Chapter 18: Chapter 17 – Stealth Mission

This stew tasted way better yesterday when I wasn't facing certain doom. Nothing quite ruins your meal like an inescapable blast from the heavens. I'm not about to give up though, I need to try and fix this situation before he finishes charging up. I think it was ten days... or was it fourteen days? Of all the things to forget... come on Eve, seriously. I'll have to ask Kreg he'll probably know since Master told him about what happened.
Regardless, if we manage to pull out of this situation, Rai'ga may stop channeling his spell. Supposedly he really does care for his people. Although after seeing that statue I have a hard time believing that.
Speaking of Kreg, he's one of three options I can pursue today. I either stealth into Irvine's office and hope that lead somewhere, I meet up with the rest of the group in Oakheart to see what is happening over there, it has to be related to why Rai'ga already gave up on this place. Lastly I can wrap my claws around the throats of those guards in Dawnsbury, wringing any information I can out of them before I eat them. Oooh I so want to eat everybody over there right now. Starting with whichever of the guards that are corrupted, setting me up in that Inn to die. Next I'll go rip the arms off that long haired freak who shot me.
After waking up here and having time to calmly analyze it I've reached the conclusion that I was indeed shot by a 'gun'. Cid had told me how a few of them worked (the ones he knew) but that knowledge didn't help me in the heat of the moment. I forget the name but there was indeed one gun that you could shoot once or twice before needing to put more 'shells' into it. I rarely see men with long hair, so it will fortunately be much easier to find him than discover which of the guards are corrupted. It has to be the two that told me of the Inn... yeah, that's where I'm going. I want to know if the group is safe, but for now I really want to head back to Dawnsbury. Plus, I can finally devour some souls. If we kill the Eldritch then all the people corrupted by him will be sick for awhile (depending on the level of corruption), eventually being back to their old selves as the corruption fades. In a perfect world I'd kill the Eldritch and save the town in its entirety, but they chose the wrong scout if they wanted someone with a heart of gold. The only grace I offer is that I won't eat them unless I know for a fact they're corrupted. Plus I can't even imagine beating an Eldritch alone... I was considering going back to the outer village guild hall and telling everyone there what I discovered, but if Irvine or anyone there really is corrupted, then the Eldritch will know I remember everything that happened yesterday and every reset after this from here on out. I'd like to prevent that as long as possible. All I'd get in return is help from the guild (possibly) for a single reset, so I'm gonna put that off till I know exactly what I'm dealing with and how we can find it. In that situation even if only half the guild helps me, we should be able to bring it down.
For now, it's time to stalk some guards. After standing up I see I'm in an empty Inn again. Looks like Helen has already left for whatever emergency called her away last time.
Heading back upstairs to grab my pouch, I'm surprised to see that the money is already gone. So that means I lost it before the reset...? Well that's going to be a bit of a pain, but not entirely a huge deal. Now I can just force myself into any place I want if I need to rest. Not like I need to worry about overstepping my boundaries or giving a bad name to Kreg's group when only the Eldritch are going to remember what happened.
After exiting the Inn I'm pleased to see how well-lit it is this time. No idea of the time Rai'ga is resetting it to, but the villagers clearly had way more time to setup before I left the Inn.
As the west gate comes into view I lost all the rage inside of me almost instantly. I was worried I'd be fuming the entire way there but now that I'm about to enter the pitch black, everything inside of me is entering a state of preternatural calm. I understand why the people of this moon fear the blackouts, but honestly I'd prefer it was always like this. Some part of me still fears the dark, while the other part of me loves it. Honestly these conflicting emotions are unbearably annoying. Last night when those blue-eyed demons invaded my room I was scared out of my mind, yet also dying to eat every single one of them. It's really hard to get your head straight when it's feeling two completely different emotions.
Just like yesterday neither of the guards said anything as I walked past them. Their only reaction was looking at me like I was insane, and I don't blame them one bit. That's a natural response to a young girl strolling out of the village during the blackout.
As I pull the directional crystal out of my pouch I can't help but wonder if I'm the reason my money is missing? Who the hell would take my paltry funds and leave this crystal that is worth enough to stay an an Inn for a couple of years?
For now I don't bother turning it on, there is so many damn lights on in this village that I should be fine for awhile. That also means the other village will be the same, a blessing and a curse. I can stealth up to them easier without falling into the fields, but stealthing through a town with a bunch of lighting is going to be a nightmare.
.
.
.
... Okay, I swear this village is way dimmer than it was yesterday? I can see the same two guards off in the distance, but what the hell is with this lighting? This situation raises all sorts of red flags... however it's obviously better for me. With the light back in my pouch I can stealth the rest of the way with ease. Ooh delicious morsels, wait right there for me I'll be there soon~.
.
.
.
It took me twenty minutes to sneak the rest of the way but that's fine, it's not like these guards are off-duty for the next four hours anyways... oh right, why the hell am I staying here with them right now? I was planning on just waiting here for their shift to end, but I might as well go check out the other things I want to know for now. The guild hall with its doors locked is really bugging me. They didn't feel 'locked' per say, it was more like there was something heavy blocking them from opening... Okay yeah, that's the first place I'm going.
