"I have heard from Captain Sanz that you wish to parley with the demons," one fat noble said with a raised eyebrow. "Lord Sentinel, there is no need to keep that filth alive. We should get rid of them as soon as possible. I am sure it is easily feasible with your power."
"I concur," another said. "Our Lunar Kingdom cannot be desecrated by those creatures any further than this. One of them dared to intrude the Shrine, Lord Sentinel. You cannot let that pass."
One after the other, the group of aristocrats gave their piece. All of it was worded differently but it didn't change; 'Sentinel, kill those foul demons for us. That's your duty.'
Rakna sighed, a small growl escaping his mouth and shutting their mouths. "Are you done?"
"…pardon?"
"I ask you…" The werewolf glowered and the temperature fell. "Are you done with your disgusting theater show?" He uttered and the shivers that ran through their spine forced them to be finally aware as they stepped back. "What is it that seems to give you this sense of superiority over me, I wonder? Are you perhaps planning to use me and chain me again when you're satisfied with my services, you bunch of pigs?"
"L-Lord Sentinel," the duke stammered with a nervous smile threatening to fall off. "What are you talking abo--!" He was interrupted by a sound akin to a hammer striking steel followed by a wave of heat.
Rakna abruptly summoned a sword as tall as he was and planted it in the ground, causing meter-long cracks to open in the cobblestone. The group of nobles and the few soldiers accompanying them jumped back in fright and looked at the source.
The weapon was releasing energy in waves, colored gold, and red. The blade was thick and had a diamond-shaped hole in it located about ten inches away from the handle. Within that hole, there was a sphere of concentrated air, as if destructive winds had been confined in it.
"[Star Hearth – Fragarach,]" Rakna uttered with an emotionless tone, his hand tightly gripping the sword's handle. "I'm not going to waste my time with you. If you believe that you will be able to use the Lunar Key to suppress me again, reconsider. Before you even dream of using it, I would have this whole city razed to the ground."
"Y-You wouldn't!" One noble shouted in outrage. "You would betray the Moon God?!"
"I am the Shrine's Guardian, tasked to protect it from the unworthy or malicious. Anything that is not related to it, I couldn't care less," Rakna said and glared at them. "I have a better question for you. It is already obvious, but do you know what your ancestors did to me?"
The duke's eye twitched at the question. He was about to respond in the negative; since that was something they should never reveal. But… "Yes, the high nobility has been made aware of your imprisonment by the King every generation," his mouth moved on its own and when he finished, his expression paled drastically and he covered his mouth.
Every other noble looked at him in shock and the soldiers who had no idea of said 'imprisonment' were starting to get suspicious, though confusion was prevalent.
"What did you do to me?!" The duke yelled; his voice muffled by his own hand.
Rakna's expression didn't change. "Next question. This incident occurred too easily; who amongst you worked with the demons in order to mount the attack on the prince's coronation?" His query made everyone gasp, even the duke was outraged.
"How dare you suggest--!"
"I did," one noble suddenly said and quickly forced his mouth closed in shock. He wasn't the only one; several others followed and the duke froze at the sight. As scrupulous as he was, whether it was for his ambitions or politics, he never entertained the idea of colluding with demons.
"I-it's that sword!" Someone noticed what was happening and pointed shakily at the massive blade that had faintly shimmered every time a noble spoke up.
"You manipulated us into saying that!" One of the men who outed themselves tried to save himself but that was for naught, because the only thing he saw in response was a flash of light, before he was engulfed in darkness.
Rakna huffed and lowered his finger that was sparking with star energy, the head of the noble who had spoken now bearing a hole. His lifeless corpse wobbled before ultimately collapsing. Everyone around gulped, the fear inside them reaching its peak.
They didn't dare to raise their voices anymore, and the soldiers who had instinctively reached for their weapons were forced to halt; stuck in their stances when they grasped who they were about to point arms at.
"Fragarach, The Answerer," Rakna said, breaking the silence and hefting the sword. He pointed it at the nobles before shouldering it. "Those in its vicinity cannot lie and must answer the questions posed by the wielder. It has two other nifty abilities, but none you need to know. Be honored; it's one of my favorite constructs."
They all pursed their lips and the werewolf scoffed. He glanced at the soldier who had the highest rank around. "You," he said and the man shuddered.
"Y-yes, sir?"
"Take away those who answered positively to my question and put them up for trial. If it was up to me, I would simply kill them but I'll let your King make the decision," Rakna said and the soldier swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Right away…" He said, anxiously trying to neither sound too enthusiastic or disrespectful. "You three; bring them to the dungeons!"
"Understood!" Three soldiers replied and the nobles were dragged; kicking and screaming.
"Now," Rakna turned back to the remaining aristocrats and let out a smile that promised nothing more than pain. "Let's continue the questioning," he declared and they couldn't even escape as he had already erected a Rune Barrier around them.
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* * *
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After the small 'chat', Rakna watched as the defeated nobility ran off to their estates, their intents completely revealed by Fragarach's influence as well as their souls forced into submission.
"{Sometimes, I forget how ruthless you truly are,}" Fray commented. "{You didn't hesitate for even a second to kill that man. I do not know if I should praise or scold you.}"
'What are you? My mom?' Rakna deadpanned. 'By the way, I forgot something too. You didn't give me any update about that book. Is it still the same?'
