Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Rebellish Boy
*Year 386, Kingdom of Hanneheim. It must have been 6 years now that this new kingdom had emerged from the rubble of the old one. Solon's kingdom was a distant memory, the new kingdom was different. With its new king and its new reforms, the country has opened up to new ways of developing, in particular the exploitation of ore, which has made it possible to export new resources via the sea. Being a former farmer himself, the king Hanneman took over the exploitation of the land and its resources. The farmers of Hanneheim having become prosperous this attracted the greed of rival states. It was there that many discovered a hidden aspect of this kingdom*
-The war ? *exclaimed a young boy*.
-That's right.
* Having heard of the benevolence of King Hanneman, many border region wanted to join the kingdom. Some territories rejected the authority of their overlord and declared themselves outright subjects of Hanneman. This triggered a war with the neighboring countries which ended in their defeat and their complete annexation*.
-As expected for the Killick's killer. *Explained the tutor, puffing out her chest*. Your father is invincible young man.
- My father... Invincible.
*The young boy had stars in his eyes when he heard these stories. He imagined battles all alone in his head with his father*.
-What are you going to put in his head Margaret? *says a voice from the corner*.
*The door opened to let in a tall man. He wore leather pants and a silk shirt as well as boots. He had a beard and his skin was fair like his son*.
-Father. *Screamed the young boy who rushed into his arms*.
*He jumped on him and the man grabbed him before placing him on his shoulders. On seeing him Margaret bowed*.
-It's okay Maggy I have to tell you how many times to raise your head?
- You are the king. I have to. *She said politely*.
*He sighed then stroked the hair of his son who started laughing*.
- It will lift your head. By the way, I heard that Gavin and his men were returning from an expedition.
*She lifted her head, blushing*.
-Your highness, it's not what you think. *She said pushing up her glasses*.
- Oh I didn't say anything. *He said smiling*.
-Excuse me.
*She left the room embarrassed. The young boy stared at his father*.
-Dad Can I go play outside ? I Promise wouldn't make a fuss.
-It's okay but avoid jumping 20 meters above the houses ok?
*As soon as he leaves his father's arms he leaps over the wall and lands at the back of the yard. Jeremy looked at him blankly*.
-I guess I also have to prohibit falls from 20 meters.
*Despite its prosperity and the apparent kindness of its king, there is one point in particular that needed to be raised with the kingdom. His royal family is made up mostly of Killicks. To tell the truth apart from the king they all were. The children were not marked with the seal but closely watched by Prince Emvis. They were what is called in the jargon "of the spared". Nothing is perfect even less the seal of enslavement, the Killicks have all received the order to shoot down all their fellow creatures without the seal to the extent that it would be possible. If they don't the consequences will be terrible and the Killicks are not one to disobey a royal order. The last one goes back a century. The "spared" of Hanneheim are different, it is actually the master card of Prince Emvis Charibes of Adrun. By doing this the king owes him a huge debt and Queen Jeenan even more so he secures the cooperation and help of the most powerful neutral nation. The secret is well kept between him and a handful of people. Those who unfortunately wanted to let the secret out died in excruciating pain with their families. So here is the secret of the Hannemans. After seeing his son Jeremy went to one of the rooms of the palace, there he found a little girl lying in bed with a towel on her forehead. Right next to her a beautiful young woman in a silky dress who was taking care of her. She had beautiful black hair that fell down her back*
-How is she ? *Asked Jeremy*.
*The woman who was applying Efrat to the girl's body stopped*.
-She had this fever again last night, I had to watch over her all night.
*Jeremy approached her and took her in his arms*.
- Don't worry. Jeremiah also had this kind of crisis at his age.
*Having no seal meant that the mana in Killick's body grew freely. Unfortunately Mana and Efrat mutually reject each other as energy. For the rare Killicks capable of using magic, you have to know how to find a balance between the two if they don't want to implode under the pressure*.
- But this is only a child. *say Jeanan worried*.
-She's a fighter like her mother. *He said kissing her tenderly*. You will see our daughter will soon be on her feet.
-I hope so. I'm sorry to let you down I know you need me right now.
-Hey hey, don't say that. I can take care of myself, Jemma's health comes first.
*The little girl suddenly coughed. Her hair had turned blue, a sign that the Efrat was indeed circulating in her body, but an aura of the same color had surrounded hee. Her parents rushed to her. When she opened her eyes*.
- Dad... Mom... I...
-Don't talk, honey. *Tells her mother*.
- We are with you little one be strong.