With one last glance at the two guards, I sneak past between both of them and past the gate. I could just eat them right now but that would be a waste. If these two are connected to the appearance of that Lord, then I really need them to stay alive for now.

Every fifteen meters there is a light crystal or magical torch going, but they're alternating sides. One on the left, then one on the right fifteen meters ahead. I can see a narrow line I'll have to weave through if I want to get through this, or I can try to find some back streets that aren't well lit...... I think I'll stick to the main road. If it gets too congested, moving to a side street won't take much effort.
So far everything is the same as yesterday, and exactly like the village I left with the exclusion of their being less lighting. Barely anyone this close to the gate, with most of the villagers hanging around the center and south gate. The south gate is really the only important one for these inner villages. After all if an outer village falls or a monster slips past, the place that's going to be hit is the south gate most of the time. The place where I was staying last night was in the north east corner by the wall.
.
.
.
After weaving in and out between the lights for about fifteen minutes I finally start to see more than two or three people hanging around chatting. I'm pretty sure the guild hall was on the western side of town, somewhat close to the gate. I don't remember seeing anyone else around so there's no way it's near the center of town, a place I'm quickly closing in on. I can see people going to and fro in the center right now. I considered hanging around the center and observing people for awhile, but there's no point to that unless most of the town is corrupted. Everyone is going to be acting perfectly normal in this part of town. If I want to find the Eldritch or corrupted, then I need to stick to the outskirts. I severely doubt the Eldritch is in the south half of the village or near the center, so that leaves me about thirty to forty percent of the village left to investigate. That's still a massive amount, but a hell of a lot better than searching the entire place. There is a good chance the north gate is how the Lord got inside, so the Eldritch might not even be in town.
The center is still unbelievably bright so I had to dip into a side street on the north side, slowly making my way around in an arc. I knew the north side would be empty but even this close to the center I'm not seeing a single person...
.
.
.
Not too long after that I found myself on the road going west, weaving between lights again. The only person I saw on the way was a lady crying on her front steps. If she knew what was really going on in this village she'd be doing a lot more than crying. The lighting in the side roads is amazing yet perfect for me at the same time. They have bright crystals way at the top of the buildings spread far out. The whole area is dimly lit up so people back there can see, but also not bright enough to hurt me very much.
... There it is. That all too familiar building sticks out like a sore thumb. Speeding up my sneaking just a bit, I reach the doors and confirm they're barred the same as yesterday without pushing too hard. Hmm... should I eat through it with my tail? From my testing the acid doesn't really work on wood, so I'll have to punch through it with my tail closed. That will make a lot of noise... I'll save this idea for last. Looking at the wooden shutters up above, I might be able to get those open. Before I try that I need to see if the backdoor to this place can be opened.
Circling around using a side street, I stop in my tracks when I see the backside of the building. It's hard to tell since the lights in this back street are conspicuously missing near the guild hall, but I swear I see something dark brown covering half of the steps leading to the door. It's not like I was expecting good news after what happened last night... still though, even as a new member of the guild this is really saddening to see. I never saw anyone in the compound as a comrade or colleague, but apparently I'm feeling some sort of connection with the guild members because this scene is making me sad and pissed off at the same time.
I still need to check inside, I know I shouldn't be jumping to conclusions but it's hard not to after seeing this... nevertheless, there's no denying that there is a very good chance I'm alone in this village. The fact that the guild hall itself was somehow assaulted and the village is continuing on as normal, tells me the guards might be more corrupted than I originally thought. I can see the villagers not knowing, only the people who sleep on this side will come here and if they see a dead silent guild hall in an inner village nobody would bat an eye. The guards however... wouldn't they find this suspicious? I'm also starting to wonder if my actions yesterday were unbelievably stupid, or only seem that way in hindsight. I feel like I should have kicked the front door in the second I realized it was blocked.
Trying the back door I'm shocked to see it actually open. Not only that, it looks broken. I was thinking that the front door was blocked by someone who didn't want anyone to find out what happened here, but after seeing this broken door... Perhaps it was the guild itself that blocked the front door?
It's pitch black inside so I pull out my directional light, it should be okay to use so long as I don't shine it on the shutters.
Scanning the room with the light immediately gives me confirmation of my assumption earlier. This whole room is trashed with dried blood all over with no bodies in sight. If it was the Lord he probably absorbed them right here...
Heading back into the office I find nothing, no blood or disruption of any kind. I'll check the rooms in a bit but I'm not expecting to find anyone alive at this point.
On the way back out past the front desk I spot some papers. Shining the light on them I see they're just reports of activity in the nearby inner villages.
... Hmm? One part sticks out to me. It says a hunter was sent from Oakheart to the village I'm currently staying at (Wolfden).
"Alicia Vale requested to be sent to Wolfden. Reason: Believes there is more to the Priestess Lissa's disappearance. Request accepted."
Nobody told me there was another hunter looking into her? Then again we did kind of leave the outer village guild hall in a hurry, and I wasn't exactly friendly with that kid in the Wolfden's guild hall. I'll have to meet up with her to see if she learned anything. That's assuming she's not one of the stains on the ground in here.
