บท 72: Chapter 71: Declaration of War
Theo looked out at the destruction as he placed his arm under Drake's shoulder.
"Sire, what hast thou done to bring such a bout of damnation among the land?"
Drake chuckled, raising his upper half to lean against Theodore, "Haha.. Let's just say I had an anime protagonist moment."
Theodore raised his brows in confusion.
"I see my liege unleashed another forbidden spell of such magnitude. Surely t'was what this one witnessed, that hast lead me to thou." Theodore said, a soft smile forming on his lips.
Drake coughed a little embarrassed, "Sure Theo. More importantly the camp and the group?"
Theodore pulled Drake up so that he could stand before answering.
"Thine are currently under the protection of the Outpost. Harley and Miss Chelsea art acting as lookouts thitherward towers."
"More important huh…. You should worry more of yourself dolt!" Natto grumbled.
"Hush you," Drake chided.
Theodore looked confused.
"Oh not you Theo, my bad. Can you look over the captives over there, see how they are doing. We will need to get them up and moving even if they can't. My little firework display is going to be bringing every Goblin in Mordor to us in short time," Drake chuckled wearily, finally having enough mana to conjure a ball of water, it splashing against his arm and changing his tattoo to a soothing blue, it cascading to change his hair to the same.
"As you will it," Theodore said with a bow, carefully slipping his arm from Drake's and moving over to the chained prisoners who were still shakily on the floor from Drake's Aura.
Drake was spent, struggling to keep his senses straight while his Water Endowment did its job of recovering him, then a lightbulb lit in Drake's head.
He plopped unceremoniously to the floor again, and crossed his legs. Closing his eyes he did his best to concentrate like he had in the mines, turning his senses inward and focused on his breathing.
In and out, in and out. The world going silent as he focused.
After what felt like only a second, Drake felt a hand on his shoulder, gently prodding him awake.
Opening his eyes Drake felt fully refreshed and looked at his now full status with a grin. His eyes moved to the person who woke him to see Theodore.
Hoppin to his feet and snapping his fingers to change to his Wind Endowment, he looked around to see most of the captives had now gotten to their feet but unfortunately were still chained.
Turning to Theodore, Drake gave a quick question, making sure to spread his aura again now that it was under control to search for anyone in the area, "So Theo, couldn't find the keys?"
Theodore offered up five bags that looked similar to the one Drake had looted off the Jailer in the camp, and in his other hand 3 stones.
"This one simply did not wish to rummage through my Lord's spoils. T'were one bag per Goblin, including the one, "Theodore's eyes went to the scorched hole in the ground a small distance away, "Of the more than subtly deceased Goblin, thou dispatched. As well as the stones that this one could find amongst the corpses. But this one could not find keys on any of their persons' and thou's armor is here," Theodore said, bringing out the large pile of armor as it clanged to the ground.
Drake scratched his head looking at the blackened earth. Then looked back as he pulled the armor and weapons into his inventory for later. He also pulled the dimensional bags into his inventory one by one.
He first pulled one of his own bags from his inventory with a swipe of his screen, its contents changing to his equipped bags, then replaced it with a mental click opening up the new bag.
But Drake was disgusted with the contents, not sure how to feel about having it on her person.
Body parts.
A massive number of human parts filled the bags, amongst other unspeakable things. Drake grimaced as he tried to avoid looking at the icons for now, his stomach forming a knot.
Eventually after siphoning through the new bags, Drake replaced his smaller ones with the larger bags increasing his space by nearly 5 times, although they were filled with some things he would rather not say.
I'm going to have to do something about this when we get back. And I'm going to make sure I clear that camp out. We have some serious work to do before we go back to meet Bjorn at Shigure's. Drake rumbled internally, his gaze even, eyes glowing out of anger.
"I- …I will not harp on what I think as you already know. Please just do not push yourself. You now have many people who require your protection until you bring them to Shigure's camp. And we still do not know of the whereabouts of the remaining PKers you and the oaf have spoken of," Natto reminded.
