed him. Yet now it just… stopped. The electricity stopped gathering, and it did not listen to his orders or will, and it suddenly started to disperse. Long strands of yellow bolts snaked out from it in every direction before nothing else remained but his spear that he held towards the sky.
“Sorry.” Ren shook her head, walking towards him. “You are already in my domain. Nature listens to my wish and not yours. You stepped into a trap the moment you approached me.”
“You… you… that… that is not possible! You can’t be! No! You are barely… barely a child!” Neiro stuttered, not wanting to believe what he was seeing.
“Please!” Ren laughed. “Don’t let my appearance fool you! Even in this life, I already should be a mother~” She shook her head, arriving before the trembling Neiro. “Now… let us talk.” She said as she looked into his terrified eyes. Her violet pupils lit up with an eerie light while the rumbling thunder drew out Neiro’s screams in the sky as a violet lightning storm ensued around them.
…
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…..
Somewhere in the territory of the Kingdom of Ten, Rudrick was hiding in a labyrinth-like, underground city. It was filled with not just Ironclaw cultivators but hundreds of his men. Descendants that he groomed himself so they would be loyal to him entirely or just heavily brainwashed people… slaves to be discarded if must. He was sitting on a plain mat inside his room, meditating while wearing nothing. His torso still showcased a nasty, freshly-looking injury. It was the same wound that Ren left on him, looking like it had happened yesterday.
“Mh?” He opened his eyes with anger inside them as he failed again in his attempt to advance, primarily because of that wound on his body, festering with lightning from that accursed tribulation. It made him unable to expel it. “Neiro died?” He snorted, feeling the weak fragment of his aura being destroyed. He left it in him so long ago that not even Neiro knew about it. “Idiot! I am surrounded by fucking idiots!” He slammed the ground as his whole room shook. “Even in death, you can do nothing but fuck up! Disturbing me with the end of your useless existence!” He constantly raged, foaming from the mouth. On the outside, those who heard it were already used to it, deciding it was best if nobody approached his room for a few days. “I feel it… I can feel it!” Rudrick groaned, gasping for air, trying to calm himself down without success. He leaned forward, growling on the floor, “I felt the threshold yet… these fucking bolts of lightning!” He moaned as he grabbed the wound, but no matter what he tried, the red sparks inside it stayed there, even lashing out at his fingers, causing him great pain. “That bitch… that little fucking bitch!” He gasped as his saliva drooled to the carpet from between his teeth that he was grinding loudly. It was giving him an even more crazed look. “I need to find her… then this shit can return to her as she drew it down… yeah… yes… then I can also kill her right there and there, making her the sacrifice for my advancement!” He said, watching himself in his pool of drooling, laughing like a maniac.
Corty Trending? Again? Oh. Then I am going to leave this here:
SpoilerThe world of Meriath. A realm with a single landmass of around 150 million square kilometers, surrounded by an ocean on all sides. It is filled with various sceneries, be it high, snow-filled mountain tops, deep, lush valleys, or giant rivers, flowing along as veins of the earth itself—hot deserts with golden dunes, thick, humid rainforests, and giant, grassy plains. The landscape is just as diverse as the people living on it. It is a world of men, beast-folk, and wild beasts of all sizes. A world where magic is just as ancient as the first writings of humans or the first bone carvings of the beast folk. But there is a fourth species besides them. One that leaves no records behind has no culture and no aim. One that is unnatural. The Undead. Their origin is a mystery, but they were always there. Even in the ancient lore, from time immemorial, neither of the two intelligent species of Meriath had the gift of writing. Back in the days when they could only pass on their history by word of mouth… they were there with them.
No matter if it's the corpse of an animal, a beast-folk, or a human. It has a chance to stand up and walk again. It can’t be known which corpse will stand back up and which will remain dead. Nobody knows why that is, and nobody managed to figure it out. Yet there were, and still are, attempts on both sides to uncover the mystery of Meriath; Why do the dead return, and why does it happen seemingly at random? When the dead rises, it loses all attachment to its previous life. The most kind and benevolent people can turn into beings that care about one thing; Creating more of themselves… and the easiest way is; Killing others. Once killed by an undead, it guarantees that they… or it returns as the same wretched existence that ended their life. Even worse, there were examples throughout the thousands of years of Meriath’s history that undead creatures, if living long enough, were not just gaining intelligence but even rose to a level that rivaled those who were leading their tribes, cities, countries… empires.