.
.
.
After about twenty minutes of searching the upper floors I found nothing. Looks like everything that happened had taken place downstairs in the main hall.
Turning the crystal light off and throwing my aura back up I head out the backdoor, circling around to the main road. I guess my next move should be to scour the northern end as much as I can before the reset occurs. Oh wait, shouldn't I follow those guards instead...?
.......... Alright, the guards it is. I still have some time though so at the very least I'll search the area around the Inn I stayed at. It's kind of close to where they are anyways.
.
.
.
This place is dead as usual. The only difference is I swear I heard something from that thousand year old monastery while I was searching the Inn. Right now I'm at the monastery entrance internally screaming in frustration at losing a third of my ether just from blocking all sound on this rickety door when I opened it. This old wooden floor looks like it's going to creak and groan when I walk on it... nothing I can do about that except cover a massive area, dropping myself to zero in the process.
I see someone kneeling down at the end of the room, looks like he's praying to a statue of... a human?? He's in a T-pose on an object shaped the same way.
No more than two steps inside had alerted the man to my presence. He slowly got up and faced me, showing a man who's got to be at least sixty years old, with short hair and a clean shaved face. "A visitor! Not often I get one of those. How may I help you my child?"
Child? That's the last term I'd use to describe Eris.
"Sorry to impose sir, I was at the Inn next door and heard something from this building. I thought it was abandoned so I came to make sure I wasn't hearing things."
He chuckled at that. "It does look like a haunted building nobody would go near doesn't it? Having a crypt next door hasn't done me any favors."
No denying that. I have a few things I need to know, but for now... "This may seem like an odd question, but are you worshiping a human?"
"Indeed! His name is Jesus Christ, he's the son of god."
"God?? Can Eldritch have children?"
"Hahaha no no, he's a human while also a god... I think. I'm still trying to make sense of the texts as best I can. To answer your question he's a different kind of god, of the traditional sort. Not one of those creatures we're trapped here with." He replied.
"... I understood very little of what you just said." Is this man mad? He lives in a building that's going to crumble any day now while worshiping another human being, so I can't say I have the best initial impression of him.
"Now that's a familiar emotion I'm use to. The look on your face says you think I'm crazy right?" The man chuckled, then continued. "I would have had the same reaction as you before a certain event changed me. If you have the time I'd happily share it with you? Nobody believes me anyways, but I shall push on in my devotion until the end."
Hmm... I think I have a bit of time before the guards change. I can't say I'm all that interested in listening to his madness but I would like to know if he is supposed to be here tonight. That would mean he was here last night.
"One question first, do you sleep here too? This building looks like it's about to fall down."
"Oh yes I do sleep here. The door in the back leads downstairs to a single room that I live in. It's pretty far down so if this place comes down on top of me I don't think anyone will hear me yelling for help. If that's gods will then so be it, I will accept my death down in the depths."
Seriously what's with this creepy devotion to another human? Now I'm definitely curious why this man is wasting his life away here. He made it to sixty years old on this moon, there's no way someone gets that far by being weak. Also if what he said is true, then I doubt he heard what was happening here last night. The gunshot maybe, but not the demons.
"I have a little bit of time, where should we sit?"
"Anywhere is fine child, how about here?" He motions towards one of the benches.
He began talking before we sat down. "Did you know that hybrids like the kitsune had visited our moon? They were called Elves! Beautiful people with overwhelming technology, it was all very fascinating."
Why is he bringing them up right now?
"I was there when they visited the Church of Rai'ga. See, I used to be an archbishop to Rai'ga. I spent my life in his service... never doubting anything. Fully believing he would protect us and lead us into a brighter future. All that changed when the Elves learned we called the green planet 'Gaia'. Do you know what they did?" He asked.
"I don't have the faintest idea." I said, sitting down next to him.
"They laughed... and then they laughed some more, before finally saying 'what a cute name for that abomination'."
....... I don't even know what to say to that. Not that I really believe this madman, but if it were true... I mean there's no way, right? Purely out of curiosity I ask him, "Is Gaia an Eldritch?"
"I do not know, but that is how I interpreted their reaction. I felt so small after that... some meaningless country bumpkin who knows nothing, worshiping a monster day in and out. Suddenly my entire life spent in that church seemed pointless. I spent the next several weeks in the archives, burying myself in all the documents we had access to, books I never paid attention to at all before. You see, when advancing to archbishop, Rai'ga told us that if we ever waned in our devotion we were free to enter the archives and learn the truth of this world, knowing full well we never would. Men in that position only get there because Rai'ga knows you will never turn your back on him. Which is why I was shocked to reach the archive and find actual informational books there."
Madness or not, I have to say this is very interesting. I really should be leaving right now but I want to hear the rest of this.
"Most of them were just the history of this moon. From when the humans, crotia, and dwarves were first brought here. However there was one book that coveted all of my attention. All the information regarding humans was written onto it. It said we're from a planet called Earth, far off into the universe, a completely different galaxy. It didn't say how we got here but it did talk about our life on Earth. All the different races, including what or who they worshiped, like my Lord Jesus Christ. I considered asking Rai'ga about the book so I could learn more, yet I chose to flee instead. There must be a reason the archive for archbishops truly did exist, but I was too afraid to ask. Instead I was fascinated by another book I found in the archive, it was called 'The Bible'. I stole it and came here where my sister used to live. I remembered this run-down monastery nobody uses, and well... here I am. Any questions?"
.........................................................
Where would I even begin with this?
"I can understand why nobody believes you... this really does sound like madness sir. However if it's true, would Rai'ga know why Gaia started going dark or what those clouds above us are?"
He laughed again at that, such a happy fellow. "I do not know if Rai'ga understands Gaia's sudden change in behavior. According to the archives nothing has ever happened like this before. As for the clouds, Rai'ga had spoken his disdain a few times related to them, his rage at not knowing the cause. I may not worship him anymore, but I do believe in his own way he truly is trying to keep this moon alive. His actions may be as a result of his selfish view that everyone here belongs to him, however I do not believe that matters. So long as his actions benefit the people here, that's all that matters. Which is why a few of the Archbishops have never been a fan of 'The Wrath of Rai'ga'. It's one of the only things we ever disagreed with him on, and strangely it made him happy."
I'm still not sure how to feel regarding Rai'ga, but I do understand what he's trying to say.
"May I ask one question young lady? Why do you have a darkness aura over parts of your soul, and not the entire thing?"
"Whoa what? What are you talking about?"
"I'm an Archbishop remember? Feeling your soul this close is child's play for me. I've only met one darkness user before, but she had covered her entire soul, not just one half of it. That's why I found it strange... What purpose does this serve?"
If he's telling the truth... hang on. "Sir, can you explain why any priests at the checkpoints didn't say anything? Wouldn't they find it strange?"
"Oh there is a simple answer for that, they're simply not good enough at soul sense to detect your aura. Bishops might be able to see through it. If anyone fails, then all they'll detect is a full regular soul." He explained.
What he's saying explains so much, and is also starting to really set my nerves on end when I realize the implications if he's been telling the truth. If this is true... then what about all the stuff he said earlier? Gaia and that place called Earth?
"It's hiding my other half, the Eldritch side of me". I said while transforming. I've put off admitting what Master was insinuating before, but it's probably true. Personally I'm still not sure how to feel about it... so I've decided to put it aside till I know what that Raven did to me. Also I'm curious what this mans reaction will be. It's not like he'll remember any of this tomorrow anyways.
"........"
For a little while he didn't say anything, just scanning the 'new' parts attached to my body. I needed to transform for what I'm about to do later anyways so might as well. Hell I should have transformed the second I left Wolfsden. It feels so much better like this and I think it's because of my horns. I noticed I have way more ether regeneration and capacity with them attached, so that was dumb of me to stay in human form the entire time despite being invisible.
"Have you always been this way?" He finally asked.
"No, I had this ever-increasing feeling that I wanted to eat people with my tail, but at the time I didn't actually have this tail so it made no sense. Then all of a sudden one day an Eldritch that kind of looked like a humanoid Raven came to where I lived, killing everyone there but me. There's a much larger story to this but basically the Raven died, so now I have no way of knowing what happened."
"A Raven......." He had a clear reaction when I mentioned a Raven.
"No way, could you possibly know something about it sir?"
"Yes child... I know a little." He sighed, then went silent for a few moments before continuing. "The kitsune refer to him as the Tengu. When the kitsune god first came to into existence, the Tengu followed her shortly after. One of the major reasons the kitsune god sought out Rai'ga to vassalize herself, was because the Tengu was quickly growing in strength, creating Lords that began to rival gods in terms of strength. I believe the being that came to your home, was one such Lord." He replied.
... Unbelievable. I only came here to check for those demons, and here I am learning the one thing I thought I'd never get answers to. I'm still kind of skeptical of him but for now I'm going to listen to him with an open mind. The way he found my darkness aura and pinpointed something even I didn't know about, really started to turn my opinion of him around. That was one hell of a trick if he just guessed all of that to earn my trust.
"Do you know anything else about him? Anything at all, like what he did to me?"
"I'm sorry, the only other part I know is what Rai'ga told us archbishops. The Tengu had reached out to him to form an alliance, but Rai'ga said he knew the creature was lying. He had other plans, and Rai'ga had no intentions on assisting him. We were told to keep an eye out for reports that might suggest something deeper was at work or for any signs of a Tengu Lord. However we never did find one, despite Rai'ga insisting that he is still here on this moon somewhere. He also believes the Tengu is responsible for the Kitsune capital and the god herself suddenly disappearing. The new kitsune capital and its villages are so small now, I don't know how they're surviving in this harsh world." He answered.
"I see..." The Tengu. Once all this is over I need to ask the group if they know anything about it. Then again this man could be insane and this is all in his head, but I really don't believe that anymore.
I really can't put this off anymore though, those guards should be getting off their shift now. Actually they probably already changed shifts damnit.