Drake's head cooled slightly from the reminder but he made sure to keep the idea of tearing the Goblin camp apart at the forefront of his mind.
Grabbing the stones in Theodore's remaining hand, Drake was brought back to delight.
[Skill Stone: Water] [Rare]
[Unlocks a random skill from the Water Tree.]
[Requirement: Open Skill Slot. Have a Main Class-tree unlocked]
[Sub-tree Stone: Restraint] [Uncommon]
[Unlocks Restraint Sub-tree branch]
[Requirement: Have one or more empty Sub-trees. Have the Main Class-tree unlocked.]
Drake was a little bitter that two of the three were Sub-tree Stones but the Water stone was a big get.
He quickly wanted to use the stone but priorities and the possibility of getting a skill that would be too hard to control like his Aura might incapacitate him longer than the time he had.
Looking back at the prisoners, he could see their weary faces even more clearly. Quickly stashing the stones, he pulled the keys from the Jailers into his hand, passing two to Theodore.
"Start unchaining them quickly, there are bound to be more groups here soon, and I already ate up a bunch of our time recovering," Drake ordered.
With another curt nod and bow Theodore moved to the line of Prisoners and began unlocking their restraints one by one, passing the extra key to a kind woman who began doing the same.
Drake moved to another part of the line, moving his mask from his mouth, it snapping in place on the side of his head.
With a gentle smile as he could manage, he began unlocking the restraints as well. Each person very weary of him but gave nods of thanks regardless.
Until a particularly frightened woman bolted straight for the forest after being freed.
Drake looked on as she scrambled to her feet and ran, nearly tripping the whole way, a sad look overcoming his face.
With a quick step he moved in front of her.
"It's alright, you won't be in danger for much longer," Drake said, trying to coax her down.
The woman huffed a heavy breath pulling her arms inward as she stared coldly at him.
Drake was taken aback by her reaction. He thought she was just afraid and wanted to get away. But her body language suggested something entirely different.
"Drake, this woman.." Natto said sympathetically.
Drake didn't answer but instead, called over another woman with a wave and a shout, "Excuse me you! Come here and take her. We can't let her run off."
Someone shouted back, "Let her go if she wants! What if those bastards come back for us while we're messing about here!"
Drake glared at the man who shouted, silencing him.
She's obviously not in her best wits and.. Drake trailed off in his thoughts.
"Yes it would seem the Goblins have assaulted her. It would explain their growing numbers and why they kept these people on their march," Natto agreed.
Drake looked around again, as the woman he called over took the other back to the group. He noticed that many of the women had similar body language and expressions on their faces, but were simply too exhausted to run like the other woman. Their eyes glazed over in despair.
He felt sick to his stomach. Feelings of his past flooding over him again. This is what that piece of shit Stewart had accused him of? How dare Stewart even use such a thing when the reality was worse than anyone could possibly try to imagine.
Drake walked back to the group, new understanding of why the people, and especially the women would not meet his eye, or recoiled from his touch. He had thought it was because of his display of power and his use of Aura, but no. They had been through something so much more traumatic.
Gritting his teeth Drake felt something enter the edge of his Aura. He gave a knowing look to Theodore, before leaving to see what it was.
Theodore nodded and slowly corralled the people forward towards the Outpost, helping those who could not walk themselves and directing others to do the same.
When he arrived, more beings had entered his sphere, a squad of Goblins moving through the forest unaware that Drake was now watching them.
Drake flared and flexed his Aura, letting it loose to the extent of it breaking away from his control.
The Goblins froze and watched as Drake walked from the brush line, his hair and Tattoo now a chilling white, as he held a huge plume of blue fire, his eyes a shifting spectrum of blue, green and yellow.
With his other hand he snapped his mask into place on his face. Each Goblin shivering in unbridled fear as they looked at the man in front of them. Unable to move from the pressure bearing down on them.
Not even when the tendrils of the blue fire slowly wisped through the air and wrapped itself around one Goblin to the next, slowly burning each one alive.
The smell of burning flesh and the sound of screams faded as there were no more monsters to go through the torture, save the last trembling Goblin Footman.