*For a moment time seemed to freeze and A deep voice suddenly whispered in Jeremy's ear*.
- And I too am with her. MAJESTY.
*Then time resumed its course. Jeremy turned around and seemed to see blue bird feathers in the window.
- Dad... What is it?
-N... Nothing at all, my darling, it's nothing.
*In the courtyard the young prince Jeremiah came to observe the soldiers returning from expeditions. Among them was Captain Gavin, a young man barely 25 years old but one of the best warriors in the kingdom. He saw him descend in his cobalt blue armor with his sword at his belt. He was quickly joined by Margaret, the young prince's tutor, with whom she began to discuss*.
-Wooah she change clotches. *Said a voice behind the prince*.
-And the smell I would say that she also ise perfume. *snorts the prince*
*turns around then gasps sharply*.
- Hey, but how long have you been here?
*Behind him a young boy in a silver tunic like his. He had fair skin and blue hair like him, but he had the right side of his head braided*.
-You don't pay attention to your blind spots.
-Don't freak me out like that Cal I almost had a stroke.
*Cal Ambrosius, son of Prime Minister Duke Ambrosius and his mother Gladys. He is one year younger than the prince. He too is "spared" and officially cousin since Jeenan and Gladys are supposed to be sisters. To deceive appearances, they each received a ring soaked in Efrat which gives them this light skin color instead of being dark. As for their strength, the king justifies it from time time by speaking of the blessing of his relic. This version remains acceptable*.
-Do you think Captain Gavin knows she's in love with him? *Jeremiah asked*.
-A bit like you who doesn't see the girls who hang around you at the academy?
-It's because I'm nice. You are much too shy.
*The two boys observed the expedition troop, there were quite a few wounded among them and others less alive*.
-Say, what do you think they were up against there? *Asked Jeremiah curious*.
*Cal looked around as if spied on then whispered in his ear*.
-I heard my father talk about it once, it seems that they are fugitive demons from the last war.
-DEMONS
*Cal pounces on him, covering his mouth*.
- Don't talk so loud, moron. Yes demons it seems that there is a package.
-Impossible. Why didn't anyone tell me? I never heard of it.
-It seems that it is an extremely well kept secret. Your father and mine are doing everything to prevent it from getting out.
*He removed his hand from his cousin's mouth*.
-It sucks. *Said the prince*.
-I'm not telling you. Anyway respect Captain Gavin is not a relic bearer though.
- What are you serious?
*He looked at him more carefully. He had no scratches. As they were lost in their reverie a shadow appeared nearby. They turned around suddenly and saw a tall lady, about a head more of an adult man, she had black hair with a lock falling over her eye. Her skin was fair too and she wore a white shirt over sky blue pants and black heeled boots*.
ndt: Yeah everybody traced their skin color on Jermey
-Mom. *say Cal scared*.
- Aunt Gladys.
-Caaaal. *She said in a deep voice*. You skipped practice today.
- Yes, well actually....
*She looked at him with wide eyes then she saw Jeremiah who was also a little scared*.
-Never mind, I had things to do anyway. *She said before leaving*.
*Cal let out a reassured sigh*.
-Your mother is creepy, you know that?
-You are preaching a convert my brother.
*In the evening Jeremiah went to his uncle's office to make a rather unusual request*.
-Do you want to know the next hunt will take place?
*Lord Caïl Ambrosius had aged since the battle, his beard had grown even more and his hair was longer. He wore a graying tunic with golden ornaments with wheat flower symbols which he had over his shoulders*.
- Yes I would like to participate.
- Well Jeremiah you're still...
-Even look. *insisted the young boy*. I won't do anything, I promise.
-Aaaahem.
*Ambrosius hesitated a long time before answering but he could refuse nothing to his nephew and he knew it. He therefore succeeded in convincing the king to let him participate. That day there was literally the whole closed circle of the king. Apart from the queen who had stayed to watch over her daughter, everyone was present. The small group began to hunt within the perimeter they had marked out. Gladys, still as good an archer, launched into a contest of skill with her husband who had not lost his precision. Jeremy had fun watching them challenge each other. At the back of the group were the two little devils*.
-How did you convince your father to let us come? *Asked the intrigued cousin*.
-I first convinced yours. *He said with a proud smile*.
*The hunt was in full swing and the young prince took advantage of a moment of inattention from the guard to activate his efrat and disappear silently. If the young boy had insisted so much on accompanying his father, it was not to attend a banal hunting party but for something else*.