These events always resulted in bloody wars, birthing more and more undead. Four thousand years ago, it almost resulted in a civilization-ending cataclysm. Luckily for the humans and beast folks alike, their alliance managed to turn the tides of the war. It took over 200 years to cut down the undead menace and mostly obliterate it, reclaiming the world for themselves. Since then, it has been customary to burn the dead, and even when hunting, they use up everything from the animal to prevent any chance of letting an undead rise up from it. Of course, they inevitably appear from time to time. The many mercenary groups, guilds, and adventurers who since then populated the world are always ready to search the land and keep them at bay. Never let them grow to a level like before.
After the Dark Ages, as they call those bloody and dangerous periods, where the survival of the living species was at risk, six families rose to the top of Meriath. The Six Houses, as they are called today. The bloodline of the greatest heroes and the first true mages. Sons and daughters of the first warlocks and witches. Descendants of sorcerers of immense strength, capable of leveling cities by themselves. They were the bulwark, fighting against the undead menace, and when peace was achieved, only six of these families remained standing—four from the humans and two from the beast folks’ side.
One of these families bears the name of Amarin. Their progenitor was a warlock, mastering four completely opposing elements of the realm's eight natural elements of the realm; air, fire, water, earth, metal, nature, darkness, and light. He managed to wield fire and water simultaneously with darkness and light. A feat that none other could replicate. Later on, mages did appear, wielding four elements, but none managed to wield those that were each other's, natural adversaries. After his death, 60 years after the end of the Dark Ages, Erias Amarin’s ashes were laid to rest in the family’s mausoleum, where he remains to this day.
Thousands of years later, the House of Amarin is still powerful. It lords over 400 000 square kilometers on the northern edge of Meriath. Their territory is home to many mountain ranges and deep valleys. A place where the winters are harsh and snow-filled while the summers are cool and refreshing. There are many empires or kingdoms whose size is more significant than theirs, but none would think they would be able to stand up to them. Either of the six houses instills the same thought for anyone who hears their names; Power.
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…..
“Where is Lia?!” A voice asked, and it was clearly upset. It was a deep baritone as the owner of the voice pushed open the double-sided, dark oakwood doors leading into a cold room.
It belonged to a man, who was around 2 meters tall. He had broad shoulders and mane-like, black hair. His chest hair was peeking out from the top of his white silk shirt that almost burst open as he was heaving heavily. He was blowing steam onto his thick, bushy beard from his nose, looking like an angry bull. The room he just barged into was cold, way below zero degrees. The gray, stone walls of the castle and the hard, tiled floors were covered with a thin layer of ice, broken apart as soon as he stormed inside. Barefooted. Inside, in the middle of the square room, a massive block of ice was floating in the air. It was giving off unnatural, bone-chilling coldness. Next to it, on a small stool, a short, young little girl was standing, tiptoeing with a chisel in hand, scraping flakes of ice off of it right into a bucket below her. She was wearing a puffy jacket and trousers with knee-high boots. Not to mention the big gloves and thick ear warmers on her head. Her long blond hair was tied into two ponytails, and her icy blue eyes turned toward the man.
“Haaah… Did she do something? Again?” She asked, hopping down from the stool, placing down her tools, and walking up to the man, only reaching up to his waist with the top of her head.
“Because you spoiled her rotten!” He answered as his hot breath left behind clouds in the room.
“Blah, blah, blah!” She rolled her eyes, grabbing his hand and patting it. “She is just as much your daughter as mine, Kawu!”
“The boys were not as wild as she is, Reyra! And we raised four of them!” He huffed and puffed, making his wife laugh out loudly.
“Don’t be so sure about that!” She stuck her tongue out because she knew their sons were just as naughty. The only difference was that their father could regulate them. Lia, their daughter? Impossible. Kawu did not have the heart to scold her. The real one who spoiled that little imp was Kawu himself. “So?” She asked, leading her husband out of the cold room and closing it behind her. She was taking off the puffy jacket, revealing a young, petite body behind it, wearing a pink, frilly shirt and skirt below it as she pulled the trouser from her legs. “What did she do now?”
“Stole the staff of Parthorn! He came to raise his complaints because of her antics. He is still the head of the 3rd branch! He took it as an open humiliation from the 1st branch.”
“Hah!” Reyra snorted, raising her eyebrows. “Best if he takes it that way, then! My 11-year-old daughter outsmarts and outplays the head of the 3rd branch?! It just shows why they are the third and we the first! My blood leads the House of Amarin, and as long as I give birth to kids like her, it will stay that way!” She grinned proudly.
“Haahh… Why can't you four branches work seamlessly together?” Kawu sighed, shaking his head.
“You are thinking too deeply into it!” Reyra chuckled as the two walked through their castle’s lit corridors, arriving at the front garden.