"I'm afraid I need to leave now. Thank you for the talk sir, it was very informative! We never did introduce ourselves, my name is Eve. What is yours if I may ask?" I said, standing up from the bench. If I get his name there is one quick way I can confirm whether he's a nutjob or not.
"Call me Joseph. It's a shame you need to leave, I wanted to tell you more about my new Lord Jesus Christ. I have yet to convert anyone... nevertheless, that will not deter me. I shall push on in my faith." He replied.
Joseph huh? Now to ask Wayne what he knows of an archbishop named Joseph.
"One last thing Joseph, there's an Eldritch in or around this village. The area you're staying in is especially dangerous."
In response he merely smiled while lifting up some type of cross pendant on his chest, "If it's gods will for me to die here, then so be it."
........ Alright then.
He already knows about the darkness aura so I was going to throw my invisibility back up, however I don't have time for sneaking around.
Running out the door I reach the side street in no time, stopping for a moment to turn invisible so I can check to make sure nobody is waiting this time. There's a couple people here and there... hmm. They look like bored couples just lazing about? Still though, I'd prefer not to have a repeat of last night. I'll head to the main plaza and pray those two guards are there again. If I remember right they stopped there for a quick meal before their captain called them away. I was there at the time complaining about my money going missing, that's when those two told me about that empty Inn. The owner was a relative of his supposedly, and he's at another village because of family reasons. That's the excuse I was given as to why the Inn was completely empty. It could still be true, as unlikely as that's sounding at this point.
Yeah... I'll sneak to the central plaza. If those two guards aren't there then oh well, I can always follow the captain.
Sneaking through the street I remembered something rather important. Wouldn't the Eldritch realize something is up if the girl from yesterday looking for Lissa didn't show up after the reset?
... Right, they might not act the same as yesterday. Just one more problem to consider in a sea of things I need to do.
Upon reaching the plaza I could see the designated area off to the side where the guards and their families mingle. Sure enough, those two are there talking to their captain right now. This must have been when he pulled them away. Shit, if I remember right he took them south? I'm a little north of the east street.

You are reading story Malevolus Caelum at novel35.com

Wasting no time I move faster than normal hugging the buildings as much as possible while avoiding all the families hanging around. At one point I passed by a kid having a massive birthday party.
What a lucky kid... he's having an amazing day like this over and over without even realizing it.
My heart sank completely as I reached the main road going south out of the plaza. Not only were those three far ahead of me, but there is people everywhere. To make things worse this area is lit up brighter than any other place I've ever seen.
I also finally realized why the town looked so dim in the distance. The villages main light that's supposed to shine like a lighthouse for any stragglers outside of the village and to attract any monsters that get past the outer villages, was in fact not on. Why would the Eldritch have only that light turned off? At first glance I can't imagine why he'd do that...
For now I need to figure out how to get to those three in the distance who look like they're entering a building on the left side about two hundred yards out.
Moving to the closest side street I don't find anything that could give me hope. Lots of lights high above and the narrow street is filled with young adults making out. I'd love to try and start a fight by slapping one of these girls on the butt while invisible... sadly this isn't the time for that.
Now I'm really regretting transforming. I was positive I'd have no reason to come to the south side of town damnit.
Looking around I see absolutely nowhere I can hide these appendages without anyone finding them before they disappear. The more I eat, the longer they take to disappear. It's like they're becoming more physical in nature... I've tried not to think about what that implies for my future.
I expected to find nothing back in the plaza either, but it seems luck is on my side again. The shutters are open on the second floor of the building connected to this side street. It's pitch black in there so hopefully nobody is taking a nap near the window.
Standing up on one of the crates nearby, I rip off the monster appendages, tossing them into the room above. There was a loud thunk noise and the parts became visible after leaving my hands, hopefully nobody saw them in that split second. Also it's really starting to hurt when I pull them out now. Before Siv I used to feel absolutely nothing.
Walking between two couples in the alley I make sure nobody is looking at me before removing my aura. I'm walking normally while making as little noise as possible, I've become very good at that. The sound dampener barely drains me these days so long as I don't walk on anything that makes a lot of noise by default like that monastery.
.
.
.
Three minutes in I can't believe how many couples there are in this alley. I finally spotted the building those three entered earlier, and yet somehow there is still people making out around here. I remember a prostitute saying once that sex is at the epicenter of everything. It sure feels like it when you're surrounded by a sea of horny couples.
I couldn't see what building they entered originally, but it has to be this one. There is guards out back in this alley loitering around smoking that vile plant I hate. No way I'm getting in through the back door that's closed right next to them, however I do see another open window up above...
Slipping between two couples I throw up my aura, moving quickly over to the building, and jumping up to grab the oversized door frame, using it for leverage to reach the window. It made a little noise but the three guards below are too busy giggling like idiots. The smoke is drifting directly to where I'm at right now so I practically rolled inside to escape that evil skunk smell.
Upon landing I find myself in a hallway, two doors on each side with a stairway at the end.
Voices can be heard from the cracked door on the right closest to the stairs.
Sneaking over to it I immediately recognize one of the voices. It's the guard I first met yesterday.