-Jemi, that's a bad idea. A very bad idea.
- Don't tell me you're afraid of a little fog?
-If Mister Ferry put this fog here it is for a good reason. My mother always told me avoid places where it's foggy. Especially when it's magical.
*The one and only wizard in the court had cast an incantation with which he covered an entire forest with thick fog. If he had done it it was for a good reason. Jeenan alias Violet as well as Gladys had succeeded in attracting the mutants to a particular area of the forest. This fog was a kind of prison intended for them to be locked up there. This decision had been taken by the king because he knew that mutants were above all humans changed into monsters by the blood of Killick. The official term would be demon to dissuade the population from approaching it. Also hoping to one day be able to bring them back to their natural state he had decided to lock them up, insofar as one of them managed to get out of this labyrinth, Gavin's group was responsible for eliminating or capturing him. But the prince didn't know that, and neither did his cousin*.
-Jemi... We should go back.
-Not until I saw a demon with my own eyes.
*The forest was huge and dense. There was fog everywhere preventing anyone from seeing more than 2 meters. Most of the trees were dead and the local fauna seemed to consist of snakes, spiders and other poisonous animals. The boys sank into this place giving goosebumps*.
-We've been walking for 20 minutes and we haven't seen anything. What makes you think you can beat a Demon?
-We're not going to fight, we're just going to see one. And then we come back.
-I never should have told you. *Cal complained*.
*As they moved forward a dull rumble was heard in the depths of the forest. The noise froze them in place.
-What was that ?
-Damn Cal, take it easy, you're a Killick.
-I'm just a child Jemi. Let's go home before we get scolded.
*Cal's back was looking around in fear. He tried to put his hand on his cousin's shoulder but didn't hit anything*.
-J... Jemi?
*Nobody. He was alone. He tried to catch his scent but it was not won with all the smells intertwined in this forest. He concentrated on his hearing but lately he heard like whispers. The fog confused his senses, that's how they kept the demons locked away.
-Jeremiah? Come back, if it's a joke it's not funny.
*He felt something on his leg. When he looked he saw the corpse of a decomposing man. Immediately his heart skipped a beat as the man's arm suddenly firmed around his leg before dragging him deep into the forest*.
-HAAAAAAAAAA....
*His cry was lost in the forest. For his part Jeremiah had sunk much deeper. He ended up stopping at the foot of a tree which seemed to have been struck by lightning*.
-Hey Cal you see that. Looks like... Cal you're pretty quiet all of a sudden.
*turns around and notices he's all alone*.
-Cal.... Cal? Okay that's not funny.
*A figure sneaked around him without his realizing it*.
-I know you're there, stop hiding. If you think you caught me by surprise, you...
*Turns around and throws a rock that hits something*.
- Mistakes... *Said he trembling*. Hey... Cal... It's not real huh.
*The thing in front of him had the lower body similar to a human but the top looked more like a bat. He also had yellow eyes and a piercing gaze, his fangs protruding from his jaw. The monster in front was 5 times his size, he felt like he was facing a giant. Suddenly the monster jumped up and bit him violently on the shoulder before suddenly retracting. Blood began to flow from his wound. Then it was his ears and his eyes.*
-What... What... A demon? It's... Is it real? My... My blood... I...
*He stared again at the monster who then uttered a shrill cry. There his spirit awakened and he yell out of rage*.
-HAAAAAAA
*12 hours later, night had fallen, At the entrance to the forbidden zone the king had gathered his men. He was pacing as he waited for the cavalry patrols to report.
-Damn you really search everywhere?
- Calm down Jeremy. They're not stupid enough to venture into the mist. *Said Ambrosius*.
- They are kids Caïl. *Said Gladys*. They will always end up disobeying.
-Cal is far too conscientious for that.
-Only the image he gives of it.
-You're insinuating that our son...
- Stop throwing stones. *Interrupts Jeremy annoyed*.
*The last horseman arrived and made his report*.
-No trace of the children anywhere. *he says*. We combed the area from top to bottom.
-It's not true. *Said Ambrosius*.
*Jeremy spun around while he had his hands on his head*.
-Damn it Damn it Damn it....
*The sky started clouding over them as if there was going to be a thunderstorm*.
- We have to come in. Bring me back Ferry Zoldia.
-It's that... He's in the capital and going there will take half a day.
-In the capital you say. In his lab then.
-Uh... Yes.
*The ground began to vibrate and the air grew heavier around the king. His tunic began to fly and the others, seeing this, moved away*.
-ASTREIF.