The weather was clear and sunny as it was the middle of summer. The air was refreshing, staying between 20 and 25 celsius, as their home was high up in the mountains. Wherever one looked, they could see the tall mountain ridges, their topside covered in snow all the time. When winter came, usually thick clouds hid them, and when snow was falling, it wrapped everything in its pure, white blanket. Getting here and reaching the ancestral home of the Amarin family could only be done so if someone knew the terrain inside and out. Knew the secret passages along the steep canyons and ridges. That was only possible by someone who was part of the four branches of this ancient bloodline. Or had enough strength to bypass their defenses through the air.
For someone from the outside world, there was no difference between members of the House of Amarin. For those who were part of the family. They had no unique names or titles, but thousands of years ago, four branches were formed inside the Amarin family. Their numbers were not fixed, and many times they changed places. It always depended on which line had the more talented members in it. The 1st branch always represented the leaders that the outside was familiar with. They were the ones who kept in contact with the other kingdoms, empires, cities, and other Houses. The 2nd and 3rd branches exchanged their ‘titles’ between themselves the most. Almost every other decade or so. They were the most active, always nurturing talents and trying to reach the same position; Being the 1st. Then, there was the 4th branch. They were not included in the family life of the House of Amarin. They were made up of individuals of all the other three branches, as their mission was simple; Find and exterminate any undead they knew about. They were the armed forces of the family. Their hammer that came down on their enemies and the enemies of all living beings.
Even if the House of Amarin was in high competition amongst its branches, it kept them at the top of their powers. Constantly pushing them forward and never letting them fall into a false sense of security. If an outside danger arose, whether undead or not, any competition between the branches was dropped, and they stepped up as one family. This is why nobody knew what went on behind closed walls.
“Did you find her?” Kawu asked, watching his wife, who was scanning the mountaintops.
“Yep.” She nodded with a small smile. “She is having fun with the scepter!” She chuckled, waving her hand as a creamy-colored speck of light jumped out from her palm, forming a mirror before them. An image appeared on it a little later, showing a young girl high up the mountains in knee-high snow.
She was wearing only a white skirt and top, unbothered by the cold. Her vanilla-colored hair reached down to her shoulders, and her eyes had different colors. One was like a sapphire, while the other shone in a ruby-colored light. Her porcelain white skin blended into the white background as he happily wielded the stolen scepter, forming loop-the-loops from ice, one after another.
“Fufufu!” She giggled after stringing four of them together and summoning a ramp from pure ice that she immediately scaled like a little monkey. Standing at the top of it, she was grinning happily, holding the scepter in her tiny hands. “Here we go!” She shouted, jumping down and skidding forward on the newly built ‘track,’ heading towards the first loop. Her bare feet were covered in blue light as she slid forward with incredible speed, laughing loudly as she completed the first loop, going for the second right after.
“Damn, she’s good….” Kawu clicked his tongue, watching her daredevil daughter.
“Her mana reserves are already at the stage of a full-grown man.” Reyra nodded with a proud smile. “She won’t be any worse than her brothers, at least!”
“Was there any doubt?” Kawu asked.
“She started late.” Her mother nodded with a bit of a frown. “By her age, her brothers were granted the title of Mage. She is still far from that. Especially if she only learns how to play around!”
“Kids have to be kids.” Kawu smiled while Reyra just looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.
“So, who spoils who?”
“Um…” He looked away, scratching his bearded cheeks.
“Heh, whatever, toss me up!” She chuckled, and her husband didn’t question her at all. Reaching down, he let her sit into his palm as he took a deep breath and flung her up to the sky like a rocket.
Her petite body quickly ascended at least 200 meters before stopping. Transparent angel-like wings spread from her back, glittering in the sun’s golden rays. They were made out of pure energy as she raised her hands, aiming. Just as with her wings, a sniper rifle formed in her hands, twice the size of her body. Leaning in, looking into the scope, red, magical formations were locking onto her daughter’s body as she was still ‘skateboarding,’ making her icy ramps and jumps with the scepter in her hands. As Reyra’s mana was getting concentrated in her weapon’s chamber, Lia finally sensed something. She quickly cast a flat ramp she could jump onto after a somersault, looking around with furrowed eyebrows.
“What…?” She whispered, feeling like she was being watched. She turned around multiple times before finally noticing the bright, flickering spot in the air, dozens of kilometers away. “Ah! M-mom! Mom! Noooo! Mooooom!” She cried out, already knowing what was happening.
Lia hurriedly waved the scepter in her hand, forming twelve snowflakes-like shields before her, all made out of pure blue ice.
“Not bad…” Reyra whispered but still pulled the trigger on her rifle. The concentrated energy shot out like a bright beam, reaching Lia in a blink of an eye.
Reyra’s control over her powers was immaculate. It blasted her shields apart, one by one until it reached the last one. As soon as it broke Lia’s last line of defense, it opened up, scattering into dozens of different directions, blasting snow into the air, and burying her daughter under an avalanche. It took the young girl 10 minutes to dig herself out, gasping for air with messy hair, snow sticking to it. Even though she already showed great mastery of ice-based spells, she was feeling the cold that did not bother her until now.
“Uuuu…. Moooooom!” She groaned, pulling herself out, using the scepter as a shovel and a walking stick simultaneously. She looked around, her teeth clattering as her clothes were now wet, cold, and sticking to her body.
“Come back home.” Resonated Reyra’s voice around the mountain range. “Then we will talk about your true punishment, young girl!”
[collapse]And this:
Spoiler [collapse]
By now, Ren was leisurely traveling with a small caravan for a few days. It contained a few Imperial Army members, Nameless and Ariana, as they were transporting captured Ironclaw members toward the north. In reality, they already knew about Neiro’s plan thanks to Sentios’s and Kitten’s tips, and everything was set up in a way that gave the perfect opportunity for him to plan an ‘ambush.’
“Are we sure this will be fine, Master?” Ariana asked with a voice transmission as they sat on the carriage containing the prisoners.
“Oh, my dear disciple, you already asked me this question for the hundredth time!” She sighed, stretching her arm, and ruffled Ariana’s hair. She just yelped out helplessly as it got jumbled up completely. “Did you forget that your Master is already working toward the Demigod realm? I am fusing my energy points; give me a few years, and I’ll be done with it.”
“That fast? Even Sect Head is stuck at the final stage….”
“Yes, because he also needs to work on understanding the realm’s laws. Your Master is a genius. It is an easy task for me!” She laughed, but Ariana just smiled, thinking to herself.
“And you have experienced it once already… that’s cheating!” She giggled with her in the end. “So… are you going to capture him?” She asked after the laughter died down.
“Nope!” Ren answered immediately. “I’ll beat him down, scourge his mind right here and now, and finish him off. After that, I’ll go to Thunder Valley, do the same with their captured people and see if I gain any useful information from their brains. Feynor needs all the help he can get so we can wipe the Empire clean of this vermin.”
“And after that?” Ariana asked as she tilted her head.
“I’m off to the Kingdom and start doing it all over again until I find that scumbag.”
“Do you think he could reach the 3rd stage, Master?
“I hope so.” Ren said as she leaned backward, stretching with a loud moan, “I want to crush his pride. If he fails to reach it, it is good too. Because then I’ll mentally torture him a little before squashing him like a bug.”
“Something is heading our way.” Nameless’s voice traveled into their ears. “And it is fast.”
“Finally! I was getting bored!” Ren said, cracking her knuckles, “Stay out of it!” She ordered as she flew up with a flash. Soon she was high up in the air when a different, yellowish lightning bolt traveled towards her before stopping a few meters away, revealing Neiro’s figure, holding onto a black spear.
“Oh? This is going to be fun….” Ren said as she licked her lips. Her body flashed with purple lightning, summoning a pure energy spear into her hand.
“Are you Ren?” Neiro asked with a cold voice, tilting his head, looking dead serious.
“Yep. Why? Do you need a blood sample? Some kind of birth certificate? Hm?”
“Very funny. You have one chance! Release my people, and we don’t need to fight. We can both be on our way as if nothing happened.”
“No can do! Sorry, it is against my religion.”
“Against what?” He blinked his eyes, looking confused for a moment.
“I believe in fucking up those who hurt my family! So sorry, no chance that we will come to an agreement!” Ren said with a smile, “Anything else? Or can we start already?”
“Hmf… it seems you are indeed an insufferable little bi-”
“Bitch. Yeah, yeah, I heard it a million times!” Ren sighed, but she was already behind Neiro, her spear in a stabbing motion, going towards the middle of his spine.
“Hmf!” The leader of Ironclaw snorted as he quickly, keeping up with Ren’s pace, swirled backward, meeting her spear with his own, deflecting her attack.
In only a flash, they exchanged multiple moves, sending sparks and loud thundering noises through the sky. While Ren’s movements were elegant, more like a dance as she wielded her spear as an extension of her arms, Neiro’s were missing her fluidity. Yet it did not mean he was weaker, no, his counterattacks were precise, instinctively capitalizing on any minute changes, and he was trying to disturb Ren’s rhythm with them. Every swing or stab with his spear contained an insane amount of force behind it. They were quick and precise moves aimed at killing with every strike. When they finally separated again, Ren spun her weapon between her hands with an excited smile while Neiro was recollecting his breath. Yellow lightning was vibrating alongside his hands, dispersing Ren’s powers that constantly tried to invade his body.