"{Aah… you mean the record of your uncle? No, ever since that incident where you got hold of the cross, it hasn't changed much. Then again, I'm too scared to enter that room to check better.}"
Rakna snorted and star-flashed into a half-demolished castle. 'I guess we'll see if it does something in the future,' he responded as he followed the directions given to him by the duke.
Soon enough, he found what he was looking for inside a secret vault; the Lunar Key. The item was a transparent orb filled with divinity and when he got a hold of it, a System message opened up.
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❮ ◈ ❯
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You have acquired the Scenario Item; Lunar Key!
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You have reached the principal clearing condition for your Path Quest! You can leave any time you desire but will automatically be transported out of the Simulation within ten days.
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❮ ◈ ❯
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"Ah, so it's like that, huh? I can stay to get an extra rating. It does make sense. For now, this Quest is too easy to be a proper challenge. It's probably similar to Ordeals. I will have to do more if I want to have a decent reward," Rakna commented as he saw the Lunar Key vanish from his grip. At first, he just wanted to get rid of this item that could suppress his power. He had no idea it was supposed to be his main goal. "Still, this end condition is far easier than what I braced myself for…"
"Not that I'm complaining but now I have a ten-day limit to carry out what I wanted to do. Luckily, it should be more than enough to resurrect those Gods," Rakna uttered as he headed to the exit of the castle.
"Lord Sentinel!" A voice called him and he turned to the source. His eyes landed on the captain he had entrusted the King to earlier. He had come out of one of the castle's chambers while he was taking the main corridor. Behind the captain, a few attendants were helping Claudius stand.
"Ah, so you're awake, Young King," Rakna said as he stopped walking, casually pressing Fragarach, which he had yet to dispel, against the ground. "How is it? Do you feel alright?"
The former prince nodded and slowly beckoned the maid supporting him to let him go. He sighed and approached the werewolf. "I was informed of the events by Captain Sanz. You saved me and my Kingdom. I thank you for honoring your word," he said with a tired but firm tone.
"I decreed it on my soul," Rakna snorted. "Of course, I would. I don't want to die."
Claudius smiled in amusement. "That is true. But my gratitude remains. I also must apologize for what my ancestors have done to you. We could have freed you centuries ago but every generation was too afraid of your retribution to act. I am ashamed to admit that… If I hadn't been compelled to seek your help, I wouldn't have either."
Rakna snickered and hummed whilst looking at Fragarach. He lifted it and mused about something before bringing his claws to the flat side of the blade. Under the eyes of his spectators, he started carving runes on it. His tails once again began to gather lunar energy and he redirected everything toward the sword. After a relatively long minute of continuous carving, Rakna nodded and willed the sword to become smaller.
He then nonchalantly threw it in the air and grabbed it by the blade with one hand before handing it to Claudius who had his eyes open wide. "I give this to you, Lunar King. Its name is Fragarach, The Whisperer, The Answerer, and The Retaliator. None can lie in its presence. The wind is yours to command when wielding it. And the wounds it inflicts are cursed to resist healing."
"I… I cannot possibly accept a gift so--"
"Take it, kid," Rakna huffed. "This is a product of my magic. I enchanted it just now to be sustained by Lunar Energy. As long as it stays on the moon, it will never run out of power. As for command on its abilities; a drop of blood will suffice to bind the spell to you. If one day you decide to bring it to battle outside of the Moon, it will be your responsibility to sustain it."
Claudius gazed at the sword in front of his eyes, radiating power and continuously gathering the energy of the Moon, and slowly nodded. He reached for the handle and lifted the blade. He held it vertically and resolutely slid his thumb across the edge. His blood flowed and the weapon shone.
He felt the connection being established with him and he smiled. He swung it to the side, the core of compressed wind buzzing, and it sent a crescent blade of wind that created a deep gash in the corridor's walls. His attendants watched in awe as their King wielded the fearsome blade.
Claudius then looked at the flat side of the sword, at his own reflection, and closed his eyes. When he opened them back, a sheath made out of lunar energy had already encased the weapon.
"Ooh…" Rakna exclaimed curiously. "As expected of a Moon God Descendant. Your innate control over lunar energy may even exceed mine. I suppose I was right in my decision."
"You praise me too much, Sentinel," Claudius said amiably as he lowered Fragarach. "I will be sure to treasure this gift for as long as possible."
"Well, don't be too sad if you can't," Rakna smiled faintly. "I improvised those runes on the spot. I only thought it would be possible thanks to the abundance of lunar energy on the moon. Do not be too saddened if the spell one day loses its power. But… I would indeed be curious to know how long your Kingdom, your lineage, would be capable of preserving it. Who knows, perhaps one day, the history behind that sword will give it enough spirit to truly exist on its own forever."
"I will not disappoint you," Claudius declared and bowed.
Rakna nodded and abruptly turned his eyes to seemingly nowhere. On cue, a telepathic connection was established with him, "{Your Majesty, the demons are coming to you.}"
"{Got it. Escort them as instructed.}"
"{Understood.}"
"All right, Claudius. This is your first act as a King; let's welcome some guests," the werewolf said and moved toward the castle's exit.
Claudius nodded at his words, having already been informed about his decision in talking with the demons. "I will trust your decision, Sentinel. Sanz, be sure to dispatch your men to calm any unrest caused by our… visitors."
The captain saluted. "It will be done, Your Majesty."
The Lunar King hummed satisfyingly and followed after the werewolf, who eventually grabbed his shoulder and star-flashed them to their destination with teleportation-like speed.