"Sir I understand what you're saying... trust me, I do. I still have to decline. I'll take any training course you prescribe, but past the basic magic we're taught before heading into the mountains, I have no interest in magic."
He's trying to teach them magic?
"Likewise captain. If you think we don't cut it as guards, then at the very least let us keep our physical training with the other guards. We'll keep living here even if we're fired. You never know when a call to arms may need men like us."
I heard a third man sigh, before speaking in a voice I didn't recognize. "Understood you two. I really wish you'd reconsider, this world is becoming way too dangerous for the villages to be defending themselves with only basic magic. If you ever do change your minds, come talk to me anytime! Don't worry, I won't be firing you anytime soon." The man finished speaking with a chuckle. I assume it's the captain since I only saw him talking to the two guards yesterday while I was eating with the others. I wasn't in range to hear what his voice sounded like.
"Yes sir! We won't let you down!"
I backed away from the door since it sounded like the two of them were heading into the hallway to leave, but the captain asked them to stop when one of them only had one foot out into the hallway.
"Ahem sorry, there was one last question I had for you two. Your old captain here almost forgot. When you two were guarding the gate did you not see a young blonde girl seeking entry for the night? Perhaps looking for someone?"
... Well now, would you look at that?
"Apologies sir... we saw no such person. Nobody came to the gate as usual during a blackout. In fact I don't think I've ever seen a young girl show up during the blackout? I would definitely remember if that happened today." One guard replied.
"I see... how very strange." The captain stopped, lost in thought for a bit before continuing. "Oh right, my thanks to both of you! You may take your leave now. Feel free to grab a meal at Wendy's for your families, free of charge."
"For real Captain?! Thank you very much! Your wife's cooking is the best!" Both the men bowed before swiftly leaving, practically dashing down the stairs.
After that the captain went silent... too silent. Peeking inside I saw the same man as before, a clean shaved head with only a long black mustache for facial hair.
At first I was wondering what he was doing, but then it hit me... this fucker is inside his mental palace. Questioning his men about me was all the proof I needed, however this also speaks volumes. Is he reporting to his master right now?
Also thank god I'm still in control enough to make the decision to follow those guards instead of killing them instantly. So they must have told the captain in here about me yesterday, and since those were the two who told me which Inn to stay at...
Not then, how to handle this? I could try eating him right now but with that bulky armor it'll take awhile to eat through. Likewise sucking his soul out will take just as long, if not longer. Too many guards around... I think I'll follow him for today. Might as well see what he does and who he talks to. I can always eat him another day. If his soul was stronger than the average guard then I might have no choice but to assault him right now.
.
.
.
Following him has been a pain in the ass. He's only been moving around the south side. After he left his mental palace, he went downstairs to talk to one of the bookkeepers about patrol routes and times around the city. Then he left for more business related to the city defense, leading to yet another meeting involving the food storage. This went on for awhile, with him now eating in his wife's cafe. It's really late now, I think the bell just rang midnight? I have no idea when the reset starts but it could be any time from now till 7 A.M.
My stomach keeps rumbling while I watch the guards here talk about how wonderful the captain is in between shoveling mouthfuls of food down their gullets. I'm in physical pain seeing this... I used to be a brown noser too in the compound.
"Okay mates!! Your captain has a little more work to do and then it's time for a well deserved rest. You all did well today!" The captain said, getting up to kiss his wife before leaving the establishment.
Please god let this lead somewhere. I'd rather this entire reset didn't end with me only learning that the captain is corrupted and everyone in the guild hall is dead. Joseph was an amazing find too but it's not helping me much with the current Eldritch situation.
.
.
.
A few stops along the way (guard business much like the others), before I found myself in a very surprising location.
He's at the Inn I stayed in last night... is he looking for me? I didn't follow him inside because the halls barely fit one person and the boards make too much noise. Way too risky. I'll be able to hear him if he's talking in there anyways. This part of town is very quiet. He brought his own light source too so I know exactly where he is at all times inside of there.
After about ten minutes he came back outside, just in time to meet the new arrival.
A short woman with long brunette hair walk up to him, "Did you find her?"
The captain grunts in response. "No... perhaps something happened in Wolfsden due to the early blackout?"
"Hmm... that's a possibility. What do you think we should do?" She responded.
"Do we need to do anything? The problem fixed itself as far as I can tell." He replied, turning to walk away.
"You're leaving?! Surely you aren't this stupid!! What are you going to do if she's a follower of Malbrog?!" She yelled out.
"Then I will deal with it when she comes back." He answered without looking back. Turning the corner soon after, completely out of sight now.
The woman looked like her head was going to explode. Her light was small but I could clearly see her face turning pure red. While she's melting down I was studying her features. I wasn't given much to go on to begin with, but a 5'5 woman with long brunette hair... pretty sure I'm looking for one of those. So this is Lissa huh?
I have two options here.
I eat her now, apologizing to Kreg later.
Or I follow her.
Kreg seemed really upset when remembering his family that got corrupted and killed... I'll leave her be for now. I know exactly what she looks like now as well.
Hopefully I see where she's staying before this reset is over. Tomorrow I'll head over to Kreg's group, while there I can ask him what he wants me to do with Lissa.