“You learned on the streets, huh?” Ren asked in the end as she felt the moves displayed by Neiro were all picked-up skills and not taught ones. They were birthed by the experience of life and death battles and not by a teacher.
“Oh, sorry that my techniques can’t match your highness’s!” He said, with a mocking voice, imitating a noble’s bow.
“No, no, no, I don’t mind!” Ren laughed. “They are not that bad! Were you a street kid? That is why you picked up the spear?”
“A stick is always available on the streets.” He nodded with calmness. “I had no opportunity to learn anything fancy like sword fighting or any frivolous moves!” Neiro said that while concentrating his powers on his spear. Then a yellow lightning beam flew towards Ren when he stabbed out.
“Nice~” Ren chuckled, imitating him and sending forward her own, meeting it head-on in a loud explosion that raised both of their hairs towards the sky. The air was quickly filled with wildly crackling electricity around them.
“I’ve got more if you like it!” He shouted while he struck out once again. “You still have too little experience, girl; I wouldn’t be so stuck up in your place!” Neiro shouted as he swung his spear diagonally and let loose a giant arc of yellow electricity sweeping before him, heading straight towards Ren. As he did so, multiple yellow electric balls appeared behind him in a half circle. They lit up randomly as they sent forward attacks, forcing Ren to dodge or deflect the incoming bolts with her spear.
“Look who's talking?” Ren grinned as she also raised her spear. Purple lightning struck down at its tip immediately from the sky as she roared before swinging it down, releasing an arc of her own.
As the two met, it was accompanied by an explosion, stirring up the air and causing strong wind throughout the region. Above them, the clear sky had already darkened as clouds hid the sun, and it was close to breaking into a downpour.
“How are you planning to do this…?” Ren thought, watching Neiro’s every movement as they rushed at each other. She matched his strength completely, restraining her own to the same level as Neiro’s, so they could go toe to toe for as long as needed.
“Damn…” Neiro thought to himself after they separated and barely dodged Ren’s spear’s sharp end. “Her lightning is weird… It’s trying to get under my skin, tsk! This is fucking dangerous!” He grumbled deep inside, yet it did not show on his face. “Little fucking bitch, you are not just sexy but wild… I should’ve found you earlier so I could make you my own… well, shit! No matter, it's time to end this. I don’t want to tire myself out completely!” He said to himself as he took a deep breath. He switched up his movements, going in more aggressively, making mistakes deliberately that Ren immediately realized.
“Oh? Is it starting? Okay… I’ll play along with you… let me see~” She smiled, capitalizing on his ‘mistakes,’ landing in blows that injured him, drawing blood for the first time since they started their fight.
“You’re strong….” Neiro gasped for air as they separated again, now bleeding from multiple holes in his arms. “Let’s decide this with one attack!” He roared towards the sky, raising his spear as yellow lightning came down, drawn to it. Soon, a giant column of lightning connected it to the clouds, constantly growing and expanding. It was evident if someone in the 1st stage of Harmony got hit by it, they would perish instantly.
“Oh? A suicide attack?” Ren asked as she tilted her head, understanding his play, but Neiro just laughed as an answer.
“I won’t let myself be captured! If nothing else, let us die together!”
“Sorry! That won’t happen.” Ren said as she let go of her spear with a gentle smile, looking like an innocent little girl. Neiro’s heart skipped a beat, feeling that something was out of place, something that he did not realize until now. “Disperse!” She said as her genuine aura swept out, washing through Neiro’s body.
“What…?” He gasped, but everything happened in an instant.
The lightning he was gathering was almost ready for release. He wanted to use the small window of opportunity to disappear among the chaos, faking his death and making it seem like his spell destroyed him. Yet now it just… stopped. The electricity stopped gathering, and it did not listen to his orders or will, and it suddenly started to disperse. Long strands of yellow bolts snaked out from it in every direction before nothing else remained but his spear that he held towards the sky.
“Sorry.” Ren shook her head, walking towards him. “You are already in my domain. Nature listens to my wish and not yours. You stepped into a trap the moment you approached me.”
“You… you… that… that is not possible! You can’t be! No! You are barely… barely a child!” Neiro stuttered, not wanting to believe what he was seeing.
“Please!” Ren laughed. “Don’t let my appearance fool you! Even in this life, I already should be a mother~” She shook her head, arriving before the trembling Neiro. “Now… let us talk.” She said as she looked into his terrified eyes. Her violet pupils lit up with an eerie light while the rumbling thunder drew out Neiro’s screams in the sky as a violet lightning storm ensued around them.