*Almost Immediately, the lightning fell on him and he disappeared. Somewhere in the capital city of Hanneheim in a small lab, was a rather young man in his early twenties. He was red with freckles on his cheeks. He wore an old faded tunic and tried to tidy up the mess he called office*.
-Where did I put my alchemy tome?
*As soon as the thunder rumbled and the whole room was turned upside down, the young man found himself on the ground*.
-What... What... What the hell just happened? *He said scared*.
*He got up and saw in front of his eyes the king covered with a cloak of lightning*.
-Ferry I need your help.
-Ma..ma...ma...ma...ma...ma... MAJESTY.
*He approached the frightened young man and put his hand down again. The thunder rumbled again and they reappeared in front of the forest. The young wizard panicked, got up in a hurry and looked around*.
- W... Where are we? *He put on his glasses, half cracked from the trip*. The sealed land. Why did you take me there? Don't tell me you're going to throw me in.
- Don't be silly. *Yells Ambrosius*. First listen to what we have to tell you.
*He quickly explained the situation to him, Ferry was quick-witted so he understood very well what they needed*.
-I see. Your children are inside.
- Yes then raise your barrier that one goes to seek them. *ordered Gladys*.
-Impossible.
-Pardon ? *She said with a menacing look*.
-It's not what you think. *He said scared*. I mean it's going to take me days to completely lift the barrier. Right now I can't do anything.
-Are you kidding me ? Our children are in there with these abominations. *Screamed Gladys taking him by the collar*.
*She lifted him right off the floor and he started sweating*.
- Calm down, honey, there's no point in getting upset.
-Lord Ambrosius is right. *he articulated in a muffled voice*. Please put me down.
*She threw him to the ground and growled in anger*.
-Useless mage.
- And partially? Canceled just one square? *Ambrosius suggested*.
-Even there we should know where they went. *he says*. Have you tried teleporting majesty?
-Obviously but this barrier is you see, a little too well designed. *Said the king sarcastically*.
-Is not it ? I did it haha.
*The king growled in his direction and he cringed*.
-I know. *Said Jeremy* a locator spell.
-But yes. *say Ferry*. It could work. We just need an object that belongs to your children and I could help you.
- Will a toy be okay? *Asks Ambrosius*.
-Too slow. *Said Jeremy*.
*He approached Ferry and with the help of a dagger he cut his hand. With that he spilled his blood on the ground*.
-Here is something that belongs to my son. *He said with a determined look*.
-Majesty. *says Ferry more than surprised*.
-Now find him.
-At your service.
*Gladys also gave blood. The wizard traced circles around the traces of blood and recited incantations. The whereabouts of the children came directly to Jeremy and Gladys minds*
-JEREMIAH.
-CAL.
*Gladys immediately resumed her appearance as Killick as well as her normal hair color. Covered in efrat, she immediately plunged into the forest*.
-Ferry disables barrier at sky level.
*A cloak of lightning appeared around the king and lightning wings sprouted from his back*.
-If I do that those who can fly will run away.
-As if I cared. *He says icy*.
*He flew through the air at lightning speed and headed for the center of the forest*.
- That's it, don't wait for me. *Said Ambrosius sarcastically*.
*While he was flying over the forest, a dozen monsters taking advantage of the curtain raiser began to fly away. Some targeted King Hanneman but with a great move of his hand of thunderbolts fell on each of them turning them into ashes*.
- Out of my way. *he says calmly*.
*As she went deeper into the forest Gladys avoided mutants and other things that could slow her down. But as she approached her son she saw streaks of blood on the floor, a lot of blood. She tasted it to check but it wasn't his. She rushed all fast to land in a clearing the fog was less thick there and you could see a dozen corpses of mutants lying on the ground. In the midst of it all stood a shirtless creature with cocky fangs and claws. His skin was covered with scales like that of snakes. Gladys recognized him immediately, with her blue eyes like Crystal*.
-CAL.
*The young boy had gone into Grimnir mode out of pure survival instinct. Suddenly thunder rumbled, lightning had just fallen in the forest. On his side Jeremy had found his son Jemi at the foot of a tree. An electric cage surrounded the young boy and lightning flashed everywhere grilling everything that came near it. Two dozen monsters were already charred. The boy had his eyes rolled back, his hair standing on end and his dark skin color was back.
-Jemi. You hear me ? *shouted his father*. JEMI.
*The young boy raised his arm in the direction of his father then sent him a lightning bolt*.
*Warrior of Adrun beginning of part 3*
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone