Chương 45: Prologue - Path of Desires
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Jioral was left behind. Keyaruga, the Hero of Healing, accompanied by Freia, the Hero of Magic, and Setsuna, the brave fighter from the ice wolves' tribe, headed to Buranikka. Woods changed to steppes and rocky mountains as Kelly, their trusty raptor, carried them to their destination.
The red-eyed man kept his silence. He needed to watch the road and reflect on his next goal. First, he had his parents murdered by the hands of Leonard guided by the Princess Norn, whom he foolishly let escape alive. Furthermore, his rescue operation got butchered by the Bloodbringer.
For better or worse, I don't think it was her. Catherine had… has a personal agenda of her own. I think I'll have to ask Lorenzo. Of course, if that immortal mummy decides to show his mask before us again, until then…
However he would deal with her, Keyaruga relished the idea of the upcoming meeting with the war genius. Even if the world would fade once again, recruiting her would prove invaluable. And even if not, her being dead would clearly crumble one of Jioral's pillars of power.
That was reason one. The second looked like the silver-haired girl with shining black wings. Apparently, the demon queen was yet to ascend to her throne, and that made for an excellent opportunity to enter her inner circle. The lad needed allies in the war to come. He wasn't prejudiced against the ma-zok tribes nor excessively enthusiastic. After all, they were people like any other.
"Let's hurry, master. Rain smells closer." Setsuna said, having sniffed the air.
"Right. Traveling wet is not something I'm fond of." The healer replied, watching the sky. It was supposed to be the sunset, but purple clouds made it seem like it was nighttime. And even if it wasn't, the entire day of riding was everything but relaxing.
"My lord, I'm sorry." The sorceress slightly pulled the man's green cape. "When we arrive in that city of yours, could you buy me a new staff?"
"Why? I've fixed yours, haven't I?"
"You did, and I thank you for that. But when I tried using it, I felt as if it would blow apart. If that… That thing is still alive, but as you said, I'll need something better." The pink-haired girl deadpanned, recalling her short but intense fight with the bloody Champion.
"Fair enough, Freia. Fair enough." Keyaruga smirked, letting the magician tightly hug his back. If the princess had wished to murder him, she would have done so long ago. In a way, playing with her was thrilling and refreshing. Dangerous, but fun. "I can imagine you blowing up your staff. And damn, would it be troublesome to pull stone shards from you."
The malachite staff the lad purchased for her in Ranalitta proved useful, but its capabilities turned out to be really underwhelming when handled by the Hero of Magic. That piece of wood and minerals could not contain the nearly divine power of Freia. The latter could realize her full potential only with Vanargand, the legendary staff made from the branch of the world tree, accessible only by utilizing one of the ten white spheres — vessels of the divine armaments. But there was the thing…
"Hey, girls. What kind of weapon would suit me the best?" Keyaruga wondered. After all, he too wished to have an instrument of ultimate power. After acquiring a coveted ball, a hero could turn it into whatever they wished. A staff, a sword, a damn hand cannon, an all-penetrating bow, or a piece of impervious armor — however genius or ridiculous the desired form would be, the vessel would be happy to oblige. And that's the thing to be wary of — after the transformation is complete, nothing can change the divine armament. Nothing but the hero's death.
"Sword. You need better sword." Setsuna pointed out. Well, she never really appreciated anything but the fencing mastery the man showed in the battle with Kureha Cryleth.
"Actually, you already have one. How about… a staff? I don't think you'd end up in such a rough state in that colosseum if you could cast something more powerful back there." The sorceress shared her thoughts. Actually, I can use the fifth circle's spells; I don't need an amplifier. Even if it messes up my arms, I can always fix them… with cut hands? Huh, can't hope for miracles every time... Well-well-well, I think we've got a winner here.
"Thanks, Setsuna, Freia. I'll think about it."
In the end, there was no point for the healer to think of himself as an ordinary fighter or a mage, even if he could pretend to be one with the powers he copied. Keyaruga was a hero, a conduit of Panakea's divine powers, and he would need something to amplify his innate abilities and, preferably, to nullify his weaknesses. Something… to never feel useless and powerless again.
The question is: how do I do this? Should I rob the royal treasury? No, I've lost my chance because I preferred to take Freia out of the fire, and now we're just too far away. No, I need something else. Norn knows I'm heading to Buranikka, and she will be there. She has Blade and Bullet to call upon, and whoever she chooses, I'll take my prize from their cold hands!
"You think something bad again, master." Setsuna stated, pointing her suspicious glance back and upwards. The man grinned as eerily as he could.
"Ha-ha-ha, no. I'm thinking of something beautiful and nice." The hero answered, thinking about Blade. That sick rapist-maniac, who never gave up a chance to force herself upon girls she met along the way and to murder men, provided she would bear no responsibility, which, considering her high status, was not a rare occasion.
She will pay for what she's done to me and all the others. I'll see her dead soon enough.
"Hey! See that cave? We're heading there!" With the wind suddenly starting to howl, the man had to scream to be heard. The first raindrops had hit the ground, and he drove his reptile steed closer to the natural cover. Whatever had lived there earlier had been eaten by the previous visitors. Only charred logs and bones were left behind by them, and that clearly brought joy to the trio's hearts as the downpour rapidly descended upon the earth.
"Huh, I guess, if not for Setty, we'd have to freeze under the rain." Freia spoke, tinkering with the tent. The cave protected them from humidity but not the wind that followed.
"Uh-huh, Setsuna smells stuff like that." The she-wolf proudly raised her cute nose. Of course, the purple cloud didn't come out of nowhere, but even so, that made the healer look for a suitable cave. Their tent was sturdy, but clearly not enough to ward off such a heavy downpour.
"Seems like we're stuck here. At least, we can make a fire." The lad exclaimed and dropped his massive saddlebags to look for something to eat. "Let's see… who wants some salted wolverine? With bread…"
"I want!" Both girls exclaimed simultaneously.
"Here you go." Keyaruga handed them simple sandwiches. Although, after the hero spiced them with herbs, salt, pepper, and even some dried mushrooms, simple slices of bread with meat turned into a nice dinner. Even if he had to make three more for each of his girls. At least, that turned out tasty and nourishing. And whenever they wanted to drink, the sorceress was happy to oblige. She could literally make water out of nowhere. And when they finished, both Freia and Setsuna snuggled tightly to their man.
"My lord…" Freia said only for the man to raise his hand.
"Just call me Keyaruga. I won't need that fake title anymore." The red-haired lad shrugged, hugging the princess by the shoulder.
"Fine, lo… Keyaruga…" It took Freia a bit of struggling to actually drop the unnecessary status, but she seemed grateful for the permission. At least that made the two heroes a little bit closer. "We've seen nothing but ruins so far. How did it happen?" The princess asked with a clear sign of concern.
"Uh-huh, shouldn't that wall protect that Buranikka city?" Setsuna added, holding the healer's left hand. She could get warm with the fire, but preferred cuddling with Keyaruga.
"Now that's an interesting question. You see, around ten years ago, Buranikka indeed stood on the border of humanity's domains. But when ma-zok commenced the full-fledged onslaught, King Margurth found no better choice than to abandon the city and all of its surroundings.
"Everything and everyone behind that wall?" The princess pondered, unsettled.
"Exactly. Evacuating the area was `economically unprofitable`, can you imagine that? Either way, he couldn't care less. After all, this area didn't even belong to Jioral before thirty-six years ago, when Jogarn Thur Jioral conquered three small earldoms. Not even I can recall what they were called previously. He hoped demons would slaughter everyone there. Imagine how shocked he was when he found out about humans living in peace with them. They even went so far as to say that Buranikka is a Granzbach's enclave, which was never the case, but who cares?" Keyaruga dramatically explained, not even resisting girls' inept attempts to undress him.
"This… hard." Setsuna shook her head, trying to process new names and events she had never heard of before. Freia, on the other hand, literally absorbed the data, presumably comparing it to her own knowledge.
"But it's interesting as well. Don't fret; everything will be much more exciting once we reach our destination." The healer said this, thinking of his own goal. Aside from everything else, he wanted to know how me-ua, the demonic monarch, is chosen. Or, rather, by whom? Since the philosopher's stone is a vessel for the powers of the primordial god (Ahriman, if I'm not mistaken), the connection seems obvious. Either way, there's no better place than Buranikka to know that.