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Somewhere in the territory of the Kingdom of Ten, Rudrick was hiding in a labyrinth-like, underground city. It was filled with not just Ironclaw cultivators but hundreds of his men. Descendants that he groomed himself so they would be loyal to him entirely or just heavily brainwashed people… slaves to be discarded if must. He was sitting on a plain mat inside his room, meditating while wearing nothing. His torso still showcased a nasty, freshly-looking injury. It was the same wound that Ren left on him, looking like it had happened yesterday.
“Mh?” He opened his eyes with anger inside them as he failed again in his attempt to advance, primarily because of that wound on his body, festering with lightning from that accursed tribulation. It made him unable to expel it. “Neiro died?” He snorted, feeling the weak fragment of his aura being destroyed. He left it in him so long ago that not even Neiro knew about it. “Idiot! I am surrounded by fucking idiots!” He slammed the ground as his whole room shook. “Even in death, you can do nothing but fuck up! Disturbing me with the end of your useless existence!” He constantly raged, foaming from the mouth. On the outside, those who heard it were already used to it, deciding it was best if nobody approached his room for a few days. “I feel it… I can feel it!” Rudrick groaned, gasping for air, trying to calm himself down without success. He leaned forward, growling on the floor, “I felt the threshold yet… these fucking bolts of lightning!” He moaned as he grabbed the wound, but no matter what he tried, the red sparks inside it stayed there, even lashing out at his fingers, causing him great pain. “That bitch… that little fucking bitch!” He gasped as his saliva drooled to the carpet from between his teeth that he was grinding loudly. It was giving him an even more crazed look. “I need to find her… then this shit can return to her as she drew it down… yeah… yes… then I can also kill her right there and there, making her the sacrifice for my advancement!” He said, watching himself in his pool of drooling, laughing like a maniac.
Corty Trending? Again? Oh. Then I am going to leave this here:
SpoilerThe world of Meriath. A realm with a single landmass of around 150 million square kilometers, surrounded by an ocean on all sides. It is filled with various sceneries, be it high, snow-filled mountain tops, deep, lush valleys, or giant rivers, flowing along as veins of the earth itself—hot deserts with golden dunes, thick, humid rainforests, and giant, grassy plains. The landscape is just as diverse as the people living on it. It is a world of men, beast-folk, and wild beasts of all sizes. A world where magic is just as ancient as the first writings of humans or the first bone carvings of the beast folk. But there is a fourth species besides them. One that leaves no records behind has no culture and no aim. One that is unnatural. The Undead. Their origin is a mystery, but they were always there. Even in the ancient lore, from time immemorial, neither of the two intelligent species of Meriath had the gift of writing. Back in the days when they could only pass on their history by word of mouth… they were there with them.
No matter if it's the corpse of an animal, a beast-folk, or a human. It has a chance to stand up and walk again. It can’t be known which corpse will stand back up and which will remain dead. Nobody knows why that is, and nobody managed to figure it out. Yet there were, and still are, attempts on both sides to uncover the mystery of Meriath; Why do the dead return, and why does it happen seemingly at random? When the dead rises, it loses all attachment to its previous life. The most kind and benevolent people can turn into beings that care about one thing; Creating more of themselves… and the easiest way is; Killing others. Once killed by an undead, it guarantees that they… or it returns as the same wretched existence that ended their life. Even worse, there were examples throughout the thousands of years of Meriath’s history that undead creatures, if living long enough, were not just gaining intelligence but even rose to a level that rivaled those who were leading their tribes, cities, countries… empires.
These events always resulted in bloody wars, birthing more and more undead. Four thousand years ago, it almost resulted in a civilization-ending cataclysm. Luckily for the humans and beast folks alike, their alliance managed to turn the tides of the war. It took over 200 years to cut down the undead menace and mostly obliterate it, reclaiming the world for themselves. Since then, it has been customary to burn the dead, and even when hunting, they use up everything from the animal to prevent any chance of letting an undead rise up from it. Of course, they inevitably appear from time to time. The many mercenary groups, guilds, and adventurers who since then populated the world are always ready to search the land and keep them at bay. Never let them grow to a level like before.
After the Dark Ages, as they call those bloody and dangerous periods, where the survival of the living species was at risk, six families rose to the top of Meriath. The Six Houses, as they are called today. The bloodline of the greatest heroes and the first true mages. Sons and daughters of the first warlocks and witches. Descendants of sorcerers of immense strength, capable of leveling cities by themselves. They were the bulwark, fighting against the undead menace, and when peace was achieved, only six of these families remained standing—four from the humans and two from the beast folks’ side.