Lissa backtracked towards the street she came from, firing off one swear word after another. There's no doubt that she's related to Kreg.
After reaching the main street she kept going straight into another side street. Looks like she's going directly towards the north gate?
A little while later we were both walking over the main road past the North gate. From there she headed deeper into the northwestern end of the village, before finally walking towards a home situated in a rather open area. It's not exactly bright here but it's definitely better lit than the pitch black northeast area I stayed in. There is probably thirty people milling about here socializing. Gotta admit, this is not where I was expecting her to go.
After opening the door and walking inside, she begins taking her overcoat off before closing the door, giving me time to slip in. That's definitely something I need to fix next reset, I'm unbelievably cold right now. The past six hours have been fucking brutal.
This is a rather normal looking house on the inside? We're currently in the living room with the kitchen on the left side. Actually it looks a little high class now that I see the silk cloth draped over the living room table.
Lissa walked towards the back, opening a door on the left side that had a steep set of stairs heading down.
I've heard plenty of homes have large basements, some of them are even connected to one another. Usually it's for growing food using crystals. So normally I wouldn't be on edge, but going down into the dark with this angry corrupted girl is feeling like a bad idea. However I'd rather not turn back now. The day is going to reset soon anyways, might as well get as much information as I can.
Unfortunately she closed the door behind her so I had to wait about a minute before opening it. Inside there was torches here and there, so I made the decision to drop my aura for now, only using ether to cover my steps. I can see all the way down these winding steps anyways, there's nobody in sight from here down to the ground that's about a thirty foot drop.
Near the bottom of the steps I could hear voices coming from the wide tunnel before me. I can only make out a few words, but it sounds like she's complaining about the captain.
The tunnel is much wider than it has any right being, so the tiny crystal lights on each side are leaving it in a rather dim state. Throwing my aura back up I make my way towards the other end, seeing Lissa behind an open set of bars talking to a dull looking man. There is no lighting past where those two are standing but I don't need any to see what this cave houses. A horde of tiny blue eyes here and there, with at least three sets of larger blue eyes. Unfortunately I'm not seeing a pair of eyes larger than the three Lords here. There is a good chance he's in this cave somewhere, or wherever this cave leads to.
It was in that moment that my aura dropped all on its own, taking at least eighty percent of my ether with it. To my right, left, and above, I could see some kind of mark shining as I passed by them.
The next five seconds felt like an eternity. Lissa, the man, all the blue eyes that had turned to stare at me, while I stared right back at all of them. Everything here was trying to make sense of this situation in those five short seconds, before all hell broke loose. I turned around sprinting for the stairs as fast as I could, while the horde of gurgles that shot up echoing off the walls made my eardrums feel like they were going to explode. I only glanced over my shoulder once, just in time to see an enraged Lissa get pushed out of the way as a Lord smashed through the closed gate barrelling right for me.
SHITSHITSHITFUCKINGCUNT! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!!
I reached the stairs pumping my feet as hard as my body would allow to get upstairs and out of this nightmare. About ten feet up the Lord had reached the stairs and instead of running up them he did a big leap up hanging onto the stairs in front of me, attempting to pull himself up in one go to block my escape. I immediately transformed, wasting no time in opening the tip of my tail, spearing it right at him. I chomped down onto the right side of his head, closing it as hard as I could while violently ripping it back in my direction. A spray of blue fluid went up in all directions as part of the creatures face was ripped off, some parts all the way down to bone, one of its eyes was also ripped out of its socket. The Lord's screams were like those of a dog having lava poured onto it. It let go of the railing, falling back down to the floor. As it hit the floor I felt something inside of my head speak to me in a language I didn't understand. All I could make out was the tone, and it was clearly very angry.
After reaching the top of the stairs I opened the door and bolted for the front door next. All in all from discovery to escape I was outside in maybe ten seconds, unfortunately the horde of monsters was also pouring outside a few seconds later. While I tried to figure out where to go, I noticed a weird scene taking place outdoors. Maybe ten of the thirty people here started screaming or attempting to run away, while the other twenty cut them off, subduing them in any way they could to keep them from screaming.
Oh... those are corrupted. If they're worried about the northwest area hearing those screams, then I guess this place isn't entirely done for yet.
I made a mad dash to the east, I can't imagine they'll keep chasing me when I hit the main road. However when I rounded a corner I almost ran right into a group of demons trying to cut me off.
They're coming from this direction too?! Just how far does that fucking tunnel system reach.
There's nowhere to go except forward or backward at this point.
For the creature in front of his pack I tried to swing at his throat from below, but somehow I ended up stabbing into the roof of his open mouth directly into his skull.
I was moving way faster than I intended just now, it completely threw me off... what the hell just happened?
My claws were stuck in the (now dead) demons mouth, wasting precious seconds before I got swarmed I had to use my foot to kick him down and hold him there to wrench my hand out.
While I like my claws, they're nothing compared to the talons on these demons. I didn't notice last night because of how dark it was but dear god, each of those claws are at least one foot long.
