Karyne is dead. So my gut feeling was right. Great. Just fucking great. First, there were the gas attacks. Now a dead king. This shit's getting even more amusing by the day. Cussing and shouting fill my ears as I shove my way through the crowd to see what's going on. The king's head is separated from his still glowing body, and... Fuckin' hell! I can't tell much. These bastards just won't have order. Is this how Stassians normally act when there's trouble? They'll die easily at this rate... Well, not that I can talk about it. I still haven't died.
"ORDER! ORDER!" Some Chimerians shout in the distance. I guess I better help them. I'm part of the team, after all.
"Hey! All of you! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!" I scream, but they're not listening. Well, I g-- Ow!
"Silence or I'll summon a g--- Sol! Help me out here!" Visar calls.
"I really can't do anything with all these people blocking me! Do what you're about to do! Summon something!"
"The ground will break!"
"This is not the time for that! DO IT! JUST DO IT!"
He sighs and whispers to himself before a spell circle comes out from both of his hands. He then points it to the crowd as the spell starts to grow in size. Footsteps shake the ground as they scatter in all directions, and to go along with them is what I did. The snake general spits on the spell circle he created, the viscous liquid launching to the ground at a rather slow pace. Slowly, it increases its size until it stood at least as tall as I am. Its formless body is spewing some gas. I hope it's not dangerous... Maybe I should smell it just to be sure? I'm immortal, after all. I gu-- Ow!
"Don't even think about it!" A coarse voice blocks me with a spear. It's that same guard who tried to stop me from watching the fight of the two kings.
"You can't stop me."
"Sol! What are you doing?" Visar calls, and I rush over to him.
"Did he take Tarrith along with him?" I ask, but he ignores me.
"Go and take the king's body!" He orders a group of Snakes. "Also, report what happened to the queen! She's back at the castle!"
"What about me? How can I help?"
"For now, just focus on helping us in dealing with the riot! These dimwits will try to break through!"
"Give me a good reason why."
"They have magic, you dumb-ass. Of course they'll fight."
He practically hisses as the Chimerians ready their weapons against the crowd. Someone from the crowd of civilians scream before lobbing a ball of fire, hitting a soldier to my left. Oh, boy. Battle screams fill the streets as the thick-headed protesters clash their way inside the castle hill. I press my mark and ready my weapon.
"Don't kill. Just knock some sense into them and cast Extrusei Telyum before doing so. That'll prevent your weapon from slicing them."
"Alright... Wait, how does that even work?"
"It turns the weapon blunt. Now prepare yourself!"
The Naga general uses his staff to direct his "creation" near the people. I cast the spell as I've been told, and fortunately enough, I got it right in one try. My weapon got encased in stone. Right. Time for work, I guess.
"Let's get this shit started."
...
The civilians and nobles didn't have weapons, but they sure had guts. Some threw random projectiles of magic from all sides, while others enchanted themselves with Beast Magic and charged their way through. Visar is the only person I knew, so I stuck with him as our human barricades fortified themselves. One soldier got hit by an ice block to the face, so I stood in front of her and swiped.
"Stay alert." I say as I swipe once more. "One mistake will cost y--"
Shit. That hurt. Who threw that? I'll fuck you up. Just when I was giving advice to this young lady. I swear I'll you up. Actually, fuck this. I'll fuck them all up.
"Sol! What are you doing?! STAY IN POSITION!"
Visar hisses at me this time, but it's already too late. Technically, I work with Jean, and frankly, I've already been given my objective. Why focus on defending when I can just wipe them all out? I can't die, anyways. A leap and swipe in the air sends the protesters running away, so I chase after them... Wooow. This is unusually fun. Fleeing targets make my blood run for some reason. I might giggle, but I won't. There are people watching.
"SOL! GET BACK IN HERE! NOW!" Visar hisses again.
"YOU'RE JUST A GENERAL! I AM FOREVER!"
"WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?"
"FIND OUT YOURSELF! AREN'T WE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT THESE GUYS?!"
"YES, BUT--"
"I AM FOREVER! LIKE LOBSTERS!"
Clearly confused about what I said, he leaves me alone and helps his fellow Chimerians defend. Someone from the crowd tries to throw another ice block at me, but I swat it away with my trusty scythe. I leap towards the fray and strike, dragging four people as I sweep my weapon. Great. Now their attention is on me. This makes my blood boil, but in a good way. The sound of something breaking catches my attention.