Drake walked to the monster in slow measured steps before bending down to sit on his haunches, getting eye level with the Goblin. His hand raised as the blue fire licked and singed the Goblins dirty hair.
With his other hand Drake removed the mask from his face and stared evenly at the monster.
Several long drawn out seconds passed in silence as the Goblin shook and sweat under the eyes of Drake.
No.
Of the Monster in human flesh. A tyrant.
Drake released his aura reigning it inward and crushed the fire in his hand, extinguishing it like it was never there. His hair shifting back to black as his closed fist shone blue for a moment and water leaked from it, slithering up his arm before it changed his black tattoo to a serine blue, and in turn, his hair.
Drake turned and left. Leaving only one monster alive, taking his time with recovering both stones and cores from the ashes of its companions.
"Why leave the vile deformity alive?" asked Natto.
Drake answered evenly and without emotion, his thoughts elsewhere, "There's always a need for a messenger. When sending a declaration of war."
[You have increased Elemental Conflux to Proficiency 2(0%)]
[You have increased Martial Strike to Proficiency 2(0%)]
[You have increased Tyrannical Aura to Proficiency 2(0%)]
---------------------------------------
Drake moved through the forest listlessly as he made his way back to the outpost, mechanically taking out any scouts or Red-caps that he found on the way with a bolt of lightning from his fingers.
He thought on what he was to do next.
He couldn't just stay a bystander after taking in so many people. He was obligated now to at least bring them to Shigure.
The excuse of it wasn't his problem would not pass the shit test anymore. He had made it his problem the moment he saved Harley. The moment he took Stewart's and the other peoples lives.
Drake knew he wasn't a leader and that he was at times childish. But if he was taught anything it was to take accountability.
"Natto," Drake mumbled.
"Yes?" she answered.
"I think it's time I catch up," Drake said, a feeling of something instinctive flaring inside him.
Something was brewing within him, something that wanted more, and hungered for conflict. He had felt it when he first obtained his Aura skill, and again when he blacked out in the camp.
Now he could feel it again, but this time it was calm. The wanting for more, the desperate clawing from inside him for strength was willing to pull itself from him, but at the same time it was calm.
The dichotomy of the intense push and pull of the menace inside him felt like that of the calm before a storm. But Drake was ready to unleash it. He was holding the gun and ready to point it at the ones who deserved it most.
"The Goblin King's head," Drake said, his hand wrapping around a stone he had put on pause to use until he reached the outpost, "Is mine."
[You wish to consume, Skill Stone: Water [Rare]
[Confirm?]
[Yes] [No]
The familiar cold rushed up his arm, as he took a deep breath. The warmth of a fire then overtaking it. The hot and cold then rushed to his center, pulsating in tandem with each other as his breath became ragged in the dance.
But this time Drake was determined to go forward and embrace the power, aligning with the hunger inside him. The pure feeling of refreshing empowerment washed over him.
Then settled.
[You have learned Skill: Purity of the Soul [F Rank]
Purity of the Soul Proficiency 1(0%) [F Rank]
Your soul has gone through a monumental change, and with each improvement it will clear.
Passive Effect: Your Maximum Mana Capacity is doubled. (Increased based on Proficiency)
Extra Effect: You now gain an additional 2 Intelligence per level.
Drake smiled. The skill was simple, but simple meant effective and powerful.
Now opening the Level Ladder he eyed the top.
"We have a ways to go. Thankfully the Goblins are so accommodating."
[Top Level Leaderboard]
[Rank 1: Bear Level 24]
[Rank 2: Shigure Kenzo Level 22]
[Rank 3: Joker Level 20]
[Rank 4: Chris Spears Level 19]
[Rank 5: Super Megan Level 18]
[Rank 6: Ladden Hampert Level 18]
[Rank 7: Big Willy Level 18]
[Rank 8: VitaminD Level 17]
[Rank 9: xXxGunLover69xXx Level 17]
[Rank 10: Ash Ketchup Level 17
….
[Rank 1,471: Shot Level 13]
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