"Hm, Setsuna excited for new enemies and monsters. Setsuna wants to become stronger, just like you, master!" The huntress proudly said, taking off the man's pauldron and cape; considering the rising lust, that seemed rather amusing than imposing.
"I too need to raise my skills. To carry out true justice, I'll need much more than I have now." Freia concluded, and a jolly smile returned to her lips. She never said anything about `your` or `Keyaruga's` justice, so there was that. Even if she started to undress herself.
"Good idea. Tenanulic is a dangerous place, so extra training would prove useful. Still, this would have to wait until tomorrow. After all, you two seem interested in something different." Keyaruga grinned at Freia and Setsuna carefully taking off his leather boots. Then, the pants followed.
"Setsuna wants to get warm, master." The gray-haired girl almost begged for it with her bottomless aquamarine eyes. Interestingly enough…
"Hey, Setty!" Freia joined her friend, hugging the man's wide torso. "Don't leave me hanging, please." The girl almost said melodically as her nimble hands revealed the pair of massive breasts.
"Yeah, yeah. This is what I'm talking about." The hero, with a carnivorous grin, untied the ribbon, holding Setsuna's top. First, he licked her neck, as if in preparation to stick his teeth into the pale flesh. Then, the red-haired lad aggressively kissed his willful slave, intertwining their tongues, while his left hand played with the sorceress' nipples.
"Ha-a… Thanks… for not selling it." The ice warrior spoke, caressing the bluish amulet on the hero's chest. Her dowry, and the memento of the home.
"How could I? You're my wife, after all." The man shrugged, recalling the previous night. The cold façade Setsuna built around herself crumbled as she struggled with both excitement and shuddering.
"Yes. Master is N… Setsuna's spouse." In the end, the girl burst with enthusiasm, literally jumping forward to hug the man. He regained his balance, but to do that, he had to take his hand away from the sorceress, who now felt even more lonely.
"Ehm… Keyaruga, I… Who am I for you, then?" And now the shaken magician, in all her naked glory, decided to make things clear. At least a little bit.
"You…" The healer abruptly turned his head toward Freia. "Hard to say. You were supposed to be my loyal, obedient toy. But now… Mind you, your decisions in Buranikka were your own; I have almost nothing to do with them. So, returning to the question, I do cherish you." Having stated that, the man hugged and kissed his pink-haired companion until she could form a clear answer. This time, he was gentle and considerate. The former princess was no longer just a doll; she never was, though. Freia had a new personality, respectable even. So much so that the hero could no longer think of her as the main source of his pain and insecurity.
"Haa… Haa…" After the long and passionate kiss, the girl couldn't help but gasp, being almost out of breath. At that point, Setsuna had actually been sucking off his erect manhood for awhile, but the sorceress paid almost no attention to that. Instead, she now felt torn between the love she felt for her lord, her prince, and her benefactor (no matter how horrible the events leading up to that were) and the fear of her sister. Flare's mother was dead, and her father turned himself into a corpse-possessing monster. Only Norn remained. To clash with her beloved in Buranikka. And that… "I'm scared. It's going to be so much worse, so much harder…"
"Hey, calm down. Everything is going to be alright, Freia. Whatever you're afraid of, we'll overcome it together." The man replied, ignoring his own orgasm caused by Setsuna's tongue.
"I… Thank you, Keyaruga" The magician wiped her tears and showed off her worrisome mirth. "I love you." Then, she lunged toward the shocked man, ripping him off the wolf girl's hands. A few moments later, they were making love. Savage and animalistic one, but still. Right after Keyaruga regained his man's vitality, the princess started to ride the healer's rod.
"Hey, what're you staring at, Setsuna?" Then, assuming his self-satisfied grin, the man lured the ice warrior with an assuming gesture. "Come on, sit on my face."
"Uh… Uh-huh." Setsuna agreed, after overcoming the initial confusion. As always, she could barely comprehend the bond between the two heroes, but since it seemed loving and genuine despite everything, she once again chose not to question it.
And so, for the trio, the rainy evening was very much fun.
…
And for some, that night brought nothing but cold and pain. Four people ran through the woods; their pursuers never gave them any chance to stop and regain their breath. The wet ground under their feet treacherously flopped under them, and finally, the young girl made a slip.