"Huh?"
That bottle looks familiar... Oh, shit.
"GET THE FUCK AWAY! ALL OF YOU!"
Is what I said, but all the chaos blocked it completely. The sound of the bottles breaking didn't even do anything. I guess they'll know soon enough. I knock a villager senseless and carry his body. Idiots won't behave, so take it in thy own hands. Whoa. Thy. Chicken thighs. I'm getting hungry. Gotta make this quick. I wonder what's for d---
"I'm hungry. I'll go and get something to eat." I shout as the growl of my stomach gets blocked out by all the noise.
"YOU CAN'T JUST FUCKING BAIL OUT FROM THIS!" An officer responds back.
"Watch me. I'm tired, too. Maybe a nap will... Oh, yeah. I remember now. GET THE FUCK AWAY! CERBERUS IS AMONG US!"
No one pays their attention to it, until someone throws another bottle. And again. And again. And again. Soon enough, everyone is confused and is fighting on whether they should attack or not. A stalemate, that is, until some of the civilians start attacking one another. Blue eyes mix with the different hues of eyes, and the Chimerians went from defending to helping. The injured struggle on their feet as the Chimerians try their best to break the fight off.
"SOL! HELP US! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Visar's tone is getting even more furious now. It's starting to piss me off for some reason.
"You're starting to piss me off for some reason." I reply as I hold a Doll by the throat.
"I COULD SAY THE SAME! GO ASSIST THE WOUNDED!"
"NO! FUCK YOU! I DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT! I'LL GO FIGHT, IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME!"
As if on instinct, I turn my head in a direction. It feels like someone is guiding me, but I shake the feeling off because I get stares all the time. That's when I notice her. Blue eyes and a bob cut hidden in the same robes that attacked me when I first met Jean. It's the girl Visar showed me. She's chanting something.
"VISAR! THERE'S THE MISSING GIRL YOU SHOWED ME! SHE'S CHANTING SOMETHING!"
"What?!"
Huh. So he can't keep composed in these situations. He turns to my direction with his usual snake eyes, so I point to the direction where I saw her.... Aaaaand she's gone. Who would've thought. How can I explain this? Uhhh... Wait. Why is no one noticing a large spell circle on the ground?
"HEY, GUYS?!"
"ALL OF YOU THERE! MOVE AWAY!!!"
Visar's screeching pierces our ears while he uses the confusion to advance towards the spell circle. With a large frame hiding under the nerdy coat, he tries to grab and throw whoever he can get his hands on, all the while shrieking like a kid not getting what he wants. The ground starts glowing as the channel goes off, teleporting Visar and a handful of people still inside. Great. Now who's gonna manage this shit-hole?..... Oh. Visar left his monster here. Well, this is nice. Dolls and a monster. This is totally manageable.
"Do you guys wanna focus on stopping that thing instead of fighting?" I point to the creature as I go to the Chimerians.
"Focus on dealing with the civilians first! We talk after they calm down!" A young-looking guard replies. "There are Dolls in the area! Go inside the headquarters if you don't want to get hurt!"
The guard screams his lungs out, but no one's paying attention. As usual, I gue-- Oh! They're paying attention. And some of them are going away! This young'un sure can grab attention better than a general. At least, a certain general. I wonder what would happen if Alistair was here? Could he have handled the situation better?
"Huh. You can tell the Dolls from one another?" I ask the young guard.
"Slightly. Aside from their blue eyes, I've heard the insides of their mouths also glow. Are you going to assist us?" He says.
"Huh. Funny. I've never heard of that one. Do their mouths even move? Aren't their faces still?"
"Only on command. Whoever's controlling them can manipulate any part of the body except the eyes."
"Huh... That's insightful. Hmm... How many Dolls are here?"
"Twenty-two."
"Who's the strongest in this city?"
"A debate between the ruling kings and The Maiden."
"Really? Nelen's amazing. How did this world get created?"
"No one knows the true answer."
"Huh. An over-achiever. I'm starting to like you, kid. Wanna return these Dolls back to where they came from?"
"Gladly."