One of these families bears the name of Amarin. Their progenitor was a warlock, mastering four completely opposing elements of the realm's eight natural elements of the realm; air, fire, water, earth, metal, nature, darkness, and light. He managed to wield fire and water simultaneously with darkness and light. A feat that none other could replicate. Later on, mages did appear, wielding four elements, but none managed to wield those that were each other's, natural adversaries. After his death, 60 years after the end of the Dark Ages, Erias Amarin’s ashes were laid to rest in the family’s mausoleum, where he remains to this day.
Thousands of years later, the House of Amarin is still powerful. It lords over 400 000 square kilometers on the northern edge of Meriath. Their territory is home to many mountain ranges and deep valleys. A place where the winters are harsh and snow-filled while the summers are cool and refreshing. There are many empires or kingdoms whose size is more significant than theirs, but none would think they would be able to stand up to them. Either of the six houses instills the same thought for anyone who hears their names; Power.
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“Where is Lia?!” A voice asked, and it was clearly upset. It was a deep baritone as the owner of the voice pushed open the double-sided, dark oakwood doors leading into a cold room.
It belonged to a man, who was around 2 meters tall. He had broad shoulders and mane-like, black hair. His chest hair was peeking out from the top of his white silk shirt that almost burst open as he was heaving heavily. He was blowing steam onto his thick, bushy beard from his nose, looking like an angry bull. The room he just barged into was cold, way below zero degrees. The gray, stone walls of the castle and the hard, tiled floors were covered with a thin layer of ice, broken apart as soon as he stormed inside. Barefooted. Inside, in the middle of the square room, a massive block of ice was floating in the air. It was giving off unnatural, bone-chilling coldness. Next to it, on a small stool, a short, young little girl was standing, tiptoeing with a chisel in hand, scraping flakes of ice off of it right into a bucket below her. She was wearing a puffy jacket and trousers with knee-high boots. Not to mention the big gloves and thick ear warmers on her head. Her long blond hair was tied into two ponytails, and her icy blue eyes turned toward the man.
“Haaah… Did she do something? Again?” She asked, hopping down from the stool, placing down her tools, and walking up to the man, only reaching up to his waist with the top of her head.
“Because you spoiled her rotten!” He answered as his hot breath left behind clouds in the room.
“Blah, blah, blah!” She rolled her eyes, grabbing his hand and patting it. “She is just as much your daughter as mine, Kawu!”
“The boys were not as wild as she is, Reyra! And we raised four of them!” He huffed and puffed, making his wife laugh out loudly.
“Don’t be so sure about that!” She stuck her tongue out because she knew their sons were just as naughty. The only difference was that their father could regulate them. Lia, their daughter? Impossible. Kawu did not have the heart to scold her. The real one who spoiled that little imp was Kawu himself. “So?” She asked, leading her husband out of the cold room and closing it behind her. She was taking off the puffy jacket, revealing a young, petite body behind it, wearing a pink, frilly shirt and skirt below it as she pulled the trouser from her legs. “What did she do now?”
“Stole the staff of Parthorn! He came to raise his complaints because of her antics. He is still the head of the 3rd branch! He took it as an open humiliation from the 1st branch.”
“Hah!” Reyra snorted, raising her eyebrows. “Best if he takes it that way, then! My 11-year-old daughter outsmarts and outplays the head of the 3rd branch?! It just shows why they are the third and we the first! My blood leads the House of Amarin, and as long as I give birth to kids like her, it will stay that way!” She grinned proudly.
“Haahh… Why can't you four branches work seamlessly together?” Kawu sighed, shaking his head.
“You are thinking too deeply into it!” Reyra chuckled as the two walked through their castle’s lit corridors, arriving at the front garden.
The weather was clear and sunny as it was the middle of summer. The air was refreshing, staying between 20 and 25 celsius, as their home was high up in the mountains. Wherever one looked, they could see the tall mountain ridges, their topside covered in snow all the time. When winter came, usually thick clouds hid them, and when snow was falling, it wrapped everything in its pure, white blanket. Getting here and reaching the ancestral home of the Amarin family could only be done so if someone knew the terrain inside and out. Knew the secret passages along the steep canyons and ridges. That was only possible by someone who was part of the four branches of this ancient bloodline. Or had enough strength to bypass their defenses through the air.