"A-a-a!" The winged maiden stumbled over the root and painfully fell to the ground. She tried to regain her balance, but it was too late. Naala, a woman clad in nothing but rags, tried to help her, while two tall men stood up to protect them. The downpour got loud, but even so, nothing could hide the thundering steps of at least forty massive pursuers, riding terrifying leonine monsters. Every one of them wore bulky, bronze-colored armor and carried a thick spear. Some of them were already painted in blood.
"Useg na ro! (we can't run)" The black-winged man to the left screamed, unsheathing his thin sword. A lion-riding demon charged at him, but despite his thin stature, the man nimbly killed the beast by piercing its right eye. The lion roared, shaken in the last convulsions, but the rider swiftly focused and jumped from the clawed steed's back. Then he charged with an unstoppable series of swift pokes with his spear. The winged fencer tried deflecting them; a few times he even regained the upper hand, but in the end, the leonine demon kicked his leg and literally crushed his chest with a heavy metallic boot.
"YUEL!!!" The girl screamed. Naala tried to get her away as fast as possible, but she had broken out of her grip, and… "EXPLOSIONE LUMINIS!!!" The girl screamed, holding a massive ball of white energy, but when she tossed it at her foe… he just evaded the unevenly flying projectile. And however strong the consecutive blasts were, they left the caster drained and hazy. Even if she killed four pursuers in the process, hazy sight and soft limbs were too much of a cost.
"Usegode!!! (run!)" Another defender yelled at the women. Having a much more burly physique, he literally ripped lions and their riders apart with nothing but his bare hands. At least six pairs fell to his might by that point. His left wing was cut away, and his bare torso was protected with nothing but wide scars. Before punching another demon to death, the powerhouse snapped its lion's neck as if it were a chicken's leg. But even if the vanguard seemed unstoppable, his death came soon when another one of the heavy cavaliers pierced the unprotected neck.
"MERO!!! MERO-O-O-O!!!" The girl screamed as the last of her escort ran to safety, holding the winged prodigy in her hands. While Naala did her best not to look back, the powerless maiden was denied such a luxury. After foolishly spending all of her mana to cast a single spell, even if it was of the highest tier, the young lady couldn't even turn away from the sight of her friends being eaten by merciless lions. And then… Then they both fell to the ground. The woman didn't even scream when a heavy crossbow bolt entered her nape.
In the end, the girl remained alone, trapped in a barely conscious body buried under the corpse of her own caretaker. To say she was scared would be a great understatement. The maiden was terrified, and the distant talk about who would be the first to rape her filled her with animalistic terror. And even that wasn't the most perverted thing she heard — some of the pursuers were fine with `playing` with Naala's dead body.
"Haa… Haa… Haa…" The girl gasped, cold sweat and tears poured down her face, while panic and pure rage fought inside her. She wanted them dead, wanted to stand up and kill every single one of them… but not a single limb listened to her, not even fingers. And then… instead of gruesome, brutal men facing her, she saw a woman.
A human, or at least a creature similar to one, came almost out of nowhere. Her naked body looked supernaturally alluring; raindrops literally avoided her springy skin, and her eyes were closed. The only apparent thing that betrayed her nature was her hair — it consisted of leaves; the green matter of many plants perpetually grew just to become yellow and wizened in a few moments; nothing remained as it fell to the ground, not even dust. Leonine demons instantly turned all of their attention toward the image of perfection, but along with primal lust they felt overwhelming power, which kept them in check for a few moments.
The deity slowly approached the young maiden. Still pushed by Naala's corpse, she couldn't help but stare in terror as the creature of immense might touched the dead body. Green energy poured inside it, but aside from the bolt leaving the lifeless cadaver, nothing changed. The woman only shook her head before turning the body into nothingness. Then, after having all of the terrified girl's attention, the goddess opened her eyes. They… were entirely golden. Both the sclera and eyelids. Next moment…
…
…
…
She found herself on a mountain of corpses. Both the elimination squad and their monsters were slaughtered with the energy of light and darkness. Strangely enough, the only thing the black-winged maiden could think of was her way. Her wings got heavier with the three recently absorbed souls, but only one thought now occupied the mind of the young lady — she had to reach Buranikka. She had to meet her destiny.
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