We rush through the commotion as the other Chimerians are already fighting. A Doll tries to scratch at me, but a kick in the gut sends him to the curb. I summon my mark and decapitate him. That's one. This is going to be tiri--- Whoaaaaa. The kid's doing a number on them. What the fuck. This battle's as good as finished, then. Guess I'll just sit back and let him do the work. Where is a bench when you need one?... Oh. There's one there, but there's a lady. She's wielding a rapier, but only wants to do as much as watch the fights.
"Who's that kid?" I ask a Chimerian who's wearing a lazy expression just like Strauss.
"Farhas."
"From the Farhas house, huh? I haven't seen him before."
"Mmhmm."
"You gonna join the fight?"
"Nnnnn." She shakes her head.
I sit beside her, never minding the chaos unfolding right before us. She continues smoking her cigar as her fellow Chimerians crush the opposition, and I yawn a head rolls near my feet. For some reason, I'm not bothered by the circumstances I'm in right now. The Chimerians look like they can do their job well, so might as well let them do it. At least the money of the tax-payers aren't going down the drain.
"Aaaaand it's done! Another one for the Chimerians!" An old Chimerian screams as others follow along. "Let's all go back and guard the headquarters!"
"Why are you still here?" She stands up and follows his comrades. "Aren't you a civilian?"
"Hmm... I guess, but for some reason, I don't feel like one. Want to go get some drinks?"
I grin like a devil even though I know I'll die if I drink. She ignores me and goes towards her teammates, and the pang of rejection fills my chest. She's a cold one. Colder than a glass of beer. Colder than a block of ice. Colder than the northern winds... Huh. Is it even cold in the northern parts of this world? I guess I'll know soon enough. I wonder where Jean will take me?
"Why are you thinking about me?" Someone whispers in my ear.
"FUCKING SH-- Jean? Huh?" I say as he wraps his right arm around my shoulder. "Wait. How did you know I was thinking about you?"
"Oh! The tracking spell from earlier also reads the mind of its victims. Very useful, right? Reading yours is actually fun."
"How long until the spell runs out?"
"Until I decide to chant it off."
"How about now?"
"How about no?"
"NOW."
"Hmph. You're no fun. Venarys Ys." He takes his hands off me. "There. All done."
"I'm going to make sure. Tell me what I'm thinking right now."
The girl I sat on the with. I wonder what her name is.
"That girl you sat at the bench with."
"You didn't chant it off, didn't you?"
"Wait. I'm right?" He looks at me, but I can't see his expression because of the weird helmet.
"Chant it off. NOW." I say as we walk our way towards the headquarters.
"I already did!"
"TELL ME WHAT I'M THINKING RIGHT NOW!"
Apples.
"Food?"
"DAMMIT, JEAN! CHANT IT OFF!"
"I ALREADY DID! WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"
"YOU LITTLE SHIT."
I grab Jean by the face, and the bastard retaliates by gripping on my neck. Huh? What's with all the face tappi-- OW! Motherfu- OW! Dammit. You punch me in the face, I'll punch back. Let's see how you like... THIS! AND THIS! BITCH! I WIN! I'M STRONGER THAN YOU!
"FUCK YOU, JEAN!"
"FUCK YOU, SOL!"
"CHANT THE DAMN THING OFF!!!"
"I ALREADY DID! FUCK YOUUU!"
"TELL ME WHAT I'M THINKING RIGHT NOW!"
I wanna punch you in the face again.
"ARRA!"
"...Oh... So you were telling the truth."
"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOUUUU!" He punches me in the face again, but I didn't resist this time. I was wrong all along.
"Hmmm..."
"What now?" Jean says as he caresses his reddened cheek.
"Well, you did punch me first."
"Oh, shut up. Just apologize to me."
"...Rry..."
"I can't hear youuuuu."
"Sorry. There. I said it." I mutter.
"See? Nothing wrong about it. It's easy."
"Not when you're the one doing it."
"Pfft. Let's just go follow them and discuss our findings."
The cold wind of the floating runes greet us as we make our way inside. The queen is at a small stage to my left, and with her are groups of Chimerians and people of all races. All their shouting and cheering is fill the underground shelter, as usual. It's a good thing none of them are hurt. Jean leads me to the crowd, and I follow along, oblivious to what she's saying. I only heard what she said when I got closer.
"I am looking for a new king!"
Of course you are... Wait.