Also, it appears that clawing me to death is not their only option. Suddenly I felt something burning hot smash into my back, launching me forward into the two demons ahead of me. Even they didn't expect it apparently, the three of us went down together with my face smashing right into the stone walkway.
The burning on my back would normally be unbearable, however in this situation I was digging my claws into the throats of the two demons on the ground next to me. I think the one on the right survived, but I had no time to finish him.
Clambering to my feet I continued running towards the main road, this time glancing backwards constantly so no more surprise attacks hit me. It looked like three of them were chanting together to form some type of blue ball between them. I assume its fire from this intense burning feeling on my back, but I'm not on fire so who the hell knows what that is. I have no idea of how fast that thing is when they fire it, so I turned south down a side road to be on the safe side. Dying itself is not an issue in our current situation, however dying right here and then getting absorbed by the Eldritch or one of those Lords? That would be the end of my life for all eternity.
I'm torn, I shouldn't be thinking about this right now, but it's necessary. Getting to the main road should be my priority, or the plaza itself, and yet...
Looking back and forth for a place to hide, I finally find what I'm looking for. There is a door cracked open with the inside pitch black. Perfect.
I don't have much ether left thanks to whatever the hell happened back there, but I have more than enough for what I need to do here.
Closing the door behind me after I run inside, I turn invisible in this lightless living room waiting for the horde to pass by me.
The storm of feet running in this direction, passes by this location without pausing even a little. Now I wait for the horde to realize I'm hiding, or...
Just then I heard a couple of small feet smacking the stone ground, getting closer and closer...
As the feet pass by this house, I open the door and spear one of the little monsters with my claws, while bringing my tail down onto the other. I drag them both into the house, closing the door behind me.
Wasting no time at all I begin devouring the one inside my tail. He's smaller than my usual prey so it takes very little time at all. Whether it was the fact that this was the spawn of a living Eldritch, or the state of absolute starvation I've been in, regardless of the reason why, I was in absolute bliss.
FINALLY!! OOH FINALLY FINALLY THIS TOOK WAY TOO LONG~!!!
Suddenly I could hear a stampede of tiny feet running back in this direction, rudely interrupting my eternal euphoria. Fucking Lord must be nearby and sensed two of his spawn die.
Shoving the other one into my tail I run upstairs to the bedroom above (stumbling a couple of times thanks to there being no light in here).
No wooden shutters at all, no wonder why this place is abandoned. They would freeze to death during the latter parts of the blackout. This works out for me though---
That's what I was thinking anyways, until the Lord I bit earlier jumped up through the window, looking directly at me. I could barely make him out with the faint light coming in through the window. He however, seemed to have no problem at all seeing me. I tried moving a little to the left and his right eye tracked me perfectly.
... So be it. I should be trying to escape. Indeed, that's exactly what I should be doing. However I found myself doing the exact opposite. How could I not? The spawn are this delicious, just imagine how delicious this beast is going to be!
With no channel whatsoever, the demon threw one of those blue fireballs from earlier directly at me with his right hand. As I dodged to the left he pounced onto me, slamming me into the floor. Trying to raise myself up bears nothing, the demon is holding both of my shoulders to the ground.
Bringing my tail around to take a chomp out of the other side of his face, elicits a strong response from the demon. It rears back in fear, loosening its grip on my shoulders. Luckily for me my horns are long spears this time. I raise my head as fast as I can, sinking them into the demons throat, completely exiting the other side.
Apparently it's not enough to kill the fucker, he's trying to pull them out with one hand while punching the left side of my torso with a burning blue fist. I have no idea of how many ribs have been broken in this short amount of time, but I soon lost all strength in my physical body, slumping down with my horns being the only reason I'm still standing up. The rest of the fight involved the demon punching me all over while my tail took chunks out of his face, it all turned into a blur at some point.
I don't even know how long that continued on for or when I won, but the next thing I knew I was absorbing the demon while a bunch of angry looking blue eyes walked up the stairs. They slowly surrounded me in a tight formation, looking down at my prone form, gurgling in a low menacing rage.
.
.
.
Somehow, I'm looking at the inn ceiling again... did they not bring me back to their god in time? It's possible they were out of range so nobody was giving them orders. Which led to them making the horrible decision to kill me instead of bring me back for absorption.
Regardless of the reason... I survived. The relief I feel right now is impossible to describe... holy shit what a horrible decision that was.
However it definitely paid off! Now instead of starving, I feel tired again. I prefer this feeling way more than the last one!!
I laid there for awhile, laughing to myself like an idiot.
Sorry body, this is not the time to pass out for days at a time again. Especially now that the blue-eyed demons know what I am and which town I'm staying in.
For now I've learned enough over there in Dawnsbury, plus they'll be on guard against me now. Who knows where else they'll put those... ether draining wards? Yeah I'm done with Dawnsbury for a bit.
Let's go check out that hunter who was dispatched here. Next I'll finally go check in on Kreg's group. I really hope they're doing okay...

You can find story with these keywords: Malevolus Caelum, Read Malevolus Caelum, Malevolus Caelum novel, Malevolus Caelum book, Malevolus Caelum story, Malevolus Caelum full, Malevolus Caelum Latest Chapter