For someone from the outside world, there was no difference between members of the House of Amarin. For those who were part of the family. They had no unique names or titles, but thousands of years ago, four branches were formed inside the Amarin family. Their numbers were not fixed, and many times they changed places. It always depended on which line had the more talented members in it. The 1st branch always represented the leaders that the outside was familiar with. They were the ones who kept in contact with the other kingdoms, empires, cities, and other Houses. The 2nd and 3rd branches exchanged their ‘titles’ between themselves the most. Almost every other decade or so. They were the most active, always nurturing talents and trying to reach the same position; Being the 1st. Then, there was the 4th branch. They were not included in the family life of the House of Amarin. They were made up of individuals of all the other three branches, as their mission was simple; Find and exterminate any undead they knew about. They were the armed forces of the family. Their hammer that came down on their enemies and the enemies of all living beings.
Even if the House of Amarin was in high competition amongst its branches, it kept them at the top of their powers. Constantly pushing them forward and never letting them fall into a false sense of security. If an outside danger arose, whether undead or not, any competition between the branches was dropped, and they stepped up as one family. This is why nobody knew what went on behind closed walls.
“Did you find her?” Kawu asked, watching his wife, who was scanning the mountaintops.
“Yep.” She nodded with a small smile. “She is having fun with the scepter!” She chuckled, waving her hand as a creamy-colored speck of light jumped out from her palm, forming a mirror before them. An image appeared on it a little later, showing a young girl high up the mountains in knee-high snow.
She was wearing only a white skirt and top, unbothered by the cold. Her vanilla-colored hair reached down to her shoulders, and her eyes had different colors. One was like a sapphire, while the other shone in a ruby-colored light. Her porcelain white skin blended into the white background as he happily wielded the stolen scepter, forming loop-the-loops from ice, one after another.
“Fufufu!” She giggled after stringing four of them together and summoning a ramp from pure ice that she immediately scaled like a little monkey. Standing at the top of it, she was grinning happily, holding the scepter in her tiny hands. “Here we go!” She shouted, jumping down and skidding forward on the newly built ‘track,’ heading towards the first loop. Her bare feet were covered in blue light as she slid forward with incredible speed, laughing loudly as she completed the first loop, going for the second right after.
“Damn, she’s good….” Kawu clicked his tongue, watching her daredevil daughter.
“Her mana reserves are already at the stage of a full-grown man.” Reyra nodded with a proud smile. “She won’t be any worse than her brothers, at least!”
“Was there any doubt?” Kawu asked.
“She started late.” Her mother nodded with a bit of a frown. “By her age, her brothers were granted the title of Mage. She is still far from that. Especially if she only learns how to play around!”
“Kids have to be kids.” Kawu smiled while Reyra just looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.
“So, who spoils who?”
“Um…” He looked away, scratching his bearded cheeks.
“Heh, whatever, toss me up!” She chuckled, and her husband didn’t question her at all. Reaching down, he let her sit into his palm as he took a deep breath and flung her up to the sky like a rocket.
Her petite body quickly ascended at least 200 meters before stopping. Transparent angel-like wings spread from her back, glittering in the sun’s golden rays. They were made out of pure energy as she raised her hands, aiming. Just as with her wings, a sniper rifle formed in her hands, twice the size of her body. Leaning in, looking into the scope, red, magical formations were locking onto her daughter’s body as she was still ‘skateboarding,’ making her icy ramps and jumps with the scepter in her hands. As Reyra’s mana was getting concentrated in her weapon’s chamber, Lia finally sensed something. She quickly cast a flat ramp she could jump onto after a somersault, looking around with furrowed eyebrows.
“What…?” She whispered, feeling like she was being watched. She turned around multiple times before finally noticing the bright, flickering spot in the air, dozens of kilometers away. “Ah! M-mom! Mom! Noooo! Mooooom!” She cried out, already knowing what was happening.
Lia hurriedly waved the scepter in her hand, forming twelve snowflakes-like shields before her, all made out of pure blue ice.
“Not bad…” Reyra whispered but still pulled the trigger on her rifle. The concentrated energy shot out like a bright beam, reaching Lia in a blink of an eye.
Reyra’s control over her powers was immaculate. It blasted her shields apart, one by one until it reached the last one. As soon as it broke Lia’s last line of defense, it opened up, scattering into dozens of different directions, blasting snow into the air, and burying her daughter under an avalanche. It took the young girl 10 minutes to dig herself out, gasping for air with messy hair, snow sticking to it. Even though she already showed great mastery of ice-based spells, she was feeling the cold that did not bother her until now.
“Uuuu…. Moooooom!” She groaned, pulling herself out, using the scepter as a shovel and a walking stick simultaneously. She looked around, her teeth clattering as her clothes were now wet, cold, and sticking to her body.
“Come back home.” Resonated Reyra’s voice around the mountain range. “Then we will talk about your true punishment, young girl!”
[collapse]And this:
Spoiler [collapse]